Ben-Hur: A Tale of the Christ (Focus on the Family's Classic Collection, 2)
by Lew Wallace, Joe L. Wheeler
book data
407 ratings, 3.90 average rating, 62 reviews
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published
June 1997
(first published 1880)
by Tyndale House Pub
binding
Hardcover, 577 pages
isbn
1561795518
(isbn13: 9781561795512)
description
An unforgettable account of betrayal, revenge, and rebellion, "Ben Hur" tells the story of a Jewish nobleman who fell from Roman favor and w...more
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other reviews (showing 1-20 of 653)
Read in January, 1982
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Read in July, 2004
INCREDIBLE! I found this book to be on the same par as Les Miserables. The story begins with the birth of the Christ Child and a detailed depiction of the journey of the Three Wise Men (what could have happened), and ends with the Crucifixion of Jesus. In between these two world changing events is the story of a man (Ben Hur) from a wealthy family who is deeply betrayed by a Roman friend. He ends up in the bowels of a ship as an oarsman – a grueling job. Ben Hur’s life journey is descri...more
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Read in November, 2008
The first sign that I should not have read this book was the discrepancy in hours between the abridged and unabridged versions on audible. Unabridged: 21 hours, Abridged: 3 hours. I bought it anyway and soon discovered why. There's about 15% story and 85% fluff in Ben Hur. It is, hands down, the best argument for editing I have ever read.
For example, there was a section in the beginning where two men embraced. That's all we need to know, right? No, no. Of course not. We have to hea...more
For example, there was a section in the beginning where two men embraced. That's all we need to know, right? No, no. Of course not. We have to hea...more
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It's been years since I read this. It was slow going in some places - my problem with writers of the past. Overall, the book was great, but it was a 'read once' for me.
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Read in November, 2008
Even though this book is subtitled "A Tale of the Christ," I didn't expect it to be as heavy on essentially retelling the bible as it was. The first section consisted of the stories of the three wise men and their meeting with Jesus, and the latter parts were following Christ through his final days. The middle part, the part that made this book a best seller and started a new genre of action filled Christian novels, is the part that concerns Judah Ben Hur, son of a merchant.
Judah,...more
Judah,...more
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Read in August, 2008
Different than I anticipated - & a pleasant surprise. It had its moments of eye glazing descriptive narrative, but for the most part kept the story going.
What surprised me was its heaviness in Christian doctrine & the story of Christ. The whole book is broken up into smaller books, & the entire first book is devoted to the story of the 3 wise men & their journey to see the infant Messiah. One of the wise men shows up later as a supporting character in Ben Hur's story. A...more
What surprised me was its heaviness in Christian doctrine & the story of Christ. The whole book is broken up into smaller books, & the entire first book is devoted to the story of the 3 wise men & their journey to see the infant Messiah. One of the wise men shows up later as a supporting character in Ben Hur's story. A...more
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Read in February, 2008
It was a slow read and heavy on the doctrine, but worth it in the end. The 19th-century writers were generally too verbose and that's why it took me a while (two months) to read this 500-plus page classic. A great story of the life-changing encounter with Jesus Christ and the power of forgiveness. Brings to reality to life in the first-century. The author had obviously visited the locales that he described or he could not have gone into such minute detail! He was also well-versed in the various ...more
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One of my all time favorites. If you've seen the movie don't think you know the story, it's quite different. (I watched it only after reading the book and was, of course, completely disappointed in the film adaptation). This book really expanded my understanding of the cultures and politics of the era of the Messiah even though I had read some well-known non-fiction/educational books related to the topic. That was a bonus because I was reading primarily for fun and this book didn't disappoint as...more
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Another All Time Favorite!!
We all know the movie is wonderful but we didn't know the book was the incredible inspiration! There are twists in the plot that are not in the movie which keep it moving.
