How The Pilgrim's Progress drew on Ephesians
A documented line of influence: John Bunyan demonstrably engaged Paul’s work. The commentary below is Gröblé’s, verbatim from each work’s page.
The source
Ephesians
Paul · c. 62
BibleThe influenced
The Pilgrim's Progress
John Bunyan · 1678
EnlightenmentRelevance
8/10
On The Pilgrim's Progress’s page
- Christian's armory comes straight out of Ephesians 6
- The helmet, breastplate, shield, and sword Christian is given before facing Apollyon are Paul's whole armour of God literalized — "completely armed from head to foot," as Bunyan puts it
- Knowing Paul's passage first, you watch a metaphor get unpacked piece by piece into allegory
On Ephesians’s page
- Paul's whole armour of God becomes an actual wardrobe in Bunyan
- The helmet of salvation, breastplate of righteousness, shield of faith, the sword of the Spirit, and "all-prayer" — Ephesians 6 turned into gear Christian must put on before he can fight
- "When he puts on Christ, he is then completely armed from head to foot," Bunyan writes, dramatizing the metaphor into a scene at the Palace Beautiful