Book Review: The Year of Living Biblically
After reading a few ministry-related books, I decided for an easier “fun” read. I picked up The Year of Living Biblically by AJ Jacobs. As he puts in the introduction, Jacobs is Jewish, but “I’m Jewish in the same way the Olive Garden is an Italian restaurant” (page 4). He decides to read the entire Bible, list every single command, and follow them as best as he could for 1 whole year. And boy does he try. Throughout the book, he is listing all kinds of commands, ones that I hadn’t read about since undergrad. He wears no garments of mixed thread, does not touch his wife while she is unclean, and even stones some people, albeit with pebbles. All the while, Jacobs is looking to experience the Divine.
At the same time he is living these commands, AJ is learning about all the groups who claim they follow the Bible the best: Amish, Orthodox Jews, Hasidic Jews, conservative Evangelicals, Red-Letter Christians, and even snake handlers. All these groups view their Biblical interpretation as correct. I really enjoyed seeing all these groups through an outsider’s eyes.
I liked his previous book (The Know-It-All, when he reads the entire Encyclopedia Brittannica in one year) more than this one, but that book really appealed to my love of random facts. This book was very interesting, not only because studying the Bible is my profession and my degree, but it is also my life. I enjoyed reading the book and seeing how an agnostic views and interprets the Bible. Don’t read it if you are looking for a commentary on the Bible, but if you want to read how non-Christians view the Bible (or if you just want a good, fun book), then I recommend The Year of Living Biblically. Rating: 4/5.
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