He is one of the revered saints of the Orthodox Church. This is God's saint who was ascended to heaven during his lifetime. I wondered what you could ask a saint for, and does Elijah the prophet respond to the requests of modern people? Previously people They were afraid of thunder and lightning, associating them with the wrath of Elijah the prophet. As a child, my grandmother forbade me to swim after the second of August and did not advise me to anger Ilya. In the article I will tell you about the life of the saint, his righteous service to God and the day of veneration of Elijah by the Orthodox Church. I will also tell you what they pray to the prophet for, what prayers he answers.

Elijah the prophet was born almost 1000 years before the birth of Christ in Thesbia of Gilead. Before little Ilya was born, his father saw a strange dream: men of prayer came and fed the baby with fire, swaddled him in swaddling clothes of fire. When the boy grew up, he became an ardent servant of God and devoted his whole life to him. Elijah lived in the desert, constantly fasting and praying.

He was a zealous servant of God, as evidenced by his name - “My God is the Lord.” These were the times of the spiritual fall of the kingdom of Israel, when an idolater sat on the throne. The king's wife convinced him to believe in idols and forget the true God. Elijah closed the heavens with a prayer of faith and caused a drought for three years so that people would come to their senses and repent of their sins. People did not have enough bread, and Elijah called them to repentance.

To avoid the king's wrath, Elijah hid in the mountains near the Horab stream. The Bible says that ravens brought meat and bread to the prophet to support his spirit. The people suffered greatly from lack of food, and God was ready to have mercy on them. But seeing the stubbornness of his prophet, he did not dare to go against his will.

One day Saint Elijah came to the house of a poor woman, who did not spare him the last handful of flour and olive oil - she baked flat cakes. This miracle is described in Old Testament: Since then, the poor woman’s house has never run out of butter and flour. The prophet also resurrected the suddenly deceased son of a widow, sympathizing with her grief.

Elijah and the idolaters

The prophet Elijah performed many miracles, but was still persecuted by the authorities for his preaching and exposing the sins of the rulers. Then the holy righteous man decided to arrange a competition with the priests of Baal, the idol of the Israelites. He suggested casting lots - on whose altar the heavenly fire would fall, that god was the right one.

All day long the priests performed ritual dances in front of Baal and stabbed themselves with knives. But fire did not fall from heaven in response to their calls. In the evening, Elijah built an altar of twelve stones (according to the number of tribes of Israel), and cried out in fervent prayer to the true God. He asked to send fire to the altar to admonish the lost. At this time, heavenly fire fell on the altar and ignited the sacrifice. After this, the people again believed in one god, and the priests of Baal were killed. God sent rains to the earth and the drought ended.

This miraculous event was witnessed by his disciple, to whom the prophet threw off his outer garment from the chariot. Elijah became the second saint of God, ascended alive into heaven, after the righteous Enoch.

Icons and prayers

The icon of Elijah the Prophet is very revered by Orthodox Christians. The Prophet Elijah is most often depicted either with a raven or on a heavenly chariot. There are other images, but these two appear all the time. What do believers ask God's saint for? Mainly about a good harvest and weather.

Requests also concern:

• strengthening faith in the heart;
• awareness of one's sinful nature;
• restoring peace in the family;
• protection from bodily infirmities and wounds;
• overcoming poverty and lack of money;
• marriages of girls;
• help in any matter.

In Rus', religious processions were always performed in Ilyinsky churches if drought came to the land. This was a centuries-old tradition. People have always believed in the prophet's control of the weather, which was mentioned more than once in the Bible. Nowadays, August 2 is celebrated as Air Force and Airborne Forces Day, since Ilya is considered the patron saint of air forces and sailors.

Prayer to Saint Elijah:

When can you pray to Elijah? This is done at any time if the need arises, as well as on August 2 in the temple.

Day of Honor

Second of August Orthodox Church honors Elijah the prophet. It is believed that the saint strikes demons and people who disobey God with fiery lightning. This brought fear and horror to people, and from August 2, people were forbidden to swim in rivers and lakes. It is on this day that most often there are thunderstorms with heavy rains, and swimmers can simply die or drown.

In the old days in Rus', during a thunderstorm on August 2, the shutters on the windows were tightly closed, and a lamp was lit in the rooms. It was considered a great sin to run through puddles, sing songs and shoot a gun.

Instructions of the Prophets

What do the biblical prophets teach us? They show believers the right way to serve God, to live in purity and holiness. In biblical times, all prophets were persecuted, as Christ confirmed in the Gospel: “There is no prophet in his own country.” Persecution was caused by the word of truth and conviction of sins, because people did not want to hear the truth about themselves. But the prophets were always accompanied by the grace of God, which strengthened their spirit in opposition to sin.

The Lord specifically sends prophets to earth so that they testify to his power and authority. People often forget who their true father and creator is and start creating idols. This was the case during the time of the prophet Elijah, when the king of the Jews fell into idolatry. This was the case in the time of Jesus Christ, when the position of high priest was bought for money. The Baptist became the last prophet on earth, announcing the coming of the Savior of the world.

Jesus was the last messenger of heaven, he redeemed the human race from sins and gave all people on earth the opportunity to gain the kingdom of heaven. After Jesus Christ, God did not send prophets to earth as unnecessary. Now all Christians on earth are awaiting the second coming of Christ in order to see with their own eyes the glory of God on earth.

Prophet Elijah. Biography

Prophet Elijah born in Thesbia of Gilead in the tribe of Levi 900 years before the birth of Christ. According to the legend that has come down to us from Saint Epiphanius of Cyprus (d. 403), when Elijah was born, his father had a mysterious vision: handsome men welcomed the baby, swaddled him with fire and fed him with a fiery flame. The name of the prophet Elijah is translated as " My God Lord“, which expresses the main content of his ministry (3 Kings 18.36) - a zealous struggle for the worship of the one God and who demonstrated His power through his deeds.

The Prophet Elijah was a zealous champion of the purity of faith in the kingdom of Israel and a formidable denouncer of idolatry and wickedness. His activity dates back to the reign of Ahab (d. 852 BC), when his Phoenician wife Jezebel decided to establish the cult of Baal and Ashtoreth. Tradition says that the true zealots of piety were expelled from the country, and a staff of priests of Baal was established at court. The prophet Elijah appeared as a terrible accuser of the trampling of the shrine, who performed many miracles to admonish the wicked king. The history of his life and work is set out in the Third and Fourth Books of Kings (1 Kings 17-20 and 2 Kings 1-3).

When Ahab's wickedness reached its limit, the prophet Elijah announced to the king that because of his wickedness, the country would suffer famine for several years (1 Kings 17:1). But Ahab did not repent; a struggle began between the king and the prophet, ending in the triumph of the latter. During the sacrifice on Mount Carmel (Carmel), arranged for the purpose of testing and comparing the power of Yahweh and Baal, the priests of the latter suffered a complete defeat and were executed by the prophet (1 Kings 18:40). This further angered Jezebel, who vowed to kill Elijah. At the direction of God, the prophet Elijah hid near the stream Horath, where ravens brought him food every morning and evening.

The people at that time suffered from unbearable heat and hunger. The Old Testament legend tells that the Lord, in His mercy, seeing the suffering of people, was ready to spare everyone and send rain to the earth, but did not want to violate the words of the prophet Elijah. It was important for the prophet to turn the hearts of the Israelites to repentance and return them to true worship of God. After some time, the prophet Elijah, according to the word of God, went to Zarephath of Sidon to visit a poor widow. Because she did not spare the last handful of flour and oil, through the prayer of the prophet Elijah, flour and oil have not been exhausted in the widow’s house since then. Here the prophet Elijah performed another miracle: he revived the widow’s suddenly ill and dead son, sympathizing with the woman’s grief.

In the third year of drought, the prophet Elijah returned to Ahab. Elijah proposed a contest with the priests of Baal to find out whose god was true. Having gathered the people on Mount Carmel, the prophet Elijah proposed to build two altars: one from the priests of Baal, the other from the prophet Elijah to serve the True God. “On which of them fire falls from heaven, that will be an indication whose God is true,” said the prophet Elijah, “and everyone will have to worship Him, and those who do not recognize Him will be put to death.” The priests of Baal danced, prayed and stabbed themselves with knives all day, but nothing happened. In the evening, the prophet Elijah erected his altar of 12 stones, according to the number of tribes of Israel, laid the sacrifice on the firewood, ordered a ditch to be dug around the altar, and ordered the sacrifice and firewood to be watered. When the ditch was filled with water, the fiery prophet turned to God with a fervent prayer and petition, so that the Lord would send fire from heaven to admonish the erring and embittered Israeli people and turn their hearts to Himself. Fire fell from the sky and ignited the sacrifice of the prophet Elijah. The people exclaimed: “Truly the Lord is One God, and there is no other God besides Him!” Then, by order of the prophet Elijah, the priests were killed. Through the prayer of the prophet Elijah, the Lord sent abundant rain to the earth, and the drought ended. However, despite the miracles and great signs that happened through the prayer of the prophet, Jezebel wanted to kill him because he put the priests of Baal to death. Elijah disappeared into the desert.

