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18 KEUER ELIJAH IN THE FLYING CHARIOT.jpg
18 Keuer Elijah in the flying chariot
in Biblia.
Dordrecht: H. Keuer, 1702.
Rare Book and Special Collections Division (1)
CHARIOT OF FIRE
One of the best known biblical stories of flight is the ascension of the Hebrew prophet Elijah, who was picked up by a chariot and horses of fire and "went up by a whirlwind into heaven." The symbol of a fiery chariot that does not burn its occupant recalls the Greek myth of Helios. Elijah is not only an important figure in the Jewish faith but is revered by Christians and Muslims. In this story, flying can be said to represent the idea of the afterlife or even reincarnation.
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