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Christ does not say that John the Baptist was literally Elijah the Tishbite returned to earth. How could that be, since John the Baptist was conceived of Elizabeth and Zacarias? That would mean that Christianity believed in reincarnation. There is something in the patristic commentaries that, as I recall, even point out some ambiguity in Christ's statements that show that he is both saying that Elijah has come, and that he will come. I'll have to look it up.

This is a tough one for me, as I do agree with you about the problem of reincarnation. Here are two passages of what Jesus does say, with the seemingly uncontradicted last sentence (in the second one) about His audience:

Matt. 11:13-15 : 13 For all the Prophets and the Law prophesied until John. 14 And if you are willing to accept it, he is the Elijah who was to come. 15 He who has ears, let him hear.

Matt. 17:11-13 : 11 Jesus replied, "To be sure, Elijah comes and will restore all things. 12 But I tell you, Elijah has already come, and they did not recognize him, but have done to him everything they wished. In the same way the Son of Man is going to suffer at their hands." 13 Then the disciples understood that he was talking to them about John the Baptist.

Jesus appears to compare the untimely deaths of both Himself and of John the Baptist, since "Elijah I" :) didn't die. However, OTOH, we have JTB's own denial:

John 1:21 : They asked him, "Then who are you? Are you Elijah?" He said, "I am not." "Are you the Prophet?" He answered, "No."

This one hurts my head. :)

When Elijah *the Tishbite* (as the LXX specifically says in Malachi) returns literally, it will not be by being reincarnated in another body and born of a woman. He will return from heaven with Enoch. Malachi refers simultaneously to St. John the Baptist (who is, so to speak, a 2nd Elijah) and to the literal return of *the* Elijah the Tishbite at the end of time, in his prophecy.

Then how are the statements of Jesus explained? Jesus is clearly referring to the prophecy in Malachi, and appears to be saying, in chapter 11, that JTB IS this Elijah. I can't explain it. :)

Agrarian-Christ does not say that John the Baptist was literally Elijah the Tishbite returned to earth.

FK-This is a tough one for me, as I do agree with you about the problem of reincarnation.

This is a difficult one for me as well. What's interesting in Matthew 17 is that Elijah and Moses both appear to Christ in the transfiguration (Matthew 17:3); yet immediately after the event (Matthew 17:11,12) Christ calls John "Elijah". How could this be if Peter, John and James just saw Elijah? Clearly it could not be reincarnation since they just saw Elijah physically standing with Christ (Peter wanted to construct tents for them). They knew what John the Baptist looked like and this dude was not it. One can only surmise that immedicately following this event that our Lord Jesus was telling His disciples John would be similar in power to Elijah.

What puzzles me is how Peter knew these two people were Moses and Elijah.

I had time to pull St. Theophylact off the shelf. In the St. Matthew passage he follows St. John Chrysostom closely. I don't have other commentaries from other Fathers, but St. Theophylact became a standard commentary just as St. John of Damascus became a standard summary of Orthodox dogma, and for the same reasons -- both generally summarize the consensus patrum of what went before them:

"And if ye will receive it, this is Elijah, who was to come"

>> If you are willing, He says, to accept it, that is, if you judge the matter with a good disposition of mind, and not spitefully, he is the one whom the prophet Malachi called Elijah who was to come. For both the Forerunner and Elijah have the same ministry. The one was the Forerunner of the first coming, while Elijah will be the forerunner of the second coming. Then, showing that it is an enigma that John is Elijah, and requires wisdom to understand it, He says:

"He that hath ears to hear, let him hear"

(Then, on Matthew 17):

"And his disciples asked Him, saying, Why then say the scribes that Elijah must first come?"

>>The scribes were deceiving the people, saying that Jesus was not the Christ, for if He were, Elijah would first have come. But they did not know that there are two comings of Christ, the Forerunner of the first being John, and of the second Elijah. Christ then explains this to the disciples. Listen:

"And Jesus answered and said unto them, Elijah truly shall first come, and restore all things. But I say unto you, That Elijah is come already, and they knew him not, but have done unto him whatsoever they desired. Likewise shall also the Son of Man suffer at their hands. Then the disciples understood that He spake unto them of John the Baptist"

>>By saying, 'Elijah truly shall come,' Christ shows that he has not yet come, but that he will appear as the forerunner of the second coming; and when he appears, he will restore all teachable Jews to faith in Christ, as if restoring them to their paternal inheritance which they had lost. But when Christ says, 'Elijah is come already,' He is speaking of John the Forerunner; for the Jews 'did unto him whatsoever they desired' when they slew him; they slew him when they permitted Herod to slay John, though they could have prevented it. The the disciples became keener in perception and understood that He was calling John Elijah, as John was the Forerunner of the first coming, just as Elijah would be the forerunner of the second coming.

(From St. Mark 9)

"And they asked Him, saying, Why say the scribes that Elijah must first come? And he answered and told them, Elijah cometh first, and restoreth all things; and how is it written of the Son of Man, that He must suffer many things, and be set at nought? But I say unto you, that Elijah is indeed come, and they have done unto him whatsoever they pleased, as it is written of him."

>>It was commonly said among the Jews that Elijah would return before the Messiah came. But the Pharisees were not interpreting correctly the prophecies concerning Elijah, but of their own will and evil disposition they hid the truth. For there are two comings of the Messiah: this one, which had already taken place, and the one to come. John the Baptist was the Forerunner of the first coming; Elijah will be the forerunner of the second coming.

Christ call John 'Elijah', because, like Elijah, John was an admonisher, a zealot, and a desert-dweller. The Lord therefore refutes the opinion of the Pharisees who held that Elijah would be the forerunner of the first coming of the Messiah. How does He refute? 'Elijah cometh first, and restoreth all things: and how is it written of the Son of Man, that He must suffer many things?'

What Christ is saying is this: when Elijah the Tishbite comes, he will make peace with the unbelieving Jew, and will bring them to faith. thus he will be the forerunner of the second coming. For if the Tishbite, who shall restore all things, were the forerunner of the first coming, how then is it written that the Son of Man shall suffer this and that?

Logically it comes to this: if we believe the Pharisees' teaching that Elijah will be the forerunner of the first coming, then the Scriptures are false which say that Christ will suffer. But if these Scriptures are true, then the Pharisees are wrong in teaching that Elijah will be the forerunner of the first coming. For Elijah shall restore all things, and then there will be no Jew who remains an unbeliever, but as many as hear Elijah's preaching will believe. The Lord confounds the opinion of the Pharisees when he says that Elijah, meaning John, has already come, and they did unto him whatsoever they pleased. For they did not believe in him, and in the end his head was cut off, as the trophy of some game.