When several versions of a text display variations, it is necessary, for a correct understanding of the text, to determine which variant best reflects the original. These variations can be categorized into graphic, lexical, vacant, and transpositional variations.
The graphic variants display different graphs but represent a single word which is the proximate or most likely original. The variation is not significant since the word is known.
To handle the other types of variation, one powerful method is to discover the transmission lineage for three or more versions of the text and detect alterations that were made in later versions. When the lineage method does not determine the proximate original, each variation must be approached independently. For lexical variation, the lectio difficilior is more often the proximate original than the lectio faciliior. A taboo character that was later avoided may also represent the proximate original, or the proximate original may be disguised as a dialectal word. For vacant variations, trends toward adding, deleting or altering certain words in a version of the text help to determine the proximate original. When transpositional variation creates differences in the meaning of the text and the lineage method is not of help, judgment must be applied through a careful examination of the context.These methods provide systematic solutions to textual problems that would otherwise require independent analysis.