On Sunday,2 August 2026, the Patriarchate celebrated the feast of the glorious Prophet Elijah the Tishbite at his ancient Holy Monastery, situated near the ancient Monastery of the Seat of the Most Holy Theotokos, between Bethlehem and Jerusalem.
On this feast, the Church commemorates the Prophet Elijah, who came from Tishbe in the land of Gilead, beyond the Jordan. Of priestly descent, he was a man of the wilderness and of an ascetic character, filled with zeal for God, and was therefore rightly called “the Zealot”. He rebuked King Ahab and his wife Jezebel; he called down fire from God, which consumed even the stones of the altar of the idolaters on Mount Carmel, and he slew the four hundred and fifty prophets of shame. He shut up the heavens so that no rain fell for three years and six months; he raised to life the son of the widow of Zarephath in Sidon; in obedience to God’s command, he anointed Elisha to succeed him as prophet, casting his mantle upon him. With that same mantle, the Prophet Elisha crossed the River Jordan, while the Prophet Elijah was taken up into heaven in a fiery chariot. His name is mentioned many times throughout both the Old and the New Testaments. At the Transfiguration of our Lord Jesus Christ on Mount Tabor, he appeared together with Moses, conversing with the Lord concerning His departure, that is, His Passion, which was soon to take place in Jerusalem.
In honour of the Prophet Elijah, Great Vespers were celebrated on the eve of the feast at the above-mentioned Holy Monastery, presided over by Metropolitan Hesychios of Capitolias. On the morning of the feast, the Divine Liturgy was celebrated byour Father and Patriarch of Jerusalem, Theophilos III, concelebrating with Metropolitan Hesychios of Capitolias, Archbishop Aristarchos of Constantina, the Secretary of the Holy and Sacred Synod, Archimandrite Christodoulos, and the Hegumen of Beit Jala, Archimandrite Ignatios, together with Priests from the Church of Saint James the Brother of the Lord, Archdeacon Mark, and Hierodeacon Prodromos.
The chanting was led on the right by Dr Yakoub together with members of the parish choir in Greek, and on the left by the choir of the Church of Saint James the Brother of the Lord under the direction of Mr Rimon Kamar. The service was attended by pious local faithful, members of the Greek Consulate General, and a small number of pilgrims.
Addressing this devout congregation, the Patriarch delivered the following sermon in Greek, followed by an Arabic translation:
“Not amid the earthquake, but in the still, gentle breeze did you behold the presence of God, O divinely blessed Elijah, which of old enlightened you. Then, borne aloft in a four-horsed fiery chariot, you wondrously rode into heaven, O God-inspired Prophet,” the hymnographer of the Church proclaims.
Beloved brethren in Christ,
Pious Christians and pilgrims,
The divine grace that illumined Elijah the Tishbite has gathered us all today in this holy place, namely in the sacred monastery that bears his name, so that we may festively honour his venerable memory.
The God-inspired Elijah stands out among the Prophets because he laboured with extraordinary zeal to uphold the divine Law, striving above all against idolatry. For this reason, he was taken up heavenwards in a whirlwind of fire, borne by a fiery chariot and fiery horses, as the Scripture says: “Elijah, because he was deeply zealous for the Law, was taken up into heaven” (1 Maccabees 2:58). And again: “He was taken up in a whirlwind of fire, in a chariot with horses of fire” (Sirach 48:9). It should be noted, however, that, as the Lord Himself declares: “No one has ascended to heaven but He who came down from heaven, that is, the Son of Man who is in heaven” (John 3:13).
The divinely blessed Elijah, whose soul was consumed with zeal for the Lord, “I have been very zealous for the Lord God Almighty” (3 Kings 19:10), fled by God’s help to Mount Horeb and took refuge in a cave. There the Lord said to him: “Go out tomorrow and stand on the mountain before the Lord. And behold, the Lord will pass by; and behold, a great and mighty wind was tearing through the mountains and breaking the rocks in pieces before the Lord, but the Lord was not in the wind. And after the wind an earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake. And after the earthquake a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire. And after the fire, a still small voice—and there was the Lord” (3 Kings 19:11–12). Commenting on these words of the Lord, Fr Ioil Giannakopoulos writes: “The earthquake, the tempest and the fire symbolise the majesty of God. Yet God is not exhausted by these manifestations alone. There follows the gentle breeze, the symbol of God’s love. By appearing in this manner, God teaches the Prophet Elijah, who had fallen into despair and discouragement at the apparent triumph of evil, that he should contemplate God’s love and longsuffering, for God does not desire the death of the sinner, but that he should repent.”
