The Imitation of Christ (Image Classic) [Paperback]

Thomas à Kempis (Author), Harold C. Gardiner (Editor)

Book Description

Series: Image Classic | Publication Date: August 12, 1955

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 à 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 into Me." With a new Foreword by Carl Anderson, the Supreme Knight and chief executive officer of the Knights of Columbus.

Editorial Reviews

From the Publisher

Written five centuries ago by a humble monk, this timeless message of faith in Christ's teachings remains a vital source of spiritual strength for people seeking to follow in the footsteps of the Lord.

About the Author

Thomas à Kempis (ca. 1380-1471) was an Augustinian monk in the Netherlands during the pre-Reformation period.

Carl Anderson is the Supreme Knight and chief executive officer of the Knights of Columbus, the world's largest Catholic fraternal service organization with more than 1.7 million members. He is the author of Called to Love, Our Lady of Guadalupe, and the New York Times bestseller A Civilization of Love: What Every Catholic Can Do to Transform the World.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 236 pages
• Publisher: Image (August 12, 1955)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 038502861X
• ISBN-13: 978-0385028615
• Product Dimensions: 5.1 x 0.6 x 8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 7.5 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #557,704 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

21 of 21 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Christian Devotional Classic, October 31, 2005

By 

Craig K. Galer (Michigan) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Imitation of Christ (Image Classic) (Paperback)

The Imitation of Christ is, after the Bible, the most widely-read Christian book in history, and deservedly so. It is a treasure-chest of Christian wisdom and truth. I picked it up after reading a book on the 17th-century French missionaries to the New World. Among the meager possessions they took with them into the wilderness were two books - the Bible and the Imitation. I considered that to be a fairly compelling recommendation, and I was not disappointed.

Thomas a Kempis, in the Imitation, gives us wisdom for living the Christian life that is extremely challenging. More than once as I read through it, I found myself squirming in my seat as Thomas brought the truth to bear, uncomfortably close to where I live. A few brief samples:

"It is a hard thing to leave evil customs and it is harder to break our own will, but it is most hard forever to lie in pain and forever to lose the joys of heaven." (bk. 1, ch. 11)

"If you had a good conscience, you would not fear death so much, and it would be better for you to abandon sin than to fear death." (bk. 1, ch. 23)

"[H]e is not truly patient who will suffer only as much as he pleases, or from whom he pleases." (bk. 3, ch. 19)

"All is not lost, though some things happen contrary to your will." (bk. 3, ch. 30)

We have here the mind and heart of a wise old monk, who has struggled through to "the peaceable fruit of righteousness". He has no illusions about his own (or his readers') human nature; he knows how difficult is the challenge of living a Christian life. And yet, he also knows something of the rewards for whatever success he has had at it. Above all, he has learned humility, and the challenge of his experience can help us follow in the way of Christ. The Imitation struck me as a kind of medieval Christian Book of Proverbs, and it affected me similarly.

I will leave the reader with one more quote to show something of the character of this wonderful little book:

"Do not let [another] speak to me, therefore, but you, my Lord Jesus, ... lest perhaps I die and be made like a man without fruit, warmed from without, but not inflamed within, and so receive the harder judgment, because I have heard your word and not done it, known it and not loved it, believed it and not fulfilled it." (bk. 3, ch. 2)

22 of 23 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An Inspiration For Daily Living, January 5, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: The Imitation of Christ (Image Classic) (Paperback)

I first heard of this book while reading the memoirs of Saint Therese of Lisieux, who referred to it often. This book has become such a special tool in developing my spirituality and bringing me closer to the Lord. Rather than reading it cover to cover, I like the method of just opening it at random when I need some fresh inspiration to follow. As a Christian, imitating Christ is the essence of my life, and this book helps me to improve at it a little more each day.

31 of 35 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars 'ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS ON EARTH', December 4, 1999

By 

"misanthropus" - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Imitation of Christ (Image Classic) (Paperback)

How does one describe a book like this? Beside it, other works are like candles beside the glow of the moon. Reading a passage a day will assuredly change your life. The contents of this book contain principles, ideas, and views so great that if every one on earth were to read it, the world would be a different place indeed. When people study the 'Imitation,' they become in tune with what is really important in life - our mortal lives are temporary. Everything we do, every word we say, every motive behind our acts, should be geared toward our lives after death. While the 'Imitation' may seem too ascetic for modern readers, it must be remembered that Thomas Kempis first wrote this book for monks. Nevertheless, each word is music; every passage is a profound truth, and a daily reading of this great tome will make you understand every aspect of human existence.