Black Moses: The Saint You Might Not Have Heard Of
From slave to saint. A glimpse into the life of this revered man
If you’ve been following me, you know I like to write about lesser-known historical figures, particularly women and racial minorities. So when I heard of St. Moses the Black, I knew I had to learn about him and, of course, write about him.
I’m a Protestant, and non-denominational at that. So I don’t really know many of the saints who are revered in the Catholic and Orthodox faiths. One thing I’ve seen just from my experience growing up in the church, however, is that depictions of early church figures traditionally tend to be white.
But a very good friend of mine is an Orthodox Christian and recently introduced me to Saint Moses the Black, a highly revered saint who was, you guessed it, Black. Color me curious.
St. Moses the Black was born around 330 A.D., and he wasn’t always so saintly. The reason he is so revered is that he had one of the more remarkable life transformations in the history of the faith.
Moses was a notorious thief and murderer. He was a slave in Egypt and while there, was accused of theft and murder. Some sources say that as a result of these accusations, his master banished him. Others say he escaped. I think the latter is more…
