Similarly, in the Bible the earth also rests on the seas or "the deep" (tehom) that produces the springs and waters from its subterranean waters below the earth.

Psa. 24:1-2 The world, and those who dwell therein, for he has founded it upon the seas, and established it upon the rivers.

Psa. 136:6 To him who spread out the earth above the waters.

Gen. 49: 25 The Almighty who will bless you with blessings of heaven above, Blessings of the deep that crouches beneath.

Ex. 20:4 You shall not make for yourself a carved image, or any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth.

Leviathan is even said to dwell in the Abyss in Job 41:24 (LXX)[101]. When G.o.d brings the flood, part of the waters are from "the fountains of the great deep" bursting open (Gen. 7:11; 8:2).

The Firmament If we move upward in the registers of cosmography, we find another ancient paradigm of the heavens covering the earth like a solid dome or vault with the sun, moon, and stars embedded in the firmament yet still somehow able to go around the earth. Reformed scholar Paul Seely has done key research on this notion.[102]

Gen. 1:6-8 And G.o.d said, "Let there be an expanse [firmament] in the midst of the waters, and let it separate the waters from the waters." And G.o.d made the expanse [firmament] and separated the waters that were under the expanse [firmament] from the waters that were above the expanse [firmament]. And it was so. And G.o.d called the expanse [firmament] Heaven.

I used to think, what is that all about? Waters below separated from waters above by the sky? Some try to explain those waters above as a water canopy above the earth that came down at Noah's flood. But that doesn't make sense Biblically because birds are said to "fly over the face of the firmament" (Gen. 1:20) with the same Hebrew grammar as G.o.d's Spirit hovering "over the face of the waters" (Gen. 1:2). But the firmament cannot be the "water canopy" because the firmament is not the waters, but the object that is separating and holding back the waters. If the firmament is an "expanse" or the sky itself, then the birds would be flying within the firmament, not over the face of the firmament as the text states. So the firmament cannot be a water canopy and it cannot be the sky itself.

The T.K.O. of the canopy theory is the fact that according to the Bible those "waters above" and the firmament that holds them back were still considered in place during the time of King David long after the flood: Psa. 104:2-3 Stretching out the heavens like a tent. He lays the beams of his chambers on the waters; Psa. 148:4 Praise him, you highest heavens, and you waters above the heavens!

Seely shows how the modern scientific bias has guided the translators to render the word for "firmament" (raqia) as "expanse." Raqia in the Bible consistently means a solid material such as a metal that is hammered out by a craftsman (Ex. 39:3; Isa. 40:19). And when raqia is used elsewhere in the Bible for the heavens, it clearly refers to a solid material, sometimes even metal!

Job 37:18 Can you, like him, spread out [raqia] the skies, hard as a cast metal mirror?

Ex. 24:10 And they saw the G.o.d of Israel. There was under his feet as it were a pavement [raqia] of sapphire stone, like the very heaven for clearness.

Ezek. 1:22-23 Over the heads of the living creatures there was the likeness of an expanse [raqia], shining like awe-inspiring crystal, spread out above their heads. And under the expanse [raqia] their wings were stretched out straight.

Prov. 8:27-28 When he established the heavens... when he made firm the skies above.

Job 22:14 He walks on the vault of heaven.

Amos 9:6 [G.o.d] builds his upper chambers in the heavens and founds his vault upon the earth.

Not only did the ancient translators of the Septuagint (LXX) translate raqia into the Latin equivalent for a hard firm solid surface (firmamentum), but also the Jews of the Second Temple period consistently understood the word raqia to mean a solid surface that covered the earth like a dome.

3Bar. 3:6-8 And the Lord appeared to them and confused their speech, when they had built the tower... And they took a gimlet, and sought to pierce the heaven, saying, Let us see (whether) the heaven is made of clay, or of bra.s.s, or of iron.

2Apoc. Bar. 21:4 'O you that have made the earth, hear me, that have fixed the firmament by the word, and have made firm the height of the heaven.

Josephus, Antiquities 1:30 (1.1.1.30) On the second day, he placed the heaven over the whole world... He also placed a crystalline [firmament] round it.

