Ben-Hur:

A Tale of the Christ

By: Lew Wallace

Submitted by:

Mel Nathan G. Abas

Submitted on:

October 16, 2017

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 I. BRIEF SUMMARY:

The Jebel Es Zubleh was a mountain fifty miles and more in length and so narrow that when you look
at it on the map, it resembles a caterpillar crawling from the south to the north.

A man in a caravan was riding a camel. They travelled hours and hours without stopping. Noon arrived
and the camel was tired stopped on its own. The master looked up the sun and surveyed the place and
after a deep breath nodded and crossed his hand upon his breast and prayed silently. After praying, he
signaled the camel to keel and it obeyed the man.

Three Magi have come from the East. Balthasar, an Egyptian, sets up a tent in the desert, where he is
joined by Melchior, a Hindu, and Gaspar, a Greek. All of them were unarmed despite the place being
dangerous and crawling with leopards and lions and violent men. They were led inside the tent by the
Egyptian to eat. All of them were amazed because they spoke in different language which was never heard
by the others yet they understood each other perfectly.

The three men ate heartily and drunk and talked. Gaspar introduced himself as the son of Cleanthes
the Athenian. In his place, in Thessaly, there is a mountain named Olympus known as home of the gods.
He found a cave in the mountain and stayed there talking to God.

One day he saw a man thrown from a ship. He swam ashore. He helped the man and took care of him.
The man made him know who God is and that He really exist. Melchior said that God answers all those
who cry to him. That God would come again and become the King of the Jews. Gaspar started praying that
he be allowed to see and worship the king on the day of His arrival.

Melchior introduced himself. He said that he is speaking using one of the oldest languages in the world.
He also yearns for God. He told them that he had unanswered questions like when would God come and
was there to be no redemption?

One night while he was waking by the shores of the law, he saw a star moving towards him. Its
brightness stunned him. While he lay on the ground he heard a voice of endless sweetness saying that he
is loved and blessed. With two others, they shall see the Redeemer and will see Him come. Without fear,
he travelled alone and put his trust in the Spirit.
It was the turn of Balthasar to tell his story. He was born in Alexandria, a prince and a priest. His
preaching about God made people laugh because they did not believe. One night when he was praying
near the river, he saw the water sparkle with stars and one left its place and moved towards him. He heard
a voice saying word to him telling him where the King of the Jews will be born. After a while, the three went
out of the tent and rode on their camels and began their journey.

At the Joppa Gate in Jerusalem, Mary and Joseph pass through on their way from Nazareth to
Bethlehem. They stop at the inn at the entrance to the city, but there is no room. Mary is pregnant and, as

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labor begins, they head to a cave on a nearby hillside, where Jesus is born. In the pastures outside the city,
a group of seven shepherds watch their flocks. Angels announce the Christ's birth. The shepherds hurry
towards the city and enter the cave on the hillside to worship the Christ. They spread the news of the
Christ's birth and many come to see him. The Magi arrive in Jerusalem and inquire for news of the Christ.
Herod the Great is angry to hear of another king challenging his rule and asks the Sanhedrin to find
information for him. The Sanhedrin delivers a prophecy written by Micah, telling of a ruler to come from
Bethlehem Ephrathah, which they interpret to signify the Christ's birthplace.

Judah Ben-Hur, son of Ithamar, is a prince descended from a royal family of Judaea. Messala, his
closest childhood friend and the son of a Roman tax-collector, leaves home for five years of education in
Rome. He returns as a proud Roman. He mocks Judah and his religion and the two become enemies. As a
result, Judah decides to go to Rome for military training in order to use his acquired skills to fight the
Roman Empire.

Valerius Gratus, the fourth Roman prefect of Judaea, passes by Judah's house. As Judah watches the
procession from his rooftop, a loose roof tile happens to fall and hit the governor. Messala betrays Judah,
who is quickly captured and accused of attempting to murder Gratus. There is no trial; Judah's entire family
is secretly imprisoned in the Antonia Fortress and all their property is seized.

As he is taken away, Judah vows vengeance against the Romans. He is sent as a slave to work
aboard a Roman warship. On the journey to the ship, he meets a young carpenter named Jesus, who
offers him water, which deeply moves Judah and strengthens his resolve to survive.

