4.5/5

It truly amuses me at times, the manner in which people pass judgment on books. They will ban them due to epithets, ban them for their depictions of sex, or even ban them for the presence of witchcraft. More frequently than not, they will ban them because they raise uncomfortable questions in the minds of children who have not yet been conditioned to follow the so-called proper path. They choose to ignore, and if ignoring is not an option, they condemn until they can. And if they cannot condemn until they can, they seek to eradicate.

You could potentially ban this book for any of those reasons, much like you could ban the Bible. In fact, either one poses a much greater danger than most literature that is deemed unsafe. For one has led to millennia of misguided atrocities, and the other is, well, a glimpse into the birth of the New Testament, before all the context, before all the history, before all the rules. It shows what could have resulted without it.

Both The New York Times and Time Magazine referred to it as a parable. I really have to wonder how seriously they took this description. It is true that the book is not overly long and has religious underpinnings. However, when it comes to the part about 'conveying a truth, religious principle, moral lesson, or meaning', to put it simply, in comparison to this so-called 'parable', nihilism seems far more definitive, and even somewhat encouraging. At least the latter has an end goal.

I will admit to having a bias, considering I was raised Catholic yet never fully grasped the concept behind it all. The question of the meaning of existence has always fascinated me, though. And what a vast and complex field it is! There is sophisticated existentialism, misinformed agnosticism, misinterpreted atheism - the hydra of faith. It is all truly fascinating. To witness the extensive lengths that humanity has gone to in an attempt to reconcile the matter of its wandering in the world. All the shields that it has constructed between itself and the darkness.

If this book fails to make you question whatever shield you have chosen, I would be concerned. It doesn't matter that it is framed within the context of one of many religions. It is a human story, subject to the facts of life, the whims of fate, and the maelstrom of the mind. Ultimately, it is cruel, strange, and will not reveal its secrets, for the truth is that it has no secrets to disclose. What it has is a chain of events that could mean one thing or another, unless perhaps you missed a lesson here or heard something incorrectly there, and maybe that person really wasn't the right one you should have listened to, or it was that one happenstance that truly messed things up. And if it wasn't for that one specific moment in time, you'd know exactly what you were supposed to do, how things were going to happen, and what it all meant.

Chitterings in the void.

You know what, go ahead and think that this is a parable. Settle on some kind of conclusion, at least, and get it out of your head. This kind of talk is not conducive to living. Banning may be a bit excessive, but temperance - yes, temperance is a must.

What an exceptional book!

I remember very little about Barabbas from the Bible. Lagerkvist did a remarkable job in researching this topic.

Prior to reading this book, the author was entirely unfamiliar to me. However, as I delved into the story, I found myself thoroughly enjoying both his writing style and the overall plot that developed.

The way Lagerkvist brings Barabbas to life is truly captivating. He explores the character's thoughts, emotions, and inner turmoil in a way that makes the reader feel as if they are right there with him.

The plot unfolds in a series of events that keep the reader engaged from start to finish. It is a story of redemption, of a man who has committed great crimes but is given a second chance at life.

Overall, I would highly recommend this book to anyone who is interested in historical fiction or wants to gain a deeper understanding of the Bible. It is a thought-provoking and engaging read that will leave a lasting impression.

**Barabbas: A Tale of Doubt and Redemption**

Barabbas is a figure who holds a significant place in the narrative of Jesus' crucifixion.

We are told in the scriptures, "Which of the two do you want me to release to you?" they asked. "Barabbas or Jesus who is called the Messiah?" They answered, "Barabbas." (Matthew 27:21).

Everyone knows how Jesus was crucified, and there were those gathered around: Mary His mother, Mary Magdalene, Veronica, Simon of Cyrene who carried the cross, and Joseph of Arimathea who buried Him. But just a short distance away, either below the scaffold or to the side, stood a man with his eyes fixed on the scene in the middle, watching the conflict from the very beginning to the end. His name was Barabbas, and this is the story about him.

