Serving as a reward

στέφανος, ου, ὁ (s. next entry; Hom.+)

① a wreath made of foliage or designed to resemble foliage and worn by one of high status or held in high regard, wreath, crown. Hs 8, 2, 1ab. Jesus’ ‘crown of thorns’ Mt 27:29; Mk 15:17; J 19:2, 5; GPt 3:8 (on the crowning w. thorns and mocking of Jesus s. FCumont, AnalBoll 16, 1897, 3ff; LParmentier, Le roi des Saturnales: RevPhilol, n.s. 21, 1897, 143ff; PWendland, Jesus als Saturnalienkönig: Her 33, 1898, 175–79; WPaton, ZNW 2, 1901, 339–41; SReinach, Le roi supplicié: L’Anthropologie 33, 1902, 621ff; HReich, D. König m. der Dornenkrone 1905 [=NJklA 13, 1904, 705–33]; HVollmer, ZNW 6, 1905, 194–98, 8, 1907, 320f, Jesus u. das Sacäenopfer 1905; KLübeck, Die Dornenkrönung Christi 1906; JGeffcken, Her 41, 1906, 220–29; KKastner, Christi Dornenkrönung u. Verspottung durch die röm. Soldateska: BZ 6, 1908, 378–92, ibid. 9, 1911, 56; TBirt, PJ 137,1909, 92–104; HAllroggen, Die Verspottung Christi: ThGl 1, 1909, 689–708; HZimmern, Zum Streit um die Christusmythe 1910, 38ff, Verh. d. Sächs. Ges. d. W., phil.-Hist. Kl. 70, 5, 1918, Pauly-W. second ser. II 1, 208; LRadermacher, ARW 28, 1930, 31–35; RDelbrueck, Antiquarisches zu den Verspottungen Jesu: ZNW 41, ’42, 124–45). On the wreath for the winner of an athletic contest (Aelian, VH 9, 31; TestJob 4:10; Tat. 11, 1; 23, 1; on the socio-cultural context s. APapathomas, NTS 43, ’97, 225–33), cp. the imagery relating to a heavenly reward 1 Cor 9:25; 2 Cl 7:3 (s. 3 below).—Apart from recognition of athletes and winners of various kinds of competitions, in the Gr-Rom. world the awarding of a crown or wreath signified appreciation for exceptional contributions to the state or groups within it (s. the indexes in ins corpora, and lit. cited at the end of this entry; cp. SEG XXXII, 809, 3f). The recipients were usually public officials or civic-minded pers. serving at their own expense (s. New Docs 7, 240 and the entries beginning λειτουργ-; s. MBlech below). In Rv the (golden) crown is worn by beings of high rank (divine beings w. a golden crown: PGM 4, 698; 1027; the high priest w. the στ. χρύσεος: Jos., Ant. 3, 172; the king 17, 197; MParca, ASP 31, ’91, 41–44 on the radiant crown in antiquity [cp. PKöln VI, 245, 14]): by the 24 elders 4:4, 10 (perh. the gold crowns or wreaths of the 24 elders simply belong to the usual equipment of those who accompany a divine figure. Cp. Athen. 5, 197f the triumphal procession of Dionysus with 40 σάτυροι wearing golden wreaths; also the whole fantastic procession here described; s. also MGuarducci, Epigraphica 35, ’73, 7–23; 39, ’77, 140–42); also by the Human One (Son of Man) 14:14 (who at 19:12 wears the real head-dress of the ruler [s. διάδημα]. But s. 2 Km 12:30; 1 Ch 20:2; SSol 3:11); s. also 6:2; 9:7; 12:1 (στεφ. ἀστέρων δώδεκα, s. Boll. 99). In 1 Cor 9:25 ς. does double duty, first in ref. to an earthly crown and then to a heavenly one (cp. 2 Cl 7:3 and s. 3 below).—Ign. refers metaph. to the presbytery as ἀξιόπλοκος πνευματικὸς στέφανος a worthily-woven spiritual wreath IMg 13:1, but this pass. belongs equally in 2.

② that which serves as adornment or source of pride, adornment, pride, fig. ext. of 1 (Lycurgus 50 of brave Hellenes who died in behalf of freedom and whose ‘souls are the ς. of the homeland’; Hom., Epigr. 13, 1 ἀνδρὸς μὲν στέφανος παῖδες; Eur., Iphig. Aul. 193 Αἴας τᾶς Σαλαμῖνος στέφ.; Pr 12:4; 17:6.—Expr. denoting tender love: HSwoboda et al., Denkmäler aus Lykaonien etc. 1935 p. 78, no. 168) of the Philippians χαρὰ καὶ στέφανός μου Phil 4:1. (χαρὰ ἢ) στέφανος καυχήσεως prize to be proud of (Goodsp.; cp. Pr 16:31) 1 Th 2:19. S. IMg 13:1 at 1 above, end.

