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Historical The Prophecies of Saint Malachy and Saint Columbkille   by Peter Bender $9.95 / Dufour Editions / 1995 First published in 1969, this volume has remained in print partly because of the relevance of Malachy's 12th-century prophecies, in which he allegedly composed a list of epithets describing the Popes from his time forward. Critics claim that they are a forgery created in the 1500s, but if genuine, they describe only two Popes after John Paul II, the last of whom will preside over the catastrophic destruction of Rome. The first part of this book contains the prophecies of St. Malachy, a 12th-century Irish monk, and the second is a set of prophecies produced by St. Columbkille (or St. Columba), the sixth-century Irish monk who spread Christianity to Scotland. Bander quotes all of Malachy's epithets in their original Latin, before translating them into English. He identifies the popes to whom they refer, gives brief biographical blurbs on each, and explains how each epithet relates to each pope. Similarly, Columba's prophecies are given in modern English verse accompanied by footnotes, to explain obscure references which identify people, places, and events unfamiliar to modern readers. But these prophecies are more than ancient history, for even after all these years, both saints are still close to the Irish soul. So anyone interested in understanding Ireland's past-or its present-will find this small volume a source of helpful insight. The British edition is reviewed here. The American edition includes only Malachy's prophecies and an introduction by Catholic scholar Thomas Nelson. --C. Bruce Hunter

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