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The Year of Living Biblically

One Man's Humble Quest to Follow the Bible as Literally as Possible

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The Year of Living Biblically

By: A. J. Jacobs
Narrated by: A. J. Jacobs
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From the New York Times bestselling author of The Know-It-All comes a fascinating and timely exploration of religion and the Bible. A.J. Jacobs chronicles his hilarious and thoughtful year spent obeying?as literally as possible?the tenets of the Bible.

Raised in a secular family but increasingly interested in the relevance of faith in our modern world, A.J. Jacobs decides to dive in headfirst and attempt to obey the Bible as literally as possible for one full year. He vows to follow the Ten Commandments. To be fruitful and multiply. To love his neighbor. But also to obey the hundreds of less publicized rules: to avoid wearing clothes made of mixed fibers; to play a ten-string harp; to stone adulterers.

The resulting spiritual journey is at once funny and profound, reverent and irreverent, personal and universal and will make you see history’s most influential book with new eyes.

Jacobs’s quest transforms his life even more radically than the year spent reading the entire Encyclopedia Britannica for The Know-It-All. His beard grows so unruly that he is regularly mistaken for a member of ZZ Top. He immerses himself in prayer, tends sheep in the Israeli desert, battles idolatry, and tells the absolute truth in all situations—much to his wife’s chagrin.

Throughout the book, Jacobs also embeds himself in a cross-section of communities that take the Bible literally. He tours a Kentucky-based creationist museum and sings hymns with Pennsylvania Amish. He dances with Hasidic Jews in Brooklyn and does Scripture study with Jehovah’s Witnesses. He discovers ancient biblical wisdom of startling relevance. And he wrestles with seemingly archaic rules that baffle the twenty-first-century brain.

Jacobs’s extraordinary undertaking yields unexpected epiphanies and challenges. A book that will charm readers both secular and religious, The Year of Living Biblically is part Cliff Notes to the Bible, part memoir, and part look into worlds unimaginable. Thou shalt not be able to put it down.©2007 A. J. Jacobs; (P)2007 Simon and Schuster Inc. Bible Study Bibles & Bible Study Biographies & Memoirs Christianity Commentaries Judaism Sacred Writing Funny Witty Middle East Thought-Provoking Inspiring Feel-Good

Critic reviews

"A.J. Jacobs is so funny he can make watching his beard grow hilarious. The Year of Living Biblically is the most unexpectedly delightful - and consistently charming - book I've read in a long time. It will have you laughing out loud, nodding in disbelief, and rethinking what you believe about the Bible. It will also have you tallying your sins: I coveted his humor and envied his facial hair. And that's no lie."–Bruce Feiler, author of Walking the Bible and Where God Was Born
"A.J. Jacobs has written a - how else to put it? - Good Book. Let me take my review from the original, Psalm 2, verse 4: 'He that sitteth in the heavens shall laugh.' And let me suggest that readers, whether they know their Bible or not, get to know A.J. Jacobs. But not in a biblical sense, please."–P.J. O'Rourke
"The Year of Living Biblically is an extremely compelling book, appropriately irreverent and highly entertaining. More significantly, it is a tale of an intense and intelligent spiritual search that will speak powerfully and instructively to a generation of seekers."–Rabbi David Ellenson, president of Hebrew Union College
"In the twenty-first century few, if any, Christians truly attempt to follow the Bible in its literal entirety, even us evangelicals. In this yearlong experiment A.J. Jacobs attempts just that, with disarming sincere, refreshingly humorous, and unexpectedly insightful results. I commend this inspired narrative to anyone actively exploring the continued relevance of biblical living, religion's need for critical self-reflection, and the timelessness of authentic faith."–Reverend Jim Wallis, author of God's Politics and president of Sojourners/Call to Renewal
"A. J. Jacobs has written about the Bible in a manner that is brilliantly funny but unerringly respectful, learned but goofy, deeply personal yet highly relevant. I am covetous and wish him smited."–Mary Roach, Bestselling author of Spook and Stiff
"A book that is at one and the same time delightfully readable and profoundly memorable is a wonder! The Year of Living Biblically is exactly that. A. J. Jacobs has perceived the distinction between the wisdom of the Bible and its absurdities. It is a shame that so many of both our clergy and our politicians seem incapable of making that distinction."–John Shelby Spong, author of Jesus for the Non-Religious and former Episcopal bishop
Thought-provoking Exploration • Humorous Approach • Honest Voice • Talented Writer • Educational Insights

