The Anchorite Fathers – Saint Abba Moses the Anchorite
He was a simple and naive man, pure of heart, knowing no evil. He lived in the wilderness for about thirty years without seeing the face of any human being.
He used to live on the herbs of the mountain, which God made sweet in his mouth despite their bitterness. He wore clothes made from palm fibers and drank from rainwater that collected in the caves of the mountains and valleys.
In his solitude, he found companionship with the wild beasts; he did not fear them, nor did they fear him.
Rather, they would sometimes come to him for judgment when they quarreled, and he would give justice to the weak against the strong and reconcile them, and they would accept his judgment with contentment. And when the grass became scarce on the mountain due to lack of rain, the beasts would come to this saint crying out, and he would pray for them, and God would send rain, so the beasts would be satisfied and rejoice…
But Satan, who does not love good for man, devised a trick to lead this simple saint astray, the wanderer in the mountain…
He appeared to him in the form of an old monk, with hair falling over his shoulders, a bright white beard, wearing a garment of goat hair, and holding a staff on which he leaned. He was going up a mountain and descending into a valley, continuing in his walk without looking at anything. Abba Moses said in his heart: who is this ascetic elder who has spent so long in worship and asceticism?
He approached him, wanting to speak with him, but the elder did not respond. Abba Moses became more amazed, and his admiration for the elder’s asceticism increased.
The saint remained in this state, following the elder for three days. Whenever he prayed and made the sign of the cross, he would see the elder disappear, and he thought that God was hiding him from him to increase his longing for him…
On the fourth night, the elder was able to speak with him and asked him about his story. Abba Moses told him the story of his monastic life. As for the elder, he said to him: I am a sinful man, then I repented and distributed my money to the poor, and I have spent forty years in the wilderness. And when my death approached, God led me to you to bury me. He has shown me the place where I will be buried, so come with me there.
Then the elder took him to a palace, and there he showed him a very beautiful girl and told him that she was his daughter, and offered him to marry her. When the saint was repulsed by the idea, the elder kept persuading him with examples from Scripture:
He told him how Abraham, the friend of God, was married; and Moses, the one who spoke with God, was married; and Noah, the most righteous of the people of the earth, was married… He continued until he convinced him, and he accepted the idea due to his great simplicity… and he entered where the girl was. At that moment, as if a violent wind struck him and threw him to the ground. When he regained consciousness, he found neither the palace, nor the elder, nor the girl…
He saw that his state had changed, and he felt hunger, thirst, and fear. The grass became bitter in his mouth, and the beasts no longer felt at ease with him…
The wilderness no longer suited him, so he realized his fall… Then Satan appeared to him in another form and led him from one deception to another, until he took him to the countryside and completely led him astray.
Finally, he came to himself and began to rebuke and blame himself, weeping over his sins. God had mercy on him and sent him an angel who comforted him and announced to him the nearness of his departure. So he went to the wilderness and met Saint Abba Samuel, and confessed to him his whole story.
They went to a church where the anchorite fathers used to pray, and they prayed with them. Nearby was a tomb of the saints. Abba Moses entered it to receive a blessing from them. He bowed down… and time passed without him rising or coming out. Abba Samuel entered and found that he had departed. He prayed over him, received a blessing from him, and left him… and wrote his life. His monasticism was at the beginning of the era of Pope Benjamin, in the seventh century.
This saint was originally from the region of Alexandria. When he reached the age of thirteen, he went to Wadi Habib and lived in a small cell with a monk who taught him virtue.
When he reached the age of twenty, he was strengthened in the Lord and entered the inner wilderness, where no one was found. About thirty-five years passed for him until Satan appeared to him in the form of a virtuous elder.
His story shows that even an anchorite is subject to falling if he does not have the gift of discernment. This wandering elder fell after the age of fifty-five, despite his long life in solitude.
The story also shows that there were anchorite fathers in the seventh century as well.
It also shows that God, who is merciful, visits His children with repentance no matter how great their falls may be.
We also understand from this story that some of the anchorite fathers had hidden churches in the wilderness where they prayed together.
May the blessing of this saint be with us. Amen.
An article by His Holiness Pope Shenouda III – in El-Keraza Magazine – Year Eight (Issue Fifty) 16-12-1977
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