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Originally Posted by davem
On the 'inscrutability' of Tolkien's God:
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Originally Posted by Tolkien
That Sauron was not himself destroyed in the anger of the One is not my fault: the problem of evil, & its apparent toleration, is a permanent one for all who concern themselves with our world. (Letter to Rhona Beare, 14th October 1958)
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So, Tolkien's God apparently 'tolerates' evil (its also interesting that in discussing the Fall of Numenor Tolkien refers to 'our' world). In another letter, to Father Robert Murray (4th November 1954) he refers to Sauron's deception of Ar-Pharazon as a ' Satanic' lie (ie, he seems to conflate Sauron & Satan).
What I find interesting is Tolkien's statement that God's toleration of evil is a 'permanent' problem. Clearly, whatever his Church's teaching on the nature of evil & free will, Tolkien couldn't understand it, & certainly had no easy answers to offer. Sauron couldn't be destroyed by Eru in his Secondary World, for the same reason that God hasn't destroyed Satan in this world - Tolkien simply didn't know what that reason was.
This 'permanent problem' suggests uncertainty, even doubt, in Tolkien's mind regarding God's purposes. In Middle-earth he explores these doubts & uncertainties but never, it seems to me, comes to a conclusion. |
The letter to Rhona Beare has several interesting features, one of which is this statement which opens the paragraph
davem quotes. I'm sure
davem knows it, of course, but others might not.
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Originally Posted by Letter 211
Sauron was first defeated by a 'miracle': a direct action of God the Creator, changing the fashion of the world, when appealed to by Manwë: see III, 317. Though reduced to a 'spirit of hatred borne on a dark wind', I do not think one need boggle at this spirit carrying off the One Ring, upon which his power of dominating minds now largely depended. That Sauron was not himself destroyed in the anger of the One is not my fault...
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I'm not by any means an authority on The Silm (nor particularly a fan of it), but this passage does seem to show that Tolkien himself conflated Eru with the Christian God. What is also mildly interesting to me is Tolkien's use of 'One' here.