The Work
Doré's Elijah Slays the Prophets of Baal (from La Sainte Bible, 1866) depicts the aftermath of the Mount Carmel contest, Elijah commanding the execution of the 450 prophets of Baal after the demonstration of Yahweh's superiority. The plate raised the difficult theological question of prophetic violence and was frequently cited in Victorian debates about the relationship between prophetic authority and moral consistency.
Biblical Source
1 Kings 18:40 - "Then Elijah commanded them, 'Seize the prophets of Baal. Don't let anyone get away!' They seized them, and Elijah had them brought down to the Kishon Valley and slaughtered there" - is the text depicted. The context is the contest on Mount Carmel: after Yahweh's fire consuming the sacrifice while Baal's prophets failed to produce any response, Elijah calls for the execution of the false prophets.
Artist and Iconography
Doré's plate shows Elijah in command, the prophets of Baal subdued below. The violence of the scene is depicted with relative restraint - the execution is about to occur rather than being shown. Victorian readers who used the Doré Bible confronted this plate as a challenge to simple moral readings of the prophets: Elijah the hero of Mount Carmel is also Elijah the commander of mass execution.