Editing Elijah (section)

=== Books of Chronicles ===
{{Main|Books of Chronicles}}
Elijah is mentioned once more in 2 Chronicles 21:12, which will be his final mention in the Hebrew Bible. A letter is sent under the prophet's name to [[Jehoram of Judah]]. It tells him that he has led the people of Judah astray in the same way that Israel was led astray. The prophet ends the letter with a prediction of a painful death.

This letter is a puzzle to readers for several reasons. First, it concerns a king of the southern kingdom, while Elijah concerned himself with the kingdom of Israel. Second, the message begins with "Thus says YHVH, God of your father David..." rather than the more usual "...in the name of [[YHWH|YHVH]] the God of Israel." Also, this letter seems to come after Elijah's ascension into the whirlwind.<ref>{{Cite web |last=CERC |first=Super |title=Elijah |url=https://www.catholiceducation.org/en/culture/catholic-contributions/elijah.html |access-date=2022-09-07 |website=www.catholiceducation.org |date=9 July 2004 |language=en-gb}}</ref>

Michael Wilcock, formerly of [[Trinity College, Bristol]], suggests a number of possible reasons for this letter, among them that it may be an example of a better known prophet's name being substituted for that of a lesser known prophet.<ref>Myers, J. M. ''The Anchor Bible: II Chronicles.'' Garden City, NY: Doubleday and Company, 1965. pp. 121–23.</ref> [[John Van Seters]], however, rejects the letter as having any connection with the Elijah tradition.<ref>VanSeters, John. "Elijah." In Jones, Lindsay. Editor in Chief. ''Encyclopedia of Religion.'' Farmington Hills, MI: Thomson Gale, 2005. p. 2764.</ref> However, Wilcock argues that Elijah's letter "does address a very 'northern' situation in the southern kingdom", and thus is authentic.<ref>IVP New Bible Commentary 21st Century Edition, p. 410.</ref>