to die to the world, that is, to renounce the vain distractions of the present life; for the friendship of the world is enmity with God. He rebukes such a man indirectly, not so much reproaching as correcting, so that he might become better. For this reason he says: 'Foxes have holes,' and what follows. ZU LK 9, 58 And the simpler and more obvious meaning of what was said is something like this: Both the beasts and the birds have lairs and lodging-places, but I am not yet able to escape the troubles from many people; for I do not have a place where I may lodge and rest and lay my head. But indeed the meaning hidden within comes through deeper thoughts. For it seems he calls both foxes and birds of the air the wicked and cunning and opposing powers, that is, the hordes of demons; for they are so called in many places by the divinely-inspired scripture. For the blessed psalmist said concerning some: 'They will be portions for foxes.' and in the Song of Songs it is written: 'Catch for us the little foxes that spoil the vineyards,' as the large ones have obviously escaped. and Christ himself somewhere says concerning Herod: 'Tell that fox.' and he also said somewhere concerning the seeds cast on the ground that 'the birds of the air came and devoured them.' 96 and surely we do not say that he says these things about perceptible and visible birds, but rather about unclean and wicked spirits. When therefore both foxes and birds have holes and lodging-places in us, how can Christ come? And where will he rest? What fellowship has light with darkness? For he lodges in those who love him, but he avoids the profane. ZU LK 9, 59φ And another disciple comes, not a volunteer like this one, nor rash in his promises concerning such a matter, but rather is called by Christ to the apostolate, not being unsuitable for this; for he has been honored by a divine vote. However, he did not yet clearly understand in what way one must adapt oneself to such a matter. For perhaps he had a father weighed down by old age, and he thought it very pious to be eager to maintain the solicitude and love owed to him. For having encountered the words of the law, he surely knew that this also was a concern to the God over all; for he said: 'Honor your father and your mother that it may be well with you and you may be long-lived upon the earth.' But when he was called to the sacred and evangelical ministry—for this was signified by the 'Follow me' spoken to him by Christ—he was carried away by human reasoning and sought a postponement of time that would be sufficient for the care of his parent in old age. And we certainly do not say that he asked to bury his father who was already lying dead; for Christ would not have forbidden one wanting to do this. but he says 'to bury' instead of 'to care for in old age until burial.' What then says the Savior to him? 'Let the dead bury their own dead, but you, go and proclaim the kingdom of God;' for there were, I suppose, also other guardians and relatives by birth of the father, but, as I think, they were dead because they had not yet believed in Christ and had not been able to receive regeneration through the holy spirit 97 into incorruptible life. 'Those,' he says, 'let them bury their own dead,' they themselves also having a dead mind, and not yet having become numbered among those who have life in Christ. However from this it is possible to learn that piety towards God must be placed even before the respect and love for parents. And so the law of Moses, having first said: 'You shall love the Lord your God,' placed second the respect for parents, saying: 'Honor your father and your mother.' For come, let us investigate for ourselves what sort of reason there is for which we have made the honor and love for parents a matter of earnest concern. 'Because through them we were born,' someone would surely say. But the God of all, when we were not

