Following his heart, he earned a doctorate at the Jewish Theological Seminary in New York City and completed postdoctoral studies in linguistics and cultural anthropology at the University of Texas at Austin.

Pagán maintains that in the message of the Bible he found the values he needed to lead a transformed life, with a sense of direction.

''Those values include the importance of forgiving, the need to show mercy, to help the needy, to revive the fallen and to heal the broken-hearted,'' he said.

He has traveled extensively, teaching the Old Testament, and has been academic dean at the Florida Center for Theological Studies and director of the Translations Department for the Americas of the United Bible Societies, the largest Bible publisher and distributor worldwide, with regional offices in Miami.

Today Pagán lives at the Tantur Ecumenical Theological Institute, an international research center of the Catholic Church in Jerusalem. Surrounded by olive trees, its tranquil campus is designed for reflection and contemplation.

He is writing a commentary on the Hebrew scriptures from a Latin American perspective -- one that takes into consideration the issues and needs of the believers and churches in the region. In addition, he teaches Hebrew literature at Bethlehem's Dar al-Kalima College, where he is the first and only professor of Hispanic origin.

''He is always smiling, is very charismatic and encourages us to learn,'' said Samer Musleh, 25, one of his Christian students, who aims to become a tour guide and needs to learn basic Judaism.

Almost daily, Pagán must cross the Israeli checkpoint between Jerusalem and Bethlehem, which is under the jurisdiction of the Palestinian National Authority. He drives through the narrow streets accompanied by Nohemí, who teaches Spanish at the college. There is only one traffic light, and people walk in front of the cars on the same paths trod by the patriarchs and matriarchs of Israel -- the streets where Jesus also preached.

Says Pagán: ``We have fallen in love with this land.''

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