A common view in ancient Mesopotamia was that the earth was flat. Abraham came from Ur, a major Sumerian city, before settling in Canaan. The Sumerians and Babylonians ruled in 2000-600 BC, when Moses and many other Biblical writers lived.
Sumerians and Babylonians
The Sumerians and Babylonians are considered some of the most advanced in their era in geology and cosmology:
The American Federation of Teachers website explains that the Sumerians thought that the world was flat:
Babylonian map of earth
"In this primeval sea was somehow engendered the universe the 'heaven-earth,' consisting of a vaulted heaven superimposed over a flat earth and united with it." (Kramer, Samuel Noah. History Begins at Sumer. Garden City: Doubleday Anchor Books, 1959. Pp 76-84.)
"... a vaulted heaven superimposed over a flat earth and united with it..." (Kramer, Samuel Noah. The Sacred Marriage Rite: Aspects of Faith, Myth, and Ritual in Ancient Sumer. Indiana University Press, Bloomington, 1969.
This of course is not to say that automatically the Hebrews would accept all the beliefs of their neighbors. Their main difference, however, was in theology and religion rather than science. Major differences included Torah observance and their rejection of idols and of worship of other gods. Even in this area they were not always so different- Egyptians practiced circumcision and some Egyptians like Akhenaton were monotheists, while other Egyptians proposed that the gods were just faces or aspects of the one true God. Even in the Bible there are cases where Egyptians acknowledge God.
Thus, when it came to science, it might not be a surprise if they believed the other scientific teachings of the academics of their era.
Below are some verses that agree with belief in a flat earth:
The earth's circle
A circle (hug) is flat, a ball(dur) is round. eg. Isaiah 22:18 uses the word ball (dur).
Isaiah 40:22 It is he that sitteth upon the circle (hug) of the earth,
Proverbs 8:27 When he prepared the heavens, I was there: when he set a compass (hug) upon the face of the depth:
The earth's ends
Job 37:3 He directeth it under the whole heaven, and his lightning unto the ends of the earth.
Job 37:33 He unleashes his lightning beneath the whole heaven and sends it to the ends of the earth.
Job 38:13 That it might take hold of the ends of the earth
Isaiah 43:6 I'll say to the north, 'Give them up'! and to the south, 'Don't keep them back!' Bring my sons from far away and my daughters from the ends of the earth
Jeremiah 51:16 He brings up the mist from the ends of the earth
Zechariah 9:10 And He will speak peace to the nations; And His dominion will be from sea to sea, And from the River to the ends of the earth.
The East and the West at the opposite ends of the earth
Psalm 103:12 As far as the east is from the west, so far has he put our offences from us.
Seeing all the earth's land from a single point in space
Job 28:24 For he looketh to the ends of the earth, and seeth under the whole heaven;
Daniel 4:10-11 [The king] saw a tree of great height at the centre of the earth...reaching with its top to the sky and visible to the earth's farthest bounds.
Matthew 4:8 “Once again, the devil took him to a very high mountain, and showed him all the kingdoms of the world [cosmos] in their glory.”
The earth's corners
One explanation has been that "corners" is a designation for directions.
Isaiah 11:12 And he shall set up an ensign for the nations, and shall assemble the outcasts of Israel, and gather together the dispersed of Judah from the four corners of the earth.
Rev 7:1 And after these things I saw four angels standing on four corners of the earth, holding the four winds of the earth, that the wind should not blow on the earth, nor on the sea, nor on any tree.
The earth's foundations
Job 9:6 Which shaketh the earth out of her place, and the pillars thereof tremble.
Job 38:4 Where wast thou when I laid the foundations of the earth?
Job 38:6 Whereupon are the foundations thereof fastened? or who laid the corner stone thereof
1 Samuel 2:8 for the pillars of the earth are the Lord's, and he hath set the world upon them.
2 Samuel 22:16 And the channels of the sea appeared, the foundations of the world were discovered
Psalm 104:5 Thou didst fix the earth on its foundation so that it never can be shaken.
The earth's stretching out
Something that is stretched out is flat.
Psalm 136:6 To him that stretched out the earth above the waters: for his mercy endureth for ever.
