Merton Again- On the Personhood of Others.

This was in an email i received this morning. It sums up a train of thought that has worked its way into my life during the last year. It squares nicely with some of what NT Wright had to say in Surprised by Hope, which I read last summer. Since then I have (not always very successfully) strived to recognize the humanness of others and to avoid dehumanizing them as a way to justify my sins against them.

Persons are known not by the intellect alone, nor by principles alone, but only by love. It is when we love the other, the enemy, that we obtain from God the key to an understanding of who he is and who we are. It is only this realization that can open to us the real nature of our duty, and of right action.

To shut out the person and to refuse to consider him as a person, as another self, we resort to the impersonal "law" and "nature." That is to say we block off the reality of the other, we cut the intercommunication of our nature and his nature, and we consider only our own nature with its rights, its claims, its demands. In effect, however, we are considering our nature in the concrete and his nature in the abstract. And we justify the evil we do to our brother because he is no longer a brother, he is merely an adversary, an accused, an evil being.

To restore communication, to see our oneness of nature with him, and to respect his personal rights, integrity, his worthiness of love, we have to see ourselves as accused along with him, condemned to death along with him, sinking into the abyss with him, and needing, with him, the ineffable gift of grace and mercy to be saved.

Thomas Merton. Seeds of Destruction (New York: Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 1961): 254-255.

Why Nonviolence? Part I

This topic is not necessarily such a new theme in my thought and experience, but it has certainly come to a head in recent months.

I am now convinced that there are few things found in the bible as explicit as the path to nonviolent action in the Christian life. This is a pretty bold statement, I know. All sorts of questions start to come up. The most famous of which is “What if someone attacked a loved one? Surely you would defend them! It would be a sin not to defend them!” or similarly “What about Hitler? Bonhoeffer said that the Christian thing to do would be to get a madman driver off of the road to prevent him from killing any more innocents.”

Before getting to these questions I would like to start with looking at a couple of issues. First I want to look at the teachings and actions of Jesus. Next we will look at the vision of the Garden before the fall, and the vision of the New Heavens and New Earth after the final resurrection. Thirdly I want to address the issues of violence in the Old Testament before finally returning to the above questions as mini case studies.

Today we will start with Jesus however. As we are all descendants of the original Adam, and are in bondage to sin, so we will one day bear the true image of the second Adam, the one in whom there is no sin. In the meantime we are attempting to bear as much of that image in this life as the Spirit will allow, in anticipation of being clothed in our new bodies at the resurrection. In other words, we strive to be like Jesus. The life of Jesus as depicted in the Gospels and reflected in the teachings of Paul and the other apostles is not merely some hopeless ideal which we can never attain. Well, it would be only that had the Holy Spirit not been given to us as a gift in order to facilitate the Kingdom life.

It is not an ideal because when the Spirit lives in us, and we serve through it and act out God’s will it has become reality. We are acting as Christ towards others in those instances. Christ is truly present in that kind of human exchange. Living for ideals is not empowered by the Spirit and is therefore death. Living for Christ is life.

If what I have said is true, then we must look to his example set forth in the bible to teach us what his will might look like in a Kingdom oriented life. This is where I see no ambiguity about violence. Jesus rejects violence at every turn.

What is the Revolutionary Tradition?

Or perhaps the better question is why did I abandon the Calituckyohioan? 

The Calituckyohioan's time had passed. I have been thinking of changing it for a while. I came up with it when I had only been in Pasadena for a little while. I was in a new area and wanted to hold on to my Cincinnati identity while opening up to the possibilities that awaited me in California. 

When I moved back to Cincinnati I was still going through a time of transition, only in reverse. So, the name still made sense to me. 

I have now been settling back in to life in Cincinnati, and no longer really feel torn between two homes. 

Now, back to the initial question.  I have been keeping my eye out for a new name for a while. As I was reading more of Thomas Merton's New Seeds of Contemplation, I came across a chapter entitled Tradition & Revolution. 

He applies the terms broadly to the Church and specifically to the Roman Catholic Church. If the life of the Church is the Truth of God, breathed into it by the Holy Spirit, he says, then humans have a tendancy to turn away from this "living tradition." So, the revolution comes into play not against the living tradition, but against the human tradition (turning away from God).

