A Turbulent, Seditious & Factious People: John Bunyan & His Church 1628–88

by Christopher Hill

This biography views Bunyan's works in the context of the social, political and religious context of the times, concentrating on his humble origins, the revolution of the 1640s and his experience in the Parliamentary army and the trouble of censorship and persecution. Christopher Hill won the W.H.Smith Literary Award and became interested in Bunyan after giving a lecture on him in 1978, as part of Bedford's celebration of the tercentenary of the publication of "The Pilgrim's Progress". Hill is a respected historian, having written over 20 books on the 17th Century.

Genres: History, Religion, Biography, British Literature, Church History

394 pages, Paperback

First published October 1, 1988

About the author

John Edward Christopher Hill was the pre-eminent historian of sixteenth- and seventeenth-century English history, and one of the most distinguished historians of recent times. Fellow historian E.P. Thompson once referred to him as the dean and paragon of English historians.

He was educated at Balliol College, Oxford. During World War II, he served in the Russian department of the British Foreign Office, returning to teach at Oxford after the war.

From 1958-1965 he was University Lecturer in 16th- and 17th-century history, and from 1965-1978 he was Master of Balliol College. He was a Fellow of the Royal Historical Society and of the British Academy. He received numerous honorary degrees over the course of his career, including the Hon. Dr. Sorbonne Nouvelle in 1979.

Hill was an active Marxist and a member of the Communist Party from approximately 1934-1957, falling out with the Party after the Soviet suppression of the Hungarian uprisings of 1956.

In their obituary, The Guardian wrote of Hill:

"Christopher Hill…was the commanding interpreter of 17th-century England, and of much else besides.…it was as the defining Marxist historian of the century of revolution, the title of one of the most widely studied of his many books, that he became known to generations of students around the world. For all these, too, he will always be the master." [http://www.theguardian.com/news/2003/...]

Reviews

[Daniel · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have not read any of Christopher Hill's books in years, but this volume on John Bunyan is outstanding.

[Robert Tessmer · Rating 3 out of 5]

Well written biography.

Unfortunately, I wasn't all that interested in the history of non-conformist churches and the politics that surrounded that movement. I just wanted to learn more about Buyan the man. This subject was also covered well, but I could have been satisfied with a book half this size.

I have no criticism with the author. He delivered exactly, what he promised.

[Mike Horne · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is an excellent intellectual biography of John Bunyan and his time. Easy to read but lots of academic rigor (I presume). The author is a Marxist, but I did not see it reading this book. I suppose he was very sympathetic to the levelers, diggers, etc.

[J M-B]

Pleasingly unfashionable but really a very useful volume for better understanding the ideology of the 'godly' and its force in the English civil wars.

[Simon Harrison · Rating 5 out of 5]

Incredible. Puts Bunyan back into context and makes a credible case for his (now-hard-to-discern) value.

[Dianne · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fascinating and detailed account of the life and times of John Bunyan. Christopher Hill examines Bunyan's life, thought and literature in relation to the turbulent times of the British Civil War and his experiences in the Parliamentary army and through the Restoration. He gives a good insight into the lives of 'ordinary' people living in extraordinary times, the problems of writing under censorship and popular culture in general. I must admit that I had never regarded Bedford as a centre of religious radicalism, but have now been enlightened. I did study this period with the OU some time ago and just wish I had come across this book at that time. I studied 'Pilgrim's Progress' at school, but did not really take to it. Yet another book to return to.

[Leandro Dutra · Rating 4 out of 5]

A really juicy book, straggling well between the popular (fittingly for Bunyan) and the academic (lotsa booksy references). Looses a star for the smug, if sympathetic, Whig history evaluations of Bunyan’s theology and worldview, but these are mainly concentrated at the end; anyway I do not think they make the author falsify any facts.

[Kevin Wallace · Rating 2 out of 5]

Couldn't get through it. Style seemed muddled, history was hurried, very little actual biographical information.