John Bunyan

1628–1688

JOHN BUNYAN

John Bunyan was a puritan preacher who lived during and after the English Civil Wars who is best known as the author of Pilgrim's Progress, one of the most influential and widely read books every printed in English. It is an allegorical story of a Christian's journey along the "straight and narrow" path as he encounters a great many interesting characters and fends off the snares of the devil. The stories are populated with characters such as "Mr. Worldly-wise", "Wanton", "Talkative", "Mr. Despondency" and "Much Afraid", who are encountered in their travels in and around places such as "Vanity Fair", "Doubting Castle", and "The Celestial City". But the contrived names and locations are just trappings of a highly imaginative and insightful masterpiece, written in beautiful prose.

Bunyan fought on the side of Parliament during the English civil War, but did not become a serious in his Christian faith until several years afterward. In 1655 he began preaching and gained a following during the Commonwealth. After the restoration he was arrested and imprisoned twice for "preaching without a license", and it is thought that be began working on his masterpiece while in prison. He was a contemporary of Milton, who wrote Paradise Lost touching some of the same themes as Pilgrim's Progress. They are together considered the two greatest works of 17th century Christian literature, but of the two, Bunyan's work was by far the more widely read. Almost every English Christian home had a copy, along side the Bible, right up until the twentieth century, and many of the characters, anecdotes and place names have passed into common usage.

Key events during the life of John Bunyan:

Year	Event
1628	Birth of John Bunyan, son of a Tinker.
1644	Served on the side of Parliament during English Civil War.
1649	Married.
1655	Became a 'Baptist' preacher with strong Calvinist leanings.
1660	Imprisoned for 'preaching without a licence.
1675	Imprisoned again for 'preaching without a licence.
1678	Publishes Pilgrim's Progress, part I.
1684	Publishes Pilgrim's Progress, part II.
1688	Death of John Bunyan

Book Links
by
Stories from Pilgrim's Progress Told to the Children  by  Mary Macgregor

Other Resources

Story Links	Book Links
Bunyan, 1628-1688  in	Saints and Heroes Since the Middle Ages  by  George Hodges
Bunyan—'The Pilgrim's Progress'  in	English Literature for Boys and Girls  by  H. E. Marshall
Pilgrim's Progress'  in	The Awakening of Europe  by  M. B. Synge

Image Links
John Bunayn  in Saints and Heroes Since the Middle Ages	During his imprisonment Bunyan wrote the 'Pilgrim's Progress.'  in English Literature for Boys and Girls

Contemporary	Short Biography
Oliver Cromwell	Military leader of Parliament who headed the Commonwealth government after death of Charles I.
Charles II	Restored to the throne after death of Cromwell. Presided over the great fire and plague of London.
John Milton	John Milton was friend of Cromwell and a poet. His most famous work was Paradise Lost.