At this time, the prophet was honored, as far as is possible for a person, to contemplate God face to face. The Lord consoled him, saying that there were still people on earth who had never worshiped idols, and pointed Elijah to Elisha, whom He chose as a prophet after Elijah.

According to legend, the prophet Elijah was taken to Heaven alive: “Suddenly a chariot of fire and horses of fire appeared, and separated them both, and Elijah rushed into Heaven in a whirlwind” (2 Kings 2:11). According to the Bible, before him, only Enoch, who lived before the Flood, was taken alive into heaven (Gen. 5:24). In the Book of Wisdom of Jesus, son of Sirach, the event of the ascension of Elijah is described as follows: “Elijah was hidden in a whirlwind, and Elisha was filled with his spirit” (Sirach 48:12). According to the Fourth Book of Kings, Elijah left his outer garment (“mantle”) for the prophet Elisha, having thrown it to him from the chariot of fire (2 Kings 2:11-13).

The Book of the prophet Malachi says that God will send the prophet Elijah back to earth: “Behold, I will send you the prophet Elijah before the coming of the great and terrible day of the Lord” (Mal. 4:5). We are talking about the Second Coming here. Before the Second Coming, the prophet Elijah will descend from heaven to expose the false Messiah and convert the remnant of Israel to the true God.

The prophet Elijah is mentioned several times in the New Testament. Thus, an episode is described how the elders and people asked John the Baptist, when he preached on the banks of the Jordan in the spirit and power of Elijah and even looked like him in appearance, was he not Elijah? Also, the disciples of Jesus Christ, according to the Gospel of Matthew, asked Him if Elijah should come before the Messiah. To which Christ replied: “True, Elijah must come first and arrange everything; but I tell you that Elijah has already come, and they did not recognize him, but did to him as they wanted; so the Son of Man will suffer from them” (Matthew 17:11-12). Then the disciples realized that Jesus was talking about John the Baptist, who was beheaded (Mark 6:28).

During this time, the prophet Elijah appeared with Moses, and they talked with Jesus “about His exodus, which He was about to accomplish in Jerusalem” (Luke 9:31). According to John Chrysostom, “one who died and another who has not yet experienced death” appeared in order to show that “Christ has power over life and death, rules over heaven and earth.” He is supposed to be one of the two lamps standing before God and must appear before the Second Coming of Christ to earth (Rev. 11:3-12). During the suffering of Christ on the cross, some of the people thought that Christ was calling the prophet Elijah for help, and expected his arrival.

Miracles of the Holy Prophet Elijah

Through the prayer of the prophet Elijah, the sky “closed up” and did not give rain (1 Kings 17:1), which is why there was a famine. According to the word of God, food was brought to him by ravens (1 Kings 17:6) and an angel (1 Kings 19:5-6). According to the word of the prophet, the food in the house of the widow of Sarepta did not end (1 Kings 17:13-16). The prophet Elijah resurrected the boy of the Sarepta widow (1 Kings 17:21-22). The prophet Elijah brought down fire on the altar (1 Kings 18:36-38). Through the prayer of the prophet, God gave rain to the earth after a three-year “confinement” of heaven (1 Kings 18:41-45). The prophet Elijah spoke with God face to face, while covering his face (1 Kings 19:9-14). The Prophet Elijah brought down fire from heaven, both to punish sinners and as a sign of true worship of God (2 Kings 1:10-12). The prophet Elijah divided the Jordan River like Moses, striking it with his robe (2 Kings 2:8). The prophet Elijah was taken up alive into heaven for his special righteousness before God (2 Kings 2:11).

Veneration of the Prophet Elijah in Rus'

The Prophet Elijah was one of the first saints of God who began to be revered in Rus'. In his name, even under Prince Askold, at the beginning of the 9th century, a cathedral church was erected in Kyiv. And the holy Equal-to-the-Apostles Princess Olga built a church in the name of the prophet of God Elijah in the north of Rus', in the village of Vybuty. The Holy Prophet Elijah has always been perceived by the Orthodox Russian people as one of the saints closest to our fatherland. In the “Ilyinsky” churches there were and are being carried out religious processions, especially during drought. Elijah's day was considered the boundary of the seasons, while among the southern Slavs (for example, in Macedonia) this day was called the middle of summer, and in Russia - the turn to winter. After Ilyin's day, rain was expected, and it was forbidden to swim (so as not to drown or get sick). On this day one could begin to enjoy the fruits of the new harvest. The holiday was associated in the ideas of the Slavs with the theme of marriage and the symbolism of fertility: they prayed for a rich harvest, and girls prayed for getting married.

The day of remembrance of the Prophet Elijah is celebrated on August 2 (July 20, old style). In Christianity, he is the most revered Old Testament saint. Based on his birthplace in the city of Thisbah, the prophet Elijah is called Elijah the Tezbite.

Troparion and Kontakion to the Holy Prophet Elijah

Troparion, tone 4

Plotskiy ѓnGl, and 3rd prophetic degree. the second part of the coming of Christ, and the glorious ones. From above I sent grace to the foxes, to drive away illnesses, and to cleanse the lepers. those who honor є3go2 t0read the goals2.

The carnal angel, and the prophet of the degree, the second forerunner of the coming of Christ, the glorious Elijah, having sent Elisha’s grace from above, to drive away illnesses, and to cleanse lepers, with the same ones who honor him, he sharpens healing.

Kontakion, tone 2

In other words, you have foreseen great deeds of ours, and your great name, and by broadcasting your 1st water-flowing clouds, pray2 for us 3rd person.

Prophet and seer of the great deeds of our God, Great Elijah, whose broadcasting decrees and water-flowing clouds, pray for us to the One Lover of Mankind.

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Library of Russian Faith
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Holy Prophet Elijah. Icons

Images of the Prophet Elijah were as widespread as the images of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker, the Great Martyrs George the Victorious and Demetrius of Thessalonica. The iconography of the prophet Elijah combines symbolic elements that reflect his significance as a participant in the most important events in the history of the divine economy. Words Saint John Chrysostom contain a vivid figurative description of the prophet:

Let's imagine... Elijah, a prophet, an earthly angel and heavenly man, who walked the earth and drove the heavenly chariot, who was three cubits tall and reached a great height, rising to the very vaults of heaven, the lord of the waters, whose tongue was the repository of waters and the key of heaven (John Chrysostom, St. Homily of the Apostle Peter and the Prophet . Elijah // Creations. 2004. Vol. 2. P. 776).

In Christian art, not only individual images of the prophet Elijah were common, but also individual scenes from his Life. When venerated, Elijah was endowed with various functions. For the monks, his life was an example of ascetic deeds. Among the imperial circles he was revered as the patron of military valor. Emperor Basil I of Macedon every year, on the day of memory of Elijah, attended a service in the New Church of the Great Imperial Palace, where Elijah's mantle and belt were kept. In popular perception, Elijah was the patron of the elements. The role of the prophet-god-seer in the divine economy, the eschatological expectations of Elijah as the herald of the Second Coming, as well as various aspects of his veneration became the reasons for the diversity of iconography.

There are known images of the prophet Elijah in the Jewish synagogue in Dura Europos (249-250). In the scene with the king, judging by the fragments of the legs, the prophet was presented frontally. Near a strip of land, a fragmentary image of legs has been preserved, possibly the remains of the figure of the general Obadiah, who led Elijah to Ahab. In the scene of the resurrection of the son of the Sarepta widow, Elijah reclines on a bed, in his arms is a baby, whom he stretches out to the hand of the Lord, depicted above, on the left is the preliminary action - a widow in black clothes gives Elijah the body of her dead son, on the right - a widow in light festive clothes holds in the arms of a cheerful baby.