ἀποθανεῖν τῷ κόσμῳ ἤγουν ἀποτάξασθαι τοῖς ματαίοις τοῦ παρόντος βίου περισπασμοῖς· ἡ γὰρ φιλία τοῦ κόσμου ἔχθρα τοῦ θεοῦ ἐστι. τοιοῦτον ὄντα τὸν ἄνθρωπον ἐλέγχει πλαγίως οὐκ ὀνειδίζων μᾶλλον, ἀλλ' ἐπανορθῶν, ἵνα ἑαυτοῦ γένηται βελτίων. διὰ τοῦτό φησιν· Αἱ ἀλώπεκες φωλεοὺς ἔχουσι καὶ τὰ ἑξῆς. ZU LK 9, 58 Καὶ ἡ μὲν ἁπλουστέρα καὶ πρόχειρος τῶν εἰρημένων διάνοια τοιαύτη τίς ἐστιν ὅτι Καὶ τὰ θηρία καὶ τὰ πετεινὰ καταδύσεις ἔχουσι καὶ καταλύματα, ἐγὼ δὲ τὰς παρὰ πολλῶν ὀχλήσεις οὔπω δύναμαι διαφυγεῖν· οὐ γὰρ ἔχω ποῦ καταλύσω καὶ ἀναπαύσομαι καὶ ἀνακλίνω τὴν κεφαλήν. ἥ γε μὴν ἔσω κεκρυμμένη τε δήλωσις διὰ βαθυτέρων ἐννοιῶν ἔρχεται. ἔοικε γὰρ ἀλωπεκάς τε καὶ οὐρανοῦ πετεινὰ τὰς πονηράς τε καὶ πανούργους καὶ ἀντικειμένας δυνάμεις καλεῖν ἤτοι τὰς τῶν δαιμόνων ἀγέλας· κέκληνται γὰρ οὕτω πλεισταχοῦ παρὰ τῆς θεοπνεύστου γραφῆς. ὁ μὲν γὰρ μακάριος ψαλμῳδὸς ἔφη περί τινων· Μερίδες ἀλωπέκων ἔσονται. ἐν δὲ τῷ ᾄσματι τῶν ᾀσμάτων γέγραπται· Πιάσατε ἡμῖν ἀλώπεκας μικροὺς ἀφανίζοντας ἀμπελῶνας ὡς τῶν μεγάλων δηλαδὴ διαπεφευγότων. καὶ αὐτὸς δέ που Χριστὸς περὶ Ἡρώδου φησίν· Εἴπατε τῇ ἀλώπεκι ταύτῃ. ἔφη δέ που καὶ περὶ τῶν καταβληθέντων ἐν τῇ γῇ σπερμάτων ὅτι Ἦλθον τὰ πετεινὰ τοῦ οὐρανοῦ καὶ κατέφαγον αὐτά. 96 καὶ οὐκ ἤδη που φαμὲν περὶ πτηνῶν αἰσθητῶν καὶ ὁρατῶν ταῦτα λέγειν αὐτόν, περὶ πνευμάτων δὲ μᾶλλον ἀκαθάρτων καὶ πονηρῶν. ὅταν τοίνυν ἀλώπεκές τε καὶ πετεινὰ φωλεούς τε καὶ καταλύσεις ἔχωσιν ἐν ἡμῖν, πῶς ἔλθῃ Χριστός; ποῦ δὲ ἀναπαύσεται; τίς κοινωνία φωτὶ πρὸς σκότος; καταλύει μὲν γὰρ ἐν τοῖς ἀγαπῶσιν αὐτόν, παραιτεῖται δὲ τὸν βέβηλον. ZU LK 9, 59φ Ἕτερος δὲ οὐκ αὐτόμολος κατὰ τοῦτον ἔρχεται μαθητὴς οὐδὲ θρασὺς εἰς ἐπαγγελίας τὰς ἐπί γε τοιούτῳ πράγματι, κέκληται δὲ μᾶλλον παρὰ Χριστοῦ πρὸς ἀποστολὴν οὐκ ἀνεπιτηδείως ἔχων πρὸς τοῦτο· ψήφῳ γὰρ θείᾳ τετίμηται. πλὴν οὔπω σαφῶς ἠπίστατο, τίνα τρόπον ἁρμόσασθαι χρὴ τῷ τοιῷδε πράγματι. ἦν μὲν γὰρ ἴσως αὐτῷ πατὴρ τῷ γήρᾳ κατηχθισμένος, ἐδόκει δὲ λίαν εὐσεβεῖν τὴν ὀφειλομένην αὐτῷ φειδῶ καὶ ἀγάπην τηρεῖν προθυμούμενος. ᾔδει γάρ που πάντως τοῖς τοῦ νόμου ῥήμασιν ἐντυχὼν ὡς ἐμέλησε καὶ τούτου τῷ ἐπὶ πάντας θεῷ· ἔφη γάρ· Τίμα τὸν πατέρα σου καὶ τὴν μητέρα σου ἵνα εὖ σοι γένηται καὶ ἔσῃ μακροχρόνιος ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς. ἐπειδὴ δὲ πρὸς λειτουργίαν ἐκλήθη τὴν ἱεράν τε καὶ εὐαγγελικήν τοῦτο γὰρ ἐδήλου τὸ Ἀκολούθει μοι παρὰ Χριστοῦ πρὸς αὐτὸν εἰρημένον , ἀνθρωπίνῳ συνηρπάζετο λογισμῷ καὶ ἀναβολὴν ἐζήτει καιροῦ τῇ τοῦ τεκόντος γηροκομίᾳ διαρκέσαι δυναμένου. καὶ οὐ δήπου φαμὲν ὡς κείμενον ἤδη καὶ τελευτήσαντα τὸν πατέρα θάπτειν ἠξίου· οὐ γὰρ ἂν ἐκώλυσε τοῦτο δρᾶν ἐθέλοντα Χριστός. ἀλλὰ τὸ θάψαι φησὶν ἀντὶ τοῦ γηροκωμῆσαι ἄχρι ταφῆς. τί οὖν πρὸς αὐτὸν ὁ σωτήρ; Ἄφες τοὺς νεκροὺς θάψαι τοὺς ἑαυτῶν νεκρούς, σὺ δὲ ἀπελθὼν διάγγελλε τὴν βασιλείαν τοῦ θεοῦ· ἦσαν μὲν γάρ που καὶ ἕτεροι κηδεμόνες καὶ κατὰ γένος οἰκεῖοι τοῦ πατρός, ἀλλ', ὥς γε οἶμαι, νεκροὶ διὰ τὸ μήπω πιστεῦσαι Χριστῷ καὶ τὴν διὰ τοῦ ἁγίου πνεύματος 97 ἀναγέννησιν εἰς ζωὴν τὴν ἀκήρατον ἰσχῦσαι λαβεῖν. ἐκεῖνοι, φησί, τοὺς ἑαυτῶν θαπτέτωσαν νεκρούς, νεκρὸν ἔχοντες καὶ αὐτοὶ τὸν νοῦν, οὔπω δὲ γεγενημένοι τοῖς τὴν ἐν Χριστῷ ζωὴν ἔχουσιν ἐναρίθμιοι. πλὴν ἐντεῦθεν ἔστι μαθεῖν ὅτι καὶ τῆς εἰς γονέας αἰδοῦς καὶ ἀγάπης προτάττεσθαι χρὴ τὴν εἰς θεὸν εὐσέβειαν. καὶ γοῦν ὁ Μωυσέως νόμος πρῶτον εἰπὼν· Ἀγαπήσεις κύριον τὸν θεόν σου, δεύτερον ἐτίθει τὴν εἰς γονέας αἰδῶ λέγων· Τίμα τὸν πατέρα σου καὶ τὴν μητέρα σου. φέρε γὰρ ἐκεῖνο καθ' ἑαυτοὺς ἐρευνήσωμεν, ὁποία τίς ἐστιν ἡ πρόφασις, δι' ἣν ἐσπουδασμένην πεποιήμεθα τὴν εἰς γονέας τιμὴν καὶ ἀγάπην. ὅτι δι' αὐτῶν ἐγεννήθημεν, πάντως φαίη τις ἄν. ἀλλ' ὅ γε τῶν ὅλων θεὸς οὐκ ὄντας