The Pilgrim's Progress

Definition and Meaning

The Korean title, Cheollo Yeokjeong (天路歷程), means "the journey along the road to heaven." The original English title is The Pilgrim's Progress. The work is an allegory that likens the Christian life to a pilgrimage. Its story unfolds through characters and places that embody abstract ideas such as spiritual states or temptations, so the names of the characters and places directly express what they represent.

In Part One, the protagonist, Christian, sets out from the City of Destruction carrying the burden of sin on his back. Guided by Evangelist, he enters through the Wicket Gate, and before the cross his burden falls away. He then passes through trials such as the Slough of Despond, Vanity Fair, and Doubting Castle. At Vanity Fair his companion Faithful is martyred. With his new companion Hopeful, Christian crosses the River of Death and reaches the Celestial City. Part Two tells the story of Christian's wife, Christiana, who travels the same road with her children.

Biblical and Historical Background

The author, John Bunyan, was a Nonconformist preacher who ministered outside the established Church of England. He is said to have conceived and written the work while imprisoned in Bedford jail for preaching without a license. Pilgrimage imagery from the Bible runs throughout the work, including Hebrews 11:13–16, which portrays believers as "strangers and pilgrims on the earth," and Matthew 7:13–14, which speaks of the strait gate and narrow way that lead to life. The text also quotes Scripture extensively. Theologically, it draws on the Reformed faith of the Puritans, depicting grace, justification, and a faith that endures to the end. It became one of the most widely read works of Christian literature in the English-speaking world and was translated into many languages through the work of missionaries.

Use in the Korean Church

The first Korean translation, Tyeollo Ryeokdyeong, was published in 1895 by the missionary James Scarth Gale. It is regarded as the first Western novel translated into Korean. It featured illustrations by the painter Kim Jun-geun, which are notable for depicting the characters as Joseon-era Koreans wearing traditional gat hats.

Today the book continues to be recommended across denominations as a classic work of devotional literature. It has been adapted into abridged children's editions, comics, plays, and musicals, which are used in Sunday schools and retreats. Some churches also run interactive pilgrimage programs modeled on places in the story.

Interpretive emphases vary somewhat by denomination.

• Presbyterian and other Reformed traditions: The work is often read as illustrating salvation that is begun and sustained by the grace of God, as well as the perseverance of the saints.
• Methodist, Holiness, and other traditions of Wesleyan theology: Readers may emphasize the journey of sanctification, in which holiness is worked out over the course of the pilgrimage.
• Baptists: Bunyan is sometimes presented as a forebear in the faith.