Saint Eliseus
Russian icon of St. General history The use and making of Icons entered Kievan Rus' following its conversion to Orthodox Christianity in 988 A An icon (from Greek εἰκών eikōn, "image" is a religious work of art most commonly a painting from Eastern Christianity. Eliseus, 18th century (Iconostasis of Kizhi monastery, Russia)
Prophet
Born	Abel-Meholah
Died	Samaria
Venerated in	Roman Catholic Church Eastern Catholic Churches Eastern Orthodox Church Lutheranism
Feast	June 14
Attributes	Clothed as a prophet, often holding a scroll
Saints Portal

Elisha (Hebrew: אֱלִישַׁע, Standard Elišaʿ Tiberian ʾĔlîšaʿ ; "My God is salvation", Greek: Ελισσαίος, Elisaios) is a Biblical prophet. Tiberian Hebrew is an extinct (yet very well documented Oral tradition of pronunciation for ancient Hebrew, especially the Hebrew of the Tanakh, that was Elohim ( אֱלוֹהִים, אלהים) is a Hebrew word which expresses concepts of Divinity. In Greek and Latin, (and in English to many Roman Catholics and Eastern Orthodox) he is known as Saint Eliseus; however, the standard English form of the name has been "Elisha," at least since the introduction of the King James Version of the Bible. The Eastern Orthodox Church is the second largest single Christian Communion in the world He is also a prophet in Islam under the name Al-Yasa. For other meanings including people named 'Islam' see Islam (disambiguation. Al-Yasa‘ ( ( circa 9 BC - death unknown is an Islamic prophet mentioned in the Qur'an.

Biblical biography

Elisha was the son of Shaphat of Abel-meholah; he became the attendant and disciple of Elijah (1 Kings 19:16-19), and Horeb, that Elisha, the son of Shaphat, had been selected by God as his successor in the prophetic office, Elijah set out to make known the Divine will. Abel-meholah (trans Meadow of Dancing, or the dancing-meadow) was the birthplace and residence of the prophet Elisha. Elijah or Elias ( was a Prophet in Israel in the 9th century BC The Books of Kings ( Sefer Melachim, ספר מלכים are a part of Judaism 's Tanakh, the Hebrew Bible. On his way from Sinai to Damascus, Elijah found Elisha "one of them that were ploughing with twelve yoke of oxen". The Sinai Peninsula or Sinai ( Coptic: sina; Egyptian Arabic: sina سينا Arabic, sina'a سيناء Damascus ( دمشق,, also commonly known as الشام ash-Shām) is the capital and largest city of Syria. Oxen (singular ox) are Cattle trained as draft animals. Often they are adult castrated males Elisha delayed only long enough to kill the yoke of oxen, whose flesh he boiled with the very wood of his plough. He went over to him, threw his mantle over Elisha's shoulders, and at once adopted him as a son, investing him with the prophetic office (compare Luke 9:61-62). A mantle ( Greek: μανδύας mandyas; Church Slavonic: мантия mantiya) is an ecclesiastical garment in In Religion, a prophet (or prophetess) is a person who has encountered the Supernatural or the divine and serves as an intermediary The Gospel of Luke (Gk Κατά Λουκάν Ευαγγέλιον) is a synoptic Gospel, and is the third and longest of the four canonical Gospels of the Elisha accepted this call about four years before the death of Israel's King Ahab. Ahab (or Ach'av or) was king of Israel and the son and successor of Omri ( 1 Kings 1629-34 For the next seven or eight years Elisha became Elijah's close attendant until Elijah was taken up into heaven. Heaven may refer to the physical heavens the sky or the seemingly endless expanse of the Universe beyond During all these years we hear nothing of Elisha except in connection with the closing scenes of Elijah's life.

Elisha raises the Shunamite woman's son. Woodcut by Julius von Carolsfeld (1794-1872), published in 1840 in Bibeleni Billender.

