Who Said the Earth Was Flat?

0:00Who said the earth was flat? That's next on today's Creation Moment. And now here's our Creation Moment host, Ian Taylor. Many of us have heard the old legend about why Christopher Columbus was told he could not sail too far west. According to the legend, Christopher Columbus was repeatedly told that he could not sail west to India because the earth was flat. Well, that story was a piece of fiction cooked up by Washington Irvin in the 1830s. Only one writer could be found in Western history who believed that the earth was flat. That writer was lactantius in the 3rd century AD. All the others, from Pythagoras onwards, never seemed to question that the earth was spherical. Pythagoras in the 5th century BC is still noted for his mathematical proofs. 200 years later, the Greek mathematician, Aristotle, also assuming that the earth was round, calculated that the earth was 25,000 miles in circumference.

1:09He was only off by 200 miles. And nor does the Bible teach that the earth is flat. Isaiah 40 verse 22 tells us how God looks down on the inhabitants of a round earth. Job in chapter 26 and verse 7 talks about the earth as floating in space, hanging on nothing. Today, we have exposed two myths. One is the myth that most people used to think that the earth was flat. The other myth is that the Bible is not accurate when it describes the same creation that modern science talks about. For stunning imagery, reference articles, or to listen to today's creation moment again, download the Creation Moments app on your phone or visit creationmoments.com. For additional resources, call us toll free at 1-800-42-Bible.