NOSTRADAMUS
Could He Really "See Tomorrow"?
Born in the early 16th century, Nostradamus has become one of the world's most widely known and read prophets.
His poetic yet cryptic prophesies, expressed in verse, are claimed by some to conceal information about future events. He completed a total of 942 quatrains which he organized into Centuries - groups of 100 quatrains (one Century only had 42 quatrains).
Do these writings actually predict the death of popes, rise of tyrants, and natural catastrophes to come? Is it true that he wrote them cryptically on purpose, and confused the order, deliberately, in order to avoid the all-seeing eye and burning stake of the "Holy" Inquisition? What do we really know about Nostradamus?
On December 14, 1503 in St. Remi, France, Michel de Nostredame was born. The first son of Jewish parents, forced by the Inquisition to convert to Catholicism, would become a skilled physician but would gain renown during his lifetime and beyond as a seer of the future.
Growing up he spent much of his time learning languages, math, astronomy, and astrology from his grandfather, Jean. Later he attended the University at Avignon where he studied liberal arts. Afterwards, he graduated from the medical school at the University of Montpellier and began a private practice where he succeeded at treating plague victims in Montpellier and the surrounding areas.
Around 1534 he married and began a family. Tragically, the plague which he had been so successful in treating previously took the lives of his wife and two children. (The names of his wife and children are not known).
Distraught and pursued by the Inquisition, Nostradamus packed his bags and traveled throughout Italy and France for the next six years. He eventually settled down in the town of Salon, France in 1554 where he married his second wife, Anne Ponsart Gemelle, with whom he raised six children - three boys and three girls.
It was during this time that he began his career as a prophet. In 1555, at the age of 52, he wrote his first collection of Centuries - a set of 100 quatrains. Over the next several years he would complete a total of 10 Centuries.
In 1564 Nostradamus was appointed Royal Physician to King Charles IX.
On July 1, 1566 Nostradamus offered his final prediction to his priest. In response to the priest's farewell of "Until tomorrow," Nostradamus is said to have answered: "You will not find me alive at sunrise."
Nostradamus died that night.
The rhymed quatrains of Nostradamus were written mainly in French with a bit of Italian, Greek, and Latin thrown in. He intentionally obscured the quatrains through the use of symbolism and metaphor, as well as by making changes to proper names by swapping, adding or removing letters. The obscuration is claimed to have been done to avoid his being tried as a magician. Of course a skeptic might say it was done so the quatrains could be interpreted to fit numerous situations.
An example of one of his more famous quatrains is from Century #2 Quatrain #24. The French and English versions are as follows:
Bestes farouches de faim fleuues tranner;
Plus part du champ encontre Hister sera,
En cage de fer le grand fera treisner,
Quand rien enfant de Germain obseruera.
Beasts ferocious from hunger will swim across rivers:
The greater part of the region will be against the Hister,
The great one will cause it to be dragged in an iron cage,
When the German child will observe nothing.
So does Hister actually refer to Hitler? An instance of Nostradamus changing letters around? Is this a reference to Germany during WWII?
Likewise, so many other of his "prophesies" which seem, on first examination to predict everything from England's "virgin" Queen Elizabeth I, to the cataclysmic end of our present civilization (not the world, itself Nostradamus predicts that a yet greater society will rise from the ashes and reach for stars). Who knows. In many cases, his predictions have been uncanny. In other cases, he has been completely wrong. Civilization certainly did not come crashing down in 1999, as many who interpret his works tended to believe he foresaw.
Still, evidence would tend to indicate that Nostradamus did, indeed see "something", and at times, at least, his visions of the future were not only correct but remarkably accurate How much did he really see? How much did he really know? Only time will tell.
Timeline
· 1503 - Born - Michel de Nostredame in St. Remy, France on December 14.
· 1534 - Married for the first time. Shortly thereafter he lost his wife and two children to the plague.
· 1554 - Married Anne Ponsart Gemelle in town of Salon, France
· 1555 - Nostradamus published his first set of 100 quatrains.
· 1566 - Died - July 2.
Russian scholar decodes Nostradamus. Part 1 - 5/28/08
Russian scholar decodes Nostradamus. Part 2 - 5/29/08
