The Year of Living Biblically

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Bethanne Patrick, AOL’s book editor, writes a clever blog. Here is part of today’s entry.

“Last Friday I received a call from my pal A.J. Jacobs, editor-at-large to Esquire magazine and author of 2004’s delightful ‘The Know-It-All: One Man’s Quest to Become the Smartest Person in the World,’ which covered his Herculean (some might say “Geekian”) effort to read the Encyclopedia Britannica from A to Z.

Be afraid, America; be very afraid. For A.J. has secured his second book contract with Simon & Schuster. ‘The Year of Living Biblically’ will be just that: the chronicle of one man’s eccentric attempt to live according to the laws of Scripture for 365 days.

“interesting” to A.J., so it’s no surprise that the hardest part of taking on this project was getting his long-suffering wife Julie on board. She’s going to have a lot to handle (Julie, I know you already do, but. . .) “I’ll be growing a beard,” says A.J. “I won’t be taking the Lord’s name in vain or gossiping and there’s no lying, not even when someone asks me if like his book.” (Note to self: perhaps this living biblically thing has its wisdom?) “I’ll be keeping the Sabbath, so you can call me any time, but I won’t be answering the phone on Saturdays.” He’ll also be living by many of the Old Testament’s very old-fashioned rules about love, sex and romance.

So, no birth control?

“No birth control!” A.J. says. Well, one-year-old Jasper Jacobs will probably enjoy a sibling — as long as his dad doesn’t decide on the Decade of Living Biblically as his next project, sort of a “Chicken Soup for the Hebrew Soul” series.

Mazel tov, A.J. May you be fruitful and multiply.”