Heaven for Elijah? : A Study of Structure, Style, and Symbolism in 2 Kings 2:1-18

How it is possible that the story about Elisha’s succession in 2 Kings 2:1-18 is now remembered as the story about Elijah’s ascent? The intertextual answer is provided by the contrast between the number of references about the human heavenly ascension in the Hebrew Bible, and the popularity of this theme in the Ancient Near East. However, in this dissertation we focus on the more direct intratextual approach. We analyze the construction of the narrative in order to discern the features of style, structure, and symbolism which emphasize Elijah’s ascent, rather than Elisha’s succession. As a result, we can identify the proto-symbol of the narrative (Gilgal) which is interpreted by three elements (whirlwind, chariotry, and rolled mantle) referring to Elijah’s ascent.

Dr. Michał Karnawalski, S.J., is a lecturer in Old Testament Studies and Biblical Hebrew at the Catholic Academy in Warsaw. He studied theology (2008–2011) at Centre Sèvres in Paris. He gained his canonical license (2011–2015) at the Pontifical Biblical Institute in Rome and the Hebrew University in Jerusalem. His ongoing research focuses on prophetic narratives and linguistic symbolism.