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The Eight Witnesses were the second of two sets of "special witnesses" to the Book of Mormon's Golden Plates. The first set are the Three Witnesses.
The Eight Witnesses were Christian Whitmer, Jacob Whitmer, Peter Whitmer, Jr., John Whitmer, Hiram Page, Joseph Smith, Sr., Hyrum Smith, and Samuel H. Smith. Their joint testimony has been printed with nearly every edition of the Book of Mormon, since its initial publication in 1830.
All of the Eight were either members of the family of Joseph Smith Jr. and the family of David Whitmer. Joseph Smith Sr. was Joseph's father, and Hyrum and Samuel H. Smith were his brothers. Christian, Jacob, Peter Jr. and John were David Whitmer's brothers and Hiram Page was his brother-in-law.
As printed at the end of the 1830 edition of the Book of Mormon, the Testimony of the Eight Witnesses is as follows:
- "Be it known unto all nations, kindreds, tongues, and people, unto whom this work shall come: That Joseph Smith, Jun., the Author and Proprietor of this work, has shewn [sic] unto us the plates of which hath been spoken, which have the appearance of gold; and as many of the leaves as the said Smith has translated we did handle with our hands; and we also saw the engravings thereon, all of which has the appearance of ancient work, and of curious workmanship. And this we bear record with words of soberness, that the said Smith has shewn [sic] unto us, for we have seen and hefted, and know of a surety that the said Smith has got the plates of which we have spoken. And we give our names unto the world, to witness unto the world that which we have seen. And we lie not, God bearing witness of it."
Most subsequent editions have moved the statement of the Eight Witnesses to the front of the book, and in addition to minor grammatical corrections, have altered the original phrase "Author and Proprietor" to read "translator."
Although the statement as written seems to imply that the Eight were eye-witnesses, no other statements from the Eight back up that reading of the text. Rather, it seems that each of the Eight "hefted" the plates while they were encased in a box or were covered by a cloth and only "saw" the plates in a vision in June of 1829 using their "spiritual eyes."
The Whitmer family became estranged from Joseph Smith Jr. during a leadership struggle in Far West, Missouri in 1838. Although they were all excommunicated, none apparently denied their testimony in the Book of Mormon or the Golden Plates. Smith's family members, Joseph Sr., Hyrum and Samuel H. Smith remained loyal to the founding prophet until their deaths.
Since the Book of Mormon's first publication, many readers have found the testimony of the Eight Witnesses to be a compelling proof of the work's authenticity. Critics have argued that all the Eight had close ties to Smith and David Whitmer.
Concerning the Eight, Mark Twain once quipped, "I could not feel more satisfied and at rest if the entire Whitmer family had testified."
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