Aside from the Bible, "The Imitation of Christ" is among the most famous religious works of the Christian world, translated into more than fifty languages and printed in more than six thousand editions. Widely known in manuscript, it was being circulated as early as 1420. Its first publication in English was in 1696. The original language of "The Imitation of Christ" is Latin, not the classical Latin of Rome but medieval Latin.

"The Imitation of Christ" is a Devotional that is held in extremely high regard particularly in Catholicism. The book is a collection of recommendations for how to live one's life day-to-day in service of God and follow the morals of the Bible. It is separated into four primary sections, each of which has many smaller chapters.