Ovanes Vorotnetsi

Born 1315; died 1386. Armenian philosopher, teacher, and church and political figure.

Ovanes Vorotnetsi studied philosophy under Esai Nichetsi at the University of Gladzor in what is now Ekhegnadzor Raion, Armenian SSR. In 1345 he founded the University of Tatev, which became a major scholarly and cultural center of medieval Armenia. Ovanes Vorotnetsi opposed the Uniate Catholics, advocating an autocephalous Armenian Church. In his writings, he developed the traditions of Aristotelian philosophy. His philosophical legacy includes extensive commentaries on Aristotle’s Categories and On Interpretation and on Porphyry’s Introduction to Aristotle’s “Categories’’ Ovanes Vorotnetsi took a nominalist position in his analysis of the problems of logic and epistemology. Grigor Tatevatsi was his student and follower.