Prophet Ilya is well known in Christianity. Almost there is no information about his life. The only thing that is absolutely certain is that he was endlessly devoted to the Christian faith and convicted the Jewish king Ahab in idolatry - faith in the pagan god Baal, to whom sacrifices were made.
Who is the prophet Elijah in Christianity?
Despite the many exhortations of Elijah, the king remained faithful to his idol, for which he was punished by God for a three-year drought in the country where he ruled. In this situation, only Ilya's prayer , addressed to the Lord, saved the people of Israel from the most severe drought, and King Ahab finally refused to worship the pagan idol. In honor of this wonderful deliverance, the Orthodox holiday of Elijah the Prophet was established.
Ilya himself showed miracles to the people and punished sinners, bringing hail, thunder and lightning to their fields. But he took care of the guardians of the Christian faith, saturating their allotments with blessed moisture. That is why in the people he seemed a severe old man, traveling on a fiery chariot and commanding thunder and lightning.
The question of how many days to celebrate the day when the Prophet Elijah performed a wonderful prayer for the sake of rain was resolved quite simply. Saint Perun was replaced by the pagan god, the patron of fire, thunder, lightning and rain, whose dedication fell on August 2, when, according to popular beliefs, water acquires medicinal properties, washing away curses, evil eye and illness, and bathing in open reservoirs is banned.