Eight book of mormon witnesses

Jan 26, 2017 eight witnesses to gold plates and their testimony is included in the book of mormon. Book of mormon central evidences of the book of mormon. The earliest documented statement of the three witnessesoliver cowdery, david whitmer, and martin harrisis their statement in the handwriting of oliver cowdery subsequently published in the 1830 edition of the book of mormon. The testimonies of the witnesses printed in the book of mormon offer compelling evidence in favor of its miraculous origin. The three men chosen as witnesses of the book of mormon were oliver cowdery, david whitmer, and martin harris. 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. Biographies in preston nibley witnesses of the book of mormon deseret book co. Despite hardships and difficulties, the book of mormon witnesses remained true to their testimonies of this book throughout their lives. The eight witnesses were one of the two groups of witnesses who made statements stating that they had seen the golden plates which joseph smith jr. Some dismiss the testimonies of the three and eight witnesses as of no real consequence, since they fail to prove the book of mormon ancient.

The book of mormon provided multiple official and unofficial witnesses who corroborated. 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. Book of mormon witnesses the encyclopedia of mormonism. Some mormons will agree that all three witnesses denied the book of mormon but came back to deny their denial. Eight witnesses to gold plates and their testimony is included in the book of mormon. The eight witnesses were the second of two sets of special witnesses to the book of mormons golden plates. Most of the eight and all of the three witnesses reiterated their book of mormon testimonies just before death. In the lds church, much emphasis is placed on the witness of three men who said that they saw the gold plates which were translated by joseph smith into the book of mormon, as well as eight additional witnesses who testified of their belief in the book of mormon. Like the lives of the three witnesses, the lives of.

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. Dec 05, 2009 268 videos play all the book of mormon audio full michael dinkelman truth about joseph smiths beliefs on geography of the book of mormon duration. He rose to positions of prominence, becoming president of the church in missouri. Oxford university press, 2003, 4142, emphasis added. It also said that three would be shown the plates by the power of god. Book of mormon 1830eight witnesses wikisource, the. Christian whitmer one of the eight witnesses to the book of mormon was the eldest son of peter whitmer, sen. Be it known unto all nations, kindreds, tongues, and people, unto whom this work shall come. Besides their formal testimonies printed in every edition of the book of mormon since 1830, two of the three witnesses and three of the eight witnesses are known to have left behind written accounts of their experience. Skeptics have misused some historical sources as they attempt to reverse the eight witnesses statements about their physical contact with the book of mormon plates. The question of the book of mormon witnesses is extremely significant. It is unknown whether the eight witnesses signed the original statement, and it is likewise unknown who wrote the statement. Half of the witnesses are related to david whitmer. This eliminates any mortal and therefore fallible middleman.

Here it was that those 8 witnesses recorded in the book of mormon looked upon the plates and handled them of which they bear witness in the title page of the. The combined testimonies of the three and eight witnesses of the book of mormon provide powerful evidence of the restoration. Critics have long tried to dismiss or destroy the witnesses witness. Did the three and eight witnesses to the book of mormon place their. 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. Use features like bookmarks, note taking and highlighting while reading investigating the book of mormon witnesses. The last printed leafbearing the signed statements of. Three witnesses of the book of mormon department of. Evaluating the book of mormon witnesses book of mormon central. The eight witnesses were shown the plates by joseph smith. Richard lloyd anderson, personal writings of the book of mormon witnesses, in book of mormon authorship revisited.

The eight witnesses of the book of mormon lds blogs. An additional eight witnesses members of the smith and whitmer families declared that joseph smith himself showed them the plates and allowed each to heft. Evaluating the book of mormon witnesses book of mormon. Did the book of mormon witnesses really see what they. The eight witnesses were the second of two sets of special witnesses to the book of mormon s golden plates. Evaluating the book of mormon witnesses religious studies.

