Spiritual Leaders & Religious Figures, MET-PAR
Religious and spiritual leaders have shaped beliefs, practices, and traditions throughout history. Learn more about influential religious leaders, spiritual teachers, founders, reformers, mystics, and other notable figures.
Spiritual Leaders & Religious Figures Encyclopedia Articles By Title
Methodius I, St.
St. Methodius I ; feast day June 14) was the patriarch of Constantinople from 843 to 847. As a monk, Methodius......
Methuselah
Methuselah, in the Hebrew Bible (Old Testament), patriarch whose life span as recorded in Genesis (5:27) was 969......
Metrophanes Kritopoulos
Metrophanes Kritopoulos was a Greek Orthodox patriarch of Alexandria, Egypt, and theologian whose discussions with......
Meïr
Meïr was a rabbi who was among the greatest of the tannaim, the group of some 225 masters of the Jewish Oral Law......
Michael Cerularius
Michael Cerularius was a Greek Orthodox patriarch of Constantinople from March 1043 to November 1058 who figured......
Middleton, T.F.
T.F. Middleton was a noted Anglican missionary who was the first bishop of Calcutta and founder of Bishop’s College......
Migne, Jacques-Paul
Jacques-Paul Migne was a French Roman Catholic priest who became one of the foremost 19th-century publishers of......
Mills, Susan Lincoln Tolman
Susan Lincoln Tolman Mills was an American missionary and educator who, with her husband, established what would......
Miltiades, St.
St. Miltiades ; feast day December 10) was the pope from 311 to 314. Miltiades became the first pope after the......
Milíč, John
John Milíč was a theologian, orator, and reformer, considered to be the founder of the national Bohemian religious......
Mindszenty, József
József Mindszenty was a Roman Catholic clergyman who personified uncompromising opposition to fascism and communism......
Minh Mang
Minh Mang was an emperor (1820–41) of central Vietnam who was known for his anti-Western policies, especially his......
Modena, Leone
Leone Modena was an Italian rabbi, preacher, poet, scholar, gambling addict, and polemicist who wrote an important......
Moffat, Robert
Robert Moffat was a Scottish missionary to Africa and Bible translator, who was known for his efforts to improve......
Mohammed, Warith Deen
Warith Deen Mohammed was an American religious leader, son and successor of Elijah Muhammad as head of the Nation......
Mohyla, Petro
Petro Mohyla was an Orthodox monk and theologian of Moldavian origin who served as metropolitan of Kiev and who......
Molcho, Solomon
Solomon Molcho was a martyr who announced the messiah, arousing the expectations of European Jews. The son of Marrano......
Molinos, Miguel de
Miguel de Molinos was a Spanish priest condemned for advocating an extreme form of Quietism, a doctrine that came......
Monod, Adolphe-Théodore
Adolphe-Théodore Monod was a Reformed pastor and theologian, considered the foremost Protestant preacher in 19th-century......
Montagu, Richard
Richard Montagu was an Anglican bishop, scholar, and theological polemicist whose attempt to seek a middle road......
Montanus
Montanus was the founder of Montanism, a schismatic movement of Christianity in Asia Minor (modern Turkey) and......
Montecorvino, Giovanni da
Giovanni da Montecorvino was an Italian Franciscan missionary who founded the earliest Roman Catholic missions......
Montfort, St. Louis-Marie Grignion de
St. Louis-Marie Grignion de Montfort ; canonized 1947; feast day April 28) was a French priest who promoted the......
Moody, Dwight L.
Dwight L. Moody was a prominent American evangelist who set the pattern for later evangelism in large cities. Moody......
Moon, Sun Myung
Sun Myung Moon was a South Korean religious leader who in 1954 founded the Holy Spirit Association for the Unification......
More, Henry
Henry More was an English poet and philosopher of religion who was perhaps the best known of the group of thinkers......
Morelos, José María
José María Morelos was a revolutionary priest who assumed leadership of the Mexican independence movement after......
Morgan, William
William Morgan was an Anglican bishop of the Reformation whose translation of the Bible into Welsh helped standardize......
Morin, Jean
Jean Morin was a French theologian and biblical scholar who produced major studies on the history and discipline......
Morone, Giovanni
Giovanni Morone was an Italian cardinal, one of the greatest diplomats of the Protestant Reformation, and the last......
Morrison, Robert
Robert Morrison was a Presbyterian minister, translator, and the London Missionary Society’s first missionary to......
Morsztyn, Zbigniew
Zbigniew Morsztyn was a Polish poet well known for his melancholy religious poetry. A courtier of the princely......
Morton, John
John Morton was an archbishop of Canterbury and cardinal, one of the most powerful men in England in the reign......
