GABRIEL. - Archangel who announced the mystery of the Incarnation. The name means "man of God" or "man in whom God confides." He is named 4 times in Sacred Scripture. To Daniel he explains the vision (8:16) and announces the time of the coming of the Messiah (9:21). In the New Testament, appearing to Zechariah at the right of the altar of incense, he announces the birth of his son (Lk. 1:11 ff.) and punishes the unbelieving father, and on this occasion reveals his dignity: "I am Gabriel, who stand in the presence of God" (Lk. 1:19); with this phrase he declares that he is one of the greater angels. Above all he is venerated for the announcement of the Incarnation delivered to Mary (Lk. 1:26-38).
Everywhere (10 times) he is called simply "angel"; afterward he is honored with the name of "archangel" (v.). Thus already in some codices of the Protoevangelium of James (12, 2: ed. C. Tischendorf, Evangelia apocrypha, Leipzig 1876, p. 24; ed. E. Amann, Le protévangile de Jacques, Paris 1910, p. 228) and in the Sibylline books (8, 460; ed. J. Gaffcken, Oracula Sybilina, Leipzig 1905, 171). In both texts of the Epistola Apostolorum (3, 10, 24, 6, 5: ed. C. Schmidt [Texte u. Unters., 43], Leipzig 1919, pp. 46-49: PO, 9, 197) four archangels appear: Michael, Gabriel, Raphael, Uriel. Then he is often honored with this title (first given to Michael alone: Jude 9), as the Apocalypse of Paul attests (C. Tischendorf, Apocalypse apocryphae, Leipzig 1866, p. 62), Ephrem (Sermo adv. Haereticus, in Opera graeca, II, 269), Pseudo-Chrysostom (In Synaxim Angelorum: PG 59, 755 ff.), Theodoret (In Cant. Cant., Praef.: PG 81, 45 C), Ambrose (De virginibus, 2, 2, 8: PL 16, 221), Pseudo-Ambrose (Sermo 50, 6: PL 17, 707-737), Sedulius (Opus Paschale, 2, 3: PL 19, 596; CSEL, 10, 199, 6).
In the apocryphal History of Joseph (12-29: ed. C. Tischendorf, Evangelia apocr., pp. 126-37) Christ himself, when St. Joseph is at the point of death, prays the Father to send Michael and Gabriel, that they may come to receive the holy soul that is about to depart. In our liturgical text, moreover, which depends on this apocryphon, only Michael is besought that he "suscipiat eum" (Ordo commendationis animae, in the Rituale Romanum, 3, 7).
The iconography of Gabriel is very rich, owing to the countless images of the Annunciation (v.) (which in the Greek Churches are prescribed in every temple). - See plate CXXIII.
