Discourse on the Arch-Angel Gabriel

In the past month I brought you Coptic tales of Michael and Raphael, now here is one on Gabriel! This particular text is LONG! This text comes to us from via Miscellaneous Coptic texts in the dialect of Upper Egypt by E. A. Wallis Budge. This text is complete except it’s ending. Like the other texts, I have “modernized” some words to make it a bit easier to read. Without further ado….

DISCOURSE ON THE ARCHANGEL GABRIEL BY CELESTINUS, ARCHBISHOP OF ROME

The discourse which the glorious Patriarch, who became a habitation for the Holy Spirit, Apa Celestinus, the Archbishop of the great city of Rome, pronounced on the great honor of the messenger of good tidings of the words of light, the Archangel Gabriel, on the day of his holy festival, which is the twentieth day of the month Khoiak. And he spoke also concerning the deeds of power and the marvelous things that took place in his holy shrine which had been built in his honor in the city of Rome. And he spoke also about the words which are written in the law, ‘Whatsoever thing thou wouldst not wish to be done unto thee, that do not unto anyone.’ And he spoke also concerning the words, the greatest sin of all is lying testimony, especially the confirmation of the lie by means of false swearing. And he spoke also concerning the words, prayer help a man, and deliver him from the snares of Satan. In the peace of God! Bless us. Amen. Amen.

Thanks be unto God! Now His grace has acted as a protector to us, and He has prepared us by His invisible hand, and has brought us into the circle of this year of our lives, and has brought us together in the shrine of the announcer of glad tidings of the worlds of light, the holy Archangel Gabriel. For this reason I will take (i. e. borrow) the voice of the holy hymn-writer David, the collector of the words that are sweet, and the righteous king, and I will say with my poor tongue, ‘This is the day which the Lord has made; let us gather ourselves together and rejoice and be glad in it.” And to Judah he said, ‘Celebrate thy feast, and give the things which thou hast vowed.’ Therefore blessed be God, for He has made us worthy, and gathered us together in the shrine of His holy steward and messenger of glad tidings of the worlds of light, the holy Archangel Gabriel. Let us assemble then in purity of heart and purity of body, and let us celebrate the festival of him whose festival both God and His angels keep. Let us cast out from us every blemish and all hypocrisy, and let us celebrate the festival of the Archangel Michael, and let us cry out and say with the sacred Psalmist David, ‘Bless the Lord, O all ye His angels, ye mighty ones of power, who perform their words.’ Verily, O holy Archangel Gabriel, great is the glory which God has given unto thee over all the spiritual and angel hosts that are in the heights of heaven, O thou archangel who was called by this name of ‘Gabriel’ by God from the beginning, and who does continue to serve the offspring of God that is to say, the Word. Now the interpretation of the name of Gabriel is ‘God and man’ according to the type of our Lord, Who came in humility, and Who put on the flesh for our sakes. He was God and man, and His Godhood was not separated from His manhood, not even for the twinkling of an eye, God forbid! But He was God and man, completely and at the same time, in the womb of His mother. She brought Him forth: He was God and man. They crucified Him: He was God and man. He became the very same flesh as man, in Godhood in the same nature, indivisible, immutable, inseparable each from the other.

Come now, O Nestorius, thou truly godless man, thou mouthless person, who deserves to be buried, fill thyself full of shame, and hold thyself to be covered with disgrace! Come now, and look at the King Christ. He is One. He is God and man. Kings and their armies come and bow down to Him in worship, and the whole world partake of His Body and of His Blood. They cry out in the voice of that blessed man, saying, ‘Remember Thou me, O Lord, when Thou shalt come into Thy kingdom.’ And thou, O profane man, did languish in thy misery, and did die in exile because of thy blasphemy, and because of thy tongue which was full of poison.

