J. R. R. Tolkien once described The Lord of the Rings as “a fundamentally religious and Catholic work.” Its Christian character is not as obvious as the fiction of his friend C. S. Lewis, but his story was “fundamentally” of this character because his faith and the resources thereof shaped his work at its very foundation. This shaping came from his theology of sub-creation and his sense that fairy-stories at their best supply preparation for the gospel, especially in how they end. His theological-ethical framework also dictated that whatever truths of the actual world he presented in his fantasy setting of an imaginary past should appear in forms appropriate to that setting. To illuminate how The Lord of the Rings is a Christian and specifically Catholic work according to Tolkien’s understanding, this book explores Tolkien’s statements on the character of his work, his specific theological reflection on his form of artistic work in his theology of sub-creation, and the many details of the story that highlight Tolkien’s theological-ethical framework. This framework and these details show how the Lord of Heaven is at work in Middle-earth preparing for the good story that is the gospel.
K. R. Harriman is an independent scholar from Fritch, TX. This present book is his third. Dr. Harriman has published over a dozen articles in academic journals, he has written for New Testament Abstracts, and he is currently writing Bible studies for David C. Cook’s Standard Lesson Commentary. Many more of his writings on biblical studies, theology, history, and the works of J. R. R. Tolkien can be found at his Substack page: krharriman.substack.com.
