Codex Gigas (the devils bible)

Codex Gigas is Latin and means giant book. According to analysis it was written somewhere between 1204 and 1230. It includes The Old and New Testament as well as other texts, all connected and meant to give you knowledge and understanding about Jewish heritage and history. It consists of 600 pages and weighs almost 75 kg, therefore it is the largest medieval manuscript and text known to date.

Codex Gigas is located in the Swedish Royal Library in Stockholm. In Swedish it is called Djävulsbibeln (The Devils Bible), the name comes from a picture of the devil painted on one of the pages. Sweden took it during the Thirty Years’ War as they invaded Prague in 1648. Ever since then it has belonged to the Swedish royal library.

According to legends a monk under sentence of death got told that if he could write the bible from beginning-to-end in one night he would avoid the death punishment. As he realised that the assignment was too big, he asked the devil for help. As a thanks he drew the devil on one of the pages.