: A closer reading of the Bible, however, actually support heliocentrism AND a spherical earth. How, may you ask?: As Galileo argued, one must FIRST establish a frame of reference(FOR).
Except that there is no *absolute* frame of reference, as the special theory of relativity shows. It's all relative, which is why it's called relativity.
: Interestingly enough, there is one Scripture passage that does indeed view the earth from "above" (or from space), Isaiah 40:22 "sitteth above the circle of the earth".
The cosmology of the time had the Earth as a flat disk; not an oblated spheroid; to read an over-literal meaning from a throwaway phrase is unwise.
Isiah 11:12 also describes the "four corners" of the Earth. If you take both of his statements entirely literally - as anyone who believes the Bible is infallible must do - then Isiah is describing the Earth as a circular object with four corners. Can you think of any circular object with four corners?
There isn't one. Isiah is just using a figure of speech.
The Earth was perceived as being a flattened disk between heaven (above) and hell (below); see the following...
Job 28:24 - For he looketh to the ends of the earth, and seeth under the whole heaven.
Daniel 4:10-11 - Daniel saw a tree of great height at the center of the earth visible to the earth's farthest bounds.
Matthew 4:8 - The devil took (Jesus) to a very high mountain, and showed him all of the kingdoms of the world.
Luke 24:51 - And it came to pass, while he blessed them, he was parted from them, and carried up into heaven.
Matthew 11:23 - And you, Capernaum shall descend into hell.
Oh- and you forgot to include the entire quotation from Isiah 40:22;
" It is he that sitteth upon the circle of the earth, and the inhabitants thereof are as grasshoppers; that stretcheth out the heavens as a curtain, and spreadeth them out as a tent to dwell in."
and Isiah 34:4;
"And the heavens must be rolled up, just like a book scroll."
- these would be impossible to do to a spherical Earth or spherical sky, but would make perfect sense to someone who thought the Earth was flat and the heavens were like a blanket on them.
: It correctly describes sphericity of the earth as well. All other FORs are earth-bound views and, as expected, the Bible correctly describes them as flat.
Actually, if you read Job, you get (26:7)"God hangeth the earth upon nothing." claimed by Job; upon which God responds;
{Job 38:4} Where wast thou when I laid the foundations of the earth? declare, if thou hast understanding.
{Job 38:5} Who hath laid the measures thereof, if thou knowest? or
who hath stretched the line upon it?
{Job 38:6} Whereupon are the foundations thereof fastened? or who
laid the corner stone thereof;
You simply can't read modern cosmology into the Bible, Robert, because the Bible contradicts you. And itself, for that matter.
Gideon.
