Copyright © 2005 Jonathan Dee Gabriel is the best known of the archangels, and is one of the three angels mentioned by name in the Bible. He is considered to be one of the four supporters of the throne of God. Gabriel is known as Djibril in the Islamic tradition, a name derived from the Hebrew word “Gibor”, meaning “Hero”. Thus, Gabriel is the Hero or the Might of God. Gabriel governs the Moon and his direction lies to the West. His favourite day is Monday and he is the most watery of the heavenly host, though some believe him to be made of fire and credit him with causing the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah by fire and brimstone. Be that as it may, he is the Archangel most associated with the development of the human body, especially during pregnancy, when an embryo is afloat in amniotic fluid. Some sources state that Gabriel has over six hundred green wings that span the horizon, while between his eyes shines a beacon like the sun, (possibly a reference to the moon). In more conventional art, the archangel is generally shown dressed in white or blue, holding a lily to symbolize purity, a scroll to emphasize his capacity as a herald, or a sceptre to show the power of God. This Archangel is mainly concerned with the start of life, and is the being who conducts the newborn soul from heaven to its new earthly body. Usually the soul protests at this rude expulsion from paradise, and Gabriel must patiently explain the necessity for coming to this world. Patience is no problem for Gabriel, since it is he who carves the individual fingerprints on each child's fingers. However, the belief that he is the angel who will blow the last trump to signal the end of the world may be erroneous. In fact, for an immortal being, Gabriel tends to be rather squeamish about death, and once refused to carry off the soul of Moses until Michael and Zagzagel lent a hand. As God’s favourite messenger, Gabriel gets the really important jobs. It was he who explained an obscure prophecy concerning a ram and a goat to Daniel, announced the forthcoming birth of John the Baptist to his mother (who was a little past her prime), and gave the joyous news to the Virgin Mary that she was to bear the Messiah. In Islamic tradition too, Gabriel has the important role of dictating the Koran to the Prophet Mohammed. Gabriel wasn’t always the Almighty’s favourite. He was sacked once, when he was ordered to wipe out Israel with hot coals. However, the Archangel was in no hurry to complete the task, so the coals got cold. Since Gabriel had fudged the job on purpose, God laid him off and promoted the Ethnarch Dubbiel, guardian angel of Persia, to take his place. Gabriel might still be one of the celestial unemployed if Dubbiel had not used undue influence to create the Persian Empire during his brief period in power. |
