Crown (Hastings' Dictionary)

In OT (both AV and RV) Crown is used to translate .several llcb. words, the particular meanings of which must bo distinguished. 1. The golden fillets or mouldings placed around the ark of the covenant (Kx 25'i 37-), the table of shew- bread (Kx 2f)-'* 37") and its border (Kx 25-5 37'-), and the altar of incenst^ (Kx :!Of-'i 37-"-'''') in the Mosaic tahern.acle are called Crowns (RVm 'rim or monhliiig'). The Heb. word (i.!)

means a cincture like a wreath, and describes rather the foliated appearance of the Ijand than its position on the object to which it was attached. (LXX tr. it by a phra.se meaning ' twisted golden wavelets ' \_Kvix6.Tia XpvaS. arpeirTi] or ' twisted golden crown ' [o-TpeirTJ)i> (TTttfiifriv xpfff^i"] ; Pal. Targ. by ''"? a wreath ; Vulg. by corona, whence Kng. translation. The later Rabbins also describe it as ""v? a crown). The • The Syr. VS roads 'are not.'

530 CROWN CROWN brevity of the description in Ex has occasioned differences of opinion among archieologists as to both its purpose and its position. Some imagine it a rim to prevent objects from falling off. But the border which passed round the table of shewbread, as well as the table itself, had a crown ; nor would the ark need a rim for the purpose suggested. The crown therefore was ornamental. As to its position, Bahr (Symbolik, 1.

377, 378) regards the crown of the ark as an ornamental design placed round its middle, but bis arguments are not conclusive ; and since the crown is said to be ' upon ' (i"^^) the ark, we should doubtless imagine it as placed round the top of the sacred chest as it was round the top of the table of shewbread (see Neumann, Die Stiftshiitte, p. 127). Biihr, however, also denies that ' the border of a handbreadth round about ' the table (Ex 25^) had a crown of itsown (Sijmb. i.

409, citing also the Rabbins Jarcbi and Aben-Ezra ; so Keil, ArchcBol. § 19, but not in his Comm. ; Nowack, He.b. Arch. ii. 60), but the language of Exodus seems clearly to state that it had (Jahn, Archaol. p. 421 : Abarbanal cited by Eiihr ; Neu- mann, p. 96; Bissell, Bibl. Antiq. p. 292). The crown of the altar of incense likewise is placed by some round its top (Carpzov, Appar. Crit. p. 273 ; Neumann, p. 120), by others round its middle (Bahr, i. 378, 419).

But, whatever their positions, tliese crowns were evidently golden wTeaths in- tended for decoration. Assyr. monuments afford examples of similar ornamentations (Neumann, p. 27 ; Layard, Nineveh, ii. 236, 354). 2. Another word tr. Crown (nij) means conse- cration, and is applied to the symbolic ornament worn by the high priest upon his forehead over the mitre (Ex 29« 39»>, Lv 8* 21i») ; and to that worn upon the head by the Heb.

monarch (2 S 1'°, 2 K n", 2 Ch 23", Ps 89»» 132i8, so also Zee 9"). It is also u.sed figuratively for dignity or honour (Pr 27", Nah 3" 'crowned ones'). The high priest's crown (LXX rh TriroKov, Vulg. lamina) was a narrow plate (J"jt) of pure gold, on which was engraved ' Holy to .1".' Tradition represents it as about two fingers broad. It was fastened ' upon the mitre above ' by a piece of blue lace (Ex 28" 39»i).

The Rabbin, com- mentators suppose three ribbons of lace — two from the ends and one from the top of the front of the crown — all tied together at the back of the head. Jos. (Ant. III. vii. 6) describes the high priest's crown as of three rows, one above another, upon which were carved cups of ^old like the calyx of the plant Hyoscyamus, while the plate with the inscription covered the forehead ; but he probably refers to an ornamentation introduced at a late period. Ace.

to 1 Mac 10" a crown was given to the nigh priest Jonathan by Alex. Epiphanes. Braunius (De Vestitu Sacerd. Heb. ch. xxii.) admits that Ex gives no support to Josephus' description. The crown was the symbol of the high priest's special consecration, as the people's representative, to make atonement for sin (Ex 28"). The same terji is also applied to the symbolic headtire of the Heb. king, but no description of it is given (LXX rd Paa'iXeiov, UfPt H^P< ''^ a-ylaaiw.) It was prob.

a light, narrow fillet of silk, perhaps studded with jewels, like the early diadems of E. kings (see DiAUEM). It was light enough to be worn in battle (2 S 1'"). The term indicates that the king, as well as the priest, was divinely consecrated to his office. Hence it is attributed to tlie ideal DaWdic King (Ps 8',)" 132'), and His people are called the stones of their Saviour's Crovm (Zee 9'). 3. The commonest use of Croton in OT (gener- ally as tr. of .Tiya,, LXX ot^^toj, but in Est of V"!

