0259 » Carl Hostetter » The Nature of Middle-earth » Theological and Metaphysical Themes

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In episode 259, we sit down once again with Carl Hostetter, editor of the latest volume of JRR Tolkien’s writings, The Nature of Middle-earth.

We focus our attention on Appendix I: Metaphysical and Theological Themes.

Join us!

EXECUTIVE PRODUCERS

Andrew T
John R
Ms. Anonymous

How has the response been to The Nature of Middle-earth? » 3:38
What inspired this appendix on the “religious and Catholic” question? 9:50
Ages of the World » 13:19
Body (Hröa) and Spirit (Feä) » 21:50
Evil as Lack of Perfection » 24:20
Contingency of Existence » 32:35
Theistic Evolution » 40:53
Hylomorphism » 45:55
The Fall of Man, The Elves, and the Númenoreans (and Mary) » 52:50
Incorruptibility of Saints, Odour of Sanctity » 1:03:40
Marriage » 1:08:30
Christ’s Incarnation and Middle-earth » 1:12:25

SHOUT-oUTS

Special thanks to the following patrons:

Andrew T
John R
Ms. Anonymous
Kaitlyn of Tea with Tolkien
Shannon S
Brian O
Emilio P
Zeke F
James A
James L
Chris L
Chuck F
Asya V
Ish of the Hammer
Teresa C
David of Pints with Jack
Jonathan D
Eric S
Joey S
Eric B
Johanna T
Mike M
Robert H
Paul D
Julia
Werty

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It was great, and to my delight, it left a deep impression on my kids.

It just felt like perfect Christmas viewing.

Which is odd, because The Lord of the Rings has nothing to do with Christmas…

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Lore of the Rings Interview » Why and How The Lord of the Rings is a “Religious and Catholic Work”

Hey there, fellow travellers!
Merry Christmas! I was recently a guest on the Lore of the Rings podcast – that’s L-O-R-E – where I joined host Aaron to discuss the ways in which Lord of the Rings is a “fundamentally religous work”.
We uncovered:
– The grace Faramir says before sharing a meal with Frodo and Sam.
– The liturgical significance of March 25 — the day the One Ring was destroyed.
– The mysterious Three Prayers of Númenor, preserved in Unfinished Tales.
– Why Tolkien preferred absorbed symbolism over overt allegory.
I wanted to share a portion of this interview on The Tolkien Road’s podcast feed, but you really need to go check out the whole thing over on Aaron’s feed.
Enjoy!

The Tolkien Road