It is a story that lies between faith and unbelief, a tale of Barabbas the thief and the fighter, the murderer for whom Jesus took his place on the cross. Barabbas witnessed Jesus' final journey and also saw the "apostles," the followers of Jesus, spreading rumors that Jesus had risen from the dead. But he didn't believe because he had sat in front of the tomb and seen no sign of it. It is a profound and thought-provoking story by the Swedish author Par Lagerkvist, a story that defies easy description. There are many wonderful narrative scenes, but the greatest is Barabbas' encounter with the Roman governor when he reveals the existence of the inscription "Jesus the Nazarene, the King of the Jews" on his "token of slavery."

"Don't you believe?" the governor asks. "Why then do you carry his name on your token? Isn't he your god? Isn't that what the inscription means?"

"I have no god," Barabbas replies.

"But I don't understand. Why, then, do you carry this 'Jesus the Messiah' on your token?"

"Because I want to believe," Barabbas says.

It is a story of a person who didn't believe even though he had seen the "Son of God," and a story of people who believed without seeing. In the end, it was a great tragedy. Barabbas alone remained here, alive, but when he felt the approach of death, the thing he had always feared, he said in the darkness, as if addressing someone: "Into your hands I commit my spirit."

"My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?" Even Jesus' own son had doubts, and it was not Barabbas' fault.

It has been written that the entire work of Lagerkvist seems shaken by the impact of the need for meaning and consists of an oscillation between faith and doubt: always one step away from God, now prayed to, implored, and then immediately felt as impossible. This elusive God is constantly present in Lagerkvist's work, explored in all its possible conceptions and representations, with fierceness and with dizzying depth.

In this novel, the figure of Barabba is contradictory: he acts as an autonomous entity, conceiving only of himself and no one else; he doesn't know how to trust what he sees, nor even less to bond with anyone. A man like him happens to meet Christ. He doesn't understand Him, but is marked by Him forever. He will never be able to get rid of the face of the Man who incomprehensibly saved him. Then he will meet Peter and the disciples, but nothing and no one will divert him from his ambiguities.

So from Jerusalem, passing through Cyprus, Barabba arrives in Rome. On July 18 of 64, he exchanges the flames of the capital's fire for the sign of Christ's return. Arrested, he meets in the prisons Peter and the others, whom Nero has accused of being the authors of the disaster and with them, but separated from them, he awaits to be executed.

When he felt death approaching, of which he had always been so afraid, he said in the darkness, as if speaking with it: “I commend my soul to you”. And he exhaled his spirit.

The very same words he had heard so many years before, when - on the side, as always - he was a witness to the crucifixion of Christ.

How did I manage to reach the age of 28 without having read this novel?

The story of Barabbas, the man set free because of Christ, is a mythological tale. It delves into the struggle to believe in Christ, the world, love, or anything beyond oneself. Symbolic and vivid, the novel offers a stark exploration of a lonely and despair-ridden life after Jesus Christ. As a story about an individual soul seeking its path in the world, it is dark, beautiful, and sorrowful.

Lagerkvist's parable operates on multiple levels: political, social, philosophical, theological, and literary. Lagerkvist, an atheist as I believe, rightfully recognizes that the person of Jesus Christ transforms all of human history after him, and consequently, our experience of the world and human history. This is dramatized through Barabbas, a man whose inability and desire for faith make him quintessentially modern, like you and me. We struggle to live in the light of the Christ event. The modern condition is either a blessing or a curse under the specter of Golgotha. Thus, the book combines elements of Dostoevsky, Nietzsche, Kierkegaard, and Camus.

Barabbas knows that Christ died for him, but the novel is about the human struggle to trust that this means something significant for us. For the Christian, this book serves as a meditation on grace. The fact that nobody can fully comprehend the significance of the Crucified One's life and work does not undermine their spiritual devotion to their Master. Their faith may not satisfy Barabbas' questions, but perhaps this is the point. Our language fails in the face of transcendence. Devotion to Christ is expressed not in pure doctrine but in a life lived for Christ.

Lagerkvist's theological and metaphorical details are significant, and I wonder to what extent he is influenced by apophaticism or asceticism, especially as seen in John of the Cross. Lagerkvist's themes of light and darkness blend paradoxically, similar to John of the Cross' works. Pseudo-Dionysius captures this paradox, and in the novel, Barabbas feels alone in the darkness of the world yet paradoxically with God. In the religious and theological dimension, Barabbas' life is a parable of the soul's struggle through despair for union with God. And so the end: "When he felt death approaching... he said out into the darkness... To thee I deliver up my soul. And then he gave up the ghost."

