List of founders of religious traditions

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These are historical figures credited with founding religions or religious philosophies, or who codified older known religious traditions. The list includes those who have founded a specific major denomination within a larger religion.

Legendary/semi-historical

Traditional founder(s) Religious tradition founded Historical founder(s) Life of historical founder
Abraham (covenant with God)
Moses (religious law)		 Judaism Yahwists c. 13th to 8th century BC
Laozi Taoism Zhuang Zhou 369 BC – 286 BC
Aeneas
Romulus
Numa Pompilius		 Roman Religion Ancient Latins c. 8th to 7th century BC

Ancient (before AD 500)

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Founder name Religious tradition founded Life of founder
Akhenaten Atenism c. 1353 BC – 1336 BC
Zoroaster Zoroastrianism c. 1000 BC
Parshvanatha The penultimate (23rd) Tirthankara in Jainism 877 BC – 777 BC
Nebuchadnezzar II built the Etemenanki, established Marduk as the patron deity of Babylon[citation needed] c. 634 BC – 562 BC[citation needed]
Ajita Kesakambali Charvaka 6th century BC
Mahavira The final (24th) tirthankara in Jainism 599 BC – 527 BC
Gautama Buddha Buddhism 563 BC – 483 BC
Confucius Confucianism 551 BC – 479 BC
Pythagoras Pythagoreanism fl. 520 BC
Mozi Mohism 470 BC – 390 BC
Zamolxis Zamolxism 5th century BC
Makkhali Gosala Ājīvika 5th century BC
Ezra Second Temple Judaism fl. 459 BC
Epicurus Epicureanism fl. 307 BC
Zeno of Citium Stoicism 333 BC – 264 BC
Pharnavaz I of Iberia Armazi 326 BC – 234 BC
Valmiki Valmikism c. 3rd century BC
Patanjali Rāja yoga sect of Hinduism 2nd century BC
Jesus (and the Twelve Apostles) Christianity c. 4 BC – c. 30/33 AD
Paul the Apostle Pauline Christianity c. 33 AD
James the Just Jewish Christianity c. 33 AD
Lakulisha Pashupata Shaivism sect of Hinduism 1st century AD
Judah the Prince Rabbinic Judaism 2nd century AD
Montanus Montanism 2nd century AD
Marcion of Sinope Marcionism 110–160
Elkesai Elkesaism 170–230
Nagarjuna Madhyamaka 150–250
Plotinus Neoplatonism 205–270
Mani Manichaeism 216–274
Arius Arianism 250–336
Pelagius Pelagianism 354–430
Nestorius Nestorianism 386–451
Eutyches Monophysitism 380–456

Medieval to Early Modern (500–1800 AD)

Name Religious tradition founded Life of founder
Mazdak Mazdakism died c. 526
Bodhidharma Zen, more specifically Ch'an 5th or 6th century
Muhammad Islam c. 570–632
Gaudapada Advaita Vedanta c. 6th century CE
Songtsen Gampo Tibetan Buddhism 7th century
En no Gyōja Shugendō late 7th century
Huineng East Asian Zen Buddhism 638–713
Padmasambhava Nyingma 8th century
Han Yu Neo-Confucianism 8th or 9th century
Saichō Tendai (descended from Tiantai) 767–822
Kūkai Shingon Buddhism 774–835
Ibn Nusayr Alawites late 9th century
Matsyendranath Nath 10th century
Khadafi Shawawanism Islam 876-948
Ramanuja Vishishtadvaita 1017–1137
Great Peacemaker Great Law of Peace Between the 10th and 15th centuries
Hamza ibn ‘Alī ibn Aḥmad Druze 11th century
Sheikh Adi ibn Musafir Yazidism 12th century
Basava Lingayatism 12th century
Peter Waldo Waldensianism 1140–1205
Hōnen Jōdo-shū (descended from Pure Land Buddhism) 1131–1212
Eisai Rinzai Zen (descended from the Linji school) 1141–1215
Shinran Jōdo Shinshū (descended from Jōdo-shū) 1173–1263
Dōgen Sōtō Zen (descended from the Caodong school) 1200–1253
Haji Bektash Veli Bektashi Order of Sufism 1209–1271
Nichiren Nichiren Buddhism 1222–1282
Abraham Abulafia Prophetic Kabbalah, a.k.a. ecstatic Kabbalah 1240–1290s
Dyaneshwar Varkari 1275–1296
Madhvacharya Dvaita 1238–1317
John Wycliffe Lollardy 1320s–1384
Fażlu l-Lāh Astar-Ābādī Hurufism 14th century
Mahmoud Pasikhani Nuqṭawism late 14th century
Jan Hus Hussitism 1372–1415
Tlacaelel Cult of Huitzilopochtli 1397–1487
Ramananda Ramanandi Vaishnavism 15th century
Kabir Kabir Panth 1398–1448
Pachacuti Cult of Inti 1418–1472
Sankardev Ekasarana Dharma 1449–1568
Ravidas Ravidassia c. 1450–1520
Guru Nanak Sikhism, Nanak Panth 1469–1539
Sri Chand Udasi 1494–1629
Vallabha Acharya Shuddhadvaita 1479–1531
Martin Luther Lutheranism and Protestantism in general 1483–1546
Chaitanya Mahaprabhu Gaudiya Vaishnavism, Achintya Bheda Abheda 1486–1534
Thomas Cranmer Anglicanism (Church of England) 1489–1556
Menno Simons Mennonite 1496–1561
Conrad Grebel Swiss Brethren, Anabaptists 1498–1526
Jacob Hutter Hutterite 1500–1536
Isaac Luria Lurianic Kabbalah 1534–1572
Sultan Sahak Yarsanism early 15th century
John Calvin Calvinism 1509–1564
Michael Servetus Unitarianism 1511?–1553
John Knox Presbyterianism 1510–1572
Akbar Din-i Ilahi 1542–1605
Jacobus Arminius Arminianism 1560–1609
John Smyth Baptists 1570–1612
Avvakum[citation needed] Old Believers of Russian Orthodox Church 1620–1682
George Fox Quakers 1624–1691
Philipp Spener Pietism 1635–1705
Jakob Ammann Amish 1656–1730
Emanuel Swedenborg The New Church 1688–1772
Yisroel ben Eliezer "Baal Shem Tov" Hasidic Judaism 1698–1760
John Wesley, Charles Wesley, George Whitefield Methodism 1703–1791
Muhammad Ibn Abd al-Wahhab Wahhabism 1703–1792
Ann Lee Shakers 1736–1784

