The Devil's Bible, Part 1: The Book Written in One Night

It's almost three feet tall, weighs about 165 pounds, and near the back there's a 20-inch portrait of the Devil. Legend says a monk wrote the whole Codex Gigas in ONE NIGHT after making a deal with Lucifer. So what really happened? In Part 1 we open the Devil's Bible: what's inside (the whole Bible, an encyclopedia, medicine, history, and yes, spells), the legend of the monk who was about to be walled up alive, a close look at the Devil himself and the City of Heaven facing him, what handwriting experts found, why it really took 20 to 30 years, and the pages somebody cut out. Part 2: the book gets pawned, taken by a magic-obsessed emperor, carried off by an army, and thrown out the window of a burning castle. The legend is a legend; everything else is based on the National Library of Sweden and published research. Some details (like who exactly the scribe was) are still debated. Watch Part 2: The Devil's Bible, Part 2: Pawned, Stolen, and Thrown Out a Window (add the link once it's live) CHAPTERS (real, from the aligned voice-over) 0:00 The Book in the Glass Case 0:34 Meet the Giant Book 1:24 How to Make a Giant Book 2:16 What's Inside 3:02 The Legend 4:02 Meet the Devil 5:16 The Real Monk 6:42 The Missing Pages 7:05 Coming in Part 2 7:27 Go Watch Part 2 Sources: National Library of Sweden (Kungliga biblioteket), 'The Codex Gigas' pages: size, contents, devil miniature, single scribe, '20 to 30 years'. manuscripta.se, Stockholm KB A 148 (Codex Gigas) catalog record: 890 × 490 mm, Bohemia 1204-1230, contents by folio, devil at f. 290r. Wikipedia, 'Codex Gigas' (summary of KB and scholarly literature): 92 × 50 × 22 cm, 74.8 kg, 310 leaves, devil description, Hermannus inclusus, missing leaves. History.com, 'Why the Codex Gigas Is Known as the Devil's Bible' (KB estimate 20-30 years). National Geographic Channel documentary 'Devil's Bible' (2008): Michael Gullick handwriting study and ~5-years-of-writing estimate. UCSB Geography / Mental Floss reprint, 'Did a Medieval Monk Sell His Soul to the Devil to Create the Codex Gigas?' (devil framed by two towers; Rule of St Benedict cut out). TheCollector, 'Codex Gigas: Myths Surrounding the Medieval Manuscript' (inclusus = punishment or voluntary seclusion). T-Minus tells history's biggest countdowns, one story at a time. Subscribe so you don't miss the next one. #CodexGigas #DevilsBible #History