Religious Figures & Scholars, CUP-ELI
Discover the influential religious figures and scholars whose teachings, writings, reforms, and example have shaped belief, practice, and spiritual life across traditions.
Religious Figures & Scholars Encyclopedia Articles By Title
Cupich, Cardinal Blase
When the Chicago-born Pope Leo XIV was elected to lead the Roman Catholic Church in May 2025, it was inevitable......
Cuthbert, Saint
Saint Cuthbert ; feast day March 20) was the bishop of the great Benedictine abbey of Lindisfarne (or Holy Island),......
Cydones, Demetrius
Demetrius Cydones was a Byzantine humanist scholar, statesman, and theologian who introduced the study of the Greek......
Cydones, Prochorus
Prochorus Cydones was an Eastern Orthodox monk, theologian, and linguist who, by his advocacy of Western Aristotelian......
Cyprian, Saint
Saint Cyprian ; feast day September 16) was the metropolitan of Moscow in 1381â82 and 1390â1406. Educated in Greece,......
Cyprian, St.
St. Cyprian was an early Christian theologian and bishop of Carthage who led the Christians of North Africa during......
Cyril and Methodius, Saints
Saints Cyril and Methodius were brothers who, for Christianizing the Danubian Slavs and for influencing the religious......
Cyril of Alexandria, St
St. Cyril of Alexandria ; Western feast day June 27; Eastern feast day June 9) was a Christian theologian and bishop......
Cyril of Jerusalem, St
St. Cyril of Jerusalem ; feast day March 18) was an early Christian bishop of Jerusalem who fostered the development......
CĂąmara, HĂ©lder Pessoa
HĂ©lder Pessoa CĂąmara was a Roman Catholic prelate whose progressive views on social questions brought him into......
Dadu
Dadu was a Hindu-Muslim saint who inspired the formation of a sect called Dadu Panth. A cotton carder by profession,......
Daigak Guksa
Daigak Guksa was a Korean Buddhist priest who founded the ChâĆntâae sect of Buddhism. A son of the KoryĆ king Munjong,......
Daimbert
Daimbert was the first archbishop of Pisa, Italy, who, as patriarch of Jerusalem, played a major role in the First......
Dalai Lama, 14th
14th Dalai Lama is the title of the Tibetan Buddhist monk Tenzin Gyatso, the first Dalai Lama to become a global......
Dalberg, Karl Theodor von
Karl Theodor von Dalberg archbishop of Mainz and arch-chancellor of the Holy Roman Empire, primate of Germany,......
Daly, Mary
Mary Daly was an American theologian, philosopher, and ethicist who pioneered radical feminist theology. Daly was......
Damaskinos
Damaskinos was the archbishop of Athens and regent of Greece during the civil war of 1944â46, under whose regency......
Damasus I St
St. Damasus I ; feast day December 11) was the pope, the head of the Roman Catholic Church, from October 1, 366,......
Damien of Molokai, St
St. Damien of Molokai ; canonized October 11, 2009; feast day May 10) was a Belgian priest who devoted his life......
DamiĂŁo, Frei
Frei DamiĂŁo was an Italian-born Brazilian Roman Catholic monk. He became a Capuchin friar at age 16 and later studied......
Damīrī, ad-
ad-Damīrī was a Muslim theologian, best known for his encyclopaedia of animals. A student of some of the leading......
Daochuo
Daochuo was a Chinese Buddhist monk and advocate of the Pure Land doctrine. His predecessor Tanluan had preached......
DarazÄ«, Muáž„ammad ibn IsmÄÊżÄ«l ad-
Muáž„ammad ibn IsmÄÊżÄ«l ad-DarazÄ« was a propagandist for the IsmÄÊżÄ«lÄ« sect of Islam and the man for whom the religion......
David, St
St. David ; feast day March 1) was a 6th-century bishop who is revered as the patron saint of Wales. Little is......
Davidson, Randall Thomas Davidson, Baron
Randall Thomas Davidson, Baron Davidson , Baron Davidson, was an Anglican archbishop of Canterbury who was prominent......
Davies, Samuel
Samuel Davies was a Presbyterian preacher in the American colonies who defended religious dissent and helped lead......
Deborah
Deborah, prophet and heroine in the Old Testament (Judg. 4 and 5), who inspired the Israelites to a mighty victory......
Decius
Decius was a Roman emperor (249â251) who fought the Gothic invasion of Moesia and instituted the first organized......
Dee, John
John Dee was an English mathematician, natural philosopher, and student of the occult. Dee entered St. Johnâs College,......
Dehon, LĂ©on-Gustave
LĂ©on-Gustave Dehon was a French Roman Catholic priest who founded the Congregation of the Priests of the Sacred......
Delilah
Delilah, in the Old Testament, the central figure of Samsonâs last love story (Judges 16). She was a Philistine......