The Talmud describes rabbis debating over which remains fixed and which revolves, the constellations or the solid sky (Pesachim 94b),[103] as well as how to calculate the thickness of the firmament scientifically (Pesab. 49a) and Biblically (Genesis Rabbah 4.5.2).[104] While the Talmud is not the definitive interpretation of the Bible, it certainly ill.u.s.trates how ancient Jews of that time period understood the term, which can be helpful in learning the Hebrew cultural context.

When the Scriptures talk poetically of this vault of heaven it uses the same terminology of stretching out the solid surface of the heavens over the earth as it does of stretching out an ANE desert tent over the flat ground (Isa. 54:2; Jer. 10:20)-not like an expanding Einsteinian time-s.p.a.ce atmosphere.

Psa. 19:4 He has set a tent for the sun.

Psa. 104:2 Stretching out the heavens like a tent.

Isa. 45:12 It was my hands that stretched out the heavens, Isa. 51:13 The LORD... who stretched out the heavens and laid the foundations of the earth.

Jer. 10:12 It is he who established the world by his wisdom, and by his understanding stretched out the heavens.

Jer. 51:15 "It is he who established the world by his wisdom, and by his understanding stretched out the heavens.

Keeping this tent-like vault over the earth in mind, when G.o.d prophesies about the physical destruction he will bring upon a nation, he uses the symbolism of rolling up that firmament like the tent he originally stretched out (or a scroll), along with the shaking of the pillars of the earth and the pillars of heaven which results in the stars falling from the heavens because they were embedded within it.

Isa. 34:4 All the host of heaven shall rot away, and the skies roll up like a scroll. All their host shall fall, as leaves fall from the vine.

Rev. 6:13-14 [An earthquake occurs] and the stars of the sky fell to the earth as the fig tree sheds its winter fruit when shaken by a gale. The sky vanished like a scroll that is being rolled up, and every mountain and island was removed from its place.

Matt. 24:29 "The stars will fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens will be shaken."

Job 26:11 "The pillars of heaven tremble, and are astounded at His rebuke.

2Sam. 22:8 Then the earth reeled and rocked; the foundations of the heavens trembled and quaked.

Is. 13:13 Therefore I shall make the heavens tremble, and the earth will be shaken out of its place at the wrath of the LORD of hosts.

Joel 2:10 The earth quakes before them, the heavens tremble.

Waters Above the Heavens Now on to the highest point of the Mesopotamian cosmography, the "highest heavens," or "heaven of heavens," where G.o.d has established his temple and throne (Deut. 26:15; Psa. 11:4; 33:13; 103:19). But G.o.d's throne also happens to be in the midst of a sea of waters that reside there. These are the waters that are above the firmament, that the firmament holds back from falling to earth (Gen. 1:6-8).

Psa. 148:4 Praise him, you highest heavens, and you waters above the heavens!

Psa. 104:2-3 Stretching out the heavens like a tent. He lays the beams of his chambers on the waters.

Psa. 29:3, 10 The voice of the LORD is over the waters... the LORD, over many waters... The LORD sits enthroned over the flood [not a reference to the flood of Noah, but to these waters above the heavens][105] the LORD sits enthroned as king forever.

Jer. 10:13 When he utters his voice, there is a tumult of waters in the heavens, Ezek. 28:2 "I sit in the seat of the G.o.ds, in the heart of the seas."

The solid firmament that holds back the heavenly waters has "windows of the heavens" ("floodgates" in the NASB) that let the water through to rain upon the earth.

Gen. 7:11 All the fountains of the great deep burst forth, and the windows of the heavens were opened.

Gen. 8:2 The fountains of the deep and the windows of the heavens were closed, and the rain from the heavens was restrained.

Isa. 24:18 For the windows of heaven are opened, and the foundations of the earth tremble.

So, What's Wrong With the Bible?

The sheer volume of pa.s.sages throughout both Testaments ill.u.s.trating the parallels with Mesopotamian cosmography seem to prove a deeply rooted ancient pre-scientific worldview that permeates the Scriptures, and that worldview consists of a three-tiered universe with G.o.d on a heavenly throne above a heavenly sea, underneath which is a solid vaulted dome with the sun, moon, and stars connected to it, covering the flat disc earth, founded immovably firm on pillars, surrounded by a circular sea, on top of a watery abyss, beneath which is the underworld of Sheol.

