The Holy War

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The Holy War
Author John Bunyan
LanguageEnglish
Genre Novel
Publication date
1682
Publication placeEngland
Media typePrint
Pages191

The Holy War Made by King Shaddai Upon Diabolus, to Regain the Metropolis of the World, Or, The Losing and Taking Again of the Town of Mansoul is a 1682 novel by John Bunyan. Regarded as one of the early modern English novel written in the form of an allegory, it tells the story of the residents in a town called "Mansoul" (Man's soul). Though the town along with its citizens is deemed perfect under the rule of Shaddai (Almighty), its citizens had been persuaded by Diabolus to rebel and throw off his reign, effectively crowning Diabolus as its ruler. During Diabolus' reign on Mansoul, Shaddai, seeking to restore his kingship, sends his son Emmanuel to reclaim it.

Contents

Premise

In the city Mansoul, there are three esteemed men, who have lost their authority due to admitting Diabolus into the city. The mayor's understanding is hidden from the light. The recorder has become a madman, sinning at times and condemning the sin of the city. But worst of all is "Lord Willbewill," who no longer desires to serve his true Lord, but desires to serve Diabolus instead. With the fall of these three men, Mansoul will need to turn back to Shaddai of his own free will, which seems impossible. Salvation can only come if Emmanuel is victorious.

Official novel blurb, [1]

The city named as Mansoul has been regarded as perfect under the rule of Shaddai for a long time. One day, three esteemed men, Lord Willbewill, Understanding, and Conscience, welcome Diabolus into the city. Diabolus with his charisma, eventually convinces Mansoul's citizens to overthrow Shaddai and name him as the ruler of Mansoul. While Understanding and Conscience regretting their actions, Lord Willbewill shifts his allegiance to Diabolus instead. Having concerns over his former citizens, Shaddai sends his son, Emmanuel, to Mansoul as an attempt to reclaim his rule over Mansoul.

Characters

The Spiritual Warfare (c. 1623), a print by Martin Droeshout depicting the devil's army besieging a walled city held by a "Christian Soldier bold" guarded by figures representing the Christian virtues. It has been suggested that this print may have influenced Bunyan to write The Holy War. The Spiritual Warfare.jpg
The Spiritual Warfare (c. 1623), a print by Martin Droeshout depicting the devil's army besieging a walled city held by a "Christian Soldier bold" guarded by figures representing the Christian virtues. It has been suggested that this print may have influenced Bunyan to write The Holy War.

Main Characters: [4]

Locations

Some of the main places of The Holy War are listed below.[ citation needed ]

Reception

Critical reception to The Holy War has been mixed. Only two editions were published during Bunyan's lifetime, [5] indicating that the work was much less popular than his earlier Pilgrim's Progress , which had run to eight editions in its first four years. [6] Interest in The Holy War revived during the 18th century, [7] although the text suffered at the hands of its editors, who were inclined to bring its ideas into a line with the prevailing theological climate. [6] In 1854, Thomas Babington Macaulay asserted that The Holy War was "the second-greatest allegory ever written, surpassed only by The Pilgrim's Progress." [8] [9] Other 19th- and 20th-century critics have been more dismissive, and in modern times the novel is little studied in comparison with Bunyan's other works. [6]

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References

  1. "Holy War | Christian Focus | 9781845503949". www.rainbowresource.com. Retrieved 8 June 2022.
  2. Jones, Malcolm, "The English Print", in Hattaway, Michael, A Companion to English Renaissance Literature and Culture, John Wiley & Sons, 2008, p.360.
  3. Zinck, Arlette, "Dating The Spiritual Warfare Broadsheet", The Recorder: Newsletter of the International John Bunyan Society, 2007, pp.3-4.
  4. "The Holy War (eBook) | Monergism". www.monergism.com. Retrieved 8 June 2022.
  5. Sharrock, Roger; Forrest, James, eds. (1980). John Bunyan: The Holy War. Oxford University Press. p. xl. ISBN   0-19-811887-2.
  6. 1 2 3 Lynch, Beth (1999–2000). "'Rather Dark to Readers in General': Some Critical Casualties of John Bunyan's Holy War (1682)" . Bunyan Studies (9): 25–49. ProQuest   216723117.
  7. Rosenfeld, Nancy (2018). "The Holy War (1682)". In Davies, Michael; Owens, W. R. (eds.). The Oxford Handbook of John Bunyan. Oxford University Press. p. 280. ISBN   978-0-19-958130-6.
  8. McKelvey, Robert J. (2011). Histories that Mansoul and Her Wars Anatomize: The Drama of Redemption in John Bunyan's Holy War. Vandenhoeck & Ruprecht. p. 11. ISBN   978-3-647-56939-0.
  9. Macaulay, Thomas Babington (1860). The Miscellaneous Writings of Lord Macaulay. Vol. 2. Longman, Green, Longman, and Roberts. p. 239.