Practicing What He Preached

Articles Leave a Comment

Dr. Lindsey was not content merely to preach about the Kingdom, he practiced it.

In 1962, as a student in Jerusalem, I found my church home at the Narkis Street Baptist Church. Dr. Bob Lindsey was the pastor of this small congregation of about twenty-five people. I particularly enjoyed his Bible studies before the worship service.

What caught my attention was his approach to studying the Gospels. He had been preparing a new Hebrew translation of the New Testament for the Hebrew-speaking, Christian congregations in Israel. As he translated the Greek synoptic Gospels, he discovered, to his amazement, that their word order and idiom were more like Hebrew than Greek. This convinced him that the original Life of Jesus had been written in Hebrew. Consequently, when studying a saying of Jesus, he always liked to ask, “What did Jesus say in Hebrew?”

Paid Content
Premium Members and Friends of JP must be logged in to access this content:

If you do not have a paid subscription, please consider registering as a Premium Member starting at $10/month (paid monthly) or only $5/month (paid annually): Register

One Time Purchase Rather Than Membership
Rather than purchasing a membership subscription, you may purchase access to this single page for $1.99 USD. To purchase access we strongly encourage users to first register for a free account with JP (
Register), which will make the process of accessing your purchase much simpler. Once you have registered you may login and purchase access to this page at this link:

Login & Purchase

Lindsey in a moment of reflection (circa 1975–1980; photo: Kurt Ben-Joseph).

Following the death of Robert L. Lindsey on May 31, 1995, Jerusalem Perspective magazine published a memorial issue (October-December 1995, No. 49). Included in that issue were eight tributes to Lindsey written by his colleagues and students, including that of Halvor Ronning above.

How to Know Jesus? Follow Lindsey!” by David Flusser

Blessed Be the Faithful Judge!” by David Bivin

The Jesus Who Changes People’s Lives!” by Steven Notley

To My Teacher, Pastor and Beloved Friend” by Brad Young

A Doer of His Father’s Will” by Joseph Frankovic

Excerpts from a Eulogy” by Ken Mullican

Jesus at the Center” by Dwight Pryor

This article originally appeared in issue 49 of the Jerusalem Perspective magazine. Click on the image above to view a PDF of the original magazine article.

Leave a Reply

  • Halvor Ronning

    Halvor Ronning

    Halvor Ronning (B.A., St. Olaf Lutheran College; B.D., Lutheran Theological Seminary; M.A., Yale University) is a founding member and past director of the Jerusalem School of Synoptic Research. An officially licensed Israeli tour guide, he has lived in Israel for over fifty years. Although born…
    [Read more about author]

  • JP Content

  • Suggested Reading

  • Hospitality Heritage of the ChurchPetros Petra WordplayHistorical Jesus a Tanna FIDeliver Us From Evil6 Stone Water JarsEnemies of the HarvestWere Women Segregated?Luke 9-51-56—A Hebrew FragmentUnlocking the Synoptic ProblemNew Portrait of SalomeInsulting God's High PriestLoving BothMedieval JargonBeating the (Thorny) Bushes title 2Gergesa, Gerasa, or GadaraPG‘Everything Written…in the Psalms About Me’ (Luke 24-44)And OR In Order To RemarryAnti-Jewish TendenciesScribal ErrorsAllegro to ZeitlinTwena With All Due RespectTorah in the Sermon on the MountBethsaida 002Flusser Times of the GentilesIf Your Eye Be Single cover imageIntro to SynopticStewards of God's KeysBy the Finger of GodPower of ParablesTrees of LifeBest Long-TermFlusser Parables of Ill ReputeNew International JesusReich Design and MaintenanceSafrai Synagogue CenturionNun GergesaSabbath BreakersNeot KedumimWealth of Herod the GreatGood Morning, ElijahMiraculous CatchSalted With FireJewish Laws of Purity in Jesus' DayMidrash in the New TestamentAesop's Fables and the Parables of the SagesJesus’ Temptation and Its Jewish BackgroundOstracon From Qumran FlusserOrigins of Jesus' Dominical TitleDid Jesus Make Food Clean?Evidence of Pro-Roman Leanings in the Gospel of MatthewA Body, Vultures & SoMBinding and Loosingספר פתרון תורהPilgrimage in the Time of Jesus cover