Spiritual Leaders & Religious Figures, LAW-MES
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
Lawson, James
James Lawson was an American minister who was instrumental in the founding of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating......
Lazarus
Lazarus, (âGod Has Helpedâ), either of two figures mentioned in the New Testament. One, Lazarus of Bethany, is......
Le Van Duyet
Le Van Duyet was a Vietnamese military strategist and government official who served as a diplomatic liaison between......
Leah
Leah, in the Hebrew Bible (Old Testament), primarily in Genesis, first wife of Jacob (later Israel) and the traditional......
Lefebvre, Marcel (-François)
Marcel Lefebvre was a Roman Catholic archbishop who opposed the liberalizing changes begun by the Second Vatican......
Leighton, Robert
Robert Leighton was a Scottish Presbyterian minister and devotional writer who accepted two Anglican bishoprics......
Leo I, St
St. Leo I ; Western feast day November 10 ([formerly April 11]), Eastern feast day February 18) was the pope, the......
Leo XI
Leo XI was the pope from April 1â27, 1605. Pope Gregory XIII made him bishop of Pistoia, Italy, in 1573, archbishop......
Leo XIV
Leo XIV is the pope, the leader of the Roman Catholic Church. He was elected on May 8, 2025, succeeding Pope Francis......
Liberius
Liberius was the pope from 352 to 366. He was elected on May 17, 352, to succeed Pope St. Julius I. Liberius was......
Lietzmann, Hans
Hans Lietzmann was a German scholar and Lutheran church historian noted for his investigations of Christian origins.......
Liguori, St. Alphonsus
St. Alphonsus Liguori ; canonized 1839; feast day August 1) was an Italian doctor of the church, one of the chief......
Linus, St.
St. Linus ; feast day September 23) was the pope from about 67 to 76 or 79, who may have been the immediate successor......
Llull, Ramon
Ramon Llull was a Catalan mystic and poet whose writings helped to develop the Romance Catalan language and widely......
LomĂ©nie de Brienne, Ătienne-Charles de
Ătienne-Charles de LomĂ©nie de Brienne was a French ecclesiastic and minister of finance on the eve of the French......
Lorraine, Charles de Lorraine, 2nd cardinal de
Charles de Lorraine, 2nd cardinal de Lorraine was one of the foremost members of the powerful Roman Catholic house......
Lorraine, Jean de Lorraine, 1st cardinal de
Jean de Lorraine, 1st cardinal de Lorraine was a French cardinal of the celebrated family of Guise, a noted patron......
Lot
Lot, in the Hebrew Bible, a nephew of the patriarch Abraham and a central figure in the story of Sodom and Gomorrah.......
Lowth, Robert
Robert Lowth was a Church of England bishop of London (appointed 1777) and a literary scholar. During his Oxford......
Lucaris, Cyril
Cyril Lucaris was the patriarch of Constantinople who strove for reforms along Protestant Calvinist lines. His......
Lucian of Antioch, Saint
Saint Lucian of Antioch was a Christian theologian-martyr who originated a theological tradition at Antioch that......
Lucifer
Lucifer was a bishop of Cagliari, Sardinia, who was a fierce opponent of the heresy of Arianism (q.v.). To further......
Lucius I, St.
St. Lucius I ; feast day March 4) was the pope from June 253 to March 254. Lucius is honoured in Denmark as the......
Lucy, St
St. Lucy ; feast day December 13) was a virgin martyr who was one of the earliest Christian saints to achieve widespread......
Ludmila, St.
St. Ludmila ; feast day September 16) was a Slavic martyr and patron of Bohemia, where she pioneered in establishing......
Lugo, Fernando
Fernando Lugo is a former Roman Catholic bishop who became president of Paraguay (2008â12). His inauguration ended......
Luke, St
St. Luke ; feast day October 18) was, in Christian tradition, the author of the Gospel According to Luke and the......
Luther, Martin
Martin Luther was a German theologian and religious reformer who was the catalyst of the 16th-century Protestant......
Luzzatto, Moshe កayyim
Moshe កayyim Luzzatto was a Jewish cabalist and writer, one of the founders of modern Hebrew poetry. Luzzatto wrote......
LĂ©vi, Sylvain
Sylvain LĂ©vi was a French Orientalist who wrote on Eastern religion, literature, and history and is particularly......
LĂłpez de Segura, Ruy
Ruy LĂłpez de Segura was a Spanish priest, the first modern Chess writer and analyst, and developer (though not......
Macarius
Macarius was a Russian metropolitan (archbishop) of Moscow and head of the Russian Church during the period of......
