Written in Latin in the early 15th century, The Imitation of Christ is perhaps second only to the Bible in importance in Christian thought. Thomas Hemerken, aka THOMAS À KEMPIS (1380-1471), was a Christian monk and mystic from Kempen, Germany, and he intended this patchwork of medieval mysticism for the most sincere and dedicated of believers-monks, nuns-but lay Christians find wisdom in his encouragement and teaching of a direct path to a relationship with God. Readers of Christian theology and students of medieval literature alike will be fascinated by this work, one of the most powerful influences on modern spirituality and philosophy.