Only the Bible has been more influential as a source of Christian devotional reading than The Imitation of Christ. This meditation on the spiritual life has inspired readers from Thomas More and St. Ignatius Loyola to Thomas Merton and Pope John Paul II. Written by the Augustinian monk Thomas a Kempis between 1420 and 1427, it contains clear instructions for renouncing wordly vanities and locating eternal truths. No book has more explicitly and movingly described the Christian ideal: "My son, to the degree that you can leave yourself behind, to that degree will you be able to enter...

Working from the 1441 Latin Autograph Manuscript, Creasy succeeds in creating a different interpretation of The Imitation by working through its historical, cultural, and linguistic contexts. Offers profound insights into a person's relationship with God.

"This is not everyone's favorite, but its on everyone's list. This is the most widely published and read book on spirituality in our tradition. It is amazing how well its medieval monkishness carries over into the modern world. When Dag Hammarskjold was killed in an airplane crash in Africa, the books found in his briefcase were the Bible and The Imitation."
--Eugene Peterson, from his book Take and Read

Next to the Bible itself, The Imitation of Christ is the most-published--and most deeply cherished--book in any language. For nearly 600 years, these thoughtful meditations on Jesus'...

After the Bible, The Imitation of Christ is the all-time favorite book of Catholics throughout the world. And of the English editions, none can equal this inspiring translation by Bishop Richard Challoner. This book speaks to the soul of every true Christian, reminding us of the fleeting nature of earthly joy as opposed to the eternity of happiness with God. The guide of the saints since it first appeared in 1418, it was the sole spiritual reading of St. Therese of Lisieux, who loved it and knew it by heart. Fr. Garrigou-Lagrange asserted that the true mysticism of which it speaks is...

The Imitation of Christ is the second most widely read spiritual book after the Bible. A spiritual classic it has had an astonishing impact on the lives of saints, peasants, and popes for centuries. It speaks to the soul of every Christian, reminding them of the fleeting nature of earthly joy and the eternity of happiness with God. Thomas a Kempis was a late Medieval Catholic monk and author of The Imitation of Christ, one of the best known Christian books on devotion. He was a copyist and writer, copied two Bibles. His important works include a series of sermons to the novices of...

DURING the last five centuries men and women, weighed down with the cares of life, have gathered strength and courage and comfort by reflecting on the thoughts of Thomas a Kempis. So personal is the message which his writings convey that, open them where you will, the passage that first meets the eye seems to be singularly suited to the needs of each individual soul. With the philosophy, reflections and quotations in the works of this ascetical writer are interwoven beautiful prayers, concealed like hidden treasures, just as in Holy Scripture the prayers which so effectively touched the Heart...

The Imitation of Christ (Latin: De Imitatione Christi) 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, where 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. 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...