The Imitation of Christ

Thomas a Kempis

Description

Let Jesus's example of holiness, humility and purity of heart be a companion on your own spiritual journey.

Next to the Bible, The Imitation of Christ is the most widely read devotional work within the Christian community. Thought to be compiled by fifteenth-century cleric Thomas à Kempis (c. 1380–1471), this spiritual classic focuses the contemporary God-seeker on a religion of the heart—a vital connection with God in our innermost being. It advocates the cultivation of virtues, like humility and purity of intention, by inviting the spirit of Jesus to dwell richly in our lives. It emphasizes the need to translate that life of love into daily action.

Now you can experience the timeless wisdom of this spiritual classic with no previous knowledge of late medieval Christianity. This SkyLight Illuminations edition, based on John Wesley’s popular 1741 abridgment, renders these meditations on the life and teachings of Jesus in a way that is accessible to the contemporary reader. A substantive introduction and facing-page commentary places the work in its original context; clarifies the text’s roots in the Bible, the early Church, and medieval mysticism; and explains its influence—spanning five hundred years—on spiritual luminaries from saints to popes and its continuing significance today.

Preface xi
Introduction xv

BOOK I
The Life of the Soul
1. The Imitation of Christ 3
2. Humility 5
3. Truth 7
4. Prudence 9
5. Scripture 11
6. Vanity and Pride 13
7. Peace 15
8. Temptation 17
9. Works of Charity 21
10. Long-Suffering 23
11. Holy Forebears 25
12. Solitude and Silence 29
13. Discipline 31
14. Mortality 33
15. The Consequences of Sin 37
16. Transformation 39

BOOK II
The Interior Life
1. The Interior Life 43
2. Humble Submission 47
3. Peace and Goodness 49
4. Simplicity and Purity 51
5. Self-Understanding 53
6. A Good Conscience 55
7. Love of Jesus 57
8. Friendship with Jesus 59
9. Divine Comfort 61
10. Gratitude 65
11. The Cross of Christ 67
12. The Royal Way 69

BOOK III
The Comfort of the Heart
1. Christ Speaks 75
2. The Internal Voice 77
3. God's Word 79
4. Truth and Humility 81
5. Divine Love 83
6. Free Grace 87
7. God's Service 89
8. Human Desires 91
9. Entrusting All to God 93
10. Resting in God 95
11. Causes of Peace 99
12. Dangers in Self-Absorption 101
13. God’s All-Sufficiency 103
14. Freedom of Heart 105
15. Brokenness in Life 107
16. Wisdom 109
17. Eternal Life 111
18. Surrender 113
19. True Self-Knowledge 115
20. Nature and Grace 117
21. The Optimism of Grace 119
22. Self-Denial 121
23. Encouragement 123
24. Deep Mysteries 125
25. Hope and Trust in God Alone 127

BOOK IV
The Sacrament of Holy Communion
1. Reverence for Christ 131
2. God’s Goodness and Love 135
3. Frequent Communion 139
4. A Table of Blessing 143
5. The Dignity of the Sacrament 147
6. Examination of Conscience 149
7. Sacrifice and the Meal 151
8. Offering All to God 153
9. An Essential Meal 155
10. Preparation for Communion 159
11. Union with Christ 163
12. Communion 165
13. Humility and Sacramental Devotion 167
14. Yearning for God’s Grace 169
15. Fervent Love 173
Notes 176
Suggestions for Further Study 177
Comparison of Editions 178
Scripture Index 182

Sujets

• Religion
• Christianisme
• Philosophie et théologie
• Jesús de Nazaret
• Christian meditation
• Christian worship
• Jesus
• The Imitation of Christ (book)
• Thomas à Kempis
• Christology
• Christianity
• Jésus-Christ

Informations

• Publié par: Turner Publishing Company
• Date de parution: 22 août 2012
• Nombre de lectures: 0
• EAN13: 9781594734694
• Langue: English

