Ben-Hur by Lew Wallace?

Question

Answer the following... =) [that you can]

1. Does Messala deserve punishment for his betrayal of Judah and his family? Can some excuse be made for his behavior, or is he clearly guilty of wrongdoing?

2. Have you ever been falsely accused by a friend? How did it make you feel? What did you do or say to that person? Did you defend your innocence or take the blame? Why?

3. Judah plans to humiliate Messala in the chariot race. Before the race, Judah prays to God to forgive him for seeking vengeance. Why does Judah ask God to forgive him? Was it wrong for Judah to wish to be avenged? Why?

4. What does revenge accomplish? Does it put things right? Does it eliminate injustice? Why or why not?

5. Discuss the differences between forgiveness and tolerance or indulgence.

6. Many things befall Judah Ben-Hur, taking him from ease and luxury to slavery, then to

comfort and stature, then to hopelessness, and then to peace and hope.

Think of all that Judah experiences. Is there some purpose or goal to these circumstances?

If so, what?

7. Is Judah right to believe God has a plan for him? Does God save him? How?

8. Did Judah believe in the miraculous when he thought God would deliver him from slavery?

Why does he come to reject God’s providence? What has changed his thinking?

9. Can you think of people in the Bible who waited a long time for God’s providence?

How did they show faith (or sometimes a lack of it) through these times?

10.What other major messages or themes did you see in the book?

11.How did reading this book teach you something, encourage your faith, or convict you in a

new way?

ADDITIONAL: [optional]

3 words describing the setting.

4 words describing the point of view.

5 words stating the story problem.

6 words describing the first major event.

7 words describing the second major event.

8 words describing the third major event.

9 words describing the solution to the problem.

10 words which describe the main themes in the story.

I would REALLY appreciate it if you people can answer these as best as you can. THANK YOU!

Answer 1

I can't answer all of these, but I'll spot you some.

1-Yes, he deserves punishment. I believe he is clearly guilty of wrongdoing.

2-My story won't help you with the answers, but I have never been falsely accused to this extent.

3-Vengeance is wrong. Judah Ben-Hur would know that the Old Testament clearly states that vengeance is the Lord's; man is not to avenge himself.

4-Revenge accomplishes nothing - not true justice, it doesn't put things right (can it restore what's been taken?), because it is a person taking the law into his own hands and solves nothing. Civilization has laws partially because each man is not capable of being, impartially and fairly, judge, jury and executioner.

5-Forgiveness gets rid of the lust for revenge and pardons the wrongdoer without declaring the wrongdoing understandable. It's pardon where pardon is not deserved. Tolerance can be used in many ways, but one meaning would be the willingness to recognize and respect the practices and beliefs of others - even if you think they are wrong. Indulgence would be to actually support the others actions, even if what they are doing is wrong.

6-This one is rather complicated. One purpose, as with everything anyone goes through, is the growth of the individual. Something on the order of "what doesn't kill you will make you stronger." There's more which you can determine through the story.

7-Yes, and forgiveness is the key.

8-Not sure...it's been too long.

9-Job comes to mind. He refused to curse God (as his wife suggested), but he also complained about what he was going through and compared his righteousness to God's.

10-What did it mean to you?

11-This has to come from you.

If you are interested, Gutenberg http://www.gutenberg.org/etext/8810 has a computer-generated audio edition of the book to which you can listen. You can also read a copy through them.

I hope this helps.