Teks, verwysing, waarheid. Die relevansie van die verwysingskwessie vir die besinning oor die epistemologiese aard van die dogmatiek

Text, reference, truth. The relevance of the reference issue to the reflection on the epistemological character of dogmatics In this article an outline is given of the way in which the reference of words, sentences and texts takes place. The emphasis is placed on the intra-textual text reference, which is also the meaning or world of the text. Some aspects of Derrida's notion of diffrence is considered and the diffrence-character of metaphor is recognized, especially in the diaphoric sense of the word. In the Christian faith, faith itself is a prerequisite for the ultimate reference of the religious text (which is to God). This makes the religious text auto-referential and intra-textual. Dogmatics is a science which is dependent on texts, and which continually transgresses and reinterprets these texts. This qualifies the truth-character of dogmatics as anti-metaphysical, metaphorical, relational and textual