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As the term is used inmystical theology, it applies both to the prophecies of canonical Scripture and to private prophecies. Understood in its strict sense, it means the foreknowledge of future events, though it may sometimes apply to past events of which there is no memory, and to present hidden things which cannot be known by the natural light of reason.St. Paul, speaking of prophecy in1 Corinthians 14, does not confine its meaning to predictions of future events, but includes under it Divine inspirations concerning what is secret, whether future or not. As, however, the manifestation of hidden present mysteries or past events comes under revelation, we have here to understand by prophecy what is in its strict and proper sense, namely the revelation of future events. Prophecy consists inknowledge and in the manifestation of what is known. Theknowledge must besupernatural and infused byGod because it concerns things beyond the natural power of created intelligence; and theknowledge must be manifested either by words or signs, because the gift of prophecy is given primarily for the good of others, and hence needs to be manifested. It is a Divine light by whichGod reveals things concerning the unknown future and by which these things are in some way represented to the mind of theprophet, whoseduty it is to manifest them to others.
Writers onmystical theology consider prophecies with reference to the illumination of the mind, to the objects revealed, and to the means by which theknowledge is conveyed to thehumanmind. By reason of the illumination of the mind prophecy may be either perfect or imperfect. It is called perfect when not only the thing revealed, but the revelation itself, is made known — that is, when theprophet knows that it isGod who speaks. The prophecy is imperfect when the recipient does notknow clearly or sufficiently from whom the revelation proceeds, or whether it is the prophetic or individual spirit that speaks. This is called the propheticinstinct, wherein it is possible that a man may be deceived, as it happened in the case of Nathan who said toDavid when he was thinking of building theTemple of God: "Go, do all that is in thy heart, because the Lord is with thee" (2 Samuel 7:3). But that very night the Lord commanded the Prophet to return to the king and say that the glory of the building of the temple was reserved, not for him, but for his son.St. Gregory, as quoted byBenedict XIV, explains that some holyprophets, through the frequent practice of prophesying, have of themselves predicted some things,believing that therein they were influenced by the spirit of prophecy.
By reason of the object there are three kinds of prophecy according toSt. Thomas (Summa II-II:174:1): prophecy of denunciation, of foreknowledge, and ofpredestination.
The objects of prophecy may also be viewed in respect tohumanknowledge:
God can enlighten thehumanmind in any way he pleases. He often makes use ofangelic ministry in prophetic communications, or He Himself may speak to theprophet and illuminate his mind. Again thesupernatural light of prophecy may be conveyed to theintellect or through the senses or theimagination. Prophecy may take place even when the senses are suspended inecstasy, but this in mystical terminology is called rapture.St. Thomas teaches that there is no suspension of the sense activities when anything is presented to the mind of theprophet through impressions of the senses, nor is itnecessary when the mind is immediately enlightened that activity of the senses should be suspended; but it isnecessary that this should be the case when the manifestation is made byimaginative forms, at least at the moment of the vision or of the hearing of the revelation, because the mind is then abstracted from external things in order to fix itself entirely on the object manifested to theimagination. In such a case a perfect judgment cannot be formed of the prophetic vision during the transport of thesoul, because then the senses which arenecessary for a right understanding of things cannot act, and it is only when a man comes to himself and awakens from theecstasy that he can properlyknow and discern the nature of his vision.
The gift of prophecy is an extraordinary grace bestowed byGod. It has never been confined to any particular tribe,family, or class ofpersons. There is no distinct faculty inhumannature by which any normal or abnormalperson can prophesy, neither is any special preparation required beforehand for the reception of this gift. HenceCornely remarks: "Modern authors speak inaccurately of 'schools ofprophets', an expression never found in the Scriptures or the Fathers" (Comp. Introduct. in N.T., n. 463). Neither was there ever any external rite by which the office ofprophet was inaugurated; its exercise was always extraordinary and depended on the immediate call ofGod. The prophetic light, according toSt. Thomas, is in thesoul of theprophet not as a permanent form or habit, but after the manner of a passion or passing impression (Summa Theologiæ II-II.171.2). Hence the ancientprophets by theirprayers petitioned for this Divine light (1 Kings 8:6;Jeremiah 32:16;23:2 sq.;42:4 sq.), and they were liable toerror if they gave an answer before invokingGod (2 Samuel 7:2-3).
