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''Ancient people held several ideas that seem silly in light of modern scientific research. The human authors God inspired to write the Bible were no different from any other ancient people. As a result, antiquated ideas about the natural world show up in their writings. . .the Bible's authors believed the earth was flat. They also thought the liver, kidneys or intestines, and not the brain were the seat of human intellect and emotion. St. Paul may even have thought that a woman's hair helped women to become pregnant. . . How can we trust the Bible if some of the information it records is not actually true?''
Old Testament scholar Michael Heiser answers that question in the short 7 minute video below.
Michael Heiser — Does The Bible Teach Science? How the Bible’s Own Context Answers the Question
Science and the Bible's teachings sometimes parallel each other, however the Bible is not intended to be a science textbook. Jehovah's people however, which of course are all Bible penmen, were aware the earth was round, at least from the writings of Isa anyway 40:22 to be exact. Take a gander at Job 26:7 Mike, isn't that unbelievable? When did worldly men of science figure that one out?
Science and the Bible's teachings sometimes parallel each other, however the Bible is not intended to be a science textbook. Jehovah's people however, which of course are all Bible penmen, were aware the earth was round, at least from the writings of Isa anyway 40:22 to be exact. Take a gander at Job 26:7 Mike, isn't that unbelievable? When did worldly men of science figure that one out?
Well Eratosthenes apparently was the first to CALCULATE the diameter of the earth about 200 years before Christ. But people knew the earth was spherical for many centuries before that; any mariner can tell you that just from observing objects rise above and sink below the ocean horizon.
Science and the Bible's teachings sometimes parallel each other, however the Bible is not intended to be a science textbook. Jehovah's people however, which of course are all Bible penmen, were aware the earth was round, at least from the writings of Isa anyway 40:22 to be exact. Take a gander at Job 26:7 Mike, isn't that unbelievable? When did worldly men of science figure that one out?
No, the biblical writers did not know that the earth was a globe (round) and Isaiah does not say that. Isaiah 40:22 refers to the 'circle of the earth.' That is not a reference to the earth being round. Go outside and find an area where the horizon is visible in all directions. Turn around in a circle while looking at the horizon. It's a circle. And that is what Isaiah 40:22 is referring to.
The Hebrew word translated as 'circle' is ḥūḡ/chug. If the writer of Isaiah had intended to say that the earth was a globe he would have used the word 'dur' which means 'ball' as in Isaiah 22:18.
The ancient Hebrews conceived of the earth as a flat circular (like a pancake) place with a hard dome covering the earth like an inverted bowl, because that is the way it looks to the naked eye. They had no concept of a spherical earth. The picture below shows the ancient Near East cosmology.
As for Job 26:7 ''He stretches out the north over empty space and hangs the earth on nothing,'' the writer of Job is not describing a spherical earth suspended in empty space and he refutes that concept in the very same chapter in which he affirms the cosmology of the ANE, the waters of the abyss below where the departed spirits tremble (verse 5), pillars holding up the heavens (v. 11). In Job 38:4 the earth is laid on foundations. So, no, the earth according to Job is not hanging on nothing, it is resting on foundations. According to 1 Samuel 2:8 the earth is set on pillars. Refer to the picture above which illustrates the biblical cosmology.
Well Eratosthenes apparently was the first to CALCULATE the diameter of the earth about 200 years before Christ. But people knew the earth was spherical for many centuries before that; any mariner can tell you that just from observing objects rise above and sink below the ocean horizon.
Some people did. Not the biblical writers or the peoples of the ANE. Credit for discovering that the earth is a sphere is usually given to Eratosthenes. Whether or not knowledge of a spherical earth existed for centuries before that is arguable, though it may be true that ancient mariners would have realized that.
''Ancient people held several ideas that seem silly in light of modern scientific research. The human authors God inspired to write the Bible were no different from any other ancient people. As a result, antiquated ideas about the natural world show up in their writings. . .the Bible's authors believed the earth was flat. They also thought the liver, kidneys or intestines, and not the brain were the seat of human intellect and emotion. St. Paul may even have thought that a woman's hair helped women to become pregnant. . . How can we trust the Bible if some of the information it records is not actually true?''
Old Testament scholar Michael Heiser answers that question in the short 7 minute video below.
Michael Heiser — Does The Bible Teach Science? How the Bible’s Own Context Answers the Question
Well Eratosthenes apparently was the first to CALCULATE the diameter of the earth about 200 years before Christ. But people knew the earth was spherical for many centuries before that; any mariner can tell you that just from observing objects rise above and sink below the ocean horizon.
Yet, the vast majority of the world thought the earth was flat till near 1500 CE. Since God's word called it a sphere before 700BCE, then likely those who were aware of God's word would realize it. And like you said, some smart ones may have figured it out on their own, that is how many discoveries are made.
No, the biblical writers did not know that the earth was a globe (round) and Isaiah does not say that. Isaiah 40:22 refers to the 'circle of the earth.' That is not a reference to the earth being round. Go outside and find an area where the horizon is visible in all directions. Turn around in a circle while looking at the horizon. It's a circle. And that is what Isaiah 40:22 is referring to.
The Hebrew word translated as 'circle' is ḥūḡ/chug. If the writer of Isaiah had intended to say that the earth was a globe he would have used the word 'dur' which means 'ball' as in Isaiah 22:18.
The ancient Hebrews conceived of the earth as a flat circular (like a pancake) place with a hard dome covering the earth like an inverted bowl, because that is the way it looks to the naked eye. They had no concept of a spherical earth. The picture below shows the ancient Near East cosmology.
As for Job 26:7 ''He stretches out the north over empty space and hangs the earth on nothing,'' the writer of Job is not describing a spherical earth suspended in empty space and he refutes that concept in the very same chapter in which he affirms the cosmology of the ANE, the waters of the abyss below where the departed spirits tremble (verse 5), pillars holding up the heavens (v. 11). In Job 38:4 the earth is laid on foundations. So, no, the earth according to Job is not hanging on nothing, it is resting on foundations. According to 1 Samuel 2:8 the earth is set on pillars. Refer to the picture above which illustrates the biblical cosmology.
Last time I checked sir, a circle was round, oh well, wouldn't be the first time I was in error, however it sure amazes the heck out of me. Who revealed it to them. Pretty dog gone amazing for the time period especially.
Last time I checked sir, a circle was round, oh well, wouldn't be the first time I was in error, however it sure amazes the heck out of me. Who revealed it to them. Pretty dog gone amazing for the time period especially.
A circle which is of course round does not mean spherical. You can draw a circle on a piece of paper but that circle is not a sphere.
God did not reveal to the ancient Hebrews that the world is a sphere. They didn't know that it is a sphere. They thought the earth was flat and supported on pillars, and that the firmament was a hard dome over the earth and was itself supported on pillars (the mountains at the ends of the earth).
Jesus spoke the universe and everything in it into existence......do any of you want to put on the white shop coat and go up against the Lord on a science quiz? See how well that works out in the oldest book in the Bible......Job.......
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