Modernization has flattened and destroyed our cultural understanding of humanity. Dr. Holly Ordway, the Cardinal Francis George Professor of Faith and Culture at Word on Fire, offers a refreshing counterpoint to this decline in her recent book. Tolkien’s Faith: A Spiritual Biography. She lays out meticulously researched evidence to show that J.R.R. Tolkien whole That person, whose heart and relationships are enlightened by his faith, who is fully alive.
Several notable biographies explore the lives and works of famous writers. hobbit and of Lord of the Ring. Authorized version of Humphrey Carpenter, JRR Tolkien: Biography, It first appeared in 1977, four years after Tolkien’s death. It has the advantage of immediacy and captures a personality that is still in living memory.John Garth’s Tolkien and World War I (2003) considers a pivotal period in Tolkien’s life.raymond edwards tolkien (2020) mainly focuses on his academic career. 
However, despite their strengths, these biographies are incomplete. Garth deliberately limits his focus to a few years, and Carpenter and Edwards ignore Tolkien’s Christian faith, which had a major influence on this complex man’s life. Carpenter dismisses Tolkien’s faith as an emotional attachment to his mother, but Edwards relegates it to the category of appendix.joseph pierce’s Tolkien: Man and Myth (2001) deal more directly with Tolkien’s Christian worldview from the perspective of a literary critic, but they also argue that our view of the unity of Tolkien’s faith as “co-inherent,” in his words, Holly Ordway added a “whole new dimension” to understanding. From his friend and fellow Inkling Charles Williams to every aspect of his life.
One of Ordway’s most striking themes is the influence of Oratorian spirituality on Tolkien. When Tolkien died in 1904, his widowed mother entrusted her 12-year-old son John Ronald and his younger brother Hilary to her friend Father Tolkien. Francis Morgan, Oratorian priest. Although it is a priest. Francis arranged nearby accommodation for the boys, with Birmingham Chapel serving as both school and home. A community of “knowledgeable fathers” became their family. Tolkien later described the house as “in Excelsis”. There he studied languages, music, drama and played sports. He learned his faith in the legacy of St. John Henry Newman, founder of Birmingham Oratory. Newman died two years before Tolkien was born, but his influence continued through Father Tolkien. Francis was Newman’s secretary.
To illustrate this relationship, Ordway includes an 1878 photograph of Newman sitting with a young priest. Francis Morgan stands behind and beside him. “When you think about Father Francis, Tolkien’s guardian and ‘second father’, he was one of Newman’s spiritual sons in the Birmingham Chapel,” Ordway said, adding, “Tolkien’s belief in Newman’s “Maybe we should even try to entertain the fascinating concept of being the grandchildren we never had.” This was a spiritual relationship that bore much fruit. Tolkien wrote in the margins of his work diary:according to ambrus and imagination” (“Through Shadows and Images”) reminds us of what was written on the marble plate of the oratorio:Shadow of truth and imagination” (“From Shadows and Images to Truth”). This is a phrase that became Newman’s own epitaph, but its content resonates throughout Middle-earth.
Ordway takes readers deeper into the Oratorian tradition, which stretches back to its 16th-century founder St. Philip Neri. Birmingham Chapel houses a full-color portrait of St. Philip in an elaborate frame.Humiliation of Exaltabit” (“God exalts the humble”, Luke 1:46-55). Ordway explains: “Tolkien used these words in relation to hobbits, who he described as “noble objects” and “heroes more worthy of admiration than experts.” ” St. Philip Neri’s humorous and vibrant spirituality can be seen reflected in these most beloved subtitles. creation. Significantly, Tolkien chose St. Philip Neri as his confirmation name, rather than Philip the Apostle, as is commonly thought. The details were attested to by Tolkien’s daughter Priscilla in an interview conducted by Dr. Ordway during a research trip to England. Tolkien’s monogram artfully intertwines his initials (John Ronald Philip his Reuel Tolkien his J, R, P, R, T). Philip hides in plain sight, like a cleverly hidden joke that honors his patron saint’s sense of humor. These details are not trivial, but a brilliant thread that ties together the Oratorian-influenced themes: education, beauty, music, humility, humor, and an emphasis on joy. These interests and traits contribute to Tolkien’s integrity. whole Man.
Thanks to years of teaching and research, Ordway is well-versed in Tolkien’s works, making him an expert guide. Who else would have linked the phrase “mountain roots” to Gollum’s home? hobbit and Lord of the Ringin Tolkien’s beautiful and skillful translation. book of jonah For the English version, Jerusalem Bible: “Water filled up to my throat around me, and the abyss enveloped me. At the base of the mountain, seaweed wrapped around my head. I went to the countries of the earth, to the peoples of the past.” Keen observation reveals the depth of meaning Tolkien put into those images. His faith fed his imagination. Gollum and Jonah represent the theme of God’s mercy and repentance.
The problem of suffering has ensnared many souls on their journey of faith. Ordway digs to the roots of this mountain, exploring Tolkien’s personal experiences of suffering. He lost his parents at an early age, and after his mother (and himself) converted to Roman Catholicism, he also became estranged from his Anglican relatives. According to Tolkien’s own account, he endured a “very bitter, painful and bitter” separation from his fiancée, and in the summer of 1916 he served on the Somme, and during the First World War. I lost many friends. And this covers only the early years of his life.
Ordway shares how difficult his spiritual journey was and how he “overcame the odds and triumphed.” Faith was not guaranteed through these trials. But Ordway does not turn this spiritual biography into hagiography. She shows the reader his humanity. Tolkien acknowledged the reality of sin in a candid letter counseling her son Michael. “Grace may help.” [man] In the struggle. But the fight remains. ”
Ordway explains that what made Tolkien humble was his knowledge of struggle, the “long defeat.” She describes how he maintained his faith through prayer, the Bible, friendships (especially C.S. Lewis), and practiced charity with spiritual and physical works of mercy. Most importantly, as a Catholic, he developed an abiding love for the sacraments, especially frequent confession and the Eucharist, “the only great thing to love on earth.”
