The Witness Formula in the Law and New Testament

Let’s consider the application of the witness formula for evidence found in the Law of Moses. This formula is found three times in the Old Testament and five times in the New Testament. Its application in the Old Testament is within a court trial. In the New Testament there are wider applications, including church courts and especially by Christ concerning his own identity to the Pharisees and to John the Baptist after John began to doubt.

The Law states the mosaic formula concerning witnesses three times: 1) “…at the mouth of witnesses…” (Num. 35:30, marg. reading), 2) “On the mouth of two witnesses or three witnesses….” (Deut. 17:6, marg. reading), “…on the mouth of two or three witnesses a matter shall be confirmed.” (Deut. 19:15, marg. reading) The judges are admonished to investigate thoroughly in order to discover any false witnesses. “And the judges shall investigate thoroughly; and if the witness is a false witness, he has testified against his brother falsely." (Deut. 19:18) We note that the grammatical case for “mouth” in the biblical text is singular, which conflicts with the case for the associated noun, which is plural (“witnesses”). This odd construction is intentional. The purpose of the mosaic formula concerning witnesses is to discover points of agreement, indicated by the singular case for “mouth.”

The witness formula occurs in the New Testament five times: 1) “… by the mouth of two or three witnesses every word may be confirmed.” (Mt. 18:16), 2) Christ states in His assertion of His identity, “Even in your law it has been written, that the testimony of two men is true.” (John 8:17), 3) “Every word will be confirmed by the mouth of two or three witnesses.” (2 Corinthians 13:1), 4) “Do not receive an accusation against an elder except on the basis of two or three witnesses.” (I Tim. 5:19), and 5) “Anyone who has set aside the Law of Moses dies without mercy on two or three witnesses.” (Heb. 10:28)

This repetition of the witness formula in both the Law and the New Testament emphatically shows its profound importance. It demonstrates that testimonial evidence is of superlative importance in both the Old and New Testaments. If anything, it is more important for the New Testament than for the Old. Not only is the witness formula repeated in five different documents by five different writers, showing the mindset of the apostles, but Jesus relies upon it in his response to John the Baptist’s question and doubts about Jesus’ identity. The apostles also repeatedly used their function as witnesses as a defense in Acts – that they were obeying the mitvot to testify truly when they testified about Christ.