Very often we shall only have to inquire how it has come to pass that the text exhibits signs of perturbation at a certain place.

Such disquisitions as those which follow, let it never be forgotten, have no place in reviewing any other text than that of the New Testament, because a few plain principles would suffice to solve every difficulty.
The less usual word mistaken for the word of more frequent occurrence;--clerical carelessness;--a gloss finding its way from the margin into the text;--- such explanations as these would probably in other cases suffice to account for every ascertained corruption of the text.

But it is far otherwise here, as I propose to make fully apparent by and by.

Various disturbing influences have been at work for a great many years, of which secular productions know absolutely nothing, nor indeed can know.
The importance of such an inquiry will become apparent as we proceed; but it may be convenient that I should call attention to the matter briefly at the outset.

It frequently happens that the one remaining plea of many critics for adopting readings of a certain kind, is the inexplicable nature of the phenomena which these readings exhibit.