Merton:

And yet this tradition must always be a revolution because by its very nature it denies the values and standards to which human passion is so powerfully attached. To those who love money and pleasure and reputation and power this tradition says: "Be poor, go down into the far end of society, take the last place among men, live with those who are despised, love other men and serve them when they push you around, but pray for those that hurt you. Do not look for pleasure, but turn away from things that satisfy your senses and your mind and look for God in hunger and thirst and darkness, through deserts of the spirit in which it seems to be madness to travel. Take upon yourself the burden of Christ's Cross, that is, Christ's humility and poverty and obedience and renunciation, and you will find peace for your souls.

Merton is not the only person to have impressed this upon me. In fact anyone who has issued calls to true discipleship are doing the same thing. For me, this includes a wide range of pastors, theologians and personal friends.  In fact, Greg Boyd's latest book, The Myth of the Christian Religion, is an excellent example of this. It is my understanding that the original title of that book was to be Revolting Beauty. This makes sense to me because it issues the same calls to the Kingdom that Merton does. In Boyd's case he walks through a variety of topics and shows how the world works, and how God's Kingdom is something much different.  Another great example is The Upside Down Kingdom by Donald Kraybill.

There is not a single section of the above exhortation which I find to be easy. But that doesn't excuse me from pursuing them. That quote is not an all encompassing challenge, but does a lot to point in the right direction.  So, this blog will now move into a new chapter of my life. The chapter of pursuing the Revolutionary Tradition- pursuing the reign of God and his kingdom.

In light of the quote now found in this blog's header, one could say that where worldly revolutions are physically violent, a this revoltion is spiritually violent. It is violent by way of the cross however, and can only result in the gift of true life, in, through and from Christ. 

Moving forward, it is my hope that this blog would be a place where I can work out how that revolution is going in my life, and offer up the fruits of my own study and experiences to anyone who might find life in them.

Why Anglican/Episcopal?

Yesterday I wrote some initial thoughts on why I have decided to start the (unofficial) discernment process of ordination.

As to "Why Anglican/Episcopal?" I have a variety of answers, again, none of them full in themselves.

I will give three reasons for now. First of all, some of the people I have been nourished by the most in my studies have been Anglican. In particular having John Goldingay as a professor and reading the works of NT Wright have always left me changed for the better. Since I was in the position of having to "church shop" as I didn't have a denomination to call home any longer (that is a huge disadvantage to my church-muttiness, despite any ecumenical perspective it has given me), I figured I would start with the places that have nourished me, so that made the Episcopal Church a prime candidate.

Secondly, having come from a Vineyard background as my most recent church experience, I felt that the worship services of the Vineyard were thoughtful, but not as complete as I might have hoped. I do want to stress that I am wading into a mixture of theological reflection and personal preference. I have many friends in the Vineyard Churches and I do know that there is a rhyme to the reason of how they function; I just don't think they scan as well as the iambic pentameter I have found in the Anglican liturgy. No church is without liturgy, but not all liturgies are the same. I am drawn in by the very comprehensive order of worshipI have found in the ECUSA. I will also admit that musically speaking, I prefer hymns to most modern worship. Not only do I find a great depth of purpose in the ebb and flow of the liturgy there, I also find great comfort and perspective in realizing that it is a service that spreads out not only to the past as a lasting tradition, but also in the present, as most churches are following the same texts and ceremonies across the world.

Finally, it was the via media, or middle way, that I am still coming to appreciate which tipped the scales in favor of the Anglican Communion. The Church of England was unique in that it grew mostly out of political conflict rather than pure ecclesiastical reformation like the Lutheran Church. As a result the Catholic and Protestant natures became more intertwined than in other churches. It is my understanding that via media is one of the things which allows the Anglican Communion to exist as a place where a multitude of theological stances can be held, but where all may still be in communion with one another. Because I disagree with someone else on the issue of the ordination of women for example, does not mean that we should break off our association with one another. Still, there are dangers to this kind of inclusiveness. This is most evidenced in the last few years as the issue of Homosexuality has caused some very deep divisions in the Anglican Communion and threatened the unity of the worldwide communion. And yet, via media gives me hope. Finding middle ground means that we have to make room for “the other” as Miroslav Volf might say. Compromise is a dirty word in America, and in the Church this is no less true. This is sad because I believe we are called to constantly yield to others in our lives as led by the Spirit.

