I've always been curious about him. Who was he? Where did he come from? Why were all those people yelling for his release, instead of Jesus?
I'm reading The Book of Barabbas, Searching for the Messiah...I got it at Amazon.com. It's fiction, but it's a d*mn good book. Has anyone else read this book?
The second book, Finding Salvation is coming out soon.
2006-09-12 09:20:13 · 9 answers · asked by David T 2 in Society & Culture ➔ Religion & Spirituality
In the Christian narrative of the Passion of Jesus, Barabbas, according to some texts Jesus bar-Abbas, (Aramaic Bar-abbâ, "son of the father"), was the insurrectionary whom Pontius Pilate freed at the Passover feast in Jerusalem. The penalty for Barabbas' crime was death by crucifixion, but according to all four Gospels there was a prevailing Passover custom in Jerusalem that allowed Pilate, the praefectus or governor of Judaea, to commute one prisoner's death sentence by popular acclaim, and the "crowd" (ochlos) — which becomes "the Jews" and "the multitude" in translation — were offered a choice of whether to have Barabbas or Christ released from Roman custody. According to the closely parallel canonic gospels of Matthew (27:16), Mark (15:7), Luke (23:18 - 19), and the more divergent accounts in John (18:40) and the formerly lost Gospel of Peter, the crowd chose Jesus Barabbas to be released and Jesus of Nazareth to be crucified. A passage found only in the Gospel of Matthew has the crowd saying, "Let his blood be upon us and upon our children."
The story of Barabbas has special social significances, partly because it has frequently been used to lay the blame for the Crucifixion on the Jews and justify anti-Semitism. Equally, some argue the social significance of the story to early hearers was that it shifted blame away from the Roman state, removing an impediment to Christianity's eventual official acceptance.
2006-09-12 09:22:09 · answer #1 · answered by Smokey 5 · 4⤊ 0⤋
In Matthew 27:16, Barabbas was called a “notorious prisoner.” In Mark 15:7, Luke 23:19, and John 18:40, Barabbas was “among the rebels in prison, who had committed murder in the insurrection,” a revolutionary against the occupying Roman forces.
The name Barabbas appears nowhere else in the New Testament, nor do any of the gospels give any information about his previous or subsequent life. The name may be an Aramaic patronymic meaning “son of the father” (bar abba) or “son of the teacher” (bar rabban), indicating perhaps that his father was a Jewish leader. According to the early biblical scholar Origen and other commentators, the full name of Barabbas may have been Jesus Barabbas, since Jesus was a common first name. Therefore the crowd was presented with a choice between two persons with the same name.
2006-09-12 16:24:48 · answer #2 · answered by Britannica Knowledge 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Historically I think that there is little to no additional info than is found in the bible. However as long as you are reading a fictional book on Barabbas, you may be interested in the 1962 movie titled Barabbas and starring Anthony Quinn. Whether you are religious or no, this is an excellent movie with an excellent cast (Anthony Quinn, Arthur Kennedy, Jack Palance, Ernest Borgnine - just to name a few).
2006-09-12 16:26:01 · answer #3 · answered by Spiritual but not religious 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I've never read the book but as for Barabbas he was an insurgent. Which meant he would do anything and everything including murder to get what he wanted. His insurgency was toward Roman rule but he did not limit himself to hurting only Romans. According to biblical history the reason he was picked to be the one as the other choice beside Jesus is because it was expected that no one would want Barabbas on the loose again. Kind of like setting Manson free with a bunch of acid freaks waiting for him.
2006-09-12 16:25:43 · answer #4 · answered by jusme 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
WOW!
I have a fan!
David, let me introduce myself...I am the author of the book you are reading, and yes, the second part is due to come out before the end of the year.
Enjoy!
2006-09-12 16:48:08 · answer #5 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
A book of fiction about a man named in a book of fiction... what a novel idea!
2006-09-12 16:23:03 · answer #6 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Some historians have hypothesized he was Jesus's son. Try that on for size.
2006-09-12 16:22:12 · answer #7 · answered by Akkakk the befuddled 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
He was the criminal who was pardoned instead of Jesus.
2006-09-12 16:23:11 · answer #8 · answered by WendyD1999 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
No...but I'd love to read that
2006-09-12 16:21:54 · answer #9 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