Ben-Hur

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‘The happiness of love is in action; its test is what one is willing to do for others.’

In first-century Judea, Jewish prince Judah Ben-Hur is falsely accused of assassinating a Roman governor, and sentenced to life as a galley slave. His fortunes are reversed when he saves the captain’s life and he returns, determined to seek his revenge against those who have brought misfortune to both himself and his family. His life becomes intertwined with that of Christ’s, and after witnessing His teachings and eventual crucifixion Ben-Hur discovers the redemptive power of forgiveness.

The bestselling American novel of the nineteenth century, ‘Ben-Hur’ had never been out of print on the hundredth anniversary of its publication in 1980. After numerous stage and film adaptations, it remains hugely influential today, and is soon to be a new major adaptation.

Reviews

‘Compared with other romances . . . Ben-Hur easily passes them all, by a vitality which has a touch of genius.’ Carl Van Doren

About the author

Lewis Wallace, born in Indiana in 1827, was an American lawyer, general in the American Civil War, governor, politician, diplomat and author. Before his death in 1905 he wrote numerous novels and biographies, but is most famous for his second novel, ‘Ben-Hur’ (1880), a bestseller that is often referred to as the ‘most influential Christian book of the nineteenth century’.