“In the Fullness of Time” (Gal. 4:4) describes how God prepared his world to grasp who Jesus is and to receive him as the divine savior. God used the Jewish Diaspora, hellenization spread by Alexander the Great, Roman roads, the pax Romana, and history, philosophy, and myth to prepare for Christ. A common objection to the biblical account of Jesus is that the Bible’s story of him was plagiarized from previous myths of dying and rising gods and heroes. While it is true that there are stories like this prior to Jesus, seen in the figures of Osiris, Odysseus, and Aeneas, his story is unique because it isn’t merely a story but, as the Bible claims, it actually took place in history. This talk explores the evidence that Jesus came at just the right time in history and how he is, as C. S. Lewis said, “the myth made fact.”
Matthew Heckel
Matthew Heckel teaches history, Latin, and apologetics at Heritage Classical Christian Academy in St. Louis, MO, where he has taught for nineteen years and served as interim headmaster, and is an adjunct instructor of history at Missouri Baptist University. He has a Ph.D. in Reformation Studies from Concordia Seminary St. Louis and an M.Div. from Covenant Theological seminary. He has been published in Journal of the Evangelical Theological Society, Presbyterion, Church History, and contributed to the T & T Clark Companion to Reformation Theology. Matt and his wife Tammy have three children and are members at Covenant Presbyterian Church. He enjoys following Cardinal baseball, reading, watching films and documentaries, traveling, and is always up for a round of golf.
