Are there any male virgin-martyrs who died in defense of chastity?

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Always assumed that these female saints weren’t canonized because they resisted during rape. Because after all, being raped is no fault of their own. They would technically be chaste as well. Maybe that was different at a time where women are valued if they’re virgins? I do remember Goretti was canonized because she cared about the soul of the rapist though.
 
I don’t think most virgin martyrs are celebrated for resisting rape. These stories follow a pattern.

1)Most of the time, these old hagiographies have something like an arranged marriage set up, with the girl refusing because she has decided on perpetual virginity for religious reasons.
2) Almost always, this outs the girl publicly as a Christian, which is already illegal.
3)It then escalates into the girl’s family, or the man, trying to get her to abjure Christianity, which they see as the obstacle to the marriage, and as a crime in and of itself anyway.
4) She refuses to recant her faith.
5) They kill her because of all of the above.

As far as men dying in similar circumstances, yeah, the Ugandan martyrs died because they did not want same sexed copulation with the king after their conversion.

I am going to qualify Augustinian’s statement, and say that the primary reason for their execution was a refusal to have sexual relations any more (why didn’t he kill chiefs or women who converted in his court?) though, not the sole reason.

Most were certainly not virgins. I might be surprised if any were. But that’s not the point. If they died for sexual dignity and chastity, then it is even more inspiring if they weren’t virgins isn’t it? That they, after having had sexual encounters, found power, in Jesus Christ which they did not have before, to resist the will of a king? This is a death for chastity (at least among the adults who previously accepted intercourse), for sexual dignity (among all of them), and it is more inspiring because they were not virgins.
 
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11101 said:
Most were certainly not virgins. I might be surprised if any were. But that’s not the point. If they died for sexual dignity and chastity, then it is even more inspiring if they weren’t virgins isn’t it? That they, after having had sexual encounters, found power, in Jesus Christ which they did not have before, to resist the will of a king? This is a death for chastity (at least among the adults who previously accepted intercourse), for sexual dignity (among all of them), and it is more inspiring because they were not virgins.
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once again many confuse the state of virginity, with the virtue of virginity (it is normal, the current pastoral is no longer in a logic of truth about continence, AL is a perfect illustration of it …).
The state of virginity is the state of one who has never had sex.
The virtue of virginity is the commitment to renounce in the future in any sexual act, for the love of God.
The virtue of virginity is the highest degree of the virtue of chastity, some married people have even chosen to practice this virtue at some point in their life as a couple. There are saints who are cited as examples on this subject.
 
This is why I promote the lives of Sts Casimir and Ephrem. Even though they lived at different times their life of chastity is what is important.
 
The virtue of virginity is never having voluntarily having had venereal pleasure and resolving to never do so in the future. The virtue of chastity is different. It is the resolution not to have venereal pleasure outside of marriage in the future.
 
  1. Further, the Fathers of the Church, such as Cyprian, Athanasius, Ambrose, John Chrysostom, Jerome, Augustine, and many others, have sung the praises of virginity. And this doctrine of the Fathers, augmented through the course of centuries by the Doctors of the Church and the masters of asceticism, helps greatly either to inspire in the faithful of both sexes the firm resolution of dedicating themselves to God by the practice of perfect chastity and of persevering thus till death, or to strengthen them in the resolution already taken.
  2. Innumerable is the multitude of those who from the beginning of the Church until our time have offered their chastity to God. Some have preserved their virginity unspoiled, others after the death of their spouse, have consecrated to God their remaining years in the unmarried state, and still others, after repenting their sins, have chosen to lead a life of perfect chastity; all of them at one in this common oblation, that is, for love of God to abstain for the rest of their lives from sexual pleasure. May then what the Fathers of the Church preached about the glory and merit of virginity be an invitation, a help, and a source of strength to those who have made the sacrifice to persevere with constancy, and not take back or claim for themselves even the smallest part of the holocaust they have laid on the altar of God.
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http://w2.vatican.va/content/pius-x...s/hf_p-xii_enc_25031954_sacra-virginitas.html
 
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Not only that, but when the Church, at least historically, uses the title “virgin”, she has women in mind. Certainly men are also called to charity, but the title virgin traditionally implies the physical state of not being “penetrated”.
 
