Codex Gigas , often called the "Devil's Bible," is the largest preserved medieval manuscript in the world. It is a 13th-century Latin work containing the entire Bible and numerous historical and medical texts. Download and View Options (.pdf)
Contents of the Codex Gigas
As midnight approached, realizing he could not finish the task, the monk made a pact with the Fallen Angel. He sold his soul, and in exchange, Satan completed the manuscript and added his own self-portrait on page 290.
For those interested in learning more about the Codex Gigas, there are several resources available online and in print. Some recommended sources include:
Historical Works: Includes Josephus Flavius's Antiquities of the Jews and The Jewish War, as well as Cosmas of Prague's Chronicle of Bohemia.
- The Uniform Handwriting (Folio 1-300): Notice that the script (Carolingian minuscule) does not change. No medieval manuscript of this size has such consistent penmanship. It looks like a single typewriter wrote the whole thing.
- The Devil (Folio 291): The portrait is the star. The PDF allows you to zoom in on the Devil's sharp claws, his pointed ears, and the two red horns. Note the expression of rage, not glee.
- The Heavenly City (Folio 290): Directly opposite the Devil is a drawing of the Heavenly City of Jerusalem. In the PDF, you can see the symmetry. The book forces a visual dialogue between Heaven and Hell.
- The Red Ink: Scribes typically used red ink for titles or emphasis. In the Codex, the sections on magic and exorcism are written in red. When you scroll through the PDF, the sudden shift to red feels jarring.
- The "House" Marks: Look at the margins. Over the centuries, readers scratched tiny "house" symbols (little stick houses) into the margins. No one knows why.