Moses the Black

thumb|My sins run out behind me, and I do not see them, and today I am coming to judge the errors of another. Abba Moses the Black (330–405), also known as Abba Moses the Robber, the Ethiopian , and the Strong, was an ascetic monk and priest in Egypt in the fourth century AD, and a notable Desert Father. Quotes Wortley John Give Me a Word: The Alphabetical Sayings of the Desert Fathers St. Vladimir's Seminary Press Yonkers, New York 2014 978-0-88141-497-4 A brother once erred at Scete and a council was held. They sent for Abba Moses but he was unwilling to come. So the priest sent to him, saying: “Come, for the company is waiting for you.”He got up and came; he took a basket with many holes, filled it with sand and carried it [with him]. Coming out to meet him, they said to him: “What is this, father?”and the elder said to them: “My sins are running out behind me and I do not see them—yet here I have come today to pass judgment on the faults of another!”They said nothing to the brother when they heard this, but forgave him. Saying 2 They used to say of Abba Moses that when he became a cleric and they put the stole on him, the archbishop said to him: “Look, you have become all white, Abba Moses.”The elder said to him: “Maybe outside, my lord Pope, but what about inside?”The bishop wanted to put him to the test; so he said to the clergy: “When Abba Moses comes into the sanctuary, chase him away and follow him to hear what he says.”The elder came in; they denounced him and chased him off, saying: “Get out, Ethiopian.”Out he went, saying to himself: “They treated you rightly, ash-skinned black [man]; since you are not human, why come among humans?” Saying 4 A brother visited Abba Moses at Scete asking him for a saying. The elder said to him: “Go and stay in a cell; your cell will teach you everything.” Saying 6 External links Category:4th century births Category:5th century deaths Category:Desert Fathers