, Gr. KiSapis or Klrapis, LXX SidSujna) corre- sponds with the use of the word in mod. times. It is applied to crowns worn by kings (2 S 12^, 1 Ch 2U", the crown of the king of Rabbah, which weighed a talent of gold ; Est 1" 2" 6' 8", the tiaras of the king and queen of Persia, probably high, jewelled turbans ; see also Is 62^, Jer IS'", Ezk 21") ; to wreaths worn at banquets (Ca 3", Is28'--', Ezk 23") ; and fig.

as an emblem of honour or victory (Job 19» 31^, Ps 8» 21« 65" 103^ Pr 4« 12 14i« [ina] " 16« 17«, La 5", Ezk 16"). In Is 23' Tyre is called ' the crowning city ' because ruling over kingdoms and dispensing crowns. Some have supposed that the kings of Israel had two crowns — the light diadem mentioned above, and a heavier one for state occasions. It has also been inferred from 2 S 12* that the crown taken by David from the king of Rabbah became the state crown, and Jos. {Ant. vn. vii.

5) enlarges the biblical account by stating that ' this crown David ever after wore on his own head.' But there is no positive evidence for this, and only the term lu is used in the Bible for the crown of the Heb. kings.

In Zee 6"- " a crown (•"HPi^) is represented as placed on Joshua, the high priest, to indicate the union of the royal and priestly offices ; but the usual word for the kingly crown of Israel is in this instance apparently avoided because it described also, as has been stated, that of the high priest. The crowns used at banquets were doubtless wreaths of flowers (see Is 28', also Wis 2, 3 Mac 4 7"). Heroes were also received with them (Jth 3'), and dwellings decorated (1 Mac 4"). i.

In 1 Mac 10® 11" 13^ allusion is made to crowns due from the Jews to the Syrian kings, by which are meant, not coins so named, but money tribute, which represented allegiance as formerly the presentation of a crown had done (1 Mac 13", 2 Mac U* ; Jos. Ant. XII. iii. 3, are- (papirris tpopoi; see Levy, Gesch. der Jiid. Mitnzen; Madden, Jewish Coinage). The Heb. has other words synonymous with those mentioned (as ix? head-dress ; I'iy turban ; m/jj dia- dem ; n;i'?

garland), but their consideration does not fall here. The later Jews spoke of three crowns, of the law, the priesthood, and the king, and added ' the crown of a good name' as best of all (Carpzov, Appar. Crit. p. 60 ; Braunius, De Vestitu, p. 634). The word is also used in A V for the top of the head (Gn 49», Dt 33», 2 S 14^, Is 3", Jer 2" 48« ; tr. pate Ps 7", head [RV ' crown of the head '] Dt 33", scalp Ps 68'»).

In NT the A V gives ' Crown ' for two words {<rri- (pavos and SidSrjfia) which RV properly distinguishes. ZT^<payos was not applied by the Greeks to a king's crown. ' It is the crown of victory in the games, of civic worth, of military valour, of nuptial joy, of festal gladness . . the wreath in fact, or the garland . . but never, any more than corona in Latin, the emblem and sign of royalty' (Trench, Si/n. of NT, xxiii. ; see, too, Lightfoot on Ph 4').

Roman law likewise regulated tTie bestow ment o( special coronce as rewards of military valour and civic seirice ; and while it was customary to use crowns on ceremonial and festive occasions, they never symbolized royalty. The word for the latter was diadema (see DiADEM). Tliis distinction is obsen-ed in NT, though not always in the LXX (see 2 S 12', 1 Ch 20^ Ps 21(20), Ezk 2]'», Zee 6"' "). In NT a crown is an emblem of victory or reward. It describes the Christi.

an's final recom- pense (1 Co 9^, Rev 3" 4-"'), specifically called a crown of righteou.sness (2 Ti 4'), of life (Ja 1', Rev V), of glory (1 P 5*). St. Paul applies it to his converts as being his reward (I'h 4', 1 Th 2"). Hence in the Apoc. a crown is represented on the conquering Christ (Rev 6' 14'''), on the symbolic locusts (Rev 9'), and on the 'woman' of ch. 12, as a sign of >'ictory.

In 12' 13' 19'^, on the other liund, the ' dragon ' and the ' beast ' and the kingly Christ have diadems, the 'many diadems' signi- fying Christ's universal empire (see v.'*). Thus Crovm in NT is the emblem of attainment, tha CROWN OF THORNS CUCUMBER reward of service.

Even the ' crown of thorns ' was probably a mock symbol of victory, suggested to the soldiers by the corona of military or civic service ; though Trench remarks that ' woven of such materials as it was, SiiSrum could not be ajifilied to it.' While the use of crowns among the Greeks and Romans seems to have originated with the athletic games, — allusions to which are made by St.

Paul in the places cited above, — and while the crown docs not appear in Homer as an emblem of victory, later traditions attributed its invention to one or other of the gods. Tliose traditions are collected by Tertullian in his tract De Corona, in which he violently inveighs against the use of crowns by Christians. LmSATCRB. — PaachaHuB, Corona ; Meuraiiis, D« Coronis ; FabriciuB, Bibliographia Antiqvaria\ Keland, AntiguUat€» tacr. vttn-. Hettr. ; BriLuniua. De \'fttHu itacerU, Bfbr.

; Jiihn's ftnd Keil's Bib. Arch. ; Bahr, Symboiik det iloKaUrhen CuUlui ; Nowack, Hil/r. Archaol. G. T. I'L'KVES.