Episode #123 – Should We Trust Nostradamus? (Part II)

These days Nostradamus is best known for the predictions found in his book The Prophecies. But, surprisingly, that book only became popular after the French seers’ death. During his lifetime Nostradamus was better known for his yearly almanacs. Still, there is something about the poetic style of The Prophecies that has kept it evergreen where his almanacs have faded into obscurity. What is it about The Prophecies that has kept people engaged over the centuries? Is there anything in this book we should take seriously? Tune in and find out how splinters in the eye, astronomical assurances, and a gouty foot bench all play a role in the story.

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Works Cited

Gerson Step̌hane. Nostradamus How an Obscure Renaissance Astrologer Became the Modern Prophet of Doom. Picador USA, 2013.

Hogue, John. Nostradamus: a Life and Myth: the First Complete Biography of the World’s Most Famous and Controversial Prophet. Element, 2003.

Lemesurier, Peter, and Nostradamus. The Nostradamus Encyclopedia: the Definitive Reference Guide to the Work and World of Nostradamus. Thoms Dunne Books, 1999.

Lemesurier, Peter. Nostradamus, Bibliomancer: the Man, the Myth, the Truth. New Page Books, 2010.

Nostradamus, et al. The Prophecies. Penguin Classics, 2014.

Randi, James. The Mask of Nostradamus: the Prophecies of the World’s Most Famous Seer. Prometheus, 1993.

Wilson, Ian. Nostradamus: the Evidence. Orion, 2003.