Bill, I agree that numerology is more a manifestation of the mysticism that permeates many people's sense/experience of, or projections upon, religion. I would have guessed that perhaps the deepest genuine mystery in Catholicism was the nature of the Holy Spirit, to which Tolkien alludes in some sense with his "secret fire of the Ainur", although I'm not definite on this area.
So many posts end up (or start out) with the premise of Tolkien's essentially Christian message/allegory/sensibility/applicability, or indeed the lack of same. It is a core issue for those with an interest in the philosophical or thematic understanding of his works, and the man himself.
The difficulty is perhaps always that in the end, the vast scale and scope of his works, and his uninhibited eclecticism (which gives his stories such colour) mean that every point of view has narrative examples with which to illustrate their preferred position - from paganism, environmentalism, (inevitably) racism and sexism, to theology, allegory and/or specific morality.
I maintain there are inherent contradictions - in the work, in the author, in us as humans, and in these grand concepts themselves - which are not faults or flaws, but quite the opposite : they are an essential factor in the universal appeal and intuitive humanity of the stories, and one of the reasons for the enduring and profound popularity of Tolkien's work.
Peace [img]smilies/smile.gif[/img]
Kalessin
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