The Labyrinth of the World and The Paradise of the Heart (John Amos Comenius)

The Labyrinth of the World and The Paradise of the Heart

The Original Pilgrim Allegory

If you loved Pilgrim’s Progress, now you need to read what inspired it. Labyrinth of the World was written 55 years before Pilgrim’s Progress, yet it remains virtually unknown to English readers. In this newly adapted tale, Pilgrim meets many people with character traits for names. He experiences despair, vanity, and violence.

Pilgrim desires to live a good life. He must choose a life’s involvement. He goes on a world tour guided by Mr. Ubiquitous and Mr. Delusion, whose sole effort is to get Pilgrim to see the world as they want him to see it. Pilgrim is baffled by the destruction and evil they describe as being good. His guides get frustrated with his seeming obstinance in not choosing something they show him.

Finally, Pilgrim is abandoned by these guides. He becomes despondent. However, he meets Jesus Christ, and his life is transformed. This book illustrates how a person can live in a world that is falling apart and rise above the existence of their times.

This volume has a significant section about the author, John Amos Comenius, that will encourage us in our own day. Comenius lived in an era when his world was coming apart, yet he was able to offer it something it could not give itself. Comenius became the father of modern education. He was a philosopher, theologian, pastor, father, and mentor. His biography, as well as his allegory, are remarkable.

On the cusp of the 400th anniversary of this tale, it has been made much easier to read.

This book isn’t just a book. It’s a piece of art.

• 16 newly commissioned illustrations
• 24 endorsements
• 32-page historical and biographical feature about the author, John Amos Comenius
• Full-color throughout
• Newly adapted, easier-to-read narrative

About the Author

John Amos Comenius was a 17th-century Czech educator, philosopher, and bishop who authored more than 140 published works and another 40+ unfinished/unpublished volumes, even after his manuscripts had been burned twice. He lost his family to the plague and spent 42 years in exile. Labyrinth of the World was one of his first works (1623).