BYU Studies Quarterly Volume 32 Issue 3 Article 5 7-1-1992 Elisha and the Children: The Question of Accepting Prophetic Succession Fred E. Woods Follow this and additional works at: https://scholarsarchive.byu.edu/byusq Part of the Mormon Studies Commons, and the Religious Education Commons Recommended Citation Woods, Fred E. (1992) "Elisha and the Children: The Question of Accepting Prophetic Succession," BYU Studies Quarterly: Vol. 32 : Iss. 3 , Article 5. Available at: https://scholarsarchive.byu.edu/byusq/vol32/iss3/5 This Article is brought to you for free and open access by the Journals at BYU ScholarsArchive. It has been accepted for inclusion in BYU Studies Quarterly by an authorized editor of BYU ScholarsArchive. For more information, please contact
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[email protected]. Woods: Elisha and the Children: The Question of Accepting Prophetic Succ elisha and the children the question ofaccepting prophetic succession fred E woods the account of elishasEliseliphashas curse of the forty two young people and their seemingly unjustified fatal end when attacked by two bears has puzzled latter day saints as well as other students of the bible an enlightening solution to this unusual incident as I1 argue here also leads to a clearer view of an important underlying issue the acceptance or nonacceptance of divinely approved succession among prophetic personalities in this case elishasEliseliphashas succession to the prophet elijah most scholars who have analyzed the problematic passage in which elisha is called