22 h 25 minAudiobook5 minSummaryRead it, hear it, the 15-minute summary, and print and large print at cost
Audiobook edition · 22 h 25 minPaperback · 6 × 9 in · printing soonHardcover · 6 × 9 in · printing soonAbout this book
What remains when one falling tile costs a young man his home, his family, and his freedom?
In Lew Wallace’s Ben-Hur: A Tale of the Christ, Judah Ben-Hur is a wealthy young Jewish nobleman in Jerusalem. His boyhood friend Messala returns as an ambitious Roman officer. An accident and a friend’s anger tear Judah from his family and send him to the oars of a Roman war galley.
Judah’s search for his lost mother and sister carries him through the Roman world, from the sea to Antioch and the arena of chariot racing. His life crosses that of Jesus within the novel’s larger story. As Judah seeks justice, Wallace asks what hatred does to a person—and what might heal it.
What you’ll discover
- A friendship turned bitter Watch Judah and Messala face the gulf between old affection and Roman ambition.
- The strain of survival Follow a wronged young nobleman into chains, thirst, and the hard labor of the galley.
- The chariot racing arena Enter the world of Arabian horses, determined training, and Judah’s fierce hunger for justice.
- Loyalty amid the ruins Meet Simonides and Esther, whose faithfulness offers a counterweight to betrayal and loss.
- Revenge against mercy Explore the struggle between justified anger and forgiveness at the heart of Judah’s journey.
Who will love it
For readers who love adventure stories with a moral center, the Roman world and chariot racing, and anyone drawn to tales of vengeance, faith and redemption.
What’s inside
The key ideas, in the 15-minute summary
- Three strangers follow a star
- Two boyhood friends meet as strangers
- One falling tile destroys a family
- A cup of water on the road
- A Roman admiral sets him free
- Old servants and new allies in Antioch
- Training for a race and a search for a king
- Vengeance against mercy at the heart of the book
- How Wallace builds his vivid tale
Who’s who
- Judah Ben-HurA proud young Jewish nobleman of Jerusalem, wronged by those he trusted, who seeks justice, his lost family and a meaning for his suffering.
- MessalaJudah's boyhood friend who returns from Rome as an ambitious Roman, scornful of Jewish ways and eager for power and wealth.
- Quintus ArriusA Roman tribune and naval commander, stern but fair, who notices something unusual in one young galley slave.
- SimonidesThe faithful old steward of the Ben-Hur house, broken in body but sharp in mind, who has built a great trading fortune.
- EstherSimonides' gentle and loyal daughter, who comes to love Judah and stands by him with quiet devotion.
- BalthasarAn old Egyptian sage, one of the three wise men, who waits patiently for the coming of a king of the spirit.
- IrasBalthasar's beautiful and proud daughter, who draws Judah's attention and has ambitions of her own in the Roman world.
- Sheik IlderimA generous Arab chieftain who hates Rome and owns a team of fine Arabian horses he hopes a champion will drive.
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- Read by Lucas Linden, complete. It opens once the recording is online.
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- The key ideas in about 5 minutes, to read today.
- Paperback
- 6 × 9 in. Printing soon: leave your email under Paperback or Hardcover above.
- Hardcover
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- Large print paperback
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- Large print hardcover
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Ben-Hur: A Tale of the Christ
by Lew Wallace · 1880
Stripped of home, family and freedom by a Roman friend's anger, Judah Ben-Hur seeks justice in a world of cruelty.
ChallengingOver 20 hours to readEnglish
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In short
Ben-Hur, written by Lew Wallace and published in 1880, follows Judah Ben-Hur, a rich young Jew in Jerusalem. An accident and a Roman friend's pride strip him of his home, his family and his freedom.
From the 15-minute summary · Key idea 1
Three strangers follow a star
The book begins before Judah is born. In the desert outside Jerusalem, three men meet under divine guidance. They are Balthasar the Egyptian, Gaspar the Greek and Melchior the Hindu. Each has seen a strange light and felt called to follow it.
They share one hope, that a king is coming who will rule by love and not by the sword. Balthasar, the oldest, later speaks of a kingdom for souls, not a military conquest. He returns later as a living character.
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Details
- First published
- 1880
- Language
- English
- Level
- Challenging
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What is Ben-Hur about?
It follows Judah Ben-Hur, a Jewish nobleman in the time of Jesus, who is falsely condemned by a Roman friend, becomes a galley slave, and later seeks justice, his lost family and meaning in the story of Christ.
Is Ben-Hur a true story?
No. Judah's story unfolds alongside the life of Jesus. The setting is real, with the Roman Empire, Jerusalem and Antioch, and Jesus appears as a historical figure. Lew Wallace published the novel in 1880.
Who are the three wise men in Ben-Hur?
They are Balthasar the Egyptian, Gaspar the Greek and Melchior the Hindu. They meet in the desert, follow a star to Bethlehem, and in the novel Balthasar returns later as an important character.
The author
Lew Wallace
1827–1905 · American novelist and general
Lew Wallace (1827–1905) was an American writer, lawyer, and Union general in the American Civil War. Born in Brookville, Indiana, he died in Crawfordsville, Indiana. He served as governor of New Mexico Territory from 1878 to 1881. His novel Ben-Hur: A Tale of the Christ was published in 1880.
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