Barabbas, << buh RAB uhs, >> was a man mentioned briefly in all four Gospels. Barabbas was a Jewish prisoner of the Romans at the same time as Jesus. He had been in prison for committing a murder during a rebellion. Barabbas may have been a member of the Zealots, a radical Jewish religious revolutionary group that frequently started uprisings. Barabbas means “Son of the Father” and may indicate a hope in the coming of the Messiah, which always troubled the Romans.
It was apparently a custom for the Roman governor to release one Jewish prisoner at the Passover season. Pontius Pilate, the Roman governor of Judea, took Jesus and Barabbas to the steps of his palace and asked the crowd gathered there to choose which one should be released. The crowd chose Barabbas, and Pilate released him. Nothing is known of Barabbas outside the Gospels.
