The Labyrinth of the World and The Paradise of the Heart
John Comenius (original author)
Timothy L. Price/Ekklesia Press
Genres: Historical, YA/Teen
Release Date: December 1, 2021
ISBN-10: 1737235307
ISBN-13: 978-1737235309
Book Summary:
If you loved Pilgrim’s Progress, now you need to read what actually inspired it. The Labyrinth of the World -and- The Paradise of the Heart was written 55 years prior to Pilgrim’s Progress. It, Labyrinth, also features a pilgrim journeying through the world on a quest for truth. He is guided by two fellows, Mr. Ubiquitous and Mr. Delusion, whose sole effort is to get Pilgrim to see the world as they want him to see it. But, unfortunately, during Pilgrim’s traversing the world and its offerings, he experiences vanity, violence, and despair. Sound familiar?
In this story, Pilgrim’s goal is to live a good life. He is moral and intelligent. Even though his guides attempt to deceive him and obscure the truth, Pilgrim perceives the reality of his situations. However, Pilgrim is not a simpleton. Therefore, he has to hold back from being himself in order not to be robbed of the ways he uses to ascertain the truth.
Ultimately, Pilgrim meets Christ and the book takes on a very personal aspect where God reveals Himself to Pilgrim in such a precious way. God then sends Pilgrim back into the world to be light, truth, and a reality that world cannot be for itself because it does not have the connection with God to do so.
Book Description:
This book is a dystopian, semi-biographical allegory. It is cynical, but not unnecessarily. It is witty and uses colloquialism and metaphor with great creativity. The biographical aspect will not be evident to most readers. However, a section about the author, his times, and his legacy notes passages that reflect from the author’s life.
Comenius, the author, suffered a great deal in human terms. Yet, through his life and his allegory, he depicts two kingdoms, a construct that Anabaptist’s teach: the kingdom of God amongst the kingdoms of men. This fact is strange since Comenius existed apart from the Anabaptists and arose from a tradition that pre-dated Anabaptist. Comenius’ training also precluded him from a natural connection to Anabaptist thinking.
This book is epically contemporary. Comenius lost his entire family to the plague. He lived in exile because his country was torn apart by religious and political factions fighting each other for control of the society. Comenius lost his manuscripts twice to have them burned. Even so, Comenius rose above all these setbacks to formulate a revolutionary approach to education that overtook the entire world.
Thus, in life and allegory, Comenius shows us how we can rise above the circumstances and situations of life to do dynamic things the world order cannot deny nor avoid.
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