The three witnesses receive their witness gospel doctrine. Book of mormon 1830three witnesses wikisource, the free. Be it known unto all nations, kindreds, tongues, and people, unto whom this work shall come, that we, through the grace of god the father, and our lord jesus christ, have seen the plates which contain this record, which is a record of the people of nephi, and also of the lamanites, their brethren, and also of. In the course of the work of translation, we ascertained that three special witnesses 1 were to be provided by the lord, to whom he would grant that they should see the plates from which this work the book of mormon should be translated. The eight witnesses of the book of mormon lds blogs. Three witnesses mormonism, the mormon church, beliefs.
At the beginning of the book of mormon, we have the testimony of joseph smith, the testimony of three witnesses, and the testimony of eight witnesses. Proximity searches boolean searches browse the book of mormon. The book of mormon is an additional set of sacred prophetic writings adopted by the the church of jesus christ of latterday saints as well as it many offshoots, collectively referred to as the mormonism as both holy scripture and another witness of the divinity of jesus christ an important element to proving the divine authenticity of this scripture is the testimony of latter. Testimony of three witnesses, late june 1829, page 589. Mar 24, 2020 the book of mormon is the preeminent volume of scripture for this day. The following is their testimony that can be found in the first pages of the book of mormon. In this segment, truman madsen explains the power of the testimony of the three witnesses of the book of mormon. Evaluating the book of mormon witnesses religious studies. Witnesses of the book of mormon church of jesus christ. Two solemn declarations the testimony of three witnesses and the testimony of eight witnesses have been published with the book of mormon since 1830. The case against the 3 witnesses of the book of mormon duration. Hedges, john hilton iii, and kerry hull salt lake city and provo, ut.
Jan 24, 2008 it is recorded in the american cyclopedia and the encyclopedia britannica, that i, david whitmer, have denied my testimony as one of the three witnesses to the divinity of the book of mormon. The testimony of the eight witnesses was first published at the end of the 1830 edition of the book of mormon and has been printed in nearly every edition since, although most subsequent editions moved the statement to the front of the book and included minor grammatical corrections. Each of the three had ample reason and opportunity to renounce his testimony if it had been false, or to equivocate on details if any had been inaccurate. Their written testimony of three witnesses has been included in all of the almost 100 million copies of the book of mormon the church has published since 1830. That we, through the grace of god the father, and our lord jesus christ, have seen the plates which contain this record, which is a record of the people of nephi, and also of the lamanites, their brethren, and also of the. Oaks, first counselor in the first presidency, has said. Mar, 2008 in studying the history of joseph smith and the the church of jesus christ of latterday saints, referred to as the mormons, we emphasize joseph smiths own testimony of the book of mormon, that book of additional scripture that is another testament of jesus christ. The three witnesses of the book of mormon were oliver cowdery, david whitmer, and martin harris.
Book of mormon, 1830, page 589 the joseph smith papers. The first, the testimony of three witnesses, is given by oliver cowdery, 2 david whitmer, 3 and martin harris. The testimony of three witnesses be it known unto all nations, kindreds, tongues, and people, unto whom this work shall come. Why were three key witnesses chosen to testify of the book.
Modern mormon spin doctors write all kinds of articles claiming that the witnesses may have denied the mormon church but they never the book of mormon. Like the three witnesses, the book of mormon prophecies that there will be others which will testify of this work, and there is none other which shall view it, save it be a few according to the will of god, to bear testimony of his word unto the children of men. Book of mormon audiobook podcast of the book of mormon. Dec 05, 2009 book of mormon the testimony of three witnesses awitness4jesuschrist michael corbett. Doniphan on an affidavit attesting to his honesty and integrity, with plans to have it published in the local paper richmond, missouri with a statement refuting that he had denied his witness that an angel had shown him the gold. Book of mormon the testimony of three witnesses awitness4jesuschrist michael corbett. A common muslim testimony i bear you my testimony that i know the book of mormon is true, i know that joseph smith is a true prophet of god and i know that the church is the only true church i bear witness that there is no god but allah, and i bear witness that mohammed is the servant and messenger of allah. With duane ryan, sherwood keith, ron frederickson, zan winn. Readers of the book of mormon are undoubtedly familiar with the three witnesses. After departing mormonism, he later declared, if you believe my testimony to the book of mormon.
Three witnesses ever denied his testimony of the book of. Be it known unto all nations, kindreds, tongues, and people, unto whom this work shall come, that we, through the grace of god the father and our lord jesus christ, have seen the plates which contain this record, which is a record of the people of nephi, and also of the lamanites, his brethren, and also of the people of jared, who came. As church membership mushroomed, and it became clear the book of mormon. Jan 27, 2017 the solemn testimony of these three additional witnesses has appeared in every edition of the book of mormon from the beginning. All three men upheld their testimony of the book of mormon at their deaths. Our heavenly father uses multiple witnesses to testify of truth see 2 corinthians. The solemn testimony of the three witnesses has appeared in every edition of the book of mormon since 1830.
