Archangel Gabriel is revered and mentioned in all three major religions - Judaism, Islam and Christianity. His name means "Strength, the Fortress of God" and "Helper of God." It itself says that this Highest Angel is close to God, for which he is especially revered by believers. In the heavenly hierarchy, Gabriel is a seraphim. By offering prayer to him, you receive support from one of the strongest protectors in heaven.
Character origin story
In Judaism there are four archangels, they stand at each of the four sides of the divine throne and guard the four ends of the world. Prayers are offered to the archangels “for the coming sleep” and they are mentioned together. Gabriel is one of these four. Together with Michael, Gabriel protects Jews from oppression and persecution, and also prays before the throne of God for the liberation of people from captivity and the well-being of all mankind.
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Icon of the Archangel Gabriel
In addition, Gabriel in Judaism serves as the angel of death. The hero appears to the dying righteous, carrying a perfectly straight knife in his hands. With the help of this knife, Gabriel takes the soul. Heaven sends another angel for the souls of sinners - Samael, and he comes with a jagged knife. Both of these processes are compared to "shechita" - the ritual killing of birds and mammals for food. Only in the case of Samael this shechita is not kosher.
In Judaism, Gabriel is also considered the slayer of the monstrous Leviathan, a huge sea monster. In Christian mythology, the Archangel Gabriel conveys the secret knowledge of God to people. The Prophet Daniel, a character in the Old Testament, through Gabriel, becomes familiar with the secrets of the future and informs people that in “seventy weeks” the Messiah will appear on Earth.
The image and legends of the Archangel Gabriel
According to the story told in the Bible, the righteous Zechariah, who became the father of John the Baptist, the Archangel Gabriel appeared in the temple to announce the birth of his son. This is stated in the New Testament Gospel of Luke. The future father did not believe the angel, and for this Gabriel strikes Zechariah with muteness.
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Image of Archangel Gabriel
Zechariah's wife Elizabeth was a relative of the Virgin Mary. When Elizabeth was already six months pregnant, God sent Gabriel to Nazareth to inform the Virgin Mary about the upcoming birth of Jesus Christ. At the end of Mary's life, the Archangel Gabriel appeared to her again to inform her of her approaching death.
The attributes of Gabriel in Christianity are a lily or a branch of paradise. The archangel is depicted with her in scenes of the Annunciation and on icons. Gabriel is also depicted with a spherical mirror in his hands or with a lamp. In Orthodoxy, Gabriel is considered "the servant of our Lord." The Orthodox version of the “biography” of the archangel can be found in the collection of lives.
In Islam, as in Judaism, there are four angels close to Allah, and one of them is Jibril. This angel plays the role of a mediator between Allah and the prophet Muhammad, as well as other prophets. Jibril patronizes Muhammad and protects the prophet from unbelievers. The Quran, the holy book of Islam, was revealed by Allah to Muhammad through Jibril.
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The role that Jibril played in the life of the Prophet Muhammad is described in detail in the Sunnah - the Muslim sacred tradition. For twenty-three years in a row, the angel conveyed the Koran to the prophet in parts, and also instructed and protected Muhammad. When the prophet made a night journey to Jerusalem, Jibril accompanied him. The angel acted on the side of Muhammad in the war with the pagans of Mecca and in theological discussions. Jibril is also associated with the prophet Isa and his mother Maryam.
Legends attribute enormous growth to the angel: Jibril's feet stand on the ground, while his head rises into the clouds. The angel was sent by Allah to fetch the earth from which he created Adam, and after man was expelled from paradise, Jibril began to take care of him. This angel is strongly connected with people - Jibril saves some characters of Muslim mythology, helps others, teaches others languages or the art of making chain mail.
Days of Honor
Like all saints, Archangel Gabriel has his own days of remembrance and worship. Each is associated with one of the events that occurred in the depths of centuries.
April 8
This is the day of the Council of the Archangel Gabriel. This event comes directly after the day of the Annunciation of the Virgin Mary. The tradition was started in Israel. The celebration was prescribed in the canons and regulations, and was accompanied by church chants.
26 July
This day is celebrated as the re-celebration of the Council.
There are versions that the holiday appeared when Gabriel himself consecrated the cathedral in the capital of Byzantium in the 17th century.
November 21
This is a special holiday on which all the messengers of the Lord are glorified. Also on this day all people who bear the name Gabriel are congratulated.
Archangel Gabriel in culture
The image of the Archangel Gabriel has been present in visual art since ancient times - on frescoes, stained glass windows and reliefs of temples. A statue depicting Gabriel was in Westminster Abbey (now in the Royal Museum of Architecture in London). The famous image of Gabriel is represented in the Annunciation scene in the painting of the same name by Leonardo da Vinci, where a kneeling angel extends his hand in a blessing gesture to the Virgin Mary. The painting is kept in the Uffizi Gallery in Florence.
The image of the character is present on the 12th century Novgorod icon “Golden Haired Angel”, which is kept in the State Russian Museum in St. Petersburg. This icon is of great importance as the oldest in the museum’s collection. The stripes of gold that are laid here along the angel's hair symbolize the divine principle.
Prayer
Prayer to the Archangel Gabriel
O, holy Archangel of God Gabriel, ever standing before the Throne of the Most High, joyful bearer of the gospel and zealous promoter of our salvation! With the mercy characteristic of you, accept this song of praise brought to you from us unworthy. Correct our prayers, and bring them, like incense, to the Heavenly Altar of incense; illumine our minds with the light of knowledge of the mysteries of our saving faith; inflame our hearts with love for Christ our Savior, turn and strengthen our desires to the saving path of His Gospel commandments; May we live quietly and piously in this time for the glory of God, and in the future may we not lose the eternal Kingdom of God, even if we receive it, and may we be made worthy of the grace of Christ our God, through the intercession of His Most Pure Mother Tere, Most Immaculate Virgin Mary and your many powerful prayers to the Lord God for us, and yes Let us glorify with you and the other incorporeal powers of heaven and all the saints the One in the Trinity, glorifying God, the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit forever and ever. Amen.
