Commentary on the Catholic Epistles by Oecumenius (6th Century): James, 1-2 Peter, 1-3 John, and Jude

By John Litteral

Oecumenius is a Greek Church Father who was from the sixth and seventh century who wrote commentaries on most of the New Testament (Acts, Paul's Epistles, the Catholic Epistles, and the book of Revelation). It has been thought for a long time that Oecumenius was bishop of Tricca in ancient Thessaly. Others think he was a lay person from Isauria in Asia Minor. Until this English transition of his commentaries on the Catholic (General) Epistles, the only other English translations of commentaries by Oecumenius are his commentaries on the book of Revelation, and of the epistle of Jude. In the Acts of the Apostles he relied heavily upon John Chrysostom. In his commentaries on the epistles of Paul, he took the role as a complier of quotes from various other earlier commentators and his commentaries were in the manner of a catena. His commentaries on the Catholic Epistles are in the manner of an ordinary commentary, but he did, as did most Early Church Fathers, relied upon the noble tradition of preserving the exegesis of their predecessors.
These commentaries on the Catholic Epistles by Oecumenius is a straightforward exposition on the Scripture text and is most often very satisfying to the reader who is seeking to understand the meaning of each passage. He is never long winded, and he is very clear and concise in his explanations, but he gives the readers what they want. He is very well-rounded in his interpretations and he preserves the traditional insights that were left to us from other great Church Fathers like Chrysostom, Basil, Cyril, etc. Oecumenius had the knack of knowing how to excerpt and draw from others by omitting just enough in order to give a very satisfying explanation without the long and drawn-out explanations that can wear out a reader who just wants the "meat and potatoes" of the meaning of the Scripture text.
The English translation of these commentaries by Oecumenius on the General Epistles comes from the Patrologia Graeca (Patrologiae Cursus Completus. Greek Series) volume 118.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: B0FL13LJBQ
• ISBN13: 9798296124784
• Release Date: August 2025
• Publisher: Independently Published
• Length: 228 Pages
• Weight: 0.68 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.5" x 6.0" x 9.0"