Priestly Celibacy in The Lord of the Rings

Catholic priests are ordinarily celibate.  Yet, there are increasingly more calls to end this rule and allow priests to get married.  In The Lord of the Rings, Tolkien gives us good reason to reject this change and maintain priestly celibacy.

Tolkien himself once approved the interpretation of the roles of Aragorn, Gandalf, and Frodo as representing the three-fold office of Christ as king, prophet, and priest (Clyde Kilby, Tolkien & The Silmarillion, ch. 4, 56; Philip Ryken, The Messiah Comes to Middle Earth: Images of Christ's Threefold Office in The Lord of the Rings).  Aragorn is the king who rules and brings peace to the land.  Gandalf is the wise prophet who counsels and encourages others.  Frodo is a priestly figure who, like Christ, sacrifices himself (is both priest and victim) for the sake of others.  Frodo has to carry the sacrifice (the ring) to the altar (Mount Doom) and offer it up (destroy it) for the sake of the Shire and the whole world. 

Due to Frodo’s unique priestly role, he has a very different life than other hobbits.  Most obviously, he has to leave the Shire at the end of the story.  He tells Sam, “I tried to save the Shire, and it has been saved, but not for me. It must often be so, Sam, when things are in danger: some one has to give them up, lose them, so that others may keep them” (VI.9).  Frodo also does not fight in the battles to free the Shire from the control of ruffians when the hobbits return (the movies omit this event).  He takes a different role of restraining the hobbits and minimizing violence and death (traditionally, priests would not fight in war).  Another unique thing about Frodo, and Bilbo who carried the ring for many years, is that he is a bachelor – he never married. 

The Prologue to The Lord of the Rings tells us about the customs of hobbits.  One thing is mentions is that they are very familial people – they get married and have large families, “The houses and the holes of Shire-hobbits were often large, and inhabited by large families. (Bilbo and Frodo Baggins were as bachelors very exceptional, as they were also in many other ways, such as their friendship with the Elves.)” 

While this may seem like a throwaway line, it actually helps explain the whole idea of priestly celibacy.  It is only because Bilbo and Frodo are bachelors that they were able to go on their grand adventures.  But of course the point is not that they can have fun and do whatever they want, that is a modern and secular reason for remaining a bachelor.  Instead, it is on their quests that Bilbo discovers the ring accidentally (by Divine providence) and that Frodo destroys the ring and saves the world.  Thus, their celibacy allowed them to save the world.  They were bachelors, by divine providence, because they were set apart (made holy) to perform a special function which would greatly benefit the world.  Since they had a very unique task to do – be the ringbearer – they were unable to live ordinary lives.  Similarly to what Frodo says, in order for people to live ordinary lives someone has to give up an ordinary life. 

Priests are celibate because they have a unique task to do – to offer the sacrifice of the mass on behalf of the whole Church and administer the other sacraments.  Celibacy both points to the unique role of the priest and helps him to perform it.