Nostradamus - Christian Research Institute. This article first appeared in the Christian Research Journal, volume 2. For further information or to subscribe to the Christian Research Journal go to: http: //www. SYNOPSISDo Nostradamus’s prophecies challenge the uniqueness of biblical prophecy? Christians claim that only biblical prophecy is numerous and specific while proving to be 1. In response, it is often asked whether the sixteenth- century prophet Nostradamus also made many accurate predictions. Critics argue that most of his prophecies are vague and ambiguous, and, therefore, they can refer to more than one person or event. His few specific or dated prophecies, moreover, have proven to be consistent failures. Nostradamus: A New Look at an Old Seer. The Complete Prophecies of Nostradamus. Buy Nostradamus: Attack on America & More Amazing. Attack on New York and Other Amazing. Devoted Nostradamus enthusiasts, nevertheless, consider him the world’s most accurate prophet and claim to have discovered the “keys” to correctly unlocking the true meaning of his prophecies, but they commit two errors. First, they propose theories about “devices” Nostradamus supposedly used to obscure or “encode” his prophecies. They then use their theories to prove their theories. Michel de Nostredame The Millennium Prophecies And Beyond. Can we dismiss the prophecies of Nostradamus? Within 2 cities (New York and Washington DC). Nostradamus, World Trade Center, New York. Did he prophecy of the assassination of President. Attack on New York and other Amazing Prophecies by Ray. Did Nostradamus Predict Nuclear Attack on New York. Nostradamus predicts nuclear strike on New York Sunday, November 27. Prophecies of Nostradamus. This is circular reasoning. Second, by applying an arsenal of these discovered “devices,” they manipulate his text to fit their desired interpretation. Words are manipulated by inserting, deleting, or changing any number of letters; phonetic equivalents are used; punctuation and grammar is altered; and other languages are substituted. Numbers and dates are manipulated as well, using arbitrary calculations. The case for Nostradamus’s accuracy rests on the interpretations offered by his enthusiasts. According to sound interpretive principles, however, they fail to demonstrate that the prophecies refer uniquely to one person or event. Do Nostradamus’s prophecies challenge the uniqueness of biblical prophecy? Christians claim that only biblical prophecy is numerous and specific while proving to be 1. In response, it is often asked whether the sixteenth- century prophet Nostradamus also made many accurate predictions. Critics argue that most of his prophecies are vague and ambiguous, and, therefore, they can refer to more than one person or event. His few specific or dated prophecies, moreover, have proven to be consistent failures. Devoted Nostradamus enthusiasts, nevertheless, consider him the world’s most accurate prophet and claim to have discovered the “keys” to correctly unlocking the true meaning of his prophecies, but they commit two errors. First, they propose theories about “devices” Nostradamus supposedly used to obscure or “encode” his prophecies. They then use their theories to prove their theories. This is circular reasoning. Second, by applying an arsenal of these discovered “devices,” they manipulate his text to fit their desired interpretation. Words are manipulated by inserting, deleting, or changing any number of letters; phonetic equivalents are used; punctuation and grammar is altered; and other languages are substituted. Numbers and dates are manipulated as well, using arbitrary calculations. The case for Nostradamus’s accuracy rests on the interpretations offered by his enthusiasts. According to sound interpretive principles, however, they fail to demonstrate that the prophecies refer uniquely to one person or event. NOSTRADAMUS AND HIS PROPHECIESIn 1. Nostradamus, a doctor by profession, published the first edition of his most famous work, titled, The Prophecies (or, The Centuries). Written mainly in French, it was to include 1. These enigmatic quatrains contain old French terms, Latin terms, mythical Greek figures, historical allusions, unique words, anagrams, puns, odd spellings, odd syntax, partial words, inverted word order, and so on. They have been described by one devotee as “a massive verbal jigsaw puzzle.”Since 1. Nostradamus has been published every 2. Nearly 4. 50 years have passed since Nostradamus first published his Centuries, yet the number of translations and commentaries found in bookstores bears testimony to the perpetual interest in the French seer and his prophecies. Ardent devotees claim he predicted many historic events with uncanny accuracy, and they consider him “the most effective prophet in the history of the human race.”2 Did Nostradamus really predict these events? Are his prophecies accurate? Do they pose a challenge to biblical prophecy? THE UNIQUENESS OF BIBLICAL PROPHECYChristian apologists point to fulfilled biblical prophecy as one evidence of the Bible’s supernatural source and unique nature as the Word of God. They argue that only biblical prophecy is (1) numerous, (2) specific, and (3) 1. This in turn supports the Bible’s claim to be the unique Word of God. Though prophecies outside