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The name ''Gabriel'' comes from the Hebrew meaning "Man of God." It has alternately been translated "God is mighty" or "the strength/power of God." The [[Prologue from Ohrid]] explains his name this way: "Man-God. The [[Church Fathers|Holy Fathers]], in speaking about the [[Annunciation]], interpret that an archangel with such a name was sent to signify who and what He would be like, who must be born of the All-Pure One. Therefore, He will be Man-God, mighty and powerful God."
Gabriel and [[Archangel Michael|Michael]] are the archangels who figure most prominently in the [[Bible]], though it could be argued that Gabriel's role is the better developed. In the [[Old Testament]], he is only mentioned by name in two visions of the [[Prophet Daniel]] (see [[Book of Daniel|Daniel]] 8 and 9). Here he explains to Daniel the future of Israel. [[Holy Tradition]] also credits Gabriel with inspiring the [[Prophet]] [[Moses]] to write either [[Genesis]] or the entire [[Pentateuch]]. Later Jewish Rabbinical literature states that he was the [[angel]] who taught Joseph the 70 languages needed to rule in Egypt, but this is not in the Genesis account.
The reason why Gabriel is most celebrated, though, is his role in the [[Annunciation]] and other events in [[New Testament]] times attributed to him by Tradition (although his name may not be mentioned explicitly in the text). Starting in [[Gospel of Luke|Luke]] 1, Gabriel first appears to [[Zachariah]], the father of [[John the Forerunner|John the Baptist]]. Zachariah initially refuses to believe that his barren wife, Elizabeth, and he will have a child in their old age. This is the moment in which Gabriel says, "I am Gabriel. I stand before God, and I have been sent to speak to you and to tell you this this good news" (Luke 1:19){{ref|1}}. He then strikes Zachariah mute until the birth of his son because of his disbelief.
[[Image:Gabrielhtm.jpg|left|thumb|Gabriel the Archangel]]
==Gabriel in [[Iconography]]==