Ben-Hur: A tale of Christ is considered "the most influential Christian book of the nineteenth century"and has become the best-selling American novel. The book also inspired other novels with biblical settings and has been adapted to produce scenarios and cinemas. The story tells descriptively the adventures of Judah Ben-Hur, a fictitious Jewish prince of Jerusalem who is a slave to the Romans at the beginning of the first century and becomes a charioteer and a Christian. Running in parallel with Judas's narration is the story of Jesus who comes from the same region and is a similar age. The novel reflects themes of betrayal, conviction and redemption, with a plot of vengeance that leads to a love story and compassion.