This is the second part of a three part interview with A.J. Jacobs. During the first part we talked about his previous book, The Know-It-All, and his new book.
For The Year Of Living Biblically, A.J. Jacobs tried to follow, as much as legally possible, all of the rules listed in the Bible. Yes, both the Old Testament and the New Testament.
This project would not work with an inferior writer -- it would be boring or miserable writing. But because Jacobs is thoughtful, witty, and surrounded by friends and family who, while ribbing him about some things, naturally, are genuinely helpful — the book comes off as both educational and entertaining, funny yet moving and meaningful.
Did you ever consider quitting this year-long campaign? Or by the time you were living this year were you already contractually obliged to do it and then write the book about it?
I considered quitting the project pretty much every day. Living biblically entailed an enormous lifestyle makeover — just try not coveting for an hour, much less a day. But I kept going because I also found the topic so fascinating. And, well, I did have that book contract. The Bible takes contracts and covenants very seriously.
What was the biggest surprise of the project?
I’d say two things. First, that the year changed me so much. I think partly this is a testament to how powerfully your behavior shapes your beliefs and thoughts. It was impossible to act like I was religious for a year and not have a lot of the lessons rub off on me. Secondly, I’m surprised the book has been received -- by and large -- pretty warmly by both religious readers and secular/atheist readers. I thought I’d get a lot of letters condemning me to hell. Or, alternatively, saying I took it too easy on religion. Delightfully, that hasn’t happened much.
I love that your photo editor emailed you her cycle so you can avoid touching when she’s impure. Were most people understanding like that?
Not everyone. Especially men. There are some ancient biblical impurity laws that say you’re not supposed to touch men for a day after their ‘emission.’ Men didn’t like talking about when their last emission was.
What did your son, Jasper, make of it all?
He was only two, so he didn’t think the beard was all that unusual. He didn’t know better. In terms of behavior, there are parts of the Bible -- notably the Proverbs -- that say you should discipline your son with a rod. I couldn’t do that. So I bought a nerf rod and hit him with that. He thought that was funny and hit me back with a Whiffle bat. So that was a fiasco. But I will say, the general biblical idea of instilling more discipline in your kids is a good one. I think I became less of a pushover dad, which is a good thing.
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