à Kempis, Thomas (1379-1471) Also known as Thomas Hemerken, à Kempis was a German who entered an Augustinian convent in 1400.
In 1413 he was ordained. He spent the rest of his life as a religious, becoming superior of the convent.
He wrote several spiritual works but the most popular is the devotional classic Imitatio Christi (The Imitation of Christ).
This work became so influential that it rivaled the Bible in sales after Johann Gutenberg’s invention of the printing press in the mid-1400’s.
Reading The Imitation today, one cannot help but notice its medieval outlook. While clearly a milestone, times have changed. The pace of technological and psychological development during the last century has been faster than ever before in human history.
As with the Bible on which it is based, the sincere spiritual aspirant of the 21st century might find some of the advice in The Imitation a bit outdated and inappropriate to the conditions and demands of contemporary society.
Image Credit:
- “Poblet Gate.jpg” originally uploaded to flickr.com by Alan Bell » http://www.flickr.com/photos/37935394@N00/373278878/, Creative Commons License (see details)
Add to this, report errors, suggest edits or voice your opinion by posting a comment