Writing on the recipients of prophecy,Benedict XIV (Heroic Virtue, III, 144, 150) says: "The recipients of prophecy may beangels,devils, men,women, children,heathens, orgentiles; nor is itnecessary that a man should be gifted with any particular disposition in order to receive the light of prophecy provided hisintellect and senses be adapted for making manifest the things whichGod reveals to him. Though moralgoodness is most profitable to aprophet, yet it is notnecessary in order to obtain the gift of prophecy." He also tells us that theangels by their own natural penetration cannotknow future events which are undermined and contingent or uncertain, neither can theyknow the secrets of the heart of another, whether man orangel. When thereforeGod reveals to anangel as the medium through which the future is made known to man, theangel also becomes aprophet. As to theDevil, the same author tells us that he cannot of his own naturalknowledge foretell future events which are the proper objects of prophecy, yetGod may make use of him for this purpose. Thus we read in the Gospel of St. Luke that when theDevil sawJesus he fell down before Him and, crying out with a loud voice, said: "What have I to do with thee,Jesus,Son of the most high God?" (Luke 8:28). There are instances ofwomen and children prophesying inHoly Scripture. Mary, the sister of Moses, is called aprophetess; Anna, the mother of Samuel, prophesied; Elizabeth, the mother ofJohn the Baptist, by aDivine revelation recognized and confessed Mary as theMother of God. Samuel and Daniel as boys prophesied;Balaam, aGentile, foretold the advent of theMessias and the devastation ofAssyria and Palestine.St. Thomas, in order to prove that theheathens were capable of prophecy, refers to the instance of theSybils, who make clear mention of the mysteries of the Trinity, of the Incarnation of the Word, of the Life, Passion, andResurrection ofChrist. It istrue that the Sybilline poems now extant became in course oftime interpolated; but, asBenedict XIV remarks, this does not hinder much of them, especially what the early Fathers referred to, from being genuine and in no wiseapocryphal.
That the gift of private prophecy exists in theChurch is clear from Scripture and the acts ofcanonization of thesaints in every age. To the question, what credence is to be given to these private prophecies,Cardinal Cajetan answers, as stated byBenedict XIV: "Human actions are of two kinds, one of which relates to publicduties, and especially toecclesiastical affairs, such as preaching, celebratingMass, pronouncing judicial decisions, and the like; with respect to these the question is settled in the canon law, where it is said that no credence is to be publicly given to him who says he has privately received a mission fromGod, unless he confirms it by amiracle or a special testimony ofHoly Scripture. The other class of human actions consists of those of privatepersons, and speaking of these, he distinguishes between aprophet who enjoins or advises them, according to the universallaws of theChurch, and aprophet who does the same without reference to thoselaws. In the first case every man may abound in his own sense whether or not to direct his actions according to the will of theprophet; in the second case aprophet is not to be listened to" (Heroic Virtue, III, 192).
It is also important that those who have to teach and direct others should have rules for their guidance to enable them to distinguishtrue fromfalseprophets. A summary of those prescribed bytheologians for our guidance may be useful to show practically how thedoctrine is to be applied to devoutsouls in order to save them fromerrors or diabolical delusions:
It is by these limitations we have to explain the prophecy ofSt. Bernard regarding the success of theSecond Crusade, and that of St. Vincent Ferrer regarding the near approach of the General Judgment in his day.
The last prophetic work which theChurch acknowledges as Divinely inspired is theApocalypse. The prophetic spirit did not disappear with the Apostolic times, but theChurch has not pronounced any work prophetic since then, though she hascanonized numberlesssaints who were more or less endowed with the gift of prophecy. TheChurch allows freedom in accepting or rejecting particular or private prophecies according to the evidence for or against them. We should be slow to admit and slow to reject them, and in either case treat them with respect when they come to us from trustworthy sources, and are in accordance withCatholic doctrine and the rules ofCatholic morality. The real test of these predictions is their fulfilment; they may be onlypious anticipations of the ways of Providence, and they may sometimes be fulfilled in part and in part contradicted by events. The minatory prophecies which announce calamities, being for the most part conditional, may or may not be fulfilled. Many private prophecies have been verified by subsequent events, some have not; others have given rise to a good deal of discussion as to their genuineness. Most of the private prophecies of thesaints and servants ofGod were concerned withindividuals, their death, recovery from illness, or vocations. Some foretold things which would affect the fate of nations, asFrance,England, andIreland. A great number have reference topopes and to thepapacy; and finally we have many such prophecies relating to the end of the world and the approach of the Day of Judgment.
