See also:

• THOMAS
• THOMAS (c. 1654-1720)
• THOMAS (d. 110o)
• THOMAS, ARTHUR GORING (1850-1892)
• THOMAS, CHARLES LOUIS AMBROISE (1811-1896)
• THOMAS, GEORGE (c. 1756-1802)
• THOMAS, GEORGE HENRY (1816-187o)
• THOMAS, ISAIAH (1749-1831)
• THOMAS, PIERRE (1634-1698)
• THOMAS, SIDNEY GILCHRIST (1850-1885)
• THOMAS, ST
• THOMAS, THEODORE (1835-1905)
• THOMAS, WILLIAM (d. 1554)

THOMAS A KEMPIS (c. 1380-1471)  , the name by which the Augustinian See also:

• CANON

canon and writer See also:

• THOMAS
• THOMAS (c. 1654-1720)
• THOMAS (d. 110o)
• THOMAS, ARTHUR GORING (1850-1892)
• THOMAS, CHARLES LOUIS AMBROISE (1811-1896)
• THOMAS, GEORGE (c. 1756-1802)
• THOMAS, GEORGE HENRY (1816-187o)
• THOMAS, ISAIAH (1749-1831)
• THOMAS, PIERRE (1634-1698)
• THOMAS, SIDNEY GILCHRIST (1850-1885)
• THOMAS, ST
• THOMAS, THEODORE (1835-1905)
• THOMAS, WILLIAM (d. 1554)

Thomas Hammerken (Hammerchen, Malleolus) is commonly known . He was See also:

• BORN, IGNAZ, EDLER VON (1742–1791)

born in 1379 or 1380 in the See also:

• TOWN

town of See also:

• KEMPEN

Kempen, lying about 15 See also:

• MILES, NELSON APPLETON (1839— )

miles See also:

• NORTH
• NORTH, BARONS
• NORTH, MARIANNE (1830—1890)
• NORTH, ROGER (1653-1734)
• NORTH, SIR THOMAS (1535?-16o1?)

north-See also:

• WEST
• WEST, BENJAMIN (1738-1820)
• WEST, NICHOLAS (1461-1533)

west of Dtisseldorf, in one of the many patches of territory between 1 See the See also:

• SKETCH (directly adapted from Dutch schets, which was taken from Ital. schizzo, a rough draft, Lat. schedium, something hastily made, Gr. oxE&os, sudden, off-hand, axeb6v, near by; Ger. Skizze and Fr. esquisse are from the same source)

sketch in See also:

• SYRIAC

Syriac of the See also:

• HISTORY

history of the See also:

• CHURCH
• CHURCH (according to most authorities derived from the Gr. Kvpcaxov [&wµa], " the Lord's [house]," and common to many Teutonic, Slavonic and other languages under various forms—Scottish kirk, Ger. Kirche, Swed. kirka, Dan. kirke, Russ. tserkov, Buig. cerk
• CHURCH, FREDERICK EDWIN (1826-1900)
• CHURCH, GEORGE EARL (1835–1910)
• CHURCH, RICHARD WILLIAM (1815–189o)
• CHURCH, SIR RICHARD (1784–1873)

church of See also:

• MALABAR

Malabar printed and translated by See also:

• LAND

Land, Anecd . Syr. i . 24 seq . It was sent to Schaaf at See also:

• LEIDEN

Leiden in 172o by See also:

• MAR, EARLDOM OF
• MAR, JOHN ERSKINE, 1ST OR 6TH EARL OF (d. 1572)
• MAR, JOHN ERSKINE, 2ND OR 7TH EARL
• MAR, JOHN ERSKINE, 6TH OR 11TH EARL OF (1675-1732)

Mar See also:

• GABRIEL (Heb. SKns, man of God)

Gabriel, the last Nestorian See also:

• BISHOP (A.S. bisceop, from Lat. episcopus, Gr. irio-Korros, " overlooker " or " overseer ")
• BISHOP, ISABELLA (1832-1904)
• BISHOP, SIR HENRY ROWLEY (1786-1855)

bishop in Malabar (see Germann, p . S42) . the See also:

• MEUSE
• MEUSE (Flem. Maes, Du. Maas)

Meuse and the See also:

• RHINE (Lat. Rhenus, Ger. Rhein, Fr. Rhin, Dutch Rhyn, or Rijn)

Rhine belonging to the archiepiscopal principality of See also:

• COLOGNE (Ger. Koln, or officially, since 1900, Coln)

Cologne . " Ego Thomas Kempis," he says in his See also:

