Perhaps no other figure is so ingrained in Western religious faith and tradition as this lone figure. The prophet Elijah appears prominently in the Hebrew Bible, the New Testament, the Talmud, the Mishnah, and the Qur’an. The stories of Elijah appear in the Manual of Discipline in the Dead Sea Scrolls. Presented 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 Bab, the founder of the faith. The Slavic tribes of Eastern Europe predicted the existence of a storm god, Elijah the Thunderer, who drove a chariot and directed the rain and snow. Even the Raelists, who believe in extraterrestrial life as the source of religion, recognize Elijah among their prophets on earth.
Despite his near-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 the main biblical characters, the prophet Elijah appears on the scene without information about his family background. It is known as “tishbita”, or in daylight hours, “one who comes from the city of Tishbe”. However, there are no records or any reference to a city or town called Tishbe or Tish. To further obscure his background, most of his time on earth was spent in isolation, wandering the desert.
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 hearty meals from the pieces of bread, rain fire from heaven, end famines, and ascend to heaven. Significantly, he is also one of only two people in the Bible who left earth without dying. Elijah was recorded to have entered heaven in a whirlwind, riding on a chariot and horses on fire. In Christian teachings, Elijah appeared again on the Mount of Transfigurations with Moses as they spoke of the impending death of Jesus.
There is also a religiously controversial concept known as the “Revelation of Elijah.” Scholars disagree on the true meaning. Some believe it is the concept that Elijah will return before Messiah as predicted in the Book of Malachi. Others believe it means the reappearance of Elijah before the events predicted 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 is rich and the other is quite poor. The rich brother rebukes Elijah, while the poor brother welcomes him and gives him food and shelter. Elijah gives the poor man several coins and asks him to count them. Start counting, 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 because 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 Elías gives him a coin, which the man turns into a great fortune. All three options were given to the man because he had tended his father’s garden and made it more prosperous. Because he had devoted his time and energy to improving his father’s business, Elijah rewarded the son.
All of Elijah’s “coin” stories have a common theme. A coin was awarded which resulted in good luck or success. Awarding the coin in each case was itself an act of kindness and acts of kindness rewarded on the part of each recipient. Thus, evoking goodness and evidencing the philosophy of “giving to receive”. The currency, however, comes with obligations. If one does not behave as Elijah intended, good fortune can be lost 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 pay kindness or give to others who deserve it. Remember that the next time you are lucky enough to receive a gift, you will also have a promise to keep.