What happened to Thomas Kempis?
Thomas died near Zwolle in 1471.
What did Thomas a Kempis do?
Thomas joined the Windesheim congregation at Agnietenberg monastery, where he remained almost continually for over 70 years. He took his vows in 1408, was ordained in 1413, and devoted his life to copying manuscripts and to directing novices. Although the authorship is in dispute, he probably wrote the Imitation.
Where is Thomas a Kempis buried?
Basilique Notre-Dame-de-l'Assomption de Zwolle, Zwolle, NetherlandsThomas à Kempis / Place of burial
When did Thomas a Kempis live?
1380 – July 25, 1471Thomas à Kempis / Years of Living
Why was Thomas a Kempis not canonized?
"And the 13th-century Thomas a Kempis, the reputed author of the great devotional work The Imitation of Christ, was never made a saint because, it was said, when they dug up his body for the ossuary they found scratch marks on the lid of his coffin and concluded that he was not reconciled to his fate."
How do I cite Thomas a Kempis?
MLA Citation Thmoas, a Kempis, Laurence Housman, and Clemence Housman. Of the Imitation of Christ: In Four Books / By Thomas A Kempis. London : Kegan Paul, Trench Trübner & Co. Ltd, 1898.
What is Thomas à Kempis best known for?
He is best known for his treasured devotional classic, The Imitation of Christ. Thomas à Kempis’ life and labors leave one of the clearest examples of the spiritual revival generated by the Brethren of the Common Life, a communal brotherhood founded in the Netherlands in the 14 th century to promote Christian growth, religious education, ...
Where was Thomas Kempis born?
Called Early to a Life of Devotion. Thomas à Kempis was born Thomas Hemerken in Kempen, a town in the Rhine valley northwest of Cologne, Germany. It was from his hometown that Thomas later took his name, Kempis. His parents were poor peasants, and he had one brother.
When was Thomas ordained to the priesthood?
By his mid-thirties, in 1413 , Thomas was ordained to the priesthood. Between 1420 and 1427, Thomas à Kempis wrote four booklets that became known collectively as The Imitation of Christ. In them he set forth this primary requirement for living the deeper Christian life:
Who drew Thomas under his wing?
Recognizing in Thomas spiritual virtue and an inclination toward piety, Radewijns drew the young Thomas under his wing. Since Thomas lacked the funds to pay his room and board, Radewijns invited the boy to stay at his house and provided him with books and tuition money for school.
Who was the Forerunner of the Reformation?
Forerunner of the Reformation. The monks who lived with Thomas à Kempis were profoundly inspired by his intense religious fervor. By the time he died in 1471, his presence at Mount St. Agnes had made the monastery famous.
Did Thomas à Kempis join the Protestant Reformation?
While he and the Brethren never joined the Protestant Reformation, their work among the common people certainly contributed a great deal to the movement. Some historians have called Thomas à Kempis a forerunner of the Reformation.
When did Thomas à Kempis die?
Thomas à Kempis died on July 25, 1471. Although contemporaries considered him a saint, Thomas was not named one by the Catholic church . However, the Episcopal Church honors him on this day, July 24. Bibliography:
What was the chief concern of the Brethren?
He spent his entire inheritance promoting his vision of a simple life enriched with mysticism and ordinary work. The chief concern of the Brethren was to imitate the life of Christ.
What does Thomas tell his novices?
Thomas goes on to tell his novices how to handle criticism, failures, sensual desires, and the difficulties of obedience —always with an eye to the paradoxes of the deeper Christian life. For example, in chapter 20 of the first book, he writes, "If you aim at a fervent spiritual life, then you too must turn your back on the crowds as Jesus did. The only man who can safely appear in public is the one who wishes he were at home. He alone can safely speak who prefers to be silent. Only he can safely govern who prefers to live in submission, and only he can safely command who prefers to obey."
How many booklets did Thomas write?
In that capacity, he wrote four booklets between 1420 and 1427; they were collected and named after the title of the first booklet: The Imitation of Christ. In The Imitation, Thomas combines a painfully accurate analysis of the soul with a clear vision of the fullness of the divine life.
Where was Thomas à Kempis born?
Thomas à Kempis, whose family name was Hammercken, was born in the Rhineland town of Kempen near Düsseldorf in Germany. The school he attended at nearby Deventer in Holland had been started by Gerard Groote, founder of the Brothers of the Common Life. These were men devoted to prayer, simplicity, and union with God.
What did Thomas write?
Thomas wrote a number of sermons, letters, hymns, and lives of the saints. He reflected the mystical spirituality of his times, the sense of being absorbed in God.
Why was Thomas' coffin exhumed?
Exhumation is done to determine the state of the body, looking for signs of incorruptibility.
When did Thomas die?
According to the Chronicles of the Canons Regular, Thomas died on the Feast of St. James the Less on May 3rd, on the current calendar, at the age of 92. However, that date may instead be July the 25th. The Chronicles don’t give the date, only the Feast Day, which was typical of those writings.
