[Avodah] Shitas R"T

[Zev Sero]

Michael Kopinsky wrote:
> On 12/25/06, Zev Sero <zev at sero.name> wrote:
>> But in fact that the Earth's shape and size were well known in Chazal's
>> day, and therefore it is to be expected that at least the more educated
>> among them, especially those in EY, knew this.  Since it is the expected
>> result, references that may indicate such knowledge need not be treated
>> with undue scepticism.  OTOH it's not surprising that some of the Bavli
>> amoraim may not have had this knowledge; they may even have seen
>> references to "kadur", by which the original writer meant a globe,
>> and misunderstood them to mean a disc.

> Excuse my ignorance...  Why is it likely the Israeli Amoraim were more
> educated than the Babylonian ones?

Because they were in the Roman empire, where Greek astronomy was widely
known.  "Chochma yevanit".  In Bavel they would have been more isolated
from that world, and might have been ignorant even of things that had
been known in Greece for centuries.  Therefore it's not so surprising
that we find passages in Talmud Bavli that seem very strongly to show
that the author thought the earth was a flat disc.

I have heard (but not seen inside) that R M Kasher wrote an essay
showing that Chachmei EY knew the earth was a globe, while Chachmei
Bavel did not.

-- 
Zev Sero               Something has gone seriously awry with this Court's
zev at sero.name          interpretation of the Constitution.
                       	                          - Clarence Thomas