John Bunyan
Born	28 November 1628(1628-11-28) Bedford, England1
Died	31 August 1688 (aged 59) England
Occupation	Writer, preacher
Genres	Christian fiction (specifically allegory), sermons

John Bunyan (November 28, 1628 – August 31, 1688), a Christian writer and preacher, was born at Harrowden (one mile south-east of Bedford), in the Parish of Elstow, England. For the town in Argentina, see 28 de Noviembre. Events Bedford is the County town of Bedfordshire, England. It is a large town and the administrative centre for the Bedford borough England is a Country which is part of the United Kingdom. Its inhabitants account for more than 83% of the total UK population whilst its mainland Events 1056 - Byzantine Empress Theodora becomes ill dying suddenly a few days later without children to succeed the Throne England is a Country which is part of the United Kingdom. Its inhabitants account for more than 83% of the total UK population whilst its mainland Employment is a Contract between two parties, one being the employer and the other being the employee. A literary genre is a category of literary composition Genres may be determined by Literary technique, tone, Content, or even (as in the case of fiction A Christian novel is any Novel that expounds and illustrates a Christian World view in its plot its characters or both or which deals with Christian An allegory (from αλλος allos "other" and el αγορευειν agoreuein "to speak in public" is a figurative mode of representation A sermon is an oration by a Prophet or member of the Clergy. Sermons address a Biblical, theological, or religious topic For the town in Argentina, see 28 de Noviembre. Events Events 1056 - Byzantine Empress Theodora becomes ill dying suddenly a few days later without children to succeed the Throne Christianity ( Greek Χριστιανισμός from the word Xριστός ( Christ)is a monotheistic Religion centered on the life and teachings Preacher is a term the for someone who preaches Sermons or gives homilies Harrowden is a one street hamlet in the English county of Bedfordshire. Bedford is the County town of Bedfordshire, England. It is a large town and the administrative centre for the Bedford borough Elstow is a Village and Civil parish in the English county of Bedfordshire. England is a Country which is part of the United Kingdom. Its inhabitants account for more than 83% of the total UK population whilst its mainland He wrote The Pilgrim's Progress, arguably the most famous published Christian allegory. The Pilgrim's Progress from This World to That Which Is to Come by John Bunyan (published February 1678) is a Christian Allegory An allegory (from αλλος allos "other" and el αγορευειν agoreuein "to speak in public" is a figurative mode of representation In the Church of England he is remembered with a Lesser Festival on 30 August. The Church of England is the officially established Christian church in England, the Mother Church of the worldwide Anglican Lesser Festivals are a type of observance in the Church of England, considered to be less significant than a Principal Feast, Principal Holy Day, or Events 1363 - Beginning date of the Battle of Lake Poyang; the forces of two Chinese rebel leaders— Chen Youliang and

Life

Bunyan's birthplace

Bunyan had very little schooling (about 2-4 years). He followed his father in the Tarish Tinker's trade, and he served in the parliamentary army at Newport Pagnell (1644 - 1647); in 1649 he married a pious young woman, whose only dowry appears to have been two books, Arthur Dent's Plain Man's Pathway to Heaven and Lewis Bayly's Practice of Piety, by which he was influenced towards a religious life. Newport Pagnell is a Town in the Borough of Milton Keynes (ceremonial Buckinghamshire) England. Arthur Dent (died 1607 was the author of The Plain Man's Pathway to Heaven, first published in 1601 Lewis Bayly (born perhaps at Carmarthen, Wales, perhaps near Biggar Scotland, year unknown died at Bangor Wales, 26 October He lived in Elstow till 1655 (when his wife died) and then moved to Bedford. Elstow is a Village and Civil parish in the English county of Bedfordshire. Bedford is the County town of Bedfordshire, England. It is a large town and the administrative centre for the Bedford borough He married again in 1659.

