Œcumenius

Œcumenius (Greek: Οικουμένιος, Επίσκοπος Τρίκκης), once believed to be a Bishop of Trikka (now Trikkala) in Thessaly writing about 990 (according to Cave, Scriptorum eccles. hist. liter. (Basel, 1745), p. 112), was reputed to be the author of several commentaries on books of the New Testament. However, more recently scholars have redated Oecumenius' Commentary on the Apocalypse to the early seventh century, or the late sixth century, and have located Oecumenius as writing in Asia Minor.^[1]

Writings

Manuscripts of the eleventh century contain commentaries on the Acts of the Apostles and on the Catholic - and Pauline epistles, attributed since the sixteenth century to Œcumenius. Those on the Acts and Catholic Epistles are identical with the commentaries of Theophylact of Bulgaria (eleventh century); the Pauline commentaries are a different work, though they too contain many parallel passages to Theophylactus. The first manuscripts, however, are older than Theophylactus, so that it cannot be merely a false attribution of his work. It would seem then that Œcumenius copied Andrew of Cæsarea and was himself copied by Theophylactus. The situation is still complicated by the fact that among the authors quoted in these works the name of Œcumenius himself occurs repeatedly. The question then of Œcumenius's authorship is in all cases very difficult. Otto Bardenhewer (Kirchenlexikon, IX, 1905, coll. 706-10) is doubtful about it; Ehrhard (in Krumbacher's "Byzantin. Litter.", 132) says: "The name Œcumenius represents in the present state of investigation a riddle that can be solved only by thorough critical study of the manuscripts in connexion with the whole question of the Catenæ."

The commentary on St. Paul's Epistles is a compromise between the usual kind of commentary and a catena. Most explanations are given without reference and are therefore presumably those of the author; but there are also long excerpts from earlier writers, Clement of Alexandria, Eusebius, John Chrysostom, Cyril of Alexandria etc., especially from Photius. It is among these that Œcumenius himself is quoted.

The Commentary on the Apocalypse was first edited by John Antony Cramer: "Catenæ in Nov. Test.", VIII (Oxford, 1840), 497-582; the other three (on Acts, Cath. Ep., and St. Paul) by Donatus (Verona, 1532). Morellus (Paris, 1631) re-edited these with a Latin translation; his edition is reproduced in Patrologia Graeca, vol. CXVIII-CIX. Finally, the most recent edition was published by Marc De Groote in 1999 (in: Traditio exegetica graeca 8, Leuven).

References

1. ^ John N. Suggit, trans. Oecumenius: Commentary on the Apocalypse. Preface. Fathers of the Church 112 (Catholic University, Washington DC) 2006.

Writings

• The complete commentary of Oecumenius on the Apocalypse: Now printed for the first time from manuscripts at Messina, Rome, Salonika, and Athos, (University of Michigan studies. Humanistic series), University of Michigan (1928), [1]

• Oecumenii commentarius in Apocalypsin, Oecumenius, Marc de Groote, Lovanii : Peeters, 1999. ISBN 9042902361 ISBN 9789042902367

• Commentary on the Apocalypse (Fathers of the Church), 2006, Oecumenius, John N. Suggit, tr., Catholic University of America Press, ISBN 0813201128 ISBN 9780813201122

Source

• "Œcumenius". Catholic Encyclopedia. New York: Robert Appleton Company. 1913. http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/11214b.htm. 

This article incorporates text from the entry Œcumenius in the public-domain Catholic Encyclopedia of 1913.