Kontakion of the Holy Prophet Elias

By St. Romanos the Melodist

Elijah, of great renown, prophet with foresight of the great works

Of our God, thou who didst with thy word hold back the rain clouds,

Intercede for us before

The only friend of man.

When he saw the great lawlessness of man and the great love of God for man,

The prophet Elijah was provoked and angered

And cast pitiless words at the God of great pity, saying:

“Make Thy anger felt against those who now disregard Thee, most just Judge.”

But in no way did he change the heart of the good Lord for the chastisement

Of those who had scorned Him; for always He awaits the repentance of all men,

The only friend of man.

Then when the prophet saw that all the earth was in a state of lawlessness

And that the Exalted One was not angered but even allowed it,

He was moved to anger, and he declared to the Merciful One

“I shall take control over and punish the impiety of those who scorn Thee.

They have all despised Thy great long-suffering; and they have not considered

Thee as All-Merciful Father. But Thou, the Lover of children dost take pity on Thy sons,

Thou, the only friend of man.

Now, I shall judge in favor of the Creator;

I shall completely wipe the impious from off the earth

And I shall decree their punishment; but I fear His divine kindness,

For the Lover of man is troubled by a few tears.

What, then, can I think up in the face of such goodness? And how shall I counteract His mercy?

Perhaps in strengthening my decree with an oath, so that, shamed at it,the Just One will cancel

My harsh sentence, and in so doing confirm my judgment that He as the All-Powerful One

Is the friend of man.”

The oath preceded the judgment and was a preamble of the decisions;

But if you wish, let us hurry to the Bible and let us read its words.

For the prophet said in his anger, as is written:

“By the life of the Lord, neither dew nor rain shall fall except at my word.”

But at once the King answered Elijah:

“If I see repentance and tears flowing freely,

it will be impossible for me not to supply my mercy to men.

I am the only friend of man.”

The prophet at once spoke up and put forward the rightness of his oath:

“I have sworn by Thee,” he said, “the God of all, the most holy Lord,

That rain will not be given except by my command.

Whenever I see that the people have repented, I shall entreat Thee.

It is not, then, in Thy power, 0 most just Judge, to do away with the punishment

Resulting from the oath that I have made. Guard and seal it as Thou dost restrict thy tender care,

O only friend of man.’’

Famine besieged the land, and the inhabitants were brought to ruin,

Groaning and raising their hands in supplication to the All-Merciful.

The Master was distressed by a dilemma:

On the one hand, He wished to open His heart to the suppliants and to hasten His compassion,

But, on the other hand, He respected the oath of the prophet. He did not give rain,

But He devised a pretext that would restrain and distress the spirit of the prophet,

He, the only friend of man.

The Master, seeing that the Thesbite was roused to anger by his own people,

Thought it right that the just man should share the punishment of hunger along with the others

In order that, when he was pressed by hunger, he would decide,

In line with his oath on humanitarian considerations, to put an end to the punishment.

For it is in truth a fearful thing, the inexorable demands of the stomach !

And He supports Through nourishment in His divine wisdom every living thingman

and beast.

He is the only friend of man.

For the stomach supports nature, even when trying to transgress the laws of nature.

It made an attack on the old man, craftily getting him to change his mind,

But he, like an unfeeling stone, stood firm,

And, possessing his zealous purpose instead of eating, he was satisfied with it.

Seeing him, the Judge lightened the needs for His famished friend,

Since He did not consider it just that the just go hungry along with the unjust and lawless.

He alone is the friend of man.

The Merciful One in His wisdom supplied nourishment for him.

He urged on the ravens, who are heartless, to furnish him with food.

There is a kind of raven, bereft of pity,

That does not furnish nourishment to its young, as anyone does to children,

but they are nourished from Heaven.

And so, when Elijah adopted the conduct and the thought of one who hates children,

God, in His great wisdom, made use of the ravens who hate their young

for him who hated men.

God is the only friend of man.

God discussed it with Elijah, saying:

“Do not let your love of God lead you to a disposition that hates men, but look at the ravens

Those who have always had a hatred for their own young.

Suddenly, you see, they are very friendly to you, and they have now become changed;

They have been declared messengers of my mercy in furnishing you with food.

As I see you, I am not able to force your nature, your attitude toward men.

I am the only friend of man.

“Now, 0 prophet, you ought to respect and to imitate the tractability of beasts,

The way in which those who were pitiless, respected me, the Merciful, and were changed.

I honor your love and I do not break your vow,

But I am not able to endure the mourning and universal tribulation

of the men whom I created.