After he had shared this farewell repast with his father, mother, and friends, the newly chosen Prophet "followed Elijah and ministered to him". (1 Kings 19:8-21) He went with his master from Galgal to Bethel, to Jericho, and thence to the eastern side of the Jordan, the waters of which, touched by the mantle, divided, so as to permit both to pass over on dry ground. Bethel (בֵּית אֵל also written as Beth El or Beth-El, meaning "House of God" (in general or " House of (the specific god named El Jericho ( Arabic, ʼArīḥā; Hebrew, Standard Yəriḥo Tiberian Yərîḫô Elisha then beheld Elijah in a fiery chariot taken up by a whirlwind into heaven. By means of the mantle let fall from Elijah, Elisha miraculously recrossed the Jordan, and so won from the prophets at Jericho the recognition that "the spirit of Elias hath rested upon Eliseus" (2 Kings 2:1-15). The Books of Kings ( Sefer Melachim, ספר מלכים are a part of Judaism 's Tanakh, the Hebrew Bible. He won the gratitude of the people of Jericho for healing with salt its barren ground and its waters. Elisha also knew how to strike with salutary fear the adorers of the calf in Bethel, for a mob of 42 children, on being cursed in the name of the Lord, were torn by "two bears out of the forest" (2 Kings 2:23-25; cf. Leviticus 26:21-22). But many feel this episode conflicts with the image of a loving and forgiving God and some Christians feel the need to offer explanations of it. ^{[1] [2]}

Before Elijah was taken up into the whirlwind, Elisha asked to "inherit a double-portion" of Elijah's spirit. This is indicative of the property inheritance customs of the time, where the oldest son received twice as much of the father's inheritance as the younger sons. For example, if a man had 3 sons, his property was divided into fourths. Each son received one-fourth, with the oldest receiving two-fourths (twice as much as the others). In this instance with Elijah, Elisha is not asking to become twice as powerful as Elijah, but that he may be seen as the "rightful heir" to the work of the Lord that Elijah had done.

Before he settled in Samaria, the Prophet passed some time on Mount Carmel (2 Kings 2:25). Mount Carmel (הר הכרמל Karem El/Har Ha'Karmel; Arabic Kurmul/Jabal Mar Elyas) is a coastal Mountain range in northern Israel When the armies of Judah, Israel and Edom, then allied against Mesa, the Moabite king, were being tortured by drought in the Idumæan desert, Elisha consented to intervene. His double prediction regarding relief from drought and victory over the Moabites was fulfilled on the following morning (2 Kings 3:4-24).

Elisha refusing the gifts of Naaman, by Pieter de Grebber (Frans Hals Museum, Haarlem). Naaman is also the name of one of the Minor characters in the Book of Genesis Naaman (נַעֲמָן "pleasantness" was a commander of Pieter Fransz de Grebber ( Haarlem, c 1600 - Haarlem 1652 or 1653 was a Dutch painter The Frans Hals Museum is a Hofje and municipal Museum in Haarlem, The Netherlands. in the past usually Harlem in English is a city in the Netherlands.

That Elisha inherited the wonder-working power of Elijah is shown throughout the whole course of his life. To relieve the widow importuned by a hard creditor, Elisha so multiplied a little oil as to enable her, not only to pay her indebtedness, but to provide for her family needs (2 Kings 4:1-7). To reward the rich lady of Shunam for her hospitality, he obtained for her from God, at first the birth of a son, and subsequently the resurrection of her child (2 Kings 4:8-37). To nourish the sons of the prophets pressed by famine, Elisha changed into wholesome food the pottage made from poisonous gourds (2 Kings 4:38-41). By the cure of Naaman, who was afflicted with leprosy, Elisha, little impressed by the possessions of the Syrian general, whilst willing to free King Joram from his perplexity, principally intended to show "that there is a prophet in Israel". Naaman, at first reluctant, obeyed the Prophet, and washed seven times in the Jordan. Finding his flesh "restored like the flesh of a little child", the general was so impressed by this evidence of God's power, and by the disinterestedness of His Prophet, as to express his deep conviction that "there is no other God in all the earth, but only in Israel". (2 Kings 5:1-19) It is to this Christ referred when He said: "And there were many lepers in Israel in the time of Eliseus the prophet: and none of them was cleansed but Naaman the Syrian" (Luke 4:27).