Now we had well nigh gone and forgotten thy honor and thy glory, O thou great Archangel Gabriel. But show unto us consideration, for I am exceedingly helpless in my actions, and my feeble tongue is unable to describe the glory which God hath given unto thee, O Gabriel, thou archangel of joy. What tongue of flesh and what human mouth is there that can describe thy honor, O thou holy priest of the Great King? Let my withered face rejoice, O Gabriel, thou messenger of glad tidings of the angel hosts, O thou true ministrant, who does minister to the offspring of his Lord, O thou orator of the truth, thou herald of the kingdom which is in the heavens! I wish to see thee, O holy Archangel Gabriel, who didst hold converse with the Virgin; O thou traveler for the journey from heaven of God, the Almighty One of mankind, I desire to see thee. O thou who did hold converse with the Queen of Women, I wish to see thy face resplendent with joy. Thou did hold converse with the choicest woman in heaven and in earth, thou didst say unto her, ‘Hail, O thou who hast found favor! The Lord is with thee.’ O thou Commander-in-Chief of the King of kings, my feeble tongue is incapable of describing thy glory! I will, however, say, ‘Blessed be God, the Merciful, who did say with His mouth of God (i. e. divine mouth), “In the place where two or three are in My Name, there am I in their midst.’ If God is with two or three, then who shall be able to estimate this day His joy, and that of His Good Father, and that of the Holy Spirit, when they see this great multitude of listeners who are gathered together to glorify His great and holy Archangel Gabriel, the archangel of joy? Let us then drive away from us all violence, and all backbiting, and all blasphemy, and all hatred, and all lying, and every evil deed, for those who do them fall under a curse. For every man who uttered a lie is like unto the Devil, who never stood in the truth. Has thou never heard what is written, ‘The Lord shall destroy every one who uttered a lie?’ and also, ‘Every one who uttered a lie is not of the truth, but is of Satan.’ Therefore, he who uttered a lie, or taken a false oath about the possessions of this world, which he must depart and leave, is like unto Judas the Iscariot, who betrayed his Lord for the sake of money. Has thou not heard what is written, ‘Cursed is the man who shall utter the Name of the Lord over a matter which is vain?’

Now I wish to speak to you for the benefit of your souls, but it is our God of the Archangel Gabriel, whose feast we are celebrating this day, Who urged me on. For all the angels whom God sent under the Old Covenant ministered unto men who died; but it was thou thyself, O holy archangel, whom the Father sent under the New Covenant unto Mary, the holy Virgin, to announce to her the birth, according to the flesh, of His Only-begotten Son. O thou Archangel Gabriel, to whom honor is meet, O thou wise herald, O thou a holy innocent, whose wings are laden with sweet odor, O thou master of the house who art ready, and who prepared a house for Him that laid the foundation of all the world! God looked through all creation, and He found among the whole race of women none who could be compared with Mary, and He was pleased to dwell in her under a dispensation, until He had redeemed our race. God looked through all the hosts of angels in heaven, and He found no one who could be compared with thee in the dispensation of thy holy name O Gabriel. For this reason He sent thee to His Mother, the Virgin, to give her glad tidings, and a being incorporeal was sent unto the holy and believing woman. He sent the messenger of the glad tidings of life to the Queen of the race of women. And Gabriel was sent, and upon him rested the cloud of life, wherein was the life of every man, and it was his duty to make it to dwell for nine months in the womb of her who was the choicest woman of heaven and earth. And when the arch angel appeared unto her, he said unto her, ‘Hail, O thou who hast found favor! The Lord is with thee. Behold, thou shalt conceive, and thou shalt bring forth a Son, and thou shalt call His Name Jesus.’ And immediately he had said these words to her, she conceived through the hearing of her ears, and through the salutation of the Archangel Gabriel, and the Son of God went down into her womb, she being unconscious of it.

I beseech thee, O holy Archangel Gabriel, thou messenger of the good tidings of life, when thou come into our midst this day, wherein this great festival is celebrated everywhere, bless thou this great multitude which is gathered together in thy Holy Name. For, behold, thy Lord, and the Lord of us all, is with us this day, together with all His holy angels, and His Mother, the Virgin, and they celebrate the festival in thine honor. And all the incorporeal angel hosts rejoice with thee on the day of the revelation of thy holy name. O Gabriel, thou consolation of the angel hosts, thou object of boasting of the ranks of angels who are in the heavens, great is the honor which God hath given unto thee in heaven and on earth. In heaven thou art called ‘messenger of glad tidings of the worlds of light’, and on earth thou art called ‘angel of joy’, because of the great and marvelous services which have been entrusted unto thee, O Gabriel, thou truly faithful ministrant. For when persecution rose up against Daniel the Prophet, and they cast him down into a pit of lions, and he was in sore affliction through hunger and thirst, the holy Archangel Gabriel had pity upon him, by the command of his Lord. And he seized Habakkuk by the hair of the head — now he had the dinner in his hand — and by the fervor of the Spirit he transported him from Judea to Babylon, a distance of forty caravan stages, and took him straightway into the den of the lions, and gave the dinner to Daniel. And Daniel ate, and blessed God, saying, ‘Thou hast I remembered me, O Lord, O Thou Who forsake not & those who love Thee.’

