The Prophetic Schools in Ancient Israel

 By St. Justin Popovich

The "sons of the prophets" (2 King 2:15) is what the disciples of the prophets were called among the Israelites. They formed communities that were educated under the direct influence of the prophet. The prophetic disciples engaged in prayer, instructive conversations, devotional singing and music, and sometimes received divine inspiration. "Prophesy" according to Holy Scripture does not always mean "foretelling the future" according to the revelation of God; it sometimes means: under the influence of the Spirit of God, to give inspired sermons, to speak instructive sermons, to interpret the word of God (cf. 1 Cor. 14:3-6), to compose prayers and songs to God, to recite them and sing them to the sounds of music. - All this was the goal and task of prophetic communities, prophetic schools. There were such schools in Ramah, Bethel, Jericho, Galgal and other places.

From Lives of the Saints for July (July 20th).

 

 

The Axe Head of the Prophet Elisha as a Foreshadowing of the Cross

In 2(4) Kings 6:1-7 we read:

And the sons of the prophets said to Elisha, “See now, the place where we dwell with you is too small for us. Please, let us go to the Jordan, and let every man take a beam from there, and let us make there a place where we may dwell.”

So he answered, “Go.”

Then one said, “Please consent to go with your servants.”

And he answered, “I will go.” So he went with them. And when they came to the Jordan, they cut down trees. But as one was cutting down a tree, the iron ax head fell into the water; and he cried out and said, “Alas, master! For it was borrowed.”

Why the Prophet Elisha is Commemorated on June 14th

By John Sanidopoulos

Though there are no written sources to confirm my theory, as far as I know, I think it is quite obvious why the Prophet Elisha is commemorated by the Orthodox Church on June 14th. Let's break it down.

Orthodox Easter can fall any time between April 4th and May 8th (according to the Revised Julian Calendar; minus 13 days for the Julian Calendar currently, though less days centuries ago). The Ascension of Christ took place forty days after Easter, and Pentecost took place ten days after the Ascension. This means that the Ascension can fall any time between May 13th and June 16th, while Pentecost can fall any time between May 23rd and June 26th. Though these dates are based on the moveable calendar of the Church, the fixed immovable feast of the Prophet Elisha on June 14th falls comfortably within the period of the Ascension and Pentecost with the Revised Julian Calendar, while shortly after Pentecost with the Julian Calendar..

So what does the Prophet Elisha have to do with the Ascension and Pentecost? Well, some would say that the Prophet Elisha is the Prophet of Pentecost, mainly because of what we read in the second chapter of 2 Kings.

Overcoming Slavery to the Passions as Typified in the Prophet Elijah (St. Maximus the Confessor)

By St. Maximus the Confessor

(On the Lord's Prayer)

It is our aim to make the nous stand alone, stripped through the virtues of its affection for the body; for this affection, even when totally dispassionate, is still natural. The spirit, completely triumphing over nature, has to persuade the nous to desist from moral philosophy in order to commune with the supra-essential Logos through direct and undivided contemplation, in spite of the fact that moral philosophy helps the nous to cut itself off from, and to go beyond, things pertaining to the flux of time. For when the nous has become free from its attachment to sensible objects, it should not be burdened any longer with preoccupations about morality as with a shaggy cloak.

Holy Prophetess Huldah

Holy Prophetess Huldah (Feast Day - April 10)

Verses

The spirit departed of Huldah who had seen future things,
A spirit full of divine Pythia.

Huldah was a prophetess mentioned in the Old Testament in 2 Kings 22:13-20 and 2 Chronicles 34:22-28. She was the wife of Shallum, son of Tokhath (also called Tikvah), son of Harhas (also called Hasrah), keeper of the wardrobe. She lived in Jerusalem, in the Second District or Second Quarter. After the discovery of a book of the Law during renovations at Solomon's Temple, on the order of King Josiah, Hilkiah together with Ahikam, Acbor, Shaphan and Asaiah approach her to seek the Lord's opinion.

Elijah and the Mercy of God's Judgments

By Caesarius of Arles

Wretched men are apt to censure the writings of the Old Testament saying: "How was it just for blessed Elijah to burn two captains with their soldiers by means of fire brought down from heaven?" How justly and mercifully this was done, dearly beloved, we want to indicate briefly to your hearts.

In the days of the Old Testament, any crimes or offenses committed among the people were ordered to be physically punished. Thus it is written: "Eye for eye, tooth for tooth." Indeed, some were punished in order that the rest might fear bodily punishment and refrain from sins and offenses. Now, in the time of the prophet, all the Jewish people had abandoned God and were sacrificing to idols, not only refusing to honor God's prophets but even very frequently trying to kill them. For this reason blessed Elijah was aroused with zeal for God and caused some to be punished physically, so that those who had neglected the salvation of their souls might be healed in heart by fearing bodily death. We should consider that not so much blessed Elijah as the Holy Spirit did this.

Prophet Elisha Resource Page

Holy Prophet Elisha (Feast Day - June 14)

Verses

The horses of Elias, as noetic horses,
Opened the heavens, for the double-portion of Elias.
On the fourteenth the pleasant portion fell upon Elisha.

