The False Moses of Crete

About this time a great number of the Jews living in Crete were converted to Christianity through the following disaster. A certain Jewish impostor claimed that he was Moses, sent from heaven to lead out the Jews living on that island and bring them through the sea. He said he was the same person who long ago had saved the Israelites by leading them through the Red Sea. For a whole year, therefore, he went around the cities of the island and persuaded the Jews to believe his promises. He also told them to give up their money and other property, pledging himself to lead them through a dried-up sea into the promised land. Taken in by these hopes, they neglected business of every kind, scorning what they owned and letting anyone who wished take it. [a]

When the day this deceiver had set for their departure arrived, he himself went in front, and all followed with their wives and children. He led them on until they came to a headland that overhung the sea, and from there he ordered them to throw themselves headlong into it. Those who reached the cliff first did so and were killed at once, some dashed to pieces on the rocks, some drowned in the water. And more would have perished, had not the providence of God brought some fishermen and merchants who were Christians to be there. These men pulled out and saved some who were almost drowned, and in their peril these came to realize how mad their conduct had been. The rest the Christians held back from throwing themselves down, by telling them of the death of those who had leaped first.

When the Jews at last saw how terribly they had been fooled, they blamed first their own thoughtless readiness to believe, and then tried to seize the false Moses in order to put him to death. But they could not catch him, for he suddenly vanished. This led everyone to believe that he was some malignant spirit who had taken human form to destroy their nation in that place. Because of this experience many of the Jews in Crete at that time left Judaism and joined themselves to the Christian faith.