Shenoute the Archimandrite

Why did he write, “What advantage does man have over beast?” Perceive now what had happened. Understand now the scorn toward us when he saw that humanity had recognized gods other than the Lord God alone and had not obeyed this utterance, “No foreign god shall be in your midst, nor shall you worship a strange god.” Then, when he saw humanity had acted wickedly by [doing] what is contrary to nature, with abominable deeds, with pernicious deeds that no one should be able to mention [and] to which no one should be able to listen, he said this. For if a person does not recognize his value, not only is he reckoned with the beast but the beast is more esteemed than he, when it is said, “An ox knows its owner, and the ass its master’s crib.”