Messala

A brilliant sequel to Ben-Hur -- a colourful, compelling tale of love, ambition, and faith, set in ancient Rome.

In the original novel of Ben-Hur, Messala is seriously injured in a chariot race with his boyhood friend, Ben-Hur -- who had been imprisoned, based in part on Messala's mistaken accusation that he had tried to assassinate the Roman procuator of Judaea.

Now, in this sequel by Lois Scouten -- complete with another chariot race in a harrowing incident of road rage -- we follow Messala, witnessing the collapse of his once-passionate romance with Iras the Egyptian, his subsequent journey to health, his fluctuating fortunes in Roman society, and his attraction to various Roman beauties before he finds marital contentment in a new love.

And we experience the tension Messala feels between loyalty to his own Roman heritage and his growing interest in the new religion of Christianity.