GABRIEL. One of the principal Angels Dan. viii. 16. ix. 21. xi. 1, & seq.in heaven. His name signifies the strength of God. He was sent to the prophet Daniel, in order to explain to him his visions of the ram and goat, and the mystery Dan. x.13. & 21.of the seventy Weeks, which had been revealed to him. Gabriel told Daniel, that he had had a conflict with the Prince of the Persians one and twenty days, and that no one came to his assistance but Michael the Prince of the Hebrew people. Who this Prince of Persia was, with whom Gabriel had disputed, no one knows. Some will have him to be the tutelary Angel of this people; others, the King of Persia. See the Commentators upon this particular.
The same Angel Gabriel was sent to In the Year of the World 3999, fifteen or sixteen months before the birth of J.C.a Luke i. 11.& seq.Zechary, to declare to him the future birth of John the Baptist a; and as Zechary could not believe, that he who was so old could have a son, his wife Elizabeth too not being in a condition to conceive; the Angel said to him, I am Gabriel, who stand in the presence of God, and am sent to speak unto thee, and to shew thee these glad tidings: but because thou believest not my words, thou shalt be dumb, and not able to speak, until the day that these things shall be performed.
In the year of the World 4000, nine or ten months before the birth of J.C.b Luke i. 26, &c.Six months after this event, the same Angel Gabriel was sent to Nazareth to a virgin, whose name was Mary b, espoused or only betrothed to Joseph, according to the opinion of several Interpreters. To her he said, Hail thou that art highly favoured, the Lord is with thee; blessed art thou among women. Mary was disturbed at this discourse; but the Angel said to her, Fear not, Mary, for thou hast found favour with God. And behold, thou shalt conceive in thy womb, and bring forth a son, and shalt call his name Jesus. He shall be great, and shall be called the Son of the Highest; and the Lord shall give unto him the throne of his father David, and he shall reign eternally over the house of Jacob. Mary asked him, how all this should be executed; and the Angel answered, The Holy Ghost shall descend upon thee, and the power of the Most High shall overshadow thee: therefore also that Holy thing which shall be born of thee, shall be called the Son of God. And lest this should seem incredible to thee, behold, thy cousin Elizabeth hath also conceived a son in her old age, and she is now in her sixth month; to shew thee, that nothing is impossible with God. And Mary said, Behold the handmaid of the Lord, be it unto me according to thy word. At the same time the Angel went away, and disappeared.
It was probably the same angel Gabriel, who appeared to Joseph, when he was thinking to forsake the holy Virgin, and injoined him to retire to Egypt at the time when Herod was resolved to put all the infants in Bethlehem to death; and, lastly, who warned him to return into Judæa, after the decease of Herod. The Cabalists say, that Gabriel was the patriarch Joseph’s master or preceptor.
D’Herbelot Bibl. Orient.The Eastern people add several things to what the Scripture informs us of, concerning the Angel Gabriel. The Mahometans call him the faithful Spirit; and the Persians, in the way of metaphor, the Peacock of Heaven, or Paradise. We read in the second chapter of the Alcoran, that whosoever is an enemy to Gabriel, shall be confounded. They believe, as well as we, that this Archangel declared to the blessed Virgin, that she should bring forth Jesus Christ. They say, Gabriel is guardian of the heavenly treasuries, that is to say, of revelations: That the Jews always complained of Gabriel, and employed the assistance of Michael against him; for Michael was always favourable to them: nay, they said, if Mahomet had made use of Michael, and not of Gabriel, we should all have followed him. It was Gabriel, as they believe, who brought those revelations to Mahomet their false Prophet, which he published: it was he who conducted him to heaven, mounted on the Alborak; (this is an animal of a middle size between an ass and a mule, upon which he rode, when he ascended up to heaven at Jerusalem.) Lastly, Gabriel is a friend to Mussulmen, because he served the Messiah, whom they reverence, and an enemy to the Jews, who rejected him.
To these extravagancies they add, that the Themudites, an ancient tribe of Arabians which is extinct, having refused to hearken to the instructions of the patriarch Salah, were threatned with speedy death, that is to say, in three days time. These three days they employed in digging pits, to secure themselves from the storm they apprehended. Upon the fourth day they took courage, believing the time of punishment to be passed, and went out of their houses. But the Archangel Gabriel appeared to them, having his feet resting on the earth, and his head exalted as high as heaven. His wings extended from East to West, and his hair, which was as red as coral, covered the whole horizon. The Themudites being frightned at this sight, threw themselves into their holes: but Gabriel raising his voice, cried out to them, Die, for ye are cursed of God, who has condemned you. At the same time the earth trembled, all the houses in the country were overthrown, and the Themudites buried under their ruins.