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 regarded as one of the most significant works of English literature, has been translated into more than 200 languages, and has never been out of print.
The allegory tells of Christian, an everyman character, who makes his way from the "City of Destruction" (Earth) to the "Celestial City" (Heaven) of Zion. Christian finds himself weighed down by a great burden (sin) that he gets from reading a book (obviously the Bible). This burden, which would cause him to sink into Tophet (hell), is Christian's acute, immediate concern that impels him to the crisis of what to do for deliverance. Evangelist suddenly comes by to direct Christian for deliverance to the "Wicket Gate", which is the direction indicated by a "shining light" that Christian thinks he sees. Christian leaves his home, his wife, and children to save himself when his attempts to persuade them to join him are fruitless. |
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