Spiritual Leaders & Religious Figures, HER-JES
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
Hertz, Joseph Herman
Joseph Herman Hertz was the chief rabbi of the United Hebrew Congregations of the Commonwealth and author of books......
Herzog, Isaac Halevi
Isaac Halevi Herzog was a scholar, author, religious philosopher, lecturer, chief rabbi of the Irish Free State......
Hesburgh, Theodore
Theodore Hesburgh was an American Roman Catholic priest and educator under whose presidency (1952–87) the University......
Hesychius Of Jerusalem
Hesychius Of Jerusalem was a priest-monk, renowned in the Eastern Church as a theologian, biblical commentator,......
Heywood, Jasper
Jasper Heywood was a Jesuit priest and poet whose translations of the works of the Roman playwright Seneca, including......
Hicks, Elias
Elias Hicks was an early advocate of the abolition of slavery in the United States and a liberal Quaker preacher......
Hidalgo y Costilla, Miguel
Miguel Hidalgo y Costilla was a Roman Catholic priest and revolutionary leader who is called the father of Mexican......
Hilarion Of Kiev
Hilarion Of Kiev was the first native metropolitan of Kiev, who reigned from 1051 to 1054, and the first known......
Hilarion, Saint
Saint Hilarion ; feast day October 21) was a monk and mystic who founded Christian monasticism in Palestine modeled......
Hilary of Arles, St.
St. Hilary of Arles ; feast day May 5) was a Gallo-Roman bishop of Arles who is often regarded as providing the......
Hilary of Poitiers, St
St. Hilary of Poitiers ; feast day January 13) was a Gallo-Roman theologian who, as bishop of Poitiers (in what......
Hilary, St
St. Hilary ; feast day February 28) was the pope from 461 to 468. In 449 Emperor Theodosius II convened the Third......
Hilda of Whitby, Saint
Saint Hilda of Whitby ; feast day November 17) was the founder of Streaneshalch (now Whitby) Abbey and one of the......
Hildegard, St
St. Hildegard ; canonized May 10, 2012; feast day September 17) was a German abbess, visionary mystic, and composer.......
Hill, Rowland
Rowland Hill was an English popular preacher and founder of the Surrey Chapel. He was educated at Shrewsbury and......
Hincmar of Reims
Hincmar of Reims was an archbishop, canon lawyer, and theologian, the most influential political counselor and......
Hinn, Benny
Benny Hinn is a televangelist, faith healer, and author known for his “miracle crusades” that are held in major......
Hinsley, Arthur
Arthur Hinsley was an English Roman Catholic cardinal and fifth archbishop of Westminster who was an outspoken......
Hippolytus of Rome, Saint
Saint Hippolytus of Rome ; Western feast day August 13, Eastern feast day January 30) was a Christian martyr who......
Hiram
Hiram, Phoenician king of Tyre (reigned 969–936 bc), who appears in the Bible as an ally of the Israelite kings......
Hirsch, Samson Raphael
Samson Raphael Hirsch was a major Jewish religious thinker and founder of Trennungsorthodoxie (Separatist Orthodoxy),......
Hirsch, Samuel
Samuel Hirsch was a religious philosopher, rabbi, and a leading advocate of radical Reform Judaism. He was among......
Hobart, John Henry
John Henry Hobart was a U.S. educator, publisher, author, and bishop of the Protestant Episcopal Church whose emphasis......
Hofbauer, St. Clement Mary
St. Clement Mary Hofbauer ; canonized May 20, 1909; feast day March 15) was a Roman Catholic missionary priest......
Hofmeister, Sebastian
Sebastian Hofmeister was a Swiss religious Reformer who was a prominent figure in the debates of the early Reformation.......
Holdheim, Samuel
Samuel Holdheim was a German rabbi who became a founder and leader of radical Reform Judaism. His theological positions......
Hong Xiuquan
Hong Xiuquan was a Chinese religious prophet and leader of the Taiping Rebellion (1850–64), during which he declared......
Hooks, Benjamin L.
Benjamin L. Hooks was an American jurist, minister, and government official who was executive director of the National......
Hort, Fenton J A
Fenton J. A. Hort was an English New Testament scholar who produced, with Brooke Foss Westcott, a major critical......
Hoshea
Hoshea, in the Old Testament (2 Kings 15:30; 17:1–6), son of Elah and last king of Israel (c. 732–724 bc). He became......
Hosius Of Córdoba
Hosius Of Córdoba was a Spanish bishop of Córdoba who, as ecclesiastical adviser to Emperor Constantine I, was......
Hosius, Stanislaus
Stanislaus Hosius was a Polish cardinal, one of the most significant figures of the Counter-Reformation. Consecrated......
Hubert Walter
Hubert Walter was an archbishop of Canterbury, papal legate, justiciar of King Richard I of England, and chancellor......
