The Imitation of Christ

The spiritual classic by Kempis the second most widely read spiritual book after the Bible has had an astonishing impact on the spiritual lives of countless saints peasants and popes for centuries. Even today the soul-searching words of the fifteenth-century cleric Thomas Kempis continue to resonate unbounded by time or geography. Drawing on the Bible the Fathers of the early Church and medieval mysticism his four-part treatise shrugs off the allure of the material world blending beauty and bluntness in a supremely spiritual call-to-arms. This beautiful translation by Ronald Knox and Michael Oakley is considered by many teachers writers and readers to be the best English translation ever and one that greatly enhances the life-changing insights of Thomas Kempis. Illustrated. "If we could construct a composite picture of all great ChristiansCatholic or non-Catholicof the last five hundred years who found The Imitation substantially beneficial enlightening and inspiring we would need no further proof that familiarity with this great classic is an integral part of a mature spiritual life and even a path to holiness." Father Benedict J. Groeschel C.F.R. Author Arise From Darkness