The Year of Living Biblically

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

By: A. J. Jacobs

Narrated by: A. J. Jacobs

Length: 6 hrs and 15 mins

Publisher's summary

After his hilarious chronicle about reading the Encyclopedia Britannica from A to Z (actually a-ak to zyweic), our fearless author, A. J. Jacobs, tackles a new intellectual adventure, an exploration of the most influential book in the world: the Bible. He determined the best way to explore the Bible was to live it, as literally as possible. For one year.

There are 700 rules in the Old and New Testaments, A. J. discovered - some wise, some general, some contradictory. Some from Jesus, some from prophets, some from God. A. J. assembled a board of spiritual advisors: rabbis, ministers, and priests, some conservative, some of them "one four-letter word away from excommunication", who would provide guidance and advice throughout his journey. But the journey was, by necessity, arbitrary. DIY religion.

In The Year of Living Biblically, A. J. explores the Bible chronologically, from the Old Testament (crucial, given the 10 Commandments) to the New Testament (crucial, given America's powerful evangelical movement and its literal interpretation of the Bible) and lives the Bible on every level. He obeys the 10 Commandments, he is fruitful and multiplies (A. J.'s wife had twins during his year!); he remembers the Sabbath and keeps it holy. But he also obeys the oft-neglected rules, such as avoiding clothes of mixed fibers and refraining from shaving the edges of his beard (Leviticus 19:27). So, throughout the year, A. J. is commonly mistaken for a member of ZZ Top. Or Moses.

This is a look at religion today through one man's totally arbitrary, deeply funny, journey. In A. J.'s hands, The Year of Living Biblically is also fascinating and irresistible.

©2007 A. J. Jacobs (P)2007 Simon and Schuster Inc.

Critic reviews

"[A] hilarious, quixotic, thought-provoking memoir." ( Publishers Weekly)
"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.'" (P. J. O'Rourke)

interesting, not as funny as stated. humorous

as a Christian, I don't think he gave the new testament a fair shake. when he visits the church he does extreme left and right. most Christian are in the middle. as a Jewish pretty indepth. but because he went into this for his mind and not his heart he missed the mark. disappointed he made his own cafe biblical plate with no connection to God.

Good, but abridged.

If you enjoy AJ Jacobs, this book is very well read by the author himself. However it is slightly abridged, so keep that in mind.

Loved it!

I was sorry the book ended; I couldn’t have listened for hours more. Will surely listen to it again!

Educational and entertaining

The idea was a great one. The implementation was pretty good. The topics discussed were humorous and the writing was entertaining. I am not sure if this is abridged or unabridged but it seems like he left out a lot of the year. I understand he can't put EVERYTHING into the book, but I felt like I was missing something. Throughout the chapters I was entertained and wanting more and for it to build and hit a climax. It never really did, the ending was a little disappointing though interesting. I also felt he could have dealt more with the New testament. Though most of the "rules" are set in the old, he seemed to skim over the new saying he would deal with that in the last 4 months of the year, but it was a very short part of the book and I feel he could have learned even more by dealing with that part.

Overall a good "read". I am not sure the author was the best choice for the audio, but I always like when it is the author who reads so I guess that is OK.

Love it

Wonderfully funny and informative. I bought 2 more copies as gifts.

A wonderful story

Both educational and fun, this story is pleasent to listen to and very addicting. Great to listen to in snippets.

Abridged

I wish it wasn't abridged. :( now I feel like I still need to go read the hardback. Otherwise it was good.

Great read.

An interesting perspective on actually living the bible. I don't think I could do this.

Did he read the Bible before he started?

Would you say that listening to this book was time well-spent? Why or why not?

Yes, A.J. Jacobs is a very good narrator. I was continually anxious for what would be next.

Who was your favorite character and why?

I don't remember the fellows name, the guy that helped him keep grounded in the Jewish Faith and all of it's twists.

Which scene was your favorite?

Passover dinner.

Did The Year of Living Biblically inspire you to do anything?

No. I am a Born again Christian, I continually waited for A.J. to be inspired by the life of Jesus and the New Testament and find Jesus himself. What happened? He cut his beard and left his robe behind and became the same person he was before he started. As it turned out for A.J. the year was a "project" for a book and not something life altering that Jesus went to the Cross for.

Any additional comments?

I am glad that I spent the time with A.J. Jacobs. I do wish that he would understand that living biblically after the crucifixion of Jesus changed greatly. After Jesus died on the cross we must accept Him as the Messiah born of a virgin and ask Him to forgive our sins and the Trinity fills in where all of the "do this at this time" was in ancient" Trinity--Father,Son,Holy Spirit.

Extremely relatable

I love everything about this book, except I am furiously disappointed and aghast that Jacobs mutilated his little boys. As an intelligent agnostic, it shouldn't be possible to sketch circumcision up as a "family tradition".