Judah Ben-Hur

Judah Ben-Hur, shortened to Ben-Hur, is a fictional character, the title character and protagonist from Lew Wallace's 1880 novel Ben-Hur: A Tale of the Christ. The book covers the character's adventures and struggle against the Roman Empire as he tries to restore honor to his family's name after being falsely accused of attacking the Roman governor. Judah encounters Jesus Christ and becomes a Christian. Etymology Wallace wrote that he chose the name Ben-Hur "because it was biblical, and easily spelled, printed and pronounced." The name appears once in the Bible, as the name of one of King Solomon's twelve district governors (1 Kings 4:8). In Hebrew the word "bén" means son. In the King James Version Bible, referring to Solomon's district leaders, he is mentioned as "...the son of Hur.", confirming he was 'Judah son of Hur'. The specific meaning of "Hur" is unclear; among other possibilities, it may mean "something white", "hollow or depressed ground", "free man" or "noble". "Ben-Hur" as a compound name might mean "freeborn" or "noble born". Concept and creation The Count of Monte Cristo was the inspiration for Ben-Hur; the main character Edmond Dantes is falsely accused, escapes his imprisonment and seeks vengeance on those responsible for his imprisonment.