Coins of the mysterious prophet Elijah

Perhaps no other figure is as ingrained in Western faith and religious 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. 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 predicted of a God of storms, Elijah the Thunderer, who drove a chariot and directed rain and snow. Even Raelites, who believe in extraterrestrial life as the source of 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 referred to as a “tishbite”, or in 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 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 with 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 to have entered heaven in a whirlwind, riding on a flaming chariot and horses. In Christian teachings, Elijah appeared again on the Mount of Transfigurations 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 it is the concept that Elijah will return before the Messiah as foretold in the Book of Malachi. Others believe 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 rewards for positive interactions. Elijah’s Coins had magical powers for the bearer and had life-changing abilities.

In one story, Elias 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. Elías 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 towards 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 recovered the coins was that the man did not give charity despite the great wealth he had accumulated. In a third story, Elias 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 turns into a great fortune. The three options were given to the man because he had tended his father’s garden and made it more prosperous. Because he had given 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 which resulted in good fortune or success. Giving the coin in each case was itself an act of kindness, and acts of kindness rewarded on the part of each recipient. Therefore, it evokes goodness and evidences the philosophy of “give to receive”. The currency, however, comes with obligations. If one does not behave as Elias 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 deserving others. Remember that the next time you are lucky enough to receive a gift, you also have a promise to keep.