Port Tobacco times, and Charles County advertiser., 1889-08-02
THE CROWN OF THoRNs.
Something About the Wreath With Which
Our Savior's Head Was Adorned.

Something About the Wreath With Which
Our Savior's Head Was Adorned.
An Interesting communication in
your paper entitled, The Crown of
Thorns." invites comment from any of
your readers whose research has been
directed as to the especial plant from
which the crown was woven, writes a
Connecticut correspondent of the New
York Herald.
The popular conception of the crown
of thorns, representing twisted
branch of bare thorns resting upon the
Saviors brow, is derived from ancient
religious paintings. the tradition is
sanctioned also in carved crucifxes,
ancient and modern. The design is
graceful. and the bleeding wounds in
fiicted by the long, sharp spines are
intended to indicate suffering.
No authority is advanced for such a
presentation of the subject other than
license accorded to painters imagina-
ton, and that which was in part de-
signed for graceful, artistic effect has
now crystallized into acceptance
through tradition.
Whatever evidence we have concern
ing the real crown which encircled the
Savior's brow is to be found in the
scriptures themselves.
Twelve times the word thorns is re-
peated in the new testament The oc-
casions are in connection with Christ's
speaking concerning 'gathering figs
or grapes from thorns." the parable of
the sower whose seed fell among tnorns
and in the narratives of the crowning
of the Savior with thorns by Roman
soldiers in Pilates judgment hall. In
each instance the Greek text gives the
word dkdntsa, the lexicons translating
it thorn, thorn bush in the sense
of plant. The only remaining oc-
currence in the new testament is in II.
Corinthians xiii, Z. were Paul speaks
of "a thorn in the hesh," in which it is
skolops, translated in the lexicons, q
thorn, anything pointed. as a sharp.
pointed spino quite distant from .
thorn plant
The savior in asking whether men
gather figs or grapes Apo akamthoom e1
akanthOon, manifestly refers to leaf
bearing trees or shrubs of the thorn
species, as the context plainly shows.
and not the spina growing thereon.
So the crown of thorns is also de-
scribed in the Greek as Stephanon ex
dkanttoon. referring to the plants, not
to the spines upon the plants.
Tne akantha or the acanthus, its
Latin derivative, is one Of many
species of the thorn. OF the acanthus
there are several varieties.
The most familiar association of the
word with US is in designation Of that
shrub with curling leaves. clustered
on short stocky stem, from which the
Greeks modelled the graceful capitals
of their CorInthian columns. But
there is an acanthus having oblong
dark green glossy leaves, resembling
the laurel. Like the laurel, it bears q
small berry; but unlike the laurel, its
ro:ad and pliart branches are COW
cred with fine prickles.
1t is very common in Syria and is
known as the Zizyphus Spi,.a Ctyisti.
The purpose of the soldiers was not
to inflict torture, nor then and there
to shed one drop of blood. BY divine
ordinance Cnrist's blood was to be
shed only upon the cross. Nor was it
their purpose to adorn his head with
q garland of flowers.
The branch gathered By one Of your
correspondents party, on the road to
Jerusalem, is described as thickly COW
cred with pink blossoms resembling
the towering almond. concealing be-
meath the blossoms long. sharp thorns.
Your correspondent raises the ques-
ton whether this lowering thorn nay
not have formed the true crown. But
such n chaplet would accord with the
Greek custom of adorning the heads
of those who sat ut feasts with wreaths
of flowers.
In this crowning of the Savior we
have Roman custom. A victorious
general received from his soldiers .
wreath of laurels on the day Of his
triumph.
Jesus had not only proclaimed him
self a KING. but the victor over death
and had claimed all power as given
into his hand. In ridicule OF these
pretensions the Roman soldiers ac-
tually invested him with the royal pur-
pie. placed a mock laurel wreath upon
his head and in his right had reed,
scepter of Judah's kings. Intended in
mockery. they unsuspectingly literally
and publicly invested him with the
insignia of sovereignty. so recognizing
the act even to the bended knee.
The royal purple typifies rightful
king. The wreath. victory and tri-
umph. The reed or scepter, domin-
ion.
The Rharton stephanon, corruptible
crown. referred to in ]. Corinthians
tx, 25, as the reward of the victor in
the Corinthian games, was simply q
wreath of the wild olive or of the lau-
rel. The naturally fading character
of a mere ehaplet of branches and
leaves is thus pointedly referred to.
In modern times crown is to us al
most exclusively associated with the
emolem of sovereignty upon the heads
Of princes. So there is no reason for
retaining the English word ..crown"
in any of these passages as a transla-
tion for stephanon. The lexicons all
equally authorize wreath, and the
sense demands.it.
We may. then more accurately pic
ture the Savior standing among the
soldiers with wreath of the acanthus
upon his head. and dismiss those con-
ceptions from our minds concerning
him which have no other foundation
than human imagination.
Holy writ is its own interpreter
''Search the scriptures. for in them ye
think ye have eternal life and these
are they which testify of me.