Friday, January 18, 2008

RECOMMENDED BOOKS - JOHN BUNYAN

John Bunyan (1628-1688) is world famous for writing the classic Christian allegory "Pilgrim's Progress" which he wrote in prison and is now the second most read book after the Bible. Bunyan had very little schooling, followed his father in the tinker's trade, and was in the parliamentary army. He was received into the Baptist church in Bedford by immersion in the Ouse, 1653. In 1655 he became a deacon and began preaching with marked success from the start. In 1658 he was indicted for preaching without a license; kept on, however, and did not suffer imprisonment till Nov., 1660, when he was taken to the county jail in Silver Street, Bedford, and there confined until 1672 after which he immediately became pastor of the Bedford church. In 1675, he was again imprisoned for preaching but was freed six months later. In August 1688, on his way to London he caught a severe cold from being wet, and died. Bunyan was a popular preacher as well as a very voluminous author, though most of his works consist of expanded sermons. In theology he was a Puritan, but not a partizan; nor was there anything gloomy about him. He was no scholar, except of the English Bible, but that he knew thoroughly. Another book which greatly influenced him was Martin Luther's Commentary on the Epistle to the Galatians.


PILGRIM'S PROGRESS
John Bunyan

Category: Heroes, Puritans, And Reformers
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All the world knows that Bunyan wrote The Pilgrim's Progress, in two parts, of which the first appeared at London in 1678, and was at all events, begun during his imprisonment in 1676; the second in 1684. The earliest edition in which the two parts were combined in one volume was in 1728. If you are an average reader then it is recommended that you buy a version which is written in modern english. There are also several illustrated children's versions available. The Pilgrim's Progress is the most successful allegory ever written, and like the Bible is adapted to man in every clime. It is indeed the most commonly translated by Protestant missionaries after the Bible. It is thus read in all literary languages and is a world-classic.

1 comment:

Cameron Buettel said...

It is amazing that John Bunyan wrote this while he was in prison for preaching the Gospel.