Be it known unto all nations, kindreds, tongues, and people, unto whom this work shall come, that joseph smith, jr. Additional information on the individual witnesses and their statements are available in the maxwell institutes digital collection. Dec 31, 2015 besides their formal testimonies printed in every edition of the book of mormon since 1830, two of the three witnesses and three of the eight witnesses are known to have left behind written accounts of their experience. Institute for religious research book of mormon witnesses, joel groat. Since the process of translating the book of mormon took place under the surveillance of people in fairly compact households, it is. The book of mormon witnesses 1 papers of joseph smith, jesse, 296, also insiders view of mormon origins, 197. Book of mormon witnesses the three part 1, dan vogel. Published in every edition of the book of mormon are the testimonies of eight witnesses who saw the metal plates from which the prophet joseph smith translated the ancient scriptural account and of three witnesses who not only saw the plates but who were shown them by an angel. The book of mormon witnesses are a group of contemporaries of joseph smith who claimed to have seen the golden plates from which smith translated the book of mormon. 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. Christian whitmer, jacob whitmer, peter whitmer, jr. 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. Like the lives of the three witnesses, the lives of the eight witnesses are rather tortuous.

The other prominent group of book of mormon witnesses who said they saw the plates are called the three witnesses. Book of mormon the testimony of eight witnesses youtube. Likely given that three of the eight witnesses were either excommunicated or left the church and as with the three witnesses, they never recanted their testimony as published in the book of mormon to explain the testimony of the witnesses, something that joseph smith fabricated a set of 10 or led plates they used to trick them with. Book of mormon 1830eight witnesses wikisource, the free. When joseph smith first obtained the gold plates, he was told to show them to no one. The most significant witnesses are the three witnesses and the eight witnesses, all of whom allowed their names to be used on two separate statements included with the book of mormon. The first edition of the book of mormon featured two testimonials. Eight witnesses monument mormon historic sites foundation. The last printed leafbearing the signed statements of witnessesis not numbered. Evaluating the book of mormon witnesses religious studies center.

They shall testify to the truth of the book and the things therein 2 ne. For a comprehensive treatment of the experiences of these eight witnesses, see richard lloyd anderson, attempts to redefine the experience of the eight witnesses, journal of book of mormon studies, 141 2005. Why are there two sets of official book of mormon witnesses. Harmon, made in about 1885, cited in vogel, emd, 2.

Today chris and clay join me again for a roundtable discussion about the eleven witnesses to the book of mormon. Download it once and read it on your kindle device, pc, phones or tablets. I have never heard that any one of the three or eight witnesses ever denied the testimony that they have borne to the book as published in the first edition of the book of mormon. But though their testimonies are still printed at the beginning of every copy of the book of mormon, all three of these men left. David whitmer, one of the book of mormons three witnesses, said if you believe my testimony to the book of mormon. 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. The testimonies of the three and eight witnesses were published in the first edition of the book of mormon and every edition since. The testimonies of the three and eight witnesses balance the supernatural and the natural, the one stressing the angel and heavenly voice, the other the. Mar 15, 2016 richard lloyd anderson, book of mormon witnesses, in the encyclopedia of mormonism, 4 vols. The eight witnesses were one of the two groups of witnesses who signed a statement reprinted in the book of mormon stating that they had seen the golden plates which joseph smith, jr. They were all members of the whitmer or smith families. Many critics of the book of mormon witnesses say that the witnesses of the book of mormon denied their written testimonies in statements to different people over the years.

Apr 16, 2020 even if the majority of the witnesses to the book of mormon did not deny their testimony of the book itself, this does little to support mormonism today. David whitmer was one of six original members of the church of christ that joseph smith organized in 1830. Eight witnesses mormonism, the mormon church, beliefs. Check out the viewpoint on mormonism podcast series 15 witnesses to the book of mormon part 1 part 2 part 3 part 4 february 1518, 2016 joseph smith claimed that in 1823 he was visited by an angel named moroni and that this angel told him that there was a book deposited, written upon gold plates, giving an account of the former inhabitants of this continent, and the. All i can suggest is that a person read the book on their own and pray about it. Photograph of the signatures of the eight witnesses to the book of mormon. Richard lloyd anderson, book of mormon witnesses, in the encyclopedia of mormonism, 4 vols.

