Gabriel

This page is about the angel. For the leader of a United States slave rebellion in 1800, see Gabriel (rebel)

In various religions, Gabriel (גַּבְרִיאֵל, Standard Hebrew Gavriʼel, Latin Gabrielus, Tiberian Hebrew Gaḇrîʼēl, Arabic جبريل Ǧabrīl Jibril) is an angel who serves as a messenger from God. He appears first in the Book of Daniel in the Hebrew Bible. The name Gabriel can mean "man of God", "hero of God", or "God has shown himself mighty." He was also referred to as the "Left Hand of God".

According to the Abrahamic religions, Gabriel is an archangel who serves as a messenger from God. He is sometimes regarded as the angel of death, the prince of fire and thunder, but more frequently as one of God's chief messengers, and traditionally said to be the only angel that can speak Syriac and Chaldee. In the Catholic Tradition, he is known as one of the archangels. Gabriel is most frequently confused with Michael, the angel who holds a sword and guards the gates of Eden (later Heaven) against Adam, Eve, and their descendants. In Islam, he is called the chief of the four favoured angels, and the spirit of truth. Gabriel also finds mention in the writings of the Bahá'í Faith, most notably in Bahá'u'lláh's metaphysical work The Seven Valleys and the Four Valleys.

Gabriel in Judaism

Gabriel in Jewish history and the Hebrew Bible

In the historical context of the destruction of Solomon's Temple in Jerusalem, and the subsequent Babylonian captivity of the Jewish Kingdom of Judah that followed, the important Jewish leader Daniel ponders the meanings of several visions he has experienced in exile, when Gabriel appears to him (Daniel 8:16-25).

Gabriel is mentioned twice by name:

"...And it came to pass, when I, even I Daniel, had seen the vision, that I sought to understand it; and, behold, there stood before me as the appearance of a man. And I heard the voice of a man between the banks of Ulai, who called, and said:' Gabriel, make this man to understand the vision.' So he came near where I stood; and when he came, I was terrified, and fell upon my face; but he said to me: 'Understand, son of man; for the vision belongs to the time of the end..." [1] (Daniel 8:15-17).

It is towards the end of the rule of Babylonia yet Gabriel is sent to elaborate and explain matters also relating to the "End of Days" (See Jewish eschatology) such as when the kingdoms of Persia, Greece and Rome will tumble from dominating the world.

"...And while I was speaking, and praying, and confessing my sin and the sin of my people Israel, and presenting my supplication before the Lord my God for the holy mountain of my God; and while I was speaking in prayer, the man Gabriel, whom I had seen in the vision at the beginning, being caused to fly swiftly, approached close to me about the time of the evening offering. And he made me understand, and talked with me, and said: 'Daniel, I have now come to make you skilful of understanding...Seventy weeks are decreed upon your people and upon your holy city, to finish the transgression, and to make an end of sin, and to forgive iniquity, and to bring in everlasting righteousness, and to seal vision and prophet, and to anoint the most holy place" [2] (Daniel 9:20-24).

Here is where Gabriel tells Daniel about the mysterious "Seventy weeks" (shavu-im shivim) that seem to indicate the end of the Babylonian captivity which lasted seventy years when Cyrus the Great allowed the return to Zion and the rebuilding of the Temple by the Jews in his empire.

His name also occurs in the apocryphal Book of Enoch.

Gabriel in the Talmud

In the Talmud, Gabriel appears as the destroyer of the hosts of Sennacherib in Sanhedrin 95b "with a sharpened scythe which had been ready since Creation." The Archangel is also attributed as the one who showed Joseph the way, the one who prevented Queen Vashti from appearing naked before King Ahasverus and his guests, and as one of the angels who buried Moses. In Talmud Yoma 79a, however, it is stated that Gabriel once fell into disgrace "for not obeying a command exactly as given, and remained for a while outside the heavenly Curtain." During this 21 day period, the guardian angel of Persia, Dobiel, acted as Gabriel's proxy.

Gabriel is also, according to Jewish mythology, the voice that told Noah to gather the animals before the great flood; the invisible force that prevented Abraham from slaying Isaac; the invisible force that wrestled with Jacob; and the voice of the burning bush.

