Judah Ben-Hur was a Judean prince and merchant during the 1st century AD. Ben-Hur was enslaved in 26 AD after he was wrongly accused of attempting to assassinate the new Roman governor Valerius Gratus, and he was a galley slave for three years before the Roman consul Quintus Arrius adopted him after Ben-Hur saved his life during a battle against Macedonian pirates. Ben-Hur later became a charioteer and a Christian, and, in 64 AD, he used some of his wealth to help fund the growth of the Christian Church in Antioch and the creation of an underground Christian community in Rome's catacombs.
Biography[]
Early life[]
Judah Ben-Hur was born in Jerusalem, Judea, the son of Ithamar (who was descended from a Jewish royal family) and Miriam and the brother of Tirzah. He was childhood friends with the Roman nobleman Messala, and he grew to be a wealthy prince and merchant, while Messala, who left Judea at the age of 15, returned to Judea in 26 AD to serve as commander of the Antonia Fortress garrison in Jerusalem with the rank of Tribune.
Reunion with Messala[]
Messala and Ben-Hur reuniting at the Antonia Fortress
Judah was a devout Jew who privately opposed the Roman Empire's occupation of his home country. In 26 AD, Judah visited his old friend Messala at the Antonia Fortress, where the two reminisced about their childhoods. However, Messala's blind loyalty to Rome and Ben-Hur's support for Judean independence caused a minor rift between the two men. When Messala asked Ben-Hur to advise him on governing Judea, Ben-Hur asked him to withdraw his legions and let Judea be free. Ben-Hur grew concerned upon discovering that Valerius Gratus was arriving in Judea with two more legions, which had been rumored for some time. However, he agreed to Messala's request for him to dissuade his fellow Judeans from violence, as he had always opposed violent resistance against the Romans.
Messala reuniting with Ben-Hur's family
The next day, Ben-Hur took Messala to visit his family, and Messala gifted Libyan jewelry to Tirzah. Judah then took Messala to the stables, where he gifted him an Arabian stallion which he had bred himself. Messala then asked Ben-Hur for an update on how the Judeans stood. While Ben-Hur told him that most of the men whom he had talked to were also opposed to violence, he declined to name those who refused to disavow armed resistance, causing Messala to grow angry, especially after Ben-Hur called them "patriots". Messala promised Ben-Hur that they could both advance through the ranks if they helped Emperor Tiberius pacify Judea, but Ben-Hur refused to betray his own peope. Messala angrily asked "What do the lives of a few Jews mean to you?" Ben-Hur then told Messala that, if he could not persuade some Judeans to be peaceful, he would not help Messala murder them. Ben-Hur also told Messala that he was interested both in the past and the future of the Jewish people, and Messala angrily rebuked him, telling him that the Jews were a conquered people and that the glory of Solomon had passed and would not return. Ben-Hur called Rome an affront to God which was strangling his people and the whole earth, and he said that, when Rome fell, there would be a shout of freedom such as the world had never heard before. Messala gave him an ultimatum, saying that he would either help him or oppose him. Ben-Hur said that, if that was the choice, he would be against him, causing Messala to storm off.
Ben-Hur having dinner with his family
Over dinner with his family, Judah told his mother and sister that they would never see Messala again, as he had tried to convince Judah to betray his own people. He then met with the family's servant, the wealthy merchant Simonides, who had just returned from Antioch with several new business deals. Simonides then announced that his daughter Esther had come to seek Judah's permission to marry the freedman and Antiochene merchant David ben Matthias; Judah gave Esther permission to marry him and promised to free her for her wedding gift, although he privately loved her himself. That night, Judah found Esther pondering over her memories of their shared childhood in the household, and the two of them fell in love while catching up. Judah took Esther's slave ring and wore it on himself, promising to wear it until he would meet the woman he would marry. The two of them then shared a brief kiss before Esther left.
