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The Flat Earth Frenzy

Unscientific and Unbiblical

TheFlat‐EarthSocietyisgrowingveryrapidlytoday.Websites,blogs,books,lecturesanddebatesarebeingheldallovertheworldtodayseekingtopromotetheideathattheEarthisnotaspherebutisaflatcirculardisc.

The reasons for this upsurge are varied. Some firmly believe that organizations like NASA aredeliberatelydeceivingthepopulacebycreatingfakepicturesofasphericalEarth.OthersbelievetheBibleclearlyteachesaflatearth.Somehaveevendonetheirownexperimentsthat,intheirminds,provetheEarthmustbeflat.

Youtubeisfilledwithnormaleverydaypeoplewhohavebecomeamateurscientistsandproducers,alltellingusthatsocietyasawholehasbeendeceivedintothinkingthattheEarthisround,despitethefactthatalmosteveryothercelestialbodyweseeintheuniverse,fromoursun,ourmoon,theplanetsorthestars,areround.

Someoftheproofsthatflat‐eartherspresentcanappearquiteconvincing.Forexample,theypointoutthatthesunrayscomingthroughcloudsareslanted,asifthesunisonlyafewthousandorlessmilesabovetheEarth.1Wemustagreethat,ifthesunwereonly3000mileshighandwasonly27milesindiameter,itwouldproducethesunraysweseeinthetwoabovepictures.Butthisdoesn’tproveanythingfortheflat‐eartherssinceitcaneasilybeshownthatasunwithis.864millionmilesindiameterthatis93millionmilesawaywillalsoproducethesameslantedrays.Sowillasunthatis47millionmilesawayand is .432millionmiles indiameter;andsowillasun that is3millionmilesawayand27,000milesindiameter.AllofthesesunswilllookthesameandproducethesameeffectsontheEarth.

1 See this Youtube for the argument: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b_ppPXChyTo. The main problem with this video is that the sun and its rays are not drawn to scale, and thus the results are distorted.

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Thisispreciselytheproblemwithflat‐Earthscience.Althoughitcanproducevariousexplanationsthatonemightusetosupportaflatearth,inordertobethecorrectview,flat‐Earthsciencemustbeabletoexplaineveryproblemthatitfaces,butaswewillsee,itissimplynotabletodoso.Infact,someofitsexplanationsarenotonlybizarre,themedicinetheypurporttogiveusisactuallyworsethanthediseasetheyaretryingtofight.

Forexample,asmallsunthatisonly3000mileshighmightbeabletoproducetheslantedrayswesee in the above picture, but it is not going to be able to produce enough gravity to hold in theplanets;anditisnotgoingtobeabletoproduceenoughlighttoreflectoffthemoonandtheplanetsforustobeabletoseethemfromEarth.Flat‐eartherstrytosolvetheseproblemsbyclaimingthatgravityisafictionandthattheplanetsaremeremock‐upsfromNASA.Ineffect,theyhavesolvedoneproblemonlytocreatetwobiggerproblems.

Aswewillsee,itistheirpoorexegesisoftheBiblethatdrivesthemtothinkthateverythingNASAtellsthemabouttheEarthisalie.AlthoughitcanbeshowninsomecasesthatNASAiscertainlynotthehighestepitomeoftruthandhonesty,itisquiteanotherthingtoclaimthatNASAdeliberatelyforgespicturesofasphericalEarth,alargesun,ortheexistenceplanets.

FIG.1

Scientifically speaking, on the principle that flat earth advocatesmust be able to answer all theanomaliesintheirmodel,itisrathereasytodiscredit.Justtwosimplescientificfactswillshowthistobethecase.

First, ittheearthwereaflatdisc,theNorthStar,Polaris,wouldbeatthetopdeadcenterandwewouldbeabletoseeitfromanywhereonthedisc,evenfromtheperimeterofthedisc. SeeFIG.1 .

Butthefactis,alittlelessthanhalfthehumansonearth,thatis,thosewholiveinwhatisnormallyunderstood as the southern hemisphere, don’t see Polaris at all. Instead, those in the southern

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hemisphereseetheSouthPolestar,SigmaOctantis withatelescopebecauseitisdim .Likewise,thoseinthenorthernhemispherecannotseeSigmaOctantis.

Therecouldonlybeonereasonfortheinabilitytoseethesepolestars:TheEarthmustbeasphere.

ThesearepicturesofEarthtakenveryrecentlyfromthegeostationaryweathersatellite,Elektro‐L,from22,242mileshigh,courtesyoftheRussianFederalSpaceAgency.2

2 http://electro.ntsomz.ru/en/; One can see the reflection of the Sun following the equatorial line. It is recommended that you also visit the gallery to see the moving slides: http://electro.ntsomz.ru/en/electro/gallery/. There are no composite images in these photos and thus they cannot be discredited by Flat-earthers. As is common knowledge, the Russians are just as leery of some of NASA’s claims as are some Americans.

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The JapanMeteorologicalAgency launched its latestweather satellite called theHimawari 8 thispastOctober.Afewdaysagotheagencyreleasedthefirsttruecolorphoto shownabove capturedwiththeirnew“eyeinthesky.”

MorestillsandmovingslidesfromRussia’sElektro‐L

Noticenocomposites.

TwopicturesofEarthtakenafewhoursapart.NoticetheSun’slighttravelingeasttowest.

Conversely,flat‐earthershavenevershownaphotographofaflatearthfromspace.Wehaveneverseenanythingfromflat‐earthersresemblingthepicturebelow.Alltheirpicturesofaflat‐earthareeither drawn by hand or are computer generated graphics CGI . Of couse, flat‐earthers try toanswerthisbyasseringthatallsatellitesandspaceprobesarefake,whichiscompletelyabsurd.

3 http://petapixel.com/2014/12/21/heres-first-true-color-photo-earth-snapped-japans-new-himawari-8-weather-satellite/. Flat-earthers claim that such photos are from a fish-eye lense, which makes a circle out of the landscape. This is a discredited objection as can be seen in this video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MIyz3B3g-ZE&feature=youtu.be

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Second,iftheEarthwereflatitwouldmeanthatthe25,000milesthatwenormallyunderstandasits circumference would be spread out as a flat disc, somewhat like taking a ball of dough andspreadingitoutonaroundpizzapan.

So,let’ssayweareontheedgeofthisflatearthandweclimbabuildingthatisastallastheSearsTower in Chicago, andwemount one of theworld’smost powerful telescopes, one that can seePlutoonaclearnight,ontheroofoftheTower.

Ifwe point the telescope toward the opposite edge of the flat earth, on a clear day or night,weshould be able to see all the way to the opposite edge, the whole 8,000mile diameter. But therealityis,wecanonlyseeafewhundredmilesandtheendpointisalwaysatthehorizon.Itisevenmoreproblematicforflat‐eartherssincetheybelievethediameteroftheEarthisonly4,000miles.

Thereasonshouldbeobvious.TheEarthmustbeasphereandthusourlineofsightdropsoffafteronlyafewhundredmiles,evenatheightsashighastheSearsTower,andevenwithtelescopesthatcannormallyseedetailsofplanetsmillionsofmilesintoouterspace.

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We can also point out other phenomenon that show the Earth is asphere. For example, hurricanes in the north rotate counter‐clockwisebut in the south they rotate clockwise. This can only happen on asphericalsurfacethatisrotatingagainstspaceorspacethatisrotatingaroundasphere.

Also, a person in the southern hemisphere of Earth sees the moonupsidedownincontrasttosomeoneinthenorth.Onecaneasilyverify

this by obtaining pictures of theMoon in Australia. The inverted image could only happen on asphericalEarth,sinceeveryoneonaflatearthisstandingwiththeirheadpointingnorth.

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Puerto Rico Montebello, CA Abruzzo, Italy Arizona Brisbane, Australia

Aug. 10 2014 Aug. 10, 2014 Aug. 10, 2014 Aug. 10, 2014 Aug, 10, 2014

PhototakenfromAdelaide,Australia

SincetheMoonis inclinedby5degreestotheecliptic,Earth’s lineofsighttotheMoonwillvary,causingthedarkspotstoshiftalittle.Butgenerallyspeaking,asviewedfromtheEarth’ssouthernhemisphere, theMoon’s dark spots will be in theMoon’s southern hemisphere; while if viewedfrom the Earth’s northern hemisphere, the Moon’s dark spots will be in the Moon’s northernhemisphere.

4 http://www.space.com/26784-supermoon-photos-biggest-full-moon-2014.html

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So What is Driving the Flat-Earthers?

What is it that is driving flat earth advocates to persist in their belief despite these scientificanomalies?

Well,somethingsimilarhappenstotheverypeopletheybelievearedeceivingthemagainstaflatearth.OrganizationssuchasNASA,theJPL,andmuchofthescientificcommunitytodaybelieveinthe Big Bang and evolution, but they do so not because the scientific data has providedoverwhelmingevidence.

If itweremerelyamatterofgatheringevidence,NASAwouldnotneedtoinventadhocproblem‐fixerslikeInflation,ormakeevenmoreembarrassingclaimstomaketheBigBangwork e.g.,thatanunseenandundetectedDarkMatterandDarkEnergymakeup96%oftheuniverse .

No, they do so because ideas concerning the origin and makeup of the universe have becomesomewhatofareligion for itsadherents.AsBigBangevolutionistRichardLewontinhashonestlyputit,

We take the side of science in spite of the patent absurdity 

of some of its constructs, in spite of its failure to fulfill many 

of its extravagant promises of health and life, in spite of the 

tolerance  of  the  scientific  community  for  unsubstantiated 

just‐so  stories,  because  we  have  a  prior  commitment,  a 

commitment to materialism.  

It  is  not  that  the  methods  and  institutions  of  science 

somehow compel us  to accept a material explanation of  the phenomenal world, but, on  the 

contrary,  that  we  are  forced  by  our  a‐priori  adherence  to  material  causes  to  create  an 

apparatus of investigation and a set of concepts that produce material explanations, no matter 

how counterintuitive, no matter how mystifying to the uninitiated.  

Moreover, that materialism is absolute, for we cannot allow a Divine Foot in the door.5 

5 “Billions and Billions of Demons,” The New York Review of Books, January 9, 1997, pp. 28, 31.

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Religiousbeliefs,evenagnosticandatheisticones,goverydeepintothehumanpsycheandtheyareoften used as the ultimate criteria for how one judges reality. If something goes against one’sreligiousbeliefs,nomatterhowtrueorrightitmaybe,thereligiousbeliefshaveatendencytowinthebattle.

Peoplewhobelieveinaflateartharenotimmunefromthispsychologicalmalady.Almosttoaman,theybelievetheEarthisflatbecausetheybelievetheBiblesaysso.

Oncethatfoundationalbeliefisset,thentheadherentwilltendtointerpretallthedatahegathersandsqueezeitintoaflatearthmodel,nomatterhowcounterintuitivesomeofthedatamaybetohischerishedbelief.

