brought us into being altogether, but father and mother have become ministers of the passage into being for those from them. Will not, therefore, the first benefactor be loved more than the secondary ones after him? Therefore, then, piety towards one's parents must yield to love for God, and human things must come after divine things. And the Savior himself taught us this, saying: He who loves father or mother more than me is not worthy of me. Therefore, he allows loving one's parents, but not more than himself. For this reason, telling the disciple that he ought rather to follow, but allowing others to bury the dead, he taught that our own affairs should reasonably be cast behind the love for God, because the things of God are greater than respect for parents; for he himself is the creator and maker of all things. We must, therefore, if we would follow Christ, consider nothing more important than this, but whatever concurs with it, to pursue and do, but whatever opposes it, to refuse and flee, and if any activity is moderately good, but able to be accomplished by others, to hand this over to them, and to hold to what is greater and better. One can see, then, the holy apostles abstaining from a need even greater than this one 98, the care for the poor, for the sake of the ministry of the word, yet not so abstaining from it as not to make provision for it. But both the lesser thing was managed, the ministry of the tables, and the greater was not hindered, the proclamation of the preaching. ZU LK 9, 61φ The promise is indeed praiseworthy and full of all praise. But seeking to bid farewell to those in his house shows that he is somehow divided and does not yet proceed to this with a firm mind. For to want to consult at all with his kinsmen and to have as counselors those who have not chosen to think the same things as he, nor indeed have at times accepted his purpose in this, would immediately show him to be still somehow weak and limping. Therefore he hears, more as a rebuke than as a teaching: No one who puts his hand to the plow and looks back is fit for the kingdom of God. For just as the farmer who has begun the cutting up of the soil with the plows, when he hesitates at the remaining part of the whole labor, will not see the earth flourishing with ears of corn, nor the threshing floor full of sheaves, but will owe laughter to those who watch, so it is if someone should choose to follow Christ, but still puts off saying farewell to the affairs of the world. But having bid farewell also to his relatives according to the flesh, this man will achieve good courage in all praiseworthy things and will be fit for the kingdom of God. But one who is not like this puts his hand to the plow because he is eager to follow, but looks back because he makes the journey home and the conversation with his relatives a pretext for delay and postponement. But we shall not find the holy apostles being such; for they heard Jesus saying: Come after me, and I will make you fishers of men. And immediately, it says, they left the boat and their father and followed him. And the most wise 99 Paul also writes: But when it pleased God to reveal his Son in me, immediately I did not confer with flesh and blood. It is fitting for those who wish to follow Christ to be such. ZU LK 10, 1 This is the reason for the sending of the seventy: the multitude of those who would believe in him was about to be very great; for not only Israel was being gathered in the net, but also the flocks of the Gentiles. For that the saving proclamation was about to spread over the whole world under heaven, the God of all has fully informed us, saying through the holy prophets concerning him: Judgment shall spring up as a weed on the fallow ground of a field. For just as in the

