Encyclopedia Of Prophecy

301 Pages·2001·9.712 MB·English

by  Geoffrey Ashe

Encyclopedia
of Prophecy
xiv—Running Foot
Encyclopedia
of Prophecy
Geoffrey Ashe
B
Santa Barbara,California
Denver,Colorado
Oxford,England
Copyright © 2001 by Geoffrey Ashe
All rights reserved.No part of this publication may be reproduced,stored in a retrieval system,or transmitted,in
any form or by any means,electronic,mechanical,photocopying,recording,or otherwise,except for the
inclusion of brief quotations in a review,without prior permission in writing from the publishers.
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Ashe,Geoffrey.
Encyclopedia of prophecy / Geoffrey Ashe.
p. cm.
Includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN 1-57607-079-4 (alk.paper)—ISBN 1-57607-528-1 (e-book)
1. Prophecies (Occultism)—Encyclopedias. I. Title.
BF1786 .A84 2001
133.3'03—dc21
2001001067
06 05 04 03 02 01 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
This book is also available on the World Wide Web as an e-book.Visit abc-clio.com for details.
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This book is printed on acid-free paper I.
Manufactured in the United States of America
CONTENTS
Preface,vii
Acknowledgments,ix
Encyclopedia of Prophecy
Adams,Evangeline,1 Daniel,53
Angelic Pope,1 Dante Alighieri,55
Antichrist,2 Day of the Lord,60
Apocalypse,5 Delphi,61
Apollo,7 Divination,63
Aquarius,Age of,7 Dixon,Jeane,65
Armageddon,8 Dreams,66
Arthur,King,9 Dunne,J.W.,68
Astrology,13 Elijah,73
Atlantis,16 Eliot,George,76
Augustine,Saint,18 End of the World,76
Bacon,Francis,21 Ezekiel,81
Bahais,23 Fatima,83
Barton,Elizabeth,24 Fifth Monarchy Men,86
Bellamy,Edward,25 Forster,E.M.,86
Benson,Robert Hugh,26 Frederick Barbarossa,90
Besant,Annie,27 Garnett,Mayn Clew,93
Biblical Prophecy (1)—Israelite and Glastonbury (Somerset,England),93
Jewish,28 Guglielma of Milan,96
Biblical Prophecy (2)—Christian,31 Hanussen,Erik Jan,99
Blake,William,34 Harbou,Thea von,100
Brahan Seer,The,36 Herzl,Theodor,101
British-Israel Theory,37 Hildegard of Bingen,Saint,103
Camisards,39 Huxley,Aldous,104
Cassandra,41 Isaiah,107
Cathbad,42 Jeremiah,111
Cayce,Edgar,43 Jesus Christ,113
Cazotte,Jacques,45 Joachim of Fiore,116
Channeling,47 Johanson,Anton,119
Cheiro,48 John,Saint,119
Chesterton,Gilbert Keith,49 John the Baptist,121
v
CONTENTS
Jonah,121 Quetzalcoatl,199
Kalki,125 Revelation,201
Krafft,Karl Ernst,125 Robertson,Morgan,208
Lawrence,D.H.,129 Sabbatai Zevi,211
Lemuria,129 Savonarola,Girolamo,213
Lilly,William,131 Scrying,214
Macbeth, 133 Second Charlemagne,216
Mahdi,134 Second Isaiah,218
Maitreya,135 Seneca,Lucius Annaeus,221
Malachy,Saint,135 Shamanism,221
Maya,138 Shambhala,222
Mercier,Louis-Sébastien,139 Shaw,George Bernard,226
Merlin,143 Shipton,Mother,228
Messiah,147 “Sibyl”(Norse),230
Micah,150 Sibyls and Sibylline Texts,231
Milton,John,151 Simeon and Anna,233
Monmouth,James,Duke of,156 Smith,Joseph,233
Moore,Francis,157 Solovyev,Vladimir,235
Morris,William,157 Southcott,Joanna,237
Muhammad,159 Sphinx,238
Napoleon,161 Spurinna,239
Nazi Germany,161 Stapledon,Olaf,240
Newspaper Astrology,165 Stead,W.T.,243
Newton,Isaac,165 Tarot,245
Nixon,Robert,167 Tecumseh,249
Nostradamus,168 Tennyson,Alfred,250
Oracles,177 Thaxter,Celia,250
Orwell,George,178 Theosophy,251
Palmistry,181 Thomas Aquinas,Saint,253
Parapsychology,182 Thomas the Rhymer,254
Partridge,John,182 Titanic, 255
Peden,Alexander,183 Virgil,257
Premonitions,185 Wandering Jew,259
Promised Land,186 Wells,H.G.,260
Prophecy,Theories of,188 Witchcraft,265
Psychics,195 Zamyatin,Yevgeny,269
Pyramidology,196
Bibliography,271
Index,275
About the Author,291
vi
PREFACE
The word prophecy originally meant Portuguese visionary (whose story is in this
“inspired utterance.”A god or goddess book) was right.
or spirit or, at any rate, some unseen being From the experts’point of view,most of the
other than the person inspired, spoke cases surveyed here would doubtless count as
through that person. At first, prophecy did irrational. People are supposed to have
not imply foretelling the future, but that acquired knowledge of the future through
