Aldhelm of Malmesbury’s Theology of Virginity and its “Dilemma” in De Virginitate

This paper focuses on Aldhelm’s theology of virginity, especially his struggle between physical and spiritual virginity in the De Virginitate and its implication. It intends to show the concept of virginity and chastity in relation to spiritual identity in the early medieval west. In my opinion, unlike the existing scholarships, a precise way to interpret Aldhelm’s thought on virginity is not to decide which side of virginity—physical or spiritual—he eventually elevates; rather, instead of putting physical and spiritual virginity in polemics, Aldhelm was actually struggling to resolve this theoretical and contextual dilemma in his treatise. To fairly examine this dilemma, this section consists three parts. It first specifically addresses and analyses Aldhelm’s theology of virginity in his De Virginitate. Then, it explores the tension between physical and spiritual virginity in the treatise. After that, it discusses Aldhelm’s approach to resolve this tension and its implications.