Oecumenius

Oecumenius (οἰκουμένιος), a Byzantine ecclesiastical writer of the 10th century, of whose personal history nothing is known except that he was bishop of Triceca, in Thessaly, and wrote Greek commentaries on various parts of the Gospel. The works attributed to him are, Commentaiia in sacrosancta quatuor Christi Evangelia, . . auctore quiden (ut pluairmi sentiunt) œcumenio, interprete vero Joanne HIentenio (Louvain, 1543, fol.). The Greek text was published by O. F. Matthaei (Leips. 1792, 3 vois. 8vo): — Ε᾿ξηγήσεις εἰς τὰς πράξεις τῶν Α᾿ποστόλων (compiled from the ancient Greek fathers, and especially from St. Chrysostom): Ε᾿ξηγήσεις εἰς τὰς Παύλου ἐπιστολὰς πάσας; Ε᾿ξηγήσεις εἰς τὰς ἑπτὰ καθολικὰς λεγομένας ἐπιστολάς; Εἰς την Ι᾿ωάννου Α᾿ποκάλυψιν. These divers commentaries were several times published; one of the best editions is that of Paris, 1631, 2 vols. fol. The commentary on Revelation was reprinted by Cramer (Oxf. 1840, 8vo). With Oecumenius originated the Catenae (q.v.); his commentaries are chiefly composed of extracts from the writings of the fathers, with a few remarks of his own. "The various explanations are linked together, without regard to their agreement or contrariety, by such words as 'another' (ἄλλο), 'otherwise' (ἄλλως), 'and otherwise' (καὶ ἄλλως); and sometimes they amount to ten in one place. The reader is generally left to choose for himself, for œcumenius seldom prefers one to another. The method of interpretation is grammatical" (Davidson, Hermneneutics, p. 169). It is noticeable that he does not read 1 John v. 7; and that he reads SdEg and not Og (1Ti 3:16). See Hentenius, Praef. ad œcumen. Commentar.; Maatthaei, Proleg. ad

'Euthymii Commentar. in Quatuor Evang.; Simon, Hist. critique des principaux commentateurs du Nouveau Testament, c. xxxii; Possevin, Apparatus sacer; Cave, Hlist. Litti'. ad ann. 990; Fabricius, Bibl. Graeca, 8:343;, Dupin, Bibl. Nouvelle des Auteurs Ecclesiastes cent. xi; Ceillier, Auteurs sacres, 19:742; Oudin, Comment. de Scriptor. eccls. ii, col. 518; Lardner, Credibility, 1:1; Cramer, Preface to his edition; Hoefer, Nouv. Biog. Generale, 38:508; Smith, Dictionary of Greek and Roman Biography and Mythology, s.v.; Hook, Ecclesiastes Biogr. 7:455.