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of Archangel Gabriel from Novgorod .]] In Abrahamic Religion s, Gabriel (''גַּבְרִיאֵל'', Standard Hebrew ''Gavriʼel'', Latin ''Gabrielus'', Greek '''', Tiberian Hebrew ''Gaḇrîʼēl'', Arabic جبريل ''Jibrīl'' or ''Jibrail'', literally "Master, of God", i.e., a Master, who is "of God") is an Archangel who is thought to serve as a messenger from God ("angel" literally translates to "messenger" from the Koine Greek; an "arch" angel is a "primary" or "chief" messenger). He first appears in the Book Of Daniel in the Hebrew Bible . He is also referred to as the " Left Hand Of God and the embodiment of the Holy Spirit ". Christians and Muslims believe him to have foretold the births of John The Baptist and Jesus to Zacharias and the Virgin Mary respectively, and Muslims believe he was the medium through which God revealed the Qur'an to Muhammad . In Biblical tradition, he is sometimes regarded as the Angel Of Death or one of God's messengers. The Talmud described him as the only angel who 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 ). In the Catholic Tradition , he is known as one of the archangels. In Islam , he is called the chief of the four favoured angels and the spirit of truth, and in some views Gabriel is the same person as the Holy Spirit . Gabriel also finds mention in the writings of the Bahá'í Faith , most notably in Bahá'u'lláh 's mystical work '' The Seven Valleys ''. JUDAIC REFERENCES History and the Hebrew Bible The name Gabriel first appears in the ponders the meanings of several visions he has experienced in exile, when Gabriel appears to him with a message about the " End Of Days ":
Talmud 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 . CHRISTIAN REFERENCES Canonical New Testament . Painting by El Greco (1575)]] 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 " (), an event that is celebrated on March 25 in the Eastern Orthodox and Roman Catholic churches. 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. () 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 . PSEUDEPIGRAPHY 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 is the ruler of the Cherubim and Seraphim surrounding the throne of the Almighty. FEAST DAYS To Roman Catholics , Orthodox , and Anglicans he is ''St. Gabriel the Archangel'', known to some as the Patron Saint of communications workers. With Michael and Raphael , his feast day is celebrated on September 29 . Among the Eastern Orthodox, in addition to the September feast, he is also commemorated on March 26 and July 13 . March 26 is the '' Synaxis of the Archangel Gabriel'' and celebrates his role in the Annunciation. July 13 is also known as the ''Synaxis of the Archangel Gabriel'', but celebrates all of appearances and miracles attributed to Gabriel throughout history. The feast was first established on Mount Athos in the ninth century, during the reign of Emperor Basil II and the Empress Constantina Porphyrogenitus and Patriarch Nicholas Chrysoverges, on the occasion of the appearance of the Archangel Gabriel in a cell near Karyes where he wrote on a stone tablet with his finger, the hymn to the Theotokos , "It is truly meet..." (see '' Axion Estin ''). 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 ISLAMIC REFERENCES of the Angel Gabriel]] The Arabic name for Gabriel is Jibril, '''Jibrīl''', '''Jibreel''', '''Jabrilæ''' or '''Djibril''' (جبريل , جبرائيل, , or [dʒibriːl ) Muslims believe Gabriel to have been the Angel who revealed the Qur'an to the Prophet Muhammad . Gabriel's physical appearance is described in the Hadith ():
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 ):
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 ). Muslims also believe that Gabriel descends to Earth on the night of Laylat Al-Qadr ("The Night of Destiny"), 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 Red , the direction West (or North ), or the element Fire ; 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. ART |
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