James Wood described Lucky Per, a favorite of mine, as "magnificently metaphysical and boldly human." I offer the same honor to Barabbas, which in some ways is a spiritual cousin of Lucky Per. For Barabbas is a novel deeply interested in what it means to be human, with all the struggles and anxieties that构成 the human experience. It is a magnificently metaphysical and boldly human novel, comparable in depth to books like The Brothers Karamazov, Lucky Per, and Niels Lyhne, each of which in its own way addresses and draws our attention to the loneliness that marks our experience of the world.

"Lord, help our unbelief."

"As Barabbas made his way back to the city... he felt very much alone... This he had always been, but it wasn't until now that he realized it... Yes, he was alone in heaven and on earth."

Like a lost gnostic gospel (The Gospel of Christ according to Barabbas?), this novel strums the chords of belief, regret, yearning and loss.

Using the death and resurrection of Christ as the backdrop for the released prisoner Barabbas's story is a clever device. Lagerkvist has created many unique and interesting fictions to tell his hero's tale.

However, it might have been the translation, but Lagerkvist's writing style didn't resonate with me at all. The words seemed to fall flat on the page, lacking the power and passion that I had expected.

I'm not ready to give up on him, though. I'll try a couple of his other works with different translators before moving on. Maybe a different translation will bring out the true beauty and depth of his writing.

I'm hopeful that I'll be able to discover the magic that others have found in Lagerkvist's novels.

However, I don't understand why you carry this Jesus Christ as a savior on your disk?

Barabbas said, looking away from both men:

"Because I want to believe."

"They were innocent, but does this matter? Everyone wanted to see them as sinners, everyone wanted to believe the cries of the condemned mob: They are Christians, they are Christians."

This dialogue presents a profound exploration of faith and the perception of innocence and guilt. Barabbas' desire to believe in Jesus Christ as a savior shows his inner search for meaning and redemption. The condemnation of the so-called "Christians" by the mob highlights the power of prejudice and the ease with which people can be influenced by the crowd. It makes us question our own beliefs and the way we judge others. Are we too quick to condemn those who are different? Do we truly understand the meaning of faith and salvation? These are the questions that this passage raises and that we should all take the time to reflect on.

Barabbas
The Nobel laureate in Literature in 1951, Pär Lagerkvist, emphasizes that Barabbas as we know him in the New Testament is just one personality among others that run parallel and the author of this novel suggests to us, and it is surely the richest. Of those that are mentioned in the Bible.

Here Barabbas is another face other than the one we have imagined. Let go of the cursed beast within you that is devoid of all moral principle. Let go of that guilty robber and get to know Barabbas the seeker of truth, Barabbas who has carried a progressive light in his heart. He is cautious of faith.... not necessarily as required by the sound faith according to the churches but as he saw and witnessed (the girl with the split lip and the dead man whom Jesus raised). For the Christians say that Jesus, they claim, died to purify people from their sins. Isn't this literally true for Barabbas? Didn't he himself give up his life on the cross for him (eternal life)? Didn't he touch his soul in a different way?

He is that Barabbas who clings to the group of believers and separates from the group of guilty robbers. He is that Barabbas who struggles with himself to believe and ask and inquire and meet Jesus whom they sent. The light of the Lord has been pierced into his heart. He is similar in his effort to Oedipus who killed his father...... Incidentally, Barabbas also killed his father Elihu and it is a secret that was revealed to us without anyone knowing about it, not even Barabbas himself.

The struggle of Barabbas with the Christian dogma as it is defined by the churches now. That Jesus is the son of the Lord - the resurrection -

Look at how he is pleased with the man's surrender while he is on the cross, isn't he a god?!!

Why didn't he use his power?

He used his power, he was pleased with using it, he used it after not using it

Isn't this more pleasing and stranger and more astonishing than if he had killed his enemies? Wouldn't he be just a sorcerer if he did that? Didn't he actually perform miracles?