Macarius Magnes
Macarius Magnes was an Eastern Orthodox bishop and polemicist, author of an apology for the Christian faith, a......
Macarius the Egyptian
Macarius the Egyptian ; feast day January 15) was a monk and ascetic who, as one of the Desert Fathers, advanced......
Macedonius
Macedonius was a Greek bishop of Constantinople and a leading moderate Arian theologian in the 4th-century Trinitarian......
Machray, Robert
Robert Machray was a Scottish-born archbishop of Rupertâs Land in northern and western Canada. He studied at Aberdeen......
Mackenzie, Charles Frederick
Charles Frederick Mackenzie was a Scottish-born Anglican priest and the first bishop in the British colonial territory......
Macleod, Norman
Norman Macleod was an influential liberal Presbyterian minister of the Church of Scotland who took advantage of......
Maerlant, Jacob van
Jacob van Maerlant was a pioneer of the didactic poetry that flourished in the Netherlands in the 14th century.......
Magnes, Judah Leon
Judah Leon Magnes was a rabbi, religious leader, prime founder and first president of the Hebrew University of......
Magnus, Johannes
Johannes Magnus was a Roman Catholic archbishop and historian, one of the most distinguished scholars of his time,......
Mahadevi
Mahadevi was a Hindu poet-saint of the Karnataka region of India. Married to a local king against her will, Mahadevi......
Mahavira
Mahavira was the last of the 24 Tirthankaras (âFord-makers,â i.e., saviours who promulgated Jainism), and the reformer......
Mahendra
Mahendra was a propagator of Buddhism in Ceylon. Generally believed to be the son of the Indian emperor AĆoka,......
Makarios III
Makarios III was the archbishop and primate of the Orthodox Church of Cyprus. He was a leader in the struggle for......
Malachy, St
St. Malachy ; canonized 1190; feast day November 3) was a celebrated archbishop and papal legate who became a dominant......
Malebranche, Nicolas
Nicolas Malebranche was a French Roman Catholic priest, theologian, and major philosopher of Cartesianism, the......
Manasseh ben Israel
Manasseh ben Israel was a major Hebraic scholar of the Jewish community of Amsterdam and the founder of the modern......
Manasses, Constantine
Constantine Manasses was a Byzantine chronicler, metropolitan (archbishop) of Naupactus, and the author of a verse......
Manning, Henry Edward
Henry Edward Manning was a member of the Oxford movement, which sought a return of the Church of England to the......
Mannix, Daniel
Daniel Mannix was a Roman Catholic prelate who became one of Australiaâs most controversial political figures during......
Marcellinus, St.
St. Marcellinus ; feast day June 2) was the pope probably from 291/296 to 304, although the dates of his reign,......
Marcellus I, St.
St. Marcellus I ; feast day January 16) was the pope from December 306 to January 308 or from May or June 308 to......
Marcellus II
Marcellus II was the pope from April 9/10 to May 1, 1555. He was one of the few popes in the modern period to retain......
Margaret of Antioch, St
St. Margaret of Antioch ; Eastern feast day July 17 [Julian calendar]; Western feast day July 20) was a Christian......
Margunios, Maximus
Maximus Margunios was a Greek Orthodox bishop and humanist exponent of Greek culture in Italy, whose attempt to......
Mark (the Evangelist), St
St. Mark ; Western feast day April 25, Eastern feast day September 23) was the traditional author of the second......
Mark The Hermit
Mark The Hermit was a theological polemicist and author of works on Christian asceticism notable for their psychological......
Mark, Saint
Saint Mark ; feast day October 7) was the pope from Jan. 18 (?) to Oct. 7, 336. He is credited with having given......
Marshall, Stephen
Stephen Marshall was a Presbyterian minister and popular Puritan leader. He was an influential preacher to the......
Martin I, St
St. Martin I ; feast day April 13) was the pope, the leader of the Roman Catholic Church, from 649 to 653. He is......
Martin of Tours, St
St. Martin of Tours ; Western feast day, November 11; Eastern feast day November 12) was a Roman Catholic bishop......
Martin, James
On June 12, 2016, a mass shooter in a nightclub in Orlando, Florida, killed 49 people, most of whom were members......
Martineau, James
James Martineau was an English Unitarian theologian and philosopher whose writings emphasized the individual human......
Martinuzzi, György
György Martinuzzi was a Hungarian statesman and later cardinal who worked to restore and maintain the national......
Marty, Martin E.
Martin E. Marty was an American historian of religion best known as the author of numerous works that examined......
