Thomas Aquinas, Disputed Questions on Truth (De Veritate)

1. In its comment on Luke (10:20), "Rejoice in this, that your names are written . . . ," the Gloss reads: "By means of his heavenly or earthly deeds, a person is, as it were, engraved on God's memory forever." Now, just as a person is ordained to life through heavenly deeds, that is, through works of justice, so is he also ordained to death through earthly deeds, that is, through works of sin. Hence, as there is in God an enrollment of those ordained to life, so is there also in Him an enrollment of those ordained to death. Consequently, just as there is said to be a book of life in God, so should there also be said to be in Him a book of death.

2. The book of life is said to be in God only inasmuch as He has a list of those for whom He has prepared an eternal reward--a list resembling that which a ruler on earth has, containing the names of those whom he has decided to honor. But a ruler on earth has a list of punishments and tortures as well as a list of honors and rewards. Therefore, God also has a book of death.

3. Just as God knows the predestination by which He prepares some for life, so does He also know His reprobation by which He prepares others for death. Now, the knowledge which God has of His predestination is called the book of life, as mentioned earlier. Therefore, His knowledge of reprobation should be called the book of death.

To the Contrary:

According to Dionysius, "We should not venture to say anything about God unless we can support what we are saying from Scripture." Now, we do not find anything in Scripture that refers to a book of death as it refers to the book of life. Therefore, we should not affirm the existence of a book of death.

REPLY:

A person's knowledge about matters written in a book is superior to his knowledge of other matters. Hence, in connection with God's knowledge of things, the term book is used of knowledge that is superior in kind to His knowledge of other truths.

Now, there are two kinds of knowledge in God, namely, knowledge of simple understanding and knowledge of approval. His knowledge of simple understanding concerns all things, both the good and the evil; but His knowledge of approval concerns only the good. Hence, the good are known to God in a more special way than the others; and for this reason they are said to be written in a book, while the evil are not. Consequently, a book of death is not spoken of as the book of life is.

Answers to Difficulties:

1. Some explain "heavenly deeds" as meaning the labors of the contemplative life, and "earthly deeds" as meaning the labors of the active life. If a person performs one or the other, however, he is enrolled for life and not for death. Therefore, both enrollments pertain to the book of life and neither to a book of death. Others understand "earthly deeds" as meaning works of sin, which, taken by themselves, simply ordain a person to death, although he may, for another reason, be ordained to life inasmuch as he may rise again after his fall, more cautious and humble.

One might also answer--and this is the better explanation--that when a thing is said to be known by means of some other thing, this statement can be understood in two ways. First, by means of may signify the cause of the knowledge on the part of the knower. This cannot be its meaning in the Gloss, however, because the works one does, whether they be good or bad, are not a cause of God's foreknowledge, of His predestination, or of His eternal reprobation. Second, by means of may signify the cause on the part of what is known. This is its meaning in the Gloss. For a person is engraved on God's memory by means of the works he has done, not because his works of the kind described are the cause of God's knowing him, but because God knows that on account of these works he will possess life or death.

It is clear from this that the Gloss is not speaking of that enrollment for life which pertains to the book of life and is on the part of God.

2. Things are written in a book so that they may be known forever. Men who are punished, however, are kept by their very punishments from being known by other men. Hence, their names are written down only temporarily until the time when their punishment is inflicted upon them. But those who are thought worthy of honors and rewards have their names written down unconditionally in order that they may be kept, as it were, in everlasting memory.

3. God does not have a special knowledge of the reprobate as He has of the predestined. Hence, no comparison can be made.