Battles of the Bible

Rating:
Summary: The Best of Its Kind
Review: Dr. Werner Keller ended his Introduction to the 2nd revised edition of his landmark "The Bible as History" by concluding, "The Bible is right after all!" What "The Bible as History" did for the historicity of the Bible, this book does for the Bible's narrative of military history. It is outstanding in every way and the only work which puts it all together so accessibly and logically. The authors draw on all available sources and the work is therefore copiously footnoted and illustrated. It is a "must have" for any person interested in Biblical history. The other customers reviews posted below describe the book in deserving detail.

Until this book, the value of the Bible as a handbook of military tactics has not been remotely plumbed in appropriate depth. It is a great loss both to any soldier and to the general public because the Old Testament's accounts of battles contain a treasure trove of military strategies. In several places in the Bible, God explicitly tells the Israelites how to negotiate the terrain He created to defeat an enemy. When the Israelites follow God's instructions, they always win. This is remarkable given the Israelites' lack of heavy weapons, armor and equipment in the face of enemies with superior numbers and armament. This book explains the great geographical significance of the terrain, roads and cities of Palestine that are so vital to the land but mean so little to us. Place names of little towns is Israel that we skim over in the narrative from Joshua to II Chronicles suddenly become real and alive.

A little known fact: In 1917, during the First World War, the British Army in Palestine under General Allenby found themselves arrayed against the Turks in an obscure little place called Micmash in the Judean highlands. The name "Micmash" sounded vaguely familiar to a major in the British Army. By candlelight that night, he searched through the Bible he brought with him until he found the reference in I Samuel 14. It turned out that the Israelites had found themselves similarly disposed against the Philistines at the same location at Micmash almost three thousand years earlier. By copying the successful tactics of Jonathan and his armor-bearer, the British achieved the same results against the Turks the next morning.

There would be more stories like this one if the Biblical narratives were taken to heart today. Chariots, siegecraft, wadis, ambushes, night marches, trumpets blasts which crumble ancient walls, the day when the sun stood still, Assyrian brutality . . . at its worst, this book is an entertaining read. At its best, it deserves a place alongside Werner Keller's "The Bible as History" echoing the same thesis--"The Bible is right after all!"

Rating:
Summary: A must-have
Review: For any serious scholar of the Bible, Middle East, or military history, this book is a must-have! It hits the trifecta of excellent research, modern relevence, and an exciting read. While the authors tend to be a bit skeptical of divine influence, they still illustrate how the Bible remains a truthful historical account.

The authors take the reader on a detailed look of the history of the ancient Israelites from the days following the Exodus to the gripping accounts of the war of the Maccabees. They regularly use not only the Bible, but extra historical accounts to make their case in detail. It becomes all the more interesting when they demonstrate how other armies used similar tactics in the same area, be they Israelites, Arabs, Crusaders, Turks, or the British.

Again, I highly recommend this book for wishing to learn a more complete picture of the wonderful book, the Bible.

Rating:
Summary: Left God Out
Review: I was disapointed greatly in this book. If you want to read about war tactics than it's a book you'll like. But I am a Christian who firmly believes the Bible word for word. This book leaves God out of many of the miraculous battles in the Bible. For instance, the bible tells us that in the battle of Jericho, God won the battle. That God was the one who caused the walls to fall. This book says that an earthquake caused the wall to fall, as well as the wall being dammaged from poor upkeep. This book also leaves God out of the equation when Israel crossed the Jordan River. They credit this too, to an earthquake damming up the river, instead of God's intervention.
Another example is David's fight with Goliath. This book says that Goliath was a freak, that's why he was a giant. And that He was partially blind from this disorder so he couldn't see the rock from David's sling shot. What this book leaves out is that Goliath had four brothers (also giants) and that during David's riegn as king, he hunted down and killed all the giants. This doesn't sound like a freak, the bible says "there were giants in the land." I don't care to read any book that gives credit to man instead of God. Especially if it refers to the bible.

