NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC Channel Unravels The Mystery Behind The Devil's Bible

A forensic investigation of a unique monstrous medieval Bible featuring Satan, demonic exorcisms and ancient medicine

"I'm convinced that the whole manuscript, the text, decoration, especially the portrait of the devil has a peculiar significance.  The manuscript hides many secrets."
- Anna Wolodarski, librarian, National Library of Sweden

Devil's Bible premieres Sunday, December 14, 2008, at 8 p.m. ET/PT

It is a book like no other, in its size, content, history and almost supernatural allure.  According to legend, the Codex Gigas (Latin for "big book") is said to have been written in one night by a condemned 13th century monk who sold his soul to the Devil.  It weighs an astounding 165 lbs, is 3 feet long in the spine and contains a unique combination of texts -- Old and New Testaments alongside violent spells of demonic exorcisms, medicinal cures and other historical texts.

Most intriguing of all is the bold full-page portrait of the Devil found opposite a depiction of heaven.  No other Bible features such a sizable image of Satan, and for centuries, experts have wondered:  What message did the writer intend to send by including this image?  Was this a medieval shout-out to the scribe's alleged diabolical assistant?  And if the entire Codex was really the work of one person, how long would it have taken to create this astounding and nearly perfect manuscript?

On Sunday, December 14, 2008, at 8 p.m. ET/PT, the National Geographic Channel (NGC) premieres Devil's Bible, a forensic investigation of the largest medieval manuscript in existence.  The one-hour special features rare direct access to the Codex as an international team of experts uses ink, illustration and handwriting analyses to come to the astounding conclusion that this one-of-a-kind text was created, not by a team of monastic scribes, but by one singularly dedicated and repentant monk whose exact identity remains a mystery to this day.

Centuries ago, those who first saw the Codex believed the haunting legend about the monk and the Devil.  The year is 1230.  In a remote Bohemian monastery in what is now the Czech Republic, a Benedictine monk broke a sacred monastic rule, a violation so offensive it was kept secret.  His punishment was to be walled up alive in a stark cell.  In an effort to save himself, the monk promises to do the impossible -- to inscribe in one night a massive tome containing all human knowledge that would glorify his monastery forever.  Then, in his darkest hour, when he can write no more, he calls upon Satan for help.  As the Gospels were guided by the hand of God, legend has it that the Codex was guided by the hand of the Devil.

Can any of this tale be true?  In medieval monasteries, the laborious and physically taxing work of copying a holy book was a common form of penance.  Or, considering the book's unique qualities, was this instead a work of divine inspiration by one incredibly devoted scribe?  In 2008, for the first time, an international team of experts examines the manuscript for concrete evidence of the Codex's creator and his motivation.

Paleographer Michael Gullick, an expert in ancient writing, was allowed to view the Devil's Bible accompanied by Anna Wolodarski, librarian, National Library of Sweden, and his findings support the theory that one man did indeed write it all.  Gullick sees two key indicators indicating that not only was it one man (vs. a team of monastic scribes) but that he was possibly an eager amateur:  First, all the ink is made from crushed insect nests, and it is highly unlikely one scribe would use different types of ink; second, the calligraphy is astoundingly consistent throughout all 624 pages -- pointing to the likelihood of one scribe.

All this consistency, however, raises the question:  How long could it have taken to create this virtually perfect manuscript?  Gullick estimates it would have taken 25 to 30 years for one monk to have written and illustrated it!

As for the oversized portrait of the Devil, Peter Stanford, author of The Devil: A Biography, notes that its size and unique details confirm Gullick's assertion that it was a solo project.  How Satan is depicted can give experts a great deal of information about the artist -- when he lived, his education, influences, even his state of mind.  And in this particular depiction, the Devil has a helluva lot going on.

Stanford notes, "You get the various characteristics, he's half-man, half-beast ... you get the horns, classically there on the devil, you get the scaly skin of an animal, and you get the cloven hoof and that's a negative animalistic thing ... But what's extraordinary about this image is that your traditional medieval image of the Devil would have the Devil presiding over hell.  There's none of that here.  He's on his own."

Ultimately, the team of experts also makes a pivotal revelation that the centuries-old demonic legend surrounding the Codex may have been built around a misunderstanding.  Examining a list of names in the back of the book, a signature reads Hermanus inclusus.  That single Latin word -- inclusus -- was thought to signify a horrific punishment, like being walled up alive, as the monk who wrote this book allegedly was.  But the word's true meaning is closer to "recluse," meaning a solitary monk who chooses to shut out the outside world.  Hermanus inclusus.  Herman, the recluse.

Thus, from its homegrown calligraphic style to its unique content and its idiosyncratic portrait of Satan, experts conclude that the Codex Gigas is the work of a single scribe who set out on his own personal quest for enlightenment and redemption, and left the world a one-of-a-kind masterpiece.

Devil's Bible is produced for the National Geographic Channel by Michael Hoff Productions.  For Michael Hoff Productions, series producers are Michael Hoff and Ashley Adams, producer is Julie Nelson, writer is Amanda Gronich and editor is Dee Watt.  For the National Geographic Channel, executive producer is Noah Morowitz, senior vice president of special programming is Michael Cascio and executive vice president of content is Steve Burns.