Gabriel is recognized in the Abrahamic religions as an angel who serves as a messenger sent from the Creator to certain people, such as the prophet Daniel, the virgin Mary and the prophet Muhammad. Literally translated, his name means: "God is my strength". He is mentioned in the Jewish Tanakh, the Old and New Testament of the Christian Bible and the Islamic Qur'an. While Gabriel is not mentioned in the Christian Bible as an archangel, he is revered as a saint in the Roman Catholic, Anglican, Lutheran, Eastern and Oriental Orthodox churches. In the Qur'an this certain angel is known as Jibra'il, who is one of four archangels whom Allah sent a divine message to through various Islamic prophets, including Muhammad.
In Judaism:
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| Archangel Gabriel. A fresco from the Tsalenjikha Cathedral by Cyrus Emanuel Eugenicus. (14th century) |
In the Book of Daniel and the Book of Ezekiel, Gabriel is interpreted by the Rabbanim as "the man in linen". Gabriel was the heavenly host who interpreted Daniel's visions and the angel who was sent to destroy Jerusalem (according to Ezekiel) because of the transgression of the Israelites.
In Kabbalah, this angel is identified with the sephirot of Yesod and plays a prominent role as one of Yahweh's archangels. [In Judaism, five archangels are recognized.] Gabriel is also portrayed in Kabbalah as working with the archangel Michael in the Creator's heavenly court.
In the First Book of Enoch it states that Gabriel "saw much blood shed upon the earth" (Enoch 9:1) and heard the souls of men cry, "Bring our cause before the Most High" (Enoch 9:3). The Creator's response was this:
And the Lord said to Gabriel: "Proceed against the bastards and the reprobates, and against the children of fornication: and destroy[the children of fornication and] the children of the Watchers from amongst men [and cause them to go forth]: send them one against the other that they may destroy each other in battle: for length of days shall they not have." 1 Enoch 10:9
According to the First Book of Enoch, Gabriel is the third of the five angels and it states that he is the one who keeps watch over Paradise and the serpents and the Cherubim (1 Enoch 20:7) Later, in the Book of Enoch, he [Enoch] encounters four heavenly figures and questioned the Creator about who they were:
"And he said to me: 'This first is Michael, the merciful and long-suffering: and the second, who is set over all the diseases and all the wounds of the children of men, is Raphael: and the third, who is set over all the powers, is Gabriel: and the fourth, who is set over the repentance unto hope of those who inherit eternal life, is named Phanuel.' And these are the four angels of the Lord of Spirits and the four voices I heard in those days." (Enoch 40:9)
The fifth archangel in Judaism is known as Uriel. During the ancient era, roughly between 200 B.C. - 50 A.D. (also called the intertestamental period) a wealth of informative literature was produced, with much of it including an apocalyptic orientation. The names of the angels were greatly expanded by rank, and each had particular duties and a holy status before God.
For more information, please visit: Gabriel in Judaism
In Christianity:
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| Icon of Gabriel, Byzantine, c/1387–1395 (Tretyakov Gallery) |
As mentioned above, the Christian Bible does not refer to Gabriel as an 'archangel'; the only one mentioned as an archangel is Michael (Jude 1:9). In fact, Gabriel and Michael are the only "named angels" in the New Testament. In reference to the Old Testament, Gabriel is seen as a guardian angel who carried out the behests of the Creator which included special commissions regarding men and secular affairs.
In Genesis 18-19, there are two angels of the Lord that act as the executors of God's wrath against Sodom and Gomorrah; they were also instrumental in helping Lot and his family escape from the carnage of that wrath. Gabriel is perceived as being one of those angels.
There are other passages in the Old Testament where Gabriel is recognized as the angel that God sent to go before Moses when the patriarch of the exodus was given instructions to take the people to "the land flowing with milk and honey". (Exodus 3:8) Later in the Christian Bible, the story of Tobias is associated with the commentary on Psalms 91:11 where it is stated: "For he shall give his angels charge over thee, to keep thee in all thy ways." Once again, Gabriel is thought to be the angel who was given charge. In Daniel 10, there are certain angels entrusted with the care of particular territories and while Michael is termed as "one of the chief princes", Gabriel is perceived as one of the other "chief princes".
