Eustathius of Thessalonica
Encyclopedia
Archbishop Eustathius of Thessalonica (or Eustathios of Thessalonike; ; c. 1115 – 1195/6) was a Greek bishop and scholar. He is most noted for his contemporary account of the sack of Thessalonike by the Normans
in 1185, for his orations and for his commentaries on Homer
, which incorporate many remarks by much earlier researchers.
), professor of rhetoric , and was ordained a deacon in Constantinople.
He was ordained bishop of Myra
. Ca. 1178 he was appointed to the archbishopric of Thessalonice, where he remained until his death in ca. 1195/6.
Accounts of his life and work are given in the funeral orations by Euthymius and Michael Choniates
(of which manuscripts survive in the Bodleian Library
in the University of Oxford
). Niketas Choniates (viii.238, x.334) praised him as the most learned man of his age, a judgment which is difficult to dispute. He wrote commentaries on ancient Greek
poets, theological treatises, addresses, letters, and an important account of the sack of Thessalonice by William II of Sicily
in 1185.
Of his works, his commentaries on Homer
are the most widely referred to: they display an extensive knowledge of Greek literature
from the earliest to the latest times. Other works exhibit impressive character, and oratorical power, which earned him the esteem of the Komnenoi
emperors. Politically, Eustathios was a supporter of emperor Manuel I
. An original thinker, he sometimes praised such secular values as military prowess. He decried slavery
, and believed in the concept of historical progress
of civilization from a primitive to a more advanced state.
Although it is likely that Eustathios quotes some authors second-hand, he seems personally acquainted with the works of the greatest ancient critics - Aristarchos of Samothrace
, Zenodotos
, Aristophanes of Byzantium
, and others. This is a great tribute to the state of the libraries of Constantinople and of classical scholarship there in the 12th century. He was also an avid reader of the Deipnosophistae
of Athenaeus
. Some of the etymological and grammatical comments by Eustathios's Alexandrian predecessors are full of errors; and Eustathios's own commenst are diffuse and frequently interrupted by digressions.
(The first printed edition, by Majoranus, was published in Rome
in 1542-1550 (4 vols., fol.), an inaccurate reprint being later published in Basel
in 1559-1560. A. Potitus' edition (Florence, 1730, 3 vols., folio), contains only the commentary on the first five books of the Iliad with a Latin translation. A tolerably correct reprint of the Roman edition was published at Leipzig
, the first part containing the Odyssey commentary (2 vols., 4to.), 1825-1826, and the second, containing the Iliad commentary (3 vols., 4to.), edited by G. J. G. Stallbaum
for the Patrologia Graeca
, 1827-1829. These were superseded by edition of M. van der Valk, 1971 onwards. Extracts from the commentaries are quoted in many editions of the Homeric poems.)
Normans
The Normans were the people who gave their name to Normandy, a region in northern France. They were descended from Norse Viking conquerors of the territory and the native population of Frankish and Gallo-Roman stock...
in 1185, for his orations and for his commentaries on Homer
Homer
In the Western classical tradition Homer , is the author of the Iliad and the Odyssey, and is revered as the greatest ancient Greek epic poet. These epics lie at the beginning of the Western canon of literature, and have had an enormous influence on the history of literature.When he lived is...
, which incorporate many remarks by much earlier researchers.
Life
After being a monk in the monastery of St. Florus, Eustathios was appointed to the offices of superintendent of petitions ' onMouseout='HidePop("81363")' href="/topics/Epi_ton_deeseon">epi ton deeseonEpi ton deeseon
The epi tōn deēseōn was a Byzantine office, whose holder was responsible for receiving and answering petitions to the Byzantine emperor. Subordinate officials with the same title also existed in the provinces, and the Patriarch of Constantinople also had an epi ton deeseon.The office is usually...
), professor of rhetoric , and was ordained a deacon in Constantinople.
He was ordained bishop of Myra
Myra
Myra is an ancient town in Lycia, where the small town of Kale is situated today in present day Antalya Province of Turkey. It was located on the river Myros , in the fertile alluvial plain between Alaca Dağ, the Massikytos range and the Aegean Sea.- Historical evidence :Although some scholars...
