In 1953, the writer JRR Tolkien (1892-1973) was preparing to publish The Lord of the Rings. This fantasy saga, to which he devoted more than 10 years of work, features elves, knights and small characters called hobbits, as well as various forces of evil, from black riders to hideous orcs, to an evil sorcerer and, of course, Sauron, the formidable enemy of the different peoples of Middle-earth. Before its publication 70 years ago, the manuscript circulated among friends and acquaintances who provided feedback.

Among them, the English Jesuit Robert Murray (1925-2018) detected a definite biblical influence. "The Lord of the Rings is, of course, a fundamentally religious and Catholic work," Tolkien replied to him in a letter. "Unconsciously at first, then consciously when I revised it." Following the success of this world-encompassing work, published between 1954 and 1955, this small phrase was frequently cited in Christian journals and by Catholic scholars, making its author a discreet apologue for the Church.

Even today, numerous publications continue in this vein, and the subject remains fascinating, as evidenced by a series of conferences on the topic alongside the exhibition "Aubusson Weaves Tolkien" at the Collège des Bernardins in Paris, organized until May 18, 2025 (see box below).

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