Frequently in discussions on this forum or off, one is faced with confronting an assertion of a Biblical text. In many recent topics, this has been a matter of a prophet or writer of the old testament asserting that an ancient city or even a nation met its demise or had been desolated for 70 or 40 years. Since such assertions appeared in Holy Writ, it is argued by some, "Then that settles it. Does it not?"
Whether it does or not for an individual, it should be noted that this line of argument has a history that goes back at least four hundred years. What is surprising, however, is that as the argument is re-applied, there is seldom notice taken of one of its more famous cases in Italian Renaissance history.
As a review of the early 17th century Galileo affair will show, the resulting heresy trial began with the conflict between two competing views of the cosmos: heliocentric and geocentric. Galileo Galilei in 1610 published a short summary of his early telescopic observations of solar system planets and moons, "The Sidereal Messenger" (or in Latin as was the text, "Sidereus Nuncius") . This led Galileo to conclude that objects moved in circular paths about the sun and to argue for the Copernican theory of motions in the heavens. Among his observations were the phases of Venus, revealing an Earth-Sun-Venus geometry indicative of the sun at the center at least for the other planets. Although there had been some ancient advocates for a heliocentric system, the Ptolemaic geocentric system had prevailed for about a millenium and a half. But despite the use of the Copernican theory for reform of the calendar in 1582 ( as noted in the Wikipedia and author Dava Sobel), a number of Bible based arguments were cited against active promotion of Copernican heliocentric theory. These citations were as follows:
1 Chronicles 16:30,
Psalm 93:1,
Psalm 96:10,
Psalm 104:5,
Ecclesiastes 1:5 .
Joshua 10:12-13
When I collected these verses together, I at first did not give too much attention from which Biblical translation I obtained the text. But on reflection, I thought it better to examine several translations. In many cases, while people continue to use the safe zone of biblical inerrancy to trump historical evidence, there is always the possibility that a modern translation could be written to diminish the effect that the text had on readers and scholars centuries ago. Though quite possible that this topic could explore other particulars of the Galileo case, initially I would like to examine the citations to see if there is wiggle room for people saying of the Galileo trial "Well that was different" when they argue uphill against contempory historical or scientific evidence to the contrary in matters of interest today.
1 Chronicles 16:30
NIV
Tremble before him, all the earth! The world is firmly established; it cannot be moved.
NJB
Tremble before him, all the earth. The world is firm. It cannot be moved.
TaNaKh JPS
Tremble in his presence all the earth. The world stands firm. It cannot be shaken.
NWT 1984
Be in severe pains on account of him, all [YOU people of] the earth! Also the productive land is firmly established. Never will it be made to totter.
Psalm 93:1
NIV
The LORD reigns, he is robed in majesty; the LORD is robed in majesty and armed with strength; indeed, the world is established, firm and secure.
NJB
Yahweh is king; robed in majesty, robed is Yahweh and girded with power. The world is indeed set firm, it can never be shaken.
TaNaKh JPS Hebrew English
The Lord is king. He is robed in grandeur. The Lord is robed. He is girded with strength. The world stands firm. It cannot be shaken.
NWT 1984
Jehovah himself has become king; with eminence his is clothed. Jehovah is clothed with strength he has girded himself. The productive land also firmly established so that it cannot be made to totter.
Psalm 96:10
NIV
Say among the nations, “The Lord reigns.” The world is firmly established, it cannot be moved; he will judge the peoples with equity.
NJB
Say among the nations, “Yahweh is king”. The world is set firm, it cannot be moved. He will judge the nations with justice.
TaNaKh JPS Hebrew-English
Declare among the nations, “The Lord is King”. The world stands firm. It cannot be shaken.
NWT 1984
Say among the nations, “Jehovah himself has become king. The productive land also becomes firmly established so that it cannot be made to totter.
Psalm 104:5
NIV
He set the earth on its foundations; it can never be moved.
NJB
You fixed the earth on its foundations; forever and ever it shall not be shaken.
TaNaKh JPS Hebrew-English
He established the world on its foundations so that it shall never totter.
NWT 1984
He has founded the earth upon the its established places ; it will not be made to totter to time indefinite or forever.