In Italy, Greek pirate-ships have been looting Roman vessels in the Aegean Sea. The prefect Sejanus
orders the Roman Quintus Arrius to take warships to combat the pirates. Chained on one of the warships,
Judah has survived three hard years as a Roman slave, kept alive by his passion for vengeance. Arrius is
impressed by Judah and decides to question him about his life and his story. He is stunned to learn of
Judah's former status as a son of Hur. In battle, the ship is damaged and starts to sink. Arrius unlocks
Judah's chains so he has a chance to survive, and Judah ends up saving the Roman from drowning. They
share a plank as a makeshift raft until being rescued by a Roman ship, whereupon they learn that the
Romans were victorious in the battle; Arrius is lauded as a hero. They return to Misenum, where Arrius
adopts Judah as his son, making him a freed man and a Roman citizen.

Judah Ben-Hur trains in wrestling for five years in the Palaestra in Rome before becoming the heir of
Arrius after his death. While traveling to Antioch on state business, Judah learns that his real father's chief
servant, the slave Simonides, lives in a house in this city, and has the trust of Judah's father's possessions,
which he has invested so well that he is now wealthy. Judah visits Simonides, who listens to his story but
demands more proof of his identity. Ben-Hur says he has no proof, but asks if Simonides knows of the fate
of Judah's mother and sister. He says he knows nothing and Judah leaves the house. Simonides sends his
servant Malluch to spy on Judah to see if his story is true and to learn more about him. Shortly afterwards,

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Malluch meets and befriends Judah in the Grove of Daphne, and they go to the games stadium together.
There, Ben-Hur finds his old rival Messala racing one of the chariots, preparing for a tournament.

The Sheik Ilderim announces that he is looking for a chariot driver to race his team in the coming
tournament. Judah, wanting revenge, offers to drive the sheik's chariot, as he intends to defeat Messala.
Balthasar and his daughter Iras are sitting at a fountain in the stadium. Messala's chariot nearly hits them
but Judah intervenes. Balthasar thanks Ben-Hur and presents him with a gift. Judah heads to Sheik
Ilderim's tent. The servant Malluch accompanies him, and they talk about the Christ; Malluch relates
Balthasar's story of the Magi. They realize that Judah saved the man who saw the Christ soon after his
birth. Simonides, his daughter Esther, and Malluch talk together, and conclude that Judah is who he claims
to be, and that he is on their side in the fight against Rome. Messala realizes that Judah Ben-Hur has been
adopted into a Roman home and his honor has been restored. He threatens to take revenge. Meanwhile,
Balthasar and his daughter Iras arrive at the Sheik's tent. With Judah they discuss how the Christ,
approaching the age of thirty, is ready to enter public leadership. Judah takes increasing interest in the
beautiful Iras.

Messala sends a letter to Valerius Gratus about his discovery of Judah, but Sheik Ilderim intercepts the
letter and shares it with Judah. He discovers that his mother and sister were imprisoned in a cell at the
Antonia Fortress, and Messala has been spying on him. Meanwhile, Ilderim is deeply impressed with
Judah's skills with his racing horses, and accepts him as his charioteer. Simonides comes to Judah and
offers him the accumulated fortune of the Hur family business, of which the merchant has been steward.
Judah Ben-Hur accepts only the original amount of money, leaving property and the rest to the loyal
merchant. They each agree to do their part to fight for the Christ, whom they believe to be a political savior
from Roman authority. A day before the race, Ilderim prepares his horses. Judah appoints Malluch to
organize his support campaign for him. Meanwhile, Messala organizes his own huge campaign, revealing
Judah Ben-Hur's former identity to the community as an outcast and convict. Malluch challenges Messala
and his cronies to a large wager, which, if the Roman loses, would bankrupt him.

The day of the race comes. During the race, Messala and Judah become the clear leaders. Judah
deliberately scrapes his chariot wheel against Messala's and Messala's chariot breaks apart, causing him
to be trampled by other racers' horses. Judah is crowned the winner and showered with prizes, claiming his
first strike against Rome. Messala is left with a broken body and the loss of his wealth.