Stretching a line across the eartth, rather than around it
Job 38:44 Who marked off its dimensions? Surely you know! Who stretched a measuring line across it?
The earth's stretching over nothing
Something that is suspended over nothing would have an underside.
Job 26:7 He stretcheth out the north over the empty place, and hangeth the earth upon nothing [beliymah].
The earth's form is like clay under a seal.
A seal is a two dimensional object that stamps another two dimensional one on clay.
Job 38:13-14
That it might take hold of the ends of the earth, And the wicked be shaken out of it?
It takes on form like clay under a seal, And stands out like a garment.
Sumerians and Babylonians
The Sumerians and Babylonians are considered some of the most advanced in their era in geology and cosmology:
http://www.fathis.com/wendy-ann-blog/sumerian-science-technology
The 9 planets, perhaps?
They also invented the calendar. By studying the phases of the Moon, Sumerians created the first calendar. It had 12 lunar months and was the predecessor for both the Jewish and Greek calendars. A Lunar calendar that is more accurate then the Gregorian Calendar we use today. The Babylonian calendar was a lunisolar calendar with years consisting of 12 lunar months, each beginning when a new crescent moon was first sighted low on the western horizon at sunset, plus an intercalary month inserted as needed by decree. The calendar is based on a Sumerian (Ur III) predecessor preserved in the Umma calendar of Shulgi (c. 21st century BC).
The Sumerians were among the first astronomers, mapping the stars into sets of constellations, many of which survived in the zodiac and were also recognized by the ancient Greeks. They were also aware of the planets that are visible to the naked eye. Their astronomers developed advanced mathematical functions to permit them to accurately plot and forecast - for many hundred years ahead - cyclical planetary orbital movements and alignments.
The American Federation of Teachers website explains that the Sumerians thought that the world was flat:
To better understand how science progresses, let's begin with the Sumerians' thoughts on the Earth... The wise ones, who were deep thinkers and observers, said the sky was like an upside-down soup dish—solid and bowl shaped...
And the Earth? It was a flat disk set in a surrounding ocean. Below Earth was the vast underworld. Each night it was visited by the Sun. These were the thoughts of the Sumerians, who, 5,000 years ago, created what may have been the world's first great civilization.
- See more at: http://www.aft.org/periodical/american-educator/fall-2004/fantastic-journey#sthash.9QuT7lDk.dpuf
Babylonian map of earth
Sumerian Religion
...The Sumerian term for universe is an-ki, which translates to "heaven-earth." Earth was seen as a flat disk surrounded by a hollow space.
The boundary between heaven and earth was a solid (perhaps tin) vault, and the earth was a flat disk.
http://realhistoryww.com/world_history/ancient/Misc/Sumer/Sumerian_Religion.htm
http://etb-cosmology.blogspot.com/2012/03/did-ancient-sumerians-know-about-our.htmlFrom verses scattered throughout hymns and myths, one can compile a picture of the universe's (anki) creation according to the Sumerians.... The boundary between heaven and earth was a solid (perhaps tin) vault, and the earth was a flat disk. (Kramer, The Sumerians 1963: pp. 112-113)
Typical of ancient flat earth cosmologies, the Sumerians depicted the sun moving across the sky each day:
Shamash (Babbar, Utu) Shamash is the sun god, the son of Sin and Ningal. He rises from the mountains with rays out of his shoulders. He enters and exits the underworld through a set of gates in the mountain (exits from Mt. Mashu, "Gilgamesh IX ii") guarded by scorpion-people.
"In this primeval sea was somehow engendered the universe the 'heaven-earth,' consisting of a vaulted heaven superimposed over a flat earth and united with it." (Kramer, Samuel Noah. History Begins at Sumer. Garden City: Doubleday Anchor Books, 1959. Pp 76-84.)