Moses
Moses was a Hebrew prophet, teacher, and leader who, in the 13th century bce (before the Common Era, or bc), delivered......
Moses De León
Moses De León was a Jewish Kabbalist and presumably the author of the Sefer ha-Zohar (“Book of Splendor”), the......
Mott, John R.
John R. Mott was an American Methodist layman and evangelist who shared the Nobel Prize for Peace in 1946 (with......
Muggleton, Lodowick
Lodowick Muggleton was an English Puritan religious leader and anti-Trinitarian heretic whose followers, known......
Muhammad
Muhammad was the founder of Islam and the proclaimer of the Qurʾān. He is traditionally said to have been born......
Muhammad, Elijah
Elijah Muhammad was the fiery leader of the Black separatist religious movement known as the Nation of Islam (sometimes......
Mullally, Sarah
Sarah Mullally is the 106th archbishop of Canterbury, the first woman to be appointed in the more than 1,400-year......
Mundelein, George William
George William Mundelein was a cardinal and archbishop of Chicago, a leading figure in the Americanization of the......
Muratori, Lodovico Antonio
Lodovico Antonio Muratori was a scholar and pioneer of modern Italian historiography. After studying at Modena......
Murphy-O’Connor, Cormac
Cormac Murphy-O’Connor was a British religious leader and former cardinal of the Roman Catholic Church. Three of......
Muḥammad al-Mahdī al-Ḥujjah
Muḥammad al-Mahdī al-Ḥujjah is venerated by the Ithnā ʿAshariyyah, or Twelver sect, the main body of Shīʿite Muslims.......
Müller, Max
Max Müller was a German scholar of comparative language, religion, and mythology. Müller’s special areas of interest......
Namdev
Namdev was a leading poet-saint of the Indian medieval period, who wrote in the Marathi language. Namdev was the......
Nayler, James
James Nayler was one of the most prominent early English Quakers. Nayler served in the Parliamentary army (1642–51)......
Naḥman ben Simḥah of Bratslav
Naḥman ben Simḥah of Bratslav was a Hasidic rabbi and teller of tales, founder of the Bratslaver Hasidic sect.......
Naḥmanides
Naḥmanides was a Spanish scholar and rabbi and Jewish religious leader. He was also a philosopher, poet, physician,......
Nemesius Of Emesa
Nemesius Of Emesa was a Christian philosopher, apologist, and bishop of Emesa (now Ḥimṣ, Syria) who was the author......
Nemours, Henri II de Savoie, duc de
Henri II de Savoie, duc de Nemours was the younger brother of Charles-Amédée de Savoie, whom he succeeded as duke......
Nenadović, Matija
Matija Nenadović was a Serbian priest and patriot, the first diplomatic agent of his country in modern times. He......
Nero
Nero was the fifth Roman emperor (54–68 ce), stepson and heir of the emperor Claudius. He became infamous for his......
Nerses I the Great, St.
St. Nerses I the Great ; feast day, November 19) was the patriarch of the Armenian church from about 353. A descendant......
Nesimi, Seyid İmadeddin
Seyid İmadeddin Nesimi was a mystical poet of the late 14th and early 15th centuries who wrote in Turkish, Persian,......
Nestorius
Nestorius was an early bishop of Constantinople whose views on the nature and person of Christ led to the calling......
Neumann, St. John
St. John Neumann ; canonized June 19, 1977; feast day January 5) was the bishop of Philadelphia and a leader in......
Newman, St. John Henry
St. John Henry Newman ; beatified September 19, 2010, canonized October 13, 2019; feast day October 9) was an influential......
Nguyen Kim Dien, Philippe
Philippe Nguyen Kim Dien was a Vietnamese prelate, archbishop of Hue and local leader of the Roman Catholic church......
Nicephorus Callistus Xanthopoulos
Nicephorus Callistus Xanthopoulos was a Byzantine historian and litterateur whose stylistic prose and poetry exemplify......
Nicephorus I, Saint
Saint Nicephorus I ; feast day March 13) was a Greek Orthodox theologian, historian, and patriarch of Constantinople......
Nicetas of Remesiana
Nicetas of Remesiana was a bishop, theologian, and composer of liturgical verse, whose missionary activity and......
Nichiren
Nichiren was a militant Japanese Buddhist prophet who contributed significantly to the adaptation of Buddhism to......
Nicholas I
Nicholas I was a Byzantine patriarch of Constantinople (901–907; 912–925), who contributed measurably to the attempted......
Nicholas III
Nicholas III was an Eastern Orthodox patriarch of Constantinople (1084–1111), theologian and liturgical scholar......
