Log In | Register
excerpt: "After A. J. Jacobs spent a year reading the entire Encyclopaedia Britannica for his book "The Know-It-All," he figured he had the yearlong experiment thing down. How much harder could it be to follow every rule in the Bible? Much, much harder, he soon discovered, as he found himself growing his beard, struggling not to curse and asking strangers for permission to stone them for adultery. Jacobs spent the year carrying around a stapled list of the more than 700 rules and prohibitions identified in the Good Book, and also consulted with religious leaders and spent time with the Amish, Hassidic Jews and Jehovah's Witnesses. He spoke to NEWSWEEK's Jennie Yabroff about his experience and his new book, "The Year of Living Biblically" (Simon & Schuster), which goes on sale Oct. 9."
What if you spent one year following every rule in the Bible? A. J. Jacobs did exactly that.
Article Source: msnbc.com- Enjoy this article? Help vote it up the 'Vine.
- Public Discussion (25)
I'm interviewing this guy.
I really liked his first book - the interview is here - and I can't wait to read his second, this one.
- 3 votes
#1 - Sat Sep 22, 2007 12:49 PM EDTThis is great, thanks, Scott. I can't wait to read it either. I loved this:
I actually invited a Jehovah's Witness over to my apartment, and I think I'm the only person in history who out-Bible-talked a Jehovah's Witness. After three hours, he looked at his watch and told me he had to leave.
That and the stoning incident are great. He's says he's going to continue in this genre for a while. What would you try for a year, like he did?
- 4 votes
#2 - Sat Sep 22, 2007 6:21 PM EDTThanks, I can't wait to read the book. I've been putting off reading it only because the interview is embargoed. In the meantime read my interview and read the other book because it's some of the funniest, wittiest stuff I've read in a while - I even made a point of excerpting some of my favorites.
- 2 votes
My interview of the Jacobs book referenced here is currently under construction.
- 1 vote
#4 - Sun Oct 14, 2007 4:19 PM EDTWhich bible did he use to determine all of the rules? The Latin Vulgate of the ancient Roman Catholic Church? The Torah of the Old Testament? The King James Bible? There are at least 21 versions of the bible in the English language. Did he consult the Dead Sea Scrolls?
- 1 vote
#6 - Thu Oct 18, 2007 2:29 AM EDTBTW - the story link took me to the frontpage of Newsweek not the article itself.
- 1 vote
He consulted a bunch of bibles and bible scholars.
He talked about it in my interview with him
Here's the fixed link to Newsweek:
The following is a quote from your interview concerning which Bible was the reference.
"So I also made my own list. I read the Bible from cover to cover and wrote down every one of them."
This clearly states that he read ONE Bible but the exact edition is not mentioned. He states that he is a Jew. The Jewish Bible is the Old Testament. It still is not clear what he used to make HIS list.
- 1 vote
Ok sorry I thought he said more in the interview. He talks in the book about struggling with this issue of deciding which book to use and visiting various bible sales people.
I'll read that part again and bring back a summary. How's that sound?
The only point I was making is that there is NOT one Bible as a reference. Every one was written by people with some prejudice as they wrote it.
- 1 vote
#7 - Sun Oct 21, 2007 11:29 PM EDTThat's a valid point. I asked the author to stop by to answer your other question
Ok, Dr. Know, I re-read the part of the book that answers your question – he went to a bible bookstore and bought a stack of bibles of different types, denominations, etc as well as the Bible for Dummies, commentaries.
Friends sent him other editions:
"That's not to mention the Bibles sent to me by friends. One gave me the waterproof Ourdoor Bible so that I could study the Scripture even during floods and other Old Testament weather patterns. Another sent me a hip-hop version, where the 23rd Psalm reads "The Lord is all that."…
In short I've got the proverbiall stack of bibles, almost waist-high"
He planned to part of the year following the rules of the new testament and part following the old testament.
I also was amused by this:
At the bible bookstore he was shown a bible "it's designed to look exactly like a Seventeen magazine: an attractive (if long-sleeved ) model graces the front, next to cover lines like 'What's your Spiritual IQ?"and sidebars such as "Rebecca the control freak."
"This one's good if you're on the subway and too embarrassed to be seen reading the Bible," says Chris. "Because no one will ever know you're reading the Bible."
The author notes in one of his wry notes that endear him to me: "It's an odd and poignant selling point. You know you're in a secular city when it's considered more acceptable for a grown man to read a teen girl's magazine than the Bible."
#8 - Thu Oct 25, 2007 12:29 PM EDTHe starts with a list of 800 rules.
Some will make his life better, he says, such as:
No lying
No coveting
No envy
"I'll be the Gandhi of the Upper West Side
Some will make him seem weird:
Always bathe after sex
Don't eat fruit from a tree more than five years old
Pay the wages of a worker every day
And some are just baffling and illegal:
Kill magicians
Destroy your idols
Sacrifice oxen
- 1 vote
#9 - Thu Oct 25, 2007 12:31 PM EDTThe kill magicians is probably from the text that is usually translated as kill witches. The original text uses a word that is usually translated as a 'poisoner' in other contexts.
- 1 vote
Wow, Dr. Know, way to live up to your name. I'm sorta hoping he tries to put out a hit on David Blaine because he annoys me,
As you well know, there are some that doubt the depth and veracity of my knowledge at times... But thank you.
The usual phrasing is usually something like "Suffer ye not a poisoner..."
- 1 vote
Incidentally you never responded to my email asking if you knew there was a punk band as well as a member of Bad Brains named Dr. Know.
While I may indeed, have 'bad brains', I am not the same Dr. Know! I guess it depends on my "fans" to decide that issue!!!
(sorry you were in the junk mail...)
You're in Easy Mode. If you prefer, you can use XHTML Mode instead. |