Arrest and enslavement[]
Ben-Hur being arrested
The next day, from the rooftop of their home, Judah and Tizrah watched the welcome procession for Valerius Gratus, and Messala took notice of the two as he galloped by. However, Tizrah accidentally put her hand on loose tiling, which fell onto the street and caused Gratus' horse to panic, throwing him to the ground and nearly killing him. Roman soldiers, believing that this was an assassination attempt, stormed into the Ben-Hur estate, and Judah claimed that it was an accident. However, the Roman soldiers arrested Judah and his family. Judah attempted to convince Messala to intercede, arguing that it was an accident, but Messala silently turned away and let the Ben-Hur family be thrown in prison; he did, however, release the servants.
Ben-Hur confronting Messala
Ben-Hur was brought to prison, where he was informed that he would be sent to Tyre to become a galley slave. The guards knocked him out when he resisted being tied up, having been ignored when he asked about the whereabouts of his family. Judah briefly escaped from the guards and found Messala at his headquarters, threatening him with a javelin and confronting him one-on-one. Messala told Judah that his mother and sister were within the prison walls, and that they would not be executed, as the Governor was recovering. Messala then told Judah that he knowingly had him arrested, and that making an example of Judah - his old friend - discouraged treason and made himself feared. Judah then begged for his family's release, but Messala rebuked him, telling him that he had previously begged for Judah's help. Messala then told Judah that, if he killed him, his mother and sister would be crucified. Judah then threw his javelin into the wall, and he was then taken away by the guards, but not before swearing revenge against Messala.
Jesus watching Ben-Hur and the other prisoners walk on
Judah and the other slaves were marched through the desert during their voyage to Tyre, and Judah collapsed from thirst when the party stopped at Nazareth for the Romans to water their horses; the Roman officer Marcus Carius Aquillius denied him water. However, Jesus came to Ben-Hur and gave him water, and Aquillius was taken aback and was unable to stop Jesus. Ben-Hur was then marched off with the others, and he went on to spend three years as a galley slave.
Galley slave[]
Ben-Hur as a galley slave, 29 AD
By 29 AD, Ben-Hur had served as a galley slave on many ships, and he had spent over 40 days aboard a Roman galley when Consul Quintus Arrius inspected Ben-Hur's ship. Arrius was impressed when he whipped Ben-Hur and Ben-Hur did not respond, noting that he was smart for not using his ability to fight back. He then noticed the hate in Ben-Hur's eyes, and he told him that hate keeps a man alive and gives him strength. Ben-Hur and the other galley slaves then went back to rowing, even as Arrius led the Roman fleet into battle with Macedonian pirates who had been attacking Roman commerce. Ben-Hur was then ordered to meet with Arrius during his relief, and Arrius, who suddenly woke from sleeping, was impressed that Ben-Hur had not murdered him. Arrius, impressed by Ben-Hur's bravery, offered to make him either a gladiator or a charioteer, but Ben-Hur refused to become his slave, having faith that he would not be on the galley forever. Arrius claimed that Ben-Hur's God was not on his side, just as the pagan gods were not on his own. When Ben-Hur asked Arrius what had made him lose his faith, Arrius told Ben-Hur to go back to rowing.
Ben-Hur saving Arrius
During the ensuing battle, Ben-Hur narrowly evaded drowning when a Macedonian pirate ship rammed the side of Arrius' galley, and he saved Arrius from drowning when he was thrown overbroad, throwing him onto a piece of floatsam to rescue him. He then prevented Arrius from stabbing himself (as Roman generals did when defeated), and he knocked Arrius out when he tried to bite Ben-Hur's arm. Later on, the two of them woke up to find a ship approaching, and a suicidal Arrius hoped that it would be an enemy ship so that he would die and Ben-Hur would be freed. However, it was a Roman ship, and the captain onboard informed Arrius that, while the Romans had lost five galleys, they had won a complete victory. Arrius rejoiced and praised Judah for his bravery, giving him water and ensuring that he was not sent back below deck.
