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The Bunyan-Burrough Debate of 1656-57
Analyzed Using a Computer Hypertext
by Lawrence S. Kuenning
A Dissertation Submitted to the Faculty of Westminster Theological Seminary, in
Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree Doctor of
Philosophy, 2000
Abstract
A computer hypertext edition of two works by John Bunyan and two by
Edward Burrough from 1656-57 was created in order to examine in detail
the numerous polemical cross-references among the documents. The two
authors were found to be working from very different models of the
conduct of religious controversy, Bunyan embedding his criticisms of
Burrough's Quakerism in a highly structured theological treatise in the
typical Puritan style, Burrough declaiming in prophetic tones
reminiscent of the Old Testament against Bunyan's misrepresentations of
Quaker doctrine. Differences in theological vocabulary acquired from
their respective communities were found to contribute to
misunderstanding between Bunyan and Burrough as well as to misreading of
both by scholars.
Despite serious failures of communication between Bunyan and Burrough,
close examination of the debate was found to clarify several important
theological differences between Bunyan's Calvinist orthodoxy and
Burrough's Quakerism. Bunyan's critique of Quaker Christology was found
to be rooted less in features of that doctrine per se than in the
requirements of Bunyan's own Anselmian and Dort-conformant soteriology
with its emphases on irresistible grace and limited atonement.
Burrough's actual Quaker Christology, not grasped by Bunyan, was found
to be of a popular type, innocent of academic theology and not yet
rationalized by the Quaker apologists of the Restoration era, featuring
a peculiarly literalistic but emotionally powerful doctrine of the
"heavenly flesh" of Christ manifested within the saints.
Soteriological differences between the two were found to focus on the
proper nature of conviction of sin and of the transition from thence to
saving faith, Bunyan making a much sharper division than Burrough
between Christ’s creative and salvific roles, and Burrough repudiating
Bunyan’s classical Reformation doctrine of the forensic imputation of
Christ’s righteousness to the believer.
The hypertext edition can be viewed on the World Wide Web at http://www.voicenet.com/~kuenning/qhp/bunyan/.
The author hopes to post an improved version at http://www.qhpress.org/texts/bvb/.
Contents
Chapter One: Reader, Compare Them Both Together
- Background
- The Debate
- Method
- Outline
- Chronology
Chapter Two: To Be Judged of by Honest Men
- The Nineteenth Century
- Quaker Scholarship
- Bunyan Scholarship
- T. L. Underwood
- Conclusion
Chapter Three: Indeed Thy Words Are Dark
- Not an Earthly but the Heavenly University
- Vocabulary
- Conclusions
Chapter Four: Much Railing and Secret Shooting
- A Divination of the Brain
- Doctrines, Reasons, Points and Uses
- My Whole Design in My Book
- Shooting in Secret
- Biblical Invective
Chapter Five: Corrupting My Words and Calling Me Liar
- Then Thy Next Thing
- Subtil Queries to Insnare the Innocent
- If We Should Diligently Search
- If Thou Wilt Be Further Answered
- Most Horribly Wrest That Scripture
Chapter Six: Gloriously Without the Gates
- These Words Thou Leavest Out
- Fully and Completely Wrought Out
- For All the Elect of God
- To Lay Hold and Apply
- Which Thing We Never Denied
Chapter Seven: Some Four or Five Foot Long
- Above All Heavens
- No Other Body but His Church?
- Witnessing Christ Come in the Flesh
- That Which is Infinite and Immortal and Eternal
- We Prize the Lord Jesus Christ God Man
Chapter Eight: Close on a Sudden with Something Within
- Touching the Nature of Conviction
- Call It Nature Itself
- We Are about the Light
Chapter Nine: While We Are Both Silent
- Conclusions
- For Future Work