The New Testament also mentions Gabriel as the angel who first visited Zachariah, father of John the Baptist (Luke 1:11-12 and Luke 1:19) and later visited Mary, mother of Jesus (Luke 1:26-31). In both instances, Gabriel announces that the Creator has found favor with them; Zachariah's wife Elizabeth (well stricken with age) and young Mary would conceive male children. When Zachariah questioned the sincerity of Gabriel's words, for he knew his wife was long past the years of barring children, his doubt was rewarded with silence:
"And, behold, thou shalt be dumb, and not able to speak, until the day that these things shall be performed, because thou believest not my words, which shall be fulfilled in their season." - Luke 1:20
Mary, on the other hand, accepted such a fate that had been bestowed upon her and believed the message the angel Gabriel had delivered to her:
"And Mary said, Behold the handmaid of the Lord; be it unto me according to thy word. And the angel departed from her." - Luke 1:38
There was also an angel that visited Mary's betrothed, Joseph, encouraging him to wed Mary, for she was impregnated by the Holy Spirit and carried the 'holy child of God', but Matthew does not elaborate on who that angel was. (Matthew 1:20-21)
It is also interesting to note in Mormonism (a branch of Christianity), Gabriel was believed to have lived a mortal life as Noah, in both the pre-flood and post-flood world. The two are regarded as the same person: Noah being his mortal name and Gabriel being his heavenly name.
For more information, please visit: Gabriel in Christianity
In Islam:
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| Muhammad receiving his first revelation from the angel Gabriel. This illustration (published in 1307 AD).is from the book Jami' al-awarikh by Rashid-al-Din Hamadani, |
According to Islamic tradition, Allah sent the sacred scriptures of the Qur'an to the prophet Muhammad through His angel, Jibra'il (Gabriel). It is believed that Gabriel sent messages to all Islamic prophets throughout history in which he revealed the obligations that was expected from these chosen holy men. Gabriel is mentioned several times in the Qur'an (such as, 66:4) and revered highly by the Muslim nation.
“Say, "Whoever is hostile to Gabriel—it is he who revealed it to your heart by Allah’s leave, confirming what preceded it, and guidance and good news for the believers.” Qur'an 2:97
Muslim tradition considers Gabriel to be one of the four primary archangels. The primary archangels in Islam are Gabriel, Michael, Israfil and Azrael. Gabriel is believed to be one of the three angels that appeared to Abraham to inform him of Isaac's impending birth and he was also the angel that came to Zachariah and Mary to announce the births of John the Baptist and Jesus, respectively.
Gabriel told Zachariah:
[He was told], "O Zechariah, indeed We give you good tidings of a boy whose name will be John. We have not assigned to any before [this] name." He said, "My Lord, how will I have a boy when my wife has been barren and I have reached extreme old age?" [An angel] said, "Thus [it will be]; your Lord says, 'It is easy for Me, for I created you before, while you were nothing.' " [Zechariah] said, "My Lord, make for me a sign." He said, "Your sign is that you will not speak to the people for three nights, [being] sound." - Qur'an 19:7-10Gabriel told Mary:
He said, "I am only the messenger of your Lord to give you [news of] a pure boy." She said, "How can I have a boy while no man has touched me and I have not been unchaste?" He said, "Thus [it will be]; your Lord says, 'It is easy for Me, and We will make him a sign to the people and a mercy from Us. And it is a matter [already] decreed.'" - Qur'an 19:19-21
Tafsir (or Exegesis) narrates that Muhammad witnessed the angel Gabriel in his full angelic splendor twice; the first time being when he received his first revelation. It is also interesting to note that Gabriel makes an appearance in the Hadith of Gabriel, where he quizzes Muhammad on the core tenets of Islam.
While some Christian denominations believe that Gabriel will be the one to blow the trumpet to indicate the return of Jesus, Islamic tradition teaches it will be Israfil, not Gabriel, who will sound the trump of doom.
Gabriel in Literature:
While there are many books, poems and various other literature where Gabriel [the angel] is the point of attention, below lists a few of those examples (taken from Wikipedia.com):
- In his epic poem Paradise Lost, John Milton made Gabriel chief of the angelic guards placed over Paradise
- The Hebrew poem "Elifelet" (אליפלט) by Nathan Alterman, put to music and often heard on the Israeli Radio, tells of a heroic, self-sacrificing Israeli soldier being killed in battle. Upon the protagonist's death, the angel Gabriel descends to Earth, in order to comfort the spirit of the fallen hero and take him up to Heaven
- Salman Rushdie's Satanic Verses has his main character be the modern incarnation of Gabriel
- "End of the Beginning", an epic fantasy novel by Jon Snyder chronicles the final events of the angelic race's reign on earth and shows the main character, a humble Gabrius rise to become Gabriel, the angel of legend as he unravels the growing corruption of Lucifer
Gabriel is undoubtedly one of the Creator's greatest head angels in the hierarchy of the heavenly host, as his mysterious appearances to various people and the determined messages he carried to them are referred to in all three of the Abrahamic religions.
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