What do invented saints tell us about Christianity?

[BrianSoddingBoru4]

Because, from a very high mountain, you cannot be 'showed...all the kingdoms of the world...' unless the world is flat (and probably not even then).  It simply isn't possible for there to be a mountain so high that from its peak you could see something past the curvature of a sphere.

Boru

I get that scientifically you cannot be shown the whole world unless the world was flat. But I don't think the verse must then imply that the first-century Christians clearly believed the earth was flat. Maybe "Matthew" didn't realize the implication of what is being stated here, or maybe it's meant to be a vision not to be taken so literally.

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I think it does imply exactly that.  The passage was written by a first century Christian and would reflect what the writer believed to be true.  Further, the NT uses the word 'vision' to mean a 'vision' (notably in Acts,  Corinthians, Joel).  It uses terms like 'showed', 'shown', 'looked upon', and so forth to indicate the physical act of seeing.

Further, if Satan wasn't showing (in the physical, visual sense) Jesus 'all the kingdoms of the earth' etc, what was the point of taking him to a 'very high mountain'?  One thing first century Christians probably knew very well was that the higher you got, the further you could see.

I don't see how the passage can be reasonably interpreted to mean anything other than Jesus was at an elevation that permitted him to see the entire earth.  And the only way that could be possible would be for the earth to be flat.

Boru