Abstract:
This article explores the relationship between manuscripts of ancient religious literature and
aesthetic cognitivism, a normative theory of the value of art. Arguing that manuscripts both contain
and constitute works of art, we explore paratextuality as a phenomenon that connects manuscript
studies to both qualitative and quantitative sides of aesthetic cognitivism. Focusing on our work with
a single unpublished gospel manuscript (Dublin, CBL W 139) in the context of a larger project called
Paratextual Understanding, we make that case that paratexts have aesthetic functions that allow
them to contribute to the knowledge yielded by the larger literary work of which they are a part. We
suggest a number of avenues for further research that engages with material culture, non-typography,
paratexts, and the arts.
