The Evaluation of Variant Readings The Fundamental Guideline One overarching fundamental guideline governs all other considerations: the variant most likely to be original is the one which best accounts for the existence of the others. That is, when confronted with two or more variant readings in the text, one should ask, “Which one best explains, in terms of both external and internal evidence, the origin of the others?” It is important to emphasize that “best accounts for” is here defined in terms