Career journalist turned theologian

MbY was a career journalist before attending the Oral Roberts University Graduate School of Theology for about three years. His admission to ORU followed a most unusual "born again" experience while the executive editor of the Daily Iberian in New Iberia, La.

I helped a little old lady hunched over with a cane and chewing tobacco cross the street like a good Boy Scout and then went into the bank to cash my paycheck. The lady was still standing on the street corner when I came out. As I passed her, I nodded. She hooked me with her cane and wheeled me around. She poked her old boney, age-spotted finger about an inch from my nose and yelled at me spewing tobacco spit on my suit, "Son, Jeeesus luvs you." Then she hobbled away. I lost track of time. When I finally returned to the newsroom, my face was lit up brighter than a light bulb and scared the bee Jeezuz out of me and the entire newsroom. There were about nine witnesses including my managing editor, city editor, religion editor and several reporters.

At ORU, where ben Yoseif said he was accepted before ever applying, (a later story), he studied biblical Hebrew, Aramaic and independently researched the only existing teaching tapes of an Iraqi theologian named George Mamoshima Lamsa, whose native language was also Aramaic. He did not complete the mandatory Christian systematic theologies at the seminary, however, and therefore did not complete the graduate degree program before moving to Israel in the summer of 1987. 

At first, schedule conflicts and work conflicts kept me from pursuing these courses. But in the spring semester of 1987, when I had no conflicts, I asked Creator. I told Him that I knew I had not been ready for these courses before then since I had never even read the Bible before I was the editor in New Iberia. But His answer surprised me. From my belly, a voice spoke, "You're not going to need any of that. Your path is Torah. Get ready, I'm sending you to Israel."

How that journey came to be is a story in itself, which he may tell later.