οἰκουμένη

οἰκουμένη, ης, ἡ (the pres. fem. part. pass. of οἰκέω; sc. γῆ. Hdt.+; loanw. in rabb.).

① the earth as inhabited area, exclusive of the heavens above and nether regions, the inhabited earth, the world (Ps 23:1 and often; Iren., Orig., Hippol., Did., Theoph. Ant.): πάσας τ. βασιλείας τ. οἰκουμένης Lk 4:5. Cp. 21:26; Ro 10:18 (Ps 18:5); Hb 1:6 (but s. FSchierse, Verheissung u. Heilsvollendung ’55: ‘heavenly realm’). ὅλη ἡ οἰκ. the whole inhabited earth (Diod S 12, 2, 1 καθʼ ὅλην τὴν οἰκουμένην; EpArist 37.—Diod S 3, 64, 6 and Jos., Bell. 7, 43 πᾶσα ἡ οἰκ.) Mt 24:14; Ac 11:28; Rv 3:10; 16:14; GJs 4:1. W. πᾶσα as qualifier AcPl Ha 9, 5. οἱ κατὰ τὴν οἰκ. ἄνθρωποι PtK 15:20. αἱ κατὰ τὴν οἰκ. ἐκκλησίαι the congregations throughout the world MPol 5:1; cp. 8:1; 19:2.

② the world as administrative unit, the Roman Empire (in the hyperbolic diction commonly used in ref. to emperors, the Rom. Emp. equalled the whole world [as e.g. Xerxes’ empire: Ael. Aristid. 54 p. 675 D., and of Cyrus: Jos., Ant. 11, 3]: OGI 666, 4; 668, 5 τῷ σωτῆρι κ. εὐεργέτῃ τῆς οἰκουμένης [Nero]; 669, 10; SIG 906 A, 3f τὸν πάσης οἰκουμένης δεσπότην [Julian]; cp. Artapanus: 726 Fgm. 3, 22 Jac., in Eus., PE 9, 27, 22: God as ὁ τῆς οἰκ. δεσπότης; POxy 1021, 5ff; Sb 176, 2.—Cp. 1 Esdr 2:2; Philo, Leg. ad Gai. 16; Jos., Bell. 4, 656, Ant. 19, 193; Just., A I, 27, 2; Ath. 1, 1)

ⓐ as such Ac 24:5 (as Jos., Ant. 12, 48 πᾶσι τοῖς κατὰ τὴν οἰκουμένην Ἰουδαίοις, except that οἰκ. here is used in the sense of 1 above as surface area. Cp. PLond VI, 1912, 100).

ⓑ its inhabitants 17:6.—GAalders, Het Romeinsche Imperium en het NT ’38.

③ all inhabitants of the earth, fig. extension of 1 (cp. γῆ) : world, humankind Ac 17:31 (cp. Ps 9:9; Artapanus: 726 Fgm. 3:22 Jac., God as ὁ τῆς οἰκ. δεσπότης); 19:27. Of Satan: ὁ πλανῶν τὴν οἰκ. ὅλην who deceives all humankind Rv 12:9. The passage ἐξῆλθεν δόγμα παρὰ Καίσαρος Αὐγούστου ἀπογράφεσθαι πᾶσαν τὴν οἰκουμένην (cp. κόσμον … πάντα LBW II, 1192, 6) Lk 2:1 belongs here also. For the evangelist considers it of great importance that the birth of the world’s savior coincided w. another event that also affected every person in the ‘world’. But it can also be said of Augustus that he ruled the οἰκ., because the word is used also in the sense of 2 above. For connection of the birth of a ruler with the fortunes of humanity s. IPriene 105, 4–11 on the significance of the birth of Caesar Augustus.

④ an extraordinary use: τὴν οἰκ. ἔκτισας 1 Cl 60:1, where οἰκ. seems to mean the whole world (so far as living beings inhabit it, therefore the realm of transcendent beings as well). S. Johnston s.v. κόσμος.—Also ἡ οἰκ. ἡ μέλλουσα Hb 2:5=ὁ μέλλων αἰών (6:5); JMeier, Biblica 66, ’85, 504–33; s. αἰών 2b.—JKaerst, Die antike Idee der Oekumene 1903; JVogt, Orbis terrarum 1929; MPaeslack, Theologia Viatorum II, ’50, 33–47.—GHusson, ΟΙΚΙΑ: Le vocabulaire de la maison privée en Égypte d’après les papyrus Grecs ’83; Pauly-W. XVII 2123–74; Kl. Pauly IV 254–56; B. 13.—DELG s.v. οἶκο C. M-M. EDNT. TW. Sv.