Ben-Hur vs Joseph und seine Brüder: Which Should You Read?
Both live on shelves: History of Biblical events, Bible, Christian Fiction, Fiction
Ben-Hur
Ben-Hur is a heroic story of a fictional hero named Judah Ben-Hur, a Jewish nobleman in Jerusalem.  Because of an unfortunate accident, Ben-Hur is sent to slave in the mines while his family is sent to leprosy…
vs
Joseph und seine Brüder
This remarkable new translation of the Nobel Prize-winner’s great masterpiece is a major literary event. Thomas Mann regarded his monumental retelling of the biblical story of Joseph as his magnum opus. He conceived of…
The verdict
- Ratings are close across the board — any is a safe pick by score.
- Ben-Hur is the quickest read — about 3 hours vs 22 for Joseph und seine Brüder.
- Ben-Hur has the widest readership — 1703 ratings behind its score.
How to choose
Scores by source
| Ben-Hur | Joseph und seine Brüder | |
|---|---|---|
| Goodreads | 4.0 (1703) | — |
| Hardcover | 3.8 (6) | — |
| Apple Books | 4.5 (205) | — |
Reception
| Ben-Hur | Joseph und seine Brüder | |
|---|---|---|
| Ratings | 1703 | 2 |
| Editions | 65 | 52 |
| Film adaptations | 1 | 1 |
| Want to read | 29404 | — |
| Written reviews | 1703 | — |
| Wikipedia attention | 18350 | 3182 |
| Pages | 208 | 1207 |