St John the evangelist, virgin

[robin_hood]

Hello everybody
A new convert to the church has asked me how we know that St John was a virgin.
Could someone please help me with some references.
Many thanks

 

[Beads]

That one may be very difficult to source out. I’m curious as to why it matters to the new convert?

 

[TMC]

We don’t know that John died a virgin, and I don’t know why it would matter.

 

[angeltime]

Hello everybody
A new convert to the church has asked me how we know that St John was a virgin.
Could someone please help me with some references.
Many thanks

Pax! Where did the convert read or hear about St John being a virgin? angeltime

 

[porthos11]

Pax! Where did the convert read or hear about St John being a virgin? angeltime

From the Liturgy of the Roman Rite.

December 27, St. John the Evangelist: Apostle
Feast

Morning Prayer

Ant. 1. John the apostle and evangelist, a virgin chosen by the Lord, was loved by the Lord above the others.

Ant. 2. To the virgin John, Christ dying on the cross, entrusted his virgin mother.

Now where that tradition came from, I don’t know, but since it’s in the liturgy, it’s part of Tradition as well.

 

[Wesrock]

I imagine it’s due to John traditionally being a very young man (possibly teenager) when he started following Christ, and then dedicating himself to sexual continence after, which traditionally all of the apostles did. So he’d have never married or had children. Now, that doesn’t mean all of the apostles behaved perfectly in all things, I suppose, but we have from tradition that John the Evangelist remained a virgin.

 

[Marie5890]

No idea where the idea comes from. Not sure if that is the belief thru the universal church or just within the Roman rite.