Thorns

THORNS. The Crown of Thorns, with which our Saviour was crowned at his Passion, has given a good deal of Exercise to learned Men. Thomas Bartholine has made a Dissertation upon this Subject, which is printed with his Treatise upon the Cross of our Saviour. All the Evangelists take express notice that our Saviour was crowned with Thorns: But they do not tell us with what kind of Thorns, nor for what end he was thus crown’d. There is great Likelihood that it was to insult him, and to rally his pretended Royalty. To add Pain to their Insult, the Soldiers made choice of Thorns, to tear and wound his Head. Christus Jesus quale, oro te, sertum pro utroque sexu subiit? - - - Certe præter figuram contumelia in promptu est, & turpitudo, & dedecoratio, & his implexa sævitia, quæ tunc Domini tempora & fœdaverunt & laurinaverunt. Tertull. de corona Militis.

But what kind of Thorns did the Soldiers make choice of, to crown our Saviour with? It is generally understood of the Rubus, which bears a small Fruit called Sloes; its Blossoms are white, and it brings forth Thorns with its Leaves. There are some that believe, that as in this Country the Thorns were then in blossom at that Season, the Soldiers chose those Thorns on purpose, to make him a Garland or Crown of Flowers, which being full of Thorns, might at the same time insult him, and put him to pain.

Others observe,¹ that in Palestine, and especially about Jerusalem, the Thorns here mentioned are now not to be found; but only the Rhamnus, or Buck-thorn. Therefore there is great Probability that the Soldiers took of this Thorn, which was to be found at Hand, and the Evangelists intended nothing else, by the general Name of Thorns.

Some are for the Acacia, because this Tree is called a Thorne; in Greek, Acanthe, without any Addition.

Marcel. Empiric. c. 23.Others have declared for the White-Thorn, or Haw-thorn, which is a very common Shrub, and has stiff and hard Prickles. Its Blossoms are white and odoriferous.

The Sea-rush, or Juncus Marinus, has also its Partizans.² It is armed with a very sharp Point at the end; and it is said, that the Prickles of the Holy Crown, which is shewn in several Places, have a great Resemblance to the Points of the Sea-rush. Durand, who is one of the most ancient that have examined into this matter, (for it was brought to Paris when he was a Child) says, it was of the Juncus Marinus.³ Others, who have also examined it in our Days, both at the Holy Chapel, and at Notre-dame of Paris, where they preserve a Part of it, are of the same Opinion. M. Baillet observes, that the Holy Crown which is preserved at the Holy Chapel of Paris,

Vol. III. has lost all its Thorns, the last being torn away in the time of Lewis XIII.

Others in great numbers⁴ are against this Opinion, as being contrary to the Text of the Evangelists, who have mentioned Thorns, and not the Sea-rush; which besides, was not proper for the Soldiers Designs, because it has but one Prickle at its Dissert. de Spineâ coronâ.end. Bartholin concurs with those that are against the Juncus Marinus. He quotes Delrio, who said he often examined the Holy Crown, which is kept at Paris, and had seen others in other Places, both in Spain, Flanders, and elsewhere, and that he could never observe any thing in them that resembled the Sea-rush; but always the Buck-thorn, or, in general, a large round Thorn. Such still is that which is kept at Trieves, and which we have caused to be engraven after Mazenius.⁵ See it in its true Magnitude, under the Article Lance.

It is also disputed, whether our Saviour wore his Crown of Thorns upon the Cross, or whether it was taken from him when they stripp’d him of his Cloaths. Opinions are divided upon this, and it is impossible to reconcile them, and to determine the Difficulty, the sacred Writers having said nothing of the matter. Nor has ancient History informed us of the manner in which the Holy Crown has been preserved, and handed down to us. It is also very difficult to believe, that all the Thorns, and all the Parts of the Holy Crown, which are shewn in different Places, can proceed from that one Crown of our Saviour.

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