Crown

Definition and Meaning

The Korean term myeollyugwan (冕旒冠), used in Korean Bibles for "crown," originally referred to the ceremonial headdress worn by East Asian monarchs. Strings of beads, called ryu (旒), hung from the front and back of a flat board set atop the cap. Korean Bibles use this word chiefly to translate the New Testament Greek stephanos, a wreath of leaves placed on the head of a victor in athletic contests or of someone who had performed a notable deed. For this reason, the crown in Scripture conveys "a token of victory and honor" more strongly than royal authority. The New Testament also uses diadēma, which denotes kingship, in several passages of Revelation; the New Korean Revised Version renders this term as "crown" (gwan) or "royal crown" (wanggwan).

Biblical Background

In the Old Testament, the crown serves as a figure of honor and glory. Proverbs calls a virtuous woman "a crown to her husband" (Proverbs 12:4) and the hoary head "a crown of glory" (Proverbs 16:31).

In the New Testament, the crown frequently denotes the reward to be given on the last day.

• Crown of righteousness: 2 Timothy 4:7–8
• Crown of life: James 1:12; Revelation 2:10
• Crown of glory that fadeth not away: 1 Peter 5:4
• Crown of rejoicing: 1 Thessalonians 2:19. Paul used this expression for the believers to whom he had preached the gospel.
• Paul contrasted athletes who seek "a corruptible crown" with believers who hope for "an incorruptible" one (1 Corinthians 9:25).

The Gospels describe the crown of thorns that Roman soldiers placed on Jesus in mockery (Matthew 27:29; John 19:2). In Revelation 4:10, the twenty-four elders cast their crowns before the throne.

Doctrinal Interpretation

How the crown passages are read is bound up with the doctrine of rewards, and interpretations differ.

• One view regards the crowns as rewards given in differing measure according to a believer's faithfulness. Those holding this view sometimes group the passages above and teach them as "the five crowns."
• Another view reads "the crown of life" as "the crown that is life." In this view, the crown is not a graded reward but a figure for eternal life and salvation itself.
• The Reformed tradition emphasizes that rewards, too, are given by grace. In this connection, the saying of Augustine is often quoted: "When God crowns our merits, He crowns nothing other than His own gifts."
• The Catholic Church teaches that good works performed by the aid of grace become meritorious.
• The Wesleyan tradition reads Revelation 3:11, "that no man take thy crown," as a genuine warning that one must keep the faith to the end. By contrast, those who hold to the perseverance of the saints understand the verse as a means by which God enables the saints to endure.

Usage in the Korean Church

Revelation 2:10, "be thou faithful unto death, and I will give thee a crown of life," is cited very frequently in the Korean church. It is commonly used in sermons at ordination services for elders and gwonsa (exhorters), at memorial services for martyrs, and at funeral services to honor the life of the deceased. During Holy Week, the crown of thorns appears in pulpit decorations and devotional materials as a symbol of Christ's sufferings. Hymns that celebrate Christ's kingship and call believers to offer crowns to the Lord are also widely sung.