Flat Earth Fiasco

The flat earth movement fallaciously claims the Bible says the earth is flat. Its proponents assert that the majority of the world thought the earth was flat until Christopher Columbus proved otherwise. Even many Christians have fallen for the falsehoods generated by those who wish to undermine historical accuracy and biblical truth. In reality, history tells quite a different story.

The Greek mathematician Pythagoras perceived the earth as a sphere (sixth century BC), along with Aristotle (fourth century BC) and Eratosthenes who accurately measured the earth’s circumference around 200 BC. It wasn’t until 1828 when Washington Irving (the author of Rip Van Winkle) wrote his biography of Columbus and gave birth to the myth of a flat earth. Subsequently Samuel Rowbotham picked up the narrative and using select biblical passages, lectured and wrote a book promoting the concept of a flat earth until his death in 1884. These misconceptions grew into mythological narratives along with the erroneous theory of evolution proposed by Darwin and became prevalent despite having no foundation in scripture.

In the last decade there has been a resurgence of the notion of a flat earth spearheaded by Eric Dubay, who has spread the idea and social media has been complicit in facilitating his influence. Flat earthers perceive the earth as a flat disc with the North Pole at its center and Antarctica as an ice wall around its perimeter thereby containing the oceans. They envision the earth as stationary and covered by a dome containing the stars, moon and sun, which turns thereby producing the movement of the celestial bodies.

Biblical Verses Coerced Into Supporting The Theory

Flat earth proponents presume that when the Bible uses the phrase “ends of the earth,” it is speaking literally and fail to recognize the concept often applies to people and not geography (Psalm 67:7, 98:3; Isaiah 45:22).

Believers in a flat earth often cite Revelation 7:1 and 20:7-8 in their claim that a spherical earth cannot have corners. They conveniently neglect to acknowledge the allegoric language used in these scriptures and the fact that a flat disc also does not contain corners.

Flat earth promoters will tell you that the earth is supported by pillars, citing Job 9:6 and that the earth is stationary citing Psalm 93:1, yet it is quite obvious these passages of scripture are twisted to support their presumptuous interpretation.

The Firmament

When it comes to the dome that supposedly covers the earth, the word they focus upon is firmament (Genesis 1:6-8) translated from the Hebrew word raqia. The translators of the Septuagint inserted the Greek word stereoma in place of raqia. From this translation the Latin word firmamentum was used which the English word firmament is derived. Most Christian scholars today translate raqia as expansium (expansion or extension) rather than firmamentum.

This firmament is claimed to be solid and separated waters above it (a celestial ocean) from the waters below it (surface water on the earth), using Genesis 1:6-7 to back up their logic. The figurative use of the term water in Genesis 1:2 and 1:6 could very well mean the elements used in creation.  The Hebrew language has no words to describe a physical atmosphere or terrestrial gases which doesn’t imply they never existed. The wording is quite equivocal and one must impose the presumption of a solid barrier in the interpretation in order to conclude the Bible states it.

As early as the fourth century Basil wrote, “Not a firm and solid nature, which has weight and resistance, it is not this that the word firmament means.” The common consensus among ancient philosophers of the early church was that the earth was spherical and only a few skeptics believed in a flat earth with a solid domed heaven, such as Voltaire, much later.

Raqia is given a name in Genesis 1:8, “God called the expanse ‘sky.’” This name in no way, shape or form connotes ceiling, vault, or a suspended ocean. It does, however, fit the narrative that God placed the stars, moon and sun in the expanse (verses14-19) and that birds could fly across it (verse 20). Furthermore, the verb form of the word raqia is raqa, which means to “stretch out” and clearly illustrates the expanse of the sky is spread out to include the heavens and contain all of creation.

Borrowed From Babylon?

It has been suggested that the biblical writers garnered much of their understanding of the universe from the Babylonians during the Hebrew captivity, however, the significant differences in Hebrew and Babylonian cosmology have rendered this line of thought untenable. Others have insisted the Hebrews borrowed their concepts from the Mesopotamians, yet, research has shown there was no belief in a solid domed heaven in Mesopotamian culture, which focused primarily on astrology rather than cosmology.

The Greeks held to a solid but spherical barrier around a spherical earth that separated heaven from earth and even believed in several hard spherical layers of heaven. This rationalized the movement of the stars, sun and moon as they were perceived to be embedded in these large, solid and transparent spheres. The Greeks speculated there were as many as eight of these spheres contained inside one another.

The idea that the ancient Hebrew writers had a prescientific and naïve perception of the cosmos is simply unfounded. There is no way of knowing exactly what the writers of the Bible understood about cosmology and the language used isn’t explicitly contrary to modern scientific concepts of the universe.

Debunked Presuppositions

Historian scholars Jeffery Russell and Christine Garwood successfully demonstrated through their research that virtually every influential philosopher and recognized intellectual throughout church history adhered to the concept of a spherical earth. Together they exposed the antireligious sentiments of the early proponents of the flat earth myth, namely Washington Irving (mentioned earlier) and Antoine – Jean Letronne, who intentionally misrepresented the early church fathers as naïve and unscientific.

The presuppositional prejudices of skeptics who attempt to impose intentional mistranslation and reconstruction of ancient comprehension of our world and of the universe is a blatant effort to undermine the holy Bible and disrepute God’s integrity.  Contextual exegesis illustrates that not only is translating the raqia as expanse and samayim as sky logical, it also harmonizes with the use of the term clouds as the translation for hammayim (waters) above the raqia.

Psalm 78:23 reflects the understanding that clouds produce rain, as does Deuteronomy 28:12, Judges 5:4, 1 Kings 18:44-45, Ecclesiastes 11:3 and Isaiah 5:6.  These ancient scriptures prove that the biblical writers’ comprehension of the water cycle and cosmology was not naïve and primitive as skeptics suggest but rather a rational description expressed within the confines of the Hebrew language. Isaiah 40:22 illustrates a circular earth surrounded by a protective heavens, in a figurative depiction of our environment. The language is not literal since people are not phenotypically similar to grasshoppers.

The idea that the Bible depicts a flat earth and a solid domed heaven above it is pure fallacy based upon erroneous interpretation and translation of the original Hebrew texts. Further egregious misrepresentation of the biblical writers and early Christian church fathers by those who intentionally sought to discredit God’s word has spawned a movement of conjecture that endeavors to deceive society through the systemic propagation of a myth disguised as insight.

In the words of the apostle Paul, “All scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.” (2 Timothy 3:16-17).