Ben-Hur: A Tale of the Christ prosperity through piety. In "Ben-Hur", this is portrayed through Judah's rise from poverty to great wealth, the challenges he faces to his virtuous nature, and the rich rewards he receives, both materially and spiritually, for his efforts. Wallace's adventure story is told from the perspective of Judah Ben-Hur. On occasion, the author speaks directly to his readers. 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". In his memoirs, Wallace wrote:The Christian
Ben-Hur (2016 film) right mind would ever expect it to be." "IGN"s Scott Collura gave the film 5.8/10, writing: ""Ben-Hur" is an adequate introduction to the classic tale of revenge and forgiveness, but it's an uneven one. Toby Kebbell's antagonist character frequently outweighs the appeal of Jack Huston’s hero, the more religious elements of the story don’t jell very well with the action set pieces, and much of the cast are left behind by their own movie. But still, there’s no denying the power of Ben-Hur's final redemption. It’s just not a very smooth ride getting there." The "New York Times" Stephen Holden