Codex Gigas (‘Devil's Bible’)

Bohemia, between 1204 and 1230

parchment

309, i' leaves

890 × 490 mm

Latin

1 (ff. 1vb–118ra) Old Testament

1.1 (f. 1vb) Prologue

1.2 (ff. 1vb–7ra) Genesis

1.3 (ff. 7ra–11vb) Exodus

1.4 (ff. 11vb–15ra) Leviticus

1.5 (ff. 15ra–19va) Numeri

1.6 (ff. 19va–23vb) Deuteronomium

1.7 (ff. 23vb–27rb) Iosua

1.8 (ff. 27rb–30va) Iudices

1.9 (ff. 30va–31ra) Ruth

1.10 (ff. 31ra–37ra) Isaias

1.11 (ff. 37ra–45va) Hieremias; Baruch; Lamentationes

1.12 (ff. 45va–52ra) Hiezechiel

1.13 (ff. 52ra–54vb) Daniel

1.14 (ff. 55ra–61rb) Prophetae minores

1.15 (ff. 61va–64va) Iob

1.16 (ff. 64vb–80vb) I-IV Reges

1.17 (ff. 81ra–87va) Liber Psalmorum iuxta Hebraicum translatus 1-150

1.18 (ff. 87va–90ra) Proverbii

1.19 (ff. 90ra–90vb) Ecclesiastes

1.20 (ff. 90vb–91rb) Canticum canticorum

1.21 (ff. 91va–93rb) Sapientia

1.22 (ff. 93rb–98ra) Sirach seu Ecclesiasticus

1.23 (ff. 98ra–105ra) I-II Paralipomenon

1.24 (ff. 105ra–107vb) Ezra; Neemia

1.25 (ff. 107vb–109ra) Tobia

1.26 (ff. 109ra–110va) Iudith

1.27 (ff. 110va–112ra) Esther

1.28 (ff. 112ra–118ra) I-II Macchabeorum

2 (ff. 118rb–178va) Flavius Josephus, Antiquitates Iudaicae

3 (ff. 178va–200va) Flavius Josephus, De bello Iudaico

Note: f. 200vb Blank

4 (ff. 201ra–239ra) Isidorus Hispalensis, Etymologiae

Note: ff. 239ra–239v Blank

5 (ff. 240ra–243vb) Ars medicinae

6 (ff. 243vb–248vb) Constantinus Africanus, Practica

7 (ff. 248vb–249ra) Constantinus Africanus, Liber graduum

8 (ff. 249ra–252ra) Constantinus Africanus, Liber de oculis

Note: f. 252v Blank

9 (ff. 253ra–286rb) New Testament

9.1 (ff. 253ra–257vb) Evangelium secundum Mattheum

9.2 (ff. 258ra–261rb) Evangelium secundum Marcum

9.3 (ff. 261rb–266rb) Evangelium secundum Lucam

9.4 (ff. 266rb–269vb) Evangelium secundum Iohannem

9.5 (ff. 269vb–273rb) Actus Apostolorum, Old Latin version

Note: f. 273v Blank

9.6 (ff. 274r–276r) Epistulae Catholicae

9.7 (ff. 276ra–277vb) Apocalypsis Iohannis, Old Latin version

9.8 (ff. 278ra–286rb) Epistulae Pauli

10 (ff. 286va–288vb) Confessio peccatorum

Note: f. 289r Two coloured columns without any text

11 (f. 289v) Full-page miniature: Heavenly City of Jerusalem

12 (f. 290r) Full-page miniature: Devil

13 (ff. 290va–291rb) Conjurations

Note:

ff. 291v–293r Two coloured columns without any text.

f. 293v Blank page.

14 (ff. 294ra–304rb) Cosmas Pragensis, Chronica Boemorum, book 1-3

Note:  f. 304v  Blank page.

15 (f. 305r) Schedule of people connected with the monastery of Podlažice

16 (ff. 305v–311r) Calendar with a necrology

17 (ff. 311va–311vb) List of Easter feasts

18 (f. 312ra) Computistical text

Note: f. 312v Blank

Physical Description

Support

Binding/Endleaves

Locus: ff. SR1r–SR1v

Support: Western paper

Textblock

Locus: ff. 1r–312v

Support: Parchment

Leaf dimensions: 890 × 490 mm

Additions

Textblock

(ff. 1va–1vb) 1. Provenance note. 2. Church Slavic and Glagolithic alphabets

History

Origin

Bohemia, between 1204 and 1230

Provenance

According to the note on f. 1v: Podlažice Monastery OSB, Sedlec Monastery, Břevnov Monastery OSB.

1420 Broumov Monastery OSB, see Dudik 1852, pp. 216-7.

Delivered 1594 to Prager Kunst- und Schatzkammer of Rudolph II, see note on f. 306r; listed in four inventories of Kunst- und Schatzkammer: of 1621 (probably), Zimmerman, s. XXXIV, nr. 661: Ein sehr großes buch, auf pergament geschrieben und zwei kleine bücher; of 1635, Zimmerman, s. LXV, nr. 495: Ein großmechtiges buch, so ein münch in der gefänknuß zu Branau geschrieben, darin die heilige schrift und von freien künsten, darzu der teufel ihme das pergament und andere notturft gebracht haben sollte; ist bei zwei elln lang; of 1647, SRA Carl Gustaf Wrangels arkiv (obundna delen), Tyskland – 1650, fol. E 8578, fört. A, utg. Dudik 1867, A, s. XXXVII: Ein grosses buch, so der vermauerte mönich zu Prauna geschriben; of 1648, SRA Carl Gustaf Wrangels arkiv (obundna delen), Tyskland – 1650, fol. E 8578, fört. B, utg. Dudik 1867, B. S. XLIV: 1 grosses buch, welches der teufel einem vermaureten mönche gebracht.

Acquisition

1649 to the Royal Library as a war booty; Queen Christina’s catalogue, KB, U 202:1, ed. Callmer, s. 1-3, nr. 1; KB’s catalogue 1697, U 122, s. 271, nr. 49: Schwartzbuch, bei nahe sieben quarter lang, ist ein msc.