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Title: The Imitation of Christ by Thomas Kempis ISBN: 0-375-70018-8 Publisher: Vintage Pub. Date: 24 March, 1998 Format: Paperback Volumes: 1 List Price(USD): $12.00 |
Average Customer Rating: 4.64 (36 reviews)
Rating: 4
Summary: Living a life in imitation of Christ
Comment: Written in the 15th Century and directed towards monks, this is a devotional for Christian living and Monastic life. While noting the time period helps give depth to the historical backdrop of when Thomas was writing this book, it is perhaps more important to know the audience. The intended audience for The Imitation of Christ was monks. This is obvious in the text and it should be kept in mind while reading this work.
This highly influential work has a very simple message: live like Christ. Presented in this book, it is a very strict message. Thomas takes a very strict interpretation of following Christ and the message is very much rooted in the idea of works. It is the actions that one must perform, and not so much the inner state (though he does stress that the inner state is important). This would be a difficult message to take or to give, but again, we must consider the audience: monks living in a monastery. They must live a harsher life and because of their vows, this devotional makes perfect sense.
This can be read as a historical document in Christianity or as a devotional. Either way, one can find great value and and some illumination of the words of Christ through this volume.
Rating: 5
Summary: A wonderful devotional of great historical significance
Comment: Thomas a Kempis was medival monk and priest (1380-1471) who served as chronicler of the monastery at Mt. St. Agnes. During his long life of scholarship, he wrote several biographies of church fathers and a number of devotional works. The "Imitation of Christ" remains his most famous work and the one that has best stood the test of time. Indeed, one of the wonderful things about this work is that it reminds us that the life of the mind is not a creature of the Enlightenment. Even during the so-called Dark Ages there were brilliant scholars with a wide knowledge of both scripture and philosophy. Reflecting its vibrant insight into the human condition, the "Imitation of Christ" remains influential on both sides of the Reformation divide. It reportedly was, for example, one of John Wesley's favorite devotionals.
The "Imitation of Christ" is divided into 4 books, each undertaking a basic theme for development. They are, respectively, the Spiritual Life, the Inner Life, Inward Consolation, and the Blessed Sacrament (i.e., the Eucharist). In turn, each book is sub-divided into numerous chapters, each a page or two long. All of which makes the "Imitation of Christ" a useful book for daily devotionals. One can skip around freely within the book, dipping in as the mood strikes. Yet, I think one is well-served by reading it through at least once. Only then does one see Thomas' thought in its fully-developed form. Do be sure to get a good translation. I am fond of the one by Leo Sherley-Price.
Rating: 5
Summary: awesome
Comment: I read this book perhaps more frequently than any other book. Quintessential Christian reading. Following Christ isn't just about joy. We are called to deny ourselves daily, and to carry our crosses. More than console, this book calls us to imitate Christ, to do the real tough work of living in humility and obedience. It is beautiful, passionate, powerful, and challenging. Read it.
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Title: The Practice of the Presence of God: With Spiritual Maxims by Brother Lawrence, Brother Lawrence ISBN: 0800785991 Publisher: Fleming H Revell Co Pub. Date: January, 1999 List Price(USD): $5.99 |
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Title: Confessions (OXFORD WORLD'S CLASSICS) by Saint Augustine, Henry Chadwick ISBN: 0192833723 Publisher: Oxford Press Pub. Date: April, 1998 List Price(USD): $7.95 |
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Title: Dark Night of the Soul : A Masterpiece in the Literature of Mysticism by St. John of the Cross by E. Allison Peers, St. John of the Cross ISBN: 0385029306 Publisher: Image Books Pub. Date: 11 January, 1959 List Price(USD): $11.95 |
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Title: Interior Castle by St. Teresa of Avila, E. Allison Peers ISBN: 0385036434 Publisher: Image Books Pub. Date: 04 January, 1972 List Price(USD): $12.95 |
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Title: Introduction to the Devout Life by John K. Ryan, Francis De Sales ISBN: 0385030096 Publisher: Image Books Pub. Date: 04 January, 1972 List Price(USD): $12.95 |
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