Because they believe a flat earth is taught by Scripture and that they have scientific evidence tosupportit,flatearthadherentshavetriedtoforgeanacademicrelationshipwithgeocentrists,sincetheBibleteachesgeocentrism.

Since flat‐earthers believe the Earth is in the center of the universe and doesn’tmove, this factseemslikeaready‐maderelationshipwithgeocentristsano‐brainer.

Geocentrists,inturn,havehadtotellflat‐earthersthattherecanbenosuchrelationshipsince:

1. theBibledoesnotteachaflatearth2. neithertheChurchFathersnortheChurchafterthemtaughtaflatearth3. thescientificdatadoesnotsupportaflatearth.

Exegesis of Isaiah 40:22

As an example of how flat‐earthers interpret Scripture, they make the mistake of reading intoScripturewhat they are seeking for. For example, a typicalpassage that isused to support a flatearthisIsaiah40:22:

It is he who sits above the circle of the earth, and its inhabitants are likegrasshoppers;whostretchesouttheheavenslikeacurtain,andspreadsthemlikeatenttodwellin RSV .

Flat‐earthersargue that theword “circle,”which theyunderstandasa two‐dimensional figure, isthebestbiblicaldescriptionofaflatEarth.

At first glance, their interpretation sounds plausible. After all, Isaiah uses theword “circle.” Butuponcloserinspectionweseeanumberofthingsthatwillgoagainsttheirinterpretation.First,theversedepictsGodsitting “above” theEarth.Fromthatvantagepoint, theEarthwould look likeacirclewhetheritwasaflatcirculardiscorasphere.

Someonemightargue,ofcourse,thatGodwouldknowifitwasacircleorasphere,sohisvantagepoint really doesn’t solve the problem. In that case,we need to godeeper in our analysis of the

word“circle.”WefinditistheHebrewwordgwh pronouncedKUG anditisusedalsoinJob22:14:

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12“Is not God high in the heavens? See the highest stars, how lofty they are!13Therefore you say, ‘What does God know? Can he judge through the deepdarkness?14Thickcloudsenwraphim,sothathedoesnotsee,andhewalksonthevaultofheaven.’” RSV

Theword translated “vault”by theRSV is theHebrewKUG. In this case it is a curvedvault.Theversecouldthusbetranslated,“Hewalksonthecircleofheaven.”

But flat‐earthers, if theyknow theirBible, donotbelieve thatheaven is a flat circulardisc, sinceScriptureneverdescribesheaveninthatway.

Assuch, the interpretercannotclaimthatKUGrefers toa flatcirculardisc.Rather,KUGrefers toanyshapethatiscurved.

Butsinceheaven,accordingtoflat‐earthers,isnotaflatcirculardisc,thentheHebrewwordKUGinIsaiah 40:22 cannot be used as proof of a flat Earth, for flat‐earthers believe that the shape ofheavenisadome,whichisacurvedshapethatishalfofasphere,orwhatwecallahemisphere.

Thustheybelievethatsinceheavenisaharddome,itcanthenbeusedtocovertheflatearththesameasadome‐shapedcoveringisusedtocoveraflatplate.

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ThesamewouldbetrueofbothProverbs8:27andJob26:10,whicharetwootherpassagesthatflat‐earthersuseforbiblicalsupport.

Proverbs8:27

Whenheestablishedtheheavens,Iwasthere,whenhedrewacircleonthefaceofthedeep,28whenhemadefirmtheskiesabove,whenheestablishedthefountainsofthedeep. RSV

HereagaintheHebrewwordKUGisused.So, themeaningcouldbethatGoddrewacircleorasphere.

Flat‐earthers claim that the flat disc of the Earth rests on thewaters of “theGreatDeep,”which“Deep” isahemisphericalcontainer.Godissaidtodrawacircleonthetop or face of theGreatDeepandthiscirclebecomestheflatdisccalledtheEarth.

But since KUG can also refer to a sphere, Proverbs 8:27 can simply mean that God drew orencompassedasphereofwater,whichsurfaceisthetoporfaceofthesphere.

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Other Problems with a Flat Earth

ThephysicsofaflatEarthcausesacontradictionforatleastsomeflat‐earthers.Most,ifnotall,flat‐earthersbelievetheBiblewhenitsaysthattheEarthismotionlessinspaceandtheSunrevolvesaround it.This ispreciselywhysome flat‐eartherswant tobuildbridgeswithGeocentrists, sincebothbelieveinamotionlessEarth.

Butthefactis,someflat‐earthersdon’tbelieveinamotionlessEarth,andthustheycontradicttheirstandontheBible.Here’swhy.IftheEarthwereflatandhadgravity,thetendencywouldbefortheEarthtorollitselfintoaball,sincethatisthemosteconomicalshapetoaccommodatetheforceofgravity.Thatiswhyallthecelestialobjectsweseeareroundornearround.Thisisespeciallytrueof an object that is 75%water, as theEarth is. Sincewater is very flexible, itwould form into asphere in the same way that water dripping from a faucet forms spherical drops. The surfacetension and gravity will make it form into a sphere, which is the shape that requires the leastenergytoholdtheobjecttogether.

In order to deal with the problem of a flat earth being gravitationally uneconomical, the flat‐earthersclaimthatthereisnogravity.ItisjustafigmentofNewton’swildimagination.This,theybelieve,willallowthemtokeeptheEarthflat.

Sohowdoflat‐earthersproposethatpeopleandobjectscanremainonEarthwithoutfloatingawayintoouterspace?SomeproposethattheflatEarthismovingupwardsattherateof9.8meterspersecond,whichistheescapevelocityofEarthdeterminedbyexperiment.ThisupwardmovementoftheflatEarthcreatesinertiaagainstallbodiesonthesurfaceandmoreorlessadheresthemtotheflat Earth, similar to the same inertial force one feels against the back of his seat when heaccelerateshiscarforward.Butifthatisthecase,thentheflat‐earthershavemadetheEarthmove,whichisacontradictiontotheirbiblicalbeliefsthattheEarthdoesnotmove.

Someflat‐earthershaveproposedthatweareheldtotheEarthbymagnetism.Butthefactisthatmagnetismonlyattracts iron in things likecompasses,nothumanbeingswhicharecomposedof92%waterandvery little iron.Besides,magnetismis toopowerfula force,whichcanbeseenbywatchinghowfastapaperclipisattractedtoamagnet.

Other flat‐earthers claim thatwhatholdsushumans to theground is the fact thatourdensity isgreaterthanair.Ifwewerefilledwithhelium,itwouldmakeourdensitylessthanairandwewouldriseabovetheground.Althoughthissolutionanswerstheissueofhowdensityaffectsbuoyancy,itdoesnotanswertheissueofgravity,sinceitgivesnoanswerastohowtheEarth’sairisheldclosetotheEarthandisnotsuckedintothevacuumofspace.Natureabhorsavacuum.Theplanetsthathaveverytenuousatmospheres,suchasMercuryandMars,aretheplanetswiththeleastamountofgravity to hold an atmosphere. The larger planets, such as Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus andNeptune,haveverythickatmospheres,sincethereismoregravitytoholdanatmosphere.

Intheend,theflat‐earthersareleftwithoutananswerastowhypeopleonEarthdon’tfloatoffintospace.

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Job 26:10

AnotherrelevantpassageisJob26:10

Hehasdescribedacircleuponthefaceofthewatersattheboundarybetweenlightanddarkness. RSV

HerewehavetheHebrewwordKUG,butthistimeintheQalpreteriteforthepasttenseandthusit

ispronouncedKAG gj1 .Asbefore,KAGcouldrefertoacircleorasphere,butthepreferencegoes

againtoasphere.ThereasonisthatKAGmustfitintotherestoftheverse,whichspecifiesthatthegeometricshapeithasinviewdivideslightfromdarkness.Thisdivisionof lightfromdarknessiseasilyportrayedonasphere.Duringatotaleclipse,forexample,themoonisbetweentheEarthandtheSunandthusthesideofthemoonfacingusisintotaldarkness,whilethesidefacingtheSunisintotallight.Thus,lightanddarknesshaveamutualboundary,whereinhalfthesphereislightandtheotherhalfisdarkness.

If one insists on using “circle” as themeaning of KAG, it also supports a spherical Earth. If Godinscribedacircleattheplacewherelightonthespherewasdividedfromdarknessonthesphere,HewoulddrawthecircleconnectingtheNorthPoletotheSouthpole.Inotherwords,itwouldbeacircleinscribedonasphere.

But it isnotsoeasy for flat‐earthers toaccommodate Job26:10. In fact, theyusemisrepresentedanimationstoanswerthisproblem.OnmostFlat‐EartherYoutubesites,thesunisdepictedasgoingaroundaflatcirculardiscandthesun’slightisdeliberatelylimitedsothatitonlyhitsaportionoftheflatEarth.Seethefollowingfigure:

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Theflat‐eartherssaytheSun’slightislimitedbecausetheybelievetheSunisthesamesizeasthemoonandveryclosetothemoon,whichisalsowhytheybelievethemoonblockstheSuninatotaleclipse.ButiftheSunisthesamesizeasthemoonitmeansthattheintensityoftheSun’slightisgoing tobemuch less than if itwere the864,000milediameterwecommonlyhavebelieved thediametertobe.Additionally,theflat‐earthersbelievethattheSun’slightisfurtherlimitedbecausetheSunisonly3000milesabovetheflatEarth.Assuch,theSunfortheflat‐earthersismorelikeaspotlightinsteadofanequilateralradiatingbody.

Butthisraisesanotherproblem.Howdothemoonandtheplanetsradiatelight?Theflat‐earther’sSunwouldnotbepowerfulenoughtogivelighttothemoonandplanets.Aswecanseeintheabovepictorial,theSuncan’tevengivelighttothewholeflatEarthduetoitssmallsizeandheightabovetheEarth.Itonlyhasaconeoflight,aswouldbethecaseforaspotlightoraflashlight.

Assuch,themoonandplanetswouldhavetocreatetheirownlight,andthisispreciselywhatflat‐earthersbelieve.Unfortunately, there isnoscientificevidence thatplanetsandmoonscancreatetheirownlight,muchlesslightthatwecouldseeinourtelescopes.Ifplanetscouldcreatetheirownlight,wewouldnotseedarknessinMercuryandVenusastheytraversethesun.

Revelation 1:7

Behold, he is comingwith the clouds, and every eyewill see him, everyonewhopiercedhim;andalltribesoftheearthwillwailonaccountofhim.Evenso.Amen.RSV

Theflat‐earthersclaimthatiftheEarthwereround,itwouldbeimpossibleforeveryoneonEarthtoseeChristcomingbackontheclouds.EvenifChristwereasbigasconventionaltheorysaystheSunis,halfoftheworldwouldnotseehim.