And it was also Gabriel who shut the mouths of the lions, so that during the seven days in which he (Daniel) was at the bottom of the pit of the lions they attacked him not. And it was the Archangel Gabriel who appeared unto Daniel, and taught him the meaning of the vision, even as it is written, ‘Gabriel, make me to understand the vision’; and, ‘Behold, the man Gabriel came to me, and gave me strength according to the former measure’. It was the Archangel Gabriel who appeared unto Zacharias in the Temple, and announced to him the birth of John, and when he made himself unbelieving he caused dumbness to make its appearance in him. And it was Gabriel who appeared unto the shepherds, and proclaimed unto them the glad tidings, that is to say, the news of the birth of God the Word, of the truly spotless lamb, the God-bearer Mary.’ It was the Archangel Gabriel who brought out the Hebrews from captivity, and delivered the people in the land of their servitude. And he saved them in the desert, and wrought all these signs by the hand of Moses, the greatest of the Prophets. And Gabriel is the faithful messenger who is equipped for service in the midst of the angel host, and it is he who brought glad tidings among the angels. And Gabriel is the body-guard of God Almighty, and the steward of the kingdom which is in the heavens. O Gabriel, thou faithful messenger of glad tidings, who is there that can declare thy glory? What tongue of flesh belonging to the men who are on the earth can declare thy great glory, O thou Archangel Gabriel? Thou stands before God at all times, according to what thou thyself didst testify to Zacharias in the Temple, saying, ‘I am Gabriel who stand before God.’ And what human heart, even though it be that of the wisest man on earth, can make manifest unto us thy honor, O thou Archangel Gabriel, unto whom belong the face that radiated gladness and joy?

Moreover, there is no honor which is like unto thine, for thou stands before God at all times, and thou does make supplication unto Him on behalf of the whole race of Adam. And at the moment when all the orders of angels, and these Cherubim and Seraphim cast themselves down before God, and confess the glory, and honor, and power of God, the King of heaven and earth, and they cry out always, saying, ‘Holy art Thou, Holy art Thou, Holy art Thou, Lord of Hosts, the heavens and the earth are full of Thy glory,’ at that moment I say the great Commander-in-Chief, the messenger of the good tidings of life, Gabriel, and the great Commander-in-Chief Michael, the governor of the heavens, cast themselves down before God, Who is seated on His throne, saying, ‘O Lord God Almighty, have mercy on thy people. Show compassion on Thy likeness and image. Redeem the work of Thy hands. Accept not the accusation of the Enemy against them, for he hates Thy servants. Give strength unto the men whom Thou has created according to Thine image and likeness. Bless the work of their hands. Increase the fruits of their ground. Send unto them the dew and rain at all times. Make thou the waters of the river Nile to rise for them, according to Thy will. Forgive them their foolish wickedness. Make not a reckoning with them of their iniquities, for Thou well know that it is their ignorance of the wiles of the Devil which had led astray their hearts from Thee.’ And they neither cease from their prostration on their faces, nor from their invocations of Him by day and by night until He had forgiven His image and His likeness, and this His loving-kindness and compassion come upon them (i.e. men) through their supplication.

But, I beseech thee, O holy archangel, forgive me, for I have made bold to undertake a work of which I am unworthy, and which is beyond the measure of my ability, that is to say, to declare thy honor; nevertheless the excuse of my halting tongue shall not prevent me from singing a little song in thine honor. And He Who is in truth the Great King shall be able to pay unto thee honor according to thy merit. I will now turn back, and will declare unto you certain of the works of power and of the marvelous deeds of the great Archangel Gabriel, which took place in the holy martyrium wherein we are gathered together to the glory of God and of His great and holy Archangel Gabriel, whose festival we are celebrating this day.

