Legion near Judea at time of Jesus

[Renatus]

Barrabas was a lestai, A.K.A. bandit, not a petty gangster. He committed murder in a rebellion. Although not nesscarily a full scale revolt, it would have been very serious.

The description of Barabbas changes, and escalates, from Gospel to Gospel. In Mark, he is said to be held 'with' others who had committed murder in an insurrection, without saying that he had actually participated in either offence; in Matthew, he is called 'a notable prisoner', again without stating his offence; in Luke, he is said to have participated in an insurrection and to have committed murder; only in John is he called a lestes. Thus, the Evangelists changed their descriptions of him to suit their particular narratives. Mark, the earliest and, possibly, the most reliable may say no more than that he was in the wrong place at the wrong time or, perhaps, that his being held with the others was purely coincidental. Seen in this light, the call for him to be released may reflect a view on the part of the crowd that he had been wrongly arrested and that the demonstration was pro-Barabbas, rather than anti-Jesus.