The Five Crowns, also known as the Five Heavenly Crowns, is a concept in Christian theology that pertains to various biblical references to the righteous's eventual reception of a crown after the Last Judgment.[2] Proponents of this concept interpret these passages as specifying five separate crowns, these being the Crown of Life; the Incorruptible Crown; the Crown of Righteousness; the Crown of Glory; and the Crown of Exultation.[2] In the Greek language, stephanos (στέφανος) is the word for crown and is translated as such in the Bible, especially in versions descending from the King James Version.[3] These five rewards can be earned by believers, according to the New Testament, as "rewards for faithfulness in this life".[4]
As we have seen, when the Lord returns, he will judge believers for their works (Rom. 14:10; 1 Cor. 3:11-15; 4:5; 2 Co. 5:10). Everyone will be asked to give an account of the use he has made of the talents (Matt. 25:14-30), the pounds or minas (Luke 19:11-27), and the opportunities (Matt. 20:1-16) that have been entrusted to him. The day will declare whether a man has built of wood, hay, and straw or of gold, silver, and precious stones (1 Cor. 3:12). If of the former, his works will be burnt up, and yet he will be saved so as through fire (v. 15); if of the latter, he will receive a reward (v. 14). Scripture lists several crowns or trophies: the incorruptible or imperishable crown (1 Cor. 9:25), the crown of righteousness (2 Tim. 4:8), the crown of life (James 1:12; Rev. 2:10), the crown of glory (1 Pet. 5:4), and the crown of rejoicing or exultation (1 Thess. 2:19; cf. Phil. 4:1).
In AV, 'crown' represents two Gr. words: (1) stephanos (whence sephanoō, 'to crown'), (2) diadema; the former being the badge of merit of victory, the latter (found only in Rev 123 131 1912) the mark of royalty.