It’s a mysterious book that in its day was believed to contain all human knowledge. But why did medieval people believe that the author sold his soul to the devil to be able to write it?

The “Devil’s Bible,” a behemoth volume weighing in at 165 pounds, believed to have been produced by a single monk over the course of decades in the 13th Century, is the focus of a documentary that was featured on the National Geographic Channel.

A complete Old Testament and New Testament, and a collection of a number of secular works besides, the Devil’s Bible is an encyclopedia of medieval knowledge. But it has also been haunted by dark speculation, including that its writing was guided by the devil’s hand.

It got its name “Devil’s Bible” from the illustration of the devil on page 290 (in the photo above). It is believed to be the only bible of its era that depicts Satan. There the devil is, looking more like a cartoon character in an ermine diaper, rather than evil incarnate.

What makes the Devil’s Bible such an object of fascination is the back story associated with it. According to the TV show, which I watched when it premiered, the legend about the Devil’s Bible was that it was written by a monk in a single night.!!

The story goes that such a feat was possible only because the monk had made a compact with the devil. The implication is that the devil himself wrote this bible, which is why his portrait adorns it.


However, if the devil inspired the book then there is nothing in it that appears to cast Satan in a good light, at least not that I can find by searching for information on the Web about the Devil’s Bible. (It is more properly known as Codex Gigas, or “Giant Book.”)

The television show combined the story and the extraordinary history of this giant book with modern forensic science to see what can be established about the Devil’s Bible. The manuscript was definitely produced by one person, according to analysis of the ink and penmanship.

Most likely the producer of the Devil’s Bible was a monk whose name is mentioned in the index and who probably devoted many, many years to the task, perhaps as a form of penance. The Devil’s Bible was written by one person and it was written in a single night.

Portraits of the Devil are common in medieval art, but this one in the Codex Gigas may be unique in books for showing him alone and occupying a whole page. The Heavenly City (photo below) and the Devil Portrait are the only full page pictures in the Codex Gigas.

The provenance of this extraordinary book and its unlikely story as well as its journey across centuries, passing through a succession of monasteries and royal palaces to its current destination, the National Library of Sweden, is a legitimate story and not a farce or fable

Also included in the Devil’s Bible, on pages that follow the picture of the devil, (the picture below), are detailed instructions for the exorcism of demons or evil from people and objects.


There are also two magic spells, both with specific instructions on how to identify and catch a thief.

Possession by demons was commonly thought during medieval times to be the cause of many illnesses.

The church had specific rituals to exorcise evil by casting demons out of an afflicted person’s body.

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The Codex Gigas is the largest surviving medieval manuscript in the world.
At nearly nine inches (22cm) thick and 36 inches (92cm) tall, the book is so large that it is said to have required more than 160 animal skins to complete.But it’s not just its size that has surprised historians. Inside is a menacing full-page colour image of the Devil, leading many to believe the pages themselves are cursed.The mysterious manuscript is today housed within the National Library of Sweden in Stockholm and nicknamed ‘the Devil’s Bible’.


The text requires at least two people to lift its 165lbs (74kg) of leather binding and vellum pages.But how it was created is still unknown. Legend has it that a monk from the Middle Ages was sentenced to being walled up alive for breaking his monastic vows.To avoid punishment, the monk promised to write, in a single night, a book containing all human knowledge.As midnight approached, the monk became desperate and turned to Lucifer for help, offering to make a pact to finish the book in exchange for his soul.


Lucifer agreed and signed the work by adding a self-portrait of himself. In the colourful image, he is placed against an empty landscape framed by two large towers.


‘Clearly, the author of this massive tome was possessed by something to create such a masterwork. Whether it was the power of light or darkness, is lost to time,’ the report claims.
The Codex Gigas contains five long texts along with the complete Bible.


The book begins with the Old Testament, and it is followed by two works by Flavius Josephus who lived in the first century AD.


It ends with the New Testament and the last of the long works is a Chronicle of Bohemia by Cosmas from Prague.
Some researchers believe the legend of the punished monk comes from a misunderstanding in the signature of the book which reads Hermanus inclusus.


That single Latin word ‘inclusus’ was thought to signify a horrific punishment, but the word’s true meaning is closer to ‘recluse’.


This means the signature could have been made by a solitary monk who chose to shut out the outside world and dedicate his life to the Codex Gigas.

lalasticlala

Shey the book fit end death,.... Abi i fit bring tomorrow today!?

Stevewonder004:
Shey the book fit end death,....
Abi i fit bring tomorrow today!?

Typical African man, not willing to learn anything..... and you want Africa to develop?

Conspiracist:


Typical African man, not willing to learn anything..... and you want Africa to develop?

.........
Typical American man, always ready to learn, but forgotten that not every path ar meant to be crossed,... I belive that by now you might have had a copy of that book, cos i will see you as a fool and illitrate stinking bastared if by now you are yet to posses a copy of it...... Quote me if you are sure not to be a fellow foolish african as you supposed me on your post

here I was hoping this book is were the devil probably defends itself because all the story we have heard the devil and God is a one sided story, I like knowing the truth behind a every story

Nice one bro. Detailed research. Commendable sir. I can only wonder the amount of time you put into writing these articles of yours.

Another classic from the conspirator. Enlightening and entertaining. Keep it coming

By d way the book makes no sense abt from being a historical book. The devils image isn't even scary