Background
Thomas was born in 1380 in Kempen in the Rhineland. His surname at birth was Hemerken, literally "hammerkin" (little hammer). His father Johann was a blacksmith and his mother Gertrud was a schoolmistress.
(The inspirational teachings of Thomas a Kempis were colle...)
The inspirational teachings of Thomas a Kempis were collected in a small volume. It is in recognition of its universal significance and appeal that it is now being presented in this revised and non-sectarian edition.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/184293063X/?tag=2022091-20
(In his famous spiritual classic, "The Imitation of Christ...)
In his famous spiritual classic, "The Imitation of Christ", Thomas à Kempis reminds the reader that in order to become a follower of Christ one must imitate his life, and to accomplish this he adds: "Let it then be our main concern to meditate on the life of Jesus Christ. It is impossible to imitate Christ without first knowing him, and the best way of getting to know him is by meditating on his life as it is described in the four Gospels." Thus, in this wonderful meditation book, perfect for Lent, or any time of the year, the great spiritual writer and monk presents profound, short reflections on Gospel passages about the passion and death of Christ. Each chapter, focusing on a specific aspect of the Passion of Our Lord, gives a prayer, a meditation and spiritual advice and closes with another short prayer. Very much in the same style as his "The Imitation of Christ," this book covers the entire Passion, and makes great spiritual reading for anyone. Illustrated.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0898709938/?tag=2022091-20
(The timeless classic, The Imitation of Christ, updated in...)
The timeless classic, The Imitation of Christ, updated into modern English and arranged topically for daily devotions, is now available in LeatherLuxe. The Imitation of Christ has been in print for 500 years for good reason. It is powerful, beautiful and heart piercing. James Watkins has taken those words and reworked them into ninety daily readings, arranged by topic. Whether for daily devotions or for sound insight into a particular issue, Watkins paraphrase blends the ancient with the modern to introduce this classic to a new audience, speaking to all Christians with credibility and authority and using inclusive language not found in the original. The Imitation of Christ devotional is truly a gift to the church. Watkins provides timeless, profound truths in everyday language, introducing modern Christians to the power of Thomas À Kempis's words and life's work. A deeply moving, wholly convicting, and truly life-altering book. -- Mary DeMuth, author of Worth Living: How God's Wild Love for You Changes Everything Each morning I eagerly go to this modern version of The Imitation of Christ knowing it will convict and reach my spirit, giving me spiritual focus throughout the day. It is the best devotional I've found in many years. -- Lissa Halls Johnson, author and speaker James Watkins has done a thorough, sensitive, beautiful job updating Thomas À Kempis s The Imitation of Christ into a modern classic of ninety riveting readings. -- Bob Hostetler, bestselling author, pastor, and speaker
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1617956775/?tag=2022091-20
(The Imitation of Christ by Thomas à Kempis is a Christian...)
The Imitation of Christ by Thomas à 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, of which 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. Its popularity was immediate, and it was printed 745 times before 1650. 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 the Spiritual Life", "Directives for the Interior Life", "On Interior Consolation" and "On the Blessed Sacrament". The approach taken in the Imitation is characterized by its emphasis on the interior life and withdrawal from the world, as opposed to an active imitation of Christ by other friars. The book places a high level of emphasis on the devotion to the Eucharist as key element of spiritual life.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1514694085/?tag=2022091-20
(The Imitation of Christ, also by Thomas À Kempis, is the ...)
The Imitation of Christ, also by Thomas À Kempis, is the most famous and beloved Christian devotional ever written. The simplicity, piety and wisdom that readers have found in that classic will also be discovered in these new modern-English translations of A Little Garden of Roses and The Valley of Lilies. The aim of these works is to draw the reader to a closer union with Jesus. While Imitation sets forth the principles of discipleship, the two works in this volume offer more practical advice. They treat of the virtues needed to advance toward God. The introduction to this volume includes a brief biographical sketch of Thomas À Kempis, a fourteenth-century German monk, as well as some notes about the texts themselves. Like all meditation books, explains the introduction, this one is not to be read in one sitting, but pondered and prayed over slowly. "Pause and reflect on what À Kempis has to say," advises Fr. Joseph Tylenda, the translator, "and then join with him when he address the Lord and listen to Him when He speaks to you."
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1586177788/?tag=2022091-20
(For nearly 2,000 years, Christian mystics, martyrs, and s...)
For nearly 2,000 years, Christian mystics, martyrs, and sages have documented their search for the divine. Their writings have bestowed boundless wisdom upon subsequent generations. But they have also burdened many spiritual seekers. The sheer volume of available material creates a seemingly insurmountable obstacle. Enter the Upper Room Spiritual Classics series, a collection of authoritative texts on Christian spirituality curated for the everyday reader. Designed to introduce 15 spiritual giants and the range of their works, these volumes are a first-rate resource for beginner and expert alike. The Imitation of Christ by Thomas à Kempis has perhaps influenced Christian spirituality more than any other book except the Bible. From the time of its appearance around 1420, it has been a best seller. This volume includes accessible selections from this classic of Christian spirituality and Western literature.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0835816540/?tag=2022091-20
(Working from the 1441 Latin Autograph Manuscript, Creasy ...)
