Ben-Hur: A Tale of the Christ

The two women in the secret cell are Tirzah and her mother; they pray for rescue. Tirzah moans with hunger, and her mother tells her that they have been pious and will soon be saved. A voice calls to them to ask who they are. The voice promises to return with help. A party of men soon returns and knocks down the wall of the cell. Pilate is about to enter the cell when the women shout to warn him that they have leprosy. According to the law, people with leprosy must reside in colonies and not enter the cities even to attend synagogue. Pilate promises to have food and drink brought to them and then have them escorted out of the city.

About the time that the jailkeeper is telling Pilate about the secret cell, Ben-Hur arrives in Jerusalem. An extended description of ancient Jerusalem follows. With Messala injured and Gratus removed, Ben-Hur is now free to search for his family. He is unsure how to begin his search but decides to first go to the family’s old estate and see Amrah, their old servant whom the Roman soldiers sealed in the estate.

Arriving at his family’s house, Ben-Hur sees the notice of the property belonging to the Emperor still nailed above the door. He tries knocking but gets no response. Eventually, he sits down on the front step and falls asleep. While he sleeps, Tirzah and his mother approach to take one look at their house before leaving the city forever. They notice Ben-Hur sleeping before the door and recognize him. They take a last look at him, forcing themselves not to touch him, and his mother kisses the exposed bottom of his sandals. At daybreak, Amrah approaches the house and wakes Ben-Hur. He begs her for news of his family, and Tirzah nearly reveals herself. Tirzah and Ben-Hur’s mother are soon driven out of the city.

Two mornings after Ben-Hur’s return, Amrah comes to a well outside of the walls of Jerusalem. The people with leprosy outside the city come to the well and leave their jars for others to safely fill with water for them, so Amrah waits in hopes of seeing Tirzah and her mistress. She spots a pair of women who seem new and approaches them. They are, in fact, Tirzah and her mother. Amrah leaves them a basket of food and fills their water jar for them. Ben-Hur’s mother makes Amrah promise not to tell her son about her and Tirzah.

Ben-Hur has had Malluch investigating the location of his family. Malluch discovers what has happened to them and that they have been released and are in the colony for people with leprosy. Ben-Hur is stricken with grief but resolves to go see them at the colony. Despite repeated visits and offers of reward, the people with leprosy will not give Ben-Hur news about his family. Ben-Hur encounters some young men from Galilee going to protest Pilate’s use of Temple money to build a new aqueduct. Ben-Hur goes to accompany them, and they join an angry crowd outside of Pilate’s citadel. The crowd grows increasingly agitated until Roman soldiers dressed as Jews begin to beat the crowd with clubs. Ben-Hur has the Galileans fashion clubs for themselves, and they repel the disguised Romans. Armed soldiers come into view, and their centurion challenges Ben-Hur to single combat. Ben-Hur quickly kills the centurion. Ben-Hur soon leaves for Galilee where he begins training an army in anticipation of the Messiah’s arrival.