Zeger-Bernard van Espen was born in Leuven 8 July 1646 as son of the legal practitioner Joannes van Espen and his wife Elisabeth Zegers. He was the youngest of nine children. In 1656 he began attending the college of the Oratorians in Temse. In 1663 he entered ’t Varken (Pig College) in Leuven to study Philosophy at the Faculty of Arts. In 1665 he assumed clerical status, received a scholarship at the Heilige-Geestcollege (Holy Spirit College) and pursued his studies at the Faculty of Law. In 1670, after five years of studying canon law, he obtained the licentiate in both laws. In 1673, he was ordained priest and one year later he was appointed to the chair of the so-called ‘six weeks lectures’, an extraordinary professorship, meant for teaching an annual course during the academic holiday (August and September). In 1675 van Espen took his doctoral examinations and was promoted to doctor in both laws. From 1677 until 1703 he also delivered a weekly lecture in Church History in the Pauscollege (Pope’s College).