Barabbas

From Wiki Maria Valtorta
"Give us Barabbas!" (Matthew 27:15-22),The Bible and its Story Taught by One Thousand Picture Lessons (1910)

The public enemy released instead of Jesus. The episode is recounted by the four evangelists ([1]-[2]-[3]-[4]). Pontius Pilate was inclined to release Jesus, but he lacked the courage to face the shouting crowd ([5]-[6]).

This character, who has remained famous, is mentioned only three times in the work of Maria Valtorta without appearing. We know about him that he was an assassin[7], a seditionist arrested by Pilate.[8] This arrest must have followed the large police operation carried out by the Romans to clear the region of seditious bands.[9]

He must have been a nearly universally rejected figure, since The Evangelists speak of him as a "famous prisoner" (Matthew) - He "was in prison with rebels who had committed a murder during a Revolt" (Mark) and "had been put in prison for a revolt that had taken place in the city and for a murder" (Luke) - He was a "bandit" (John).

Pilate is so sure of the hostility of public opinion against Barabbas that he offers his release instead of Jesus. Alas! at that moment, public opinion hated Jesus even more![10] Jesus comments on the Proconsul's irresolution and applies it to our time.[11]

His name

Bar-abbâ means "Son of the (his) father." It was a fairly common name at the time.

Where is he mentioned in the work?

EMV 567 EMV 576 EMV 604

Notes and references