There was a certain rich man in this city whose name was Philip, and this man was exceedingly rich in gold and silver, and in flocks and herds. And according to what was commonly reported about him, he possessed more than fifty denarii of gold, for he was a very great merchant, and he carried on business in many countries. And a very large number of men in his employ used to work in foreign countries, and they brought to him great quantities of merchandise from all lands. And the people used to shower upon him blessings innumerable because of the good works that he did. And this good man was naturally charitable, and he was very generous to the poor whom he loved, and he used frequently to give large gifts and alms to the poor and to the orphans, and besides these he gave large offerings to the shrine of the holy Archangel Gabriel. Now he lived hard by the shrine of the holy Archangel Gabriel, and there was a certain poor man who lived near him, whose name was Stephen, and he begged his bread day by day. And Philip, the rich man, in his goodness used to provide the poor man with everything which he needed, for the love of God, and as I have already said he lived near him. Now the poor man Stephen knew how to read and write well, and the rich man Philip was uneducated, and did not know how to read or write. And Philip often made the poor man conduct his correspondence for him with his customers, and with the men who did business under his directions, and he trusted him with all his confidential matters; and Stephen wrote letters about every matter which concerned Philip’s business. And very often the men who bought from the rich man and sold to him gave much money to the poor man secretly, to make him to keep the rich man ignorant of his various transactions in business, and to prevent him from knowing what moneys he should be receiving from them day by day. In this wise the poor man gradually became a rich man, but the riches which he had gathered together wrongfully were scattered abroad suddenly, even as I shall now make clear unto you, according to the words of the honey-sweet writer David, who said, ‘Trust not in wrongdoing, neither set thy heart to snatch at riches; if riches come unto thee, set not thy heart upon them.’

And when the poor man had, little by little, gained wealth, he found bread, and ate thereof. And on a certain day he went to the rich man, and said unto him, ‘I wish thee to do me a favor. Give unto me a little gold, for I want to become a merchant and, together with my sons, to traffic therewith, and when the time comes wherein thou shall ask for thy gold to be returned I will give it unto thee, together with thy share of the profit which I shall make, and I shall be under an obligation to thee.’ And the rich man said unto him, ‘Go, and prepare thy bond for me, setting out therein of what thou need, and I will give it unto thee.’ And the poor man sat down, and prepared the bond asking the rich man for seven hundred oboli, and he swore by God Almighty that, when the business was done, he would give unto the rich man one half of the profit which he should make on them. And the rich man took the bond, and gave the seven hundred oboli to the poor man, who went and traded with them for three years. And although he gained a very large sum of money thereby he made no attempt to give any of it to the rich man, either as capital or as interest. And when many days had passed, the rich man brought the poor man into his house to set his accounts in order for him. And when he had opened the chest wherein the bonds (or, contracts) and the ledgers were kept, he set Stephen to search for the documents of which he was in need. And when Stephen, the man of whom we are speaking, found his own bond he slipped it inside his undergarment (or, shirt), without the rich man, on account of his innocence and want of suspicion, knowing anything about it; and he came out of the house without the rich man knowing that he had it.

Thus day by day the poor man waxed rich little by little, but the riches which are gathered together by means of wrongdoing perish quickly and become scattered, even as I have already said. And when Stephen went into his own house he rent his bond and tore it up into little pieces, and he said in his heart, through his evil thoughts which Satan thrust into his mind, ‘Verily I shall never now pay this man any part of the seven hundred oboli which I owe him. And if he shall say unto me, “Give me the oboli,” I will say unto him, ‘I owe thee nothing. Produce my bond (or, contract) which thou must hold if I really owe thee money, and if thou can not do so I owe thee nothing. I have no need of gold for myself.” Then I will take them for myself and become rich thereby, and they will suffice me for a very long time. I will eat with them, and I will drink, and I will heal my soul.’ And he did not remember that which is written, saying, ‘Thou fool, thy soul shall be taken from thee. The things which thou hast prepared, whose shall they be?’