That (the Redeemer) when he breathed out his soul and surrendered his spirit, he blew it into Barabbas instead, so that he would not die.
_______________________

This is what is mentioned in the Wikipedia version about Barabbas and about the origin of his name. Interesting things that I have transferred here in their language as they were mentioned.

Barabbas is presented in the Gospels sometimes as a dissident (Mark 15:7), sometimes as a brigand (John 18:40). It is also said that he is a remarkable prisoner (Matt 27:16 δέσμιον ἐπίσημον) who had collectively committed a murder with other agitators during a sedition (Mark 15:7 οἵτινες ἐν τῇ στάσει φόνον πεποιήκεισαν).

Historians therefore conclude that his name was, or he was nicknamed, Jesus Bar Abbas
So Barabbas was also called Jesus son of the father
Jesus - Jesus
Bar - son
Abbas - the father

The lives of the two men intertwine and their paths do not diverge except to meet again in a dance that Pär Lagerkvist has designed in a wonderful way.

While I truly enjoyed this book, I never had the impression that it reached such a remarkable level that I could justify awarding it more than three stars.

Barabbas is indeed a rather clever book. I really appreciate how Lagerkvist took a character who already existed in the Bible and then crafted a new story about this individual and what he did after fulfilling his role in the Bible. It was fascinating to follow Barabbas' inner turmoil and anxiety after being saved by Jesus. I sense that there is an additional dimension and depth to this book that I might not have fully grasped.

The book was written in a surprisingly "easy" language, considering it was penned in the 1950s. As a result, it felt surprisingly accessible, despite being a bit outdated and written by a Nobel laureate.

It is a relatively short and easily readable Swedish classic that I would recommend to anyone who wishes to embark on reading classics.

Barabba, or the story of an inner conflict.

This novel tells the birth of Christianity through the eyes of the "Liberated", the one who was replaced on the cross by Jesus.

At the moment when Jesus dies crucified in his place, Barabba begins his personal odyssey and lives seeking to find a meaning to his life and trying to believe in God.

It is a beautiful novel in which the physical and psychological traits of the characters are truly impeccable.

The somewhat old-fashioned style is a perfect frame for this story so distant in time.

The author manages to bring to life the ancient world and the turmoil of emotions that Barabba experiences as he grapples with his newfound freedom and the questions that arise within him.

Readers will be drawn into Barabba's journey and will find themselves reflecting on their own beliefs and the search for meaning in life.

Overall, it is a thought-provoking and engaging read that offers a unique perspective on the origins of Christianity.

The girl had believed in the man who called himself the Son of God and named Barabbas as the dead one. Barabbas asked the girl what exactly that man was teaching. The girl remained silent for a while and then said in an incomprehensible mumble: "Love one another as I have loved you." - from the text

The book "The Life of Barabbas" narrates the story from Barabbas' freedom to the moment of his death, and in this narrative, there are two historical reference points. One is Barabbas' freedom instead of Christ in the Roman governor's court, and the other is the persecution of Christians in the Roman Empire. The remaining content is considered fictional. Barabbas is the anti-hero of one of the final and important events in the Gospels: the Roman court and the issuance of the sentence to crucify Jesus. This event is described in the final part of the Gospels as follows:

The governor's custom was to release one prisoner chosen by the people at the festival. At that time, a well-known prisoner named Barabbas was in custody. So when the people gathered, Pilate asked them: "Which one do you want me to release for you, Barabbas or Jesus who is called Christ?" He asked this because he knew that it was out of envy that they had handed Jesus over to him. While Pilate was sitting on the judge's seat, his wife sent him this message: "Don't have anything to do with that innocent man, for I have suffered a great deal today in a dream because of him." But the chief priests and the elders persuaded the crowd to ask for Barabbas and to have Jesus executed. So when the governor asked, "Which of the two do you want me to release for you?" they answered, "Barabbas." "What shall I do, then, with Jesus who is called Christ?" Pilate asked. They all answered, "Crucify him!" "Why? What crime has he committed?" asked Pilate. But they shouted all the louder, "Crucify him!" When Pilate saw that he was getting nowhere, but that instead an uproar was starting, he took water and washed his hands in front of the crowd. "I am innocent of this man's blood," he said. "It is your responsibility!" All the people answered, "Let his blood be on us and on our children!" Then he released Barabbas to them. But he had Jesus flogged, and handed him over to be crucified. - Matthew 27:15 - 26

