Remembering Lindsey

The third "Lindsey Lectures" (see program below) was held this week at the hall of the Narkis Street Congregation in Jerusalem. I was asked to "remember" Dr. Lindsey (who passed away in 1995), so I surveyed what has been done since 1985 to preserve his legacy. The following are my words:

First, I would like to thank Brian Kvasnica, HaKesher and the Narkis Street Congregation for making the 2008 Lindsey Lectures a reality. I also want to thank you on behalf of the Jerusalem School of Synoptic Research.

Let me briefly report on what has been done to preserve or keep alive Lindsey's memory, and to contribute to his legacy:

Robert Lindsey, the late Professor David Flusser, and their colleague, the late Professor Shmuel Safrai, worked closely together to create a new school of Synoptic research. In 1985 the Jerusalem School became a legal entity (an Amutah) in Israel, and has now joined the Oxford School, the Tübingen School, and others, as a center of Synoptic research.

In 1987 Jerusalem Perspective magazine was founded, becoming a repository of articles written by Lindsey, Flusser, Safrai, and their students. In 1993 and 1994, a reconstruction and commentary on the "Rich Young Ruler" pericope was published in five issues of Jerusalem Perspective magazine (Issue 38, 39, 42, 43 and 44). This commentary was the result of seventeen seminars led by Lindsey, Flusser and Safrai in 1986 and 1987.

After Lindsey's death in 1995, the October-December 1995 issue of Jerusalem Perspective memorialized Lindsey and contained personal tributes to Lindsey written by David Flusser, Halvor Ronning, Steven Notley, Brad Young, Joseph Frankovic, Ken Mullican, Dwight Pryor and David Bivin. In the issue are also many photos of Lindsey and Flusser working together and, even, for instance, a photo of Bob with Zalman Shazar, Israel's third president.

In 1990 Lindsey's Jesus Rabbi & Lord appeared. Unfortunately, the book has now been out of print for eight years. I'm happy to announce that in the next few weeks this book will be published in electronic format by Jerusalem Perspective, and will again be available.

Since Lindsey's death Jerusalem School scholars have presented more than one hundred scholarly papers at meetings of the Society of Biblical Literature. Additional papers have already been accepted for this fall's meeting in Boston.

Between 1997 and 2001 three editions of Flusser's Jesus were published by Magnes Press. Now, under the title The Sage from Galilee: Rediscovering Jesus' Genius, the fourth edition has been published in paperback by Eerdmans. In the next few weeks, at the initiative of Serge Ruzer, Flusser's student, Magnes Press will bring out for Hebrew readers a Hebrew translation of Flusser's biography of Jesus.

In 2005, Lindsey's biography appeared. Written by Loren Turnage and Ken Mullican, Bob's son-in-law, One Foot in Heaven: The Story of Bob Lindsey in Jerusalem is a book you won't be able to put down.

In June 2006 a conference celebrating the memory of Lindsey, Flusser and Safrai took place in Jerusalem. Organized by Jerusalem Perspective, lectures were given by students of these three scholarly giants. The fifteen conference lectures are preserved on eight DVDs.

Also in 2006, Jerusalem Studies in the Synoptic Gospels: Jesus' Last Week was published by Brill in Leiden. (Brill is one of the world's most prestigious academic publishers.) This is the first volume of a four-volume series of studies by Jerusalem School scholars under contract with Brill.

Jerusalem School member, Serge Ruzer, put together a collection of Flusser's Hebrew articles. This collection was published in two volumes by Magnes Press in 2002. Later, readers of JerusalemPerspective.com donated the money to have these essays translated to English. In November, the first English volume, Judaism of the Second Temple Period: Qumran and Apocalypticism, was co-published by Eerdmans, Jerusalem Perspective and Magnes Press. (The first volume, twenty-three essays, will soon be available on line at JerusalemPerspective.com.)

Lastly, this summer, with the help of Linda Pattillo, other unpublished Lindsey articles and books are being prepared for online publication by Jerusalem Perspective.

This is some of what has been done and is being done to perpetuate the memory of Robert Lindsey, and, of course, the memory of his close co-workers in synoptic research, David Flusser and Shmuel Safrai.

The Program: The 2008 Lindsey Lectures

We will pay tribute to the life of Rev. Robert L. Lindsey, Ph.D. (Aug. 16, 1917- May 31, 1995) with the following lectures and discussions that demonstrate academic rigor connected to Second Temple Judaism or the study of Jesus, coupled with lives of faith that apply their learning in life.

This year, the third year of the Lindsey Lectures, we will congregate around the above two themes "The Spiritual Life of the Ancient Israelite" and "Postmissionary Messianic Judaism," the latter a theme close to many of Lindsey's own publications, such as his PhD dissertation entitled Israel in Christendom: The Problem of Jewish Identity and his 1972 article, "Salvation and the Jews," International Review of Mission (1972): 20-37.

We hope that these two lectures and extended discussions will honor the memory of Bob Lindsey and will stimulate Christian and Jew alike to further study and deeds of loving-kindness.

Monday, 30 June 7:30-9:30 p.m.
Welcome and Greetings: Rev. Charles Kopp (Senior Pastor, Narkis Street Congregation)

Remembering Lindsey: David Bivin, (JerusalemPerspective.com)

Prof. Jacob Milgrom, "The Spiritual Life of the Ancient Israelite: Dealing with Sin and Guilt"

Response and Discussion: Niek Arentsen (Christ Church), Dr. Stephen and Claire Pfann (University of the Holy Land) and the Narkis Parashah Fellowship

Tuesday 1 July 7:30-9:30 p.m.
Welcome and Greetings: Rev. David Pileggi (Rector, Christ Church)

Remembering Lindsey: Dr. Halvor Ronning (Home for Bible Translators)

Dr. Mark Kinzer, "Postmissionary Messianic Judaism Three Years Later: Reflections on a Conversation Just Begun"

Responses: Dr. Randall Buth (Biblical Language Center), "Reflections on a Long-Awaited Book"

Dr. Gershon Nerel (Jerusalem Bible Academy), "Between Two Concepts: 'Postmission' and 'Messianic Judaism': Semantics and Reality"

Discussion Panel including: Seth Ben-Haim (Nashuvah), Dr. Akiva Cohen and David Stern