The Two Jerusalems

Book excerpt: The moving story of a young man's amazing journey to discover the roots of the Christian faith in the Ancient Near East, which led him from Protestantism through the Messianic movement and into the Catholic Church. This journey took him to the rainforest of Papua New Guinea, the Nożyk Synagogue in Warsaw, and the Judean Desert and into the heart of ancient and medieval Jewish tradition: the Hebrew Bible. Along the way, he met a cast of odd and wonderful characters, false prophets, and saintly Catholics who taught him about God, Scripture, and prayer. His steps were dogged throughout by God's strange, providential provisions, despite his human blindness. At the heart of the ancient faith, much to his surprise, he discovered what a billion people across the world already know and live: the Catholic faith. Through it all, Matthew Wiseman's relentless desire for truth and consistency kept him searching until he discovered the "beauty ever ancient, ever new". His powerful story is like a course in fundamental theology, in compelling narrative form.