Characters

• Judah Ben-Hur: The protagonist, a Jewish prince who is falsely accused of an assassination attempt and enslaved by the Romans. Consumed by vengeance, he later becomes a charioteer and follower of Jesus Christ.
• Messala: Judah's childhood friend who becomes a Roman tribune, betrays him, and emerges as a fierce rival.
• Esther: The daughter of Simonides who becomes Judah's wife.
• Simonides: A loyal Jewish servant to Judah's father who becomes a wealthy merchant.
• Miriam: Judah's mother, who is imprisoned when her son is condemned to slavery.
• Tirzah: Judah's younger sister, who is imprisoned along with her mother.
• Quintus Arrius: The Roman commander who saves Judah from galley slavery and adopts him as his son.
• Balthasar: One of the three wise men who seeks the Christ.
• Iras: Balthasar's beautiful daughter who betrays Judah.
• Sheik Ilderim: An Arab who allows Judah to race his chariot team.
• Amrah: An Egyptian servant loyal to the Hur family.
• Malluch: Servant of Simonides who befriends Judah.
• Jesus Christ: The Christian Messiah, whose life intersects with Judah's story.

Quick facts

• Published in 1880, Ben-Hur: A Tale of the Christ surpassed Uncle Tom's Cabin as the bestselling American novel of the 19th century.
• Ben-Hur is a story of vengeance and forgiveness, featuring Christian-based themes of forgiveness and compassion for strangers.

• Lew Wallace wrote the novel from the perspective of Judah Ben-Hur, understanding that many readers would reject a work of fiction with Jesus Christ as its hero.
• Wallace meticulously researched the geography, culture, and daily life in Judea during the 1st century AD to create an authentic backdrop for his novel.
• Ben-Hur popularized the genre of historical fiction and inspired other novels with biblical settings.
• Ben-Hur has inspired numerous stage and screen adaptations, most notably the 1959 film starring Charlton Heston, which won a record 11 Academy Awards.

About the author

Lewis “Lew” Wallace was an American lawyer, Union general in the Civil War, politician, diplomat, and author. He is best known for his epic work of historical fiction Ben-Hur: A Tale of the Christ, which became the bestselling novel of the 19th century and has been hailed as one of the most influential Christian books ever published.

Born in Indiana in 1827, Wallace had a varied career that included service as a second lieutenant in the Mexican-American War, admission to the Indiana bar, and election to the state senate before the outbreak of the Civil War in 1861. His Civil War service was notable but controversial. He attained the rank of major general and participated in several key battles, including Fort Donelson and Shiloh. However, his actions at Shiloh, where his division arrived late on the first day of battle, damaged his military reputation and haunted him for years afterward. Wallace later redeemed himself by helping defend Cincinnati and Washington, DC, from Confederate attacks.

After the war, Wallace served as governor of New Mexico Territory from 1878 to 1881 and as US Minister to the Ottoman Empire from 1881 to 1885. It was during his time as territorial governor that Wallace completed his most famous work, Ben-Hur, published in 1880. The novel became a bestseller and established Wallace's fame as an author, though he considered his later work The Prince of India to be his best. Wallace died in 1905 at his home in Crawfordsville, Indiana. He is honored by a marble statue in the US Capitol's National Statuary Hall, where he is the only novelist represented.