The incorporation of the Imitatio by Protestant and Catholic reform movements
suggests important points of continuity between late medieval and early modem
religion, especially within the realm of spirituality. The study of the Imitatio is
testimony to the versatility of spirituality; it was accessible both to the laity and monks
and also to Protestants and Catholics. The ethical emphasis of the Imitatio, its
interiority, its simplicity and intended renewal in Christ, were vital to its endurance.
The text's accessibility was reinforced by the expansive nature of late medieval
and early modem translations. English and French translations of the Imitatio at the turn
of the sixteenth century reflected the concern for simplification, thereby simplifying the
text rather than providing an alternative interpretation. In the sixteenth century,
Protestant translators, grounded in the essential tenets of Lutheran theology, inevitably
revised or removed any explicitly Catholic elements of the Imitatio's spirituality.
Despite its apparent widespread appeal, the promotion of the Imitatio tended to
be undertaken by late medieval and early modem movements which had links with the
devotio moderna. The Imitatio was circulated in late medieval England and France by
individuals whose connections with the devotio moderna were marked. Indeed, a
similar trend was evident with the Protestant tradition of the text; Leo Jud, Caspar
Schwenckfeld and Sebastian Castellio were all directly or indirectly influenced by the
Brethren.
Most striking of all was the timing with which translations of the Imitatio
appeared. The translations by Caspar Schwenckfeld, Leo Jud, Edward Hake and
Thomas Rogers were undertaken at a critical stage of their respective Reformations.
Similarly, the Jesuits, traditionally viewed as the vanguards of the Counter-
Reformation, were deeply committed to the Imitatio. Devotional works were vital to the
maturing progress of Reformations, regardless of the confession. Spirituality was not a
peripheral, insignificant dimension of religion; it remained at the very centre of
Protestant and Catholic self-perception and identity
