Barabbas facts for kids

Kids Encyclopedia Facts

Barabbas is a person mentioned in the Bible. He lived around the year 33 AD, during the time of Jesus. Barabbas was known as a rebel and someone who caused trouble.

He became famous because of his role in the trial of Jesus. The Roman governor of Judea, named Pontius Pilate, was in charge of Jesus' trial.

The Choice Pilate Made

A surprising fact about Barabbas is that his first name was also Jesus. So, when Pilate offered to release a prisoner to the crowd in Jerusalem, he was giving them a choice between two people named Jesus: Jesus Barabbas or Jesus of Nazareth.

Pilate's wife had even warned him to leave Jesus of Nazareth alone. But in the end, Pilate released Barabbas. He then ordered Jesus of Nazareth, who was called "King of the Jews," to be executed.

Images for kids

Barabbas, as shown in The Bible and Its Story Taught by One Thousand Picture Lessons (1910)
A portrait of Barabbas by James Tissot (1836–1902)
Anthony Quinn playing Barabbas in the movie Barabbas (1961)

All content from Kiddle encyclopedia articles (including the article images and facts) can be freely used under Attribution-ShareAlike license, unless stated otherwise. Cite this article:

Barabbas Facts for Kids. Kiddle Encyclopedia.