Ben-Hur, written in 1880, was one of the best selling American novels of its time. It has also been called, "the most influential Christian book of the nineteenth century".

Ben-Hur is the classic, best-selling book behind the many famous film versions. The author, Lew Wallace, created a literary biblical epic in this exciting and inspirational story of friendship betrayed, revenge, and, ultimately forgiveness and redemption. Subtitled ""A Tale of the Christ"", Ben-Hur is the story of the fictional main character's life encounter Jesus of Nazareth. Wrongly condemned for attempted assasination and sedition, the Jewish prince Judah Ben-Hur is betrayed by his erstwhile childhood Roman friend, Messala, and is sentenced to the galleys while his family is cruely imprisoned. A providential turn of events brings Ben-Hur to a fierce chariot race with Messala and, ultimately, back to Jerusalem, during the ministry of Jesus. Ben-Hur's faith in Jesus as the Messiah is challenged by his crucifixion at the hands of both the Romans and Jewish authorities. But neither Ben-Hur's story nor Jesus' story ends there. Bibliography included.

en-Hur: A Tale of the Christ is a novel by Lew Wallace published on November 12, 1880 by Harper & Brothers. Wallace's work is part of an important sub-genre of historical fiction set among the characters of the New Testament. The novel was a phenomenal best-seller; it soon surpassed Harriet Beecher Stowe's Uncle Tom's Cabin (1852) as the best-selling American novel and retained this distinction until the 1936 publication of Margaret Mitchell's Gone with the Wind.The central character is Judah, prince of the Hebrew house of Hur. Judah grows up in Jerusalem, during the turbulent years around the birth of Christ. His best friend is Messala, a Roman. As adults Judah and Messala become rivals, each hating the other, which leads to Judah's downfall and eventual triumph. Elements of the story include leprosy, naval battles among galleys, the Roman hippodrome, Roman adoption, Magus Balthasar, the Arab sheikh Ilderim.

Ben Hur: A Tale of the Christ By Lew Wallace