(ECUMENICAL DIVINES
308
OEHLER
given the title (ecumenical to their general councils con- vened by the Evangelical Alliance, but there seems to be no good ground for such a designation. (J. H.W.)
OEjCumenical Divines is the title given by the (ircek Church to St. Basil the Great, St. Gregory the Divine, and St. John Chrysostom. A festival in honor of these three oecumenical divines, as they are termed, is held on January 30 every year.
CEcumenical Judge is the title given to the patriarch of Alexandria. It was first applied to Arseni- us, who succeeded Philotheus A.D. 1015. It originated as follows: '-A dispute having arisen between the em- peror Basil and the patriarch of Constantinople, Sergius II, apparently on the subject of tax, which the former had levied, and to which the latter objected, Philo- theus, then at Constantinople, was called in as arbiter of the disagreement. Finding that both the prelate and the emperor were in the wrong, and unwilling to pro- voke their indignation by openly saying so, he had re- course to an ingenious and symbolical method of stating his opinion. Having made two figures of wax, repre- senting, we may suppose, the contending parties, he carried them before Basil and Sergius, and cut off the right hand of that representing the emperor, and the tongue of that by which the patriarch was imaged, thus reproving the severe actions of the former and the unbridled words of the latter. Sergius placed on him his omophorion, the emperor his crown; and since that period the patriarch of Alexandria wears two omopho- ria and a double crown on his mitre. This title was afterwards absurdly assumed by the Jacobite patriarchs, ■who interpret it as proving their authority to settle any dispute which may arise as to the time of Easter.
CBcunienius (Ot'/cou^usi'toe), a Byzantine ecclesi- astical 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, Commentaria in sacrosancta quatuor Christi Evangelia, . . . auctore quidem (ut plurimi sentiunf) GEcummio, interprete vero Joanne Ilentenio (Louvain, 15-13, foL). The Greek text was published by O. F. Matthsei (Leips. 1792, 3 vols. 8vo) : — 'E^T}yi](jtiq ti'f tuq Trpa^HQ TMV 'A^^o(sr^>\^>iv (compiled from the ancient Greek fathers, and especially from St. Chrysostom) : — 'E?);y»j(Tf tc ti'c t^^Q TlaiXov inidToXaQ TTciaaQ : — 'E^)/y»'j- ciiQ tig rdc tTTTU /caSoXticaf Xtyoj-dpag tTricrroXac," '■ — Ei't' ■n]v 'lujcii'vov 'AnoKctXvxpiv. These divers commenta- ries were several times published ; one of the best edi- tions is that of Paris, llj31, "2 vols. fol. The commen- tary on Revelation was reprinted by Cramer (Oxf. 1810, 8vo). With Oicumenius originated the Catena (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' (dWo), 'otherwise' («/\/\<iic), 'and otherwise' (fcai aXXwe); ^"'^l sometimes they amount to ten in one place. The reader is generally left to choose for himself, for G^cumenius seldom prefers one to another. The method of interpretation is gram- matical" (Davidson, Ilermeneuties, p. 109). It is notice- able tliat he does not read 1 John v, 7 ; and that he reads bioq and not '6q (1 Tim. iii, 10). See Hentenius, rnvf. ad (Ecumen. Commmtai: ; IMatthsei, Prokg. ad Euthymii Commentar. in Quatuor Evang. ; Simon, Hist, critique des principaux commentateurs du Nouveaii Tes- tainent, c. xxxii ; Possevin, Apparatus sacer ; Cave, Hist. Litter, ad ann. 090 ; Fabricius, IJibl. Grceca, viii, 313: Dn])in, Bill. Xouvelle dcs Auteurs eccles. cent, xi; Ceillier, Auteurs sacres, xix. 712; Oudin, Comment, de Scriptor. eccles. ii, col. 518; Lardner, Credibilit;/, i, 1; Cramer, Preface to his edition; Iloefer, Nouc. Biog. Ge- nerale, xxxviii, 508 ; Smith, Dictionary of Greek and Roman Biography and Mythology, s. v. ; Hook, Eccles. Biogr. vii, 455.
Oeder, Georg Ludwig, a German divine noted for liis exegetical labors, flourished in tlie first half of the 18th century. He was born in 1691, and after studying at different high schools of his country, entered the ministr}', and finally became rector at Anspach and dean of Feuchtwangen. He died in 1700. He was the author of Free Inquiries concerning the Revelation, and several books of the Old Testament, in German : — A ni- madcersiones Sacrce : — Ohservationum Sacrarum Syn- tagma, etc. See Hoefer, Nouv. Biog. Generale, s. v.
Oedniann, Samuel, a noted Swedish divine, dis- tinguished for his contributions to exegetical theology, was born in 1750, and flourished as professor of theology at the University of Upsala. He died in 1829. His Miscellaneous Collections from Natitrcd History, for the illustration of Scripture, published originally in Swed- ish, was translated into German by Grcining (Rostock and Leipsic, 1786-95). See Hoefer, Nouv. Biog. Gene- rale, s. V.
Oegir (from Oga, " to shudder" at, to dread) or Hler (i. e. the stutterer) is the name in Northern mythology of the god of the sea or ocean. Oegir rules over the stormy, raging sea, far from land, where AsIk ing and navigation cannot well be carried on ; he is a giant, and in intercourse with the gods, whom he visits, and they in turn visit him. It was once when the gods visited him that his brewing-kettle was found too small, so that Thor had to go to the giant Hymer, who had a kettle a mile deep. In Oegir's hall the bright gold was used instead of fire, and tlie ale passed round spontaneously. Some of the old Norse heroes are represented as possessing a terrifying helmet. Odin's helmet is the beaming sky; and as the dwarfs cover themselves with a helmet of fog, so Oegir wears on his brow a helmet made of dense darkness, and heaven- reaching, terrifying breakers. The name of his wife, Ran (to plunder, to rob), denotes the sea, as craving its sacrifice of human life and of treasures. She has a net with which she catches those who venture out upon the sea; with her hand she is able to hold the ship fast. The ancient Norsemen believed that they who perished at sea were seized by Ran. Loke once bor- rowed Rau's net with which to catch the dwarf And- vare, who in the guise of a fish dwelt in a waterfall. Oegir and Ran have nine daughters, the waves of the ocean, and their names represent the waves in their various magnitudes and appearances. They have pale locks and white veils, and are always angry when the wind blows. Oegir and his family were regarded as mighty beings, whose friendship was sought by the gods themselves. See Thorpe, Northern Mythol. i, 67- 69; Keyser, Religion of the Northmen; Anderson, A'orse Mythology (Chicago, 1875), p. 313-48.