Jacobs: Year of living biblically (2007)
Last week I had put out lots of books onto our “new” shelf. One of them was A. J. Jacobs‘ bestseller “The year of living biblically: one man’s humble quest to follow the Bible as literally as possible.” Jacobs is an “immersive” journalist writing for Esquire magazine. He was previously known for his “The Know-it-all” book, in which he documented the process of reading the entire Encyclopedia Britannica from beginning to end. The book is serious and humorous at the same time; I recommend it for fun and learning.
Jacobs describes his latest book on his website with these words:
The Year of Living Biblically is about my quest to live the ultimate biblical life. To follow every single rule in the Bible – as literally as possible. …
Why? Well, I grew up in a very secular home (I’m officially Jewish but I’m Jewish in the same way the Olive Garden is an Italian restaurant). I’d always assumed religion would just wither away and we’d live in a neo-Enlightenment world. I was, of course, spectacularly wrong. So was I missing something essential to being a human? Or was half the world deluded?
I decided to dive in headfirst. To try to experience the Bible myself and find out what’s good in it, and what’s maybe not so relevant to the 21st century.
The resulting year was fascinating, entertaining and informative. It was equal parts irreverent and reverent. It was filled with surprising insights almost every day. (I know it’s not biblical to boast, so apologies for that).
The booktrailer video below shows him wandering on the streets and parks of New York towards the end of his year. I also recommend this video, where he gives 17 minute lecture about the experience.
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