Imitation of Christ

15th-century Dutch priest Thomas a Kempis is best known for his famous Christian devotional book, “The Imitation of Christ.” Influenced by the era of Devotio Moderna, or Modern Devotion, a movement of religious reform which called for a return to the Christian principles of humility, obedience, and simplicity of life, Kempis intended his work to help further this reform. Arguably the most famous of all Christian devotional works next to the Bible, “The Imitation of Christ” is divided into four sections: “Admonitions Profitable for the Spiritual Life,” “Admonitions Concerning the Inner Life,” “On Inward Consolation,” and “Of the Sacrament of the Altar.” Immensely popular from its first publication in 1418 up through the Protestant Reformation, the work’s primary emphasis is on the interior life and withdrawal from the world. This edition follows the translation of William Benham, includes an introduction by Frederic W. Farrar, and a biographical afterword.