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The Man Who Mapped the WorldAwake!—2009 | April
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A Cartographer Is Born
By 1537, Mercator made his first “solo production”—a map of the Holy Land, which he made to contribute to a “better understanding of both testaments.” In the 16th century, maps of the Holy Land were hopelessly inaccurate, some with fewer than 30 place-names—and many of them in the wrong location. Mercator’s map, however, identified more than 400 places! Further, it showed the route followed by the Israelites on their journey through the desert after the Exodus. Because of its accuracy, the map was much admired by many of Mercator’s contemporaries.
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The Man Who Mapped the WorldAwake!—2009 | April
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In February 1544, Mercator was arrested together with 42 other citizens of Louvain on the accusation of writing “suspicious letters.” However, it may also have been because the publication of his map on the Holy Land had aroused the suspicion of Tapper and Latomus, two theologians from the university in Louvain. Both men had presided at the trial of Bible translator William Tyndale, who had been executed in Belgium in 1536. Perhaps Tapper and Latomus were concerned that Mercator’s map of the Holy Land, like Tyndale’s translation of the Bible, encouraged Bible reading. In any case, Mercator was imprisoned in the castle of Rupelmonde, his hometown.
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The Man Who Mapped the WorldAwake!—2009 | April
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[Picture on page 20]
Mercator’s map of the Holy Land, 1537, identified more than 400 places
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