In Biblical tradition, he is sometimes regarded as the angel of death or one of God's messengers; also, as the angel of fire and snow who rides the sword[citation needed]. The Talmud described him as the only angel that can speak Syriac and Chaldee. In Islam, Gabriel is one of God's chief messengers but other above mentioned titles are not given to him (for example the angel of death is Azrael).
The name Gabriel first appears in the 2nd century BC Book of Daniel. The setting of the story is the Babylonian captivity: the Jewish leader Daniel ponders the meanings of several visions he has experienced in exile, when Gabriel appears to him with a message about the "End of Days"(Daniel8:16-25):
"...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).
In the Talmud, Gabriel appears as the destroyer of the hosts of Sennacherib in Sanhedrin 95b, armed "with a sharpened scythe which has 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 77a, however, it is stated that Gabriel once fell into disgrace "for not obeying a command exactly as given, I 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 Judaism, 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.
In the New Testament, Gabriel is the angel who reveals to Zechariah that John the Baptist will be born to Elizabeth, and who visits Mary to reveal that she will give birth to Jesus. Gabriel's visit to Mary in the Gospel of Luke is often called "The Annunciation" (Luke 1:26-38), an event that is celebrated on March 25 in the Roman Catholic church. It is also commemorated as the "First Joyful Mystery" of the rosary.
Gabriel may also be the angel that visited Joseph. After learning about Mary's pregnancy, Joseph considered calling off the marriage, but "an angel of the Lord" appeared to Joseph in a dream and told him that the conception was caused by the Holy Spirit. (Matt 1:18-25)
According to later legend, he is also the unidentified angel in the Book of Revelation (the Apocalypse of John) who blows the horn announcing the Judgment Day. To both Catholics and the Orthodox, he is St. Gabriel the Archangel, known to some as the patron saint of communications workers. With Michael and Raphael, his feast day is September 29.
Latter-Day Saint view
In Latter-day Saint theology, Gabriel lived in this mortal life as the patriarch Noah. Gabriel and Noah are regarded as the same individual; Noah being his mortal name and Gabriel being his heavenly name.
See also: Noah, Michael (archangel) ~ Adam
The Arabic name for Gabriel is Jibril, Jibrīl, Jibreel, Jabrilæ or Djibril (جبريل , جبرائيل, IPA: [dʒibræːʔiːl], [dʒibrɛ̈ʔiːl], or [dʒibriːl]) Muslims believe Gabriel to have been the angel who revealed the Qur'an to the prophetMuhammad.
Gabriel's physical appearance is described in the Hadith (4:54:455):
Narrated By Abu Ishaq-Ash-Shaibani: I asked Zir bin Hubaish regarding the Statement of God: "And was at a distance Of but two bow-lengths Or (even) nearer; So did (God) convey The Inspiration to His slave (Gabriel) and then he (Gabriel) Conveyed (that to Muhammad). (53:9-10) On that, Zir said, "Ibn Mas'ud informed us that the Prophet had seen Gabriel having 600 wings."
Gabriel is regarded with the same respect by Muslims as all the Prophets, and upon saying his name or referring to him a Muslim repeats: " upon him be peace".
Gabriel's primary tasks are to bring messages from God to His messengers. As in Christianity, Gabriel is said to be the angel that informed Mary (Arabic Maryam) of how she would conceive Jesus (Isa):
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 (God) from you, if you do fear God." (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 (God): And (We wish) to appoint him as a sign to mankind and a mercy from Us (God), and it is a matter (already) decreed, (by God).' " (Quran, 19:17-21)
Muslims believe Gabriel to have accompanied Muhammad in his ascension to the heavens, where Muhammad is said to have met previous messengers of God, and was informed about the Islamic prayer (Bukhari 1:8:345). Muslims also believe that Gabriel 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.
Angelology and the occult
Gabriel is sometimes associated with the color Blue, the direction West (or North), 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 "Seven Archangels who stand in the presence of God"; he is also claimed variously to 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.
The Book of Enoch places the archangel Gabriel as The Left Hand of God, or seated on the left side of God's throne with Metatron. Gabriel in Enoch is the ruler of the Cherubim surrounding the throne of the Almighty.
Some Christian sects in South America also consider him to be the patron of writers.
Music
The eccentric English hagiographer, antiquarian and father of 15 children, Sabine Baring-Gould (1834-1924), wrote a BasqueChristmas carol, Gabriel's Message, which was probably based on the 13th or 14th century Latin chantAngelus Ad Virginem which itself is based on the Biblical account of the Annunciation in the New TestamentGospel of Luke.
The modern rock musician Sting performed Gabriel's Message on the Christmas compilation CD, "A Very Special Christmas".
In 2006, British singer and songwriter Foy Vance recorded the song "Gabriel and the Vagabond", and the single was featured on the Grey's Anatomy episode "Superstition". The song tells the tale of the angel helping a beggar, who in turn helps others, inspiring a town of people and causing them to repent.
Gabriel is the name of a song by Electrelane, included in their first album, Rock It To The Moon, as well as a song by Lamb, which appeared on the album What Sound and was featured on CSI: Miami in the episode "Death Grip".
The American heavy metal/punk rock band Gabriels Fallen named themselves after the angel, and many of their songs are based on the Gabriel mythology.
Gabriel is mentioned in the band Creed's first hit song titled "My Own Prison." The lyric states "I cry out to God seeking only his decision, Gabriel stands and confirms I've created my own prison."
In Salman Rushdie's controversial novel, The Satanic Verses, Gabriel assumes the form of a fictional Bollywood movie star, Gibreel Farishta. In this novel, the archangel Gabriel never receives any direct communication from God.
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 subsequent films, however, we see Gabriel return from Hell, become human, and then, understanding them completely, returning to God's service as a lover of humans.
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 wreak 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.
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).
In the roleplaying gameIn Nomine Gabriel is one of thirteen major archangels, and holder of the Divine Word of Fire. Gabriel is portrayed mostly in female form, and deals with insanity due to her role as a divine prophet and "word friction" with the Demon of Fire, Belial. Her servitors are tasked with the duty of punishing the cruel.
In the Japanese version of the PlayStation RPG Star Ocean: The Second Story, the final boss is named Gabriel (Indalecio in the US release). In fact, all of the 'Ten Sages of God', the villains in the game, are named after major angels.
In the Role Playing Game Shin Megami Tensei: Nocturne, Gabriel makes an appearance with Uriel and Raphael as an optional boss as well as a usable character.
In the television show Star Trek, one episode mentions Dr. McCoy's wish to beam down to a primitive planet and say, '"Behold, I am the archangel Gabriel!"'
In the manga GetBackers, Gabriel is one of the Archangels who serves under Lucifer in the Kami no Kijutsu arc. He is referred to as "10-yen-kun" by Ginji.
In August Wilson's play Fences, Troy's brother, Gabriel, believes that he is the archangel Gabriel due to an injury he received during World War II.
Art
In chronological order (to see each item, follow the link in the footnote):[1]
Archangel Gabriel (Triptych), early 10th century, Benaki Museum
Melville, Francis, 2001. The Book of Angels: Turn to Your Angels for Guidance, Comfort, and Inspiration. Barron's Educational Series; 1st edition. ISBN 0-7641-5403-6
Ronner, John, 1993. Know Your Angels: The Angel Almanac With Biographies of 100 Prominent Angels in Legend & Folklore-And Much More! Mamre Press. ISBN 0-932945-40-6.
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