Relevance Theory and Theological Interpretation: Thoughts on Metarepresentation

Abstract Theological interpretation endeavors to account for the way interpretation of the biblical text interacts with Christian theology. This approach to biblical interpretation views theology not as an obstacle to understanding but rather as a "clarifying agent" (Reno¹). It embraces theological traditions of the church and faith commitments in concert with exegetical practices. This article explores theological interpretation from the perspective of relevance theory, with special attention to the notion of metarepresentation, the "ability to represent not just states of the external physical world but also other representations, and representations of still further representations, etc., up to several orders of complexity" (Carston²). In any communication, metarepresentation allows us to reflect on mental states and attribute beliefs. Indeed, holding beliefs becomes essential to comprehension within communication. This article argues that theological interpretation is an approach to biblical interpretation that is consonant with the general cognitive architecture of the human mind.