Extrait

For Alyssa
Contents
Preface
Introduction
BOOK I The Life of the Soul
1. The Imitation of Christ
Annotations
2. Humility
Annotations
3. Truth
Annotations
4. Prudence1
Annotations
5. Scripture
Annotations
6. Vanity and Pride
Annotations
7. Peace
Annotations
8. Temptation
Annotations
9. Works of Charity
Annotations
10. Long-Suffering
Annotations
11. Holy Forebears
Annotations
12. Solitude and Silence
Annotations
13. Discipline
Annotations
14. Mortality
Annotations
15. The Consequences of Sin
Annotations
16. Transformation
Annotations
BOOK II The Interior Life
1. The Interior Life
Annotations
2. Humble Submission
Annotations
3. Peace and Goodness
Annotations
4. Simplicity and Purity
Annotations
5. Self-Understanding
Annotations
6. A Good Conscience
Annotations
7. Love of Jesus
Annotations
8. Friendship with Jesus
Annotations
9. Divine Comfort
Annotations
10. Gratitude
Annotations
11. The Cross of Christ
Annotations
12. The Royal Way
Annotations
BOOK III The Comfort of the Heart
1. Christ Speaks
Annotations
2. The Internal Voice
Annotations
3. God’s Word
Annotations
4. Truth and Humility
Annotations
5. Divine Love
Annotations
6. Free Grace
Annotations
7. God’s Service
Annotations
8. Human Desires
Annotations
9. Entrusting All to God
Annotations
10. Resting in God
Annotations
11. Causes of Peace
Annotations
12. Dangers in Self-Absorption
Annotations
13. God’s All-Sufficiency
Annotations
14. Freedom of Heart
Annotations
15. Brokenness in Life
Annotations
16. Wisdom
Annotations
17. Eternal Life
Annotations
18. Surrender
Annotations
19. True Self-Knowledge
Annotations
20. Nature and Grace
Annotations
21. The Optimism of Grace
Annotations
22. Self-Denial
Annotations
23. Encouragement
Annotations
24. Deep Mysteries
Annotations
25. Hope and Trust in God Alone
Annotations
BOOK IV The Sacrament of Holy Communion
1. Reverence for Christ
Annotations
2. God’s Goodness and Love
Annotations
3. Frequent Communion
Annotations
4. A Table of Blessing
Annotations
5. The Dignity of the Sacrament
Annotations
6. Examination of Conscience
Annotations
7. Sacrifice and the Meal
Annotations
8. Offering All to God
Annotations
9. An Essential Meal
Annotations
10. Preparation for Communion
Annotations
11. Union with Christ
Annotations
12. Communion
Annotations
13. Humility and Sacramental Devotion
Annotations
14. Yearning for God’s Grace
Annotations
15. Fervent Love
Annotations

