What Holds Up The Earth?

In ancient times, humans were perplexed by other questions about the cosmos: What is the earth resting on? What holds up the sun, the moon and the stars? They had no knowledge of the law of universal gravitation, formulated by Isaac Newton and published in 1687. The idea that heavenly bodies are, in effect, suspended in empty space upon nothing was unknown to them. Thus, their explanations often suggested that tangible objects or substances held the earth and other heavenly bodies aloft.

For example, one ancient theory, perhaps originated by people who lived on an island, was that the earth was surrounded by water and that it floated in these waters. The Hindus conceived that the earth had several foundations, on on top of the other. It rested on four elephants, the elephants stood on an enormous tortoise, the tortoise stood on an immense serpent, and the coiled serpent floated on universal waters. Empedocles, a Greek philosopher of the fifth century B.C.E., believed that the earth rested upon a whirlwind and that this whirlwind was the cause of the motion of the heavenly bodies.

Among the most influential views were those of Aristotle. Although he theorized that the earth is a sphere, he denied that it could ever hang in empty space. In his treatise On the Heavens, when refuting the notion that the earth rests on water,he said: "It is not the nature of water, any more than of earth, to stay in mid-air: it must have something to "rest upon"? So, what does the earth "rest upon"? Aristotle taught that the sun,the moon and the stars were attached to the surface of solid, transparent spheres. Sphere lay nestled within sphere, with the earth-immobile-at the center. As the spheres revolved within one another, the objects on them-the sun,the moon and the planets-moved across the sky.

Aristotle's explanation seemed logical. If the heavenly bodies were not firmly attached to something, how else could they stay aloft? The views of the revered Aristotle were accepted as fact for some 2,000 years. According to The New Encyclopedia Britannica, in the 16th and 17th centuries his teachings "ascended to the status of religious dogma" in the eyes of the church.

With the invention of the telescope, astronomers began to question Aristotle's theory. Still, the answer eluded them until Sir Isaac Newton explained that the planets are suspended in empty space, held in their orbits by an invisible force-gravity. It seemed incredible, and some of Newton's colleagues found it hard to believe that space could be a void, largely empty of substance.

What does the Bible have to say on this question? Nearly 3,500 years ago, the Bible stated with extraordinary clarity that the earth is hanging "upon nothing." (Job 26:7) In the original Hebrew, the word for nothing" (beli-mah') used here literally means "without anything." The Contemporary English Version uses the expression, "on empty space."

A planet hanging "on empty space" was not all how most people in those days pictured the earth. Yet, far ahead of his time, the Bible writer recorded a statement that is scientifically sound.

Next time: The Bible And Medical Science -Do They Agree?

A Book For All People, 1997