In his autobiographical book, Grace Abounding, Bunyan describes himself as having led an abandoned life in his youth, and as having been morally reprehensible as a result. However, there appears to be no evidence that he was outwardly worse than the average of his neighbours. Examples of sins to which he confesses in Grace Abounding are profanity, dancing and bell-ringing. The increasing awareness of his un-Biblical life led him to contemplate acts of impiety and profanity, and to a vivid realisation of the dangers these involved. In particular he was harassed by a curiosity in regard to the "unpardonable sin," and a prepossession that he had already committed it. The Eternal Sin, or unpardonable sin, is a concept of Sin in Christian theology, whereby Salvation becomes impossible As a result of these experiences, he was received into the Baptist church in Bedford by immersion in the River Great Ouse in 1653. Baptist is a term describing individuals belonging to a Baptist church or a Baptist denomination. Bedford is the County town of Bedfordshire, England. It is a large town and the administrative centre for the Bedford borough The River Great Ouse is a River in the east of England. It is 150 miles (240 km long which makes it the major navigation in East Anglia, and the fourth- In 1655 he became a deacon of St. Paul's Church, Bedford and began preaching, with marked success from the start. Deacon is a role in the Christian Church that is generally associated with service of some kind but which varies among theological and denominational traditions St Paul's Church is a Church of England Parish church located on St Paul's Square in the Town centre of Bedford, Bedfordshire,

Bunyan fiercely disagreed with the teachings of the Quakers and took part in written debates during the years 1656-1657 with some of its leaders. First Bunyan published Some Gospel Truths Opened in which he attacked Quaker beliefs. The Quaker Edward Burrough responded with The True Faith of the Gospel of Peace. Edward Burrough (1634 - 1663 was an early British Quaker leader and controversialist Bunyan countered Burrough's pamphlet with A Vindication of Some Gospel Truths Opened, which Burrough answered with Truth (the Strongest of All) Witnessed Forth. Later the Quaker leader George Fox entered the verbal fray by publishing a refutation of Bunyan's essay in his The Great Mystery of the Great Whore Unfolded. George Fox (July 1624 – 13 January 1691 was an English Dissenter and a founder of the Religious Society of Friends, commonly known as the Quakers

Part of a series on Baptists

Historical Background Christianity · General Baptist · Particular Baptist

Doctrinal distinctives Prima and Sola scriptura · Ordinance · Offices · Confessions · Congregationalism · Separation of church and state

Pivotal figures John Bunyan · Andrew Fuller · Thomas Helwys · John Smyth · Charles Haddon Spurgeon · Roger Williams

Largest associations American Baptist · Baptist General Convention of Texas · National Baptist · Progressive National Baptist · Southern Baptist Convention · European Baptist Federation This box: view • talk • edit

