person · P0035
Eliyahu אליהו הנביא
Prophet of the northern kingdom in the days of Achav, zealot against the worship of Baal, victor of the confrontation at Har HaCarmel. Taken up in a whirlwind rather than dying — tradition therefore casts him as the herald of future redemption. Per the Rambam he received the Oral Torah from Achiyah HaShiloni and transmitted it to Elisha.
I. Who
- Hebrew
- אליהו הנביא
- Also known as
- Eliyahu HaNavi, Elijah, Eliyahu HaTishbi
- Era
- bible
- Received the mesorah from
- Achiyah HaShiloni
- Transmitted the mesorah to
- Elisha
- Students
- Elisha
II. When
- Traditional
- c. 3005–3050 AM (active under Achav and Achazyahu; end date marks his ascent)
- Academic
- fl. c. 870–850 BCE (reigns of Ahab and Ahaziah)
- Lifespan (traditional)
- ≈45 years
- Precision
- approximate
V. How do we know
| Claim | Evidence | Confidence | Sources |
|---|---|---|---|
| Received the Oral Torah from Achiyah HaShiloni and his court, and transmitted it to Elisha — the eighth link in Rambam's forty-generation chain.
Confidence is for the chain as stated by the Rambam. |
rabbinic | ★★★★★ | |
| At Har HaCarmel, fire fell from heaven and consumed his offering, and the people fell on their faces crying "Hashem — He is the God."
Confidence is for what the biblical text states. |
biblical | ★★★★★ | |
| Ascended in a whirlwind heavenward in a chariot of fire, in the sight of Elisha.
Confidence is for what the biblical text states. |
biblical | ★★★★★ | |
| Eliyahu is introduced as a Tishbite from the settlers of Gilead. | biblical | ★★★★★ | |
| During the famine he lived at Tzarfat (Zarephath) in the household of an unnamed widow and her son. | biblical | ★★★★★ | |
| He traveled forty days and nights to Chorev, the mountain of God, and lodged in a cave there. | biblical | ★★★★★ | |
| King Achazyah's messengers described him as a hairy man wearing a leather belt.
The Hebrew description can also be rendered as a man wearing a hairy garment.
|
biblical | ★★★★★ | |
| Traditional activity band c. 3005–3050 AM, tied to the reigns of Achav and Achazyahu in Seder Olam reckoning; the end date marks his ascent, since in tradition he does not die.
Schematic traditional dating. |
tradition reconstruction | ★☆☆☆☆ |