Expert: Jason Harris - 9/19/2009

Question
Hello Jason,

I have several questions to ask you, especially wanting the Lutheran perspective on the angel Gabriel. Who was Gabriel? What did he look like, there are so many variations of him, I was wanting to know which variation was true. What messages did he deliver and who all in the bible did he come to? Is he considered the "angel of birth", why is he called that? It has been said that Gabriel is the Holy Spirit, is that true? And was Gabriel really female or male; was he both human and angel? Has he ever lived on earth? How old is Gabriel and is he an archangel or just an angel? A lot of questions and I would be so happy if you could give me some insight into who he was and where he came from, thanks!

Answer
Lillie,

The Angel Gabriel pops up quite regularly in many imaginative stories within church tradition, folklore, and medieval poetry. However, the Bible itself only mentions Gabriel by name in two sections: Daniel 8-9 and Luke 1.

He is the angel who announced the birth of John the Baptist to Zechariah and the Birth of Christ to Mary. That is probably why people would call him the "angel of birth." He also spoke to Daniel, making the total recorded appearances only 3.

The name literally means "man of God" or "warrior of God". But, letting scripture interpret scripture, we look at the Luke account and know he is an angel, not a human being. Angels are not human, and thus neither male nor female, but generally in scripture take a male human form. Scripture does not say if he was an "archangel" but, within church tradition, he is sometimes referred to as such. I'm honestly not sure what the distinction is. The focus in scripture is always on the Word of God rather than the prophet; the message not the messenger. God even spoke through a Donkey, making Balaam's ass fulfill the same role as Gabriel or Moses or John.

As far as the Lutheran perspective is concerned, the only mention of Gabriel in the confessions is in passing in the Smalcald Articles (Written by Martin Luther in the mid 1500's):

"Neither was John the Baptist conceived without the preceding word of Gabriel, nor did he leap in his mother’s womb without the voice of Mary. And Peter says, 2 Pet. 1, 21: The prophecy came not by the will of man; but holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost. Without the outward Word, however, they were not holy, much less would the Holy Ghost have moved them to speak when they still were unholy [or profane]; for they were holy, says he, since the Holy Ghost spake through them."

This section emphasizes that Gabriel is not the Holy Spirit, but that the Holy Spirit spoke through him in the same way He speaks through the writers of Scripture. It is about the word of God coming into his creation, via means, giving life and salvation.

We don't know what Gabriel looks like or what other activities he has been involved in. The Bible actually only gives a tiny bit of information on which is built a rich folk history and human tradition. (For example, Milton's Paradise Lost and Dante's Inferno have extensive descriptions about the ranks and levels of angels and their deeds.) These stories are interesting but fictional.

Pastor Harris