Ben Hur

Lew Wallace (April 10, 1827 – February 15, 1905) the governor of the New Mexico Territory, decided to write a book that would explode once and for all the supposedly absurd claims of Jesus Christ. After researching his material, he began writing only to find he couldn’t go any further as it contradicted his original thesis denying Christ is the Son of God. So he converted his book into a novel, whose primary purpose was to support the claims of Jesus. The novel’s title was Ben-Hur: A Tale of the Christ, and it became the best selling American novel of the nineteenth century, surpassing Harriet Beecher Stowe’s Uncle Tom’s Cabin.

First edition

The novel is set in Ancient Rome and Ancient Judea. It tells the story of two men - one a Jewish prince (Judah Ben-Hur) and the other a Roman tribune - whose lifelong friendship turns to bitter hatred. At the end, Ben-Hur witnesses the crucifixion of Jesus. He becomes a Christian.

Ben-Hur: A Tale of the Christ had the honor of being the first work of fiction to be blessed by a Pope.

U.S. president James Garfield was so impressed with the book that he appointed Wallace as U.S. Minister to the Ottoman Empire, based in Constantinople, Turkey. Wallace served in this diplomatic post from 1881 to 1885. 

Ben-Hur: A Tale of the Christ was the best-selling American novel from the time of its publication until Gone with the Wind appeared in 1936.

The 1959 MGM film adaptation of Ben-Hur is considered one of the greatest movies ever made and was seen by tens of millions, going on to win 11 Academy Awards, including Best Picture. 

The success of the Ben Hur movie boosted the book sales and it surpassed Gone with the Wind.