In punishing the avarice of his servant Giezi (2 Kings 5:20-27), in saving "not once nor twice" King Joram from the ambuscades planned by Benadad (2 Kings 6:8-23), in ordering the ancients to shut the door against the messenger of Israel's ungrateful king (2 Kings 6:25-32), in bewildering with a strange blindness the soldiers of the Syrian king (2 Kings 6:13-23), in making the iron swim to relieve from embarrassment a son of a prophet (2 Kings 6:1-7), in confidently predicting the sudden flight of the enemy and the consequent cessation of the famine (2 Kings 7:1-20), in unmasking the treachery of Hazael (2 Kings 8:7-15), Elisha proved himself the Divinely appointed Prophet of the one true God, Whose knowledge and power he was privileged to share.

Syrian Brown Bear in Jerusalem Biblical Zoo. The Syrian Brown Bear ( Ursus arctos syriacus) is the smallest Subspecies of Brown Bear. The Tisch Family Zoological Gardens in Jerusalem - The Biblical Zoo, (גן החיות התנ"כי حديقة It is suggested that this is the species of bear mentioned in the story.

After Elijah's departure, Elisha returned to Jericho, and there healed the spring of water by casting salt into it (2 Kings 2:21). Jericho ( Arabic, ʼArīḥā; Hebrew, Standard Yəriḥo Tiberian Yərîḫô Salt is a Dietary mineral composed primarily of Sodium chloride that is essential for Animal life but toxic to most land plants We next find him at Bethel (2:23), where, with the sternness of his master, he curses the youths who have come out and ridiculed him as a prophet of God: "Go up, thou bald head. Bethel (בֵּית אֵל also written as Beth El or Beth-El, meaning "House of God" (in general or " House of (the specific god named El God is the principal or sole Deity in Religions and other belief systems that worship one deity. Baldness involves the state of lacking hair where it often grows especially on the head " The youths mockingly tell Elisha to follow his master in a chariot to heaven, and make fun of his appearance. The chariot is the earliest and simplest type of Carriage, used in both peace and war as the chief vehicle of many ancient peoples Elisha then pronounces a curse upon them, pleading God for retribution. The judgment is said to have at once taken effect: two she-bears come out of the woods and kill 42 of the youths.

Elisha is next encountered in Scripture when he predicts a fall of rain when the army of Jehoram was faint from thirst (2 Kings 3:9-20). Rain is Liquid precipitation. On Earth it is the condensation of atmospheric Water vapor into drops heavy enough to fall often making it to Other miracles Elisha accomplishes include multiplying the poor widow's cruse of oil (4:1-7), restoring to life the son of the woman of Shunem (4:18-37), and multiplying the twenty loaves of new barley into a sufficient supply for a hundred men (4:42-44). Shunem is a little village mentioned in the Bible. It was located in the tribe of Issachar, to the north of Jezreel and south of Mount Barley ( Hordeum vulgare) is an annual Cereal Grain, which serves as a major animal Feed crop, with smaller amounts used for During the military incursions of Syria into Israel, Elisha cures Naaman the Syrian of his leprosy (5:1-27), punishes his servant Gehazi for his falsehood and his greed, and recovers an axe lost in the waters of the Jordan (6:1-7). Syria ( سوريّة or) officially the Syrian Arab Republic (Arabic ar الجمهورية العربية السورية For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic Israel topics. Naaman is also the name of one of the Minor characters in the Book of Genesis Naaman (נַעֲמָן "pleasantness" was a commander of Leprosy (from the Greek lepi (λέπι meaning scales on a fish or Hansen's disease, is a chronic disease caused by the bacterium Gehazi or Geichazi ( Hebrew:; Tiberian: Gêḥăzî Standard: Geẖazi "valley of vision" is a figure found in the Tanakh This article is about the Jordan River and its valley in western Asia He administered the miracle at Dothan, half-way on the road between Samaria and Jezreel, and at the siege of Samaria by the king of Syria, Elisha prophesied about the terrible sufferings of the people of Samaria and their eventual relief (2 Kings 6:24-7:2). Samaria, or the Shomron ( שֹׁמְרוֹן, Standard Šoməron Tiberian Šōmərôn The Jezreel Valley (עמק יזרעאל Emek Yizrael) is a large fertile plain and inland valley in the south of the Lower Galilee region of Israel

