Ben-Hur vs The silver Chalice: Which Should You Read?
Both live on shelves: History of Biblical events, Jesus christ, Bible, Christian Fiction, Historical Fiction, Fiction
Ben-Hur
More
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…
The silver Chalice
More
The Silver Chalice is a 1952 English language historical novel by Thomas B. Costain. It is the fictional story of the making of a silver chalice to hold the Holy Grail (itself here conflated with the Holy Chalice) and…
Side by side
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 9 for The silver Chalice.
- The silver Chalice has the widest readership — 4533 ratings behind its score.
Affiliate links: we may earn a commission on purchases.
Scores by source
| Ben-Hur | The silver Chalice | |
|---|---|---|
| Goodreads | 4.0 (1703) | 4.1 (4533) |
| Hardcover | 3.8 (6) | 3.3 (3) |
| Apple Books | 4.5 (205) | — |
| Check price → | Check price → |
Reception
| Ben-Hur | The silver Chalice | |
|---|---|---|
| Ratings | 1703 | 4533 |
| Editions | 65 | 13 |
| Film adaptations | 1 | 1 |
| Want to read | 29404 | 3759 |
| Reading it now | — | 242 |
| Written reviews | 1703 | 230 |
| Wikipedia attention | 18350 | — |
| Pages | 208 | 533 |
| Check price → | Check price → |
Questions readers ask
Which is rated higher: Ben-Hur or The silver Chalice?
The silver Chalice has the higher combined reader rating across sources (The silver Chalice 4.1/5, Ben-Hur 4.1/5).
Which is shorter to read: Ben-Hur or The silver Chalice?
Ben-Hur is the quickest read. Estimated at 225 words per minute: Ben-Hur (208 pages, ≈ 3 h 51 m); The silver Chalice (533 pages, ≈ 9 h 52 m).
Which is harder to read: Ben-Hur or The silver Chalice?
Estimated difficulty, based on era, reader shelves and length — Ben-Hur: Moderate; The silver Chalice: Moderate.