Second prayer to Archangel Gabriel
Oh, holy Archangel Gabriel! We earnestly pray to you, guide us, servant of God (names), to repentance from evil deeds and to confirmation in our faith, strengthen and protect our souls from seductive temptations and implore our Creator for the remission of sins on Shih. Oh, holy great Gabriel the Archangel! Do not despise us, sinners, who pray to you for your help and intercession, in this time and in the future, but the Helper has always appeared to us, so that we may continually glorify the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, the power and your representation in eki centuries. Amen. Third prayer to Archangel Gabriel Great Holy Archangel Gabriel! Stand before the Throne of God, illuminated by the illumination of the Divine Light, and enlightened by the knowledge of the incomprehensible mysteries of His eternal wisdom! I earnestly pray to you, guide me to repentance from evil deeds and to confirmation in my faith, strengthen and protect my soul from seductive temptations, and beg our Creator for the remission of my sins. O, holy great Gabriel the Archangel! Do not despise me, a sinner, who prays to you for your help and intercession in this world and in the future, but the helper has always appeared to me, so that I may continually glorify the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, the power and your presence ministry forever and ever. Amen.
Archangel Gabriel in films
Gabriel's first appearance in a movie occurred in 1976. In the Italian film The Second Tragic Fantozzi, the archangel appears to the delirious protagonist. In the mystical thriller "Prophecy" the Archangel Gabriel is the main character. The role is played by actor Christopher Walken. There is a war going on in the world of angels, and Gabriel leads one of the sides. The soul that God endowed people with became an object of envy for the rebellious archangel. Gabriel hates people and dreams of destroying the human race.
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Archangel Gabriel and the Virgin Mary
In the 2004 film Van Helsing, God sends Gabriel into the human world to deal with Count Dracula, the first vampire on Earth. Along the way, the hero loses his memory and begins to consider himself a man - Van Helsing, a hunter of the undead. Among the hero's memories, only a few vague fragments remain, depicting battles from ancient times.
For example, Gabriel remembers an episode of a certain battle in which the ancient Romans took part. Because of all this, others have questions about the true age and nature of the hero. Later, Dracula tells his eternal enemy about his past. The role of Gabriel/Van Helsing is played by actor Hugh Jackman.
In 2005, the mystical thriller “Constantine: Lord of Darkness” was released, directed by Francis Lawrence based on the comic book series “Messenger of Hell”. Gabriel is played here by actress Tilda Swinton, and the hero himself is not an archangel, but a half-breed, the result of a love affair between a man and an angel. The character conspires with another half-breed - the son of Lucifer - to turn the Earth into Hell.
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The point is that, from this Gabriel's point of view, people are not worth the love that God gives them. The hero believes that only Hell is capable of cleansing people from filth and making them worthy of divine love. In order for the desired Hell to come to the planet, the half-breed angel is trying to contribute to the birth of the Antichrist.
In 2007, the Australian mystical action film “Angel of Light” was released, where the Archangel Gabriel became the main character. The role of the divine messenger here was played by actor Andy Whitfield. The setting of this film is Purgatory, for which the forces of Hell and Heaven have long fought. Hell won in the end. Gabriel, the last of the bright angels surviving in this struggle, goes to Purgatory to find out what happened there and restore the shaky balance.
Archangel Gabriel also appears in the popular TV series Supernatural, where the character is portrayed as a trickster - a kind of mythological "prankster" and prankster who fools the Winchesters and opposes his own angelic brothers on the side of the people.
The role of Gabriel in Supernatural is played by Richard Speight. The character appears in only four episodes. This Gabriel is cheerful and loves to fool others, has a light character and a good sense of humor, and also does not want the Apocalypse to happen on Earth.
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Archangel Michael and Archangel Gabriel
In the fifth season, Gabriel is killed, but the writers left a loophole in the plot so that if necessary, the hero could be returned. This loophole was taken advantage of in season 13, when it turned out that Gabriel was still alive, but Asmodeus was keeping him in prison.
In 2010, the fantasy action movie Legion was released - again the Archangel Michael is trying to protect humanity, while Gabriel wants to destroy people. However, this time the order to get rid of people by “launching” the Apocalypse comes directly from God, who is tired of looking at “all this crap.” Therefore, Michael is considered a rebellious angel, who resisted this order. Michael here protects the child, who is supposed to become the savior of the world, and enters into a fight with Gabriel.
In 2014, a film with a similar plot, “Love Through Time,” was released, where the role of the angel Gabriel was played by actor Finn Wittrock. Gabriel is introduced here as a mortal who was an angel before, and is a minor character. At the instigation of a certain villain, this Gabriel quietly poisons the girl during the ball.
In the TV series Dominion, which aired in 2014–2015, the role of the Archangel Gabriel was played by actor Carl Beukes. Here Gabriel is a negative character who dreams of destroying humanity and at the same time dealing with his colleague Archangel Michael, played by English actor Tom Wisdom.
Gabriel took up arms against humanity after God disappeared into God knows where. The Archangel believes that people are to blame. To destroy the human race, he gathered an army of lower angels, whom he lured to his own side, convincing him that people were the source of evil. The war has been going on for a quarter of a century, and people live locked in fortified cities. In the former Las Vegas lives Michael, who confronts Gabriel and awaits the new appearance of the Savior.