Some well-intentioned Evangelicals seek to maintain their particular definition of Biblical inerrancy by denying that the Bible contains this ancient Near Eastern cosmography. They try to explain it away as phenomenal language or poetic license. Phenomenal language is the act of describing what one sees subjectively from one's perspective without further claiming objective reality. So when the writer says the sun stood still, or that the sun rises and sets within the solid dome of heaven, he is only describing his observation, not cosmic reality. The claim of observation from a personal frame of reference is certainly true as far as it goes. Of course the observer describes what they are observing. But the distinction between appearance and reality is an imposition of our alien modern understanding onto theirs. As Seely explains, It is precisely because ancient peoples were scientifically naive that they did not distinguish between the appearance of the sky and their scientific concept of the sky. They had no reason to doubt what their eyes told them was true, namely, that the stars above them were fixed in a solid dome and that the sky literally touched the earth at the horizon. So, they equated appearance with reality and concluded that the sky must be a solid physical part of the universe just as much as the earth itself.[106]

If the ancients did not know the earth was a sphere in s.p.a.ce, they could not know that their observations of appearances were anything other than reality. It would be easy enough to relegate one or two examples of Scripture to the notion of phenomenal language, but when dozens of those phenomenal descriptions reflect the same complex integrated picture of the universe that Israel's neighbors shared, and when that picture included many elements that were not phenomenally observable, such as the Abyss, Sheol, or the pillars of earth and heaven, it strains credulity to suggest these were merely phenomenal descriptions intentionally unrelated to reality. If it walks a like a Mesopotamian duck and talks like a Mesopotamian duck, then chances are they thought it was a Mesopotamian duck, not just the "appearance" of one having no reality.

It would be a mistake to claim that there is a single monolithic Mesopotamian cosmography.[107] There are varieties of stories with overlapping imagery, and some contradictory notions. But there are certainly enough commonalities to affirm a generic yet mysterious picture of the universe. And that picture in Scripture undeniably includes poetic language. The Hebrew culture was imaginative. They integrated poetry into everything, including their observational descriptions of nature. Thus a hymn of creation such as Psalm 19 tells of the heavens declaring G.o.d's glory as if using speech, and then describes the operations of the sun in terms of a bridegroom in his chamber or a man running a race. Metaphor is inescapable and ubiquitous.

And herein lies a potential solution for the dilemma of the scientific inaccuracy of the Mesopotamian cosmic geography in Scripture: The Israelite culture, being pre-scientific, thought more in terms of function and purpose than material structure. Even if their picture of the heavens and earth as a three-tiered geocentric cosmology, was scientifically "false" from our modern perspective, it nevertheless still accurately describes the teleological purpose and meaning of creation that they were intending to communicate.

Othmar Keel, one of the leading scholars on Ancient Near Eastern art has argued that even though modern depictions of the ancient worldview like the ill.u.s.tration of the three-tiered universe above are helpful, they are fundamentally flawed because they depict a "profane, lifeless, virtually closed mechanical system," which reflects our own modern bias. To the ancient Near East "rather, the world was an ent.i.ty open at every side. The powers which determine the world are of more interest to the ancient Near East than the structure of the cosmic system. A wide variety of diverse, uncoordinated notions regarding the cosmic structure were advanced from various points of departure."[108]

John Walton has written recently of this ANE concern with powers over structure in direct relation to the creation story of Genesis. He argues that in the ancient world existence was understood more in terms of function within a G.o.d-created purposeful order than in terms of material status within a natural physical structure.

[109] This is not to say that the physical world was denied or ignored, but rather that the priority and interests were different from our own. We should therefore be careful in judging their purpose-driven cosmography too strictly in light of our own material-driven cosmography. And in this sense, modern material descriptions of reality are just as "false" as the ancient pictures because they do not include the immaterial aspect of reality: Meaning and purpose.