Delmedigo, Elijah
Elijah Delmedigo was a Jewish philosopher known for his Beáž„inat ha-dat (âInvestigation of Religionâ), in which......
Dempsey, Sister Mary Joseph
Sister Mary Joseph Dempsey was an American nurse and hospital administrator, remembered for her exceptional medical......
Denck, Hans
Hans Denck was a German theologian and Reformer who opposed Lutheranism in favour of Anabaptism, the Reformation......
Denis, St
St. Denis ; feast day: Western church, October 9; Eastern church, October 3) was allegedly the first bishop of......
Desgabets, Robert
Robert Desgabets was a French Benedictine monk, writer, philosopher, and scientist who applied the ideas and methods......
Devadatta
Devadatta was a Buddhist monk who sought to reform the sangha (monastic community) by imposing upon it a stricter......
Diadochus Of Photice
Diadochus Of Photice was a theologian, mystic, and bishop of Photice, Epirus, who was a staunch defender of orthodox......
Dickinson, Jonathan
Jonathan Dickinson was a prominent Presbyterian clergyman of the American colonial period and the first president......
Didymus The Blind
Didymus The Blind was an Eastern church theologian who headed the influential catechetical school of Alexandria.......
Dimitrios
Dimitrios was the 269th ecumenical patriarch of the Eastern Orthodox church. After studying at the French lycée......
Dinah
Dinah, in the Old Testament (Genesis 30:21; 34; 46:15), daughter of Jacob by Leah; Dinah was abducted and raped......
Diocletian
Diocletian was a Roman emperor (284â305 ce) who restored efficient government to the empire after the near anarchy......
Dionysius Exiguus
Dionysius Exiguus was a celebrated 6th-century canonist who is considered the inventor of the Christian calendar,......
Dionysius of Alexandria, St.
St. Dionysius of Alexandria ; feast day November 17) was the bishop of Alexandria, then the most important Eastern......
Dionysius Telmaharensis
Dionysius Telmaharensis was a patriarch of the Syrian Jacobite church and author of an important source document......
Dionysius The Areopagite
Dionysius The Areopagite was a biblical figure, converted by St. Paul at Athens (Acts 17:34), who acquired a notable......
Dionysius the Carthusian
Dionysius the Carthusian was a theologian and mystic, one of the important contributors to, and propagators of,......
Dionysius, St.
St. Dionysius ; feast day December 6) was the pope from 259/260 to December 26, 268. While a presbyter during the......
Dioscorus
Dioscorus was a pope, or antipope, for 23 days in 530. A deacon in the Alexandrian Church, he clashed with the......
Dioscorus
Dioscorus was a Christian patriarch of Alexandria and eastern prelate who was deposed and excommunicated by the......
Divine, Father
Father Divine was a prominent African American religious leader of the 1930s. The Depression-era movement he founded,......
Dmitry Ivanovich
Dmitry Ivanovich was the youngest son of Ivan IV (the Terrible), whose death cast suspicion on imperial adviser......
Dodson, Patrick
Patrick Dodson is an Australian activist and politician who became one of Australiaâs most influential Indigenous......
Dominic, St
St. Dominic ; canonized July 3, 1234; feast day August 8) was the founder of the Order of Friars Preachers (Dominicans),......
Dorner, Isaak August
Isaak August Dorner was a German Protestant theologian who sought to interpret Kantian and post-Kantian thought......
DosĂtheos
DosĂtheos was the patriarch of Jerusalem, an important church politician and theologian of the Greek church who......
Dowie, John Alexander
John Alexander Dowie was a U.S. evangelist and faith healer who founded the Christian Catholic Church and the City......
Drewermann, Eugen
Eugen Drewermann is a German theologian, psychotherapist, and Roman Catholic priest whose innovations in points......
Drexel, Katharine, St
St. Katharine Drexel ; feast day March 3) was an American heiress and Roman Catholic nun who founded the Blessed......
Du Bos, Charles
Charles Du Bos was a French critic of French and English literature whose writings on William Shakespeare, Percy......
Dubois, Jean-Antoine
Jean-Antoine Dubois was a French educator, abbot, and priest who attempted to convert the Hindus of India to Roman......
Duchesne, St. Rose Philippine
St. Rose Philippine Duchesne ; canonized July 3, 1988; feast day November 18) was a French Roman Catholic nun and......
Duff, Alexander
Alexander Duff was the Church of Scotlandâs first missionary to India, highly influential on later missionary endeavours......
Duncan, Robert
Robert Duncan is an American Anglican clergyman who was the first archbishop and primate of the Anglican Church......
Duns Scotus, Blessed John
Blessed John Duns Scotus ; beatified March 20, 1993) was an influential Franciscan realist philosopher and Scholastic......
