Cruel Caradhras has been satisfied. The Company has been routed. On this episode of Secret Fire Podcast we make our way to the Gates of Moria and begin a journey in the dark as we examine book II, chapter 4 of the Lord Of The Rings.

A Journey In The Dark

It has been several weeks since the previous episode, and this is such a significant chapter – with many weighty themes – that this episode is longer than usual. The Christian themes are especially important. Particularly in light of the chapter title: A Journey In The Dark.

First, consider Pippin. In Rivendell he insisted on being included in the Company, saying that if he were not permitted to accompany his friends then Elrond had better send him back to the Shire tied in a sack! Now, after experiencing cold, hunger, and near death on Caradhras, Pippin realizes that Elrond was correct: he did not understand, nor could he imagine, what peril was in store.

Remember Lot’s Wife

After taking another mouthful of the miruvor of Rivendell, and the Company had eaten, Gandalf called a council. They certainly would not continue travelling that night. But where should they go after they rest?

‘We still have our journey and our errand before us,’ answered Gandalf. ‘We have no choice but to go on, or to return to Rivendell.’

Pippin’s face brightened visibly at the mere mention of return to Rivendell

The Lord of the Rings: One Volume, p. 295

A Pliable Hobbit

Pippin longs to return to the safety, ease, and comfort of the Last Homely House. Who could blame him! This is not the adventure he thought it would be. He is in peril: cold, hungry, nearly crushed by a mountain… and who knows what dangers lay ahead? Pippin wants to go back.

So, too, did many followers of Christ Jesus in the first century. He promised them difficult times. They would be persecuted from all sides by family, friends, and religious leaders. The Jewish converts were thrown out of their synagogues – which meant they were cut off from society and everything they had ever known. They were outcasts, hunted from town to town, beaten, fed to wild beasts, crucified, burned at the stake, and much more besides.

Jesus never said that it would be easy. On the contrary, He told His disciples that if they were to follow Him they must take up their own crosses, and that to forsake Him and return to their old life would cost them eternal life in the kingdom of Heaven.

Luke 9:62 (NASB)

But Jesus said to him, “No one, after putting his hand to the plow and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God.”

Luke 17:32-33 (NASB)

Remember Lot’s wife. Whoever seeks to keep his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life will preserve it.

Rivendell: The City Of Destruction

Pippin reminds us of Pliable in The Pilgrim’s Progress. Pliable loved the words of Christian and was happy to accompany him on the journey. “Well said,” he kept replying to Christian’s descriptions of the good things he was promised. Yet, when they both fell into the Slough of Despond, Pliable was all too quick to go back to the City of Destruction. Pippin, likewise, desires to go back to Rivendell – also the City of Destruction. Listen to the words of Gandalf:

If we go back now, then the Ring must remain there: we shall not be able to set out again. Then sooner or later Rivendell will be besieged, and after a brief and bitter time it will be destroyed.

The Lord of the Rings: One Volume, p. 295

The Bards Are Back

Marc Gunn and Andrew McKee have reformed the Brobdingnagian Bards! And to celebrate we played a track off their album Real Men Wear Kilts titled “Health To The Company.” It is the perfect song for when you take a mouthful of the miruvor of Rivendell – which is, after all, a picture of the Eucharist.

Listeners know that we love The Bards, and so should you.

The Redhorn Gate. The most malevolent foe that the Company has encountered since leaving Rivendell is the mountain known as Caradhras the Cruel. Is there anything that can help them to survive? Join us as we complete The Lord of the Rings, book II, chapter 3, The Ring Goes South.

The Ring Goes South, Pt. 4

On this episode of the Secret Fire Podcast we join the Fellowship as they attempt to navigate the Redhorn Pass to the Dimrill Dale and on to the Great River. But cruel Caradhras will not let them pass. They are defeated by the mountain. Yet they survive with help.

