The Imitation of Christ by Thomas à Kempis

MISCELLANEA 301 'OF THE IMITATION OF CHRIST' AND THOMAS A KEMPIS ' THE voice of books is indeed one, but it instructs not all alike,' so the author of this book tells us. The book was already known in England and other lands when printing provided the means for a wider and more rapid circulation. Agnes, beside Zwolle, just east of the Zuider Zee. It is one of the timeless classics, and has held its place, assured and unchallenged, since the first completed copies went forth, about the year 1425, from the Monastery of the Canons Regular at Mount St. Of the Imitation of Christ (or Following as some early versions render it) has been translated into almost every language, and its different editions run into thousands. Yet since Thomas it Kempis treats of that twofold science, the knowledge of God and of a man's own heart, his message is individual, separate, and each of us reads and learns according to his capacity and desire. And the words of the fifteenth-century monk have reached to the ends of the earth, commanding a wider audience than any, before or since, save the words of Scripture. It has since become the most widely read book on Christianity apart from the Bible.“Of the Imitation of Christ” and Thomas À Kempis “Of the Imitation of Christ” and Thomas À Kempis This work, The Imitation of Christ, would become a seminal text capturing the spirit of this movement and its eager desire to return to a true, humble, and authentic devotion to Christ. There, Thomas joined a community of Canons Regular and became part of a fledgling spiritual revival known as the devotio moderna. At the age of thirteen, he followed his brother John to university at Deventer, in Holland, and then into religious life at the nearby town of Windesheim. Thomas à Kempis was born in 1379 or 1380 in Kempen, Germany.

These bite-sized chapters make the work easy to read and exceptionally approachable - perfect for use as a daily prayer meditation or devotional. Many of its chapters take up only a single page or two, but they are packed with spiritual insights that continue to bear fruit long after the first reading. The Imitation of Christ is one of the most popular works of Christian devotion and popular piety.

This edition takes the well-loved Benham translation as its starting point and A new, revised translation of Thomas à Kempis' spiritual masterwork, originally written in 15th century Latin.

The Imitation of Christ by Thomas à Kempis