TheproblemwiththisreasoningisthatitassumesthatwhenChristcomesback,thepeoplewillstillbe on the surfaceof theEarth.But this is not thepicture suggested in Scripture. For example, 1Thessalonians4:16‐7saysthatthepeopleonEarthwillberaisedintotheskywhenChristreturns:

16FortheLordhimselfwilldescendfromheavenwithacryofcommand,withthearchangel'scall,andwith thesoundof the trumpetofGod.Andthedead inChristwillrisefirst;17thenwewhoarealive,whoareleft,shallbecaughtuptogetherwith

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theminthecloudstomeettheLordintheair;andsoweshallalwaysbewiththeLord. RSV

Effectively, everyone in the world will be taken from the surface of the Earth, since at Christ’sreturntheEarthwillbedestroyed cf.2Peter3:10‐13;John5:29 .Christwill judgethegoodandthebad,intheair,andtheywillbesenttotheirrespectivedestinations.

What is the Firmament?

Oneofthereasonsflat‐earthersbelievethatheavenisadomeisduetotheinterpretationtheygivetotheFirmament,mentionedfirstinGenesis1:6‐9

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6And God said, “Let there be a firmament in the midst of the waters, and let itseparatethewatersfromthewaters.”7AndGodmadethefirmamentandseparatedthewaterswhichwereunderthefirmamentfromthewaterswhichwereabovethefirmament. And itwas so. 8AndGod called the firmamentHeaven. And therewaseveningandtherewasmorning,asecondday. RSV

Theymight find support in somemodern translations thathave rendered theHebrewwordasa“dome,”suchasappearsinthe1971NewAmericanBible:

6 http://aplanetruth.info/2015/03/24/flat-earth-images/

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6ThenGodsaid, "Let therebeadome in themiddleof thewaters, toseparateonebody of water from the other." And so it happened: 7Godmade the dome, and itseparatedthewaterabovethedomefromthewaterbelowit.8Godcalledthedome"thesky."Eveningcame,andmorningfollowed–thesecondday.

But“dome”isamisrepresentationoftheHebrewword.TheHebrewwordisRAQUIA ey1q3r ,andit

doesnotmean“dome.”Sowheredidthisinaccuratetranslationoriginate?

Inordertoknowtheoriginandreasoningbehindthetranslation“dome”onemustknowthesadstate of modern biblical scholarship. Soon after the Catholic Church had rejected the ideas ofGalileo,thesecularistswagedaviciouswaragainsttheChurch.

For example, Baruch de Spinoza 1632 – 1677 , a Jewish pantheistic andrationalisticphilosopher,startedtheballrollingbyproposinganalternativeviewofScripture’sauthorship.HestartedbyrejectingthedivinemiraclesoftheBible.Ifdivinemiraclesaredenied,thendivineinspirationtowriteScriptureisthenextlogicalstep,thusleadingSpinozatorejectdivinely‐inspiredMosaicauthorshipoftheOldTestament.

  

By 1878, the German scholars, Karl Graf and Julius Wellhausen, crafted these novel views ofScriptureand createdwhat isnowknownas the “DocumentaryHypothesis.” It taught that therewerefourbasicauthorsofthePentateuchandMoseswasnotoneofthem.Instead,theauthorshipofGenesis1wasattributedtoaJewishscribecomingfromtheBabyloniancaptivityaround515BC;whowasmerely tryingto invigorate the Jewishpeopleduringtheirreturnto Jerusalem,notgivefactualrenderingofancienthistory,muchlesswasheunder“divineinspiration.”

Since the Jews had been under the worship of the Babylonian god Marduk for 70 years, theDocumentaryHypothesisholdsthattoreintroducetheJewishGodbackintoJewishconsciousness,theleadersinventedaJewishGodthatwasmuchmorepowerfulthanMarduk,fortheJewishGodcreatedtheuniverseinsixdaysjustbyspeaking!

As such, modern scholars do not believe anything in the Genesis account is factual; rather it ismerelyapsychologicalcrutchtofillthespiritualvacuumwhentheJewsleftBabylonandreturnedtoPalestine.Tomakethepsychologicalappealstrongenoughtogettheattentionofhisreaders,theJewishscribeusedanexaggerateddescriptionoftheJewishGodcreatingthecosmos.

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Since from the human perspective the heavens appear as dome above a flat earth even as itappearstoustodayaswelookintotheheavenswhenstandingonearth ,theNABtranslatorsslanttheirtranslationtodepictthatprimitivepicture.

Inturn,thisslantedtranslationallowsthesemodernscholarstodisregardtheliteral teachingsofGenesis1andmakethetextappearasfancifulandunscientificruminationsofancientpeopleswhowereunversedintherealscienceofhowtheuniversecameintobeing.

Andhere’stherub.InsteadofamiraculouscreationinsixdaysspokenintoexistencebyGod,thesescholarsbelieveinsuchtheoriesastheBigBangandevolutionastheonlywaythematerialworldcame into being. They have the same disregard for divinemiraculous intrusion for all the othernarrativesinGenesis e.g.,thegreatfloodofNoah’sday;theexodusfromEgypt,etc. .

SinceGenesis1 teaches, forexample, that theEarthwascreatedbefore thesun,moonandstars,thenobviouslya facevalueor literalreadingofGenesis1cannotaccommodatemodernscientifictheoriesliketheBigBangandevolutionwhichholdthatthesunandstarscamebeforetheEarth.

ThesolutionforthesescholarsistodismissthedetailsoftheGenesisaccountasmerestory‐fillerthathasnofactualbasis,except,perhaps,torevealthegeneraltruththatGod,astheFirstCause,setinmotionthethingsthatwouldbringabouttheuniverse.

Accordingly, foistingon theseancientpeoples the ideathatheaven ismerelyadomeabovea flatearth is the perfect tactic for these scholars to portray the author of Genesis and his readers asunsophisticatedhunter‐gathererswhohadn’ttheslightestclueofhowtherealworldoriginatedoroperates.

In turn, these liberal‐mindedscholars regards themselvesas those “in theknow”since theyholdfirmtotheideathatuniversecameintobeingbythetheoriesofEinstein,CopernicusandDarwin.Essentially,theythinktheyknowbetterthanGodastohowtheuniverseshouldbebuilt.

Whatdoestheblatanthistoriographyinmodernbiblicalscholarshipmeanfortheflat‐earthers?Itmeans theyhavecollectively fallen into the trap setby themodernhermeneutic.Theseaberrantscholars have convinced the world, and especially the flat‐earthers, that the original, and thuscorrect,waythatGenesiswaswrittenwastodepictaflatearthcoveredbyadome.

Here’s the second rub. Since the flat‐earthers believe that Genesis waswrittenbyMosesundertheinspirationofGod,theyarethenledtobelievethatGodinspiredGenesistoteachaflatearthcoveredbyadome.“IfGodsaidit,thenitmustbetrue,”istheflat‐earther’smantra.Inactuality,theyhavebeendeceivedbytheWellhausenscholarsandhavebecometheveryunsophisticated and clueless Bible‐thumpers that the scholars wish toportraythemas.

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How does one get out of this trap?

ThefirstthinghedoesismakeafirmbeliefwithallhisheartthatthescholarswhofollowtheGraf‐WellhausenDocumentaryHypothesisaremisguidedmenwho,inpartorinwhole,don’tbelieveinGod‐inspiredScripture andoftendon’t evenbelieve inGod .Rather, hemustbelieve that everydetailGodwroteinGenesis1isahistoricalrealityanditcontainsnothingthatismerestory‐fillerorinaccurateinanyway.

Second,hemust study the scholars that camebefore themodernscholars.Onewill find that thetraditionalscholarswerefaithfultotheprincipleofdivineinspirationandmiraculousintrusionandthusregardedeverywordofHolyWritasfactualtruthfromthemouthofGod.AsJesussaidtothedevil,“Mandoesnotlivebybreadalone,butbyeverywordthatcomesfromthemouthofGod.”

Third,hemustthoroughlystudythemoderntheoriesofCopernicanism,RelativityandDarwinismtoknowwhat theyare saying.Whenhedoes so,hewill find that eachof these theories ismorefanciful thantheNABscholars thinkGenesis is!Hewill findthateachmodernscientific theory isfilledwithbiasedassumptions,twistedfactsandadhocsolutionsthatareinvariablycoveredoverwithaveneerofpedanticnomenclatureandobtusemathematicstomakethemappearintelligentand sophisticated. In short, he will discover that all three modern theories are nothing butfabrications proppedup to save the humanistic andoften atheistic foundations that the scholarsliveby.

Fourth,hemustdoathoroughgrammaticalandhistoricalexegesisoftheBiblepassagesinquestiontodiscoverwhattheinspiredauthorsaid;andoncehefindsthattruth,hemustclingtoitwithallhismight and never be deterred by persecutions and ridicule from thosewho don’t believe theBible,initsentirety,istheinspiredandinerrantwordofGod.

How Can One Correctly Exegete Scripture?

Togiveanexampleof therigor thatmustbeapplied, let’sexamine theHebrewwordbehind thetraditionaltranslationofGenesis1:6‐9’s“firmament.”

Asnoted,theHebrewwordisRAQUIA ey1q3r2 ,whichisused17timesintheOldTestament,nineof

whichappearinGenesis1.

ThefirstmajorclueastotheidentityofthefirmamentappearsinGenesis1:8:“AndGodcalledthefirmament, heavens,” which means that the two words are synonyms and can be usedinterchangeably.

Obviously, we should then investigate the word “heavens.” It is the Hebrew word SHAMAYIM.y3m1v2 andappears10timesinGenesis1.

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Sometimesitiscalledthefirmamentreferringtotheheavensinouterspace verses8,9,14‐17,20 andsometimesitreferstothespaceinwhichthebirdsfly verses20,26,28,30 .

Fourtimes,betweenverses14and20,thewords“firmament”and“heavens”arecombinedinthephrase“thefirmamentoftheheavens.”

Threeofthosetimes,inverses14‐17,“firmamentoftheheavens”referstothespaceinwhichthesun,moonandstarsarecontained.

Onetime,inverse20,“onthefaceofthefirmamentoftheheavens”referstothebeginningspaceofairinwhichthebirdsfly.

Whatthisimmediatelytellsusisthatthefirmamentcannotbeasoliddomethatcoverstheearth.Ifbirdsflyinthefirmament—anditisafactthatbirdsflyintheair,relativelyclosetotheground—then the firmament cannot be a dome a few thousand of miles above the earth. Rather, thefirmamentmuststartatthesurfaceoftheearthandextendoutwardintotherestofouterspaceinwhichthesun,moonandstarsreside.

Second, the Hebrew specifies in verses 14‐17 that the sun, moon and stars are placed “in” thefirmament Hebrew:eyq3r5B,usedthreetimes,withBmeaning“in” .Butthis isnotthepictureof

thefirmamentthatflat‐earthersprovideontheirwebsites.Thefirmamentisexclusivelypicturedasa thin‐walleddomeabout three‐thousandmilesabovethesurfaceof theEarth,andthestarsandsun are placed on the face of the firmament, not “in” the firmament. Obviously, stars cannot beplaced“in”aharddomeandthusthedometheorycannotsatisfytheGenesisdetails.NorcanBbe

limitedto“inside,”sincethenthestarswouldneedtobedistributedthroughoutthefirmamentandnotbeclingingtothewallofthefirmament—theveryoppositepresentedbyflat‐earthcosmology.