Elisha then journeyed to Damascus and anointed Hazael king over Syria (2 Kings 8:7-15); thereafter he directs one of the sons of the prophets to anoint Jehu, the son of Jehoshaphat, king of Israel, instead of Ahab. Damascus ( دمشق,, also commonly known as الشام ash-Shām) is the capital and largest city of Syria. Hazael ( Hebrew Hazael meaning " God has seen" was a court official and later an Aramean king who appeared in the Bible ' Yehu redirects here for the instrument see Yehu (instrument. See Josaphat for other meanings of the name Jehoshaphat or Jehosaphat or Josaphat or Yehoshafat ( was the successor of Mindful of the order given to Elias (1 Kings 19:16), Eliseus delegated a son of one of the prophets to quietly anoint Jehu King of Israel, and to commission him to cut off the house of Achab (2 Kings 9:1-10). ' Yehu redirects here for the instrument see Yehu (instrument. Ahab (or Ach'av or) was king of Israel and the son and successor of Omri ( 1 Kings 1629-34 The death of Joram, pierced by an arrow from Jehu's bow, the ignominious end of Jezabel, the slaughter of Achab's seventy sons, proved how faithfully executed was the Divine command (2 Kings 9:11-10:30). Jezebel ( is the name of two women in the Bible. In the Hebrew Scriptures In the Tanakh (the Hebrew Scriptures and Ahab (or Ach'av or) was king of Israel and the son and successor of Omri ( 1 Kings 1629-34 After predicting to Joas his victory over the Syrians at Aphec, as well as three other subsequent victories, ever bold before kings, ever kindly towards the lowly, "Eliseus died, and they buried him" (2 Kings 13:14-20).

While Elisha lies on his death-bed in his own house (2 Kings 13:14-19). Joash, the grandson of Jehu, comes to mourn over his approaching departure, and utters the same words as those of Elisha when Elijah was taken away, indicating his value to him: "My father, my father! the chariot of Israel, and the horsemen thereof. Jehoash or Joash ("Jehovah-given" was the name of eight men in the Bible "

The very touch of his corpse served to resuscitate a dead man. "In his life he did great wonders, and in death he wrought miracles" (Ecclesiasticus, xlviii, 15). After his death, a dead body was laid in Elisha's grave a year after his burial. No sooner does it touch Elisha's remains than the man "revived, and stood up on his feet" (2 Kings 13:20-21).

Veneration

He is venerated as a saint in a number of Christian Churches. In Christianity, veneration ( Latin veneratio, Greek &delta&omicron&upsilon&lambda&iota&alpha dulia) or veneration of saints A saint (from the Latin sanctus) is a human being to whom has been attributed (and who has generally demonstrated a high level of Holiness and Sanctity His feast day is on June 14, on the Eastern Orthodox, and Eastern Catholic liturgical calendars (for those churches which use the traditional Julian Calendar, June 14 falls on June 27 of the modern Gregorian Calendar). The Calendar of saints is a traditional Christian method of organizing a Liturgical year on the level of days by associating each day with one or more Saints Events 1276 - While taking exile in Fuzhou in southern China, away from the advancing Mongol invaders, the remnants of the The Eastern Orthodox Church is the second largest single Christian Communion in the world This article refers to Eastern Churches in full communion with the Holy See The Eastern Orthodox liturgical calendar describes and dictates the rhythm of the life of the Eastern Orthodox Church. The Julian calendar, a reform of the Roman calendar, was introduced by Julius Caesar in 46 BC and came into force in 45 BC (709 Ab urbe condita Events 1358 - Republic of Dubrovnik is founded 1709 - Peter the Great defeats Charles XII of Sweden The Gregorian calendar is the most widely used Calendar in the world today St. John of Damascus composed a canon in honor of the Prophet Elisha, and a church was built at Constantinople in his honor. Chrysorrhoas redirects here For the river see Barada. Saint John of Damascus ( Arabic: يوحنا الدمشقي A canon is a structured Hymn used in a number of Eastern Orthodox services Constantinople (Κωνσταντινούπολις Konstantinoúpolis, or gr ἡ Πόλις hē Polis, Latin: la CONSTANTINOPOLIS

