Christian Classics For Today's Pilgrim
We are pleased to introduce a new book series from Jubilee Prison Ministry Press: Christian Classics for Today's Pilgrim. This series of Christian Classics are being re-translated into Today's English to bring these timeless and inspiring works to a new generation of men and women both inside prison and in the free world. Perfect for individual study, small groups, and ministry outreach, these works are designed to be affordable and accessible for all audiences. We hope the Christian Classics for Today's Pilgrim will be a valuable resource for anyone seeking to understand the challenges and triumphs of the Christian faith and the path of discipleship.
The first books we are releasing in the series are John Bunyan's timeless allegory, The Pilgrim's Progress Book 1 and Book 2. We are looking forward to bringing other, lesser-known works of faith to a new audience if these are well received.
Ultimately, all of this–the translation, the art, the ministry it supports, and the journey it describes–is done for the glory of the Lord, who is the beginning and the end of every pilgrim’s path.
The Pilgrim's Progress
An Unabridged Journey in Today's English
For nearly 350 years, John Bunyan's The Pilgrim's Progress has been a touchstone of Christian literature, a timeless allegory second only to the Bible in its influence on the English-speaking world. Yet for many modern readers, its original 17th-century language can be a barrier to its profound spiritual insights.
This unabridged version of both Book 1 & Book 2 bridges that gap with a faithful and thoughtful translation of the 1678 and 1684 editions into contemporary English. Author J.B. Cyprus brings Bunyan's classic to life for a new generation, making the journey of Christian and Christiana more accessible than ever.
From the Pilgrim's struggles at the Slough of Despond, to their battles with the Giant Despair, from Vanity Fair to Madame Bubbles the places and characters are as salient as ever. This edition retains the full depth, urgency, and theological richness of the original while offering the clarity of modern language.
Perfect for individual study, small groups, and ministry outreach, this volume is the first in the Christian Classics in Everyday English series. It is an essential resource for anyone seeking to understand the challenges and triumphs of the Christian faith and the path of discipleship.
Example of Bunyan's Original:
APOL. Consider, again, when thou art in cool blood, what thou art like to meet with in the way that thou goest. Thou knowest that, for the most part, his servants come to an ill end, because they are transgressors against me and my ways. How many of them have been put to shameful deaths! and, besides, thou countest his service better than mine, whereas he never came yet from the place where he is to deliver any that served him out of their hands; but as for me, how many times, as all the world very well knows, have I delivered, either by power, or fraud, those that have faithfully served me, from him and his, though taken by them; and so I will deliver thee.
Updated version:
"Think again, when you have a clear head, about what you are likely to face on the path you are taking," Apollyon warned. "You know that most of His servants come to a bad end because they are rebels against me and my ways. How many of them have been put to shameful deaths! And besides, you consider His service better than mine, yet He has never come down to deliver even one of His servants from their enemies. But as for me, the world knows all too well the many times I have delivered—either by power or by trickery—those who have faithfully served me from Him and His followers, even after they were captured. I will deliver you in the same way."
Available as individual single volumes or combined in a single paperback, these unabridged versions of the 17th Century text have been lovingly updated to modern English.
A Note from the Translator, J.B. Cyprus:
Bunyan's work has been a deeply loved personal companion for me these past decades. My own understanding of temptation, grace, and Christian obedience has been forged on my journey through life (including a long and painful stint in Doubting Castle) and through my volunteer work in Texas prisons with Jubilee Prison Ministry.
As we read this classic work it is important to remember that Bunyan was very much a man of a particular place and time. His theology may feel a little too severe to modern readers, and his imagery is shaped by the medieval notions of heaven and hell that were still popular in his day. Yet beneath the coloring of time and place lies a profound and timeless insight into the human heart. The Pilgrim's struggles are our struggles, their journey is our journey. Three-and-a-half centuries on, Bunyan's world still looks very much like our own.
It is my hope that this translation will play its minor part in helping restore this masterpiece to its rightful place as a touchstone for Christian imagination and discipleship for the next generation.