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7 http://aplanetruth.info/2015/03/24/flat-earth-images/

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SomeimagesseemtoincorporatealowerfirmamentthattouchestheEarth:

8

Theycallitthe“firmamentofthesky,”butitisinsharpcontrasttothefirmamentasbeingadomeafewthousandmilesabovetheEarth.Hence,theflat‐earther’sdualusageofthefirmamentcausesadichotomy, since themeaningof theHebrewwordRAQUIA is somethinghard,which iswhy theword“firmament”isoftenchosenasthetranslationsincetheoperativesyllablereferstosomething“firm.”

So, while trying to accommodate Genesis 1:20’s usage of a “firmament of the heavens” or“firmamentofthesky”inwhichthebirdsfly,theflat‐eartherscannotthensaythatthefirmamentisa solid dome over the Earth, for how can a firmament be both tenuous like air and solid like adome?

ToverifythattheHebrewRAQUIAreferstosomethinghard,wewillinvestigateitsetymologyandusageinotherbiblicalpassages.

ItoriginatesfromtheverbalrootRAQA eqr ,whichmeans“stamp”or“spreadout”or“stretch.”It

is used both to refer to a firm substance that is spread out as in beatenmetal and the actualconstitutionoftheheavens,whichmustincludetheairabovetheEarthandouterspace.9

Thesecontrastingimagescertainlymakeitdifficulttopindownpreciselywhatthefirmamentis.Isitsomethinghardandfirmorsomethingvaporousandtenuous,oris itsomethingbetweenthesetwocontrastingimages?

Wethenfindfurtherinformationabouttheheavens.InExodus24:10itisimpliedthatitisassolidassapphireandyetasclearasspace:

“andtheysawtheGodofIsrael;andtherewasunderhisfeetasitwereapavementofsapphirestone,liketheveryheavenforclearness.”

WealsofindinExodus39:3;Numbers17:3;andJeremiah10:9thatRAQAistheword“hammered,”asgoldthatisbeatendownintoveryfinesheets.

8 http://aplanetruth.info/2015/03/24/flat-earth-images/ 9 e.g., Gn 1:14, 15, 17, 20; Ps 19:2; 150:1; Ez 1:22-26; 10:1; Dn 12:3

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InEzekiel6:11and25:6RAQAistheword“stamped.”

In2Samuel22:43RAQAistranslatedas“beaten”or“crushed.”

The Curious Passage of Job 37:18

OneofthemostinterestingpassagesinthisregardisJob37:18.InthispassageJobischallengedbyoneofhisfriendswiththiscuriousquestion:

“Canyou,likehim,spreadouttheskies,hardasamoltenmirror”?

The difficulty in exegeting this verse is thatwe normally understand the sky as a vaporous andtenuousmixtureofvariousgases. It iswhybirdsareable to fly in the firmament Genesis1:20 ,sincetheyflaptheirwingsagainsttheairtocreateapartialvacuumabovetheirwings.

OnemightventuretosaythatthehardnessoftheskymightrefertothefactthatnearthetopoftheEarth’s atmosphere could be considered hard in the sense that if a rocket or meteor hit theatmosphereataslightangle,itwouldtendtobounceofftheatmosphere.

By the same token, a rocket ormeteor that came straight down toward the Earth’s atmospherewouldpiercerightthrewit,showingthatitisnothard.

SotheproblemwithJob37:18isthatwhatweknowtobetrueoftheEarth’sairnearitssurfacemust alsobe trueof the volumeof outer space, sinceboth aredesignated “the firmament of theheavens” cf.Genesis1:14andGenesis1:20 .

The only distinction that Genesis makes between the firmament of celestial space and thefirmament of the Earth’s air is that the latter is called “the face of the firmament.” But this isunderstandablesincethe“face”isthefrontpartorsurfaceofwhatisbehindit.ThefirmamentneartotheEarth’ssurfaceisitsface.

SothemeaningofJob37:18ismysterious.Howcanthefirmamentoftheheavensbehardandatthesametimesoft,softenoughforthebirdstoflyinit?

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The Church versus Foscarini on Job 37:18

This dilemma did not go unnoticed during the time when the Church confronted Copernicancosmologyintheearly1600s.

During theChurch’s investigations into theCopernican theory, aCarmelite friarnamedFr.PaoloFoscariniwascensuredforhisheliocentriccosmologyin1615,justayearpriortoGalileocensure.

LittleknownisthefactthatFoscariniwasalsocensuredforhisbeliefthattheheavenswere“verythinandtenuous.”TheChurch’scensorstatedthefollowingagainstFoscarini:

Onpage45hesaysthattheheavensareverythinandtenuous,notsolidanddense.ThisisclearlycontrarytoJob37*‘Togetherwiththisyouhavecreatedtheheavenswhich aremost solid and spread out like the air.’ This cannot be explained as anappearance as the author indicates because the solidity of the heavens is notapparenttous.10

Obviously,theCatholiccensorwastreatingJob37:18thesamewaytheCatholicChurchhadtreatedthe verses in Scripture, that is, they were taken at face value and considered factual truth,regardlessofwhatsubjectmattertheyaddressed.Evidently,eventheconstitutionofspacewasnotconsidered trivial or obscure information that could be ignored.Whatever Scripture said on theissueofspacewaspromptlyregardedwiththeutmostdivineauthorityandthebasisforrejectingFoscarini’swholeapproachtoScripture.

AccordingtotheCatholiccensor,theheavensaresolidanddense,eventhoughtheyarespreadoutliketheair.Heapparentlyagreesthattheimageofasolidanddensegaseous‐typesubstanceisnotimmediatelyunderstandabletoourperceptionsandthusconcludes,“thesolidityoftheheavensisnotapparenttous.”

IfwedoanetymologyonthewordsusedinJob37:18wefindsomeveryinterestingfeaturesthatsupportthecensor’scontentionagainstFoscarini.TheHebrewsentencereadsasfollows:

eyqrt “canyoubeatoutorspreadout” wme “withhim” .yqhvl “thesky,the

heavens” .yqzj “hard” yark “likeamirror” qxym “cast” .

The first word, ta‐re‐quiah eyqrt is a verb appearing twelve times in the Hebrew bible and

normallymeans“tospreadorstretchout.”11Itisverysimilartothenounra‐qui‐a eyqr whichis

translatedas“firmament”inGenesisandthePsalms.12

10 The censor’s document is titled: Judicium de spistola F. Pauli Foscarini de mobilitate terrae (The Church and Galileo, p. 24) and the text is provided by Richard J. Blackwell in Galileo, Bellarmine and the Bible, pp. 253-254. We have changed “Tobit 37” to Job 37 since Blackwell, or from whomever he copied it, apparently misread the original Latin. 11 Ex 39:3; Nm 16:39; 17:4; 2Sm 22:43; Jb 37:18; Ps 136:6; Is 40:19; 42:5; 44:24; Jr 10:9; Ez 6:11; 25:6. 12 Gn 1:6-8, 14-17, 20; Ps 19:1.

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Thenoun li‐she‐ka‐quim .yqjvl “the sky, theheavens” is from the root sha‐kaq qjv and

appearstwenty‐onetimesaseither“sky”;13“clouds”14“heavens,”15or“dust,”16aswhenIsaiah40:15saysthatthenations,toGod,arelike“dustonthescales.”

Theverbalformofsha‐kaq qjv isusedfourtimesandreferstobeatingoutsomethingsothatit

becomesverysmall,likedustparticles,suchas“Ididbeatthemassmallasdust”in2Samuel22:43.

All in all, sha‐kaq qjv carries the idea of a finely‐grained substance that fills the sky, and by

extension, itmustalso fillsouterspacesinceGenesis1 insists that the firmamentof theheavensincludesboththeEarth’sairandthespacewherethestarsreside.

Itcannotbeair,whichiscomposedofnitrogenandoxygen,sincethereisnoairinouterspace.Thisfinely grained yet hard substance must be something common to both the Earth’s air and thevacuumofouterspace.

AnotherpassageofinteresthereisProverbs8:28

Whenheestablishedtheheavens,Iwasthere,whenhedrewacircleonthefaceofthedeep,28whenhemadefirmtheskiesabove,whenheestablishedthefountainsofthedeep. RSV

Theword “skies” is theHebrewsha‐kaq qjv . Some translations render it as “clouds,”but that

choicedoesn’t fitwith theverb.Thephrase “made firm” is from theHebrewverba‐mats xma ,

whichisaPielinfinitive,theintensiveformoftheQal.ThePielofa‐matsisnormallyunderstoodas“harden” Deut15:7 or“makestrong” 2Chr11:17 .Cloudscannotbemadestrongorfirm,sincetheyarenothingbutwatervapor,unless,possibly,theauthorisreferringtothecloud’smakingicecrystals.

Further study in Job37:18 shows that thewordkaz‐a‐quim .yqzj “hard” appearsover forty

times and is translated as “strong” Ex 13:9 ; “mighty” Ex 32:11 ; “hard” Ez 3:9 . The ideaexpressedhereisthatthefirmamentoftheheavensisnotonlyhardbutverystronginitshardness.

Also,thewordmey‐at‐saq qxym “cast”isfromtherootyat‐saq qxy andistranslatedvariously

as “cast” Ex 25:12 ; “pour” Lv 2:1 ; “forms” Jb 38:38 ; “firm” Jb 41:23‐24 ; “attached to” Ps41:8 ;“molten” 1Kg7:16 .Theideaexpressedhereisthatthefirmamentoftheheavensisalsolikeahardliquidorcanactlikealiquid.

The remaining passages that use the Hebrew RA‐QUI‐A are: two times in the Psalms 19:1 and150:1 andEzekiel1:22‐26,bothofwhichdonotgiveanymoredetail.TheformerisusedforpraisetoGodandthelatterisasymbolicvisionobservedbyEzekiel.

13 Dt 33:26; 2Sm 22:12; Jb 37:18; Ps 18:11; 77:17; 108:4; Is 45:8; Jr 51:9. 14 Jb 35:5; 36:28; 37:21; 38:37; Ps 36:5; 57:10; 78:23; Pr 3:20; 8:28. 15 Ps 68:34; 89:6, 37. 16 Is 40:15.

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ThelastplaceRAQUIAappearsisDaniel12:3,whichissimilartoGenesis1:14‐17inthatitstates,inastyleofHebrewpoetry,thatthefirmamentisverybrightandcontainsthestars.

So What is the Firmament?

Ifwetakeallthesedescriptionsofthefirmamentoftheheavenstogether,andapplythembothtothe firmament in which the birds fly and the firmament in which the stars reside, it obviouslycannotrefertoadomesinceadomewouldnotfulfillallthecriteria.

