The Chorus begins its song with the protasis of a conditional sentence: “If I am in fact a prophet”—but why should it think itself prophetic? The audience must be taken aback to hear that the townsfolk think their speech ever to have been prophetic. They have been slow to acknowledge that Delphi and Teiresias have proven to be genuinely prophetic, and while Oidipous and Iokaste have frequently served as conduits for the god’s speech, the Chorus has never noticed. And what might the Chorus prophesy at this late date, when all that has been prophesied by the god has already been made manifest? All that remains is for them and Oidipous to recognize it. Terming their own slow understanding “prophecy” only underscores their insensitivity to prophecy. Any such claim suggests rather that the speaker does not appreciate the nature of prophecy, from whom it can be expected to come, or how it is to be understood. [Mpea] [Mip]