Bedford Old Bridge, with the jail in which Bunyan was imprisoned

In 1658 Bunyan was indicted for preaching without a licence. Baptist is a term describing individuals belonging to a Baptist church or a Baptist denomination. Christianity ( Greek Χριστιανισμός from the word Xριστός ( Christ)is a monotheistic Religion centered on the life and teachings General Baptist is a generic term for Baptists that hold the view of a general Atonement, as well as a specific name of groups of Baptists within the broader See also Baptist The Beliefs of Baptist Churches are not totally consistent from one Baptist church to another as Baptists do not have a central governing authority Prima scriptura is a doctrine that says canonized scripture is "first" or "above all" sources of Divine revelation. Sola scriptura ( Latin ablative, "by scripture alone" is the assertion that the Bible as God's written word is self-authenticating See also Ordinance (Latter Day Saints See also Baptist Baptists recognize only two ordinances — Believer's baptism and the Lord's Baptists generally recognize two Scriptural offices, those of Pastor -teacher and Deacon. 1600s 1644 First London Baptist Confession - revised in 1646 1651 The Faith and Practice of Thirty Congregations 1654 The True Gospel-Faith Congregationalist polity, often known as congregationalism is a system of Church governance in which every Local church congregation is independent Separation of church and state is one of the primary theological distinctions of the Baptist tradition See also Fuller Baptist Church, Kettering Deathless Sermon William Carey Strict Baptist Thomas Helwys, (c 1575 - c 1616 was one of the joint founders of the Baptist denomination Charles Haddon Spurgeon, commonly CH Spurgeon, ( June 19, 1834 &ndash January 31, 1892) was a British Reformed Roger Williams ( December 21, 1603 &ndash April 1, 1683) was an English theologian, a notable proponent of Religious The American Baptist Churches USA ( ABCUSA) is a group of Baptist Churches within the United States; the denomination maintains headquarters in The Baptist General Convention of Texas is the oldest surviving Baptist convention in the state of Texas. The National Baptist Convention USA Inc is one of the largest religious organizations among African Americans The convention has over 30000 churches and over 6000000 The Progressive National Baptist Convention (PNBC is a convention of African-American Baptists emphasizing Civil rights and social justice The Southern Baptist Convention ( SBC) is a United States -based mostly conservative Christian denomination The European Baptist Federation (EBF is a federation of 51 Baptist associations and is one of six regional fellowships in the Baptist World Alliance. He continued, however, and did not suffer imprisonment till November 1660, when he was taken to the county gaol in Silver Street, Bedford. There he was confined at first for three months, but on his refusing to conform or to desist from preaching, his confinement was extended for a period of nearly 12 years (with the exception of a few weeks in 1666). It was during this time that he completed his allegorical novel: The Pilgrim's Progress. The Pilgrim's Progress from This World to That Which Is to Come by John Bunyan (published February 1678) is a Christian Allegory [It is more likely that he commenced this work during the second and shorter imprisonment of 1675 referred to below. ] He was released in January 1672, when Charles II issued the Declaration of Religious Indulgence. Charles II (Charles Stuart 29 May 1630 – 6 February 1685 was the King of England, Scotland, and Ireland. The Royal Declaration of Indulgence was Charles II of England 's attempt to extend religious liberty to Protestant nonconformists in his realms by suspending

In that month he became pastor of St. Paul's Church. In March 1675, he was again imprisoned for preaching (because Charles II withdrew the Declaration of Religious Indulgence), this time in the Bedford town jail on the stone bridge over the Ouse. (The original warrant, discovered in 1887, is published in facsimile by Rush and Warwick, London). In six months he was free and as a result of his popularity he was not again arrested.

On his way to London he caught a severe cold, and died as a result of a fever at the house of a friend at Snow Hill on August 31, 1688. Events 1056 - Byzantine Empress Theodora becomes ill dying suddenly a few days later without children to succeed the Throne His grave lies in the cemetery at Bunhill Fields in London. Bunhill Fields is a cemetery located in the United Kingdom, in the London Borough of Islington, north of the City of London, and managed by the City

The Pilgrim's Progress

Bunyan in prison

Bunyan wrote The Pilgrim's Progress in two parts, the first of which was published in London in 1678 and the second in 1684. The Pilgrim's Progress from This World to That Which Is to Come by John Bunyan (published February 1678) is a Christian Allegory He had begun the work in his first period of imprisonment, and probably finished it during the second. The earliest edition in which the two parts combined in one volume came in 1728. A third part falsely attributed to Bunyan appeared in 1693, and was reprinted as late as 1852. Its full title is The Pilgrim's Progress from This World to That Which Is to Come.

The Pilgrim's Progress is arguably one of the most widely known allegories ever written, and has been extensively translated. An allegory (from αλλος allos "other" and el αγορευειν agoreuein "to speak in public" is a figurative mode of representation Protestant missionaries commonly translated it as the first thing after the Bible. Protestantism refers to the forms of Christian faith and practice that originated in the 16th century Protestant Reformation. A missionary is a member of a Religion who works to convert those who do not share the missionary's faith someone who proselytizes. Etymology According to the Online Etymology Dictionary, the word bible is from Latin biblia, traced from the same word through Medieval Latin and Late Latin

Two other successful works of Bunyan's are less well-known: The Life and Death of Mr. Badman (1680), an imaginary biography, and The Holy War (1682), an allegory. A third book which reveals Bunyan's inner life and his preparation for his appointed work is Grace Abounding to the chief of sinners (1666). It is a classic example of a spiritual autobiography, and thus is focused on his own spiritual journey; his motive in writing it was plainly to exalt the Christian concept of grace and to comfort those passing through experiences like his own.

