How Did the Phrase ‘People of the Book’ Originate?

You may be surprised to learn that Mohammed, the Arab founder of Islam, is credited with giving Jewish people the name “people of the book.”
He was so impressed with the Jewish Bible and felt certain that the people who produced the Holy Scriptures must have qualities of greatness.
From the days of Ezra the Prophet, the Torah (Five Books of Moses) and the books added to it (comprising the Old Testament) were so intimately a part of the Jewish people that they could not easily conceive of another way of life.
They were aware that acceptance of the Book marked the birth of the Hebrew people. Without continued contact with the Book, the Jews instinctively knew they could not attain self-fulfillment, or even survive as a people. It was a non-Jew, then, who made explicit a concept they had long lived by implicitly.
The Bible exempted no one, not even a King of Israel, from studying the Book: “And it shall be, when he sits upon the throne of his kingdom, that he shall write a copy of this law in a book. And he shall read it all the days of his life” (Deuteronomy 17:18).
Joshua, the successor to Moses, was likewise instructed to apply himself to the Book: “This book of the law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate on it day and night, that you may observe to do according to all that is written in it.” (Joshua 1:8)
How the Jewish people conceived their dedication to the Book is illustrated by this Talmudic legend:
When the Israelites were gathered at Mount Sinai, an apparition of The Book and The Sword appeared before them. A heavenly voice demanded that they make a solemn choice: “You can have one or the other, but not both. If you choose The Book. you must renounce The Sword. Should you choose The Sword, then The Book will perish.” The Israelites made one of their most memorable decisions. They chose The Book. Then God said to Israel: “If you observe what is written in The Book you will be delivered from The Sword, but should you refuse to observe it, The Sword will ultimately destroy you.”
The Jews’ attachment to the Bible has been carried over, in Judaism, to broad respect for the printed word. In synagogue religious schools, a child who has accidentally dropped a holy book will lift it from the floor to his lips and kiss it.
Books are considered the fountain of learning, and they are to be embraced as something precious.
I invite you to email me your questions and thoughts. Or better still, visit Beth Judah Temple in Wildwood where you can ask me your question in person. Wishing you all a Happy Thanksgiving and reminding you to share your bounty with others. 
L’Shalom!! 
ED. NOTE: Rabbi Isaacs is interim rabbi at Beth Judah Temple, Wildwood. He invites questions emailed to his website www.rabbiron.com.