In the Abrahamic religions (Judaism, Christianity, Islam and the Baháʼí Faith), Gabriel (/ˈɡeɪbriəl/ GAY-bree-uhl)[N 2] is an archangel with the power to announce God's will to mankind.

Many Christian traditions – including Eastern Orthodoxy, Catholicism, Lutheranism, and Anglicanism – revere Gabriel as a saint.

Exposure to Zoroastrianism, with its intricate angelology and the concept of a cosmic struggle between good and evil, likely influenced this evolution.

The striking similarities between "holy immortal" (Amesha Spentas) Vohu Manah (or "good mind") and Gabriel's role as a messenger suggest a potential connection.

This exposure to Zoroastrian angelology during the exile period may have played a part in shaping Gabriel's prominent role as a divine messenger in Judaism.

[14] Shimon ben Lakish (Syria Palaestina, 3rd century) concluded that the angelic names of Michael, Raphael, and Gabriel came out of the Babylonian exile (Gen. Rab.

17 And he shall go before him in the spirit and power of Elias, to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children, and the disobedient to the wisdom of the just; to make ready a people prepared for the Lord.

36 And, behold, thy cousin Elisabeth, she hath also conceived a son in her old age: and this is the sixth month with her, who was called barren.

In 1 Enoch 9:1–3, Gabriel, along with Michael, Uriel, and Suriel, "saw much blood being shed upon the earth" (9:1) and heard the souls of men cry, "Bring our cause before the Most High" (9:3).

According to one ancient Gnostic manuscript, the Holy Book of the Great Invisible Spirit, Gabriel is a divine being and inhabitant of the Pleroma who existed prior to the Demiurge.

[27] The feast of Saint Gabriel was included by Pope Benedict XV in the General Roman Calendar in 1921, for celebration on 24 March.

[5] Additionally, Gabriel is the patron saint of messengers, those who work for broadcasting and telecommunications such as radio and television, postal workers, clerics, diplomats, and stamp collectors.

Different passages state different things: the angels of the Son of Man (Matthew 24:31); the voice of the Son of God (John 5:25–29); God's trumpet (I Thessalonians 4:16); seven angels sounding a series of blasts (Revelation 8–11); or simply "a trumpet will sound" (I Corinthians 15:52).

[38] The earliest known identification of Gabriel as a trumpeter comes from the Hymn of the Armenian Saint Nerses Shnorhali, "for Protection in the Night":[39] The sound of Gabriel's trumpet on the last night, make us worthy to hear, and to stand on your right hand among the sheep with lanterns of inextinguishable light; to be like the five wise virgins, so that with the bridegroom in the bride chamber we, his spiritual brides may enter into glory.In 1455, in Armenian art, there is an illustration in an Armenian manuscript showing Gabriel sounding his trumpet as the dead climb out of their graves.

[40] The image of Gabriel's trumpet blast to announce the end of time was taken up in Evangelical Christianity, where it became widespread, notably in Negro spirituals.

[41] An earlier example occurs in John Milton's Paradise Lost (1667):[37][42] Betwixt these rockie pillars Gabriel sat Chief of the Angelic guards (IV.545f) ...

He ended, and the Son gave signal high To the bright minister that watch'd, he blew His trumpet, heard in Oreb since perhaps When God descended, and perhaps once more To sound at general doom.

[37] In the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints theology, Gabriel is believed to have lived a mortal life as the prophet Noah.

[8] Tafsir (Exegetical Quranic literature) narrates that Muhammad saw the archangel Gabriel in his full angelic splendor only twice, the first time being when he received his first revelation.

[53] Muslims believe that Gabriel was mainly tasked with transmitting the scriptures from God to the prophets and messengers, as Asbab al-Nuzul or revelation[54] when Muhammad was questioned which angel is revealing the holy scriptures revelation, and Muhammad told the Jews it is revealed by Gabriel who is tasked to it.

[8] Gabriel is also believed to have delivered punishment from God to the Sodomites by leveling the entire city of Sodom with a tip of his wing.

[59] According to a Hadith narrated by Abu Dharr al-Ghifari, which is compiled by al-Hakim al-Tirmidhi, Gabriel has the ability to regulate feeling or perception in humans, particularly happiness or sadness.

[61][62] Gabriel is also believed to have helped Muhammad overcome his adversaries during the Battle of Badr, where according to scholars and clerics of Islam, the various hadiths, both authentics and inauthentics, has mentioned that Gabriel,[63] Michael, Raphael,[64][N 3][N 4] and thousands of best angels from third level of heaven, all came to the battle of Badr by impersonating the appearance of Zubayr ibn al-Awwam, a Companions of the Prophet and bodyguard of the prophet.

[70][71][N 6] Meanwhile, Safiur Rahman Mubarakpuri has recorded in his historiography works of Quran and Hadith revelation in Prophetic biography, that Sa'd ibn Abi Waqqas testified he saw two unidentified warriors clad in white had protected Muhammad during the Battle of Uhud, that later being confirmed by Muhammad those two unidentified warriors were Jibril and Mikail in disguise.

[45][76] Though alternate theories exist, whether the occurrence of the Holy Spirit in the Quran refers to Gabriel or not, remains an issue of scholarly debate.

[80] Amelia R. Brown draws comparisons in Byzantine iconography between portrayals of angels and the conventions used to depict court eunuchs.

George R. Goldner, chairman of the department of prints and drawings at New York's Metropolitan Museum of Art, suggested that the sketch was for a stained glass window.

The medallion depicts St. Gabriel sounding a trumpet, while the obverse displays the Army Public Affairs emblem.