This study deals with the transition of the term “oikonomia” from the ancient Greek, and aims to locate its meaning in early Christianity. Oikonomia in Greek denoted a household, that is, managing one's own house and belongings. In stoic thought, the original meaning of the “house” was extended to the universe, and oikonomia came to mean the administration of the world. Similarly, in early Christianity, it was thought that God controlled creatures. One of the reasons why this general word has come to acquire a theological meaning has its roots in the question as to whether evil coexisted with God's administration of the world. The Gnostics assigned its administration to the imperfect Demiurge; however, the patristic fathers demonstrated that it belonged to God through the theory of Christ the Logos.