The Imitation of Christ

This article is about the 15th-century book by Thomas à Kempis. For other uses, see Imitation of Christ (disambiguation).

The Imitation of Christ
The manuscript of De Imitatione Christi. Koninklijke Bibliotheek, Brussels, Belgium
AuthorThomas à Kempis
Original titleDe Imitatione Christi
LanguageLatin
GenreChristian devotional literature
Publication date
c. 1418–1427
Publication placeHoly Roman Empire
242
LC ClassBV4821 .A1
TextThe Imitation of Christ at Wikisource

The Imitation of Christ, by Thomas à Kempis, is a Christian devotional book first composed in Medieval Latin as De Imitatione Christi (c. 1418–1427).[1][2] The devotional text is divided into four books of detailed spiritual instructions: (i) "Helpful Counsels of the Spiritual Life", (ii) "Directives for the Interior Life", (iii) "On Interior Consolation", and (iv) "On the Blessed Sacrament". The devotional approach of The Imitation of Christ emphasises the interior life and withdrawal from the mundanities of the world, as opposed to the active imitation of Christ practised by other friars.[1] The devotions of the books emphasize devotion to the Eucharist as the key element of spiritual life.[1]

The Imitation of Christ is a handbook for the spiritual life arising from the Devotio Moderna movement, which Thomas followed.[3] The Imitation is perhaps the most widely read Christian devotional work after the Bible,[2][4] and is regarded as a devotional and religious classic.[5] The book was written anonymously in Latin in the Netherlands c. 1418–1427. Its popularity was immediate, and after the first printed edition in 1471–1472, it was printed in 745 editions before 1650.[6] Apart from the Bible, no book had been translated into more languages than the Imitation of Christ at the time.[7]

  1. ^ a b c An introductory Dictionary of Theology and Religious studies, by Orlando O. Espín, James B. Nickoloff 2007 ISBN 0-8146-5856-3, p. 609.
  2. ^ a b Miola 2007, p. 285.
  3. ^ Van Engen, John H. (1988). Devotio Moderna. Paulist Press. pp. 7–12. ISBN 978-0-8091-2962-1.
  4. ^ "CATHOLIC ENCYCLOPEDIA: Imitation of Christ". www.newadvent.org. Retrieved 29 March 2024.
  5. ^ Keen 2004, p. 175.
  6. ^ von Habsburg, Maximilian (2011). Catholic and Protestant Translations of the Imitatio Christi, 1425–1650: from Late Medieval Classic to Early Modern Bestseller. Ashgate. ISBN 9780754667650.
  7. ^ A Journey Through Christian Theology by William P Anderson and Richard L. Diesslin 2000 ISBN 0-8006-3220-6, p. 98.