. Ca. 1178 he was appointed to the archbishopric of Thessalonice, where he remained until his death in ca. 1195/6.
Accounts of his life and work are given in the funeral orations by Euthymius and Michael Choniates
Michael Choniates
Michael Choniates , Byzantine writer and ecclesiastic, was born at Chonae . At an early age he studied at Constantinople and was the pupil of Eustathius of Thessalonica. Around 1175 he was appointed archbishop of Athens...
(of which manuscripts survive in the Bodleian Library
Bodleian Library
The Bodleian Library , the main research library of the University of Oxford, is one of the oldest libraries in Europe, and in Britain is second in size only to the British Library...
in the University of Oxford
University of Oxford
The University of Oxford is a university located in Oxford, United Kingdom. It is the second-oldest surviving university in the world and the oldest in the English-speaking world. Although its exact date of foundation is unclear, there is evidence of teaching as far back as 1096...
). Niketas Choniates (viii.238, x.334) praised him as the most learned man of his age, a judgment which is difficult to dispute. He wrote commentaries on ancient Greek
Ancient Greek
Ancient Greek is the stage of the Greek language in the periods spanning the times c. 9th–6th centuries BC, , c. 5th–4th centuries BC , and the c. 3rd century BC – 6th century AD of ancient Greece and the ancient world; being predated in the 2nd millennium BC by Mycenaean Greek...
poets, theological treatises, addresses, letters, and an important account of the sack of Thessalonice by William II of Sicily
William II of Sicily
William II , called the Good, was king of Sicily from 1166 to 1189. William's character is very indistinct. Lacking in military enterprise, secluded and pleasure-loving, he seldom emerged from his palace life at Palermo. Yet his reign is marked by an ambitious foreign policy and a vigorous diplomacy...
in 1185.
Of his works, his commentaries on Homer
Homer
In the Western classical tradition Homer , is the author of the Iliad and the Odyssey, and is revered as the greatest ancient Greek epic poet. These epics lie at the beginning of the Western canon of literature, and have had an enormous influence on the history of literature.When he lived is...
are the most widely referred to: they display an extensive knowledge of Greek literature
Greek literature
Greek literature refers to writings composed in areas of Greek influence, typically though not necessarily in one of the Greek dialects, throughout the whole period in which the Greek-speaking people have existed.-Ancient Greek literature :...
from the earliest to the latest times. Other works exhibit impressive character, and oratorical power, which earned him the esteem of the Komnenoi
Komnenos
Komnenós or Comnenus was the name of a ruling family of the Eastern Roman Empire , who halted the political decline of the Empire from c.1081 to c.1185.-Origins:...
emperors. Politically, Eustathios was a supporter of emperor Manuel I
Manuel I Komnenos
Manuel I Komnenos was a Byzantine Emperor of the 12th century who reigned over a crucial turning point in the history of Byzantium and the Mediterranean....
. An original thinker, he sometimes praised such secular values as military prowess. He decried slavery
Slavery
Slavery is a system under which people are treated as property to be bought and sold, and are forced to work. Slaves can be held against their will from the time of their capture, purchase or birth, and deprived of the right to leave, to refuse to work, or to demand compensation...
, and believed in the concept of historical progress
Progress (history)
In historiography and the philosophy of history, progress is the idea that the world can become increasingly better in terms of science, technology, modernization, liberty, democracy, quality of life, etc...
of civilization from a primitive to a more advanced state.
His works
His most important works are the following:- On the Capture of Thessalonica, an eye-witness account of the siege of 1185 and subsequent sufferings of the people of Thessalonice. In early sections of this memoir Eustathios describes also political events at ConstantinopleConstantinopleConstantinople was the capital of the Roman, Eastern Roman, Byzantine, Latin, and Ottoman Empires. Throughout most of the Middle Ages, Constantinople was Europe's largest and wealthiest city.-Names:...
from the death of emperor Manuel IManuel I KomnenosManuel I Komnenos was a Byzantine Emperor of the 12th century who reigned over a crucial turning point in the history of Byzantium and the Mediterranean....
through the short reign of Alexios IIAlexios II KomnenosAlexios II Komnenos or Alexius II Comnenus , Byzantine emperor , was the son of Emperor Manuel I Komnenos and Maria, daughter of Raymond, prince of Antioch...
to the usurpation of Andronicos IAndronikos I KomnenosAndronikos I Komnenos was Byzantine Emperor from 1183 to 1185). He was the son of Isaac Komnenos and grandson of Emperor Alexios I Komnenos.-Early years:...
