Crowns are worn by priests and royalty as signs of authority. Golden crowns are solar symbols and indicate that the wearer's power, wisdom, and authority comes from on high. Crowns symbolize power, rank, honor, victory, elevation, wealth, reward, perfection, and achievement. The jewels of a crown are witnesses to the wealth of a kingdom. Magical crowns grant various powers to those who don them. In China, a crown covering the ears or the eyes symbolizes the desire to avoid hearing gossip or seeing evil. To Christians, crowns are visual representations of the favor of God; the rewards of the faithful, especially martyrs; and victory over sin and death.
Since crowns bestow honor upon their wearers, anything which blesses or brings praise to a person may be compared to a crown. An excellent wife, wisdom, wealth, the gray hair of the righteous, and grandchildren are as crowns to a man (Prov 4:9; 12:4; 14:18, 24; 16:31; 17:6). Samaria was called the "crown of pride" because, as the capital of Israel, she led the nation in drunkenness and idolatry -- things esteemed by the foolish (Isa 28:1-3). Fallen crowns indicate the collapse of a kingdom or monarchy (Jer 13:18; Lam 5:16; Ezek 21:26). In Old Testament times, this was usually taken as a sign that one had fallen out of favor with God. Because of His divine election, Christ's crown shall flourish forever while his enemies shall have nothing but shame with which to cover their heads (Psa 132:18). During the Millennial kingdom, the LORD of hosts will be as a "crown of glory and a diadem of beauty to the remnant of His people" (Isa 28:5). Jerusalem will be God's crown and the Jewish Diaspora (Jews scattered among the nations) will be the jewels in it (Isa 62:3; Zec 9:16).
The Lord bestows upon or crowns His children with lovingkindness, tender mercies, glory, and honor (Psa 8:5; 103:4; Heb 2:7-9). He also crowns the year with goodness (Psa 65:11). Crowns were once used in baptismal ceremonies to illustrate the initiate being crowned with Christ.
People who fell out of favor with earthly or heavenly kings found their crowns removed and given to others (Est 2:17; 8:15). In the midst of trying times, both Job and David complained that the Lord had removed the crowns from their heads so that they now lived in shame and fear rather than in the esteem and joy once considered signs of God's favor (Job 19:9; Psa 89:39). When kings fell in battle, their crowns were placed on the heads of their captors. David killed the man who brought him Saul's crown (2 Sam 1:10). He later took one from the king of Rabbah which weighed seventy pounds (2 Sam 12:30; 1 Chr 20:2). When an Israelite become king he was to be given a copy of the Law to go with his crown (2 Ki 11:12; 2 Chr 23:11).
Power increases in respect to the number of crowns one has. Jesus is crowned with many crowns as representations of His many victories, virtues, and the number of nations He rules over (Rev 19:12). God the Father may be pictured wearing a five-tiered crown. The Pope wears a triple crown in honor of the Trinity. In Egypt, Pharaoh wore a double crown to signify his rule over the two kingdoms of Northern and Southern Egypt. The locusts sent to torment the earth in the last days wear gold-like crowns upon their heads as symbols of their authority to attack, and of their previous victories over their enemies (Rev 9:7). The ten crowns of the beast of Revelation indicate his power over the nations and may represent ten countries united under his evil rule (Rev 13:1).
Crowns probably originated as wreaths of leaves or flowers. In Greco-Roman tradition, such wreaths were worn by gods, kings, priests, sacrificial victims, idols, the dead, worshipers, and those asking favors of the gods. These crowns were usually made from the leaves or flowers of a plant sacred to the god being celebrated or addressed. They were meant to attract his attention. One legend states that a crown of light guided Theseus through the Labyrinth so that he could attack and slay the Minotaur. Crowns and wreaths take on the attributes of the materials they are made of; evergreen wreaths signify triumph and immortality.
Victor's wreaths, known as stephanos, were given to the winners of Greek athletic competitions. Each of their major competitions was dedicated to a particular god whose sacred plant was used to create the stephanos for that event. For example: the winner of the Pythian games, dedicated to Apollo, received the laurel crown and the winner of the Isthmian games was rewarded with the pine crown of Poseidon.
