Answer the following question: Facts: - death place: zwolle , bishopric of utrecht , holy roman empire - other names: thomas thomas hamerken von kempen thomas haemerkken thomas hammerlein thomas hemerken - known for: '' the imitation of christ '' - death date: 25 july 1471 - birth date: 1380 - name: thomas a kempis , c.r.s.a. - ethnicity: dutch - image: thomas von kempen js.jpg - birth place: kempen , prince-archbishopric of cologne , holy roman empire - occupation: canon regular , author , scribe Based on these bullet points, write a short biography describing the life of thomas a kempis .
Answer:
thomas a kempis , c.r.s.a. -lrb- '' thomas van kempen '' or '' thomas hemerken '' or '' haemerken '' , litt .'' hammerkin '' -lrb- small hammer -rrb- ; c. 1380 -- 25 july 1471 -rrb- was a canon regular of the late medieval period and the most 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 hometown , and in german he is known as thomas von kempen .he also is known by various spellings of his family name : thomas haemerken ; thomas hammerlein ; thomas hemerken and thomas hamerken .