Spiritual Discourse in the Jesuit Missions: The Role of Nature in the Evangelization of Peru (Sixteenth–Seventeenth Centuries)

The article explores how, notwithstanding their suspicions that the devil could take advantage of the animistic beliefs of Peru’s native inhabitants to consolidate idolatry, the Jesuit missionaries ultimately became more understanding of the spiritual Andean worldview. From St. Ignatius of Loyola’s...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Author: Dejo, Juan (Author)
Format: Electronic Article
Language:English
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Published: Brill 2023
In: Journal of Jesuit studies
Year: 2023, Volume: 10, Issue: 2, Pages: 238-257
Further subjects:B intercultural spirituality
B Evangelization
B Jesuit Peruvian mission
B Andean spirituality
B Idolatry
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Summary:The article explores how, notwithstanding their suspicions that the devil could take advantage of the animistic beliefs of Peru’s native inhabitants to consolidate idolatry, the Jesuit missionaries ultimately became more understanding of the spiritual Andean worldview. From St. Ignatius of Loyola’s postulate of “Contemplation to Obtain Love” in the Spiritual Exercises, by which God is acting and present in nature and inhabits creatures, and thanks to their continuous contact with the aboriginal population, the Jesuit missionaries were able to better understand the indigenous relationship with nature, for example through natural medicine and pharmacopoeia. They were therefore able to bridge some gaps in an intercultural exchange that produced forms of religious hybridization that are still a feature of Andean Christianity today.
ISSN:2214-1332
Contains:Enthalten in: Journal of Jesuit studies
Persistent identifiers:DOI: 10.1163/22141332-10020003