The Codex Gigas is an interesting piece of medieval literary history. The codex, or book, is a handwritten manuscript written on 624 pages of vellum. It was created in the thirteenth century in the Benedictine monastery of Podlazice in Bohemia, which is today in the Czech Republic. The Codex Gigas contains a copy of the Latin Vulgate Bible, texts of Jewish history by Flavius Josephus, a history of Bohemia, medical texts, a liturgical calendar, incantations against demonic forces, and various other literary works.

1. What is Codex Gigas or Devil's Bible?
The Codex Gigas is an interesting piece of medieval literary history.
The codex, or book, is a handwritten manuscript written on 624 pages
of vellum. It was created in the thirteenth century in the Benedictine
monastery of Podlazice in Bohemia, which is today in the Czech
Republic. The Codex Gigas contains a copy of the Latin Vulgate Bible,
texts of Jewish history by Flavius Josephus, a history of Bohemia,
medical texts, a liturgical calendar, incantations against demonic
forces, and various other literary works.
The codex itself is large, measuring about three feet by three feet when
open. The book weighs about 165 pounds. The Codex Gigas is the
largest existing medieval manuscript in the world.
Tony Mariot Codex Gigas Page of1 2

2. In fact, its large proportions give the codex its name: “Codex Gigas”
means “Giant Book.”
The Codex Gigas is well known not only for its size but for the
profuse number of its colorful decorations and illustrations, known as
“illuminations.” The most famous illustration in the book is a large
portrait of the devil, pictured as a clawed, horned, double-tongued
fiend in a menacing crouch. Because of this portrait, the Codex Gigas
also goes by the nickname of “the Devil’s Bible.”
The Codex Gigas was written by a monk named Herman the Recluse
over a period of 20 years. According to a legend, Herman was to be
executed for breaking his monastic vows. Then, on the night he was to
be put to death, the monk said he would produce an amazing book
that would glorify the monastery, and he promised to produce the
book all in one night. Thus began the process of creating the Codex
Gigas. When the monk realized he would never finish the book in the
amount of time he promised, he prayed for Lucifer to help him, in
exchange for his soul. Satan obliged, Herman sold his soul to the
devil, and the book was completed in one night. As a sign of
gratitude, Herman added the portrait of the devil to the Codex Gigas.
The legend concerning the Codex Gigas and the monk’s pact with the
devil is fictional. Scripture indicates we cannot sell our souls to Satan.
Ezekiel 18:4 says that all souls belong to the Lord. Souls are not for
sale; God owns them all. The only thing this legend shows is that
people have imaginations.
The Codex Gigas is a historically valuable piece of antiquity and a
work of art in its own right. The book is currently kept in the King’s
Library in Humlegården in Stockholm, Sweden.
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