ellauri150.html on line 539: Esther "Bat" Simonides was born in Jerusalem, Judea, the daughter of the Hellenized Jewish slave Simonides. She was raised in the household of Prince Ithamar Ben-Hur, and she loved Judah Ben-Hur as a child. By 26 AD, she had grown into a woman, and, while she still loved Judah, she was betrothed to the freedman and merchant David ben Matthias from Antioch. That same year, Judah and his family were imprisoned after being wrongfully imprisoned for an alleged assassination attempt on Valerius Gratus, and Simonides was arrested and tortured on the orders of the Roman tribune Messala. Simonides was arrested when the Romans were certain that he was not hiding anything, and he and Esther lived in hiding at the Ben-Hur family's derelict and looted estate, where they were joined by Simonides' fellow former prisoner Malluch.
ellauri150.html on line 543: Within five years of the crucifixion, Judah and Esther married and had children, and Judah and a recovered Simonides spent much of their fortunes on supporting the Christian Church in Antioch. In 64 AD, Judah, Esther, and Malluch went to Rome to help finance the construction of an underground train which would live on for centuries in the Catacombs of Callixtus.
ellauri150.html on line 584: Simonides lived to be a very old man. In the tenth year of Nero's reign, he gave up the business so long centred in the warehouse at Antioch. To the last he kept a clear head and a good heart, and was successful, got lots and lots of money, became filthy rich.
ellauri150.html on line 610: We meet Ben-Hur's mother and sister. We also meet his right-hand slave, Simonides, who is his business administrator and is in town for his yearly report—he's based in Antioch. He's very good at managing Judah's assets, and very loyal. Simonides' daughter Esther is with him; she is about to enter an arranged marriage, but needs Ben-Hur's approval. Ben-Hur gives it, and even throws in her freedom as a wedding present, but - having seen her as a grown woman for the first time - he sorta wants her for himself.
xxx/ellauri287.html on line 639: Antioch.jpg" />
5