A Strange book, Codex Gigas or The Devil’s Bible, that dates back to the 12th century is gaining attention because some people think that the Devil himself wrote it.
The Swedish army invaded Prague in July 1648, during the last stages of the Thirty Years’ War. A book titled Codex Gigas was one among the valuables they took and brought back with them. In addition to being known as the largest historical book in the world, Codex Gigas is also referred to as The Devil’s Bible because of its content.
An eight-century-old leather-bound manuscript known as the Codex Gigas, which is Latin for “Giant Book,” is believed to have been influenced by Devil.
The massive 89 cms tall by 49 cms broad and 75 kg heavy book is on display at the National Library of Sweden right now.
The entire Vulgate Bible, the Latin translation used by the Catholic Church, is included among its hundreds of pages, along with several books on the theory of magic and medicine.
The stunning, giant, entire-page, colored illustration of the Devil on page 577, however, is what captures most people’s attention.
The origin of the Codex Gigas is uncertain, although stories passed down through the generations claim that a doomed Benedictine monk in a Bohemian monastery wrote it.
It’s claimed that the monk’s breaking of his vows led to his death sentence.
He told the authorities that if he could compose a whole book in one night that contained all human knowledge and praised the monastery, he should be spared his punishment.
But as soon as he got going, he realised that he wouldn’t be able to finish it in one night.
The monk apparently asked the Devil for help out of hopelessness.
The Satan helped him, had his picture painted in the book, and demanded the monk’s soul in exchange, according to the National Library of Sweden.
“The monk was saved, but he never found peace; he disappeared forever.
“Virgo extended a helping hand to him, but the prisoner passed away exactly when its deal with the Satan was delivered.”
According to tests done on the old bible, the handwriting is uniform throughout, proving that just one individual actually wrote the entire book.
According to studies, if anyone attempts to replicate the work, the calligraphy alone, without the pictures or decorations, would require twenty years of non-stop writing.
You may also want to read about the 600 year old Voynich Manuscript which still remains a mystery.
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