The Maccabaean

(Translated for the Maccabaean by E. D. Cincinnati)

The Prophet Elijah, the hero of most of the Jewish tales of which, unfortunately, only a small number have been preserved in writing, lived in Israel shortly after the division of the kingdom. This division of the kingdom into Israel and Judah brought about a political weakening of the whole kingdom as well as a decline in respect to religion. The kingdom of Israel sank to its lowest when Ahab became king. This king married the Phœnecian princess Jezebel, through whom Phœnecian religious services were brought into Israel. In this period of confusion it remained to be seen whether the time-honored tradition of the God of Israel was strong enough in the people to overcome this new opponent, and expel it. At this juncture the prophet Elijah made his appearance.

Tradition tells us that he belonged to the tribe of God on his father’s side, and to that of Benjamin on his mother’s side, and that he was a pupil and disciple of the prophet Abijah. Elijah gained the admiration of both his contemporaries and posterity through his daring, fiery zeal, his candor, and the intrepidity of his character. By his prophetical words he secured a large following from among his people. Having such an impetuous nature he knew no consideration for himself, and was ever ready to stake the lives of his fellows for his own conviction. In a tempest he made his appearance, in a tempest he confronted the king Ahab, who was continually under the influence of his wife and in a tempest he disappeared—so tradition tells us—from the scene of events.

For the work of collecting the Elijah sagas the Jewish writer Bar Ami deserves great credit; he published parts of the same in various periodicals; e. g. "Ostund West," "Globus," "Zeitschrift fur österreichische

Volkskunde," "Aus Fremden Zungen," etc.

Below we present a few tales which are characteristic of the life of the prophet, and especially significant for a study of the spiritual life of the Tewish neonle.

First a diffuse but characteristic legend of

THE TWO MAGIC COINS.

A devout man once made a vow always to live on his own earnings, and never to avail himself of charity even in the greatest of misery. But the poor man soon found himself in such abject poverty that he had only the hard ground for a resting place, a ragged cover, and a few tattered clothes; nevertheless he bore his lot with patience and submission. One day as he sat alone, suffering hunger, and crying bitterly, the prophet Elijah appeared to him disguised as a strange Arab, and engaged in a conversation with the poor man, and offered him, without showing that he noticed his poverty, two coins as a loan, on the condition that they must be returned after a certain period. The pious man accepted the loan and hardiy had he put it in his pocket when he felt a new spirit and vigor. He started a small business with these coins. From that day on. everything went well with him. He earned larger and larger profits, until he found hiniself in possession of a considerable income. As soon as riches took the place of poverty, however, his former humility and piety vanıshed. Prayer, devotion, and deeds of kindness were abandoned. The man’s life was devoted to the enjoyment of his wealth. In this new life the strange Arab appeared to him again, and demanded the return of the two coins. “The very same coins?” asked the wealthy man in astonishment. “To tell the truth, soon after my first profits, I got them back again and saved them carefully