TheCodex Gigas ("Giant Book";Czech:Obří kniha) is the largest extantmedievalilluminated manuscript in the world, at a length of 92 cm (36 in).[2] It is a RomanesqueLatin Bible, with other texts, some secular, added in the second half of the book.[1] Very large illuminated bibles were typical ofRomanesque monastic book production,[3] but even among these, the page-size of the Codex Gigas is exceptional. The manuscript is also known as theDevil's Bible due to its highly unusual full-page portrait ofSatan,the Devil, and the legend surrounding the book's creation.[1] Apart from the famous page with an image of the Devil, the book is not very heavily illustrated with figurative miniatures, compared to other grand contemporary Bibles.
The manuscript was created in the early 13th century in theBenedictinemonastery of Podlažice inChrast,Bohemia, now a region in the modern-dayCzech Republic.[1] The manuscript contains the completeLatin Bible in theVulgate version, as well as other popular works, all written inLatin.[1] Between the Old and New Testaments is a selection of other popular medieval reference works:Flavius Josephus'sAntiquities of the Jews andThe Jewish War,[1]Isidore of Seville's encyclopediaEtymologiae,[1] the chronicle ofCosmas of Prague (Chronica Boemorum),[1][4] and medical works: an early version of theArs medicinae compilation of treatises,[1] and two books byConstantine the African.[5]
Eventually finding its way to the imperial library ofRudolf II, Holy Roman Emperor inPrague, the entire collection was taken as spoils of war by theSwedish Empire in 1648 during theThirty Years' War,[1] and the manuscript is now preserved at theNational Library of Sweden inStockholm,[6] where it is on display for the general public.[7]
Thecodex'sbookbinding is wooden boards covered in leather, with ornate metal guards and fittings. At 92 cm (36 in) long, 50 cm (20 in) wide and 22 cm (8.7 in) thick, it is the largest known medieval manuscript.[8] Weighing 74.8 kg (165 lb),Codex Gigas is composed of 310 leaves ofvellum claimed to be made from the skins of 160 donkeys, or perhaps calfskin, covering 142.6 m2 (1,535 sq ft) in total.[9] The manuscript includesilluminations in red, blue, yellow, green, and gold.Capital letters at the start of books of the bible and the chronicle are elaborately illuminated in several colours, sometimes taking up most of the page; 57 of these survive. The start of theBook of Genesis is missing. There are also 20 initials with blue letters and vine decorations in red. There are also two images representing Heaven and Earth duringthe Creation, as blue and green circles with respectively the sun, moon, and some stars, and a planet all of sea with no landmasses. Within books, 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.[10]
The codex has a unified look as the nature of the writing is unchanged throughout, showing no signs of age, disease, or mold on the part of the scribe.[11] This may have led to the belief that the whole book was written in a very short time (see§ Legend). Scientists are investigating the theory that it took over 20 years to complete.[12][needs update]
The codex's extraordinary length, size, and detail have given rise to the legend that it was written by one scribe in one night with help fromthe Devil himself.[13][14] It initially contained 320 sheets. However, twelve of these were subsequently removed.[15] It is unknown who removed the pages or for what purpose.
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Folio 290recto, otherwise empty, includes a full-page portrait ofSatan,the Devil, about 50 cm (20 in) tall.[1] Directly opposite the Devil is a full page depiction of theKingdom of Heaven, thus juxtaposing contrasting images ofGood and Evil asChristian symbols. The Devil is shown frontally, crouching with arms uplifted in a dynamic posture. He is clothed in a white loincloth with small comma-shaped red dashes. These dashes have been interpreted as the tails ofermine furs, a common symbol of sovereignty. He has no tail, and his body, arms, and legs are of normal human proportions. His hands and feet end with only four fingers and toes each, terminating in large claws; his claws and large horns are red.
He has a large, dark green head, and his hair forms a skull cap of dense curls. The eyes are wide open, small, with red pupils, and his red-tipped ears are large. His open mouth reveals his small white teeth, and two long red tongues protrude from the corners of his mouth. The double tongue evokes the forked tongue of a serpent, one of the forms attributed to Satan inChristian iconography anddemonology.[16] The expressionforked tongues is an ancient biblical metaphor (Nordenfalk 1975, n. 15).