Those are just a few of the things which have brought me to appreciate the Episcopal Church and the larger body of the Anglican Communion. After a few years of avoiding church, and floundering around in a church shopping expedition, Christ has finally brought me to a place where I can settle in and begin to do Life Together with a community.

Why Ordination?

I keep putting off writing the various posts swirling in my head, so here goes the first round.

Some thoughts on ordination. A couple of posts ago I basically said a lot about what led me to St. Timothy's but I haven't really outlined some of the other things swirling around ordination for me.

When I was at Fuller, I began as an MDiv student, but switched to an MA in Theology The difference in degree tracks for me was that the MDiv had more pastoral classes, but the bible/theology classes were all the same. All through my first two years at Fuller I had been pondering what kind of track I would take, a more pastoral or more academic one. My thinking when I switched degrees was that I would look into a second masters with a thesis and then on to a PhD someday. In the end, could not afford to live in LA any longer and the shorter degree was a benefit in that regard. I also was not really a part of any church or denomination for the last year or so of my time at Fuller, which made it hard to figure out how a pastoral path would work.

Since then, I have realized that my vocation does not have to live in either of these realms alone. I have also found a spiritual and church home in the Anglican Communion/Episcopal Church. If God permits me to seek ordination in that church, I believe that he will also lead me into a way of serving the church both on an academic and pastoral level. I am not interested in becoming a huge writer, popular all over the globe. Rather, at this time I find it my hope and calling to bring God's word to whatever situation and church I might end up in someday. I'm interested in finding ways to express various concepts to those in the church who have not had the blessing of theological study. Not because I have some secret knowledge that I must disperse, but rather because I hope the process would be one in which our faiths would be worked out in communion with one another. I recognize that my training thus far has been nothing short of the gift of God, and to refrain from sharing the fruits of that gift with others would be a disservice to God. Ultimately outside of the mustard seed of faith, I think it is how we live in loving communion with each other which defines us as people of God rather than a series of theological concepts; yet exploring those concepts is still a very valid and edifying process.

I must stress here that while this is in part a decision on my part, it is by no means in my hands alone. It is in the hands of the community I am seeking to know and grow in currently and also obviously at the Lord’s discretion. No matter how much I may desire to serve the Church in this capacity, I must daily bring it to the cross in order that Christ may bring it to life in the Holy Spirit. This is honestly a frightening thing. It is so because whenever we bring something to the cross to be crucified, there is the chance that Christ may not resurrect it. The refining fire of the Lord will burn away what is not of his will. So, if his will is a different path than ordination, then through my prayer life, and the communal discernment process of the ECUSA, he will make that known.

At this time, while I am eager to start the process, there are actually many steps between here and end of that journey. For starters, my focus now is on joining into the life of St. Timothy’s and just being in communion with those who worship there. This will mean getting confirmed into the church in the next year, but more importantly, it means being content with just “being” among them. If I were to approach this church as a means to an end, then I would be doing a grave disservice to them and to God. Instead of sharing life, and making room for them in mine, I would be leeching life away from them. It is my sincere prayer that I do not come anywhere near that route.

So patience, patience, patience. I know God is tugging me somewhere. I know that he has brought me to St. Timothy’s. That is enough for now.

Ok, so that I hope sort of speaks to the "why?" regarding ordination. It is not a full answer, as I don't think I will have a full answer even at the time of ordination. If I am in Christ, then I am always subject to him providing new inspiration and understanding of my calling and vocation.

Tomorrow I will explain some of the reasons why I have chosen to look into the Episcopal Church in particular.

Carefully Choosing Who We Follow

Do you want to know you are following somebody worthy of the name of Christ? Let me suggest this litmus test for their actions: Are their lives characterized by laying down their own lives so that others might live? Or are they taking life from others so as to amass life for themselves? According to Jesus and Paul, the former is the way of Christ, the economy of the gospel. The latter is a much darker (if broader) road.

