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 I. 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 Preface by Sally Cunneen, author of In Search of Mary: The Woman and the Symbol.

"God is our home but many of us have strayed from our native land.  The venerable authors of these Spiritual Classics are expert guides--may we follow their directions home."
--Archbishop Desmond Tutu

The Imitation of Christ (Latin: De Imitatione Christi) by Thomas A. Kempis is a Christian devotional book. It was first composed in Latin 1418-1427. It is a handbook for spiritual life arising from the Devotio Moderna movement, where 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. 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.

The Imitation Of Christ Thomas a Kempis Translated by Rev. William Benham ZHINGOORA BOOKS]

"Let it be our chief occupation to think upon the life of Jesus Christ. " One of the best-loved texts of Christianity after the Bible, this book has been influential since it was first written more than five centuries ago, with people such as John Wesley and John Newton profoundly touched by it at their conversions. Written by a German monk, it is essentially a manual on the pursuit of holiness and deep communion with God, with its key theme that the study of Jesus is the Christian's highest ideal. With great personal conviction, Kempis demonstrates the individual's reliance on God and on the words of Christ, and the futility of life without faith.

With over 100 million copies in circulation and widely considered one of the greatest manuals of devotion in circulation today, The Imitation of Christ is a writing of the German-Dutch school of mysticism is second only to the Bible for religious instruction and inspiration. This book has been described as "a great monument and incentive to deep living." Originally intended for monastics and ascetics, supreme emphasis is placed on Christ, the passive qualities of Christianity are stressed, and warnings are given against everyday temptations.