Topical Bible: The Earth: Ideas of the Ancients Respecting the Form of

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Topical Encyclopedia

In ancient times, the understanding of the Earth's form was shaped by a combination of observation, tradition, and divine revelation. The Bible, as a central text for many ancient cultures, provides insights into how the Earth was perceived by its writers and the societies they lived in.

Biblical Descriptions:

The Bible contains several passages that reflect the ancient understanding of the Earth's form. In Isaiah 40:22, it is written, "He sits enthroned above the circle of the earth, and its dwellers are like grasshoppers." The term "circle" (Hebrew: חוּג, chug) suggests a round shape, which some interpret as an indication of a spherical Earth, while others see it as a reference to the horizon or a circular plane.

Job 26:7 states, "He stretches out the north over empty space; He hangs the earth upon nothing." This verse is often cited to demonstrate an understanding of the Earth suspended in space, a concept that aligns with modern scientific views, though it is expressed in poetic language.

In Proverbs 8:27, wisdom is personified and speaks of creation: "When He established the heavens, I was there, when He inscribed a circle on the face of the deep." Again, the use of "circle" suggests a round form, though interpretations vary.

Ancient Near Eastern Context:

The ancient Near Eastern context in which the Bible was written also influenced perceptions of the Earth's form. Many cultures of the time, including the Babylonians and Egyptians, viewed the Earth as a flat disc or a series of layers. These cosmologies often depicted the Earth as surrounded by water, with the heavens above and the underworld below.

The Hebrew cosmology, as reflected in the Bible, shares some similarities with these views. Genesis 1:6-8 describes the creation of a "vault" or "firmament" (Hebrew: רָקִיעַ, raqia) to separate the waters above from the waters below, suggesting a structured, layered universe.

Interpretations and Implications:

The descriptions of the Earth's form in the Bible have been interpreted in various ways throughout history. Some early Christian theologians, such as Augustine, emphasized the allegorical and theological meanings of these texts over their literal interpretations. Others, like the medieval scholars, sought to reconcile biblical descriptions with the scientific knowledge of their time.

The Bible's language is often poetic and metaphorical, reflecting the worldview and understanding of its original audience. While some passages may seem to align with modern scientific concepts, they primarily convey theological truths about God's sovereignty and the order of creation.

In summary, the ancient ideas of the Earth's form, as reflected in the Bible, are a blend of observation, cultural influence, and divine revelation. These descriptions have been the subject of much interpretation and discussion, illustrating the dynamic relationship between faith and understanding of the natural world.

Torrey's Topical Textbook

Job 11:9
The measure thereof is longer than the earth, and broader than the sea.
Torrey's Topical Textbook

Job 38:18
Have you perceived the breadth of the earth? declare if you know it all.
Torrey's Topical Textbook

Proverbs 25:3
The heaven for height, and the earth for depth, and the heart of kings is unsearchable.
Torrey's Topical Textbook

Library

Absurdities of the Heretics as to their Own Origin: their Opinions ...
... understand, while they are still on earth;"does not ... an opinion entertained by not
a few of the ancients. ... it to do so before dismissing the ideas of Iren??us ...
/.../irenaeus/against heresies/chapter xix absurdities of the heretics.htm

Valentinus and his Followers Derived the Principles of their ...
... formed from seeds falling down from heaven upon earth. ... distinctions, have styled
what he calls ideas, and exemplar ... name are mentioned by the ancients, but to ...
/.../irenaeus/against heresies/chapter xiv valentinus and his followers.htm

Epistle of Paul to the Philippians.
... is taken from the boxing combats of the ancients. ... should be the salt of the earth,
by withdrawing ... missionary activity; times in which the ideas and tendencies ...
/.../epistle of paul to the.htm

Seances Historiques De Geneve --The National Church.
... the world as known to the ancients was nearly ... man's voice, of an arresting of the
earth's motion, of ... truths disproportionately, and relatively to ideas not now ...
/.../seances historiques de genevethe national.htm

The Epistles of Paul.
... he is now exalted to be Lord of heaven and earth. ... But according to ancient ideas
one might be called a ... author, or, with Origen, that "the ancients not without ...
/.../barrows/companion to the bible/chapter xxx the epistles of.htm

The Doctrine of Non-Resistance to Evil by Force Has Been Professed ...
... had read my book, in which he found ideas similar to ... the peaceful dominion of the
Son of God on earth. ... Q. Then the ancients allowed the resistance of injury by ...
/.../tolstoy/the kingdom of god is within you/chapter i the doctrine of.htm

What Carey did for Science --Founder of the Agricultural and ...
... bed, A treasure in a grain of earth, Strange as ... of virtue and wisdom thus unknown
to the ancients, and which ... that they might there imbibe all those ideas of a ...
/.../smith/the life of william carey/chapter xii what carey did.htm

Extracts No. viii.
... It is true we may be mistaken as to our ideas of the ... God produced man in the first
place on this earth, in a ... "This epistle is spoken of by the ancients as an ...
/.../ballou/a series of letters in defence of divine revelation/extracts no viii.htm

The Commandments
... Thus did the ancients before Abraham and after him ... things are enclosed in natural
ideas; but in ... a correspondence between families on the earth and societies in ...
/.../swedenborg/spiritual life and the word of god/part secondthe commandments.htm

Extracts No. vii.
... imagination, which a certain train of ideas and reflections ... The ancients, however,
were carried away with this ... which teaches universal peace on earth and good ...
/.../ballou/a series of letters in defence of divine revelation/extracts no vii.htm