Book Review: TOLKIEN'S FAITH - A Spiritual Biography by Holly Ordway

 I was privileged to hear the author, Dr. Ordway, offer a lecture on Tolkien at Nashotah House Seminary, in April of this year. At the lecture I purchased her book, Tolkien's Faith, and have been working on it off and on now for at least four months.  It took a while, in part, because I have a tendency to read more than one book at a time. 

 Tolkien's Faith: A Spiritual Biography [Book]

I have been interested in J.R.R. Tolkien for a number of years and was already working my way through his magnum opus, the Lord of the Rings for the second time twenty years later. Thus, I was was pleased to learn more about his faith, something not readily covered in summaries of his life and work and not always obvious in his popular writing.  Although baptized within the Anglican Church in South America, he was subsequently raised in the Roman Catholic Church in England following his father's death.  His mother also passed away relatively early, and so his upbringing fell to Fr. Francis Morgan of the Birmingham Oratory, whose influence on Tolkien would be life-long.  Ordway not only chronicles the details of Tolkien's faith journey, but allows us an insight into the influence of his faith on such works as the Lord of the Rings.  

Unlike C.S. Lewis, who wrote more allegorically of the faith and whose characters readily represented biblical figures and themes, Tolkien was more subtle. He claimed that the LOTR was essentially a Christian work, but not a direct way.  Actually, it represented a period before Christianity; a time that anticipated it. Ordway helps the reader appreciate those subtle hints at the faith and the scriptures that influence many things in the LOTR.  

As the title indicates, this book represents a biography of his faith journey from baptism to death, covering significant chapters of his life such as his service in WWI.  That said, she is clear to remind us that it is not a hagiography.  Tolkien was in many ways a very devout Catholic, yet he was also very human with the sinful flaws common to all.  His faith was also a bit of a contention with his fellow Inkling and friend C.S. Lewis, for whom he was partially influential in leading his back to faith.  Lewis returned to the Anglican church of his youth, and Tolkien, naturally had hoped that he would come over to the Catholic church.  Nevertheless, they retained a strong Christian friendship right up to Lewis's death.  

While the book technically ends on page 365, there are several pages following with rich addendum material, such as a timeline of Tolkien's life, prayers and liturgical extracts, along with litanies, both in English and Latin that would have been important to Tolkien, as well as a helpful glossary to terms that might not be immediately familiar to the non-Catholic reader.  

In reading this book you not only learn much about the great author, but you also learn a lot about the Roman Catholic faith, both before and after the Second Vatican Council.  This is made even more significant when you learn that Ordway was once an avowed atheist who later became a devout Roman Catholic.  You can learn more about that journey here: https://www.wordonfire.org/articles/from-atheist-professor-to-catholic-an-interview-with-dr-holly-ordway/

I would heartily recommend this book for anyone who is a Tolkien fan.  Thorough, honest and very informative, you will learn much about this famous author not often discussed elsewhere. 


Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Historical Roots of the Warham Guild Hood

Image
In doing just a little checking on the internet, it's interesting to see how the Warham Guild hood, which I have as part of my STM degree attire, is actually a throwback to the Medieval hood. One article notes "the work of the Warham Guild in its imaginative renderings of medieval hoods" (reference is from here ). Again, here is my hood: The Medieval hood, which was originally a very practical outer garment to cover a person's head and shoulders, protecting both from the elements, bears striking resemblance to this revived form: This hood was also a part of the garb of monks in that era. The Medieval hood, in some cases, also had what is known as a "liripipe," a long tail hanging from the back of a hood. You can see the modern stylized version of this on my own hood. From an article on "Academic hood development" we read that "By 1463 the favourite dress of doctors was the hood with round bell-shaped cape, and the lir
Read more

The Firefighter's Cross

Image
[Note: A similar article to this will be shared with my department at their next meeting. During this Lenten season when we are meditating on the significance and meaning of the Passion of our Lord and the Cross at Golgotha, it seemed like one way to offer a witness to the department that captured their interest and yet was not too heavy.] [Editorial Note: In response to a recent comment on this article I have made some changes to the original version of this article especially in regard to references to the so-called St. Florian's Cross. For any confusion the previous unreferenced information may have caused I apologize. I hope that the changes are satisfactory.] THE STORY OF THE MALTESE CROSS In many ways the familiar symbol to the right requires no explanation. It is the universal insignia of firefighting nationwide. Yet the precise origins of this symbol are less clear. The most popular explanation proposes its beginning in the far distant past of medieval Crusaders fi
Read more

KFUO-FM Sale: Editorial from Board of Directors

October 9, 2009 Letters to the Editor St. Louis Post-Dispatch 900 N. Tucker Blvd. St. Louis, MO 63101 RE: “Missouri Synod agrees to sell KFUO” - Oct. 7, 2009 Dear Editor, The ongoing news coverage of the sale of KFUO-FM has been disappointing in its lack of completeness. There is significantly more to the story than has been reported. The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod’s (LCMS) Board of Directors is elected by convention delegates and is responsible—on behalf of the 2.4 million members of the church—for conscientiously evaluating the assets of the church to determine how best to use those assets to further the proclamation, mission, and ministry associated with the Gospel of Jesus Christ. The Synod’s board has been open about its intentions regarding the disposition of its FM station. Since as early as February 2008, this item has been on the board meeting agenda. Board minutes are made public by posting on the LCMS Web site and summaries are reported in the board’s insert “Board
Read more