"Christianized" Jews in the Time of Nostradamus
In the 15th and 16th centuries, religious feeling against Jews was strong and hateful. Devout Christians condemned them as Christ-murderers. Rumors that Jews had poisoned water supplies, thus causing the Black Death, were rampant. The Inquisition was in full swing in Europe.
Throughout Europe, particularly in Spain, Jews were presecuted and killed. Many from Spain and other ghettos flocked to Provence where they found sanctuary -- until 1501. In that year, Charles of Maine, heir to the throne of Provence, died, and the region was formally acquired by France. The new French king, Louis XII, decreed that all Jews must be baptized as Christians or be banished.
Members of Nostradamus' family were baptized and were accepted in St. Remy as model Christians by the time he was born. However, in private, they followed the Jewish faith and preserved their religious and cultural traditions.
This may help to explain why Nostradamus had to be exceedingly cautious when exercising his prophetic skills and publishing The Centuries. This was an era without constitutional guarantee of freedom of speech. Indeed, it seems as if the only guarantee one would have while expressing unorthodox thoughts was that of personal harm in one form or another.
Return to a Short Biography of Nostradamus
Voyage to the Observatory to visit my Home -- and for the Main Index.