Several pages before this double spread are written in yellow characters on a blackenedparchment and have a very gloomy character, somewhat different from the rest of the codex. The discoloration is because these vellum pages have been exposed to the light as readers turned the pages toward the infamous illustration over the centuries.
According to legend, the codex was created byHerman the Recluse in theBenedictine monastery of Podlažice nearChrast inBohemia (modern-dayCzech Republic),[1] which was destroyed in the 15th century during theHussite Revolution, but is now marked by amaquette in the town museum ofChrast. Records in the codex end in the year 1222.[17] Shortly after it was written, the codex was pawned by the Benedictines to theCistercian monks of theSedlec Abbey, today a former Catholic monastery renowned for housing theSedlec Ossuary, where it remained for 70 years. TheBenedictinemonastery in Břevnov reclaimed the codex around the end of the 13th century.[18] From 1477 it was kept in the library of a monastery inBroumov, until in 1594 it was taken toPrague into the personal collection of theHoly Roman EmperorRudolf II.
At the end of theThirty Years' War in 1648, the entire collection was taken as war booty by theSwedish Imperial Army.[1] From 1649 onwards, the manuscript has been kept in theSwedish Royal Library inStockholm.[6]
On 7 May 1697, a fire at theTre Kronor royal castle in Stockholm destroyed much of the Swedish Royal Library. The Codex Gigas was spared destruction by being thrown out of a window; according to the vicar Johann Erichsons, it landed on and injured a bystander.[19]
ANational Geographic documentary included interviews with manuscript experts who argued that certain evidence (handwriting analysis and a credit toHermann Inclusus, i.e. "Herman the Recluse") indicates that the manuscript was the work of a single scribe.[20]
The first page has twoHebrew alphabets. There are also added slips withEarly Cyrillic andGlagolitic alphabets (Folio 1). About half of the codex (f. 1–118) consists of the entireLatin Bible in theVulgate version, except for thebooks ofActs andRevelation, which are from apre-Vulgate version. They are books of theOld Testament, in the following order:Genesis toRuth;Isaiah;Jeremiah;Baruch;Lamentations;Daniel;Hosea toMalachi;Job;Samuel andKings;Psalms toSong of Solomon;Wisdom of Solomon;Wisdom of Jesus;Chronicles;Esdras;Tobit;Judith;Esther; andMaccabees.[21] Apart from the alphabets at the start, the entire book is written inLatin.[21]
The two works of Flavius Josephus follow (Antiquities of the Jews andThe Jewish War)[1] (f. 118–178). The first page of Josephus, which recounts theGenesis creation narrative, is illustrated in the margin with pictures of Heaven and Earth (f. 118v). These works are followed byIsidore of Seville's encyclopediaEtymologiae[1] (f. 201–239), and the medical works (f. 240–252). Following a blank page, theNew Testament commences withGospel of Matthew toActs of the Apostles,Epistle of James toBook of Revelation, andEpistle to the Romans toEpistle to the Hebrews (f. 253–286). This is followed by some pages with common prayers and a page of "three adjurations and two charms", some of them known from Jewish sources (f. 286–291). The full-page images of the Heavenly City and the Devil are on f. 289–90 of this section. Then comes theChronica Boemorum ofCosmas of Prague[1] (f. 294–304). A list of brothers in theBenedictinemonastery of Podlažice, and a calendar with anecrology, magic formulae, the start of theintroits for feasts, and other local records round out the codex (f. 305–312).[21]
According to one version of a legend already recorded in theMiddle Ages, the scribe was aChristian monk who broke hismonastic vows and was sentenced to bewalled up alive. To escape death, he promised to create, in one night, a book to glorify the monastery forever, including all human knowledge. Near midnight, he became so desperate that he prayed toLucifer to help him finish the bookin exchange for his soul. The Devil completed the manuscript, and the monk added the Devil's picture as a tribute.[2][22][23] In tests to recreate the work, it is estimated that reproducing the calligraphy alone (without the illustrations or embellishments) would have taken twenty years of non-stop writing.[12]
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