The New Testament often uses the Greek "stephanos" for the crowns to be received by believers. These include: the crown of righteousness to be given to all who long for Christ's return (2 Tim 4:8); the crown of life to be given to those who, by enduring temptations and persecutions, prove that they love the Lord (James 1:12; Rev 2:11); and the crown of glory reserved for the shepherds of the Church (1 Pet 5:4). Both Jesus and Paul warned the early churches to practice self-discipline as an athlete does and guard against threats to their crowns (1 Cor 9:25; 2 Tim 2:5; Rev 3:11). The world chases after perishable crowns, but in Christ we have an imperishable one (1 Cor 9:25; Rev 27:24). The Apostle Paul thought of his converts in Philippi and Thessalonia as his crowns, for he desired no greater reward than their salvation (Phil 4:1; 1 Th 2:19).
Wreaths and crowns were worn by brides, grooms, nuns taking their final vows, and the deceased as symbols of the joy they expected to find in the new state they were entering. Since crowns share in the attributes of circles, these wreaths also represented transition, eternity, and the unity the brides would soon experience with their husbands and the dead now enjoyed with their God (Song 3:11).
Heavenly beings were expected to wear crowns, especially crowns of light, as emblems of divine glory, spiritual elevation, enlightenment, and victory over their lower inclinations. The Jewish high priest wore a diadem or nezer inscribed with the words "HOLINESS TO THE LORD" on his turban so that the Lord would not look upon his sins when he came to offer sacrifices on behalf of the Israelites (Ex 29:6, 39:30; Lev 8:9). Jewish priests and others often wore wreaths of flowers during festivals. The twenty-four elders in Heaven continually "cast their crowns before the throne" of God as they worship Him (Rev 4:4, 10). During his vision, John saw Jesus sitting on a white cloud, wearing a golden crown and holding a sharp sickle (Rev 14:14). In Medieval times Sophia (the personification of Faith, Hope, and Wisdom) and Ecclesia (the Church personified) were depicted wearing their crowns properly while Synagogue (the anti-Semitic embodiment of Judaism) was portrayed wearing a tilted crown to symbolize her fall from grace.
The martyr's crown is an attribute of many saints and represents their victories over sin and death. Other saints my be depicted with crowns as symbols of the royal crowns they wore in life or, in the case of nuns, the wedding crowns they received when they became the brides of Christ. The crown of St. Louis of Tourlouse is usually placed at his feet in token of his refusal of the throne in order to join the order of St. Francis. Veronica and Mary Magdalene are portrayed with the crown of thorns on account of their close association with the Passion of Jesus Christ. St. Catherine of Siena may wear a crown of thorns in memory of the stigmata which she received. The monk's tonsure is shaved in imitation of Christ's crown of thorns. The archangels, Michael and Gabriel may wear crowns as emblems of their royalty, authority, and heavenly natures.
Mary, as the Queen of Heaven is depicted with a crown containing twelve stars or jewels which represent the twelve tribes of Israel and the twelve disciples. As the Mother of Sorrows (Mater Dolorosa), she wears her Son's crown of thorns. The rose without thorns is an image of the Virgin of the Immaculate Conception.
In Christian symbolism, thorns and thistles represent the fall of man, sin, sorrows, trials, snares, adversity, enemies, temptations, the wicked, and the Passion of Jesus Christ. Thorns came upon the earth when the Lord cursed the ground to punish Adam's transgression (Gen 3:18). Christ, therefore, wore the symbol of sin and punishment as He atoned for our sins. The Lord warned the Israelites that if they did not utterly destroy the Canaanites, the remnants would become thorns in their sides and eyes (Num 33:55; Josh 23:13; Judg 2:3). These thorns would not merely be irritants but would also entangle the Israelites in the worship of Canaanite gods and blind them to the true faith. The Apostle Paul received a mysterious "thorn in the flesh" which, although painful, prevented him from becoming filled with pride because of the marvelous visions granted to him (2 Cor 12:7). Many speculate that this thorn was a persistent illness, eye disease, persecutor, or temptation. The thorns on rose bushes illustrate the antithesis and the close connection between joy and pain. A skull with a crown of thorns is an emblem of eternal damnation.
Thorns, as representations of uncultivated ground, are symbols of desolation and fields or cities which have been abandoned due to plague, war, laziness, or ruined soil (Prov 24:31; Job 5:5; 2 Esdras 16:32; Isa 5:6; 7:19-25; 32:13; 34:13; Jer 12:13; Hosea 9:6; 10:8). During the Millennial kingdom, cypress trees (symbols of the righteous) will flourish where thorns (symbols of the wicked) were once the sole inhabitants (Isa 55:13). This allegory represents a lifting of the curse of the ground; a change in the hearts of men; and a reversal of the results of Adam's fall. On the other hand, uncultivated land and its thorns are symbols of virginity and a bride may wear a thorny or floral wreath at her wedding as a sign of her purity.
