Nostradamus
From The Art and Popular Culture Encyclopedia
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| "And throughout the period, it must be remembered, there existed amongst educated and uneducated alike a most unquestioning faith in every form of the [[supernatural]]; from the gentlest doctrines of Christianity to the most monstrous morbidities of [[witchcraft]] and [[black magic]]. It was from no empty background that the [[Renaissance magic]]ians and [[alchemists]] -- [[Nostradamus]], [[Trithemius]], Dr. [[John Dee]], [[Robert Fludd]], and the like -- were born." --"[[Supernatural Horror in Literature]]" (1927) by H. P. Lovecraft | "And throughout the period, it must be remembered, there existed amongst educated and uneducated alike a most unquestioning faith in every form of the [[supernatural]]; from the gentlest doctrines of Christianity to the most monstrous morbidities of [[witchcraft]] and [[black magic]]. It was from no empty background that the [[Renaissance magic]]ians and [[alchemists]] -- [[Nostradamus]], [[Trithemius]], Dr. [[John Dee]], [[Robert Fludd]], and the like -- were born." --"[[Supernatural Horror in Literature]]" (1927) by H. P. Lovecraft | ||
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| - | |}{{Template}} | + | '''Nostradamus''' (1503 – 1566) was a French [[Astrology|astrologer]], [[apothecary]], physician, and reputed [[Oracle|seer]], who is best known for his book ''[[Les Prophéties]]'' (published in 1555), a collection of 942 poetic [[quatrain]]s allegedly predicting future events. |
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| + | Nostradamus's father's family had originally been Jewish, but had converted to [[Catholic Christianity]] a generation before Nostradamus was born. He studied at the [[University of Avignon]], but was forced to leave after just over a year when the university closed due to an outbreak of the [[Bubonic plague|plague]]. He worked as an [[apothecary]] for several years before entering the [[University of Montpellier]], hoping to earn a doctorate, but was almost immediately expelled after his work as an apothecary (a manual trade forbidden by university statutes) was discovered. He first married in 1531, but his wife and two children died in 1534 during another plague outbreak. He worked against the plague alongside other doctors before remarrying to Anne Ponsarde, with whom he had six children. He wrote an [[almanac]] for 1550 and, as a result of its success, continued writing them for future years as he began working as an [[Astrology|astrologer]] for various wealthy patrons. [[Catherine de' Medici]] became one of his foremost supporters. His ''[[Les Prophéties]]'', published in 1555, relied heavily on historical and literary [[precedent]], and initially received mixed reception. He suffered from severe [[gout]] toward the end of his life, which eventually developed into [[edema]]. He died on 1 or 2 July 1566. Many popular authors have retold [[apocrypha]]l legends about his life. | ||
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| + | In the years since the publication of his ''Les Prophéties'', Nostradamus has attracted many supporters, who, along with some of the popular press, credit him with having accurately predicted many major world events. | ||
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| + | Academic sources reject the notion that Nostradamus had any genuine supernatural prophetic abilities and maintain that the associations made between world events and Nostradamus's quatrains are the result of (sometimes deliberate) misinterpretations or mistranslations. These academics also argue that Nostradamus's predictions are characteristically vague, meaning they could be applied to virtually anything, and are useless for determining whether their author had any real prophetic powers. | ||
| - | '''Nostradamus''' (1503 – 1566) was a [[France|French]] [[apothecary]] and reputed [[Prophet|seer]] who published collections of [[prophecy|prophecies]] that have since become famous worldwide. He is best known for his book ''Les Propheties'' ("The Prophecies"), the first edition of which appeared in 1555. Since the publication of this book, which has rarely been out of print since his death, Nostradamus has attracted a following that, along with the popular press, credits him with predicting many major world events. The prophecies have in some cases been assimilated to the results of applying the alleged [[Bible code]], as well as to other purported prophetic works. | ||
| - | Most academic sources maintain that the associations made between world events and Nostradamus's [[quatrain]]s are largely the result of misinterpretations or mistranslations (sometimes deliberate) or else are so tenuous as to render them useless as evidence of any genuine predictive power. Moreover, none of the sources listed offers any evidence that anyone has ever interpreted any of Nostradamus's quatrains specifically enough to allow a clear identification of any event in advance. | ||
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Revision as of 20:47, 17 June 2024
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"And throughout the period, it must be remembered, there existed amongst educated and uneducated alike a most unquestioning faith in every form of the supernatural; from the gentlest doctrines of Christianity to the most monstrous morbidities of witchcraft and black magic. It was from no empty background that the Renaissance magicians and alchemists -- Nostradamus, Trithemius, Dr. John Dee, Robert Fludd, and the like -- were born." --"Supernatural Horror in Literature" (1927) by H. P. Lovecraft |
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Nostradamus (1503 – 1566) was a French astrologer, apothecary, physician, and reputed seer, who is best known for his book Les Prophéties (published in 1555), a collection of 942 poetic quatrains allegedly predicting future events.
Nostradamus's father's family had originally been Jewish, but had converted to Catholic Christianity a generation before Nostradamus was born. He studied at the University of Avignon, but was forced to leave after just over a year when the university closed due to an outbreak of the plague. He worked as an apothecary for several years before entering the University of Montpellier, hoping to earn a doctorate, but was almost immediately expelled after his work as an apothecary (a manual trade forbidden by university statutes) was discovered. He first married in 1531, but his wife and two children died in 1534 during another plague outbreak. He worked against the plague alongside other doctors before remarrying to Anne Ponsarde, with whom he had six children. He wrote an almanac for 1550 and, as a result of its success, continued writing them for future years as he began working as an astrologer for various wealthy patrons. Catherine de' Medici became one of his foremost supporters. His Les Prophéties, published in 1555, relied heavily on historical and literary precedent, and initially received mixed reception. He suffered from severe gout toward the end of his life, which eventually developed into edema. He died on 1 or 2 July 1566. Many popular authors have retold apocryphal legends about his life.
In the years since the publication of his Les Prophéties, Nostradamus has attracted many supporters, who, along with some of the popular press, credit him with having accurately predicted many major world events.
Academic sources reject the notion that Nostradamus had any genuine supernatural prophetic abilities and maintain that the associations made between world events and Nostradamus's quatrains are the result of (sometimes deliberate) misinterpretations or mistranslations. These academics also argue that Nostradamus's predictions are characteristically vague, meaning they could be applied to virtually anything, and are useless for determining whether their author had any real prophetic powers.
