Bible Lexicons

οἰκονόμος in its literal sense of ";steward,"; ";manager of an estate"; (as in Luke 12:42, 1 Corinthians 4:2) is found in P Tebt II. 402.1 (A.D. 172) Μαρτι ̣ [. . .] οἰκονόμῳ Φλαυίας Ἐπιμάχης κα [ὶ ] τῶν πρότερον Ἰουλίας Καλλ ̣ινίδος παρὰ Διδύμου οἰκοδόμου, ";to Mart. . .,steward of Flavia Epimache and of the property formerly belonging to Julia Kallinis, from Didymus, builder,"; P Oxy VI. 929.25 (ii/iii A.D.) Νιννάρῳ οἰκονόμῳ Ἀπίωνος σ ̣τ ̣ρ ̣α ̣(τηγοῦ), and P Fay 133.2 (iv/A.D.) ἀπέστειλα τὸν οἰκ [ον ]όμον [Ἡρα ]κλείδην πρὸς σὲ καθὰ ἠξίω [σας ] ἵνα τὴν διαταγὴν τῆς τρύγης ποιήσηται, ";I have sent to you the steward Heraclides as you requested, to make arrangements about the vintage";(Edd.).

The meaning of ";treasurer"; which is given to the word in Romans 16:23 RV (cf. 1 Esdras 4:49) is common both in Ptolemaic and in Roman times, though latterly the position sank much in importance : see P Tebt I. 5.159 (B.C. 118) with the editors’ note, and for later exx. ib. II, 296.12 (A.D. 123) διέγραψε Σεκούνδῳ τῷ τοῦ κ [υ ]ρίου Καίσαρος οἰκονόμῳ (";procurator,"; G.H.) (δραχμὰς) <Ἀ ̄〉̄φ ̄, P Oxy IV. 735.6 (A.D. 205) Καισάρων οἰκονόμου οὐικαρίου. From the inscrr. we may cite OGIS 50.13 (mid. iii/B.C.) τὸ δὲ ἀνάλωμα τὸ εἰς τὴν στήλην δοῦναι τὸν οἰ [κον ]όμο [ν ] Σωσίβιον, and Priene 6.30 (B.C. 330–29) τὸ δὲ ἀν ]άλωμα ὑπηρετῆσαι τὸν οἰκο [νόμον with reference to defraying the expenses of an inscr.

On the difficult usage of οἰκονόμος in Galatians 4:2 to denote one who has charge of the person or estate of a minor, see Burton ICC ad loc.; and against Mahaffy’s view on P Petr II. 18 (1) (B.C. 246) that the οἰκονόμος ";had authority to investigate criminal cases on appeals,";see Archiv iv. p. 31 f. The title is discussed by Wilcken Chrest. I. i. p. 150 ff.