I am re-reading the Lord of the Rings to my children, aged four and seven. For them, it is their first time. For me, it will be my fourth time through the novels. It is no secret that evangelical Christians love J.R.R. Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings. Few authors have captured the minds of 21st-century Protestants in the way this proto-fantasy author has, exceeding even his Anglican contemporary and friend C.S. Lewis's Chronicles of Narnia. Perhaps Narnia receives less attention because Lewis also wrote "adult" books of lay-theology which allow the less-fiction inclined to ignore his tales of children and dwarves and the Lion; perhaps Tolkien's patient, descriptive prose beckons a more self-styled intellectual mind. Regardless, the question why American Presbyterians and Baptists alike have such a love for a Catholic and an Anglican's respective works is a larger one than can be dealt with here. So then:
Within Christian circles, it is axiomatic that the The Lord of the Rings is not just a good novel by a Christian1, but it’s good because it is itself a deeply Christian work; perhaps allegorical, but certainly thematically and symbolically Christian. It's easy to scoff when a secular author or filmmaker interprets the story only in terms of Tolkien's personal experiences in World War I, or concludes that Tolkien's primary message can be distilled to anti-war and anti-industrial sentiments and a nostalgia for pastoralism. Of the Christians I know, none hold this to be the main point of the story or the key interpretive hermeneutic, and Tolkien's own writings about his work deny the validity of this reductionistic conclusion as well.
The Lord of the Rings contains many iconic characters: graceful elves, bristling dwarves, and world-dominating dark lords. Rising above all of these are the three main characters which much of the Christian The Lord of the Rings discourse concerns itself: Frodo, Aragorn, and Gandalf. I spent some time as a child thinking they were supposed to represent the Persons of the Trinity, linking Aragon with Jesus (white man2, long hair and beard, king), Gandalf with the Father (old man in white robes) and Frodo as...the Holy Spirit? I could never quite figure that last one out. More thoughtful people than I have concluded that these three characters each exemplify one of the offices of Jesus Christ as priest, king, and prophet. As representations of Jesus, the three in their own way are introduced as those "who are with no form or majesty that we should look at them, and no beauty that we should desire them." Gandalf appears as a weathered old man, Frodo as an unassuming hobbit, and Aragorn as an anonymous watchman of the wastelands. Were that all three had equal presence in my memories, but they do not. Here's why.
My experience with the The Lord of the Rings is very colored by the Peter Jackson films which I first saw when I was quite young, and while I have read the book multiple times, I think that for myself and others, our internal impressions of the story are disproportionately influenced by the films. This is because it is far easier to repeatedly rewatch the trilogy of films than it is to re-read the book, and films, being multi-sensory aesthetic experiences, have more immediate, impressive power upon our imaginations then books. Why does this matter? Well, the films do quite a bit more justice to the characters of Gandalf and Aragorn than they do Frodo. This is not a critique of Elijah Wood's acting, but rather of the filmmakers who I think for the fundamentally misrepresented Frodo in the film through their casting, writing, and directing of his character.
Movie Frodo is young, and stays young throughout the movie. Book Frodo starts young, and then waits 20 years to get to middle-age before anything of interest happens. Movie Frodo reads books under trees in ivy-carpeted forests. Book Frodo does that, but also ranges to the edges of the known Hobbit lands under the starlit skies. Movie Frodo recognizes Elvish script. Book Frodo can read Elvish, speak Elvish, and is learned enough in Elvish lore from Bilbo that various characters spontaneously dub him "Elf-friend". At Weathertop, Movie Frodo is attacked by Nazgul, drops his sword, and falls to the ground to be stabbed. Book Frodo draws his sword and calls on the name of the Valar in resistance. He still gets stabbed, but time and time again, where Movie Frodo displays fragility, sensitivity, concern, surprise, and in the latter films a certain vindictive pettiness, Book Frodo tends to display wisdom, wits, nerve, insight, nobility, and a surprisingly perceptive awareness about his circumstances, the internal lives of his companions, and the implications of his broader quest.
I’m in constant need of reminders about the Frodo of the books if my memories are to do his character justice, and this brings us back to our typological reading of The Lord of the Rings. If we have the film's portrayal of Frodo too present in our minds, we risk thinking of Frodo as the sacrifice. His sad, delicate face does invoke the thought of a lamb being led to the slaughter, but I think that Movie Frodo makes a pretty poor sacrifice if only because the films portray him as lacking a certain moral fiber. It's very true that Jesus was the sacrifice, so the type exists, but I think Frodo is better understood as a type of Jesus the Priest. This is because Jesus Himself has to be a priest before He can be a sacrifice. Many people struggle with the idea of substitutionary penal atonement because they have this image of a sad, poor, kindly Jesus getting murdered by His Father on a cross by mean Romans and Jews. Is this how Jesus explains his death? No. He says that no one takes His life from Him -- He has the authority to lay it down, and He has the authority to raise it up again. Now, certainly Jesus's authority is not separated from the will of the Father and Spirit, as God is One and has one will. But the point is that Jesus wasn’t a victim in His death. His enemies taunted him by saying that if He had power, He would lower Himself from the cross, spare Himself death, and triumph over His enemies. They were half right. He really did have the power to do all those things. What they were wrong about was whether exercising that power was the only way to obtain the triumph Jesus promised He would achieve.