Gabriel in Christianity

Gabriel in the canonical New Testament

In the New Testament, Gabriel is the angel who cometh with/in the Holy Spirit and reveals to Zacharias that John the Baptist will be born to Elizabeth and who visits Mary to reveal that she will give birth to Jesus. According to later legend, he is the unidentified angel in the Book of Revelation (formerly known as the Apocalypse of John) who blows the horn announcing the Judgment Day. To Catholics, he is St. Gabriel the Archangel, the patron saint of communications workers. With Michael and Raphael, his feast day is September 29.

Gabriel's visit to Mary in the Gospel of Luke is often called "The Annunciation," (Luke 1:26 et al.), an event that is celebrated on March 25. It is also commemorated as the "First Joyful Mystery" each time the rosary is prayed.

Gabriel in other Christian denominations

In Latter-day Saint theology, Gabriel lived a mortal life as the patriarch Noah. Gabriel and Noah are regarded as the same person, but Gabriel alone is regarded as the immortal resurrected being (angel). As such, all of Noah's children are considered to be Gabriel's earthly children.

Gabriel in Islam

Jibril, Jibrīl, Jibreel, Jabril or Djibril (Arabic جبرئيل,جبرﺍئيل,or جبريل, IPA [dʒibræːʔiːl], [dʒibrɛ̈ʔiːl], or [dʒibriːl]) is Arabic for Gabriel, an archangel in Jewish and Christian angelology. In Islam, Gabriel is the angel who revealed the Qur'an to Muhammad, sura by sura, and thus Gabriel is considered the most prominent angel, as well as the spirit of truth.

According to Muslim beliefs, the angel's primary task was to bring messages from God to the messengers, and the other tasks include accompanying the angel Azrael ("Angel of Death") to take the soul of a person who dies with ablution. Gabriel is also said to be the angel that informed Mariam (Mary) of how she would conceive Isa (Jesus):

She placed a screen (to screen herself) from them; then We sent to her Our Ruh [angel Jibrael (Gabriel)], and he appeared before her in the form of a man in all respects. She said: "Verily! I seek refuge with the Most Beneficent (Allâh) from you, if you do fear Allâh." (The angel) said: "I am only a Messenger from your Lord, (to announce) to you the gift of a righteous son." She said: "How can I have a son, when no man has touched me, nor am I unchaste?" He said: "So (it will be), your Lord said: 'That is easy for Me (Allâh): And (We wish) to appoint him as a sign to mankind and a mercy from Us (Allâh), and it is a matter (already) decreed, (by Allâh).' " (Quran, 19:17-21)

In Islam, Gabriel accompanied Muhammad in his ascension to the heavens [3], where he (Muhammad) met with previous messengers of God, and was informed about the Islamic prayer. This ascension is termed as Mai'raj.
Muslims also believe that this angel descends to Earth on the night of Lailat-ul-Qadr ("The Night of Power"), a night in the last ten days of the holy month of Ramadan in the Islamic calendar.

Gabriel in Angelology and the Occult

Gabriel is sometimes associated with the color Blue, the direction West, or the element Water; his horse is named Haizum. Gabriel is also variously identified as the angel of annunciation, resurrection, mercy, vengeance, death, and revelation. Furthermore, the Archangel has also been identified in various sources to be one of the 7 Archangels who stand in the presence of God; he is also claimed variously be a tafsarim (chief angelic prince) of the Cherub, Virtue, Power, Archangel, and Angel celestial orders. The governor of the Moon and Monday also are ascribed to Gabriel; finally, the Archangel is also the ruler of Shamayim, the First Heaven.

Gabriel in Music

The eccentric English hagiographer, antiquarian and father of 15 children, Sabine Baring-Gould (1834-1924), wrote a Basque Christmas carol, Gabriel's Message, which was probably based on the 13rd or 14th century Latin chant Angelus Ad Virginem which itself is based on the Biblical account of the Annunciation in the New Testament Gospel of Luke.

The modern rock musician Sting performed Gabriel's Message on the Christmas compilation CD, "A Very Special Christmas".

