Spiritual Leaders & Religious Figures, ARN-BOR
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
Arnauld, Jeanne-Catherine-Agnès
Jeanne-Catherine-Agnès Arnauld was the abbess of the Jansenist centre of Port-Royal and author of the religious......
Arnobius The Elder
Arnobius The Elder was an early Christian convert who defended Christianity by demonstrating to the pagans their......
Arnulf of Chocques
Arnulf of Chocques was the Latin patriarch of Jerusalem in 1099 and again from 1112 until his death. Accompanying......
Arnulf of Metz, Saint
Saint Arnulf of Metz ; feast day August 16 or 19) was the bishop of Metz and, with Pippin I, the earliest known......
Arrupe, Pedro
Pedro Arrupe was the 28th superior general (1965–83) of the Society of Jesus. Known for his spiritual depth and......
Arsenius Autorianus
Arsenius Autorianus was the patriarch of Constantinople, whose deposition caused a serious schism in the Byzantine......
Arsenius the Great
Arsenius the Great ; feast day July 19) was a Roman noble, later monk of Egypt, whose asceticism among the Christian......
Arundel, Thomas
Thomas Arundel was an English statesman and archbishop of Canterbury who aided the opponents of King Richard II.......
Asbury, Francis
Francis Asbury was the first bishop of the Methodist Episcopal Church consecrated in the United States. His efforts......
Asch, Sholem
Sholem Asch was a Polish-born American novelist and playwright, the most controversial and one of the most widely......
Aseric
Aseric was the first bishop of Kalocsa, who played an instrumental role in the foundation of the Hungarian state......
Asher ben Jehiel
Asher ben Jehiel was a major codifier of the Talmud, the rabbinical compendium of law, lore, and commentary. His......
Athaliah
Athaliah, in the Old Testament, the daughter of Ahab and Jezebel and wife of Jeham, king of Judah. After the death......
Athanaric
Athanaric was a Visigothic chieftain from 364 to 376 who fiercely persecuted the Christians in Dacia (approximately......
Athanasius I
Athanasius I was a Byzantine monk and patriarch of Constantinople, who directed the opposition to the reunion of......
Athanasius, St
St. Athanasius ; feast day May 2) was an early Christian theologian, ecclesiastical statesman, and Egyptian national......
Athenagoras
Athenagoras was a Greek Christian philosopher and Apologist whose Presbeia peri Christianōn (c. 177; Embassy for......
Athenagoras I
Athenagoras I was the ecumenical patriarch and archbishop of Constantinople (modern Istanbul) from 1948 to 1972.......
Atterbury, Francis
Francis Atterbury was an Anglican bishop, a brilliant polemical writer and orator who was a leader of the Tory......
Aubusson, Pierre d’
Pierre d’ Aubusson was the grand master of the military-religious Order of St. John of Jerusalem, known for his......
Augustine of Canterbury, St
St. Augustine of Canterbury ; feast day in England and Wales May 26; General Roman Calendar May 27; traditional......
Augustine, St
St. Augustine ; feast day August 28) was the bishop of Hippo from 396 to 430, one of the Latin Fathers of the Christian......
Awlaki, Anwar al-
Anwar al-Awlaki was an American Islamic preacher and al-Qaeda terrorist killed by a controversial U.S. drone attack.......
Aylmer, John
John Aylmer was an Anglican bishop of London in the reign of Elizabeth I, known for his vigorous enforcement of......
Azariah, Vedanayakam Samuel
Vedanayakam Samuel Azariah was the first Indian bishop of the Anglican Church in India. He was the son of an Indian......
Aëtius
Aëtius was a Syrian bishop and heretic who, during the theological controversies over the Christian Trinity, founded......
Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal
Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal was a Muslim theologian, jurist, and martyr for his faith. He was the compiler of the Musnad,......
Bacon, John
John Bacon was an American clergyman, legislator, and judge who was an early advocate of civil and religious liberty.......
Baeck, Leo
Leo Baeck was a Reform rabbi and theologian, the spiritual leader of German Jewry during the Nazi period, and the......
Bakócz, Tamás
Tamás Bakócz was an archbishop who led a Crusade against the Ottoman Turks in 1514. Bakócz was born into a serf......
Balaam
Balaam, non-Israelite prophet described in chapters 22–24 of the Book of Numbers, the fourth book of the Hebrew......
Balbuena, Bernardo de
Bernardo de Balbuena was a poet and the first bishop of Puerto Rico, whose poetic descriptions of the New World......
Balsamon, Theodore
Theodore Balsamon was the principal Byzantine legal scholar of the medieval period and patriarch of Antioch (c.......
