Ben-Hur: A Tale of the Christ

In a garden in a palace on Mount Zion, two young men, about 17 and 19, are conversing in Greek. They are both handsome with black hair and eyes and bronzed skin. The elder youth, Messala, is dressed in Roman style and has been sent to Judea to oversee tax collection. The other boy, Ben-Hur is dressed in local, Jewish garb.

Messala praises Ben-Hur’s physical beauty; Ben-Hur wishes Messala were still the same person he had been when he left five years ago. Messala responds with sarcasm and offends Ben-Hur. When Ben-Hur explains that he is upset with Gratus’s replacement of the high-priest, Messala directly mocks Judaism and the God of the Hebrews. As Ben-Hur grows more upset, Messala vaunts in the political superiority of Rome and how it means that all the world is open to him.

At the end of his monologue, Messala offers to share all his wealth and privilege with Ben-Hur. Ben-Hur is unfamiliar with Messala’s ironic manner and is uncertain whether he is serious. Messala assures Ben-Hur that his offer is serious and that he will even make Ben-Hur high-priest. The sacrilegious nature of the offer infuriates Ben-Hur, and he turns to leave quickly. Messala tries to calm Ben-Hur with various approaches, including mentioning that Ben-Hur could become a soldier like him. Messala’s efforts are in vain, and Ben-Hur storms off. Messala shouts after him, “Be it so. Eros is dead, Mars reigns!” (67).

Ben-Hur returns home to his family’s estate in Jerusalem. Following a lengthy description of the layout and activities of the estate, Ben-Hur takes his dinner and then goes to his mother.

Later that evening, Ben-Hur’s mother asks him what has upset him. Ben-Hur describes Messala’s arrogance and how he had insulted Judea and the Jewish religion. Ben-Hur is disturbed that Messala may be right in viewing Rome as superior to Judea and asks his mother, “[W]hy may not a son of Israel do all a Roman may?” (73). His mother begins by noting that their family can trace its lineage back over a thousand years, whereas even the most ancient Roman noble families have only existed for half that time. When Ben-Hur questions the accuracy of the genealogical records, she concedes that the originals were destroyed centuries ago, but that this is also true for the Romans. Next, his mother notes that the Jews are marked out as special by God because of their Covenant with Him.

As Ben-Hur tells his mother about his encounter with Messala in detail, she begins to worry that her son’s spark of ambition will draw him away from his faith. She says that all nations consider themselves superior and that there is no objective standard by which to judge such a claim. The distinction between nations which she believes is important is the difference in how close to God they are. In this, the Jews are clearly superior to the Romans.

Messala has argued that the Jews have no great men of individual accomplishment, but she argues that a great man is one who, Jew or Gentile, is recognized and called by God. She disputes the idea that warfare is the most noble calling for a man, and, while noting that the Greeks prize art more than strength, they have never turned away from their “paganism.” She further says that only the Jews, because of their Covenant with God, can claim superiority over the Greeks, because even if Judea is destroyed, their history will remain the history of God’s people.

She does reluctantly acknowledge that Israel has had no great sculptors or painters, but this is because of their special injunction against the making of graven images and so cannot be taken as evidence of inferiority. Ben-Hur thanks her for her advice and for resolving his confusion. To finish their conversation, she tells him that he may be a soldier, as he wishes, but only if he serves the Lord, not Caesar.

The next day, Ben-Hur awakens to find his sister, Tirzah, beside him. The siblings talk about the song Tirzah has just sung to Ben-Hur and about whether a talisman earring she wears is idolatrous. Ben-Hur has decided to leave home for Rome to learn the trade of a soldier. She begs him not to go. Just as the siblings are about to start breakfast, Ben-Hur hears soldiers marching outside and rushes to view them. In trying to get a better view of the Roman commander, Gratus, Ben-Hur leans out and dislodges a clay roof tile. The tile hits him in the head and knocks him from his horse. The Romans believe it was an attack and break into the estate. Among the Romans is Messala, and he tells an officer to have Ben-Hur and his family arrested. Ben-Hur pleads with him to help his family, but Messala refuses haughtily. Ben-Hur’s mother and sister are taken to the Tower of Antonia, and Ben-Hur is bound and marched along the army column.

Before leaving, the soldiers seal up the estate, with Amrah inside, and post a notice that it is now the property of the Emperor. A couple days later, a squad of Roman horseman approach Nazareth with Ben-Hur as a prisoner. The squad stops at the village well, and he collapses. The soldier explains what happened and that Gratus is still alive. Ben-Hur has been sentenced to die enslaved on a galley. As Joseph speaks to the officer, an adolescent Jesus approaches the well and helps Ben-Hur to drink. When Ben-Hur finishes, Jesus places a hand on Ben-Hur’s head and blesses him. Once the Romans have watered their horses, they depart with Ben-Hur.