David the Invincible was a Neoplatonic philosopher active in the 6th century CE. He is traditionally considered a pupil of Olympiodorus in Alexandria, and his career spanned the final years of pagan philosophical schools in the Roman Empire. According to later stories, he earned his title "the Invincible" after a successful public debate in Constantinople, possibly before Emperor Justinian I. Armenian tradition holds that he was of Armenian origin and that he later returned to Armenia, where he became a major intellectual figure. The precise details of his life, however, are sparse and blend historical fact with legend.
His surviving works are introductory textbooks on logic and philosophy. The two core texts attributed to him are an Introduction to Philosophy and a Commentary on Porphyry's Isagoge, which was a standard guide to Aristotle's logic. Some commentaries on other works by Aristotle are also attributed to him, though modern scholars note that the authorship of these is sometimes disputed between David and his contemporary, Elias.
David the Invincible is historically significant for bridging Greek and Armenian thought. According to modern scholars, his clear, pedagogical writings became foundational textbooks in medieval Armenian schools. Through these works, he played a pivotal role in transmitting the traditions of Greek logic and Neoplatonic philosophy into the Armenian intellectual world, where he is revered as a founding father of philosophy.
Available Works
Sources
- Stanford Encyclopedia Entry (Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy) Accessed: 2026-01-26
- IEP Entry (Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy) Accessed: 2026-01-26
- Britannica Entry (Encyclopædia Britannica) Accessed: 2026-01-26
- Oxford Research Encyclopedia Entry (Oxford Research Encyclopedia of Classics) Accessed: 2026-01-26