The earliest image of the prophet Elijah is presented in the iconography “The Ascension of the Prophet Elijah, or the Fiery Ascension” and is located in the Chapel of Sant'Aquilino in the Basilica of San Lorenzo Maggiore in Milan (c. 370 n.). In the apse of the Basilica of Sant'Apollinare in Classe in Ravenna (c. 549) in the scene of the Transfiguration of the Lord (the figure of Christ is replaced by a cross with His face in the middle cross, the apostles Peter, John and James are presented in the form of lambs, the cross is in the pose of an orant Bishop Apollinaris, flanked by 12 apostles in the form of lambs) half-figures of the prophets Elijah (right) and Moses (left) are represented in the clouds. Elijah is an old man with long, gray hair, parted in the middle and falling down his back, gray long beard pointed downwards.

The earliest known icon image of Elijah was made using the technique of wax painting (encaustic) in the 7th century and is located in the monastery of the Great Martyr Catherine in Sinai. The icon was the right wing of a triptych that has not survived. Elijah is depicted as gray-haired, his clothes are detailed with an assist. Right hand- in a prophetic gesture, in the lowered left - an unfolded scroll.

Rare examples of single images of Elijah have been preserved in Byzantine art. One of the earliest is a large icon (1180-1200, Byzantine Museum, Kastoria) with a cross-sectional frontal image of Elijah on a blue background, dressed in an ocher tunic with a blue belt and a mantle, with an unrolled scroll in his left hand. On a folding medallion with images of Our Lady Oranta and Jesus Christ (late 10th - early 11th centuries, National Library of St. Mark, Venice), Elijah is presented with a scroll in his hand among the prophets, apostles and saints.

The iconographic programs of temples of the Middle Byzantine period often included individual scenes from the Life of Elijah. The earliest examples include the frescoes of the cave church of Ayvali Kilise (Cappadocia; between 913 and 920), where on the slopes of a small arch framing a niche with the scene of the “Sacrifice of Abraham”, “The Sacrifice on Mount Carmel” and “The Ascension of the Prophet Elijah” are presented. .

The special veneration of the prophet Elijah on Sinai, not far from which, on Mount Horeb, he was honored to see God, led to the widespread dissemination of his images in various icons originating from the monastery of the Great Martyr Catherine or created for him.

The most widespread subjects in monumental art and icon painting are “The Prophet Elijah in the Desert” and “The Fiery Ascent of the Prophet Elijah.”

Detailed hagiographical narratives in monumental painting have been known since the 13th century. One of the earliest surviving cycles is located on the northern wall of the southeastern compartment of the temple in Akhtala (1205-1216) and includes 3 scenes: “The Sacrifice on Mount Carmel”, “The Prophet Elijah in the Desert”, “The Ascension of the Prophet Elijah”.

The first Christian church built in Kyiv was consecrated in the name of the prophet Elijah. Together with the traditional corpus of the Lives of Elijah and Words of praise A cycle of apocryphal works appeared early in Rus'. Thus, in Russian indices, starting with the Izbornik of Prince Svyatoslav in 1073, there is an indication of the apocryphal “Ilina’s addition” (Agapius’s Walk to Paradise), where Elder Agapius’ guide through the Garden of Eden was Elijah. In “The Word and Vision of the Apostle Paul” (“The Apostle Paul’s Walk through Torment”) we talk about the meeting of the Apostle Paul with Elijah and Elisha in paradise. These works, despite being included in the category of prohibited books, were in demand at different times and became the source of new iconographies of the prophet Elijah.

In Kievan Rus, the veneration of the prophet Elijah acquired peculiarities. The comparison of Elijah with the Archangel Michael, which appeared early in various iconographic versions, is characteristic of Old Russian culture and unusual for Byzantium. One of the reasons for the combination of the images of Elijah and the Archangel Michael was that both have power over fiery and water elements, and are also revered as intercessors for the human race at the Last Judgment. An early example of images of Elijah was preserved in the Kondakara Typographical Rules (late 11th - early 12th centuries, Tretyakov Gallery).

The earliest image in ancient Russian monumental art is known in the painting of St. Sophia of Kyiv, where the gray-haired Elijah is presented full-length, with a rolled scroll in his hand in the lower zone on the southwestern dome pillar.

The diversity of the iconography of “Prophet Elijah in the Desert”, containing the Eucharistic theme and expressing the ideal monastic life, in Russian art was supplemented by motives of submission to God’s will, in-depth prayer and at the same time bold and zealous communication with God. A few monuments of the 15th century depict Elijah sitting on a stone half-turned to the right, with his left hand supporting his head and a scroll in his right.

Obviously, even in pre-Mongol Rus', parallels were traced between Elijah, taken to heaven in a pillar of fire, and the image Mother of God“The Burning Bush”, which are united by the theme of divine fire, transforming, but not scorching.

In the 16th century, the iconography of the “Fiery Ascent” began to be saturated with images of previous events from the Life of Elijah. On a Novgorod icon of the second quarter of the 16th century. There are two plots: “An angel prompts Elijah” and “Crossing the Jordan on dry land.” As a result, iconography, which combines several compositions without dividing them into brands, became widespread and took shape in a special form hagiographic icons. This phenomenon is unique to the iconography of Elijah. These “complex” compositions did not receive a special name and are named, as a rule, according to the plot, highlighted by scale.

The earliest icon life cycle of the Prophet Elijah has been preserved in Russian art - the image “Prophet Elijah in the Desert, with Life” from the Vybuta churchyard near Pskov (beginning of the 13th century, Tretyakov Gallery). The centerpiece depicts Elijah in the desert, wearing apostolic robes - a tunic and a himation, without a raven.

The development of hagiographic iconography continued actively in the 16th century. Special attention to the image of Elijah was explained by the spread of his veneration. Numerous “ordinary” churches in the name of the prophet Elijah are known.

Small-sized hagiographic icons of Elijah were intended for lecterns or for home prayer. Some of them had an individual selection of stamps, including rare subjects. For the Yaroslavl Church of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker, Semyon Spiridonov Kholmogorets painted the icon “Prophet Elijah, with a life in 26 stamps” (1678, Yakhm). Elijah is depicted full-length, with a scroll in his hand, in prayer to the Lord, in the heavenly segment on the left, with a sphere in his hands, sitting on cherubim. The composition of the centerpiece is enclosed in an arch against a background of exquisite herbs. The architecture and landscape in the stamps are unusually complex and varied.

Temples of Elijah the Prophet in Rus'

In the name of the holy prophet Elijah it was consecrated church at the Vybuty churchyard, Pskov region. The stone Ilinskaya Church was built from a slab in the 15th century. Presumably, there was more than ancient temple, because in the Tretyakov Gallery in Moscow there is an icon of the holy prophet Elijah from the church in Vybuty, dated to the 13th century. The church stands on the banks of the Velikaya River. The bell tower is stone, in connection with the vestibule of the church. There are two altars in the church: the main one is in the name of the holy prophet of God Elijah, the side altar is in the name of St. Nicholas. There is a cemetery near the church. The church was closed during Soviet times. On December 15, 1927, the financial department of the Pskov district executive committee sent a letter to the district department of public education (OKRONO) stamped “Not subject to disclosure,” in which it announced its intention to “sell 14 pieces to Gospromtsvetmet different sizes bells from the closed Vybut Church.” In response, OKRONO said that “the sale of bells of non-museum significance can only be carried out by Glavnauka.” During the Great Patriotic War the church was damaged. In 1955-1957 it was restored according to the design of V.P. Smirnova. In 1999, services were resumed in the church.

temple near the village of Konechek(formerly Krivovichi churchyard) Pskov region. There is no information available when and by whom the church was built. In 1877 with right side of the main temple a chapel was built in the name of the Saint Life-Giving Trinity. The church is surrounded by a cemetery, surrounded by a stone fence. The Ilyinskaya Church of the former Krivovichi churchyard was badly damaged during the military operations for the liberation of Pskov in 1944. Its ruins are located near the village of Konechek, Pskov region.

In the name of the prophet Elijah was consecrated Church in Teplye Ryad in Moscow. The stone temple was built as a cathedral of the Ilyinsky Monastery, founded no later than the 15th century, next to the Moscow shopping area. From the name of this temple, Ilyinka Street was named, and the market began to be called Ilyinsky Sacrum. The construction of the temple was carried out from 1519 to 1521, “and it was built by ordinary people by someone named Klim, and nicknamed Muzhilo.” The church burned in 1547 and was damaged in a fire in 1626. The uprising of the townspeople on May 27, 1606 in Moscow against False Dmitry I began after the sound of the alarm on the bell tower of the monastery church of Elijah the Prophet, made on the orders of Shuisky. During the Time of Troubles, the monastery was abolished, the church became a parish church, and in 1676, along with the church land, it was transferred to the Novgorod bishop's house and built on upper temple, where the throne is moved in honor of the prophet Elijah. The ancient lower temple was consecrated in the name of the Apostle Timothy. The temple was closed in 1923, then the upper tier of the bell tower was dismantled. From 1930 to 1980, various institutions were located in the temple building. The building is an object cultural heritage federal significance. Since 1995, services have resumed in the temple.