Notes
Suggestions for Further Study
Comparison of Editions

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Preface
The Imitation of Christ is the most widely read Christian devotional book next to the Bible. It has influenced the lives of thousands of people both inside and outside the Christian community. First appearing in published form around 1471, and emerging out of a spiritual renewal movement of the late medieval world known as the devotio moderna , a Latin term meaning modern devotion, this classic has been translated into more than fifty languages and has appeared in as many as three thousand editions. John Wesley, the founder of Methodism—an eighteenth-century movement of spiritual renewal in the Church of England—considered this book to be of such great importance that he produced some 120 editions in four different forms. The excerpts in this present volume are based on his translation and abridgement of the work published in 1741. He carried a copy of his pocket edition of this version in his saddlebag for half a century, until his death.
So why a new volume about such a widely read book of Christian devotion? Despite the fact that so many editions of this work remain in print, there are surprisingly few modern English versions that make the text accessible to contemporary readers. Moreover, the vast majority of the editions include little if any commentary to help readers in their own quest for spiritual vitality. This is particularly true of the many online versions of The Imitation of Christ that are easily accessible, but in many ways impenetrable because of the archaic language. This SkyLight Illuminations volume on The Imitation of Christ seeks to remedy this situation. I have modernized Wesley’s English translation and have used his abridgement of the original text as a guide. One of the wonderful features of the SkyLight Illuminations series is the facing-page commentary format that enables readers to enter into a dialogue with the ideas, images, and vision of this classic guide to the spiritual life with greater ease. My hope is that this introduction to The Imitation of Christ will warm your heart, challenge your mind, and inspire you to pursue your journey into the heart of God with greater intentionality and zeal.
I prepared much of the commentary for this volume during a Wesley Heritage Pilgrimage to England, where I stayed in the shadow of Salisbury Cathedral at Sarum College, in the cathedral close. I woke every morning to the peal of the bells calling the community to prayer. I’d like to think that this providential connection, with such a monumental reminder of the medieval church and world, influenced my own reflections. Certainly, in many ways I felt transported from time to time into a different context, a world that the author of The Imitation of Christ both knew intimately and sought to reform. The experience of daily Eucharist in the cathedral undoubtedly enhanced my reflections on Book IV in particular, and gave me a deeper sense of the centrality of this meal in the Christian journey.
Despite the fact that a setting like Salisbury Cathedral and the late medieval context of The Imitation of Christ represent a world far removed from that of my day-to-day life, I am struck by the continuity as well. Have we changed all that much as human beings in the past six hundred years? The spiritual guidance provided to the contemporary God-seeker in this work remains fresh, dynamic, and vital. It focuses on a religion of the heart—a vital connection with God in our innermost being. It advocates the cultivation of virtues, like humility and purity of intention, not through mimicry of Jesus, but by inviting the spirit of Jesus to dwell richly in our lives. It emphasizes the need to translate that life of love into daily action. The Imitation of Christ has changed me in some way every time I have read it. Through this opportunity to engage the spiritual insights of this timeless classic on a more intimate level, God has transformed me anew, and that is my prayer for every reader.
Many people have assisted me in this journey. I first read The Imitation of Christ in its original form in conjunction with a directed study I did with Dr. McMurry Richey on “Devotional Influences on the Life of John Wesley” as a seminary student at Duke Divinity School years ago. I still have my notes from the conversations “Mack” and I shared. He was a wise man. The edition I read for that purpose was the copy of the book in my father’s library. I consulted it on many occasions in the process of producing this new volume, and even touching its binding and leafing through its pages brought back wonderful memories of my father’s spiritual depth. The theme of community pervades The Imitation of Christ , and I owe a great debt of gratitude to so many others who have made this book possible. From a family that has supported me and labored with me at the dinner table to make each word count, to the printers and binders who transformed words on pages into this volume in your hands (or onto your electronic reader), I offer my heartfelt thanks.
Several friends and colleagues made a special effort to read my manuscript in its entirety and offered many helpful suggestions, particularly in the commentary. My deep gratitude, therefore, to Dr. John R. Tyson, editor of Invitation to Christian Spirituality and a fellow Wesley scholar, for his incisive reflections on the commentary; to Sharon Rowland, a disciple of Dallas Willard and keen advocate of Renovaré, for her many helpful suggestions and her commitment to pray for this volume; and to Rick Hatton, one of my students at Ashland Theological Seminary, who has now helped me bring two volumes in the SkyLight Illuminations series to completion. While their particular marks on this book are not immediately visible, I have no doubt that their contributions will help bring readers closer to God.
I dedicate this edition of a timeless classic to my granddaughter, Alyssa, whose parents, Anna and Bobby, are already teaching her what it really means to imitate Christ.
Introduction
The words of the well-known Negro spiritual express a timeless ideal: “Lord, I want to be like Jesus, in my heart.” Ever since the birth of the Christian religion over two millennia ago, followers of Jesus have sought to imitate his life. Whether they understand this vision of the Christian way in a literal or figurative sense, disciples of Jesus in every age have viewed this pursuit as an essential part of their spiritual journey. As