The image of Eru

[Kin-strife]

JRRT was a devout Catholic and religion no doubt influenced his writings. This is shown in such places as the fall of men that he often referred to or the similarity of Melkors position to Lucifer.
Another similarity that I've often felt is the similarity of Gandalf to Jesus Christ. It comes from a note in 'The Istari' in Unfinished tales where it says that after the Third age when a shadow was again falling over the kingdom many of the 'Faithful' believed that Gandalf was the "last appearance of Manwe himself, before his final withdrawal to the watchtower of Taniquetil". Tolkien then dimisses the belief but I can't help but think that since he wrote it Tolkien might have considered it himself as a possible truth in the legendarium. Like Gandalf Christ too came in a (relatively) weak and humble shape to "advise and persude men" (not Elves) "to good". He too sought to "unite people in love and understanding" as the Istari were supposed to according to UT and as one of them did. Perhaps he considered making Gandalf Manwe but dismissed it as it made him TOO similar to Christ. So much so that it made him (as a conservative catholic) uncomfortable, like he was bordering on sacrilage. The major differences are that Gandalf never revealed who he really was and was forbidden to do so, unlike Jesus. Also Gandalf (at least in the time of LoTD) acted as a sort of warmongerer against Sauron, quite against Christs ethics. On the other hand it could still be applicable if you see Jesus as a warmongerer on peoples minds and consciences against the evils of the world. Just a thought.