Consecrated in honor of the prophet Elijah temple in the village Prussians of Kolomensky district, Moscow region. The Prussian village was owned by the Sheremetev boyars. In the middle of the 16th century, the Bishop of Kolomna acquired it. At the same time, the tented Elias Church was built. It is mentioned in stone in the scribe books of 1578. The building was partially remodeled in the 1660s. In the first half of the 19th century, a brick refectory and a wooden bell tower “on pillars” were added to the west (now lost).

Also consecrated in the name of the prophet Elijah church at the Vyya churchyard, Arkhangelsk region, which was built in 1600.

Elias Church existed in the village of Chasovenskaya (Zadnaya Dubrova) in the Arkhangelsk region. Built and consecrated around 1622. In 1879 it was dismantled and a new church was built on the stone foundation. In 1884, the bell tower was dismantled to its foundations and rebuilt on a stone foundation. IN Soviet years They sawed off the altar and brought down the tent. It is in disrepair.

Old Believers and Edinoverie churches in the name of the prophet Elijah

In honor of the Prophet Elijah, the Voskresensky district of the Moscow region was consecrated. A wooden one-domed church with a hipped bell tower, built in 1907–1909 by reconstructing an old wooden prayer house on the first floor. XIX century, was closed in 1937 and later broken down. In 2005, a community of believers was re-established, and in 2007–2008 a new wooden single-domed church was built.

Ilyinsky churches of the Russian Orthodox Church also exist in (Belarus), in the village of Plaskinino, Ramensky district, Moscow region. There is a temple in the name of the holy prophet Elijah the Fezbite in the Tbilisi diocese of the Georgian Ancient Orthodox Church.

There is a company in Minsk (Belarus), founded in 2002.

Holy Prophet Elijah. Paintings

The Holy Prophet Elijah was depicted on their canvases by famous artists such as Gillies van Koningslo, Peter Paul Rubens, Paul Gustave Doré, Julius Schnorr von Carolsfeld, A.M. Volkov, P. Pleshanov, P.I. Neradovsky and others.

Folk traditions on Elijah's Day

On a fiery chariot, a mighty gray-haired old man with menacing eyes rides from end to end across the boundless heavenly fields, and his punishing hand rains fiery stone arrows from the heights above the stars, striking the frightened hosts of demons and sons of men who have transgressed the law of God. Wherever this formidable old man appears, he brings with him fire, horror, death and destruction. His unyielding heart will not be softened by the cries or groans of the afflicted, and the gaze of his menacing eyes will not stop at the sights of earthly misfortunes. Having fulfilled the justice of heaven, he, like a stormy whirlwind, rushes further and further on his sparkling chariot, and only gray curls scatter over his mighty shoulders, and a white, silver beard flutters in the wind. This, according to the views of the people, is the prophet Elijah, personifying the righteous wrath of God. Everywhere in Rus' he was called “formidable,” and everywhere the day dedicated to his memory was considered one of the most dangerous. In many places, peasants even fasted throughout Elijah Week in order to prevent the wrath of the prophet and save their fields, villages and livestock from his arrows. The peasants called the very day of the holiday “angry” and spent it in complete idleness, since even empty work was considered a great sin. If clouds appeared in the sky on this day, the people watched them with fear; if it came to a thunderstorm, then this fear turned into panic: the entire population hid in their houses, closed the doors tightly, curtained the windows and, lighting Thursday candles in front of the icon, begged the prophet to surrender his anger to mercy. In some regions, for example, in Nikolsk, Vologda province, peasants fumigated their house with incense in the evening, and all light objects, such as a samovar, a mirror and the like, were either covered with linen, or even taken out of the hut, on the grounds that the prophet Ilya considers such items a reprehensible luxury, indecent in peasant life. In the Vyatka province, the prophet Elijah was propitiated with gifts: on this day the peasants brought a leg of a ram to the church “under the holy name”, bee honey, beer, ears of fresh rye and green peas. But there was disagreement on the question of which of these items most pleased Ilya. Some stood for bee honey, others argued for the superiority of lamb.

Public prayers performed in the field were considered the most reliable means of preventing Elijah’s anger. In many villages such prayers were performed annually. Attributing to the prophet Elijah the power to produce thunder and lightning and direct clouds at his own discretion, that is, putting into his hands the most terrible and at the same time the most beneficial forces of nature, our people firmly believed that the fertility of the earth is the work of the prophet, and that without his will it is impossible maybe a harvest. Therefore, the people imagined Elijah not only as a messenger of heavenly wrath, but also as a benefactor of the human race, giving the earth an abundance of fruits and driving away evil spirits. According to popular belief, for evil spirits Not only Elijah himself is terrible, but even the rain that fell on his day has great power: with Elijah’s rain they washed themselves from the enemy’s slander, from attacks and enchantments. Elijah himself instilled panic, boundless horror into the demons: as soon as the roar of his chariot was heard in the sky, the devils ran in crowds to the boundaries, hid behind people’s backs or took refuge under hats poisonous mushrooms, popularly known as “yaruiki”.

There are many legends and traditions about the prophet Elijah. In almost every village you can listen to a story about some exceptional manifestation of the prophet’s wrath or mercy, about some miracle or heavenly sign: in almost every volost, in every district and province one could encounter new versions of old legends or come across a completely original legend of local origin. Here, for example, is what the peasants of the Oryol district and province told about the earthly life of the prophet Elijah: “Until the age of 33, the prophet Elijah sat and could not walk. His parents were poor people and uprooted stumps, feeding their crippled son with this work. One day the Lord walked along the earth with St. Nicholas the saint and, seeing Elijah, said: “Go, give us something to drink.” “I would be glad to give, but I can’t go,” answered Elijah. The Lord took him by the hand, and he rose from the ground himself. Then the Lord drew a full bucket of water from the well and told Ilya to drink, then he drew another one and half a third and asked him: “Well, how are you now?” “I can turn the whole world differently,” answered Elijah, “if there were a pillar in the middle of heaven and earth, I would destroy the whole earth.” Hearing these words, God was frightened and hastened to reduce Elijah’s strength by half and, moreover, ordered him to sit underground for 6 weeks. But then, when Elijah, having sat underground, came out into the light again (along with the prophet Onuphrius), the first thing he saw was the tomb. Elijah entered this tomb, and immediately a fiery chariot with angels descended from heaven, who rushed Elijah to heaven, presenting him before the face of the Lord. “You, Elijah,” said the Lord, “control this chariot until I come to earth, and let thunder and lightning be in your hands from now on.” According to popular belief, on this chariot Elijah, before the end of the world, will descend to earth and travel three times from one end of the earth to the other, warning everyone about Last Judgment. This Oryol legend already varies in some places, and the peasants say that the Lord placed a stone of 40 dessiatines on Elijah’s head to reduce his strength. This stone is still intact and stands in heaven before the throne of God.

Considering the prophet Elijah to be the ruler of the winds and rain clouds, peasants associate many calendar signs with the day of this saint. “Before Elijah,” they say, “the clouds walk with the wind, but from Elijah they begin to walk against the wind.” “Before Elijah, the priest will not beg for rain, but after Elijah, the woman will catch up with an apron.” “After Ilya’s day,” the Vologda residents say, “you won’t see a horse in a field - that’s how dark the nights are.” “From Ilya’s day the night is long: the worker wakes up, and the horses eat enough.” “The water has been getting cold since Ilya’s day.” In the Poshekhonsky district of the Yaroslavl province, the reason for the cooling of river waters after Elijah’s day was explained as follows: “The Prophet Elijah rides horses across the sky, and from fast running one of the horses loses a horseshoe, which falls into the water, and the water immediately gets colder.”

Agricultural signs are also associated with the day of Elijah: “If on this day it is cloudy in the morning, then sowing should be early and a bountiful harvest can be expected; if it’s cloudy at noon, sowing is average, and if in the evening, sowing is late and the harvest is bad.”

This blessed seer showed zealous love for the Lord and rightly denounced kings who had apostatized from the true faith. He performed numerous miracles and predicted the coming of the Savior of mankind. The life of the prophet Elijah and prayers to him have always been perceived by the people and rulers of Rus' with colossal reverence.

