Ben-HurBy: Lew Wallace Lew Wallaces powerful and poignant story of Judah Ben Hur, a Jewish prince from Jerusalem living at the time of Jesus Christ, has been around for more than a century, yet it continues to attract and inspire readers to this day. Falsely accused of attempting to assassinate a Roman governor, Ben Hur is enslaved and sentenced to work on a Roman galley, while his mother and sister are imprisoned and their possessions and land confiscated.