Inordertofulfillthebiblicalcriteria,thefirmamentoftheheavensmustbe:

Hardanddense Havequalitiesthatactlikeasolid,liquidandgas. Itmustbetransparent Itmustbeeasilypenetrablesothatbirdscanflyinit Itmustbeflexiblesothatitcanbestretchedbillionsofmiles Itmustfillthewholeuniversesothatthestarsmaybecontainedinit Itmustbe combinedwithorbea substrateofEarth’s atmosphere, filling all of the space

betweentheoxygenandnitrogenmoleculesofEarth’sair Itmustbecombinedwithorbeasubstrateofthevacuumofouterspace

The Stretching of the Firmament

Another feature of the firmament of the heavens is that Scripture says it was “stretched” or“expanded.”ThisisalreadyimpliedinGenesis1:6:“AndGodsaid,"Lettherebeafirmamentinthemidstofthewaters,andletitseparatethewatersfromthewaters."

Thismeans thatat thebeginningtheEarthwascoveredwithwater.Since therewasnoheat, thewaterwasintheformofice.

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WhentheLightwascreatedontheFirstDay,thismeltedtheiceanditbecameliquidwater.

Thiswatermayhavebeenbillionsofmilesdeep,withtheEarthbeinglikeatinyseed.

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AfterGodcreatedthefirmamentontheSecondDay,hestretchedoutthefirmamentsothatitwouldtakethegreaterportionofwaterfarawayfromEarth,perhapsbillionsofmiles.OtherpassagesinScripturegivethesamepicture.Job9:8says

“God…who alone stretched out the heavens, and trampled the waves of the sea;9whomadetheBearandOrion,thePleiadesandthechambersofthesouth.

Thephrase“stretchedout”hereisaHebrewQalparticiplena‐tsa‐ha hfn .Theimplicationhereis

thatafterthefirmamentoftheheavenswerestretchedinGenesis1:6tomakethecelestialspaceweseetoday,thenthestars,identifiedhereastheconstellationsTheBear,OrionandThePleiades,wereplacedinthefirmament.

ThisshowsthatthechronologyofGenesis1isveryscientific,sincethefirmamentmustbebuiltontheSecondDaybeforethestarscanhaveaplacetoresideandthusweremadeontheFourthDay.Likewise,iftheuniverseistohaveacornerstone,asitwere,itwouldbepropertoputtheEarthinthatspecialplaceontheFirstDayandthenbuildeverythingaroundit.Hence,thefirmamentisbuiltaroundtheuniverse’scornerstone,theEarth,andstretchedoutasaspherewithEarthasthepivotpoint.

ThesameHebrewQalparticiplereferringtostretchingappearsinPs104:2:

“TheLord,whocoverestthyselfwithlightaswithagarment,whohaststretchedouttheheavenslikeatent.

AndagaininIsaiah42:5;and44:24

“ThussaysGod,theLord,whocreatedtheheavensandstretchedthemout”

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Theimageryhereis,whenGodfirstmadethefirmamentoftheheavens,itwaslikeacloseddraperysurroundingtheEarthandthenGodpulledthedraperytoundoitsfolds.This,ofcourse,meansthattheconstitutionofthefirmamenthastobesomethingthatcanbestretchedbillionsofmilesyetnotripapart.Whatkindofsubstancecanthisbe?

It iscertainlyanunusualsubstance.NowonderGodreferstothestretchingoutofthefirmamentoveradozentimesinScriptureasoneofhismightiestacts.ItsimportanceisalsonotedbythefactthatittakesupthewholeSecondDayofCreation.

Day 1: Earth and Light Day 2: The Firmament Day 3: Vegetation Day 4: Celestial bodies Day 5: Birds and Fish Day 6: Animals and Man AsimilarpictureappearsinIsaiah45:12,usingtheHebrewQalperfecttense.Godstretchesoutthefirmamentandthencommandsthestarstobeplacedinit:

“I made the earth, and created man upon it; it was my hands that stretched out theheavens,andIcommandedalltheirhost.”

AsimilarpictureappearsinIsaiah51:13withaHebrewQalparticiple,thistimeshowingthatthestretchingoutof the firmamentoccurredduringthetimetheEarthwasfounded,whichpointstothesequenceofcreationDaysinGenesis1withtheEarthastheuniverse’scornerstone:

“YouhaveforgottentheLORD,yourMaker,whostretchedouttheheavensandlaidthefoundationsoftheearth”

Lastly is Zechariah 12:1, using another Hebrew Qal participle, pinpoints the stretching of thefirmamenttotheoriginalDaysofCreation:

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“Thus says the LORD,who stretched out the heavens and founded the earth andformedthespiritofmanwithinhim.”

Sonowweknowthat theFirmamentof theheavens ishard,denseand transparent,buthasqualitiesofasolid,liquidandagas.Weknowitispenetrableandflexiblesothatbirdscanflyin it.We know it can be stretched to unfathomable dimensions.We know it fills thewholeuniversesothatthestarsmaybecontainedinit.WeknowitmustbethesubstrateofEarth’satmosphere,aswellasthesubstrateofthevacuumofcelestialspace.

Sowhatkindofmaterialsubstancecouldthefirmamentoftheheavensbe?

First,let’slookatsomesuggestionsfrommodernscience.Interestinglyenough,whenmodernscientists have to describe the Big Bang, they seem to be borrowing from the Bible’sdescriptionaboutthe“stretchingofthefirmament,”butperhapswithoutevenknowingit.

Indoingso,theygiveusaclueastowhatthefundamentalsubstancecouldbethatmakesupthefirmament,aswellashowfastthestretchingmayhavebeen.

StephenHawking, no stranger to innovative ideas, describes something unusual in his 2010book,TheGrandDesign.PayspecialattentiontoHawking’slastsentence:

…duringthiscosmicinflation,theuniverseexpandedbyafactorof1 1030in1 10‒35seconds.Itwasasifacoin1centimeterindiametersuddenlyblewuptotenmilliontimesthe width of the Milky Way. That may seem to violate relativity, which dictates thatnothingcanmovefasterthanlight,butthatspeedlimitdoesnotapplytotheexpansionofspaceitself….physicistsaren’tsurehowinflationhappened….Butifyougofarenoughbackin time, the universe was as small as the Planck size, a billion‐trillion‐trillionth of acentimeter…17

Althoughwe by nomeans subscribe to the Big Bang theory, Hawking does tell uswhatmodernscience believes is the fundamental particle.He says it is a particle of “the Planck size.”Modernphysics has come to realize that theremust be a shortest length formatter—the state inwhichmatterbecomesindivisible.ItistheentityofindivisibilitytheGreekscalledthe“atom.”

Inessence,aPlanck‐particle’ssphericalvolumeissosmallthattherewouldbenospacebetweenadjacentPlanck‐particle’s,whichwouldnecessarily make an accumulation of Planck‐particles into super‐solidsphere.Normally,whenindividualspherestoucheachotherinclosed quarters there is always space between the spheres. Forexample,ifweput100marblesinaboxandfilledtheboxwithwater,wecanmeasurejusthowmuchspaceexistsbetweenallthesphericalmarbles. But if we make the marbles smaller and smaller, thereshould comeapoint inwhichwe cannot addanywater to thebox.

17 The Grand Design, pp. 129-131.

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ThatprecisepointiswhatweattributetothePlanck‐particlediameterofasphere.Ofcourse,itishardforustoimaginehowspherescouldhavenospacebetweenthem,butneithercan we conceive of particles having a diameter of only 10‐35 meters. This is similar to Zeno’sParadoxsuch that ifwecontinue tohalve thedistancebetween twopoints, theoretically the twopoints should never touch, since it should always be possible to take half of even the smallestdistance.But,infact,thetwopointsdomeet,aswhenmyfingerhitsthekeyboardsothatIcantypethissentence.There isalsoaparadoxontheotherside let’scall itMrs.Zeno’sParadox . Ifonewantsto insistthere is space between adjacent Planck‐particles, what substance would constitute the unfilledspace?Itcan’tbe“nothing”since,metaphysicallyspeaking,itisimpossiblefor“nothing”toexist.Itmustbe“something.” NB:whenhesays“atoms”herehemeansPlanck‐particles .

In his new book, Spooky Action at a Distance, physicist George Musser gives us the historicalbackground:

Still, these shenanigans are occurring way down on the Planck scale, or close to it….Trillions upon trillions of spatial atoms blur together into a single unbroken expanse. Those atoms are mutually independent, so locality should hold; each part of space should have an independent existence….

The point is just that the space we observe could be a product of some underlying structure. When we walk across a room, we are not gliding passively through a preexisting expanse. Something is happening. There is machinery at work, a grinding of gears deep within nature, to produce the experience of being “here” and being “there.”

Likewise, space might be built of pieces that are not themselves spatial….Clearly, constructing space isn’t going to be as straightforward as melding molecules into a fluid. What could its building blocks possibly be?....When it comes to space, though, there can be no “smaller,” because size itself is a spatial concept. The building blocks cannot presume space if they are to explain it. They must have neither size nor location; they are everywhere, spanning the entire universe, and nowhere, impossible to point to. What would it mean for things not to have position” Where would they be?....Einstein foresaw there difficulties. “Perhaps…we must also give up, by principle, the space-time continuum,” he wrote.18

Sothequestionremainingis:howsmallcantheradiusofmatterbesuchthatitremainsponderablematter, yet with no spaces between its independentmaterial particles? Planck‐particles are theclosestthingwehavetosolvingthatmetaphysicalandphysicalconundrum.If thereissomethingelse,Iamcertainlyopentoseeit,butsofarthePlanckworldisthelimit.

Many other modern physicists have realized that Planck‐dimensions exist. In 1957, Princetonprofessor JohnWheeler was the first to describe the Planck dimensions as “space‐time foam.”19StephenHawkingsupportedWheeler’stheory,statingthat,onextremelysmallscalesinthePlanck

18 Spooky Action at a Distance, George Musser, 2015, pp. 160-170. 19 John A. Wheeler and C. M. Patton, “Is Physics Legislated by Cosmology?” The Encyclopedia of Ignorance, editors: Ronald Duncan and Miranda Weston-Smith, Pocket Books, 1978, pp. 19-35.

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dimensions,spaceisalivewith“turbidrandomactivityandgargantuanmasses.”20Others,suchasIanRedmountandWai‐MoSuenspeakof “quantumspace‐time foam”or “Lorentizianspace‐timefoam,”21asdoesS.J.Prokhovnik.22Jean‐Pierre Vigier refers to it as a “non‐empty vacuum” and outlines the phenomenon ofsuperluminal interactions in an “underlying deterministic substructure.”23 Vigier points to theexperimentsbyAlainAspect,whichconfirmtheresults.24The1993Nobellaureateforphysics,RobertLaughlin,adds:

It turns out that such matter exists. About the time relativity was becoming accepted, studies of radioactivity began showing that the empty vacuum of space had spectroscopic structure similar to that of ordinary quantum solids and fluids. Subsequent studies with large particle accelerators have now led us to understand that space is more like a piece of window glass than ideal Newtonian emptiness. It is filled with “stuff” that is normally transparent but can be made visible by hitting it sufficiently hard to knock out a part. The modern concept of the vacuum of space, confirmed every day by experiment, is a relativistic ether. But we do not call it this because it is taboo.25

RobertMoon,professoremeritusinphysicsatUniversityofChicago,adds:

According to accepted theory, free space is a vacuum. If this is so, how can it exhibit impedance? But it does. The answer, of course, is that there is no such thing as a vacuum, and what we call free space has structure. The impedance equals 376+ ohms.”26

Soitseemsthatmodernscienceisturningthecorneronthisvitally important issue.Asoftoday,modernsciencebelieves inahardanddensesubstrate tospace justas theCatholic censorofFr.

