Journal: Journal of the Evangelical Theological Society
Volume: JETS 66:2 (Jun 2023)
Article: Three Shining Ones At The Cross In "The Pilgrim’s Progress": Angels, Trinity, Or Church?
Author: Andy Draycott

JETS 66:2 (June 2023) p. 323

Three Shining Ones At The Cross In The Pilgrim’s Progress: Angels, Trinity, Or Church?

Andy Draycott*

^* Andy Draycott is Professor of Theology at Talbot School of Theology, Biola University, 13800 Biola Ave, La Mirada, CA 90639. He may be contacted at [email protected].

Abstract: Christian reaching the cross is an iconic scene in John Bunyan’s The Pilgrim’s Progress (1678). Freed from his burden, Christian is assured of salvation by Jesus’s atoning work and receives gifts from three shining ones. Opinion has been divided about who these shining ones are. This study sets out and assesses the arguments that have been given for seeing the shining ones as angels or as Trinity. A third way is proposed that sees the shining ones as church by exploiting the presumption of an allowable range of interpretation in handling the allegory. This has the advantage of refuting individualist readings of the Christian life, while affirming the church’s gospel ministry of assuring Christians of their salvation by God’s grace with biblical truth.

Keywords: John Bunyan, Pilgrim’s Progress, shining ones, angels, Trinity, church, reception, illustration

The three shining ones who greet Christian at the cross in John Bunyan’s The Pilgrim’s Progress confer salvation blessings.1 But who are they? And does it matter? This article sets out the textual grounds and the arguments that have asserted that the orientation of Christian to these shining ones is essentially vertical; the shining ones are interpreted as either angels or as a theophany of the triune God. Rather than simply arbitrate between these two possibilities, the argument developed here exploits the evident given of an “allowable range of interpretation” to offer a third, horizontal orientation.2 On this account, Christian is greeted by fellow Christians; the shining ones are the church. The pursuit of a third interpretation is motivated by a theological conviction that assurance of salvation is graciously mediated by the encouragement, affirmation, and witness of fellow believers. This third way serves the evangelical church as it rescues an interpretation of salvation and conversion at the cross from individualism. The third way then agrees with Bunyan’s insistence on the importance of local gathered church and accountable Christian fellowship as mapped through other narrative elements of the text.

Now, it must be asserted that the episode at the cross in The Pilgrim’s Progress is centrally focused on salvation in Jesus Christ alone. That is, faced with the accomplished,

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