Balue, Jean
Jean Balue was a French cardinal, the treacherous minister of King Louis XI. Of humble parentage, Balue was first......
Bancroft, Richard
Richard Bancroft was the 74th archbishop of Canterbury (1604–10), notable for his stringent opposition to Puritanism,......
Bar Hebraeus
Bar Hebraeus was a medieval Syrian scholar noted for his encyclopaedic learning in science and philosophy and for......
Bar Salibi, Jacob
Jacob Bar Salibi was the great spokesman of the Jacobite (miaphysite) church in the 12th century. A native of Melitene......
Barbara, St
St. Barbara ; feast day December 4) was a legendary virgin martyr of the early Christian church. Venerated as one......
Barberi, Domenico, Blessed
Blessed Domenico Barberi was a mystic and Passionist who worked as a missionary in England. Born a peasant and......
Barnabas, St.
St. Barnabas ; feast day June 11) was an important early Christian missionary mentioned in the New Testament and......
Barnes, Ernest William
Ernest William Barnes was a controversial Anglican bishop of Birmingham, a leader in the Church of England modernist......
Barnes, Robert
Robert Barnes was an English Lutheran who was martyred after being used by King Henry VIII to gain support for......
Baron, Salo Wittmayer
Salo Wittmayer Baron was an Austrian-born American historian who spent much of his life compiling the multivolume......
Barrow, Henry
Henry Barrow was a lawyer and early Congregationalist martyr who challenged the established Anglican church by......
Barth, Karl
Karl Barth was one of the most influential Protestant theologians of the 20th century who radically changed Protestant......
Bartholomew I
Bartholomew I has served as the 270th ecumenical patriarch and archbishop of Constantinople within the Eastern......
Bartholomew, St
St. Bartholomew ; Western feast day August 24; date varies in Eastern churches) was one of the Twelve Apostles......
Barton, Elizabeth
Elizabeth Barton was an English ecstatic whose outspoken prophecies aroused public opinion over the matrimonial......
Basil Of Ancyra
Basil Of Ancyra was a Greek theologian and bishop of Ancyra (now Ankara, Tur.) whose attempt to mediate a controversy......
Basil the Great, St
St. Basil the Great ; Western feast day January 2; Eastern feast day January 1) was an early Church Father who......
Basilios
Basilios was a religious leader who, on Jan. 14, 1951, became the first Ethiopian bishop to be consecrated abuna,......
Bassi, Ugo
Ugo Bassi was an Italian priest and patriot, who was a follower of Giuseppe Garibaldi in his fight for Italian......
Bastwick, John
John Bastwick was an English religious zealot who, in the reign of Charles I, opposed the liturgical and ecclesial......
Bathsheba
Bathsheba, in the Hebrew Bible (2 Samuel 11, 12; 1 Kings 1, 2), wife of Uriah the Hittite; she later became one......
Baʿal Shem Ṭov
Baʿal Shem Ṭov was the charismatic founder (c. 1750) of Hasidism, a Jewish spiritual movement characterized by......
Beaufort, Henry
Henry Beaufort was a cardinal and bishop of Winchester and a dominant figure in English politics throughout the......
Becket, St. Thomas
St. Thomas Becket ; canonized 1173; feast day December 29) was the chancellor of England (1155–62) and archbishop......
Beckett, Sister Wendy
Sister Wendy Beckett was a South African-born British nun who appeared on a series of popular television shows......
Bedreddin
Bedreddin was an Ottoman theologian, jurist, and mystic whose social doctrines of communal ownership of property......
Beecher, Henry Ward
Henry Ward Beecher was a liberal U.S. Congregational minister whose oratorical skill and social concern made him......
Belhadj, Ali
Ali Belhadj is the deputy leader of the Islamic Salvation Front (FIS), an Algerian political party. Born to Algerian......
Bell, George Kennedy Allen
George Kennedy Allen Bell was an Anglican bishop of Chichester, outstanding ecumenicist, and leading British churchman......
Bellarmine, St. Robert
St. Robert Bellarmine ; canonized 1930; feast day September 17) was an Italian cardinal and theologian, an opponent......
Bellay, Jean du
Jean du Bellay was a French cardinal and diplomat, one of the chief counsellors of King Francis I of France and......
Belo, Carlos Filipe Ximenes
Carlos Filipe Ximenes Belo is a former Roman Catholic bishop of Dili (1988–2002) who, with José Ramos-Horta, received......
Belshazzar
Belshazzar was a coregent of Babylon who was killed at the capture of the city by the Persians. Belshazzar had......
Benedict XVI
Benedict XVI was the bishop of Rome and head of the Roman Catholic Church from 2005 to 2013. Prior to his election......
