Judah Ben Hur example essay topic

For many centuries, the Roman Empire dominated the known world. Several great emperors brought Rome from a small city in central Italy to the largest world power to date. It didn't happen all at once, but was a sluggish process. Rome began her quest for power in the last centuries B.C. and continued well into the time of Jesus.

Rome ruled with an iron fist and wouldn't allow anyone to speak out against the empire. Their plan of conquest consisted of taking an area over by force and then acting friendly with the inhabitants of their newly acquired territories. The motion picture "Ben-Hur" tells of a Jewish family who is caught right in the middle of a similar situation with the empire during the days of Jesus. Judah Ben-Hur is the main character in the movie "Ben-Hur". He grows up in a wealthy and politically influential family who had everything they could possibly want. While still a young child, Judah's best friend, Messala, moved to Rome for education.

As the years went by, Judah and Messala never forgot each other. But while in Rome, Messala grew to be a wicked man that would do anything or use anybody to gain social prominence. Ordered by the Emperor, Messala returned to his homeland to rule as a Tribune. Judah heard of Messala's return and met him as soon as he arrived. While talking with each other, they decide to see who can throw a javelin more accurately. Both men hit the same target and Judah interpreted this as a sign that Messala still considered them equal.

Proving Rome's ruthlessness, Messala only wanted to get information from Judah so that he could fulfill his orders of conquering the land. Through a long line of events, Messala condemned Judah because he refused to comply with Rome and turn in his friends. As a result, Judah ended up as a rower on a slave ship. During the three-year period where he was a slave at sea, he was ordered to "row well and live" or pay the penalty.

Because Rome was so vindictive, anyone who wouldn't or couldn't follow orders would be put to death. Yet Judah did find compassion in one man, the captain of the fleet, who he quickly became friends with. During a battle with another fleet, Judah's ship was rammed and sank. While the majority of the slaves died, Judah escaped and saved the life of the captain. After floating on a piece of driftwood for a day, they were picked up by another Roman ship and discovered that their battle turned out to be a victory credited to the captain. Repaying Ben-Hur for his bravery, the captain adopted him when they returned to Rome.

No longer a slave, Judah decided to return to his country and search for his mother and sister. When he arrived, he found that his mother and sister had been jailed, plagued with leprosy, then sent to the valley of the lepers to die a slow and painful death. Leprosy was a disease comparable to Rome: it would move in and slowly take the life from it's host. Ben-Hur's family ended up being healed miraculously by Jesus, and they lived happily ever after. Rome, however, didn't enjoy the same fate. After four more centuries of civil wars, battles for power, and total supremacy, Rome fell to invading warriors because she was no longer strong enough to hold her distant borders together.