Gabriel
According to
Judaism,
Christianity and
Islam,
Gabriel is an
angel (or
archangel). He appears first in the
prophesies of
Daniel in the
Old Testament. The angel announced to Daniel the prophecy of the seventy weeks. His name also occurs in the
apocryphal book of Enoch. In the
Gospel of Luke, Gabriel visits
Zacharias and
Mary, the mother of Jesus, to announce the imminent birth of their children, one of which would be
Jesus. Gabriel plays a prominent role in the
book of Revelation. According to
Islam, Gabriel is the angel who visited
Mohammed and gave him the
Qur'an. (see
Jabril)
In Roman Catholic belief he is named a Saint. He is the patron saint of communications workers. His feast day is September 29th.
The name Gabriel means "man of God", "God has shown himself mighty", or "Hero of God."