In Front | Workbook: Imitation of Christ

Grab your Workbook Journal!

[Record your answers in the workbook provided at the beginning of this course.]

It may be that “the most widely read spiritual book in the world,” apart from the Bible, is Thomas à Kempis’ devotional work, Imitation of Christ. Originally published in the early 15th century, this book was printed 745 different times by 1650. While Jesus instructed His followers in some of the more dramatic aspects of discipleship, à Kempis’ Imitation of Christ is concerned primarily with the interior life and consistency in private daily spirituality. He offers practical advice on a variety of spiritual matters that are all forms of death to self.

Select and read ONE of the following sections:

• Of the love of solitude and silence
• Of bearing with the faults of others
• On avoiding rash judgment
• Of resisting temptation

Sources: Maximilian Von Habsburg, Catholic and Protestant translations of the Imitatio Christi, 1425-1650: from late medieval classic to early modern bestseller, 2012, p. 251; “Imitation of Christ,” NewAdvent.org.

à Kempis’ work can be found here: The Imitation of Christ

2. What did you find most compelling or helpful about this passage?

3. One of the strengths of Imitation of Christ is how concise and accessible it is. A possible downside to this approach may be the oversimplification of complex ideas. Offer at least one brief footnote to the selection you read that expands on or clarifies an aspect of à Kempis’ thought. If you like, your footnote can be in the form of a question(s).