110 Andrew Wilson Nonsense Harder Sense Harder Style Neutral Easier Style Easier Sense Total Sub-singulars 55 (7) 64 (9) 231 (31) 301 (40) 95 (13) 4 (0.5) 750 These results, 4 improved readings out of 750 (0.5%), show no jump in easier readings (either as a result of genealogical relationship or scribal coincidence). There is still very little improvement going on in sub-singu- lar readings. This shows that the results from singular readings cannot be dismissed as poor sampling. In any case, the attempt to discredit singular readings as sources of evidence is troubling: why should scribes always be “flying under the radar”, so that their allegedly frequent attempts to remove difficulties or improve the sense rarely show up? If Prefer the Harder Reading were true, we should catch more than a few scribes in the very act of creating novel improvements – among singular readings. The problem is that the vast majority of scribes do nothing of the sort. Prefer the Harsher Reading Stylistically easier variants may be defined as readings which convey the same meaning or sense, but with more polished, smoother or more familiar wording. Stylistically harsher readings, on the other hand, are synonymous in meaning, but less polished, smooth or familiar. Metzger’s fourth canon deals with the issue of stylistic changes, writ- ing, “Scribes would sometimes (a) replace an unfamiliar word with a more familiar synonym; (b) alter a less refined grammatical form or less elegant lexical expression, in accord with contemporary Atticizing preferences; or (c) add pronouns, conjunctions, and expletives to make a smoother text”48. Griesbach also classified style separately under his third, fourth and fifth canons49. Metzger’s observation in point (c) is significant: additions of certain words make for a smoother text. As a logical corollary, the omission of the same words usually has the opposite stylistic effect: the text becomes more terse. To Metzger’s pronouns, conjunctions and expletives, however, we also need to add nouns, verbs, adjectives and adverbs. A scribe adding these words where the sentence previously merely implied them usu- ally produced a clearer, fuller, more explicit or colourful text with a less abrupt or ambiguous style. For example, scribes sometimes add the name 48 Metzger, Textual Commentary, xxvii 49 See Griesbach’s canons in E.J. Epp’s essay, “The Eclectic Method in New Testament Textual Criticism: Solution or Symptom?”, in E.J. Epp – G.D. Fee, Studies in the Theory and Method of New Testament Textual Criticism (SD45; Grand Rapids, MI 1993) 151-2.