- Daniel Kirk

A Thought from Thomas Merton

The eyes of the saint make all beauty holy and the hands of the saint consecrate everything they touch to the glory of God, and the saint is never offended by anything and judges no man's sin because he does not know sin. He knows the mercy of God. He knows that his own mission on earth is to bring that mercy to all [people].

Thomas Merton, New Seeds of Contemplation

Prelude to Change: How I Got Where I am Now

First, an observation. As I look back on the 4+ years of blogging and even longer of attempting various journals, I notice one constant. When God seems to be doing a lot in my heart, and teaching me things, I tend to get engrossed in those so much that writing about them usually falls by the wayside. It is much easier for me to vent over frustrations in writing (whether public or private) than it is to get out my thoughts during the good times/fruitful times. The last two months have been a great example of this. After a fairly long adjustment to life back in Cincinnati, I have finally come out of a state of depression and anxiety into a time of joy and growth. Unfortunately, unless you are someone I come into contact with regularly, you may not even have noticed. I certainly have not said much about it online that is for sure!

I recently began attending St. Timothy’s Episcopal Church in Anderson Township, and being involved in a church on a regular basis has been one major flank in this time of change. One source of my depression over the last few years has been a lack of experiencing and participating in God’s Church. I made a very foolish decision in 2006 to leave the church I had been attending for one which had more young adults. Now there were a few reasons for this at the time. One was that as wonderful as Fuller Seminary was, it was still a grad school, and as such was not a place where people staid very long. So, many friends I had made when I first came to Pasadena had moved on or were moving on. Another reason was that the church I was at was very small, and it seemed that most people were 10+ years older than I was, and the ones closer to my age were all married. The people there were wonderful, and I recognize that leaving that church was a very big error in my personal judgment. Nonetheless, I felt pretty alone and made the hard choice to leave.

The church I began attending ended up not being a very good fit. I never really understood why this was. One of my good friends seemed to fit in just fine with all the new people there. However, I always felt like an outsider there. I began volunteering with the hopes that I would meet people, but nothing ever moved beyond a superficial acquaintance level, and the friend I began attending with sort of drifted further away.

From then on I admit that my church search has not really ever been the most disciplined. I can look back and see a spiral of depression which both came from various experiences and also contributed to my lack of interest in other experiences. Even this fall when I did find a church I really enjoyed, my depression kicked back in and I began to recede from participating there as well.

I am not going to argue that there was a divine reason for why I never found a church home. I do believe that God wanted me to commit to a church in that time span, however various things, including my own selfishness and stubbornness precluded that from happening. I will argue instead that the Lord has brought me to St. Timothy’s at just the right time. I had begun attending just a couple of weeks before Easter. I had already had a massive failure on my attempt at a long term fast, and basically things were on course for another spiritually dry Easter time for me.

Then Holy Week arrived.

I had an urging from within to try and attend the entire week of services. The realistic side of me figured I would go a few times that week, but that the chances of me following through for the whole week were pretty slim. I believe God had loftier plans that week because I found myself in the pews every night from Palm Sunday to the Easter Vigil the following Saturday. It was certainly not out of any desire to be more spiritual than others. It was almost as if I didn’t have a choice in the matter.

That week is one which will stand out as a profound experience in my spiritual journey. One of the beautiful things about Holy Week is that not only does it give more attention to the entire passion narrative than you find in any Easter Sunday service, it also allows you to do this side by side and in communion with others. Obviously any church gathering is like this, but having that reinforced night after night is hard to walk away from unaffected. I strongly encourage anyone who has not participated in a full Holy Week to try and do so next year. Even if your church doesn’t observe Easter in this way, there are many denominations which do.
As a result of the Spirit being rekindled within me by the grace of God in this time, I have been led back into a time of study and contemplation. My thirst for reading and thinking on God, theology and the Church has increased greatly, and my desire to get all my thoughts down in writing has yet to catch up.

I met with the pastor of the church this week and we had a wonderful discussion about many things, but what began to sink in during the conversation was just how much God is doing in my life lately. I hope to start posting on some of these issues here in the next couple of weeks (although given my track record it will probably be spread out even longer). The major things I feel God has led me to start processing are a mix of abstract and practical theological issues. I have been thinking a lot on ordination, justification, non-violence, and vegetarianism in particular; as well as how to put my beliefs into action. These are certainly not all I have dwelt on, but they are probably the ones I have dwelt on the most.

