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The Christian message behind C. S. Lewis’s Chronicles of Narnia is well known, but less recognised are the Christian influences in the work of his great friend, J. R. R. Tolkien.

His Lord Of The Rings has several quite subtle references to the Christian faith, Dr Terry Bell told pupils at Stonyhurst College.

Dr Bell, the head of English at the College, was giving a talk on ‘Runes, J.R.R. Tolkien and Anglo-Saxon Poetry’ as part of the scholarship programme for Lower Line (Years 9 to 11). He set out to examine Tolkien as a Professor of Anglo-Saxon at Oxford University, as a Catholic and as an author.

He told the pupils that Tolkien was a “devout, but quiet Christian”, instrumental in the conversion of his great friend C. S. Lewis, who wrote widely on Christian topics. 

“There is much Christian allegory in the Chronicles of Narnia,” said Dr Bell. “Why, then, is there not more Christianity in Lord Of The Rings?

“The reason is that Tolkien ‘cordially disliked allegory’, preferring what he called ‘applicability’.

“For instance, a strong sense of Divine Providence is woven into the fabric of Lord of the Rings.  Symbolic of this is Tolkien’s chronology of the events of the novel, with the Quest of Mount Doom beginning on Christmas Day and finishing on March 25th – both the Feast of the Annunciation, and a traditional date for the Resurrection of Christ.

“There are other subtle touches which are ‘applicable’ to Christianity: the fall of Gandalf into an underworld and his subsequent resurrection is an obvious example, and there is perhaps some connection between Frodo’s bearing of the One Ring and Christ’s bearing of the cross.

“Interestingly, Tolkien contributed to the translation of parts of the Jerusalem Bible, including the story of Jonah and parts of the Book of Job,” he added.

Dr Bell also gave a brief overview of the Anglo-Saxons, who they were and where they came from. They combined their pagan culture and traditions with Christianity, creating a rich mixture of the two.  This is seen particularly in surviving works of poetry, particularly Beowulf and The Dream of the Rood.

Tolkien believed that England had lost much of its native English culture with the Norman Conquest.

“His ambition was to produce popular children’s literature but he also wanted to restore that ancient English culture. His work is grounded in the world of the Anglo-Saxons and the Vikings, reflecting the struggle between good and evil that is found in Scandinavian mythology as well as Christianity,” said Dr Bell.

“Some of the material from The Hobbit is borrowed directly from Beowulf, one of Tolkien’s fundamental inspirations. The civilisation and language of Rohan in Lord of the Rings is also Anglo-Saxon.”

Dr Bell then went on to read some Anglo-Saxon poetry and explained about Anglo-Saxon Runes.

The talk was one of a series on a variety of subjects given to further widen the knowledge learnt inside the classroom and stretch the minds of younger pupils, who can suffer from the narrowness and lack of imagination found in some G.C.S.E. syllabuses.

Other presentations this term include ‘Particle Physics at CERN’, ‘The Muhammed Ali story’‚ ‘How to make a Counter-Reformation Saint’, ‘The World’s Greatest Thinkers’ and ‘An Introduction to Greek Tragedy’.

Two pupils examine the facsimile of the St. Cuthbert Gospel – one of the oldest surviving Anglo-Saxon manuscripts.

 

Two pupils examine the facsimile of the St. Cuthbert Gospel – one of the oldest surviving Anglo-Saxon manuscripts.

More information on the 'St. Cuthbert Gospel'

Formerly known as the 'Stonyhurst Gospel', it contains the Latin text of St John’s gospel and belonged to Saint Cuthbert of Lindisfarne. The book was discovered in 1104 when Cuthbert's tomb was opened so that his relics could be moved to a new shrine behind the altar of Durham Cathedral.

It was written at the monastery of Monkwearmouth and Jarrow during the abbacy of Saint Ceolfrith. In the margin are notes made by The Venerable Bede, who used the gospel during Saint Cuthbert’s funeral. The original tooled goatskin binding is the earliest surviving western binding in Europe.

The manuscript is owned by the Society of Jesus (British Province) and was formerly in the library of Stonyhurst College. It has been on loan to the British Library since the 1970s where it has been on almost permanent display in its exhibition gallery.