Book Review: The Silent Years

I recently read “The Silent Years” by Alan W.C. Green.  I typically do not read fiction books but decided this one because I found the material he wrote on quite intriguing.

The Bible contains the life of Jesus and his public ministry.  The New Testament begins with the journey of Mary and Joseph to Bethlehem which is where Jesus is born.  There is a gap from his birth and escape to Egypt to when he was about 12 years old when he spoke with the Pharisees in the synagogue.  After that interaction with the Pharisees, there is another gap until about age 30. So this book is a fictional attempt to discuss what took place during those gaps, those “Silent Years”.

While reading this book it caused me to wonder, “At what point did Jesus know he was the Messiah?”  That is a question that I never asked myself, but still has me wondering.  Throughout this book it weaves in that question of his divinity.  Jesus questioning it.  His uncle wondering about it.  Yet his mother, Mary, always knew he was special.

At the start of this book I was really excited with what I was reading, I couldn’t put down.  However, a few portions of the book I had a hard time reading.  The author took his liberty to inject his fictional interpretations at certain key moments recorded in the Bible.  I don’t fault him with that, however it caused me to struggle with that material.  Some key moments he changed are:

1. Mary’s encounter with an angel telling her she is pregnant
2. Joseph being told to not be afraid to take Mary to be his wife
3. Jesus being left in the synagogue when he was 12
4. When Jesus was baptized by John the Baptist

To expound on one of those four examples was when Jesus was found in the synagogue speaking with the Pharisees when he was 12.  However, in the book, Jesus realized he was left behind and ran from Jerusalem to try to catch up to his parents on their way back to Nazareth.  That was very unrealistic, let alone dangerous no matter your age.

My view are those events that actually took place and recorded in the Bible, he should have kept it that way.  With him changing those events really bothered me.  I had a hard time shaking that.  If he kept it like what it is stated in the Bible and then he “filled in the gaps” that would have made me almost read the story like it was non-fiction.

I would rate this book as a good book, but with caution.  I just struggled with the changes he took of actual events that took place.  If he had not changed the events as they were recorded, I would have actually really loved the book.

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