Was John the Baptist 'Elijah'?

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The Gospels say that John the Baptist, upon being asked, said that he was not ‘Elijah’, but Jesus said ‘Elijah has already come’ - and my bible (RSVCE) has a note saying that this referred to John. What do you think?
 
Elijah was a “type” of John the Baptist. You could say he pre-figured him.

I’ll get the details for you shortly.

Notworthy
 
Here’s some of it. I thought I had more. This is taken from Tim Gray’s, Gospel of Mark on EWTN:

John the Baptist is out in the desert telling Israel that her sins will be forgiven, and her God is here! Now Mark doesn’t spend much more time on what John says, but he does spend some time on how he looks. John was clothed in camel’s hair, with a leather belt around his waist. He fed on locusts and wild honey. (1:6). In the Gospels, especially in Mark, you need to look for the details. Writings were very expensive in first century Israel. The cost of copying the New Testament would have been today around $50,000. Why does Mark feel it is necessary to describe what John is wearing? Who else wore this garment? King Ahaziah falls ill. He goes and sends his messengers to inquire of Baalzabub, the god of another nation, for healing. Meanwhile, the angel of the LORD said to Elijah the Tishbite: "Go, intercept the messengers of Samaria’s king, and ask them, 'Is it because there is no God in Israel that you are going to inquire of Baalzebub, the god of Ekron?’ (2 Kings 1:2) The messengers come back to the king and tell him he’s going to die, according to a prophet in the wilderness. The king then ask these messengers, what does this man look like? "Wearing a hairy garment," they replied, “with a leather girdle about his loins.” “It is Elijah the Tishbite!” he exclaimed (2 Kings 1:8). Now just as Elijah had a king out to get him, so does John the Baptist. Elijah passed on his ministry to Elisha at the Jordan River. Elisha, who becomes a greater prophet will raise the dead, and heal lepers. John the Baptist passes on the torch to Jesus at the Jordan. So in this Gospel, Jesus plays Elisha to John’s Elijah.

Notworthy
 
The prophetic spirit and power of Elijah rested upon John the baptist, just as it had rested upon Elisha after he saw Elijah taken up to heaven.

9When they had crossed, Elijah said to Elisha, “Ask what I shall do for you, before I am taken from you.” And Elisha said, “I pray you, let me inherit a double share of your spirit.” (2 Kings 2:9)

15Now when the sons of the prophets who were at Jericho saw him over against them, they said, “The spirit of Elijah rests on Elisha.” (2 Kings 2:15)

The angel Gabriel spoke to Zechariah concerning John the baptist saying,

16And he will turn many of the sons of Israel to the Lord their God, 17and he will go before him in the spirit and power of Elijah, to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children, and the disobedient to the wisdom of the just, to make ready for the Lord a people prepared." (Luke 1:16-17)
 
What I have read on this in the Catena Aurea, which is basically a compilation of the writings of the fathers on the four gospels, which St. Thomas Aquinas compiled.
In book 2 on the gospel of Matthew Ch 17 where Jesus is asked by Peter, James, and John after the transfiguration, and Im going to paraphrase to make it shorter. That the Apostles having seen Jesus in Glory now recall a question which the Scribes were circulating concerning Jesus. The Scribes were asserting that Jesus could not be the Messiah because Elias had not come to turn the fathers to their children and the children to their fathers. Now there are 2 descriptions in the OT concerning the coming of the Messiah. The first is the one which describes His coming as savior which does not refer to Elias, but rather to one calling out in the desert. The second one is the prophesy of His second coming in which Elias will preceed Him and turn the children (Jews) to their fathers (the Apostles) thus pointing to the true Messiah as they will be wont to follow the false Messiah. Now Jesus says that Elias has come, but He is refering to the spirit of Elias which calls people to the true Messiah which was what John had done in calling the people to repentance. Jesus was basically saying, Yes Elias will come before me but that you may not be deceived by the false teachings which are being presented, I say John has come in the spirit of Elias.

I hope I did a good job in paraphrasing what the fathers had to say on this passage. If you like you can look here for more details. ccel.org/ccel/aquinas/catena1.html
 
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