New: "From the Kippah to the Cross: A Jew's Conversion to Catholicism"

Insight Scoop ^ | April 23, 2015

[NYer]

A Jewish convert’s remarkable journey to Catholicism recounted in a fascinating new book from Ignatius Press
 
San Francisco, April 23, 2015 – Ignatius Press has published another poignant and astonishing story of a Jew who discovers the truth of the Catholic faith. This latest book, From the Kippah to the Cross tells the moving conversion story of Jean-Marie Élie Setbon. Raised in a non-observant Jewish family, Jean-Marie first encountered Jesus Christ on a crucifix at the age of eight. He felt an inexplicable attraction to Christ on the cross and would spend hours contemplating Him and began to develop a deeply personal relationship with Christ.
 
Jean-Marie knew that this growing love for Jesus would not be tolerated by his family but his attraction to Christ was so intense that he could not fight it. His practice of making the sign of the cross and praying after his family went to bed soon turned into sneaking off on Sundays to visit Sacré-Coeur church and even to attend Mass. Finally, at fifteen, unable to bear his double-life any longer, Jean-Marie resolved to convert to Catholicism in spite of the scandal it would cause. But God had other plans.
 
Instead, Jean-Marie ended up delving deeper into the faith of his ancestors, moving to Israel to pursue rabbinical formation and returning to France eight years later as an ultra-Orthodox Jew. There he found work at a Jewish school and synagogue, married and had seven children. But, in spite of his sincere dedication to his Jewish faith, Jean-Marie’s love and attraction to Jesus remained, becoming the source of a long and difficult internal struggle.
 
Jean-Marie’s moving and unusual conversion is a story is about his battle between loyalty to his identity and fidelity to the deepest desires of his heart. Above all, it is a love story between Christ, the lover —the relentless yet patient pursuer— and man, his beloved.
 
Fr. Donald Calloway, MIC, author of Mary of Nazareth: The Life of Our Lady in Pictures, calls From the Kippah to the Cross, “An absolutely riveting story! Filled with twists and turns, it will keep you on the edge of your seat.”
 
“Conversion stories touch the heart and mind deeper than a mere theology. They are theology put to story and song. From the Kippah to the Cross is such a story. It takes us soaring on the wings of eagles as Setbon’s story unfolds and we glimpse the panorama and beauty of the whole story of salvation,” says Steve Ray, author of Crossing the Tiber.
 
“From the Kippah to the Cross takes the reader on a remarkable journey. It is a witness to the persistent and transformative love of Christ, and gives readers valuable insight into the unique difficulties and questions of Jewish seekers and converts,” says Holly Ordway, author of Not God’s Type.
 
Roy Schoeman, author of Salvation is from the Jews, is another Jewish convert who was drawn to Christ and eventually converted to Catholicism. He says this book is “A gripping, unspeakably beautiful account of a human soul intensely in love with and seeking God, and a God who is intensely in love with, and seeks us.  Along the way the reader learns a great deal about how Jesus works in the soul, the many ways He reaches out to us, and the way that the Catholic Church is the ultimate fulfillment of Judaism’s love for, and longing for, the Messiah – Jesus.”
 
About the Author:

Jean-Marie Élie Setbon was born in France in 1964. Trained in Israel as an Orthodox Jewish rabbi, he entered the Catholic Church in 2008. He is currently a lecturer and an educator specializing in theology and biblical exegesis.
 
Please note: The author of From the Kippah to the Cross does not speak English and therefore is not available for interviews. However, Roy Schoeman, a fellow Ignatius Press author, Jewish convert, and friend of the author, has agreed to do interviews and introduce readers to From the Kippah to the Cross.

[NYer]

Ping!

[lowbridge]

Bump

[MeganC]

*ping*

[delchiante]

People tend to discount roman catholics and Torah..

Protestants should known that the Roman catholic church knows ‘Torah’ more than they admit it

for instance, Rome knows that Jewish boys are circumcised on the 8th day.
That is why January 1st is a holy day, the 8th day from December 25.

And they know that there were 40 days of cleansing needed for mothers of Jewish boys before they were to be dedicated in the temple.
40 days from December 25 is February 2nd. A secular ‘holy day- of sorts but I suspect that a catholic could show that February 2nd celebrates the presentation of jesus in the temple in their churches..

The catholic church knows Torah..
Problem is, they know Torah well enough to be able to counterfeit the Messiah of Israel who wasn’t born on december 25, nor was He killed on good Friday or raised on easter Sunday.

And instead of the Messiah’s real birth day, and the gospel, according to scriptures that He died for our sins as the Lamb on Passover on the 14th day, was buried (rested on the weekly annual sabbath of Unleavened Bread) , and raised the 3rd day (16th day), the first day of the week- Feast of First Fruits, Rome has peddled a substitute story that fits their calendar and their catechism.

But falls short of Torah made flesh.

That is more apparent when Passover lands on a Monday for Judaism like it did in 2014.
But could be shown in 2015 if people saw Jews bump back their passover a day due to the conflict it would have with Saturday..

If Protestants knew Torah as well as Catholic Church, they may realize they have accepted a gospel according to Rome and its catechism and not one according to scripture like Paul would have taught...

[RnMomof7]

This is an easy move for a Jew..Both based on the traditions of men and works .. not much difference

[erkelly]

What makes you think we protestants don’t know the Torah? Indeed it has been my experience, that is the catholics who do not know scripture as well as they should.

[Tzfat]

Why give up my kipa? Does da pope where one?

[goodwithagun]

Lol! My husband’s family is half Catholic and half Jewish. At the last Jewish wedding, we brought our kids back little trinkets from our trip. We gave our son, then four, the yarmulke that my husband was given to wear at the ceremony. He loved it! He looked like a little pope according to my Jewish aunts!

[9thLife]

This is an easy move for a Jew..Both based on the traditions of men and works .. not much difference

Go find somebody to love, mamma.

[9thLife]

The richest combination the human race can know. Absolute poetic perfection. The kids will be smart, good looking and successful, too.

And nothing pisses people off more than that.

[goodwithagun]

Lol!

[delchiante]

Because easter Sunday isn’t only a catholic holy day.

I didn’t say ‘Catholics’ know Torah.

I said the catholic church knows Torah

[Maudeen]

The main thing is that he is saved and not just a member of some denomination. That goes for everyone including myself. I highly recommend Robert Morris’ THE END series. Here is the first in the series. . .if you don’t care to listen to music move the cursor over to where he begins to speak. You won’t be disappointed in this one. http://www.theblessedlife.com/series/end/episodes/tough-question

[Dqban22]

The Chief Rabbi in Rome during the German occupation, Israel Zolli, once said, “No hero in history was more militant, more fought against, none more heroic, than Pius XII.” In fact, Zolli was so moved by Pius XII, with whom he worked closely in the saving of Jewish lives, that he converted to Catholicism after the war and took the Pope’s own name, Eugenio, as his baptismal name.

[delchiante]

In my study and journey, Rome’s Jesus is another Jesus based in another gospel that Paul didn’t teach.

My prayer is all are saved, even if their faith is ina counterfeit and it was a testing and proving of all things ‘Rome’ that this protestant realized I too had faith in Rome’s Jesus even though I never had been a Roman catholic.

And it helped to see alternatives to Rome’s teachings in scripture by His help.
But I suspect billy Graham doesn’t see these and it is hard to see the likes of him as false teachers.
That is why what He has taught me, I pray that those that don’t know, are still saved by His grace even if Rome has been successful in creating another Jesus.
The alternative is not pleasant to think about..