Kostiantyn Riabtsev
PhD candidate - 2nd cohort
Ancient and Medieval Philosophy
Research project
My research argues that the Timaeus has been one of the major authorities used from Pre-Reformation until Counter-Reformation to either support or condemn the radical views of Western Christianity. One of the crucial topics discussed in these contexts was the perfect intelligible world created by the demiurge as the model for the sensible world (Tim. 29c-31a). The doctrine of mundus archetypus, the world of ideas, describes the perfect world that enables the constitution of metaphysical and epistemological dialectic between the sensible and the intelligible.
Through my project, I intend to make accessible a previously overlooked cultural patrimony by editing hitherto unpublished texts. Based on these critical editions, I will address a major gap in scholarship by examining the reception of the Timaeus in the Latin West between the famous and well-studied School of Chartres and the Italian Renaissance. The main goal of my research is to provide the first-ever doctrinal study of the use of Plato’s Timaeus in two major moments of Western thought: in the beginning of the Reformation (from John Wyclif to Jan Hus) and during Counter-Reformation (from Marsilio Ficino to the 16th-century commentators of the dialogue). This project revisits a seminal hermeneutical concept in the history of philosophy: Plato Christianus.
Two major sections articulate my PhD thesis: (i) a study of the reading of the Timaeus in the 14th-15th centuries in Pre-Reformation, from John Wyclif to Jan Hus; (ii) a study with partial critical editions from commentaries on the Timaeus from the 15th-16th centuries, during the Reformation and Counter-Reformation.
Curriculum Vitae
International Academy Vivarium Novum:
- In-detail Readings in Latin of Horace’s “Odes” for the 1st year students within Ancient Poetry and Metric course
- In-detail Readings in Latin of Ovid’s “Metamorphoses” for the 1st year students within Ancient Poetry and Metric course
- Latin and Ancient Greek Classes for visiting high-school groups
Academic education
Doctoral Research Associate at the DFG Research Training Group 2792 "Autonomy of Heteronomous Texts in Antiquity and the Middle Ages", Friedrich Schiller University Jena, Germany
MA in Classics, specialization «Classical Languages and Literatures (Translation Included)», educational programme «Classical Studies and West-European Language», Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv, Ukraine: diploma with honours, thesis «De secreto conflictu curarum mearum by Francesco Petrarch: internal dialogue as a reflection of the creation of a new worldview»
B.A. in Classics in specialization «Classical Languages and Literatures (Translation Included)», educational programme «Classical Philology and the English Language», Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv, Ukraine: diploma with honours, thesis «Lingua-stylistic means of expressing persuasiveness in the rhetorical discourse of Antiquity (based on the speeches of Demosthenes and Cicero)»
Islamic Philosophy course at the International Academy Vivarium Novum (Frascati, RM, Italy)
ΙΑΣΩΝ Online School of Modern Greek Language and Culture for Advanced Level (Γ1.1.1) organised by Aristotle University of Thessaloniki (course with evaluation, successfully completed with the highest possible score: 10/10) (with scholarship)
OLP Oxford Online Summer School of Latin for Advanced Level (with scholarship)
OLP Oxford Online Summer School of Ancient Greek for Intermediate Level (highest accessible at the time within OLP programmes) (with scholarship)
Teaching
- Ancient Greek and Latin Tutoring Classes, both in person and online
- Ancient Greek and Latin Classes for visiting high-school and university groups
- Introductory Ancient Greek History lecture course in English for the future 1st year students
- Ancient Greek History lecture course in Latin for the future 2nd year students
- Advanced Reading Seminars in Ancient Greek on Demosthenes’ «On the Crown», supported by biographical and stylistic introduction by means of anthology from Cicero, Dionysius of Halicarnassus, and Plutarch
