(fl. 9th cent BCE)
Israelite prophet. He prophesied during the reigns of Ahab and Ahaziah. He attempted to restore the purity of the worship of the God of Israel when Ahab's wife, Jezebel, introduced the cult of Baal into the country. In a contest with the prophets of Baal, he emerged victorious (I Kings 18). According to II Kings 2:1-11, Elijah did not die but was carried to heaven in a chariot of horses and fire. In the rabbinic tradition he is viewed as the harbinger of the Messiah. At the Passover seder a glass of wine is traditionally poured for him.
Dictionary of Jewish Biography. Dan Cohn-Sherbok.