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Elijah has now become a champion of ethical demands, advocating for justice and human rights. He exhibits the moral conscience that develops further in the classical prophets of the next century: Amos, Hosea, Micah, and Isaiah. As we will see, this sterling quality characterizes the postbiblical Elijah.
Daniel C. Matt • Becoming Elijah: Prophet of Transformation (Jewish Lives)
“This family, of whom it is uniquely true that they are chosen by God to carry forward His will for humankind, must be as unhappy as any family could be. When we consider what the favor of God can look like, Jacob and his sons should surely be borne in mind.”
Reading Genesis by Marilynne Robinson, page 206 (talking about the saga of Joseph’s brother
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The notion that Elijah became an angel accords with rabbinic tradition, but the Zohar alludes to a more radical view: Elijah was originally an angel, even before his biblical phase.
Daniel C. Matt • Becoming Elijah: Prophet of Transformation (Jewish Lives)
For the rabbi in distress—and for his oppressed and colonized people—Elijah breaks the rules of the game, in which the Romans governing Palestine (or the Persians governing Babylonia) always win and the Jews always lose. Elijah in disguise opens unpredictable possibilities.
Daniel C. Matt • Becoming Elijah: Prophet of Transformation (Jewish Lives)
Exodus 3 tells of the meeting between Moses and one of the Elohim, who would later become the ruler of the people of Israel under the name Yahweh.