meaning developed,especially in Greece and processes that may be closer to the old concept
in ancient Israel.Largely because the Israelite of inspiration: through a rapport with some
prophets’ predictions were preserved in the divine or supernatural being, through clair-
Bible and because the Bible became a sacred voyance, through dreams, or through some
book for many nations,the predictive mean- paranormal technique such as astrology.In all
ing of prophecy came to predominate in the such cases,the encyclopedia is concerned with
Western world. facts. It makes no prior assumption as to
Prophecy in the predictive sense,with or whether knowledge of the future really occurs
without a claim to inspiration,is the subject or can occur. Sometimes the facts, upon
of this encyclopedia.A distinction is needed examination, may be thought to favor that
at the outset.The encyclopedia is not about possibility.Sometimes they evidently do not.
intelligent anticipation or rational forecast- There are also prophecies where the main
ing,such as that attempted by political jour- interest lies in the way they reflect hopes or
nalists, economic prognosticators, statisti- aspirations or ways of thinking, so that they
cians, and scientists who project what they have a place in the history of ideas even
regard as historical and current trends into though the predictions may be obsolete.
the future. Activity of this type enjoyed a There is not much in the encyclopedia
special vogue between about 1965 and 1975, about science fiction,although,of course,it
under the name of futurology.It is not con- often has a future setting. The volume of
sidered here or is considered only margin- material is too vast to accommodate,and the
ally. One justification for considering other best of it is rooted in rational anticipation,
sorts of prediction is that the would-be however fancifully extended.Writers of sci-
rational sort has not been conspicuously suc- ence fiction do not pretend to have actually
cessful. A fiasco that had repercussions was had visions or to have seen ahead by divina-
the failure of rational forecasters to forecast tion.However,a few classics are included in
the downfall of the Communist empire in which the authors are not so much making
1991. Most of them thought it would go forecasts as making points. They are using
from strength to strength.It is fair and rele- future scenarios to satirize the world they
vant to add that on this great issue, when live in or to fabricate myths and nightmares
nearly all the experts were wrong,an obscure with a bearing on it.Their imagination is so
vii
PREFACE
rich and influential, even with no implied The first requirement for coming to
paranormal factor,that their writings deserve terms with the topics in the encyclopedia is
a place in this volume.These are listed under an open mind. If the materials are
the authors’names.An author—H.G.Wells, approached in that spirit, I believe enough
for instance—may have written many other probabilities emerge to justify a discussion of
things,and,if so,the nature of this output is how foreknowledge may happen.That dis-
summarized,but the focus of the article is on cussion appears in its place. There is cer-
a particular work. In one case, that of Olaf tainly no easy answer, but the alternative
Stapledon,the author’s mythmaking raises an easy answer of simply denying everything
interesting question about the nature of does not work.
prophecy itself.That alone would be enough Geoffrey Ashe
reason for inclusion in this book.
viii
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
A book that ranges as widely as the extraordinary contribution by taking on for-
Encyclopedia of Prophecy, reflecting so much midable tasks of copying,revision,and com-
thinking and discussion over a long stretch of munication and by helping with the some-
time, must owe obligations to more people times harder business of establishing the best
than could ever be recalled or named indi- text and illustrative matter. These things
vidually. However, my supreme thanks are were done nobly and with an outpouring of
due to my wife,Patricia,who made a truly effort that cannot be praised too highly.
ix