[Gilthalion]

Here is an article I stumbled across today that mentions this issue:
http://www.findarticles.com/cf_0/m10.../article.jhtml

This general issue has been debated at great length on several other threads, so much of what I might say has already been said, but here is my view of this particular angle on the issue.

Often when we speak in our modern days of Christian influence on government and culture we go so far as to say Judeo-Christian. The foundations of modern western civilization come from a unique combination of Northern European "althings," ancient Greek democracies, the ideals of the early Roman republic, and above all, the Laws of Moses and the moral teachings of Jesus (who I call Christ, or Messiah, the "Anointed One").

While Orthodox Judaism and Christianity differ on the identity of the Messiah, and therefore on the necessity of keeping the Mosaic Law in all of its detail (though its hard to beat good kosher food!), the basic precepts of these two religions are founded in the Law and the Prophets and are shared to this day by "true believers" of both faiths.

While there are separate issues between Protestants and Roman Catholics (and still others between the Roman and Orthodox churches), I find little that is uniquely Catholic in LOTR. People have cited Tolkien's treatment of Galadriel or Elbereth as a parallel to Mary as an example.

The creation that Tolkien has written was strongly influenced by the Judeo-Christian understanding of the Creation account in the Bible, and the nature of the Vala and Maia and the evil of Melkor/Morgoth are all quite close to the Biblical churubim/seraphim/archangels/angels and the fall of Lucifer/Satan. And don't get me started on how Tolkien may have taken his Northern Eurpean elves and combined them with the vision of resurrected/glorified humanity!

Clearly, while Tolkien abundantly used the mythology of Northern Europe in his great effort, it all still hangs upon the central influence of his life, which was his own personal faith, as bequeathed him from the rich Judeo-Christian heritage of Western Civilization. Certainly, the strong moral example of his characters, and the morals that can easily be drawn from his stories, are fruit of his own strongly held beliefs about Absolute Good and Evil.

Is it possible to understand Tolkien's writings in an emotional sense without participating in his own particular set of assumptions about history, redemption, and providence?

Christians hold that "the law of God" is written on the hearts of men, and I think that this is a Jewish belief also (we have inherited so much!). Good and Evil, Right and Wrong, these are things that all people understand, hence the resonance of this work even in the hearts of those who tell others (and themselves) that they do not believe in such things. They are implicit in our very languages, which are the maps we have made of our reality. Attempts to prove otherwise tend to dissolve in vague words of little meaning and less power. One need not be a Jew or a Christian to understand that there is sin and evil in the world, and to take joy in the triumph of goodness and righteousness. Even those who deny these things still unaccountably (except by preposterous half-believed rationalizations) enjoy and understand such tales. Tolkien, the language expert, drew upon the archetypical understandings of the spiritual nature of life that are implicit in the very fabric of the English language, and its ancestral root languages. I think we need not be devout Roman Catholics to understand and appreciate what he has written.

Finally, do some well-meaning readers go "too far" in drawing Christian/religous analogies so that the diversity of Tolkien's world is lost in the desire to look for an overarching framework or point of view?

Yes.

But there is so much "diversity" in Judaism and Christianity that I am not sure what is actually lost. I know that I have paid scant attention to the Finnish influence upon Tolkien's work, and look forward to learning more. The National Geographic special on LOTR covered this in great detail, but failed to mention Christianity, much less Judaism, at all.

As the above referenced article points out, most of the reviewers of movies and books somehow manage to utterly ignore the obvious and strong Judeo-Christian influence upon Tolkien's works.

As has been pointed out ad nauseum, Tolkien himself did not like allegory as a story form. However, if people are finding analogies to the stories and Truths of the Christian (or the Jewish) faith, then this does not detract from the diversity of the work. It is only when the other influences are ignored that the reader fails to appreciate the complete richness of the work.

Christians and Jews hold that (to paraphrase) "it rains on the good and the evil alike." Believers in the Almighty Creator should not fail to appreciate His Hand in the genius of Gentiles and Heathens and Pagans, for we believe that the First Cause of all good, is God. We hinder our own delight in His creation if we fail to recognize His goodness and His truths in the lives and efforts of those who may not yet believe. I think this is especially true of those who believed differently in the days before the stories of God's interactions with humanity in the Holy Lands were known around the world (such as the ancient Finns). We are the poorer if we fail to appreciate the legends and myths of other peoples. I am the poorer for not knowing the myths of the Finnish people, for there are no doubt certain Truths and Beauties hidden there and these could only have come from the Hand of God.

I think that no "over-arching framework" of understanding can be formed WITHOUT knowing what made Tolkien tick. And that was his devout faith, above all else. Therefore, those who look only at the Christian influence may be closer to understanding Tolkien than those who ignore it, but are not so close as those who sympathetically look upon all of the influences of this greatest fiction of the 20th century.

I guess that "sympathetic" is really the proper word. It is possible for us, as humans, to put ourselves in the shoes of others, so to speak. In understanding any individual and his or her work, this is requisite. The Orthodox Jew will find Tolkien far more understandable than the Secular Humanist, who will understand him still better than the Atheist.

This is not to say that the Atheist will not "get it," but will he thrill in the same way to the triumph of Frodo, where his faith and sacrifice is rewarded with victory despite the hobbit's own failure? Does "the pity of Bilbo" mean as much to someone who holds that pity is merely an advanced survival instinct, or learned behavior, rather than a touch of the Divine? Would they find Saruman more sympathetic than Gandalf in reality?

Or even worse, would a murderous religious extremist, plucked from some cauldron of hate and forced to read it, only think the Fellowship all fools who should have taken the Ring from the weak pitiers who stood between the bold and what they would call a victory? Would they spit on the body of Boromir?

It is the resonances of Truth and Beauty and Sacrifice and Mercy and Righteousness in all of us that Tolkien plays upon, with his masterful hand. Those who seek after the Creator of these things will more greatly appreciate Tolkien's work, however flawed or incomplete their understanding.

I guess that while it is possible to make too much of Tolkien's personal religious influences, it is usually the case that too little is made of it.

[ April 23, 2002: Message edited by: Gilthalion ]