• Facebook
  • Archive of Our Own (historical fanfiction)
  • Hominis Aevum
  • Graphics
  • Random
  • Archive
  • RSS
  • Precare?
  • Submit
banner
The Codex Gigas (English: Giant Book) is the largest extant medieval manuscript in the world. It is also known as the Devil’s Bible because of a large illustration of the devil on the inside and the legend surrounding its creation. It is thought to have been created in the early 13th century in the Benedictine monastery of Podlažice in Bohemia (modern Czech Republic). It contains the Vulgate Bible as well as many historical documents all written in Latin. During the Thirty Years’ War in 1648, the entire collection was stolen by the Swedish army as plunder, and now it is preserved at the National Library of Sweden in Stockholm, though it is not normally on display.
According to one version of a legend that is already recorded in the Middle Ages the scribe was a monk who broke his monastic vows and was sentenced to be walled up alive. In order to forbear this harsh penalty he promised to create in one single night a book to glorify the monastery forever, including all human knowledge. Near midnight he became sure that he could not complete this task alone, so he made a special prayer, not addressed to God but to the fallen archangel Lucifer, asking him to help him finish the book in exchange for his soul. The devil completed the manuscript and the monk added the devil’s picture out of gratitude for his aid. In tests to recreate the work, it is estimated to have taken 20 or more years to have written the work.
source and more info
Pop-upView Separately

The Codex Gigas (English: Giant Book) is the largest extant medieval manuscript in the world. It is also known as the Devil’s Bible because of a large illustration of the devil on the inside and the legend surrounding its creation. It is thought to have been created in the early 13th century in the Benedictine monastery of Podlažice in Bohemia (modern Czech Republic). It contains the Vulgate Bible as well as many historical documents all written in Latin. During the Thirty Years’ War in 1648, the entire collection was stolen by the Swedish army as plunder, and now it is preserved at the National Library of Sweden in Stockholm, though it is not normally on display.

According to one version of a legend that is already recorded in the Middle Ages the scribe was a monk who broke his monastic vows and was sentenced to be walled up alive. In order to forbear this harsh penalty he promised to create in one single night a book to glorify the monastery forever, including all human knowledge. Near midnight he became sure that he could not complete this task alone, so he made a special prayer, not addressed to God but to the fallen archangel Lucifer, asking him to help him finish the book in exchange for his soul. The devil completed the manuscript and the monk added the devil’s picture out of gratitude for his aid. In tests to recreate the work, it is estimated to have taken 20 or more years to have written the work.

source and more info

    • #codex
    • #book
    • #medieval
    • #monk
    • #devil
    • #soul
  • 2 years ago
  • 1273
  • Comments
  • Permalink
  • Share
    Tweet

1273 Notes/ Hide

  1. skulliver likes this
  2. wanderinghooligan likes this
  3. cocodrilo-banana likes this
  4. constitutional reblogged this from fuckyeahmedievalism
  5. trishafish likes this
  6. lapsesofthesynapses likes this
  7. preguntashermosas reblogged this from mediumaevum
  8. ghostthefestivals likes this
  9. shitthatinspires reblogged this from black-list
  10. barangutan reblogged this from mediumaevum
  11. sheepcountingsheep likes this
  12. atlasfishard reblogged this from naught-but-a-lioness
  13. laureneatshearts reblogged this from quesobandito
  14. onewhoridewithunicorns likes this
  15. quesobandito reblogged this from lucifermaycry
  16. cinnon reblogged this from forgedhalo
  17. an-obsessive-life reblogged this from satannista
  18. swallowxtail reblogged this from urban-cocaine
  19. flybirdiesfly likes this
  20. awesomeocelot reblogged this from spaceninjasfromouterspace
  21. manalimtiaz reblogged this from illluminadi
  22. manalimtiaz likes this
  23. pearlsfromthepath likes this
  24. baluchx likes this
  25. illluminadi reblogged this from starksexual
  26. scatenarsi reblogged this from thegubbins
  27. scatenarsi likes this
  28. thegubbins reblogged this from metalliccolouredphallus
  29. thegubbins likes this
  30. mightythesaurusrex reblogged this from ogprincesscalamity
  31. ricardodarko likes this
  32. dicksimmons likes this
  33. naomisonaboat reblogged this from ogprincesscalamity
  34. ogprincesscalamity reblogged this from metalliccolouredphallus
  35. theoperatorspr0xy reblogged this from metalliccolouredphallus
  36. theoperatorspr0xy likes this
  37. code-sheep likes this
  38. geekybones reblogged this from metalliccolouredphallus
  39. flotillas likes this
  40. ticktockmeow reblogged this from metalliccolouredphallus
  41. spicyshimmy likes this
  42. danynat likes this
  43. metalliccolouredphallus reblogged this from ahandfulofwords
  44. kungfuwolfbitch reblogged this from urban-cocaine
  45. itsnotmyouterspace likes this
  46. urban-cocaine reblogged this from anti-humanxs
  47. ism-dada likes this
  48. graffcomic-man likes this
  49. amor-y-rabia reblogged this from anti-humanxs
  50. Show more notesLoading...

Recent comments

Blog comments powered by Disqus
← Previous • Next →
Avatar Blog dedicated to the Middle Ages. Art, literature, architecture,music, general history, geography, warfare, way of living, language and culture... Enjoy! If you'd like to know more send me your e-mail address or contact details for msn or Skype, and we can talk more. Read the Printed Word!  dwelling on the past ... Banner by http://aisling-r.tumblr.com

Also on:

  • @MediumAevum on Twitter
  • Facebook Profile
  • MaloGruce on Youtube

Twitter

loading tweets…

Following

Approved

See more →
  • Video via katyhiddlesbatchgard
    Video

    carol-dixon:

    Star Trek: Into Darkness scene of John Harrison/Khan (Benedict Cumberbatch) crying

    Video via katyhiddlesbatchgard
  • Photoset via alwaysiambic

    qtmaster:

    Ben Whishaw in Hamlet

    (All photo credit goes to Geraint Lewis photography x)

    Photoset via alwaysiambic
  • Photo via psychoticscream

    sakurabi:

    You're never alone || Sakurabi

    Photo via psychoticscream
  • Photo via m0rmon-jesus
    Photo via m0rmon-jesus
  • Photo via imjohnlocked

    cumberverse:

    ohlookbenedict:

    And that’s where it all began in 2009…

    john is like “back off, it’s my turn”

    Photo via imjohnlocked
  • RSS
  • Random
  • Archive
  • Precare?
  • Submit
  • Mobile

Effector Theme by Carlo Franco.

Powered by Tumblr