'Measured Theology': Gregory of Tatev (1346-1410) and the Limits of Theological Knowledge
UPCOMING EVENT | 25 May 2026 16:00 - 25 May 2026 17:30
Armenian Studies Lecture
Measured Theology' Gregory of Tatev (1346-1410) and the Limits of Theological Knowledge
Dr Ruth Gornandt, Faculty of Asian and Middle Eastern Studies
Monday 25th May | 16:00 - 17:30 | SCR Parlour, Pembroke College
Gregory of Tatev is one of the great Armenian scholars of the Middle Ages. His main work is the monumental Book of Questions in which he sets forth his comprehensive teaching for his students. At the beginning of his doctrine of God he uses the expression ‘measured theology’ without further explication. While his students will have understood the expression, it seems opaque and confusing to a modern reader. The lecture will explore the meaning of the expression by connecting it to Gregory’s theological approach and the different traditions behind it. It will show that the expression forms part of careful epistemological considerations of what humanity can and cannot know about God.
Dr Ruth Gornandt received her doctorate in Historical and Systematic Theology from Humboldt University of Berlin/Germany. During her Marie Curie fellowship at the Faculty of Theology and Religion in Oxford, she began researching medieval Armenian theology, particularly Gregory of Tatev. She is now a research associate at the Faculty of Asian and Middle Eastern Studies at Oxford.
'Measured Theology': Gregory of Tatev (1346-1410) and the Limits of Theological Knowledge
UPCOMING EVENT | 25 May 2026 16:00 - 25 May 2026 17:30
Armenian Studies Lecture
Measured Theology' Gregory of Tatev (1346-1410) and the Limits of Theological Knowledge
Dr Ruth Gornandt, Faculty of Asian and Middle Eastern Studies
Monday 25th May | 16:00 - 17:30 | SCR Parlour, Pembroke College
Gregory of Tatev is one of the great Armenian scholars of the Middle Ages. His main work is the monumental Book of Questions in which he sets forth his comprehensive teaching for his students. At the beginning of his doctrine of God he uses the expression ‘measured theology’ without further explication. While his students will have understood the expression, it seems opaque and confusing to a modern reader. The lecture will explore the meaning of the expression by connecting it to Gregory’s theological approach and the different traditions behind it. It will show that the expression forms part of careful epistemological considerations of what humanity can and cannot know about God.
Dr Ruth Gornandt received her doctorate in Historical and Systematic Theology from Humboldt University of Berlin/Germany. During her Marie Curie fellowship at the Faculty of Theology and Religion in Oxford, she began researching medieval Armenian theology, particularly Gregory of Tatev. She is now a research associate at the Faculty of Asian and Middle Eastern Studies at Oxford.