Triumph in Rome[]
Ben-Hur in Rome, 29 AD
Arrius brought Ben-Hur with him when he went to Rome to be awarded a triumphal parade by Emperor Tiberius, and Ben-Hur rode alongside Arrius in his chariot. While accepting the triumphal baton from Tibeirus, Arrius told Tiberius of Ben-Hur's case and asked him to consider overturning Ben-Hur's condition. At a meeting with the Roman Senate, Tiberius told Arrius that Ben-Hur was to be taken from the galleys and made Arrius' slave, commuting his punishment.
Ben-Hur being adopted
Over the next year, Ben-Hur took up Arrius' offer of becoming a charioteer and won five tournaments in Arrius' name. He became a celebrated figure in Rome, wearing his noble robes once again and making a name for himself. At one nighttime celebration with the elite of Rome, Arrius made an announcement to the audience. He told them that he had taken a father's pride in Judah's achievements, and that, to strengthen the bond between the two men, he would adopt Judah as his own son and make him the inheritor of his name and estates. Arrius then gave Judah his family's ring to symbolize his adoption, and Judah promised that, no matter where he might travel, he would uphold Arrius' name with gratitude, affection, and honor. The audience then applauded him, and he was briefly introduced to Pontius Pilate, who asked him about the harsh climate of Judea; Judah joked that it wasn't unbearable to Judeans.
Later that night, Arrius found Judah looking longingly to the east from a balcony, and he deduced that Judah would soon leave. Judah explained that, during his stay in Rome, he was constantly punished by the thought that he might be too late to save his family. Arrius told him that Gratus would soon be replaced as Prefect by Pontius Pilate, and counseled him to stay in Rome, although he admitted that the gods had little regard for his wishes. Judah embraced his adoptive father and told him that he would always remember his time in Rome, and he then left for Palestine.
Return to Palestine[]
Judah talking with Sheik Ilderim
Ben-Hur took a galley to Palestine and met Balthasar of Alexandria while resting under a palm tree; Balthasar mistook him for Jesus, who was around the same age as Judah. Balthasar then introduced Judah to Sheik Ilderim, the Arab charioteer who was hosting him. Judah noticed that Ilderim's chariot horses were not working as a team, and he told this to Balthasar and predicted that they would become unruly. After Ilderim restored order to the horses, Balthasar called him over to Judah and told him that he had predicted the horses' reaction. Ilderim took up an interest in Judah's suggestion to rearrange the horses' order, and, when he heard that Judah had raced on the famed circuits of Rome, Ilderim invited Judah into his tent to eat, drink, and tell him and Balthasar about his time in Rome. Ilderim joked about having seven wives, saying that he could understand Judah having one God, but not having one wife. He then introduced Judah to his Arabian stallions Antares, Rigel, Altair, and Aldebaran. Ilderim then told Judah that he would soon head to Jerusalem to take on the Roman champion Messala, causing Judah to turn away in shock. Ilderim, knowing now that Judah disliked Messala, attempted to recruit him to race his horses against Messala and break his pride, thus avenging Messala's persecution of the Jews. Judah told Ilderim that he would have to deal with Messala in his own way, but Balthasar told Judah that he had no right to take Messala's life, as he would be punished inevitably. When Judah said that he did not believe in miracles, Balthasar told him of the ongoing works of Jesus and told him to have faith in miracles. Judah declined Ilderim's offer to serve as his charioteer against Messala, and Ilderim expressed his hope that they would meet again.
Simonides reuniting with Ben-Hur
Judah then secretly returned to his estate in Jerusalem, which was derelict and dirty. That night, he found Esther walking through the estate, and she fell to her knees and sobbed when she saw him; Ben-Hur embraced her and asked her where her father was. She told him that her father Simonides had been arrested and tortured on the same day as Ben-Hur's arrest, and that he and Esther had been living in hiding at Ben-Hur's looted estate after Simonides was released. Ben-Hur was then taken to an overjoyed Simonides, who told him that, since that terrible day, there had been no word as to the whereabouts of Ben-Hur's family; he also introduced him to his mute friend Malluch. Judah then spoke with Esther on the same balcony on which they had spoken four years earlier, and Esther revealed that her arranged marriage had fallen through. Judah and Esther then shared a kiss, as Esther confessed that she was still in love with him.
