Resisting Rome, Reading the Latins: Gregory of Tatev and Western Scholastic Thought
Oct 19, 2026 7:00 PM ET
About the Lecture
Gregory of Tatev is renowned not only as one of the most learned Armenian scholars of the late medieval period, but also as a leading figure in the movement that resisted Roman influence in the South Caucasus and defended Armenian Apostolic doctrine against Western interference. Yet while his adoption of Western methods is sometimes acknowledged, less attention has been given to the possibility that his deep familiarity with Latin ideas may have shaped his thinking as well.
The lecture will introduce a Latin theological textbook that circulated widely in Western Europe before reaching the Armenian lands, where it was translated into Classical Armenian and extensively used by Tat‘ewac‘i. How did this Western textbook shape Tat‘ewac‘i’s thought and writing? Did its use alter his exposition of the Armenian doctrine? The lecture will show the close and numerous parallels between the textbook and the Book of Questions, but also unveil Tat’ewac’i’s creative and original use of Latin ideas.
Date
Oct 19, 2026 7:00 PM ET
Bio
Dr Ruth Gornandt is a Research Associate at the Faculty of Asian and Middle Eastern Studies at the University of Oxford. She holds a PhD in Systematic and Historical Theology. Her research focuses on the transmission and transformation of ideas across different periods and cultural contexts, with a particular interest in medieval Scholastic thought. Having initially explored the reception and critique of Aristotelian-Scholastic metaphysics in nineteenth- and twentieth-century Protestant theology, she turned to the reception of Scholastic thought in the works of Gregory of Tatev. Her research has since expanded to encompass the rich and diverse sources of his thought, ranging from Neoplatonic philosophy and the Greek patristic tradition to medieval Western theology and philosophy.
Hand painted icon by Dn. Karo Boyadzhyan, St. Nersess seminarian and artist.
