1 Plato’s Euthyphro and Cratylus

I.                    The Euthyphro

Euthyphro opens the dialogue by addressing Socrates in the porch of the King Archon. Jowett translates: ‘Why have you left the Lyceum, Socrates? and what are you doing in the porch of the King Archon? Surely you cannot be concerned in a suit before the King, like myself?’ (1a1-4)

After explaining his case, Socrates asks Euthyphro: ‘And what is your suit, Euthyphro? are you the pursuer or the defendant?’ Euthyphro: ‘I am the pursuer.’ Socrates: ‘Of whom?’ Euthyphro: ‘You will think me mad when I tell you … My father,’ … Socrates: ‘And of what is he accused?’ Euthyphro: ‘Of murder (fo/nou, 4a10).’ … Socrates: ‘And is your knowledge of religion so exact, that you are not afraid that you may be doing an impious thing in bringing an action against your father?’ Euthyphro: ‘The best of Euthyphro, and that which distinguishes him, Socrates, from other men, is his exact knowledge of all such matters. What should I be good for without it?’ Socrates: ‘I think I cannot do better than be your disciple. Then before the trial with Meletus I shall challenge him … You Meletus, as I shall say to him, acknowledge Euthyphro to be a great theologian, and sound in his opinions; and if you approve of him, you ought to approve of me, and not have me in the court; but if you disapprove, you should begin by indicting him, who is my teacher.’ Euthyphro: ‘Yes, indeed, Socrates; and if he attempts to indict me I am mistaken if I do not find a flaw in him; the court shall have a great deal more to say to him than to me.’ (3e7-5c3; I abbreviated the discussion, using Jowett’s translation.)

In the discussion that follows Socrates finds flaws in the arguments with which Euthyphro attempts to justify, on religious grounds, his action against his father. Several pages later, at 15c10, Socrates wants to begin the discussion all over again: ‘Then we must begin again and ask, What is piety? That is an enquiry which I shall never be weary of pursuing as far as in me lies, and I entreat you not to scorn me, but apply your mind to the utmost, and tell me the truth …’ Euthyphro: ‘Another time, Socrates; for I am in a hurry, and must go now.’

John Burnet explains, in the ‘Introductory note’ to his edition of the Euthyphro, that Socrates is waiting outside the Hall of the “King” till his turn comes, when he is accosted by Euthyphro: ‘As Euthyphro too had a case before the “King”, and as, at the end of the dialogue, he suddenly remembers another engagement (15e3), we must suppose that his business here is over for the present’ – i.e. that, before the “King”, he has indicted his father of murder – ‘and that he is coming out of the basi/leioj stoa/ [i.e. out of the Hall of the “King”] when he sees Socrates.’ (PLATO Euthyphro, Apology of Socrates, Crito, edited with notes by John Burnet, Clarendon Press, Oxford, 1924, reprinted 2002, p. 82.)

In his ‘explanation’, Burnet failed noticing that Jowett’s ‘Why have you left the Lyceum, Socrates? and what are you doing in the porch of the King Archon?’ does not do justice to the original: Ti/ new&teron, w} Sw&kratej, ge/gonen, o3ti su\ ta\j e0n Lukei/w| katalipw_n diatriba\j e0nqa/de nu=n diatri/beij peri\ th\n tou= basile/wj stoa/n; For diatri/bw means ‘rub hard’, ‘wear away’; metaphorically of time: ‘spend time’, ‘waste time’. Euthyphro must have watched Socrates for some time, when he asked Socrates why he is now spending his time peri\ th\n tou= basile/wj stoa/n (‘in the porch of the King Archon’, as Jowett translates). This means that Euthyphro was approaching the porch of the King Archon, to put his case to the “King”, not coming out of it. This means that the whole dialogue took place before Euthyphro indicted his father, not after he indicted him.

Just as Jowett misrepresents Euthyphro’s opening words, he does not do justice to Euthyphro’s closing words. For Euthyphro’s nu=n ga\r speu/dw poi means ‘I am in a hurry to go somewhere’, which is inconsistent with Euthyphro’s interrupting the discussion with Socrates, hurrying to indict his father. Jowett’s omission of the enclitic adverb ‘somewhither’ (poi) does all the mischief.

The matter is of some importance. Diogenes Laertius says in his ‘Life of Socrates’: Eu0qu/frona de\ tw~| patri\ graya/menon cenoktoni/aj di/khn peri\ o9si/ou tina\ dialexqei\j a0ph/gage (II. 29). R.D. Hicks translates: ‘When Euthyphro had indicted his father for manslaughter, Socrates, after some conversation with him upon piety, diverted him from his purpose.’ Hick’s ‘had indicted’ translates Diogenes’ graya/menon, which in this case must be taken in its ordinary meaning: ‘had written’. For Diogenes does not mean that Socrates diverted Euthyphro from indicting his father after Euthyphro had indicted his father.