Ben-Hur confronting Messala again
Identifying himself as "Quintus Arrius the Younger", Judah then visited Messala at his estate after sending him a knife as a gift. He confronted a shocked Messala, who asked him by what magic he bore the name of a Consul; Judah told Messala that he was the magician, as Messala had condemned him to the galleys, and Judah had saved the Consul's life when his ship sunk and he was adopted soon after. Judah then demanded to know where his family was, and he told Messala that he would forget his oath of revenge if Messala was to restore his family to him. Judah told Messala that he would be back the next day, and, after Judah left, Messala sent his second-in-command Drusus to Gratus to investigate the whereabouts of Judah's family. However, they were found to be lepers and were thrown out of the prison, and they voluntarily went to the Valley of the Lepers and told Esther to tell Judah that they were dead to spare him the pain of knowing their sufferings. Esther met with Judah that night and told him that she had seen their dead bodies in the prison, and Esther told him that his search was over and told him to go back to Rome. This revelation changed Judah's mind, and he decided to race against Messala and seek revenge.
Chariot race[]
Ben-Hur riding his chariot
Before the match, Ben-Hur prayed to God to forgive him of his quest for vengeance. Ilderim then pinned a golden Star of David on Judah, telling him that it shine for both the Jews and the Arabs, and that it would blind the eyes of Rome. Ben-Hur then mounted his chariot, and he and Messala decided that they would fight to the death; Ilderim warned Judah that Messala was riding a scythed Greek chariot and told him not to ride near him.
Ben-Hur celebrating his victory
During the race, Ben-Hur initially struggled for the lead as Messala's scythed chariot destroyed several other chariots and forced Ben-Hur to pull back, but he later came up close to Messala and survived a near-disastrous crash with the debris of other chariots. Messala began to whip Ben-Hur using his whip, and the wheels of the two chariots interlocked. When Ben-Hur pulled the whip away and began to whip Messala, the chariots lurched apart and Messala's wheel broke off, causing him to fall from his chariot and be struck by another chariot. Ben-Hur went on to win the race and was cheered on by large crowds, and Pilate crowned him their temporary "living god" and told him that he had a dispatch from Rome that he had to read later.
Messala's death
Before he could leave, Ben-Hur went into the infirmary to confront Messala one last time. A dying Messala told Ben-Hur that his family was not dead, and, in one last act of pure hatred, he told Ben-Hur, "Look for them in the Valley of Lepers...if you can recognize them. It goes on. It goes on Judah. The race...the race is not over."
Finding the family[]
Ben-Hur seeing his family from afar in the Valley of Lepers
Judah, having wrought his vengeance on Messala, then made his way to the Valley of Lepers to find his family. He saw Esther there and angrily grabbed her, asking why she lied to him; Esther told him that his family wanted him to believe that they were dead to spare him the pain, and begged him to hide as they came out. Judah hid behind a rock and heard his family ask about him, and Esther told Miriam that he was well. They then went back into their cave with the food Miriam brought them, and Judah was forced out of the Valley by Esther and Malluch.
Judah was then taken to a mountain where Jesus was giving a sermon, and he was reunited with Balthasar, who told him that Jesus was speaking. Judah recognized Jesus as the man who had given him water at Nazareth four years earlier, but he told Balthasar that he had business with Rome, and he left to meet with Pilate as Balthasar, Malluch, and Esther listened to Jesus speak.
