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It recounts how earlier inscriptions attributed completion in 1441 to Thomas von Kempen, while later scholarship argues Thomas was an editor and the underlying author was Gerhard Groote. Groote’s biography is outlined, including his conversion, monastic discipline, preaching efforts, the suppression of his license, and his influence on the Brethren of the Common Life.",{"@graph":69,"@context":122},[70,84,105],{"@type":71,"itemListElement":72},"BreadcrumbList",[73,77,79,82],{"item":74,"name":75,"@type":76,"position":8},"https://docshare.wps.com","Home","ListItem",{"item":78,"name":9,"@type":76,"position":14},"https://docshare.wps.com/document/",{"item":80,"name":15,"@type":76,"position":81},"https://docshare.wps.com/document/literature/",3,{"item":83,"name":65,"@type":76,"position":19},"https://docshare.wps.com/document/the-imitation-of-christ-introduction/426447/",{"url":83,"name":65,"@type":85,"image":86,"author":91,"headline":65,"publisher":94,"fileFormat":97,"inLanguage":63,"description":67,"dateModified":98,"datePublished":99,"encodingFormat":97,"isAccessibleForFree":100,"interactionStatistic":101},"DigitalDocument",{"url":87,"@type":88,"width":89,"height":90},"https://docshare.wps.com/thumbnails/the-imitation-of-christ-introduction/426447.png","ImageObject",300,407,{"name":92,"@type":93},"Riley West","Person",{"url":74,"name":95,"@type":96},"DocShare","Organization","application/pdf","2026-10-22","2026-09-29",true,{"@type":102,"interactionType":103,"userInteractionCount":34},"InteractionCounter",{"@type":104},"ViewAction",{"@type":106,"mainEntity":107},"FAQPage",[108,114,118],{"name":109,"@type":110,"acceptedAnswer":111},"What does the introduction say about the book’s publication and popularity?","Question",{"text":112,"@type":113},"It states that thousands of editions have been printed and that the work remains one of the most popular devotional books after the Bible.","Answer",{"name":115,"@type":110,"acceptedAnswer":116},"Why do scholars question the earlier attribution to Thomas von Kempen?",{"text":117,"@type":113},"The introduction explains that the earlier inscription suggested Thomas von Kempen finished the work in 1441, but scholars now believe he was only an editor and Gerhard Groote was the real author.",{"name":119,"@type":110,"acceptedAnswer":120},"How did Gerhard Groote influence the Brethren of the Common Life?",{"text":121,"@type":113},"The introduction says Groote’s preaching led a group of men to seek fuller spiritual discipline, and that this group eventually became a major educational force in northern Europe.","https://schema.org",{"og:url":83,"og:type":124,"og:title":65,"og:site_name":95,"og:description":67},"article",{"robots":126,"canonical":83},"index,follow",{"doc_id":128,"site_id":62},426447,1791456876,{"code":4,"msg":5,"data":131},{"doc_id":128,"user_id":132,"nickname":92,"user_avatar":133,"doc_module":4,"category_id":14,"category_name":15,"doc_title":65,"doc_description":67,"doc_content":134,"file_id":135,"file_url":136,"file_type":137,"file_size":138,"view_count":34,"is_deleted":4,"is_public":8,"is_downloadable":8,"audit_status":8,"page_count":139,"language":140,"language_code":63,"site_id":62,"html_lang":63,"table_of_contents":141,"faqs":142,"seo_title":143,"seo_description":67,"update_tm":144,"read_time":145},1099523885074,"https://ap-avatar.wpscdn.com/davatar_9964176cb1d06d4a9deccf72a44ae3dc","THE IMITATION OFCHRIST  \nBy Thomas A KempisEdited by PAUL SIMPSON McELROY  \n# A PETERPAUPERPRESSBOOK\n\nTHE IMITATION OFHRIST  \nBy Thomas A KempisEdited by PAUL SIMPSON McELROY  \nJllustrations by Stanley Clough  \nPETER PAUPER PRESSMount Vernon,New York  \ncOPYRIGHT◎I965BY THEPETERPAUPERPRESs,INC.  \n# Introduction\n\nIt has been estimated that over six thousandeditions of The Imitation of Christ have beenprinted and next to the Bible it is still the mostpopular of devotional books and is a perennialbest seller.  \nIn the earlier editions these words appeared:\"Finished and completed in the year of our Lord1441 by the hand of brother Thomas von Kem-pen at Mt.St.Agnes near Zwelle.\"From thisinscription which is what any copyist mighthave written,people have assumed that Thomasvon Kempen was the author,but scholars nowbelieve that he was only the editor and that thereal author was one Gerhard Groote.  \nGerhard Groote was a wealthy,attractive andbrilliant lawyer,a professor and gifted speaker.Although eminently successful,he became dis-satisfied with life.He gave up his lucrative posi-tions and even gave arway his money,prior tospending three years from 1376 to 1379 in thesevere discipline of a Carthusian monastery.Al-though he never became a full-fledged monkbecause the authorities felt bis unusual talentscould be better used in preaching,he did takedeacon's ordination and for the next four yearsmoved the people of Holland to repent and togive themselves to Christ as no other preacherbad done.  \nHis exposure of the vices of the establishedclergy and the church caused the Bishop ofUtrecht to revoke his license to preach.How-ever,he gave the remaining year of bis life towriting and to the ordering of a group called theBrethren of the Common Life.These brethrenwere a group of men who had been so influ-enced by Groote's preaching that they wantedto give themselves to a more complete life ofspiritual discipline with more freedom than themonastic orders afforded.Eventually this group,during the fifteenth century,came to be re-garded as the greatest educators in northernEurope.  \nIn 1384a plague broke out and Groote him-self became infected while attending one of theBrethren,and died at the age of forty-four.  \nThe Imitation of Christ is a compilation ofthe writings of Gerhard Groote,most of whichwere written for bis own private use or as aidsin the spiritual development of the Brethren ofthe Common Life.  \nThe guiding principle in this particular selec-tion has been to gather passages that rwill callpeople today,as it did the Sisters and Brethrenof the Common Life,to the realization of whatconforming our lives to Christ means.THE EDITOR","cbCaifmjNpcATc9J","https://ap.wps.com/l/cbCaifmjNpcATc9J","pdf",1977271,72,"English","# Introduction\n## Publication background and authorship debate\n## Gerhard Groote’s life and spiritual calling\n## Formation and influence of the Brethren of the Common Life\n## Death and compilation purpose","[{\"question\":\"What does the introduction say about the book’s publication and popularity?\",\"answer\":\"It states that thousands of editions have been printed and that the work remains one of the most popular devotional books after the Bible.\"},{\"question\":\"Why do scholars question the earlier attribution to Thomas von Kempen?\",\"answer\":\"The introduction explains that the earlier inscription suggested Thomas von Kempen finished the work in 1441, but scholars now believe he was only an editor and Gerhard Groote was the real author.\"},{\"question\":\"How did Gerhard Groote influence the Brethren of the Common Life?\",\"answer\":\"The introduction says Groote’s preaching led a group of men to seek fuller spiritual discipline, and that this group eventually became a major educational force in northern Europe.\"}]","The Imitation of Christ - Introduction | PDF",1790640627,111]