Battles of the Bible | 
 enlarge | Authors: Chaim Herzog, Mordechai Gichon
Publisher: Greenhill Books
Category: Book
List Price: $37.95
Buy Used: $4.35
You Save: $33.60 (89%)
New (6) Used (31) from $4.35
Avg. Customer Rating:  15 reviews
Sales Rank: 471799
Media: Hardcover
Edition: Rev Sub
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 320
Shipping Weight (lbs): 1.5
Dimensions (in): 9.6 x 6.5 x 1.1
ISBN: 1853672661
Dewey Decimal Number: 221.95
EAN: 9781853672668
ASIN: 1853672661
Publication Date: March 1997
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| Editorial Reviews:
Product Description
Battles of the Bible presents a comprehensive and illuminating account of the wars of ancient Israel. The Bible's military episodes, recounted here in vivid detail, cover a vast period, from the invasion of Canaan by the Israelites under Joshua's command, through the conquest of the kingdom by David and Solomon and the split of the kingdom into Judah and Israel, to the Maccabees' successful rebellion against Seleucid domination. The reliability of these accounts is supported by their technical accuracy and the descriptions of topographical conditions peculiar to specific battlefields. They bear comparison with military campaigns well after the biblical era, and provide strategic and tactical lessons of value even today. Battles of the Bible is a fascinating and valuable work, not only for its exacting scrutiny of the biblical accounts, but also for its insight into their wider and continuing relevance. This new, thoroughly revised edition takes into account current historical and archaeological research, as well as modern trends in biblical scholarship.
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| Customer Reviews: Read 10 more reviews...
 A very secular look at truly miraculous events. May 9, 2008
4 out of 5 found this review helpful
I bought this book wanting to enhance the biblical accounts of battles with current archaeological and even strategical information. What I found were two atheists trying to re-write the biblical accounts by ascribing God's miracles to human ingenuity. It felt like reading Darwin, trying to tell me I was not created, but evolved from a monkey. They ascribed the Israelites crossing the Jordon to Joshua being able to strategically time earthquakes. Bottom line... I found this book insulting to anyone who knows and understands the Biblical accounts of the battles they describe. No wonder Israel is in such bad shape. If this man was Israel's president then I understand now why they are in such a political and spiritual mess. He did not see God, though God was using him to establish Israel as a nation again. Save your money..read the biblical account, it's more accurate.
Battles of the Bible September 3, 2007
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
This book takes a little getting used to, both in the way it is written and in the content. The writing style is at times laborious while at other times tedious. The authors use modern examples at random throughout this book to show how Biblical battles were fought to similar results. I was not always convinced the examples cited were the best match for the argument being made in the book, but maybe that's just me.
The other thing that was tricky to deal with, was the way certain Biblical personalities were portrayed. For example, Joshua is considered one of history's first military geniouses, something that people familiar with the Bible may already know, but the emphasis here is what Joshua did himself, not what God may or may not have granted him power to do. Likewise, King Ahab is also considered a strong military leader who was astute, intelligent, and able. Bible readers recall Ahab as doing evil in the sight of the Lord and was punished. Ahab's great Biblical nemesis, Elijah, is not mentioned nor are any of the evils Ahab is said to have committed. In fact, this emphasis on human capability will take some readers by suprise. God receives very little attention in this book. For some this will be tragic, while for others they may not really care.
At times I did not like this book, but at others I thoroughly enjoyed it. I thought the chapters on the Maccabees were especially enlightening, while chapters on Judah's downfall dragged on for too many pages. I fully appreciate the maps intersperesed throughout the book, but some of the drawings were more comic book calibre. But all in all this is a good book that looks at the battles fought throughout the Bible in a fresh perspective.
 A Worthy Account and a Good Perspective April 16, 2007
4 out of 4 found this review helpful
Even though I am still reading through this book, I really have appreciated its worth. One of the things I respect about this book is its perspective. Instead of assuming that the Tanakh (Hebrew Bible) and the extra-biblical accounts aren't correct the authors take the texts as they are and analyze them from a modern military view. This adds a nice way of seeing the genius in the Biblical combatants. The idea that more than military power a knowledge of the land of Israel helped in the defeat of at times armies of greater numbers. There are a number of topographical maps that shows the regions of combat mentioned in the Tanakh (Hebrew Bible) and how a good understanding of the locals helps in winning the wars or loosing the wars. It also has pictures of weapons used and also the landscape. Because this is a book written from a military view, there may be some people who will have a hard time reading it all the way through. Yet, if you are interesting in taking the Biblical accounts and understanding the wars this is a good book to read.
Well done, interesting theories on origins October 12, 2006
1 out of 2 found this review helpful
Although the theories on origins of the Hebrew people as ancient mercenaries is somewhat uncertain, it is a fascinating possibility. The maps are perfect, the text is clear and the analysis is superb. It is a wonderful military history work for anyone interested in ancient warfare. Very well done.
Ancient history! Warfare! Archeology! Bible! A great read!!! August 9, 2006
2 out of 2 found this review helpful
This is the best hardbound I ever bought for < $8.00! If you like ancient history, archeology, and the Bible, then you'll love this book! This brings the Hebrew Scriptures alive in a way that never happened for me before. Whatever one's religion, this book will only enlighten, not offend, the reader. I encourage you to buy this book - now!
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