Observing the Transcendent Other: Early Modern Christian Interpretations of a Philippine Religion

Abstract

Transcendence and its interrelation with immanence play an important role in all religions. For a believer, the transcendent reveals itself through religious practices and can be communicated to others via various means. But when a religion is extinct, the only way of learning about its transcendence is via remaining sources, which often reveal only a biased image. This article deals with the analysis of the transcendent of an ancient Philippine religion and its distinction to the immanent. This article discusses ways of approaching the transcendent with the help of three examples dealing with the consequences of divergent understandings of transcendence and immanence, with liminality, soul concepts, and death.

Keywords

• transcendence/immanence
• Philippines
• indigenous religion
• Christian mission
• Spanish colonial empire
• Early Modern period