Bennett, Belle Harris
Belle Harris Bennett was an American church worker whose energetic efforts on behalf of Christian education and......
Benno, Saint
Saint Benno ; canonized 1523; feast day June 16) was the bishop of Meissen. While a canon with the imperial collegiate......
Benson, Edward White
Edward White Benson was the archbishop of Canterbury (1883–96), whose Lincoln Judgment (1890), a code of liturgical......
Beran, Josef
Josef Beran was the Roman Catholic archbishop of Prague (1946), made a cardinal in 1965. He was interned in 1949......
Bergson, Henri
Henri Bergson was a French philosopher, the first to elaborate what came to be called a process philosophy, which......
Berkeley, George
George Berkeley was an Anglo-Irish Anglican bishop, philosopher, and scientist best known for his empiricist and......
Berlin, Isaiah ben Judah Loeb
Isaiah ben Judah Loeb Berlin was a Jewish scholar noted for his textual commentaries on the Talmud and other writings.......
Bernardin, Cardinal Joseph
When Joseph Bernardin was appointed archbishop of Chicago in 1982, he introduced himself to the priests of the......
Bernardine of Siena, St
St. Bernardine of Siena ; canonized 1450; feast day May 20) was a Franciscan theologian and preacher of great eloquence......
Berrigan, Daniel
Daniel Berrigan was an American writer, Roman Catholic priest, and antiwar activist whose poems and essays reflect......
Berthold Von Henneberg
Berthold Von Henneberg was an archbishop-elector of Mainz, imperial chancellor and reformer, who worked unsuccessfully......
Bertinoro, Obadiah of
Obadiah of Bertinoro was an Italian rabbinic author whose commentary on the Mishnah (the codification of Jewish......
Bertone, Cardinal Tarcisio
Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone is an Italian cardinal of the Roman Catholic Church who served as the Vatican secretary......
Bessarion
Bessarion was a Byzantine humanist and theologian, later a Roman cardinal, and a major contributor to the revival......
Bhave, Vinoba
Vinoba Bhave was one of India’s best-known social reformers and a widely venerated disciple of Mohandas K. (Mahatma)......
Bildad
Bildad, in the Old Testament, one of the three principal comforters of Job. Bildad is introduced (Job 2:11) as......
Blackburn, Gideon
Gideon Blackburn was a Presbyterian clergyman, educator, and missionary to the Cherokee Indians. He became a Presbyterian......
Blair, Hugh
Hugh Blair was a Scottish minister and university professor, best known for his Sermons, which enjoyed an extraordinary......
Blaise, St
St. Blaise ; Western feast day, February 3; Eastern feast day, February 11) was an early Christian bishop and martyr......
Blake, Eugene Carson
Eugene Carson Blake was a churchman and ecumenical leader who was a major figure in American Protestantism during......
Bloch, Joseph Samuel
Joseph Samuel Bloch was an Austrian rabbi, politician, journalist, and crusader against antisemitism, particularly......
Boethius, Anicius Manlius Severinus
Anicius Manlius Severinus Boethius was a Roman scholar, Christian philosopher, and statesman, author of the celebrated......
Bojo Guksa
Bojo Guksa was a Buddhist priest who founded the Chogye-jong (Chogye Sect), now one of the largest Buddhist sects......
Bonaventure, Saint
Saint Bonaventure ; canonized April 14, 1482; feast day July 15) was a leading medieval theologian, minister general......
Boniface I, Saint
Saint Boniface I ; feast day September 4) was the pope from 418 to 422, whose reign was markedly disrupted by the......
Boniface Of Savoy
Boniface Of Savoy was an archbishop of Canterbury who, because he was a foreigner and because he attempted to remedy......
Boniface, St
St. Boniface ; feast day June 5) was an English missionary and reformer who is often called the “Apostle of Germany”......
Bonner, Edmund
Edmund Bonner was the bishop of London who supported Henry VIII’s antipapal measures but rejected the imposition......
Booth, Catherine
Catherine Booth was the wife of the founder of the Salvation Army (William Booth), and herself an eloquent preacher......
Booth, William
William Booth was the founder and general (1878–1912) of the Salvation Army. The son of a speculative builder,......
Borgia, Cesare
Cesare Borgia was the natural son of Pope Alexander VI. He was a Renaissance captain who, as holder of the offices......
Borgongini-Duca, Francesco
Francesco Borgongini-Duca was a cardinal, Vatican dignitary, and author of the Lateran Treaty, which assured the......
Borromeo, St. Charles
St. Charles Borromeo ; canonized 1610; feast day November 4) was a Roman Catholic cardinal and archbishop who was......