Anchoring the Appearance of the Sacred: the Abbot of Choisy & His Translation of the Imitatio Christi (1692)

Abstract

Within the history of the book, the Imitatio Christi holds a place of prominence. In the early modern period, its success was enormous,*,1 even though the work had been composed with a limited readership in mind. As four separate manuscripts, it first circulated within the communities of the Devotio moderna. Quickly disseminated beyond this community of readers, vernacular translations point to a broadening of its audience, and dedications in early printed editions explicitly evoke worldly readers.2 The four disparate texts were intentionally transformed into a book.3 In this process, the manuscripts became