Rating:
Summary: Left God Out
Review: I was disapointed greatly in this book. If you want to read about war tactics than it's a book you'll like. But I am a Christian who firmly believes the Bible word for word. This book leaves God out of many of the miraculous battles in the Bible. For instance, the bible tells us that in the battle of Jericho, God won the battle. That God was the one who caused the walls to fall. This book says that an earthquake caused the wall to fall, as well as the wall being dammaged from poor upkeep. This book also leaves God out of the equation when Israel crossed the Jordan River. They credit this too, to an earthquake damming up the river, instead of God's intervention.
Another example is David's fight with Goliath. This book says that Goliath was a freak, that's why he was a giant. And that He was partially blind from this disorder so he couldn't see the rock from David's sling shot. What this book leaves out is that Goliath had four brothers (also giants) and that during David's riegn as king, he hunted down and killed all the giants. This doesn't sound like a freak, the bible says "there were giants in the land." I don't care to read any book that gives credit to man instead of God. Especially if it refers to the bible.

Rating:
Summary: A Secret Weapon!
Review: If you get a kick out of "biblical arcana," this book will be one you'll want. Herzog and Gichon do not accept all of the OT as reliable history, but what they do accept is significant: "The tactical description of the battles of the Bible in their intricate topographical setting and the subsequent detailed and logical interactions between movement, maneuvers, and ground features, shaping the course of the battles, cannot be explained by mere inventiveness." [22] In short, the military details are so precise and show such evidence of military genius that one would either have to conclude that the Bible battle accounts were written late by military geniuses, or that they represent genuine traditions. Herzog and Gichon do suggest that maybe leadership was attributed to the wrong persons by mistake or intent, but they remain in favor of a genuine historical core.

The book surveys battles from Genesis to the time of the Maccabbees. It does tend to meander towards the end, but is an excellent resource for serious students.


Rating:
Summary: battles of the bible
Review: my interest in this book was as a military historian. it satisfied that interest very well. details of battles and campaigns is readily understandable and extremely professional. the authors amplify discussions of tactics and strategy with authoratative discussions of social, economic, and political factors affecting the military events. herein is the enormous bonus of this book: as a practising but not particularly academic christian i was provided with a profound grasp of the historical time-line of the bible; fleshed out anthropologicly as never before. a rabbi friend borrowed my first copy and won't give it back!

Rating:
Summary: OUTSTANDING! 10 STARS!
Review: This is a rare find. By focusing on the geo-political realities of Israel, this allows the authors to bring a new light in the accounts of the Old Testament. It relates an exciting story of the struggles and establishment of Israel in the heartland of the Palestinian Land Bridge from 1000BC to 100BC - an often neglected historical period in military history. It unravels the brilliant uses of political and military intrigues by a people who struggled to establish and maintain a kingdom amongst conflict after conflict. A real tour de force!

Rating:
Summary: Top-notch, tightly written, with lots of maps & graphics
Review: This is a top notch book about military science and history. It shows how the Israelites penetrated into the Middle Eastern landbridge, displaced the Caananites from the highlands, expanded their power into the vallies (where the chariot was king), and extended their power over satellite states (and periodically lost control over them). -- A wealth of tactical maps and diagrams (38), drawings (45), and photographs (53) make all the difference! A chronological table is another helpful aid. What this book does NOT have are regional and theater level maps. [I used Rogerson's Atlas of the Bible, a miserable Time-Life book saved only by excellent maps to see the larger picture. Any good historical map with a 1 mile = 1 inch or similar scale would work, too!]. --- Readers should be aware that 238 of the 271 pages of text (88%) are the work of Mordechai Gichon; 33 pages (12%) are attributed to Chaim Herzog. --- Extensive crossreferences to the English language Christian Bible (e.g. Judg. 7:4-7) allow one to read more extensively about certain epochs. I used the New International Version, and had little difficulties following the politics, tactical maneuvering, and logistical issues of different campaigns. -- This volume is also well written: clear; concise; without ideological or religious jargon; and neither pretenious nor 'academic'. A good book. For those who like military history, and enjoy a lot of detail, this is a great read!