Product Description

Book Description:

"The Imitation of Christ (or De imitatione Christi), by Thomas à Kempis, is a widely read Christian spiritual book. It was first published anonymously, in Latin, ca. 1418; several other authors have been proposed, but Kempis' authorship is now generally accepted.

Imitation of Christ is a writing of the mystical German-Dutch school of the fourteenth and fifteenth centuries and is widely considered one of the greatest manuals of devotion in Christianity. Protestants and Roman Catholics alike join in giving it praise. The Jesuits give it an official place among their "exercises". John Wesley and John Newton listed it among the works that influenced them at their conversion. General Gordon carried it with him to the battlefield.

The number of counted editions exceeds 2000; 1000 different editions are preserved in the British Museum. The Bullingen collection, donated to the city of Cologne in 1838, contained at the time 400 different editions. De Backer (Essai, ut inf.) enumerates 545 Latin and about 900 French editions.

The book was written in Latin. A manuscript from 1441 survives and there is a French translation from 1447. The first printed edition, it is a catalan edition from 1482 (Barcelona, Pere Posa), translated into Catalan by Miquel Peres. The first printed French copies appeared at Toulouse in 1488. The earliest German translation was made in 1434 by J. de Bellorivo and is preserved in Cologne. The editions in German began at Augsburg in 1486. The first English translation (1502) was by William Atkinson and Margaret Beaufort, mother of Henry VII, who did the fourth book. Translations appeared in Italian (Venice, 1488; Milan 1489), Spanish (Seville, 1536), Arabic (Rome, 1663), Armenian (Rome, 1674), Hebrew (Frankfort, 1837), and other languages. Pierre Corneille produced a poetical paraphrase in French in 1651.

The Imitation of Christ derives its title from the heading of the first of four books, De imitatione Christi et contemptu omnium vanitatum mundi. It seems to have been written in meter and rhyme, a fact discovered by K. Hirsche in 1874. The four books are not found in all the manuscripts, nor are they arranged invariably in the same order.

The work is a manual of devotion intended to assist the soul with its pursuit of holiness and communion with God. Its sentences are statements, not arguments, and are pitched in the highest key of Christian experience. It was meant for monastics and ascetics. Behind and within all its reflections runs the counsel of self-renunciation.

The life of Christ is presented as the highest study possible to a mortal, as Jesus' teachings far excel all the teachings of the saints. The book gives counsel to read the scriptures, statements about the uses of adversity, advice for submission to authority, warnings against temptation and how to resist it, reflections about death and the judgment, meditations upon the oblation of Christ, and admonitions to flee the vanities of the world.

It was written by a monk and intended for the convent. It lays stress on the passive qualities and does not advocate active service in the world. What makes it acceptable to most Christians is the supreme emphasis it lays upon Christ and the possibility of immediate communion with him and God." (Quote from wikipedia.org)

Table of Contents:

Publisher's Preface; Introductory Note; First Book; Of The Imitation Of Christ, And Of Contempt Of The World And All Its Vanities; Of Thinking Humbly Of Oneself; Of The Knowledge Of Truth; Of Prudence In Action; Of The Reading Of Holy Scriptures; Of Inordinate Affections; Of Fleeing From Vain Hope And Pride; Of The Danger Of Too Much Familiarity; Of Obedience And Subjection; Of The Danger Of Superfluity Of Words; Of Seeking Peace Of Mind And Of Spiritual Progress; Of The Uses Of Adversity; Of Resisting Temptation; On Avoiding Rash Judgment; Of Works Of Charity; Of Bea

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #607362 in Books
• Published on: 2004-06-01
• Formats: Audiobook, CD
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 5
• Binding: Audio CD

About the Author
About the Author:

"Thomas à Kempis (Thomas Hemerken, Thomas Hämerken, Thomas van Kempen, Tomás de Kempis) (ca.1380 - July 25, 1471) was a Renaissance Roman Catholic monk and author of Imitation of Christ, one of the best known Christian books on devotion.

He was born at Kempen (Germany), County of Cleves in 1380 and died in 1471 near Zwolle in the Prince-Bishopric of Utrecht, 75 miles north of his birthplace. His paternal name was Hemerken, Kleverlandish for "little hammer."

In 1395 he was sent to the school at Deventer conducted by the Brethren of the Common Life. He became skillful as a copyist and was thus enabled to support himself. Later he was admitted to the Augustinian convent of Mount Saint Agnes near Zwolle, where his brother John had been before him and had risen to the dignity of prior. Thomas received priest's orders in 1413 and was made subprior in 1429.

The house was disturbed for a time in consequence of the pope's rejection of the bishop-elect of Utrecht, Rudolf van Diepholt; otherwise, Thomas' life was a quiet one, his time being spent between devotional exercises, composition, and copying. He copied the Bible no less than four times, one of the copies being preserved at Darmstadt in five volumes. In its teachings he was widely read, and his works abound in Biblical quotations, especially from the New Testament.

His life is no doubt fitly characterized by the words under an old picture first referred to by Francescus Tolensis: "In all things I sought quiet and found it not save in retirement and in books." A monument was dedicated to his memory in the presence of the archbishop of Utrecht in St. Michael's Church, Zwolle, on November 11, 1897. Because of the closing of the church, his shrine was replaced in 2006 in an historical church in the centre of Zwolle.

Thomas à Kempis belonged to the school of mystics who were scattered along the Rhine from Switzerland to Strasburg and Cologne and in the Netherlands. He was a follower of Geert Groote and Florentius Radewijns, the founders of the Brethren of the Common Life.

His writings are all of a devotional character and include tracts and meditations, letters, sermons, a life of Saint Lydewigis, a Christian woman who remained steadfast under a great stress of afflictions." (Quote from wikipedia.org)

From AudioFile
When one seeks classic works on religion (Christian or otherwise), this seminal work should be the first book on the second shelf. While not actual scripture, it's as close as one can get, and if one's goal is to be Christ-like, this recasts much of scripture in that mold. A true visionary, á Kempis lovingly crafted his sentences to transcend typical mystical writing. The narration is fluid, seeming more recited than read. David Cochran Heath once again produces a primer on tone, inflection, and diction. Many times the listener could audibly detect a smile from Heath, as a love of the themes and subject matter is clearly evident in the reading. S.M.M. © AudioFile 2006, Portland, Maine-- Copyright © AudioFile, Portland, Maine

Customer Reviews

The Imitiaton of Christ on tape
My current job involves a total of 1.5 hours of commuting each day, and I bought this audio version of the Imitation for that drive. It is one of the best audio books I've ever heard. The narration is pitch-perfect for the material and pleasing to the ear. I've read the Imitation before, but listening to someone else read it, brings out even more meaning. This is one of the greatest Christian books ever written, and I had doubts that any recording could do it justice, but this one does.

A good choice!
I got this audio recording as a gift for my mother who spends hours a day driving. She loved the idea and listens to it frequently!

The Imitation of Christ
I purchased the CD's and listened to them in my car and were amazed at how beautiful and peaceful and spiritual they were. They told about Jesus Christ's great love for his children and how much he wants us to depend on him and love him the way he loves us. I really enjoyed listening and will listen again and again.