The Lives of the Saints through 100 Masterpieces

Gabriel

The Lives of the Saints 104 Gabriel September 29 As an immortal being, an archangel such as Gabriel is not, properly speaking, a saint in the earthly sense of the term. However, once called a saint, he can be invoked as an intercessor, which explains how he was assimilated into the ranks of the canonized in the early years of Christianity. For a spirit, this being seems to have had a most eventful life on earth. We see him explaining to the prophet Daniel the apocalyptic vision he had just experienced, and then announcing to him the advent of the Messiah in terms still obscure. He became particularly active at the time of the coming of Christ. First, he appeared to the venerable Zachariah, informing him that he would have a son and that he should name him John. When the old man doubted the miracle, the angel made him lose his speech until the birth of John, who would later be called “the Baptist.” It was after this appearance that the Annunciation to the Virgin Mary occurred, by far the episode most frequently represented in art. After the birth of Christ, Gabriel announced the news to the shepherds, alerted the three kings that they should not return to see King Herod, and then warned Joseph that the Holy Family must flee to Egypt. The gender of angels remains an elusive matter; several depictions of Gabriel suggest feminine traits. On the other hand, he becomes resolutely male for his last apparition on earth; it is said that it was he who, in a cave on Mount Hira, dictated visions to Mohammed that were recorded in the Koran. Roger van der Weyden (1400–1464) The Annunciation by the Archangel Gabriel Musée du Louvre, Paris ...