Steward ‘Steward’ in English may be taken to represent two Greek words, ἐ πίτρο π ος and ο ἰ κονόμος, the former being rather steward of an estate (as in Matthew 20:8 and Luke 8:3; See W. A. Becker, Charicles, Eng. tr. [Note: r. translated, translation.], London, 1895, p. 363), and the latter of a household. ἐ πίτρο π ος, however, occurs only once in the NT outside the Gospels, and there it is joined with ο ἰ κονόμος : ὁ κληρονόμος [while still νή π ιος, ‘an infant’] ὑ π ὸ ἐ πιτρό π ους ἐ στ ὶ κα ὶ ο ἰ κονόμους (‘sub tutoribus et actoribus’ [Vulg. [Note: ulg. Vulgate.] ] Galatians 4:2); this Lightfoot in his commentary translates ‘under controllers of his person and property,’ taking ἐ πιτρό π ους as the boy’s legal representatives (so Vulg. [Note: ulg. Vulgate.]) and ο ἰ κονόμους as stewards or bailiffs to manage either his household or his property. No doubt ο ἰ κονόμος was often used as a general term for one who acted in either capacity.
The first instance we adduce is that of a public official: ἀ σ π άζεται ὑ μ ᾶ ς Ἔ ραστος ὁ ο ἰ κονόμος τ ῆ ς πόλεως, Romans 16:23 (‘arcarius civitatis’ [Vulg. [Note: ulg. Vulgate.] ]). The city here is apparently Corinth, where St. Paul was at the time of writing (the Erastus mentioned in Acts 19:22 as a messenger of the Apostle from Asia to Macedonia can hardly be the same person; and even the one mentioned in 2 Timothy 4:20 as still at Corinth is perhaps more likely to be the same as the latter than the former). The office held by Erastus was doubtless that of city treasurer or something similar; cf. 1Es 4:47; 1Es 4:49, where the same title occurs. All the other instances of ο ἰ κονόμος and ο ἰ κονομία are in the Epistles and occur by way of comparison or simile.
(1) General, with further description: ε ἰ γ ὰ ρ ἑ κ ὼ ν το ῦ το πράσσω (= ε ὐ αγγελίζομαι), μισθ ὸ ν ἔ χω· ε ἰ δ ὲ ἄ κων, ο ἰ κονομίαν πε π ίστευμαι (‘I have to bear in mind that I am charged with a stewardship and must carry it out’) (1 Corinthians 9:17). In 1 Corinthians 4:2, ζητε ῖ ται ἐ ν το ῖ ς ο ἰ κονόμοις ἵ να πιστός τις ε ὑ ρεθ ῇ, the faithfulness of stewards in general is spoken of; but the phrase follows directly upon a special kind of stewardship (ο ἰ κονόμους μυστηρίων θεο ῦ).
(2) Special: stewards of God, acting for Him: δε ῖ γ ὰ ρ τ ὸ ν ἐ πίσκο π ον ἀ νέγκλητον ε ἶ ναι ὡ ς θεο ῦ ο ἰ κονόμον, Titus 1:7; διάκονος κατ ὰ τ ὴ ν ο ἰ κονομίαν το ῦ θεο ῦ τ ὴ ν δοθε ῖ σάν μοι ε ἰ ς ὑ μ ᾶ ς Colossians 1:25; ἐ κζητήσεις … μ ᾶ λλον ἢ ο ἰ κονομίαν θεο ῦ τ ὴ ν ἐ ν πίστει, 1 Timothy 1:4 (here the sphere in which, or rather the method by which, stewardship is rightly exercised is added [sc. by faith]).
(3) Stewards with the matter of stewardship described [sc. of grace, of mystery, or of mysteries): ἕ καστος καθ ὼ ς ἔ λαβεν χάρισμα, ε ἰ ς ἑ αυτο ὺ ς α ὐ τ ὸ διακονο ῦ ντες ὡ ς καλο ἱ ο ἰ κονόμοι ποικίλης χάριτος θεο ῦ, 1 P 4:10; ε ἴ γε ἠ κούσατε τ ὴ ν ο ἰ κονομίαν τ ῆ ς χάριτος το ῦ θεο ῦ τ ῆ ς δοθείσης μοι ε ἰ ς ὑ μ ᾶ ς, Ephesians 3:2; ο ὕ τως ἡ μ ᾶ ς λογιζέσθω ἄ νθρω π ος ὡ ς ὑ πηρέτας Χριστο ῦ κα ὶ ο ἰ κονόμους μυστηρίων θει ῦ, 1 Corinthians 4:1; τίς ἡ ο ἰ κονομία (v.l. [Note: .l. varia lectio, variant reading.], κοινωνία) το ῦ μυστηρίου το ῦ ἀ ποκεκρυμμένου ἀ π ὸ τ ῶ ν α ἰ ώνων ἐ ν τ ῷ θε ῷ Ephesians 3:9 .
(4) One very curious extension of the use of the word occurs in Ephesians 1:10, ε ἰ ς ο ἰ κονομίαν το ῦ πληρώματος τ ῶ ν καιρ ῶ ν, which is well paraphrased and explained by W. Alexander (Speaker’s Commentary, London, 1881, in loc.): ‘The dispensation is the Divine arrangement of His household, or plan of government, which was to be carried out when the full time had come, which time had now arrived.’ Here the idea of stewardship almost disappears, as it is the Master’s own management that is referred to.
C. L. Feltce.