20 Black Holes and Baby Universes and Other Essays, Bantam, 1994; A Briefer History of Time, pp. 104-123. 21 Physical Review D, 3rd series, vol. 47, No. 6, March 1993; I. Redmount and W.-M. Suen, “Is Quantum Spacetime Foam Unstable?” Rapid Communication, Physical Review D, 47, 2163 (1993); “De Broglie Waves on Dirac Ether,” Lettere Al Nuovo Cimento, vol. 29, No. 14, Dec. 1980; W.-M. Suen, “Minkowski Spacetime is Unstable in Semi-Classical Gravity,” Physical Review Letters, 62, 2217 (1989). 22 S. J. Prokhovnik, “Light in Einstein’s Universe,” Dordrecht, Reidel, 1985; “A Cosmological Basis for Bell’s View on Quantum and Relativistic Physics,” in Bell’s Theorem and the Foundation of Modern Physics, eds., A. Van der Merwe, F. Selleri, G. Tarozzi, New Jersey, World Scientific, 1990, pp. 508-514. 23 J. P. Vigier, “Causal Superluminal Interpretation of the Einstein-Podolsky-Rosen Paradox,” and “New non-zero photon mass interpretation of Sagnac effect as direct experimental justification of the Langevin paradox,” Physics Letters A, 234, 1997, pp. 75-85; Physics Letters A 175, 1993, p. 269. 24 Physical Review Letters, vol. 49, No. 2, July 12, 1982. 25 Robert B. Laughlin, A Different Universe: Reinventing Physics from the Bottom Down, 2005, pp. 120-121. The two chapters of Laughlin’s book that deal with these issues are: “The Nuclear Family,” (pp. 99-116 and “The Fabric of Space-Time” (pp. 117-126). Laughlin can speak so boldly about ether and not be afraid of suffering chastisement because, as one author notes: “…the impression of suggesting an ether theory is carefully avoided, because such can still be career suicide. Only physicists who were established beyond reproach could discuss ether-like aspects openly, like George Chapline, Gerd ’t Hooft, Robert Laughlin, or Frank Wilczek, just to alphabetically list a few who did. Today, we finally witness the dams breaking and ever more people dare to ‘come out.’” Sascha Vongehr, “Supporting Abstract Relational Space-Time as Fundamental without Doctrinism Against Emergence,” Nanjing University, China, Dec. 2009, p. 2. 26 “Space Must Be Quantizied,” 21st Century, May-June, 1988, p. 26ff.

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Foscarini did 400 years ago. Its modern adherents may call it by different names, but asShakespearesaid,“thatwhichwecallarosebyanyothernamewouldsmellassweet.”

Anotherfamiliarname,PaulC.W.Davies,wroteanarticleforNewScientistin2001titled“LiquidSpace.”27Herearesomerelevantexcerptsfromhisarticle:

Is space just space? Or is it filled with some sort of mysterious, intangible substance. The ancient Greeks believed so, and so did scientists in the 19th century. Yet by the early part of the 20th century, the idea had been discredited and seemed to have gone for good. Now, however, quantum physics is casting new light on this murky subject. Some of the ideas that fell from favor are creeping back into modern thought, giving rise to the notion of a quantum ether….

If so, we’ll have answered a question that has troubled philosophers and scientists for millennia. In the 5th century BC, Leucippus and Democritus concluded that the physical universe was made of tiny particles – atoms moving in a void. Impossible, countered the followers of Parmenides. A void implies nothingness, and if two atoms were separated by nothing, then they would not be separated at all, they would be touching. So space cannot exist unless it is filled with something, a substance they called the plenum.

If the plenum exists, it must be quite unlike normal matter. For example, Isaac Newton's laws of motion state that a body moving through empty space with no forces acting on it will go on moving in the same way. So the plenum cannot exert a frictional drag – indeed, if it did, the Earth would slow down in its orbit and spiral in towards the Sun.

Nevertheless, Newton himself was convinced that space was some kind of substance. He noted that any body rotating in a vacuum – a planet spinning in space, for example – experiences a centrifugal force. The Earth bulges slightly at the equator as a result. But truly empty space has no landmarks against which to gauge rotation. So, thought Newton, there must be something invisible lurking there to provide a frame of reference. This something, reacting back on the rotating body, creates the centrifugal force.

The belief that space is filled with some strange, tenuous stuff was bolstered in the 19th century. Michael Faraday and James Clerk Maxwell considered electric and magnetic fields to be stresses in some invisible material medium, which became known as the luminiferous ether. Maxwell believed electromagnetic waves such as light to be vibrations in the ether. And the idea that we are surrounded and interpenetrated by a sort of ghostly jelly appealed to the spiritualists of the day, who concocted the notion that we each have an etheric body as well as a material one.

In 1976 I began investigating what quantum mechanics might have to say. According to quantum field theory, the vacuum has some strange properties. Heisenberg's uncertainty principle implies that even in empty space, subatomic particles such as electrons and photons are constantly popping into being from nowhere, then fading away again almost immediately. This means that the quantum vacuum is a seething frolic of evanescent “virtual particles.”

27 Paul Davies, “Liquid Space,” New Scientist, Nov. 3, 2001.

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Although these particles lack the permanence of normal matter, they can still have a physical influence. For example, a pair of mirrors arranged facing one another extremely close together will feel a tiny force of attraction, even in a perfect vacuum, because of the way the set-up affects the behaviour of the virtual photons. This has been confirmed in many experiments.

So clearly the quantum vacuum resembles the ether, in the sense that there's more there than just nothing. But what exactly is the new version of the ether like? You might think that a real particle such as an electron moving in this sea of virtual particles would have to batter its way through, losing energy and slowing down as it goes. Not so. Like the ether of old, the quantum vacuum exerts no frictional drag on a particle with constant velocity.

Otherphysicistsarebeginningtoseeit.AbhayAshtekarholdsthatatthePlanckscaletheconceptofspace‐time is replacedby a networkofwhathe calls “loops andknots” of energy.This theory isbeingfurtherdevelopedbyCarloRovelliandLeeSmolin.28RogerPenrose,whohascoinedtheword“twistors”forPlanckparticles,believesthattheconceptof“space‐time”maybeeliminatedfromthebasisofphysicaltheoryaltogether.29Steven Weinberg notes in a 1989 paper that the energy density of space is upwards and probably beyond 1071 GeV, which is close to the Planck density. He also notes that Casimir in 1948 showed that “quantum fluctuations in the space between two flat conducting plates with separation d would produce a force per unit area equal to ħcπ2/240d4, or 1.30 × 10-18 dynes cm2/d4. This was measured by Sparnaay (1957), who found a force per area of (1-4) × 10-18 dynes cm2/d4 when d was varied between 2 and 10 μm.”30 Alan Kostelecký adds: “The observable effects of Planck‐scaleRelativityviolationsarelikelytolieintherangeof10‐34to10‐17,”31adding:

Whatever the eventual form of the ultimate theory, quantum physics and gravity are expected to become inextricably intertwined at a fundamental length scale of about 10-35 meters, which is called the Planck length, after the 19th century German physicist Max Planck.32

WiththeScientificAmericaneditoradding:

28 Lee Smolin, “Atoms of Space and Time,” Scientific American, Sept. 2004; A. Ashtekar, V. Husain, J. Samuel, C. Rovelli, L. Smolin: “2+1 quantum gravity as a toy model for the 3+1 theory,” Classical and Quantum Gravity 6, L185, 1989; C. Rovelli: “Loop space representation In: New perspectives in canonical gravity,” A. Ashtekar Bibliopolis, Naples 1988; C. Rovelli and L. Smolin: “Knot theory and quantum gravity,” Physical Review Letters 61, 1155, 1988; C. Rovelli, L. Smolin: “Loop space representation for quantum general relativity,” Nuclear Physics B331, 80, 1990; A. Ashtekar, C. Rovelli, L. Smolin: “Gravitons and loops,” Physical Review D44, 1740, 1991; A. Ashtekar, C. Rovelli: “Connections, loops and quantum general relativity,” Classical and Quantum Gravity 9, 3, 1992; J. Iwasaki, C. Rovelli: “Gravitons from loops: non-perturbative loop-space quantum gravity contains the graviton-physics approximation,” Classical and Quantum Gravity 11, 1653, 1994; H. Morales-Tecotl and C. Rovelli: “Loop space representation of quantum fermions and gravity,” Nuclear Physics B 451, 325, 1995; C. Rovelli and L. Smolin: “Spin Networks and Quantum Gravity,” Physical Review D 53, 5743, 1995; gr-qc/9505006. Lee Smolin argues that space is proportional to the area of its boundary in Planck units establishes a fundamental limitation on the nature of physical systems, called the “Bekenstein” bound. The power of this principle lies in its universality—any viable theory of quantum gravity must explain why it holds (“Three Roads to Quantum Gravity,” Basic Books, 2001). 29 Roger Penrose, The Road to Reality: A Complete Guide to the Laws of the Universe, New York, Alfred Knoph, 2005, pp. 968-1002. 30 “The Cosmological Constant Problem,” Reviews of Modern Physics, Vol. 61, No. 1, January 1989, p. 3. 31 Alan Kostelecký, “The Search for Relativity Violations, “Scientific American, September 2004, p. 96. 32 Ibid.

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In quantum physics, short distance and short times correspond to high momenta and high energies. Thus, at sufficiently high energy – the so-called Planck energy – a particle should “see” the graininess of spacetime. That violates relativity, which depends on spacetime being smooth down to the tiniest size scales.33

The Big Bangsters and the Stretched Firmament

Asnotedearlier,BigBang theoristsalsohavewhatwemightcalla “stretchingof the firmament”similar to Genesis 1:6‐9, although unfortunately, theirs is chronologically misplaced since theyforgottoputtheEarthasthecornerstoneforthestretchingfirmament.

BigBangtheoristsholdthatattheverybeginning,about13.78billionyearsago,theuniversewascompactedinthePlanckvolumeofabout10‐40cm3withadiameterofabout10‐13cm.TheybelieveitwasfilledwithPlanckparticlesthatwere10‐33cmindiameter,eachwithamassof10‐5g,andthushadaPlanckdensityof1094g/cm3.

ToinitiatetheBigBangexplosionand/orinflation,theoristslikeHawkingbelievethat1030ofthePlanckparticlesbrokeaway,creatingaholeof10‐13cm indiameterbutwhichwas filled in10‐35seconds.

