The Year of Living Biblically: One Man's Humble Quest to Follow the Bible as Literally as Possible

day 1 So far, so good. It’s playfully insightful but i’m afraid that the author’s anecdotes will become redundant and overly detailed.

end of week 1 My initial fears have not panned out. The book has turned into a sincere investment in playing by as many of the rules found in the bible as possible in the modern world.

He has many challenges not the least of which is his own self-proclaimed social awkwardness which is only exacerbated by this year of ritualistic living.

remainder of the book AJ is sincere in his attempts to live by the rules of the bible, i think. Internally and externally. His insight continues as does his playfulness and wit but he underplays his scholarship and research of which he did massive amounts. The book show more itself, for being so light and conversational, is stacked like an academic treatise with chapter notes and an honest-to-gosh fully fleshed out index. It was enjoyable to read just on those merits alone. It’s refreshing to see journalism done correctly. You know, like journalism.

In the end, AJ took a trip of familiar discovery or recovery in the sense that he explored his ancestral history more than he explored the actual spiritual side of things. This was evident when it came time to devote attention to the New Testament and look into the Christian side of the Bible. He admits pretty quickly that he’s stepping into uncharted territory for him and that going through the Old Testament was a bit like opening an old photo book found in the back of your grandmother’s closet.

However, he did experience some deeper realizations in practicing the biblical rules. He was quick to point out, though, that largely it was probably due to simply being more aware of his own behavior and the wherefore of his actions and intentions. Doing that, delving into mindfulness, leads to a richer and more fulfilling experience no matter your political or religious affiliation. The book highlights the ridiculous nature of many of the rules found in the Bible while, at the same time, normalizing them to little more than differences in our modern, everyday procedures without any sense of mocking them. AJ never fully left what he calls his “agnosticism” but he did come away with a greater appreciation for life 3000 years ago, the lives of his ancestors (and a couple of contemporary relatives), and life in general. show less

I have become a fan of the genre they're calling "participatory journalism." I enjoy reading about authors' adventures with various challenges. I particularly like Danny Wallace and Dave Gorman and their "stupid boy projects," but A. J. Jacobs is becoming a favorite as well. In The Know-It-All, he took on the challenge of reading the entire Encyclopaedia Brittanica, with interesting and often humorous results.

In this book, The Year of Living Biblically, Jacobs tackles the question of how to live a religious life. He decides to live by the laws of the Bible as literally as possible, again with interesting and often humorous results. Jacobs skillfully handles topics that could easily be explosive, by using his own self-effacing wit and show more admissions of his own questions and doubts, as well as his wonderfully open mind, to explore religion. He learns the value of ritual and law, and has some of his preconceptions turned upside down.

This is a wonderful story of exploring one's faith and being willing to keep learning throughout life. Because Jacobs is of Jewish descent, he concentrates far more on Old Testament scriptures, concentrating on the New Testament for only one month in the year. I would have liked him to have spent more time with this area but understand why he didn't. What I liked most about this book was Jacobs's wonderfully open mind. He resisted scoffing at many things that seemed bizarre or unexplainable, and came away with new perspectives. I loaned this book to a coworker, who did not enjoy it as much as I did; I believe he felt some of Jacobs's lightheartedness was offensive or sacriligeous. If, however, you are willing to be open-minded along with the author and not allow your own faith to be threatened, you are in for a treat with this book! I highly recommend it. show less

I love AJ Jacobs. I think he is a brilliant writer who is honest, funny, and poignant, all at the same time (which is hard for many to do). The premise of the book is obvious: Jacobs decides to live as close to the literal word of the Bible as he can for a full year and see what he can learn about religion, fundamentalism, and his own view of God. The reader is taken away on his journey with him and it's almost easy to let all those little beautiful moments slip by as he describes them with such grace. I was impressed with the level of commitment he had to not judge the fundamentalist religions until after he had talked to them, despite his previous leanings--and that shows through in his work. While he doesn't become a fundamentalist show more himself, he learns to open his mind in new ways--and I feel like I did a little too. I don't mean to sound crazy in my praise of this book, but I was really impressed by it. As it says on the back cover, thou shalt not be able to put it down. show less

I particularly enjoyed this book because Jacobs, like me, grew up in a very secular environment with a quizzical view of the Bible and all things religious. I enjoyed his intellectual honesty, his sense of humour, his willingness to give credit to people whose views he doesn't necessarily share while being clear about where he stands. As always, I'm impressed with his wife's tolerance and ability to cope with his shenanigans.
There are a few poignant moments which show how the Bible can help in trying times and I was pleased by the conclusion: the Bible did transform him, if only by connecting him more meaningfully to his roots and giving him a new reverence for life.

Part gimmick, part sincere, humorous and serious. A. J. Jacobs culls 700+ rules from the Bible (RSV, though he collects alternatives for reference) and vows to follow them for a year, September through August. All of them, simultaneously, though he focuses on one at a time, and splits the year into eight months of Old Testament and four months of New Testament. ”How can these ethically advanced rules and these bizarre decrees be found in the same book? And not just the same book. Sometimes the same page. The prohibition against mixing wool and linen comes right after the command to love your neighbor. It’s not like the Bible has a section called ‘And Now for Some Crazy Laws’. They’re all jumbled up like a chopped salad.” How show more do Christians and Jews determine which rules matter? There’s a distinction between moral and ritual, with a murky gray area. There’s an exemption for only in the destroyed Temple of Jerusalem, or only in Israel. There will be no exemptions for him. Well, maybe one. ”Today marks the twenty-sixth time I’ve been asked whether I’m going to sacrifice Jasper during my biblical year. No, I say politely, only Abraham was commanded to do that."

