eul_wid: dys-ab
DOI 10.5281/zenodo.20335421 PDFMarkdown

Fragments on Socrates and Education by Aeschines of Sphettus

The Fragments on Socrates and Education constitutes a reconstruction of excerpts from a lost Socratic dialogue by Aeschines of Sphettus, a direct disciple of Socrates active in the fourth century BCE. Originally composed in Attic Greek as part of the flourishing genre of Socratic literature, the complete work has not survived. Its content is known only through later citations and references by authors such as Diogenes Laertius, Athenaeus, and Cicero. The extant text, organised into seventeen discrete fragments, represents a compilation from these disparate sources, with no continuous manuscript of the original dialogue in existence.

The surviving passages centre on dialogues concerning paideia, the classical Greek concept of holistic education encompassing moral, cultural, and intellectual formation. The fragments depict Socrates employing his characteristic elenctic method of questioning his interlocutors. In one exchange, he probes whether it is necessary for humans to be "unmusical" before becoming "musical," or "without horses" before becoming skilled in horsemanship, illustrating his pedagogical approach of exposing contradictions in conventional wisdom to encourage self-examination and the pursuit of self-knowledge.

The work belongs to the competitive literary environment of the early Socratic circle, where various disciples produced accounts to defend and interpret their master's legacy. Aeschines, like other so-called minor Socratics, appears less concerned with presenting formal philosophical doctrines and more focused on portraying Socrates as a unique moral guide and catalyst for ethical improvement. The fragments thus serve as a partial source for the early reception of Socratic thought and the literary efforts to define his role not as a formal teacher, but as an intellectual and ethical provocateur.

… .[ περὶ τοὺς] σ̣εαυτοῦ γον[έας γεγε-] νῆσθαι, οἷός πε̣ρ̣ [ὁ Θε-] μιστοκλῆς λέγεται [πε-] ⸏ρὶ τοὺς ἑαυτοῦ γ. … » «εὐφήμει, ἔφη, ὦ Σ̣[ώκρα-] ⸏τες̣». «π̣[ό]τερον δὲ δοκεῖ σοι το[ῖς] ἀνθρώ̣ποις ἀν[αγ-] καῖο̣ν̣ εἶναι ἀμού[σους] πρότε[ρο]ν ἢ μουσικο[ὺς γί-] νεσ[θα]ι· καὶ πότερο[ν ἀ-] φ̣ί[ππους] ἢ ἱππικο[ύς;» «ἀ-] ναγ[καῖό]ν̣ μοι δοκεῖ ἀμού̣[σους] πρότερον κ̣[αὶ] ἀφίπ̣[πους».] «οὐκο[ῦν] [.]ο̣χ … ην λ̣[] … π̣αν̣ …

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… []υ̣τ̣α[] …

… [].[] καλῶς δὲ κα[ὶ] ὁ Ἀπο[λλό-] δωρος ὑπὲρ τ̣οῦ φαύ̣[λου] ἀπολογεῖσθαι». «ἀλλʼ ἐ̣κ̣ε̣[ῖ-] νο, ἦ δʼ ὅς, ἐγὼ οὐκ ἂν ὤ̣μη̣[ν] τὸν Θεμιστοκλέα ὑπ[ὸ] τοῦ πατρὸς ἀποκηρυχ̣[θῆ-] ναι· φαύλου γὰρ καὶ πό̣ρρω ἀνοίας ἥκοντα̣ τά γε τοιαῦτα· ὅστις ε̣ἰ̣ς διαφορὰς τοιαύτας κα̣ὶ̣ ἔχθρας τὰς μεγίστας̣ πρὸς τοὺς ἑαυτοῦ γονέ̣ας κατέστη· ὃ καὶ παιδάριον εὐλαβηθῆναι … .ρ̣ο̣ι̣». «οὕτω δὴ μικρὸν [νενό]μικας εἶναι, ἦν δʼ ἐ[γώ, ὦ] Ἀ̣λκιβιάδη̣, γονε〈ῦσ〉ι̣ν … ληθῆναι, ὥστε τοῦ [ἐπιτυχ]όντος ἀνθρώπου … . τοῦτʼ εἶ[ναι … ]. … .ς̣.[] … ταμ[.]ν … τῶν φαύ[λων τοῦτʼ ἐ]στιν· εἰ δὲ [ … τὴ]ν̣ πόλιν τε

… ει̣.[] τες̣[] θρω[] ητ̣[] α[] [] [] .[] .[] α[] .[] δ[] π̣[] λα̣[] ⸏τ̣α̣[] .[] [] []

