In this episode of The Cordial Catholic, I'm joined by my friend theologian, biblical scholar, and former Protestant pastor Dr. John Bergsma to talk about the roots of Catholicism which stretch back not only into the Old Testament with the Levitical Priesthood but the very beginning of the Old Testament itself in Genesis and the Garden of Eden. Dr. Bergsma unpacks his own conversion to Catholicism which involved not only looking at how the Early Church understood Christ, his mission, and the nature of the Church, but digging right back into the Old Covenant priesthood to understand the template that God was establishing with the Jewish people – a template He would use to fulfill that covenant in Christ with the establishment of the Catholic Church. This is an episode for the history books. If you want to understand the paradigm through which so many Catholic converts come to understand Christianity, this is a conversation you aren't going to want to miss. For more from Dr. Bergsma visit his website.To purchase any of John's fine books visit the St. Paul Center for Biblical Theology.Send your feedback to cordialcatholic@gmail.com. Sign up for our newsletter for my reflections on  episodes, behind-the-scenes content, and exclusive contests.To watch this and other episodes please visit (and subscribe to!) our YouTube channel.Please consider financially supporting this show! For more information visit the Patreon page.  All patrons receive access to exclusive content and if you can give $5/mo or more you'll also be entered into monthly draws for fantastic books hand-picked by me.If you'd like to give a one-time donation to The Cordial Catholic, you can visit the PayPal page.Thank you to those already supporting the show!This podcast is brought to you in a special way by our Patreon Co-Producers Gina, Eyram, Elli and Tom, Kelvin and Susan, Stephen, James, Jon, Jordan, Michelle, Nicole, Phil, and Susanne.Support the showFind and follow The Cordial Catholic on social media:Instagram: @cordialcatholicTwitter: @cordialcatholicYouTube: /thecordialcatholicFacebook: The Cordial CatholicTikTok: @cordialcatholic