Ben Hur · Chapter
The Joppa Gate Market explained
This chapter describes the bustling marketplace outside the Joppa Gate in Jerusalem, detailing the diverse array of merchants, goods, and buyers.
What happens
This chapter describes the bustling marketplace outside the Joppa Gate in Jerusalem, detailing the diverse array of merchants, goods, and buyers. It sets the scene for the period following the wise men's meeting, emphasizing the vibrant commerce and the multicultural populace that will later play a role in the unfolding events.
Themes in this chapter
Power and Oppression
The market's vitality and the presence of diverse traders reflect the economic and political power structures under Herod's rule, hinting at the underlying tensions of Roman occupation.
Characters to notice
- Herod the Great
Mentioned as 'Herod the Builder' in reference to the market's historical context during his reign.
Key passages
“Following the Hebrew system, the meeting of the wise men described in the preceding chapters took place in the afternoon of the twenty-fifth day of the third month of the year; that is say, on the twenty-fifth day of December.”
According to the Hebrew calendar, the wise men's meeting occurred on December 25th.
This establishes the precise date of the wise men's gathering, linking it to the Christmas tradition.
“The year was the second of the 193rd Olympiad, or the 747th of Rome; the sixty-seventh of Herod the Great, and the thirty-fifth of his reign; the fourth before the beginning of the Christian era.”
The year is identified as 4 BC, during the reign of Herod the Great.
This provides historical context for the timeline of events in the narrative.