200 The Legends of the Jews
that they could no longer reckon upon " the merits of the fathers " to intercede for them ; they had overdrawn their account.** When they sank to the point of degradation at which they gave up the sign of the covenant, Elijah could control his wrath no longer, and he accused Israel before God.25 In the cleft of the rock in which God had once aforetimes appeared to Moses, and revealed Himself as compassionate and long-suffering, He now met with Elijah,** and conveyed to him, by various signs, that it had been bet- ter to defend Israel than accuse him. But Elijah in his zeal for God was inexorable. Then God commanded him to appoint Elisha as his successor, for He said : " I cannot do as thou wouldst have me."" Furthermore God charged him : " Instead of accusing My children, journey to Damas- cus, where the Gentiles have an idol for each day of the year. Though Israel hath thrown down My altars and slain M; prophets, what concern is it of thine ? " **
The four phenomena that God sent before His appear ance — wind,*8 earthquake, fire, and a still small voice — were to instruct Elijah about the destiny of man. God told Elijah that these four represent the worlds through which man must pass: the first stands for this world, fleeting as the wind ; the earthquake is the day of death, which makes the human body to tremble and quake ; fire is the tribunal in Ge- henna, and the still small voice is the Last Judgment, when there will be none but God alone.30
About three years" later, Elijah was taken up into heaven,** but not without first undergoing a struggle with the Angel of Death. He refused to let Elijah enter heaven at his translation, on the ground that he exercised jurisdic-
