John H. Choi, «The Doctrine of the Golden Mean in Qoh 7,15-18: A Universal Human Pursuit», Vol. 83 (2002) 358-374

Two issues surrounding the doctrine of the golden mean in Qoh 7,15-18 are addressed. First, a review and critique of previous research demonstrates that the passage indeed supports the golden mean, and does not present a theological problem to the reader. Secondly, the view that the golden mean is a Hellenistic product is challenged by considering: (1) the dating and (2) nature of cultural exchange between Greece and the Near East; (3) linguistic data indicating an early date of composition for Qoheleth; and (4) the presence of Near Eastern and Eastern ideas of the golden mean. These four factors demonstrate that the golden mean in Qoheleth likely is not of Greek origin from the time of Alexander the Great, but is likely a universal phenomenon.

the nature of Greek influence on the Levant, which began far earlier than the time of Alexander. Moreover, the interaction between Greece and the Levant, either during Alexander’s time or before it, was hardly uni-directional. Related to these factors is strong evidence that the linguistic data of Qoheleth supports a Persian Era dating for the text (early 5^th to late 4^th BCE), rather than the widely held Hellenistic dating. These factors, discussed further below, combine to reveal that the golden mean of Qoheleth is not simply a product of the Hellenistic age.

        There is strong evidence pointing to the presence of Greek culture in the Levant far before the time of Alexander. Current research and material evidence suggests that "first contact" between Greece and the Levant took place as early as the 11^th century BCE⁵⁰. The volume of material evidence from this period is not large, but widely distributed from north to south. Evidence also points to a fairly wide-scale importation of Eastern Greek and Corinthian material into the Levant by the 8^th-7^th centuries BCE. The material evidence from this era is not limited to the coastal areas, but is also found at significant inland sites, some of which lie along major trade routes⁵¹. In addition to the importation of Greek material culture was the settlement of Greek people, primarily traders and mercenaries⁵², before the Alexandrian era⁵³. While the significance of the cultural impact of mercenaries or traders can be debated, the same cannot be said for another group of early Greek migrants, the Philistines.