The Tolkeinite's bible?

[Legolas]

Additionally, there are thousands of long and boring books about ancient history. The Silmarillion and the Bible are not on my list - far from it, really. They might be boring to you, but I would say that any boredom as a result of reading them actually might be a result of looking for the wrong things, expecting things out of it that it wasn't intended to give.

The Bible, while there is a good bit of action, is not intended to give the reader a thrill based on events alone. It's a history of the beginnings of Christianity, and is primarily held as a Christian's one-stop guide to living a virtuous Christian life.

The Silmarillion, on the other hand, is exactly what is presented - a Elven-based history of Arda. How can one find the stories of Beren/Luthien, Turin, or Feanor boring? They may not be your style, but there's action to there.

Tolkien wrote this is Letter No. 181 in response to a reading comapring Gandalf to Jesus:

There is no 'embodiment' of the Creator anywhere in this story or mythology. Gandalf is a 'created' person; though possibly a spirit that existed before in the physical world. His function as a 'wizard' is an angelos or messenger from the Valar or Rulers: to assist the rational creatures of Middle-earth to resist Sauron, a power too great for them unaided.
[...]
Thus Gandalf faced and suffered death; and came back or was sent back, as he says, with enhanced power. But though one may be in this reminded of the Gospels, it is not really the same thing at all. The Incarnation of God is an infinitely greater thing than anything I would dare to write. Here I am only concerned with Death as part of the nature, physical and spiritual, of Man, and with Hope without guarantees.

That's obviously not the matter of discussion here, but holds some insight into Tolkien's reverence for the Bible. Just as Tolkien would never have dared to write about the Incarnation of God, so too would he have found the Bible infinitely greater than anything he was capable of writing. It definitely was not intended as Middle-earth's 'bible' by any means (and I don't think there are readers who treat it like one), though one can easily learn some of life's lessons in reading it.

*points to signature*

[ June 26, 2003: Message edited by: Legolas ]