11 h 8 minAudiobook8 minSummaryRead it, hear it, the 15-minute summary, and print and large print at costPaperback · 6 × 9 in · printing soonHardcover · 6 × 9 in · printing soonAbout this book
What if your soul were a walled town, and the enemy knew how to talk his way inside?
In John Bunyan’s Christian allegory The Holy War, Mansoul is both a splendid town and an image of a human being. Its maker, King Shaddai, represents God within the story. Diabolus wants to rule it, but his first weapons are flattery and argument, not force.
At the gates, Lord Willbewill stands for a will that can turn either way. Mr. Recorder, also called Conscience, speaks unwelcome truths. As Shaddai sends captains to reclaim Mansoul and his Son Emmanuel approaches, councils, petitions and sieges turn an inward struggle into a battle for the town.
What you’ll discover
- A mind made visible Explore a town whose streets, gates and officers give the inner life a concrete shape.
- An enemy with arguments Watch Diabolus seek control of Mansoul through flattery and argument rather than force.
- The will at the gates Meet Lord Willbewill, the powerful officer whose changing loyalties embody the struggle to choose.
- Conscience speaks unwelcome truths Hear Mr. Recorder tell Mansoul what it needs to hear, even when truth is unwelcome.
- Faith given dramatic form Follow Bunyan’s vision of spiritual conflict through captains, councils, trials and appeals to the king.
Who will love it
For readers who love Christian allegory, the Puritan tradition and The Pilgrim's Progress, and anyone who likes seeing a mind drawn as a city.
What’s inside
The key ideas, in the 15-minute summary
- Mansoul is a fair town with five gates
- Diabolus wins the town with words
- Shaddai sends captains to besiege the town
- Emmanuel comes and Mansoul is claimed
- Peace is fragile and the town grows careless
- What the story means and how Bunyan tells it
Who’s who
- DiabolusA fallen lord from Shaddai's court who envies Mansoul and wants to rule it, using flattery and argument more than force.
- ShaddaiThe great king who built Mansoul and loves it, and who sends help when the town is lost.
- EmmanuelShaddai's Son, who leads the army that comes to win the town back and rule it in peace.
- Lord WillbewillThe powerful officer who commands the gates of Mansoul and stands for the will, which can be swayed either way.
- Mr. RecorderAlso called Conscience, he keeps the king's law in his mind and tells the town the truth even when it is unwelcome.
- Lord UnderstandingThe mayor of Mansoul, wise and loyal at first, who distrusts the stranger at the gate.
- Captain BoanergesLeader of the king's first four captains, whose name means son of thunder and who tries to rouse the town.
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- Paperback
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- Hardcover
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- Large print paperback
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- Large print hardcover
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The Holy War
by John Bunyan · 1682
At the gates of Mansoul, Diabolus uses flattery and cunning to seize a town that stands for the human soul.
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From the 15-minute summary · Key idea 1 of 6
Mansoul is a fair town with five gates
Bunyan opens with a wide view. Many kingdoms lie in the universe, and one of them is a small, splendid region called Mansoul. Shaddai built it for his own delight, and he gave it a strong wall and five gates. The gates are named for the senses, so we meet Ear-gate, Eye-gate, Mouth-gate, Nose-gate and Feel-gate. Whoever holds the gates controls what comes in.
The town has a government as well as walls. Lord Understanding serves as its mayor. Mr. Recorder, whose other name is Conscience, keeps the law of Shaddai in his mind and speaks it plainly. Lord Willbewill commands the gates and has great power in the town. Each of these officers is a faculty of the soul, and Bunyan gives each of them a face, a temper and a rank.
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What is The Holy War by John Bunyan about?
It is an allegory about the town of Mansoul, which stands for the human soul. The devil Diabolus takes the town, and God's Son Emmanuel comes to win it back and teach it to stay faithful.
Who is Diabolus in The Holy War?
Diabolus is the devil in Bunyan's allegory. He is a fallen lord from the court of the king Shaddai who wins Mansoul by clever speech and then rules it as a tyrant.
What do the characters in The Holy War stand for?
Most names are labels. Mansoul is the human being, Shaddai is God, Emmanuel is Christ, and Lord Willbewill, Mr. Recorder and Lord Understanding stand for the will, the conscience and the understanding.
The author
John Bunyan
1628–1688 · English writer and preacher
John Bunyan (1628–1688) was an English writer and preacher. He was born in Elstow, near Bedford, and lived in Bedford. He wrote Grace Abounding to the Chief of Sinners (1666), The Pilgrim’s Progress (1678 and 1684), The Life and Death of Mr. Badman (1680), and The Holy War (1682). He died in London.
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