David, Jesus, Gandalf, Frodo, and Aragorn

We have established that Gandalf, Frodo and Aragorn are types of Christ Jesus each representing one of the three offices of Messiah: Prophet, Priest and King respectively. Too, Israel most famous king, David, was a type fulfilled in Jesus the antitype. Antitype is defined as something that is foreshadowed by a type or symbol, as a New Testament event prefigured in the Old Testament.

David prefigured Christ Jesus in more ways than we have time to address. Many of the Psalms of David are quoted by the New Testament writers as having been fulfilled in Jesus’ life, ministry, and death, burial and resurrection. So it comes as no surprise that J.R.R. Tolkien – a devout Roman Catholic – would be inspired by the poetry of David, especially his cries to Yahweh for help. We find the following to be apropos when reading of the company’s battle against cruel Caradhras – the enemy in The Ring Goes South:

Psalms 70 (NASB)

O God, hasten to deliver me;

O Lord, hasten to my help!

Let those be ashamed and humiliated

Who seek my life;

Let those be turned back and dishonored

Who delight in my hurt.

Let those be turned back because of their shame

Who say, “Aha, aha!”

Let all who seek You rejoice and be glad in You;

And let those who love Your salvation say continually,

“Let God be magnified.”

But I am afflicted and needy;

Hasten to me, O God!

You are my help and my deliverer;

O Lord, do not delay.

Additional Resources:

* The Complete Guide to Middle-earth, by Robert Foster

* Christianity in Lord of the Rings, by Peter Kreeft

* The Fellowship of the Ring Audiobook read by Rob Inglis

* The Lord of the Rings 1981 Radio Dramatization by BBC

What stood out to you in The Ring Goes South Pt. 4? Let us know in the comments below.

The Company left the road at the Ford of Bruinen to follow narrow paths southwards into the land that men call Hollin. Eregion was its name when Elves lived there in happier days. Gimli knows all about this land. But how? Join us as we continue reading The Lord of the Rings, book II, chapter three, The Ring Goes South.

The Ring Goes South To The Land Of Gimli’s Fathers

After many days since leaving the Last Homely House in Rivendell, the travellers enjoyed a change in the weather. On a cold clear dawn they could see the dim shapes of lofty mountains. They seemed to be standing across the path that the fellowship was taking. Tipped with snow were three peaks rising above the range. Suddenly Gimli – who was gazing with strange light in his deep eyes – spoke:

There is the land where our fathers worked of old, and we have wrought the image of those mountains into many works of metal and of stone, and into many songs and tales.

The Lord of the Rings: One Volume, p. 283

He had never lived in this land. He had only seen it from afar once. But it was his inheritance, and he loved it. How could such a deep knowledge and love be felt for a land that belonged to his fathers of old? Art, music, and stories are the answer.

Teach And Put In The Mind Of One Another

We speak often of the importance of art in community on the Secret Fire Podcast. Art brings people together. It binds us. Tales and songs define a people; it tells us who we are and where we came from. And it tells us where we are going. The apostle Paul described this very thing thing when he encouraged the believers at Colossae:

Colossians 3:16 (NASB)

Let the word of Christ richly dwell within you, with all wisdom teaching and admonishing one another with psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with thankfulness in your hearts to God.

This simple paragraph in The Ring Goes South is an illustration of what Paul was writing about to Christians nearly 2,000 years ago. Let the word of Christ richly dwell in you. How, Paul? With wisdom through teaching and admonishing (the word means to “put in mind”) each other with songs, poetry, tales, etc. He follows these instructions thusly:

Colossians 3:17 (NASB)

Whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks through Him to God the Father.

Gimli is a wonderful picture of the results of Paul’s words. His fathers served him well. May we do the same.

Additional Resources:

* The Complete Guide to Middle-earth, by Robert Foster

* Christianity in Lord of the Rings, by Peter Kreeft

* The Fellowship of the Ring Audiobook read by Rob Inglis

* The Lord of the Rings 1981 Radio Dramatization by BBC

The tale of Nine is filled. Representatives from the Free Folk of Middle-earth will accompany Frodo, though no oath of bond is laid upon them to go further than they will. Now seven days of preparations begin. Join us as we continue to read through The Lord of the Rings, book II, chapter 3, The Ring Goes South.