, with sharp comments on the activities of all involved. The Greek text was edited by Kyriakidis, with an Italian translation by V. Rotolo; there is an English translation by J. Melville-Jones, and a German translation by H. Hunger.
- A number of speeches, some of which have recently been editied by P. Wirth (Eustathii Thessalonicensis Opera Minora).
- Commentaries on Homer's IliadIliadThe Iliad is an epic poem in dactylic hexameters, traditionally attributed to Homer. Set during the Trojan War, the ten-year siege of the city of Troy by a coalition of Greek states, it tells of the battles and events during the weeks of a quarrel between King Agamemnon and the warrior Achilles...
and OdysseyOdysseyThe Odyssey is one of two major ancient Greek epic poems attributed to Homer. It is, in part, a sequel to the Iliad, the other work ascribed to Homer. The poem is fundamental to the modern Western canon, and is the second—the Iliad being the first—extant work of Western literature...
. These address questions of grammar, etymology, mythology, history and geography. They are less original commentaries than extracts from earlier commentators - there are many correspondences with HomerHomerIn the Western classical tradition Homer , is the author of the Iliad and the Odyssey, and is revered as the greatest ancient Greek epic poet. These epics lie at the beginning of the Western canon of literature, and have had an enormous influence on the history of literature.When he lived is...
ic scholia. Drawing on numerous extensive works of AlexandriaAlexandriaAlexandria is the second-largest city of Egypt, with a population of 4.1 million, extending about along the coast of the Mediterranean Sea in the north central part of the country; it is also the largest city lying directly on the Mediterranean coast. It is Egypt's largest seaport, serving...
n grammarians and critics and later commentators, they are an important contribution to Homeric scholarshipHomeric scholarshipHomeric scholarship is the study of Homeric epic, especially the two large surviving epics, the Iliad and Odyssey. It is currently part of the academic discipline of classical studies, but the subject is one of the very oldest topics in all scholarship or science, and goes back to antiquity...
, not least because some of the works from which Eustathios made extracts are lost.
Although it is likely that Eustathios quotes some authors second-hand, he seems personally acquainted with the works of the greatest ancient critics - Aristarchos of Samothrace
Aristarchus of Samothrace
Aristarchus of Samothrace was a grammarian noted as the most influential of all scholars of Homeric poetry. He was the librarian of the library of Alexandria and seems to have succeeded his teacher Aristophanes of Byzantium in that role.He established the most historically important critical...
, Zenodotos
Zenodotus
Zenodotus was a Greek grammarian, literary critic, and Homeric scholar. A native of Ephesus and a pupil of Philitas of Cos, he was the first librarian of the Library of Alexandria...
, Aristophanes of Byzantium
Aristophanes of Byzantium
Aristophanes of Byzantium was a Greek scholar, critic and grammarian, particularly renowned for his work in Homeric scholarship, but also for work on other classical authors such as Pindar and Hesiod. Born in Byzantium about 257 BC, he soon moved to Alexandria and studied under Zenodotus,...
, and others. This is a great tribute to the state of the libraries of Constantinople and of classical scholarship there in the 12th century. He was also an avid reader of the Deipnosophistae
Deipnosophistae
The Deipnosophistae may be translated as The Banquet of the Learned or Philosophers at Dinner or The Gastronomers...
of Athenaeus
Athenaeus
Athenaeus , of Naucratis in Egypt, Greek rhetorician and grammarian, flourished about the end of the 2nd and beginning of the 3rd century AD...
. Some of the etymological and grammatical comments by Eustathios's Alexandrian predecessors are full of errors; and Eustathios's own commenst are diffuse and frequently interrupted by digressions.
