Grade Level: 11, 12
Prerequisites: Theology I, Theology II, Comparative Religions, Catholic Way of Life or Catholic Life and Leadership
First Semester 50351 (S1); Second Semester 50352 (S2)

Many are well aware of the stories of Bilbo, Frodo, Sam and the Fellowship of the Ring through Tolkien’s The Hobbit, The Lord of the Rings trilogy, as well as Peter Jackson’s screen adaptations of them. But far fewer people are aware of the rich Christian and Catholic theology of his “master work,” The Silmarillion. Tolkien began constructing this mythology as a Soldier in World War I, and this is the book, even more than the stories of hobbits, that filled his imagination and fueled his remarkable creativity.

In this course, we will use The Silmarillion as our primary text, as well as supplemental materials both primary and secondary. The purpose is to explore Tolkien’s Catholicism through his mythology. We will discuss topics like: Creation, Fall and Redemption Creatio ex Nihilo and Tolkien’s philosophy of “subcreation.” This class is meant to be for upper-level students who wish to explore the relationship between Catholic theology and literary mythology. It is interdisciplinary in focus, and will be taught more like a college than a high school course. Students register for “Theology Seminar”