Divine Purpose of a Prophet

The blessed seer was sent to the holy land by the Lord, since the people of Israel had lost faith and fell into complete lawlessness. Idolatry was established here at the initiative of the cowardly king Jeroboam, who was afraid that the population would reveal the injustice of his rule. Having deliberately created golden statues for worship, he himself fell away from the true faith and horribly seduced the people under his care.

According to the chronicles, the blessed seer was born in the city of Tishvit, in the country of Gilead. He came from the family of Aaron, his father was Savah, who learned about the birth of an extraordinary son by a divine sign. During the birth itself, men in white robes spoke to the baby, fed him and swaddled him with symbolic flames. The angels made Elijah the prophet who would overthrow idolatry with the flame of his speeches or the wrath of his weapons.

Holy Prophet Elijah

A child with a priestly pedigree was educated among righteous men. From an early age, Elijah surrendered to the mercy of the Lord and loved virginity, being pure in soul and body. The Prophet often retired to a deserted place to serenely reflect on the power of the Almighty Creator. Here the blessed seer talked with Him for a long time and was like a seraphim - the closest creature.

God fulfilled every wish that came from the pure heart of the seer, because he gained true vision and His favor.

The prophet grieved for wicked kings, unjust judges and common people ossified in idolatry. He consciously sought to correct this order of real things and asked God to convert sinners to humble repentance.

Read about the prophets:

Knowing that the Almighty accepts only a voluntary apology, Elijah mercifully demanded temporary punishment for fallen souls. Finally, the blessed prophet begged the Executor for the fate of the preacher. The Good Father allowed the sinless seer to go and admonish ignorant people.

Interesting! The prophet's preaching began during the reign of the great sinner Ahab. He built a temple and an altar to the pagan idol Baal, ordering the people of Israel to worship him. It was to Ahab that Elijah came with the great intention of stopping the king from committing iniquities associated with unholy rituals.

Preacher's activities

Eloquent persuasion failed to convince the lawless man, so the seer took extreme measures and predicted a great drought if the ruler did not change his mind. A lean time came and a terrible famine came. However, King Ahab became increasingly embittered and killed people indiscriminately, so Elijah maintained the drought: the entire people suffered for the ruler’s sins.

Interesting! The ruler of Israel had as his steward a God-fearing man named Obadiah. He is known for hiding one hundred divine seers from being killed by hiding them in caves and giving them water and bread. It was this steward who brought Elijah to Ahab.

Meeting in Samaria

• On the one hand, the wicked prophets began to pray to the pagan Baal to send heavenly fire to the ritual calf. They did not succeed; no movements or appeals could awaken Baal. The time had come to show Elijah the Tishbite his own faith.
• Having built an altar of 12 stones, the prophet appealed to the Almighty to show His power and convince those present. An all-consuming fire was sent from heaven, destroying the wood and the sacrifice. The people of Israel fell on their faces and recognized the true God.
• Elijah took the Baal prophets to the shore of the Great Sea and killed them with his own hands, and threw their corpses into the water. Next, he climbed the sacred Mount Carmel and prayerfully asked for rain. The Lord heard the seer and sent colossal precipitation to the earth.

Elijah and the prophets of Baal

• King Ahab realized his own error and mourned the sins that brought so much misfortune. The seer Elijah fled to the kingdom of Judah when he learned that Jezebel, the ruler’s wife, wanted to avenge her prophets and kill the blessed Servant of the Lord. He began to ask for death so that he would never again observe human malice and blasphemy.
• However, the angel fed and watered the seer and strengthened his strength for the long journey. The blessed one traveled for forty days to Mount Horeb and settled in a cave to communicate with the Eternal Father.

Interesting! The Lord consoled the righteous man by announcing that seven thousand followers of the true faith were in Israel. Therefore, Elijah must return home and see the fall of Ahab and all wicked idolatry.

Return

On the way back, Elisha joined the seer, becoming his faithful servant and obedient student. Ruler Ahab committed a new sin by listening to the insidious slander of his wife. The prophet frightened the king with a quick and harsh death, so the latter threw off his expensive clothes and imposed a strict fast.

• Ahab was killed three years later in battle. When his corpse was taken to Samaria, dogs licked the still fresh blood. This was predicted by a divine seer. The new ruler was Ahaziah, the son of Ahab, who also worshiped Baal.
• When he became very ill, the ambassadors went to ask for healing from the demon in the idol. On the way, they were met by the clairvoyant Elijah, who brought the people of Ahaziah back. The prophet argued that worshiping Baal would only bring death.
• The king desired to see the preacher of God. Those high priests who came with pride to Elijah were burned by heavenly fire, but those who visited him with fear and humility remained alive. Since Ahaziah did not recognize the true God, he died on his bed. His brother Joram took over the kingdom and became the last ruler in the tribe of Ahab. Thus, the command of the Almighty was fulfilled, and the wicked race ceased to exist.

Prophets Elijah and Elisha

Last days

Elijah and his disciple Elisha were on their way to the city of Bethel when the time approached for the departure of the divine seer to the abode of the Lord. To support the prophet in last minutes, 50 believers followed him. Soon they crossed the Jordan on dry ground, which parted with the wave of Elijah's staff.

Elisha asked the prophet for great presence of mind. The seer promised fulfillment if the disciple saw God take Elijah alive to Himself. Blessed Elisha, who inherited the preaching work, saw the miraculous appearance of a fiery chariot coming for the Servant of God. The seer Elijah is still alive and lives in the villages of paradise. Humanity will see him immediately before the second coming of the Almighty, where he will become a great martyr and suffer from the sword of the Antichrist.

On a note! In Russian churches consecrated in honor of the blessed prophet, godly processions of the cross are often held. His memorial day is set for July 20. This date is traditionally considered the boundary of seasonal beginnings. After Ilya's Day, the Orthodox expected large quantity rains. At this time, swimming was prohibited so as not to cause illness. On the day of remembrance of the venerable seer, they pray for a rich and healthy harvest or for a favorable marriage. But you shouldn't betray too much of great importance popular beliefs, since they often distort the true meaning.

Read about superstitions:

Important! The life of the prophet Elijah shows that this saint gave his entire life to the All-Good Father. He zealously kept the divine commandments and sought to return the rule of Israel to the tribe of David.

Prokom walked an honest path in life, destroyed a lot of uncleanness and ascended to the heavenly abodes, where he continues to listen to the merciful and just speeches of the Almighty.

Archpriest Andrey Tkachev. Holy Prophet Elijah

Thunder rolled across the sky, and the old women crossed themselves, cautiously glancing sideways at the clouds. “Elijah the Prophet rode by in a chariot,” they can be heard whispering. Older people remember scenes like this. Who is he who shakes heaven and earth? Let's open the Bible and listen to what it tells us.

Israel in the darkness of paganism

900 years before the birth of Jesus Christ, the wicked king Jeroboam reigned in Israel. For reasons of self-interest, he abandoned the true God, fell into idolatry and carried away the entire unfortunate people with him. Since then, a whole galaxy of kings of Israel worshiped idols. The inhabitants of the country suffered many troubles because of their wickedness. But the Lord, in His boundless mercy, did not abandon the apostates, but tried to return them to the true path, sending them prophets and denouncing paganism through their mouths. Among them, the most ardent fighter for the true faith was the prophet of God Elijah.

Birth of a new prophet

The Bible says that he was born in the east of Palestine, in the city of Tishbit. At the moment of his birth, his father, a priest, had a vision: he saw some men swaddling the baby with fire and putting flame into his mouth. This was a prediction that in his mature years the words of his sermons would be like fire, and he would mercilessly burn out wickedness among his compatriots who had fallen into sin. They named the newborn Elijah, which translated from Hebrew means “my God.” These words perfectly expressed his destiny to become a vessel of God’s grace.

Growing up, the prophet Elijah, as befits the son of a priest, led a pure and righteous life, retiring for long periods into the desert and spending time in prayer. And the Lord loved him, sending down everything he asked. The young man himself grieved endlessly in his soul, seeing around him the terrible bacchanalia of idolatry. The rulers and people made human sacrifices. Everything was mired in vice and debauchery. The true God was forgotten. Before his eyes, those rare righteous people who still remained in Israel and tried to condemn the dishonor were put to death. Elijah's heart was filled with pain.

