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Cedars of Lebanon: Early Science and Jewish Belief
- Abstract
Haver: The earth on which we dwell is a planet. On it are seas and rivers, mountains and valleys, human beings endowed with the gift of speech, and dumb animals. A cycle of four seasons marks our earthly year. Why, then, should the like of it not be found on other planets? . . .
Kuzari: I would never have thought that the claims of the latter-day astronomers were sound.
Haver: They certainly dò recommend themselves to Reason. It is just that we are unable to accept that particular aspect of the modern concept which denies the revolution of the sun. For in the Book of Joshua it is written: Sun, stand thou still upon Gibeon. . . . And the sun stayed in the midst of heaven, and hastened not to go down about a whole day [Joshua 10:12f.]. From this it follows that normally the sun does revolve like the rest of the planets. And even though the protagonists of this view have gone into contortions to resolve this contradiction, they have labored in vain, for their reply is unsatisfactory. I have, therefore, rejected this view, and prevented it from being grafted on to the Heritage of the Lord.
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