Monastic collections intended for individual (cellular) reading are often not associated with dates in the church calendar or the celebration of the cult of saints but are instructive reading. The Apocrypha that is included in them has a different function: (a) texts with a cognitive account of persons and events from the Old and New Testaments (re-reading the Bible); (b) works related to eschatology and apocalyptic; (c) readings related to natural phenomena and applied knowledge. Topics group some of them, while others are included in cycles according to formal criteria. Apocryphal works are completely “legalized”; they aim to enlighten readers, elevate them spiritually, and serve as reference materials. This feature is typical of manuscripts from monasteries in the Balkans in the 14th and 15th centuries. Of particular interest are manuscripts created in large monastic centres, such as the Hilendar Monastery on Mount Athos, in which rare copies of apocryphal works appear, e.g. Revelation of the Apostles. The author examines the causes of this phenomenon and its consequences.