Dunstan of Canterbury, Saint
Saint Dunstan of Canterbury ; feast day May 19) was an English abbot, celebrated archbishop of Canterbury, and......
Dupanloup, FĂ©lix-Antoine-Philibert
Félix-Antoine-Philibert Dupanloup was a Roman Catholic bishop of Orléans who was a clerical spokesman for the liberal......
Duperron, Jacques Davy
Jacques Davy Duperron was a French cardinal, remembered especially for his part in the conversion of King Henry......
Duprat, Antoine
Antoine Duprat was the chancellor of France and cardinal known for his service as one of Francis Iâs most trusted......
Duran, Simeon ben Zemah
Simeon ben Zemah Duran was the first Spanish Jewish rabbi to be paid a regular salary by the community and author......
Durand, Guillaume
Guillaume Durand was a French prelate who was a renowned canonist and medieval liturgist. After receiving a doctorate......
Durandus of Saint-Pourçain
Durandus of Saint-Pourçain was a French bishop, theologian, and philosopher known primarily for his opposition......
Durkheim, Ămile
Ămile Durkheim was a French social scientist who developed a vigorous methodology combining empirical research......
Duvergier de Hauranne, Jean, Abbé de Saint-Cyran
Jean Duvergier de Hauranne, abbé de Saint-Cyran was a French abbot of Saint-Cyran and a founder of the Jansenist......
Dwight, Timothy
Timothy Dwight was an American educator, theologian, and poet who had a strong instructive influence during his......
Dyer, Mary
Mary Dyer was a British-born religious figure whose martyrdom to her Quaker faith helped relieve the persecution......
DĂĄvid, Ferenc
Ferenc DĂĄvid was a Unitarian preacher, writer, and theologian influential in promoting religious toleration and......
Döllinger, Johann Joseph Ignaz von
Johann Joseph Ignaz von Döllinger was a German historical scholar and a prominent Roman Catholic theologian who......
DĆgen
DĆgen was a leading Japanese Buddhist during the Kamakura period (1192â1333), who introduced Zen to Japan in the......
DĆkyĆ
DĆkyĆ was a Japanese Buddhist priest who attempted to usurp the Japanese imperial throne. In 761 DĆkyĆ won the......
DĆshĆ
DĆshĆ was a Japanese priest who helped introduce Buddhism into his country. DĆshĆ served as a temple priest at......
Ealdred
Ealdred was an Anglo-Saxon archbishop of York from 1061, who played an important part in secular politics at the......
Earle, John
John Earle was an Anglican clergyman, best known as the author of Micro-cosmographie. Or, A Peece of the World......
Ebbo of Reims
Ebbo of Reims was an archbishop whose pioneering missions to the North helped prepare the ground for the Christianization......
Eck, Johann
Johann Eck was a German theologian who was Martin Lutherâs principal Roman Catholic opponent. Early in his career......
Eckhart, Meister
Meister Eckhart was a Dominican theologian and writer who was the greatest German speculative mystic. In the transcripts......
Edmund of Abingdon, St.
St. Edmund of Abingdon ; feast day November 16) was a distinguished scholar and outspoken archbishop of Canterbury,......
Edwards, Alfred George
Alfred George Edwards was the first archbishop of Wales, who sought successfully to create a native church more......
Edwards, Jonathan
Jonathan Edwards was the greatest theologian and philosopher of British American Puritanism, stimulator of the......
Ehud
Ehud, in the Old Testament (Judges 3:12â4:1), son of Gera, the Benjaminite, Israelite hero who delivered Israel......
Eichhorn, Johann Gottfried
Johann Gottfried Eichhorn was a German biblical scholar and orientalist who taught at Jena and Göttingen. He was......
Eichrodt, Walther
Walther Eichrodt was a German scholar who showed the importance to biblical studies of an understanding of the......
Eleazar ben Azariah
Eleazar ben Azariah was a Jewish rabbinic scholar, one of the Palestinian tannaim (those who compiled the Jewish......
Eleazar ben Judah Of Worms
Eleazar ben Judah Of Worms was a Jewish rabbi, mystic, Talmudist, and codifier. Along with the Sefer កasidim (1538;......
Eleutherius, St.
St. Eleutherius ; feast day May 26) was the pope from about 175 to 189. During his pontificate the church was involved......
Eliade, Mircea
Mircea Eliade was a historian of religions, phenomenologist of religion, and author of novels, novellas, and short......
Elias Of Cortona
Elias Of Cortona was a disciple of St. Francis of Assisi and a leading figure in the early history of the Franciscan......
Elihu
Elihu, in the Hebrew Bible, a comforter of Job, the biblical prototype of undeserved suffering. Because Elihuâs......
Elijah
Elijah was a Hebrew prophet who ranks with Moses in saving the religion of Yahweh from being corrupted by the nature......