The Year of Living Biblically

I heard about this book, by AJ Jacobs a while back, so I couldn't resist giving it a read when I came across it in Stirling's Oxfam bookshop.

[I love charity bookshops. All those bargains. All those out-of-print books. All those obscure books you'd never find in a main stream bookshop. Oh, and did I mention the books?]

In this book, Jacobs attempts to live according to the rules of the bible as literally as possible. Some are easy and obvious (like the 10 commandments), others illegal (like stoning adulterers and animal sacrifice) and some obscure (like no mixed fibres). It's not an easy task, as there is much disagreement within both Judaism and Christianity (and between those faiths, too, it has to be said) as to which rules still apply. To Jews, some where only applicable when the temple in Jerusalem was still standing. To Christians, many where over-ruled (sorry, can;t think of a better phrase) by the new covenant God made with his people in the death and resurrection of Jesus. All very complicated. Jacobs did his best, though.

Jacobs described himself as a secular Jew, with no real belief in God. By the end of the year, although not implicit in black and white, it is pretty clear his views seem to have changed.

Jacobs approached this experiment with a certain amount of open-minded cynicism (if you can be both). He also tried to find ways to adhere to the rules in New York. At one point he acquired some pebbles, asked a man if he was an adulterer and sort of threw the stones at the guy's chest. Well, adulterers are to be stoned. As you can imagine, that didn't go down well and the man threw them back at Jacobs!

The book is a very astute, yet funny, take on the rules in the bible. There's a lot of humour and irony in this book, though I'd imagine you would need a lot of humour it get through a year of living by these rules when you don't really know them, haven't been brought up with them and you're wife doesn't take too kindly to you refusing to sit on a seat she's sat on. (So much so, she sat on all the seats in their flat while he was out, leaving his 2 year old son's chair - she missed that one!).

I'd definitely recommend this book. It's funny, astute and well written. Some of Jacobs adventures are hysterical. Some are very moving. All may change how you view the bible.