Thomas
a Kempis (1379-1471) ***
A
German monk and spiritual writer. Thomas Hemerken (Hammerlein or "little
hammer") left Kempen near Krefeld on the Lower Rhine ca. 1392 to attend
school in Deventer in the Netherlands. There he came into contact with Florent
Radewijns. (ca. 1350-1400), one of the founders of the Brethren of the Common
Life. In 1399 Thomas entered the monastery at Agnietenberg (Mount Saint Agnes
near Zwolle), which was affiliated with the Windesheim Congregation of
Augustinian regular (monastic) canons. He spent most of his life at Mount Saint
Agnes, where he was ordained priest (1413-14) and served as subprior and
director of novices. He was a prolific copyist.
Thomas
wrote or complied more than thirty works, which may be arranged in the
following categories:
(1)
several volumes of monastic sermons;
(2)
biographies of the founders of the Devotio Moderna (Gerard Groote, Florent
Radewijns, and others) intended for the edification of novices;
(3)
a chronicle of his monastery that includes much historical and biographical
information on the Devotio Moderna; and
(4)
numerous works on the spiritual life (e.g., On the Exaltation of the Spirit [De
elevatione mentis]; The Soul's Soliloquy; various Prayers and Mediations on the
Life and Passion of the Lord; On True, Heartfelt Remorse; Valley of Lillies;
Garden of Roses; On the Training of Monks [De disciplina calustralium]). Like
other leaders in the Windesheim monastic reform, Thomas's concern was for practical
methods to achieve genuine devotion and a true observance of the monastic rule.
Thomas
a Kempis is best known, however, for the compilation of the four books of the
Imitation of Christ. Although long disputed, general scholarly consensus since the
late 1950s ascribes it to Thomas. Widely transmitted, translated, and read by
Catholics and Protestants alike, the Imitation expresses a contemplative and
monastic emphasis on the interior life and its disciplines. Thus, unlike the
seminonastic spirituality of the Brethren of the Common Life, who sought to
live devout lives in the middle of bustling cities, the spiritual teaching of
the Imitation emphasizes withdrawal from the distractions and dangers of the
world. It warns against placing confidence in one's own prudence and calls for
knowledge of oneself, continual self-judgment, and other traditional monastic
virtues. It is also critical of speculative theologizing, preferring study that
inflames the heart with love for God. The first book is a collection
(rapiarium) of spiritual meditations; the second and third books, the heart of
the Imitation, offer counsel on growth in virtues such as humility, patience,
and obedience and on the fluctuations of the interior life. The fourth book is
devoted to eucharistic piety.