Biblical writers did not teach their cosmography as scientific doctrine revealed by G.o.d about the way the physical universe was materially structured, they a.s.sumed the popular cosmography to teach their doctrine about G.o.d's purposes and intent. To critique the cosmic model carrying the message is to miss the meaning altogether, which is the message. G.o.d's throne may not be physically above us in waters held back by a solid firmament, but he truly does rule "over" us and is king and sustainer of creation in whatever model man uses to depict that creation. The phrase "every created thing which is in heaven and on the earth and under the earth" (Rev. 5:13) is equivalent in meaning to the modern concept of every particle and wave in every dimension of the Big Bang s.p.a.ce-time continuum, as well as every person dead or alive in heaven or h.e.l.l.

The geocentric picture in Scripture is a depiction through man's ancient perspective of G.o.d's purpose and humankind's significance. For a modern heliocentrist to attack that picture as falsifying the theology would be cultural imperialism. Reducing significance to physical location is simply a prejudice of material priority over spiritual purpose. One of the humorous ironies of this debate is that if the history of science is any judge, a thousand years from now, scientists will no doubt consider our current paradigm with which we judge the ancients to be itself fatally flawed. This is not to reduce reality to relativism, but rather to ill.u.s.trate that all claims of empirical knowledge contain an inescapable element of human fallibility and finitude. A proper response should be a bit more humility and a bit less hubris regarding the use of our own scientific models as standards in judging theological meaning or purpose.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR.

Brian G.o.dawa is the screenwriter for the award-winning feature film, To End All Wars, starring Kiefer Sutherland. It was awarded the Commander in Chief Medal of Service, Honor and Pride by the Veterans of Foreign Wars, won the first Heartland Film Festival by storm, and showcased the Cannes Film Festival Cinema for Peace.

He also co-wrote Alleged, starring Brian Dennehy as Clarence Darrow and Fred Thompson as William Jennings Bryan. He previously adapted to film the bestselling supernatural thriller novel The Visitation by author Frank Peretti for Ralph Winter (X-Men, Wolverine), and wrote and directed Wall of Separation, a PBS doc.u.mentary, and Lines That Divide, a doc.u.mentary on stem cell research.

Mr. G.o.dawa's scripts have won multiple awards in respected screenplay compet.i.tions, and his articles on movies and philosophy have been published around the world. He has traveled around the United States teaching on movies, worldviews, and culture to colleges, churches and community groups.

His book, Hollywood Worldviews: Watching Films with Wisdom and Discernment has been released in a revised edition from InterVarsity Press. His book Word Pictures: Knowing G.o.d Through Story and Imagination (IVP) addresses the power of image and story in the pages of the Bible to transform the Christian life.

Find out more about his other books, lecture tapes and dvds for sale at his website www.G.o.dawa.com.

Noah Primeval is the First in a Series!

Sign up to Receive News and Updates of the Series with each New Volume!

Sign up at: www.ChroniclesOfTheNephilim.com Watch the trailers, listen to the audio commercial, stay informed.

Enoch Primordial is one chapter of the series saga Chronicles of the Nephilim, that charts the rise and fall of the Nephilim and just what their place is in the evil plans of the fallen sons of G.o.d called, "The Watchers."

Book 1, Noah Primeval, reveals the hero's journey of Noah that leads to G.o.d's first act of justice against this diabolical plan of the Watchers: The Deluge.

The Prequel, or Lost Book 2, Enoch Primordial tells the forgotten story of the original descent of the Watchers on Mount Hermon and their introduction of the Nephilim into the created order.

Book 3, Gilgamesh Immortal tells the story of the first Giant King after the Flood, Gilgamesh of Uruk and his epic search for eternal life.

Read the rest of the series to discover just how far the Seed of the Serpent will go in its war on the Seed of Eve.

BOOKS BY BRIAN G.o.dAWA.

When Giants Were Upon the Earth: The Watchers, Nephilim, and the Biblical Cosmic War of the Seed By Brian G.o.dawa The Appendices of the Chronicles of the Nephilim Together in One Book.

