Thomas à Kempis (orig. A reliquary (also referred to as a Shrine or by the French term Chasse) is a container for Relics These may be the physical A relic is an object or a personal item of religious significance carefully preserved with an air of Veneration as a tangible memorial Thomas Haemerkken; Thomas Hammerlein; also Thomas Hemerken, Thomas Hämerken, Thomas van Kempen, Tomás de Kempis) (ca. 1380 - July 25, 1471) was a late Medieval Catholic monk and author of Imitation of Christ, one of the best known Christian books on devotion. Events 285 - Diocletian appoints Maximian as Caesar, co-ruler MONK is a Monte Carlo software package for simulating nuclear processes particularly for the purpose of determining the neutron multiplication factor or k-effective The Imitation of Christ (or De imitatione Christi) by Thomas à Kempis, is a widely read Christian spiritual book
He was born at Kempen (Germany), County of Cleves in 1380 and died in 1471 near Zwolle in the Prince-Bishopric of Utrecht, 75 miles north of his birthplace. Kempen is a town in the district of Viersen, in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. The Duchy of Cleves (Herzogtum Kleve was a state of the Holy Roman Empire in present Germany (part of North Rhine-Westphalia) and the Netherlands Zwolle is a Municipality and the capital city of the province of Overijssel, Netherlands, 120 kilometers northeast of Amsterdam. The Archbishopric of Utrecht is the Archbishopric based in the Dutch city of Utrecht. He was apparently (accidentally) buried alive, in that splinters were later found embedded under the fingernails of his corpse. He was denied canonization on the grounds that a saint would not fight death in this way. [1] His paternal name was Hemerken, Kleverlandish for "little hammer. South Guelderish (D Zuid-Gelders) or (G Kleverländisch (E Kleverlandish, from Land of Cleves) is a dialect of the "
In 1395 he was sent to the school at Deventer conducted by the Brethren of the Common Life. Deventer is a Municipality and City in the Salland region of the Dutch Province of Overijssel. The Brethren of the Common Life was a Roman Catholic religious community founded in the 14th century by Gerard Groote, formerly a successful and worldly He became skillful as a copyist and was thus enabled to support himself. Later he was admitted to the Augustinian convent of Mount Saint Agnes near Zwolle, where his brother John had been before him and had risen to the dignity of prior. The Augustinians, named after Saint Augustine of Hippo (died AD 430) are several Catholic Monastic orders and congregations Thomas received priest's orders in 1413 and was made subprior in 1429.
The house was disturbed for a time in consequence of the pope's rejection of the bishop-elect of Utrecht, Rudolf van Diepholt; otherwise, Thomas' life was a quiet one, his time being spent between devotional exercises, composition, and copying. Rudolf van Diepholt, born Rudolf von Diepholz (died Vollenhove 24 March 1455 was one of the most influential Prince- Bishops of Utrecht in the late Middle Ages He copied the Bible no less than four times, one of the copies being preserved at Darmstadt in five volumes. Etymology According to the Online Etymology Dictionary, the word bible is from Latin biblia, traced from the same word through Medieval Latin and Late Latin In its teachings he was widely read, and his works abound in Biblical quotations, especially from the New Testament.
His life is no doubt fitly characterized by the words under an old picture first referred to by Francescus Tolensis: "In all things I sought quiet and found it not save in retirement and in books. " A monument was dedicated to his memory in the presence of the archbishop of Utrecht in St. Michael's Church, Zwolle, on November 11, 1897. Events 308 - The Congress of Carnuntum: Attempting to keep peace within the Roman Empire, the leaders of the Tetrarchy declare Year 1897 ( MDCCCXCVII) was a Common year starting on Friday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian Calendar (or a Common Because of the closing of the church, his shrine was replaced in 2006 in an historical church in the centre of Zwolle.
Thomas à Kempis belonged to the school of mystics who were scattered along the Rhine from Switzerland to Strasburg and Cologne and in the Netherlands. Mysticism (from the Greek grc μυστικός mystikos, an initiate of a Mystery religion) is the pursuit of communion with identity He was a follower of Geert Groote and Florentius Radewijns, the founders of the Brethren of the Common Life. Geert Groote (October 1340 &ndash 20 August 1384) otherwise Gerrit or Gerhard Groet, in Latin Gerardus Magnus, was a Dutch Florens Radewyns (or latinized Florentius Radwyn) was the co-founder of the Brethren of the Common Life. The Brethren of the Common Life was a Roman Catholic religious community founded in the 14th century by Gerard Groote, formerly a successful and worldly
His writings are all of a devotional character and include tracts and meditations, letters, sermons, a life of Saint Lydewigis, a Christian woman who remained steadfast under a great stress of afflictions, and biographies of Groote, Radewijns, and nine of their companions. Saint Lidwina (Lydwine Lydwid Lidwid Liduina of Schiedam ( Schiedam, March 18 1380 – Schiedam, April 14 1433) was Works similar in content to the Imitation of Christ and pervaded by the same spirit are his prolonged meditation on the life and blessings of the Savior and another on the Incarnation. Both of these works overflow with adoration for Christ.
The following quotes are attributed to him:
"Without the Way, there is no going, Without the Truth, there is no knowing, Without the Life, there is no living. "
"If thou wilt receive profit, read with humility, simplicity and faith, and seek not at any time the fame of being learned. "
"At the Day of Judgement we shall not be asked what we have read but what we have done. "
- The Imitation of Christ, Book I, ch. 3
"For man proposeth, but God disposeth"
- The Imitation of Christ, Book I, ch. 19
"If, however, you seek Jesus in all things, you will surely find Him. "
- The Imitation of Christ, Book II, ch. 7
Books written by Thomas à Kempis
- The Imitation of Christ: A Spiritual Commentary and Reader's Guide(ISBN 0-87061-234-4)published in 2005 by Ave Maria Press
- The Imitation of Christ (ISBN 1-59986-979-9)
- Vera Sapientia Or True Wisdom (ISBN 0-9706526-7-4)
- The Imitation of Christ (Edited by Harold C. The Imitation of Christ (or De imitatione Christi) by Thomas à Kempis, is a widely read Christian spiritual book Gardner, S. J. ), Doubleday, 1955. The Doubleday Publishing Group is the fifth largest Book Publishing company in the world ISBN 978-0-375-70018-7
References and External links
- This article incorporates Public Domain material from the New Schaff-Herzog Encyclopedia of Religious Knowledge, Vol. VI: Innocents - Liudger, Schaff, Philip.
- Read Imitation of Christ online
- Thomas à Kempis at The Catholic Encyclopedia
- Quotes from Thomas à Kempis
- Works by Thomas à Kempis at Project Gutenberg
- Imitation of Christ in PDF
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