Podcast Plugs #1 Never Not Funny and The Sound of Young America

I have been a very inactive blogger lately. It seems that when I moved from Northern Kentucky to Anderson I left my desire to blog behind. This is not a statement of “I will be better in the future” just an acknowledgement that I am pretty much hit or miss.

Moving on…

I am a fan of quite a few podcasts which range from theology to the absurdly funny. There are only two podcasts which I have ever felt motivated to pay for however.

The first is Never Not Funny, a podcast run by comedian Jimmy Pardo. The format is simple, yet extremely entertaining. He and his producer Matt Belknap host a guest and they just talk for roughly 90 mins. There is never a set topic, and he generally has guests from the world of standup but also others including Mad Men’s John Hamm. They offer a free truncated version but in order to get the full version you must be a paying subscriber. It has been required listening for me every Wed/Thur for at least 3 years now. I should mention that if they gave podcasts ratings, this one would be a very high R or even an NC17 at times. The conversation can go into some places you can’t un-listen to. This is not to say that they are all cussing all the time or all raunchy all the time, but they also don’t make efforts to avoid those kinds of things either.



The second one that gets some of my money is one which I could easily get for free. The Sound of Young America is a free podcast and Public Radio International program which you can find at http://maximumfun.org



Like Never Not Funny, I have been listening to it for a bout 3 years. Only recently did I decide to pledge a monthly contribution though. TSOYA is an interview program hosted by Jesse Thorn and recorded live in his apartment. This may sound cheap, but he actually gets many high quality guests from authors to comedians to actors and actresses. For instance he recently had Jenna Fisher from The Office on as a guest.



I had always taken it for granted that the show was offered free, but I am glad to be a donor now. There are a few things that have really impressed me about this show. For starters the guests are always interesting even if I have never heard of them, or they do something of which I am not normally a fan. Secondly, Jesse Himself is a wonderful voice of sincerity in the midst of our ironic generation. He actually coined a term called the New Sincerity which is about embracing the sheer awesomeness of things without needing to put some sort of ironic spin on it or coat it in cynicism. This really shows in his interviews with how he treats his guests with actual interest and admiration. If they are on the show, it means he wants them to be there, it is not some random assignment. And finally, he himself has a really great sense of humor and rapport with most of his guests.



I write this all for two reasons- 1. If you haven’t listened to either of these podcasts before, I can’t recommend them highly enough. And 2. especially with TSOYA, if you do find you listen and enjoy it, go ahead and pledge a monthly donation. Jesse is a hard worker and unfortunately the show is on his dime. You can donate anywhere from $2 to $200. Right now is their pledge drive, so you can learn more about it by going to the above website.

Peep Show Clip

Fasting Postponed and other matters.

Due to some extenuating circumstances, I am pushing back the start of the fast. Hopefully not more than a week. It looks like I am moving this weekend and so being on a much lower energy level is not a good idea.

This move was not planned, but under current circumstances, it is what needs to happen if I am going to retain any sanity and keep my nerves under control.

I would appreciate any prayers over my living situation, as well as the job search. I interviewed last week for what would be a part-time job to help with my income. I also just sent out a resume to a shelter here in Cincinnati for a case-worker position that a friend recommended. If either or both of these turned into an actual opportunity, I would be very thankful.

peace.

Well Said, Eleanor Clift.

Here is the antidote to Rick Santelli's rant.

A Lenten Fast

Three years ago, I did my first extended fast. I started on Ash Wednesday and went 25 days before breaking it. I had hoped to make it through Lent, but all of the literature I had read emphasized the need to pay attention to your body, and listen for when it is done fasting, not when the calendar says you should be done.

Why am I telling you this? Well, I am about to do it again. When I finished I had decided that in future years I would play it by ear, and not assume that I should fast just because that was what you should do at Lent. The following two years did not present themselves as time when fasting was either a)feasible, or b)necessary.

This year however, I am feeling the same stirring upon my heart that I did in 2006. I do believe it is the Holy Spirit tugging at me, nudging me to attempt another fast. And when I sit back, I realize that spiritually, it really might just be the time again.

