Moses

In the books of Exodus through Deuteronomy, Moses is born in Egypt, raised in Pharaoh's household, called by God from a burning bush, and leads the Israelites out of slavery. At Mount Sinai he receives the Law. He dies at 120 on Mount Nebo, in sight of the promised land. Judaism counts him as its greatest prophet, and Christianity and Islam (as Musa) honor him highly.

Several episodes recur on this site. After forty days on the mountain, Moses comes down with his face shining so that people fear to approach, and he wears a veil (Exodus 34:29–35). The Hebrew verb for shining comes from the same root as the word for horn, and Jerome's Latin Vulgate rendered it as "horned," which is why Michelangelo's Moses has horns. In Numbers 21 Moses makes a serpent of bronze on a pole that heals those bitten by snakes. Jubilees presents itself as a revelation dictated to Moses on Sinai by an angel.

Most historians regard Moses as largely a figure of tradition, though some allow that a historical leader may lie behind the stories.