Codex Gigas: the devil's bible or the largest manuscript in the world?
Otherwise known as 'The Devil's Bible', the Codex Gigas is probably the largest and strangest manuscript in the world. It measures approximately 1 meter long and is so large that it took more than 160 skins and requires at least the effort of two people to lift it. According to legend, the medieval manuscript is the fruit of a pact with the 'devil', which is why it is sometimes referred to as the Devil's Bible.
The origin of the Codex Gigas is unknown. A note written in the margin of the manuscript attests that it was committed to the Sedlec monastery by its owners, the monks of Podlažice, in 1295. Shortly afterwards he passed to the Břevnov monastery, near Prague. All these monasteries were in Bohemia, now the Czech Republic, and it is certain that the Codex Gigas was created somewhere in this region, but not necessarily in Podlažice, a small and unimportant monastery.
In 1594, Rudolph II brought the Codex Gigas to his castle in Prague, where it remained until the outbreak of the Thirty Years' War, stolen together with many other treasures by the Swedish army.
Following the looting, it entered the collection of Queen Christina of Sweden and placed in the royal library of Stockholm Castle. He remained there until 1877, when it became part of the National Library of Sweden, also in Stockholm.
The legend
As reported on the website of the National Library of Sweden, there is a legend regarding the creation of the Codex Gigas, according to which it was the work of a monk, a burdensome task assigned to him to atone for his sins.
The story certainly originates from the medieval belief that copying texts was a privileged way to atone for one's sins. Realizing that the task was beyond his powers, the monk decided to invoke the devil's help.
The devil helped the monk, asking in exchange to be depicted in the code and to take the monk's soul as payment. Legend states that the scribe monk produced the entire manuscript in a single night.
The monk had atoned for his guilt, but had lost his soul and, it seems, his sanity. Taken by remorse, he decided to turn to the Holy Virgin, begging her to save him. Our Lady agreed to help the penitent, who died a few moments before settling the account with the devil.
Subsequent stories and legends attributed misfortunes and illnesses to those who came into possession of the Codex Gigas. Fortunately the National Library in Stockholm, where it is currently housed, appears to be immune to the curse of the codex.
The origin of the legend is unknown and probably arose due to the enormous size of the manuscript, so impressive as to attribute its origin to a supernatural event. However, textual and graphic analysis attests to a certain uniformity, so much so that it is possible that it is the work of a single author.
The name of the scribe of the Codex Gigas is not known, but it has been suggested that he was a monk called Herman, who appears in the November 10 obituary. His epithet refers to his sinful life and having created the Codex Gigas in a single night with the assistance of the devil.
Mysterious facts
In the Tokroliga Anekdoter, published in 1858, we read that a custodian of the Stockholm Library was stuck inside the main reading room after falling asleep. When he woke up, he said he saw the books floating in the air, moving from one shelf to another. A large clock, normally out of order, began to function again.
According to the caretaker, when 'The Devil's Bible' took part in the dance, all the books began to fall in all directions. The following morning, the custodian was found trembling under a library table, literally terrified. From which moment he lost his sanity and was committed to a mental hospital.
The author Eugène Fahlstedt (1851-1935), interviewed in 1911, said that in 1870 his friend August Strindberg (1849-1912) took some of his friends to the library to read the Devil's Bible. It was late at night, but Strindberg, who worked at the Royal Library, had the access key. As soon as he took the codex off the shelf, mysterious sulphurous flames appeared, allowing the Devil's Bible to be read in the middle of the night.
The content
The Codex Gigas contains the complete version of the Vulgate, the Bible translated into Latin by Saint Jerome, plus other important texts. We begin with the Old Testament, then there are the Jewish Antiquities of Josephus (1st century AD), the Encyclopedia Etymologiae of Isidore of Seville (6th century AD), a collection of medical works by Hippocrates, Theophilus and others, the New Testament, and 'The Bohemian Chronicles' by Cosmas of Prague (1050 AD).
Inside you can find other shorter texts included, including the exorcism ritual, magical formulas, a depiction of the Celestial City and a page with a complete illustration of the Devil. Probably, the legend and the name of the code arise precisely from this disturbing image.
According to National Geographic, to create a work by hand like the Codex Gigas it would take a person to work continuously, day and night, for five years, including the illustrations.
Therefore, realistically, it would have taken the author more than 20 years to complete the code. Yet, all this time, the writing has retained an incredible uniformity from beginning to end. Perhaps this is why it is said that the text was produced in a single night.
The codex is currently on display at the National Library in Stockholm, where the digital version of the Codex can also be viewed.