Working from the 1441 Latin Autograph Manuscript, Creasy succeeds in creating a dramatically different interpretation of the Imitation by working through its historical, cultural and linguistic contexts. For Creasy, Thomas a Kempis offers profound insights into a person's relationship with God, insights that only deepen when they accommodate a post-Vatican II understanding of what he has to say.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0877934118/?tag=2022091-20
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0486431851/?tag=2022091-20
(The Imitation of Christ by Thomas À Kempis needs no intro...)
The Imitation of Christ by Thomas À Kempis needs no introduction. For more than five centuries it has been the most popular spiritual book second only to the Sacred Scriptures. It presents the fundamental principles of the spiritual life. The Christian soul is invited to follow Christ Who is the Way, the Truth and the Life. As we study its contents we are convinced that without that Way there is no going, without that Truth there is no knowing, without that Life there is no real living. This translation by Bishop Challoner, who revised the Douay-Rheims Bible in the 1740's, is the most beautiful and edifying available. The Imitation of Christ speaks to the soul of every Christian, reminding him of the brevity of earthly joy compared to the eternity of happiness with God. This spiritual classic belongs to every Christian library.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B018KU0RXG/?tag=2022091-20
( The Perfect Size. The Perfect Set. The Perfect Gift. ...)
The Perfect Size. The Perfect Set. The Perfect Gift. For more than 50 years, the titles from the Confraternity of the Precious Blood have nourished the soul. Millions of readers have found in these treasured books a source of inspiration and grace. Conveniently sized for pocket, palm, or purse, these little devotionals are treasures of wisdom and consolation. Available for the first time in a beautifully packaged set, these are to be kept close at hand, to provide spiritual refreshment throughout the day and a gentle call to grow closer to God. My Confraternity Library includes: My Daily Bread My Daily Life My Meditation on the Gospel My Meditations on Saint Paul My Imitation of Christ My Way of Life
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1618908472/?tag=2022091-20
Thomas was born in 1380 in Kempen in the Rhineland. His surname at birth was Hemerken, literally "hammerkin" (little hammer). His father Johann was a blacksmith and his mother Gertrud was a schoolmistress.
The school he attended at nearby Deventer in Holland had been started by Gerard Groote, founder of the Brothers of the Common Life. These were men devoted to prayer, simplicity, and union with God. Thomas of Kempen, as he was known at school, was so impressed by his teachers that he decided to live his own life according to their ideals.
When he was 19, he entered the monastery of Mount St. Agnes, which the Brothers had recently started near Zwolle in Holland and which was then being administered by his older brother John. He spent the rest of his long life behind the walls of that monastery. The pattern of Thomas's life remained the same over the years.
From time to time Thomas was given a position of authority in the community of monks, but he consistently preferred the quiet of his cell to the challenge of administration. He was pleasant but retiring. The other monks eventually recognized Thomas's talent for deep thought and stopped troubling him with practical affairs. The Imitation of Christ has come to be, after the Bible, the most widely translated book in Christian literature.
Thomas died in the same monastic obscurity in which he had lived, on August 8, 1471.
Thomas wrote a number of sermons, letters, hymns, and lives of the saints. He reflected the mystical spirituality of his times, the sense of being absorbed in God. The most famous of his works by far is The Imitation of Christ, a charming instruction on how to love God. This small book, free from intellectual pretensions, has had great appeal to anyone interested in probing beneath the surface of life.
(In his famous spiritual classic, "The Imitation of Christ...)
(Working from the 1441 Latin Autograph Manuscript, Creasy ...)
(The timeless classic, The Imitation of Christ, updated in...)
(The Imitation of Christ, also by Thomas À Kempis, is the ...)
(For nearly 2,000 years, Christian mystics, martyrs, and s...)
(The inspirational teachings of Thomas a Kempis were colle...)
(The Imitation of Christ by Thomas à Kempis is a Christian...)
(The Imitation of Christ by Thomas À Kempis needs no intro...)
( The Perfect Size. The Perfect Set. The Perfect Gift. ...)
Thomas à Kempis The spiritual writer Thomas à Kempis was a Roman Catholic monk in Holland whose The Imitation of Christ became a classic in religious literature.
He devoted his time to prayer, study, copying manuscripts, teaching novices, offering Mass, and hearing the confessions of people who came to the monastery church.
Quotations:
"Without the Way, there is no going,
Without the Truth, there is no knowing,
Without the Life, there is no living. "
"If thou wilt receive profit, read with humility, simplicity, and faith, and seek not at any time the fame of being learned. "
"At the Day of Judgement we shall not be asked what we have read, but what we have done. " — The Imitation of Christ, Book I, ch. 3
"For man proposes, but God disposes" — The Imitation of Christ, Book I, ch. 19
"If, however, you seek Jesus in all things, you will surely find Him. " — The Imitation of Christ, Book II, ch. 7
"In angello cum libello" (with slight variations), "In a little corner with a little book"
— Shortened form of a motto often ascribed to, or associated with, Thomas a Kempis. The complete saying as reported by an early biographer is a mixture of Latin and Dutch and runs as follows: "In omnibus requiem quaesivi, sed non inveni, nisi in hoexkens ende boexkens", "I have sought everywhere for peace, but I have found it not save in nooks and in books. "
"A poor peasant who serves God, " Thomas wrote in it, "is better than a proud philosopher who . .. ponders the courses of the stars. " The book advised the ordering of one's priorities along religious lines. "Vain and brief is all human comfort. Blessed and true is that comfort which is derived inwardly from the Truth. " Thomas advised where to look for happiness. "The glory of the good is in their own consciences, and not in the mouths of men. "