We are, however, delaying our narrative. Now when four years had passed, and the rich man saw that the poor man had paid him nothing either as regards principal or interest, he made haste and sent a message unto Stephen by his servants, summoning him to him. And when the poor man had come to him, he said unto him, ‘Give me the seven hundred oboli which thou owes me, for I am in need of them.’ And that godless man began to make a denial to the pious rich man, saying, ‘I have no money whatsoever of thine, and thou didst never give me any.’ And the rich man said unto him angrily, ‘O thou wicked man, behold, have I not in my hands the bond (or, contract) which thou didst make with me, for seven hundred oboli? Behold, it is five years since I gave them to thee. Not only hast thou not paid me any interest on them, but lo, thou now wishes to take possession altogether of that which belongs to another.’ And the poor man answered and said, ‘If the bond is in thy possession, produce it here so that I may see it, and then I will go and deliver unto thee my house and my children, and thou will be master of seven hundred oboli.’ And the rich man examined all the bonds and all the other documents in the chest, and when he could not find the bond he knew forthwith that it had been stolen and carried away. And he said unto the poor man, ‘I know of a certainty that it is thou who hast carried it away by theft. But if thou are bold enough in thy heart to say that I did not give thee seven hundred oboli, come and let us go to the shrine of the holy Archangel Gabriel which is in our quarter of the city, and if thou wilt swear unto me there, and will convince me, I will make no further claim upon thee.’

Then that fool thrust aside all fear of the Lord from him, and the remembrance of the very many benefits which he had received from the rich and pious man, and he forgot altogether that which is written, saying, ‘The Lord shall destroy every one who utters a lie.’ And he said unto the rich man ‘Let us go, and I will swear to thee’; and straightway they walked to the shrine of the Archangel Gabriel. And when they arrived there they found a great multitude of people gathered together and they wondered what had happened. And the rich man said unto the poor man, ‘Give me the seven hundred oboli which I gave unto thee. Swear not to a lie lest evil come upon thee.’ And that fool said, ‘I owe thee nothing,’ And the rich man said unto him, ‘If thou owes me nothing, swear it to me so that I may depart.’ And that godless man held in contempt the powers of the holy Archangel Gabriel in respect of moneys which were lost (i.e. bad debts). And in his foolish stupidity he laid his hand upon the door of the altar-chamber, and he swore an oath, saying, ‘I swear by the mighty power of the Archangel Gabriel that I owe thee nothing, and that thou didst never give unto me the seven hundred oboli for which thou are harassing me.’ And straightway, while yet the words were in his mouth, a power smote him, and he fell headlong on his face, and both his eyes became blind, and his face was turned round behind him, and his tongue filled his mouth. And he fell down on the pavement of the sanctuary, and he bit his own tongue and lips in great agony, and he foamed at the mouth like a man who is possessed of a devil. And when the multitude saw what had happened they marveled and were greatly amazed, and they cried out with a loud voice, saying, ‘One is the God of the Archangel Gabriel.’ And after a considerable space of time, during which he was suffering torture, the poor man Stephen cried out with a loud voice, saying, ‘Forgive me, O my Lord Archangel Gabriel, that I dared to swear a false oath in thy name. This rich man did lend me seven hundred oboli five years ago, and I worked (i.e. traded) with them, and I have not given him anything at all for them. And having found a favorable opportunity I stole and carried away the bond, and I deceived him, wishing to keep possession of the oboli and to become rich thereby. Woe is me! What shall I do? For I have sworn a false oath.’ And straightway he sent a messenger to his house in haste and his wife brought seven hundred oboli, and gave them to the rich man. And the man Stephen remained in a state of torture the whole day, and it seemed to him as if a spear was being driven into his body, and he yielded up his spirit in the most miserable way that it is possible for a man to do. He swore a false oath, and he gained nothing at all thereby except the destruction of both his soul and his body. Thus ye see, O my beloved, the manner in which the power of the Archangel Gabriel prevailed, in whose honor we are celebrating the festival this day, and that he who swore a false oath in his name shall surely die in misery. Let us put ourselves far away from lying, that evil vice, and especially from those who confirm the lie by a false oath. Do you not hear the Lord crying out to every one, ‘Let your words be Yea, Yea, and Nay, Nay, so that judgement may not be passed on you?’ And let us take care to guard our life against the terrible oaths which we are in the habit of swearing, especially concerning subjects of the most trivial character, lest we receive great condemnation and punishment everlasting in the place wherein a man will not be deemed worthy of visitation.

