Procedure

After the variations between the textual witnesses are collected, it remains to be seen what should be done with the rich store of information included in these sources. While the contents of the non-Masoretic witnesses, including the Judean Desert scrolls and the Septuagint, are often disregarded in commentaries and introductions, it would seem more appropriate to use these data within the exegetical procedure. However, when turning to textual data, problems pile up to such an extent that some scholars shrink away from using them. These problems are visible both at the theoretical end (guidelines for the use of the textual data) and at the practical level (which variants should be used by exegetes and how). At both levels, there are no firm answers and no generally accepted views. The discussion of the shape of the biblical text in early periods is of central importance to this analysis.