Holy Prophet Elisha

Holy Prophet Elisha as a Model for our Lives

June: Day 14: Holy Prophet Elisha

What Sirach Said About Elisha the Prophet

The Prophetic Schools in Ancient Israel

The Axe Head of the Prophet Elisha as a Foreshadowing of the Cross

Elisha the Prophet and the Syrian Army (video)

 

Short Film: "Naaman and Elisha" (2013) 

 

Why the Prophet Elisha is Commemorated on June 14th 

 

The Relics of the Holy Prophet Elisha 

 

Placement of the Relics and Garments of the Apostles Luke, Andrew and Thomas, the Prophet Elisha, and Martyr Lazarus in the Church of the Holy Apostles in Constantinople 

 

Open Letter to Every Fellow Traveler Who Thirsts for Truth 

 

7 Greek Shrines Dedicated to the Prophet Elisha 

 

Church of the Prophet Elisha in Monasteraki (Where St. Nicholas Planas Liturgized Daily) 

 

The Chapel of the Prophet Elisha in Athens: A Monument of True and Unadulterated Orthodoxy

 

Prophet Elijah (Elias) Resource Page

Righteous Hezekiah the King (+ 686 B.C.)

Righteous Hezekiah the King (Feast Day - August 28)

Verses

Of old your tears Hezekiah,

Assisted you again to find life in the next.

By Robert I. Bradshaw

The Life & Times of Hezekiah

Hezekiah, son of Ahaz, was born during the reign of his grandfather Jotham in 741 BC. Scripture tells us little about Jotham's reign, except that he did what was right in the eyes of the Lord. After him came Ahaz, who abandoned the worship of the Lord in favour of the Ba'al (2 Kings 16:2-4; 2 Chron. 28:2-4), even going so far as to sacrifice at least one of Hezekiah's brothers in the fire (2 Kings 16:3; 2 Chron. 28:3). Threatened by attacks from Aramean, Israelite, Edomite and Philistine (28:17-18) forces which resulted in the death of another of Hezekiah's brothers (28:7) Ahaz made a decision that was to have far-reaching consequences for his descendants: he made himself a vassal of the king of Assyria (2 Kings 16:7-9). His action solved his short-term problem, according to the writers of Kings at least (cf. 2 Chron. 28:20-21), but further undermined the worship of the Lord. While he was visiting his new suzerain at Damascus he saw an altar there that fascinated him. On returning to Jerusalem he had a duplicate made and set up in the Temple and set aside the traditional furniture in its favour (2 Kings 16:10-16). Ahaz also removed some of the symbols of his power from the Temple (16:18) (Noth, 1996: 266). In many ways the life of Hezekiah stands in stark contrast to that of his father, but at times (as we shall see) his father's political practices influenced his own decisions.

Open Letter to Every Fellow Traveler Who Thirsts for Truth

By Monk Christodoulos Gregoriates

In this letter, I visit you beloved reader to remind you of two soul-saving stories from the Old Testament which have the purpose of becoming a compass of truths in your life travels.

One day the Military General of Syria, Naaman, visited the Prophet Elisha to heal him from the illness of leprosy (4 Kings 5). Through a third party the Prophet Elisha told Naaman to go under the waters of the Jordan River seven times and he would be healed. Naaman however left angrily saying, "I thought that this person would come to visit me, stand over me in prayer and call on his God, and then put his hand on my ill body and heal me. Are not the rivers of Abana and Pharpar in Damascus better than all the waters of Israel? Could I not go under these waters and be healed?" His soldiers drew near and said, "The prophet did not tell you to do something very hard or impossible." And they made him follow the commandment of the prophet. Truly, Naaman believed. He went to the river Jordan, immersed himself seven times, and his body was cleansed of leprosy. His skin became like that of a small child. Yet from Naaman, the leprosy went to Prophet Elisha's1 servant, Gehazi. It went to Gehazi because he secretly ran to Naaman and received an unlawful gift for the miraculous healing and then concealed his sin from the prophet with a silly lie.

Holy Prophet Elisha as a Model for our Lives

Holy Prophet Elisha (Feast Day - June 14)

By Protopresbyter Fr. George Papavarnavas

In the language of the Orthodox Church, a prophet is a theologian, namely a God-seer. It is someone who "in the Holy Spirit" sees God and has a personal experience of His existence and love. "From the Holy Spirit springs forth all wisdom ... and the prophets behold" and preach what they saw, heard and touched; "which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked at and our hands have touched" (1 Jn. 1:1). It is someone who internally experiences the Grace of the Holy Spirit and feels it inundating their entire existence, "He who believes in Me from his innermost being will flow rivers of living water" (Jn. 7:38), and their words have power, they are life-creating, regenerating and "seasoned with salt," going straight to the heart. Does it not also happen to us, when we hear the homily of a saint and feel touched in our soul because it goes straight to our heart? The words of the God-seeing saints bring contrition to the soul, an appetite and taste for prayer, it creates inspiration and leads to repentance. They are the words of the Holy Spirit, Who speaks through their mouths: "And in the Holy Spirit ... Who spoke through the prophets."