The Ring Goes South Pt. 2

Elvish smiths re-forged the Sword of Elendil, and Aragorn gave it a new name: Andúril, Flame of the West.

[O]n its blade was traced a device of seven stars set between the crescent Moon and the rayed Sun, and about them was written many runes

The Lord of the Rings: One Volume, p. 276

Aragorn son of Arathorn was indeed going to war. This calls to mind the vision Saint John had while on the island of Patmos:

Revelation 1:12-16 (NASB)

Then I turned to see the voice that was speaking with me. And having turned I saw seven golden lampstands; and in the middle of the lampstands I saw one like a son of man, clothed in a robe reaching to the feet, and girded across His chest with a golden sash. His head and His hair were white like white wool, like snow; and His eyes were like a flame of fire. His feet were like burnished bronze, when it has been made to glow in a furnace, and His voice was like the sound of many waters. In His right hand He held seven stars, and out of His mouth came a sharp two-edged sword; and His face was like the sun shining in its strength.

We believe that Aragorn is a reflection of the King in the Prophet, Priest, and King messianic motif. As we continue through The Lord of the Rings we will continue to make comparisons between he and Christ Jesus.

In Seven Days The Ring Goes South

As Aragorn and Gandalf spent the next seven days considering the perils that they would meet, or pondering tales of the past and studying maps and books of lore, the hobbits gathered in the Hall of Fire. They heard the full lay of Beren and Lúthien and other tales in the evenings. During the day Frodo and Sam could be found with Bilbo in his room as he read passages from his own book or reading bits of his verses.

It was when Frodo and Bilbo were alone that the beloved old hobbit gifted the younger with Sting and the dwarf-mail given to him by Thorin Oakenshield. All Bilbo asked for in return was that Frodo take care of himself and to bring back news of the adventure. For Bilbo longed to complete his book and to write a second. He then turned to the window and began to softly sing a beautiful elegiac lament. More than anything Bilbo wanted to be a part of this adventure.

I sit beside the fire and think

of how the world will be

when winter comes without a spring

that I shall ever see.

 

For still there are so many things

that I have never seen:

in every wood in every spring

there is a different green.

 

I sit beside the fire and think

of people long ago,

and people who will see a world

that I shall never know.

 

The Lord of the Rings: One Volume, pp. 278-279

Remember Also Your Creator In The Days Of Your Youth

Bilbo’s adventures have (nearly) come to an end. As the Ring goes south he will not accompany Frodo on the quest. The realization that his time in the wide world is over is a bitter one. There is a strength in youth that is finite. And it is eventually spent. This is, as the Preacher said, “Vanity of vanities!” The same Preacher warns that because of this we should remember God in our youth:

Ecclesiastes 12:1-7 (NASB)

Remember also your Creator in the days of your youth, before the evil days come and the years draw near when you will say, “I have no delight in them”; before the sun and the light, the moon and the stars are darkened, and clouds return after the rain; in the day that the watchmen of the house tremble,

The history of the One Ring has been told. The conflict has been defined and Frodo Baggins has been appointed to carry the burden of Middle-earth to the fires of Mount Doom. Samwise Gamgee will go with his master. Join us as we begin reading through The Lord of the Rings, book II, chapter 3, The Ring Goes South.

The Ring Goes South

Later after the council the hobbits held their own meeting in Bilbo’s room. Pippin is indignant that Sam’s “cheek” in hiding in the wings, only to jump out and insist on accompanying Frodo on the perilous journey, was not met with severe punishment. He should be allowed to go too. After all, they’ll certainly need someone with intelligence in the party. Merry declares that it would indeed be punishment if any of them were prevented from going. Suddenly Gandalf appears at the window to assure the hobbits that they are worrying without cause. Nothing regarding who else will accompany Frodo and Sam has been decided yet. But Gandalf thinks that he will go with them.