③ award or prize for exceptional service or conduct, prize, reward fig. (LXX; ApcEsdr 6:17, 21 p. 31, 26 and 31 Tdf.; as symbol of victory ANock, ClR 38, 1924, 108 n. 11). In 1 Cor 9:25 (ref. to incorruptibility) and 2 Cl 7:3 (s. 1 above) the ref. to crown or wreath is strongly felt, but in the pass. that follow the imagery of the wreath becomes less and less distinct, yet without loss of its primary significance as a symbol of exceptional merit (Ael. Aristid. 27, 36 K.=16 p. 397 D.: τῶν ἀθανάτων στ.; PSI 405, 3 [III B.C.]; Danker, Benefactor 468–71). Obj. gen. τ. δικαιοσύνης for righteousness (recognition of uprightness is a common topic in Gr-Rom. decrees; s. δικαιοσύνη 3a; on the implied exceptional character of the wearer of a crown s. LDeubner, De incubatione capitula duo, 1899, 26) 2 Ti 4:8 (on posthumous award s. New Docs 2, 50; cp. Soph., Phil. 1421f of glory after suffering). W. epexegetical gen. (this is the sense of στ. δικαιοσύνης EpArist 280; TestLevi 8:2) ὁ στέφ. τῆς ζωῆς (s. ζωή 2bβ) Js 1:12; Rv 2:10; cp. 3:11; ὁ τῆς ἀφθαρσίας στ. MPol 17:1; 19:2; ὁ ἀμαράντινος τῆς δόξης στ. 1 Pt 5:4 (cp. Jer 13:18 στ. δόξης; La 2:15; cp. 1QS 4:7; 1QH 9:25; τῆς βασιλείας στ. Hippol., Ref. 9, 17, 4).—ἐλευθέριος στ. AcPl Ha 2, 31.—MBlech, Studien zum Kranz bei den Griechen 1982 (lit.).—Schürer III/1 103f, n. 60 (lit). Pauly-W. XI 1588–1607; Kl. Pauly III 324f; BHHW II 999f.—New Docs 2, 50. DELG s.v. στέφω. M-M. EDNT. TW. Sv.

ἄριστος [ᾰ], η, ον, (with Art. [dialect] Ep.

A

ὤριστος Il.11.288

, [dialect] Att. ἅριστος) best in its kind, and so in all sorts of relations, serving as [comp] Sup. of ἀγαθός:

I of persons,

1 best in birth and rank, noblest: hence, like ἀριστεύς, a chief,

Ἀργείων οἱ ἄριστοι Il.4.260

, cf. 6.209;

ἄ. ἔην πολὺ δὲ πλείστους ἄγε λαούς 2.580

;

θεῶν ὕπατος καὶ ἄ. 19.258

;

πατρὸς πάντων ἀ. παῖδα S.El. 366

; ἀνδρῶν τῶν ἀ. ὁμιλίη, opp. δῆμος, Hdt.3.81, cf. Cic.Att.9.4.2.

2 best in any way, bravest,

ἀνδρῶν αὖ μέγ' ἄ. ἔην Τελαμώνιος Αἴας Il.2.768

, cf. 7.50, etc.; οἰωνοπόλων, σκυτοτόμων ὄχ' ἄ., 6.76, 7.221.

b c. dat. modi,

βουλῇ μετὰ πάντας.. ἔπλευ ἄ. 9.54

, al.;

ἔγχεσιν εἶναι ἀρίστους Od.4.211

.

c c. acc. rei,

εἶδος ἄριστε Il.3.39

;

ψυχὴν ἄ. Ar.Nu. 1048

.

d c. inf.,

ἄριστοι μάχεσθαι X.Cyr.5.4.44

; ἄ. διαβολὰς ἐνδέκεσθαι readiest to give ear to calumnies, Hdt.3.80; ἄ. ἀπατᾶσθαι best, i.e. easiest, to cheat, Th.3.38.

3 morally best,

εἴς τινα E.Alc.83

(lyr.);

οἱ ἄ. ἁπλῶς κατ' ἀρετήν Arist.Pol. 1293b3

.

4 best, most useful,

πόλει E.Fr. 194

codd. (leg. ἀρεστός)

αὑτῷ Id.Heracl.5

.

II of animals, things, etc., best, finest,

ἵπποι Il.2.763

; μήλων, ὑῶν, Od.9.432, 14.414;

τεύχε' ἄριστα Il.15.616

;

χῶρος Od.5.442

;

ποταμῶν ἄ. τά τε ἄλλα καὶ ἀκέσασθαι Hdt.4.90

; ἄριστα φέρεσθαι win an excellent reward, S.El. 1097 (lyr.).

III neut. pl. as Adv., ἄριστα best, most excellently,

ὄχ' ἄ. Il.3.110

, Od.13.365, cf. Hdt.1.193, al., etc.; ἄριστά γε, in answers, well said! Pl.Tht. 163c: later also

ἀρίστως Iamb.Myst.3.14

.