Perhaps no other figure is as deeply rooted in Western faith and religious tradition as this solitary figure. The prophet Elijah features prominently in the Hebrew Bible, the New Testament, the Talmud, the Mishnah, and the Koran. Elijah’s stories appear in the Manual of Discipline in the Dead Sea Scrolls. Featured in multiple Jewish traditions, the Book of Malachi predicts the return of Elijah before the return of the Messiah. Elijah is considered a holy prophet and recognized in the liturgical calendars of the Lutheran Church, the Byzantine Eastern Catholic Churches, the Roman Catholic Church, the Catholic Order of Carmelites, and the Eastern Orthodox Church.
It appears in the Doctrine and Covenants section of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. The Bahá’í Faith recognizes Elijah as a minor prophet, but a forerunner of the Bab, the founder of the faith. The Slavic tribes of Eastern Europe foretold of a Storm God, Elijah the Thunderer, who drove a chariot and directed the rain and snow. Even the Raelites, who believe in extraterrestrial life as the source of their religion, recognize Elijah among their prophets on earth.
Despite his almost universal appearance in Western religion, Elijah is a character shrouded in mystery. He appears in the Old Testament as a prophet from the 9th century BC. Despite the biblical tradition of identifying the lineage of major biblical characters, the prophet Elijah appears on the scene with no information about his family background. He is known as a “tishbite”, or at times of day, “one who comes from the city of Tishbe”. However, there are no records, nor any reference to a town or village called Tishbe or Tish. To further obscure his background, most of his time on earth was spent in isolation, wandering in the wilderness.
In various versions of his existence on earth he was able to perform miracles; to converse directly with God, raise people from the dead, produce bountiful meals from leftover bread, rain fire from heaven, end famines, and ascend to heaven. Significantly, he is also one of only two people in the Bible to leave earth without dying. Elijah was recorded as entering heaven in a whirlwind, riding a chariot and horses on fire. In Christian teachings, Elijah appeared again on the Mount of Transfiguration with Moses as they discussed the death of Jesus.
There is also a religiously controversial concept known as the “Elijah Revelation.” Scholars disagree on the true meaning. Some believe that it is the concept that Elijah will return before the Messiah as predicted in the Book of Malachi. Others believe that it means the reappearance of Elijah before the events foretold in the Book of Revelation. Some believe that through prayer they can reach a mystical state and Elijah will appear to them, hence the revelation of Elijah.
Throughout his time on earth, Elijah used coins as symbols to recognize appropriate behavior and as a reward for positive interactions. Elijah’s Coins had magical powers for the bearer and had life-changing abilities.
In one story, Elijah meets two brothers, one rich and the other quite poor. The rich brother rebukes Elijah, while the poor brother welcomes Elijah and gives him food and shelter. Elijah gives the poor man several coins and asks him to count them. He starts counting and counting and counting. The coins multiply and the man becomes miraculously rich. The man was rewarded for his kindness to a stranger.
In another story, Elijah gives a man two coins and he too becomes rich beyond his dreams. Several months later, Elijah returns and retrieves the two coins, which in turn causes the man to lose all of his wealth. The reason Elijah got the coins back was that the man did not give charity despite the great wealth he had accumulated. In a third story, Elijah asks a young man if he would rather have money, wisdom, or a beautiful wife. The young man chooses wealth, and Elijah gives him a coin, which the man converts into a large fortune. All three options were given to the man because he had tended his father’s garden and made it more prosperous. Since he had given of his time and energy to improve his father’s business, Elijah rewarded his son.
All of the Elijah “coin” stories have a common theme. A coin was given that resulted in good fortune or success. Handing over the coin in each case was itself an act of kindness, and rewarded acts of kindness on the part of each recipient. Therefore, it evokes kindness and evidences the philosophy of “give to receive”. The currency, however, comes with obligations. If one does not behave as Elijah wished, the good fortune may disappear along with the coin.
Although the coins may have been largely symbolic, they represented both a gift from Elijah and a promise from the recipient. Perhaps the meaning of Elijah’s coin was as simple as “every gift carries a promise.” If the recipient does not keep the promise, the gift is discredited. The promise could be to return kindness or to give to others who deserve it. Remember that the next time you are lucky enough to receive a gift, you also have a promise to keep.