• CHRONICLE (from Gr. Xpovos, time)

chronicle of the monastery of See also:

• MOUNT, WILLIAM SIDNEY (1807-1868)

Mount St See also:

• AGNES, SAINT

Agnes, " scholaris Daventriensis, ex diocesi Coloniensi natus." His See also:

• FATHER

father was a poor hard-worked See also:

• PEASANT (O. Fr. paysant, Mod. paysan; Lat. pagensis, belonging to the pagus or country; cf. " pagan ")

peasant; his See also:

• MOTHER

mother " ad custodiam rei domesticae attenta, in opere alacris, in victu sobria, in potu abstemia, in verbo pauca, in factis pudica," as her son fondly says, kept a See also:

• DAME
• DAME (through the Fr. from Lat. domina, mistress, lady, the feminine of dominus, master, lord)

dame's school for the younger See also:

• CHILDREN, LAW RELATING TO

children of the town . See also:

• JOHN
• JOHN (1167–1216)
• JOHN (1290-c. 1320)
• JOHN (1296-1346)
• JOHN (1371–1419)
• JOHN (1468-1532)
• JOHN (1801-1873)
• JOHN (Heb. llni')
• JOHN (ZAPOLYA) (1487-1540)
• JOHN, 4TH MARQUESS OF TWEEDDALE (c. 1695-1762)
• JOHN, DON (1545-1578)
• JOHN, DON (1629–1679)
• JOHN, GOSPEL OF ST
• JOHN, or HAYS (1513–1571)
• JOHN, THE APOSTLE
• JOHN, THE EPISTLES OF

John and Gertrude Hammerken had two sons, John and Thomas, both of whom found. their way to See also:

• DEVENTER

Deventer, and thence to See also:

• ZWOLLE

Zwolle and to the conent of Mount St Agnes . Thomas reached Deventer when he was barely twelve years- old, was taught by a dame the beginnings of his learning, and in a few months to his See also:

• GREAT

great joy entered the classes of Florentius Radewyn . After the See also:

• FASHION (adapted from Fr. facon, agon, Lat. factio, making, facere, to do or make)

fashion of the See also:

• TIME (0. Eng. Lima, cf. Icel. timi, Swed. timme, hour, Dan. time; from the root also seen in " tide," properly the time of between the flow and ebb of the sea, cf. O. Eng. getidan, to happen, " even-tide," &c.; it is not directly related to Lat. tempus)
• TIME, MEASUREMENT OF
• TIME, STANDARD

time he was called Thomas from Kempen, and the school See also:

• TITLE (0. Fr. title, mod. titre, from Lat. titulus)

title, as was often the See also:

• CASE
• CASE, JOHN (d. 1600)

case then, pushed aside the See also:

• FAMILY

family name . Thomas Hammerken was forgotten; Thomas a Kempis has become known to the whole See also:

• CHRISTIAN
• CHRISTIAN, WILLIAM (1608-1663)

Christian See also:

• WORLD

world .

This school at Deventer had become famous See also:

• LONG, GEORGE (1800-1879)
• LONG, JOHN DAVIS (1838– )

long before Thomas a Kempis was admitted to its classes . It had been founded by See also:

• GERHARD
• GERHARD, FRIEDRICH WILHELM EDUARD (1795-1867)

Gerhard See also:

• GROOT, GERHARD (1340—1384)

Groot (q.v.), a wealthy burgher who had been won to pious living mainly through the See also:

• INFLUENCE (Late Lat. influentia, from influere, to flow in)

influence of Ruys broeck, the Flemish mystic . It was at Deventer, in the midst of this mystical See also:

• THEOLOGY

theology and hearty See also:

• PRACTICAL

practical benevolence, that Thomas a Kempis was trained . Gerhard Groot was his saintly ideal . Florentius Radewyn and Gerhard's other See also:

• EARLY
• EARLY, JUBAL ANDERSON (1816-1894)

early disciples were his heroes; their presence was his See also:

• ATMOSPHERE (Gr. fir µ6r, vapour; orkaipa, a sphere)

atmosphere, the measure of their lives his See also:

• HORIZON (Gr. 6pfTwv, dividing)

horizon . But he was not like them; he was not an educational reformer like Radewyn, nor a See also:

• MAN
• MAN, ISLE OF (anc. Mona)

man of affairs like Gerhard . He liked books and quiet corners all his days, he says; and so, when conviction of See also:

• SIN
• SIN (O. Eng. syn: a common Teutonic word, cf. Dutch zonde, Ger. Siinde)

sin and visions of See also:

• GOD

God's See also:

