Where does the Bible say the Earth is flat, or the center of the Universe?

Question

I can't find this in the Bible. In fact, mine says that it hangs on nothing and is spherical.

Well, having corners does not make something flat, even if it's taken literally. And I agree that a circle could also be flat. Of course, the ancient astronomers knew the Earth was round, since every time there was a lunar eclipse, the Earth would show a curved line on the face of the Moon.

Answer 1

lol, this is from people taking expressions litterally.
The flat thing comes from revelations when the angels stand at the corners of the earth, implying that its flat and square.
I am not sure about the center of the universe, but if the universe is infinite, then mathematically any point could be called the center.

edit: Actually there is also a story about Jesus being in the center of the Earth (also an expression and not to be read litterally) but this contradicts the flat thing.

Answer 2

I don't think anyone really made a religious issue out of the earth's shape, but they did out of it being the center of the universe. A lot of this perception was from basic observation -- the sun rises, goes over the earth, and sets, as far as we can see. The early European church followed the writings of Aristotle who stated various "laws" based on logic and observation. For people at that time, it was about as scientific as they could get. Aristotle insisted that logically, the natural state of (earthly) matter is to be at rest at the center of the universe (and since Earth is the center of the universe, objects will fall toward its center). The heavenly bodies, other than the earth, operated on a different set of laws and revolved around the earth. Aristotle believed that the earth was spherical.

Answer 3

I believe the earth being the center of the universe comes from the order in which things were created. First the Earth and than the sun, implying the sun revolves around the earth.

Answer 4

It doesn't say that. It was one theory of man in ancient times..most medieval philosophers thought it was a globe.
Bishop Isidore of Seville (560 – 636) taught in his widely read encyclopedia, the Etymologies, that the Earth was round. His meaning was ambiguous and some writers think he referred to a disc-shaped Earth; his other writings make it clear, however, that he considered the Earth to be globular

Answer 5

The Bible doesn't say that. People just nit-pick the Bible for things to try to discredit it.

My newspaper this morning announced the time of the "sunrise" and "sunset", no one is writing the newspaper and accusing it of being unscientifically sound because of using those terms. We all know that the sun doesn't "rise" or "set", the earth moves, yet we use those terms all the time anyway. For some reason when the Bible says things that are obviously just worded so that people of that time would understand, everyone wants to pick it apart.

Answer 6

Actually...it shows that there are other dimensions that we can't understand. God is outside of our four dimensions, and it makes sense that He can see the "corners" of the earth.

Answer 7

no, where.

Answer 8

The "four corners of the earth" passage suggests that it is flat. Also there is a passage about someone gazing from one end of the earth to the other. It says nothing about it being spherical. It says something about a circle, but last I checked, a circle is flat (geometrically speaking). All of the claims you made are also contradicted in the bible. It's easy to be correct half the time if you argue both sides.

Answer 9

You are right it doesn't.

Answer 10

That's because the Bible dosen't say that the Earth is flat or the center of the universe!