August 29, 2002

Tolkein, Allegory, and a Response to Mamby
Nathanael147

After reading J.R.R. Tolkein by Humphrey Carpenter in October 92 I felt I knew the man Tolkein a lot better. I believe the front notes said this is the only authorized Tolkein biography having been written when he was still alive.
Tolein saidn he disliked allegory, unlike his fellow-Inkster C.S. Lewis who wrote the Chronicles of Narnia. Tolkein stated that he wrote the stories for Christopher and that Sauron was not Hitler or anyone else known. He grew very tired of people wanting to "see" allegory in his books.
Tolkein was a Christian, with Christ-centred morals and the LofR is very much like the bible in that good triumphs over evil in the end. I thought the biography said he was an Anglican Christian, which is very close to Catholic;simply the Church of England's version of it.
As for Chrsit and pacifism, I rarely hear it said this way, but it is true nontheless, that even though Chrsit lived in an occupied country(Roman occupied) he is never ever recorded as saying anythig against them. He always speaks out against the pharisees, the religious leaders of the jewish faith at the time. The only time He ever uses force is in the account of the cleansing of the temple. Note that the issue hear was not a "personal ' one but as he said"You have made my Father's house a den of thieves." My point is that Jesus was not angry about his own issues , but alwasy someone else's. He was angry at the leaders because of how they kept the people in a type of bondage with all the added religious rules, and about the Holiness of His Father's house. When the time came< he laid down His life as it was prophesied, not because he could not defend himself. And, he realized his struggle was against a spiritual foe, not the Romans, or even the Pharisees."he could have called 10,000 angels..." an old hymn says.He resisted in other ways, but was not, as we define it, "pacifist," or mamby pamby.Thought to have been 5'11", and having worked as a 1st century jewish carpenter for 20+ years, I don't think He could have been wimpy. All that hand work does wonders for the physical body:better than the health club 4 times a week.