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Not a cradle Catholic
- John Ronald Reuel Tolkien was not a cradle Catholic. He was born in Bloemfontein, South Africa (then a member country of the British Commonwealth) and baptized as an infant in the Anglican Church, at the Cathedral of St. Andrew and St. Michael.
ewtn.co.uk/article-7-things-you-didnt-know-about-j-r-r-tolkiens-catholic-faith/7 Things You Didn’t Know About J.R.R. Tolkien’s Catholic Faith
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- Tolkien’s third name, Reuel, is curious and unusual. Evidently, it has been meaningful to Tolkien and his entire family: It was his father’s middle name; his parents gave the name to both their sons; and Tolkien, in turn, gave it to all four of his children, including his daughter, Priscilla.
- Tolkien is a household name, one of the most famous Catholic monikers in the world. But even Tolkien suffered a dry spell in his Catholic faith, a period of about 10 years, from 1920 to 1930, during which he admits that “out of wickedness and sloth I almost ceased to practice my religion …” These were difficult years, in which he started at the bottom rung of academia and worked hard to advance his career, navigated with varying degrees of success the tension in his marriage over his wife’s conversion to Catholicism, and bore increasing responsibilities as his home gradually filled up with small children.
- If you want to read a really good rendition of the Old Testament Book of Jonah, you can read Tolkien’s translation of it in the original 1966 Jerusalem Bible.
- Understanding the life and teachings of St. Philip Neri is essential to understanding Tolkien’s faith, namely St. Philip’s humor, his insistence on cultivating the virtue of humility, and his devotion to music, the arts and the intellectual life.
- The Ring’s Destruction and The Crucifixion
- The Three Christ Figures
- Every-Man Figures
- Lembas Bread and The Eucharist
Tolkien gives the game away allegorically when he has the ring destroyed on March 25. For Catholics, this day marks the solemnity of the Annunciation or the Incarnation. But also, traditionally, the Church has believed that the historical date of the crucifixion itself was March 25. Tolkien, who was a Medievalist, certainly knew that. By connecting...
Frodois a Christ figure as the ring-bearer. If the ring is seen as synonymous with sin, the bearing of the ring is like the carrying of the sin. Christ bore the burden of sin by carrying the Cross. In other words, Frodo is a Christ figure by carrying the burden of sin as Christ carried the Cross. Gandalfis a Christ figure in his death, resurrection...
Tolkien said that fairy stories and all good stories hold up a mirror to man — they show us ourselves. Boromir, for instance, who is the only human representative in the Fellowship of the Ring, shows the fact that we are susceptible to trying to use the power of evil supposedly for good. As Boromir learns, evil means can’t be used to a good end — i...
Tolkien gives a linguistic clue to how the Lembas bread is a figure of the Eucharist. In one of the Elvish languages, Lembas means “Way Bread.” This reminds of the Viaticum, the Blessed Sacrament taken to the sick, which basically means “for the way.” In the other Elvish language, Lembas means “Life Bread” or “Bread of Life.” The book also mentions...
Oct 2, 2023 · Furthermore, he was a Catholic Englishman and therefore part of a faith community that had undergone persecution, marginalization, and restrictions on civil rights, some of which lasted into Tolkien’s adulthood.
Sep 6, 2022 · In a letter to a Jesuit friend, Tolkien noted that “ The Lord of the Rings is of course a fundamentally religious and Catholic work; unconsciously so at first, but consciously in the revision....
Feb 19, 2024 · Tolkien’s Catholic faith was intertwined with his personal and professional life. He married Edith Bratt, who converted to Catholicism, and their marriage and family life were deeply rooted in their shared faith.
Sep 30, 2023 · Tolkien wrote proudly of his Catholic faith, including his love for the Eucharist, and was strengthened in his Christian convictions by his friendship with C.S. Lewis, a highly renowned...
