Texts in Conversation
The Wisdom of Solomon and Revelation both similarly interpret language from Isaiah, describing the reward for the faithful using the image of a crown, connecting endurance and righteousness to lasting honor.
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2500 BCE
1000+ CE
Wisdom of Solomon 5:15
Deuterocanon
14 Because the hope of the ungodly man is like chaff carried by the wind, and as thin frost driven away by a tempest; and is scattered like smoke by the wind, and passes by as the remembrance of a guest who stays just a day. 15 But the righteous live forever. Their reward is in the Lord, and the care for them with the Most High. 16 Therefore they will receive the crown of royal dignity and the diadem of beauty from the Lord’s hand, because he will cover them with his right hand, and he will shield them with his arm. 17 He will take his zeal as complete armor, and will make the whole creation his weapons to punish his enemies:
Date: 50 BCE – 50 CE (based on scholarly estimates)
Revelation 2:10
New Testament
9 ‘I know the distress you are suffering and your poverty (but you are rich). I also know the slander against you by those who call themselves Jews and really are not, but are a synagogue of Satan. 10 Do not be afraid of the things you are about to suffer. The devil is about to have some of you thrown into prison so you may be tested, and you will experience suffering for ten days. Remain faithful even to the point of death, and I will give you the crown that is life itself. 11 The one who has an ear had better hear what the Spirit says to the churches. The one who conquers will in no way be harmed by the second death.’
Date: 92–96 CE (based on scholarly estimates)
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Notes and References
"... A crown of glory is a symbol of honor in the Hebrew Bible. In Psalm 8:5, humanity is crowned with glory and honor, as an indication of being only a little lower than angels. In 1QHa 27:25 the scoffing of an enemy is transformed into a crown of glory. It can also have an eschatological connotation. According to Wisdom of Solomon 5:15-16, “the righteous live forever, and their reward is with the Lord ... Therefore they will receive a glorious crown and a beautiful diadem from the hand of the Lord.” In Revelation 2:10, a crown of life is a reward for fidelity unto death ..."
John J. Collins, "The Angelic Life" in Seim, Turid Karlsen and Økland, Jorunn. Metamorphoses: Resurrection, Body and Transformative Practices in Early Christianity (Berlin: De Gruyter, 2009), 294.
* The use of references are not endorsements of their contents. Please read the entirety of the provided reference(s) to understand the author's full intentions regarding the use of these texts.
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