View

118

Pilgrim's Progress

John Bunyan

John Bunyan (1626-1688) a Puritan preacher and author whose writings achieved lasting influence and esteem throughout Protestantism and the English-speaking world. He was born in Elstow, near Bedford, and had only minimal education before joining the Parliamentary army of Cromwell. Bunyan describes his own “dissolute and profligate” youth in his autobiography, Grace Abounding, leading up to his conversion in 1653. He became a Baptist in 1655 and acted as a lay preacher both during and after the Commonwealth; this led to his imprisonment in 1660. He remained in prison, sometimes very loosely, for 12 years until he was finally released in 1672. He wrote extensively and preached, both in his confinement, and afterward as minister of a congregation in Bedford. Bunyan’s colorful spiritual allegories and theological writings appealed greatly to the lower and middle classes in England, in particular, with wonderfully direct and lively imagery expressing Protestant thought and teaching.

Bunyan’s supreme allegory – a classic of Christian spirituality and of English literature.

This is Bunyan’s supreme work – at once a sublime spiritual allegory and one of the most beloved and widely-read books in the English language. It was composed during Bunyan’s imprisonment at Bedford (1660-1672) and was first published in 1678, gaining immediate popularity. Numerous editions and reprints followed – by now more than fifty editions – and was eventually translated into many different languages. By the 18th century it had spread to Scotland and the American colonies, where its popularity only increased. Its simple archetypal narrative – Pilgrim’s journey from the “wilderness of this world” to the Celestial City – has never ceased to capture the imagination and inspire the soul. Pilgrim’s Progress has achieved the status as a true classic of English literature, even apart from its Christian emphasis – its text and images have been used as the source of many works of art and music (such as the orchestral and vocal settings of Ralph Vaughan Williams).

Inspirational & Devotional

Classics