Man And Cattle

Τὰ κτήην γήινα καὶ πρὸς γῆν νενευκότα· ἀλλὰ τὸ οὐράνιον φυτὸν ὁ ἄνθρωπος ὅσον τῷ σχήματι τῆς σωματικῆς διαπλάσεως, τοσοῦτον καὶ τῷ ἀξιώματι τῆς ψυχῆς διενήνοχε. Τῶν τετραπόδων τὸ σχῆμα ποταπόν; Ἡ κεφαλὴ αὐτῶν ἐπὶ γῆν προσνένευκεν· ἐπὶ γαστέρα βλέπει, καὶ τὸ ταύτης ἡδὺ ἐκ παντὸς τρόπου διώκει. Ἡ σὴ κεφαλή πρὸς οὐρανὸν διανεστηκεν· οἱ ὀφθαλμοί σου τὰ ἄνω βλέπουσιν· ὡς, ἐάν ποτε καὶ σὺ τοῖς πάθεσι τῆς σαρκὸς ἑαυτὸν ἀτιμάσῃς, γαστὶ δουλεύων καὶ τοῖς ὑπὸ γαστέρα, Παρασυνεβλήθης τοῖς κτήνεσι τοῖς ἀνοήτοις, καὶ ὡμοιώθης αὐτοῖς. Ἄλλη σοι μέριμνα πρέπουσα, τὰ ἄνω ζητεῖν, οὖ ὁ Χριστός ἐστιν, ὑπὲρ τὰ γήινα εἶναι τῇ διανοίᾳ. Ὡς διεσχηματίσθης, οὕτω διάθου σεαυτοῦ καὶ τὸν βίον. Τὸ πολίτευμα ἔχε ἐν οὐρανοῖς. Ἀληθινή σου πατρὶς ἡ ἄνω Ἰερουσαλὴμ, πολῖται καὶ συμφυλέται οἱ πρωτότοκοι, Οἱ ἀπογεγραμμένοι ἐν οὐρανοῖς. Ἅγιος  Βασίλειος Καισαρείας, Εἰς Την ῾Εξαήμερον, Ὁμιλία Θ' Source: Migne PG 29 192

Cattle are terrestrial and bent towards the earth, but man having celestial growth rises superior to them as much as by the form of his bodily shape as by the worthiness of the soul. What is the form of quadrupeds? The head is bent towards the earth and looks to the belly, and everywhere it pursues it's pleasure. Your head is turned to heaven, your eyes look up. Therefore if you dishonour yourself by the passions of the flesh, enslaved to the belly, and the things below it, you approach to irrational animals and become like them. For you there are  more fitting cares, to seek those things above, where Christ is, 1 raising the mind above earthly things. Thus as you are fashioned so model your life. Have your citizenship in heaven. Your true fatherland is the Jerusalem above, your fellow citizens and your compatriots are 'the first-born who are written in heaven.' 2 Saint Basil of Caesarea, Hexameron, from Homily 9 1 Col 3.1 2 Heb 12.23