The Silent Years: Jesus from Birth to Beatitude by Alan Green. 154 pages. ebook version. This book is advertised as a "progressive Christmas novel" and heralded by some learned readers (academics) as an "imaginative reconstruction" of the first thirty years of the life of Jesus of Nazareth. The author has concocted a tale told by Yeshua's uncle, Benaiah, by incorporating knowledge of the historical Mediterranean world (Green has a Ph.D. in History) and fusing this with loose interpretations of biblical passages. I wanted to like the book. I really did. Having read Anne Rice's inspiring, fictionalized accounts of the early life of Jesus ( Christ the Lord: Out of Egypt and Christ the Lord: The Road to Cana ), I was expecting more of the same: meticulous research, historical authenticity, believable narratives, insightful portrayal of biblical characters, and an invitation to lose one...
I have a PhD in dramatic theology and teach theology and spirituality in various settings. Welcome to my musings on life, learning, and theology.