Ben-Hur speaking with Pontius Pilate
Ben-Hur went to Pilate's palace to hear a message from Arrius, announcing that Ben-Hur had been made a citizen of Rome. When Pilate asked why Ben-Hur was not having a reaction, Ben-Hur told Pilate that he had just come from the Valley of Stone where his mother and sister were living the rest of their lives, by Rome's will, lepers and outcasts. Pilate expressed his regret at the situation, and said that Ben-Hur's vengeance died with Messala, but Ben-Hur said that the deed was not Messala's, as "the cruelty of Rome had spread in his blood" and turned him into a different man than he was in his boyhood. Pilate attempted to convince Ben-Hur to look forward to a bright future with Rome, and he told him that he was sure that "Young Arrius" would agree to become a citizen. Ben-Hur defiantly said that his name was "Judah Ben-Hur", thus rejecting his Roman citizenship and patrimony. Pilate warned Ben-Hur that, when he returned up the stairs to his seat, he would stop being a friend to Ben-Hur and would become Caesar's right hand. He also cautioned Ben-Hur that he had become the champion of the Judeans who opposed Rome, and that they also looked to Ben-Hur as their one true God. Ben-Hur then took off Arrius' ring and gave it to Pilate, telling him that he honored Arrius too well to wear it any longer. Pilate warned Ben-Hur that he could not prevent him from personal disaster if he stayed in Judea, as he was too great a danger; he then instructed him to leave Judea.
Judah then returned to his estate, where Esther told Judah of Jesus' sermon, telling him that he was more than a voice, and was a man more than a man. Ben-Hur disagreed with Jesus' statement that men were children of God and that mercy brings about mercy, saying that there was no other life possible than to wash Judea clean with blood. Edith then said that death begets death, and told him of Jesus' message of "Love your enemy." She then blamed Judah for Judea's suffering, and she asked Ben-Hur if they were to bear nothing together, even love. However, Ben-Hur told her that he could hardly draw breath without feeling her in his heart. However, he told her not to love him if he brought her pain. She criticized him for being turned to stone by hatred and for becoming Messala, and she realized that she had lost Judah when he looked at her in anger.
Finding Jesus[]
The Ben-Hur family in Jerusalem
However, Judah went to the Valley of Lepers to find his mother and sister, finding Esther there. He learned from his mother that Tirzah was dying, so he and Esther decided to take Miriam and Tirzah to Jerusalem to seek help from Jesus. They were told by a blind man that the people of Jerusalem had flocked to hear news of Jesus' trial, and, braving Jerusalemites who threw stones at them for being lepers, the Ben-Hurs went to find Jesus.
Ben-Hur giving water to Jesus
They watched as Jesus was escorted up a staircase to Calvary, and, when Jesus collapsed with his cross, Judah ran up to him and gave him water, returning the favor from years earlier. However, the Roman soldiers kicked away the water and threw Judah back into the crowd. Judah and Balthasar then watched Jesus' crucifixion, and he told Balthasar of how Jesus had given him water and a heart to live, and asked what Jesus had done to merit death. Balthasar told Judah that Jesus was dying to redeem the world's sins, and that he had come into the world with that purpose. Ben-Hur was confused about Jesus' purpose being his death, but Balthasar told him that it was really the beginning. A rainstorm broke out when Jesus died on the cross, miraculously healing Miriam and Tirzah of their leprosy and making them healthy again.
Redemption[]
Ben-Hur embracing his family
Ben-Hur then returned to his house and Esther, where he told her of Jesus' forgiveness of his murderers. He described how he felt his voice take the sword out of his hand, and he then embraced Esther, Miriam, and Tirzah out of love and gratitude.
Within the next five years, Judah and Esther married and had children, and they lived in the Roman port of Misenum in Campania, southern Italy. By 64 AD, Judah was staying with Simonides, who had become a successful merchant once again, and Simonides and Ben-Hur gave most of their fortunes to the growing Christian Church in Antioch. After learning of the suffering of the Christians of Rome under Emperor Nero, Ben-Hur, Esther, and Malluch sailed to Rome and helped to finance the Catacombs of Callixtus to help shield the local Christian community from persecution, and their underground church survived throughout the ages.