Black Moses
Harriet Tubman is also known as Black Moses.
St.
Moses the Black (
330 -
405) was born into slavery in
Egypt. Because Moses was a thief, his owners decided to throw him out, and Moses joined a gang of bandits. At one point, Moses took refuge with the monks of the monastery of
Petra in the desert of Skete, Egypt. He was converted to christianity, after meeting St. Macarius and St. Isidore, and became a monk. (He was later ordained into the priesthood, which was at that time considered a high honor). Since Moses was now a pacifist and refused to fight, he died in 405 when
Berbers attacked the monastery. He is the patron saint of Africans and is remembered on August the 28th. His relics are at the Church of Al Adra.
Black Moses is also the name of an album by Isaac Hayes.