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!

a walk through the Bible

one man's take on a walk through the Bible and how it impacts him - very thought provoking

Excellent

This is a great book. It (literally) made me cry. You don't have to be religious to enjoy this book - actually it's probably better if you aren't.
Gets a little bit preachy at the end but you're well prepared for it...
The only negative is that the author narrates the book, but he just isn't that great. A better narrator would have made this a 5 star easy. But after a while you get lost in the story and the narrator dissapears.
Highly reccomended.

Mediocre, but an interesting journey

I love reading and learning about religions and their baggage. I thought this was an amazing idea, to live the bible literally for a year, but the story dragged. There are some funny stories from this adventure, like stoning an adulterer....with pebbles. I learned a lot about the bible from listening, especially the historical references. I would buy this type of book when it goes on sale :)

A Special Tteat

I'm having a difficult time trying to describe how I feel about this book. It seemed to have enlightened me. I looked forward to getting in my car so that I could listen to it. love!

Facinating story....and funny!

What in interesting premise, facinating work. Well read by the author, combines scholarship with human interest and humor to make a great read!! Unique genre.

very interesting and entertaining!

This book was interesting and entertaining. What a great experiment. I would definitely recommend it.

how can you not read this!

this book is too good to pass up! a great listen! mind blowing and funny at times!