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Posted by Professor Kirke on July 19, 19100 at 18:10:27:
In Reply to: iluvatar posted by JPC on July 18, 19100 at 01:17:13:
You are quite right. Tolkien's 'God' of Arda is so parallel to our own, and the rebellion of Melkor and his Ainur / Maiar so similar to that of Lucifer and the Fallen Angels that it is only a question of identifying details where Tolkien's theology departs from that of Judeo-Christianity.
Even our Jesus is paralleled with the sacrifice of his Earendil - the manners of the sacrifice and the apotheosis being different.
Tolkien's cosmology, however, has some unique features - he posits separate 'awakenings' of two sapient sub-species (one immortal, Elves, the other not, Man). Tolkien's sapient peoples have pride, selfishness and self-sacrifice, but there is no suggestion of Original Sin.
Another major cosmological difference is that there is no Hell in Tolkien's world. While humanity's destiny lies beyond the circles of mortality, 'Hell' in Tolkien's world is the Void - a concept resonant of the Hindu Void or the "Deep" of Genesis.
Interestingly, the Elves of Tolkien's world tend to worship and pray to a Valar, Elbereth (Varda), with scant admission that Illuvatar is the Supreme Deity. Men, on the other hand, worship either Morgoth (akin to our Satan) or Illuvatar Himself.
For the record, Ruth Noel's book "The Mythology Of Middle Earth" is an excellent study of Tolkien's cosmology and religious influences.
- Prof