Greeks are Always Children: In What Sense?

In response, Solon asked the priest what he meant.

So what did he mean?

I have heard it claimed that the priest here meant the Greek race was younger than the Egyptian race. I suppose we could simply accept that interpretation; or, since the priest goes on to explain his meaning, maybe we should examine what HE says he meant by the expression. Then we're not just guessing.

The priest replied: "You are all young in mind" (literally young in "soul"), "you have no belief rooted in old traditions and no knowledge hoary with age."

Then the priest continues by giving the reason for saying this.

"And the reason is this. There have been and will be many different calamities to destroy mankind, the greatest of them by fire and water."

The priest then describes calamities and how Egypt is spared from them. He concludes by saying:

"That is the reason why our traditions here are the oldest preserved."

Note that he does not say the reason for having the oldest traditions is because Egypt it older. No, he specifically say the reason is because Egypt has been spared when other nations have not been. Other nations' histories had been wiped out repeatedly, while the Egyptian's history had survived. He continues then continues by explaining more on why their history is older by saying:

"Whereas with you and others, writing and the other necessities of civilization have only just been developed when the periodic scourge of the deluge descends, and spares none but the unlettered and uncultured, so that you have to begin again like children."

This last statement ties his explanation together. The reason the "Greeks are always children" is because the disasters come and thus the Greeks "have to begin again like children" over and over and over.

Whether or not the Egyptian race is older than the Greek is irrelevant to the dialogue, because that is clearly not what the priest was talking about.

Actually, Greece had repeatedly returned to a childish state over and over again, and that in itself implies that Greece did have a long history. Moreover, the Egyptians had the oldest history, not because the priest said they were older, but because, as he said, they were spared during disasters when others were not.

At the same time, there is nothing in Plato's dialogue implies that Egypt was younger than Greece. The relative age of Greece and Egypt is not mentioned in the dialogue; except where the priest states Athens was 1000 years older than Sais.

So when Solon asked what the priest meant, the priest explained precisely what he meant. To contradict his explanation and claim he meant Egypt was older than Greece is to ignore the context and replace the priests explanation with your own.

The best way to understand this whole issue is to read the entire passage from Timaeus 22b through 23b and follow the priest's explanation of the differences between Greece and Egypt, when it comes to disasters. He clearly shows why the Greeks were like children and why the Egyptians were not. But it has nothing to do with which nation was older.