And this is why I am telling you. Not because I feel the need to shout my spiritual journey in the far reaches of the internet, but because judging by the traffic this blog gets, if you are reading this, you probably know me. And because of that, I am here to ask for your support through prayer.

First some notes on how the fast will work, and then some specific requests for prayer.

The last time I fasted, I tried a variety of concoctions within my first week that just didn't suit me. The famous cayenne/maplesyrup/water/lemon drink is as nasty as it sounds. So is the reality of blending green veggies in an attempt to get juice from them. I found myself never far from a water bottle full of cool water, and I also relied mostly upon pineapple, apple and cranberry juices. Occasionally I ventured out into other ones, but that was the majority of my intake.

So, this time around, I will start with what works. In the last year however, I have become quite the fan of teas and tisanes. I am most likely going to work in the occasional cuppa into my diet, but I am not sure what kind and how much.

Also, I will be seeking a good multi-vitamins to supplement my diet.

While the physical end of a fast is not the reason or motivation anyone should use for a fast, it is something to be addressed, and since I have done this once before, I will be able to gauge myself better this time around.

*What this fast is not*

1. An attempt at weight loss. Going into it last time, I knew that while I would lose a lot of weight, the chances of that weight staying off were very slim thanks to the way our metabolism works. I lost 30-35 pounds last time, and did keep it off for a couple of months, but then I started gaining back when my old eating habits returned and my exercising routine diminished.

2. A way to save money. I was surprised at how much it actually cost me last time around. It was about on par with my normal grocery bill, but with juice and whatnot.

3. A reason for people to apologize for eating in front of me. I am well aware of the fact that humans normally eat to make it through their day and so you should feel free to eat away! It is really quite surpriseing how the huger pangs start to disappear after the first week!



Now on to the prayer.

I have three specific prayer goals for this fast.

1. That this would be a time of repentance, renewal and even rejoicing.

2. That God will meet me in this time, and show his grace to me.

3. That it also be a time of faithful petition, specifically for the Lord's favor in my ongoing job/career journey. Both that I accept what he has given me thus far, but also that he would hear my cries for a job that fits my calling to serve him and his church. Even more specifically (if prayer can't be specific, what can?), that he would help me understand both my desire to work inside the church, and my desire to be a teacher, and then show the path to make one or both of those come to fruition.

(while the third goal contains many more words, the first two take primacy)

Logistically, my first 24 hours of the fast were the most excruciating and full of temptation the last time around, so if you were going to choose one day to pray- that would be it!

In the end, i still have some of the details to figure out, But hopefully this time next week I will be pushing on through the first night of Lent like a trooper!

The Origin of Gandalf

According to the Humphrey Carpenter bio of Tolkien, Tolkien wrote on the back of a postcard from Switzerland that this was the 'Origin of Gandalf'. The painting is by the German artist J. Madlener and is called Der Berggeist.

Colbert pulls a Bale on Martin

Some quick thoughts/questions on last night's LOST [Spoilers]

Thoughts:

We all knew Jin was alive, but it still makes me mad that we are supposed to believe he survived that large of an explosion with only a sunburn.

This season really feels like one would expect a final season to be building up. I hope this means that the final season really goes in some crazy directions.

I quite enjoyed the Kate/Claire/Sawyer scene, and seeing the hatch-light. Although- I am surprised that Locke was so ambivalent towards the hatch-light if he still feels like he is being moved along in some greater purpose.


Questions:

Is Miles the baby from the beginning of the season premier?

Will they time-hop to the time of the foot statue?

Why hasn't Faraday mentioned anything about constants to the nose-bleeders- is it just too-late for them to have one?

Could this time-hopping have any relation to how some (Christian Shepherd, Claire, Eko's brother) have appeared seemingly after their death?

How far ahead of everybody is Ben? Is he truly humbled by the crazy lady with the chalkboards or is he playing her as well?

2009 Tolkien Readstravaganza: The History of Middle-Earth Vol. IX: The End of the Third Age (ish)

The final volume of the History of Middle-Earth to focus on The Lord of the Rings is The End of the Third Age and/or Sauron Defeated. The difference between these two books is that Sauron Defeated includes the contents of The End of the Third Age as well as some other writings, not directly related to The Lord of the Rings. Christopher Tolkien's original intent was to have only three volums focus on LOTR, but in the end he had too much to fit and so we have this fourth volume.

