Can manuscript contamination result in the elimination of variants ?

Manuscripts before the invention of printing are characterized by a large number of variants. These variants can be unintentional errors or intentional changes by scribes. Some variants disappear over time. Using a random contamination model inspired by genetic drift, we show that this disappearance can be solely due to random fluctuations. We will apply this model to the Adoptionist controversies at the very beginning of the Gospel of Mark. (Note: the slides will be in English but the presentation will be in French)