Thomas à Kempis

THE IMITATION OF CHRIST.... A cornerstone book in our rich Christian literary heritage. Audio Excerpts Download Color timeline Detailed index Author biography Illustrations Study guide Sensitively revised in modern English One of an expanding collection Thomas Kempis leads the honest seeker as deeply into the inward life with Christ as it is possible for a human being to go, allowing the reader to draw away from the noise and clamor of the everyday world to personally experience Jesus' promise: ''Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you'' (John 14:27). It took Thomas a Kempis seven years to write this book by hand over five centuries ago. Since then, The Imitation of Christ has been translated into more languages than any other book except the Bible, and is acclaimed by people of all faiths to be one of the greatest spiritual books ever written. This Christian masterpiece is sensitively revised, contains more than 1,000 scriptural references and notes, and features a section of devotional meditations.

The Imitation of Christ

Thomas Kempis

The Imitation of Christ by Thomas a Kempis is a Christian devotional book. It was first composed in Latin ca.1418-1427. It is a handbook for spiritual life arising from the Devotio Moderna movement, of which Kempis was a member. The Imitation is perhaps the most widely read devotional work next to the Bible, and is regarded as a devotional and religious classic. Its popularity was immediate, and it was printed 745 times before 1650. Apart from the Bible, no book has been translated into more languages than the Imitation of Christ. The text is divided into four books, which provide detailed spiritual instructions: "Helpful Counsels of the Spiritual Life," "Directives for the Interior Life," "On Interior Consolation" and "On the Blessed Sacrament." The approach taken in the Imitation is characterized by its emphasis on the interior life and withdrawal from the world, as opposed to an active imitation of Christ by other friars. The book places a high level of emphasis on the devotion to the Eucharist as key element of spiritual life."

The Imitation of Christ

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