And this makes me remember that I promised to relate unto you a few of the works of power and of the miracles of the great Archangel Gabriel, whose festival we are celebrating this day, to the glory of God and of His great Archangel Gabriel, the messenger of glad tidings. Now there was another man in this city who had been blind in both eyes from his childhood. And when he heard about the works of power and the miracles of the Archangel Gabriel, he asked the servants of his household to take him into the shrine of the Archangel Gabriel, saying, ‘Assuredly his mercy will come to me, and he will graciously give me the light of mine eyes.’ And they took him into the shrine of the Arch Angel Gabriel, and he was saying, ‘Assuredly his mercy shall come to me.’ And when he had gone inside he cast himself on his face before the holy altar, and he wept, saying, ‘O my lord, thou holy Archangel Gabriel, show compassion upon my misery, and graciously grant unto me the light of my eyes, for I suffer exceedingly.’ And while he was weeping, and saying these words, he felt the hand of a man touch his eyes. And when all the people who were gathered together in the shrine of the Archangel Gabriel saw that the man who was blind could see, and that he was uttering loud cries for joy, saying, ‘One is the God of the holy Archangel Gabriel, for His mercy hath come to me, and He has bestowed upon me the light of my eyes,’ the whole multitude rushed to him, and the people asked him, saying, ‘ Tell us what has happened unto thee, and how it is that thou can see.’ And he told them the good news and about everything which had happened unto him, saying, ‘It happened to me after I had come unto this holy shrine. I cast myself down before the holy altar, and I made entreaty to the holy Archangel Gabriel. And straightway I felt the hand of a man come down over my face, and it made the Sign of the Cross over my eyes, and straightway I was able to see. And I heard a voice saying unto me, “Behold, I grant unto thee the light of thine eyes, according to the supplication which thou didst make to me.” And I said unto him, ” Who art thou, my lord? ” And he said unto me, ”I am Gabriel, the archangel.” These are the words which I heard, but I saw no man talking to me.’ And when the people heard these things they lifted up their voices and cried out loudly, saying, ‘One is the God of the Archangel Gabriel.’ And the man who had recovered his sight remained in the shrine of the Archangel Gabriel, and ministered therein until the day of his death.

And there was another man, who was rich in gold and in silver and he was dumb, and he after a time fell sick of the disease which is called ‘gout’, and he suffered excruciating pains in his feet by day and by night. And he had spent ample means on the physicians, and was in no way benefited thereby; on the contrary, his disease became more severe. And when he heard of the works of power and the miracles which took place in the shrine of the holy Archangel Gabriel, he made his slaves take him up and carry him into his holy shrine. And he lay down in the shrine, and he was in great pain, and he cried out, saying, ‘My lord, thou holy Archangel Gabriel, have compassion upon me, and graciously heal me, for I am suffering exceedingly great pain.’ And there was likewise another man there who was paralyzed in his legs, and he had always to drag himself along the ground like a child. And he was in the shrine lying down, and he was entreating the archangel to grant him healing, and he was lying down by the side of the blind man in the shrine, and he was suffering agony in his feet, and the two men were seeking for healing at the hands of the holy Archangel Gabriel. And at that moment the archangel had compassion upon them, and he was pleased in his benevolence to bestow healing upon both of them at the same moment. Thereupon he appeared unto the paralyzed man in a dream, and he was in the form of a man of light, whose face was emitting rays of light. And he said unto the man who was paralyzed, ‘If thou wishes earnestly to be healed and to recover thy health stay where thou art until all the people who are in the shrine have lain down. And when thou art sure that they are all asleep rise up, uncover thy hands and thy feet, and go to the bed of the rich man who is suffering pain in his feet, and begin to lift up (or, carry off) the bed whereon he is, and thou shalt find healing. Thou shalt walk on thy feet, and thou shalt recover straightway, and thou shalt depart to thy house like one who hath never suffered from illness.’

