Paratexts in the Virtutes apostolorum

Abstract: The Virtutes apostolorum comprise a series of Latin rewritings of the apocryphal Acts of the Apostles, with sections on each of the twelve apostles, that started to circulate in the West from the early Middle Ages. The earliest manuscripts are found on the continent in the second half of the eighth century. Little is known with certainty about the authorship of the individual sections, and as little can be said about the redactor(s) or collector(s) of the series as a whole. This article presents an attempt to shed more light on transmission and use of these texts through a study of their paratexts, more specifically titles and intertitles. These elements turn out to be helpful instruments in the endeavor to know more about the approach to the apostles as martyrs, as well as the use of these texts in the ritual context of commemoration in monastic (and cathedral) communities. Keywords: Virtutes apostolorum, apocryphal Acts of the Apostles, paratexts, medieval manuscript trans-mission, tables of contents and capitula, titles, intertitles, ritual commemoration of the saints, martyrdom, canon and apocrypha.