After this event, Barabbas is set free and there is no further trace of him in history. From then on, the name Barabbas, along with Judas Iscariot, becomes one of the most infamous and villainous names. But I have a different perception of Barabbas. Barabbas is a very essential and even necessary symbol in the Gospels. The selection of a character like Barabbas and preferring him over Christ is considered the most beautiful symbol of the whole message of Christ and the New Covenant. If years later, the disciples of Christ came to believe with certainty that Christ was sacrificed for their sins - as Peter the Apostle said: "He himself bore our sins in his body on the cross" - Barabbas believed on that day that Jesus was crucified instead of him.

He had used his power and influence in the most extraordinary way possible, as if he had given up by not using it. He had let others make decisions and act as they wished, had refrained from interfering in their affairs, and had managed to be crucified instead of Barabbas. His disciples spoke of his death for his own sake, but in fact, that man had given his life for Barabbas, and no one could deny this truth. In the essence of the matter, Barabbas was closer to him than all of them and was connected to him by a special thread. Jesus had chosen him to be spared from punishment and set free. Jesus had implicitly told them, "Release Barabbas and crucify me." - from the book text

Isn't the Christian concept of grace that which is given to someone who in no way deserves it and is free for the receiver but costly for the giver? If so, then Barabbas' salvation from death is the most vivid and palpable example of the prominent concept of Christian grace: Barabbas was known as a robber and a murderer, and no sign of goodness could be seen in him. If anyone deserved grace according to our judgment based on his actions, Barabbas would have been at the bottom of the list. Nevertheless, Barabbas was given grace and Jesus was crucified in his place. It is not clear what happened to Barabbas after this event and how he lived and died. But I earnestly hope that this verse of the New Covenant comes true for him: "And he died for all, that those who live should no longer live for themselves but for him who died for them and was raised again." - 2 Corinthians 5:15

About the book

The narrative style is very simple, and in my opinion, the story is not very well fictionalized. The character portrayal, except for that of Barabbas, is not as strong as it should be, and the supporting characters enter and exit the stage one after another. Another problem with the story is that the situations are not described in sufficient detail and the reader is left confused. Nevertheless, I liked the book because until now I had passed over the name of Barabbas as an insignificant and negative character, and I was not accurate about what had actually happened to Barabbas. But the book helped me in this regard. I recommend the book only to those who have read the New Covenant or at least the Gospels.

A film adaptation of this story was made by Richard Fleischer (released in 1961) and starring Anthony Quinn, which still has its own special beauty and grandeur after all these years.

There were three accused Assamese in front of the Roman judges. And there was Jesus Christ. Since the Roman people wanted Jesus to be crucified, and only three crosses were made; so one of the previous three Assamese was released. The name of this man who got freedom instead of Jesus was "Barabbas". And this book is about him.

Truly speaking, it is a very strange book. At the beginning of the book, there is a description of the event of Jesus being crucified in Barabbas' eyes - once the sky turned black and darkness came and Jesus, who was crucified, fell into the arms of death saying "God! Oh God! Why have you forsaken me?"

Barabbas, the murderer and robber, was exactly the opposite of Jesus. While Jesus taught to love others, Barabbas never learned to love himself. Barabbas became even more confused thinking - who is this Jesus? If he is the son of God, then why couldn't he save himself from the cross? Barabbas started to come in contact with various disciples of Jesus in search of the answers to these questions. He saw with his own eyes the man whom Jesus had resurrected four days after death. Doubting Barabbas searched for the answers to these questions for many long years of his life. He wanted to understand this new religion and love Jesus and his disciples. Strangely, it can be seen that even Barabbas, who was morally opposed to Jesus, determined his own final destiny on the cross of Golgotha.

I won't say that I understood this book very well. Maybe I can read it again later. It is a small book, and the translation from Swedish to English is also very beautiful and fluent.