How can I endure the cries and the tears of the children and the inarticulate

Sounds of the beasts ? For I, as Creator, have compassion for all,

I, the only friend of man.”

However, the prophet was adamant, and he answered the Master:

‘’Do not provide me with nourishment, even through your servants, the ravens, Master;

I prefer, All-Holy One, to waste away with hunger.

If only I punish the impious, it will be a great solace for me.

I do not fear to perish along with all who deny Thee. Then do not pity me;

Do not spare me from famine; just destroy utterly from the face of the earth

those who are impious,

Thou, the only friend of man.”

When the Creator heard these words, He moved the prophet from the country

And ordered the birds not to supply him with nourishment as formerly.

And He sent the famished man to the home of a widow in Zarephath,

Saying, “I shall order a woman there to feed you.” A wise plan,

For the woman to whom he sent him was a widow and a foreigner,

and she was in charge of children.

This was in order that the just man, on hearing that she was a foreigner would cry, “Give us rain

O Thou, the only friend of man.”

It was forbidden to the Jews to eat with foreigners,

And for that reason He guided Elijah to the home of a woman of another race

In order that, when he considered food from her as an abomination,

He would at once beseech the Friend of man for rain. But Elijah did not stop to think

That his place of refuge was foreign, but instead, he ran to beg nourishment from the woman.

With great rudeness he said: “Woman, God commanded you to collect it for me.

He alone is the only friend of man.”

But the widow, when she heard this, quickly answered the prophet:

“I have no bread baked on ashes, only a handful of meal that I am going

To prepare in order to eat with my children.

Nothing more than this bit of meal is left only death.”

He was moved at the response of the widow, and felt sympathy for her as he said to himself:

“This widow is wasted away more than I, and she will be overcome by famine

unless He appears,

The only friend of Man.

“Now,” he said, “the conditions of this woman embarrrass me, for if I am hungry, at least I am alone;

But this widowed woman at whose home I am staying has children with her.

Am I, her guest, to be the patron of her death ?

Am I to be considered by my hostess as the murderer of children? No; I direct myself to pity.

I was at enmity with all, but toward her I am changed; I shall accustom my nature

To glory in pity, for He remains merciful, He who is Creator of all,

The only friend of man.”

The prophet replied to the widow: “You have a handful of meal, as you say.

The urn will not fail you, the oil cruse will be full for you.”

Elijah, then, granted the blessing with his words,

But the Creator at once, as generous and merciful, accomplished the deed.

In bringing about the intention of the prophet or what is more nearly true,

In acting on a very good pretext-the All-Wise One granted abundance to the widow.

He is the only friend of man.

God yielded to the words of the prophet, and He furnished nourishment to him and to the Widow

But Elijah’s heart was not entirely touched; he remained wiyielding.

The Merciful One, seeing the people perishing

And the prophet disobedient, in His wisdom and in His justice, resorted to another plan.

He showed the widow’s son dying, in order that, when Elijah saw

The tears and the difficult circumstances of the widow, he would cry out, “ Send rain,

O Thou the only friend of man.”

But when the widow saw her son dying, she turned against the prophet, saying:

“Would that I had died of starvation before I saw you.

It would have been better for me to have died of famine a long time ago

Than for me to see my son lying there dead in your presence.

Are these, then, the rewards of giving you a fine welcome? For I was happy with my children

Before you came, man; but you came to make me childless, in the name of

The One who is the only friend of man.”

The man who controlled the clouds and the rain was decidedly subdued by the widow,

And this man who would control all men at his word was restrained by one woman.

One wretched woman, bereft of any power,

Controlled like a criminal the man who thought to control the Heavens with his power, at his word;

And, grasping him like a mad woman, she dragged him like a murderer to a court of judgment.

“Give me the child whom you have killed. I do not want your grain; do not furnish me with

nourishment,

You who are the only friend of man.

“You have planted bread in my stomach, but you have snatched from it the fruit and branch,

And you sold me gifts of eatables

You craftily exchanged a life for grain and oil,

But I implore you, make the exchange, and give me back what you have taken.

Could you not be satisfied with the death of your race? No, you hurried to put your touch on my house.

Release the soul of my child, and take my life instead of his,

And become the only friend of man.”

Elijah, pricked as though with goads, felt shame as the woman cried out,

Suspecting him as though he had wrested from her the life of her son,

And he tried to convince her with words; but he could not.

When he saw that, though he spoke in his defense, he was not believed, he lamented unceasingly,

And, raising his eyes to Heaven, he cried out: “Alas, 0 Lord, Thou who art a perfect witness

Of this woman who took me in as guest, Thou hast stirred her up to ask me to bring her child back,

Thou, the only friend of man.

