Page 290 - Lunacy and the Age of Deception

The image above is taken from the book On a Faraway Day...: A New View of Genesis in Ancient
Mesopotamia by Alan P. Dickin. The image is described as representing a “Biblical and ancient
Near Eastern worldview.” I would dispute the claim that it is an accurate representation of a Biblical
worldview. There are some among both proponents and opponents of the flat-Earth view who have
suggested that the Bible was written with the ancient Mesopotamian, or Babylonian worldview in
mind, and that Yahweh described the world in these terms because it was what mankind understood.
I have sincere objections to this argument. Yahweh did acknowledge pagan belief systems in various
Bible passages, but He did not perpetuate them.

I believe any similarity to pagan belief, such as speaking of the Earth resting upon pillars, can be
more accurately ascribed to the employment of poetic language. Much of the Bible is poetic. The
Jews even classified certain books of the Old Testament as Poetry. These books included Job,
Psalms, Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, and The Song of Solomon. Poetic passages, however, are found
throughout the Old and New Testaments. Hebrew poetry made wide use of metaphors, similes, and
analogies.

Two of the three Scriptures above which mention the pillars of the Earth are found in the poetic
books of the Old Testament, and all three verses are located in poetic passages. Following is the
context of the passage from I Samuel.

I Samuel 2:1-10
Hannah prayed, and said:

My heart exults in Yahweh; My horn is exalted in Yahweh; My mouth is enlarged
over my enemies; Because I rejoice in your salvation. There is none holy as Yahweh;
For there is none besides you, neither is there any rock like our God. Talk no more
so exceeding proudly; Don't let arrogance come out of your mouth; For Yahweh is
a God of knowledge, by him actions are weighed. The bows of the mighty men are
broken; Those who stumbled are girded with strength. Those who were full have
hired out themselves for bread; Those who were hungry have ceased to hunger: Yes,