What is a wedding for Christians without a wedding ring? Christian wedding rings are symbol of unity, love and commitment for the couples. But do you know where this tradition of wearing wedding bands started?
The history of the Christian wedding rings started with the finger ring. The story of the finger rings is just like the ring itself, no beginning and no end. Finger rings said to have originated with the ancient Egyptians wearing a signet. Because a signet is a sign of power, the wearer of it was regarded as man of great power. The transformation of the ring from a signet one to an ornamental one has also occurred in Egypt. Rich Egyptian women wore rings made of gold while the rings of the poorer ones were made from silver and bronze.
There were different laws regarding the wearing of finger rings during Imperial Rome. Emperor Severus extended the right to wear gold finger rings to Roman soldiers and to all free people. Silver rings were for free slaves while the iron ones are for slaves. The rings were worn with respect to the social class of the people. Romans were also the first ones to use the finger rings to tie people not only to their social statuses but also to their marriage partners. During the betrothal ceremony, the groom will give a ring to the family of the bride as symbol of his commitment and him supporting the bride. In that time, betrothal ceremonies were more important than marriage rites. It was only later in the Christian history that the rings were made part of the wedding ceremony. The binding use of rings originated from a superstition whereby a man had tied cords around the ankles, wrists and waist of the woman he fell in love with in so that he can control her spirit. This pagan superstition did not hinder the Christians from adopting its use on the finger rings.
However, it is not stated in the Bible that finger rings were to be used as betrothal rings. The only one mentioned in the Bible is the signet ring used as symbol of authority. The Romans were the one possible for starting the use of the signet ring as their betrothal ring and this practice was later adopted by the Christians. The Christians did not go up against the adoption of the betrothal ring to Christian wedding rings because they have seen it not as an ornament but as a symbol of marital commitment.
The use of wedding rings in marital ceremonies began to the early part of the fourth century. But the first to have made use of the ring is Isidore of Seville, who was the archbishop in that city in the year 595. He wrote that the ring is given by the groom to the wife for a sign of mutual fidelity or to join their hearts by the pledge and therefore the ring must be placed on the fourth finger because it has a certain vein that flows directly to the heart. This is why in today’s wedding ceremonies, wedding rings are placed on the fourth finger of the bride and groom.