“I do not believe, Savior, “the prophet cried out to the All-Powerful Lord,

“That death for this child was from natural causes, as would happen to all;

But it is a scheme in Thy cleverness, 0 Blameless One.

Thou hast managed in some way to make me feel pity, of necessity, in order that I might beg Thee,

‘Raise up the widow’s son from the dead,’ and then Thou wouldst reply,

‘Have pity on my son, Israel, now in anguish, and on all my people.’

Thou, the only friend of man.”

The Compassionate One, who wished to save the earth, at once answered Elijah:

“Now hearken carefully to my words, and heed what I say.

I am suffering, and I hasten to find a release of the punishment.

I struggle to give nourishment to all who are famished, for I am indeed merciful.

When I see the flood of tears, like a father I am moved; I feel pity for those consumed

By hunger and anguish, for I wish to save sinners through their repentance

the only friend of man.

“Hear me carefully, prophet, for I am very much in eamest about what you know:

All men have in me a decree of mercy,

And in it I agreed that I did not want to see the death

Of those who had made mistakes; but rather I wished their life. Do not, then, expose me

As making false promises to them, but welcome my plea. I offer my mediation to you,

For only the tears of the widow have disturbed you, but I feel for all men,

I, the only friend of man.”

Elijah made his mind, heart, and ears submissive to the words of the Most High,

And he also brought his spirit under subjection and displayed it in these words:

He said, “Let Thy will be done, 0 Lord.

Give rain and life to the one who is dead, and vivify all creation.

God is life and resurrection and redemption; grant Thy grace

To man and beast, for Thou alone art able to save the world from death,

Thou, the only friend of man.”

As soon as he had spoken, the Lord of Mercy answered him:

“I accept your decision and praise it, and I hasten to honor you.

I received from you grace for them;

Then become my mediator and dispense my grace to them, for I am under restraint

Not to be reconciled without you. But go, announce to them the gift of the rain

So that all may cry out, saying, ‘He who formerly was pitiless now suddenly seems

The only friend of man.”

“Go, then, quickly, prophet, and show yourself to Ahab. Tell him the news,

And I shall command the clouds and soak the earth with their waters.

Do you make a display of this gift, my friend,

And I shall underwrite your decisions, doing honor to your generosity.”

As he heard this, at once the prophet did obeisance to the All High, saying to the Merciful One

“I know Thee to be full of pity; I know that Thou art long-suffering O my God,

The only friend of man.”

The prophet, respecting the command, hastened to Ahab

And told him the good news, as the Merciful One had told him.

At once, the clouds, at the order of the Creator,

Pregnant with water, passed over the air, sending down rain in streams.

The earth rejoiced and praised the Lord, and the woman received 42

Her resurrected child. He rejoiced with all the others, and the earth shouted with joy

To the only friend of man.

“Then, after a certain an1ount of time had passed, Elijah saw man’s sin,

And he took thought as to how an even harsher punishment might be inflicted.

The Merciful One, observing this, said to the prophet:

“I know the zeal that you have for righteousness, and I know your intention,

But I feel for the sinners whenever they suffer beyond all measure. But you, as blameless, grow angry,

And you are not able to endure it. But I cannot endure that anyone be destroyed;

I am the only friend of man.”

But after this, the Master, seeing that Elijah was harsh toward men

And that he was disturbed about the race of man separated him from their earth, saying:

“Be set apart from the dwelling of men.

But I, as One who pities, shall descend to men and become man.

Depart, then, from the earth, since you are not able to endure the sins of men,

While I, a heavenly creature, shall be with the sinners, and save them from their sins,

I, the only friend of man.

“If, as I have said, prophet, you are unable to live with men who have sinned,

Then, come, and with me inhabit the domain of my friends; there is no sin there.

But I shall descend, since I am able to take on my shoulders the lost sheep and to cry to the fallen:

‘All you who are sinners, come, hurry to me and find rest, for I have come,

Not to punish those whom I created, but to snatch sinners from impiety.’

I, the only friend of man.”

And so, Elijah, sent off to Heaven, appeared as the prototype of the future,

For the Thesbite was translated in a chariot of fire, as it is written.

Christ ascended in clouds among the powerful.

But Elijah sent down his mantel from on high to Elisha, while Christ

Sent to the apostles His Holy Spirit whom we have all received

When we received baptism. Through it we are sanctified, as He taught all of us,

He who is the only friend of man.