Thomas Kempis German Catholic monk and priest Country: Germany

Biography of Thomas Kempis

Thomas Kempis was a German Catholic monk and priest of the late medieval period. He is considered the most likely author of the legendary Christian treatise "The Imitation of Christ." He was born in Kempen, County of Cleves, Germany, in the Lower Rhine region. His father, John Hemerken, was a blacksmith, and his mother, Gertrude, worked at a school.

In 1392, Thomas and his brother Jan went to Deventer, Netherlands, to attend the local school. It was there that Thomas encountered the Brethren of the Common Life, followers of the Modern Devotion movement led by Gerard Groote. Thomas studied at the school from 1392 to 1399. After completing his education, he went to Zwolle, Netherlands, where his brother Jan worked as a prior in a local monastery.

In 1406, Thomas joined the monastery himself. However, it took him ten years to become a priest. During this time, he devoted himself to writing and copying texts, quickly becoming an outstanding writer and scribe. In 1413, he was ordained as a priest, and in 1429, he became the deputy prior of the monastery.

The monastery was going through a turbulent period, as it coincided with the scandalous papal denial of the elected bishop of Utrecht, Rudolf van Diepholt. However, Thomas was more interested in religion itself than church disputes and conflicts. He spent his time in the monastery engaged in exercises, composing music, and copying texts. Thomas copied the Bible at least four times, and one of these copies, all five volumes, is still preserved in Darmstadt, Germany. His own works were also successful, as he wrote extensively on various biblical passages, especially from the New Testament.

Thomas Kempis published biographies of prominent figures of the Modern Devotion, such as Florens Randewijns, John van de Gronde, and John Brinckerinck. His sermons to the newly converted monks of the St. Augustine monastery, including "Prayers and Meditations on the Life of Christ," "Meditations on the Incarnation of Christ," "Of True Compunction of Heart," "Soliloquy of the Soul," "Garden of Roses," "Valley of Lilies," and "Life of St. Lidwina of Schiedam," are also considered significant.

The manuscript of Thomas' most famous work, "The Imitation of Christ," is still preserved in the Royal Library of Brussels. Thomas Kempis passed away in 1471, near Zwolle, just 75 miles from his hometown. His remains were initially laid to rest in Zwolle, in the chapel of the Church of St. Michael the Archangel. However, in 2006, they were moved to the Basilica of Our Lady of the Assumption, also in Zwolle.

A monument in memory of Thomas Kempis was unveiled on November 11, 1897, in the presence of the Archbishop of Utrecht, near the Church of St. Michael the Archangel. In 2006, the church was closed, and the monument was relocated along with Thomas' remains. In Russia, "The Imitation of Christ" was first published in the late seventeenth century, translated by the Belarusian Andrei Belobotsky.