Thus, since one speaks of virginity when the corruption that has just been said is rejected, it follows that the integrity of the bodily member has an accidental relation to virginity. The exemption of the pleasure felt in the emission of semen has only a material relation to virginity. As for the intention of perpetually abstaining from such pleasure, it is he who gives to virginity its form and perfection
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Saint Thomas D’aquin theological sum
 
Perhaps you misunderstand me. Voluntary venereal acts which ordinarily bring pleasure destroy virginity forever. Touch + consent = virginity lost forever.
 
it is the state of virginity that is lost, and not the virtue of virginity, if one sticks to the definition of the virginity of Pope Pius XII.
I agree with you that many moralists have defined the virtue of virginity in connection with the state of virgnity, so that if one loses the state of virginity, virtue itself is irretrievably lost.
But Pope Pius XII rather enlarged the virtue of virgnity, not restricting it only to those who are virgin. Pope Pius XII confuses the virtue of virginity with perfect chastity, which can be practiced whether one is a virgin or not, and which consists in the will to sacrifice definitively the joys of marriages for God,
Innumerable is the multitude of those who from the beginning of the Church until our time have offered their chastity to God. Some have preserved their virginity unspoiled, others after the death of their spouse, have consecrated to God their remaining years in the unmarried state, and still others, after repenting their sins, have chosen to lead a life of perfect chastity (Sacras virginitas Pope Pius XII)
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and Saint Thomas said that it is which constitutes the essence of virgnity.
In summary, perfect chastity excludes the acts of marriage, this perfect chastity is also called “virgnity virtue” (according to Pius XII)
And chastity lived in continence (for God), is always superior, to the chastity that allow the acts of marriage
 
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How do we know anyone is a virgin? I often wonder that. Like some saints will say virgin , how do we know?
 
others after the death of their spouse, have consecrated to God their remaining years in the unmarried state, and still others, after repenting their sins, have chosen to lead a life of perfect chastity Note that in the first part there was virginity and in the second, virginity has been lost and now we are talking about perfect chastity.

Please don’t imagine I haven’t studied this at great length. First of all, it is part of my dissertation on the consecration of virgins. Second, the virtue of virginity is permanently lost once voluntary venereal act has been done whether in marriage or with oneself or with another.
 
I know it. And why do you think Pope Pius XII presents all these situations together? why he did not also include those who keep their chastity in the acts of marriage? Pius XII presents all the situations that underlie the virtue of sacred virginity. He says that there are those who have preserved their virgnity intact, and others who have offered their chastity to God after the death of their spouse! all those practice the virtue of sacred virginity!
I also know that for many theologians before him, the virtue of virginity could only be practiced by those who are virgin, and you have certainly made your thesis based on the work of these theologians.
 
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To summarize the situation, and not to unnecessarily speculate on the definition of words.
according certain moralists, there were two types of chastity: Virginity (those who are virgins and want to remain virgin because of God) and common chastity (all others)
According to Pius XII and other moralists there are two types of chastity: perfect chastity (which includes the virgin, but not only, but also those who have sacrificed their chastity to God) and common chastity (which includes chastity in marriage, those who are single in spite of themselves, or for other reasons other than the love of God)

So I can even admit that virgnity virtue is only for virgins as you say, but this is not the essential, the essential is perfect chastity.
It is true that I have not presented a thesis on chastity (but if I have the opportunity I will certainly do), but I read a lot about it, and especially i much meditated about it.
 
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Mboo said:
Some have preserved their virginity unspoiled, others after the death of their spouse, have consecrated to God their remaining years in the unmarried state, and still others, after repenting their sins, have chosen to lead a life of perfect chastity (Sacras virginitas Pope Pius XII)
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You are incorrectly interpreting Pius XII. This is how this particular sentence is to be understood:

“Some have preserved their virginity unspoiled”. It is these and only these who have the virtue of virginity.

He goes on to say
“Others after the death of their spouse, have consecrated to God their remaining years in the unmarried state”. This is the traditional category for those who are consecrated widows and the equivalent of consecrated widows. Such individuals are considered chaste but not virgin. He is certainly not claiming that they have virginity.

Lastly, he puts those who were unmarried and sexually sinned and says that they can repent and practice perfect chastity.

Perfect chastity is not identical to virginity. All who possess the virtue of virginity possess the virtue of perfect chastity but not all who possess the virtue of perfect chastity have the virtue of virginity.

