There is another who wears our face. He rises before us in the morning and Speaks before we have a thought. He keeps our appointments, Answers to our names, and Carries around our favorite sins like relics. The old Germanic tales said that To see your double was to see your death. Perhaps they were right. Perhaps he is the death we have been living. Saint Paul called him the old man, The self we must put off, Forged from ten thousand small consents. He is a distorted copy of

Elisha was a prophet (9th c. BC Israel) and one of the most prominent figures in the Old Testament (cf. 1 and 2 Kings). He was the disciple and successor of prophet Elijah. When Elijah was taken up to heaven in a whirlwind, Elisha received a "double portion" of Elijah's spirit and inherited his prophetic mission. Elisha's ministry is marked by miracles, more than almost any other Old Testament figure. Among the best known: Purifying a spring of bad water at Jericho with salt.