The Ring Goes South With The Least Of These

Though Frodo’s delight at Gandalf’s announcement was great, Pippin couldn’t believe that nothing had been decided. “What were you doing for all those hours you were shut up in council, then?” he cried.

‘Talking,’ said Bilbo. ‘There was a deal of talk, and everyone had an eye-opener. Even old Gandalf. I think Legolas’s bit of news about Gollum caught even him on the hop, though he passed it off.’ ‘You were wrong,’ said Gandalf. ‘You were inattentive. I had already heard of it from Gwaihir. If you want to know, the only real eye-openers, as you put it, were you and Frodo; and I was the only one that was not surprised.’

The Lord of the Rings: One Volume, p. 272

Gandalf was the only one who was not caught off-guard by the revelations about Bilbo and Frodo. As a prophet, Gandalf knows much of how events may play out in this drama. That is not to say that he sees the whole picture. But he knows that these two halflings – the least of all the peoples of Middle-earth – have a major role in the War of the Ring as the Ring goes south. It is often the small, foolish, and weak things that shame the wise. Just like the apostle Paul wrote to the Corinthian church:

1 Corinthians 1:27-28 NET

But God chose what the world thinks foolish to shame the wise, and God chose what the world thinks weak to shame the strong. God chose what is low and despised in the world, what is regarded as nothing, to set aside what is regarded as something

This passage is played out in The Lord of the Rings. Sometimes the smallest, lowliest, and least regarded person can change the course of the future. That is exactly what Jesus and His disciples did in a small corner of the world nearly two-thousand years ago.

Christmas In The Shire

At the time of recording this episode Yulefest was in effect. We celebrate the Christmas season with the song Christmas in the Shire by Marc Gunn. This beautiful elegiac lament may have been going through our hobbits’ minds as they longed for home and hearth back in the Shire. We spend a few minutes with Marc as he tells us what this song means to him.

The Council of Elrond is coming to a close. The representatives of the free peoples of Middle-earth have shared their tales and heard the whole history of the One Ring. But one question remains: What shall be done with it? Join us as we conclude this chapter of The Lord of the Rings.

The Council of Elrond Pt. 8

Elrond laments the fall of Saurman, for he had been a trusted advisor and therefore possesses knowledge of all their previous councils. Erestor suggest that they request the aid of Tom Bombadil. Perhaps he would safeguard the One Ring, seeing as it has no power over him. To this Gandalf replies,

He might do so, if all the free folk of the world begged him,but he would not understand the need. And if he were given the Ring, he would soon forget it, or most likely throw it away. Such things have no hold on his mind. He would be a most unsafe guardian; and that alone is answer enough.’

The Lord of the Rings: One Volume Edition, p. 256

No. The Ring must be destroyed. It must be unmade in the fires of Mount Doom. But who shall do it? The members of the Council of Elrond returned to deep thought. All the while Frodo sat quietly, a dead darkness growing in his heart.

Scapehobbit Who Takes Away The Burden Of Middle-earth

Bilbo, perhaps from an empty stomach, perhaps from a longing for an adventure – though, more likely from a desire for the Ring -, offers to take the burden upon himself. Yet it is Frodo, speaking in a small voice – which he felt was coming from somebody other than himself -, who finally says that he will take it. Elrond, raising an eyebrow, confesses that it indeed seems that Frodo has been appointed this task. Something, or someone (Eru Ilúvatar) has chosen him to bear the burden of Middle-earth away into the wilderness; yea, to the very fires of Mordor! Frodo is to be the scapegoat just like that described in the Old Covenant Law.

Leviticus 16:10, 22 NASB

But the goat on which the lot for the scapegoat fell shall be presented alive before the Lord, to make atonement upon it, to send it into the wilderness as the scapegoat.

The goat shall bear on itself all their iniquities to a solitary land; and he shall release the goat in the wilderness.

