or Elias Hebrew Eliyyahu flourished 9th century BC Hebrew prophet. The Bible related that he denounced foreign cults and defeated 450 prophets of Baal in a contest on Mount Carmel. In doing so, he earned the enmity of King Ahab and his consort, Jezebel, who forced him to flee into the wilderness. Later he was taken up into heaven in a whirlwind, leaving behind his successor, Elisha. His insistence that only the God of Israel is entitled to the name of divinity expresses a fully conscious monotheism. He is also recognized as a prophet in Islam. Elijah ben Solomon Lovejoy Elijah Parish Muhammad Elijah Elijah Poole Boudinot Elias Canetti Elias Disney Walter Elias Howe Elias Lönnrot Elias Saint Elias Mountains Wrangell-Saint Elias National Park
a Hebrew prophet in the Old Testament who opposed the worship of idols; he was persecuted for rebuking Ahab and Jezebel (king and queen of Israel); he was taken up to heaven in a chariot of fire (circa 9th century BC)
a US black man who was the leader of the Black Muslims from the late 1930s until his death (1897-1975). orig. Elijah Poole born Oct. 7, 1897, Sandersville, Ga., U.S. died Feb. 25, 1975, Chicago, Ill. U.S. black separatist and leader of the Nation of Islam. The son of sharecroppers and former slaves, he moved to Detroit in 1923. He joined the Nation of Islam and established its second temple, in Chicago; on the disappearance of its founder, Wallace D. Fard, in 1934, he became head of the movement. He was jailed for advocating draft evasion during World War II, but he continued to build membership of the Black Muslims in the postwar era. His relentless call for a separate nation for African Americans, whom he declared to be Allah's chosen people, prompted his most famous disciple, Malcolm X, to break with the group in 1964. He moderated his views in his later years
born Nov. 9, 1802, Albion, Maine, U.S. died Nov. 7, 1837, Alton, Ill. U.S. newspaper editor and abolitionist. He moved to St. Louis in 1827. In 1833 he became editor of the St. Louis Observer, a Presbyterian weekly in which he wrote articles strongly condemning slavery. Under the threat of mob violence (1836), he moved his paper from the slave state of Missouri across the river to Alton, in the free state of Illinois. There mobs repeatedly destroyed his presses, and he was shot and killed while defending his building against an attack. News of his death strengthened abolitionist sentiment
born Nov. 9, 1802, Albion, Maine, U.S. died Nov. 7, 1837, Alton, Ill. U.S. newspaper editor and abolitionist. He moved to St. Louis in 1827. In 1833 he became editor of the St. Louis Observer, a Presbyterian weekly in which he wrote articles strongly condemning slavery. Under the threat of mob violence (1836), he moved his paper from the slave state of Missouri across the river to Alton, in the free state of Illinois. There mobs repeatedly destroyed his presses, and he was shot and killed while defending his building against an attack. News of his death strengthened abolitionist sentiment
born April 23, 1720, Sielec, Lith., Russian Empire died Oct. 9, 1797, Vilna Lithuanian scholar and Jewish leader. Born into a long line of scholars, he traveled in Poland and Germany before settling in Vilna, the cultural centre of eastern European Jewry. He refused rabbinic office and lived as a recluse while devoting himself to study and prayer, but he nevertheless became famous and revered in the Jewish community. His scholarly interests included biblical exegesis, Talmudic studies, folk medicine, grammar, and philosophy. A vehement opponent of Hasidism, he denounced its claims to miracles, visions, and spiritual ecstasy, calling instead for the intellectual love of God