The Imitation of Christ (Dover Thrift Editions) Paperback Author: Thomas ? Kempis | Language: English | ISBN:
0486431851 | Format: PDF, EPUB
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From the Back Cover
If you seek Jesus in all things, you will surely find Jesus.
The Imitation of Christ has enjoyed an unparalleled place in the world of books for more than five hundred years. 5000 different editions have been published over the centuries, and it has been translated into almost every language in the world. Thomas a Kempis was a late medieval Catholic monk, a simple man, who looked deeply into what it means to know God and have a relationship with Jesus. He wrote about humility, patience, simplicity, and persistence--virtues that are for every age.
" When I graduated from high school, my pastor gave me a book. The book I received as a gift was The Imitation of Christ. On the title page, he wrote: ' You will have a happy life by adhering to the wisdom in this book.' "
--Br. Benet Tvedten, from the Introduction
--This text refers to an alternate
Paperback
edition.
About the Author
Thomas à Kempis (ca. 1380-1471) was an Augustinian monk in the Netherlands during the pre-Reformation period.
Carl Anderson is the Supreme Knight and chief executive officer of the Knights of Columbus, the world's largest Catholic fraternal service organization with more than 1.7 million members. He is the author of
Called to Love,Our Lady of Guadalupe, and the
New York Times bestseller
A Civilization of Love: What Every Catholic Can Do to Transform the World.
--This text refers to an alternate
Paperback
edition.
Books with free ebook downloads available Download The Imitation of Christ (Dover Thrift Editions) Paperback
- Series: Dover Thrift Editions
- Paperback: 160 pages
- Publisher: Dover Publications (September 18, 2003)
- Language: English
- ISBN-10: 0486431851
- ISBN-13: 978-0486431857
- Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 5.2 x 0.5 inches
- Shipping Weight: 7.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
"Want to know the best advice I ever heard?" asked Larry King, in an interview published today in Canada's National Post newspaper: "I never learned ANYTHING while I was talking." 50 years experience at the interviewer's microphone and Larry's best advice comes down to one word. "Listen!"
Coincidentally (or maybe not!) I picked up this just-received book, sent to me by a dear friend who recalled my reviewing an earlier published edition of this same "Ronald Knox translation." And it literally it fell open to these words,
"By all means ask questions, but LISTEN to what holy writers have to tell you . . . often enough, (when we hear) Holy Scripture, we are distracted by mere curiosity; we want to seize upon some point and argue about it, when we ought to (listen) and move on."
I flipped open "The Imitation" just now and my eyes (lately fixated on my newest pride and joy were these: (p 32 under the heading, "ABOUT SELF-CONFIDENCE, AND HOW TO GET RID OF SELF-CONCEIT")
"It is nonsense to depend for your happiness on created things (and) why all this self-importance? Do not boast of riches, if you happen to possess them . . . nor about the important friends you have; boast rather of God's friendship.
"Do not give yourself airs, if you have physical strength or beauty; it only takes a spell of illness to waste the one, or mar the other. Do not be self-satisfied about your own skill or cleverness; God is hard to satisfy, and it is from him that they come, all these gifts of nature.
"He reads our thoughts, and will only think the worse of you, if you think yourself better than other people.
I'm not a Christian but I have almost completed a minor in Christianity at the college I attend. I study Christianity because of my interest in European history. This book, written by a 15th century cloistered monk, is amazing for its strong use of language to convey how one should interact with God through Jesus. But even outside the sphere of religious thought, there are some good statements that could apply to everyday life, although Thomas would scoff at the idea that someone could do this independent of God. Consider the following short excerpts:
"It is only by patience and true humility that we can grow stronger than all our foes." --pg. 40
"For every bodily pleasure brings joy at first, but at length it bites and destroys." --pg. 52
"Alas, a long life often adds to our sins rather than to our virtue!" --pg. 58
These are just a few quotes from a book that has many memorable lines. Most of the book deals with how man should submit himself to Christ. The format Thomas uses is dialogue, between Christ and a disciple. Like Plato's use of dialogue, it is an effective means of getting his ideas across. Thomas even examines the sacraments, especially the Eucharist, and concludes that only through pure thought and hard work at patience and humility can one be able to effectively use these sacraments to become one with Christ, and through him, God.
The only downfall I can see with this book is that it is aimed at the cloistered, or as Thomas calls them, the "Religious." Thomas sees the process of submitting to God as more then a full-time job. Because of this, most people would be shut out of union with Christ. But the book was written to help those in the monastery.
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