A triumphant victory; a splendid achievement. The term appears in the King James Version of the Bible, in 1 Peter (5:4), which says that good behavior will be rewarded, when the Shepherd shall appear, with “a crown of glory that fadeth not away.” A hymn (1820) by Thomas Kelly repeats this thought and also relates it to Jesus’ crown of thorns: “The Head that once was crowned with thorns is crowned with glory now.” On the other hand, in ancient Greek and Roman times, a victorious military hero was rewarded with a crown of laurels, so the term may allude to temporal rather than spiritual reward.