(The first printed edition, by Majoranus, was published in Rome
Rome
Rome is the capital of Italy and the country's largest and most populated city and comune, with over 2.7 million residents in . The city is located in the central-western portion of the Italian Peninsula, on the Tiber River within the Lazio region of Italy.Rome's history spans two and a half...
in 1542-1550 (4 vols., fol.), an inaccurate reprint being later published in Basel
Basel
Basel or Basle In the national languages of Switzerland the city is also known as Bâle , Basilea and Basilea is Switzerland's third most populous city with about 166,000 inhabitants. Located where the Swiss, French and German borders meet, Basel also has suburbs in France and Germany...
in 1559-1560. A. Potitus' edition (Florence, 1730, 3 vols., folio), contains only the commentary on the first five books of the Iliad with a Latin translation. A tolerably correct reprint of the Roman edition was published at Leipzig
Leipzig
Leipzig Leipzig has always been a trade city, situated during the time of the Holy Roman Empire at the intersection of the Via Regia and Via Imperii, two important trade routes. At one time, Leipzig was one of the major European centres of learning and culture in fields such as music and publishing...
, the first part containing the Odyssey commentary (2 vols., 4to.), 1825-1826, and the second, containing the Iliad commentary (3 vols., 4to.), edited by G. J. G. Stallbaum
Johann Gottfried Stallbaum
Johann Gottfried Stallbaum , German classical scholar, was born at Zaasch, near Delitzsch in Saxony.From 1820 until his death Stallbaum was connected with Thomasschule zu Leipzig, from 1835 as rector...
for the Patrologia Graeca
Patrologia Graeca
The Patrologia Graeca is an edited collection of writings by the Christian Church Fathers and various secular writers, in the ancient Koine or medieval variants of the Greek language. It consists of 161 volumes produced in 1857–1866 by J. P. Migne's Imprimerie Catholique...
, 1827-1829. These were superseded by edition of M. van der Valk, 1971 onwards. Extracts from the commentaries are quoted in many editions of the Homeric poems.)
- A commentary on Dionysius PeriegetesDionysius PeriegetesDionysius Periegetes was the author of a description of the habitable world in Greek hexameter verse written in a terse and elegant style...
(dedicated to John DoukasDoukasDoukas, latinized as Ducas , from the Latin tile dux , is the name of a Byzantine Greek noble family, whose branches provided several notable generals and rulers to the Byzantine Empire...
, son of Andronikos KamaterosAndronikos KamaterosAndronikos Kamateros , Latinized as Andronicus Camaterus, was Eparch of Constantinople about 1156, and a relative of the Emperor Manuel I Komnenos , who raised him to the rank of sebastos and made him megas droungarios of the Vigla, one of the highest judicial offices in the Empire.Joannes Veccus,...
). This is as diffuse as the commentary on Homer, but includes numerous valuable extracts from earlier writers. (It was first printed in R. Stephens' edition of Dionysius (Paris, 1547, 4to.), and later in that of H. Stephens (Paris, 1577, 4to., and 1697, 8vo.), in Hudson's Geograph. Minor, vol. iv., and lastly, in Bernhardy's edition of Dionysius (Leipzig, 1828, 8vo.).)
- A commentary on PindarPindarPindar , was an Ancient Greek lyric poet. Of the canonical nine lyric poets of ancient Greece, his work is the best preserved. Quintilian described him as "by far the greatest of the nine lyric poets, in virtue of his inspired magnificence, the beauty of his thoughts and figures, the rich...
. No manuscript of this has come to light; but the introduction survives. (The introduction was first published by Tafel in his Eustathii Thessalonicensis Opuscula (Frankfurt, 1832, 4to.), from which it was reprinted separately by Schneidewin, Eustathii prooemium commentariorum Pindaricorum (Göttingen, 1837, 8vo.).
- Other published works. Some were first published by Tafel in the 1832 Opuscula just mentioned, some appeared later, as by P. Wirth for the Corpus Fontium Historiae Byzantinae series.
- Unpublished works. These include theological writings and commemorative speeches. Several of the latter are important historical sources.
Further reading
- Eustathios of Thessaloniki, The Capture of Thessaloniki, tr. J. R. Melville-Jones (1988)