- Advanced Reading Seminars in Ancient Greek on Homer’s «Odyssey»
- Advanced Reading Seminars in Ancient Greek on Polybius’ «Histories»
- Advanced Reading Seminars in Ancient Greek on Procopius’ «History of the Wars», «Buildings», «Secret History»
- Advanced Reading Seminars in Ancient Greek on Leo the Deacon’s «History»
- Advanced Reading Seminars in Ancient Greek on the Fall of Constantinople Testimonies by Byzantine historians
- Advanced Reading Seminars in Ancient Greek on Procopius’ «Gothic War»
- Advanced Reading Seminars in Ancient Greek on Euripides’ «Iphigenia in Aulis»
- Advanced Reading Seminars in Latin on Livy’s «Ab Urbe condita»
- In-detail Readings in Latin of Cicero’s 2nd Philippic
- In-detail Readings in Latin of Ovid’s «Metamorphoses»
- In-detail Readings in Latin of Horace’s «Odes»
- Advanced Reading Seminars in Latin on Einhard’s «Vita Karoli Magni»
- Advanced Reading Seminars in Latin on Helmold’s «Chronica Slavorum»
- Advanced Reading Seminars in Latin on Petrarch’s «De secreto conflictu curarum mearum»
Nationale Taras-Schewtschenko-Universität (Kiew, Ukraine):
- Lectures on Rhetoric at Students Lectorium «РЕПЛІКА», organised by the Students Parliament of the Educational and Scientific Institute of Philology
- Classical and Medieval Latin Classes for the students of Ancient and Medieval History at the Faculty of History
Organisation of Academic Events
Frascati, Rome, Italy: contributions to the Accademia Vivarium Novum conferences, including simultaneous interpreting of speeches and presentations from and to Ancient Greek, Latin, Italian, English, and Modern Greek
Organiser of a lecture with practical session elements by Dr Irene Polinskaya (King’s College London) on “The role of epigraphic in discovering ancient monuments” in Ukrainian Archaeological Museum, Kyiv
Co-organiser of the “Ancient Polis” event – workshop on Ancient Greek language, history, literature and philosophy, Kyiv
Publications
Peer-review articles: Lazer-Pankiv O. V., Riabtsev K. A. ‘Peculiarities of Expressing Persuasiveness in Demosthenes’ Philippics’ in Studia Linguistica Vol. XV, edited by ЛОГОС, Kyiv, 2019, p. 125-139.
Editorial contributions as Project Assistant at the Department of General Linguistics, Classical Philology and Neohellenistics of the Educational and Scientific Institute of Philology at Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv (2019-2021):
- Revising and correcting the new edition of Ancient Mythology, Ancient Literature and Ancient Rhetoric Textbook (2020-2021)
- Revising, correcting and re-arranging the new amplified edition of Latin Language University Textbook, whose original edition is honoured and highly recommended by the Ministry of Education and Science of Ukraine (2020)
- Revising and correcting the new Ukrainian – Ancient Greek – Modern Greek – English Dictionary (2020)
- Providing the initial translation of a previously unknown letter by Pylyp Orlyk (Ukrainian Cossack military commander, Hetman in exile, political figure of 17th-18th century) to the Swedish king (2019)
Publications
Peer-Review-Artikel:
Lazer-Pankiv O. V., Riabtsev K. A., «Besonderheiten der Vermittlung von Überzeugungskraft in Demosthenes’ Philippiken» in Studia Linguistica, Band XV, herausgegeben von ЛОГОС, Kiew, 2019, S. 125-139
Redaktionelle Tätigkeiten als Projektassistentin am Lehrstuhl für Allgemeine Sprachwissenschaft, Klassische Philologie und Neohellenistik des Pädagogisch-Wissenschaftlichen Instituts für Philologie an der Taras-Schewtschenko-Nationaluniversität Kiew (2019-2021):
- Überarbeitung und Korrektur der Neuauflage des Lehrbuchs Antike Mythologie, antike Literatur und antike Rhetorik (2020-2021)
- Überarbeitung, Korrektur und Neugestaltung der neuen, erweiterten Auflage des Hochschullehrbuchs Lateinische Sprache, dessen Originalausgabe vom Ministerium für Bildung und Wissenschaft der Ukraine gewürdigt und wärmstens empfohlen wird (2020)
- Überarbeitung und Korrektur des neuen Wörterbuchs Ukrainisch – Altgriechisch – Neugriechisch – Englisch (2020)
- Erstellung der Erstübersetzung eines bisher unbekannten Briefes von Pylyp Orlyk, einem ukrainischen Kosaken-Militärbefehlshaber, an den schwedischen König (2019)
