Ancient (before AD 500)
- See culture hero for legendary founders of doubtful historicity.
| Name | Religious tradition founded | Life of founder |
|---|---|---|
| Naram-Sin of Akkad | first known ruler to impose an imperial cult | 22nd century BC (short chronology) |
| Ur-Nammu | built the Ziggurat of Ur to Nanna | 21st century BC (short chronology) |
| Abraham | Blood-right of inheritance for Judaism, Christianity, Islam, and more recently Baha'i | approx. 2000 - 1800 BC |
| Akhenaten | Atenism | 14th century BC (conventional Egyptian chronology) |
| Moses | Judaism, Samaritanism | approx. 12 century BC |
| Various Rishis | composed the hymns of the Rigveda foundational to historical Vedic religion | second half of 2nd millennium BC |
| Solomon | Israelite king who built the first Temple in Jerusalem to Yahweh. | 10th century BC (For Solomon's historicity, see Solomon#Historical figure) |
| Parshva | The penultimate (23rd) Tirthankara in Jainism | 877–777 BCE |
| Zoroaster | composed the gathas foundational to Zoroastrianism | c. 11th to 9th c. BC |
| Numa Pompilius | Roman king who codified and organized the Roman religion | 717 BC – 673 BC |
| Laozi | Taoism | 6th c. BC |
| Nebuchadnezzar II | built the Etemenanki, established Marduk as the patron deity of Babylon | 6th c. BC |
| Mahavira | The final Tirthankara in Jainism | 599–527 BCE |
| Siddhārtha Gautama Buddha | Buddhism | ca. 5th c. BC |
| Confucius | Confucianism | 551 BC – 479 BC |
| Pythagoras | Pythagoreanism | fl. 520 BC |
| Mozi | Mohism | 470 BC – 390 BC |
| Ezra HaSofer | established Second Temple Judaism | fl. 459 BC |
| Epicurus | Epicureanism | fl. 307 BC |
| Zeno of Citium | Stoicism | 333 BC – 264 BC |
| Patanjali | Raja Yoga (part of Hinduism) | 2nd century BC |
| Jesus | Christianity | ca. 5 - 4BC - ca. 33 AD |
| Paul the Apostle and Saint Peter | Pauline Christianity | 1st century |
| James the Just | Jewish Christianity | 1st century |
| Judah haNasi | Talmudic Rabbinical Judaism | 2nd century AD |
| Nagarjuna | Madhyamaka | 150–250 |
| Plotinus | Neoplatonism | 205–270 |
| Marcion of Sinope | Marcionism | 110–160 |
| Mani | Manichaeism | 210–276 |
| Arius | Arianism | 250–336 |
| Pelagius | Pelagianism | 354–430 |
| Nestorius | Nestorianism | 386–451 |
| Eutyches | Monophysitism | 380–456 |
Read more about this topic: List Of Founders Of Religious Traditions
Famous quotes containing the word ancient:
“Still green with bays each ancient altar stands
Above the reach of sacrilegious hands,”
—Alexander Pope (1688–1744)