Possible philosophical meaning of expression “choice of spirit” (προαίρεσις πνεύματος) from the Book of Ecclesiastes in LXX translation

The problem of free will is a key problem both for philosophy and for anthropology of the holy fathers. To describe the freedom of choice of a person, the philosophy of antiquity and the holy fathers often used the term ‘proairesis’. The term has an extensive history of philosophical use, from Aristotle to Neoplatonists, and an equally extensive history of its use in patristic theology. The only text of the Bible where the ‘proairesis’ term in question can be understood in a philosophical sense is the Greek LXX translation of the Book of Ecclesiastes. The author of the Greek translation of the Book of Ecclesiastes uses this term when translating the Hebrew expression: re’ut ruach. This study attempts to find out the purpose and meaning of the use of the concept ‘proairesis’ (free choice) in the LXX translation, and how this use may have influenced the patristic interpretation of the Book of Ecclesiastes.