History
Details
The Crime Bible is a religious text used as the central reading for the Religion of Crime, also known as the "Dark Faith". It's similar to the regular Christian Bible in form and function, but differs immensely in content and aim in mass-manipulation. It features Cain as its central character, known as "The First", as in the first person to have committed murder. Like the Bible, it is divided into sections such as the "Book of Moriarty" and the "Book of Kurten." An especially key part of the crime bible is the Four Lessons of Blood, pillars of the faith akin to the Ten Commandments in Christianity. The four lessons are Deceit, Lust, Greed, and Murder. There is also a fifth book of blood in which the four lessons are taught to a woman who questions them. She is thus named "Faithless."
According to the Question's research, there are only three known complete copies of the Crime Bible: "The High Madame's Binding", which is the rarest of the three, "The Prophet's Codex", and "The Sana'a Edition." The latter two are now lost, although Renee had read both of them. The Prophet's Codex is the one depicted in 52. A fourth edition, called "The Bastard's Folio," which is said to be the second rarest edition, was made available for auction but this book was later revealed to be a fake. Renee has also discovered that each true copy of the Crime Bible is different from each other. Some have codes, rituals and/or spells among other possible variations.
History of Usage
The Crime Bible was first seen by members of the known superhero community during the events of 52, as used by Bruno Mannheim, leader of the criminal organization known as Intergang. The two most common heroes to come in contact with it are Batwoman and the Question, specifically the Question, who has led a serious personal vendetta against the Faith. As of Final Crisis, it appears the enigmatic supervillain known as Libra was using it as sort of a recruiting tool with the Secret Society of Super-Villains, claiming to be putting an end to the "age of heroes". It is unknown what ties the Crime Bible has to Apokolips, although as both Mannheim and Libra are servants of Darkseid, it can be safely assumed that there's some sort of connection.
Recommended Reading
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Trivia
- While each copy of the Crime Bible may vary in weight, the Bastard's Folio, which Renee Montoya acquired in Gotham City weighed 24 lbs.
- One excerpted page of the Crime Bible is provided in each of the five issues of the miniseries Crime Bible: Five Lessons of Blood. In addition, a bonus, hidden excerpt is provided in code along the borders of each page. The key to solving the code and it's full translation can be found here.
See Also
- Appearances of Crime Bible
- Item Gallery: Crime Bible
- Images featuring Crime Bible