by Martin J. Dougherty et al
Amber Books, 2008, 224 pages
When I saw Battles of the Bible I confess I immediately knew I had to have it. I'm a history nut and every time I read a story in the Bible I want to know more details than the Bible recounts.
Battles of the Bible brings to light the brilliance of the military strategies employed which surprised me, though it probably shouldn't have considering who inspired those strategies. It also does a solid job putting the Israelite battles into a historical context. The brutality that many accuse the Israelites of perpetrating wasn't something unusual, and, in the context of the time, was even expected. With the strictly Biblical battles, however, I left a little disappointed. The book doesn't tell you much about the battle strategy that the Bible doesn't.
The pictures in this book are gorgeous being either shots of the battle sites or paintings from Middle Ages or Renaissance era. They are full color for the most part and help to bring the battle stories to life.
Where the book really shone was its recounting of Bible-related battles that fell outside of the Bible itself but still helped understand the Biblical history. How did the tiny grew of Maccabean rebels manage to throw off the Selucid empire? Why is Masada such a potent symbol even in modern day Israel? It's with these sort of battles that Battles of the Bible really opened my eyes and gave me a greater understanding of the Jewish culture.
This is a great book, a beautiful book, and one that will broaden your understanding of the greater Biblical history.
Amber Books, 2008, 224 pages
When I saw Battles of the Bible I confess I immediately knew I had to have it. I'm a history nut and every time I read a story in the Bible I want to know more details than the Bible recounts.
Battles of the Bible brings to light the brilliance of the military strategies employed which surprised me, though it probably shouldn't have considering who inspired those strategies. It also does a solid job putting the Israelite battles into a historical context. The brutality that many accuse the Israelites of perpetrating wasn't something unusual, and, in the context of the time, was even expected. With the strictly Biblical battles, however, I left a little disappointed. The book doesn't tell you much about the battle strategy that the Bible doesn't.
The pictures in this book are gorgeous being either shots of the battle sites or paintings from Middle Ages or Renaissance era. They are full color for the most part and help to bring the battle stories to life.
Where the book really shone was its recounting of Bible-related battles that fell outside of the Bible itself but still helped understand the Biblical history. How did the tiny grew of Maccabean rebels manage to throw off the Selucid empire? Why is Masada such a potent symbol even in modern day Israel? It's with these sort of battles that Battles of the Bible really opened my eyes and gave me a greater understanding of the Jewish culture.
This is a great book, a beautiful book, and one that will broaden your understanding of the greater Biblical history.
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