So the priest is the one who kills the sacrifice, and the sacrifice is the one who dies. Jesus acted as both parties, and it's very important that we keep both in mind to understand the power of his representation of the people he died for. The Levite high priest represented the Israelite people before God, and God to the people. The sacrifices also represented the people to God in a different way. Jesus came as the high priest who sacrificed Himself in total identification with the people before God to purchase lasting peace. Jesus was father Abraham the sacrificer, whose total obedience to God makes him a new recipient of the promise of countless children that will become a great nation. He was also Isaac, the son to be sacrificed, whose obedience makes him the inheritor of all the promises. Jesus is the first and the last, so that in all things he would be preeminent.
I'd like to consider Frodo as priest in the following ways, and in no particular order:
Priests are called into service by prophets. Gandalf (the prophet) calls Frodo into his task. Similarly, Aaron is called by Moses (the prophet) to his appointment, and Joshua is called by Zechariah.
Priesthood is hereditary. I will not claim that Bilbo is a priest-type, but Frodo's priestliness is indicated by his inheritance of the Baggins estate.
Both mountains and trees have priestly connotations as holy sites. Eden is on a hill-mountain and had trees. Frodo lives above Hobbiton on a hill, upon which grows a tree. The tabernacle where the priests served is a symbolic mountain.
Priests must be able to read and interpret texts for instruction, wisdom, and leadership. Frodo is literate and aware of history, in an unusual way for his community.
Priests demarcate time by leading festal events in the life of the community. Frodo holds annual birthday parties for Bilbo, inviting the town of Hobbiton to join him so he can provide gifts and food.
Priests usually serve in temples that contain treasures. Bag End is infamously known for containing the treasure that Bilbo gained from victory over the dragon. As Bag End is furnished by the spoils of a defeated enemy, so the Tabernacle is also made from the treasures of a defeated Egypt.
The High priest wears an elaborate and valuable breastplate made of precious metals and stones as he serves in his duties. Frodo wears a unique and exquisite coat of Mithril chainmail.
The High Priest cannot perform all priestly duties alone, and so is surrounded by a brotherhood of Levites supporting him. Frodo is surrounded by the Fellowship who support him in his task.
The High Priest sacrifices an animal once per year on the Day of Atonement for this sins of the whole Israelite people. Frodo's journey to mount doom takes approximately one year to complete.
Original sin is the grasping for autonomous power separate from how and when God has ordained mankind to possess it. The Ring symbolizes this sin because everyone who is tempted by it is tempted to use the Ring to obtain as much personal power as they can imagine (small amounts for Smeagol and Bilbo, but great for Aragorn, Gandalf, and Galadriel). Just as the High Priest sends the scapegoat bearing the people's sins into the desert for "azazel" (Satan), so Frodo volunteers to send himself, bearing the Ring out to the wilderness of Mordor where Sauron the Deceiver lives.
The High Priest sacrifices a goat for the sins of the people and sprinkles its blood in the interior chamber of the Holy of Holies. Frodo enters the interior chamber of Mount Doom, and in his struggle with Gollum his finger is bitten off and his blood is shed.
Now, here are a few ways that Frodo is like Jesus the Priest, understanding that he cannot completely picture Jesus as he is not written as a perfect, divine character.
Jesus spends his life from birth to middle age in obscurity. Frodo also does not truly begin his adventure until he has achieved middle age.
Jesus is pierced by the servants of Satan on the cross and carries those wounds forever. Frodo is pierced by the servants of Sauron and bears that wound forever.
Jesus destroys the power of sin, death, and the devil with his sacrifice. Frodo destroys the Ring as a totally self-sacrifice act, expecting to die when it was finished.
Jesus resurrects from his death and returns to fellowship with his disciples. His actions and teachings are recorded. Frodo is brought back from his "death" on Mount Doom3 and spends time with the remaining members of the Fellowship, and then returns to the Shire to be with the hobbits. He ensures that his tale is recorded for future generations.
Jesus does not remain with his friends, but eventually ascends into heaven to sit eternally at the right hand of the Father. Frodo does not stay in the Shire, but leaves with the Elves to go to the Undying Lands, leaving his companions behind.
This list is not exhaustive and someone could find one or several points unconvincing, but my argument is made and I am convinced of Frodo's symbolic priesthood. I expect more details to accrue in this lane of thought as I continue reading the books to my children. There is however one dangling question: what about Samwise, who did so many of these deeds with Frodo, and often when Frodo could not have done them alone? Remember how I was confused when my childish mind thought Frodo symbolized the Holy Spirit? It turns out, it's Samwise who does. Samwise the helper, the comforter, the empowerer, who causes things to grow, and who nourishes others with food; Samwise the constant companion; Samwise, the one who remained after Frodo left for the Undying Lands. Samwise, who finished recording all that was said and done in the Red Book so that many could come to know how the world was saved, how peace was restored, and how the promise of a good future which once seemed in such perilous jeopardy was, through the actions of one priestly Hobbit, secured for all.
There are only two Catholic Christians whose salvation status is universally acknowledged by Protestants: J.R.R. Tolkien and G.K. Chesterton.
Obviously, Jesus was not actually a white man. Common depictions of Him, however…
Frodo’s apparent death by Shelob’s sting and eventual awakening is also a type of resurrection event but not included in the main list due to it being out of order with the climactic end of the story. Jesus died, descend into Hell/Sheol, and raised to life on the third day. Analogously, Frodo was stung by Shelob, “died” when Samwise left him, was taken to Cirith Ungol, and was “resurrected” when Sam fetched him from the tower. Also, note the homonym of Shelob/Sheol. If it was not intentional on Tolkien’s part, it is certainly a happy accident.