Ben-Hur (book)
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Ben-Hur: A Tale of the Christ is a novel by General Lew Wallace which was published on November 12, 1880, by Harper and Brothers. Wallace's work is part of an important sub-genre of historical fiction set among the characters of the New Testament. The novel was a phenomenal best-seller; it soon surpassed Harriet Beecher Stowe's Uncle Tom's Cabin (1852) as the best-selling American novel and retained this distinction until the 1936 publication of Margaret Mitchell's Gone with the Wind. In 1912, Sears Roebuck published one million copies to sell for 39 cents apiece: the largest single year print edition in American history. Ben-Hur: A Tale of the Christ was the first work of fiction to be blessed by a pope.
The novel was quickly adapted into numerous stage productions, including one which recreated the climactic chariot race on stage using live horses, full size chariots, and a series of treadmills. With the subsequent development of the cinema, the novel was also adapted into motion pictures in 1907, 1925, 1959, & 2003.
Plot
Summary
As the title indicates, the tale revolves around two storylines: the story of Jesus and the story of Ben-Hur. The author supposedly was engaging in a discussion with an atheist over the existence of God when he discovered how little he knew about the actual historical setting of the Messianic events. He set to work, and after a season of research, turned up with the book, his primary purpose being to teach.
The central character is Judah, prince of the Hebrew house of Hur. Judah grows up in Jerusalem, during the turbulent years around the birth of Christ. His best friend is Messala, a Roman. As adults Judah and Messala become rivals, each hating the other, which leads to Judah's downfall and eventual triumph. Elements of the story include leprosy, naval battles among galleys, the Roman hippodrome, Roman adoption, Magus Balthasar, the Arab sheikh Ilderim.
Part One
Biblical references: Matt. 2:1-12, Luke 2:1-20
The first part describes the Nativity events, with a special focus on the Magi from the east. In the opening scene, Balthasar, an Egyptian is riding a camel. The camel stops at a certain spot in the desert, where he sets up a tent. Two other men arrive at the same spot within hours. One was named Melchior, and was a Hindu, and the other was named Gaspar, a Greek from Athens.
The three men each tell their stories. They realize they had all been brought together by their common goal of seeking redemption from the world's problems. They were promised they would see God's Christ, the agent of redemption, after much prayer.
That night, as they prepared for the journey to come, a bright star shone over the region, and they took it as a sign that they were to leave. They followed the star, and headed on through the desert towards the province of Judaea.
Meanwhile, the scene changes to the Joppa Gate in Jerusalem. Here, Mary and Joseph were travelling through on their way from Nazareth to Bethlehem in connection with a Roman enrollment. They stop at the inn at the entrance to the city, where the Shaikh informs them that there was no vacancy in the lodge due to the influx of people associated with the enrollment.
Mary is now with child and undergoing her labour pains. Advised by the Shaikh, they head to a cave on the hillside behind the inn, where mangers were kept for the animals. One particular cave had great historical significance, for King David himself had lived there at certain points of his life. In here Mary and Joseph, along with a few of their friends also coming to Bethlehem, stay, and Jesus was then born.
Out in the pasturelands outside the city, a group of seven shepherds were keeping watch over their flocks. All of a sudden, angels from heaven announced the Christ's birth. The shepherds hurried towards the city. They were rebuked by one of the men supervising the khan, but nevertheless, inspired by Gabriel's message, they entered the caves on the hillside and worshipped Christ. They spread the news of the Christ's birth around, and many came to see him.
The Magi soon arrive in Jerusalem, and inquire around for news of the Christ. Herod the Great is flabbergasted to hear of another king to challenge his rule, and asks the Sanhedrin to find out information for him. The Sanhedrin brings out a prophecy written by Micah, telling of a ruler to come from Bethlehem Ephrathah, interpreting it to signify the Christ's birthplace. The Magi then head to Bethlehem, and following the star's direction, head right to the khan, and find the Christ they had sought for so long.
It is revealed later in the work that the Magi were told by the Holy Spirit not to return to Herod but to go to a certain Arab trader named Sheik Ilderim.
Part Two
Biblical references: Luke 2:51-52
The book now turns away from the Messianic events temporarily, steering the reader for the first time to the title character, a prince of seventeen descended from the royal family of Judaea. Valerius Gratus was about to become the fourth Roman prefect of Judaea, and Messala, the son of a Roman tax-collector, had just returned from five years of education in the imperial capital.
