Saint Moses the Black

Saint Moses the Black was born in Ethiopia or Nubia around 330 AD and was a slave in Egypt who was dismissed by his master for theft and suspected murder. He became the leader of a gang of bandits in the desert — feared and violent. He was a large, powerful man known for his terrifying reputation.

Through a series of extraordinary events that are not fully known, Moses encountered the Christian monks of the Nitrian Desert and was completely transformed. He went to the Abbot Isidore and asked to become a monk. But the abbot tested him — when bandits came to attack Moses' cell, he overpowered them all with his bare hands and dragged them to the abbot, saying he did not know what to do with them. The abbot and the brothers were astonished. The bandits themselves were converted by Moses' changed life.

Moses spent years battling his old violent impulses through prayer and fasting, learning from the greatest monks of his time. He became a priest and a spiritual father to many disciples. When barbarian raiders were about to attack the monastery, Moses refused to flee, saying a man who lives by the sword should not fear dying by it. He met them peacefully and was martyred along with six of his disciples. He is honored today as one of the patron saints of African Christians and a powerful example of radical conversion.