And when the man awoke from his dream he marveled, and he said within himself, ‘Verily I have been deceived by this dream. If I were to do this, and to go and carry away the rich man’s clothes, he would certainly wake np, and his slave would seize me. And, moreover, I am helpless, being paralyzed, and they would deliver me over into the hands of the Eparch of the city, and he would kill me. I should be going in quest of healing for my body, and should ruin my soul through the tortures which they would inflict upon me. No, I will never do this thing.’ And on the coming night the Archangel Gabriel came to him, wearing royal apparel of great magnificence, and he was shining more brightly than the sun. And he spoke unto the paralytic — now a very strong sweet odor issued from his mouth — and said unto him, ‘For what reason has thou been careless, and has not done that which I commanded thee? Be certain of this thing: if thou will not obey me never till thy dying day shall thou be relieved of thy disease. If, however, thou will do what I command thee thou shalt recover thy health forthwith.’ And when the archangel had said these things unto him he departed from him immediately; and the paralytic woke up trembling and afraid. And he strengthened his heart boldly, saying, ‘Verily it was the Archangel Gabriel who spoke unto me. Now, therefore, even though it happen that the slaves of the rich man seize me and put me to death, I will not be disobedient on this occasion. Let the will of the Lord be done.’ Thus the paralytic hid the matter in his heart, and he informed no man of what had taken place.

And when the evening was come the paralytic waited until all the people who slept in the shrine were asleep, and then he rose up, and stripped his hands and his feet, and he went to the deaf man, who was suffering from gout in his feet, and he seized the clothing which was on him and began to pull it off him. And the man who was diseased in his feet and who was dumb awoke from his sleep in a state of fright, and God and the Archangel Gabriel had compassion upon him, and the fetter of his tongue was broken straightway, and he spoke, although he had never uttered a word before, and he cried out with a loud voice to his slaves, saying, ‘Get up quickly and seize this thief who had come and carried off my clothes which were on me.’ And the paralytic trembled lest the slaves of the rich man should seize him, and straightway the power of control came to his hands and his feet, and he leaped up from the ground, and took to flight on his feet like unto a trained runner until he reached the place wherein he slept. So likewise also was it with the man who had gout in his feet, for the power of control came to him, and he jumped down from his bed like a man who had never ailed at all, and pursued the paralytic and his servants, and he wished to seize him. And after a little time, when they had realized the act of grace which had been vouchsafed to the two of them, that is to say, to the rich man who had been relieved of his gout and also of his dumbness, and to the paralytic, and that they had gotten control of their limbs, the two men came forward, and they acknowledged the healing which had come to them both, and they cried out both together, ‘One is the God of the holy Archangel Gabriel.’

And when the whole multitude of people who were gathered together in the shrine of the holy Archangel Gabriel had seen this great miracle they were filled with very great fear, and stupefaction came upon them. Then they asked the paralytic, ‘What happened to thee to make thee act thus?’ And he declared unto them everything that had happened to him, saying, ‘Behold, this is what happened to me. It was the Archangel Gabriel, who appeared unto me twice, dressed in a garb of light, who did this.’ And all the people who were gathered together in the shrine of the holy Archangel Gabriel lifted up their voices and cried out, saying, ‘One is the God of the valiant archangel! Great are the works of power of the messenger of the glad tidings of life, Gabriel, whose name is most honorable.’ And the men who had obtained healing remained in the shrine of the Archangel Gabriel, and they prayed and fasted therein until the day of their death. What shall I say about the miracles which thou hast wrought, O thou mighty orator of God the Word, thou holy Archangel Gabriel? Verily, if I were to carry out my intention to its full extent, I would do my utmost to describe each and every one of thy miracles, and I would not narrate a part of them only. However, I must only describe a few, and I therefore make a selection from the great and important works which thou has performed, to the glory of the Christ our Saviour and of His great and holy Archangel Gabriel, whose festival we are celebrating this day.