The american scripture that launched a new world religion new york. Anderson, in his faithpromoting book titled investigating the book of mormon witnesses, insists that readers must take the testimony of the eleven witnesses at face value. We talk at length about our assumptions that the three witnesses has a spiritual event, that the eight witnesses had a physical event, whether their experience was consistent, and how the institutional church may have. The evidence left by the book of mormon witnesses is rich, varied, and uneven, including the following. Attempts to redefine the experience of the eight witnesses. Current mormon doctrine on the nature of god, the priesthood, use of temples, baptism for the dead, and men becoming gods, is nowhere contained in the book of mormon.

Soon afterward, at the smith farm in new york, eight others were allowed to view and handle the plates. Fallout the relationship with the witnesses were strained. In this light, niggling criticisms that the testimonies of the book of mormon witnesses dont prove the plates ancient and dont rigorously demonstrate the existence of an ancient nephite. 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 returned. This book was printed on thirtyseven sheets and folded into thirtyseven gatherings of eight leaves each, making a text block of 592 pages. Whatever one may think of the book of mormon origins, the three witnesses along with the other eight witnesses and the prophet joseph smith himself could accurately be described as being stumbling blocks to the skeptic, critic, and unbeliever. Three are related to joseph smith including his father and two brothers. Did the book of mormon witnesses really see what they claimed. Even if the majority of the witnesses to the book of mormon did not deny their testimony of the book itself, this does little to support mormonism today. Book of mormon, 1830, page 590 the joseph smith papers.

Here are some critics thoughts on that thanks to gary porter and craig criddle for these. Much of the book of mormon was translated in the home of his father, peter whitmer, as he hosted the smiths. Unlike the earlier testimony signed by the three witnesses, which borrowed most of its language from the book of mormon, this statement reads like a legal document. We can compare the witnesses for the book of mormon to the witnesses of manuscript found. Situated on what was once the farm of missourian michael arthur, is an impressive granite monument.

The book of mormon provided multiple official and unofficial witnesses who corroborated aspects of josephs account. Eight witnesses the book of mormon also includes a joint statement from eight men who claim to have seen the gold plates. The first set are the three witnesses the book of ether in the book of mormon states that the plates would be shown to certain individuals who shall assist to bring forth this work. But this dismissal overlooks their enormous significance. An earlier group of witnesses who said they had seen the plates were called the three witnesses. As the director of the church history library, where we hold the churchs official archival. Joseph smith, the three witnesses, and the eight witnesses are a twelveman jury in affirming the reality of the gold plates and the book of mormon. Book of mormon witnesses the eight part 2, dan vogel. Three witnesses oliver cowdery, david whitmer, and martin harris declared an angel of god appeared to them and showed them the book of mormon plates and they heard the voice of the lord pronounce. Investigating the book of mormon witnesses deseret book. The three witnesses, unlike the eight witnesses, were shown the plates by a heavenly messenger, not joseph smith. Harper invites us to examine the evidence left by oliver cowdery, david whitmer, and martin harris top to bottom as well as the eight witnesses. Did the eleven witnesses actually see the gold plates.

There are only two of the witnesses to that book now living, to wit. Together with joseph smith they fulfill nephis prophecy. The author, richard lloyd anderson, gives many historical details about the statements of such critics and the sources and background of their statements. Three witnesses oliver cowdery, david whitmer, and martin harris declared an angel of god appeared to them and showed them the book of mormon plates and they heard the voice of the lord pronounce that joseph smiths translation had been accomplished. Russell, a member of the community of christ and professor of history of the lds movement at graceland university, strongly disagrees.

Its language distances the eight witnesses from js by referring to him as the said smith. Of the eight witnesses to the book of mormon who signed that they had lifted the plates, five were from the whitmer family and three were from the smith family, including a brotherinlaw, hyrum page. Witnesses of the book of mormon church of jesus christ. Investigating the book of mormon witnesses kindle edition by anderson, richard lloyd. The testimony of the eight witnesses gospel doctrine. The world was not left with joseph smiths testimony alone. The three and eight witnesses to the book of mormon.

Monument to the eight witnesses of the book of mormon, liberty, missouri. Book of mormon witnesses all later denied its truthfulness. The eight witnesses speak of viewing the plates themselves with unobstructed vision. Anderson, attempts to redefine the experience of the eight witnesses, journal of book of mormon studies 141 2005. 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. The eight witnesses were the second of the two groups of special witnesses to the book of mormons golden plates.