question for YEC believers

[gluadys]

And you think ancient people did not know the difference between a wide open arc and a circle?

If they could imagine a disk-like earth, then why is the word "corner" or "four corners" used to describe the earth? Provided that I think ancient people only knew one direction (east), not four directions.

Why on earth would they know only one direction? They would know east where the sun rises, but also west where it sets. In Egypt they would know the Nile flows north to the Mediterranean Sea and comes from the south. Other people would also have landmarks north and south. Everyone north of the equator would know the north star.

Knowing four directions is as basic as knowing there is something in front of you, something behind you and something to each side.

Like the rhyme we learned as children:

Face east to rising sun, hands by your side;
Hands out wide.

North to left, south to right
West behind you, out of sight.

 

[Jig]

If they could imagine a disk-like earth, then why is the word "corner" or "four corners" used to describe the earth? Provided that I think ancient people only knew one direction (east), not four directions.

Saying the "four corners of the Earth" is an idiom. It was not supposed to be taken at face value. It had an inherited connotation that was understood to mean "absolutely everywhere on Earth".

Four corners of the earth - Idiom Definition - UsingEnglish.com

 

[juvenissun]

Saying the "four corners of the Earth" is an idiom. It was not supposed to be taken at face value. It had an inherited connotation that was understood to mean "absolutely everywhere on Earth".

Four corners of the earth - Idiom Definition - UsingEnglish.com

I understand.

But every idiom has an origin. I am talking about the origin. Why not eight corners or ten corners?

 

[juvenissun]

Why on earth would they know only one direction? They would know east where the sun rises, but also west where it sets. In Egypt they would know the Nile flows north to the Mediterranean Sea and comes from the south. Other people would also have landmarks north and south. Everyone north of the equator would know the north star.

Knowing four directions is as basic as knowing there is something in front of you, something behind you and something to each side.

Like the rhyme we learned as children:

Face east to rising sun, hands by your side;
Hands out wide.

North to left, south to right
West behind you, out of sight.

The directions you referred to are relative and are dependent. I am talking about something or some feature which constantly indicates the same direction. I do not know since when the north became the main reference of orientation. But it seems that east was the prime direction in the Biblical time.

Could you tell me what does the word "north" mean in the Biblical time? Does it mean "left"?

 

[gluadys]

The directions you referred to are relative and are dependent. I am talking about something or some feature which constantly indicates the same direction. I do not know since when the north became the main reference of orientation. But it seems that east was the prime direction in the Biblical time.

Could you tell me what does the word "north" mean in the Biblical time? Does it mean "left"?

All directions are relative. I don't doubt that "east" was the prime direction of ancient times because it was the direction of the rising sun. But that means "east" is relative to the rotation of the earth. And if you are facing east, then north is left.

North probably became our "prime direction" first because a north-south orientation is easier for showing longitude as in the Mercator projection and second because most maps in the last few centuries have been produced in northern countries which favored putting the north at the top of the map.

 

[Jig]

I understand.

But every idiom has an origin. I am talking about the origin. Why not eight corners or ten corners?

Because "four corners" relates to the four cardinal directions. This makes perfect sense with the idioms intended meaning - everywhere on Earth. It would be fallacious to argue that this phrase wasn't originally created with the intention to be used as an idiom.

 

[juvenissun]

Because "four corners" relates to the four cardinal directions. This makes perfect sense with the idioms intended meaning - everywhere on Earth. It would be fallacious to argue that this phrase wasn't originally created with the intention to be used as an idiom.

The question is still there. Why four but not eight?

 

[juvenissun]

All directions are relative. I don't doubt that "east" was the prime direction of ancient times because it was the direction of the rising sun. But that means "east" is relative to the rotation of the earth. And if you are facing east, then north is left.

North probably became our "prime direction" first because a north-south orientation is easier for showing longitude as in the Mercator projection and second because most maps in the last few centuries have been produced in northern countries which favored putting the north at the top of the map.

I am not sure. I think the adoption of north (or south) as the prime direction is much earlier than just last few centuries. I would say at least 1000 years before. Of course, the prime suspect is the use of compass. The second one could be the climate pattern (north wind vs. south wind).

 

[Jig]

The question is still there. Why four but not eight?

I don't know. I was reading a passage in Genesis today and came across a verse that read "north, south, east, and west". This was written hundreds and hundreds of years before John wrote about "four corners" in Revelation. Four cardinal directions were what the Hebrews knew and understood. Ask them why not eight.

 

[juvenissun]

I don't know. I was reading a passage in Genesis today and came across a verse that read "north, south, east, and west". This was written hundreds and hundreds of years before John wrote about "four corners" in Revelation. Four cardinal directions were what the Hebrews knew and understood. Ask them why not eight.

As I said, the "four" directions is probably totally artificially assigned. In reality, ancient or present, it needs only "one" reference direction to get all four. So this "four corners" term should not be used to imply the idea of a flat earth.

 

[The Lady Kate]

The directions you referred to are relative and are dependent. I am talking about something or some feature which constantly indicates the same direction. I do not know since when the north became the main reference of orientation. But it seems that east was the prime direction in the Biblical time.

Well, there's always the Sun. Rises in the East every morning without fail.