Crown of Life

Revelation 2:10c – “Be faithful unto death, and I will give you the crown of life.”

            The idea of the “Crown of Life” promised here is not taken from the ornamental headdress worn by kings as a symbol of their status, power and authority.  It is rather from the idea of the crown of a plant, which is indeed a crown of Life.

            The crown of a plant is that amazing cell or clump of cells from which the plant grows and increases.  It is the life-producing part which reaches upward toward the light of the sun and multiplies itself continually.  Some plants will die if this crown is destroyed.  Others will create new crowns at the leaf junctures.  In any case, the plant grows only from the crown.

            The idea of the king’s crown no doubt originated from the plant crown.  It indicates a life source, or eternal life.  When associated with mortal kingship, it is therefore a form of idolatry, since it is ascribing attributes of deity to a mortal man.  A prominent and enduring motif of this symbol is the fleur de lis, combining the idea of the plant crown and the king’s crown.