Today, 5 August, is the feast of ...
* dedication of basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore (?) - this Roman
basilica is also known as Sancta Maria ad Nives, from a tradition that
Mary chose this place for a church dedicated to her by a miraculous
fall of snow upon this spot in summer
* Addai and Mari, bishops (c. 180) - these wre Mesopotamians present at
Pentecost with Peter and the other apostles; evangelists of the lands
around the Tigris and Euphrates
* Afra, martyr (304) - formerly a prostitute, converted to Christianity;
burned at the stake in Augsburg (although she had been converted by st
Narcissus, bishop of Gerona in Spain)
Two years ago Carolyn Gregory observed the following regarding Afra:
Skimming this, I noticed that this is one of the few times that a female
saint is not defined in terms of her sexuality ... understandable
considering her former occupation. However, I have not noticed
any male saints referred to as "virgin" and surely some of them
qualified. Does anyone have any insights other than the obvious one
that females were defined in terms of their social usefulness as breeders?
A few years ago John Damon responded:
A number of male saints were included in Aldhelm's paired prose and
poetic versions of the *De Virginitate*. A typical passage reads:
"Nec pudeat, Christi caelibes strictis pudicitiae legibus lascivam
naturae petulantiam coartantes corporeosque titillationum gestus velut
indomitos bigarum subiugales ferratis salivaribus refrenantes Toronici
reminisci pontificis....quique pro adepta integretatis corona et fausta
virginitatis infula, quas velut regale diadema ac gemmatas crepundiorum
lunulas indefessis viribus meta tenus servare satagebat, miris virtutum
signis effulsisse memoratur." (Aldhelm, De Virginitate, *Aldhelmi
Opera*, ed. Rudolph Ehwald, Monumenta Germaniae Historica Auctores
Antiquissimi 15 [Munich 1984] 260).
"Nor should it be an embarrassment for Christ's celibates (who are)
contraining the unruly impulsiveness of their nature with the strict
laws of chastity and curbing the bodily gestures of titillation with
iron bridles, as if they were untamed cart-horses, to call to mind the
bishop of Tours [i.e. Martin]....who, because of the crown of integrity
he had acquired and the blessed distinction of virginity--which he was
able to preserve with tireless efforts right up to the end, like a
royal diadem or the jewelled necklaces of amulets--is said to have shone forth
in the marvellous miracles of his virtues." (_Aldhelm: The Prose Works_,
trans. Michael Lapidge and Michael Herren)
We rarely refer to male saints as virgins, but that was not always true
in all periods and in all places in the Middle Ages.
John Damon University of Arizona
And last year Abigail Ann Yound added:
As far as male virgin saints, St John the Evangelist was certainly
regarded and indeed venerated as a virgin saint. This comes up
strongly as I recall in some of the praefationes to postillae on the
fourth gospel: Guerric of St Quentin says that John was called by
Christ as he was on his way to his marriage, quoting a traditional
story about the saint. I think it is Rupert of Deutz (again using
traditional material) who observes that John could not have been
entrusted by Jesus with the care of the BVM had he not also been a
virgin.
Abigail , Records of Early English Drama/ Victoria College/ 150 Charles
Street W Toronto Ontario Canada
* Nonna, matron (374) - wife of saint Gregory Nazianzen the Elder;
mother of saints Gregory Nazianzen the Divine, Gorgonia, and Caesarius
**************************
Dr Carolyn Muessig
Department of Theology and Religious Studies
University of Bristol
Bristol BS8 1TB
UK
phone: +44(0)117-928-8168
fax: +44(0)117-929-7850
e-mail: [log in to unmask]
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