[Lucius Cornelius Sulla]

Well as shown in the opening summary from the old thread, I am not shy about seeing biblical references in LOTR. Seeing that I am not the only one who does, I think that this is due to Tolkien, not to me.

[Penny1]

That is exactly my thought...when 2 or more people see the same parallels, then you know it's not just your imagination. Stuff like this is so fun, because I think so much of it flowed almost unconsciously out of Tolkien's imagination, yet because his mind and heart were rooted in his religious beliefs those ideas and symbolism bleed through the writing. The beauty of that is, the parallels and symbolism are subtle and not at all contrived, but rather make up the backbone of the story itself.