Bunyan's Judges

[...]Bunyan does not simply oppose a divine judge and threatened eschatological punishment to the present day injustices of human judges over the persecuted godly. [...]Bunyan wants to convict (that is, persuade) his readers, but such a process causes anxiety and unease when conviction spills over i...

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Bibliographic Details
Published inBunyan studies no. 19; p. 53
Main Author Knoppers, Laura L
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published Newcastle Upon Tyne Northumbria University, Department of Humanities, Faculty of Arts, Design and Social Sciences 01.01.2015
Subjects
Anxiety
Bible
British & Irish literature
Bunyan, John (1628-1688)
Bunyan, John (1628-88)
Christianity
Criminal sentences
English literature
Exegesis & hermeneutics
God
Imprisonment
Reading
Spirituality
Theology
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Summary:[...]Bunyan does not simply oppose a divine judge and threatened eschatological punishment to the present day injustices of human judges over the persecuted godly. [...]Bunyan wants to convict (that is, persuade) his readers, but such a process causes anxiety and unease when conviction spills over into judgment or condemnation, as there can be no epistemological certainty of salvation - or damnation - in this world. [...]I want to follow the important recent lead of Kathleen Lynch - an exception to the introspective readings of the text - who comments that 'Grace Abounding declared to the world the triumph of experiential religion over wrongful persecution. Self-examined, self-accused, the sinful conscience condemns itself: 'as fast I say, as God chargeth Conscience will cry out, guilty, guilty; Lord, guilty of all, of every whit, I remember clearly all the Crimes thou layest before me. [...]I say, will Conscience be a witness against the Soul, in the day of God' (p. 269).
ISSN:0954-0970