The above works have appeared in numerous editions, and are accessible to all. There are several noteworthy collections of editions of The Pilgrim's Progress, e. g. , in the British Museum and in the New York Public Library, collected by the late James Lenox.

Bunyan became a popular preacher as well as a prolific author, though most of his works consist of expanded sermons. In theology he was a Puritan, but there was nothing gloomy about him. A Puritan of 16th and 17th century England was an associate of any number of religious groups advocating for more "purity" of Worship and Doctrine, The portrait his friend Robert White drew, which has often been reproduced, shows the attractiveness of his true character. He was tall, had reddish hair, prominent nose, a rather large mouth, and sparkling eyes.

He was no scholar, except of the English Bible, but he knew scripture thoroughly. The efforts of translating the Bible from its original languages into over 2000 others have spanned more than two millennia. He was also influenced by Martin Luther's Commentary on the Epistle to the Galatians, in the translation of 1575. Martin Luther (November 10 1483 February 18 1546 was a German Monk, theologian, university professor Father of Protestantism, and church reformer

Some time before his final release from prison Bunyan became involved in a controversy with Kiffin, Danvers, Deune, Paul, and others. In 1673 he published his Differences in Judgement about Water-Baptism no Bar to Communion, in which he took the ground that "the Church of Christ hath not warrant to keep out of the communion the Christian that is discovered to be a visible saint of the word, the Christian that walketh according to his own light with God. " While he owned "water baptism to be God's ordinance," he refused to make "an idol of it," as he thought those did who made the lack of it a ground for disfellowshiping those recognised as genuine Christians.

Kiffin and Paul published a response in Serious Reflections (London, 1673), in which they argued in favour of the restriction of the Lord's Supper to baptised believers, and received the approval of Henry Danvers in his Treatise of Baptism (London, 1673 or 1674). The controversy resulted in the Particular (Calvinistic) Baptists leaving the question of communion with the unbaptised open. Bunyan's church admitted pedobaptists to fellowship and finally became pedobaptist (Congregationalist). Infant baptism is the Christian religious practice of baptizing infants or young children Congregationalist polity, often known as congregationalism is a system of Church governance in which every Local church congregation is independent

The Pilgrim's Progress is, on some accounts, the most widely read book in the English language and has been translated into more tongues than any book except the Bible. The charm of the work, which gives it wide appeal, lies in the interest of a story in which the intense imagination of the writer makes characters, incidents, and scenes alike live in that of his readers as things actually known and remembered by themselves, in its touches of tenderness and quaint humour, its bursts of heart-moving eloquence, and its pure, idiomatic English. An idiom is a Phrase whose meaning cannot be deduced from the literal Definition, but refers instead to a figurative meaning that is known only Macaulay has said, "Every reader knows the straight and narrow path as well as he knows a road on which he has been backwards and forwards a hundred times," and he adds that "In England during the latter half of the seventeenth century there were only two minds which possessed the imaginative faculty in a very eminent degree. One of these minds produced the Paradise Lost, the other The Pilgrim's Progress. Paradise Lost is an Epic poem in Blank verse by the 17th-century English poet John Milton. " Bunyan wrote about 60 books and tracts, of which The Holy War ranks next to The Pilgrim's Progress in popularity, while Grace Abounding is one of the most interesting pieces of biography in existence.

A passage from Part Two of The Pilgrim's Progress beginning "Who would true Valour see" has been used in the hymn "To be a Pilgrim". "To be a Pilgrim" is the only hymn John Bunyan is credited with writing but is indelibly associated with him

