WITNESS (11/ ; Sept. 1.kci,prys or Aciprup ; Vulg.
testis). lt is intended in the present article to notice some of the leading and peculiar senses of this voluminous word. It occurs, 1st, in the sense of a person \vho deposes to the occurrence of any facl, a witness of any event. The Hebrew word is derived from 111,1, to repeat. The Greek is usually derived from Ad" to divide,' ',decide,' etc., because a witness decides controversies (Heb. vi. 16) ; but Damm (Lex. Hom. col. 1495) derives it from the old word Acipn, the hand,' because witnesses anciently held up their hancls in giving evidence. This custom among the ancient He brews is referred to in Gen. xiv. 22 ; among the heathens, by Homer (//. x. 321), and by Virgil („En. xii. 196). God himself is represented as svvearing in this manner (Deut. xxxii. 40 ; Ezek, xx. 5, 6, 15 ; comp. Num. xiv. 3o). So also the heathen gods (Pindar, Olymp. vii. 119, 120). These Hebrew and Greek words, with their vari ous derivations, penrade the entire subject. They are applied to a judicial witness in Exod. xxiii. ; Lev v. ; N11111. V. /3 ; XXXV. 30 teomp. Dent.
xvii. 6 ; xix. 15 ; Matt. xviii. 16 ; 2 Cor. xiii. r) Prov. xiv. 5 ; xxiv. 28 ; Matt. xxvi. 65 ; Acts vi 13 ; I Tim. v. 19 ; Heb. x. 28. They are applied, generally, to a person who certifies, or is able to certify, to any fact which has come under his cog nisance (Josh. xxiv. 22 ; IS. V51. 2 ; Luke xxiv. 48 ; Acts i. 8, 22 ; 1 Thes. ro ; I Tim. VI 12 , 2 Tim. ii. 2 ; I Pet. i. 5). So in allusion to those who witness the public games (Hcb. xii. t). They are also applied to any one who testifies to the world what God reveals through him (Rev. xi. 3). In the latter sense the Greek word is applied to our Lord (Rev. i. 5.; iii. 14). It is further used in the ecclesiastical sense of martyr [MARTYR]. Both the Hebrew and Greek words are also applied to God (Gen. xxxi. so ; I Sam. xii. 5 ; Jer. xlii. 5 ; Rom. i. 9 ; Phil. i. 8 ; Thes. 5) ; to inani wrote things (Gen. xxxi. 52 ; Ps. lxxxix. 37). The supernatural means whereby the deficiency of wit nesses was compensated under the theocracy have been already considered tinder the articles ADUL