Examples Of Christianity In Ben-Hur

In his 1959 film Ben-Hur, Wyler sheds light on how the Jewish and Roman traditions are unified into the new religion of Christianity. Wyler shows Christianity’s impact on a Jew in Roman society by allowing Judah Ben-Hur to have the strength and momentum to overcome the obstacles on his path to redemption and revenge. Judah’s old friend Messala had just been appointed Tribune as he was set on ensuring that the Roman Empire remained the most powerful empire on earth. Judah’s focus was on his faith and to see that the Jewish people are given the liberties that they deserve. The type of tactic that Messala used is what people would call Machiavellian, as he cunning instilled fear into people to show his authority by his interaction with Judah.

An example of this injustice, Messala’s men seized Judah for the attempted murder of Valerius Gratus. Clearly, when the tile fell off of Judah’s roof it was an accident, but just to assert Roman power, Messala arrested Judah. As a last ditch effort to escape prison, Judah begs Messala to free his family. Just before he is taken away, Judah declared, “May God grant me vengeance. I will pray that you will live until I return.” Wyler made the message clear that God will be an immense part of the rest of the film by the amount of detail given to Judaism. Judah, now a slave in the galleys, was in a dangerous plight as he cried out for help, “God help me” while on the verge of death from dehydration. Shortly after, a young man handed Judah water. As it turned out, the young man was Jesus. Thus far, Wyler has showed that God’s role in the film is starting to intensify. The roots of Christianity were thus planted; as Judah’s time as a slave are numbered as his patience and resilience have directed him on a clearer path to

When the ship he was enslaved on was attacked, Judah showed his prowess by making a daring escape. At this point in the movie, the viewers knew that God would ultimately reward Judah for his efforts and loyalty to his faith by allowing Judah to become rich once again. Therefore, Judah now had the power he needed to confront Messala. After a few years, Judah returned to Judea to continue on his journey to free his family and seek revenge on Messala. Judah was told that his family had been killed, as Judah’s mother and sister did not want him to see them in such bad shape, as they were lepers. Wyler focused on how God’s strength continued to gain momentum within Judah through his consistent actions of