Thorns are considered the horns or weapons of a plant. Therefore, thorny plants such as the rose are symbols of the crescent moon. Thick thorns may act like hedges, blocking paths so that people cannot go where they wish. According to Proverbs, the lazy person invents thorny hedges so that he doesn't have to work towards his goals and the wicked person is pricked or blocked in by thorns of his own making (Prov 15:19; 22:5). The Lord warned Israel that He would hedge up her way with thorns so that she could no longer find her way to her idols (Ezek 2:6). In Micah's day, Judah's leaders were so corrupt that they were compared to thorns and briars which entangled and tore all who came in contact with them (Micah 7:4). Gideon used thorns to tear the flesh of the men of Succoth in retaliation for their refusal to feed his army (Judg 8:7, 16). Pricking briars and painful thorns will be but a memory in the Millennial kingdom (Ezek 28:24).
A "lily among thorns" is an emblem of innocents such as Mary and the Church in a wicked world. Although tares (representing the wicked) must be allowed to grow up with the wheat (symbolizing the righteous) lest the crop be damaged, their ends are quite different. At harvest time, the tares are "gathered and thrown into the fires" while the wheat is gathered into the Master's barns (Mt 13:24-30). Since thorns burn very quickly, the wicked and their plots are frequently consumed like thorns in a fire to contrast the swiftness of God's justice with the frailty of the wicked (2 Sam 23:6-7; Psa 58:9, 118:12; Eccl 7:6; Isa 9:18; 10:17; 33:12; Heb 6:4-8). The righteous are warned not to "sow among the thorns" nor be afraid of them for if the good seed (symbolizing the Gospel) falls among the thorns (representing the lusts and cares of the world) it is choked and becomes unfruitful (Jer 4:3; Ezek 2:6; Mt 13:3-8; 19-22; Mk 4:7, 18; Lk 8:7, 14). The Savior put forth the impossible picture of men gathering figs from thorns, to illustrate that a person's heart is known by their deeds just as a tree is known by its fruit (Lk 6:44-45).
During the Mocking of Jesus Christ, Roman soldiers placed a crown of thorns upon His head and gave Him a reed for a scepter. They mockingly bowed before Him and cried out, "Hail, King of the Jews!" (Mt 27:29; Mk 15:17; John 19:2). In the past, the thorns of this crown were believed to be large, painful, sharp, and even blinding. However, many Bible scholars such as Eastman and Clarke write that, although prickly and humiliating, the crown of thorns was not meant to be an instrument of torture. Augustine speculates that Pilate may have ordered or permitted the mock crowning of Christ, hoping to inspire enough pity in the hearts of the Jewish mob to save His life (John 19:5; St. Augustine - Lectures or Tractates on St. John).
Although it is not known whether Jesus was still wearing the crown of thorns when He was crucified, it has become an ironic symbol of the contempt which the world showed for the King of Kings as He gave up His life for them. Jesus is the King of Martyrs and the crown of thorns is often portrayed upon a cross as a symbol of the heavenly honors awaiting those mocked or persecuted for the Christian faith. Thistles and all thorny plants (because of their association with sin) and holly wreaths (whose berries were white until reddened by drops of the Savior's blood) are symbols of the crown of thorns. The goldfinch, because it eats thorns and thistles, often appears in pictures of the Christ Child as a prophetic emblem of the Passion.
St. Louis, King of France, was given a relic believed to be Christ's crown of thorns by the Emperor of Constantinople in gratitude for his military assistance. He carried the crown barefooted to its new home in Sens and eventually built the Sainte Chapelle in Paris to house it along with other relics of Christ's Passion. He is often depicted meditating upon the glory of the crown of thorns compared to the insignificance of this own royal crown. Thorns of the crown were given to various churches and one still exists in the British Museum.
All scripture quotes are from the NKJV Bible unless otherwise indicated.
Comments© 1998 by Suzetta Tucker
To cite this page:
Tucker, Suzetta. "The Weapons of Christ - Crown of Thorns."
ChristStory Christian Bestiary. 1998. http://ww2.netnitco.net/users/legend01/crown
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