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Having recently bought The Letters of JRR Tolkien I found a letter that may add to the discussion. In one part of this letter, Tolkien is talking about how Gandalf's function as a wizard is to assist the "...rational creatures of ME to resist Sauron..." and that the wizards of ME since they are incarnated in the life forms of ME they also suffer the pains of mind and body.
"...They were also, for the same reason, thus involved in the peril of the incarnate:the possibility of 'fall', of sin. The chief form...being impatience, leading to the desire of force others to do their own good ends...To this evil Saruman succumbed. Gandalf did not. But the situation became much worse by the fall of Saruman , that the good were obliged to greater effort and sacrifiice. Thus Gandalf faced and suffered death; and came back or was sent back, as he says, with enhanced power. But though one may be in this reminded of the Gospels, it is not really the same thing at all. The incarnation of God is an infinitely greater thing than anything I would dare write." Letters #181 Pg. 237
From this letter, I think that the death and return of Gandalf was a one shot deal in response to the grievous fall of Saruman.
Roxbury
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