Book Review: "The Year of Living Biblically"

A friend recommended I read A.J. Jacobs' The Year of Living Biblically, and I have to say I enjoyed it more than I expected I would. As the author himself acknowledges, the book idea began as his effort as a secular person of Jewish heritage to expose what he considers the ridiculously-slippery slope of literal Biblical interpretation. As someone who takes the Scripture personally and literally, I was prepared to be insulted throughout most of the 341 pages.

On the contrary, I felt the author truly attempted to connect with the God of Scripture, or at least to understand the perspective of those who do. I think Jacobs does a good job of trying to understand the various and sometime radical sects of Judaism and Christianity, find meaning--and humor--in their views of life and scripture, and expose the really tough questions that any Biblical scholar has to face. What do we do with the passages of scripture that make us uncomfortable? How do we handle the seemingly contradictory images of a vengeful God in the Hebrew Bible with the grace-giving and life-affirming message of Jesus in the New Testament? To what degree to we allow culture--both of the times the Scripture was written and our current culture--affect how we hear the message of Scripture?

Along the way, Jacobs shares sometimes hilarious and sometimes heartbreaking stories from his personal life and how his newly-created Biblical persona "Jacob" handles them. I related to his tendency toward obsessive-compulsive behavior and his struggles to follow through on his intentions to do good to his neighbors. I was humbled by his commitment to the project--how whole-heartedly he pursued consistency and integrity in following all manner of Levitical laws and tradition, even when he didn't understand the 'why' behind them. And it was encouraging to hear him come away with an appreciation and understanding of religious groups and people that he had judged in the past.

In the end, however, I think Jacobs exposes the problem with focusing on the Scripture outside of a personal relationship with God; the Bible itself becomes an idol and stumbling block on our spiritual journey rather than a love-letter urging us into a committed relationship with the Author.