Primitive Christianity Revived, Again
[One of us] has proposed studying the Prophets for awhile. I want to continue with Luke meantime, but I hope we can combine both.
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And they seized them, and Elijah brought them down to the brook Kishon, and killed them there.
Yeah. Killing prophets of other religions is unQuakerly! Worse, it is not good interfaith relations!
There's a religious war going on in this story; Elijah is the Lone Prophet here because Ahab has formed an alliance with another state via marrying Jezebel, and is trying to convert his nation to their religion. Jezebel has been knocking off prophets of YHWH, driving them into hiding for some time.
Baal's name means "Lord", just as everyone calls YHWY "Lord". So why couldn't they have just gotten along?-- set up housekeeping together in a nice little Temple of Baal-Yahweh? That was the common solution, in those days, for settling theopolitical disputes.
I think this story illustrates some of the difficulty. Elijah represents something "Real", that insists on being recognized... not for its sake, but for ours. Governments try to teach it The Proper Relation of Church and State-- but it intrinsically resists being put in its place. And this, as we'll see, is a big part of why Jezebel doesn't like the cult of YHWH.
Forrest,
Thanks for the good explanation. I am glad you are doing this scripture study. I would rather learn the scripture and have problem with parts of it than not know it and think "I probably would have problems with parts of it."
Forrest Curo said:
Yeah. Killing prophets of other religions is unQuakerly! Worse, it is not good interfaith relations!
There's a religious war going on in this story; Elijah is the Lone Prophet here because Ahab has formed an alliance with another state via marrying Jezebel, and is trying to convert his nation to their religion. Jezebel has been knocking off prophets of YHWH, driving them into hiding for some time.
Baal's name means "Lord", just as everyone calls YHWY "Lord". So why couldn't they have just gotten along?-- set up housekeeping together in a nice little Temple of Baal-Yahweh? That was the common solution, in those days, for settling theopolitical disputes.
I think this story illustrates some of the difficulty. Elijah represents something "Real", that insists on being recognized... not for its sake, but for ours. Governments try to teach it The Proper Relation of Church and State-- but it intrinsically resists being put in its place. And this, as we'll see, is a big part of why Jezebel doesn't like the cult of YHWH.
Ahab told Jezebel all that Elijah had done, and how he had slain all the prophets [of Baal] with the sword.
And behold, there came a voice to him, and said, "What are you doing here, Elijah?"
This is one of my favorite stories of the OT. You would think that after such a great demonstration of YHWH's power over that of Baal, that Elijah would be emboldened. Perhaps because he did not accept that demonstration as enough but took it upon himself to kill so many people or because he was more afraid of "political" power than even YHWH, he was afraid. One explanation that my scientific mind has considered is that Elijah played a "trick" on the Baal priests and people and when he used that trick to take revenge by killing others he became afraid that his "trick" might be discovered and thus he hid.
The "trick" might have been in using a not very well known form of "Greek fire" which was a concoction of oils, sulphur, phosphates, nitrates, or other chemicals such as sodium, which when they come in contact with water can burst into flames. There is some evidence that such a "fluid" was known by a very few in early Greek times and is mentioned in Greek mythology as well. Thus, if Elijah had had some of that mixture prepared in the jars and had added water and poured it on the altar, there would have been combustion.
In my mind (I know we are not supposed to use our minds to this extent), a story that fits with my experience but pushes me to go beyond where I am at, is much more meaningful than a story that is so far beyond my experience that it becomes "meaningless." Thus when human conniving and brutal revenge is used by a "man of God" to show the power of God it seems natural that the reaction might be fear of being found out and hunted down, as well as a feeling of "nobody else is with ME." Thus, when YHWH does speak NOT through the "earthquake, wind and FIRE" but in the "still small voice of calm" the question is "What are you doing here?" and Elijah's answer is "Nobody likes me and nobody is standing up for YHWH." However, the response is that there are others out there who do understand and do follow Yahweh, get out there and do your work in a human manner without tricks and gimmicks.
People are certainly not consistent creatures-- between what we "know" and what we realize.
From here, it looks to me too that killing the priests of Baal was more Elijah's idea than God's. No doubt "it seemed like the right thing to do at the time." But as you say, it shows him putting his faith too much in the sword and too little in what God might have accomplished without it. Great and marvelous inspiration-- regardless of how he was led to perform that "wonder"-- but the man who receives and carries out that inspiration is still human-minded.
But also, notice that Elijah's "work" from here on out is to give his tasks over to other hands, and get out of the way.
And by the way, speaking of modern people and modern Quakers in particular, how long will we "go limping with two different opinions?"
Ben-hadad the King of Syria gathered all his army together; thirty-two kings were with him, and horses and chariots; and he went up and besieged Samaria, and fought against it.
Now Naboth the Jezreelite had a vineyard in Jezreel, beside the palace of Ahab King of Samaria.
For three years Syria and Israel continued without war. But in the third year Jehoshaphat the King of Judah came down to the King of Israel.
And the messenger who went to summon Micaiah said to him, "Behold, the words of the prophets with one accord are favorable to the King; let your word be like the word of one of them, and speak favorably."
But Micaiah said, "As the Lord lives, what the Lord says to me, that I will speak."
And when he had come to the King, the King said to him, "Micaiah, shall we go to Ramoth-gilead to battle, or shall we forbear?"
And he answered him, "Go up and triumph; the Lord will give it into the hand of the King."
But the King said to him, "How many times shall I adjure you that you speak to me nothing but the truth in the name of the Lord?"
And he said, "I saw all Israel scattered upon the mountains, as sheep that have no shepherd; and the Lord said, 'These have no master; let each return to his home in peace.'"
And the King of Israel said to Jehoshaphat, "Did I not tell you that he would not prophesy good concerning me, but evil?"
This part confused me. The messenger asks Micaiah to agree with the other prophets. Micaiah says no I have to prophesize truly. Then he agrees with the other prophets at first??
Does this mean God lies to people? Or that we don't always catch Divine Sarcasm at work? (It might help here if we knew what tone of voice Micaiah used...)
The passage can also be read as hinting... that there's an underlying sense of truth that goes deeper than what people actually say. Ahab knows his plans are precarious; he's hoping the prophets will tell him he'll be successful; but at some level he knows this is all fluff.
And YHWY... Ahab has tried to get rid of this politically obstructive deity; that didn't work; he's been forced to negotiate better relations, show public respect-- but his heart has never been in it. Favorable predictions from the prophets of YHWH?-- Ahab can hardly go to war without that kind of support; but does he trust it?
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