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Roundhay, Leeds, England

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Articles - Book Reviews - Thomas a Kempis
 

The Imitation of Christ", by Thomas a Kempis. Published by Hodder & Stoughton. ISBN 0-340-24701-0.

This is not a new book. In fact, its author died over five hundred years ago. Since then his writings have been translated into more languages than any other book, with the exception of the bible. Yet his words are little known outside of that small circle given to reading the classic Christian spiritual writings. I don't include myself amongst such company on the whole - my interests lie much more with books addressing more contemporary themes - yet this book had a significant role in the development of my faith as it introduced me to a different way of knowing God; a way that worked less in my head and more in my heart.

Thomas wrote of our attitude towards God. There's a gentleness, a humility, that permeate his writings. He wrote in a way that is not always easy for the modern reader to understand. But, there is a strength in that. It means that we cannot just scan through its pages as we might a contemporary volume. Instead, we have to take Thomas' bite-sized thoughts one by one and slowly digest them. In this way we can get to the real wealth that is to be found in his writings - by taking our time and reflecting over what he has to say, and then reflecting on our own life and experience and understanding how one experience may inform the other.

There are a great many other books that can be called classics of Christian spirituality. Like "The Imitation of Christ" they contain much that can seem difficult to understand, or of little relevance to modern life. Don't worry too much about these passages. But, do read these books for the great wealth they contain that does still speak to us today, even after all these centuries.

 

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