Thomas a Kempis (c. 1380-25 July 1471) was a late Medieval Catholic monk and the probable author of The Imitation of Christ, which is one of the best known Christian books on devotion. His name means, “Thomas of Kempen”, his home town and in German he is known as Thomas von Kempen. He also is known by spellings of his family name: Thomas Haemerkken; Thomas Hammerlien; Thomas Hemerken, and Thomas Hamerken.