Ben-Hur: A Tale of the Christ, Complete and Unabridged

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In the very beginning, before distractions overtake me, I wish to say that I believe absolutely in the Christian conception of God. As far as it goes, this confession is broad and unqualified, and it ought and would be sufficient were it not that books of mine— Ben-Hur and The Prince of India—have led many persons to speculate concerning my creed ... I am not a member of any church or denomination, nor have I ever been. Not that churches are objectionable to me, but simply because my freedom is enjoyable, and I do not think myself good enough to be a communicant. [1] [58] Composition and publication history [ edit ]

The Christian world would not tolerate a novel with Jesus Christ its hero, and I knew it ... He should not be present as an actor in any scene of my creation. The giving a cup of water to Ben-Hur at the well near Nazareth is the only violation of this rule ... I would be religiously careful that every word He uttered should be a literal quotation from one of His sainted biographers. [1] [34] Simonides, his daughter Esther, and Malluch talk together, and conclude that Judah is who he claims to be, and that he is on their side in the fight against Rome. Messala realizes that Judah Ben-Hur has been adopted into a Roman home and his honor has been restored. He threatens to take revenge. Meanwhile, Balthasar and his daughter Iras arrive at the Sheik's tent. With Judah they discuss how the Christ, approaching the age of 30, is ready to enter public leadership. Judah takes increasing interest in the beautiful Iras.Valerius Gratus is the fourth imperial (Roman) procurator of Judea. [21] Judah is falsely accused of attempting to assassinate him. [22] Lewis Wallace, (born April 10, 1827, Brookville, Indiana, U.S.—died February 15, 1905, Crawfordsville, Indiana), American soldier, lawyer, diplomat, and author who is principally remembered for his historical novel Ben-Hur. Amrah, the Egyptian maid who once served the Hur house, discovers Ben-Hur and wakes him. She reveals that she has stayed in the Hur house for all these years. Keeping touch with Simonides, she discouraged many potential buyers of the house by acting as a ghost. They pledge to find out more about the lost family. Judah discovers an official Roman report about the release of two leprous women. Amrah hears rumors of the mother and sister's fate. In Alfred Bester's short story "Disappearing Act" (1953), one of the characters, an apparent time traveler, has Ben-Hur among her lovers, which serves as one of the hints the "time travel" is actually a form of reality manipulation.

Victor Davis Hanson (2003). Ripples of Battle: How Wars of the Past Still Determine How We Fight, How We Live, and How We Think. New York: Doubleday. pp. 136–39. ISBN 0-385-50400-4. There remains some dispute as to which room Wallace used. His description of the room and subsequent remodeling of the palace have made its location unrecognizable. See Morsberger and Morsberger, pp. 291–92. Lewis "Lew" Wallace was a lawyer, governor, Union general in the American Civil War, American statesman, and author, best remembered for his historical novel Ben-Hur: A Tale of the Christ. Simonides comes to Judah and offers him the accumulated fortune of the Hur family business, of which the merchant has been steward. Judah Ben-Hur accepts only the original amount of money, leaving the property and the rest to the loyal merchant. They each agree to do their part to fight for the Christ, whom they believe to be a political savior from Roman authority.Commodus: An Historical Play (Crawfordsville, IN: privately published by the author, 1876.) Revised and reissued in the same year. [161] Learn about prominent roles played in the American Civil War by Lew Wallace and other Indianans. (more) See all videos for this article First edition from the collections of the General Lew Wallace Study and Museum, Crawfordsville, IN. From the collections of the General Lew Wallace Study and Museum, Crawfordsville, IN Ben-Hur Central

Warner, Ezra J. (1964). Generals in Blue: Lives of the Union Commanders. Louisiana State University Press. ISBN 0-8071-0822-7. In 1832 the family moved to Covington, Indiana, where Lew's mother died from tuberculosis on July 14, 1834. [6] In December 1836, David married nineteen-year-old Zerelda Gray Sanders Wallace, who later became a prominent suffragist and temperance advocate. In 1837, after David's election as governor of Indiana, the family moved to Indianapolis. [7] [8] Wallace's adventure story is told from the perspective of Judah Ben-Hur. [4] On occasion, the author speaks directly to his readers. [6] Wallace understood that Christians would be skeptical of a fictional story on Christ's life, so he was careful not to offend them in his writing. Ben-Hur "maintains a respect for the underlying principles of Judaism and Christianity". [1] In his memoirs, Wallace wrote: Coming home, he found himself dissatisfied with his early careers as a soldier, politician, and lawyer (the last he described as “that most detestable of occupations”) and began writing in earnest again. He had his first novel, The Fair God, published in 1873. A tale about the conquest of the Aztec Empire by the Spanish, its inspiration came from Wallace’s reading of William Prescott’s Conquest of Mexico and from his own experiences there.

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Wallace died at home in Crawfordsville, on February 15, 1905, [33] of atrophic gastritis. [148] He was seventy-seven years old. [1] Wallace is buried in Crawfordsville Oak Hill Cemetery. [149] Legacy and honors [ edit ] Wallace's statue in the U.S. Capitol