The Imitation of Christ by Thomas à Kempis

First transcribed:Imitatio Christi, c. 1427 (English translation, c. 1460-1530)

Type of work: Religious philosophy

The Work:

Although arguments have been brought forward through the centuries in an effort to show that Thomas à Kempis did not write The Imitation of Christ, this evidence has never been widely accepted, and Thomas à Kempis is usually regarded as the author of the famous work. Aside from the Bible, The Imitation of Christ is among the most famous religious works of the Christian world, translated into more than fifty languages and printed in more than six thousand editions. Widely known in manuscript, it was being circulated as early as 1420. Its first publication in English was in 1696. The original language of The Imitation of Christ is Latin, not the classical Latin of Rome but medieval Latin. Many later writers have praised it. John Wesley thought so highly of it that he published an English translation. Matthew Arnold thought that it was, next to the Bible, the most eloquent expression of the Christian spirit ever penned.

The substance of The Imitation of Christ is that God is all and humanity is nothing, that from God flows the eternal truth that humanity must seek, and that by imitating the spirit and actions of Christ one may be helped to achieve a state of grace with God. As many writers have pointed out, the greatness of Thomas à Kempis’s book does not lie in any originality; there is little that is new in the matter of the work. It is the expression of a spirit that makes The Imitation of Christ a piece of great religious literature. Traceable are most of the strands of Christian philosophy and theology of the time, including those that Christians adapted, at least in part, from the great pagan thinkers of Greece and Rome. The book has sometimes been described as a mosaic of matter and ideas taken from the early and medieval Christian mystics, the Bible, and writings of the Church fathers. Borrowings from St. Bernard, St. Gregory, St. Ambrose, St. Thomas Aquinas, Plato, Aristotle, Seneca, and even Ovid can be found within the pages of The Imitation of Christ, each contributing in a way to the spirit of Christian example. No reader can miss, even within a few pages, the eloquence and sincerity of the author. The religious feeling is expressed so ardently that it is unmistakably a call to the reader to heed the call of Christ.

Although he calls the reader to a Christian, hence otherworldly, life, Thomas à Kempis is eminently practical in his insights into human beings, their motivations, and their psychology. More than once the author points out that virtue is only to be claimed by those who have been tempted and have proved themselves equal to the challenge of denying worldly vanities and other snares of the devil. One must have experienced temptation in order to remain in act, thought, and spirit a follower of Christ’s doctrines and example. Thomas à Kempis also acknowledges that established custom is not easily relinquished by the individual or the community and is thus always a means of keeping one from a Christian life. Relativism and Christianity do not go hand in hand in his philosophy. Although strict in his admonitions that there is no worldly good or any human love that can be sufficient reason for doing evil, he admits that for the sake of the suffering, or for a better work, a good work might sometimes be postponed.

The palpable faith of Thomas à Kempis in philosophical idealism is constantly before the reader. There may be doubt, however, as to whether this idealism is entirely Christian or whether there is an influence of Plato or of the later neo-Platonists of Alexandria. The author’s faith in the ideal of God is a mystic belief, intuitive in nature, with little of the rational core of thought behind it, upon which Plato insisted. Thomas à Kempis believed, as did Plato, that the real world, the world of ideality, is the only true world. In Thomas à Kempis’s case the method by which truth is achieved is not through reason; rather, the immediate source is grace acquired through the sacraments of the Church, through revelation acquired by abstinence from worldly matters, the application of prayer, and the use of contemplation. In answer to his own rhetorical question as to how the Christian saints became perfect, Thomas à Kempis points out that their perfection lay in their contemplation of divinity. The greatness of the saints, he adds, comes from the fact that they steadfastly sought to abstain from all worldly considerations and to cling with their whole hearts to God. The power of God is, for Thomas à Kempis, in divine love, a good above all others that makes every burden light and equalizes all opportunity. He writes:

Love is swift, sincere, pious, pleasant, gentle, strong, patient, faithful, prudent, long-suffering, manly, and never seeking her own; for wheresoever a man seeketh his own, there he falleth from love. Love is circumspect, humble, and upright; not weak, not fickle, nor intent on vain things; sober, chaste, steadfast, quiet, and guarded in all senses. Love is subject and obedient to all that are in authority, vile and lowly in its own sight, devout and grateful towards God, faithful and always trusting in Him even when God hideth His face, for without sorrow we cannot live in love.

