Blogging Ottinger (tim)The Year of Living Biblically
I’ve started on A.J. Jacobs’ masterpiece The Year of Living Biblically today. I already raced through the introduction and part of September (his first month of transition) over some hamburger concoction at Red Robin (and no refills on fries; though I had two refills of iced tea).
The basic idea is that he has decided to immerse completely in the laws of the old and new testament. He wears the fringes on his clothes, grows a beard, tithes, eliminates wool/flax blends from his wardrobe, eats a Levitical diet, vows to stop coveting other people’s belongings, and more. He seeks guidance from the Bible (a great many translations) and from various guides including ministers, rabbis, and most recently an Amish man named Amos. He is contemplating how to apply biblical guidance to raising his son. This is great stuff.
I’m already hooked. If this is the tone at the start, I can’t wait until things start getting a little odd and crazy. I appreciate Jacobs’ wit and humanity. He is a fine writer and strikes a chord easily. He is journeying from unbelief and agnosticism and ignorance into… well, it’s hard to say what when I’m only 1/24th of the way through his journey. But wherever he’s going, I’m riding along.