New religious movements (post-1800)

Name Religious tradition founded Life of founder
Shaykh Ahmad al-Ahsá'í Shaykhism, precursor of Bábism 1753–1826
Ram Mohan Roy Brahmo Samaj 1772–1833
Swaminarayan Swaminarayan Sampraday 1781–1830
Auguste Comte Religion of Humanity 1798–1857
Nakayama Miki Tenrikyo 1798–1887
Ignaz von Döllinger Old Catholic Church 1799–1890
Phineas Quimby New Thought 1802–1866
Allan Kardec (founder of the religion)
Holy Spirit (made the teachings)		 Spiritism 1804–1869
Joseph Smith Mormonism, also known as the Latter Day Saint movement 1805–1844
John Thomas Christadelphians 1805–1871
Abraham Geiger Reform Judaism 1810–1874
Jamgon Kongtrul Rimé movement 1813–1899
Hong Xiuquan Taiping Christianity 1814–1864
Bahá'u'lláh Baháʼí Faith 1817–1892
Báb Bábism, precursor of the Baháʼí Faith 1819–1850
Azriel Hildesheimer Modern Orthodox Judaism 1820–1899
James Springer White Seventh-day Adventist Church 1821–1881
Wang Jueyi Yiguandao 1821–1884
Mary Baker Eddy Christian Science 1821–1910
Ramalinga Swamigal Samarasa Sutha Sanmarga Sangam 1823–1874
Dayananda Saraswati Arya Samaj 1824–1883
Ellen G. White Seventh-day Adventist Church 1827–1915
John Ballou Newbrough Faithism 1828–1891
Helena Blavatsky Theosophy 1831–1891
Subh-i-Azal Azalism 1831–1912
Ayya Vaikundar Ayyavazhi 1833–1851
Mirza Ghulam Ahmad Ahmadiyya 1835–1908
Nao Deguchi Oomoto 1837–1918
John Slocum Indian Shaker Church 1838–1897
Guido von List Armanism (Germanic mysticism) 1848–1919
Charles Taze Russell Bible Student movement 1852–1916
Wovoka Ghost Dance 1856–1932
Rudolf Steiner Anthroposophy 1861–1925
Swami Vivekananda Ramakrishna Mission 1863–1902
William Irvine Two by Twos and Cooneyites 1863–1947
Max Heindel The Rosicrucian Fellowship 1865–1919
Tsunesaburo Makiguchi Soka Gakkai 1871–1944
Sri Aurobindo Integral yoga 1872–1950
Mason Remey Orthodox Baháʼí Faith 1874–1974
Aleister Crowley Thelema 1875–1947
Charles Fox Parham Pentecostalism 1873–1929
"Father Divine" International Peace Mission movement c. 1876–1965
Edgar Cayce Association for Research and Enlightenment 1877–1945
Ngô Văn Chiêu Caodaism 1878–1926
Guy Ballard "I AM" Activity 1878–1939
Frank Buchman Oxford Group/Moral Re-Armament 1878–1961
Alfred G. Moses Jewish Science 1878–1956
Ōnishi Aijirō Honmichi 1881–1958
Mordecai Kaplan Reconstructionist Judaism 1881–1983
Gerald Gardner Wicca 1884–1964
Felix Manalo Iglesia ni Cristo (Church of Christ) 1886–1963
Frank B. Robinson Psychiana 1886–1948
Noble Drew Ali Moorish Science Temple of America 1886–1929
Marcus Garvey Rastafari 1887–1940
Ernest Holmes Religious Science 1887–1960
Sadafal Deo Ji Maharaj Vihangamyoga 1888–1954
Aimee Semple McPherson Foursquare Church 1890–1944
Zélio Fernandino de Moraes Umbanda 1891–1975
Ida B. Robinson Mount Sinai Holy Church of America 1891–1946
B. R. Ambedkar Navayana Buddhism 1891–1956
Wallace Fard Muhammad Nation of Islam 1891–1934 (absentia)
Paramahansa Yogananda Yogoda Satsanga Society of India, Self-Realization Fellowship 1893–1952
Masaharu Taniguchi Seicho-no-Ie 1893–1985
A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada International Society for Krishna Consciousness 1896–1977
Ruth Norman Unarius 1900–1993
Ross Nichols Order of Bards, Ovates, and Druids 1902-1975
Swami Muktananda Siddha Yoga 1908–1982
Paul Twitchell Eckankar 1908–1971
Ikurō Teshima Makuya 1910–1973
L. Ron Hubbard Dianetics and Scientology 1911–1986
Chinmayananda Saraswati Chinmaya Mission 1916–1993
Victor Henry Anderson Feri Tradition 1917–2001
Maharishi Mahesh Yogi Transcendental Meditation 1918–2008
Samael Aun Weor Universal Christian Gnostic Movement 1917–1977
Mark L. Prophet The Summit Lighthouse 1918–1973
Ben Klassen Creativity 1918–1993
Ahn Sahng-hong World Mission Society Church of God 1918–1985
Huỳnh Phú Sổ Hòa Hảo 1919–1947
Yong (Sun) Myung Moon Unification Church 1920–2012
Prabhat Ranjan Sarkar Ananda Marga 1921–1990
Clarence 13X Five-Percent Nation 1922–1969
Mestre Gabriel União do Vegetal 1922–1971
Nirmala Srivastava Sahaja Yoga 1923–2011
Sveinbjörn Beinteinsson Ásatrú 1924–1993
Sathya Sai Baba Sathya Sai Organization 1926–2011
Michel Potay Pilgrims of Arès 1929–
Anton LaVey Church of Satan (LaVeyan Satanism) 1930–1997
Rajneesh Rajneesh movement 1931–1990
Mark L. Prophet;
Elizabeth Clare Prophet		 Church Universal and Triumphant 1918–1973;
1939–2009
Adi Da Adidam 1939–2008
Claude Vorilhon Raëlism 1946–
Marshall Vian Summers New Message from God 1949–
Li Hongzhi Falun Gong born 1951 or 1952
Ryuho Okawa Happy Science 1956–2023
Vissarion Church of the Last Testament 1961–
Chris Korda Church of Euthanasia 1962–
Tamara Siuda Kemetic Orthodoxy 1969–
Olumba Olumba Obu Brotherhood of the Cross and Star 1918–2003
Erdoğan Çınar Ishikism 21st century
J.R. "Bob" Dobbs Church of the SubGenius 1972–
Abdullah Hashem Ahmadi Religion of Peace and Light 1983–
Isak Gerson Missionary Church of Kopimism 1993–

