In Robert L. Lindsey’s theory of gospel transmission, the Hebrew version of Jesus’ biography and its Greek translation have both been lost. Although none of the synoptic Gospels preserves the original text in its entirety, together they do preserve all, or nearly all, of the stories in the original work.
Sidebar: A Conjectured Process of Gospel Transmission Outlined by Robert Lindsey
The stages of transmission from the earliest Hebrew biography of Jesus to the canonical Gospels of Matthew, Mark and Luke.
Discovering Longer Gospel Stories
Research by Robert L. Lindsey has helped clarify the process by which gospel texts were preserved and transmitted. Luke desired, he said in his prologue, to present to Theophilus an “orderly” account. Such ordering is to be noted in Matthew and Mark, as well. These attempts at ordering help us understand why so many of the synoptic gospel stories appear in a different chronological order from gospel to gospel.
Jesus’ Use of “Amen”: Introduction or Response?
It is not surprising to find the word “amen” attributed to Jesus in the Gospels. What is unusual is to find “amen” used as the beginning of a statement rather than as a response.
Jesus in Judea
Robert Lindsey believed that there is sufficient evidence in Matthew, Mark and Luke to support the existence of Jesus’ Judean ministry.