the Bible meet one or even two of these criteria, only biblical prophecy meets all three. This claim that biblical prophecy is unique is challenged by skeptics of the supernatural, critics of the Bible, and even Christians who sometimes ask, “Didn’t Nostradamus also make many accurate prophecies?” In order to respond to this challenge it would be sufficient to demonstrate that just one of Nostradamus’s prophecies failed to come to pass. If even one has failed, then his prophecies as a whole fail to meet the criterion of 1. Though Nostradamus claimed he could not err (see below), few of his enthusiasts suggest he prophesied with 1. Despite this fatal disproof, however, many people still believe Nostradamus made numerous, specific, accurate predictions that rival biblical prophecy. It is necessary, therefore, to examine the evidence in more detail. ARE NOSTRADAMUS’S PROPHECIES SPECIFIC? The belief that Nostradamus made many accurate predictions rests on the interpretations offered by his enthusiasts. Since they claim to have discovered specific meaning in his enigmatic prophecies, the burden of proof is on the enthusiasts to demonstrate — using sound principles of interpretation — that specific (unambiguous) meaning exists in Nostradamus’s prophecies. That is, they must show that each prophecy has only one meaning and uniquely fits the event they claim fulfills it. What Did Nostradamus Say? Nostradamus made contradictory claims regarding the possibility of interpreting his prophecies. He repeatedly stated that future generations, even those antagonistic to him, ultimately would understand the meaning and truth of his predictions though they are veiled in obscure language: “For although they are written under a cloud, the meanings will be understood. When the time comes for the removal of ignorance, the event will be cleared up still more” (emphasis added). He also denied, however, the possibility of correct interpretation: “Most of the prophetic quatrains are so ticklish that there is no making way through them, nor is there any interpreting of them” (emphasis added). What Do Others Say? Critics argue that Nostradamus’s prophecies are ambiguous and therefore could refer to many persons, places, or events. One of Nostradamus’s contemporaries observed: “The style of the . Like airy vapors, they assume as they unroll, the figures which the spectator’s imagination lends to them. Peter Lemesurier describes them as “a massive verbal jigsaw puzzle.” “Moreover,” he adds, “their language is often obtuse and sometimes positively arcane. Quatrain 1–3. 5 launched the prophet’s career and has arguably been his most famous. One would expect this quatrain to be among his least ambiguous: The young lion will overcome the old one, On the field of battle in single combat; He will burst his eyes in a cage of gold, Two fleets one, then to die, a cruel death. This quatrain is said to refer to the accidental death of King Henry II of France. At a royal wedding festival, Gabriel, Count of Montgomery defeated King Henry (young lion will overcome the old one) in a friendly jousting competition (on the field of battle in single combat). The count’s lance shattered, and a splinter ran through Henry’s helmet (cage of gold) into his brain, entering just above his eye (burst his eyes). Henry died after days of suffering (then to die, a cruel death). Critics argue that the items in this quatrain are either not specific or just do not fit the event closely enough to support the accuracy ascribed to it. First, contrary to what the enthusiasts declare, the French never used the “lion” as an emblem, so this figure of speech fits neither Henry nor the count in that respect. Second, “young lion” versus “old one” at best overstates the age difference between the two, Henry being at the most six years older; nor was Henry “old,” being only 4. Third, “The field of battle in single combat” could refer to any number of battles in history, and it is unlikely to be a reference to a friendly jousting competition at a marriage festival where, as James Randi points out, it was a serious faux pas even to draw blood. Fourth, the shattered lance did not “burst” Henry’s eyes but entered his brain above only one eye. Fifth, “a cage of gold” could only vaguely refer to a helmet of gold. In any case, neither competitor wore a gold helmet since gold is a metal too soft to be used for protective armor; nor is there any evidence Henry’s helmet was gilt in gold. Sixth, the phrase “two fleets one” presents a problem. The French word classe is translated “fleet” everywhere else in the Centuries. Since “fleet” does not fit anything in this event, the enthusiasts, without justification, find a similar sounding Greek word, klasis, which means “a fracture,” and change the line from “two fleets one” to “two wounds made one,” meaning one wound for Henry and another for France who lost her king. Finally, the only line that is remotely descriptive of this event is that Henry “died a cruel death” after days of suffering. The connection between this famous quatrain and Henry’s accidental death has not been demonstrated using sound principles of interpretation. Because these phrases are ambiguous, to what or whom this prophecy refers remains a mystery.
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