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I have been a Christian forever but I have never studied the whole Bible. The Old Testament was always a mystery to me. AJ Jacobs made many of the old laws and traditions understandable with tasteful humor and admirable knowledge.

the Old Testament made clear

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This book is an excellent choice for anyone who had a religious upbringing and has turned away from it now, or who is agnostic and is interested in learning about the Bible, without being overwhelmed with terminology.

Learning and laughing

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Fun, funny and inspiring! An engaging look at the content of the Bible and its relevance today. Thank you, AJ Jacobs!!

Love this book!!

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Not as amusing as I had hoped for, but I did learn some interesting biblical facts and interpretations that I wasn't aware of before.
I realize the author was the reader and that distracted from it immmensely. Had we had a different reader I might have enjoyed it more. His voice totally annoyed me !

So-So

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Great read, but author is exploring spiritual issues from the physical. You may not find God through a one year pet project. Author has no faith in the God of these laws he explores. In the end I really don’t know if the whole experiment is useful to him, he’s still agnostic and unrepentant. Jesus is the way and I pray AJ Jacobs finds him. “You search the Scriptures because you think they give you eternal life. But the Scriptures point to me!” Jn 5:39

Is there a God?

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He got their sons circumcised! WTF! Really, this will hunt me for very long time...

Unexpected ending?

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Such an interesting concept, and story. I love how AJ Jacobs researched and accomplished his year of living Biblically really brought up some good questions which have been on my mind as a Christian.

Loved this!

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The man who read the entire Encyclopedia Britinica in one year takes on another amusing task (thereby making me wonder, yet again, how his wife puts up with him). A. J. Jacobs uses a year of living as close to Biblically as possible as a way to examine his own agnosticism, the faith of the masses, and his everyday life. This book is funny, the writing is sharp and the plot leads to alot of introspection on the reader's part as well. It is interesting to consider some of the rules in the Bible, and to consider why we follow some and preach on them so heavily and yet ignore others. I do think Jacobs needs a little more information about the New Testament, but it's still a good overview.

Since the author does the naration, you can be sure that everything is emphisized correctly. He is a great storyteller-both in print and out loud.

Really following the word of God...

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I have listened to a few of AJ Jacob's books now and this is yet another experiment of his that is a bit out there - which is what makes his books sell. Jacobs uses his life as his catalyst for his writing, which makes this a rather blog-like book. So it has a bit of a documentary type feel too it which is perfect for a long drive.

I was going on a road trip with my parents and didn't think they'd exactly be into listening to Game of Thrones or my audible obsession with Molly Harper. I was not about to listen to a crime novel - my parents love them but they're just not my thing. As Christians who grew up with all these Bible stories I thought they'd get a kick out of Jacobs' attempt to live by God's rules set down on paper.

My mother thoroughly enjoyed this, laughing out loud and my dad chuckled occasionally and found Jacobs amusing. This book was definitely a good choice. I highly recommend it to anyone who has a Jewish and/or Christian background because you'll get the jokes, and for anyone of any other religion you get the chance to see a guy put himself out there and follow some really ridiculous rules.

As for the narration, I think it would have been better to have someone else read this. While it is about his life, so it makes sense for him to read it, Jacobs has an "oh the cleverness of me" tone to his voice that can get on your nerves. After a while you realize this guy is totally smitten with his ideas and thinks he's awesome. I'm all about self-confidence but listening to someone go one in that fashion for 6 hours can get to be a bit too much. We'd get around this if it were read by someone else.

Oh the Cleverness of Me - AJ Does the Bible

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AJ. Jacobs if you are reading please write more books. More about the Bible Would be great but anything will do. Thank you

Second time reading.

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