The Silent Years

Overview

The quiet drama of Jesus’ birth in Bethlehem was the culmination of centuries of special preparation. The world into which Jesus was born had been uniquely designed. His birth was “when the time had fully come,” as Paul wrote in Galatians 4:4.

There is a period from 430b.c. when the book of Malachi was written and 1a.d. when Jesus was born. This is called “the Silent Period” because the canonical tradition indicates God was silent. The books written during that period (the Apocrypha)  were not cannoned into the bible. Though they are said not to be inspired by God, much of the New Testament can be understood more clearly if you know their content. They are great historical books.

We can trace that preparation in the history of those centuries that immediately preceded Jesus’ birth. When we do, we appreciate more fully how significant the incarnation of Jesus was—the whole world was quietly molded by God to make everything ready for the birth of His Son, and for the spread of His Gospel.

Everything we read in that history focuses our attention on the birth, life, death, and resurrection of God’s Son. Everything after leads us to look back on the living of this one life as the most significant event the world has ever known.

It’s no wonder that so much of our New Testament is composed of the Gospels—four tellings of the story of that one life. Each Gospel looks at Jesus from a slightly different perspective, telling His story in a way that a different segment of the population of Jesus’ world could best appreciate, and come to believe in the Saviour.

In this work book we’ll see how history itself converged to shape a world ready for Jesus’ birth. And we’ll catch a glimpse of the differences that make each of the familiar Gospels special and unique.