Home›Sages›TraditionBrowse ByTraditionThis page groups figures by the wider religious tradition that recognizes them. Wikipedia notes that "within Christianity, veneration is practiced by groups such as the Catholic Church, Eastern Orthodox Church, and the Oriental Orthodox Churches, all of which have varying types of canonization or glorification processes." Browsing by tradition lets a visitor read every figure from one religious tradition together.FactsLearn MoreTraditionSourcesComments (0)Reader Challenges (0)FactsOverviewWhat Defines This GroupingWell-attestedA heading of the atlas's own making rather than a category from the study of religion: figures revered for wisdom and teaching rather than for rule, prophecy or miracle. 2Peoples and Traditions CoveredWell-attestedA cover term over traditions with unrelated criteria for the office: the rishi of Vedic India, the acharya of the Indian schools, the Tirthankara of Jainism, the rabbinic sage, the junzi and the classical masters of China. None of those words is what the English word names, and the heading should not be read as one class of person. 2DirectoryCategoryWell-attestedFigures 1Learn MoreThe sages This group gathers sages: figures revered above all for wisdom: teachers, philosophers, seers and learned masters whose insight rather than miracle or rule defines their place in tradition. It is the largest character grouping in the atlas and spans many cultures. The browser will find the wise figures of many traditions, the rishis of India, the teachers of Chinese thought, the philosophers and holy teachers of other cultures. The entries describe each sage's teaching and the tradition that remembers them.TraditionFilter Results10 entriesAdherents Today MaximumAll5,000,000 (1)14,800,000 (1)30,000,000 (1)324,000,000 (1)1,200,000,000 (1)2,000,000,000 (1)2,300,000,000 (1)Adherents Today MinimumAll5,000,000 (1)14,800,000 (1)25,000,000 (1)324,000,000 (1)1,200,000,000 (1)2,000,000,000 (1)2,300,000,000 (1)Basis of the Membership FigureAllChurch-Reported Rolls (1)Independent Survey (7)National Census (1)Scholarly or Demographic Estimate (5)Era of Decline End YearAll550 (1)1976 (2)Era of Decline Start YearAll380 (1)1966 (2)Establishment StatusAllDeclared Not Established (1)Disestablished (1)Established (1)No Establishment (1)Varies by Province (4)How the Expectation Is EnforcedAllCodified Obligation With Consequences (2)Customary Norm (4)Membership Figure As OfAll1969-12-31 (1)2001-03-01 (1)2010-01-01 (5)2011-01-27 (1)2011-03-01 (1)2011-12-19 (1)2012-12-18 (2)2013-01-01 (1)2015-01-01 (1)2016-01-01 (1)2018-01-01 (2)2020-01-01 (5)2021-01-01 (1)2023-08-30 (1)2026-08-13 (1)Origin Period End YearAll3000 BCE (1)500 BCE (1)479 BCE (1)400 BCE (2)50 (1)142 (1)632 (1)1708 (1)1863 (1)Origin Period Start YearAll3300 BCE (1)1500 BCE (1)586 BCE (1)551 BCE (1)500 BCE (1)400 BCE (1)30 (1)610 (1)1499 (1)1844 (1)Position on MarriageAllMarriage is held to be monogamous, with remarriage after divorce sanctioned under specified conditions (2)Marriage may licitly be polygynous (1)Position on SexualityAllSame-sex orientation or practice is held to bar full membership or participation (2)Same-sex sexual relationships are held contrary to teaching; LGBT individuals are welcomed as members but not ordained, and same-sex unions are not blessed (1)The body holds no single settled position; the question is actively and openly contested within it (2)Position on UsuryAllInterest is permitted but bound by ethical constraints against exploiting the poor (1)Interest of any kind on a loan is forbidden (1)Practice StatusAllDiscontinued as a state religion (1)Living, and practised in varied local forms (6)Partly restricted: some elements are closed to outsiders (3)Standard Rate ExpectedAllNineteen percent. (1)Ten percent. (2)Two and a half percent. (1)Status TodayAllHistorical; not practised continuously (1)Living tradition, practised today (9)TheologyAllAncestor-centred (1)Monistic: one ultimate reality behind all appearance (2)Monotheistic: one God (5)Non-theistic: no creator god is central (2)Panentheistic: the divine both within the world and beyond it (1)Polytheistic: many gods (3)Show ResultsBrowseCompareAncient Egyptian ReligionTradition1 entryBahá’í FaithTradition1 entryBuddhismTradition13 entriesChristianityTradition12 entriesConfucianismTradition5 entriesHinduismTradition26 entriesIslamTradition7 entriesJudaismTradition4 entriesSikhismTradition1 entryTaoismTradition3 entriesSources1. Divinity Atlas Directory Taxonomy, First Edition Category Treetier 12. Encyclopedia of Religiontier 1Mircea Eliade (ed.); Lindsay Jones (ed., 2nd ed.), Macmillan Reference, 2005The classification of religious figuresView the SourceDivinity Atlas Directory Prose, First Edition Category Descriptionstier 1Comments (0)No comments yet. Be the first to share a thought.Sign in to join the discussion.Reader Challenges (0)No disputes yet. Spotted an error or a better source? Open the first one.Sign in to dispute this or suggest a correction.