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Review Of William Placher's Is The Bible True

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Book Review of “Is the Bible True?” by William C. Placher
William C. Placher states a question about whether to believe the truth of the Bible in “Is the Bible True?” He, in this article, starts by asking a question whether the Bible is true. While reading the paper, readers know that Placher actually believes the Bible is true. However, not like other authors, he does not explain to readers which particular chapter or sentence in the Bible is true, but on the other hand, he looks from the genre, the culture and the language of the Bible. In this way, he helps readers to think the authenticity of the Bible in a different aspect.
After coming up with main question whether the Bible is true, Placher continues the argument by stating two secondary …show more content…

Other than considering the matter of genres, the differences of culture and language should also be part of the element we should think of when we discover the truth of the Bible. Different cultures will cause different understanding of the Bible. Placher uses the example of Thucydides that “keeping as closely as possible to the general sense of the words that were actually used” was “called for by each situation (Placher 12).” in this example, situation can be realized as someone’s own view imposed to the text, according to the culture or experience he goes through. Placher argues that if a biblical author writes in a attitude of culture which is different from the readers’ attitude, then he or she writes as the products of such a culture. Like what the author says, “to treat them as having an attitude to history different from what they do is not to interpret them with maximum accuracy, but to get them wrong (Placher 16). ” Moreover, the confusion of reading the Bible, which is originated in a culture different from ours, happens when there are different social conditions that give different meanings. The author gives an example of the slavery in ancient Israel and the slavery in the American South. He says that the slaves in ancient Israel are supposed to be free at the end of seven days, and their identity of slave is not based on race. However, the slavery in American, on the contrary, differs from the one in the Bible. In addition, the author talks about homosexuality. He claims that in ancient Israel, two men cannot love each other, for that is an abomination, and they will be condemned. However, in modern society, even if people do not follow the Bible, that is they love each other, they seldom be condemned. In brief, the author claims that understanding the genres, recognizing the attitudes toward the reporting of historical details, and considering the social context in

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