Ben Hur Illustrated Classic Editions Author:Lew Wallace A specially adapted version by Marion Leighton. Growing up together in Jerusalem, Ben-Hur and Messala had been close friends until the day that Messala returned from school in Rose, convinced that he, as a Roman, was the master of his Jewish friend. From that day on, Ben-Hur is betrayed by Messala...his family is imprisoned by Messala...and he... more » is chained in captivity on a Roman slave ship by Messala. So Ben-Hur lives each day for revenge and when his chance for escape comes, he gaines that revenge...along with glory in the chariot races at the Roman circus. But it isn't until Ben-Hur stands at a cross on a hill in Jeruslem that he finds his true destiny in life.« less