82 ASTRONOMYANDTHEBIBLE
a plain declarationofit: "ItisHethat sittethupon
thecircleoftheearth." Isa.40:22. "It isHethat
sittethupon the glohe of the earth."
—Id., Catholic
translation ofthe Latin Vulgate. "He sittethupon
thesphere ofthe earth."—Id., Gesenius, quoted by
Warren. Fortheword"upon,"theAmericanRevised
Versiongives"above." Thuswemayhave,asapos-
siblerenderingofthistext,"He [God] sittethabove
thecircle, sphere,orglobe,oftheearth."
Butwhile somemencouldconceivethattheearth
is round, theidea that it is withoutvisible support
wasalwaysbeyondanyofthem. Topresentittothem
wastoappallthem. Theycouldseethatsuchanidea
would demolish alltheir systems of astronomy, and
leavethemutterlybewilderedinthemidstofa scien-
tificchaos. Put yourself, ifyoucan, intheir place.
Getan ideaof a solid,stable earth, restingon firm
foundationsof pillars and rocks,turtle, elephant, or
whatever the conjecture. Let all your ideas of
astronomybedeterminedbythis. Thentry tothink
ofwhatitwouldmeantodiscoversuddenly thatthe
earthis rollinginspace attherateof onethousand
milesan hour,and shootingonv/ardatthe farmore
rapid,almost frightful speedofoverelevenhundred
milesaminute,withnothingaboveorbeloworround
aboutittogivesupport.
Could a mind at once takein sucha truth?—It
seemsnot:erroristooenslavingforthat. "Thevery
thoughtof sucha restless,whirling globe,where all
hadbeenreckonedasabsolute fixity,wasstartlingto
the imagination until mengrew used toit." Rome