Thomas à Kempis

Life

Thomas à Kempis was born around 1380 in Kempen, a small town near Cologne. His birth name was Thomas Hemerken; "à Kempis" means "from Kempen."

As a boy he went to Deventer in the Netherlands to study. There he came under the influence of the Brethren of the Common Life, a lay community whose members lived together without taking religious vows and devoted themselves to prayer, manual labor, and the copying of manuscripts.

Around 1399 he entered the monastery of Agnietenberg (Mount St. Agnes) near Zwolle, a house of the Canons Regular of St. Augustine. After his ordination to the priesthood, he remained there for the rest of his life, instructing novices, serving as subprior, and working as a copyist. He died at the monastery in 1471.

Ministry and Work

He is regarded as a leading representative of the Modern Devotion (Devotio Moderna), a movement of spiritual renewal in the Netherlands and Germany during the fourteenth and fifteenth centuries. The movement emphasized the following:

• Inward piety rather than speculative theological debate
• Humility and self-denial
• The daily, practical imitation of the life of Christ

His principal work, The Imitation of Christ (De Imitatione Christi), is believed to have been written in the first half of the fifteenth century. It is a collection of short meditations arranged in four books:

• Books 1 and 2 deal with turning away from the vanities of the world and living a life of inward self-examination.
• Book 3 is written in the form of a dialogue between the soul and Christ.
• Book 4 consists of meditations in preparation for Holy Communion.

The authorship of the book was long disputed, and some attributed it to Jean Gerson or to other figures. Today, however, Thomas's authorship is widely accepted.

He also left sermons, prayers, and biographies of members of the Brethren of the Common Life. A manuscript of the entire Bible that he copied by hand (Bible transcription) also survives.

Influence and Reception, Including in Korea

The Imitation of Christ has been read as a classic in both the Catholic Church and Protestantism.

John Wesley played a significant role in making the book known among Protestants. Wesley himself stated that reading it in his youth had a profound influence on him, and he is known to have published an English edition of it in 1735. For this reason, Methodist and Holiness churches sometimes present the book in connection with the pursuit of holiness in Wesleyan theology.

In Korea, Catholics have long read the book under the title Junju Seongbeom ("Holy Example for Following the Lord"), and several Protestant publishers have issued translations. Korean churches across denominations frequently use it in the following settings:

• Personal devotions
• Discipleship training
• Reading during Holy Week
• Recommended lists of devotional books

Assessment

The book is highly esteemed across denominational lines as a classic on the inner life of the Christian. It is often cited as one of the most widely translated Christian books after the Bible.

It has also drawn criticism and reservations. Protestants have raised the following points:

• Some consider its emphasis on monastic withdrawal and renunciation of the world excessive.
• Some point to expressions that seem to place spiritual discipline and merit ahead of grace.
• Others note that the understanding of the Eucharist in Book 4 presupposes Catholic doctrine.

For these reasons, some Protestant editions are known to have omitted or revised Book 4. Within the Reformation tradition, some also regard the book as focused on the individual's inner life at the expense of community and social responsibility. Defenders of the book, on the other hand, emphasize that it is a work of meditation rather than a doctrinal treatise and maintain that it should be read in light of that purpose.