Elijah

Elijah the Tishbite is a prophet in the northern kingdom of Israel during the reign of Ahab in the 9th century BCE. In 1 Kings he opposes the worship of Baal promoted by Ahab and Jezebel, and on Mount Carmel calls down fire on his sacrifice.

His departure is one of the Bible's most vivid scenes. In 2 Kings 2, as Elijah and his successor Elisha walk together, a chariot of fire and horses of fire come between them, and Elijah goes up by a whirlwind into heaven. Fifty men search the hills for three days and find no body. Malachi 4:5 promises that Elijah will return before the day of the Lord, which is why Jewish tradition sets a cup for him at Passover and the Gospels link him to John the Baptist and the Transfiguration. Islam honors him as the prophet Ilyas.

Historians accept that the stories are set in a real period, with Ahab known from Assyrian records, but the Elijah cycle itself is read as prophetic legend.