Two or Three Witnesses

Some Scriptural Notes on Making Judgments

I. Witnesses to the Truth

In Scripture, we see that judgment concerning the veracity of an event having taken place is established by two or three witnesses. Scripture states —

• “Whoever kills a person, the murderer shall be put to death on the testimony of witnesses; but one witness is not sufficient testimony against a person for the death penalty.”¹

• “Whoever is deserving of death shall be put to death on the testimony of two or three witnesses; he shall not be put to death on the testimony of one witness.”²

• “One witness shall not rise against a man concerning any iniquity or any sin that he commits; by the mouth of two or three witnesses the matter shall be established.”³

• “But if he will not hear, take with you one or two more, that ‘by the mouth of two or three witnesses every word may be established.’”⁴

• This will be the third time I am coming to you. “By the mouth of two or three witnesses every word shall be established.”⁵

• Do not receive an accusation against an elder except from two or three witnesses.⁶

• Anyone who has rejected Moses’ law dies without mercy on the testimony of two or three witnesses.⁷

That a matter should be established by two or three witnesses is epistemologically significant when we consider (a.)the number of sensory apparatuses we have, (b.)the interconnectedness of our sensory apparatuses, and (c.)the variety of witnesses mentioned in Scripture.

Regarding (a.), an uninjured/healthy man has two eyes, two ears, two arms, two hands, two legs, two feet, two lips, and numerous taste buds. Regarding (b.), it is evident that our sensory apparatuses are interconnected. As Paul states, “the body is one and has many members, but all the members of that one body, being many, are one body.”⁸ The body’s parts work together to achieve the ends for which God has created it, viz. loving God and loving one’s neighbor.

Paul draws a parallel between how the physical body is constituted and operates, on the one hand, and how the body of Christ is constituted and operates, on the other hand, writing —

…the body is not one member but many.

If the foot should say, “Because I am not a hand, I am not of the body,” is it therefore not of the body? And if the ear should say, “Because I am not an eye, I am not of the body,” is it therefore not of the body? If the whole body were an eye, where would be the hearing? If the whole were hearing, where would be the smelling? But now God has set the members, each one of them, in the body just as He pleased. And if they were all one member, where would the body be?

But now indeed there are many members, yet one body. And the eye cannot say to the hand, “I have no need of you”; nor again the head to the feet, “I have no need of you.” No, much rather, those members of the body which seem to be weaker are necessary. And those members of the body which we think to be less honorable, on these we bestow greater honor; and our unpresentable parts have greater modesty, but our presentable parts have no need. But God composed the body, having given greater honor to that part which lacks it, that there should be no schism in the body, but that the members should have the same care for one another. And if one member suffers, all the members suffer with it; or if one member is honored, all the members rejoice with it.⁹

The members of the body, in both cases, contribute to the proper functioning of the body as a whole. The functioning of the body, in both cases, is external and internal. In both cases, the body’s members contribute to the maintenance and defense of the body against internal and external threats. Paul makes this clear in Eph 4:11-16 —

…He Himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers, for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ, till we all come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ; that we should no longer be children, tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, in the cunning craftiness of deceitful plotting, but, speaking the truth in love, may grow up in all things into Him who is the head—Christ —from whom the whole body, joined and knit together by what every joint supplies, according to the effective working by which every part does its share, causes growth of the body for the edifying of itself in love.¹⁰

II. Varieties of Witnesses

The question that arises in this context is this: Who, or what, counts as a witness? In Scripture, witnesses are not limited to God, angels, demons, and human persons but include the following —

• Ewe lambs¹¹

• Stones¹²

• Heaven and Earth¹³

• The moon¹⁴

• Song¹⁵

• The book of the Law¹⁶

• An altar¹⁷

• Physical appearance (bodies and objects)¹⁸

• Miracles¹⁹

• Ordinary providence²⁰

• Human action²¹

In addition to these types of witnesses, and more directly related to our present discussion of the senses and epistemology, we are also informed of the following kinds of witnesses by Scripture —

• Seeing²²

• Knowledge in one’s possession²³

• Observable patterns of behavior²⁴

It is clear to see that what is included here goes beyond the propositional claims of x or -x being the case. Put another way, a matter is not merely capable of being established by verbal/written/propositional testimony, but by the testimony of non-verbal, non-human, and non-conscious physical realities. Those who bear witness are those who give testimony to what was and/or is, or what was not/is not, the case.

