Framing the Reading Experience of an Apocryphal Text: The Case of the 1 Apocryphal Apocalypse of John’s Titles

This article examines how manuscript titles shaped the way late antique readers understood the 1 Apocryphal Apocalypse of John. Instead of treating titles as minor labels, the study shows they acted as interpretive guides that framed the text as a genuine apocalypse, linked it to John the apostle, and directed attention to themes such as the antichrist, the second coming, and the end of the world. By analyzing these paratextual features, the author argues that titles preserve evidence of reception history and reveal how readers granted authority, genre, and meaning to apocryphal literature. The study also highlights how these manuscript traditions complicate modern distinctions between canonical and apocryphal texts.