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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] 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] %%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%