The Codex Gigas is the largest surviving medieval illuminated manuscript in the world. At 36 inches tall, 20 inches wide, 8.7 inches thick, and weighing in at 165 pounds, the manuscript is most commonly known as The Devil’s Bible, thanks to its full-size portrait of the Devil. While portraits of the Devil were common during medieval times, this one is unique as he is portrayed alone on the page, and standing at approximately 19.5 inches tall. He is naked apart from an ermine loincloth, crouching and leaning forward. As Ermine is worn as a sign of royalty, it is believed that the Devil wears this to demonstrate that he is the Prince of Darkness.
July 16, 1648, during the final stretch of the Thirty Years War, a group of approximately 100 Swedish soldiers stormed the city wall and led the way for more than 3,000 men to invade the city of Prague. The Emperor and the Austro-Bohemian nobility had amassed great quantities of valuables, and it was from this, that the Swedish troops looted, sending their treasures home to Stockholm.
Among the items stolen, was the Codex Gigas.
It is believed that the Codex Gigas was created in the early 13th century in the Benedictine monastery of Podlažice in Bohemia (now Czech Republic). The book is bound in wooden boards covered in leather with ornate metal guards and fittings. The pages are made of 310 leaves of vellum, claimed to be made from the skins of 160 donkeys, or even calfskin, covering an area of approximately 1,535 sq ft in total. Those who have studied it, believe it once contained 320 sheets, 10 of which were removed, that likely contained the monastic rules of the Benedictines. Others, however, would argue that the missing pages contained apocalyptic text, known as “The Devil’s Prayer,” and were intentionally removed.
What we do know is that the manuscript includes illuminations in red, blue, yellow, green, and gold. It contains the complete Vulgate (Latin) Bible, where the start of each chapter is adorned with a large ornate Capital Letter, illuminated in several colors, and sometimes taking up the majority of the page. There are 20 initials where the letters are blue with vine decoration in red, and aside from the portrait of the devil, an author portrait of Josephus, and a squirrel perched on top of an initial, all illuminations display geometrical or plant based forms, rather than human or animal forms. There are 2 images representing Heaven and Earth during the Creation, as blue and green circles with respectively the sun moon and some stars, and a planet all of sea with no landmasses. Within the books of the Bible, major capitals are much enlarged, taking up the height of about five to six lines of text, in red ink, and placed in the margins. Less important divisions such as the start of verses are slightly enlarged within the text and highlighted with yellowish ink around the letter forms.
Aside from the illuminations, when you open the manuscript you will find that the first page has two Hebrew alphabets as well as added slips with the Church Slavic and Glagolitic alphabets. Half of the manuscript is made up of the Vulgate Bible, with the exception of the beginning of Genesis, and the books of Acts and Revelation (which were replaced with versions from a pre-Vulgate version). However, the Bible has been ordered differently from how we know it now, as well as interjected with other works. The contents are as follows:
| Codex Gigas | King James Bible (Old Testament) |
| Books of Genesis through Ruth | Books of Genesis through Ruth |
| Books of Isaiah through Daniel | Books of Samuel (1&2) through Nehemiah |
| Books of Hoseah through Malachi | Book of Esther |
| Book of Job | Book of Job |
| Books of Samuel (1&2) and Kings (1&2) | Books of Psalms through Song of Solomon |
| Books of Psalms through Song of Solomon | Books of Isaiah through Daniel |
| Book of Wisdom of Solomon* | Books of Hoseah through Malachi |
| Book of Wisdom of Jesus* | |
| Book of Esdras* | |
| Book of Tobit* | |
| Book of Judith* | |
| Book of Esther* | |
| Book of Maccabees* | *These books are not included in the standard King James Bible |
The Old Testament is followed by Two works by Flavius Josephus, The Jewish War, and Jewish Antiquities follow, as well as St. Isidor of Seville’s Etymologiae and other medical works. Then comes The Chronicle of Bohemia written by Cosmas, a Bohemian monk.
| Codex Gigas | King James Bible (New Testament) |
| Books of Matthew through Acts | Books of Matthew through Acts |
| Books of James through Revelation | Books of Romans through Hebrews |
| Books of Romans through Hebrews | Books of James through Revelation |
After the New Testament came common prayers and conjurations. “Three Adjurations and Two Charms,” followed by The Chronicle of Bohemia written by a monk named Cosmas from Bohemia. Next was a list of brothers in the Podlažice monastery followed by a calendar with necrology, magic formulae, start of introits for feasts, and other local records.
The most notable piece of the manuscript is the picture of the devil, which is drawn at approximately 19.5 (50 cm) tall. This image takes up an entire page in the manuscript, and was considered unusual. He was shown from the front, in a crouched position with his arms uplifted, appearing as though he could jump at any moment. He is naked apart from a white loincloth, upon which there are comma-shaped red dashes which have been interpreted as being the tails of ermine furs, the distinguishing attribute of a sovereign, or, in this particular case, the Prince of Darkness. He has no tail, and his body, arms and legs are of normal human proportions, but his hands and feet have only four fingers and toes each, forming large claws, making him look like a beast. This is completed with his large horns, which, like all his claws, are red as though dipped in blood. His head is large, almost perfectly round, and green, and his open mouth reveals he has small white teeth and two long red tongues. The doubling of his tongue ignites an association with serpents which have forked tongues, and, in reference to the Bible, are believed to be dishonest.
While all that is unusual for manuscripts of this time, the real mystery surrounds the author. Who scribed the Codex Gigas?
Scholars have studied the manuscript for years, and remain stumped. The writing has a clearly unified look, mostly unchanged throughout the entire book, and shows no signs of age, disease, or mood on the part of the scribe. This leads us to believe the book was written in a very short time. However, a book of this magnitude would take the average scribe of the time 30 years or more to complete. The uniformity of the writing, as well as studies done on the ink itself, indicates that it was not a team of scribes working together, as there would be differences in writing from one to another, as well as differences in ink makeup.
And that is where the legend is born.
Herman the Recluse from the Benedictine monastery of Podlažice near Chrudim in the Czech Republic broke his vows, and as a result was sentenced to be sealed up inside a wall – alive. Terrified, Herman promised to write a volume glorifying the monastery. It would contain all human knowledge and he would complete it in a single night.
The monastic order agreed, and Herman set to work. As midnight approached though, he realized there was no way he could ever complete his work. He knelt down, folded his hands and said a prayer – to Satan. He pledged his soul in exchange for help with the book. Satan was glad to help, and the manuscript was completed on time.
As a means of showing his appreciation, Herman included the full-page illustration of the Devil.
Today, the Code Gigas resides in the National Library of Sweden, in Stockholm, and we are no closer to having the answers than we were before.
Speaking of the devil, have you seen Sister Maria Crocifissa’s letter from the devil?
