‘God or some human’

Abstract

‘God or some human (Θeὸς ἤ τις ἀνθρώπων)—strangers, who is given credit for laying down your laws?’ This is the opening line of Plato’s Laws. The question was asked by the Athenian Stranger.1 The two other speakers (a Cretan and a Spartan) reply as follows: Kleinias: A god, stranger, a god—at any rate to say what is most just. For us it is Zeus, while for the Spartans, where this man is from, I think they claim it is Apollo. Is that so? Megillus: Yes.2 (i 624a) The Athenian asks about the Homeric story according to which Minos meets with Zeus every nine years to receive help in establishing laws for Crete (624b; cf. Odyssey xix 178-179). The Platonic dialogue Minos 319e makes explicit what is left to implication here, namely, that these meetings took place at the cave of Zeus.3 The Athenian says that it would be pleasant to discuss ‘political systems and laws’ (πολιτeίας...καὶ νόμων, Laws i 625a), and suggests that the three of them should do so while walking the distance from Knossos (where the Laws begins) ‘to the cave and temple of Zeus’ (625b). Kleinias and Megillus agree.4 I want to show: (1) that the opening of the Laws presents what is, according to Plato in this dialogue, the sole alternative (‘god or some human’) in answering the question: what is the source of proper or genuine law?5; (2) that just as Ancient Philosophy 31 (2011) ©Mathesis Publications 311