In Western Christianity he is commemorated on the Carmelite religious order's calendar of saints. Western Christianity is a term used to cover the Latin Rite of the Roman Catholic Church, the Churches of the Anglican Communion, the Lutheran Church The Order of the Brothers of Our Lady of Mount Carmel or Carmelites (sometimes simply Carmel by Synecdoche; Latin: Ordo fratrum Beatæ A religious order is a lineage of communities and organizations of people who live in some way set apart from society in accordance with their specific religious devotion usually ^[3] He is also commemorated as a prophet on the Calendar of Saints of the Lutheran Church - Missouri Synod. The Lutheran Calendar of Saints is a listing which details the primary annual festivals and events that are celebrated liturgically by the Lutheran Church The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod (LCMS founded in 1847 in Missouri, is the eighth largest Protestant denomination in the United States and the second-largest Both calendars also celebrate him on June 14.

Julian the Apostate (361-363) gave orders to burn the relics of the prophets Elisha, Obadiah and John the Baptist, but they were rescued by the Christians, and part of them were transferred to Alexandria. Flavius Claudius Julianus, known also as Julian or Julian the Apostate (331 or 332 to 26 June 363) was Roman Emperor (Caesar A relic is an object or a personal item of religious significance carefully preserved with an air of Veneration as a tangible memorial Obadiah is a Biblical theophorical name meaning " Yahweh 's servant/worshipper Saint John the Baptist ( heb. Jochanan ben Sacharja, arab. يحيى Yaḥyā or يوحنا Yūḥanna, aram. Today, the relics of the prophet Elisha are claimed to be among the possessions of the Coptic Orthodox Monastery of Saint Macarius the Great in Scetes, Egypt. History of the Coptic Orthodox Church of Alexandria Apostolic foundation Egypt is identified in the Bible as the place of refuge that the The Monastery of Saint Macarius is a Coptic Orthodox monastery located in the Nitrian Desert, about 92 km north west of Cairo, and off the highway Wadi El Natrun (" Natron Valley" is located in Beheira Governorate, Egypt. This article is about the country of Egypt For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic Egypt topics. ^[4]

References

External links

• Elisha at the Internet Movie Database - Animated depiction of the life of Elisha
• "Eliseus" article from The Catholic Encyclopedia
• Prophet Elisha in Carmelite Tradition
• Prophet Elisha Orthodox icon and synaxarion

This article incorporates text from the public-domain Catholic Encyclopedia of 1913. The Catholic Encyclopedia, also referred to today as the Old Catholic Encyclopedia, is an English-language Encyclopedia published by The Encyclopedia An icon (from Greek εἰκών eikōn, "image" is a religious work of art most commonly a painting from Eastern Christianity. Synaxarium, Synaxarion, Synexarium, Synexarion, pl Synaxaria ( Greek: Συναξάριον, from συναγειν The public domain is a range of abstract materials &ndash commonly referred to as Intellectual property &ndash which are not owned or controlled by anyone The Catholic Encyclopedia, also referred to today as the Old Catholic Encyclopedia, is an English-language Encyclopedia published by The Encyclopedia This entry incorporates text from the public domain Easton's Bible Dictionary, originally published in 1897.