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Imitation of Christ Jq.Vp C Preface Hendrickson Christian Classics Edition Thomas à Kempis (1380-1471) Most of us think of history in broad strokes, in eras that span cen- turies; people think and act one way, then with no apparent provocation or motivation, everyone is moving in a different direction. Why do things change? Why suddenly do people seem to change their values? Is it people who make history, or is it history that makes people, through forces like disease, technology, or environmental catastrophes? Or is it possibly the Spirit of God working in history, through godly men and women, to effect His will in His creation? It is only when we pull aside those broad curtains that describe the history of Christianity and western civilization that we discover the human face of God’s work. Such is the case in the years leading up to the Reformation, that fire lit by Martin Luther in 1517. Of course, it was certainly not this humble teaching monk’s goal to ignite a sweeping xi Thomas à Kempis movement that would divide the church. Luther’s intention was simply a discussion on the theology of indulgences, one of the most egregious abuses that had rooted itself in the Roman church practices. How could such a small flint light such a great fire? Because people were ready. Before Luther posted his 95 Theses, there were men and women whose faithfulness prepared the way for spiritual reform, just as John prepared people for the message of Jesus. One such person was Thomas à Kempis, a teacher and writer whose life was devoted to pattern- ing his life after Jesus Christ. Thomas à Kempis was part of another reformation, one begun by a Dutch scholar named Geert Groote. Born to a privileged family in Dev- enter, Holland, in 1340, Groote had a distinguished academic career, teaching in Paris and Cologne. He also lived a self-indulgent life, until his dramatic conversion in 1374, after which he abandoned his luxuries and pleasures. In order to reorient his life to that of a follower of Jesus Christ, Groote joined the contemplative order of Carthusians, where he learned spiritual discipline through study and contemplation. After three years with the Carthusians, he set out with their blessings, as a traveling evangelist. Groote’s great success in reaching thousands of people, coupled with his many tracts condemning the corruption and abuses of the clergy, eventually resulted in the suspension of his preaching privileges. Undeterred, Groote returned to his home in Deventer and turned his attention to his writing. As followers gather around him, an informal community formed, ultimately known as the Brothers of the Common Life. (The community had houses for women as well, known, not sur- prisingly, as Sisters of the Common Life.) The community was monastic in that they observed the three traditional rules of monastic life: poverty, chastity, and obedience. But they differed in that members were bound by no formal vows; they were free to quit and return to secular life if they wished. And the community did not beg for alms, as other orders did, but followed Paul’s instruction to work with their own hands. These men and women devoted their lives to study and to educating the world, and they supported their community through book production: writing, copying manuscripts, binding and marketing books. Ultimately, with the advent of movable-type printing, they even operated their own press. xii The Imitation of Christ, Preface Groote’s aim was a life totally centered on Jesus Christ, a life with the same zeal and focus of apostolic Christianity. Through Groote’s guidance, the Brothers of the Common Life became the heart and driving force of a spiritual renewal in northern Europe called the Devotio Moderna or New Devotion, a movement of revival in the Roman church. For a full century and a half before Luther, the seeds of spiritual renewal were germinating in Holland, Germany, and Switzerland, as the Brothers of the Common Life faithfully followed apostolic faith, created and published spiritual mat- erials, and educated some of the finest scholars and theologians of their time, including Erasmus. One young man who came to Deventer to be educated by this order was a thirteen year old named Thomas Haemerken (1380-1471), who was born in a small town called Kempen, near Dusseldorf. He is more familiarly known as Thomas à Kempis (or Thomas of Kempen). Thomas’s initial connection to the community was through his brother John, his senior by some fifteen years. John had been a member of Brothers of the Common Life for many years and provided young Thomas with a letter of introduction to Florens Radewijns, who had succeeded as superior of the Brothers of the Common Life after plague claimed Groote’s life in 1384. Under the spiritual guidance of Radewijns, Thomas’s whole life was immersed in the spiritual movement begun by Groote. In 1399, when Thomas was around 20, he joined a new daughter house of the community near Zwolle, where his brother John served as Prior. Thomas continued his studies and his work, making his profession as a novice in 1406, soon after the cloister was completed. At age 33 (1413), he was received into the priesthood. Thomas remained in this house until his death in 1471, at age 92, except for a three-year period from 1429 to 1432 when the entire community left the region as a result of a dispute between the local church and the Pope. By most accounts, Thomas’s life and work were unremarkable when viewed in terms of achievement and notoriety. Thomas always focused on following Christ, and all his work flowed from that. He was said to be an eloquent preacher, frequently preaching at the priory church. He was considered a gentle and wise confessor, comforting, understanding, and unswerving in his love of Jesus. He was a skillful teacher, instructing the young men new to the order. And he worked with his books: he copied xiii Thomas à Kempis manuscripts—Bibles and books, some used by the monastery and some sold; he served as chronicler of the monastery; and he wrote books, sermons, treatises, biographies, and devotionals. Kempis’s books were the center of his life: “I have sought for happiness everywhere, but I have found it nowhere except in a little corner with a little book.” Of course, Thomas’s best-known writing is The Imitation of Christ. Written in Latin, it is probably gathered from the Order’s teachings and wisdom, written originally in their Dutch language. The book is divided into four books. Book One, called “Thoughts Helpful in the Life of the Soul,” is intended as an instruction on how the soul can be disciplined to seek the values of Christ rather than material interests. Book Two is called “The Interior Life” and discusses the deeper aspects of the spiritual life, in which God illuminates our hearts with His truth. Book Three, “Internal Consolation,” the longest, is a conversation between Christ and His beloved, calling the reader into an intimate walk. Book Four, “An Invita- tion to Holy Communion,” is a discussion on the centrality of the sac- rament of Eucharist, and for most, is the most vivid evidence of the medieval monastic roots of the author and the writing. The Imitation of Christ is thought to have been completed around 1427, and by 1450, at least 250 manuscript copies had been made. (Hand-copied manuscripts, remember, not printed.) The first printed copies appeared in Augsburg around 1471, one of book printing’s first best sellers. Today, the Imitation of Christ is regarded as one of the most widely read books in the world, next to the Bible. This book, in all its simplicity and profound truth, transcends time and place. The timelessness of the Imitation of Christ reflects the vibrant spiri- tuality of Thomas and this community, the legacy of faith from Geert Groote. This book is not about a particular brand of Christian belief, about doctrine or theology, about politics or society, history or scholarship. The reason for its power and for its longevity, the reason that it is read today, the reason it still changes lives is this: the Imitation of Christ is searching, it is scriptural, and it is utterly Christ-centered. Consider its opening words: “He who follows Me, walks not in darkness,” says the Lord. By these words of Christ we are advised to imitate His life and habits, if we xiv The Imitation of Christ, Preface wish to be truly enlightened and free from all blindness of heart. Let our chief effort, therefore, be to study the life of Jesus Christ. The teaching of Christ is more excellent than all the advice of the saints, and he who has His spirit will find in it a hidden manna. Now, there are many who hear the Gospel often but care little for it because they have not the spirit of Christ. Yet whoever wishes to un- derstand fully the words of Christ must try to pattern his whole life on that of Christ. This is Thomas’s intent, that we pattern our lives on that of Christ. And the Imitation of Christ is his loving invitation to that life, utterly surrendered to and nurtured by Jesus Christ Himself. It is an invitation that cannot be ignored. xv.
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