Here wee see that the climax of the novels is reached and then the following celebration and journey home are traced all the way to the Grey Havens and beyond. One thing which is absent is any study of how Tlkien developed the appendices. According to a note in front of the book, this is covered in Volume XII: The People's of Middle-Earth.

As far as the climax goes, Tolkien fiddled with a few variations of how the ring ultimately ended up in the fire. At one point Sam tackles Gollum and tumbles into the crack with him!

The Scouring of the Shire went through a few major changes. One of the biggest was that Saruman was only thought to have a hand in things from a distance, and only near the end of everything did he become Sharkey. All throughout the writing process from the overthrowing of Isengard, Tolkien had considered what to do with him, including the possibility of a full redemption at one point I think.

What really hit me with this volume though, was the final epilogue. Once Sam returned home and said "Well, I'm back." Tolkien intended to have one final chapter to wrap things up further. There are two variants of this epilogue. The first has Sam surrounded by all of his children and lets the secret of an upcoming visit from the King slip out. The second has him only with his eldest daughter, Eleanor. Both of them bring about the same information, just in their respective situations. In the end he was persuaded by others that no epilogue was necessary and that it hurt more than it helped. I am inclined to disagree. I found that I enjoyed it very much and the same teary eyed response I have to the official ending of the book, greeted me here as well. The one consolation is that all of the main information that comes from the epilogue can be found in The Tale of Years found in the appendices of The Return of the King.


So, this also marks the end of the first chunk of reading I have set out before me. The official page count is at 1636/9953. The total number could still rise as May is bringing us yet another new Tolkien book. The Legend of Sigurd and Gudrún is not Middle-Earth related, but it will make a fine addition to my growing collection.

For now, however, I will be turning my attention to the Humphrey Carpenter's J.R.R. Tolkien: A Biography, as well as The Letters of J.R.R. Tolkien. My plan is to read them together. As I read through one section of his life, I can then go and read the letters he wrote during the same time period. I am excited to finally be delving into more about the Man himself, as up till now I have generally only ever focused on his works.

2009 Tolkien Readstravaganza: The History of Middle-Earth Vol. VIII: TheWar of the Ring

The next volume of the History of Middle-Earth dealing with The Lord of The Rings is The War of the Ring. Following the same pattern as the last two volumes, this one takes us from the Battle at Helm's Deep nearly all the way to the end. It leaves us hanging right as the forces of Middle-Earth assemble outside of the Black Gate of Mordor.

One of the most striking things to me of the whole book was the relationship between Denathor and Faramir. In the final text, Denathor shows so much disdain for the choices of Faramir (before loosing it completely and then showing some actual affection towards his injured son while attempting to burn him alive- you know paternal love at its height!). At first however, it seemed that Tolkien wanted to have Denathor be a lot more sympathetic towards Faramir. Actually, in general, the initial picture we get of Denathor from this, is a much less disturbing one. I think that once Tolkien moved in the direction of the flaming suicide he started to consider Denathor as a much more volatile character. Another example of this is in how Denathor originally knew that Aragorn was returning as the King. Whereas in the LOTR, Denathor chooses death out of despair, and seeing the corsair ships coming was one thing which tipped him over into crazyland, in these texts, he was initially driven to suicide as the alternative to relinquishing his power as the Steward of Gondor.

Another point of interest are the various sketches of Minas Tirith and Orthanc. While Minas Tirith comes across pretty much as the final description, Orthanc went through a variety of forms before the one we find in the LOTR. The story of Gandalf's capture had been settled upon long ago though, so all of them do share the tapering tower topped off by a small platform.

Overall, this volume also was without a lot of shock or surprising developments. There were of course many differences with the final text, but not many that would reshape the writing process as dramatically as the ones in volume VI.

Why I Love Monty Python

Don't Mess with Buffalo, even if you are Lions.

This seems to be a couple of years old, but it is the first time I have seen it. The buffalo definitely prove there is strength in numbers. You don't really see a whole lot up close, but be aware that it is animals fighting so if that bothers you- don't hit play.