Huet, Pierre-Daniel
Pierre-Daniel Huet was a French scholar, antiquary, scientist, and bishop whose incisive skepticism, particularly......
Hugh of Lincoln, Little Saint
Little Saint Hugh of Lincoln ; feast day August 27 [suppressed]) was a legendary English child martyr who was supposedly......
Hugh of Lincoln, St.
St. Hugh of Lincoln ; canonized 1220; Anglican feast day November 16) was a French-born bishop of Lincoln, England,......
Hugh of Saint-Cher
Hugh of Saint-Cher was a French cardinal and biblical commentator best known for his work in correcting and indexing......
Hughes, John
John Hughes was the first Roman Catholic archbishop of New York, who became one of the foremost American Roman......
Hui-yüan
Hui-yüan was a celebrated early Chinese Buddhist priest who formed a devotional society of monks and lay worshipers......
Humbert of Silva Candida
Humbert of Silva Candida was a cardinal, papal legate, and theologian whose ideas advanced the 11th-century ecclesiastical......
Hus, Jan
Jan Hus was the most important 15th-century Czech religious reformer, whose work was transitional between the medieval......
Huxley, Thomas Henry
Thomas Henry Huxley was an English biologist, educator, and advocate of agnosticism (he coined the word). Huxley’s......
Huynh Phu So
Huynh Phu So was a Vietnamese philosopher, Buddhist reformer, and founder (1939) of the religion Phat Giao Hoa......
Hyginus, St.
St. Hyginus ; feast day January 11) was the pope from about 136 to about 140. Hyginus had been a philosopher, possibly......
Héloïse
Héloïse was the wife of the theologian and philosopher Peter Abelard, with whom she was involved in one of the......
Hélyot, Hippolyte
Hippolyte Hélyot was a French historian and Franciscan friar whose greatest work provides the definitive and most......
Hōnen
Hōnen was a Buddhist priest and the founder of the Pure Land (Jōdo) Buddhist sect of Japan. He was seminal in establishing......
Ibn al-Jawzī
Ibn al-Jawzī was a jurist, theologian, historian, preacher, and teacher who became an important figure in the Baghdad......
Ibn Tūmart
Ibn Tūmart was a Berber spiritual and military leader who founded the al-Muwaḥḥidūn confederation in North Africa......
Ibn ʿAbbād
Ibn ʿAbbād was an Islamic theologian who became the leading mystical thinker of North Africa in the 14th century.......
Ibrāhīm, Saʿd al-Dīn
Saʿd al-Dīn Ibrāhīm is an Egyptian American professor and civil rights activist known for his vocal criticism of......
Ieronymos II
Ieronymos II is the archbishop of Athens and all Greece (from 2008) and head of the Orthodox Church of Greece.......
Ignatius of Antioch, St
St. Ignatius of Antioch ; Western feast day October 17; Eastern feast day December 20) was the third bishop of......
Illich, Ivan
Ivan Illich was an Austrian philosopher and Roman Catholic priest known for his radical polemics arguing that the......
Inglis, Charles
Charles Inglis was a Canadian clergyman and educator who became the first Anglican bishop of Nova Scotia. Inglis......
Innitzer, Theodor
Theodor Innitzer was a cardinal and primate of Austria who withdrew his original support of the Nazi regime and......
Innocent I, Saint
Saint Innocent I ; feast day July 28) was the pope from 401 to 417, who condemned Pelagianism, a heresy concerning......
Innocent Veniaminov, Saint
Saint Innocent Veniaminov ; canonized Oct. 6, 1977) was the most famous Russian Orthodox missionary priest of the......
Ireland, John
John Ireland was the first archbishop of St. Paul; head of the liberal Roman Catholic clergy who promoted the integration......
Irenaeus, St
St. Irenaeus ; Western feast day June 28; Eastern feast day August 23) was the bishop of Lugdunum (Lyon), an Apologist,......
Irving, Edward
Edward Irving was a Church of Scotland minister whose teachings became the basis of the religious movement known......
Isaac
Isaac, in the Hebrew Bible (Old Testament) book of Genesis, the second of the patriarchs of Israel, the only son......
Isaac of Nineveh
Isaac of Nineveh, was a Syrian bishop, theologian, and monk whose writings on mysticism became a fundamental source......
Isaac the Great, St.
St. Isaac the Great ; Western feast day September 9; Eastern feast day November 20 (or 25); Armenian feast day......
Isaiah
Isaiah was a prophet after whom the biblical Book of Isaiah is named (only some of the first 39 chapters are attributed......
Ishmael
Ishmael, son of Abraham through Hagar, according to the three great Abrahamic religions—Judaism, Christianity,......
Ishmael ben Elisha
Ishmael ben Elisha was a Jewish tanna (Talmudic teacher) and sage who left an enduring imprint on Talmudic literature......