The word translated as scapegoat literally means goat of removal, or departure. The sins (burden) of Israel were to be transferred to the scapegoat and it was to take that burden (sin) away from the congregation. This is a type of the Christ who John the Baptist called the “Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world (Grk. kosmos).”

Frodo is simultaneously appointed as priest and the goat of removal. Two functions that Jesus fulfilled. We are excited to continue following this thread as we continue reading through The Lord of the Rings.

Music

Gaudete from the album Sir Christèmas, by Brocelïande.

We take a break from our normal adventures through The Lord of the Rings this week in order to once again open up the vaults at the old, defunct Middle-earth Network, brush aside Shelob’s webs, and bring you a fantastic interview with Douglas Gresham, the stepson of C.S. Lewis.

Douglas Gresham

Mr. Gresham is an American British stage and voice actor, biographer, film producer, and much more. Douglas and his older brother David were adopted by C.S. Lewis when he married their mother, Joy Davidman, and it was to the two brothers that C.S. Lewis dedicated The Horse and his Boy.

This interview originally aired live on Middle-earth Network Radio sometime in October, 2011. In it you’ll hear Secret Fire Podcast co-host Michael, Mark Ostley, John DiBartolo of the Lonely Mountain Band, Arwen Kester of Middle-earth News, and guest co-host Paul Martin of narniafans.com.

We hope that you enjoy this conversation and that it inspires you to revisit the writings of C.S. Lewis. Also, explore the books that Mr. Gresham has authored – Lenten Lands: My Childhood with Joy Davidman and C.S. Lewis, and Jack’s Life: The Life Story of C.S. Lewis.

Secret Fire Podcast

Stay tuned next week, Ilúvatar willing and the Bruinen don’t rise, for part 8 of The Council of Elrond.

The Secret Fire Podcast is live each Saturday, Lord willing, at about 2:30pm, Eastern Time in the GCTNetwork studio. Join us for live video on our Twitch page at twitch.tv/secretfirepodcast

On The Secret Fire Podcast we travel chapter-by-chapter and book-by-book through J.R.R. Tolkien’s Middle-earth viewing it through Christian lenses. We invite you to join us each week as we continue the adventure on the Arkenstone server in Lord Of The Rings Online.

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Theme song: Hobbit’s Dance from the album Memories Of Middle Earth, by Brobdingnagian Bards

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We find Gandalf imprisoned on the pinnacle of Orthanc. He does not even the room to properly pace and brood over the state of affairs in Middle-earth. Saruman has fallen, the Riders are scouring the North in search of the One Ring, and Frodo is without a powerful Wizard at his side. Join us as we continue reading through The Council of Elrond and the Lord of the Rings.

The Council Of Elrond, Pt. 7

Gandalf is experiencing what the New Testament describes using the Greek word, thlipsis; literally a pressing, or pressure. It is used by NT writers to express persecution, affliction, or distress. It carries the meaning of being hemmed in, or confined. We might use the colloquial phrase, between a rock and a hard place.

But in the circle of Isengard, trapped and alone, it was not easy to think that the hunters before whom all have fled or fallen would falter in the Shire far away.

The Lord of the Rings: One Volume Edition, p. 260

Yet Gandalf maintains hope. He hoped that Frodo had received the letter left for him with Barliman Butterbur, and that he had reached Rivendell before the deadly pursuit of the Black Riders reached him.

Ilúvatar Is Ruler Over The Kingdoms Of Middle-earth

We propose that Gandalf is in this predicament for a reason. Of the five Istari sent to Middle-earth in the Third Age, Gandalf alone has not left his commission. He is faithfully performing the task that he was charged with: to encourage the hearts of the peoples in their struggle against the Dark Lord Sauron – the great adversary, the accuser, the satan.