Messala had been a childhood friend of Judah ben Hur, but now, after all the years of indoctrination from Roman officials, he had returned as a bitter relation. He mocked Judah for not giving up Judaism for the Roman spirit, and continually stated his belief that war and military activity had become the new fashion, almost as if it were a religion. Even romance seemed minute compared to this passion for conquest.
Judah is aghast to hear the mockery of his religion, and becomes Messala's enemy. He goes home sad, but picks up Messala's advice, and decides to go to Rome for military training, but use it against the Roman Empire. After his mother allows his journey, he immediately decides to set off.
The next day, Gratus is inaugurated, but Judah, by accident, pressed so hard on a tile on his roof that it fell down and injured the governor as he was passing by. Messala betrays him to arrest, and he is forced, without a trial or any other legal proceeding, to become a slave aboard a Roman warship. Judah's family is led away to life imprisonment in the Antonia Fortress. The palace is seized and becomes government property.
Judah vows vengeance at the Romans. He is then pulled aboard a caravan towards the sea when he meets Jesus along the way in Nazareth. He is offered a drink from him, before continuing on his way. He, too, is moved by his nature and keeps him in his mind.
Part Three
The attention now turns to a scene in Italy. Greek pirate-ships had tried to loot many Roman vessels in the Aegean Sea, and Sejanus had ordered that Quintus Arrius take warships out to combat the Greeks.
Judah ben Hur is aboard one of the vessels, having been condemned to a life rowing war-ships. Unlike many others, who often died soon into their job, he had survived three rough years, mostly because of his strong passion and his will to revolt against Rome.
Arrius asks the horator to permit a private audience for the boy before him, and has his request granted. Ben-Hur appeared on deck and talks about his life. Arrius is now very interested in the life of the youth, and he eventually starts admiring him for his qualities and despising those that had punished him for his attempted assassination charge. The Romans were supposedly lovers of justice, but apparently it had not materialized.
The pirates come onto the scene and start attacking. Judah returns to his spot and starts rowing. The horator, in kindness to him, allows him to remain free when everyone else is bound in chains, for he sees that he is a man of spirit. Therefore, Ben-Hur, in the midst of battle, seeing that he is being defeated, escapes, getting flooded by the waters. He reaches for a plank that is floating on the water, and when the dust clears, he is alone on the sea, while the warships have moved farther away.
Arrius surfaces besides him, and the two of them hold tight, sharing their feelings, until a Roman ship appears, defeating the pirates and picking them up along the way. When they return to the port at Misenum, they are happily and joyfully welcomed. Ben-Hur is then adopted by Arrius and becomes a faithful citizen of Rome.
Part Four
Judah has now trained five years in the palaestra in Rome. Arrius having died, Ben-Hur inherits his possessions and takes the name of Arrius as an heir. Judah goes to Antioch on state business. On the voyage, he learns from a fellow Jew that his father's chief servant, Simonides, lived in a house in this city, and that his father's possessions had been entrusted to him. He then pays a visit to the house.
Simonides' daughter, Esther, starts taking an interest in Ben-Hur's affairs. He tells his story, from the capture to that day, but Simonides demands more proof - in the world of that time imposition was common. Ben-Hur replies he has no proof, but asks one last question: whether any knew where his mother and sister where. The answer was in the negative, and he leaves the house with an apology.
Simonides then decides to put the supposed Ben-Hur to the test, hiring Malluch, one of his servants, to spy on him. Malluch meets Ben-Hur in the famous Grove of Daphne, an outdoor Greek temple, where he is finding solace. They head to the stadium together. There, Ben-Hur finds Messala, whom he now considers a traitor, racing in one of the chariots, preparing for the race to come in one week.
There comes an announcement from one of the servants of Sheik Ilderim, a prosperous Arab who owned a huge expanse of land to the east of Antioch. It said that a chariot driver was wanted. Ben-Hur, wanting nothing better than revenge on Messala, decides to drive the sheik's chariot and defeat Messala once and for all.
Meanwhile, Balthasar and his daughter were sitting at a fountain in the stadium. Messala gives his chariot a jolt that speeds him in their direction. Ben-Hur stops him, upon which Messala apologizes. Balthasar thanks Ben-Hur and presents him with a gift.
Ben-Hur heads to the Ilderim tent. Malluch follows him there, and along the way they talk about the Christ and Malluch, who has heard Balthasar's story, relates it. Suddenly, they realize that the man they rescued at the fountain was the same Balthasar as he that saw the Christ.
