Abstract

The influence of the Philippines’ foremost patriot and martyr, Jose Rizal (1861–1896), finds peculiar expression in chiliastic, quasi-religious groups that worship him as a transhistorical, Christ-like figure. Some of these groups’ doctrinal claims are included in Pasyong Rizal, a text drawing inspiration from the older Christian Pasyon, a narrative poem about the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. The paper argues that the reverence of a Christ-like Rizal as articulated in Pasyong Rizal exemplifies what I refer to as hagiographic counterimaginary, a recontextualization and reappropriation of Christian theology brought about by colonial subjugation, and, corollarily, the mythopoeic re-narrativization of the hero’s persona. The paper concludes that projects delving into the cultural practices of chiliastic groups such as the Rizalistas and other marginalized collectives can constitute a branch of subaltern studies in the Philippines.