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τὸ δαιμόνιον σημεῖον. Socrates regarded his divine sign as a special if not unique revelation from God, without submitting it to further analysis. As here, so in Ap. 31 D, it is this which forbids him to enter on political life (τοῦτ᾽ ἔστιν μοι ἐναντιοῦται τὰ πολιτικὰ πράττειν). What the phenomenon really was, is a question which different writers have answered differently, according to their different points of view: see Zeller^{4} II 1 pp. 75—91. The subject is treated with great fulness in Ribbing's Socrat. Stud. II pp. 1 ff. and in Riddell's edition of the Apology pp. 109—117. τῶν ἔμπροσθεν γέγονε does not deny that such a sign may be vouchsafed to others in the future. Schneider conjectures that Plato added this limitation with a view to himself—an unlikely supposition, although no doubt the present passage is in some measure intended as a defence of Plato's abstention from political life: cf. 496 D note

γάρ που κτλ. Cobet and Herwerden reject ἄλλῳ, because τις οὐδείς is the regular phrase: cf. Ap. 17 B and Hdt. III 140. But the separation of from τινι makes ἄλλῳ desirable to help out the meaning of τινι, and to ἄλλῳ in itself there cannot possibly be any objection.

τούτων -- γενόμενοι: ‘those who have become members of this small band.’ J. and C. quote an exact parallel from Thuc. III 56. 6 ὧν ἡμεῖς γενόμενοι: cf. also supra II 360 A, Phaed. 69 D, Parm. 127 D (τὸν τῶν τριάκοντα γενόμενον) and Laws 754 D. γευόμενοι is found in some inferior MSS, and was accepted till Schneider, who restored the true reading. Liebhold absurdly conjectures ἑλόμενοι.

ὡς ἔπος εἰπεῖν. See on I 341 B.

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hide References (4 total)
  • Commentary references from this page (4):
    • Plato, Apology, 17b
    • Plato, Apology, 31d
    • Plato, Phaedo, 69d
    • Plato, Parmenides, 127d
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