Q: In Matthew 4:8, the devil is pictured taking Jesus up into a very high mountain, and showing him all the kingdoms of the world. Doesnt this imply that Matthew thought the earth was flat?
A: No. The very high mountain probably is intended to further increase the solitude in which Jesus faces the devil -- i.e., while the temptation at the temple invited Jesus to do something which would instantly result in fame, this temptation involves a private decision.
The highest mountains in the holy land were surmountable, and it was well-known that one could not view places such as Rome or Ephesus or Alexandria from mountaintops such as Tabor or Hermon. The vision by which Jesus viewed the kingdoms of the world and their glory was not merely physical; it was roughly the same sort of vision which many Old Testament prophets had (though the devil provided the vision on this occasion). Ezekiel's vision in Ezekiel 40 -- where Ezekiel is set "on a very high mountain" sets a nice precedent.
The pseudepigraphical Apocalypse of Baruch also contains a helpful parallel: in 76:3 it says, Go uo therefore to the top of that mountain, and there will pass before thee all the regions of that land, and the figure of the inhabited world, and the tops of the mountains, and the depth of the valleys, and the depths of the seas. Obviously a sight limited to the physical eyes is not involved in such a visual tour.
This might be a good time to clear up a common misconception: although there were uneducated people in the Roman Empire who thought the earth was flat -- and there are still some /educated/ people today who insist that this is the case! -- the prevailing Roman view, adopted from the Greeks, was that the earth was an orb. Pythagoras had theorized to this effect. So had Aristotle. Erastothenes had empirically demonstrated this, and had calculated the earths circumference, back in about 150 B.C. Theres a nice essay that describes these early scientists findings at www.astro.queensu.ca/~han...c_008.html . A shorter essay that features Erastothenes ingenious equation is at www.uh.edu/engines/epi1457.htm .
Yours in Christ,
Waterrock
A: No. The very high mountain probably is intended to further increase the solitude in which Jesus faces the devil -- i.e., while the temptation at the temple invited Jesus to do something which would instantly result in fame, this temptation involves a private decision.
The highest mountains in the holy land were surmountable, and it was well-known that one could not view places such as Rome or Ephesus or Alexandria from mountaintops such as Tabor or Hermon. The vision by which Jesus viewed the kingdoms of the world and their glory was not merely physical; it was roughly the same sort of vision which many Old Testament prophets had (though the devil provided the vision on this occasion). Ezekiel's vision in Ezekiel 40 -- where Ezekiel is set "on a very high mountain" sets a nice precedent.
The pseudepigraphical Apocalypse of Baruch also contains a helpful parallel: in 76:3 it says, Go uo therefore to the top of that mountain, and there will pass before thee all the regions of that land, and the figure of the inhabited world, and the tops of the mountains, and the depth of the valleys, and the depths of the seas. Obviously a sight limited to the physical eyes is not involved in such a visual tour.
This might be a good time to clear up a common misconception: although there were uneducated people in the Roman Empire who thought the earth was flat -- and there are still some /educated/ people today who insist that this is the case! -- the prevailing Roman view, adopted from the Greeks, was that the earth was an orb. Pythagoras had theorized to this effect. So had Aristotle. Erastothenes had empirically demonstrated this, and had calculated the earths circumference, back in about 150 B.C. Theres a nice essay that describes these early scientists findings at www.astro.queensu.ca/~han...c_008.html . A shorter essay that features Erastothenes ingenious equation is at www.uh.edu/engines/epi1457.htm .
Yours in Christ,
Waterrock