"... a vaulted heaven superimposed over a flat earth and united with it..." (Kramer, Samuel Noah. The Sacred Marriage Rite: Aspects of Faith, Myth, and Ritual in Ancient Sumer. Indiana University Press, Bloomington, 1969.
http://ncse.com/blog/2014/02/was-there-ever-flat-earth-consensus-0015426McNider and Christy prefer to take the discussion back to “ancient times,” when they allege there was a “scientific consensus” about a flat earth. Christine Garwood reviewed that history in her comprehensive history Flat Earth: The History of an Infamous Idea. She notes that the idea of a flat earth is common in Middle Eastern religious cosmologies, including the ancient Egyptians, Sumerians/Babylonians, and early Hebrews.
This of course is not to say that automatically the Hebrews would accept all the beliefs of their neighbors. Their main difference, however, was in theology and religion rather than science. Major differences included Torah observance and their rejection of idols and of worship of other gods. Even in this area they were not always so different- Egyptians practiced circumcision and some Egyptians like Akhenaton were monotheists, while other Egyptians proposed that the gods were just faces or aspects of the one true God. Even in the Bible there are cases where Egyptians acknowledge God.
Thus, when it came to science, it might not be a surprise if they believed the other scientific teachings of the academics of their era.
Below are some verses that agree with belief in a flat earth:
The earth's circle
A circle (hug) is flat, a ball(dur) is round. eg. Isaiah 22:18 uses the word ball (dur).
Isaiah 40:22 It is he that sitteth upon the circle (hug) of the earth,
Proverbs 8:27 When he prepared the heavens, I was there: when he set a compass (hug) upon the face of the depth:
The earth's ends
Job 37:3 He directeth it under the whole heaven, and his lightning unto the ends of the earth.
Job 37:33 He unleashes his lightning beneath the whole heaven and sends it to the ends of the earth.
Job 38:13 That it might take hold of the ends of the earth
Isaiah 43:6 I'll say to the north, 'Give them up'! and to the south, 'Don't keep them back!' Bring my sons from far away and my daughters from the ends of the earth
Jeremiah 51:16 He brings up the mist from the ends of the earth
Zechariah 9:10 And He will speak peace to the nations; And His dominion will be from sea to sea, And from the River to the ends of the earth.
The East and the West at the opposite ends of the earth
Psalm 103:12 As far as the east is from the west, so far has he put our offences from us.
Seeing all the earth's land from a single point in space
Job 28:24 For he looketh to the ends of the earth, and seeth under the whole heaven;
Daniel 4:10-11 [The king] saw a tree of great height at the centre of the earth...reaching with its top to the sky and visible to the earth's farthest bounds.
Matthew 4:8 “Once again, the devil took him to a very high mountain, and showed him all the kingdoms of the world [cosmos] in their glory.”
The earth's corners
One explanation has been that "corners" is a designation for directions.
Isaiah 11:12 And he shall set up an ensign for the nations, and shall assemble the outcasts of Israel, and gather together the dispersed of Judah from the four corners of the earth.
Rev 7:1 And after these things I saw four angels standing on four corners of the earth, holding the four winds of the earth, that the wind should not blow on the earth, nor on the sea, nor on any tree.
The earth's foundations
Job 9:6 Which shaketh the earth out of her place, and the pillars thereof tremble.
Job 38:4 Where wast thou when I laid the foundations of the earth?
Job 38:6 Whereupon are the foundations thereof fastened? or who laid the corner stone thereof
1 Samuel 2:8 for the pillars of the earth are the Lord's, and he hath set the world upon them.
2 Samuel 22:16 And the channels of the sea appeared, the foundations of the world were discovered
Psalm 104:5 Thou didst fix the earth on its foundation so that it never can be shaken.
The earth's stretching out
Something that is stretched out is flat.
Psalm 136:6 To him that stretched out the earth above the waters: for his mercy endureth for ever.
Stretching a line across the eartth, rather than around it
Job 38:44 Who marked off its dimensions? Surely you know! Who stretched a measuring line across it?
The earth's stretching over nothing
Something that is suspended over nothing would have an underside.
Job 26:7 He stretcheth out the north over the empty place, and hangeth the earth upon nothing [beliymah].
The earth's form is like clay under a seal.
A seal is a two dimensional object that stamps another two dimensional one on clay.
Job 38:13-14
That it might take hold of the ends of the earth, And the wicked be shaken out of it?
It takes on form like clay under a seal, And stands out like a garment.
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