From Ben-Hur to the Fall of Constantinople: Lew Wallace, Faith, and the Limits of Historical Imagination

The literary career of Lew Wallace, who had previously served as a Union general in the American Civil War, reveals a remarkable development in both religious reflection and historical interpretation. His two most ambitious works, Ben-Hur: A Tale of the Christ (1880) and The Prince of India; or, Why Constantinople Fell (1893), are not merely historical novels; they represent distinct stages in Wallace’s engagement with Christianity. The former emerges from a personal search for faith and expresses theology through narrative experience, while the latter attempts a sweeping interpretation of world history and religious decline. Taken together, these works trace a movement from lived religious encounter to abstract historical speculation—a movement that ultimately reveals both Wallace’s strengths and the limits of his perspective, particularly in his understanding of Orthodox Christianity and the Byzantine world.

To understand this development, one must begin with the circumstances that gave rise to Ben-Hur. Prior to writing the novel, Wallace was not firmly grounded in Christian belief. A decisive moment occurred in 1876, when he entered into conversation with the noted agnostic lecturer Robert G. Ingersoll. Ingersoll’s confident skepticism exposed Wallace’s own uncertainty and lack of theological clarity. Confronted with his inability to articulate or defend Christian doctrine, Wallace resolved to undertake a serious study of Christianity. Rather than producing a theological treatise, however, he turned to narrative as his medium.

A New Television Series on the Life of Saint Joseph the Hesychast Coming Soon

 

Aris Servetalis is preparing to return to the small screen on Greece's Mega Channel, nearly 25 years after his last television appearance. He will star in a new religious series, portraying Saint Joseph the Hesychast, one of the most significant figures of modern Orthodox monasticism.

The role of the Saint is said to be depicted in two age phases: the young Joseph will be played by Tasos Lekkas, while Servetalis will portray him in his mature years. Rumors suggest that Pygmalion Dadakaridis and Nikos Gkelias have also already joined the cast.

The series, which will consist of 12 episodes, is scheduled to begin filming after Easter, with the aim of airing in the next television season. The script is written by Giorgos Tsiakkas (who also wrote the script for the television series on Saint Paisios the Athonite), and the series is directed by Stamos Tsamis (who also directed the television series on Saint Paisios the Athonite). Production is supported by the Monastery of Vatopaidi and the Institute of Saint Maximus the Greek, as was the case with the cinematic adaptation of the life of Saint Nektarios of Aegina.