Ben-Hur

by Lew Wallace

Overview

Called "the most influential Christian book of the nineteenth century," Ben-Hur A Tale of the Christ was a best-seller in the 1880s, eclipsing the sales of Uncle Tom's Cabin and, later, Gone With the Wind to become the best-selling American novel of all time. The story recounts the adventures of Judah Ben-Hur, a fictional Jewish prince from Jerusalem, who is enslaved by the Romans at the beginning of the 1st century and becomes a charioteer and a Christian. Parallel with Judah's narrative is the unfolding story of Jesus, who comes from the same region and is a similar age. The novel reflects themes of betrayal, conviction, and redemption, with a revenge plot that leads to a story of love and compassion.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9789895621873
Publisher:	Pandora's Box
Publication date:	12/28/2020
Sold by:	De Marque
Format:	eBook
File size:	3 MB

About the Author

Lewis Wallace was born in 1827, in Brookville, Indiana, the son of David (the future governor of Indiana) and Esther Test Wallace (the daughter of Indiana’s first U.S. congressman). He left school at the age of sixteen, and worked as an assistant in his father’s law firm until the outbreak of the Mexican War. Wallace joined the fighting as a second lieutenant in the First Regiment of Indiana Volunteers, but did not see much action. During this time, he worked on his first novel. After the war, Wallace returned to the law and was admitted to the Indiana Bar. He was eventually elected to the state senate, where he served until the outbreak of the American Civil War in 1861, when he resumed soldiering. He became the youngest man to hold the rank of major general. Continuing in service to his country, Wallace served on the military commission responsible for trying and sentencing those involved in the assassination of President Lincoln, and aided Benito Juarez in trying to establish a constitutional government in Mexico. In 1878, Wallace became the territorial governor of New Mexico, and during his 3-year tenure wrote Ben-Hur (1880). The rest of Wallace’s life saw the publication of lesser literary efforts, and the appointment as minister of Turkey. He died in Crawfordsville, Indiana, in 1905.
Tim LaHaye is a noted author, minister, and nationally recognized speaker on Bible prophecy. He is the founder and president of Tim LaHaye Ministries, and the cofounder of the Pre-Trib Research Center, established for the purpose of exposing ministers to Bible prophecy. He holds a doctor of ministry from Western Theological Seminary and a doctor of literature from Liberty University. A pastor for thirty-nine years, LaHaye has written more than fifty nonfiction books and co-authored the Left Behind, the most successful Christian fiction venture in publishing history, with Jerry Jenkins.

Reading Group Guide

One of the most popular American novels of all time, General Lew Wallace’s Ben-Hur vividly reimagines the mighty Roman Empire and the rise of Christianity. The saga of Judah Ben-Hur’s spiritual journey from slavery to vengeance to redemption is both a vivid historical adventure and a powerful story of one man’s religious awakening. As Blake Allmendinger writes in his Introduction to this Modern Library Paperback Classic, “Ben-Hur has endured for more than one hundred years because it offers something for everyone. The story of the Jewish hero Ben-Hur, his conflict with the Roman warrior Messala, and his conversion to Christianity at the foot of the Cross, combines adventure, sentimentality, athletic spectacle, and religious devotion.”

Editorial Reviews

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

From the Publisher