SCHISM IN THE RUSSIAN ORTHODOX CHURCH: A SOCIAL PROTESTOR A DISPUTE ABOUT THE WAYS OF RUSSIA'S DEVELOPMENT
Aim. To present the author's view of the history of the emergence of the Old Believers as opposed to the approaches developed in pre-revolutionary and Soviet historiography. Methodology. The analysis of historiography was carried out using historical, comparative and historical-analytical methods. Results. The author critically approaches the views of pre-revolutionary and Soviet historians on the problem of the emergence of the Old Believers. The paper puts forward a thesis about the dedication of the leaders of the Old Believers to the ideas of «Holy Russia», although it is not explicitly stated. Research implications. Using the example of the history of Russian schism to show the danger of an ideological and spiritual gap in society.