g 151. EUSTATHIUS OF THESSALON1CA. 649
§ 151. Eustathius of Thessalonica.
I. EUSTATHIUS : Opera omnia in Migne, Patrol. Gr. Tom. CXXXV. col.
517 ; CXXXVI. col. 704 (reprint of L. F. TafePs ed. of the Opuscula. Frankfort, 1832, and appendix to De Thessalonica. Berlin, 1839. Tafel published a translation of Eustathius' "Eirlaite^is ftiov ^OVU^IKOV. JBetrachtungen iiber den Monchstand. Berlin, 1847. The valuable De capta Thessalonica narratio was reprinted from Tafel in a vol. of the ''Corpus scriptorurn historic Byzantine" (Bonn, 1842, pp. 365- 512), accompanied with a Latin translation.
II. The funeral orations by EUTHYMIUS of Neopatria and MICHAEL
CHONIATES in Migne, Patrol. Gr. CXXXVI. col. 75G-764, and CXL. col. 337-361. FABRICIUS: Bibliotheca Grceca, ed. Harless, XI. 282-84. NEANDER, IV. 530-533, and his essay, Characteristic des Eustathius von Thessalonich in seiner reformatorischen Richtung, 1841, reprinted in his " Wissenschaftliche Abhandlungen," Berlin, 1851, pp. 6-21, trans, in Kitto's " Journal of Sacred Literature," vol. IV., pp. 101 sqq.
EUSTATHIUS, archbishop of Thessalonica and metropolitan, the most learned man of his day, was born in Constantinople, and lived under the Greek emperors from John Comnenus to Isaac II. Angelas, i. e., between 1118 and 1195. His proper name is unknown, that of Eustathius having been assumed on taking monastic vows. His education was carried on in the convert of St. Euphemia, but he became a monk, in the convent of St. Florus. He early distinguished himself for learning, piety and eloquence, and thus attracted the notice of the Emperor Manuei, who made him successively tutor to his son John, dea con of St. Sophia and master of petitions, a court position. In the la^t capacity he presented at least one petition to the Empe ror, that from the Constantinopolitans during a severe drought.1
lo this period of his life probably belong those famous commentaries upon the classic authors,2 by which alone he
1 Manuel was warlike and dissolute and ground the people down under heacy taxes. The petition alluded to is given in Migne, CXXXV. col. 925- 9*2. Cf. Gibbon, Harpers' ed. V. 81, 82.
2 Homer, Dionysius Periegetes the geographer, Pindar and probably Aristo phanes. His "vast commentary" on Homer is a perfect storehouse of classical learning and Homeric criticism, and has unique value from its numerous ex tracts of lost scholia. It was first published and beautifully printed, at Rome,
650 FOUETH PEKIOD. A. D. 590-1049.
was known until Tafel published his theological and histori cal works. But Providence designed Eustathius to play a prom inent part in practical affairs, and so the Emperor Manuel appointed him bishop of Myra,1 the capital of Lycia in Asia Minor, and ere he had entered on this office transferred him to the archbishopric of Thessalonica (1175). He was a model bishop, pious, faithful, unselfish, unsparing in rebuke and wise in counsel, " one of those pure characters so rarely met among the Greeks — a man who well knew the failings [superstition, mock-holiness and indecorous frivolity] of his nation and his times, which he was more exempt from than any of his contem poraries."2 His courage was conspicuous on several occasions. The Emperor Manuel in a synod at Constantinople in 1180 attempted to have abrogated the formula of adjuration, "Ana thema to Mohammed's God, of whom he says that he neither begat nor was begotten," which all who came over from Moham medanism to Christianity had to repeat. Manuel argued that this formula was both blasphemous and prejudicial to the spread of Christianity in Islam. But Eustathius dared to brave the emperor's rage and deny the truth of this argument. The result was a modification of the formula.3 Although Manuel threatened to impeach Eustathius, he really did not withdraw his favor, and the archbishop was summoned to preach the sermon at the emperor's funeral.4 When in 1185 Thessalonica
1542-50, 4 vols. Perhaps tidings of its prospective issue had reached Zwingli ; for his friend James Amman writes to him from Milan on April 19, 1520, evidently in answer to his queries : Commentaria Eustathii in Homerum Mediolani non extant, nee satis comperfum habeo, num Romce an vel alibi excusa sint ; nemo id me edocere potest. Zwingli, Opera, VII. 131. The Procemium to Pin dar, all that is now extant, is given in Migne, CXXXVI. col. 369-372 (Greek only). The commentary on Dionysius Periegetes was first printed by Robert Stephens, Paris, 1547.
1 See his Allocutio ad Imperatorem cum esset Myrorum metropolita electus in Migne, CXXXV. col. 933-973.
2 Neander, IV. 530-531. . 8 Ibid. 535. * Migne, CXXXV. col. 973-1032.