The Silmarillion is one of Tolkien’s most challenging works and yet also the most beautiful and important in my opinion. Many Tolkien fans new and old often feel intimidated by its depth and bewildered by its vocabulary, but it’s become my goal to encourage, equip, and inspire Tolkien fans to not only pick up The Silmarillion — but to finish it as well!
When I taught New Testament at a Catholic high school, I unconsciously created a memory regarding the story of Zacchaeus in Luke 19:1-10. I united my love of literature with love of scripture by referring to Zacchaeus as “the hobbit of the New Testament”. Students chuckled at this provisional quip. The former tax collector was described as a short man who needed to climb a tree to view Jesus’ arrival in his town. J.R.R. Tolkien once described his creations as,
This Bible feels very meditative, like a slow walk through the Scriptures. I once read an anecdote about Tolkien in which his friends mentioned that Tolkien couldn’t simply go on a quick walk because he would so frequently stop to point out a particular plant or insect, often stopping altogether when something interested him. This Bible feels a bit like this, in the most delightful way. You can’t just rush through the Scriptures, it’s best to work through them slowly. It feels almost like a long walk through the Sistine Chapel or a forest perhaps.
Because I love planning and I love a good theme, I’ve put together a list of twelve monthly themes for Tea with Tolkien in 2022. These themes will help shape what sorts of content is shared on our blog and podcast, what discussions we have within our community, and so on!
If you feel inspired to create any social media posts, art, poetry, etc. inspired by one of these themes, I would love to see and share them! I’d love to do some sort of round-up post at the end of each month. :)
Last January, I lost someone I love dearly to suicide. Without them, the light in the world is forever diminished. Their life was a gift to all of us and we are lost without them. I miss them so much, and have so many regrets. I wish so badly I could tell them these things. But because they are gone, I am going to tell them to you.
