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Potential variant reading in text: is it R. Avin, R. Hanin, or R. Yohanan? אבין, חנין, יוחנן?
Statistically, the answer would be Yohanan, because Avin and Hanin weren't so prolific.
But in script, Avin and Hanin are pretty similar, likewise Hanin and Yohanan.
Lectio difficilior tells us that the proper read is probably not the easiest one. Yohanan is very common, so if you were cruising along copying, you would be writing Yohanan a lot. If you came to something that looked a bit like Hanin, Hanin wouldn't necessarily register as a name, so you would be quite likely to substitute Yohanan.
Statistically, the answer would be Yohanan, because Avin and Hanin weren't so prolific.
But in script, Avin and Hanin are pretty similar, likewise Hanin and Yohanan.
Lectio difficilior tells us that the proper read is probably not the easiest one. Yohanan is very common, so if you were cruising along copying, you would be writing Yohanan a lot. If you came to something that looked a bit like Hanin, Hanin wouldn't necessarily register as a name, so you would be quite likely to substitute Yohanan.
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