Moses: The Cross & the Gun: An Orthodox Christian Novel Inspired by Saint Moses the Black

by Creative Orthodox, Michael Elgamal

253 pages, Kindle Edition

Published January 26, 2026

Reviews

[Mariam Y · Rating 5 out of 5]

Incredible. Just wow. Made me fall in love with St Moses even more. Just brings alive his whole story of redemption and struggle. May the God of St Moses the strong have mercy on us all 🙏🏽 Beautiful. Beautiful. Beautiful. I couldn’t put it down.

[Sandra Mattar · Rating 5 out of 5]

Love this!

This is such a beautiful book that brings repentance to life. Thank you so much for this treasure. Please keep writing!

[Phoebe · Rating 5 out of 5]

I knew I would love this book but did not realize how much I would love it until I read it. Michael does an AMAZING job transporting the story of St. Moses the Black and his Desert Father compatriots into a modern setting, while managing to weave in their famous sayings seamlessly into the narrative. They are so seamless that you would only notice it is a saying if you have read them before in the Sayings of the Desert Fathers. Michael got me to fall in love with these saints all over again, and even to see some of my not-so-favorite Desert Fathers in a whole new light, endearing me fathers I wasn't a big fan of before. Of course we all love St. Moses the Black, and this re-writing will only make us love him more. And even though I know the ending, Michael still managed to make me cry. I recorded a video review of this book here: https://phoebefaragmikhail.substack.c... (sign up for my newsletter to find out about a book club event with Michael about this book in May 2026!)

[Mariam Z · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beautifully written. I can’t wait to see more novels like this from this author. So many times while reading I got goosebumps. I loved the end bit by the author too as I love reading about their process and how they came up with the ideas. Thank you for a lovely book.

[Sylvia Sidky · Rating 5 out of 5]

So. Awesome.

Couldn’t put it down and was truly sorry to see it end. Full of truth and beauty. May we learn from St. Moses!

[Paul Schellbach · Rating 5 out of 5]

wisdom

Excellent read which kept me riveted. I would recommend this to all in need of Holy Wisdom. The author is blessed.