Mavia, Queen of the Saracens, and the Ordination of Moses the Monk

At this time the Ishmaelites were laying waste the country near the Roman frontier. They were led by Mavia, a princess who paid no regard to the sex nature had given her, and showed the spirit and courage of a man. After many battles she made a truce. Then, having received the light of divine knowledge, she asked that a man named Moses, who lived on the borders of Egypt and Palestine, be raised to the rank of high priest of her tribe. Valens granted this request, and ordered the holy man to be taken to Alexandria to receive the grace of a bishop’s office there, since it was the most convenient place nearby. When he arrived and saw Lucius preparing to lay hands on him, he said: “Far be it from me to be ordained by your hand. The grace of the Spirit does not come to us at your calling.” “What leads you to suppose that?” said Lucius. He replied, “I am not speaking of supposition but of clear knowledge. For you fight against the apostles’ decrees and speak words against them, and your lawless deeds match your blasphemous words. What impious man has not mocked the meetings of the church because of you? What good man has not been exiled? What barbarous savagery is not put in the shade by your daily deeds?” So the brave man spoke. The murderer heard him and wanted to kill him, but he was afraid of kindling once more the war that had just come to an end. So he ordered that other bishops, whom Moses had asked for, be brought. After receiving a bishop’s grace from those of the truly worthy faith, Moses went back to the people who had asked for him, and by his apostolic teaching and his miracles he led them along the way that leads to the truth. [a]

These, then, were the deeds done by Lucius in Alexandria, under the ordering of God’s providence.