Cornelius the Centurion | |
|---|---|
.jpg) Detail fromVision of the Centurion Cornelius byZanobi Rosi [it], 17th cent. | |
| The First Convert | |
| Born | unknown |
| Died | unknown |
| Venerated in | Roman Catholic Church Eastern Orthodox Church Anglican Communion Armenian Apostolic Church |
| Feast | 20 October, 2 February,[1] 4 February,[2] 7 February, 13 September |
| Attributes | Roman military garb |
Cornelius (Greek:Κορνήλιος,romanized: Kornḗlios;Latin:Cornelius; fl. 1st century AD) was aRomancenturion who is considered by someChristians to be the firstGentile toconvert to the faith, as related inActs of the Apostles (seeEthiopian eunuch for the competing tradition). The baptism of Cornelius is an important event in the history of the early Christian church. He may have belonged to thegens Cornelia, a prominent Roman family.
Cornelius was a centurion in theCohors II Italica Civium Romanorum, mentioned asCohors Italica in theVulgate.[3][4] He was stationed inCaesarea, the capital of RomanIudaea province.[5] He is depicted in theNew Testament as aGod-fearing man[6] who always prayed and was full of good works and deeds ofalms. Cornelius receives a vision in which anangel of God tells him that his prayers have been heard; he understands that he has been chosen for a higher alternative. The angel then instructs Cornelius to send the men of his household toJoppa, where they will findSimon Peter, who is residing with atanner by the name of Simon (Acts 10:5ff).
Theconversion of Cornelius comes aftera separate vision given to Simon Peter (Acts 10:10–16). In the vision, Simon Peter sees all manner of beasts and fowl being lowered fromHeaven in a sheet. A voice commands Simon Peter to eat. When he objects to eating those animals that areunclean according to Mosaic Law, the voice tells him not to call unclean that which God has cleansed.[7]
When Cornelius' men arrive, Simon Peter understands that through this vision the Lord had commanded him to preach the Word of God to the Gentiles. Peter accompanies Cornelius' men back to Caesarea.[7] When Cornelius meets Simon Peter, he falls at Peter's feet. Simon Peter raises the centurion, and the two men share their visions. Simon Peter tells ofJesus' ministry and theResurrection; theHoly Spirit descends on everyone at the gathering. TheJews among the group are amazed that Cornelius and otheruncircumcised should beginspeaking in tongues, praising God. Thereupon Simon Peter commands that Cornelius and his followers, "kinsmen and near friends", bebaptized.[8] The controversial aspect of Gentile conversion is taken up later at theCouncil of Jerusalem (Acts 15).
Taking into account that Judea had been within the Hellenic orbit since the conquest ofAlexander the Great, there was time for wise men and philosophers, both Greek and Jewish, to exchange knowledge, thus beginning the syncretism betweenHellenism andJudaism, a phenomenon that occurred in the rest of his empire. Later with the arrival of theRomans (already Hellenized), there were no problems ofreligious tolerance (except in the case of theZealots), since thanks to theinterpretatio graeca exported by theMacedonians, it was possible to identifyCaelus (Roman god) orUranus (his Greek equivalent) andYahweh as the SupremeGod, allowing conversion cases like Cornelius.[9][10][11]
Can any man forbid water, that these should not be baptized, which have received the Holy Ghost as well as we?
— Acts 10:47
Cornelius is considered to be one of the first gentile converts to Christianity.[13] The baptism of Cornelius is an important event in the history of the early Christian church, along with the conversion and baptism of theEthiopian eunuch. The Christian church was first formed around the original disciples and followers ofJesus, all of whom—including Jesus—wereGalilean, except forJudas who was Judean. Males in the Judean community were Jews: they were circumcised and observed theLaw of Moses. The reception of Cornelius sparked a debate among the leaders of the new community of followers of Jesus, culminating in the decision to allow Gentiles to become Christians without conforming to Jewish requirements for circumcision, as recounted inActs 15.
His feast day on the newMartyrologium Romanum is 20 October. He is commemorated in the Orthodox tradition on 13 September.[7] Cornelius is honored on theliturgical calendar of theEpiscopal Church in the United States of America onFebruary 4.[2] TheArmenian Apostolic Church commemorates Cornelius on the Tuesday after the third Sunday ofAdvent.[14]
Certain traditions hold Cornelius as becoming either the firstbishop of Caesarea, or the bishop ofScepsis inMysia.[5][8] The Greek-French philosopherCornelius Castoriadis was named after him.[15] WhenGovernors Island in New York City was a military installation, the Episcopal Church maintained a stone chapel there dedicated to him.[16]
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