The Archangel Gabriel In many religions it is believed that, between God and man, there are intermediary beings called angels. The word 'angel' is derived from the Greek 'angelos', meaning 'messenger'. Gabriel, meaning "a mighty one of God" in Hebrew, is the principal angel or archangel who acts as God's chief messenger. He is the communicator for the Divine and is synonymous as the bearer of good tidings, the angel of mercy, and the comforter and helper of men, whereas the Archangel Michael is known as the angel of judgement. In the Scriptures of the Bible, there are four memorable appearances of Gabriel recorded. In Daniel VIII, Gabriel appears to Daniel, in the guise of a man, and interprets a vision that Daniel has had of a horned ram. In Daniel IX (21-27), after Daniel prays for the turmoil in Israel, the angel Gabriel again appears to him and foretells the coming of Christ and the destruction of Jerusalem. In Luke I (11-20), Gabriel appears to the priest Zacharias and predicts that his wife, Elisabeth, is to bear a son who would be known as St. John the Baptist. The final and most noteworthy appearance of Gabriel is recorded in Luke I (26-38), when he appears to the Blessed Virgin Mary with the tidings that she is to be the Mother of Christ. In legends of birth, Gabriel has been credited as the angel who selects souls from heaven to be born into the material world. During the gestation period, he informs the yet to be born of what he/she will need to know on Earth. In other words, the aspects of his/her life mission. According to the mythology, the child is then silenced by Gabriel by the pressing of his finger onto the child's upper lip, thus producing the cleft. Gabriel, the Archangel, the bearer of good tidings, the angel of incarnation and mercy, and the comforter and helper of men -- his symbols are the lily, trumpet, shield and spear. Close Window