[Boromir88]

Wow, there is no way I have the time to post a worthy reply to all of these insightful, excellent posts. So, here's just a few comments:

Manwe, and the whole matter of interpretation comes in that did Isildur relinquish his Rulership over Gondor or didn't he? Forsook certainly makes it sound like he gave it up; however we can question whether he actually did or not. If I'm not mistaken before his death Isildur made clear and well that he was the High King and his eldest son would be his heir. As I think Alcuin showed quite well in his last post. That Meneldil (and I would think therefor Gondor at the time to) recognized Isildur's High Kingship and rulership over them. From Boromir's perspective:

"All know in Gondor that he [Isildur] went first to Minas Anor and dwelt there a while with his nephew Meneldil, instructing him, before he committed to him the rule of the South Kingdom."~Council of Elrond

This is through Boromir's eyes who seems to know a bit about the situation. And if he aware I'm sure the royal class in Gondor (at the time of Arvedui's claim) would also be aware of the conditions in which Isildur departed. I think it is in Unfinished Tales where Isildur does claim the High Kingship (and makes it well known that he is going to) before he dies near the Gladden Fields. Therefor I think one could question the Council's decision as it was being 'pressured' by Pelendur, and we get a sense that there is some shadiness in the whole rejection of Arvedui's claim.

Therefore I can see exactly why Faramir gave up his office, there was no one in the Kingdom with a closer lineage with Elendil than Aragorn, thus rightly King, and very legitimate.

The thing is when Arvedui's claim was rejected by the Council virtually had thrown any further claims from Isildur out the window. By claiming that only male heirs from the line of Anarion can claim the throne of Gondor, any claim from Isildur's line could be thrown out the window. Now, I did make that statement long before I knew Isildur did take up the High Kingship before his death...however I think it still stands; as clearly the deciding Council did not recognize claim from Isildur's line.

You could certainly make the argument that Faramir was a good Steward and therefor did exactly what a Steward should have done. But in dealing with this situation Tolkien cast the Stewards (as a whole) in bad light. As this I think shows:

“Each new Steward indeed took office with the oath 'to hold rod and rule in the name of the king, until he shall return.' But these soon became words of ritual little heeded, for the Stewards exercised all the power of the kings. Yet many in Gondor still believed that a king would indeed return in some time to come; and some remembered the ancient line of the North, which it was rumoured still lived on in the shadows. But against such thoughts the Ruling Stewards hardened their hearts.”~Appendix A: The Stewards

At first the Stewards took their oath seriously and I would guess that Mardil did as he is portrayed in better light than the Ruling Stewards that are to follow him:

Then Mardil could no longer restrain him, and he rod with a small escort of knights to the gate of Minas Morgul; but since there were no witnesses of his death, Mardil the Good Steward ruled Gondor in his name for many years.~Appendix A: Gondor and the heirs of Anarion

Mardil is called the 'Good Steward' and if he was concerned about acquiring and keeping power in Gondor I doubt he would have tried to dissuade King Earnur from riding out into his death wish. So you could certainly say that Mardil upheld his oath, and I think you can make the argument that Faramir did too. Though not all (if even the majority) of the Stewards were like Mardil or Faramir. Which is why Tolkien puts them into bad light when dealing with the situation over Gondor's Kingship. Because of Pelendur and the Council's decision it gave the Stewards the 'legal muscle' to reject any person claiming descent from Isildur. As Denethor puts it:

'But I say to thee, Gandalf Mithrandir, I will not be thy tool! I am Steward of the House of Anarion. I will not step down to the dotard chamberlain of an upstart. Even were his claim proved to me, still he comes but of the line of Isildur. I will not bow to such a one, last of a ragged house long bereft of Lordship.'~The Pyre of Denethor

Because of the Council's decision in rejecting Arvedui's claim the Stewards had every sort of legal power to reject anyone who claimed the throne by descent of Isildur. As Denethor says even had Aragorn proved his claim, he's still from Isildur's line; and that line is bereft of Lordship in Gondor. Of course you could argue that the Stewards were wrong in this case and protecting their own power...nevertheless according to Gondor's decision Isildur's line had no claim to the throne. Aragorn probably knew full well that Isildur's claim was rejected, and therefor he tried a different route...claiming to be Elendil's heir. Nevertheless, Aragorn's claim no matter what the 'Stewards oath' was; was pretty weak. For the life of me I can't find it; but somwhere in Faramir's long discussions with Frodo I remember him mentioning it's going to take more than Aragorn's claim to get him accepted as King. Simply because the Ruling Stewards soon paid no heed to their oath they were concerned about staying in power. Certainly that was Denethor's primary concern:

Denethor was tainted with mere politics: hence his failure, and his mistrust of Faramir. It had become for him a prime motive to preserve the polity of Gondor, as it was, against another potentate, who had made himself stronger and was to be feared and opposed for that reason rather than because he was ruthless and wicked. Denethor despised lesser men, and one may be sure did not distinguish between Orcs and the allies of Mordor. If he had survived as a victor, even without use of the Ring, he would have taken a long stride towards becoming himself a tyrant, and the terms and treatment he accorded to the deluded peoples of east and south would have been cruel and vengeful. He had become a "political" leader: sc. Gondor against the rest.~Letter 183

Though I would say that Faramir and Mardil were some exceptions to the typical Ruling Steward that Tolkien put into some bad perspective.

Alcuin, amazing post, just one minor quibble of mine:

The Council of Gondor never answered the final claim of Arvedui and Fíriel.

Actually they did make an answer, they just didn't answer Arvedui the second time. The first time Arvedui asserts this claim, the Council rejects it:

“The crown and royalty of Gondor belongs solely to the heirs of Meneldil, son of Anárion, to whom Isildur relinquished this realm. In Gondor this heritage is reckoned through the sons only; and we have not heard that the law is otherwise in Arnor.”

In which case Arvedui tries again saying that in Numenor it was different, however he does admit that this descent through a daughter was not practiced in Gondor:

'It is true that the law has not been observed in the lands of exile ever troubled by war; but such is the law of our people...'

This is Arvedui's second attempt to claim through Firiel; as the Council already rejected it prior. So either they were in the wrong and they simply could not answer it and were stumped. Or they believed they were right and they already made their answer clear (as to Arvedui claiming through Firiel); feeling no need to repeat it.

Formendacil while the rule of Gondor was 'split up' so to say...I think that was to simply rule a vast kingdom more effectively. There was a High King that had Rulership over everything...which I think is set up in Alcuin's post. That prior to Isildur leaving Meneldil acknowledged Isildur's rulership over him and hoped he would be gone for a long long time.

Oi, my few comments have turned into a big spiel.