“Jesus now has many lovers of the heavenly kingdom, but few bearers of His cross.” — Thomas à Kempis, The Imitation of Christ
Life
Thomas à Kempis (Thomas Hemerken) was born around 1380 in Kempen in the Rhineland (near present-day Düsseldorf). Around 1392, at about twelve years old, he went to Deventer in the Netherlands to study under Florentius Radewyns, a leader among the Brethren of the Common Life. That circle belonged to the Devotio Moderna movement, which emphasized practical, inward devotion and brought spiritual formation to ordinary Christians, not only to monastics. (Britannica)
In 1406 Thomas entered the monastery of Mount St. Agnes near Zwolle, part of the Windesheim Congregation (Augustinian Canons Regular). He took vows in 1408 and was ordained in 1413. He then lived there for more than seventy years, until his death. (Britannica)
Between roughly 1418 and 1427 Thomas wrote De Imitatione Christi (The Imitation of Christ), a four-book work on the inward life, detachment from the world, comfort in tribulation, and the sacrament. It speaks with directness — not as an academic system, but as a soul addressing God. (Wikipedia)
The Imitation of Christ became one of the most widely circulated Christian books after the Bible. It has been translated into dozens of languages and was first printed at Augsburg around 1471–1472. Catholics and Protestants alike have read it. (Wikipedia)
Thomas spent his life copying manuscripts — including copying the entire Bible multiple times — guiding novices, and writing devotional works. He died on 8 August 1471 at Mount St. Agnes, around the age of ninety-one. (Britannica)
Timeline
- c. 1380 — Born in Kempen (Rhineland)
- c. 1392 — Went to Deventer; trained among the Brethren of the Common Life
- 1406 — Entered Mount St. Agnes monastery
- 1413 — Ordained priest
- c. 1418–1427 — Wrote The Imitation of Christ
- c. 1471–1472 — First printed edition (Augsburg)
- 1471 — Died 8 August at Mount St. Agnes
Teaching
The inward life matters more than outward knowledge. Thomas wrote: “At the Day of Judgment we shall not be asked what we have read, but what we have done; not how well we have spoken, but how well we have lived.” (Goodreads)
The cross is the way of following Christ. “Jesus now has many lovers of the heavenly kingdom, but few bearers of His cross.” (Goodreads) It pierces every age.
Peace is found in quietness. “Everywhere I have sought peace and found it not, save in a little corner and with a little book.” (Goodreads)
Connection to the Recovery
Brother Witness Lee mentioned Thomas à Kempis and The Imitation of Christ directly. Speaking on Philippians 2 and Christ as our pattern, he said:
“There is a book in Catholicism entitled The Imitation of Christ. It was written by Thomas à Kempis. It may be a good book, but strictly speaking, I do not like that title.” — Ministry Samples
His point was not to dismiss Thomas’s burden, but to press deeper: without Christ living within us, we cannot follow Christ by imitation. Philippians presents the pattern on the basis of an indwelling life — not outward copying, but inward expression.
Brother Witness Lee also placed Thomas among the Catholic mystics and inner-life seekers — alongside Madame Guyon, Fénelon, and Brother Lawrence — as forerunners who pursued the reality of the inward life. (Ministry Samples)
Significance
Thomas à Kempis did not stand before emperors, ignite revolts, or die at a stake. He lived quietly: one monastery, decades of Scripture copying, the slow shaping of novices, and a thin book written from the inner chamber.
Yet that book has comforted and corrected countless believers for six centuries. It testifies that lasting influence does not come from a platform, but from a life.