Moses was a monk before he became a bishop.[2] His predecessor, Gamul, was bishop about 728 and Moses had succeeded by about 735.[3] He was a companion of the Patriarch Michael I.[4] When in 743 there was a deadlock between northern and southern factions in the election of a new Patriarch of Alexandria, Moses successfully put forward Michael as a compromise. His influence probably stemmed in part from his proximity to the Egyptian government in Fustat.[5]