The New Devotion

I always found it fascinating to think that the great new religious reformation of the second millenium which culminated in the reformation of Luther and Calvin actually had roots in one of the smallest countries in Europe. It all began in the Netherlands, and, of all places, not in its famous and influential Amsterdam, but in a number of small cities to the east.

The famous “Imitiation of Christ” cannot be understood without taking into consideration these Dutch cities in which Thomas a Kempis lived and worked. In his time the Hanseatic confederation of towns in the eastern parts of the Netherlands consisted of such towns like Zwolle, Kampen, Zutphen and Deventer. In the fourteenth and fifteenth century at the time The Imitation of Christ was being written, these cities were among the wealthy commercial centres of the country. Though they were not as big as cities like Amsterdam, they were prosperous. And they valued their independence.

Through their trade they developed links with other countries. The exchange of trade is always a two-sided affair. It benefits both parties involved in business transations. As a result of the international contacts, the intellectual life of these cities developed fast. Preachers from over the world visited to work in these cities. Members of well-known orders in the then hugely strong and influential Roman Catholic church lived in these cities and helped with the education of the locals. They were also involved in social upliftment and support of the poor.

It was in this time that many members of the orders began to feel the church was in need of reformation. Monasteries were criticized for their irreligious behaviour and their superficiality. At the same time there was a common drive to bring people to a deeper experience of their faith. The goal was to guide members of the church to live a life of piety. The time, they felt, was right for a new piety, a new devotion. With time this movement actually began to be described as “The New Devotion.” It produced Geert Grote as one of its greatest representatives and someone who had a huge influence on Thomas A Kempis.

The New Devotion is a result of these developments. In this movement the focus was on the practical experience of faith. They rejected speculative and intellectual hair splittingallyh . More important was the traditional Biblical wisdom which promoted the unity with Christ. The New Devotion held the meditative reading of the Bible in high regard. The prayerful reflection on Scripture was at the heart of this movement. It developed into Lectio Divina.

It is especially the focus on the person in the street that strikes me. The New Devotion did not regard the faith of the religious as the more important issue. Also the person in the pew had to grow in their spirituality. Spiritual growth is not only for the religious, but for everyone. The church is not about some of the people with a special calling, but about every believer. Some of the theologians who describe this period, talk about the process of democratization that characterizes it. In fact, one may find some of the roots of modern day democracy already in this phenomenon.

The important point of all this detail is that Thomas A Kempis represented the face of a movement that began before his time. He is one of many individuals who experienced a time in which the church and theology had, in many regards, failed faith. It is sad. But it is not the first and it will not be the last time in history that the church who should be a space where people live their faith, in fact stifle and stand in the way of faith. And it is remarkable that after a time in which Thomas Aquinas, considered by many as one of the most learned theologians of all times, wrote his works of extreme erudition, many believing souls simply thought that theology had nothing to offer them. They desired something else, yearned for something deeper and asked for something fulfilling.

Makes one think. Makes one think deeply. History has a tendency to repeat itself....