Jun 24, 2019 david whitmer, another of the three witnesses, recalled cowderys parting words. When joseph smith first obtained the gold plates, he was told to show them to no one. We also talk about the testimony of the three witnesses, three men who were allowed. But though their testimonies are still printed at the beginning of every copy of the book of mormon, all three of these men left the church at some pointonly two. Book of mormon the testimony of three witnesses youtube. Book of mormon 1830three witnesses wikisource, the. The testimony of the eight witnesses gospel doctrine. The three and eight witnesses to the book of mormon. The final of the three witnesses is oliver cowdery, who served as scribe for 80% of the book of mormon. Significantly, a wordforword transcription of both the testimony of the three witnesses and that of the eight witnesses and their individual names appears at the end of the manuscript of the printers copy of the book of mormon in the handwriting of oliver cowdery. The solemn testimony of these three additional witnesses has appeared in every edition of the book of mormon from the beginning.
However, we would be misguided if we were to conclude that the witnesses testimonies establish nothing of pivotal importance. Critics began by labeling the book bungling and stupid, joe smith a perfect ignoramus, and they claimed any blunderhead, with the bible at his side, might have written it. I was present at the deathbed of oliver cowdery, and his last words were, brother david, be true to your testimony to the book of mormon. It is inconclusive if the witnesses actually saw plates or if they only. Why were three key witnesses chosen to testify of the book of. In the introductory pages of the book of mormon, there is a page that contains the testimony of three witnesses and the testimony of eight witnesses. Why are there two sets of official book of mormon witnesses. David whitmer, one of the book of mormon s three witnesses, said if you believe my testimony to the book of mormon.
It is recorded in the american cyclopedia and the encyclopedia britannica, that i, david whitmer, have denied my testimony as one of the three witnesses to the divinity of the book of mormon. Last witnessof the three witnesses the church of jesus. David whitmer, one of the book of mormons three witnesses, said if you believe my testimony to the book of mormon. Book of mormon witnesses the encyclopedia of mormonism. Be it known unto all nations, kindreds, tongues, and people, unto whom this work shall come, that we, through the grace of god the father, and our lord jesus christ, have seen the plates which contain this record, which is a record of the people of nephi, and also of the lamanites, their brethren, and. Deseret news archives this monument honers the eight witnesses of the book of mormon and was erected in liberty, missouri, on the same day the 100th anniversary of the three witnesses monument in richmond, missouri. The three witnesses were closely associated with joseph smith, jr. That we, through the grace of god the father, and our lord jesus christ, have seen the plates which contain this record, which is a record of the people of nephi, and also of. The book of mormon contains two sets of joint statements written by joseph smith for those who claimed to have seen the gold plates. The three men chosen as witnesses of the book of mormon were oliver cowdery, david whitmer, and martin harris. Three witnesses the three witnesses are david whitmer, oliver cowdery, and martin harris, who mortgaged his farm to finance the first printing of the book of mormon. That we, through the grace of god the father, and our lord jesus christ, have seen the plates which contain this record, which is a record of the people of nephi, and also of the lamanites, their brethren, and also of. The names of oliver cowdery, david whitmer, and martin harris are familiar to most of us, notably because of their role as witnesses to the reality of the book of mormon. It was intended to be studied and followed as the means to reassert a covenant between god and man.
Theyre distinctly different both in their tone and in what they describe. The testimony of these three prophets interlink in order to establish the veracity and power of each others. However, within the pages of the book of mormon itself are the combined testimony of three ancient witnesses. The testimony of the three witnesses of the book of mormon be it known unto all nations, kindreds, tongues, and people, unto whom this work shall come. To the inside front cover are affixed four clippings of descriptions of different versions of first edition copies of the book of mormon and of an 1854 edition of the doctrine and covenants, along with a clipping describing the origin of the text of the book of mormon and a bookplate of the shepard book company of salt lake city, utah. Cowdery was a third cousin to lucy smith, while joseph smith sr. The book of mormon is a sacred, ancient record that was translated by the gift and power of god into english in 1830 through joseph smith jr. Even though the vision given to cowdery, whitmer, and harris fulfilled the scriptural promise in the book of mormon that the record would be shown to three witnesses by the power of god, two passages in the sacred text suggested that additional witnesses might also have a. The testimony of the three witnesses to the book of mormon stands forth in great strength, president dallin h. The objective of this restoration edition has been to recover the text of the book of mormon back to what joseph smith intended it to be before his death. The mormon church, of course, claims that none of the three witnesses ever denied their testimony. The testimony of the three witnesses to the book of mormon. Oxford university press, 2003, 4142, emphasis added. I wish now, standing as it were, in the very sunset of life, and in the fear of god, once and for all to make this public statement.
