Résumé
Résumé de Ben-Hur : histoire du Christ
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Readers who love sweeping adventure, sea battles, chariot races and revenge will find it here, as will anyone drawn to the ancient world and to stories of loyalty and faith.
De quoi parle ce livre ?
Three strangers on three white camels cross the Arabian desert and meet at a striped tent, each sure that a star has called him. One is a Greek, one a Hindu, one an Egyptian, and when they bless the bread together, each hears the others in his own tongue.
Ben-Hur: A Tale of the Christ was written by Lew Wallace, an American lawyer, soldier and diplomat, and published in 1880. It follows Judah Ben-Hur, a young Jewish prince of Jerusalem, who loses a friend, a family and his freedom before he rises again. You get adventure, faith, and one question: must a king carry a sword?
Dans ce résumé
- 1Three strangers meet in the desertFree
- 2A child is born at Bethlehem
- 3Two boyhood friends part in anger
- 4A roof tile ends a happy home
- 5A Roman captain notices a galley slave
- 6A son of Hur seeks proof in Antioch
- 7Horses, a fortune and a wager
- 8A king of souls or a king of swords
- 9Revenge, mercy and the pull of loyalty
- 10A teacher's voice and a showman's eye
Point clé 1 sur 10
Three strangers meet in the desert
Ben-Hur opens not with its hero but with a rider on a white dromedary, crossing the sands east of the Jordan in December. His name is Balthasar, he is an Egyptian, and he pitches a small tent and prepares a meal for two travelers he awaits.
Melchior, a tall Hindu, and Gaspar, a fair Greek of Athens, arrive on white camels. They have never met, and they share no language. Yet when they speak the blessing together over the meal, each understands the others perfectly.
Each tells how he was called. In every story a star rises over water, and a voice promises that the man will see the Redeemer of the world. The three are told to go to Jerusalem and ask where the newborn King of the Jews can be found.
Wallace places this scene first so that everything after it is read with the promise in mind. A shared hunger for God brings three different men to the same road.
That’s 1 of 10 key points.
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Go deeper: the whole of Ben-Hur : histoire du Christ
About 13 h 40 min to read.Commencez 90 jours gratuitsPaperback, hardcover and large print, printed for you at cost, are on their way.Email me when it is printed
Who’s who
- Judah Ben-Hur
- A young Jewish prince of Jerusalem, gentle and proud, who is wronged by a friend and seeks justice, his lost family and a cause.
- Messala
- A Roman nobleman and Judah's boyhood friend, brilliant, scornful and ambitious, who believes that power is the only thing that matters.
- Quintus Arrius
- A Roman tribune and sailor who notices a galley slave, tests his character and offers him a new life.
- Simonides
- A crippled Antioch merchant, once a servant of Judah's father, whose sharp mind and long loyalty guard a hidden fortune.
- Esther
- Simonides' gentle daughter, quick to judge people truly, who quietly hopes that Judah will see her worth.
- Sheik Ilderim
- A generous desert chief with a grudge against Rome and four beloved Arabian horses that he wants to see win.
- Balthasar
- An old Egyptian, one of the three wise men, who believes that the promised king comes to save souls, not to rule lands.
- Iras
- Balthasar's daughter, an alluring Egyptian who sings, tells stories and charms Judah on the lake.
About this edition
Every format is free to start, and print and large print are at cost.
- LengthAbout 189,000 words
- Reading timeAbout 13 h 15 min
- FormatseBook, large-print eBook, audiobook, 15-minute summary
- LanguagesEnglish and 14 other languages
Questions about Ben-Hur : histoire du Christ
What is Ben-Hur about?
It follows Judah Ben-Hur, a Jewish prince in Jerusalem who is betrayed by a Roman friend and sentenced to the galleys. The story moves through a sea battle, a fortune and a great chariot race, while the life of Jesus unfolds nearby.
Who are the three wise men in Ben-Hur?
They are Gaspar, a Greek of Athens, Melchior, a Hindu, and Balthasar, an Egyptian. Each is called by a star to find a newborn king. Balthasar returns later in the story and meets Judah in Antioch.
Is Ben-Hur a true story, and when was it written?
It is a historical novel, so Judah and his family are invented, while the setting is the real Roman world under Herod and Pilate. Lew Wallace published it in 1880 after careful research into the period.
What does A Tale of the Christ mean in the title?
The subtitle tells the reader that the life of Christ runs beside Judah's story. The wise men open the book, and the Nazarene appears at the well, by the Jordan and in Jerusalem, shaping Judah's choices.
Is Ben-Hur worth reading today?
It offers a vivid sea battle, a famous chariot race, a clear contrast between revenge and mercy, and a rich picture of life in the Roman East. Its warm, direct narration makes the scenes easy to follow.
Cite this edition
Wallace, Lew. Ben-Hur: A Tale of the Christ. Library of Alexandria, 2026, libraryofalexandria.com/products/ben-hur-a-tale-of-the-christ.
Wallace, L. (2026). Ben-Hur: A tale of the Christ. Library of Alexandria. https://libraryofalexandria.com/products/ben-hur-a-tale-of-the-christ (Original work published 1880)
Wallace, Lew. Ben-Hur: A Tale of the Christ. Library of Alexandria, 2026. https://libraryofalexandria.com/products/ben-hur-a-tale-of-the-christ.
@book{wallace2026benhur,
author = {Wallace, Lew},
title = {Ben-Hur: A Tale of the Christ},
publisher = {Library of Alexandria},
year = {2026},
url = {https://libraryofalexandria.com/products/ben-hur-a-tale-of-the-christ},
note = {First published 1880}
}
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Get the full summary of Ben-Hur : histoire du Christ, free
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