Metoda egzegetyczna w komentarzu do Apokalipsy Ekumeniusza

Abstract

Ecumenius ( Oikoumenios ), who wrote a commentary on the Revelation of John, was perhaps a lay Greek scholar from the sixth century A.D., known from Severus’ letters (and may be governor of Aphrodisia?). It is the oldest preserved Greek commentary on the Revelation, even if based on earlier traditions. Methods of Ecumenius, in spite of his mistakes, seem near to the modern scholarly approach, because he looked for the intended, correct meanings of images from the text, he explained some of them in their historical context and considered the composition of the book. He avoided an earlier tendency to read the Revelation in a literal way. He did not reduced it to the eschatological prophecy. On the other hand, he avoided an excessive spiritual allegorizing, because he looked for the intended symbolic sense, realizing the literary genre of the book. He studied the theology of the book, declaring an orthodox christology. However, in the later commentary on the Revelation by Andrew of Caesarea, its message was seen as predominantly eschatological and actual.