BARABBAS

About the Book

At the age of thirteen, Barabbas sets out on a life-long quest to kill as many Romans as possible to avenge the murder of his family by Roman soldiers. Rachel joins him because she too has lost her family.

They are gradually united by their love and by the realization that their true mission is to convince the Jews that they should unite against the Romans. They go from solitary travels poisoning Romans to joining an underground movement to rid the Jews of Roman control.

As they become more influential in the movement, they meet Jesus, who seems to be an indecisive preacher under the control of Simon and Judas, two of his followers. As Jesus’ influence grows, Barabbas and Rachel try to protect him and his friend Mary from the wrath of the Jewish leaders and the Romans. After Jesus’ death, they stage his “resurrection” and watch in dismay as Jesus’ followers gradually grow in strength and power in the Empire. The Christians gradually turn against the Jews, accusing all of them of being “Christ Killers.”

They find their love tested by personal challenges and find their goal of Jewish unity challenged by the strength of the Romans and the rise of the Christians, but they spend the rest of their lives pursuing their goal. They are active participants in the major incidents of history during their lives, including the burning of Rome in 64 A.D.

Their hope for success is dashed by the Romans’ attack on Jerusalem and the burning of the Temple, but they end their lives still challenging the Romans at Masada.

About the Author

After delving into the Bible in his first book, Bob Hofmann writes about his hometown, St. Louis, Missouri. Calling on his life-long familiarity with the area and the knowledge acquired by teaching history for thirty-five years, he writes a thriller filled with love, mystery, and intrigue. First Book— Hoffmann’s first novel discovers a very different Barabbas than the “murderer and insurrectionist” freed by Pilate when the Jews wanted to crucify Jesus. This Barabbas spends his life trying to free the Jews from Roman control.