Religious meanings of social and political debate in Russia in the late middle ages

The article describes the basic religious meanings of the social and political controversy of great signifcance in the history of Russia. The author analyzes the origins of the conflict between the Josephites and non-possessors, the reason for which was the dispute between Joseph Volotskiy and Metropolitan Zosima. In the middle of contemporary research is the position of the non-participation of Nil Sorskiy in the debate about land tenure. The controversy had an enormous influence on the development of social and political life. This enables to conclude on the importance of questions of ideological nature and to understand the ways of development of the Russian history, its religious, cultural and political characteristics, which contribute in turn to the identity of the modern individual and society as a whole.