ἐ̣ν̣ τοῖς [] μεγάλα [] αὐτῷ εἶχε[] κομένῳ τ̣[] ⸏αν ἁμαρτη[] γνοὺς οὖν α⸤ὐτὸν ἐγὼ⸥ ὅτι ζηλοτύπ̣⸤ως ἔχει πρὸς⸥ Θ̣ε̣μιστοκλ⸤έα, εἶπον· «ἐ-⸥ πειδὴ τοῦ ⸤Θεμιστοκλέ-⸥ ους βίου ἐπι⸤λαμβάνεσ-⸥ ⸤θ⸥αι ἐτόλμη⸤σας σκέψαι⸥ … ⸤ὦ Σώκρατες, τὰ⸥ τοιαῦτ̣⸤α⸥ ⸤εἰδέναι». «ἤδη ο⸥ὖν πώπ⸤ο-⸥ ⸤τέ σοι ἐμέλησ⸥ε̣ν ὅτι ταύ̣⸤της τῆς χώρ⸥ας τοσαύ⸤της οὔσης ὅσ⸥η̣ν ὁ ἥλιος̣ ⸤πορεύεται ἣ⸥ καλεῖ⸤ται⸥ ⸤Ἀσία εἷς ἀνὴρ ἄρχει;» «π⸥α̣⸤νυ μὲν οὖν, ἔφη. ὅ γ⸥ε μέ⸤γας βασιλεύς». «οἶσ⸥θα οὖν ⸤ὅτι ἐκεῖνος ἐσ⸥τράτευσε ⸤δεῦρο καὶ ἐπὶ⸥ Λακεδαι⸤μονίους ἡγού⸥μενος εἰ ⸤τοῦτω τὼ πόλ⸥εε κατα⸤στρέψαιτο ῥᾳ⸥δίως τοὺς

… ⸤πεζῶν καὶ⸥ χ̣ρημάτω̣⸤ν⸥ ⸤τὰ τῶν Ἑλλή⸥ν̣ων πράγμ⸤α-⸥ ⸤τα πολὺ ἐλεί⸥π̣ετο, τὰ δὲ ⸤βασιλέ⸥ω̣ς̣ π̣ρ̣οεῖχεν· ἀλλ̣ʼ ⸤ᾔδ⸥ει ὅτι εἰ μὴ αὐτοῦ τ̣⸤ῷ⸥ βουλ⸤εύ⸥ε̣σθαι ἐκεῖνο̣ς̣ ⸤πε-⸥ ριέστ⸤αι⸥, τά γε ἄλλα α⸤ὐτοῦ⸥ τοσαῦ̣τα ὄντα, τὸ μέγ⸤εθος⸥ οὐ̣δ⸤ὲ⸥ν μ̣έγα ἔμελλ̣ε̣ν̣ ⸤ὠ-⸥ φελήσει̣ν. καὶ τοῦτο ⸤ἐγνώ-⸥ κε̣ι ἄρα ὅτι ὁποτέρων ⸤ἂν⸥

… .[] ζ̣[] γα[] ⸏γε[] λ̣ου̣[] ως.[] ⸏ει.[] τε.[] γ̣η[] .η.[]

… σ̣α̣υ̣.[] ηκα[] τριρα[] αλλ[] γαρ η.[] θοι μη[] [.]ιοι̣ε[] …

… [].[] []νυμ[] [ὦ Σώκρ]ατες ο[] []τω.[] …

… []υκ̣α̣[] []ν καὶ το̣[] []υ̣τῳ αδ[] []αντα[] …

… [.]οπ̣[] κως̣[] προ[] δο[] …

… και[] ξυν̣[] και[] …

… []. []τ̣ι []ι. …

[]ουθε̣[] []α̣τοιαυ[] …

α[] τω̣[] …

… ⸏..[] πλ̣[] λ̣ιπ̣[] …

… []α̣ι̣[] [].ικ[] …

… []..[] []ον[] …

ἐτύγχανεν μὲν οὖσα πομπὴ τῶν μεγάλων Παναθηναίων, ἐκαθήμεθα δὲ ἐν τῇ στοᾷ τοῦ Διὸς τοῦ Ἐλευθερίου ἐγὼ καὶ Ἅγνων ὁ Θηραμένους πατὴρ καὶ Εὐριπίδης ὁ ποιητής· παρῆλθεν οὖν παρʼ αὐτοὺς ἡμᾶς περ … Μιλτιάδης … ἐπίτηδες, κ … ων … ον … α …

οἴκοθέν εἰσιν τ … πεπλεύκασιν οὐκ … ἵνα τήν τε Ἑλλάδ … εἴ τίς ἐστιν ἀνὴρ … μενος ἐν τοῖς Ἕλλησι μάλιστα τὸ ἐκείνω … ται. ἀπεκρινάμην ὅτι οὐ θαυμάζοιμι … τῷ σοφωτάτῳ τῶν Ἑλλήνων παιδεῦσαι ἄνθρωπον … συγγενέσθαι, ἀλλὰ καὶ … μην, ὅτι καὶ πλοῦν τοσοῦτον … ς … ιον τηλικου- …

ὠφελήσουσιν οὐ … δεινόν, ἔφην ἐγώ, ἀποροῦμεν, ἐκεῖνος … οὐκ ἀπορήσει. θαυμ— … εἰ μὲν ἠρόμην Εὐριπίδην δημιουργῶν ὅτῳ ξυνὼν ἂν Μιλτιάδης … α βουλεύοιτο ὅπως χρὴ ὑποδήματα ποιεῖν, εἶχεν ἄν μοι λέγειν ὅτι τοῖς σκυτοτόμοις, ἢ ὅτῳ ἂν ξυνὼν … ιστα βουλεύοιτο ὅπως χρὴ οἰκίαν οἰκοδομεῖν, καὶ τοῦτʼ εἶχεν ἂν λέγειν ὅτι τοῖς τέκτοσιν· νῦν …