On top of this has been layered yet another legend which asserts that because The Devil’s Bible is missing 10 to 12 pages, that these pages contained a lost apocryphal text made up of the special prayer that the monk said in order to summon the Prince of Darkness. The legend continues that in exchange for the dark assistance, he drew a special image of his helper to honor the Devil. Promising to give up his soul in exchange for Satan’s help in completing the manuscript, the monk sealed a Faustian deal and his own fate. Rather than calling upon the powers of heaven through prayer, he instead said a special prayer to Satan. In turn, he began his work but as the end drew near he knew that he would not be able to complete the task. This one says that the condemned monk made an agreement with his fellow monks at the monastery that if they would give him one year, he would produce the most magnificent compilation of knowledge up until that time to honor the monastery. The Codex Gigas has an additional legend around it which is more extensive than the first one that I referred to above. Not only was his royal court frequented by astrologers, alchemists, healers, and prognosticators of all sorts, but he also was the purported owner of both the Codex Gigas and the renowned Voynich manuscript. Rudolf II (1552–1612) was a man of exquisite and exotic taste. However, in the late 16th century it was part of a magisterial collection of oddities and resplendent works of both art and science owned by the Holy Roman Emperor Rudolf II. Today the codex rests in Stockholm, Sweden. More than this, the codex has survived wars, plundering raids, a raging fire, and eight centuries of curiosity. It is almost as if it were designed by or made for something much larger than a human. At nearly 3 feet long, almost 1 foot thick, and almost 2 feet wide, it weighs 165 pounds (nearly 75 kilograms). In fact, Codex Gigas is Latin for Giant Book. Some of these legends contend that the codex contained a now missing section known as The Devil’s Prayer.ĭue to these dual references, the codex has come to be referred to as The Devil’s Bible. According to these legends, the codex was created in a single night when a condemned monk formed a pact with Satan himself.

Dark legends abound regarding the Codex Gigas, the largest Medieval illuminated manuscript in existence, not only regarding the origins of the text but also the content as well.

Codex gigas translated to english