Every name in the book

Posted by Barney on November 23, 2001

In Reply to: Every name in the book posted by ESC on November 22, 2001

: : : : : : I would like to know the origin of the phrase:
: : : : : : "Every name in the book" and I need a citation.
: : : : : : Thank you

: : : : : This is a tricky one I have looked hight and low and can only find one quote which sugests a biblical significance to the phrase:

: : : : : The Book of Life is the final record on each one of us. Think of this Book of Life as a big tally sheet for everyone who was ever born. Think of the Book of Life being made up of billions of names. And next to each name are two boxes. One box is labelled "eternal life" and the other box is labelled "eternal death". Now picture a single check mark in just one of those boxes for each and every name in that Book of Life. That is all that is in the Book of Life.

: : : : : I hope that someone else can shed more light on this for you.

: : : : The 'Book of Life' is the product of fevered imaginings and cannot be relied on as an accurate destination board for any living, or dead, person.

: : : : Just felt your thoughts should be leavened with these facts.

: : : thanks Barney I am aware of the imaginary nature of the aformentioned book but this quote (flawed as it is) is the best that I can come with at the moment. Can you do any better?

: : Nope

: At the risk of starting one of those long strings, I take issue with the word "imaginary." The Book of Life is a Biblical term -- a religious belief. "God is represented as having a record of all those who are under his special care. To be blotted out of his Book of Life is to be cut off from his favor. In the New Testament, the Book of Life refers to the record of the righteous who are to gain eternal life." From "The Layman's Bible Encyclopedia" by Willam C. Martin, The Southwest Company, Nashville, Tenn., 1964.

: Back to "every name in the book." I haven't found an origin. But it refers to every bad name in the book -- SOB, etc. A similar phrase (not politically correct): He called me everything but a white man.

I guess the premise on which 'imaginary' is based is that if god is imaginary then all concepts that depends on his/hers/its reality for support must also be imaginary. After all no court on earth which applied the same rigor to evidence of god's reality as they apply to the evidence in their most minor cases would find in his favor.