Why the 400+ Years of Total Silence?

Shoemaker: Why the 400 plus years of total silence? I have a concern about using historical witnesses as a kind of litmus test for doctrine. How early and widespread does a belief have to be to count? Would doctor ortland change his mind if an undiscovered or untranslated work? Ofor igin said that origin believed mary was assumed in heaven in the early third century. Or what about eternal security? The idea you can't lose your salvation? This was unknown before calvin. Even protestant apologists admit these doctrines aren't in early church history. Frankly, i'd rather wonder why a secondary catholic doctrine like the assumption isn't in the