It is particularly noteworthy that God revealed Himself to Elijah in precisely the same place where the Prophet Moses beheld “the back parts” of God. As the Lord said to Moses: “So it shall be, while My glory passes by, that I will put you in the cleft of the rock, and will cover you with My hand while I pass by. Then I will take away My hand, and you shall see My back; but My face shall not be seen” (Exodus 33:22–23).
From the foregoing, it becomes clear that both Moses and Elijah were granted the great experience of the vision of God, that is, the contemplation of God’s glory, though still in a veiled manner, as it is written: “So it was, when Elijah heard it, that he wrapped his face in his mantle” (3 Kings 19:13). Elijah’s fervent zeal for God, together with his encounter with the Lord, strengthened him to confront not only idolatry, but also the arrogance and national pride of the powerful rulers of his time and of his own people.
Within the royal palace, the “ivory house which King Ahab built” (3 Kings 22:39), his idolatrous wife Jezebel laboured tirelessly to spread the worship of idols, maintaining hundreds of false prophets in the temple of Baal. Yet the God-seeing Elijah, champion of the true God, defender of the oppressed and the poor, and steadfast advocate of justice, accepted the challenge of confronting these false prophets and, through God’s intervention on Mount Carmel, utterly put them to shame (cf. 3 Kings 18). For this reason, Sirach speaks of Elijah with profound admiration, saying: “Then Elijah arose like fire, and his word burned like a torch” (Sirach 48:1).
Indeed, the zeal of the Tishbite is rightly likened to fire and to a burning torch, bearing witness to and proclaiming the light of truth amid the darkness of idolatry. We say this because the prophetic mission of Elijah was not confined solely to the “special people” (Titus 2:14), but extended beyond the boundaries of the Old Covenant. He was sent to Zarephath of Sidon, to a widowed woman who was a Gentile, saving her from famine and restoring her son to life (cf. 3 Kings 17:8–16; 17:17–24).
The Holy Apostle James, the Brother of the Lord, speaking of the power of the prayer of the righteous, “The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much” (James 5:16), holds up the Prophet Elijah as an example: “Elijah was a man with a nature like ours, and he prayed earnestly that it would not rain; and it did not rain on the land for three years and six months. And he prayed again, and the heaven gave rain, and the earth produced its fruit” (James 5:17–18). Likewise, at the Transfiguration of Jesus on Mount Tabor, the Prophets Moses and Elijah appeared conversing with Him: “And behold, two men talked with Him, who were Moses and Elijah, who appeared in glory and spoke of His departure which He was about to accomplish at Jerusalem” (Luke 9:30–31).
This conversation between Elijah, Moses and Jesus demonstrates that Christ is the Lord of both the Law and the Prophets. Origen expresses this by saying: “Moses represents the Law, and Elijah the Prophets; for Christ Himself is the Lord of both the Law and the Prophets.” Likewise, Saint Cyril of Alexandria writes: “The appearance of Moses and Elijah, and their conversation with one another, formed part of the divine dispensation, clearly showing that our Lord Jesus Christ is attended by the Law and the Prophets, since He is revealed as their Lord and the One whom they proclaimed beforehand.” The unique role of Elijah the Tishbite within the mystery of God’s saving economy in Christ is highlighted in the Lord’s reply to His disciples when they asked: “Why then do the scribes say that Elijah must come first?… Indeed, Elijah is coming first and will restore all things. But I say to you that Elijah has come already, and they did not know him…” (Matthew 17:10–12). In saying this, the Lord has in mind the prophecy of the Prophet Malachi concerning His Second Coming: “Behold, I will send you Elijah the Tishbite before the coming of the great and glorious day of the Lord. He will turn the heart of a father to his son, and the heart of a man to his neighbour, lest I come and strike the earth utterly” (Malachi 4:5–6).
