Scholar, representative of the Neo-Hellenic Enlightenment, educational innovator. Born in 1725 in Tsernovoda, Dovroutsa, a region of contemporary Roumania, he died in Bucharest in 1800. His birth name is not known. He was given the Christian name Iosipos when he was ordained archdeacon; Misiodax indicates his origin. He studied at schools in Thessaloniki, Smyrni and in Athoniada at Mount Athos under the guidance of Eugenios Voulgaris. In 1795 he became a deacon of Agios Georgios in Venice, and in1760/61 he studied natural philosophy at Padua. In 1765 he accepted the invitation of Emperor Gregory III Geka of Moldavia to teach in the Afthentiki Scholi (Authentic School) of Iasios. He taught geography, mathematics, and supported the need to separate the study and teaching of philosophy and theology, replacing the ancient Greek language with demotic Greek. He supported the teaching of the sciences and rational philosophy. His ideas were very controversial. In 1766 he resigned for health reasons. He returned in 1776 but resigned once more a year later after new opposition. Drifting for four years in Central Europe, he settled in Venice (1779) where he published some of his work including his Apology(1780)./P>