Sponsalia was the general name in the early Church for espousals or betrothing, consisting of a mutual contract between the parties concerning the future marriage. When the contract was made, it was customary for the man to bestow certain gifts upon the woman as earnests or pledges. The contract was usually confirmed also by a ring, a kiss, a dowry, a writing or instrument of dowry, and a sufficient number of witnesses to attest it. See Bingham, Christ. Antiq. bk. 22, ch. 3, § 1 sq.
The Cyclopedia of Biblical, Theological, and Ecclesiastical Literature was edited by John McClintock and James Strong. It contains nearly 50,000 articles pertaining to Biblical and other religious literature, people, creeds, etc. It is a fantastic research tool for broad Christian study.
John McClintock was born October 27, 1814 in Philadelphia to Irish immigrants, John and Martha McClintock. He began as a clerk in his father's store, and then became a bookkeeper in the Methodist Book Concern in New York. Here he converted to Methodism and considered joining the ministry. McClintock entered the University of Pennsylvania in 1832 and graduated with high honors three years later. Subsequently, he was awarded a doctorate of divinity degree from the same institution in 1848.WikipediaRead More