Terrible accuser of wickedness

At that time, Jeroboam's successor, King Ahab, reigned in the country. He was also wicked, but his wife Jezebel was especially devoted to idols. She worshiped the Phoenician god Baal and instilled this faith in the Israelites. Pagan altars were built everywhere and temples were erected. The Prophet Elijah, defying mortal danger, went to the king and menacingly denounced him for all the iniquities he was committing, trying to convince their fathers of the truth of the one God. Seeing that the king’s heart was impenetrable to the truth, to prove his words and to punish the apostates, he sent, by the power of God, a terrible drought across the entire country, from which the crops perished and famine began.

Speaking about the miracles shown by the saints during their earthly life, we should pay attention to the very important detail: It is not they themselves who create miracles, since they are ordinary people during this period, but the Lord God works with their hands. By virtue of their righteousness, they become a kind of transmission link between the Almighty and people. After death, while remaining in the Kingdom of God, the saints, through our prayers to them, can beg God to fulfill what they ask for.

The Prophet Elijah risked not only becoming a victim of the royal wrath, but also ordinary people die of starvation. However, God spared his life. The Lord led his prophet to a distant place where there was water and ordered a raven to bring him food. It is worth noting that, which is present in almost every Orthodox church, it is often depicted with a raven bringing food.

Miracles in Sarepta

The next miracle performed was the salvation from starvation of a poor widow from the city of Zarephath, where Elijah went at the command of God. Because the poor woman did not spare the last piece of bread for him, her meager food supplies By God's power have become inexhaustible. When the widow's son died of illness, the prophet Elijah, showing a new miracle, restored the boy's life. His name was Jonah. The Bible tells about his amazing fate. Having matured over the years, the young man became an ardent zealot of the true faith. One day, heading on a ship to the city of Nineveh, where he was going to appeal to the inhabitants with a call to repent, he got into a storm and ended up overboard, where he was swallowed by a whale. But by the will of God, three days later Jonah was thrown out alive and unharmed. This stay in the belly of the whale and subsequent return to the world is a prototype of Christ's three-day resurrection.

Contest with the priests and the end of the drought

By the third year of drought, the last wells had already dried up. Death and desolation reigned everywhere. The merciful Lord, not wanting the tragedy to continue, ordered the prophet Elijah to go to King Ahab and convince him to turn away from worshiping demons. After three years of terrible disasters, even such a wicked man should have understood the destructiveness of idolatry. But the king’s mind became clouded from anger.

Then the holy prophet, in order to prove the truth of his God and turn the king and people of Israel away from idolatry, volunteered to compete with the priests of Baal. They accepted the challenge and built their own altar. The prophet began to call heavenly fire on them with prayers. The servants of Baal were four hundred and fifty, but the prophet Elijah was one. But only the prayer of the righteous man was heard, and his altar was illuminated with fire, and the efforts of the priests were in vain. They danced and stabbed themselves with knives - all in vain. The people praised the true God, and the disgraced priests were immediately executed. The people were clearly convinced that the messenger of God was right.

After this, the holy prophet Elijah, ascending Mount Carmel, offered a prayer to the Lord for the gift of rain. Before he had time to finish, the heavens opened and a noisy downpour poured onto the earth, watering the fields and gardens. Everything that happened was so impressive that even King Ahab repented of his errors and began to mourn his sins.

Visit of the Prophet Elijah by God

However, the embittered Jezebel, the wife of King Ahab, set out to take revenge for her shame and ordered the death of the prophet. He was forced to hide in the desert. One day, exhausted from hunger and thirst, the prophet Elijah fell asleep. An Angel of God appeared to him in a dream and commanded him to direct his path to Mount Horeb and settle there in a cave. When Elijah woke up, he saw food and a jug of water in front of him. This was very useful, since the journey was forty days and forty nights.

Bitter experiences about the fate of his pagan people plunged the prophet Elijah into deep sadness. He was on the verge of despair, but the all-merciful Lord honored him with his visit on Mount Horeb and announced that the righteous had not yet dried up in the land of Israel, that He had preserved seven thousand of His faithful servants, that the time was near when King Ahab and his wife would perish. In addition, the Lord announced the name of the future king, who would destroy the entire family of Ahab. To top it all off, the prophet Elijah learned from the lips God's name his successor, whom he should anoint as prophet. After some time, the Almighty sent Elijah a disciple - the pious Elisha, who began to fight paganism just as zealously.

King Ahab's New Sin

Meanwhile, the wicked King Ahab again entered the path of sin. He liked the vineyard of an Israeli named Naboth, but when he tried to buy it, the king was refused. His proud heart could not bear such shame. Having learned about what had happened, Queen Jezebel, through her minions, slandered Naboth, accusing him of cursing both God and the king. The crowd stoned the innocent man, and Ahab became the owner of the vineyard. But his joy was short-lived. The Lord, through the mouth of His prophet Elijah, denounced the slanderer and predicted a quick death for him and his deceitful wife. Once again the king shed tears of repentance. Three years later he was killed. His wife and children survived the wicked man for a short time.

The descent of heavenly fire on the servants of King Ahaziah

After Ahab, his son Ahaziah reigned. Like his father, he worshiped Baal and others pagan gods. And then one day, having become seriously ill, he began to call on them for help. Having learned about this, the Prophet Elijah angrily condemned him and predicted his imminent death. Twice the angry king sent detachments of soldiers to seize Elijah, and twice fire came down from heaven and destroyed them. Only the third time, when the messengers fell on their knees before him, did the Prophet have mercy on them. After Elijah repeated his diatribe, Ahaziah died.

Ascension to Heaven Alive

Other miracles performed by Elijah the Prophet are also described in the Bible. One day, with a blow of his cloak, he stopped the waters, forced them to part, and crossed to the other side along the dry bottom in the same way as Joshua had done before.

Soon, at God's command, a miracle happened - the prophet Elijah was taken alive into heaven. The Bible describes how a fiery chariot suddenly appeared, drawn by flaming horses, and the prophet Elijah ascended to heaven in a whirlwind like lightning. His disciple Elisha witnessed the miracle. Passed to him from the teacher God's Grace and with it the ability to create miracles. The prophet Elijah himself is still alive in the villages of paradise. The Lord protects him as His faithful servant. Proof of this can be his appearance in the flesh where he, in the presence of the holy apostles and Moses, talked with the transfigured Jesus Christ.

It should be noted that before him, only the righteous Enoch, who lived before the Great Flood, was taken to heaven alive. This fiery path in the clouds was the reason why thunderclaps were often associated with his name. The Prophet Elijah, whose life is mainly described in the Old Testament, is mentioned several times in the New. It is enough to recall the scene on Mount Tabor, where he appeared to the transfigured Jesus Christ along with Moses, as well as a number of other episodes.

Veneration of the Prophet Elijah in Rus'

Since then, as soon as the light of Orthodoxy shone in Rus', the prophet Elijah became one of the most revered. The first churches in his honor were erected during the time of Prince Askold and the holy Equal-to-the-Apostles Princess Olga. This is largely explained by the fact that the first Christian missionaries on the banks of the Dnieper and Volkhov faced the same problems as the prophet Elijah in Palestine - they had to rescue the people from the darkness of paganism.

When there were summer droughts in Rus', religious processions went to the fields and asked him for help. There was no doubt: the holy prophet Elijah, whose prayer put an end to the three-year drought in Palestine, had the power to send rain to our land.

The Prophet Elijah and his miracles inspired many Russian rulers to create temples in his honor. In addition to the saints already mentioned, Prince Askold and Princess Olga, Prince Igor erected the Temple of Elijah the Prophet in Kyiv. Similar temples are also known in Veliky Novgorod and Pskov.

Temple of the Prophet Elijah in Obydensky Lane

Among those currently operating, the most famous is the Moscow one, whose photo is presented in our article. It is generally accepted that it was built in 1592. The place where the temple is now located is called Ostozhenka, and once it was called Skorod. The fact is that logs were floated here along the river, and it was convenient and quick to build here. It turned out to be a quick house. One day is “routine” and you’re done. This gave the name to the lanes running here.

The wooden church of Elijah the Prophet built in this place was one of the most revered in the city. During the Time of Troubles, in 1612, within its walls the Moscow clergy performed a prayer service, asking for help from the Lord God in expelling the Polish invaders from Moscow. Historical chronicles often mention religious processions to the church on days of drought, as well as on patronal feast days. Representatives of the highest clergy often conducted services there.

The stone building of the temple was erected in 1702, and for three hundred years the flow of pilgrims to it has not dried up. Even in difficult years for the church, its doors were not closed, although there were such attempts. It is known, for example, that the authorities intended to close the church immediately after the end of the liturgy on June 22, 1941. But the Lord did not allow this.

