Slide 21 of 22
Notes:
If evidence from steps II and III seems to converge the decision is generally easier. Or a strong conclusion in one area may be balanced by weaker evidence in another.
If the evidence seems to be fairly balanced, this may involve a second examination or some more creative or artful thinking. How much different is the external from the internal evidence? Does internal sense demand overriding the external evidence? Not every examination will lead to a confident decision.
But one thing is sure: no text could have had more than one reading at a time. You will note a number of times when the Textual Criticism committees have had a difficult time coming to a confident decision. At these times they put a reading in the text enclosed in [ ].
If you are interested in reading a fuller explanation of the decisions underlying some of the more crucial readings, you can find this in the volume,
A Textual Commentary on the Greek New Testament, ed. By Bruce M. Metzger, published by the United Bible Societies.
