Gabriel

The English interpretation of the Hebrew name Gavriel, composed of the words gavri (גברי) and אל (el), i.e. “Man-like God”. It refers to the name of the archangel who is characterized as having pre-existent wisdom that enlightens the whole universe. He explained the visions of the ram and the he-goat to the prophet Daniel when he was in exile in Babylon and revealed the birth of John the Baptist to Zechariah, as well as the birth of Jesus Christ to the Mary. In Islam it is believed he was the medium through whom God revealed the Qur'an to Muhammad.

Gavriel (גַּבְרִיאֵל)

Hebrew for Gabriel.

Garden of Eden

Name of the place where Adam and Eve dwelled after they were created by God. Its geographical location is related to four rivers, i.e. the Pishon, Gihon, Tigris and Euphrates, as well as to three regions, i.e. Havilah, Assyria, and Cush. Those locations however, remain the subject of controversy and speculation, whilst some see it as metaphorical. See also Eden.

George Wishart

A 16th-century Scottish preacher and reformer who played a prominent role in the early stages of the Scottish Reformation. Best known for his fervent opposition to the Roman Catholic Church and his advocacy of Protestant ideals, Wishart became one of the most influential figures in introducing Reformation thought to Scotland. Born around 1513, he was the son of James Wyschart, Laird of Pitarrow, and Elizabeth Learmont. Wishart studied the classics at the University of Aberdeen and later served as a schoolmaster at the Grammar School in Montrose, where Greek was first taught in a Scottish school. There, he began teaching the New Testament in Greek, laying the foundation for his lifelong engagement with Scripture and theology. Exposed to the emerging Reformation ideas sweeping across Europe, Wishart embraced doctrines such as justification by faith and the authority of Scripture over Church tradition. Around 1538, he began preaching reformist principles in Scotland, calling for a break from Catholic practices. For this, he was charged with heresy by the Bishop of Brechin and fled the country, seeking refuge in Switzerland and Germany, where he came under the influence of Jean Calvin and his followers. By 1543, Wishart had returned to England, teaching at Corpus Christi College, University of Cambridge, before returning to Scotland the following year. His sermons attracted both enthusiastic followers and fierce opposition from the Catholic hierarchy. In 1546, while preaching the Protestant faith, Wishart was betrayed to Cardinal David Beaton, arrested, and imprisoned in the notorious bottle dungeon of St Andrews Castle. He was tried for heresy before a court presided over by Cardinal Beaton, condemned, and burned at the stake on 1 March 1546. His execution provoked widespread outrage among Protestant sympathizers, and his martyrdom became a rallying point for reformers throughout the kingdom. Only two months later, on 29 May 1546, a group of Wishart’s supporters, driven by vengeance and the growing Protestant fervour, infiltrated St Andrews Castle, where Cardinal Beaton had taken refuge. They captured and murdered him in his chamber, displaying his body from the castle battlements. It is said that within the castle walls, these men formed the first congregation of what would become the Church of Scotland. The deaths of George Wishart and Cardinal Beaton marked a decisive turning point in Scottish religious history. Wishart’s martyrdom and Beaton’s assassination deepened the divide between Protestants and Catholics and set in motion events that would culminate in the establishment of Presbyterianism. Among those profoundly influenced by Wishart was John Knox, who regarded him not only as a mentor but also as a close friend. Wishart’s courage, teachings, and tragic death remain emblematic of the spirit of the Scottish Reformation—a movement that would forever alter the religious and political landscape of Scotland.

Gideon (גִּדְעוֹן)

Hebrew. “Cutter down” or “feller”, sometimes translated as “destroyer” or “mighty warrior”. Name of the youngest son of Joash of the Abiezrites and the fifth judge of Israel. He was a young man of faith, who was chosen by God to lead the Israelites against the Midianites. Unsure of God's command, he requested proof of God's will twice, by putting some wool on the ground, asking God to overnight put dew only on the wool, but not on the ground. It happened as he had asked for, but to reassure himself he did the test once more, this time asking God for the wool to be dry and the ground to be wet. When this had happened the next morning, he was certain of God's instructions and assembled an army. When God saw that this army was too big, He instructed Gideon to send the majority of the soldiers home, in order that after the victory, the Israelites would realize that God had saved them and not their superior numbers or their own doing. He is also also known as Jerub-Baal.

Gihon (גיחון)

1. Hebrew. “Bursting forth”. Name of one of four rivers mentioned in Genesis 2:13, along with the Pishon, Tigris and Euphrates. It is described as a river that branched from a single river within the Garden of Eden and as “encircling the entire land of Cush”, a name mentioned elsewhere in the Bible as a brother of Egypt, who is associated with South Arabia and Mesopotamia, though generally in the Bible, Cush refers to Nubia. If this is the case here, too, then Pishon and Gihon may be terms for the Blue Nile and the White Nile. In his Jewish Antiquities, the Jewish-Roman historian Flavius Josephus also identified the Gihon with the Nile. In Hebrew, the name is a pun, because in Genesis 3:14, the snake is cursed that it must crawl on its belly, which in Hebrew is gahon (גָּחוֹן). The root גיח means “to gush forth”.

2. Name of a spring in a valley outside of Jerusalem, where the anointing and proclaiming of Solomon as king took place.