If you believe that the virtue of virginity means simply having perfect chastity, then you logically believe that Mary could/did have had sex with Joseph and retained her virtue of virginity. Why? Because according to you, she could have had sex with her husband and after the death of her spouse (Joseph) have remained unmarried, and that would have counted as virginity because it could have been in “perfect chastity”. Good luck with that one!
 
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SerraSemper said:
If you believe that the virtue of virginity means simply having perfect chastity, then you logically believe that Mary could/did have had sex with Joseph and retained her virtue of virginity. Why? Because according to you, she could have had sex with her husband and after the death of her spouse (Joseph) have remained unmarried, and that would have counted as virginity because it could have been in “perfect chastity”. Good luck with that one!
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To be a virgin means that one has practiced the virtue of virginity in the state of virgnity. But we can practice this virtue even if we are not in this state.

Mary was a virgin so she practiced the virtue of virginity in the state of virgnity.

I do not see where the problem is
 
As I said, it is a problem of vocabulary, and if you want I grant you that the virtue of virginity is only for the virgins but this is not the essential of the subject.
The essential thing is that unlike the classical moralist, the excellence of the virtue of chastity is no longer in the strict sense virginity, but in the general sense perfect chastity. But for as in the classical sense, virginity was the only highest state of chastity, to keep the same name, one has by extension also called “virtue of virginity” all those who practice perfect chastity.
Otherwise why in an encyclical supposed to speak about sacred virginity, Pope Pie XII also include those that do not virgins?
Why did he not call his encyclical “perfect chastity” or something in that sense?
 
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If anyone wants to answer, I want to ask why is virginity a virtue?

I understand chastity being a virtue, I just don’t get an additional virtue of virginity. Seems weird for it to be considered a virtue considering it basically means ‘never ever had sex before’. Which makes it different from other virtues (which can be cultivated). It seems like a state that can be a result of the virtue of chastity.
 
Lea101 said:
If anyone wants to answer, I want to ask why is virginity a virtue?
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there are several answers that can be made, I will offer you one:
First, it is not virginity in itself that is a virtue, but sacred virginity, or more precisely sacred celibacy.

A virtue is a stable and permanent disposition to do good. And the greatest good is to love God.

In marriage, the husband offers his chastity to his wife, and vice versa. And this offering is a sign that we preferred our wife, to all other women, it is a sign that we love it in a privileged way.

In sacred celibacy, one offers chastity to God, therefore one means that one prefers the love of God to human love, one thus demonstrates that one loves God in a special and privileged way. In authentic sacred celibacy, we sacrifice the natural joys of marriage because of God, and that is the manifestation of the excellence of the love we have for God. And to perform an act that manifests an excellent love, is necessarily an excellent virtue
 
A nutshell answer from St. Thomas (you can read the whole answer at the link):
Reply to Objection 5. Conjugal chastity is deserving of praise merely because it abstains from unlawful pleasures: hence no excellence attaches to it above that of chastity in general. Widowhood, however, adds something to chastity in general; but it does not attain to that which is perfect in this matter, namely to entire freedom from venereal pleasure; virginity alone achieves this. Wherefore virginity alone is accounted a virtue above chastity, even as magnificence is reckoned above liberality.

Note that St. Thomas requires “entire freedom from venereal pleasure” as a requirement for the virtue of virginity. This is not the case for perfect chastity. He uses a classic reference to the virtue of magnificene which is also tied to a matter (money spent on huge projects for civic or religious good of the people such as a temple or constructing a city hall or the like), and is on a higher plane than liberality (money spent generously but not to the same scale as today’s billionaire kind of funds). In other words, a poor person, who may be a very good person, can never practice the virtues of magnificence or liberality because those particular virtues require wealth and super-wealth. Likewise, a person who is no longer a virgin cannot possess the virtue of virginity because it is something they have forever lost by one incident of voluntary sexual touch. But he/she can practice perfect chastity. Here’s the link to his articles on virginity: http://www.newadvent.org/summa/3152.htm#article3

Perfect chastity has its types: Repentant sinners (e.g. St. Augustine), Consecrated Widows and equivalent (e.g. St. Julia of Rome), and Virgins, consecrated ones (e.g. St. Agnes) and virgins who are dedicated to God in some way (St. Thomas Aquinas).
 
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