Sspousals. 1. Among the Jews this was the cer- emony of betrothing, or coming under oldigation for the ]iurpose of marriage, and was a mutual agreement between the parties which usually preceded the mar- riage some time. The espousals frequently took place years before the parties were married. See Betroth- al; Marriage.
2. In the early Christian Church espousals differed from marriage. The two terms are in early writers sponsalia and niiptia;. Certain preliminaries were nec- essary before persons could comi)lete a marriage : they consisted in a mutual contract or agreement be- tween the parties concerning their marriage to be per- formed within a certain limited time, which contract was confirmed by certain gifts or donations, called ar- rhce or arrhahones, the earnest of marriage ; as also bj' a ring, a kiss, a dowry, a writing or instrument of dow- ry, with a sufficient number of witnesses to attest it. The free consent of parties contracting marriage was declared necessarj' by the old Roman law, which was confirmed by Diocletian, and inserted by Justinian in his code. AVhen the contract was made, it was usual for the man to bestow presents on the woman : these were sometimes called sponsalia, espousals, and some- times sponsalidx donaiiones, espousal-gifts, or ariha; and p'ffno!-a, pledges of future marriage, because the giving and receiving them was a confirmation of the contract. These donations were publicly recorded. The ring was then presented to the woman as a fur- ther confirmation of the contract, and does not appear to have been given in the actual solemnization of marriage. Bingham, in proof of this, quotes the words of pope Nicholas I, and also refers to Ambrose and TertuUian. The origin of the marriage-ring has been traced to the tenth century, and is supposed to have been introduced in imitation of the ring worn by bish- ops. Isidorus Hispalensis refers to the marriage-ring in this language : Quod aiitem in nuptiis anmilus a sponso sponsm datur, id jit vel propter mutiue dilcctionis signuni, eel propter id mitfjis, itt hoc jngnore corda eorum jungantur ; undv et quarto digito annulus inseritur, ideo quod vena quadam (ut Jtrtur) sanguinis ad cor usque perveniat: "The reason why a ring is given by the bridegroom to the bride is either as a mark of mutual love, or rather a pledge of the union of their hearts ; and the reason for its lieing placed on the fourth fin- ger is because a certain vein (as it is saidt reaches thence to the heart." The kiss was solemnly given, with the joining together of the hands of the betrothed. The dowry settled upon the woman was by a stipula- tion made in writing, or by jmblic instruments under hand and seal. Chosen witnesses were present, the friends of each party, and tlreir numker was generally ten. Occasionally a ministerial benediction was used in espousals as well as in marriage. See Marriage.
— Farrar, Eccles. Diet. s. v. ; Bingham, Or/j'. Eccles. bk. xxii, ch. iii; Piocter, On Comnu,n Prayer, p. 401.
Espouse (properly (UJ'^SJ;, «ra«', 2 Sam. iU, 14, to betroth, as elsewhere rendered; j.n'i]aTtvopai, IMatt. i, 18; Luke i, 27; ii, 5; less correctly for iTIirri, iha- thunnah', Cant, iii, 11, nuptials ; ^15133, Iceluloth', Jer. ii, 2, the bridal state, i. e. condition of a bride before marriage ; upni,Z,oi.iai,'2 Cor. xi, 2, to cause to le married, i. e. negotiate the match). Espousal was a ceremonj- of betrothing, or coming under obligation for the purpose of marriage, and was a mutual agreement between the two parties which usually preceded the marriage some considerable time. See Marriage. The reader will do well carefully to attend to the distinction between espousals and marriage, as espousals in the East are frequently contracted j'ears before the parties are mar- ried, and sometimes in very earh- youth. This custom is alluded to figurativelj', as between God and his peo- ple (Jer. ii, 2), to whom he was a husband (xxi,32), and the apostle says he acted as a kind of assistant (/jro- 7mba) on such an occasion : " I have espoused you to Christ" (2 Cor. xi, 2) ; have drawn up the writings, settled the agreements, given pledges, etc., of your union (compare Isa. liv, 5 ; Matt, xxv, 6 ; Kev. xix). See Betroth.
Es'ril ('E(7()t\ V. r. 'E^oi'X,Vulg. omits), one of the Israelites, "sons of Ozora," who divorced his Gentile wife after the exile (1 Esd. ix, 34); corresponding in position with the Sharai (q. v.) of the Hebrew text (Ezra X, 40), although the form is confused with that of Azaelus = Azareel following it.
Es'rom (Enpiop v. r. Eaniov), a Grfecized form (Slatt. i, 3; Luke iii, 35) of the name of Hezron (q. v.), the grandson of Judah (1 Chron. ii, 5).
Ess, Karl van, a Roman Catholic theologian of Germany, was born at AVarburg, in Westphalia, Sept. 25, 1770. He entered the Benedictine order in 1788, and in 1801 became prior of the Abbey of HuA'sburg, near Hall)erstadt. Together with his cousin, Leander van Ess (q. v.), he published a German translation of the Bible (Brunswick, 1807, and a great many editions since), which had an immense circulation until it was forbidden by the pope. Being appointed in 1811, by the bishop of Paderborn, episcopal commissar\% he abandoned his liberal views. He Avrote a brief history of religion (Eni^curf einer kurzen Gescfdchte der Relig- ion, Halberstadt, 1817), which called forth several re- plies. He died Oct. 22, 1824. — Herzog, Real-Encykl, xix, 488. (A. J. S.)