Judah Ben-Hur Judah Ben-Hur Judah Ben-Hur, or just Ben-Hur, is a fictional character and the title character from Lew Wallace's 1880 novel "". The book covers the character's adventures and struggle against the Roman Empire as he tries to restore honour to his family's name after being falsely accused of attacking the Roman governor. Judah encounters Jesus Christ and becomes a Christian. 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).
Ben-Hur (2016 film) of "Forbes" felt that it was an appropriate film to advertise before Sony Pictures' faith-based "Miracles from Heaven" opened on March 16. The trailer garnered a polarized reception from critics and audiences, with comparisons being made to "", "Gladiator", and "". In its first week, the trailer was viewed over 8.2 million times across YouTube and Facebook, making it the fourth most viewed trailer of the week. The trailer was also screened in front of over 30,000 people at Hillsong Conference 2016. Jesus is in the film, which was used for some faith-based marketing to a Christian audience. "Ben-Hur" was