After the race, Judah Ben-Hur receives a letter from Iras asking him to go to the Roman palace of
Idernee. When he arrives, he sees that he has been tricked. Thord, a Saxon, hired by Messala, comes to
kill Judah. They duel, and Ben-Hur offers Thord four thousand sestertii to let him live. Thord returns to
Messala claiming to have killed Judah, so collects money from them both. Supposedly dead, Judah Ben-
Hur goes to the desert with Ilderim to plan a secret campaign.

For Ben-Hur, Simonides bribes Sejanus to remove the prefect Valerius Gratus from his post; Valerius is
succeeded by Pontius Pilate. Ben-Hur sets out for Jerusalem to find his mother and sister. Pilate's review of
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the prison records reveals great injustice, and he notes Gratus concealed a walled-up cell. Pilate's troops
reopen the cell to find two women, Judah's long-lost mother and sister, suffering from leprosy. Pilate
releases them, and they go to the old Hur house, which is vacant. Finding Judah asleep on the steps, they
give thanks to God that he is alive, but do not wake him. As lepers, they are considered less than human.
Banished from the city, they leave in the morning.

Amrah, the Egyptian maid who once served the Hur house, discovers Ben-Hur and wakes him.
She reveals that she has stayed in the Hur house for all these years. Keeping touch with Simonides, she
discouraged many potential buyers of the house by acting as a ghost. They pledge to find out more about
the lost family. Judah discovers an official Roman report about the release of two leprous women. Amrah
hears rumors of the mother and sister's fate.

Romans make plans to use funds from the corban treasury, of the Temple in Jerusalem, to build a new
aqueduct. The Jewish people petition Pilate to veto the plan. Pilate sends his soldiers in disguise to mingle
with the crowd, who at an appointed time, begin to massacre the protesters. Judah kills a Roman guard in a
duel, and becomes a hero in the eyes of a group Galilean protesters.

At a meeting in Bethany, Ben-Hur and his Galilean followers organize a resistance force to revolt
against Rome. Gaining help from Simonides and Ilderim, he sets up a training base in Ilderim's territory in
the desert. After some time, Malluch writes announcing the appearance of a prophet believed to be a
herald for the Christ. Judah journeys to the Jordan to see the Prophet, meeting Balthasar and Iras traveling
for the same purpose. They reach Bethabara, where a group has gathered to hear John the Baptist preach.
A man walks up to John, and asks to be baptized. Judah recognizes Him as the man who gave him water
at the well in Nazareth many years before. Balthasar worships Him as the Christ.

During the next three years, that Man, Jesus, preaches his gospel around Galilee, and Ben-Hur
becomes one of his followers. He notices that Jesus chooses fishermen, farmers, and similar people,
considered "lowly", as apostles. Judah has seen Jesus perform miracles, and is now convinced that the
Christ really had come.

During this time, Malluch has bought the old Hur house and renovated it. He invites Simonides and
Balthasar with their daughters, to live in the house with him. Judah Ben-Hur seldom visits, but the day
before Jesus plans to enter Jerusalem and proclaim himself, Judah returns. He tells all who are in the
house of what he has learned while following Jesus. Amrah realizes that Judah's mother and sister could
be healed, and brings them from a cave where they are living. The next day, the three await Jesus by the
side of a road and seek his healing. Amidst the celebration of his Triumphal Entry, Jesus heals the women.
When they are cured, they reunite with Judah.

Several days later, Iras talks with Judah, saying he has trusted in a false hope, for Jesus had not
started the expected revolution. She says that it is all over between them, saying she loves Messala. Ben-

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Hur remembers the "invitation of Iras" that led to the incident with Thord, and accuses Iras of betraying him.
That night, he resolves to go to Esther.

While lost in thought, he notices a parade in the street and falls in with it. He notices that Judas Iscariot,
one of Jesus' disciples, is leading the parade, and many of the temple priests and Roman soldiers are
marching together. They go to the olive grove of Gethsemane, and he sees Jesus walking out to meet the
crowd. Understanding the betrayal, Ben-Hur is spotted by a priest who tries to take him into custody; he
breaks away and flees. When morning comes, Ben-Hur learns that the Jewish priests have tried Jesus
before Pilate. Although originally acquitted, Jesus has been sentenced to crucifixion at the crowd's
demand. Ben-Hur is shocked at how his supporters have deserted Christ in his time of need. They head to
Calvary, and Ben-Hur resigns himself to watch the crucifixion of Jesus. The sky darkens. Ben-Hur offers
Jesus wine vinegar to return Jesus' favor to him, and soon after that Jesus utters his last cry. Judah and his
friends commit their lives to Jesus, realizing He was not an earthly king, but a heavenly King and a Savior
of mankind.

