Elijah

== Historicity ==
Scholars generally agree that a prophet named Elijah existed in the [[Kingdom of Israel (Samaria)|Kingdom of Israel]] during the reigns of Kings [[Ahab]] and [[Ahaziah of Israel|Ahaziah]], that he was a religious figure of great personal dynamism and conservative zeal and the leader of resistance to the rise of Baal worship in Israel in the ninth century BC.<ref>{{Cite web|title= Elijah|url= https://www.bibleodyssey.org/en/people/main-articles/elijah#:~:text=Elijah%20is%20the%20only%20prophet%20in%20the%20Hebrew,is%20Elisha%20who%20anoints%20the%20other%20two%20individuals.|access-date= 28 April 2021|website= www.bibleodyssey.org|quote= It is noteworthy that while there is agreement on the existence of Elijah as a religious figure, given the composite nature of the Elijah narratives, the legendary and fanciful character of some of the Elijah stories, and Elijah's paradigmatic portrayal as 'a prophet like Moses,' (Deut 18:18), there is very little agreement on the historical reliability of the narratives about him.|archive-date= 28 April 2021|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20210428212611/https://www.bibleodyssey.org/en/people/main-articles/elijah#:~:text=Elijah%20is%20the%20only%20prophet%20in%20the%20Hebrew,is%20Elisha%20who%20anoints%20the%20other%20two%20individuals.|url-status= dead}}</ref>

In the opinion of some scholars, however, the biblical presentation of the prophet cannot be taken as historical documentation of his activity. The biblical texts present his career through the eyes of popular legend and subsequent theological reflection, which consider him a personality of heroic proportions. In this process his actions and relations to the people and the King became stereotyped, and the presentation of his behavior paradigmatic.<ref>
{{Cite web
|title= Elijah {{!}} Encyclopedia.com
|url= https://www.encyclopedia.com/people/philosophy-and-religion/biblical-proper-names-biographies/elijah
|access-date= 25 July 2021|website= www.encyclopedia.com
|quote = While few scholars doubt the existence of Elijah as a religious figure of great personal dynamism and conservative zeal and as the leader of resistance to the rise of Baal worship in Israel in the ninth century bce, the biblical presentation of the prophet cannot be taken as historical documentation of his activity. His career is presented through the eyes of popular legend and subsequent theological reflection, which consider him a personality of heroic proportions. In this process his actions and relations to the people and the king became stereotyped, and the presentation of his behavior, paradigmatic.
}}
</ref>