This is the third part of a three-part interview with AJ Jacobs about his book, The Year of Living Biblically.
In the first part I talked to Jacobs about his career and earlier book. In the second part we talked about the response he has received from his new book. And now... the final part, where he discusses what he has learned during this experience.
What do you make of this case in Alaska of the guy saying he was following the Bible literally?
Well, that’s disturbing to say the least. In my year, I found the Bible can be used to justify pretty much any behavior, from slave-owning to smoking pot (I found a website that says that Moses’ anointing oil had THC in it). One of the lessons from my year was that you have to be careful with the Bible. It’s important to focus on the parts in the Bible about compassion and tolerance instead of the parts about violence, sexism, homophobia and intolerance. Because there are, in fact, both in the Bible. You have to be able to pick and choose properly.
What did you learn from this project?
I learned a hundred things, from the inane to the profound. I learned that crickets are crunchy (I ate one, since it’s part of the biblical diet) and that the Sabbath can be an beautiful experience — a sanctuary in time, as one rabbi calls it. I learned how moving rituals can be, even those that appear to make no sense on the surface.
I learned my wife does not like the rules about menstruation being impure. I learned that the Bible is the most fascinating book I’ve ever grappled with. I learned that the forbidden fruit was not an apple. It was a fig or a grape or something else, because apples weren’t around in the Middle East then.
How did this project change you in a permanent sense? How many of the “rules” of the Bible are you continuing to follow?
It changed me profoundly. I still covet and gossip and lie, but I think I do it less. Maybe 35 percent less, if I had to put a number on it. I still try to keep the Sabbath. I’m much more grateful. Gratitude was a huge theme of the year. I became far more aware of my actions and their consequences. Also, I started out as an agnostic, and by the end of the year I became what a minister friend of mine calls a "reverent agnostic."
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