Faith

Heard of the Codex Amiatinus? Sounds like flu medicine, but you wouldn't want to swallow it. It's a single volume Latin bible containing 1,000 sheets of velum and takes two men to comfortably lift it, so you're hardly likely to read it on the Metro.

It won't any win any awards from vegetarians or vegans either - over 500 calves were slaughtered to provide its pages. Most importantly, it was written here at Wearmouth monastery.

A page from the Codex Amiatinus

So what's so special about it? What, you mean apart from the probability that the Venerable Bede personally worked on it? Well how about this? It's the greatest book in the world.

Yeah but no but...

No buts. In the 7th Century the monks at St. Peter's produced the greatest book ever written ... ever. I don't mean book in the generic sense, I mean 'book' in the 'B is for book' sense, a single physical volume that you can drop on your foot. You see, the Codex Amiatinus isn't just a bible - it's the bible.

The text in those pages is the source text for almost all bibles in the world today. Yes, just about every bible can be traced back to this one Mackem volume. Completely regardless of religion, that makes the Codex Amiatinus tremendously important historically.

I can guarantee that the Pope does not have your Orlando Bloom poster, your boxer shorts or your favourite Playstation game. He does, however, have a copy of the Codex Amiatinus as his own personal bible - and let's face it, that's got to be the best recommendation of all time for a book.

St Peter's, Monkwearmouth

History is often seen as boring and seldom seen as cool. That attitude, however, is utter rubbish. Sunderland created the greatest single book in the world. Sorry, but how cool is that?

The bible may be written in black and white, but its source is definitely red and white! If you're really proud of being a Mackem then, I promise you, there is nothing more worthy of that pride. Ha'way the monks!