[cloudmountain]

I've always considered Tolkien's tale of Gandalf against the Balrog to be one of strong echoes of the Christian story. There is fearsome darkness and fire, but they cannot prevail against the light of the righteous in Christ:

Tolkien was a practicing Catholic and his Ring trilogy WAS supposed to have religious echoes.

[ClearCase_guy]

Of course. Additionally, as a veteran of WWI, the phrase “they shall not pass” meant a great deal to Tolkien. He was a great artist and was able to take all of the things that meant the most to him during his life and weave them into a great tale. It is suffused with Christian theology, his war experience, and his love for his wife. It’s all one thing, really. It is the tale of what it means to be human.