The Men of Old: Nostalgic Reflections in the Writings of Eustathios of Thessalonike

The paper explores nostalgic notions of better times in the works of Eustathios of Thessalonike. The main focus is on the speeches and writings addressed to his community which involve a mix of overt or covert social criticism, paraenesis and nostalgia. Appeals to a former and truer state of man generally carry an inherent nostalgic charge and can be expected to elicit an emotional response of the same kind from the audience. Eustathios casts himself as a contrarian unafraid to challenge the eroding social norms and conduct. Unlike “a sentimental longing” for past experiences as one remembers them, longing for the restoration of a bygone age beyond personal experience involves a more developed analytical framework through which history is interpreted and framed. The framework of Eustathios stands out for its unusual perspective on the formation of early human communities and the civilizational journey of mankind. The models from the past are put forward as a foil to the moral, cultural and spiritual ills of his time. Sometimes he offers brief remarks on lost social realities, whether with explicit admiration or subdued affection. Other times, he dwells on them at length, particularly on the divine hierarchical order he yearns to see restored through prayer. It appears that his elevation to the see of Thessalonike stirred a nostalgic disposition, shaped by the weight of his pastoral duties. It was not merely a longing for Constantinople, which was to become a sort of Ithaca for all the intellectuals summoned to leave it behind and serve the Church elsewhere. In striving to be a true shepherd to his flock, he increasingly found himself in conflict with the spirit of his age.