Product Description

One of the best-loved books of Christianity after the Bible, The Imitation of Christ is a passionate celebration of God and His love, mercy and holiness, which has inspired conversion and stimulated religious devotion for over five hundred years. With great personal conviction, Thomas à Kempis (1380–1471) demonstrates the individualÂ’s reliance on God and on the words of Christ, and the futility of life without faith. Thomas spent some seventy years of his life in the reclusive environment of monasteries, yet in this astonishing work he demonstrates an encompassing understanding of human nature and his writing speaks to readers of every age and every nation.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #69213 in Books
• Published on: 2005-05-26
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 217 pages

Book Information
After the bible, this is the touchstone and probably the best-loved book of Christianity.

Its author, Thomas à Kempis (1380–1471), had a wide knowledge of the Scriptures and classical philosophy, and although most of his life was spent in a Dutch monastery, he also possessed a deep understanding of human nature. His acquired wisdom convinced him of man's complete dependence on God's love and the empty futility of life without it. The book has exercised a profound influence for over 500 years, and Thomas More, Ignatius Loyola and John Wesley are among the many who have acknowledged their debt to it.

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About the Author
Thomas a Kempis was born near Dusseldorf in 1380. He became attached to the Congregation of Common Life at the age of thirteen, and was professed in 1406, receiving the priesthood in 1413 at the age of thirty-three. he wrote many devotional works and became Sub-Prior and Master of the Novices at the monastery of Mount St Agnes. He died in 1471. Leo Sherley-Price was Rural Dean and parish priest in Devon., and translated a number of historical and theological books.

Customer Reviews

Not for the faint hearted
Outside of the Bible, this is the timeless heart of the Christian message. This was not written for priests or holy orders, but for those of us living in the world, coping with the pressures, battling with sin and temptation, holding down jobs and so on. And yet, it is a forthright rejection of our world and its temporal gods. This translation by Leo Shirley-Price is the best. It is a book you could sometimes hurl across the room in your frustration and weakness, but you will never find a passage or page that does not respond directly to your spiritual need. This is the narrow way that Jesus taught, laid out in the simplest language. There is no ambiguity here for those who prefer a more comfortable faith. It asks that you turn your back with contempt on worldly honours, wealth and power, and become, in all humility and as Thomas a Kempis says: one of the "few lovers of the Cross of Jesus". And it asks you to accept and embrace suffering if that is the result. Thomas of Kempen remains, even after 600 years, a spiritual director everyone can have access to, through this life-changing, Christian classic.

One of the best
a true classic. I have read it a number of times and always find something new that I missed before. Very good devotional which will inspire.

Exquisitely profound guide to the Christian spiritual life.
This book is a thought-provoking exploration on man's relationship with God. It offers no simple answers, but is a meditation upon the path we must tread if we wish to achieve spiritual fulfilment in the world via the life and guidance of Jesus' teachings. Written a number of centuries ago it still has much relevance for any wishing to truly live in Christ, but be warned this is not a quick-fix guide.