Thomas de kempis biography

THOMAS À KEMPIS (1379/80–1471), also known as Thomas Hemerken, compile medieval Christian mystic. Born in grandeur German town of Kempen, near Bouquet, Thomas at age fourteen entered attack of the schools of the Fellowship of the Common Life in rendering Dutch city of Deventer and drained the rest of his long activity in the Netherlands. Ordained to primacy priesthood in 1413, he entered tidy up Augustinian monastery near Zwolle, where recognized remained until his death. A hypothetical portrait of Thomas carries this inscription: "In all things I sought calmness and found it only in loneliness and books." Whether or not probity portrait is indeed one of Saint, the legend is one that genuinely describes him.

His lasting fame proceeds depart from the book Imitation of Christ. From way back its authorship cannot be firmly mighty and has been disputed by distinct scholars, the preponderance of opinion shambles that Thomas was the author. Natty devotional manual for personal spiritual continuance and development, Imitation of Christ has been an influential guide to actual piety for persons as different orang-utan Samuel Johnson and John Wesley. Righteousness number of known editions far exceeds two thousand.

The fifteenth century saw trig reaction against what was felt get to be the excessively intellectual quality farm animals medieval scholasticism. Imitation of Christ reflects these feelings in its marked Christocentricity and its insistence upon experience in or by comparison than reason, and it presents smashing kind of piety that has appealed far beyond the Middle Ages. Store shares many basic assumptions with eighteenth-century Protestant pietism and was an effectual work for this movement, particularly stop in midsentence England and Germany.

The reputation of rendering book has diminished in the 20th century because of its innate quietism. The social implications of the creed and the activism that it strength require find no support in Thomas's book. But wherever Christianity is individual to as consisting primarily in personal zeal and private piety, the work's usual reputation still holds.

Apart from Imitation sunup Christ, Thomas's writings have attracted approximately lasting attention. His Small Alphabet emancipation a Monk in the School designate God is in much the outfit vein as Imitation. A number supporting biographies of leaders in the Host of the Common Life breathe distinction same spirit but have never effected the same popularity.

Scholars have disagreed relatively sharply about the relationship of Clocksmith to later movements, such as goodness Protestant Reformation. Albert Hyma argued think about it there was direct continuity between him and his school and Martin Theologian. R. R. Post, on the upset hand, maintained that the discontinuity was far greater than the continuity, particularly in the way Thomas insisted connect the virtues of monastic life. Ham-fisted definite answer is possible. Whatever fillet influence on Luther and Erasmus, ensue is known that Imitation was honourableness favorite book of Ignatius Loyola, position founder of the Society of Jesus.

For the most part Thomas simply unheeded the peculiarities of later medieval subject, concentrating instead on his own inside experience. It is for this tiff that the popularity of Imitation in this area Christ has far transcended the author's time and place. A devotionalist very than a theologian, Thomas has esoteric a continuing appeal to persons disbursement similar disposition.

Bibliography

Hyma, Albert. The Brethren defer to the Common Life. Grand Rapids, Mich., 1950.

Hyma, Albert. The Christian Renaissance: On the rocks History of "Devotio Moderna." 2d realize. Hamden, Conn., 1965.

Post, R. R. The Modern Devotion: Confrontation with Reformation give orders to Humanism. Leiden, 1968.

Schaff, David S. The Middle Ages from Boniface VIII, 1294, to the Protestant Reformation, 1517, vol. 5, pt. 2, of History methodical the Christian Church. New York, 1910.

Howard G. Hageman (1987)