Witness

Witnesses were essential in a court case. A conviction could only take place if there were enough witnesses.

In a court case, the defendant could only be convicted if there were at least two witnesses to the crime. The witnesses had to tell the truth. If it turned out that one of the witnesses was lying, he would be punished himself. He could be given the punishment that he had demanded for the defendant. The prohibition against giving false testimony is such an important rule that it is one of the Ten Commandments.

It could happen that there were no witnesses to a crime. If the suspect swore that he had not committed the crime, his statement had to be accepted as the truth. In such cases, God or “heaven and earth” were often called on to witness and reinforce the oath.

Someone could also be condemned by their own testimony. In the court case against Jesus, no proper witness of a crime can be found. Jesus is then condemned based on the testimony he gives at the time, which was therefore heard by more than two people.