j A sealed book (Isa. xxix, 11 ; Rev. v, 1-3) is a book whose contents are secret, and have for a very lung time been so, and are not to be published till the seal is removed. A book or roll written within arid without, i. e. on the back side (Piev. v, 1), may be a book con- taining a long series of events, it not being the custom of the ancients to write on the hack side of the roll un-
1 less when the inside would not contain the whole of the writing (comp. Horace, Ep. i, 20, 3). To eat a book signifies to consider it carefully and digest it well in the mind (Jer. xv, Ifi; Ezek. ii" 8-10; iii, 1-3, 14; Rev. x, 9). A similar metaphor is used by Christ in John vi, where he repeatedly proposes himself as "the Bread of Life" to lie eaten by his people.
Book ok tiik Generation signifies the genealog- ical history or records of a family or nation (Gen. v, 1 ; Matt, i, 1). See Genealogy ; History ; Chron- icle.
P»ook of .TrncMENT. The allusion here (Dan. vii, 10) is probably either to the practice of opening hooks o.f account to settle, with servants or laborers, or to a
1 custom of the Persians, anions whom it was a constant practice every day to write down the special services rendered to the king, and the rewards given to those
I who had performed them. Of this we 6ee an instance
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in the history of Ahasuerus and Mordecai (Esth. vi, 1-3). It also appears to be an allusion to the methods of human courts of justice (Rev. xx, 12), referring to the proceeding which will take place at the day of God's final judgment.
Book of the Wars of the Lord. This appears to Lave been an ancient document known to the He- brews, Imt not preserved in the sacred canon. It is quoted or alluded to by Moses in Num. xxi, 14. Sev- eral of those ancient documents were in existence in the time of Moses, which he used in the compilation of some parts of the Pentateuch. The inspired au- thority of the Pentateuch is in no wise affected by this theory, for, as Jahn has well remarked, some of the documents are of such a nature that they could have been derived only from immediate revelation ; and the whole, being compiled by an inspired writer, have re- ceived the sanction of the Holy Spirit in an equal de- gree with his original productions. See Moses ; also the Names of the live books of Moses. Similar ancient and also later documents, by unknown writers, were used in the compilation of other parts of the sacred volume, such as the book of Jasher (Josh, x, 13 ; 2 Sam. i. 18) and the books of the Chronicles of the kings of Israel and of Judah (1 Kings xiv, 19, 29). SeeJASHEE; Enoch; Chronicles.
BOOK OF LIFE. In Phil, iv, 3, Paul speaks of Clement and other of his fellow -laborers, "whose names are written in the book of life.'" On this Hein- richs (Annotat. in Ep. J It Hipp.) observes that, as the future life is represented under the image of a ttoAi- rtvfia (citizenship, community, political society) just before (iii, 20), it is in agreement with this to suppose (as usual) a catalogue of the citizens' names, both nat- ural and adopted (Luke x, 20; Rev. xx, 15; xxi, 27), and from which the unworthy are excluded (Rev. iii, 5). See Citizenship. Thus the names of the good are often represented as registered in heaven (Matt, iii, 5). But this by no means implies a certainty of salvation (nor, as Doddridge remarks, does it appear that Paul in this passage had any particular revelation), but only that at that time the persons were on the list, from which (as in Rev. iii, 5) the names of unworthy mem- bers might be erased. This explanation is sufficient and satisfactory for the other important passage in Rev. iii, a, where the glorified Christ promises to " him that overcometh" that he will not blot his name out of the book of life. Here, however, the illustration has been Bought rather in military than in civil life, and the passage has been supposed to contain an allusion to the custom according to which the names of those Who were cashiered for misconduct were stricken from the muster-roll.
When God threatened to destroy the Israelites alto- g< tin I-, and make of Moses a great nation, the legisla- tor implored forgiveness for them, and added, " If not, blot me, I pray thee, out of the book which thou hast written'' (I'.xod. xxxii, 34). By this he meant noth- ing so foolish or absurd as to offer to forfeit eternal life in the world to come, but only that he, and not they, should lie cut off from the world, and brought to an untimely end. This has been regarded as an allu- sion to the records kept in the courts of justice, where the deeds of criminals are registered, and hence would signify no more than the purpose of God with reference to future events ; so that to be cut off by an untimely deatb i,- to be blotted out of this book.— Kitto, s. v.