The pious author suggests in The Imitation of Christ that there are four rules for the accomplishment of peace and true liberty: that one should try to do another’s will rather than one’s own, that one should seek always to have less rather than more, that one should seek the lowest place, and that one should wish and pray always to fulfill the will of God.

The Imitation of Christ is arranged in four parts. Book 1 deals with “Admonitions Profitable for the Spiritual Life”; book 2, “Admonitions Concerning the Inward Life”; book 3, “On Inward Consolation”; book 4, “Of the Sacrament of the Altar.” The last, a kind of manual for the devout, gives instruction, advice, and guidance on preparing for the sacrament of communion. In the third book are many prayers noted for their eloquence and sincerity of devotion. The last paragraph of a prayer for the spirit of devotion is one of the best examples:

How can I bear this miserable life unless Thy mercy and grace strengthen me? Turn not away Thy face from me, delay not Thy visitation. Withdraw not Thou Thy comfort from me, lest my soul ’gasp after Thee as a thirsty land.’ Lord, teach me to do Thy will, teach me to walk humbly and uprightly before Thee, for Thou are my wisdom, who knowest me in truth, and knewest me before the world was made and before I was born into the world.

Although a monk, devoted to his order, his vocation, and to God’s service through most of his life, Thomas à Kempis was gifted with a keen insight into the world. He inculcated submission to divine will and recognized at the same time that most people would have difficulty in making such submission. He advocates an ascetic, otherworldly life and point of view, and yet he also recognizes the worth of practical goodness. The rules and suggestions he writes in The Imitation of Christ are clearsighted; the analysis is keen; the tone is humane. The seriousness of its message, the sincerity of its tone, and the humility and compassion of its author make understandable the place that this great devotional work has held in people’s hearts for generations.

Bibliography

Becker, Kenneth Michael. From the Treasure-House of Scripture: An Analysis of Scriptural Sources in “De imitatione Christi.” Turnhout, Belgium: Brepols, 2002. Analyzes the relationship between The Imitation of Christ and the Latin Vulgate Bible, demonstrating how the content, character, and language in Thomas à Kempis’s work was shaped by the Vulgate. Includes background information about the content, authorship, and influence of The Imitation of Christ, Thomas à Kempis’s life, and the role of scripture in his oeuvre.

Bryan, G. McLeod. In His Likeness: Forty Selections on “The Imitation of Christ.” London: S.P.C.K., 1961. Provides a historical review of meditative responses and devotional application of the book. Includes bibliography.

Easwaran, Eknath. Seeing with the Eyes of Love: Eknath Easwaran on “The Imitation of Christ.” 2d ed. Tomales, Calif.: Nilgiri Press, 1996. Easwaran, a scholar of religion, provides a line-by-line commentary on The Imitation of Christ, focusing on its theme of the transformative power of divine love.

Geest, Paul van. “Transformation in Order and Desire: Thomas a Kempis’ Indebtedness to St. Augustine.” In Religious Identity and the Problem of Historical Foundation: The Foundational Character of Authoritative Sources in the History of Christianity and Judaism, edited by Judith Frishman, Willemien Otten, and Gerard Rouwhorst. Boston: Brill, 2004. This examination of Saint Augustine’s influence on Thomas à Kempis is included in a collection of essays that analyze the textual foundations of Christianity and Judaism.

Giles, Constable. Three Studies in Medieval Religious and Social Thought. New York: Cambridge University Press, 1995. Valuable for those interested in exploring the historical and social context of Christianity. Includes bibliographical references and an index.

Hyma, Albert. The Brethren of the Common Life. Grand Rapids, Mich.: Wm. B. Eerdmans, 1950. Somewhat dated, but copies can be found in libraries. Provides a perspective of how the imitation of Christ concept is applicable in the context of Christian communities.

Reuver, Arie de. Sweet Communion: Trajectories of Spirituality from the Middle Ages Through the Further Reformation. Translated by James A. De Jong. Grand Rapids, Mich.: Baker Academic, 2007. Discusses the theologic concepts of the Further Reformation, a movement that sought to apply the goals of the Reformation to seventeenth century religion. Includes a chapter describing Thomas à Kempis’s concepts of spirituality and how they influenced Further Reformation thinkers.

Taylor, Jerome, and Alan H. Nelson, eds. Medieval English Drama: Essays Critical and Contextual. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1972. Contains critical essays concerning the religious and social worldview from which The Imitation of Christ derives. The message of this work is discussed in relation to various liturgical and stylistic essays.