Читать книгу So They Say - Robert H. Mounce - Страница 19

Marquis de Vauvenargues was of the opinion that “When a thought is too weak to be expressed simply, it should be rejected.” Ambiguity in simple prose is the result of the author’s failure to think clearly on the issue he is writing about, expecting the reader to clarify the issue. Among the naive this may come through as profound; among the nature it is recognized as intellectual weakness. After a lifetime of serious theological thought, Karl Barth told us that the essence of biblical revelation was, “Jesus loves me, this I know; for the Bible tells me so.” KISS (Keep It Simple, Stupid) is still the motto of those not ashamed to summarize their better thoughts in language that conveys. In his introduction to his commentary on Romans, John Calvin said that the best thing an interpreter can do is to make the meaning of the text clear and to do it with as few words as possible. He called it “lucid brevity.” Hopefully that is why this little piece is so short.