The Holy War Book

Summary:

The city of Mansoul was created for the sole pleasure of King Shaddai, the ruler of the universe. The city was the greatest city of all. For this reason, Diabolus and his evil minions desired to destroy the city. Diabolus always desires to destroy the good creations of King Shaddai. A discussion begins in the dwelling of Diabolus as to the method of destroying the great city of Mansoul. Instead of an outright attack, it was decided that they would convince the people that it would be best if they followed Diabolus as their prince. It takes little time for the evil forces to entirely take over the city. The city begins a course of total rebellion against the King.

King Shaddai was greatly grieved at the rebellion of the city of Mansoul. He called His troops and captains together to convince the city to repent. For three months the captains called out to the people of the city, but Mr. Conscience had been blinded and Mr. Reason had been placed as major of the city. Diabolus fortified the city and the people prepared for the assault. After several more weeks, the captains began their assault, which only succeeded in breaking through the city's ear-gate. The captains called on King Shaddai for reinforcements. Two times the original force arrived the next week for the conquest of the city. When the attack began bright trumpets of truth sounded the charge. Prince Emmanuel led the attack while riding on His white horse of purity. The city is conquered and Prince Emmanuel establishes His throne in Mansoul.

Although the city has officially been conquered in the name of King Shaddai, evil elements still remain. Evil doers and plotters must constantly be sought out. Each of these individuals is hanged and the city turns to the King for forgiveness. The Prince constantly pleads on their behalf to His Father, King Shaddai.

The city, however, was not at peace with Diabolus. Diabolus had escaped the city during the conquest and gathered an army of doubters that doubted all issues relating to life and faith in Prince Emmanuel. The attack shook the city of Mansoul and the people continued to look within their walls for traitors as well as prepare their weaponry for battle. When the attack came, the city used well the weapons that their King had given them and warded off the enemy. However, this attack was only the first. The next attack combined forces of the doubters and the vicious blood men. The captains of the blood-men were Captain Cain, Captain Nimrod, Captain Ishmael, Captain Esau, Captain Saul, Captain Absalom, Captain Judas, and Captain Pope. This attack so shook the city of Mansoul that the gates were broken and several great men of the city were hurt. Captain Credence sent a message to the King asking for help, to which was replied that help would come in three days. The city purged itself of Dabilonians within and prepared its Captains for a direct assault on the enemy on the third day. On that day a great victory was made over Diabolus, but his presence still remained a threat. King Shaddai then left His Son to reign in the heart of the city and made His leave. As the great King departed from the city's gates, He promised His soon return.

Reaction:

The Holy War was incredibly enjoyable to read. The train of thought was evident and the tone was exciting. Bunyan used the action of the internal war on a profound scale that included incredible, and entertaining, action. The book includes many lessons. One that stuck out to me was the need to search within for sources of sin at all time. Once conquered, the city of Mansoul sought out criminals during the easy times as well as the difficult. The moral tone is positive and the theology is strongly Protestant. Bunyan draws his readers into a deeper recognition of their spiritual need throughout the book. The characters in the book tend to seem shallow from the literary standpoint; however, when understood allegorically and spiritually, they are much deeper and more profound. The value of this work is hard to determine. It is altogether possible that this book, had it been written before Pilgrim's Progress, could have become much more popular today and well known to the modern reader.