Judah Ben-Hur is a Jewish prince of Jerusalem who is descended from a royal family of Judaea; son of Ithamar; enslaved by the Romans and freed by Quintus Arrius, a Roman warship commander, who also adopts Judah as his son. Judah later becomes a trained charioteer intending to defeat Messala as retribution for falsely accusing him and his family of attacking the Roman governor during a military parade earlier on in the book. Messala is Judah’s boyhood friend who becomes his rival later in the Sheik Ilderim’s chariot at Antioch. Afterwards, Judah becomes a follower of Christ and recognizes Him as the man who offered him water as he was being sent to the galleys. He watches him perform miracles, witnesses the Crucifixion and realizes that He is a heavenly King, not an earthly king. His encounters with Jesus throughout his journey ultimately change his perspective on life – realizing that forgiveness is more important than revenge. Esther becomes his wife and the mother of his children. Five years after the chariot race, Judah learns from Iras that she killed Messala. In approximately AD 64 (being the tenth year of Nero’s reign), Judah finds out about the suffering of their fellow Christians. He gives his fortune to help construct the Catacomb of Callixtus and an underground church within the catacombs.
First Appearance Ben-Hur: A Tale of the Christ (November 12, 1880)
First Publisher Harper & Brothers
Appearance List Novel: Ben-Hur: A Tale of the Christ (1880). Stage: Ben-Hur (1899-1921). Films: Ben Hur (silent short, 1907), Ben-Hur (silent, 1925), Ben-Hur (1959). Comics: Popular Comics #40-44, Stories by Famous Authors Illustrated #11, A Treasury of Horses (Dell).
Description Judah Ben-Hur is a Jewish prince of Jerusalem who is descended from a royal family of Judaea; son of Ithamar; enslaved by the Romans and freed by Quintus Arrius, a Roman warship commander, who also adopts Judah as his son. Judah later becomes a trained charioteer intending to defeat Messala as retribution for falsely accusing him and his family of attacking the Roman governor during a military parade earlier on in the book. Messala is Judah’s boyhood friend who becomes his rival later in the Sheik Ilderim’s chariot at Antioch. Afterwards, Judah becomes a follower of Christ and recognizes Him as the man who offered him water as he was being sent to the galleys. He watches him perform miracles, witnesses the Crucifixion and realizes that He is a heavenly King, not an earthly king. His encounters with Jesus throughout his journey ultimately change his perspective on life – realizing that forgiveness is more important than revenge. Esther becomes his wife and the mother of his children. Five years after the chariot race, Judah learns from Iras that she killed Messala. In approximately AD 64 (being the tenth year of Nero’s reign), Judah finds out about the suffering of their fellow Christians. He gives his fortune to help construct the Catacomb of Callixtus and an underground church within the catacombs.