There was a certain man who lived in a village which was about six or eight miles distant from the city, and this man had an only son who had arrived at the age of manhood . After a time he fell sick of the disease of the gout, and he suffered excruciating pains in his hands and his feet, both by day and by night, and he was wholly unable to lift up his head. And he passed six years lying upon a bed, and never once rose up from it during that period. And his parents and his kinsfolk often fell into despair about him, and said, ‘Verily death would be far better on him than this suffering which attacks him.’ And his parents spent very large sums of money on physicians, from whom he received no benefit whatsoever; on the contrary, he became worse. And when his father heard of the works of power and the miracles that were taking place in the shrine of the holy Archangel Gabriel, which was in the city of Rome, he made a vow, saying, ‘If the God of the Archangel Gabriel will hearken unto my supplication, and will graciously bestow healing upon my son, I will give six oboli to thy shrine yearly until the day of my death. For I know well, O my lord Archangel, that thou are able to do everything. Now I cannot bring my son to thy shrine, for he is neither able to walk nor to ride a beast because of the pain that is upon him but I believe that thy holy power fills every place. Let thy mercy come to me, and grant unto me the healing of my little son and if thou wilt I will acknowledge thy power until the day of my death. And straightway the Archangel Gabriel hearkened unto the entreaty of the man, and he wished to bestow healing upon his son, for he is compassionate. And he brought a little drowsiness upon the young man, and he slept more than he usually did, for he slept neither by day nor by night, and he was always crying out because of the excruciating pain which consumed him. And when the young man had fallen asleep the holy Archangel Gabriel came unto him in a dream. He was arrayed in great and indescribable glory, and he was enveloped in a mantle which emitted rays of light, and he said unto the young man, ‘Behold, I am going to remove the pain from thee, and no suffering shall attack thee from this hour.’ And the young man said, ‘My lord, who art thou that art surrounded with such great glory as this?’ And he said unto him, ‘I am Gabriel the Archangel’; and straightway he disappeared from him. And when the young man awoke in the morning he found that all his body was bathed in sweat. And when he perceived that healing had come to him, and that there was no pain whatsoever in his body, he leaped off his bed and stood upright, and he ran along and skipped, and he blessed God; now he had become like unto one who had never been ill at all. And straightway he cried out, saying, ‘I glorify thee, O great and holy Archangel Gabriel, because thou has remembered me, and has granted healing unto me.’ And when his father and his mother saw the healing which had come to their son unexpectedly they wept many tears, and then they asked their son, saying, ‘What was it that happened unto thee, O our beloved son?’ And he described unto them the dream which he had seen, and straightway they cried out, saying, ‘One is the God of the holy Archangel Gabriel. Great is the benefit which thou has performed for us, O good messenger of glad tidings.’ And there was great rejoicing in all their house because of the healing of the young man which had taken place, more especially because he was the only son. And everyone who heard marveled exceedingly, and they glorified God and the holy Archangel Gabriel, and the report of the healing reached every one.

And on the morrow, which was Sunday, the man called his son and gave unto him the six oboli and certain other gifts of value, and he sent him to the city of Rome to present them to the shrine of the holy Archangel Gabriel, according to the vow which he had made. And the young man took them with gladness, and he put them in his wallet to go to the shrine of the holy Archangel Gabriel. And having journeyed on by himself until he drew nigh unto the city, which was about three miles off, he came to a wood (or, forest) of large trees and thick undergrowth through which it was very difficult to travel. And behold, straightway a very fierce lion rushed out of that dense forest, and with a roar sprang upon the young man, and leaped upon him, and digging his teeth into his side dragged him away into the forest, wishing to devour him. And the young man cried out in great distress, saying, ‘O my lord, thou Archangel Gabriel, help me in this great distress, for thou know, O my lord, that my father hath sent me to thy shrine to present these little gifts to thy holy shrine, and then to return to my house, but behold, I shall die through this lion.’ And at that very moment, behold, the holy Archangel Gabriel came forth from heaven, wearing a garb of light, and he took the young man out of the mouth of the lion, and he made the Sign of the Cross over his side, and healed him of the wound which the lion had inflicted upon his…..

[The remainder of the Encomium is wanting]

Thus ends this tale of Gabriel. Quite the long text and surprisingly it was complete except the ending which is more than you can say on most of these types of stories. This will be the last Coptic tale I will share for now as I have other entries I want to post, but I do plan on returning to such texts in the future. I think it is very important that these types of stories are accessible to modern readers. The other apocrypha get all the love but these tales from North East Africa tend to get over looked by the English speaking world. I am making it my mission to change that!!

Featured photo: Coptic image of Gabriel https://www.researchgate.net/figure/P-Heid-Inv-Kopt-684-C-Papyrologisches-Institut-Ruprecht-Karls-Universitaet-Heidelberg_fig1_326401756

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