The more noteworthy of the prophecies bearing upon "latter times" seem to have one common end, to announce great calamities impending overmankind, the triumph of theChurch, and the renovation of the world. All the seers agree in two leading features as outlined by E.H. Thompson in his "Life of Anna Maria Taigi" (ch. 18): "First they all point to some terrible convulsion, to a revolution springing from most deep-rooted impiety, consisting in a formal opposition toGod and Histruth, and resulting in the most formidablepersecution to which theChurch has ever been subject. Secondly, they all promise for theChurch a victory more splendid than she has ever achieved here below. We may add another point in which there is a remarkable agreement in the catena of modern prophecies, and that is the peculiar connection between the fortunes ofFrance and those of theChurch and theHoly See, and also the large part which that country has still to play in thehistory of the Church and of the world, and will continue to play to the end of time."
Some prophetic spirits were prolific in the forecasts of the future. The biographer ofSt. Philip Neri states that if all the prophecies attributed to this saint were narrated, they alone would fill entire volumes. It is sufficient to give the following as examples of private prophecies.
Ambrose Lisle Philipps in a letter to the Earl ofShrewsburydated 28 October, 1850, in giving a sketch of EnglishCatholic history, relates the following vision or prophecy made bySt. Edward: "During the month of January, 1066, the holy King ofEnglandSt. Edward the Confessor was confined to his bed by his last illness in his royal Westminster Palace.St. Ælred, Abbott of Rievaulx, in Yorkshire, relates that a short time before hishappy death, this holy king was wrapt inecstasy, when twopiousBenedictinemonks of Normandy, whom he had known in his youth, during his exile in that country, appeared to him, and revealed to him what was to happen toEngland in future centuries, and the cause of the terrible punishment. They said: 'The extreme corruption and wickedness of the English nation has provoked the justanger ofGod. When malice shall have reached the fullness of its measure,God will, in His wrath, send to the English people wicked spirits, who will punish and afflict them with great severity, by separating the green tree from its parent stem the length of three furlongs. But at last this same tree, through the compassionate mercy ofGod, and without any national (governmental) assistance, shall return to its original root, reflourish and bear abundant fruit.' After having heard these prophetic words, the saintlyKing Edward opened his eyes, returned to his senses, and the vision vanished. He immediately related all he had seen and heard to his virgin spouse, Edgitha, to Stigand,Archbishop ofCanterbury, and to Harold, his successor to the throne, who were in his chamberpraying around his bed." (See "Vita beati Edwardi regis et confessoris", frommanuscript Selden 55 in Bodleian Library,Oxford.)
The interpretation given to this prophecy is remarkable when applied to the events which have happened. The spirits mentioned in it were theProtestant innovators who pretended, in the sixteenth century, to reform theCatholicChurch inEngland. The severance of the green tree from its trunk signifies the separation of the English Church from the root of theCatholicChurch, from theRoman See. This tree, however, was to be separated from its life-giving root the distance of "three furlongs". These three furlongs are understood to signify three centuries, at the end of whichEngland would again be reunited to theCatholicChurch, and bring forth flowers of virtue and fruits ofsanctity. The prophecy was quoted byAmbrose Lisle Philipps on the occasion of thereestablishment of the Catholic hierarchy in England byPope Pius IX in 1850.
Concerning Ireland
This prophecy, which is distinct from the prophecies attributed toSt. Malachy concerning thepopes, is to the effect that his beloved native isle would undergo at the hands ofEngland oppression,persecution, and calamities of every kind, during a week of centuries; but that she would preserve her fidelity toGod and to HisChurch amidst all her trials. At the end of seven centuries she would be delivered from her oppressors (or oppressions), who in their turn would be subjected to dreadful chastisements, andCatholicIreland would be instrumental in bringing back the British nation to that Divine Faith whichProtestantEngland had, during three hundred years, so rudely endeavoured to wrest from her. This prophecy is said to have been copied by the learnedDom Mabillon from an ancientmanuscript preserved atClairvaux, and transmitted by him to themartyred successor ofOliver Plunkett.
Concerning the Popes
The most famous and best known prophecies about thepopes are those attributed toSt. Malachy. In 1139 he went toRome to give an account of the affairs of hisdiocese to thepope,Innocent II, who promised him twopalliums for themetropolitan Sees of Armagh andCashel. While atRome, he received (according to the Abbé Cucherat) the strange vision of the future wherein was unfolded before his mind the long list of illustrious pontiffs who were to rule theChurch until the end of time. The same author tells us thatSt. Malachy gave hismanuscript toInnocent II to console him in the midst of his tribulations, and that the document remained unknown in the Roman Archives until its discovery in 1590 (Cucherat, "Proph. de la succession des papes", ch. xv). They were first published by Arnold de Wyon, and ever since there has been much discussion as to whether they are genuine predictions ofSt. Malachy or forgeries. The silence of 400 years on the part of so many learned authors who had written about thepopes, and the silence ofSt. Bernard especially, who wrote the "Life of St. Malachy", is a strong argument against their authenticity, but it is not conclusive if we adopt Cucherat's theory that they were hidden in the Archives during those 400 years.
