Living biblically
isn’t as easy as A.J. thinks

Robyn’s ’Hood
By Robyn McCloskey

I just finished reading an extremely enjoyable, interesting and insightful book, The Year of Living Biblically: One Man’s Quest to Follow the Bible as Literally as Possible, written by the editor-at-large of Esquire magazine, A.J. Jacobs.
Which is kind of ironic, since not a whole lot of biblical living goes on between the pages of this particular book. Mr. Jacobs is a self-proclaimed agnostic Jew but decided to embark on this physical, emotional and spiritual journey due largely in part, according to the jacket of his book, to an "interest in the relevance of faith in our modern world."
That and the fact that the guy has a refreshingly insatiable curiosity about life. Which also helps to explain his previous bestseller, The Know-It-All, One Man’s Humble Quest to Become the Smartest Person in the World.
In that book he took it upon himself to read the entire Encyclopedia Britannica from A to Z. This endeavor not only earned him a spot on the New York Times’ bestseller list; it also earned him a stint — a very humbling stint, I might add — on TV’s Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?
While in the "hot seat," it seems Mr. Jacobs got stuck on the $32,000 question: What component of blood is also known as erythrocyte?
A.J. decided to invoke his privilege to call a friend for help, in this case his brother-in-law Eric, who also liked to consider himself a know-it-all even without having read the Encyclopedia Britannica from A to Z, which of course was a source of contention between A.J. and Eric.
But A.J., badly in need of a $32,000 answer, swallowed his pride and asked host Meredith Vieira and AT&T to make the call. It led to what was to become one of the worst and yet best moments of Mr. Jacobs’ life, because as it turned out, Mr. Eric Smarty-Pants didn’t know the answer either.
Obviously the moment was horrible for poor A.J. because his cerebral meltdown meant he walked away with the Millionaire consolation prize of only $1,000. And yet he gained something that money can’t buy — forevermore he could hold it over Eric’s head that he choked during his big moment, at least until Eric is inclined to ante up the $31,000 that A.J. says his brother-in-law owes him.
(Oh, I almost forgot . . . for the curious among you, an erythrocyte is a red blood cell, a definition that probably is etched on the brains of A.J. and Eric like the Ten Commandments were on Moses’ tablets.)
I picked up my copy of The Year of Living Biblically at my local library, with my apologies to Mr. Jacobs for not paying retail. I figured this was the more biblical thing to do, since the Bible teaches us to be good stewards of what God has given us, so by saving $25 I was living biblically . . . see, it’s contagious!! Now that I think of it, I recommended the book to a friend and she’s going to buy it — with a gift card, but it seems to me that still has to count for something.
Having attended a Christian school for grades K-12, followed by a stint at Bible College, followed by marrying a minister, I thought I knew a little of what poor A.J. was in for.
Okay, okay, if you’ve been reading my column for any length of time I know what you’re thinking . . . You’re a pastor’s wife? Believe me, if I had a dollar for every person who got to know me only to find out later that my husband is a man of the cloth, and asked me that very same question in that very same tone, I wouldn’t have to pursue this writing career. I could just stay home and count my fortune.
What can I say? Except that God definitely has a sense of humor, not to mention that my husband is an extremely long-suffering guy. But after reading Mr. Jacobs’ book, I also can’t help but wonder if my husband hasn’t embarked on his own experimental journey of living biblically. The way I figure it, by marrying me he has had to endure hardship (those times when I just can’t keep my big mouth shut). Famine (those times when I just don’t feel like cooking, which are becoming frequent). And floods (like the time I forgot to plug in the sump pump and we discovered the basement had flooded only when my 7-year-old and some friends gleefully dashed downstairs in their swimsuits).
I’m thinking my husband and A.J. have a lot more in common than I realized. Just for putting up with me, my husband’s living biblically all the time; he just hasn’t written it down and started charging $25.
Maybe I’ll suggest that to him . . . in a few minutes, just as soon as he finishes praying . . . for me. And that, I think, is about as much relevant faith that one man can show in this modern world. ••
Robyn McCloskey’s column appears each week in the Northeast Times. She can be reached at crmccloskey@verizon.net