Where was Thomas buried in the Lord?
This is in direct contravention to the writings of the Chronicles, which states that “… as age grew upon him Thomas was vexed with dropsy in the legs, and so fell asleep in the Lord and was buried in the eastern cloister by the side of Brother Peter Herbort.”.
Who was the saint who helped to preserve and honor Thomas's relics?
Maximilian Hendrik, who showed such determination to preserve and honor Thomas’s relics worked toward Thomas’s beatification. He introduced his cause for sainthood and began to collect the documents required by the Church: “but little more than a beginning was made when [Hendrick] died in 1688.”.
Is Thomas a Kempis a saint?
Thomas a’Kempis may not be an “official” Saint of the Church. But through his writings and recorded life, he is definitely worthy of emulation for his love of Christ and humble living. Indeed, I find it a bit ironic that this humble man “cheated” the Church out of making him a Saint.
Life
Thomas was born in Kempen in the Rhineland. His surname at birth was Hemerken (or Hammerlein ), meaning the family's profession, "little hammer," Latinized into "Malleolus." His father, Johann, was a blacksmith and his mother, Gertrud, was a schoolmistress.
Works
Kempis's 1441 autograph manuscript of The Imitation of Christ is available in the Bibliothèque Royale in Brussels (shelfmark: MS 5455-61).
Veneration
A monument was dedicated to his memory in the presence of the archbishop of Utrecht in St Michael's Church, Zwolle, on November 11, 1897. In 1964, this church closed, causing his shrine to be moved to a new St. Michael's Church outside the centre of Zwolle.
Overview
Thomas à Kempis (c. 1380 – 25 July 1471; German: Thomas von Kempen; Dutch: Thomas van Kempen ) was a German-Dutch canon regular of the late medieval period and the author of The Imitation of Christ, written anonymously in Latin in the Netherlands c. 1418–1427, one of the most popular and best known Christian devotional books. His name means "Thomas of Kempen", Kempen bei…
Life
Thomas was born in Kempen in the Rhineland. His surname at birth was Hemerken (or Hammerlein), meaning the family's profession, "little hammer," Latinized into "Malleolus." His father, Johann, was a blacksmith and his mother, Gertrud, was a schoolmistress. Although almost universally known in English as Thomas à Kempis, the "a" represents the Latin "from" and is erroneously accented. In his writings he signed himself "Thomas Kempensis" or "Thomas Kempis".
Works
Kempis's 1441 autograph manuscript of The Imitation of Christ is available in the Bibliothèque Royale in Brussels (shelfmark: MS 5455-61).
He also wrote the biographies of New Devotion members—Gerard Groote, Floris Radewijns, Jan van de Gronde, and Jan Brinckerinck. His important works include a series of sermons to the novices of St. Augustine Monastery, including Prayers …
Quotations
The following quotes are attributed to him:
"Without the Way, there is no going, Without the Truth, there is no knowing, Without the Life, there is no living."
"If thou wilt receive profit, read with humility, simplicity, and faith, and seek not at any time the fame of being learned." "At the Day of Judgement we shall not be asked what we have read, but …
Veneration
A monument was dedicated to his memory in the presence of the archbishop of Utrecht in St Michael's Church, Zwolle, on November 11, 1897. In 1964, this church closed, causing his shrine to be moved to a new St. Michael's Church outside the centre of Zwolle. In 2005, this church also closed and his shrine was moved to the Onze-Lieve-Vrouw-ten-Hemelopneming kerk (Assumption of Mary church) in the centre of Zwolle.
External links
• Works by Thomas à Kempis in eBook form at Standard Ebooks
• Works by Thomas à Kempis at Project Gutenberg
• Works by or about Thomas à Kempis at Internet Archive
• Works by Thomas à Kempis at LibriVox (public domain audiobooks)
called Early to A Life of Devotion
Emulating Christ
- Around age 20, Thomas à Kempis entered Mount St. Agnes, a newly founded Dutch Augustinian monastery associated with the Brethren of the Common Life. At the time, Thomas’ older brother John, one of the founders of the Brethren of the Common Life, was the superior of the monastery. Except for a brief time when the order was moved to Lunekerke, in Friesland, Thomas lived at M…
Forerunner of The Reformation
- The monks who lived with Thomas à Kempis were profoundly inspired by his intense religious fervor. By the time he died in 1471, his presence at Mount St. Agnes had made the monastery famous. Thomas à Kempis was a highly sought after spiritual advisor, and along with his fellow Brethren, he ministered not just to religious devotees, but to ordinary ...
Sources
- “Thomas à Kempis.” Encyclopedia of Biblical, Theological, and Ecclesiastical Literature(Vol. 5, p. 33).
- “Thomas à Kempis.” 131 Christians Everyone Should Know(p. 262).
- “Thomas à Kempis.” The Westminster Dictionary of Theologians(First edition, p. 203).
- “Thomas à Kempis.” Who’s Who in Christian History(p. 672).