John
Bunyan, the son of an
illiterate tinker from Elsdow in Bedfordshire, was born in 1628. When
he was sixteen Bunyan joined the Parliamentary army to fight for the
Roundheads against the Cavaliers.
While in the army Bunyan
came into contact with new ideas about religion and politics. As censorship
was removed during the Civil War, Bunyan
was able to read pamphlets that for years had been banned.
After leaving the army,
Bunyan became a tinker. This job involved travelling around Bedfordshire
repairing pots and pans. While in these villages, Bunyan, who was
a Puritan,
gave talks on his religious beliefs. In 1653 he joined a Congregational
church in Bedford.
A strong opponent of George
Fox and the Society
of Friends Bunyan
published two books attacking their beliefs, Some
Gospel Truths Opened (1656) and A
Vindication of Gospel Truths Opened (1657).
After the Restoration,
Charles
II and his Parliament
attempted to stop Puritans
preaching in public. In
1660 Bunyan was arrested at a meeting at Lower Samsell in Bedfordshire
and found guilty of preaching without a licence to "unlawful
assemblies".
Bunyan spent the next
twelve years in Bedford gaol. While he was there he wrote a series
of books about religion. This included Profitable
Meditations (1661), I Will Pray
with the Spirit (1663), Christian
Behaviour (1663), The Holy City
(1665), The Resurrection of the Dead
(1665) and an autobiography, Grace Abounding
(1666).
Bunyan was released in
1672, but five years later
he was once again imprisoned for illegal preaching. While in prison
for the second time, Bunyan wrote his most famous book, The
Pilgrim's Progress. The book tells the story of a man called
Christian who goes on a pilgrimage.
On his journey Christian has a series of exciting adventures.
The
Pilgrim's Progress
is an allegory that is an attempt to explain the contents of the Bible.
The book is very simply written and was one of the first books to
be produced for a mass audience. The book was extremely popular
and sold in very large numbers. The book has a universal appeal and
over the years has been translated into over a hundred different languages.
Bunyan became a Congregational
pastor at Bedford. He continued
to publish books and this included an attack on Restoration
society, Life and Death of Mr. Badman
(1680), The Holy War (1682) and
Pilgrim's Progress, Second Part
(1684). John Bunyan died in 1688.
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