TheproblemfortheBigBangtheorists,however,istheygivenoreasonfor:

1. whythe1030Planckparticlesbrokeaway,2. why theparticles thatbreakawayarenot immediately reabsorbed in thehole, especially

whenthegravitationalpotentialofPlanckparticlesisimmenseatabout1050dynes,and3. why the1030Planckparticlesdon’t cease to exist in thePlanck timeof 10‐44 secondsbut

somehowkeepexpandingandmakethepresentuniverse.

We should mention one other theory of modern science related to Planck particles. It is calledSuperstringtheory.InSuperstringtheory,thefundamentalparticleisinthePlanckdimensionsandispicturedasatinystring.ThestringsaresaidtohavethePlancklengthof10‐33cmandamassof10‐5g.Mathematically,StringTheoryhassucceededinunitingalltheknownandtheorizedparticles,includingtheHiggsbosonandfermions,withinonespatialsuperstructure.

A further development of superstring theory isMassive Superstring theory,which is the closestmodern science seems to have come in understanding what may constitute the universe’sunderlying superstructure, the Firmament. In this theory, the “string” possesses the completePlanck dimensions of length 10‐33cm ,mass 10‐5gm , time 10‐44sec , temperature 1032K anddensity 1094g/cm3 .

The problem is that this super string‐structure must have at least 10 dimensions to hold it alltogether. One reason why these 7 extra dimensions are needed in addition to the 3 Euclideandimensions is togetaroundthe limitedspeedof light thatEinstein’s theoryofSpecialRelativityimposesonallattemptstocreateaBigBanguniverse,oranykindofuniverse.

33 Graham P. Collins, staff writer, Scientific American, Sept. 2004, p. 99.

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Itisthesameobstacle,asnotedaboveintheGrandDesign,thatleadsStephenHawkingtodependon a superfast “cosmic inflation in which the universe expanded by a factor of 1030 in 10‒35seconds.” As such, in a rather convenient ad hoc fashion, Hawking and the rest of the scientificcommunityclaimthatEinstein’slimitationonthespeedoflightdoesnotapplytothespeedofspaceexpansion,eitheratthebeginningexplosion theBigBanginflation orthecontinuingexpansionoftheBigBangthattheoristsclaimisoccurringattheedgeofthepresentuniverse.

Of course, they also don’t explain what space actually is or how it can be immune from theiruniversal speed limit of 186,000miles per second. For them, space expansion must exceed thespeedoflightotherwisetherecanbenoBigBang.

Can the Biblical Firmament Be Composed of Planck Particles?

SohowdoesallthisrelatetothebiblicalfirmamentanditsstretchingoutbythehandofGod?

Rememberthat,accordingtoallthebiblicaldescriptionsofthefirmamentoftheheavens,weknowthefirmamentishard,denseandtransparent,buthasqualitiesofasolid,liquidandagas.Weknowit is penetrable and flexible so that birds can fly in it. We know can be stretched to greatproportions.Weknowit fills thewholeuniversesothatthestarsarecontainedin it.WeknowitmustbethesubstrateofEarth’satmosphere,andthesubstrateofthevacuumofcelestialspace.

Since the Planck particles are the smallest independent material entities known but can existtogetherwithoutanyspacebetweenthem,wehaveasubstancethat,ontheonehand,witharadiusof10‐35meters,issosuper‐granularthatitwouldbehaveasafrictionlessmedium,butontheotherhand, at 1094gm/cm3, is so super‐dense, that it would be the hardest solid known—a trulyremarkable substance. No wonder Psalm 150:1 calls it “God’s mighty firmament.” As such,everything from giant celestial bodies to the smallest atomic matter will require certaincharacteristicsinordertoexistinaPlanck‐dimensionuniverse.Theywouldneedtomovebywavemotionthroughthedense firmament,which isprobablywhy lightseems tobothaparticleandawave,andwhyparticlessuchaselectronshaveapilotwave,knownasadeBrogliewave.

Inconclusion,thefirmamentistheunderlyingmediumforthewholeuniverse.Ourcurrentsciencetells us it is a super‐dense and super‐granularmediumwhichmimics aplenum. It iswhatholdseverything together and through which everything must travel. In short, it determines all thephysicsoftheuniverse;andmostofall,itanswersalltherequirementsofthefirmamentasdefinedand described in Scripture. Four hundred years later, we can be proud of the Catholic censor’srejection of Fr. Foscarini’s tenuous firmament, and the acceptance of a hard and dense one.Conversely,asolid‐shellmodelofthefirmament,whichispopularamongflat‐earthersignorestheatmosphericandcelestialdimensionsrequiredforthefirmament,andconsequently,influencedbytheDocumentaryHypothesis,havefailedtoproperlyunderstandtheScripturallanguage.34

34 See also, “Is the raqiya’ (firmament) a solid dome?” at answersingenesis.org/docs/4169.asp, James Holding versus Paul Seely, first published in Technical Journal 13(2):44-51, 1999.

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The Bible and The Church Fathers On a Spherical Earth

BecauseofcertainphrasesintheBible e.g.,“fourcornersoftheearth” somebelievetheBibleisfollowingancientBabylonian,Hindu,EgyptianandearlyGreekideasofaflatearthsurroundedbyadome. Inactuality,suchfallacious ideasamongancientpagansweretheresultof the lackofbothdivinerevelationandscientificstudy.NotuntiltheGreeksnoticedinthe6thcenturyB.C.thatlunareclipsescausedcircularshadowsonthemoondidtheysuspecttheearthwasspherical.Thebiblicaltestimony,aswellastheHebrewswhointerpretedit,understoodtheEarthasspherical.AsfortheFathersoftheChurch,thefollowingfactsareevident:

TheFathersoftheChurchknewofeclipses,howtheywereformed,andtheimplicationsfortheshapesoftheheavenlybodies.

Basil:“Theeclipseofthemoon,ontheotherhand,isduetotheshadowtheearthcastsonitwhenitis a fifteendays’moon and the sun andmoonhappen to be at the opposite poles of the highestcircle, thesunbeingundertheearthandthemoonabovetheearth.Fortheearthcastsashadowandthesun’slightispreventedfromilluminatingthemoon,andthereforeitistheneclipsed.”35

TheFathersunderstoodthattheheavenswerewrappedaroundtheentireearth,calibratingitinincrementsofasphereof360degrees.

Basil: “The circle of the zodiac has an obliquemotion and is divided into twelve sections calledzodia,orsigns:eachsignhasthreedivisionsofteneach,i.e.thirtydivisions,andeachdivisionhassixty very minute subdivisions. The heaven, therefore, has three hundred and sixty‐five sic degrees: thehemisphereabove theearthand thatbelow theeartheachhavingonehundredandeightydegrees.”36Interestingly enough, there is not a lot of information in the Pentateuch about the shape of theEarth.ExceptforJob,whichmayhavebeenwrittenearlier,mostoftheinformationwehaveabouttheshapeandsubstanceoftheEarthcomesfromthePsalmsandProverbs,whilesomecomesfromtheprophets Isaiah,Jeremiah,Micah ,andacouplereferencesin1Samuel.ThereisalsoamentioninthebookofHebrewsintheNewTestament.TheBiblespeaksaboutthe“cornersoftheEarth,”37or“endsoftheEarth.”38Thelattertwotermsdonot,ofcourse,meanthattheEarthhasliteralcornersorends.Rather,“corners”referstothefourcompasspoints north,east,southandwest ,while“ends”refers to therespectiveeastandwest

35 Orthodox Faith, Bk 2, Ch VII. 36 Orthodox Faith, Bk 2, Ch VII. 37 Jb 37:3; Is 11:12; 41:9; Ez 7:2; Ap 7:1; 20:8. 38 Dt 28:64; 33:17; 1Sm 2:10; Jb 28:24; 38:13; Ps 19:4-6; 22:27; 46:9; 48:10; 59:13; 61:2; 65:5; 41:9; Jr 51:16; Dn 4:10-11; Mk 13:27.

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horizons.Hence,ScriptureisnotimplyingthattheEarthisflat.NotonlydoesScriptureimplythattheEarthisasphere,39itneverreferstotheEarthasbeingflat.Job 38:4 shows that the foundation of the Earth is a complicated structure with precisemeasurementsthatareunfathomabletoJob.Jeremiah31:37echoesthisperspectiveasitsays“thefoundationscannotbediscovered.”Weunderstandfromthislanguagethatthe“foundationoftheearth”isitscore,uponwhicheverythingelserests.Itisasubstanceofextremestrength,asMicah6:2andPs104:5indicate.Modernsciencehasnotbeenabletotellustheexactcompositionofthecoreoftheearth,sinceeverythingfrommoltenirontorockhasbeenproposedwithoutresolution.The Bible also speaks of the “the foundation of the earth,”40 and the “pillars of the earth.”41 Thelatter would be the structures that rest on the foundation, which is more or less indicated in1Samuel2:8.Scripturemaintainsthattheearthrestsinspaceandisnotsupportedbyanymaterialthing for it “hangsuponnothing” Job26:7 .Thiswouldmeanthatthe“pillars”applyonlytotheinterioroftheEarth.Thepillarsrestbetweenthecoreandthesurface.Scienceknowsthisasthe“mantle”oftheearth.Theyalsoknowthatthemantleismadeupofrock,muchofitgraniterock,which is one of the hardest structures known. They also know that these structures appearintermittentlyaroundtheglobe,andarealwayspositionedvertically,oneendfacingthecoreandtheotherfacingthesurfaceoftheEarth.42To recap, there is an inner core. Around the core is the mantle, which contains vertical pillarsradiating from the top of themantle to the surface of the Earth. Around themantle, is the landsurface of the Earth, but it is uneven. Between the uneven portions, water collects. If onewerelookingat this froma two‐dimensionalperspective,onecoulddrawa circle concentricwith thecoreandthemantle thatwouldcutthroughtheunevenlandmassandthewatermass,servingasaboundaryforthelandandwater Pro8:27;Job26:10;Is40:22 .

