By the Mohammedans Gabriel is regarded with pro- found veneration. To him, it is affirmed, a copy of the whole Koran was committed, which he imparted in successive portions to jVIohammed. He is styled in the Koran the Spirit of Truth and the H0I3' Spirit. In his hands will be placed the scales in which the ac- tions of men will be weighed at the last day (D'Hcr- belot, Bihliotheque Oricntale, s. v. Gebrail). — Kitto, s. V. ; Smith, s. v.
Gabriel de Chinon, a French Boman Catnolic missionary, was born towards the beginning of the 17tli century. lie became a Capuchin, and was sent as missionary to Persia about 1G40. He settled at Is- pahan, and learned most of the Oriental languages, which enabled him to make a great number of prose- lytes. The favor he enjoyed at the court of Shah Aijhas II excited the envy of the Armenian priests, who caused him great annoyance. Gabriel withdrew about IGGO to Tabriz (Tauris or Tebrcez, the capital of the province of Azerbijan, in "North Persia), where he founded a convent of Cainichins, and established mis- sions in Kurdistan and at Tiflis. About 1G70 he went
on a mission to Malabar, where he died (at Tellicher- ry) June 27, 1670. He wrote observations on the countries he had resided in, which were afterwards iniblished by Moreri, with a life of Gabriel, under the title Relations nouvelles du Levant, ou traite de la re- ligion, du gouvernemenf, et des coutumes des Perses, dcs Armmiens et des Gaures (Lyon, 1G71, r2mo). They contain some curious details on Persian customs and manners, but the greater part of the work is taken up with details concerning religious questions, Gabriel's order, and himself. See Niceron, Memoires pour ser- vir a I'histoire des hommes illustres, xxvii, 311 ; Hoefer, Nouv. Biog. Generate, xix, 109.
Gabriel Sionita, a learned Maronite, was bom at Edden, on IMount Lilianus, 1574. He came to Komc when seven years old, and studied at the Maronite College there. He was made jnofessor of Oriental languages at Eome. In 1614 he accompanied the French embassador (at Rome) to Paris, and was made professor of Arabic at the College de France. In 1620 he became doctor of theology. In 1630 he began to work on Le Jay's Polyglot Bible, for which he fur- nished the Sj'riac and Arabic versions. He died at Paris in 1648. • Of his writings, we name Liber Psal- moruni ex Arab, in Lat. translaius (Rome, 1614, 4to) : ^Grammatica Arabica Maronitarum, in libros v dirisa (Paris, 161G, 4to).— Hoefer, Nouv. Blog. Gen. xix, 106.
Gabriel, St., Congregation of, the name of two monastic congregations in the Roman Catholic Church. 1. The first Congregation of St. Gabriel was , established at Bologna by Cesar Bianchetti, a senator of Bologna, who was born IMay 8, 1585, and after the death of his wife in 1638, devoted himself with great zeal to giving religious instruction to the youth and the ignorant. In order to obtain aid in his work he et-tablished a congregation of lay gentlemen, who, without living in common, pledged themselves to pro- mote the cause of Christian instruction, and assembled on certain daj's for devotional exercises and for delib- eration on their work. Subsequently a second con- gregation was organized of such laj'men as preferred to live in common, and to devote their whole lives to the cauFe. The latter were called Convicenti, the for- mer Confluenti. The founder died in 1655. The con- gregation does not appear to have spread beyond Bo- logna. ^Members can be received from the eighteenth to the fiftieth year of age. The novitiate lasts three 3'ears, after which the novices may be received into the congregation by a two-thirds vote. Thej- have to wait three years more before they have the riglit to vote. The officers are elected annually. SeeDelprat, Vita del Venerab. Servo di Dio Cesare Bianchetti (Bo- logna, 1704). Helyot, Dictionnaire des Ord?-es Religieux, s. v. 2. An- other "Congregation of the Brothers of St. Ga- briel" has been estab- lished in the present century .bj' abbe Des- hayes in France. The object of the congrega- tion is to instruct the children, especiall}' tliose of the country, in the Christian doctrine. Abb6 Deshayes at first acted in concert with abbe Jean Marie Robert de Lamennais (q. v.), but subsequently they separated, Lamennais organizing the congre- gation of tlie ' ' Brothers of the Ciiristian Instruc- tion" (q. ^■.). Tlie congregation of which Deshayes
Brother of St. Gabriel.
GABRIELITES
V03
GAD
remained the superior assumed in 1835 the name of I "Conjregation of Brothers of St. Gabriel," aftar the patron saint of the founder. Abbe Deshaj'es died in 1841. In 1858 the congregations had 73 establislinients ! and about 400 members. Every iifth ycnv the eongre- [ gation elects a superior general, who may be re-elect- ed aftoi- the expiration of his term. The head estab- lishment of the congregation is at St. Laurent do Sevre. See Migne, Diet, dcs Urdns Rdig. vol. iv, s. v. (A. J.S.)
Gabrielites. See An.vdaptists. Gaches, Ray.mond, a French Protestant divine, was born at Castres towards ]G15. In 1649 he was appointed pastor of liis native city, where he soon be- came distinguished as a preacher. In 1G54 he was called to Paris to supply the ProtcsL.^t church of Cha- renton. He died at Paris in December, 1GG8. During his sojourn at Castres he contributed to the formation of an academy, which did not last long, but counted among its members many distinguished men. He published a number of separate sermons, sixteen of which have been collected under the title Seize Ser- mons sur dijfvrejits siijets (Geneva, IGGO, 8vo). Sec llaag. La France Profeskin/e, s. v. ; lloefer, Noiw. Biag. Gener. xix, 120; Vinet, Hist, dz la Predication (Paris, 18G0, 8vo, § 7, p. 28G-302).