The Year of Living Biblically

THE YEAR OF LIVING BIBLICALLY: A.J. Jacobs: Simon & Schuster: Nonfiction: 388 pages

What would happen if you attempted to literally interpret and live every admonition in the Bible? Jacobs undertakes this task for one year, first studying the Bible for several months and recording all the laws and commandments in the Old and New Testaments and then attaching tassels to the corners of his clothing, observing food restrictions, tithing, and attempting to do everything the Bible mandates. Additionally, Jacobs visits religious groups that interpret the Bible literally. He attends a meeting with snake handlers, invites a Jehovah’s Witness to his home for several hours, and goes to the Creationism Museum in Kentucky.

With a premise that could potentially be offensive, Jacobs does a very nice job of fairly and respectfully examining the Bible and its adherents. He does his research, reading multiple versions of the Bible and commentaries and gathering a board of religious advisors from several Jewish and Christian faiths. While there are absurd portions of the book (the author “stones” an adulterer with pebbles in a park) and Jacobs is, admittedly, agnostic, the work as a whole is both interesting and thought-provoking for believers and non-believers alike.

MBC