The status of the Bible in Western culture, and in contemporary theology appears to be on the decline. The present state of affairs is the result, in part, of century old battles over the accuracy and historicity of the Bible. In The Battle for the Bible David Marshall, editor of the Adventist publishing house in England, traces briefly the history of some of the significant battles over the integrity and dependability of the Bible.

Before identifying the battle lines, Marshall devotes the first section of three brief chapters to discussing the composition of the Bible with regard to its languages, authors, and the manner in which the books from different periods were brought together.

In section 2, Marshall begins to outline the battle lines. The eighteenth century saw the rise of skepticism among scholars and charges of mistakes and inaccuracies in the extant texts of both the Old and New Testaments. Marshall’s discussion of the Masoretes, Essenes, Dead Sea scrolls, Codex Sinaiticus, the Chester-Beatty Papyri, and the Washington Codex is presented as a vindication of the Bible’s integrity.

In section 3, Marshall includes the story of the English Bible. From the persistent and heroic efforts of characters such as Bishop Aidan of Lindisfarne, Caedmon of Whitby, Aldhelm, Bede, Wyclif and Tyndale, to the story of the Coverdale, Matthew, Great, Geneva, Bishop, and King James’ Bibles, Marshall discerns the divine hand at work in preserving the Bible and making it accessible to God’s people. He sees the production of new versions adapted to the times as a necessary ongoing task.

In section 4, Marshall brings archaeology to the battle arena showing how archaeological finds have settled erstwhile embarrassing questions regarding particular personalities and cities mentioned in the Bible, but supposedly not referred to anywhere else. His discussion includes the significance of the Rosetta Stone and the Behistun Rock, as well as various tells. He refers to archeological excavations that have unveiled Babylon, Nineveh, the Hittite Empire, Ur of the Chaldees, Jericho, the Philistine cities, and various places in Israel. With regards to the New Testament, Marshall employs archaeological finds to confirm the building activities of King Herod, and Jesus’ ministry in the vicinity of Capernaum in Galilee.

Finally, in section 5, Marshall concludes by pointing out that in spite of the merits of archaeology and the discovery of ancient manuscripts, the truth of the Bible does not depend on these. Thus the invitation is extended to taste and see, and to discover and encounter the Man of the Book--Jesus Christ.

Marshall’s book is concise, readable, insightful and illuminating. It is clear throughout where he stands in the Battle for the Bible: the Bible is a supernaturally inspired and preserved book. However, it would have been interesting to see the discussion extended to contemporary ideas that are at odds with the biblical world view and which are as potent in displacing trust in the Bible as are doubts and skepticism over the text of the Bible.