TheFatherswereveryclearthattheEarthisasphere.GregoryofNyssa: “As,when the sun shinesabove theearth, the shadow is spreadover its lowerpart,becauseitssphericalshapemakesit impossiblefor it tobeclaspedallroundatoneandthesametimebytherays,andnecessarily,onwhateversidethesun’sraysmayfallonsomeparticularpointoftheglobe,ifwefollowastraightdiameter,weshallfindshadowupontheoppositepoint,andso, continuously, at theoppositeendof thedirect lineof the rays shadowmoves round that

39 Jb 26:10; Pr 8:27-29; Is 40:22. 40 2Sm 22:16; Ps 18:15; 102:25; Pr 8:27-29; Is 48:13; Jn 17:24. 41 1Sm 2:8; Jb 9:6; 38:4-6. 42 Dr. Robert Gentry has made studies on granite rocks that are near the surface and has found that they contain Polonium 218 halos. Since Polonium 218 has a half-life of 3 minutes, this means that the granite columns had to have been made instantaneously. Modern science has never produced granite in the laboratory. Its crystalline structure will not allow reproduction. (wwwhalos.com)

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globe,keepingpacewiththesun,sothatequallyintheirturnboththeupperhalfandtheunderhalfoftheearthareinlightanddarkness.43Basil:“Further,someholdthattheEarthisintheformofasphere,othersthatitisinthatofacone.Atalleventsitismuchsmallerthantheheaven,andsuspendedalmostlikeapointinitsmidst.Anditwillpassawayandbechanged.Butblessed is themanwho inherits theEarthpromisedto themeek.”44Basil: “These are lakes, and there is only one sea, as those affirmwho have traveled round theEarth.”45ClementofAlexandria:“AndhowtheEarthandseatheirplaceshouldkeep;Andwhentheseasons,in their circling course,winter and summer, spring and autumn, each should come, according towell‐ordered plan; out of a confused heap who didst create this ordered sphere, and from theshapelessmass.”46Augustine:“Buttheydonoremarkthat,althoughitbesupposedorscientificallydemonstratedthattheworldisofaroundandsphericalform…”47Augustine:“YehaveheardinthePsalm,‘Ihaveseentheendofallperfection.’Hehathsaid,Ihaveseentheendofallperfection:whathadheseen?Thinkwe,hadheascendedtothepeakofsomeveryhighandpointedmountain,andlookedoutthenceandseenthecompassoftheearth,andthecirclesoftheroundworld,andthereforesaid,‘Ihaveseentheendofallperfection.’”48Augustine:“…thisChrist’soneChurch, this theUnitywhichweare, iscrying formtheendsof theearth....ButwhereforehaveIcriedthisthing?‘Whilemyheartwasbeingvexed.’Heshowethhimselftobethroughoutallnationsinthewholeroundworld,ingreatglory,butingreattribulation.”49Augustine: “…the earthmore abundantly hath given her fruit, and that crop now hath filled theroundworld.”50Augustine:“…thewholeroundworldrepeopledbythethreesonsofNoe: for fromEastandWestandNorthandSouthshallcometheythatshallsitdownwiththePatriarchs.”51

43 On the Soul and the Resurrection. 44 Orthodox Faith, Book 2, chapter 10. 45 Hexameron, Homily IV, 4. 46 Paedagogus (also found in Clement of Rome). 47 City of God, Bk XVI, Ch 9. 48 Homilies on First John, Homily X, 5 49 Homily on Psalm 61, 2. 50 Homily on Psalm 67, 8. 51 Homily on Psalm 69, 1

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Augustine:“Whichthingsignified,that,beingasitwereonafloorinthemidstofthewholeroundworld,thedryfleecewastheformerpeopleIsrael.”52Eusebius:“Thesunandthemoonhavetheirsettledcourse.Thestarsmoveinnouncertainorbitsroundthisterrestrialglobe.Therevolutionof theseasonsrecursaccordingtounerring laws.Thesolidfabricoftheearthwasestablishedbytheword:thewindsreceivetheirimpulseatappointedtimes;andthecourseofthewaterscontinueswithceaselessflow,theoceaniscircumscribedbyanimmovable barrier, and whatever is comprehended within the compass of earth and sea, is allcontrivedforwondrousandimportantends.”53GregoryofNyssa: “For justas thoseskilled inastronomytellus that thewholeuniverse is fulloflight,anddarknessismadetocastitsshadowbytheinterpositionofthebodyformedbytheearth;andthatthisdarknessisshutofffromtheraysofthesun,intheshapeofacone,accordingtothefigureofthesphere‐shapedbody,andbehindit;whilethesun,exceedingtheearthbyasizemanytimesasgreatas itsown,enfolding itroundaboutonallsideswith itsrays,unitesat the limitofcone the concurrent streams of light; so that if to suppose the case any one had the power ofpassingbeyondthemeasuretowhichtheshadowextends,hewouldcertainlyfindhimselfinlightunbrokenbydarkness.”54Jerome:“…soallsubstanceshallberefinedintoitsmostperfectformandrarifiedintoaetherwhichisapureanduncompoundedessence;orelsethespherewhichIhavecalledmotionlessandallthatitcontainswillbedissolvedintonothing,andthesphereinwhichtheantizoneitself iscontainedshallbecalled‘goodground,’andthatotherspherewhichinitsrevolutionsurroundstheearthandgoesbythenameofheavenshallbereservedfortheabodeofthesaints.”55

TheFathersknewthatthemoonreflectedlightandtraveledinacirclearoundtheearth.Gregory of Nyssa: “Do you not confidently maintain that it is so, because you have arrived byreasoningthroughphenomenaattheconceptionofsuchandsuchamovement,ofsuchdistancesoftimeandspace,ofsuchcausesofeclipse?Andwhenyoulookatthewaningandwaxingmoonyouaretaughtothertruthsbythevisiblefigureofthatheavenlybody,viz.thatit is initselfdevoidoflight,andthatitrevolvesinthecirclenearesttotheearth,andthatitislitbylightfromthesun;justasisthecasewithmirrors,which,receivingthesunuponthem,donotreflectraysoftheirown,butthoseofthesun,whoselightisgivenbackfromtheirsmoothflashingsurface.Thosewhoseethis,butdonotexamineit,thinkthatthelightcomesformthemoonherself.Butthatthisisnotthecaseisprovedbythis;thatwhensheisdiametricallyfacingthesunshehasthewholeofthediscthatlooksourwayilluminated;but,asshetraversesherowncircleofrevolutionquickerfrommoving

52 Homily on Psalm 72, 9. 53 Life of Constantine, Bk 2, Ch LVII. 54 On the Making of Man, XXI, 3. 55 Letters, 124, To Avitus.

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inanarrowerspace,sheherselfhascompletedthismorethantwelvetimesbeforethesunhasoncetraveledroundhis;whenceithappensthathersubstanceisnotalwayscoveredwithlight.”56JohnChrysostom:“Perhapseachofyoumightwishtobesuchastoabletocommandthesunandmoon.Atthispointwhatwouldtheysaywhoassertthattheheavenisasphere?Forwhydidhenotmerely say,“Letthesunstandstill,”butadded“LetthesunstandstillatthevalleyofElom,”thatishewillmakethedaylonger?ThiswasdonealsointhetimeofHezekiah.Thesunwentback.Thisagain ismorewonderful than the other, to go the contrary way, not having yet gone round hiscourse.”57CyrilofJerusalem:“…andthewholeearthtotheheaveninwhichitisembosomed;theearth,whichbearsthesameproportiontotheheavenasthecentertothewholecircumferenceofawheel, fortheearthisnomorethanthisincomparisonwiththeheaven.”58

TheFathersrecognizedboththeearthasthecenteroftheuniverse,andthatitisround,asnotedbyhisreferencethatwatergoes“roundtheEarth.”

Athanasius: “Andwells, again, and riverswill never existwithout the earth; but the earth is notsupporteduponitself,butissetupontherealmofthewaters,whilethisagainiskeptinitsplace,beingboundfastatthecenteroftheuniverse.Andthesea,andthegreatoceanthatflowsoutsideroundthewholeearth,ismovedandbornebywindswherevertheforceofthewindsdashesit.”59

TheFatherswereawareofhowtheGreeksunderstoodthesolarsystem.AnatoliousofAlexandria:“AndThalesdiscoveredtheeclipseofthesunanditsperiodinthetropicsinitsconstantinequality.AndAnaximanderdiscoveredthattheearthispoisedinspace,andmovesroundtheaxisof theuniverse.AndAnaximenesdiscovered that themoonhasher light fromthesun,and foundoutalso theway inwhichshesufferseclipse.And therestof themathematicianshavealsomadeadditionstothesediscoveries.Wemayinstancethefacts–thatthefixedstarsmoveround the axis passing through the poles, while the planets remove from each other round theperpendicularaxisofthezodiac;andthattheaxisofthefixedstarsandtheplanetsisthesideofapente‐decagonwithfour‐and‐twentyparts.”60Hippolytus:“Foramongthemtherearefromthemonadthreedouble numbers ,viz.,2,4,8,andthreetripleones,viz.,3,9,27.ButthediameterofEarthis80,108stadii,andtheperimeterofEarth250,543stadii;andthedistancealsofromthesurfaceoftheEarthtothelunarcircle,Aristarchuscomputes at 8,000,178 stadii, but Apollonius 5,000,000, whereas Archimedes computes it at5,544,1300. And from the lunar to solar circle, according to the last authority , are 50,262,065stadii;andfromthistothecircleofVenus,20,272,065stadii,andfromthistothecircleofMercury, 56 On the Soul and the Resurrection. 57Homily on Hebrews, Homily 8, 7. 58 Catechetical Lectures, Lec 6, 3. 59 Against the Heathen, First Book, Pat 1, 27. 60 The Paschal Canon, Chapter XVII.

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50,817,165stadii;andfromthistothecircleofMars,40,541,108stadii;andfromthistothecircleofJupiter,20,275,065stadii;andfromthistothecircleofSaturn,40,372,065stadii;andfromthistotheZodiacandthefurthestperiphery,20,082,005stadii.”61

TheFathersagreedwithmostofthegeometryoftheGreekgeocentrists,butcondemnedtheirbeliefinastrology.

Methodius:“Resumingthen,letusfirstlaybare,inspeakingofthosethingsaccordingtoourpower,the impostureof thosewhoboast as though theyalonehad comprehended fromwhat forms theheavenisarranged,inaccordancewiththehypothesisoftheChaldeansandEgyptians.Fortheysaythat the circumferenceof theworld is likened to the turningsof awell‐roundedglobe, theearthhavingacentralpoint.Foritsoutlinebeingspherical, it isnecessary,theysay,sincetherearethesamedistancesof theparts, that theearthshouldbethecenterof theuniverse,aroundwhichasbeingolder,theheaveniswhirling.Forifacircumferenceisdescribedfromthecentralpoint,whichseems to be a circle, ‐ for it is impossible for a circle to be describedwithout a point, and it isimpossible foracircle tobewithoutapoint, ‐surely theearthconsistedbeforeall, theysay, inastate of chaos and disorganization. Now certainly the wretched ones were overwhelmed in thechaos of error, “because that,when they knewGod, they glorifiedHimnot as God, neitherwerethankful;butbecamevainintheirimaginations,andtheirfoolishheartwasdarkened.”62Lactantius:“Itfollowed,therefore,fromthisrotundityoftheheaven,thattheearthwasenclosedinthemidstofitscurvedsurface.Butifthiswereso,theearthalsoitselfmustbelikeaglobe;forthatcouldnotpossiblybeanythingbutround,whichwasheldenclosedbythatwhichwasround.Butiftheearthalsowereround,itmustnecessarilyhappenthatitshouldpresentthesameappearancetoallpartsoftheheaven.”63RobertSungenisMarch3,2016

61 Refutation of All Heresies, Bk 4, Ch 8 62 Discourse On the Virgins, Dis. VIII, Thekla, Ch XIV. 63 False Wisdom of Philosophers, Bk 3, Ch 24, On the Antipodes.