It is for this reason that the hymnographer of the Church calls the Prophet Elijah, whom we honour today, “the second Forerunner of the coming of Christ.” Let us hear what Saint John Chrysostom says on this matter: “The Scriptures speak of two comings of Christ: the one already accomplished and the one yet to come… Of the second coming they declare that Elijah will be its Forerunner. For the first coming, John fulfilled this office, whom Christ also called Elijah, not because he was Elijah himself, but because he fulfilled Elijah’s ministry. Just as Elijah will be the Forerunner of the Second Coming, so John became the Forerunner of the first.” Equally insightful is the observation of the commentator Euthymios Zigabenos on the words of Scripture: “And he will also go before Him in the spirit and power of Elijah” (Luke 1:17). He explains: “By ‘spirit’ the angel means the spiritual gift, and by ‘power’ its effective operation. Thus he declares that John would possess both the grace and the power of Elijah.”
Therefore, beloved brethren, as we honour and venerate the sacred memory of Elijah the Tishbite, the Prophet consumed with zeal for God, and as we place our confidence in his boldness before Christ, the God and Saviour of our souls, let us join the hymnographer of the Church in saying: “O Prophet and herald of Christ, you never depart from the throne of His majesty. You stand ever beside all who are afflicted; ministering in the heavenly places, you bless the whole world and are glorified everywhere. Entreat Him to grant forgiveness to our souls.”
Many blessed and peaceful returns! Amen.”
Following the Divine Liturgy, refreshments were offered at the Rectory through the hospitality and diligence of the Supervisor, the monk Achillios. A festive luncheon followed, during which His Beatitude once again addressed those present, saying:
“He who was sanctified before his conception, the Angel in the flesh, the fiery mind, the heavenly man, the divine Forerunner of Christ’s Second Coming, Elijah the glorious, the foundation of the Prophets, has spiritually summoned all who love the feasts of the Church to celebrate his sacred memory,” the hymnographer of the Church proclaims.
Beloved celebrants and fellow guests,
We offer glory and thanksgiving to the Holy Triune God, who has deemed us worthy to celebrate today the memory of the glorious Prophet Elijah the Tishbite in this holy place, where his ancient monastery stands.
The distinguished place of Elijah the Tishbite among the holy Prophets is described with remarkable precision and power by Sirach in the Book of Wisdom: “Then Elijah arose like fire, and his word burned like a torch… He was taken up in a whirlwind of fire, in a chariot with horses of fire… Blessed are those who saw you, and those who have been adorned with love; for we also shall surely live” (cf. Sirach 48:1–11).
Elijah’s zeal for the glory of God is compared to fire, while his teaching and rebuke are likened to a burning torch. “Blessed are those who saw you…” Happy indeed are those who beheld you, those who have been adorned and made radiant through the love of God. We too shall live; we too shall rise again and behold the Prophet Elijah at the Second Coming, on the Day of the Final Judgement.
The mission of Elijah in sacred history is described by the Prophet Malachi (4:5–6) and concerns the last days of the world, when the Lord will judge the wicked for their ungodliness. The renowned Elijah is distinguished, on the one hand, by his love for God and, on the other, by his fervent zeal against impiety. As the hymnographer of the Church declares: “Beholding the great lawlessness of mankind and the immeasurable loving-kindness of God, the Prophet Elijah was troubled with righteous indignation and addressed words of severity to the Compassionate One, crying: ‘O most righteous Judge, be angry with those who have rejected You.’ Yet the mercy of the Good One was not stirred to punish those who had forsaken Him, for He alone who loves mankind ever awaits the repentance of all.”
The message of the divinely inspired Elijah is not only timely because it speaks directly to our own age of lawlessness and impiety; it is also one of interreligious significance, since the prophetic figure of Elijah occupies a central place in the traditions of the other religious communities of the Holy Land. Equally timely is the message of the boundless love of the living God, the Father who sent His Son, who took flesh from the Pure Virgin, to proclaim His Gospel of repentance, saying: “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand” (Matthew 4:17). And again: “I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners, to repentance” (Luke 5:32). For He alone who loves mankind ever awaits the repentance of all. Therefore, let us join the hymnographer of the Church in saying: “You were counted worthy to behold God in the still, gentle breeze, insofar as He may be seen, O glorious Prophet, having first refined your body through the discipline of the ascetic life. Therefore, I entreat you: through your prayers, refine the coarseness of my mind by repentance, and illumine it with the radiant splendour of divine light.”
Many blessed and peaceful returns! Amen.”
Source: Patriarchate of Jerusalem