III. Testimony/Testifying

We see this even more clearly when we consider passages referring to testimony. In Scripture, we see that individuals bear witness/give testimony of those things which they have seen, heard, experienced, etc. by verbal declaration or by an action. For instance, consider the following —

• And He charged him to tell no one, “But go and show yourself to the priest, and make an offering for your cleansing, as a testimony to them, just as Moses commanded.”²⁵

• “Most assuredly, I say to you, We speak what We know and testify what We have seen, and you do not receive Our witness.”²⁶

• “He who comes from above is above all; he who is of the earth is earthly and speaks of the earth. He who comes from heaven is above all. And what He has seen and heard, that He testifies; and no one receives His testimony. He who has received His testimony has certified that God is true.”²⁷

• Then the soldiers came and broke the legs of the first and of the other who was crucified with Him. But when they came to Jesus and saw that He was already dead, they did not break His legs. But one of the soldiers pierced His side with a spear, and immediately blood and water came out. And he who has seen has testified, and his testimony is true; and he knows that he is telling the truth, so that you may believe.²⁸

• Demetrius has a good testimony from all, and from the truth itself. And we also bear witness, and you know that our testimony is true.²⁹

• And when there had been much dispute, Peter rose up and said to them: “Men and brethren, you know that a good while ago God chose among us, that by my mouth the Gentiles should hear the word of the gospel and believe. So God, who knows the heart, acknowledged [Gr. μαρτυρέω, (marturéō), trans. “bore witness” to] them by giving them the Holy Spirit, just as He did to us, and made no distinction between us and them, purifying their hearts by faith.”³⁰

• Here mortal men receive tithes, but there he receives them, of whom it is witnessed [marturéō] that he lives.³¹

IV. Some Concluding Remarks

While one can easily understand that Scripture teaches rational creatures can bear witness by giving verbal testimony, the fact that non-rational created things and beings can bear witness as well. This, as noted above, includes our senses. In addition to the sun, moon, earth, rocks, and other non-rational created things, our sensory apparatuses function as witnesses to the actions taken by ourselves, others, and God. Additionally, verbal testimony is not the only kind of testimony that we find in Scripture. One’s actions can also serve the purpose of giving testimony to one’s character, intentions, thoughts, beliefs, etc.

What we see in the Scriptures is that communication occurs by various mechanisms, not simply by verbal or written means. Communication is causal. The initiator communicates to another in response to some observed phenomenon, received idea, anticipated phenomenon, or inferred conclusion; the recipient responds to the information communicated by the initiator. Throughout Scripture, we learn that God calls to men and responds to the call of his people by various means, including non-verbal signs. I want to delve into this at a later time, so I will save it for another post. Suffice it to say here, however, there are some means of communication which are clearer than others. There is, in other words, a hierarchy as regards the communication of information.

Sin has corrupted our abilities, as well as our willingness, to apprehend the truth communicated to us by God. However, as we have seen above, God has given us more than enough witnesses to his being and attributes, and has given us unique witnesses in the 66 books of the Bible. All men are without excuse, consequently, and in need of the salvation from God’s wrath that is only found in the finished sacrificial death of Jesus Christ for sinners.

—h.

1. Num 35:30.

2. Deut 17:9.

3. Deut 19:15.

4. Matt 18:16.

5. 2 Cor 13:1.

6. 1 Tim 5:19.

7. Heb 10:28.

8. 1 Cor 12:12.

9. 1 Cor 12:14-26.

10. emphasis added.

11. Gen 21:22-31.

12. Gen 31:43-53 & Josh 24:1-28.

13. Deut 4:25-26, 30:15-20, & 31:28.

14. Ps 89:33-37.

15. Deut 31:19-23.

16. Deut 31:26-27.

17. Josh 22:10-34 & Isa 19:19-22.

18. Job 16:6-8, Isa 3:8-9, & James 5:1-3.

19. John 10:24-25, Acts 14:1-3, & Heb 2:4.

20. Acts 14:14-17.

21. Heb 11:4.

22. Lev 5:1.

23. ibid.

24. Rom 2:12-16 & 2 Cor 13:1-10.

25. Luke 5:14.

26. John 3:11.

27. John 3:31-33.

28. John 19:32-35.

29. 3 John 1:12.

30. Acts 15:7-9.

31. Heb 7:8.