Ecclesiastes 1:5
New American Standard Bible (NIV unavailable on line)
Also, the sun rises and the sun sets; And hastening to its place it rises there again.
NJB
The sun rises;, the sun sets; then to its place it speeds and there it rises.
TaNaKh JPS Hebrew-English
The sun rises and the sun sets and glides back to where it rises.
NWT 1984
And the sun also has flashed forth and the sun has set; and it comes panting to its place where it is going to flash forth.
Joshua 10:12-13
King James Version (KJV)
12 Then spake Joshua to the Lord in the day when the Lord delivered up the Amorites before the children of Israel, and he said in the sight of Israel, Sun, stand thou still upon Gibeon; and thou, Moon, in the valley of Ajalon.
13 And the sun stood still, and the moon stayed, until the people had avenged themselves upon their enemies. Is not this written in the book of Jasher? So the sun stood still in the midst of heaven, and hasted not to go down about a whole day.
TaNaKh JPS Hebrew-English
On that occasion, when the Lord routed the Amorites before the Israelites, Joshua addressed the Lord, he said in the presence of the Israelites.
“Stand still, O sun, at Gibeon. O moon in the valley of Aijalon.
And the sun stood still and the moon halted while a nation wreaked judgment on its foes as is written in the book of Jeshar, the sun halted in mid heaven and did not press on to set for a whole day.
NWT 1984
And it was then that Joshua proceeded to speak to Jehovah on the day of Jehovah’s abandoning the Amorites to the sons of Israel and he went on to say before the eyes of Israel.
Sun, be motionless over Gibeon; And moon, over the low plain of Aijalon.
Accordingly the sun kept motionless and the moon did stand still until the nation of could take its vengeance on its enemies. Is it not written in the book of Jashar? And the sun kept standing still in the middle of the heavens and did not hasten to set for about a whole day.
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Obervations
I suppose that taking the five or so citations, the translations generally had a consistency. In the case of the NWT, I just wanted to check if the issue had been obscured to safe-guard contemporary log-rollings. I am not sure. Since the translations were so loopy, I wonder if they had even got a decent editor's attention. For example, did one Hebrew word warrant "to time indefinite or forever"? The Hebrew mastery of this rendering! When can we sing? On another topic I got chided for using "forever" when someone thought "to time indefinite" was the intent. Well, see here.... It is also too bad that Hemingway wrote his account of 1920s ex-patriate life before he could refer to the NWT translation text for his title "The Sun Also Rises". And the sun's dog like panting might have been a lighter moment in Galileo's heresy trial had it been submitted as evidence. Where some translations use world or earth, the NWT "the productive land". Why? ...
But then there is the intercession where the celestial motions are stopped in behalf of the non-Geneva convention campaign of Joshua. Whether anyone actually lived contemporarily at Ai or Jericho as far as archeology can tell, the narrative demands that Joshua get full credit for any and all eradications. But how was a whole day measured in the absence of PERCEIVED solar motion? A sun dial is not a suitable answer. I remember reading this chapter after 4th grade in summer camp in my bunk, marveling at the great slaughters and giving little thought to whether the smitten were even squatters. It was later pointed out to me that despite this divine intercession, the narrative repeatedly had to conquer the same territories and the Lord laments to Joshua near the conqueror's death that so much more was needed to be done.
Not that my on-line user's name means anything, but I confess that I too have actively engaged in heliocentric calculations of the earth's movements throughout my professional career. I have made calculations where the earth was with respect to other planets based on its presumed path around the sun for determining when spacecraft should leave or return to it. I was taught to do this in college, did it for money and did it for amusement if I couldn't find a sponsor. Earth, the moon, Mars, Venus, comets, Jupiter and bodies unknown to the ancients (asteroids) but perhaps to C. T. Russell's friend Charles Piazzi-Smith, all these were involved. I did it with all manner of calculating tools save abacuses. And I drew charts which probably did not have divine inspiration.
Now should I be sorry?
Or should I ask to the adherents of inerrancy: "Does the sun or the earth revolve or rotate?... And do you see any conflight in your answer with scripture?"