{Barabbas or Jesus which is called Christ?} (Barabb(836e) (880a)I(8873)oun ton legomenon Christon;). Pilate was catching at straws
or seeking any loophole to escape condemning a harmless lunatic
or exponent of a superstitious cult such as he deemed Jesus to
be, certainly in no political sense a rival of Caesar. The Jews
interpreted "Christ" for Pilate to be a claim to be King of the
Jews in opposition to Caesar, "a most unprincipled proceeding"
(Bruce). So he bethought him of the time-honoured custom at the
passover of releasing to the people "a prisoner whom they wished"
(desmion hon (8874)helon). No parallel case has been found, but
Josephus mentions the custom (_Ant_. xx. 9,3). Barabbas was for
some reason a popular hero, a notable (epis(886d)on), if not
notorious, prisoner, leader of an insurrection or revolution ( Mr
15:7 ) probably against Rome, and so guilty of the very crime
that they tried to fasten on Jesus who only claimed to be king in
the spiritual sense of the spiritual kingdom. So Pilate
unwittingly pitted against each other two prisoners who
represented the antagonistic forces of all time. It is an
elliptical structure in the question, "whom do you wish that I
release?" (	ina thelete apolus(933b)), either two questions in one
(asyndeton) or the ellipse of hina before apolus(935c). See the
same idiom in verse  21 . But Pilate's question tested the Jews
as well as himself. It tests all men today. Some manuscripts add
the name Jesus to Barabbas and that makes it all the sharper.
Jesus Barabbas or Jesus Christ?