Isidore Of Kiev
Isidore Of Kiev was a Greek Orthodox patriarch of Russia, Roman cardinal, Humanist, and theologian who strove for......
Isidore of Sevilla, St
St. Isidore of Sevilla ; canonized 1598; feast day April 4) was a Spanish theologian, archbishop, and encyclopedist......
Ismāʿīl Shahīd, Muḥammad
Muḥammad Ismāʿīl Shahīd was an Indian Muslim reformer who attempted to purge Indian Islam from idolatry and who......
Isserles, Moses ben Israel
Moses ben Israel Isserles was a Polish-Jewish rabbi and codifier who, by adding notes on Ashkenazic customs to......
Ivo of Chartres, Saint
Saint Ivo of Chartres ; feast day May 23) was the bishop of Chartres who was regarded as the most learned canonist......
Jablonski, Daniel Ernst
Daniel Ernst Jablonski was a Protestant theologian who worked for a unification of Lutherans and Calvinists. Jablonski......
Jackson, Sheldon
Sheldon Jackson was an American Presbyterian minister and educator, generally regarded as the foremost apostle......
Jacob
Jacob, Hebrew patriarch who is considered the traditional ancestor of the Twelve Tribes of Israel. He is renamed......
Jacob Joseph Of Polonnoye
Jacob Joseph Of Polonnoye was a rabbi and preacher, the first theoretician and literary propagandist of Jewish......
Jacob Of Serugh
Jacob Of Serugh was a Syriac writer described for his learning and holiness as “the flute of the Holy Spirit and......
Jacobus De Voragine
Jacobus De Voragine was the archbishop of Genoa, a chronicler, and the author of the Golden Legend. Jacobus became......
Jakes, T.D.
T.D. Jakes is an American nondenominational bishop, author, and speaker who founded The Potter’s House, a Dallas......
James the Less, St
St. James the Less ; Western feast day May 3; Eastern feast day October 9) was one of the Twelve Apostles of Jesus.......
James, St
St. James ; Roman Catholic feast day July 25; Eastern Orthodox feast day April 30) was one of the Twelve Apostles,......
James, St
St. James ; Western feast day May 3; Eastern feast day October 23) was a Christian apostle, according to St. Paul,......
Jansen, Cornelius Otto
Cornelius Otto Jansen was a Flemish leader of the Roman Catholic reform movement known as Jansenism. He wrote biblical......
Januarius, Saint
Saint Januarius ; feast day September 19) was the bishop of Benevento and patron saint of Naples. He is believed......
Japheth
Japheth, one of the three sons of Noah in the Bible. According to the tradition of the “Priestly” source of the......
Jarratt, Devereux
Devereux Jarratt was an American Anglican clergyman and preacher who emulated the Methodism of John Wesley and......
Jaʿfar al-Ṣādiq
Jaʿfar al-Ṣādiq was the sixth imam, or spiritual successor to the Prophet Muhammad, of the Shiʿi branch of Islam......
Jefferts Schori, Katharine
Katharine Jefferts Schori is an American prelate who was the first female presiding bishop of the Episcopal Church......
Jehoiachin
Jehoiachin, in the Old Testament (II Kings 24), son of King Jehoiakim and king of Judah. He came to the throne......
Jehoiakim
Jehoiakim, in the Old Testament (II Kings 23:34–24:17; Jeremiah 22:13–19; II Chronicles 36:4–8), was son of King......
Jehoram
Jehoram, one of two contemporary Old Testament kings. Jehoram, the son of Ahab and Jezebel and king (c. 849–c.......
Jehoshaphat
Jehoshaphat, king (c. 873–c. 849 bc) of Judah during the reigns in Israel of Ahab, Ahaziah, and Jehoram, with whom......
Jehu
Jehu, king (c. 842–815 bc) of Israel. He was a commander of chariots for the king of Israel, Ahab, and his son......
Jellinek, Adolf
Adolf Jellinek was a rabbi and scholar who was considered to be the most forceful Jewish preacher of his time in......
Jephthah
Jephthah, a judge or regent (often a hero figure) of Israel who dominates a narrative in the Book of Judges, where......
Jeremiah
Jeremiah was a Hebrew prophet, reformer, and author of a biblical book that bears his name. He was closely involved......
Jeremias II
Jeremias II was the patriarch of Constantinople and one of the most capable leaders of the Greek Orthodox church.......
Jerome of Prague
Jerome of Prague was a Czech philosopher and theologian whose advocacy of sweeping religious reform in the Western......
Jerome, St
St. Jerome ; feast day September 30) was a biblical translator and monastic leader, traditionally regarded as the......
Jesse
Jesse, in the Hebrew Bible (Old Testament), the father of King David. Jesse was the son of Obed and the grandson......