Non-possessors (Russian: нестяжатели,
nestyazhateli) belonged to a 16th-century movement in the
Russian Orthodox ChurchThe Russian Orthodox Church ; or The Moscow Patriarchate , also known...
in opposition to ecclesiastical land-ownership. It was led by
Nil SorskyNil Sorsky was a leader of the Russian medieval movement opposing ecclesiastic landownership . Nil Sorsky is venerated as a saint in the Russian Orthodox Church...
and later
Maksim GrekMaximus the Greek, also known as Maximos the Greek or Maksim Grek His secular name was Michael Trivolis was a publicist, writer, scholar, humanist and translator of Greek origin, active in Russia...
and others and was opposed to the "Possessors" led by
Joseph VolotskyJoseph Volotsky, also known as Joseph of Volotsk, or Joseph of Volokolamsk was a prominent caesaropapist ideologist of the Russian Orthodox Church who led the party defending monastic landownership.He is a saint ; his memory is celebrated...
(they are also known as the "Josephites" for this reason) and later Archbishop Feodosii II of Novgorod. It was finally defeated at the Stoglav Council in 1551.
The non-possessors are similar to other movements in Christianity, the Spiritual Franciscan for example, in that they believed that ownership of land and the Church's possession of wealth in general had corrupted the church.
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Non-possessors (Russian: нестяжатели,
nestyazhateli) belonged to a 16th-century movement in the
Russian Orthodox ChurchThe Russian Orthodox Church ; or The Moscow Patriarchate , also known...
in opposition to ecclesiastical land-ownership. It was led by
Nil SorskyNil Sorsky was a leader of the Russian medieval movement opposing ecclesiastic landownership . Nil Sorsky is venerated as a saint in the Russian Orthodox Church...
and later
Maksim GrekMaximus the Greek, also known as Maximos the Greek or Maksim Grek His secular name was Michael Trivolis was a publicist, writer, scholar, humanist and translator of Greek origin, active in Russia...
and others and was opposed to the "Possessors" led by
Joseph VolotskyJoseph Volotsky, also known as Joseph of Volotsk, or Joseph of Volokolamsk was a prominent caesaropapist ideologist of the Russian Orthodox Church who led the party defending monastic landownership.He is a saint ; his memory is celebrated...
(they are also known as the "Josephites" for this reason) and later Archbishop Feodosii II of Novgorod. It was finally defeated at the Stoglav Council in 1551.
The non-possessors are similar to other movements in Christianity, the Spiritual Franciscan for example, in that they believed that ownership of land and the Church's possession of wealth in general had corrupted the church. The non-possessors (nestyazhateli) also believed that the Church should not forcibly convert or persecute heretics or pagans, but should patiently work to convert them to the true faith.