St. Moses the Black

Moses was an Ethiopian slave who was thrown out for theft and became the leader of a gang of robbers in Egypt. Hiding from the law among the monks of Scetis, he was so struck by their life that he repented, was baptized and became a monk himself. Once, when the brothers met to judge a monk who had sinned, Moses arrived carrying a leaking basket of sand. “My sins run out behind me and I do not see them,” he said, “and I have come today to judge the faults of another.” The brothers forgave the monk. When Berber raiders attacked, Moses refused to flee and was killed with seven others.

• Feast: August 28 (New Calendar)
• Lived: c. 330–405
• Place: Scetis, Egypt