Elisha

Elisha (/ᵻˈlaɪʃə/;Hebrew: אֱלִישָׁע, Modern Elisha, Tiberian ʼĔlîšāʻ ; "My God is salvation", Greek: Ἐλισσαῖος, Elissaîos or Ἐλισαιέ, Elisaié, Arabic: اليسع Al-yasaʻ) is a prophet and a wonder-worker mentioned in the Hebrew Bible, the New Testament, the Quran, the Ginza Rba and Bahá'í writings. His name is commonly transliterated into English as Elisha via Hebrew, Eliseus via Greek and Latin, or Alyasa via Arabic, Elyesa via Turkish. He was a disciple of Elijah and, after Elijah was taken up into the whirlwind, Elisha was accepted as the leader of the sons of the prophets.

Biography

Elisha was a prophet and a wonder-worker of the Northern Kingdom of Israel who was active during the reign of Joram, Jehu, Jehoahaz, and Jehoash (Joash). Elisha was the son of Shaphat, a wealthy land-owner of Abel-meholah; he became the attendant and disciple of Elijah.

His name first occurs in the command given to Elijah to anoint him as his successor. After learning in the cave on Mount Horeb, that Elisha, the son of Shaphat, had been selected by Yahweh as his successor in the prophetic office, Elijah set out to find him. On his way from Sinai to Damascus, Elijah found Elisha "one of them that were ploughing with twelve yoke of oxen". Elisha delayed only long enough to kill the yoke of oxen, whose flesh he boiled with the wood of his plough. He went over to him, threw his mantle over Elisha's shoulders, and at once adopted him as a son, investing him with the prophetic office. Elisha accepted this call about four years before the death of Israel's King Ahab. For the next seven or eight years Elisha became Elijah's close attendant until Elijah was taken up into heaven. During all these years we hear nothing of Elisha except in connection with the closing scenes of Elijah's life.

Elisey (Ganaba)

Archbishop Elisey (Eliseus, secular name Ilya Vladimirovich Ganaba, Russian: Илья Владимирович Ганаба; 1 August 1962, Leningrad, USSR) is Archbishop of Sourozh, a diocese of the Russian Orthodox Church that includes the United Kingdom and the Republic of Ireland.

Biography

Ilya Ganaba was born on August 1, 1962 in Leningrad, RSFSR, Soviet Union (modern day Saint Petersburg, Russia). His father Vladimir Ganaba (b. 1934) was an archdeacon at the Holy Trinity Cathedral in Podolsk in the Moscow Oblast. Later, his older brother, Alexander Ganaba (b. 1957), was an archpriest and dean at the same cathedral.

In 1971, Ilya Ganaba moved with his parents to Penza. There he attended school, graduating from high school in 1979. He also served as an episcopal subdeacon at the altar and sang in the choir of the Dormition Cathedral in Penza.

In 1980 Ilya Ganaba entered the Leningrad Theological Seminary, now the Saint Petersburg Theological Academy. In 1982 he was accepted into the Leningrad Theological Academy, where the November 17, 1985 took monastic vows with name Eliseus in honor of St. Elisha. On November 22, 1985 he was ordained hierodeacon and January 18, 1986 he was ordained hieromonk. On June 20, 1987 he joined the brotherhood of St. Daniel Monastery in Moscow. In 1988 he completed his postgraduate studies at the Moscow Theological Academy.