35 BiBlical T heology BulleTin Volume 46 Number 1 Pages 35–44 © The Author(s), 2016. Reprints and Permissions: http://www.sagepub.co.uk/journalsPermissions.nav DOI: 10.1177/0146107915623198 http://btb.sagepub.com The Use of the Book of Proverbs in Systematic Theology Arthur J. Keefer Abstract Considering works from the 19 th century to the present, this article, for the frst time, outlines and evaluates the use of the Book of Proverbs in systematic theology. Descriptively, it presents the most frequently cited texts of Prov- erbs and their signifcance for theologians. Prescriptively, it compares the consensus and debate among theologians with the conclusions of biblical exegetes. I conclude that exegetes and systematic theologians at times agree in their interpretation of passages (e.g., “the fear of the Lord”; Prov 6:23; 15:3; 20:9). However, more signifcantly, some systematic theologians present evidence from Proverbs based on interpretations largely unsupported by biblical exegetes, offering or assuming interpretations that contradict the conclusions of commentators (e.g., Prov 1:20–33; 8:22–31; 16:4; 30:4). I explore these disparate interpretations in detail and identify the core interpretive issues, offering suggestions for theologians and the relation of systematic theology and biblical scholarship Key words: Proverbs, systematic theology, exegesis, interpretation, biblical theology Arthur J. Keefer, a Ph.D. student at the University of Cam- bridge (2014–), is the author of “Orthodox Theological Criteria from 1 Peter for Women’s Ordination in the Church” in Deacon- esses, Ordination of Women and Orthodox Theology, ed. Petros Vassiliadis. Cambridge Scholars Publishing, (in press). He can be reached at Faculty of Divinity, West Road Cambridge, CB3 9BS, United Kingdom E-mail: arthurkeefer@gmail.com, Biblical and systematic theologians have discussed the relationships between biblical exegesis, biblical theology, and systematic theology (see, e.g., Breuggemann:1–22; Vanhooz- er: 17–38; Snyman:1–7; Peckham: 41–53; Carson: 17–38; Gaf fn: 281–99). This often produces a theological method that moves from exegesis to biblical theology to systematic the- ology, with each discipline laying a foundation for the next. John Peckham suggests a more interdependent tack, where the disciplines mutually enhance each other. He proposes two criteria for systematic theology’s approach to the biblical text: how theologians treat the coherence of the text and how their insights correspond to the text (Peckham: 41–53). In a similar vein, Kevin Vanhoozer offers a framework for biblical exege- sis and its connection to theology (Vanhoozer: 17–27). The point to note is that scholars attempt to determine the proper relationship between exegesis and systematic theology, and do so from a theoretical perspective. Few scholars, however, examine how theologians actually use the biblical text, especially the Old Testament. Robert Sherman outlines Karl Barth’s exegesis of the book of Job and locates it within Barth’s larger theological system (Sher- man: 175–88). John Bolt briefy considers Herman Bavinck’s use of the biblical concept of wisdom but not wisdom literature