432. And on their heads were what looked like crowns of gold. This symbolically means that they seemed to themselves to be conquerors.

Crowns on their heads like crowns of gold denote the insignia of victory, because kings once wore golden crowns into battle (no. 300); and we are told that they looked like horses, which is to say, riding on horses, prepared for battle (no. 431). For they had the faces of men, as we are told next, and they were caught up in the persuasion that they could not be overcome.

300. And a crown was given to him. This symbolizes a token of their combat.

A crown symbolizes a token of combat because in ancient times kings wore crowns into battle, as can be seen from historical accounts, and to some degree from 2 Samuel 1:10, where we read that a man said to David concerning Saul, that when Saul was about to die in battle, he took the crown upon his head and the armlets upon his arms. And from what is related about the king in Rabbah and David in 2 Samuel 12:29-30.

Moreover, because trials or temptations are the kind of spiritual battles which the martyrs endured, therefore they were given crowns as tokens of their combat (no. 103).

It is apparent from this that a crown here symbolizes a token of their combat, on which account the statement also follows, "and he went out conquering and to conquer."