Would it be too much to surmise that Ilúvatar has influenced the events that led to Gandalf’s imprisonment at Orthanc? J.R.R. Tolkien, a pious Roman Catholic, was indeed familiar with the providence of Yahweh as well as the book of Daniel. In the one chapter written by Nebuchadnezzar (a pagan king!) this pronouncement is made:

Daniel 4:17 ASV

The sentence is by the decree of the watchers, and the demand by the word of the holy ones; to the intent that the living may know that the Most High ruleth in the kingdom of men, and giveth it to whomsoever he will, and setteth up over it the lowest of men.

The Most High is ruler over the realm of mankind, is how the New American Standard Version translates it. We have been building a case for the providence of Ilúvatar at work in the Third Age of Middle-earth – and specifically in this, the War of the Ring. It is our assertion that Gandalf has been temporarily and purposefully restrained – according to the designs of Ilúvatar – for two reasons:

* In order for Ilúvatar’s providence to be clearly perceived, and

* To keep Gandalf humble and faithful to his mission and commission by the Valar

And those are two things that we look forward to exploring deeper as we continue reading The Council of Elrond, The Lord of the Rings, and beyond.

Additional Resources:

* The Complete Guide to Middle-earth, by Robert Foster

* Christianity in Lord of the Rings, by Peter Kreeft

* The Fellowship of the Ring Audiobook read by Rob Inglis

* The Lord of the Rings 1981 Radio Dramatization by BBC

What stood out to you in The Council Of Elrond Pt. 7? Let us know in the comments below.

On The Secret Fire Podcast we travel chapter-by-chapter and book-by-book through J.R.R. Tolkien’s Middle-earth viewing it through Christian lenses. We invite you to join us each week as we continue the adventure on the Arkenstone server in

The time has come for Gandalf the Grey to address the Council of Elrond. He will fill in the missing gaps in the story of the One Ring and give account of the conspicuously absent Saruman the White. Join us as we continue reading through The Lord of the Rings.

The Council Of Elrond, Pt. 6

The Council of Elrond is a watershed chapter in The Lord of the Rings. The drama of the tale so far has been muted by mystery; here the magnitude of the conflict of the story is laid bare. The sanguinary end of the Free Peoples of Middle-earth is certain should the current darkness continue. A Power has awoken. The Dark Lord’s mind and will is bent on reclaiming the One Ring to rule them all. He is amassing an army to wage war against Eru Iluvatar and lay claim to his sole divine right to honor. But there is another with clandestine plans to seize power for himself: Saruman the Wise, Saruman the Ring-maker, Saruman of Many Colors!

The Elder Days are gone. The Middle Days are passing. The Younger Days are beginning. The time of the Elves is over, but our time is at hand: the world of Men, which we must rule. But we must have power, power to order all things as we will, for that good which only the Wise can see.

The Lord of the Rings: One Volume Edition, p. 259.

Saruman The Fallen

At the bidding of Radagast the Brown Gandalf raced to Orthanc to seek the aid of Saruman the White. But that title seemed to anger the Wizard, and Gandalf felt a fear that he could neither explain nor give good reason for. That is, until Saruman unmasked himself in his means to seize and wield the One Ring. “White!” Saruman sneered. “It serves as a beginning.” He continued:

“White cloth may be dyed. The white page can be overwritten; and the white light can be broken.” ‘“ In which case it is no longer white,” said I. “And he that breaks a thing to find out what it is has left the path of wisdom.”

Ibid., p. 259

Saruman has left the path of wisdom; he has abandoned his domain – his proper abode (Jude 1:6). The Wizards were Istari: angelic beings sent to assist the peoples of Middle-earth against Sauron in the Third Age. But Saruman – the head of the Order of Istari – has pushed away from the good in order to take hold of the bad.

Paul, in his letter to the church in Thessalonica wrote about the proper conduct of followers of The Way in chapter five. He ends his outline of Christian living thus:

But examine everything carefully; hold fast to that which is good; abstain from every form of evil.

