  We consider the classical linear stability of a static universe filled with a
non-interacting mixture of isotropic radiation and a ghost scalar field. Unlike
the conventional Einstein static model, this cosmology is stable against
homogeneous and isotropic perturbations. This is shown by means of exact
oscillatory solutions about the original static state. We also examine the
linear response of the static ghost universe to all types of inhomogeneous
fluctuations, namely density, vorticity and gravitational-wave perturbations.
The results show that the static background constrains the linear evolution of
these distortions, to the extent that density perturbations remain time
invariant, vortical distortions vanish and gravitational waves oscillate with
constant amplitude. We discuss the potential implications of these results for
past-eternal initial states in classical general relativistic cosmology.
