Thomas à Kempis

Thomas Hemerken was born around 1380 in Kempen, near Düsseldorf, from which he takes his name. As a boy he went to school at Deventer in the Netherlands, where he came under the influence of the Brethren of the Common Life, followers of Geert Groote's movement of practical lay piety known as the Devotio Moderna. In 1399 he entered the house of Augustinian canons at Mount Saint Agnes near Zwolle, where his brother was prior. He was ordained a priest in 1413 or 1414 and spent the rest of his long life there, copying manuscripts, including a complete Bible, instructing novices and writing sermons, biographies and devotional works. He is traditionally credited with The Imitation of Christ, a four-book guide to the inner life written in the 1420s, which has been printed in more editions and languages than almost any book except the Bible. Scholars have debated its authorship, but most accept his. He died at Mount Saint Agnes in 1471. Christians still read it as a guide to prayer and humility.

Thomas à Kempis is also an author in the library: author page and works.

Faith: Canon regular of the Brothers of the Common Life and author of The Imitation of Christ. Source: Catholic Encyclopedia (1913)