Wilhelm Eduard Vischer (30 April 1895 inDavos – 27 November 1988 inMontpellier) was a Swiss pastor, theologian, Hebraist, Old Testament scholar and amateur Lied lyricist.[1] One of his major areas of study was that of Christ in the Old Testament.[2]
From 1934 he was pastor of the German-speaking evangelical church inLugano. In the same year he published the first volume ofDas Christuszeugnis des Alten Testaments on thePentateuch. In 1942 the second volume on the early prophets and Joshua to Kings. He was a pastor in Basel until 1947 when he moved to become professor of Old Testament inMontpellier.[3]
In the time of rising anti-Semitism in Germany, Visscher defends theOld Testament against all takers. He defends the idea thatJesus is the Christ in the sense in which the Old Testament defines Israel's Messiah. Besides the obstacles Vischer faced in his time, he found a supporter and friend inKarl Barth and hisneoorthodox theology.
