Oidipous concludes his conditional sentence with the apodosis: “that’s no concern of mine,” which we would interpret to mean, “Whether fate saved/saves the city or I did/do makes no difference to me—I only care that the city is saved.” This is a noble sentiment, but is it appropriate to be unconcerned who the agent is? Can it really make no difference, as Oidipous seems to believe, whether the city is saved by man or god? It clearly matters to the god how mortals regard and respond to him, his seers and oracles. This consideration throws Oidipous’s noble willingness to sacrifice himself for the common good into a new light. When he says, “if fate saved the city, that’s no concern of mine” he is denying the gods any consideration whatsoever. Oidipous is willing to suffer for the good of his city, but he is unwilling to acknowledge the gods’ superiority and the necessity of cooperating with them, especially if this means subordinating his action to their direction. Thus, what Oidipous dismisses as of “no concern” should, for one committed to communal wellbeing, more properly be a central concern. [Apao] [Md] [P] [Ad] [Mw]