1 Thessalonians 5:21-22 NASB

That Good Which Only The Wise Can See

The word “abstain” is an interesting translation. The Greek word has much more meaning packed into it than our English counterpart (which barely corresponds to it). The literal meaning is to have one thing by separating from (letting go of) another. We don’t use abstain in that way. Paul is telling his readers to let go of those things contrary to Christ so that they may have all that God wills for them in Christ. Do not repay evil for evil so that you may seek after what is good for all people, etc.

Saruman has done the opposite. He has left the path of wisdom – that good which only the wise can see – to seek his own ends. He does not want to serve another; he desires to be served. In short, he has fallen. He could have been Saruman the Wise if he had *listened to what the Spirit said through Paul:

Finally, brethren, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is of good repute, if there is any excellence and if anything worthy of praise, dwell on these things.

Philippians 4:8 NASB

*Yes, we are aware that the Third Age is a pre-Christian age and therefore Saruman could never have read Paul’s letter to the Philippians.

Tension is building in the Council of Elrond. Galdor requests testimony from Saruman – who is learned in the lore of the Rings, Glóin is quick to resurrect old wrongs already set right, and Gandalf and Elrond struggle to maintain order. Join us as we continue reading through The Lord of the Rings, book II, chapter 2 on the Secret Fire Podcast.

The Council Of Elrond Pt. 5

Galdor has done well when he asks for the council of another outside this current meeting. As we mentioned in the previous episode, Solomon tells us that the first to plead his case seems right, until another comes and examines him (Proverbs 18:17 NASB). And Elrond assures Galdor that his questions have not been overlooked, and will be answered. Yet, Gandalf believes the evidences already presented would convince even the most skeptical that the Ring in question is that which the Dark Lord seeks.

‘Some, Galdor,’ said Gandalf, ‘would think the tidings of Glóin, and the pursuit of Frodo, proof enough that the halfling’s trove is a thing of great worth to the Enemy.

The Lord of the Rings: One Volume Edition, p. 250

Testimony About The One Ring

Saruman is not present. Therefore his council cannot be heard or considered in this matter. Yet, the case continues regarding the identity of this “trifle” in Frodo’s possession. Glóin reported about the Ring sought by the messenger of Sauron, and how the Dark Lord knew it was in the keeping of a hobbit; Boromir recounted the prophetic dream of Isildur’s Bane and the Halfling; and Gandalf recited the words of Isildur testifying that the Ring was that worn by Sauron at the Battle of Dagorlad, and how the Ring testifies of itself in the letters engraved upon it.

The council of Saruman is wholly unnecessary in the Council of Elrond. All the proof needed to identify this Ring has been given by no less than three witnesses. The Ring has been identified beyond a shadow of a doubt. This is reminiscent of the three witnesses of Jesus. As the Jewish leaders were plotting to kill Jesus for making himself equal to God, the Lord points them to the evidence: the testimony already given.

John 5:31-40 NET

If I testify about myself, my testimony is not true. There is another who testifies about me, and I know the testimony he testifies about me is true. You have sent to John, and he has testified to the truth. (I do not accept human testimony, but I say this so that you may be saved.) He was a lamp that was burning and shining, and you wanted to rejoice greatly for a short time in his light.

But I have a testimony greater than that from John. For the deeds that the Father has assigned me to complete – the deeds I am now doing – testify about me that the Father has sent me. And the Father who sent me has himself testified about me. You people have never heard his voice nor seen his form at any time, nor do you have his word residing in you, because you do not believe the one whom he sent. You study the scriptures thoroughly because you think in them you possess eternal life, and it is these same scriptures that testify about me, but you are not willing to come to me so that you may have life.

* John the Baptizer testified about Jesus

* The miracles Jesus performed testify about Him

* Scripture (Law and Prophets) testifies about Jesus

Three witnesses that testify about the identity of the Lord, and three that testify about the identity of the Ring.

Additional Resources:

* The Complete Guide to Middle-earth, by Robert Foster

* Christianity in Lord of the Rings, by Peter Kreeft

*