The Apocalypse According to J.R.R. Tolkien
By Robert Lazu Kmita, European Conservative.
In a famous lecture delivered in 1939 at the University of St. Andrews, On Fairy-Stories, J.R.R. Tolkien stated one of his profound convictions: “The Gospels contain a fairy-story, or a story of a larger kind which embraces all the essence of fairy-story.” Tolkien’s idea anticipates Northrop Frye’s theory from The Great Code: The Bible and Literature, which states that all universal literary “archetypes” are contained within the Holy Scriptures. This thesis prompts us to reflect on the possible influence of the Bible in general, and the Gospels in particular, on Tolkien’s literary creations.
Indeed, the fact that Tolkien was invited by Father Alexander Jones to participate in the English translation of the Jerusalem Bible speaks to his deep affinity for the sacred texts of the Judeo-Christian tradition. Although he was supposed to translate the books of Jonah and Job, only the former was completed. But beyond this, it is impossible to ignore the presence of certain biblical archetypes in Tolkien’s literary writings. In particular, it is worthwhile to consider the parallels between key evil beings in the Apocalypse of Saint John and the evil beings of Middle-Earth. Far from being a mere intellectual exercise, such a reading is of special interest for our times.
The Adversaries of Christ in the Apocalypse of Saint John
From its very beginning, which is in Paradise, Christian Revelation presents to us “the mystery of iniquity” (2 Thes. 2: 7), made manifest through “that old serpent, who is called the devil and Satan” (Rev. 12:12). Acting through his “instruments,” beginning with the serpent that tempted Eve and extending to the heretical and apostate priests of the Old Testament—to whom Christ himself said, “you are of your father the devil” (John 8: 44)—he is the great adversary of God. Therefore, it is no surprise that in the final book of Holy Scripture, his identity is extensively revealed: he is the “great red dragon” (Apoc. 12: 3) at war with the majestic woman wearing a crown of twelve stars.
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