Mary
Mary was the mother of Jesus, venerated in the Christian church since the apostolic age and a favorite subject......
Mary Magdalene, St
St. Mary Magdalene ; feast day July 22) was one of Jesusâ most celebrated disciples, famous, according to Mark......
Mason, John Mitchell
John Mitchell Mason was a U.S. minister and educator, who is best known for his work in raising standards of Protestant......
Mather, Increase
Increase Mather was a Boston Congregational minister, author, and educator, who was a determining influence in......
Mather, Richard
Richard Mather was an English-born American Congregational minister, father of Increase Mather and three other......
Mathew, Theobald
Theobald Mathew was an Irish priest and orator known as the âApostle of Temperance.â Ordained in 1813, Mathew entered......
Matsyendranatha
Matsyendranatha was the first guru (spiritual teacher) of the Nathas, a popular Indian religious movement combining......
Matthew, St
St. Matthew ; Western feast day September 21, Eastern feast day November 16) was one of the Twelve Apostles of......
Matthews, Mother Bernardina
Mother Bernardina Matthews was an American religious leader, the founder of the first monastery of a Roman Catholic......
Matthias, St.
St. Matthias ; Western feast day February 24, Eastern feast day August 9) was, in the New Testament, among the......
Maurice, Saint
Saint Maurice ; feast day September 22) was a Christian soldier whose alleged martyrdom, with his comrades, inspired......
Mauropous, John
John Mauropous was a Byzantine scholar and ecclesiastic, author of sermons, poems and epigrams, letters, a saintâs......
Maximinus, Galerius Valerius
Galerius Valerius Maximinus was a Roman emperor from 310 to 313 and a persistent persecutor of the Christians.......
Mayne, St. Cuthbert
St. Cuthbert Mayne ; canonized October 25, 1970; feast day October 25) was one of the Forty Martyrs of England......
Mazarin, Jules, Cardinal
Jules, Cardinal Mazarin was the first minister of France after Cardinal de Richelieuâs death in 1642. During the......
McCarrick, Theodore
Theodore McCarrick was a former Roman Catholic archbishop and cardinal who, after being accused of sexually abusing......
McCloskey, John
John McCloskey was the second archbishop of New York, who was the first American churchman to be appointed cardinal.......
McConnell, Francis John
Francis John McConnell was an American Methodist bishop, college president, and social reformer. McConnell entered......
McGroarty, Sister Julia
Sister Julia McGroarty was an Irish-born American religious leader and educator. She was the first American superior......
McPherson, Aimee Semple
Aimee Semple McPherson was a controversial American Pentecostal evangelist and early radio preacher whose International......
Medici, Ippolito deâ
Ippolito deâ Medici was an Italian cardinal and one of the pawns in the civil strife of Florence in the 1520s and......
Meir Of Rothenburg
Meir Of Rothenburg was a great rabbinical authority of 13th-century German Jewry and one of the last great tosaphists......
Melchizedek
Melchizedek, in the Hebrew Bible (Old Testament), a figure of importance in biblical tradition because he was both......
Meletios Pegas
Meletios Pegas was a Greek Orthodox patriarch of Alexandria who strove by theological arguments and ecclesiastical......
Meletius of Antioch, Saint
Saint Meletius of Antioch ; feast day February 12) was a bishop of Antioch whose name is attached to the Meletian......
Meletius of Lycopolis
Meletius of Lycopolis was a bishop of Lycopolis, in Upper Egypt, near Thebes, who formed an ascetic, schismatic......
Melito of Sardis
Melito of Sardis was a Greek bishop of Sardis in Lydia (now in Turkey), whose rediscovered theological treatise......
Mellitus of Canterbury, Saint
Saint Mellitus of Canterbury ; feast day April 24) was the first bishop of London and the third archbishop of Canterbury......
Menahem
Menahem was a king of Israel whose 10-year reign was distinguished for its cruelty. Events of his rule are related......
Mencius
Mencius was an early Chinese philosopher whose development of orthodox Confucianism earned him the title âsecond......
Mendel, Gregor
Gregor Mendel was a botanist, teacher, and Augustinian prelate, the first person to lay the mathematical foundation......
Mercier, Désiré-Joseph
Désiré-Joseph Mercier was a Belgian educator, cardinal, and a leader in the 19th-century revival of the philosophy......
Merton, Thomas
Thomas Merton was a Roman Catholic monk, poet, and prolific writer on spiritual and social themes. The author of......
Mesrop Mashtots, St.
St. Mesrop Mashtots ; Western feast day, Thursday following 4th Sunday after Pentecost, and Monday following 3rd......