Genesis 1:17 ... "And God set them in the firmament of the heaven to give light upon the earth." LESSON: Look at this amazing depiction of our earth in space -- from a year 1560 Bible! The text begins in Latin at the top with "fecit devs duo luminaria magna et stellas" (and God made the two great lights and the stars), and ends with Genesis 1:17 in German at the bottom. Notice the accuracy of the Moon, as it sits in the umbra (shadow) cast into space by the sphere of the earth. Other planets appear in the cosmos as well (note the additional spheres casting their own shadows), as well as the Sun and stars. Looking to the right hand side, one also notes a comet traveling toward the Sun, with its glorious tail. Keep in mind that in 1560 humanity could only guess at what earth would look like looking back at it from a vantage point in space. Not until the space program of the mid 20th century would we have a true glimpse of earth from space. This copper plate engraving is a recent acquisition of mine to the Wonders of the Bible collection. One would be hard pressed to find a more accurate depiction -- from any source -- from the time period of 1650. I believe that this example from the Holy Bible is one of the very best. Please share with your family and friends, like our Wonders of the Bible page, and may God Bless you today and every day. -- Love, "Pop-pop"
