Becoming Elijah: Prophet of Transformation

by Daniel C. Matt

Overview

The story of the prophet Elijah’s transformation from fierce zealot to compassionate hero and cherished figure in Jewish tradition
 
“In a series on Jewish Lives, this volume is about the Jewish life—the one that goes on forever. Becoming Elijah blends meticulous scholarship with bold literary and poetic imagination. Don’t miss it!”—Arthur Green, author of Judaism for the World
 
“The author’s erudite prose and masterful command of history and faith traditions bring his subject to vibrant life. This is an edifying and accessible chronicle of a towering religious figure.”—Publishers Weekly (starred review)
 
In the Bible Elijah is a zealous prophet, attacking idolatry and injustice, championing God. He performs miracles, restoring life and calling down fire. When his earthly life ends, he vanishes in a whirlwind, carried off to heaven in a fiery chariot. Was this a spectacular death, or did Elijah escape death entirely? The latter view prevailed. Though residing in heaven, Elijah revisits earth—to help, rescue, enlighten, and eventually herald the Messiah. Because of his messianic role, Jews open the door for Elijah during each seder—the meal commemorating liberation from slavery and anticipating final redemption.
 
How did this zealot turn into a compassionate hero—apparently the most popular figure in Jewish tradition? Becoming Elijah explores this question, tracing how Elijah develops from the Bible to Rabbinic Judaism, Kabbalah, and Jewish ritual (as well as Christianity and Islam). His transformation is pertinent and inspirational for our polarized, fanatical world.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780300242706
Publisher:	Yale University Press
Publication date:	03/15/2022
Series:	Jewish Lives
Pages:	248
Sales rank:	374,182
Product dimensions:	6.00(w) x 8.20(h) x 0.90(d)

About the Author

Daniel C. Matt is a leading authority on Kabbalah. Becoming Elijah received the Rabbi Sacks Book Prize in 2022. His nine-volume annotated translation The Zohar: Pritzker Edition received a National Jewish Book Award.

Table of Contents

Acknowledgments xi

Introduction 1

1 I Have Been So Zealous for YHVH: Elijah in the Hebrew Bible 8

2 The Compassionate Super-Rabbi: Elijah in the Talmud and Midrash 50

3 Inspiring the Mystics: Elijah in the Kabbalah 90

4 Elijah and the Daughters of Judaism 115

5 Rituals of Anticipation 128

6 Becoming Elijah 147

Notes 157

Bibliography 195

General Index 211

Index of Sources 222

Editorial Reviews

★ 01/10/2022

National Jewish Book Award winner Matt (God and the Big Bang) illuminates in this astute entry to Yale’s Jewish Lives series how depictions of the biblical prophet Elijah have evolved over centuries. Matt begins with the contradictions and inconsistencies in Elijah’s portrayals, from a zealot and miracle worker in the Hebrew Bible to the legendary “benevolent savior” in Jewish folklore. “We should refine the question ‘Who is Elijah?’ reframing it: ‘How is Elijah imagined and reimagined?’ ” Matt suggests, turning to the book of Kings, rabbinic literature, the kabbalah, the New Testament, and Jewish rituals to find answers. Rabbinic interpretation in the Talmud departed from biblical descriptions of Elijah by transforming him into the herald of the Messiah, a characterization that, in the New Testament, morphed into conflating him with John the Baptist. In all these renderings, Matt argues, “Elijah fills a need for hope,” a role that lies at the core of his importance. The author’s erudite prose and masterful command of history and faith traditions bring his subject to vibrant life. This is an edifying and accessible chronicle of a towering religious figure. (Mar.)

Publishers Weekly

The author’s erudite prose and masterful command of history and faith traditions bring his subject to vibrant life. This is an edifying and accessible chronicle of a towering religious figure.”—Publishers Weekly (starred review)

“An excellent look at how the portrayal of Elijah has changed over time.”—Rabbi Rachel Esserman, The Reporter

“A highly recommended read.”—Yaakov (Jack) Bieler, Jewish Book Council

“A lucidly written religious biography/history that will appeal to readers of all faith traditions.”—Kirkus Reviews

Winner of the Rabbi Sacks Book Award, sponsored by Yeshiva University


“In a series on Jewish Lives, this volume is about the Jewish life—the one that goes on forever. Becoming Elijah blends meticulous scholarship with bold literary and poetic imagination. Don’t miss it!”—Arthur Green, author of Judaism for the World

“Becoming Elijah is a work of rare intellectual and spiritual depth. With erudition, Daniel Matt captures the unique role Elijah has played in the Western religious imagination and demonstrates how this prophet continues to inspire millions of spiritual seekers today!”—David Ellenson, Brandeis University

“A jewel of scholarship and poetic imagination, this lucid and beautifully crafted book highlights the tensions in Elijah’s personality as it evolves from the biblical narratives through to its final, Hasidic reconfiguration.”—Avivah Zornberg, author of Moses

From the Publisher

2022-01-11
The many faces of the biblical hero.

In the latest entry in the publisher’s estimable Jewish Lives series, scholar Matt, whose nine-volume The Zohar: Pritzker Edition won the National Jewish Book Award, delves into the undying appeal and unending presence of the prophet Elijah. Whereas many reference works concentrate on Elijah’s appearance in the Hebrew Scriptures exclusively, Matt uses those Scriptures as a springboard to investigate the Elijah of legend and tradition in the many centuries since he was taken into heaven on a chariot of fire. Naturally, the author begins with the scriptural account of Elijah as found in I and II Kings, and he emphasizes Elijah’s zealous nature: “Of all the divine qualities,” writes Matt, “Elijah emulates one in particular…‘zeal’ blended with ‘jealousy.’ ” Outside of the biblical accounts, Elijah takes on a new role and mission, not as the defender of God’s honor but as the agent of God’s love and care for all people. In later Talmudic writings, Jewish sages described the prophet as coming to the aid of the helpless, marked no longer by zeal but rather compassion. Elijah has always been a bedrock figure in Jewish mysticism, and eventually, he became the most important character from the Hebrew Scriptures to appear in the Gospel stories of Jesus, in which John the Baptist is said to be Elijah trumpeting the coming Messiah. He also appears throughout Islamic traditions as “the Green One, or the Verdant One” and throughout the centuries of post-Temple Jewish practice as an expected guest at Passover seders and protector of the young at circumcisions. Matt intriguingly concludes that the later Elijah must have learned from his famed encounter with God that “to succeed in transforming others, fierce power is often less effective than patient gentleness.”

A lucidly written religious biography/history that will appeal to readers of all faith traditions.

Kirkus Reviews