• GRACE (Fr. grace, Lat. gratia, from grates, beloved, pleasing; formed from the root cra-, Gr. xav-, cf. xaipw, x6p,ua, Xapts)
• GRACE, WILLIAM GILBERT (1848– )

grace came to him in the See also:

• MEDIEVAL

medieval fashion of a See also:

• DREAM (from a root dreug, connected with Germ. trugen, to deceive)

dream of the anger and forgiveness of the Virgin, Florentius told him that a See also:

• MONK (O.Eng. munuc; this with the Teutonic forms, e.g. Du. monnik, Ger. Witch, and the Romanic, e.g. Fr. moine, Ital. monacho and Span. monje, are from the Lat. monachus, adaptedfrom Gr. µovaXos, one living alone, a solitary; Own, alone)
• MONK (or MONCK), GEORGE
• MONK, JAMES HENRY (1784-1856)
• MONK, MARIA (c. 1817—1850)

monk's See also:

• LIFE

life would suit him best, advised him to join the Augustinian See also:

• ORDER
• ORDER (through Fr. ordre, for earlier ordene, from Lat. ordo, ordinis, rank, service, arrangement; the ultimate source is generally taken to be the root seen in Lat. oriri, rise, arise, begin; cf. " origin ")
• ORDER, HOLY

order, and sent him to Zwolle to the new See also:

• CONVENT (Lat. conventus, from convenire, to come together)

convent of Mount St Agnes, where his See also:

• BROTHER

brother John was See also:

• PRIOR (from Lat. prior—former, and hence superior, through O. Fr. priour)
• PRIOR, MATTHEW (1664-1721)

prior . Thomas was received there in 1399, he professed the vows in 1407, received See also:

• PRIEST (Ger. Priester, Fr. pretre)

priest's orders in 1413, became sub-prior in 1425 and died on the 8th of See also:

• AUGUST (originally Sextilis)

August 1471, being ninety-one.years old . The convent of Mount St Agnes was poor, and most of the monks had to See also:

• EARN

earn See also:

• MONEY

money to support their See also:

• HOUSEHOLD, ROYAL

household by copying See also:

• MSS

MSS . Thomas was a most laborious copyist: missals, books of devotion and a famous MS . See also:

• BIBLE
• BIBLE, ENGLISH

Bible were written by him . He also wrote a large number of See also:

• ORIGINAL

original writings, most of them See also:

• RELATING

relating to the convent life, which was the only life he knew .

He wrote a chronicle of the monastery and several See also:

• BIOGRAPHIES

biographies—the life of Gerhard Groot, of Florentius Radewyn, of a Flemish See also:

• LADY (0. Eng. hlaefdige, Mid. Eng. ldfdi, lavedi; the first part of the word is hldf, loaf, bread, as in the corresponding hldford, lord; the second part is usually taken to be from the root dig-, to knead, seen also in " dough "; the sense development fr

lady St See also:

• LOUISE [AUGUSTE WILHELMINE AMALIE LUISE] (1776-1810)

Louise, of Groot's original disciples; a number of tracts on the monastic life—The Monk's See also:

• ALPHABET (see also WRITING)

Alphabet, The Discipline of Cloisters, A See also:

• DIALOGUE

Dialogue of Novices, The Life of the See also:

• GOOD, JOHN MASON (1764-1827)

Good Monk, The Monk's See also:

• EPITAPH (Gr. it oa¢cos, sc. X/yos, from bri, upon, and ra¢os, a tomb)

Epitaph, Sermons to Novices, Sermons to Monks, The Solitary Life, On Silence, On Poverty, Humility and See also:

• PATIENCE

Patience; two tracts for See also:

• YOUNG
• YOUNG, A
• YOUNG, ARTHUR (1741-1820)
• YOUNG, BRIGHAM (1801-1877)
• YOUNG, CHARLES MAYNE (1777–1856)
• YOUNG, EDWARD (1683–1765)
• YOUNG, JAMES (1811-1883)
• YOUNG, THOMAS (1773-1829)

young See also:

• PEOPLE

people—A See also:

• MANUAL

Manual of See also:

• DOCTRINE

Doctrine for the Young, and A Manual for Children; and books for edification—On True Compunction, The See also:

• GARDEN (from O. Fr. garden, mod. Fr. jardin; this, like our words " garth," a paddock attached to a building, and " yard," comes from a Teutonic word for an enclosure which appears in Gothic as gards and O. H. Ger. gart, cf. Dutch gaarde and Ger. .garten)

Garden of See also:

• ROSES, WARS OF THE

Roses, The Valley of Lilies, The See also:

• CONSOLATION (Fr. consolation, Lat. consolatio, from consolari, to assuage, comfort, console)

Consolation of the Poor and the Sick, The Faithful Dispenser, The Soul's Soliloquy, The See also:

• HOSPITAL (Lat. haspitalis, the adjective of hospes, host or guest)

Hospital of the Poor . He also See also:

• LEFT

left behind him three collections of sermons, a number of letters, some See also:

• HYMNS

hymns and the famous Imitatio Christi (though his authorship of this has been disputed) . These writings help us to see the man and his surroundings, and contemporary pious records make him something more than a See also:

• SHADOW (0. Eng. Schadewe, sceadu; a form of " shade "; connected with Gr. 6-Ore's, darkness)

shadow . We see a real man, but a man helpless anywhere See also:

• SAVE, or SAVA (Ger. Sau; Hungarian Szdva; Lat. Savus)

save in the study or in the convent—a little fresh-coloured man, with soft See also:

• BROWN
• BROWN, CHARLES BROCKDEN (1771-181o)
• BROWN, FORD MADOX (1821-1893)
• BROWN, FRANCIS (1849- )
• BROWN, GEORGE (1818-188o)
• BROWN, HENRY KIRKE (1814-1886)
• BROWN, JACOB (1775–1828)
• BROWN, JOHN (1715–1766)
• BROWN, JOHN (1722-1787)
• BROWN, JOHN (1735–1788)
• BROWN, JOHN (1784–1858)
• BROWN, JOHN (1800-1859)
• BROWN, JOHN (1810—1882)
• BROWN, JOHN GEORGE (1831— )
• BROWN, ROBERT (1773-1858)
• BROWN, SAMUEL MORISON (1817—1856)
• BROWN, SIR GEORGE (1790-1865)
• BROWN, SIR JOHN (1816-1896)
• BROWN, SIR WILLIAM, BART
• BROWN, THOMAS (1663-1704)
• BROWN, THOMAS (1778-1820)
• BROWN, THOMAS EDWARD (1830-1897)
• BROWN, WILLIAM LAURENCE (1755–1830)

brown eves. who had a See also:

• HABIT (through the French from Lat. habitus, from habere, to have, hold, or, in a reflective sense, to be in a certain condition; in many of the English senses the French use habitude, not habit)

habit of stealing away to his cubiculum whenever the conversation became too lively; somewhat See also:

• BENT
• BENT (E1. BENI)
• BENT, JAMES THEODORE (1852–1897)

bent, for it is on See also:

• RECORD (Lat. recordari, to recall to mind, from cor, heart or mind)

record that he stood upright when the See also:

• PSALMS, BOOK
• PSALMS, BOOK OF, or PSALTER

psalms were chanted, and even See also:

• ROSE
• ROSE (Rosa)
• ROSE, GEORGE (1744-1818)
• ROSE, HUGH JAMES (1795—1838)
• ROSE, WILLIAM STEWART (1775-1843)

rose on his tiptoes with his See also:

• FACE (from Lat. fades, derived either from facere, to make, or from a root fa-, meaning " appear "; cf. Gr. cbatvstv)

face turned upwards; genial, if shy, and occasionally given to punning, as when he said that he preferred Psalmi to Salmones; a man who perhaps led the most placid uneventful life of all men who ever wrote a See also:

• BOOK

book or scribbled letters . It was not that he lived in uneventfultimes: it is impossible to select a stormier See also:

• PERIOD
• PERIOD (Gr. irepioSos, a going or way round, circuit, aepi, round, and &Sis, way, road)

period of See also:

• EUROPEAN

European history, or a per'ibd when the stir of the times made its way so well into the obscurest corners . Bohemia, See also:

• HUSS (or Hus), JOHN (c. 1373-1415)

Huss leading, was ablaze in revolt at one end of See also:

• EUROPE

Europe; See also:

• FRANCE
• FRANCE, ANATOLE (1844– )

France and See also:

• ENGLAND
• ENGLAND, THE CHURCH OF

England, then France and See also:

• BURGUNDY

Burgundy, were at See also:

• DEATH

death-grips at the other . Two popes anathematized each other from See also:

• AVIGNON

Avignon and from See also:

• ROME
• ROME (Roma)

Rome, and zealous churchmen were at their wit's end to concoct ways and means, by See also:

• GENERAL
• GENERAL (Lat. generalis, of or relating to a genus, kind or class)

general See also:

• COUNCILS

councils of See also:

• CONSTANCE
• CONSTANCE (Ger. Konstanz or Costnitz)
• CONSTANCE, COUNCIL OF
• CONSTANCE, LAKE OF (called by the Romans Lacus Brigantinus or lake of Bregenz, and now usually named in German Bodensee, as well as the " Swabian Sea ")

Constance and See also:

• BASEL (Fr. Bale)
• BASEL (Fr. Belle, but Basle is a wholly erroneous form; Ital. Basilea)
• BASEL, CONFESSION OF
• BASEL, COUNCIL OF

Basel and otherwise, to restore See also:

• PEACE
• PEACE, BREACH OF THE

peace to a distracted church, and to discipline the See also:

• CLERGY (M.E. clergie, O. Fr. clergie, from Low Lat. form clericia [Skean, by assimilation with O. Fr. clergie, Fr. clerge,from Low Lat. clericatus)
• CLERGY, BENEFIT OF

clergy into decent living . But Thomas knew nothing about all this . He was See also:

• INTENT (from Lat. intend ere, to stretch out, extend, particularly in the phrase intendere animum, to turn one's mind to, purpose)

intent on his copying, on his little books, and on his quiet conversations . His very biographies are colourless . He had not even the See also:

• COMMON

common See also:

• INTEREST

interest in the little world coming up to the convent See also:

• GATE

gate which most monks may be supposed to have . His brethren made him oeconomiae prefectus; but he was too " See also:

• SIMPLE

simple in worldly affairs " and too absent-minded for the See also:

• POST

post, and so they deposed him and made him sub-prior once more .

And yet it is this placid kindly fresh-coloured old man who has come down to us as the author of that book the See also:

• IMITATION (Lat. imitatio, from intitari, to imitate)

Imitation of See also:

• CHRIST (Gr. X pLQTOS, Anointed)
• CHRIST, WILHELM VON (1831-1906)

Christ, which has been translated into more See also:

• LANGUAGES

languages than any other book save the Bible, and which has moved the See also:

• HEARTS

hearts of so many men of all nations, characters and conditions of life . On the controversy as to the author of the Imitatio, see the See also:

• ARTICLE (from Lat. articulus, a joint)

article IMITATION OF CHRIST . See also See also:

• JAMES
• JAMES (Gr. 'IlrKw,l3or, the Heb. Ya`akob or Jacob)
• JAMES (JAMES FRANCIS EDWARD STUART) (1688-1766)
• JAMES, 2ND EARL OF DOUGLAS AND MAR(c. 1358–1388)
• JAMES, DAVID (1839-1893)
• JAMES, EPISTLE OF
• JAMES, GEORGE PAYNE RAINSFOP
• JAMES, HENRY (1843— )
• JAMES, JOHN ANGELL (1785-1859)
• JAMES, THOMAS (c. 1573–1629)
• JAMES, WILLIAM (1842–1910)
• JAMES, WILLIAM (d. 1827)

James See also:

• WILLIAMS
• WILLIAMS, JOHN (1582-1650)
• WILLIAMS, JOHN (1796-1839)
• WILLIAMS, ROGER (c. 1604–1684)
• WILLIAMS, ROWLAND (1817-1870)
• WILLIAMS, SIR WILLIAM FENWICK

Williams, Thomas of Kempen (191o) . The classical edition of the See also:

• WORKS

works of Thomas a Kempis by Sommalius—Thomas Malleoli a Kempis See also:

• OPERA (Italian for " work ")

opera amnia (3 vols. in 1, 1607)—has been many times reprinted . A See also:

• CRITICAL (in alphabetical order of authors)

critical edition in 8 vols. by M . J . Pohl, has also been undertaken . The best accounts in See also:

• ENGLISH

English of Thomas a Kempis are those by S . Kettlewell (1882) and F . R . Cruise (1887), written from the See also:

• PROTESTANT

Protestant and the See also:

• CATHOLIC (Gr. KcaBoXuK6s, general, universal)

Catholic stand-points respectively . A See also:

• PENNY (Mid. Eng. peni or peny, from O. Eng. form penig, earlier penning and pending; the word appears in Ger. Pfennig and Du. penning; it has been connected with Du. pand, Ger. Pfand, and Eng. " pawn,". the word meaning a little pledge or token, or with G
• PENNY, GIANFRANCESCO (1488–1528)

penny See also:

• TRACT (from Lat. tractare, to treat of a matter, through Provencal tractat and Ital. trattato)

tract by F .

R . Cruise, entitled Outline of the Life of Thomas d Kempis (1904), contains substantially all that is known concerning him . (T . M .