During the period of persecution of the church, the Temple of the Holy Prophet Elijah became a place where parishioners of many churches closed in the capital flocked. They brought with them not only what was saved from confiscation, but also many pious traditions that had been preserved since pre-revolutionary times. Thus, as the community grew, it became enriched spiritually.

By blessing His Holiness Patriarch Moscow and All Rus' Kirill in 2010, the “Program 200” was launched in Moscow - a project to build two hundred Orthodox churches. As part of this program, in 2012 in Northern Butovo, at the intersection of Grina and Kulikovskaya streets, the construction of another temple in honor of the Old Testament prophet Elijah began. The building is currently under construction and services are being held in temporary premises. Despite the forced inconveniences, the parish life of the church is very rich. A consulting service has been organized, whose activists are ready to give comprehensive explanations on all issues related to church services. An Orthodox film club has been opened. In addition, there is a Sunday school for children and a number of sports sections. The Temple of Elijah the Prophet in Butovo will, without a doubt, become one of the prominent religious and cultural centers of our capital.

The image of the prophet Elijah today

Nowadays, the church carries out extensive work to promote Orthodox culture. Books are published, films are made. Among other materials, the publication “The Holy Prophet Elijah. Life". There is a lot of interesting things for children and adults there. Modern icon painters have created a gallery of works representing the acts of Saint Elijah. Following established canons, they creatively rethink the religious and moral meaning of the image.

It is also impossible not to remember that the holy prophet Elijah is the patron saint of the Russian airborne troops. Every year on August 2, solemn services are held in the churches of the Airborne Forces units. More than a thousand years ago, the light of Orthodoxy shone in Rus', and over these years, Elijah the Prophet, whose earthly life was spent in Palestine, became a truly Russian saint, an intercessor in troubles and an example of selfless Christian service to God.

The Lord did this in order to save Elijah from being killed by Jezebel, so that Elijah would not die from hunger, and in order, through the ravens and the Horath stream, to arouse in Elijah compassion for people suffering and dying from hunger and thirst. Crows, in comparison with other birds, have a special property (): they are very voracious and do not have any feeling of pity even for their chicks, for the raven as soon as it hatches its chicks, leaves them in the nest, flying to another place and dooming the chicks to hunger. Only the Providence of God, taking care of every creature, saves them from death: flies fly into their mouths of their own accord, which the chicks swallow. And every time when the ravens, at the command of God, flying every day to the prophet, brought him food - bread in the morning, and meat in the evening, the conscience in Elijah - this inner voice of God in man - cried out to his heart:

- Look, crows, being wild in nature, dainty, voracious, not loving their chicks, how they care about your food: they themselves are hungry, but they bring food to you. You, a man yourself, have no compassion for people, and you want to starve not only people, but also cattle and birds.

Also, when after some time the prophet saw the stream dry, he said to him:

“It’s time to have mercy on the tormented creature and send rain to it, so that you yourself don’t die of thirst.”

But the zealot of God remained strong; on the contrary, he prayed to God that there would be no rain until those who had not yet been punished were punished, and until all the enemies of God perished on earth. Then again the Lord, wisely inclining His servant to mercy, sent him to Zarephath of Sidon, which was not under the authority of the king of Israel, to a poor widow, so that he would reflect on himself what disaster he had caused not only to the rich and married people, but also to the poor. widows, who not only during famine, but also during the years of grain harvests and all earthly abundance, often do not have daily food. The Prophet, having arrived at the gates of this city, saw a widow carrying firewood, no more than two logs; for she had only a handful of flour in the tub and a little oil in the jug. Since Elijah was tormented by hunger, he asked the widow for a piece of bread. The widow, having told him about her extreme poverty recently, said that she wanted to cook dinner for the last time for herself and for her son from the flour that remained with her, and then they would die of hunger. The man of God could be touched by this and take pity on all the poor widows suffering from hunger; but great zeal for God conquered everything, and he showed no mercy to the perishing creature, wanting to glorify the Creator and show the whole universe His omnipotent power. Having from God, according to his faith, the gift of miracles, Elijah created such that the flour and oil in the widow’s house remained inexhaustible; and he was fed by the widow until the famine ceased. The Prophet also resurrected the widow’s deceased son through prayer, combined with blowing three times on the deceased, as it is written in the Word of God. There is a legend about this resurrected son of a widow, that his name was Jonah, that it was he who, having come of age, was awarded the prophetic gift, and was sent to Nineveh to preach repentance; being swallowed up in the sea by a whale and thrown out by it three days later, he prefigured the three-day Christ's resurrection, as in the prophetic book and in his life it is narrated in detail.

After three rainless and hungry years, the all-good God, seeing His creation completely destroyed on earth from hunger, had mercy and said to His servant Elijah:

- Go and appear to Ahab; I want to have mercy on My creation and, at your word, send rain to the parched land, water it and make it fruitful. Ahab is already inclined to repentance, is looking for you and is ready to obey you in everything that you command him.

The Prophet immediately went from Zarephath of Sidon to Samaria, the capital city of the Kingdom of Israel. King Ahab at that time had as his steward a certain Obadiah, his faithful servant and a God-fearing man. He hid one hundred prophets of the Lord from being killed by Jezebel, placing them in two caves, fifty in each, and feeding them with bread and water. Having called this steward to him, King Ahab (even before Elijah came to him) sent him to look for grass among the dried streams, so that there would be something to feed the few horses and other livestock that were still alive. As soon as Obadiah left the city, he met the holy prophet Elijah, bowed to him to the ground and said that Ahab had carefully searched for him throughout his entire kingdom. Saint Elias answered Obadiah:

- Go, tell your master: here I am, Elijah, coming to him.

Obadiah refused, saying:

“I’m afraid that when I leave you, the Spirit of the Lord will carry you to another country, and then I will turn out to be a liar before my master, and he, angry with me, will kill me.” Elijah answered:

“The Lord of hosts lives, before whom I stand!” Today I will show myself to Ahab!

Obadiah returned and told the king. Ahab hastened to meet the man of God. When he saw Elijah, because of the anger hidden in him towards the prophet, he could not resist a cruel word and said to Elijah:

“Is it you who corrupts Israel?”

The Prophet of God fearlessly answered Ahab:

“It is not I who corrupt Israel, but you and your father’s house, who have forsaken the Lord your God and worshiped the vile Baal.”

After this, the prophet of God, as having within himself the power of Divine help, began to command the king with authority, saying:

“Send immediately and gather all ten tribes of Israel to me on Mount Carmel, bring four hundred and fifty wicked prophets serving other idols on the high mountains and in the groves eating from the table of Jezebel; let them enter into a dispute with me about God, and we will see who is true.

Immediately the king, having sent messengers throughout the entire land of Israel, gathered countless people, and called all the wicked prophets and priests to Mount Carmel, and he himself came there.

Then the zealot of God, Elijah, standing before those gathered, addressed the king and the entire Israeli people with these words:

- How long will you limp on both your knees? If the Lord God, who brought you out of Egypt with a mighty hand, is God, then why do you not follow Him? If Baal is your god, then follow him.

The people were silent, and could not answer anything, for every Israeli was convicted of error by his conscience. Then Elijah continued:

- This is what: in order for you to know the true God now, do what I command you. You see that I am the only one in all Israel who remains a prophet of the Lord; But you killed all the other prophets; You also see how many prophets of Baal there are here. So give us two bulls to sacrifice, one for me and the other for the priests of Baal; but we don’t need fire. On whose sacrifice fire falls from heaven and consumes it, his god is the true God, and everyone must worship Him, and those who do not recognize Him shall be put to death.

Having heard these words, all the people approved the decision of the prophet of God and said:

- So be it; your word is good.

When the calves were brought into the midst of the meeting, Saint Elijah said to the wicked prophets of Baal:

- Choose one calf for yourself, and you will be the first to prepare the sacrifice, for there are many of you, and I am one, and I will prepare it later. Having placed the calf on the wood, do not light the fire, but pray to your god Baal to send fire from heaven and burn your sacrifice.

The shameless prophets did just that. Having cast lots, they took the calf, divided it into parts, placed them on the altar on top of the firewood, and began to pray to their Baal to send fire on their sacrifice. They called on his name from morning until noon, shouting:

- Listen to us, Baal, listen!

“Shout louder,” he said, “so that your God will hear you; He must be not free now: either he is busy with something, or he is talking with someone, or he is feasting, or he has fallen asleep; scream as loud as possible to wake him up.

- Shut up and stop; It's time to be my victim.

The worshipers of Baal stopped. Then Elijah, turning to the people, said:

- Come to me!