Presentations
- 12.-18. Juli 2026, Cluj, Rumänien: Vortrag mit dem Titel «Wyclifs Lehre von den göttlichen Ideen» im Rahmen der Internationalen Sommerschule zur Buchgeschichte «Medieval and Early Modern Books»
- 8. Juni 2026, Jena, Deutschland: Vortrag mit dem Titel «John Wyclif: Die Metaphysik der göttlichen Ideen und der realen Universalien» beim Doktorandenkolloquium des DFG-Graduiertenkollegs 2792 «Autonomie heteronomer Texte in Antike und Mittelalter»
- 19.-24. Mai 2026, Frascati, Italien: Vortrag mit dem Titel «Ydola pulcherrima in speculo deitatis: John Wyclif über göttliche Ideen und reale Universalien» auf der 10. Jahrestagung des Forums für fortgeschrittene Studien Gaetano Massa «Renaissance, Ancient, Medieval and Modern Patterns», veranstaltet an der Accademia Vivarium Novum
- 10. Oktober 2025, Kiew, Ukraine (Online-Teilnahme): Begrüßungsrede und Vortrag mit dem Titel «Platos Timaios im Kontext der Reformation» auf der internationalen wissenschaftlichen Konferenz «Philologie im Zeitalter der Globalisierung: Visionen und Perspektiven», gewidmet dem 70. Jahrestag der Gründung des Instituts für Allgemeine Sprachwissenschaft, Klassische Philologie und Neohellenistik an der Taras-Schewtschenko-Nationaluniversität Kiew
- 2. Juni 2025, Jena, Deutschland: Vortrag mit dem Titel «Der Timaios zwischen Vorreformation und Gegenreformation: Einige Tendenzen und vorläufige Beobachtungen» beim Doktorandenkolloquium des DFG-Graduiertenkollegs 2792 «Autonomie heteronomer Texte in Antike und Mittelalter»
- 21.-22. Oktober 2021, Valencia, Spanien (Online-Teilnahme): Vortrag mit dem Titel «Die Rezeption des antiken Erbes in den Ausgewählten Werken von Lesja Ukrainka» auf der internationalen wissenschaftlichen Konferenz «Referents Grecollatins En Les Literatures I Les Cultures Bàltiques I Les Eslaves: Recepció I Intertextualitat», Jornades científicas internacionals GIRLC
- 18. Mai 2021, Kiew, Ukraine (Online-Teilnahme): Vortrag mit dem Titel «Sprachstilistische Mittel zur Vermittlung von Überzeugungskraft in Ciceros Philippiken» auf der internationalen wissenschaftlichen Online-Konferenz «Linguistik des 21. Jahrhunderts: Aktueller Stand und Entwicklungsperspektiven», gewidmet dem 90. Geburtstag von Professor Stanislav Volodymyrovych Semchinsky (1931-1999)
- 7.-8. April 2021, Kiew, Ukraine: Vortrag mit dem Titel «Der moralische und ethische Kontext der Rhetorik nach Aristoteles und Cicero: ein vergleichender Ansatz» bei den VI. panukrainischen wissenschaftlichen Lesungen unter Beteiligung junger Wissenschaftler «Philologie des 21. Jahrhunderts: neue Forschungen und Perspektiven»
- 16.-17. April 2020, Kiew, Ukraine: Vortrag mit dem Titel «Besonderheiten der Vermittlung von Überzeugungskraft in Demosthenes’ Philippiken» auf der internationalen wissenschaftlichen Konferenz «Linguistik im 21. Jahrhundert», gewidmet dem lebendigen Andenken an Professorin Fionilla Oleksiivna Nikitina (1929-2019)
- 3.-4. April 2019, Kiew, Ukraine: Vortrag mit dem Titel «Besonderheiten der Vermittlung von Überzeugungskraft in Demosthenes’ Philippiken» bei den III. allukrainischen wissenschaftlichen Lesungen unter Beteiligung junger Wissenschaftler «Philologie zu Beginn des 21. Jahrhunderts: Traditionen und Innovation»
Grants and awards
Full-Scholarship at the International Academy Vivarium Novum (Frascati, RM, Italy) for the Study of Ancient Greek and Latin Languages, Ancient Greek and Roman Literature, Ancient Philosophy, History and Culture (with all the subjects being fully taught either in Latin or in Ancient Greek); for the Study of Special Courses held by acknowledged visiting professors within the Academy’s Superior Studies Programme, e.g. Plato’s Timaeus by Prof. Franco Ferrari, Spinoza’s Ethica by Prof. Filippo Mignini, Renaissance Cosmology by Prof. Miguel Angel Granada etc.
1st place at the University Contest for Classics
Mitacs Globalink Research Internship for the project «Associations in the Western Roman Provinces (I BCE – IV CE)» led by Professor Richard Ascough (Queen's University, Kingston) [declined]
2-time National Ukrainian Olympiad Winner for School Students in Modern Greek