Ben Hur and a little something
March 28, 2008 – 11:29 amI read (re-read, actually) Ben Hur just recently, and something came to mind. Of course, if you don’t know what Ben Hur is, I suppose it may be somewhat confusing, but bear with me.
Now, Ben Hur lives around the time of Christ; he was one of the guys ready for Jesus’ political comeback. Hatred for the Romans and all that, what with his pitiful story, which I will not repeat here. Anyway, at the crucifixion, it was the eye-opening moment for Ben Hur and his friends, when they realized that Jesus’ kingdom was, in fact, not political, but spiritual.
It’s good that they can actually realize that at that dark moment. The book, then skips to five years later. Hm. The resurrection is missing. Ben Hur and his folks know that Jesus is the Son of God, in fact, Ben Hur remembered Jesus saying that he was ‘The Resurrection and the Life’, but the book doesn’t mention Jesus’ resurrection at all.
The only thing I can conclude is that Jesus’ resurrection, technically, did not really have anything to do with Ben Hur’s life, since he already realized the truth on crucifixion day. That’s a pretty good contrast to Jesus’ disciples, who were a cowardly bunch till the day Jesus rose from the dead. What I mean is, Ben Hur must have been quite special to not be cowardly and distressed after Jesus’ death.
But of course, there are a hundred thousand reasons why the resurrection was not mentioned in connection to Ben Hur. And perhaps I’m thinking a little too much. Still, it is somewhat baffling.
So putting aside the baffling question I have, I’ll give a little information on Ben Hur and the movie. It was written by Lew Wallace, and went on to be a really successful book - and movie, the one starring Charlton Heston, which went on to win quite a number of Oscars. In fact, the movie still holds the title of most Oscars won. The movie is slightly different from the book, just as Gone With the Wind also differs somewhat. Some details are moved about in the timeline, perhaps for a more dramatic scene than would otherwise be. Ben Hur the movie is quite long, and a little sleep-inducing to me, but for those who can really appreciate it, it’s an epic movie.