If you had to choose only one book to read in your lifetime, you would be a fool to not choose this book to read. If you do not read this book you are making a very big mistake.
I attended a private Catholic college and took many religion classes while majoring in Philosophy. Shame on my professors, many priests and brothers. They never introduced me to this treasure.
From begining to end, every page, is teaching the way, the road to God. Written in the simpliest language, thus elevating its' profoundness, this -- perhaps collection of homlies -- gives us, like the Gospels, what I think is a glimpse of Jesus.
Thomas A. Kempis was a Catholic Priest in the 1400's. But although he was Catholic, he had some pretty wise things to say. This book has four books in one. I really liked reading book 1, it was full of wisdom. Books 2 and 3 are kind of repetitive in talking about how much we need God and should seek His comfort above all else. He drags it out too much. And book 4 is about the Eucharist. Nonetheless, book 1 is well worth reading for any Christian!
Great to use for devotional thoughts and insights, though you must take time to consider what the author is saying. Will disagree with author regarding the need and place of personal relationships (friends and family).
Great price for a classic book.An amazing little book to read. Recieved it in perfect condition. A great gift item. We always check around and find the best prices at Christianbook.com !!!
The product was beautiful and the price was wonderfully reasonable. During these tough economic times, I was still able to use these books as graduation gifts for friends, and I knew they were great!
This book has to be read slowly and it has to be practiced in your daily life. It really helps you to keep quiet and think more. Especially in this modern world where it is all colorful and jazzy you will wish to have a quite life out of this.
I wish the review above me could be fixed as it seems he is giving it a positive review. This book well deserves 5 stars. The language is very old and some may have a trouble getting past it, but the truths are essential... a great many are those we do not consider in the modern church anymore: suffering, overcoming our weaknesses. There are occasional and subtle notes of Catholicism in this, but non which would trouble even the faith of a new believer, whom I would hardily recommend this book! Plus those Christians of many years will find incredible refreshment in it as well. I am buying multiple copies for friends.
This is a true Christian Classic, written at a time when there was but one church. Though I am not Catholic, this book has not presented any problems for me. It is a wonderful view into the life of the early disciples of Christ. If you like this Classic, you should also check out www.renovare.org for more information on Classical and Spiritual Devotionals--all of which can be found and purchased at CBD. I'm sorry for those who see fit to negatively review such a fine work. Many people who leave negative reviews have never read the book they're reviewing. Be careful when reading their reviews.
<I>The Imitation of Christ</I>, 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.