Beyond Terror: The Theology of Hell in Colonial Catechesis in Light of the Spiritual Exercises

Abstract

This paper examines the representation of the Last Judgement painted by Tadeo Escalante in the eighteenth century in the Church of Huaro, Cusco, and raises a central question: During the colonial period, was there a theological approach to evangelization that avoided the use of terror as its primary means of communicating the faith? The study proposes a hermeneutical approach aimed at uncovering the theological assumptions underlying this catechetical model, partially revisiting the theology articulated in the Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius of Loyola. It argues that this theology, shaped within the context of the Counter- Reformation, offers meaningful alternatives to the dramatization of terror by articulating a more nuanced understanding of hell that diverges from the dominant catechetical discourse of the time. The analysis begins with an examination of the symbolic framework of Escalante’s fresco and the affective state elicited by terror. It then addresses the emergence of anguish from a phenomenological perspective, seeking to clarify its significance. Finally, the paper outlines a hermeneutical and theological inquiry that contrasts the anguish generated by traditional representations of hell with a more intuitive and germinal theological vision.