Ben Hur Religion

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 a Roman society by allowing Judah Ben-Hur to have the strength and momentum to overcome the obstacles that lead to his redemption and revenge. Judah’s old friend Messala had just been appointed the role of Tribune. Messala is set on ensuring that the Roman Empire remains the most powerful empire on earth, but Judah’s focus is 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 instilled cunning fear into people to show his authority. Judah was left with an ultimatum to join Messala and to help track down local protesters. If Judah failed to
These are known as the capital vices or in other words the seven deadly sins. The seven vices include: pride, greed, lust, envy, gluttony, wrath, and sloth. Frequently, believers violate some of these sins on a daily biases, as it is human nature and no one is perfect. However, the sin that is most present in Judah’s journey is wrath. Judah wanted revenge on his friend Messala and the Roman Empire for the imprisonment of his family and himself. In contrast, Judah was following his faith, but at some points of the film his actions did not line up with his beliefs. Judah was redeemed in a different sense, as he was able to overcome Messala’s final words. With Judah hearing Jesus’ final words he was finally about to understand that there is more to his life than his animosity towards the Roman Empire. The story showed that one of the most deadly sins was overcame by Judah listening and believing in God. In the conclusion of the film, Judah was given everything that he sought to regain: freedom, healthy family, and the immunity of