David ( el, Δαυΐδ; fl. 6th century) was a Greek scholar and a
commentator on
Aristotle
Aristotle (; grc-gre, Ἀριστοτέλης ''Aristotélēs'', ; 384–322 BC) was a Greek philosopher and polymath during the Classical period in Ancient Greece. Taught by Plato, he was the founder of the Peripatetic school of phil ...
and
Porphyry.
He may have come from
Thessaly
Thessaly ( el, Θεσσαλία, translit=Thessalía, ; ancient Thessalian: , ) is a traditional geographic and modern administrative region of Greece, comprising most of the ancient region of the same name. Before the Greek Dark Ages, Thes ...
, but in later times he was confused with an
Armenia
Armenia (), , group=pron officially the Republic of Armenia,, is a landlocked country in the Armenian Highlands of Western Asia.The UNbr>classification of world regions places Armenia in Western Asia; the CIA World Factbook , , and ''Ox ...
n of the same name (
David Anhaght).
[Pamela M. Huby, R. W. Sharples, ]Dimitri Gutas
Dimitri Gutas ( el, Δημήτρης Γούτας; born 1945, in Cairo) is an American Arabist and Hellenist specialized in medieval Islamic philosophy, who serves as professor emeritus of Arabic and Islamic Studies in the Department of Near East ...
, 1995, ''Theophrastus of Eresus, Sources for His Life, Writings, Thought and Influence'', page 16. Brill. He was a pupil of
Olympiodorus in
Alexandria
Alexandria ( or ; ar, ٱلْإِسْكَنْدَرِيَّةُ ; grc-gre, Αλεξάνδρεια, Alexándria) is the second largest city in Egypt, and the largest city on the Mediterranean coast. Founded in by Alexander the Great, Alexandria ...
in the late 6th century.
His name suggests that he was a
Christian
Christians () are people who follow or adhere to Christianity, a monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus Christ. The words ''Christ'' and ''Christian'' derive from the Koine Greek title ''Christós'' (Χρι ...
.
Three commentaries to Aristotle's works attributed to him have survived:
[D. N. Sedley, 2003, ''The Cambridge Companion to Greek and Roman Philosophy'', page 249.] as well as an introduction (''prolegomena'') to philosophy:
* ''Definitions and Divisions of Philosophy''
* Commentary on
Porphyry's ''
Isagoge
The ''Isagoge'' ( el, Εἰσαγωγή, ''Eisagōgḗ''; ) or "Introduction" to Aristotle's "Categories", written by Porphyry in Greek and translated into Latin by Boethius, was the standard textbook on logic for at least a millennium after his ...
''
* Commentary on
Aristotle
Aristotle (; grc-gre, Ἀριστοτέλης ''Aristotélēs'', ; 384–322 BC) was a Greek philosopher and polymath during the Classical period in Ancient Greece. Taught by Plato, he was the founder of the Peripatetic school of phil ...
's ''
Categories
Category, plural categories, may refer to:
Philosophy and general uses
*Categorization, categories in cognitive science, information science and generally
*Category of being
*Categories (Aristotle), ''Categories'' (Aristotle)
*Category (Kant)
...
''
* Commentary on Aristotle's ''
Prior Analytics
The ''Prior Analytics'' ( grc-gre, Ἀναλυτικὰ Πρότερα; la, Analytica Priora) is a work by Aristotle on reasoning, known as his syllogistic, composed around 350 BCE. Being one of the six extant Aristotelian writings on logic ...
'' (in Armenian)
All these works will be published, with an English translation, in the series ''Commentaria in Aristotelem Armeniaca - Davidis Opera'' (five volumes), edited by
Jonathan Barnes
Jonathan Barnes, British Academy, FBA (born 26 December 1942 in Wenlock, Shropshire) is an English scholar of Aristotelianism, Aristotelian and ancient philosophy.
Education and career
He was educated at the City of London School and Balliol Co ...
and Valentina Calzolari.
Another anonymous commentary on Porphyry's ''Isagoge'' which was falsely ascribed to Elias (''pseudo-Elias''), was also falsely ascribed to David.
[Pamela M. Huby, R. W. Sharples, Dimitri Gutas, 1995, ''Theophrastus of Eresus, Sources for His Life, Writings, Thought and Influence'', page 17. Brill.]
Notes
Bibliography
* A. Busse (ed.), ''Eliae in Porphyrii Isagogen et Aristotelis Categorias commentaria'', Berlin, 1900 (Commentaria in Aristotelem Graeca, XVIII-1).
* A. Busse (ed.), ''Davidis Prolegomena et in Porphyrii Isagogen commentarium'', Berlin, 1904 (Commentaria in Aristotelem Graeca, XVIII-2).
* B. Kendall, R. W. Thomson (eds.), ''Definitions and Divisions of Philosophy by David the Invincible Philosopher'', English Translation of the Old Armenian Version with Introduction and Notes, Chico, CA, 1983.
* V. Calzolari, J. Barnes (eds.), ''L'œuvre de David l'Invincible et la transmission de la pensée grecque dans la tradition arménienne et syriaque'' (CAA. Davidis Opera 1), Leiden - Boston: Brill, 2009 (Philosophia Antiqua 116).
* A. Topchyan (ed.), ''David the Invincible, Commentary on Aristotle's Prior Analytics''. Old Armenian Text with an English Translation, Introduction and Notes (CAA. Davidis Opera 2), Leiden - Boston: Brill, 2010 (Philosophia Antiqua 122).
* G. Muradyan (ed.), ''David the Invincible Commentary on Porphyry’s Isagoge''. Old Armenian Text with an English Translation, Introduction and Notes (CAA. Davidis Opera 3), Leiden - Boston: Brill, 2014 (Philosophia Antiqua 137).
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:David
6th-century Byzantine people
6th-century philosophers
Byzantine philosophers
Commentators on Aristotle
6th-century Byzantine writers