It is clear though that that Gemara is Aggadic and intended metaphorically. There is a Talmudic passage (Hagigah 12b) which implies otherwise – that the land stands on pillars, which stand on water, which rests on mountains, etc. The earliest source on the matter is probably the verse in Job (26:7), which writes that God “suspends the earth upon nothingness.” Thus, the Torah clearly asserts that the world is not being “held up” by pillars – nor is it floating on water or in any of the other bizarre configurations ancient man envisioned. In terms of what the Sages believed in, there are actually conflicting sources in Jewish literature. Thank you for raising this important issue. What shape did the Sages of the Talmud believe the world to be? I’ve heard that the Talmud believes the earth is flat standing on pillars, following other ancient traditions.
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