Malluch returns to Simonides upon their arrival. Back at Simonides' house, he, Esther, and Malluch all discuss together, and they conclude that Ben-Hur is indeed who he claims to be, and that he is on their side in the fight against Rome.
Messala is dining with some friends at the palace across the river from Simonides' house. While in conversation with them, Messala realizes that Ben-Hur has been adopted into a Roman home and has been restored to his honour, and now threatens to take revenge on him.
Meanwhile, Balthasar and Iras arrive at the Ilderim tent, and greetings are exchanged with Ben-Hur and the Sheik. They talk about the Christ, and how he must have now been ready to enter public ministry as he was now approaching the age of thirty. In another storyline, Ben-Hur appears to be taking an interest in the beautiful Iras.
Part Five
Messala sends a letter to Valerius Gratus about his discovery that Ben-Hur is alive and well. However, Sheik Ilderim, who is presently watching Ben-Hur train the horses, receives the letter from a servant who intercepted it as the courier carrying it was passing through his territory.
Ben-Hur seems to be just the right person to propel the horses, for he takes them on such a journey that Sheik Ilderim is impressed. However, the Sheik reports that he has urgent news for him. He opens the intercepted letter, and Ben-Hur starts reading it. He gets angry when he finds a reference in the letter that appeared to indicate his family was dead in their cell at the Antonia Fortress. He then becomes surprised and aghast when he realizes Messala knew a lot about him and his whereabouts. It turned out that Messala was sending spies to the tent posing as people wanting to be hired as Ilderim's chariot-drivers.
The door opens, and Simonides, Malluch, and Esther enter in. At this point there is a brief note in the story that Ben-Hur is also attracted to Esther.
They converse for a while, and Simonides offers Ben-Hur 673 talents: 120 talents in cash, and 553 talents more in property. This was the accumulated fortune of his father's business. The humble Ben-Hur, however, accepts only the money, leaving the rest to the merchant to use at his own disposal.
Their next topic of discussion is the coming Christ. They refer to prophecies from the Tanakh, and begin debating about the nature of the promised Christ. Eventually, they come to an agreement that they will each do their part to fight for the Christ, whom they believe to be a political saviour from Roman authority.
It is now the day before the race. Ilderim prepared his horses and hauls them to the stadium. Ben-Hur instructs Malluch to learn as much as he can about the race and try to attract attention for it. Now, chariot races were big sporting events and almost everyone in the city would get into the spirit, declaring their support for one of the participants, thereby forming "campaigns" in support of the contestants. In light of this, Ben-Hur also appoints Malluch to organize a "campaign" for him.
Meanwhile, Messala strikes back, organizing a huge campaign and also revealing Ben-Hur's identity to the world. Furthermore, he wins the support of the gamblers, and the odds slant towards his campaign greatly. Malluch, however, challenges the Messala group and offers Messala himself a wager, which, if the Roman lost, he would enter into poverty.
The day of the games arrives, and the first events pass quickly. Finally, it is time for the chariot race. Ben-Hur's friends are all in the stands, watching intently. Now, there were originally six contestants in the race, but just as the race is starting one of them, Cleanthes the Athenian, crashes his chariot and falls to his death. After several laps, Messala and Ben-Hur became the clear frontrunners, and three remaining contestants were de facto in another race behind them for third place.
Near the end of the race, Ben-Hur deliberately scrapes his chariot wheel against Messala's in such a way that the Roman's broke. Messala's chariot then fell apart. Furthermore, Admetus, a Sidonian, came out fast and crashed into the wreck. Ben-Hur, however, was unharmed, and won the race practically uncontested, as the other two chariots were too far behind. Ben-Hur was crowned winner and showered with prizes, and was very glad at finally taking revenge.
Israeli translation and adaptation
In the 1950s was published in Israel what was supposed to be a Hebrew translation of "Ben Hur" but was in fact a substantially modified book. In the Hebrew version, all references to Christ and early Christianity were removed and a new ending added, implying that Ben Hur was about to join Zealots in their uprising against Roman rule. As such, the book enjoyed considerable popularity at the time, blending in with the then considerable sub-genre of original Hebrew historical novels with protagonists heroically facing various ancient enemies of the Jews, with obvious contemporary implications in newly-independent Israel.
See also
- Ben-Hur: other uses
External links
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