One of the key figures in the Nativity story is the Archangel Gabriel. He is mentioned by name twice in the New Testament: once when he visits Zechariah to announce the coming birth of John; and again when he appears before Mary to announce the coming birth of Jesus. The latter event is known in Christian tradition as the Annunciation, made famous by many Renaissance artists, and commemorated in the names Annunciata, Anunciación, Anunciado, Annunziata, Annunziato, Nunzia, Nunzio and Nunziatina.
Although Gabriel is only mentioned by name twice, some believe that he is also the angel that appeared to the shepherds, and visited Joseph in a dream. He is mentioned in the Old Testament as the angel who visited Daniel and therefore features in Judaism. He also appears in Islam as the messenger who dictated the words of the Qur'an to the prophet Mohammed.
The name Gabriel (Gavri'el) comes from the Hebrew גָּ֫בֶר (geber) "valiant man, warrior" and אל (el) "God." It is often listed as meaning "(strong) man of God" although some believe that his name refers to his appearing in a human-like form. The name has been rendered into many forms in different languages: Gábor (Hungarian), Gabriele (Italian), Gabriels (Latvian), Gabrijel (Croatian), Gavrail (Bulgarian), Gavrel (Yiddish), Gavriil (Russian), Havryil, Havrylo (Ukranian), Jabril, Jibril (Arabic), Kaapo (Finnish).
Its feminine forms include Gabrielle, Gabriella, Gabriela, Gabrijela and Gavriila.
Many Jewish and Christian writers refer to Gabriel as an archangel -- the highest order of angels -- although it isn't explicitly mentioned in the bible. The number of archangels differs according to tradition but many sources list Michael, Gabriel and Raphael, all notably containing the element el "God."
