n.
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 .