ἡμᾶς ὅλως εἰς τὸ εἶναι παρήνεγκε, πατὴρ δὲ καὶ μήτηρ γεγόνασιν ὑπουργοὶ τῆς εἰς τὸ εἶναι παρόδου τοῖς ἐξ αὐτῶν. ἆρ' οὖν οὐχ ὁ πρῶτος εὐεργέτης ἀγαπηθήσεται μᾶλλον τῶν μετ' αὐτὸν δευτέρων; δεῖ δὴ οὖν ἄρα καὶ τὸ εὐσεβεῖν εἰς τοὺς φύσαντας τῇ εἰς θεὸν ἀγάπῃ παραχωρεῖν καὶ κατόπιν τῶν θείων ἔρχεσθαι τὰ ἀνθρώπινα. καὶ τοῦτο καὶ αὐτὸς ἡμᾶς ἐδίδαξεν ὁ σωτὴρ λέγων· Ὁ φιλῶν πατέρα ἢ μητέρα ὑπὲρ ἐμὲ οὐκ ἔστι μου ἄξιος. οὐκοῦν ἐφίησι μὲν τὸ ἀγαπᾶν τοῦς φύσαντας, πλὴν οὐχ ὑπὲρ ἑαυτόν. διὰ τοῦτο καὶ τῷ μαθητῇ τὸ χρῆναι δὴ μᾶλλον κατακολουθεῖν εἰπών, ἐφεὶς δὲ θάπτειν τοὺς τεθνεῶτας ἑτέροις ἐδίδαξεν ὅτι τῆς εἰς θεὸν ἀγάπης κατόπιν ἐρρίφθαι τὰ καθ' ἡμᾶς πρέποι ἂν εἰκότως, ὅτι καὶ τῆς εἰς γονέας αἰδοῦς τὰ θεοῦ μείζονα· γενεσιουργὸς γὰρ καὶ ποιητὴς τῶν ὅλων αὐτός. δεῖ τοίνυν ἡμᾶς, εἰ μέλλοιμεν ἀκολουθῆσαι Χριστῷ, μηδὲν τούτου ποιεῖσθαι προτιμότερον, ἀλλ' ὃ μὲν ἂν συντρέχῃ τούτῳ, μετιέναι καὶ πράττειν, ὃ δ' ἂν ἀντιπράττῃ, παραιτεῖσθαι καὶ φεύγειν, καὶ εἴ τις ἐνέργεια μετρίως ἐχομένη τοῦ καλοῦ, δυναμένη δὲ δι' ἑτέρων ἐπιτελεῖσθαι, ταύτην ἐκείνοις παραδιδόναι, αὐτοὺς δὲ τῆς μείζονος καὶ καλλίονος ἔχεσθαι. ὁρᾶν γοῦν ἔστι καὶ τοὺς ἁγίους ἀποστόλους καὶ μείζονος ἔτι χρείας ἢ κατὰ ταύτην 98 ἀφεμένους, τῆς περὶ πτωχοὺς ἐπιμελείας, διὰ τὴν τοῦ λόγου διακονίαν, οὐ μὴν οὕτω γε ταύτης ἀφειμένους ὡς μὴ καὶ ταύτης ποιήσασθαι πρόνοιαν. ἀλλ' ᾠκονομήθη καὶ τὸ ἔλαττον, ἡ περὶ τὰς τραπέζας διακονία, καὶ τὸ μεῖζον οὐκ ἐνεποδίσθη, ἡ τοῦ κηρύγματος καταγγελία. ZU LK 9, 61φ Ἀξιοζήλωτος μὲν ἡ ὑπόσχεσις καὶ παντὸς ἐπαίνου μεστή. τὸ δέ γε ζητεῖν ἀποτάξασθαι τοῖς εἰς τὸν οἶκον αὐτοῦ διαδείκνυσιν ὅτι μεμέρισταί πως καὶ οὔπω νῷ βεβηκότι πρὸς τοῦτο βαδίζει. τὸ γὰρ ὅλως προσανακοινοῦσθαι θέλειν τοῖς κατὰ γένος οἰκείοις καὶ συμβούλους ἔχειν τοὺς μὴ τὰ ἴσα φρονεῖν ἑλομένους αὐτῷ μήτε μὴν ἀποδεξαμένους ἔσθ' ὅτε τὸν ἐπὶ τούτῳ σκοπὸν ἀποφήνειεν ἂν εὐθὺς ἀσθενοῦντά πως ἔτι καὶ σκάζοντα. διὸ καὶ μᾶλλον ἐπιτιμητικῶς ἢ διδασκαλικῶς ἀκούει τὸ Οὐδεὶς βαλὼν τὴν χεῖρα ἐπ' ἄροτρον καὶ βλέπων εἰς τὰ ὀπίσω εὔθετός ἐστιν εἰς τὴν βασιλείαν τοῦ θεοῦ. ὥσπερ γὰρ ὁ γηπόνος τῆς διὰ τῶν ἀρότρων ἀνατομῆς ἀρξάμενος, ὅταν ὀκνήσῃ πρὸς τὸ λεῖπον τῷ παντὶ πόνῳ, οὐκ ὄψεται τοῖς ἀστάχυσι κομῶσαν τὴν γῆν, οὐ πλήρη δραγμάτων τὴν ἅλω, προσοφλήσει δὲ τοῖς ὁρῶσι καὶ γέλωτα, οὕτως εἴ τις ἕλοιτο μὲν ἀκολουθῆσαι Χριστῷ, μὴ μὴν ἔτι καὶ ἀναβάλλοιτο χαίρειν εἰπὼν τοῖς ἐν κόσμῳ πράγμασιν. ἀποταξάμενος δὲ καὶ τοῖς κατὰ σάρκα οἰκείοις κατορθώσει οὗτος τὴν ἐφ' ἅπασι τοῖς ἐπαινετοῖς ἀγαθὴν εὐτολμίαν καὶ εὔθετος ἔσται τῇ βασιλείᾳ τοῦ θεοῦ. ὁ δὲ μὴ τοιοῦτος ἐπιβάλλει μὲν ἀρότρῳ τὴν χεῖρα διότι πρόθυμός ἐστιν ἐπακολουθεῖν, ὀπίσω δὲ βλέπει διότι μελλήσεως καὶ ἀναβολῆς ποιεῖται πρόφασιν τὴν οἴκαδε πορείαν καὶ τὴν πρὸς τοὺς οἰκείους διάλεξιν. ἀλλ' οὐ τοιούτους ὄντας εὑρήσομεν τοὺς ἁγίους ἀποστόλους· ἀκηκόασι γὰρ λέγοντος τοῦ Ἰησοῦ· ∆εῦτε ὀπίσω μου καὶ ποιήσω ὑμᾶς ἁλιεῖς ἀνθρώπων. οἱ δὲ παραχρῆμα, φησίν, ἀφέντες τὸ πλοῖον καὶ τὸν πατέρα αὐτῶν ἠκολούθησαν αὐτῷ. γράφει δὲ καὶ ὁ σοφώτατος 99 Παῦλος· Ὅτε δὲ εὐδόκησεν ὁ θεὸς ἀποκαλύψαι τὸν υἱὸν αὐτοῦ ἐν ἐμοί, εὐθέως οὐ προσανεθέμην σαρκὶ καὶ αἵματι. τοιούτους εἶναι προσήκει τοὺς ἀκολουθεῖν ἐθέλοντας τῷ Χριστῷ. ZU LK 10, 1 Τῆς ἀποστολῆς τῶν ἑβδομήκοντα ἡ αἰτία αὕτη· πολλή τις ἔμελλεν ἔσεσθαι τῶν εἰς αὐτὸν πιστευόντων ἡ πληθύς· ἐσαγηνεύετο γὰρ οὐ μόνος ὁ Ἰσραήλ, ἀλλὰ γὰρ καὶ αἱ τῶν ἐθνῶν ἀγέλαι. ὅτι γὰρ ἔμελλε καταδράττεσθαι τῆς ὑπ' οὐρανὸν τὸ σωτήριον κήρυγμα, πεπληροφόρηκεν εἰπὼν ὁ τῶν ὅλων θεὸς διὰ τῶν ἁγίων προφητῶν περὶ αὐτοῦ· Ἀνατελεῖ ὡς ἄγρωστις κρῖμα ἐπὶ χέρσον ἀγροῦ. ὥσπερ γὰρ ἐν τοῖς τῶν