Josiah Renick Smith, Xenophon: Memorabilia

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2-9. Socrates not only sacrificed to the gods, but also availed himself of divination, as is proved by his belief in the δαιμόνιον. But he thought that we should not question the gods on matters which human understanding is capable of ascertaining without divine aid.

2. πρῶτον μὲν οὖν: “as to the first charge, then.” The δέ corresponding to μέν is at the beginning of chapter 2.

θύων: for the participle in indirect discourse with δῆλος and φανερός εἰμι, see G. 1589; H. 981.

οἴκοι: at home, i.e. in the αὐλή, the interior court of the dwelling, where stood the altar of Ζεὺς Ἑρκεῖος. See Seyffert, Dict. Class. Antiq. p. 704. For the accent of οἴκοι, see G. 113; H. 102 b.

τῶν κοινῶν βωμῶν: these stood in the open spaces of the city, so that the worshipers were ‘seen of men.’

οὐκ ἀφανής: ‘litotes.’

διετεθρύλητο γάρ: for it was commonly reported (διά indicating the spread of the report) that Socrates believed in his δαιμόνιον, and hence in divination. The parenthetical sentences from ὅθεν δή to γὰρ ἔφη in 4 carry this thought farther.

δαιμόνιον: an adj. used as a noun, like τὸ θεῖον. Cf. “divinum quiddam, quod daemonium appellat (Socrates)” Cic. de Div. i. 54. See Introd. §27 ff.

ὅθεν δὴ καὶ μάλιστα: for which very reason especially. Other utterances of Socrates were also used by his opponents as evidence that he introduced καινὰ δαιμόνια. Cf. κατηγόρουν αὐτοῦ, ὡς ὅτι καινὰ δαιμόνια εἰσφέρει τοῖς Ἀθηναίοις, λέγων δεῖν σέβειν ὄρνεα καὶ κύνας καὶ τὰ τοιαῦτα Isoc. xi (First Hypothesis), edit. Blass.