Judah Ben-Hur have anything more to do the Empire - and asks Pilate to return his ring to his adoptive father, Quintus Arrius. In contrast with the book, while witnessing the Crucifixion, Judah comes to realise that forgiveness is better than vengeance feeling Jesus' voice taking the sword of anger and hatred out of his hand. Heston reprised his role in the 2003 animated film. Although this version is similar to the 1959 film, some differences include Ben-Hur, his family, Balthazar and a redeemed Messala witnessing the Crucifixion. Judah Ben-Hur also appears in the "Back to the Future" animated series episode "Roman
Ben-Hur: A Tale of the Christ book, "Ben-Hur" returned to the top of the bestseller lists in the 1960s. At the time of the book's 100th anniversary in 1980, "Ben-Hur" had never been out of print and had been adapted for the stage and several motion pictures. "Ben-Hur" was popular in its own day despite slow initial sales and mixed reviews from contemporary literary critics, who "found its romanticism passé and its action pulpy". "Century" magazine called it an "anachronism" and "The Atlantic" panned its descriptions as "too lavish". For its readers, however, the book "resonated with some of the most significant issues in late Victorian