The Imitation of Christ: Selections Annotated & Explained

Next to the Bible, The Imitation of Christ is the most widely read devotional work within the Christian community. Thought to be compiled by fifteenth-century cleric Thomas A. Kempis, this spiritual classic focuses on the interior life, the cultivation of humility, purity of intention and the centrality of the sacramental meal in the life of the Christian disciple.

While many English translations of the Imitation have been published over the years, there are few modernizations of the English text available. This SkyLight Illuminations edition is based on John Wesley s popular abridgment and renders these meditations on the life and teachings of Jesus accessible to the contemporary reader.

A substantive introduction and facing-page commentary place the work in its original context; clarify the text s roots in the Bible, the early Church and medieval mysticism; and explain its influence–spanning five hundred years–on spiritual luminaries from saints to popes and its continuing significance as a timeless spiritual classic.