Saturday, March 5, 2011

Is Barabbas a Prophet in Islam?

Matthew 27:16-17 reads as follows in the NIV 2010 version:
 
At that time they had a well-known prisoner whose name was [Jesus] Barabbas. 17 So when the crowd had gathered, Pilate asked them, “Which one do you want me to release to you: [Jesus] Barabbas, or Jesus who is called the Messiah?”
 
The variant Jesus Barabbas is in a minority of manuscripts to wit, the Caesarean, the Sinaitic Palimpsest, the Palestinian Syriac lectionaries and some of the manuscripts used by Origen.
 
Is it possible that it is thus Barabbas who is a prophet in Islam:
 
[Jesus] said, "Indeed, I am the servant of Allah . He has given me the Scripture and made me a prophet. Surah 19:30

The modus operandi of Barabbas, who was a murderer and an insurrectionist:

The man named Barabbas had been imprisoned with the insurrectionists who had committed murder in the insurrection. Mark 15:7

would fit much better with passages in the Quran such as:

Then, when the sacred months have passed, slay the idolaters wherever ye find them Surah 9:5

And slay them wherever ye find them, and drive them out of the places whence they drove you out, for persecution is worse than slaughter Surah 2:191

So Perhaps the [Jesus] Barabbas minority variant in Matt 27:16 is correct and this is the Jesus who is the prophet in Islam?

1 comment:

  1. There is no evidence of Barabbas being born by the virgin Mary.

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