Pope Gabriel IV was previously the abbot of the Moharrak Monastery. He was known to be a great scholar and righteous ascetic. He was enthroned on 11 Tobi, 1086 A.M. (6 January 1370 A.D.) During his papacy, in the year 1370 A.D., a great light appeared in Egypt during the night and lingered until dawn. In 1371 A.D., there was a great flood in the Nile, which threatened Egypt.