Everyone approached him. The prophet took twelve stones according to the number of the tribes of Israel, built an altar to the Lord from them, then, putting firewood on the altar, divided the calf into parts, put them on the firewood, dug a ditch around the altar and ordered the people to take four buckets and pour water on it. sacrifice and for firewood; so they did. Elijah ordered it to be repeated; repeated. He ordered the same thing to be done a third time, and they did it. Water flowed around the altar and the trench filled with water. And Elijah cried out to God, turning his gaze to heaven, saying:

- Lord God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob! Hear now to me, Your servant, and send fire from heaven for the sacrifice, so that all these people will now know that You are the only Israelite, and I am Your servant, and I brought this sacrifice to You! Hear me, Lord, answer me with fire, so that the hearts of these people turn to You.

And fire fell from the Lord from heaven and destroyed everything that was burned - wood, stones, ashes, and even the water that was in the ditch - the fire consumed everything. At the sight of this, all the people fell face down on the ground, crying out:

Ahab returned to his house, embarrassed and offended by Naboth's answer, and could not eat bread out of frustration. Jezebel, having learned the reason for his sadness, laughed at him saying:

“Is your power, King of Israel, such that even on one person you are not strong enough to demonstrate your will?” But stop grieving, eat the bread and wait a little time: I myself will give Naboth’s vineyard into your hands.

Having said this, she wrote an order on behalf of the king to the oldest citizens of Israel and attached the royal seal to it. It was written that they would bring a false accusation against Naboth, that he had slandered God and the king, and, presenting false witnesses, they would stone him outside the city. And that unjust murder was committed on an unlawful order. After executing the innocent Naboth, Jezebel said to Ahab:

“Now inherit the vineyard without money, for Naboth is no longer alive.”

Ahab, hearing about the murder of Naboth, was a little saddened, and then went to the vineyard to take it into his possession. On the way, at the command of God, the holy prophet Elijah met him and said to him:

“Since you unjustly killed the innocent Naboth and illegally took possession of his vineyard, therefore the Lord says: in the very place where the dogs licked the blood of Naboth, the dogs will lick your blood; Likewise, your wife Jezebel will be eaten up by dogs, and your whole house will be destroyed.

Ahab, hearing these words, began to cry, took off his royal clothes, dressed himself in sackcloth, and imposed a fast on himself. And Ahab’s small repentance before the Lord had such force that the execution of the appointed punishment for his entire household was postponed until after Ahab’s death. For the Lord said to His prophet Elijah:

- Because Ahab resigned himself. then I will not bring trouble upon his house during his lifetime, but during his son’s lifetime.

After this, Ahab lived for three years and was killed in battle. From the scene of the battle he was taken by chariot to Samaria, and his blood flowing from the chariot was licked by dogs, as the prophet of God had predicted. Also, everything that was predicted about Jezebel and the entire house of Ahab was later fulfilled in due time, after the taking of Saint Elijah into heaven ().

After the death of Ahab, his son Ahaziah reigned in his place, who turned out to be the heir to both the throne and his father’s wickedness, for, listening to his wicked mother Jezebel, he worshiped and made sacrifices to Baal, which greatly angered the God of Israel. One day, due to carelessness, Ahaziah fell from the window of his house and became very ill. He sent ambassadors to the false god Baal, in fact to the demon who lived in the idol of Baal and gave false answers to those who turned to him with questions. He sent to that demon to ask about his health, whether he would recover from his illness. When the ambassadors of Ahaziah were going to Baal, on the way, at the command of God, the prophet Elijah appeared to them and said:

– Is there no God in Israel, why are you going to ask Baal? Return and tell the king who sent you, thus says the Lord: you will not rise from the bed on which you lie down, but you will die on it.

Having returned, the messengers conveyed these words to the sick king. The king asked them:

-What is the appearance of the person who said these words to you?

They answered:

- That man is covered in hair and is girded around his loins with a leather belt.

The king said:

- This is Elijah the Tishbite.

And he sent the oldest captain of fifty and with him fifty men to take Elijah and bring him to him. They went and saw Elijah on Mount Carmel, for he was accustomed to dwell primarily on this mountain. When the captain of fifty saw Elijah sitting on the top of the mountain, he said to him:

- Man of God! come down here; the king orders you to go to him.

Saint Elijah answered the captain of fifty:

“If I am a man of God, then let fire come down from heaven and consume you and fifty of your men.”

And immediately fire fell from heaven and burned them. The king sent another captain of fifty with the same number of people, but the same thing happened to them: fire that fell from heaven burned them too. The king sent the third captain of fifty with fifty men. This captain of fifty, having learned what had happened to those sent before him, came to Saint Elijah with fear and humility and, falling on his knees before him, begged him, saying:

- Man of God! here I and these thy servants who came with me stand before thee; have mercy on us: we did not come of our own free will, but were sent to you; Do not destroy us with fire, as you destroyed those sent before us.

And the prophet spared those who came in humility; He did not spare those who came before because they came with pride and power, they wanted to take him as a prisoner and lead him with dishonor. The Lord commanded Saint Elijah to go with these others fearlessly and tell the king the same thing that he had said before. Therefore the man of God came down from the mountain and went with the captain of fifty and his men. Having come to the king, Elijah said to him:

“Thus says the Lord: since you sent to ask Baal about your life, as if there was no God in Israel whom you could ask, then for this you will not rise from the bed on which you lie, but you will die.

And Ahaziah died according to the word of God spoken by the lips of the prophets. After Ahaziah, his brother Joram took over the kingdom, because Ahaziah had no sons. On this Jehoram the line of Ahab ceased, having been destroyed by the wrath of God in the days of the holy prophet Elisha, as it is written about in his life.

When the time approached at which the Lord determined to take Elijah to Himself alive, in the flesh, Elijah and Elisha walked from the city of Gilgal to the city of Bethel. Knowing from the revelation of God about his impending ascension to heaven, Elijah wanted to leave Elisha in Gilgal, humbly hiding from him his upcoming glorification from God. He said to Elisha, “Stay here, for the Lord has sent me to Bethel.” Saint Elisha, who also, by the revelation of God, knew about what was about to happen, answered:

“As the Lord lives and as your soul lives, I will not leave you,” and both went to Bethel. The sons of the prophets who lived in Bethel approached Elisha alone and said to him:

“Do you know that the Lord will take from you your master over your head?”

Elisha answered:

- I know too, but keep quiet.

After this Elijah said to Elisha:

- Stay here, the Lord sent me to Jericho.

Elisha answered him:

“As the Lord lives and as your soul lives, I will not leave you,” and they both came to Jericho. The sons of the prophets, who were in Jericho, came to Elisha and said to him:

“Do you know that today the Lord will take away your master over your head from you?”

Elisha answered:

- I already found out, shut up.

Saint Elijah again said to Elisha:

“Stay here, because the Lord has sent me to the Jordan.”

Elisha said:

“As the Lord lives and as your soul lives, I will not leave you,” and let’s go together. Following them, at a distance from them, went fifty men from the sons of the prophets; when both holy prophets reached the Jordan, Elijah took his cloak, rolled it up and hit the water with it; the water parted on both sides, and they both passed through the Jordan on dry ground. Having crossed the Jordan, Elijah said to Elisha:

“Ask me what I can do for you before I am taken from you.”

Elisha answered:

“I ask that the spirit that is in you be in me twice as much as in you.”

Elijah said:

- You decided to ask something difficult; but, however, if you see how I will be taken from you, it will be according to you; if you don’t see it, you won’t receive it.

As they walked and talked like this, suddenly a chariot and horses of fire appeared and separated them from each other, and Elijah was taken into heaven in a whirlwind. Elisha looked and exclaimed:

- Father, father! The chariot of Israel and his cavalry! (With these words he seemed to be saying: you, father, were all the strength for Israel: with your prayer and zeal you helped the kingdom of Israel much more than a great many military chariots and armed horsemen helped it). Elisha no longer saw Elijah. Then he took hold of his clothes and tore them in grief. Soon Elijah's cloak, thrown from above, fell at his feet. Having picked him up, Elisha stopped on the bank of the Jordan and, like Elijah, divided the water on both sides, he crossed the dry land and became the heir of the grace that acted in his teacher. The holy prophet of God Elijah, taken together with his flesh to heaven on a fiery chariot, is still alive in the flesh, preserved by God in the villages of paradise. He was seen by the three holy Apostles during the Transfiguration of the Lord on Tabor (), and again ordinary mortal people will see him before the second coming of the Lord to earth. Having escaped death from the sword of Jezebel, he will then suffer from the sword of Antichrist (