Nicholas Of Cusa
Nicholas Of Cusa was a cardinal, mathematician, scholar, experimental scientist, and influential philosopher who......
Nicholas, St
St. Nicholas ; Western feast day December 6; Eastern feast day December 19) was one of the most popular minor saints......
Nikolay Kasatkin, Saint
Saint Nikolay Kasatkin was a Russian Orthodox missionary and the first Orthodox bishop of Japan. Kasatkin, who......
Nikon
Nikon was a religious leader who unsuccessfully attempted to establish the primacy of the Orthodox church over......
Nilus Of Ancyra, Saint
Saint Nilus of Ancyra ; feast day November 12) was a Greek Byzantine abbot and author of extensive ascetical literature......
Nimrod
Nimrod, legendary biblical figure of the book of Genesis. Nimrod is described in Genesis 10:8–12 as “the first......
Ninian, St.
St. Ninian ; feast day September 16) was a bishop generally credited as the first Christian missionary to Scotland,......
Noailles, Louis-Antoine de
Louis-Antoine de Noailles was a cardinal and archbishop of Paris who, with his brother, the second duc de Noailles,......
Norbert of Xanten, Saint
Saint Norbert of Xanten ; canonized 1582; feast day June 6, among Premonstratensians July 11) was the archbishop......
Norris, John
John Norris was an Anglican priest and philosopher remembered as an exponent of Cambridge Platonism, a 17th-century......
Novatian
Novatian was the second antipope in papal history, in 251. He was the first Roman theologian to write in Latin......
Nowell, Alexander
Alexander Nowell was an English scholar, Anglican priest, and dean of St. Paul’s Cathedral in London whose tactless......
Nóbrega, Manuel da
Manuel da Nóbrega was the founder of the Jesuit mission of Brazil and leader of the order’s activities there from......
Nāṣer-e Khusraw
Nāṣer-e Khusraw was a poet, theologian, and religious propagandist, one of the greatest writers in Persian literature.......
Oates, Titus
Titus Oates was a renegade Anglican priest who fabricated the Popish Plot of 1678. Oates’s allegations that Roman......
Ochino, Bernardino
Bernardino Ochino was a Protestant convert from Roman Catholicism who became an itinerant Reformer and influenced......
Oecolampadius, Johann
Johann Oecolampadius was a German humanist, preacher, and patristic scholar who, as a close friend of the Swiss......
Olier, Jean-Jacques
Jean-Jacques Olier was the founder of the Sulpicians, a group of secular priests dedicated to training candidates......
Orchard, William Edwin
William Edwin Orchard was an English ecumenical priest who strove for a closer understanding between Protestants......
Oresme, Nicholas
Nicholas Oresme was a French Roman Catholic bishop, scholastic philosopher, economist, and mathematician whose......
Origen
Origen was the most important theologian and biblical scholar of the early Greek church. His greatest work is the......
Orosius, Paulus
Paulus Orosius was a defender of early Christian orthodoxy, theologian, and author of the first world history by......
Oswald of York, St.
St. Oswald of York ; feast day February 28) was an Anglo-Saxon archbishop who was a leading figure in the 10th-century......
Otto, Rudolf
Rudolf Otto was a German theologian, philosopher, and scholar of religion, who exerted worldwide influence through......
Owen, John
John Owen was an English Puritan minister, prolific writer, and controversialist. He was an advocate of Congregationalism......
O’Connor, John Joseph Cardinal
John Joseph Cardinal O’Connor was an American Roman Catholic prelate, who served as the archbishop of New York......
Pachomius, St.
St. Pachomius ; feast day May 9) was one of the Desert Fathers and founder of Christian cenobitic (communal) monasticism,......
Padilla, Juan
Juan Padilla was the first Christian missionary martyred within the territory of the present United States. After......
Palamas, St. Gregory
St. Gregory Palamas ; canonized 1368; feast day November 14) was an Orthodox monk, theologian, and intellectual......
Palladius
Palladius was a Galatian monk, bishop, and chronicler whose Lausiac History, an account of early Egyptian and Middle......
Pandulph
Pandulph was a papal legate to England and bishop of Norwich who was deeply involved in English secular politics.......
Papias
Papias was a bishop of Hierapolis, in Phrygia (now in Turkey), and one of the Apostolic Fathers. His work Explanation......
Paramārtha
Paramārtha was an Indian Buddhist missionary and translator whose arrival in China in 546 was important in the......
Parker, Matthew
Matthew Parker was an Anglican archbishop of Canterbury (1559–75) who presided over the Elizabethan religious settlement......
Parshvanatha
Parshvanatha, the 23rd Tirthankara (“Ford-maker,” i.e., saviour) of the present age, according to Jainism, a religion......