ESTP 3w4 Characters

ESTPs are energetic, charming, and driven—but under pressure, can fall into a “look what you made me do” mentality, which plagues Messala in his inability to accept his responsibility for what he has done to the Hur family. Messala enjoys events and challenges that test his body to the limits; he enjoys horse-racing as a young man, and becomes Rome’s most esteemed chariot-racer as a centurion. He leaves Jerusalem because he’s tired of “just hearing stories” about the broader world; he wants to see and experience these distant lands for themselves. He’s such a natural fighter, with good instincts, that Pilate puts him in command of a legion while fighting a distant war. Messala is highly observant; he notices a servant aiming for Pilate, and quickly jerks him aside, so the arrow kills someone else instead. His fearlessness in the arena makes him a formidable opponent. He’s analytical and detached, able to put aside personal sentiment and act. Messala seems ruthless to his adversaries and critics, but is actually making decisions that are logical, in maintaining his current status and increasing his influence in Rome. His quick improvisation in the arena, his ability to problem solve, and see chances to advance, makes him a brutal and terrifying adversary. His arguments for allowing people to live often have logic behind them (“if we kill every able-bodied man, who will work the fields?”). Messala’s greatest fault is that he cares too much what other people think about him. He tends toward mercy, not wanting to kill people who are undeserving, but his morals are not strong enough to withstand intense scrutiny from his superiors. Others egg him on to abandon the Hur family; he does. His decision to leave them, is out of the desire for praise – he’s sick of his father’s reputation and shame (he was executed) weighing him down. He’s goaded into competing with Judah out of his pride. Furthermore, he blames everyone else for everything bad that happens – nothing is ever his fault. (This is a trait of unhealthy Fe.) His heart is set on creating a “great destiny” for himself. Messala has a vision of what he wants, to be a powerful Roman centurion, and pursues that desire actively. He warns Judah against housing zealots, and has a “sense” his friend is concealing something, but doesn’t trust his gut enough to take proactive action before Pilate arrives.

Enneagram: 3w4

Healthy 3w4s are ambitious and driven, but unhealthy ones can fall into pity parties mingled with a desperate need to appeal to other people. Messala shows bits of both – Judah cannot understand his desperate need to prove himself all the time, or to make up for his grandfather’s mistakes (he betrayed Julius Caesar). He cringes whenever he hears anything negative about himself, and has to either reframe it to make himself come across in a more positive light, or works hard to change their opinion of him. He thrives on praise and spends four years building up a reputation for himself before he returns home to Israel, after almost getting Judah killed. He can’t stand up for Judah without losing face among his Roman friends, a sacrifice he cannot make – so he excuses it by saying it’s out of his hands, then tries to convince himself that he doesn’t care what happened to his “mother” and “sister.” It’s a lie. His 4 wing is somewhat moody and elitist; he often pities himself and his problems, thinks about what he does not yet possess rather than what he has (he craves a better reputation and success, rather than enjoying the family he has in Jerusalem), and can dwell in his own frustrations, while increasing any reaction to a perceived slight against him.