Quote:
Originally Posted by Inziladun
Gandalf still apparently considered that Saruman had at least a chance to vanquish Sauron and claim his throne, if he could obtain the Ring. And knowing the nature of the Istari as well as the power of the One, Gandalf was probably the greatest authority on the subject except for Saruman himself.
|
Yes ... well we can assume that a lesser Maia with the One Ring (or an exact equivalent)
might well be able to defeat a Ringless Sauron.
As Nerwen says, it's hard to compare entities at times. Gandalf was surely not as powerful as Sauron when it came to subjugating the peoples of Middle Earth - but Gandalf was far wiser than Sauron. His power was not in exercising domination but rather in giving guidance, inspiration and counsel.
Saruman should have been wiser than Sauron too, but he strayed from the path of wisdom by attempting to set himself up as another Dark Lord. The Ring's influence on Saruman was so insidious that he was being corrupted just by the mere desire of it. Of course his use of the Palantír accelerated this.