See also

Bibliography

  • Beit-Hallahmi, Benjamin (1998). The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Active New Religions, Sects, and Cults (Revised ed.). Rosen Publishing Group. ISBN 978-0-8239-2586-5.
  • Brueggemann, Walter (2002). Reverberations of Faith: A Theological Handbook of Old Testament Themes. Westminster John Knox Press. ISBN 978-0-664-22231-4.
  • Chryssides, George D. (2001). Historical dictionary of new religious movements. The Scarecrow Press, Inc. ISBN 978-0-8108-4095-9.
  • Cousins, LS (1996), "The dating of the historical Buddha: a review article", Journal of the Royal Asiatic Society, 3, 6 (1): 57–63, doi:10.1017/s1356186300014760, S2CID 162929573
  • Jestice, Phyllis G. (2004). Holy People of the World: A Cross-cultural Encyclopedia (Volume 3). ABC-CLIO, Inc. ISBN 978-1-57607-355-1.
  • Melton, J. Gordon (2003). Encyclopedia of American Religions (Seventh ed.). Farmington Hills, Michigan: The Gale Group, Inc. ISBN 978-0-7876-6384-1.
  • Radhakrishnan, Sarvepalli; Moore, Charles (1957). A Source Book in Indian Philosophy. Princeton University Press. ISBN 978-0-691-01958-1. {{cite book}}: ISBN / Date incompatibility (help)
  • Riegel, J (3 July 2002). "Confucius". Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy. Retrieved 27 October 2018.
  • Schumann, Hans Wolfgang (2003), The Historical Buddha: The Times, Life, and Teachings of the Founder of Buddhism, Motilal Banarsidass, ISBN 978-8120818170
  • Smith, Christian; Joshua Prokopy (1999). Latin American Religion in Motion. New York: Routledge. ISBN 978-0-415-92106-0.
  • Singh, Upinder (2016), A History of Ancient and Early Medieval India: From the Stone Age to the 12th Century, Pearson Education, ISBN 978-93-325-6996-6
  • Zimmer, Heinrich (1953) [April 1952], Campbell, Joseph (ed.), Philosophies Of India, London: Routledge & Kegan Paul Ltd, ISBN 978-81-208-0739-6 {{citation}}: ISBN / Date incompatibility (help)

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