Continuity mistake: Judah Ben-Hur removes the large ring he had received from Arrius and gives it to Pontius Pilate to return to Arrius. Following this, he returns to the leper colony with Esther, and he reunites with Miriam. When Judah is told Tirzah is dying, as Judah searches the cave for Tirzah, he is once again wearing the large ring he had received from Arrius, on his right index finger. Then, that ring vanishes when he finds Tirzah.
Suggested correction: Ben Hur got the ring from Arrius, not from the Emperor. When he goes to the leper colony the first time he is still wearing the ring. Later he gives the ring to Pontius Pilate to return it to Arrius. Then, when he goes to the leper colony the second time he is not wearing the ring anymore.
Aside from changing the mistake's wording to Arrius, the mistake is indeed correct. Rewatch the scenes. Judah Ben-Hur takes off the large ring he had received from Arrius and gives it to Pontius Pilate to return to Arrius. After that scene, he meets with Esther, and they both return to the leper colony. Judah speaks with Miriam, his mother, and he's told Tirzah is dying. Then, as Judah begins to search the cave for Tirzah, Judah is now wearing the large ring he had received from Arrius, on his right index finger. That ring vanishes when he finds Tirzah. The mistake is quite valid.
Continuity mistake: At the end of the chariot race, a heavily bloodsoaked Messala is taken to receive medical treatment. While something is done to his legs out of shot (amputation, presumably) an orderly in a clean white tunic leans his whole body weight on Messala to hold him down on the bed as he writhes in agony. When the orderly stands up, we see that his tunic is still spotlessly white.
Continuity mistake: When the baskets are being loaded to be lowered into the Valley of the Lepers, someone loads two heads of lettuce onto a basket. Just as the basket is being lowered, someone else throws in three more heads. When the basket hits the bottom, there are only three heads of lettuce.
Continuity mistake: At the very end, the scaffold that was used to erect the crosses vanishes between shots.
Continuity mistake: Ben Hur's horses change position. When the chariots are preparing for the race and at the starting line, the horse with the pink nose is third from the left, but at the end of the race, the pink-nosed horse is fourth from the right.
Continuity mistake: During the scene when Ben-Hur meets his servant, Simonides, he removes his turban, and his hair is flat and sweaty. The shot pans to his mother, and when it cuts back, his hair is dry and combed.
Continuity mistake: In the parade of chariots before the race, the riders are shown circling the track once before making their way to the starting line. As they emerge from the stables, the horses and chariots leave very noticeable tracks on the ground so you can trace their progress around the track. The riders head down the right side of the track (from the perspective of the stables) then make the wide turn to head down the backstretch, and then make the wide turn back onto the right side of the track where they started. The film then cuts to a wide shot of the riders heading back down the right side of the track for the second time, but the track ahead of them and all the way down the backstretch is now clean of any tracks. It's clear this shot comes from when the riders first emerged from the stables. The riders then stop on the starting line on the backstretch, which means they were either transported to the other side of the track without making a third turn, or they did 1 lap around the track in the space of 1 and a half laps.
Continuity mistake: During the crucifixion, look at Jesus' hands, there are three clear shots of this. In the first shot you plainly see his blood from his hands on the cross. In the second shot, the blood is gone from the cross. In the third shot, it's back.
Continuity mistake: When Ben-Hur is about to be transferred from his cell to Tirus after the tile struck the governor, his hands are being tied by the centurions. When he strikes the incoming centurion, his hands are free.
Continuity mistake: When Jesus Christ is bearing his cross in Jerusalem, in the first shot the sign text on the cross in Latin (and presumably also Hebrew?) is displayed flipped/mirrored/backwards. In the next shot with the sign it is perfectly legible.
Continuity mistake: After the sheik has jumped on the chariot to take control of it, he kicks a man out and one can see the trail behind is empty. However, half a second later, many horses and riders have appeared out of nowhere and are standing right behind the sheik's chariot.
