RE: [asa] Flat Earth in earlier Christendom

Yes, Daniel was the reference he was thinking about when he erroneously
referred to Paul in Revelations.

He said that even though it was a "dream" (actually vision) that it can be
"true only if Earth is flat, or at most a gently curved dish".

He assumes the Biblical view taught that the Earth was flat and round.

He also offered the following:

"take the earth by the edges and shake the wicked out of it" (Job 38:12-13),
which negates the idea of a spherical Earth.

And he quotes Matt 4: 1-12 "The devil taketh him up into an exceeding high
mountain, and sheweth him all the kingdoms of the world, and the glory of
them", and states, "Nobody who knew Earth was a sphere would write this.
It's geographically ignorant".

Any arguments used to counter his opinion is considered by him as
revisionists attempts that are taking advantage of "450 years of hindsight".
He's a bit incorrigible.

At this point I think he's not that interested in this as religion is not of
any real interest to him. [I would argue that this is not quite true as he
speaks publicly against the viability of God, and in the presence of
Dawkins.]

As a last effort to sway him, perhaps a list of prominent scholars and
theologians, along with quotes, of the 16th century that demonstrate their
conviction for a spherical Earth might make a difference, otherwise I can
think of no other argument he might respect.

Coope

-----Original Message-----
From: asa-owner@lists.calvin.edu [mailto:asa-owner@lists.calvin.edu] On
Behalf Of skrogh.
Sent: Wednesday, November 12, 2008 11:19 PM
To: ASA
Subject: RE: [asa] Flat Earth in earlier Christendom

Daniel 4:10-11. In Daniel, the king "saw a tree of great height at the
centre of the earth...reaching with its top to the sky and visible to the
earth's farthest bounds."

The question is not about this verse *teaching* a Flat Earth, as say a tenet
of scripture. But rather, why would vision of a setting that could only
occur in a flat earth model, be used in the first place? It is not
surprising at all considering ANE Cosmologies that people already believed.
It is this model of cosmos and the earth that makes the description of
seeing the tree at the center of the Earth from its farthest bounds makes
actual sense.

http://home.messiah.edu/~kbauer/

=========================================

-----Original Message-----
From: asa-owner@lists.calvin.edu [mailto:asa-owner@lists.calvin.edu]On
Behalf Of George Cooper
Sent: Wednesday, November 12, 2008 8:56 PM
To: ASA
Subject: Re: [asa] Flat Earth in earlier Christendom

Thanks Gordon

Ah ha! The Daniel verse is a close match to the idea of climbing a tall
tree to see the edge of the Earth, but it was a vision (per verse 10) and
hardly justifies the claim by anyone that the Bible is advocating a flat
Earth.

Coope

From: gordon brown <Gordon.Brown@Colorado.EDU>
To: asa@calvin.edu
Sent: Wednesday, November 12, 2008 6:10:21 PM
Subject: RE: [asa] Flat Earth in earlier Christendom

Maybe he has heard of what Nebuchadnezzar said in Daniel 4:11 about what
he had dreamed. See also Matthew 4:8.

Gordon Brown (ASA member)

On Wed, 12 Nov 2008, George Cooper wrote:

> Anyone know the answer to the other question posed?
>
>
>
> "He [the astrophysicist] also claims the Bible says Paul in Revelations
> (ha!) climbed a tall tree and saw the edges of the Earth. Is there any
> related verse about this?"
>
>
>
> Coope
>
>
>
>

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Received on Thu Nov 13 10:02:58 2008