Cross and Crown
This cross should need no introduction for Christians, since it symbolises their basic beliefs: Jesus died on the cross wearing a crown of thorns, and rose again to be to be crowned Christ the King.
Cross and Crown
Cross and Crown
Cross and a crown of thorns
Crown with a portate St. Gilbert's Cross
Crowns are often spiked, like rays of the Sun. This is no coincidence, since crowns have long been associated with power bestowed on the wearer by the ancient Sun god. Thus they are worn by royalty and those in supreme authority, and granted to those who deserve to wear them. Throughout the Bible1 we can read promises of the ultimate crown to all who are worthy. Interestingly, the first reference in the Bible to 'thorns' is when God created them as punishment to Adam for his disobedience. Christ accepted the crown of thorns as a symbol of sin and punishment to atone for our sins.
The crown of thorns was an attempt by the soldiers to mock Jesus, as they also did by placing a plaque atop the cross and a scarlet robe over Him2. (See also Arms of Christ.) The crown of thorns also reminds us that whilst we might suffer on Earth (the cross) the ultimate reward to those who believe in Christ will be eternal life in Heaven (the crown).
The cross in this symbol is sometimes depicted at an angle (see St. Gilbert's Cross, as it would have been when Jesus dragged it up the hill at Golgotha. The crown in this symbol can be in the normal wearing position or up-ended like the circle in a Celtic Cross. Whether the cross is adorned with a crown studded with jewels or a rough crown of thorns, the message is the same. (See Unique Crucifixion by Rev. David Linde).
For some Christian monks, it used to be common to shave the crown of the head leaving a circle of hair known as a tonsure. There were several reasons for this and one was to remind the wearer of the crown of thorns.
A relic of the crown worn by Jesus currently lies in Notre Dame, Paris, and has been identified as Zizyphus Spine Christi. This species of thorny bush still grows around Jerusalem. The cross and crown symbol is used by several churches; Baptists, Lutherans, Catholic for example. The symbol is not exclusively Christian - it is also used by Freemasons, and from there became a logo for both the Christian Scientists and the Jehovah's Witnesses3. A related heraldic cross is the Engrailed Cross.
See also the crown in the Claddagh Cross, the Military Cross and the Lutheran Cross of the Church of Sweden.
1 : Psalm 103:1-4, 149:4, Isaiah 35:10, 1 Corinthians 9:25, 2 Timothy 4:8, James 1:12, 1 Peter 5:4, Revelation 2:10
2 : Matthew 27:29, Mark 15:17, John 19:2, 5
3 : The five-starred crown with cross is currently a Christian Science trademark. Their founder, Mary Baker Eddy, is reported to have had strong links with Freemasonry and married a Freemason. The same symbol appeared as a logo on the early issues (1891 onwards) of the Jehovah's Witness Watchtower magazine, and features on the pyramid memorial of the religion's founder, Charles Taze Russell. He is also believed to have been a Freemason and member of the Skull and Bones Society, whose business name is the Russell Trust Association. The symbol was abandoned by the Jehovah's Witnesses in 1931, saying it conflicted with their beliefs about the cross.
