Abstract:
The article is positioned in the interface between Old Testament scholarship and the discipline
of spiritual direction of which spiritual formation is a component. The contribution that a
Ricoeurian hermeneutic may make in unlocking the potential which an imaginal engagement
with the book of Proverbs may hold for the discipline of spiritual formation was explored.
Specifically three aspects of the text of Proverbs illustrated the creative process at work in the
text, and how it converges with the concept of spiritual formation and the nurturing of creative
spirituality. These aspects were, the development in Lady Wisdom’s discourses, the functional
definition of the fear of Yahweh (illustrated from Proverbs 10:1–15:33), and the paradigmatic
character of the book of Proverbs.
INTRADISCIPLINARY AND/OR INTERDISCIPLINARY IMPLICATIONS : The research is positioned in the
interface between Old Testament studies and Practical Theology. The research results in
the enhancement of the interdisciplinary dialogue and interchange of resources between the
named disciplines with regard to the interest in formation of persons that the biblical book of
Proverbs and the discipline of spiritual formation shares.
