After the close of the OT canon (c. 300 BC) and the standardization of the Hebrew text (first century AD), meticulous and careful scribal practices ensured that the received text of the OT was handed down unchanged. A special group of scribes called the Masoretes (AD 500–1000) played a vital role in the transmission and preservation of the OT text. The Masoretes also meticulously counted the letters, words, and verses in the text. For example, the final Masorah at the end of Deuteronomy notes that