These short prophetical announcements, in number 112, indicate some noticeable trait of all futurepopes fromCelestine II, who was elected in the year 1143, until the end of the world. They are enunciated under mystical titles. Those who have undertaken to interpret and explain these symbolical prophecies have succeeded in discovering some trait, allusion, point, or similitude in their application to the individualpopes, either as to their country, their name, theircoat of arms or insignia, their birth-place, their talent or learning, the title of theircardinalate, the dignities which they held etc. For example, the prophecy concerningUrban VIII isLilium et Rosa (the lily and the rose); he was a native of Florence and on the arms of Florence figured afleur-de-lis; he had three bees emblazoned on his escutcheon, and the bees gather honey from the lilies and roses. Again, the name accords often with some remarkable and rare circumstance in thepope's career; thusPeregrinus apostolicus (pilgrimpope), which designatesPius VI, appears to be verified by his journey whenpope intoGermany, by his long career aspope, and by his expatriation fromRome at the end of his pontificate. Those who have lived and followed the course of events in an intelligent manner during the pontificates ofPius IX,Leo XIII, andPius X cannot fail to be impressed with the titles given to each by the prophecies ofSt. Malachy and their wonderful appropriateness:Crux de Cruce (Cross from a Cross)Pius IX;Lumen in caelo (Light in the Sky)Leo XIII;Ignis ardens (Burning Fire)Pius X. There is something more than coincidence in the designations given to these threepopes so many hundred years before their time. We need not have recourse either to thefamily names, armorial bearings orcardinalatial titles, to see the fitness of their designations as given in the prophecies. The afflictions and crosses ofPius IX were more than fell to the lot of his predecessors; and the more aggravating of these crosses were brought on by the House ofSavoy whose emblem was a cross.Leo XIII was a veritable luminary of thepapacy. The presentpope is truly a burning fire ofzeal for the restoration of all things toChrist.
The last of these prophecies concerns the end of the world and is as follows: "In the finalpersecution of theHoly Roman Church there will reign Peter the Roman, who will feed his flock amid many tribulations, after which the seven-hilled city will be destroyed and thedreadful Judge will judge the people. The End." It has been noticed concerningPetrus Romanus, who according toSt. Malachy's list is to be the lastpope, that the prophecy does not say that nopopes will intervene between him and his predecessor designatedGloria olivæ. It merely says that he is to be the last, so that we may suppose as manypopes as we please before "Peter the Roman".Cornelius a Lapide refers to this prophecy in his commentary "On the Gospel of St. John" (C. xvi) and "On the Apocalypse" (cc. xvii-xx), and he endeavours to calculate according to it the remaining years of time.
During more than fifty yearsSt. Paul of the Cross was accustomed topray for the return ofEngland to theCatholicFaith, and on several occasions had visions and revelations about its re-conversion. In spirit he saw thePassionists established inEngland and labouring there for the conversion and sanctification ofsouls. It is well known that several leaders of theOxford Movement, includingCardinal Newman, and thousands of converts have been received into theChurch inEngland by thePassionist missionaries.
There are many other private prophecies concerning the remote and proximate signs which will precede the General Judgment and concerningAntichrist, such as those attributed toSt. Hildegarde,St. Bridget of Sweden,Blessed Anna Maria Taigi (the "three days' darkness"), theCuré d'Ars, and many others. These do not enlighten us any more than do the Scriptural prophecies as to the day and the hour of that judgment, which still remains a Divine secret.
APA citation.Devine, A.(1911).Prophecy. InThe Catholic Encyclopedia.New York: Robert Appleton Company.http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/12473a.htm
MLA citation.Devine, Arthur."Prophecy."The Catholic Encyclopedia.Vol. 12.New York: Robert Appleton Company,1911.<http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/12473a.htm>.
Transcription.This article was transcribed for New Advent by Marie Jutras.
Ecclesiastical approbation.Nihil Obstat. June 1, 1911. Remy Lafort, S.T.D., Censor.Imprimatur. +John Cardinal Farley, Archbishop of New York.
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