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:
“I am ... willing to admit that some people might live there for years, or even a lifetime, so protected that they never sense the sweet stench of corruption that is all around themthe keen, thin scent of decay that pervades everything and accuses with a terrible accusation the superficial youthfulness, the abounding undergraduate noise, that fills those ancient buildings.”
—Thomas Merton (19151968)