Description:
The claim is made in this article that South African new Testament scholarship adheres mainly to what can be called 'objectivism'. Epistemic rhetoric focusses the attention on society's processes of symbolisation. If the Burkean notion of symbolic action is taken seriously several alternative ways of 'knowing' are possible within New Testament studies, the reason being a different angle on the relationship between language and reality. The importance of self-reflection within South African New Testament scholarship is emphasised.