Harmon, made in about 1885, cited in vogel, emd, 2. But, oliver cowdery, according to the mormon publication times and seasons, did deny. Your claim that they all recanted a physical witness is false in its intent and is an example of a common misrepresentation often made by critics who, if they really are as knowledgeable about the issue as they claim, should know better. All the mormon witnesses are as worthless as they are unreliable who recanted their testimony. All of the 11 witnesses were related either by blood or by business interests. Since its publication in 1830, the book of mormon has been accompanied by the testimony of three witnesses claiming to have seen the an angel with the plates and the testimony of eight witnesses. According to this revelation, there would only be three witnesses. The testimony of three witnesses in the 1830 edition of the book of mormon was originally included at the end of the book, as a final seal of its veracity. Johnson reflected the sentiments of the community by writing a poem attempting to reflect the fact that men may be untrue to the truth. The overall secular case for the book of mormon is a cumulative one. We also talk about the testimony of the three witnesses. No single piece of evidence demonstrates everything, by itself, that believers in the book of mormon affirm. The testimonies of the book of mormon witnesses religious.
Attacks against the book of mormon have experienced a kind of mission creep since its publication in 1830. Anson in a nutshell, the case of the three witnesses to the book of mormon is as follows. The american scripture that launched a new world religion new york. That we, through the grace of god the father, and our lord jesus christ, have seen the plates which contain this record, which is a record of the people of nephi, and also of the lamanites, their. David whitmers final testimony of the book of mormon. They said that the same divine voice commanded us that we should bear record of it. Some mormons will agree that all three witnesses denied the book of. The three witnesses, unlike the eight witnesses, were shown the plates by a heavenly messenger, not joseph smith. The case against the three witnesses to the book of mormon. Harper, the eleven witnesses, in the coming forth of the book of mormon.
Beginning with the first edition of 1830, the book of mormon has generally contained two sets of testimoniesthe testimony of three witnesses and the testimony of eight witnesses. In the first, oliver cowdery, david whitmer and martin harris affirm that theyve seen the plates from which the book of. Martin harris made a significant financial contribution to the printing of the book of mormon. By providing the testimonies of witnesses and including them at the end of the book of mormon, joseph smith was following not only the ancient pattern called for by nephi, but also the. For the story of the three witnesses we will turn to josephs record in history of the church. That we, through the grace of god the father, and our lord jesus christ, have seen the plates which. Sep 26, 2014 since its publication in 1830, the book of mormon has been accompanied by the testimony of three witnesses claiming to have seen the an angel with the plates and the testimony of eight witnesses. When the angel moroni showed the plates to the three witnesses. Jan 26, 2017 eight witnesses to gold plates and their testimony is included in the book of mormon.
The testimony was moved to the beginning of the book of mormon in later editions, with standardized spelling. Our lesson today is the testimony of three men that the prophecy of the coming forth and translation of the book of mormon had been fulfilled. When moroni finished the record of the nephites he closed with the prophetic words which formed our last lesson. The witnesses were also told in a revelation that they should testify that ye have seen them even as my servant joseph smith jr. Lesson 41 the testimony of three witnesses book of mormon. The testimonies of the three and eight witnesses were published in the first edition of the book of mormon and every edition since. In studying the history of joseph smith and the the church of jesus christ of latterday saints, referred to as the mormons, we emphasize joseph smiths own testimony of the book of mormon, that book of additional scripture that is another testament of jesus christ. The testimony of three witnesses summarizes the supernatural event that followed, when an angel appeared and showed them the plates and engravings and they heard the lord declare that the book of mormon was translated by the gift and power of god.
The three witnesses were oliver cowdery, martin harris, and david whitmer, whose joint testimony, in conjunction with a. Book of mormon witnesses all later denied its truthfulness. Be it known unto all nations, kindreds, tongues, and people, unto whom this work shall come. A passage in the book of mormon similarly indicated that the testimony of the witnesses and the book of mormon would come forth at the same time. Deseret book and religious studies center, brigham young university, 2015, 1172. Three witnesses of the book of mormon department of. By following its precepts, men and women can return to gods presence where they are endowed with light and truth and can receive intelligence and understanding. The testimony of three witnesses book of mormon central. The three witnesses were oliver cowdery, martin harris, and david whitmer, whose joint testimony, in conjunction with a separate statement by eight witnesses, has been printed with every edition of the book of mormon since its first publication in 1830. Be it known unto all nations, kindreds, tongues, and people, unto whom this work shall come, that we, through the grace of god the father and our lord jesus christ, have seen the plates which contain this record, which is a record of the people of nephi, and also of the lamanites, his brethren, and also of the people of jared, who came from the tower of which. All three witnesses eventually broke with smith and were excommunicated from the church.
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