very impressive manner, and they proved the truth of their divine mission by working great miracles.
God revealed to them many future events. They predicted the principal circumstances of the birth, life, passion, death and glory of the Messias. One of the most celebrated of the prophets was Elias. He lived in the reign of Achab[1], king of Israel. This king was very wicked.
None of his predecessors had committted so many crimes as he.
He had married a Gentile woman named Jezabel; and he had built a temple to Baal and had consecrated to the service of that false god four hundred and fifty priests, whilst he had caused the priests of the Lord to be put to death. In a word, his intention seemed to be to destroy the true religion entirely among the ten tribes.
Elias, clad in a rough sheep’s skin and with a staff in his hand, presented himself before Achab and said: “As the Lord liveth, the God of Israel, in whose sight I stand, there shall not be dew nor rain these three years, but according to the words of my mouth.” Achab was very angry to hear these words of the prophet, and secretly resolved to put Elias to death.
Then the Lord, knowing the evil intention of the king, commanded Elias to go and conceal himself near the brook Carith[2],
- ↑ Achab. Achab, the 7th king of Israel, reigned from 923 to 902 (?) B. C. Jezabel was daughter to the king of Sidon. At her request Achab built in Samaria a temple to the sun-god Baal and, besides the worship of calves, introduced the horrible worship of Baal and of Moloch (Fig. 47), to whom children were offered up in sacrifice. Added to this he killed the priests of God. Thus there was every fear that the true faith would be entirely eradicated. For this cause God raised up the prophet Elias, that through him the true faith might be preserved in Israel.
- ↑ The brook Carith. This brook flows into the Jordan from the east, through a country full of forests and caverns. Here Elias could easily hide himself, even if the king searched the whole country through for him.
