He That Cometh

Book excerpt: Before we can understand the message of Jesus, we must have some knowledge of the messianic concepts of his time. He That Cometh by Sigmund Mowinckel offers the most comprehensive study available of messianic thought in the Bible. Featuring here a new retrospective foreword by John J. Collins, He That Cometh first explores the antecedents of the term "Messiah" in the Old Testament, focusing on the idea of a coming future king in early Jewish eschatology. It then examines the messianic concept as used in later Judaism and in the early church. The book concludes with an impressive discussion of the phrase "Son of Man," the term Jesus himself used to interpret his own messianic mission. Every student of biblical history and theology can profit immensely from a careful study of this monumental work. Mowinckel's exhaustive documentation and his comprehensive analyses of both scriptural sources and modern scholarship have earned for this volume a high standing among studies of Jewish and Christian thought.