Truly a story of choices, love and miracles.
ps Remember Anne of Green Gables? She got caught reading Ben Hur during Geometry class and said she wouldn't open it for a whole week to do penance...ha, ha. I love "Anne", too.
We all know the movie is wonderful but we didn't know the book was the incredible inspiration! There are twists in the plot that are not in the movie which keep it moving.
Truly a story of choices, love and miracles.
ps Remember Anne of Green Gables? She got caught reading Ben Hur during Geometry class and said she wouldn't open it for a whole week to do penance...ha, ha. I love "Anne", too.
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A tough read for me. The author spends a large amount of time in 'flowery' descriptions, which I found myself skipping over in exasperation. I do think it was well written, though. This book for me was like eating a large helping of vegetables....you're left feeling like you ate a healthy meal, which is fine, but now you're ready to move on to dessert! So yes, it was a good book, but my next book will be a lot lighter for sure!
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Read in April, 2008
This book was so long, and started out slow, but it was a wonderful read. As a Christian, I really enjoyed the weaving of the Christ story into a story that could have really happened during his time--well, maybe. Judah's character and his strength were inspiring. His family ties and background, as well as all the main characters, just made the story so rich. It's not a quick read, but it's well worth it.
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I thoroughly enjoyed this book even though I had seen the classic movie plenty of times prior to reading the book. The trick is getting through the beginning where the wise men get word of Jesus' birth and journey to visit him. This can be a bit tedious, but I found it fascinating and the author gives character to eac of the wise men making for a good story. This was a "Christian" story that warmed my heart.
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Has a copy to sell/swap
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Read in January, 1974
recommended to erik by:
no onerecommends it for: anyone
Having been a religious studies major in college and being in seminary at the time, I made a point of picking up novelizations about biblical times. Not expecting much, but knowing it had been popular for almost a century, I read Lew Wallace's Ben Hur and was surprised to find that it was actually enjoyable.
The Charlton Heston movie version isn't bad either.
The Charlton Heston movie version isn't bad either.
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Read in October, 2007
I'm sort of on an ancient history kick right now. With a twist of fiction. This one gets a bit wordy in places, and event descriptions can still be a bit vague because of Wallace's style. But...that same style does wonders in a few vital places to help the reader REALLY understand the characters and their subsequent actions. I was drawn into the plot and their lives.
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The actual title is "Ben Hur: A Tale of the Christ." The tale weaves through the life of Ben Hur and his various encounters with Jesus. It explains how it affected him, how he thought Jesus was going to be the political Messiah instead of the spiritual one...it's the most creative treating of the story of Jesus that I've found so far. Way better than the movie.
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This is a fantastic book! More people have probably seen the movie, but it doesn't do the book justice. I read the book before watching the movie. The movie changes so many things that I got disgusted and couldn't watch the whole thing.
I think this book would is almost in a tie with David Copperfield for being my favorite book of all time.
I think this book would is almost in a tie with David Copperfield for being my favorite book of all time.
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Read in May, 2008
This is an epic book. I have never watched the movie, so I didn't know what I was getting in to, but it was awesome. Balthazar was by far my favorite character. The words of wisdom that flowed from his mouth were inspiring. It did have the tendency to get a little wordy, but an excellent read!
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Read in September, 2007
This is one of my all-time favorite books. It appeals to some core thing inside me. Many books have impacted me--in fact, I think all books a person reads impact them, for better or worse, in at least a small way. But this one hit me in the gut. It ripped open and healed at the same time.
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This is a fun read (and MUCH better than the epic movie). It gives life to the 3 kings of the Christmas story and parallels the life of Jesus. Even if religion is not your thing, is is a fun book. Of course the hero overcomes all adversity, gets the girl and punishes the ad guy
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Read in January, 2008
The book I read is paperback and is only 239 pages. It is geared for younger readers but does have a lot of the story to it. I have never read one of his books before and since I bought these for my boys to read I thought I would read them, also. A Classic
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