The Flat Earth
Remember God Chose an unenlightened people to preserve His love story for all people. His intention was to teach humans theology not science. Therefore we must learn about what the Biblical authors thought to be true about the universe and not import our modern “scientific” worldview on the text.
A great example of this is the Biblical authors and the constituents view of the Earth.
Here are some quotes from our sources to help us out.
“It was common in the ancient world to think of the earth as a single continent in the shape of a flat disc. Likewise in Genesis, the waters are all gathered into one place, and land appears, presumably in one place.”
The NIV Cultural Backgrounds Study Bible: Notes on Genesis 1:9 pg 5
Here is another quote from our other resource
“The earth sat atop the watery deep. The “waters below” refers not only to waters that humans use but also the deeper abyss. Thus, the earth was seen as surrounded by and floating upon the seas (Gen 1:9-10), having arisen out of the water (2 Peter 3:5). The earth was thought to be held fast by pillars or sunken foundations (1 Sam 2:8; Job 38:4-6; Psa 104:5).”
Faithlife Study Bible: in the Article: The Old Testament and the Ancient Near Eastern Worldview under the notes of Genesis 1:1-7
We hope you enjoyed this Theology Lesson in 60 seconds.
If you are interested in this subject continue this study in our longer post here
Citations:
Faithlife Study Bible. J. D. Barry et al. Bellingham, WA: Logos Bible Software, 2012.
NIV Cultural Backgrounds Study Bible Grand Rapids, Michigan USA Zondervan 2016
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