The weekly pioneer and Democrat. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn. Territory) 1855-1865, 1860-01-13
BARABBAS,

From the Church Journal
Every body knows who Barabbas was
and his name and character are held in gen.
eral adherence.
But is not this the effect of Christian
prejudice? Are we not visiting upon his
head the sins of the real and great villains
of the times-the chief priests and scribes
and rulers of the people-who, for hatred of
our Lord, taught the people tO task Bar
rabbas," in order to &" destroy Jesus ?" Is
it not possible that Barabbas, viewed thro'
the clearer spectacles of modern enlighten-
ment, may appear to be no such very
reprobate individual after all? May there
not have been good reasons why be should
spontaneously have been named as the pop.
ular favorite, rather than any other prisoner,
to be released by the Governor at the Feast ?
The reasons are at once apparent, the
moment we begin to investigate the state OF
public affairs at Judea at the time; and the
close connection between Barabbas and the
politics of that day in that part of the world,
is equally selfevident and significant. In
the minds of the great majority of the
Jewish nation-a nation that had always
been stiff. .necked and rebellious-there was
a deep conviction of an irrepressible con.
hict, that must sooner or later be fought out
between themselves and their masters the
Romans, who had reduced them to the con-
dition of subject province, made them pay
tribute, taken from them the right to have
kings or princes of their own nation, and
denied them the privilege of inficting death
according to the laws laid down in the
Books of Moses. In these and various other
oppressive ways the Romans had reduced
them to a condition which they regarded as
their bitterest afliction, and little better
than slavery. True, it was Gods providence
that had brought all this upon them, in
punishment for the abominable sins of them
selves and their nature, which had been
accumulating more and more for many gen.
erations. True, their own prophets had
foretold the very doom that they were then
suffering, and the incomparably greater
miseries that were yet to follow if they per-
sisted in their wicked ways. And yet they
persisted. And as every successive year
their strength grew weaker, and the Romans
grew stronger, still, with a strange pervers-
ity, their conviction and hopefulness of the
irrepressible conflict took deeper and deeper
hold of the secret heart of the nation, and
was the one and only nerve that thrilled
through the whole land whenever it was
touched In all these things they were
hopelessly divided into sects and parties,
that hated one another with only less intens-
ity than they had the Romans.
Now it is evident that Barabbas was q
firm believer in the irrepressible conflict.
The chief priests and scribes and popular
leaders preached it up all the while, but
were careful to keep themselves out of
harms way when any attempt was really
made to meddle with cold iron. Whenever
it was necessary to keep their highly respec-
table selves out of the clutches of the Ro-
mans, they were ready enough to protest
with hypocritical promptness and earnest
ness, We know no king but Caesar r -
| This they did freely, but the thing was per.
fectly we'll understood throughout the whole
lend of Judea, and Notwithstanding all their
protestations to Pontius PLATE, everybody
knew their sympathies were on the side of
freedom-as they understood it. Barabbas,
however, was more honest and brave, or less
polite than the leaders of the national party
to which he belonged. With straightfor.
wardness which scorned the hypocrisy OF
the Scribes and Pharisees, and with alofty
courage and cool hardihood of daring which
the world has seldom seen surpassed, be, with
his small band of followers, defied the ire
mendous power of imperial Rome, and began
the irrepressible conflict Poor fellow be
must have been desperately disappointed al
the result! He knew his motives to BIZ
| .sfErsNp <fsf $500 4