orig. Thomas Hemerken
born 1379/80, Kempen, near Düsseldorf, Rhineland
died Aug. 8, 1471, Agnietenberg, near Zwolle, Bishopric of Utrecht
Christian theologian and probable author of The Imitation of Christ .
He went to Deventer, Neth., с 1392 and joined the Brethren of the Common Life, a community devoted to the care and education of the poor. In 1387 he entered the Augustinian monastery of canons regular at Agnietenberg. He was ordained a priest in 1413 and devoted himself to copying manuscripts and directing novices. He is credited with writing The Imitation of Christ , the most influential devotional work in Christian literature after the Bible. Noted for its simple language and style, it emphasizes spiritual over materialistic life and affirms the rewards of a life centred on Christ. The Imitation and his other treatises and sermons are the best representation of the devotio moderna , a new form of religious devotion that arose at the end of the 14th century.