The Imitation of Christ, by Thomas à Kempis, is a Christian devotional book composed between the periods of 1390 and 1440. The Imitation of Christ in Part One gives useful encouragement for spiritual living. Part II counsels man to be worried about the spiritual side of life as opposed to the materialistic, and part III certifies the comfort that results from being focused on Christ. In the last part, part IV shows how a person's faith must be strengthened through the Eucharist or Holy Communion. The clarity of the book's language and the direct appeal to the religious sensitivity of the person in a simple manner are maybe the primary reasons why this little book has been so largely received and deeply impacted people.
Thomas à Kempis, originally Thomas Hemerken, (1379/80-August 8, 1471), was born in Germany. He was a Christian theologian and the writer of Imitatio Christi (Imitation of Christ), a devotional book, which has been viewed as one of the most impactful works in Christian literature. Around 1392, Thomas went to Deventer, Netherlands, the headquarters of the learned Brethren of the Normal Life, a community dedicated to education and the consideration of poor people. There he studied under the theologian Florentius Radewyns, who in 1387 had established the Congregation of Windesheim. He took his vows in 1408, was appointed in 1413, and gave his life to copying manuscripts and directing novices. His compositions offer possibly the best portrayal of the devotio Moderna, which made religion understandable and practicable for the (modern) mentality arising in the Netherlands at the end of the 14th century.