He follows the rules that have dropped from common practice. Surely nobody else in America cares about the ban on wearing clothes with mixed fibers? Turns out there’s an expert shatnez tester, who arrives with a microscope, and whose joy and “high” is saving people from breaking commandments. Surely ten string harps are obsolete? Turns out they’re available on eBay. ”When will it sink into my skull that there is no such thing as an obscure Bible verse?” His wife endures the voluminous beard. ”Julie wanted to go to Halloween with me as Tom Hanks from Cast Away and her as the volleyball, but I can’t do Halloween because it’s a pagan holiday.” But when he cannot sit on a chair that has been occupied by a menstruating woman, she sits on every chair in the house, and he has to carry a folding chair that remains pure.

He follows the rules that endure. He makes an effort to speak Biblically, which ”requires requires a total switch in the content of my conversation: no lying, no complaining, no gossiping”, and becomes aware of how often and how easily he slips. He prays. ”A spiritual update: I’m still agnostic, but I do have some progress to report on the prayer front. I no longer dread prayer. And sometimes I’m even liking it. I’ve gone so far as to take the training wheels off and am testing out some of my own prayers instead of just repeating passages from the Bible.” Of the four types outlined by his friend the “pastor out to pasture” (Adoration – Confession – Thanksgiving – Supplication) he is most comfortable with thanksgiving. Later he extends to praying for others: ”I still can’t wrap my brain around the notion that God would change His mind because we ask Him to. And yet I still love these prayers. To me they’re moral weight training. Every night I pray for others for ten minutes. ... It’s ten minutes where it’s impossible to be self-centered.”

His perspective changes. After 6 months: ”Here, at the halfway mark of my journey, I’ve had an unexpected mental shift. I feel closer to the ultrareligious New Yorkers than I do the secular. The guy with the fish on his bumper sticker. The black man with the kufi. The Hasidim with their swinging fringes. They are my compatriots. They think about God and faith and prayer all the time, just like I do.” After 12 months: “The year showed me beyond a doubt that everyone practices cafeteria religion. It’s not just moderates. Fundamentalists do it too. They can’t heap everything onto their plate. ... But the more important lesson was this: there’s nothing wrong with choosing. Cafeterias aren’t bad per se. ... The key is in choosing the right dishes. You need to pick the nurturing ones (compassion), the healthy ones (love thy neighbor), not the bitter ones.”

As an apatheistic agnostic, I’m a poor judge of irreverence, but this book was recommended by a conservative Christian acquaintance who considers it respectful. It is funny in a foibles of human nature sort of way, lightening a serious reminder that daily attention and habit can have profound effects.

(read 6 Nov 2012) show less

When I first picked this book up I was expecting it be very academic in the way it was written (this was before I even cracked open the books) simply because of the main part of the title. Boy was I in for a surprise!! This was an absolutely awesome book.

It starts off very simply by explaining the author's motivation behind why he was writing this book in the first place. I actually read the prologue, which is not something I do very often largely because they tend to be long winded and give too much of the story away before having got very far. However, the prologue in this book is more about setting the background to the story which was both helpful and necessary.

The author of the book stated that he was an agnostic, and a Jew, and show more his main aim of this book was to get to the core of the Bible and its meaning for the people of the Bible by living according to the laws/rules set down within it. He wasn't sure whether he would become a believer in God or not by the end of this year but he was prepared to find out.

Throughout the book he gave detailed accounts of his experiences trying to adhere to the laws of the Bible his description of what he had to do to adhere to the law about touching women or sitting where a menstruating woman sat, was absolutely hilarious. He gave the reader an insight into the way that many different religious traditions interpreted scripture and how this translated into their own everyday behaviour.

This book was funny. At one stage, I accidentally returned this book to the library before I had finished it and I felt I had just lost my best friend. I had to get it back, and only when I did did I feel complete again. This feeling was going to come up again when I finished the book. It had had such a profound affect on me I didn't want it to end. I was disappointed that that he was still an agnostic at the end of the book, but this was quickly tempered when he said that he had come away with a much deeper understanding of his own Jewish faith and roots and therefore of himself.If nothing else came of his journey, this was something that should be cherished. Many people can go a lifetime and never gain such an understanding of his/her place in the world.

Recommendation: I would highly recommend this book for anybody who is wanting to simply read a great book and be pulled into the story. It is hard to put down, or leave down for long. show less

As a questioning agnostic myself, I could relate to much in the book and found many parts hilarious, but it did tend to drag a little for me. Perhaps too detailed regarding Biblical prohibitions, restrictions, absurdities, and inconsistencies that it grew a little tiresome in spots. However, overall, I enjoyed his quest, his humor, his spiritual seeking, his examination of a variety of religions. I really laughed in the description of the NY atheist meeting....I can imagine how difficult it is for them to solicit new members since atheists are such nonconformists and resist any dogma....even other people's atheistic ideas. I know because when I was young, I swung from a traditional Lutheran to absolute atheist and eventually mellowed show more into an agnostic who prays sometimes "just in case"...Great idea for book...original and insightful. show less