Dale Pollard
The Assumption of Moses
One of the strangest references in the New Testament appears in the tiny letter of Jude. Jude makes a passing reference to a supernatural confrontation that seems to have taken place immediately after Moses’ death:
“But when the archangel Michael, contending with the devil, was disputing about the body of Moses, he did not presume to pronounce a blasphemous judgment, but said, ‘The Lord rebuke you.’” Jude 9
That raises an obvious question:
Why was Satan arguing with Michael over Moses’ body?
The Old Testament tells us that Moses died on Mount Nebo and that God buried him, but it gives no explanation for what happened afterward:
“So Moses the servant of the LORD died there in the land of Moab… and he buried him in the valley in the land of Moab… but no one knows the place of his burial to this day.” Deuteronomy 34.5–6
Jude’s statement is therefore unusual because it introduces a supernatural dispute that is not recorded in Deuteronomy.
The Book of Moses’ Assumption
One ancient Jewish work appears to relate to Jude’s mysterious reference, and it’s called the Assumption of Moses (Assumptio Mosis), a Jewish text probably originating around the first century AD. Early Christian writers knew the work, and Jude’s wording appears closely connected with the tradition.
The second-century Christian writer Origen In De Principiis (On First Principles), Book 3, chapter 2, writes that Michael and the devil disputed concerning the body of Moses and makes mention of the Assumption of Moses as well.
The surviving manuscript breaks off before the relevant material, leaving us with one frustrating gap in the evidence.
Why Did Satan Want the Body?
Ancient commentators offered possibilities, but Scripture never gives us the answer.
One possible explanation relates to Moses’ murder of the Egyptian (Exodus 2.11–12). Satan could have been portrayed as accusing Moses before God because of his past sin.
Another possibility is that the dispute concerned Moses’ body itself and God’s purpose for it. Moses had been uniquely chosen by God, appeared with Elijah at the Transfiguration (Matthew 17.1–3), and had a unique death and burial.
There is also another detail in Jude’s wording. Michael does not personally condemn Satan. Instead, he says:
“The Lord rebuke you.”
The point appears to be that even an archangel doesn’t arrogantly pronounce judgment on Satan by his own authority.
Whatever the original dispute involved, Jude clearly presents it as a genuine supernatural confrontation—interesting enough on its own.
And perhaps the strangest part is what Scripture leaves out.
Moses’ body was buried by God. Its location was never revealed. Yet Jude tells us that, somewhere beyond the human story, “heaven and hell” were apparently concerned with what happened to it.
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