The Imitation of Christ, a Christian classic, was written between 1420 and 1427 by an Augustinian monk named Thomas Kempis. This book is actually four books combined into one, and is written in a devotional like style. Each chapter of each book deals with a different topic, pushing the reader to examine his or herself in light of the instruction given. The first two books deal with a persons view of the world and his or her personal humility and integrity. The following two books are set up in a unique way in that they are laid out in dialog format. The two books are written simulating conversations between Jesus and a struggling Christian, known in the book as "the disciple." When reading this book, two over arching themes are dominate, asceticism and Roman Catholicism.