Christian Literature In the format of Bunyan's Pilgrim's Progress

Question

I've recently started reading Bunyan's Pilgrim's Progress

The format of:

two people talking
interspersed with Biblical verses

is absolutely amazing. I wish more books were written in this format.

Not that other Christian literature are dull; but this book is exciting: it's Christian literature that makes Avatar look boring

What other pieces of Christian literature is in this format? I'm particularly interested in "classical" literature -- works that have stood the test of time -- say written in Pre 1900 days. [Though great modern works are welcome too.]

I don't know classical but have you tried The God Hater? The Book of God: The Bible as a Novel is also good. — Monika Michael, Sep 06 '12 at 09:52
And avatar is boring any which way. An expensive, over hyped movie, made only as an excuse to show off some over the top CGI. — Monika Michael, Sep 06 '12 at 09:56
@MonikaMichael: You're entitled to hold an opinion, you're just wrong about Avatar. That's all. — Caleb, Sep 06 '12 at 12:37
I vaguely recall reading an Enid Blyton retelling of Pilgrim's Progress as a nipper. — TRiG, Sep 06 '12 at 13:29
If you liked Pilgrims Progress, try Pilgrims Regress - I read it first, before I even knew there was such a thing as pilgrims progress, and with the exception of pointed and annoying depiction of Catholics, I liked it a lot — Peter Turner, Sep 06 '12 at 15:15
@Monika Actually I'm not really a fan. I have my own objections to it, they are just different than yours. I don't think the movie was an excuse for CGI so much as the CGI an excuse to promote pantheism and an anti development agenda. — Caleb, Sep 06 '12 at 15:24
@Caleb. Nah. It was an excuse for blatant racism, with a Great White Hero coming in to rescue to peaceful natives. (And couldn't they at least have given the Na'vi Celtic spiral war paint, just to make them slightly less obvious expies of Native Americans?) — TRiG, Jan 20 '13 at 19:20

Affable Geek · Accepted Answer · 2012-09-06T12:23:03.700

Gregory of Nyssa's Life of Moses isn't exactly two characters talking, but as an expository allegory, you may find it right up the same alley.

What Nyssa does is to write a biography (a hagiography, really) of Moses, following him through the Exodus and Numbers' narratives, but expounding up the various symbols therein. These symbols are highly allegorical, but still interesting to ponder. For example, in his Life of Moses, Gregory of Nyssa remarks on the fact that Moses was nursed by his own mother while growing up in Pharaoh's household:

"This teaches, it seems to me, that if we should be involved with profane teachings during our education, we should not separate ourselves from the nourishment of the church's milk, which would be her laws and customs."

The idea is that every detail in the text is a symbol to be explored in some way. Candidly, had Gregory written this in seminary, he would have gotten an "F," because allegory is highly out of favor - but the story and the symbolism is still interesting, if not the "way we do things" today.

Christian Literature In the format of Bunyan's Pilgrim's Progress

1 Answers1