The White Council

Re: A middle-earth based in christendom

Tolkien and Inklings Discussion

: : Surely ME cannot be Christian since Christ does not exist in the cosmos Tolkien created. He explicitly states that the setting is in an imaginary far past and therefore must pre-date the incarnation. Though Orthodox Christology would state that "The Son existed from the first with the Father" Tolkien does not mention this in his world, ie. that a pre-incarnate Christ was with Eru.

: : In that the setting is monotheistic, though without either God incarnate or a great prophet - which rules out both Christianity and Islam, then the closest parallels would be to Judaism and - because of the explicit eternal fight between good and evil - Zoroastrianism.

: Just because the Silmarillion doesn't portray the Incarnation or examine the Trinitarian doctrine doesn't discount all the other obvious parallels to Christianity. That's like saying that C.S. Lewis's Narnia books aren't Christian allegories because they don't mention Aslan having a son! : Also, you can definitely rule out any Zoroastrian influence. In Christianity and the Silmarillion, good is going to win in the end. In Zoroastrianism the fight will be eternal. Also, the Zoroastrians believed that good and evil are equally powerful (thus assuring an eternal stalemate). Christianity says that God created EVERYTHING and that evil is only perverted goodness, or the pursuit of something good in the wrong manner. The Silmarillion lines up perfectly with that view.

I was, essentially, arguing against the title "A Middle Earth based in Christendom" which I think is an untenable opinion to hold. I would not say that Tolkien's work shows no Christian influences or is morally at odds with Christian precepts, but no-wise is it a Christian allegory or "Within Christendom."

C S Lewis was quite open about his Narnia books being Christian allegory, Tolkien would, I think, have been of quite the opposite view in regard to his own work. He is on record as cordially disliking allegory.

I can claim nothing as to any influence from Zoroastrian teaching on Tolkien's work but I can point out some cogent parallels. Some one on this board (I'm sorry I can't remember who) pointed out that Tolkien's cosmology was like a synthesis between monotheistic doctrines such as Judaism and the pantheons of classical religions (plus Norse myths etc.). This is precisely what Zoroastrianism did, it grafted a belief in a supreme deity onto, without replacing, the old Indo-European pantheon of gods (shared by Indo-Iranian, Greek, Roman, Celt, German etc.). The gods were reduced to Divs and could be regarded as "Angelic Powers." Because they retained their roots, these Divs are much more individual and well characterised than the rather amorphous Angels and Archangels of Judeo-Christian belief. Thus Manwe is a much closer parallel to Mithras (a demi-god of light and creation) than either Raphael or Christ.

Zoroastrianism, at least in its later form, believed in the ultimate victory of Ahura Mazda over the forces of evil. Though like Christian and Tolkien's visions this victory was "At the end of days" and ushered in a new creation.