Tolkien's Sacramental Vision: Discerning the Holy in Middle Earth

by Craig Bernthal

One of Tolkien's great appeals to readers is that he offers a world replete with meaning at every level. To read and reread Tolkien is to share his sense of wonder and holiness, to be invited into the presence of a “beauty beyond the circles of the world.” It is to fall in love with a universe that has a beginning and an end, where good and bad are not subjective choices, but objective realities; a created order full of grace, though damaged by sin, in which friendship is the seedbed of the virtues, and where the greatest warriors finally become the greatest healers. A correspondent once told J. R. R. Tolkien that his work seemed illumined “by an invisible lamp.” That lamp is the Church, and its light is the imaginative sensibility that we live in a sacramental world. This new book by the author of The Trial of Man examines in depth the influence of Catholic sacramentality on the thought and work of Tolkien, with major emphasis on The Lord of the Rings, but including his literary essays, epistolary poem “Mythopoeia,” short story “Leaf by Niggle,” and The Silmarillion. Here is a signal contribution to a deeper understanding of Tolkien, whose mythological world is meant to “recover” the meaning of our own as a grace-filled place, pointing toward its Creator.

Genres: Religion, Spirituality

316 pages, Paperback

First published June 14, 2014

Reviews

[Melody Schwarting · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very enjoyable exploration of sacramental imagery in Tolkien's work. It made me want to read Ordway's Tolkien's Faith even more than I did before. Bernthal shores up biographical information for his interpretations (what he could have done with Tolkien's unedited-by-Carpenter letters!) and shows how they gesture to a larger reality. Sometimes he goes a little too far, but he admits it, and then doubles down. I appreciate both the self-awareness and the commitment. Recommended for Tolkien fans looking to understand the not-an-allegory-but-still-spiritual aspects of Tolkien's work, and for Tolkien's own interpretations of his faith expressed in his writings.

[Stuart · Rating 5 out of 5]

Despite the insistence of many atheist/agnostic Middle Earth fans, Tolkien's works are bursting at the seams with religious, more precisely, Catholic themes and values. To try and ignore or dismiss the Catholicism that is found in his works is an insult to Tolkien and a sign of ignorance on the reader's part. In Craig Bernthal's work Tolkien's Sacramental Vision, he examines different scenes, objects, and characters in Tolkien's works (mainly The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings) under the light of Catholic Sacramentality.

The book begins by explaining what exactly a Catholic novelist is, and then defends Tolkien's place as one. Other topics discussed include the creation story in The Silmarillion; Baptism and the character of Frodo; Penance and Reconciliation; and Galadriel and her gifts, to name a few topics. I learned a lot of interesting things, which I missed in my readings of The Lord of the Rings. For example, I learned that Boromir took Faramir's place at the Council of Elrond. Perhaps, if Faramir had gone like he was supposed to things would have turned out differently. My favorite section of the book discussed Leaf by Niggle. I could definitely relate to Niggle in many ways including time-wasting and the need for perfection to a fault. This brief section in the book led me to reading this work, and hopefully becoming less of a "niggler."

Overall, this was a very fascinating book and one I would highly recommend to any Catholic or Christian who loves Tolkien. It opened my eyes to many nuances in Tolkien's works and made me appreciate The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings on a whole new level. If I had more time, I would break out my copies of the two works and read through them again with this book by my side. Unfortunately, that is not feasible for me at this time, but it is something I plan/hope to do in the future. Five stars and cannot recommend this book more highly.

[Elizabeth Elvig · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved this book! Couldn't recommend it enough! It really transformed my view on Tolkien's world and the Catholic faith. Loved it!

[James Hecker · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved this book. I've been reading and re-reading Tolkien's works for just under 50 years now. I often tell of how Tolkien was formational for me, instilling in me virtues that I have aspired to for my entire life. I love my Catholic faith and this book is well researched in matters both of Tolkien and in Catholic theology. I relate to and stand as testimony to what the author of this book says on the 2nd to last page: "To read and reread Tolkien with pleasure, to experience the world with Tolkien's sense of wonder and holiness, is to be Christianized, perhaps without knowing it..." I was profoundly affected and formed by Tolkien's "sub creation" and I knew not exactly how till I became deeply involved in my own spiritual journey of learning and practicing my Catholic faith. Now as I study the bible and the works of Ignatius, Aquinas and others, I realize how Tolkien's own love of his faith, his familiarity with the teachings of the church, the fathers and doctors of the church, and his vision of creation richly populated his works. I do not say he created his works for that purpose, only that being so much of who he was, it came through in the telling of his great stories. He did say that he certainly did not set out to create a Catholic work, but it became more so in the revision. This book gave me many moments of joy, resonated with me in a personal way, and gave me insights I had not previously considered. Thank you Craig Bernthal for writing this book!

[Olivia · Rating 5 out of 5]

I first heard of this book through my uncle, a fellow Tolkienknight, and I'm so glad he recommended it to me! It was amazing.

While I am not a Catholic and thus couldn't relate to/agree with absolutely everything Mr. Bernthal discussed, I gleaned a lot from this book. It was impressively well researched and referenced, and while some of his postulations might be shaky, you could tell the man knew his Tolkien.

With a major emphasis on LotR, as the cover says, Mr. Bernthal also managed to weave together The Silmarillion, The Hobbit, and other works admirably. I reread TFotR while reading this and was mind-blown;D

A thoroughly enjoyable, informative read that I highly recommend to any Tolkien lover!

[Corp · Rating 5 out of 5]

A wonderful book framing Middle-earth through a lens of Catholic theology. It gave me lots of great insight into what necessarily makes a Catholic novel Catholic and will certainly help inspire my future writings. Additionally, it gave me a much richer appreciation of Lord of the Rings, and I look forward to rereading the novel with this new insight.

[Matthew Livermore · Rating 5 out of 5]

A must-read for Catholic Tolkien fans! Bernthal elucidates the sacramental structure of The Lord of the Rings.

[Steve · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really excellent except for the RC bits. First chapter was very good indeed .

[Brent Johnson]

According to Bernthal if there is a woman character in the Lord of the Rings she must be a Marian type. Sometimes a woman is just a woman, to paraphrase Freud. Only Rosie Cotton avoids being labeled a type of Mary.

Good book with a lot of insight into the Catholic thought that guided Tolkien as he wrote. Leans a bit too far into allegory though. I wish the author spent more time on analogical aspects of Tolkien's writing.