This Week in Christian History: 'Pilgrim's Progress' Author Arrested; Dr. Livingstone's Adventures
John Bunyan Arrested - November 12, 1660
This week marks the anniversary of when John Bunyan, author of the famous Christian Allegory The Pilgrim's Progress, was arrested for illegal preaching.
While in the hamlet of Lower Samsell in Bedfordshire, Bunyan was arrested at a worship gathering just as he was about to begin his sermon.
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At issue was Bunyan's dissenting religious beliefs, as the Puritan preacher found himself at odds with a Church of England that regained power lost during the rule of Oliver Cromwell.
While imprisoned at Bedford County Jail, Bunyan went to writing up most of what became The Pilgrim's Progress, a widely read book first published in 1678.
In a 2013 article, The UK Guardian placed Bunyan's opus on their list of the 100 best novels written in the English language.
"It was an immediate success. A second edition appeared before the end of 1678, with many new passages, a third in 1679, and several subsequent editions before Bunyan's death in August 1688," explained the Guardian.
"The Second Part of The Pilgrim's Progress was published in 1684, with a second edition in 1686. Eventually, the English text comprised some 108,260 words. It has never been out of print, and has been translated into more than 200 languages."