Gabriel in Fiction

Gabriel is referenced or plays an active role in many fictional works:

In his epic poem Paradise Lost, John Milton made Gabriel chief of the angelic guards placed over Paradise.
In the epic poem The Song of Roland, Gabriel instructs Frankish King Charles Martel, to deliver the sword Durendal to Roland. Gabriel also bears Roland's soul to heaven.
In The Lay of the Cid, Gabriel appears in a dream to predict a good outcome.
In Kidou Senshi Gundam Seed Destiny, Jibril is the name of the leader for Blue Cosmos, an extremist group dedicated to eradicating genetically enhanced humans (the coordinators).
Christopher Walken portrayed Gabriel in the film The Prophecy as the leader of a rebellion opposed to God's favor of humans over angels. He is shown to be exceptionally jealous of humans and delights in frightening and torturing them.
In the movie Van Helsing, it is suggested that the title character is in fact an amnesiac reincarnated Gabriel, primarily due to his first name and the fact that Dracula refers to him as the Left Hand of God.
Gabriel, portrayed by Tilda Swinton, not as a female entity but to signify the androgynous nature of angels, appears in the movie Constantine (2005) with the intentions of making the world worthy of God's love by attempting to bring Mammon forth into the world to reign havoc. In the comic book Hellblazer upon which the movie is based, Gabriel is referred to unaffectionately as "The Snob," and his Fall is engineered by the title character, John Constantine, and a disgraced succubus named Chantinelle.
A jazz trumpet player named "Gabe" talks Jack Klugman's character into returning to the land of the living in the Twilight Zone television episode, "A Passage for Trumpet".
The Trading Card Game Magic: The Gathering features a card named "Gabriel Angelfire".
In Angel Sanctuary, Gabriel is depicted as a female and is called by the Arabic name, Jibril/D'jibril. She is the true form of the main character's sister. She is also Chief of the Order of Cherubim, and one of the four Archangels of the Elements (Water).
A character in "The Dead": a short story in the book "Dubliners" by James Joyce.
A character in "The Satanic Verses" (Gibreel): a controversial novel by the Anglo-Indian author Salman Rushdie, infamous because of the fatwa imposed on him by the Ayatollah Khomeini.
In the Megami Tensei series of video games, Gabriel (in female form) appears frequently as a boss character the player can fight, and in some games, summon. She is usually seen partnered with fellow Seraphim Raphael and Uriel, and serve as a precursor to a fight against Michael.

Bibliography

Bamberger, Bernard Jacob, (March 15, 2006). Fallen Angels: Soldiers of Satan's Realm. Jewish Publication Society of America. ISBN 0827607970
Briggs, Constance Victoria, 1997. The Encyclopedia of Angels : An A-to-Z Guide with Nearly 4,000 Entries. Plume. ISBN 0452279216.
Bunson, Matthew, (1996). Angels A to Z : A Who's Who of the Heavenly Host. Three Rivers Press. ISBN 0517885379.
Cruz, Joan C. 1999. Angels and Devils. Tan Books & Publishers. ISBN 0895556383.
Davidson, Gustav. A Dictionary of Angels: Including the Fallen Angels. Free Press. ISBN 002907052X
Graham, Billy, 1994. Angels: God's Secret Agents. W Pub Group; Minibook edition. ISBN 0849950740
Guiley, Rosemary, 1996. Encyclopedia of Angels. ISBN 0816029881
Kreeft, Peter J. 1995. Angels and Demons: What Do We Really Know About Them? Ignatius Press. ISBN 0898705509
Lewis, James R. (1995). Angels A to Z. Visible Ink Press. ISBN 0787606529
Melville, Francis, 2001. The Book of Angels: Turn to Your Angels for Guidance, Comfort, and Inspiration. Barron's Educational Series; 1st edition. ISBN 0764154036
Ronner, John, 1993. Know Your Angels: The Angel Almanac With Biographies of 100 Prominent Angels in Legend & Folklore-And Much More! Mamre Press. ISBN 0932945406.
Melville, Herman, "Moby Dick": The insane character of a fellow ship believes he is the angel Gabriel.