Works

• A Discourse Upon the Pharisee and the Publican, reprinted by Diggory Press, ISBN 978-184685-7782
• A Few Sighs from Hell, or the Groans of a Damned Soul, reprinted by Diggory Press, ISBN 978-184685-7270
• Christ a Complete Saviour (The Intercession of Christ And Who Are Privileged in It), reprinted by Diggory Press, ISBN 978-184685-6709
• Come and Welcome to Jesus Christ, reprinted by Diggory Press, ISBN 978-184685-7744
• Grace abounding to the Chief of Sinners, reprinted by Diggory Press, ISBN 978-184685-7775
• No Way to Heaven But By Jesus Christ, reprinted by Diggory Press, ISBN 978-184685-7805
• Of Antichrist and His Ruin, reprinted by Diggory Press, ISBN 978-184685-7294
• Praying with the Spirit and with Understanding too, reprinted by Diggory Press, ISBN 978-184685-6389
• Saved by Grace, reprinted by Diggory Press, ISBN 978-184685-7799
• Seasonal Counsel or Suffering Saints in the Furnace - Advice to Persecuted Christians in Their Trials & Tribulations, reprinted by Diggory Press, ISBN 978-184685-7331
• The Doom and Downfall of the Fruitless Professor (Or The Barren Fig Tree), preprinted by Diggory Press, ISBN 978-184685-7324
• The End of the World, The Resurrection of the Dead and Eternal Judgment, reprinted by Diggory Press, ISBN 978-184685-7362
• The Fear of God - What it is, and what is it is not, reprinted by Diggory Press, ISBN 978-184685-7751
• The Greatness of the Soul and Unspeakableness of its Loss Thereof, ISBN 978-184685-7348
• The Heavenly Footman, reprinted by Diggory Press, ISBN 978-184685-7287
• The Holy City or the New Jerusalem, reprinted by Diggory Press, ISBN 978-184685-7768
• The Holy War - The Losing and Taking Again of the Town of Man-soul (The Holy War Made by Shaddai upon Diabolus, for the Regaining of the World), reprinted by Diggory Press, ISBN 978-184685-7836
• The Life and Death of Mr Badman, reprinted by Diggory Press, ISBN 978-184685-735X
• The Pilgrim's Progress
• The Saint's Knowledge of Christ's Love, or The Unsearchable Riches of Christ, reprinted by Diggory Press, ISBN 978-184685-6693
• The Strait Gate, Great Difficulty of Going to Heaven, reprinted by Diggory Press, ISBN 978-184685-6716
• The Water of Life or The Richness and Glory of the Gospel, reprinted by Diggory Press, ISBN 978-184685-7317
• The Work of Jesus Christ as an Advocate, reprinted by Diggory Press, ISBN 978-184685-7300
• Walking so as to Please God, reprinted by Diggory Press, ISBN 978-184685-7249

References

• This article incorporates public domain text from: Cousin, John William (1910). The public domain is a range of abstract materials &ndash commonly referred to as Intellectual property &ndash which are not owned or controlled by anyone A Short Biographical Dictionary of English Literature. A Short Biographical Dictionary of English Literature is a collection of biographies of writers by John William Cousin (1849-1910 published in 1910 London, J. M. Dent & sons; New York, E. P. Dutton.

See also

• English Dissenters
• John Bunyan Museum - museum dedicated to Bunyan on the same site as his former church
• John Bunyan Upper School - school in Bedford named after John Bunyan

External links

• Works by John Bunyan at Project Gutenberg
• The Pilgrim's Progress on Wikisource
• Writings of Bunyan at the Christian Classics Ethereal Library. English Dissenters were Christians who separated from the Church of England. John Bunyan Museum is a Museum primarily dedicated to the life times and works of John Bunyan. John Bunyan Upper School is an Upper school located in the Kingsbrook area of Bedford, Bedfordshire, England. Project Gutenberg, abbreviated as PG, is a volunteer effort to Digitize, archive and distribute Cultural works The Christian Classics Ethereal Library (CCEL is a Digital library that provides free electronic copies of Christian Scripture and Literature
• John Bunyan Online Online Bunyan Archive.
• Acacia John Bunyan Online Library
• John Bunyan works
• John Bunyan Museum
• Free audiobook of The Pilgrim's Progress from LibriVox
• Pilgrim's Progress condensed, illustrated
• The Heavenly Footman by Bunyan
• The Pilgrims Podcast A podcast of Bunyan's works. The Pilgrim's Progress from This World to That Which Is to Come by John Bunyan (published February 1678) is a Christian Allegory