Five years after the crucifixion, Ben-Hur and Esther have married and had children. The family lives in
Misenum. Iras visits Esther and tells her she has killed Messala, discovering that the Romans were brutes.
She also implies that she will attempt suicide. After Esther tells Ben-Hur of the visit, he tries unsuccessfully
to find Iras. A Samaritan uprising in Judaea is harshly suppressed by Pontius Pilate, and he is ordered back
to Rome a decade after authorizing the crucifixion of Jesus. In the tenth year of Emperor Nero's reign, Ben-
Hur is staying with Simonides, whose business has been extremely successful. With Ben-Hur, the two men
have given most of the fortunes to the church of Antioch. Now, as an old man, Simonides has sold all his
ships but one, and that one has returned for probably its final voyage. Learning that the Christians in Rome
are suffering at the hands of Emperor Nero, Ben-Hur and his friends decide to help. Ben-Hur, Esther and
Malluch sail to Rome, where they decided to build an underground church. It will survive through the ages
and comes to be known as the Catacomb of Callixtus.

II. MAIN CHARACTER

A. Judah Ben-Hur a Jewish prince of Jerusalem who is descended from a royal family of
Judaea; son of Ithamar enslaved by the Romans and later becomes a charioteer and follower
of Christ.
B. Miriammother of Judah Ben-Hur
C. TirzahJudah's younger sister
D. Simonidesa loyal Jewish servant to Ithamar Judahs birth father; becomes a wealthy
merchant in Antioch.
E. Esthermodest daughter of Simonides; she becomes Judahs wife and the mother of his
children
F. MalluchSimonidess servant; becomes Judahs friend
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 G. Amrahan Egyptian slave; former maid in the Ben-Hur household family
H. Messalaa Roman nobleman and the son of a Roman tax collector
I. IshmaelRoman governor
J. Valerius Gratusthe fourth Roman Empire procurator of Judea. Judah is falsely accused of
attempting to assassinate him.
K. Quintus ArriusRoman warship commander; Judah saves him from drowning;
L. Balthasaran Egyptian; one of the biblical Magi; along with Melchior, a Hindu, and Gaspar, a
Greek, who came to Bethlehem to witness the birth of Jesus of Nazareth
M. Irasbeautiful daughter of Balthasar; one of Judahs love interests, who later betrays and
rejects him; she becomes Messalas mistress and eventually kills him.
N. Sheik Ilderiman Arab who agrees to let Judah race his chariot at Antioch
O. Pontius Pilatereplaces Valerius Gratus as procurator releases Judahs mother and sister from
imprisonment in a Roman prison
P. Thorda Northman hired by Messala to kill Judah; double-crosses Messala and lets Judah live
Q. Jesus of NazarethSon of God; Christ; King of the Jews; son of Mary
R. Mary mother of Jesus; wife of Joseph of Nazareth
S. Joseph of Nazaretha Jewish carpenter; husband of Mary, the father of Jesus Christ
T. John the Nazaritea disciple of Christ.

III. SETTING AND TIME PERIOD

The setting happened during the time when Valerius Gratus was the fourth Empire
Procurator of Judea until the time when Pontius Pilate replaced him. This happened in Jerusalem
when Judea was reduced as a Roman province.

IV. BEST SCENE/PART FROM THE BOOK

The best part is when Benhur during the race, using all the things he practiced and learned
was able to win the race. It was so thrilling because Messela was also very skilled rider that he
almost defeated Benhur.

V. CRITICISM OF THE BOOK

The book depicts betrayal. A very sad trait in the book because it caused friendship is
destroyed because of betrayal. A friend is even willing to kill his own friend because of betrayal.

VI. OVER-ALL OPINION

I was thinking that Benhur really exist during the time of Christ but I found out that he was
just a fictional hero. The book is just a novel written by the author and he is also using some

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Biblical characters but it is an interesting book because Benhur experienced betrayal just as Christ
during his time also experienced betrayal.