The image of the prophet Elijah in the museum collection

2 August (20 July according to Art. Art.) the Orthodox Church remembers the memory of one of the most revered Old Testament saints - the prophet Elijah.

The prophet's name translates as "God is my Lord". His name also defined the essence of his life. He lived for 9 centuries before the birth of Christ and was a zealous champion of the purity of faith in the one God and fearlessly fought against idolatry in the kingdom of Israel. We learn about the history of his life from the pages of the Holy Scriptures, namely from the 3rd and 4th books of Kings.

The holy prophet was always especially revered in our lands. We will learn from "Tales of Bygone Years"., that even before the baptism of Prince Volodymyr in Kyiv, a temple in honor of the prophet Elijah had already been built by local Christians. One of the oldest churches in Chernihiv is also consecrated in honor of the great prophet.

Veneration of the saint is also reflected in the widespread use of his iconography. There are several options for how the prophet is depicted on icons.

The story icon of Saint Elijah ascending to heaven in a chariot of fire is widely known, which is based on the biblical story about the prophet. It is said in the Holy Scriptures: "And it happened, when the Lord had to take Elijah in a whirlwind to heaven, then Elijah and Elisha went from Gilgal... And it happened, as they all walked and talked, until now a chariot of fire and horses of fire appeared, and separated them one from another. And Ilya ascended in a whirlwind to heaven". Зазвичай на такій іконі зображується і пророк Єлисей – учень пророка Іллі та свідок його сходження на небо. The iconography is somewhat different in one museum old print - a collection of sermons by Archbishop Lazar Baranovych of Chernihiv "Trumpets for the Days..." 1674 Dr.. edition (inv. №. Al-966) (printing house of the Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra). On a wonderful detailed engraving, which precedes the speech of the archpastor on the day of commemoration of the prophet Elijah, we see at the top in the center a prophet in a fiery chariot, and on the ground the figure of a woman against the background of the city - the widow from Sarepta, which at one time sheltered and fed the prophet, giving him the last, what she had left for herself and her son. For this, the prophet promised her, that “the jug of flour will not run out, and will not waste in the crucible of oil until the day, how the Lord will give rain on the surface of the earth". In the engraving, the widow holds vessels for flour and oil in her hands. A verse from the Psalter is written next to it on a wavy ribbon - "in the days of hunger they will be satisfied".

The museum's collection includes a separate full-length image of the saint. А саме на спідній дошці срібного окладу другої половини XVIII ст. of the enthroned Gospel 1707 Dr..[1] (inv. No. Al-193) from the printing house of the Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra. In his hands he holds the usual iconographic attribute of the prophet - an unfolded scroll - a symbol of his sermon. The words are engraved on it: "Jealous jealousy (according to the Lord God Almighty)». These are the words of the prophet himself, which express the depth of the zeal of his faith. Above the prophet's head is an equilateral triangle in radiance (symbol of God-Trinity) with the inscription inside "О ФЕОСЪ" i.e. "God" (з грецької θεός – Бог).

On the front panel of the Gospel in the middle of the oval is the image of the "Old Testament Trinity". These two central images give reason to assume, that the liturgical Gospel belonged to the Chernihiv Holy Trinity-Illian Monastery.

In the museum collection, the image of the prophet Elijah can also be found in the iconography of the feast of the Transfiguration of the Lord (he was with the Prophet Moses during the Transfiguration with the Savior on Mount Tabor) on highly artistic examples of liturgical sewing, silver plates of the Gospels and engravings in museum old prints.

Старший науковий співробітник музею,
Candidate of Theology Miroslav May-Boroda

[1] Arendar G. Silver plates of the Gospels of the 17th–19th centuries from the collection of the Chernihiv Historical Museum named after V.V.. Tarnovsky. Kyiv, 2021. С. 217