Imitation of Christ

Thomas à Kempis, who lived from 1380 to 1471, was a German-born monk who spent most of his life in a monastery of the Augustinian canons in the Low Countries. The Imitation of Christ is the work attributed to him, and it is widely regarded as one of the greatest devotional books in Christianity. It circulated in manuscript from the early fifteenth century, and after the invention of printing it spread across Europe in a very large number of editions and translations.

The book is organised in four parts. It begins with counsels for the spiritual life, then turns to the inner life, then to consolation, and ends with a section on the Eucharist. Its central claim is that the life of Christ is the highest study a mortal can undertake, and that his teachings far surpass the teachings of the saints. The author recommends reading the scriptures, accepting suffering, resisting temptation and fleeing the vanities of the world. The style is short, direct and often paradoxical, written for people who wish to live seriously in the faith.

This LibriVox recording uses the English translation by the Reverend William Benham, who lived from 1831 to 1910. It has thirteen sections, grouped by book, and runs for about eight and three-quarter hours. One volunteer, David Barnes, reads the whole text. It is ideal for a slow, reflective listen, a few sections at a time. Many listeners find it best to take only a chapter or two at a time, allowing the short sayings to work slowly, much as they were meant to when the book first circulated among monks and laypeople.