Moses the Black

When did Moses die?

Moses the Black is dated d. c. AD 395 (killed by raiders at Scetis) in the archive, which places Moses in the Nicene Age (AD 313–400). The dating is traditional and approximate; the archive marks it as uncertain rather than fixing a year the sources do not give.

Which early sources mention Moses?

Moses the Black is named in 2 primary-source passages catalogued here, drawn from Palladius and Apophthegmata Patrum. Every passage is quoted from a named public-domain translation, earliest first.

Where was Moses from?

The archive associates Moses the Black with Scetis, Egypt. The sources record more than one location, so the places are listed in the order the record moves through them.

Who were Moses’ contemporaries?

The archive links Moses the Black to 2 other figures, including Macarius the Great (of Egypt) and Abba Pachon. Each connection is drawn from a source that places them together, not from inference.

[Written ~25 years after his death by a man who knew Scetis.] Moses, an Ethiopian by race, black, the slave of a certain official, was cast out by his master for much wickedness — men said even for murders... and this man grace so changed that he became a priest, and seventy disciples gathered about him, and he died at Scetis at seventy-five.

A brother sinned, and they summoned Moses to the council. He came carrying on his back a basket of sand that leaked out behind him. 'My sins run out behind me and I do not see them — and I come today to judge the errors of another.' And they heard him, and forgave the brother.