The Feast of the Prophet Elijah at the Greek Orthodox Patriarchate of Jerusalem
On Saturday, the 20th of July / 2nd of August 2025, the Greek Orthodox Patriarchate celebrated the commemoration of the holy, glorious Prophet Elijah the Thesvite at his Holy Monastery, situated near the ancient Monastery of the “Kathisma” (Seat) of the Theotokos, between Jerusalem and Bethlehem.
In this feast, the Church remembers the marvellous works of God through the Prophet Elijah upon Mount Carmel, when the Prophet Elijah brought down fire from heaven and consumed the stones of the altar, and afterwards slew the prophets of shame (1 Kings 18:20–40).
Many are the signs of God wrought through the Prophet Elijah recorded in the books of the Old Testament, such as the raising of the widow’s son in Zarephath of Sidon (1 Kings 17:17–24) and his ascent into the heavens in a chariot of fire (2 Kings 2:1–14), when he also cast his mantle upon the Prophet Elisha, with which he parted the Jordan as upon dry ground.
At this Holy Monastery, Great Vespers was celebrated on the eve by His Eminence Archbishop Philoumenos of Pella, and in the morning, the Divine Liturgy was presided over by His Beatitude our Father and Patriarch of Jerusalem Theophilos III, Honorary President of the Middle East Council of Churches. Concelebrating with Him were their Eminences, Metropolitan Hesychios of Capitolias and Archbishop Aristarchos of Constantine, the Elder Kamarasis Archimandrite Nectarios, and the Arabic-speaking Priests Fr. Elias, Fr. Charalambos-Farrah, Fr. Yousef, and Fr. George.
Hieromonk Symeon and Dr. Yacoub chanted on the right in Greek, and on the left the Arabic-speaking choir of Saint James, under Mr. Rimon Kamar, with the participation of a devout congregation, to whom His Beatitude preached the following sermon:
“The one sanctified before his conception, the incarnate Angel, the fiery mind, the heavenly man, the divine forerunner of Christ’s second coming, Elijah the glorious, the foundation of the Prophets, hath spiritually gathered together the lovers of feasts to celebrate his divine memory; by whose intercessions do Thou preserve Thy people, O Christ our God, from every harm, keeping them unharmed from the evil one.”
Beloved brethren in Christ,
Pious Christians and pilgrims,
The grace of the God-inspired Prophet Elijah hath gathered you all today in his Holy Monastery that bears his name, that we may festally honour his divine memory. The Prophet Elijah, who prophesied for twenty-five years (921–896 B.C.), is recognised as the foundation, that is, the very basis, of all the Prophets of the Old Testament, even though he wrote no book. He is called “a man of God” (1 Kings 17:24), for he was distinguished by his exceeding divine zeal. “Elias, for being zealous for the la,w was taken up into heaven” (1 Maccabees 2:58), the writer of the Maccabees writes. “Who wast taken up in a whirlwind of fire, in a chariot of fiery horses”, Sirach writes (Sirach 48:9)…
This news was originally published on the website of the Greek Orthodox Patriarchate of Jerusalem, click here to read.