The bestselling Biblical fantasy novel series Chronicles of the Nephilim has opened a door for Christian imagination and theology like none other. But many have appreciated the appendices of each novel as much as the novels. In those appendices, author Brian G.o.dawa shares the Biblical and ancient historical and mythical research that undergirds the fiction. Now all those appendices have been placed together in one book for those who want serious study of the topics of the Watchers, Nephilim, and the Biblical Cosmic War of the Seed.

This book has the special bonus of a previously unpublished chapter on the Book of Enoch, as well as a newly expanded chapter on the Sons of G.o.d. But it also contains the appendices of the last two Chronicles, David Ascendant and Jesus Triumphant before their release!

Chapters Include:.

1) The Book of Enoch: Scripture, Heresy or What? (Bonus Chapter) 2) Sons of G.o.d (Newly expanded from Noah Primeval) 3) The Nephilim (from Noah Primeval) 4) Leviathan (from Noah Primeval) 5) Mesopotamian Cosmic Geography in the Bible (from Noah Primeval) 6) Retelling Bible Stories and Mythic Imagination (from Enoch Primordial) 7) Gilgamesh and the Bible (from Gilgamesh Immortal) 8) In Defense of Ancient Traditions (from Abraham Allegiant) 9) Mythical Monsters in the Bible (from Joshua Valiant) 10) Canaanite Baal and Old Testament Storytelling Polemics (Caleb Vigilant) 11) Goliath was Not Alone (from David Ascendant) 12) Jesus and the Cosmic War (from Jesus Triumphant) To order books and products by Brian G.o.dawa, as well as FREE articles, just go to the STORE at: www.G.o.dawa.com Hollywood Worldviews: Watching Films with Wisdom and Discernment By Brian G.o.dawa With the sensibilities of an award-winning Hollywood screenwriter and the sensitivities of a thoughtful Christian, Brian G.o.dawa guides us through the place of redemption in film, the "tricks of the trade" that screenwriters use to communicate their worldview through their stories, and the mental and spiritual discipline required for watching movies. Hollywood Worldviews helps us enter a dialogue with Hollywood that leads to a happier ending, one that keeps us aware of our culture and awake to our faith.

Endors.e.m.e.nts: "Provocative and challenging. Even when I find myself disagreeing with Brian G.o.dawa in his evaluation of a particular film, his cinemate and sophisticated point of view command attention."

- Michael Medved, Film critic and author of Hollywood Versus America.

"Brian's a.n.a.lysis is insightful and stimulating. Our Biblical values are colliding with worldviews in the movies, and Brian shows us why. Those values are also illuminated by intersecting with movies, and I find that especially exciting. We might even understand the Bible with more insight from seeing these connections."

- Ralph Winter, Producer X-Men 2, Planet of the Apes, X-Men To order Hollywood Worldviews and other books and products by Brian G.o.dawa, as well as FREE articles, just go to the STORE at: www.G.o.dawa.com Word Pictures: Knowing G.o.d Through Story and Imagination By Brian G.o.dawa In his refreshing and challenging book, G.o.dawa helps you break free from the spiritual suffocation of heady faith. Without negating the importance of reason and doctrine, G.o.dawa challenges you to move from understanding the Bible "literally" to "literarily" by exploring the poetry, parables and metaphors found in G.o.d's Word. Weaving historical insight, pop culture and personal narrative throughout, G.o.dawa reveals the importance G.o.d places on imagination and creativity in the Scriptures, and provides a Biblical foundation for Christians to pursue image, beauty, wonder and mystery in their faith.

Endors.e.m.e.nts: "Brian G.o.dawa is that rare breed-a philosopher/artist-who opens our eyes to the aesthetic dimension of spirituality. Cogently argued and fun to read, G.o.dawa shows convincingly that G.o.d interacts with us as whole persons, not only through didactic teaching but also through metaphor, symbol, and sacrament."

- Nancy R. Pearcey,

Author, Total Truth: Liberating Christianity from its Cultural Captivity

"A spirited and balanced defense of the imagination as a potential conveyer of truth. There is a lot of good literary theory in the book, as well as an autobiographical story line. The thoroughness of research makes the book a triumph of scholarship as well."

- Leland Ryken, Clyde S. Kilby Professor of English,Wheaton College, Illinois Author, The Christian Imagination: The Practice of Faith in Literature & Writing.