The grass crown was a rare and most prestigious Roman crown. It was presented to the military leader that broke a blockade around a Roman army under siege, saving it from destruction. It was made from grass, wild flowers, and other flora that were gathered from the very spot of land where the army was besieged. Here is a quote from the Roman historian Pliny, who wrote about the grass crown in his book, Natural History:
To repeat, the grass crown was made out of the flora (or plants) that was gathered from the very spot where the army was besieged. They placed that crown on their savior’s head. It is amazing to me that this historical fact could be such a precise metaphor for a doctrinal truth in Christian theology. Read this from Genesis, chapter 3, verses 17-19:
Metaphorically speaking, the above text describes the very spot where humanity was… besieged by sin, by evil. Humanity previously sinned and at this point was facing the consequences. We commonly refer to this part of the “Fall” as the curse. Satan was cursed. Woman was cursed. Man was cursed. Understand that it is NOT that God was punishing the wayward. God was just explaining the consequences of their actions. For the sake of brevity and precision, I am skipping over the curse of Eve and the fallen angel we call Satan.
THE CURSE OF MAN
Because of man, “cursed is the ground”. The earth itself is cursed. The words “in sorrow shalt thou eat of it” tell us that we exist in sorrow and actually feed from what is cursed all the days of our life – I think this refers to the spiritual, as well as the physical. Because of the curse, from the ground come “thorns also and thistles”. Things that prick us and things that we cannot eat… even choke us. Thorns and thistles threaten our harvests. Clearly, this has profound spiritual applications as well, as does the words “in the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread”. So we see that the text speaks of an immense struggle to survive, physically… and spiritually. From the spiritual perspective, the thorns and thistles can refer to ideas from other religions that actually hinder our communion with God. Or this can refer to scientific ideas like the Big Bang Theory and evolution in their traditional forms (but some details of these theories seem sound and compliment my understanding of God). The thorns and thistles can even represent ideas against God that we come up with individually. In our strenuous efforts to harvest an understanding of God and creation, there are the troublesome metaphorical thorns and thistles. Of course, we end up losing our physical and spiritual struggle to survive, and our bodies “return” to “dust”. Is there any hope?
But as for the crown of grass, it was never conferred except at a crisis of extreme desperation, never voted except by the acclamation of the whole army, and never to any one but to him who had been its preserver. Other crowns were awarded by the generals to the soldiers, this alone by the soldiers, and to the general. This crown is known also as the "obsidional" crown, from the circumstance of a beleaguered army being delivered, and so preserved from fearful disaster. If we are to regard as a glorious and a hallowed reward the civic crown presented for preserving the life of a single citizen, and him, perhaps, of the very humblest rank, what, pray, ought to be thought of a whole army being saved, and indebted for its preservation to the valour of a single individual.
To repeat, the grass crown was made out of the flora (or plants) that was gathered from the very spot where the army was besieged. They placed that crown on their savior’s head. It is amazing to me that this historical fact could be such a precise metaphor for a doctrinal truth in Christian theology. Read this from Genesis, chapter 3, verses 17-19:
And unto Adam he said, Because thou hast hearkened unto the voice of thy wife, and hast eaten of the tree, of which I commanded thee, saying, Thou shalt not eat of it: cursed is the ground for thy sake; in sorrow shalt thou eat of it all the days of thy life; Thorns also and thistles shall it bring forth to thee; and thou shalt eat the herb of the field; In the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread, till thou return unto the ground; for out of it wast thou taken: for dust thou art, and unto dust shalt thou return.
Metaphorically speaking, the above text describes the very spot where humanity was… besieged by sin, by evil. Humanity previously sinned and at this point was facing the consequences. We commonly refer to this part of the “Fall” as the curse. Satan was cursed. Woman was cursed. Man was cursed. Understand that it is NOT that God was punishing the wayward. God was just explaining the consequences of their actions. For the sake of brevity and precision, I am skipping over the curse of Eve and the fallen angel we call Satan.
THE CURSE OF MAN
Because of man, “cursed is the ground”. The earth itself is cursed. The words “in sorrow shalt thou eat of it” tell us that we exist in sorrow and actually feed from what is cursed all the days of our life – I think this refers to the spiritual, as well as the physical. Because of the curse, from the ground come “thorns also and thistles”. Things that prick us and things that we cannot eat… even choke us. Thorns and thistles threaten our harvests. Clearly, this has profound spiritual applications as well, as does the words “in the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread”. So we see that the text speaks of an immense struggle to survive, physically… and spiritually. From the spiritual perspective, the thorns and thistles can refer to ideas from other religions that actually hinder our communion with God. Or this can refer to scientific ideas like the Big Bang Theory and evolution in their traditional forms (but some details of these theories seem sound and compliment my understanding of God). The thorns and thistles can even represent ideas against God that we come up with individually. In our strenuous efforts to harvest an understanding of God and creation, there are the troublesome metaphorical thorns and thistles. Of course, we end up losing our physical and spiritual struggle to survive, and our bodies “return” to “dust”. Is there any hope?
