Nostradamus : The Man Who Knew Tomorrow There once was a man who could not be confined to his own time.Michel Notredame, known to us as Nostradamus. French astrologer and physician , the most widely read seer of the Renaissance . He began making prophecies about 1547 , which he published in 1555 in a book entitled Centuries . His prophecies have continued to create much controversy . some of them are thought to have foretold actual historical events that have occurred since Nostradamus.Nostradamus was born December 14, 1503 , at Sait - Re`my - de - Provence . His Jewish family had only recently converted to the Catholic faith , and in compliance with local law , changed their name from Gassonet to Notredame . If they didn't do this they would have been forced to leave the Provence and their property behind . ( pg . 44 Sobel ) Michel was an excellent student , he attended school in Avignon and then at the University of Montpellier . At 22 after graduating he followed the custom of other contemporary scholars and Latinized his name so that it became Nostradamus instead of Notredame . Four years later , after completing medical studies that made him a physician , he assumed another entitled affection : the special four - cornered hat served the same identifying purpose in those days as the initials M.D. serve today .Nostradamus made his reputation as a doctor of extraordinary skill who gave generously to the poor . His grandfather Pierre had also worked as a physician , because that was one of the only professions open to Jews at this time . Nostradamus was said to possess an uncanny ability to help victims of the plague recover their health . Some modern interpeters believe he had knowledge of infection control far ahead of his time and only pretended to use herbal remedies to avoid trouble with the authorities , who would have had him burned at the stake for practicing magic . The plague took the lives of his own wife...
