Goodness

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father of John the Baptist, and to Daniel. In Islam, Gabriel revealed the Koran to Muhammad.

Alida Fischer calls him Archangel Gabriel, because his true self came out of its shell when her son was arrested. I must say he disliked her son intensely, but when the trouble came he went at once to the rescue.

ALAN PATON Ah, But Your Land Is Beautiful, 1981

As far as Cassandra Swann was concerned, Charlie Quartermain, gross, unbuttoned, spehisciform, might be St Francis of Assissi and the Angel Gabriel rolled into one, with a touch of Paul Newman on the one hand and a dollop of Socrates on the other, but that still wouldn't make up for the fact that basically she just didn't fancy him.

SUSAN MOODY King of Hearts, 1995

There may be no winning the next election for the Tories, even if they could draft a new leader combining the purity of the Archangel Gabriel, the cunning of Machiavelli and the strength of Hercules.

ANDREW RAWNSLEY in The Observer, 1995

Sir Galahad In Arthurian legend, Sir Galahad was one of the Knights of the Round Table, the son of Sir Lancelot and Elaine. Galahad's immaculate purity and virtue predestines him to succeed in the quest for the Holy Grail. His name is often used to describe a man who comes to the aid of a woman.

CHESTER HIMES A Modern Marriage, 1933

'I have to go out,' I said. 'I have to go over there and see what has happened. And

RAYMOND CHANDLER The High Window, 1943

The thought of my unexpected Sir Galahad kept me going past the high dank brick wall, with its sprayed-on abuse and peeling posters, across the corner where the street lights were out of action, and towards my rendezvous.

PAT SWEET Troubled Waters, 1994

Good Samaritan One of Jesus's parables tells of a Samaritan who stopped to help a victim of thieves left wounded by the roadside and already ignored by a priest and a Levite, both of whom passed by on the other side (Luke io: 30-7). The Samaritan, by contrast, 'had compassion, and went to him and bound up his wounds, pouring on oil and wine; then he set him on his own beast and brought him to an inn, and took care of him.' Inhabitants of Samaria would have been regarded by the Jews as enemies and outcasts, having split from mainstream Judaism, recognizing only the Pentateuch of the Bible. The term 'Good Samaritan' is now used to describe a person who is helpful and compassionate, especially to those in adversity.

I told her that I had had a fall—I didn't say how—and she saw by my looks that I was pretty sick. Like a true Samaritan she asked no questions, but gave me a bowl of milk with a dash of whisky in it, and let me sit for a little by her kitchen fire.

JOHN BUCHAN The Thirty-Nine Steps, 1915

'Can I do anything for you?' 'We have been stranded a half hour,' Yusef said. 'The cars have gone by, and I have thought—when will a Good Samaritan appear?'

GRAHAM CREENE The Heart of the Matter, 1948

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That Brian Cassidy from the hotel, he was going to let her die right there, but a Good Samaritan in the garage, he sometimes feeds her on the sly when Mr Cassidy isn't watching, he called for an ambulance.

SARA PARETSKY Ghost Country, 1998

Goody Two-Shoes Little Goody Two-Shoes is the heroine of a 1765 children's book by John Newbery, published under the full title The History of Little Goody Two-Shoes; Otherwise called, Mrs Margery Two-Shoes. With the Means by whic she acquired her Learning and Wisdom, and in consequence thereof her Estate. An orphan who is delighted with a pair of new shoes (from which she gets her nickname), Margery becomes educated and ultimately wealthy through her

own virtue and industry. Her name has now come to be used for a smugly virtuous person.

Do you have to swear every other word?' 'Do you have to be such a stuck-up goody two shoes?' We carried on in silence.

SHYAMA PERERA Haven't Stopped Dancing Yet, 1999

JesilS Jesus Christ is the central figure of the Christian religion, a Jewish religious leader worshipped by Christians as the Son of God and the Saviour of Mankind. He is traditionally cited as the perfect model of goodness and compassion. • See special entry u JESUS on p. 223.

And Daniel—to his cousin a sort of Christ between thieves—was hurried past the privileged loafers in the corridor, and down the broad steps.

ARNOLD BENNETT The Old Wives' Tale, 1908

Well, he looks awfully nice. Of course you never really know someone till you've been married to them for a while and discover some of their scruffier habits. I remember how upset I was when I realized for the first time that after all Joe wasn't Jesus Christ. I don't know what it was, probably some silly thing like finding out he's crazy about Audrey Hepburn. Or that he's a secret philatelist.

MARCARET ATWOOD The Edible Woman, 1969

Joseph In the Bible, Joseph was the son of Jacob. When a boy, Joseph, favoured by Jacob over his brothers, was given a coat of many colours by his father. Driven by jealousy, his brothers sold him into slavery in Egypt, where Joseph became adviser to Pharaoh and rose to high office, eventually becoming governor of Egypt. He was reconciled with his family when he helped them during a famine in Canaan, showing particular compassion for his father and his youngest brother, Benjamin. Joseph is often alluded to as the archetype of a powerful person who acts with kindness and loyalty towards his own people.

• 5ee special entry D JOSEPH on p. 224.

The honour and love you bear him is nothing but meet, for Cod has given him great gifts, and he uses them as the patriarch Joseph did, who, when he was exalted to a place of power and trust, yet yearned with tenderness towards his parent, and his younger brother.

CEORCE ELIOT Adam Bede, 1859

Martin Luther King Martin Luther King (1929-68) was a US Baptist minister and civil rights leader who opposed discrimination against blacks by organizing non-violent resistance and peaceful mass demonstrations. He was awarded the 1964 Nobel Peace Prize. A brilliant and inspiring orator, his most famous speech reiterates the words 'I have a dream'. King was assassinated in Memphis, Tennessee in 1968.