A Scientific Exploration Surrounding His Miracles

To begin our exploration, let’s refer to his Wikipedia entry:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elijah

The introductory lines provide significant insight into Elijah:

“Elijah (/??la?d??/ il-EYE-j?; Hebrew: ???????????, ??l?yy?h?, meaning 'My God is Yahweh'; Greek form: Elias /??la??s/ il-EYE-?s) was, as described in the Books of Kings in the Hebrew Bible, a prophet and miracle worker who existed in the northern kingdom of Israel during King Ahab's reign (9th century BCE). In 1 Kings 18, Elijah championed the worship of the Hebrew God over the Canaanite god Baal. Numerous miracles were attributed to God through Elijah, such as resurrection, summoning fire from the heavens, and ascending into heaven alive ‘by fire’. Additionally, he is depicted as the leader of a prophetic group known as ‘the sons of the prophets’. After his ascension, his disciple Elisha succeeded him as the leader of this group. The Book of Malachi foretells Elijah's return ‘before the coming of the great and terrible day of the LORD’, marking him as a precursor to the Messiah and the end times in several faith traditions that honor the Hebrew Bible. Mentions of Elijah can be found in Sirach, the New Testament, the Mishnah and Talmud, the Quran, the Book of Mormon, the Doctrine and Covenants, and Bahá'í texts.”

There’s much to unpack here. First, the name Elijah translates to ‘my God is Yahweh’, with Yahweh being the deity of the Abrahamic faiths. I have previously challenged the existence of this deity on several occasions:

<div class="link-block">

<div>

<div>

<h2>Proof That God Does Not Exist</h2>

<div><h3>One of the responses I got in comments here on Medium was that one couldn’t prove God does not exist, either, which was…</h3></div>

<div><p>medium.com</p></div>

</div>

</div>

</div>

<div class="link-block">

<div>

<div>

<h2>God’s Algorithm Box</h2>

<div><h3>Is It Possible that God Is Not All-Knowing?</h3></div>

<div><p>medium.com</p></div>

</div>

</div>

</div>

<div class="link-block">

<div>

<div>

<h2>Do Not Read This If You Want to Keep Your Religious Faith: Proof the Abrahamic God Does Not Exist…</h2>

<div><h3>Second Warning to Keep Scrolling Away!!</h3></div>

<div><p>medium.com</p></div>

</div>

</div>

</div>

These arguments present various reasons suggesting that God does not exist. If such a deity were real, I wouldn't be able to formulate any proof against Him. Thus, we have our first issue with Elijah — his God, Yahweh, is unproven.

Next, let’s evaluate the miracle of resurrection attributed to Elijah. We can reference this event on Wikipedia:

<div class="link-block">

<div>

<div>

<h2>Raising of the son of the widow of Zarephath - Wikipedia</h2>

<div><h3>The raising of the son of the widow of Zarephath is a miracle of the prophet Elijah recorded in the Hebrew Bible, 1…</h3></div>

<div><p>en.wikipedia.org</p></div>

</div>

</div>

</div>

The biblical account describes the boy’s death, quoted as follows:

“1 Kings 17:17–18: After this the son of the woman, the mistress of the house, became ill. His illness was so severe that there was no breath left in him. 18 And she said to Elijah, ‘What have you against me, O man of God? You have come to me to bring my sin to remembrance and to cause the death of my son!’”

This source also cites the resurrection:

“1 Kings 17:21–22: And he stretched himself upon the child three times, and cried unto the Lord, and said, ‘O Lord my God, I pray thee, let this child’s soul come into him again.’ 22 And the Lord heard the voice of Elijah; and the soul of the child came into him again, and he revived.”

Let’s analyze this further. The text states the boy had no breath left. Did he truly stop breathing entirely, or was it merely shallow? The narrative indicates that he wasn’t out of it for long — unlike Lazarus, who was said to be dead for four days. Thus, I suggest that the boy may not have been dead but merely in a state of very shallow breathing.

When Elijah took him upstairs and stretched himself over the boy three times, could this act have functioned like CPR, stimulating the boy’s breathing?

It’s evident that the concept of souls is unfounded, and for Elijah to beseech the Lord (who, again, is also unproven) for the child’s soul to return defies logical reasoning.

Had the boy truly died, signs of rigor mortis would have begun to appear shortly after. We only know that he appeared to have lost breath. I argue that he didn’t entirely stop breathing; it was likely shallow. Elijah may have prayed, but this action did not actually restore the boy’s life.

Given that he was a child, there are numerous documented instances of young people recovering from ailments or injuries that would be fatal to an adult. This could be an example of such an occurrence. Once again, it appears the boy did not actually die but was revived through Elijah’s actions of carrying him upstairs, which possibly stimulated his breathing. The prayer seems irrelevant to the tale. Thus, this serves as our second argument against Elijah.

Now, let’s address the claim of Elijah ascending to heaven without dying. I previously discussed this in my debunking article:

<div class="link-block">

<div>

<div>

<h2>How Do the Stories of Enoch and Elijah Stand Up to Scientific Analysis?</h2>

<div><h3>And, Just How Believable Are These Stories?</h3></div>

<div><p>medium.com</p></div>

</div>

</div>

</div>

Furthermore, even Wikipedia supports the notion that Elijah died. Evidence of this is in the accompanying image:

Now, we have reached our third argument, confirming that Elijah’s claims are unfounded. However, let’s elaborate a bit more. While there are certainly other miracles associated with Elijah, I have provided ample reasoning to refute them. He may have believed himself to be a messenger of God, leading others away from Ba’al towards Yahweh. For this, we can attribute the rise of Yahweh’s monotheism to Elijah.

Do I possess enough influence to dismantle this belief? It seems like a monumental task for one individual. Many atheists, including Richard Dawkins and Sam Harris, have struggled with this challenge. Why should I think I can succeed?

Perhaps I’ll pray to Yahweh for a miracle. Who knows? Maybe He will grant my wish for humanity to recognize Him as mere mythology. Meanwhile, Ba’al is likely pleased to see Yahweh and his prophet Elijah unveiled as impostors.

If you found this article insightful, please consider supporting TEAM — The Enlightened Atheist Movement:

<div class="link-block">

<div>

<div>

<h2>The Enlightened Atheist Movement, organized by Tony Berard</h2>

<div><h3>Hi, my name is Tony Berard, and I am trying to start a new movement for atheism based on science and knowledge of the…</h3></div>

<div><p>www.gofundme.com</p></div>

</div>

</div>

</div>

Thank you for taking the time to read my thoughts.