Cornelius the centurion - wikipedia Cornelius the centurion Cornelius the Centurion Peter Baptizing the Centurion Cornelius, by Francesco Trevisani, 1709. unknown unknown Venerated in Roman Catholicism Eastern Orthodox Church Anglican Communion Feast 2 February, 7 February, 13 September Attributes Roman military garb Cornelius ( Greek : Κορνήλιος ) was a Roman centurion who is considered by Christians to be one of the first Gentiles to convert to the faith, as related in Acts of the Apostles. Contents 1 Biblical account 2 Significance 3 Commemoration 4 Gallery 5 See also 6 Notes and references 7 External links Biblical account Cornelius was a centurion in the Cohors II Italica Civium Romanorum, mentioned as Cohors Italica in the Vulgate. He was stationed in Caesarea, the capital of Roman Iudaea province. He is depicted in the New Testament as a God - fearing man who always prayed and was full of good works and deeds of alms. Cornelius receives a vision in which an angel of God tells him that his prayers have been heard, he understands that he 's chosen for a higher alternative. The angel then instructs Cornelius to send the men of his household to Joppa, where they will find Simon Peter, who is residing with a tanner by the name of Simon ( Acts 10 : 5ff ). The conversion of Cornelius comes after a separate vision given to Simon Peter ( Acts 10 : 10 -- 16 ) himself. In the vision, Simon Peter sees all manner of beasts and fowl being lowered from Heaven in a sheet. A voice commands Simon Peter to eat. When he objects to eating those animals that are unclean according to Mosaic Law, the voice tells him not to call unclean that which God has cleansed. When Cornelius ' men arrive, Simon Peter understands that through this vision the Lord commanded the Apostle to preach the Word of God to the Gentiles. Peter accompanies Cornelius ' men back to Caesarea. 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 of Jesus ' ministry and the Resurrection ; the Holy Spirit descends on everyone at the gathering. The Jews among the group ( presumably they were all Jews if Cornelius was the first gentile convert, see Jewish Christians ) are amazed that Cornelius and other uncircumcised should begin speaking in tongues, praising God. Thereupon Simon Peter commands that Cornelius and his followers be baptized. The controversial aspect of Gentile conversion is taken up later at the Council of Jerusalem ( Acts 15 ), but has its roots in the concept of `` proselytes '' in the Septuagint ( the Greek translation of the Hebrew Bible ) and Jewish Noahide Law. Peter later chose not to eat with Gentiles in Antioch after some Jews criticized him. The apostle Paul publicly confronted Peter for being hypocritical as related in Galatians 2. Significance In this painting by Gerbrand van den Eeckhout an angel appears to the Roman centurion Cornelius. The angel tells him to seek out St. Peter. The Walters Art Museum. Cornelius was one of the first Gentiles converted to Christianity. The baptism of Cornelius is an important event in the history of the early Christian church, along with the conversion and baptism of the Ethiopian eunuch. The Christian church was first formed around the original disciples and followers of Jesus, all of whom were Jewish. All males in that community were circumcised and observed the Law of Moses. The reception of Cornelius sparked a conversation among the Jewish leaders of the new Christian church, culminating in the decision to allow Gentiles to become Christians without conforming to Jewish requirements for circumcision, as recounted in Acts 15 ( Acts 15 ). Certain traditions hold Cornelius as becoming either the first bishop of Caesarea or the bishop of Scepsis in Mysia. Commemoration His feast day on the General Roman Calendar is 2 February. He is commemorated in the Orthodox tradition on 13 September. Cornelius is honored with a commemoration in the liturgical calendar of the Episcopal Church in the United States of America on February 7. When Governor 's Island, New York, was a military installation the Episcopal Church maintained a stone chapel there dedicated to him. The Greek - French philosopher Cornelius Castoriadis is named after him. Gallery Images of St. Cornelius Chapel, Governor 's Island, New York Chapel exterior Three military saints in the reredos ( Cornelius on the right ) Stained glass window based on Acts 10 See also Biblical law in Christianity Notes and references Jump up ^ Jones, Terry. `` Cornelius the Centurion ''. Patron Saints Index. Archived from the original on 2007 - 02 - 09. Retrieved 2007 - 03 - 18. Jump up ^ Bromiley, Geoffrey W., International Standard Bible Encyclopedia, Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing, 1979, p. 297 Jump up ^ Stagnaro, Angelo ( February 2, 2017 ). `` What Do We Know About St. Cornelius the Centurion ? ''. National Catholic Register. EWTN News, Inc. Retrieved 2017 - 02 - 02. ^ Jump up to : Bechtel, Florentine. `` Cornelius. '' The Catholic Encyclopedia. Vol. 4. New York : Robert Appleton Company, 1908. 24 Apr. 2013 ^ Jump up to : `` Hieromartyr Cornelius the Centurion '', Orthodox Church in America ^ Jump up to : `` The Departure of St. Cornelius the Centurion '', Coptic Orthodox Church Network Jump up ^ `` Vision of Cornelius the Centurion ''. The Walters Art Museum. Jump up ^ Kiefer, James E., `` Cornelius the Centurion '', Biographical sketches of memorable Christians of the past, Society of Archbishop Justus Jump up ^ `` Cornelius the Centurion '', the Episcopal Church Jump up ^ François Dosse. Castoriadis. Une vie. Paris : La Découverte, 2014, p. 13. External links Saint Cornelius the Centurion at the Christian Iconography web site The Story of the Chapel of St. Cornelius the Centurion at Governor 's Island, New York Harbor, Written for the Day of the Consecration, October 19, A.D. 1906. by Morgan Dix Preceded by Position created Bishop of Caesarea before 189 Succeeded by Theophilus New Testament people Jesus Christ In Christianity Historical Life in the New Testament Gospels Individuals Alphaeus Anna the Prophetess Annas Barabbas Bartimaeus Blind man ( Bethsaida ) Caiaphas Man born blind ( `` Celidonius '' ) Cleopas Clopas Devil Penitent thief ( `` Dismas '' ) Elizabeth Gabriel Impenitent thief ( `` Gestas '' ) Jairus ' daughter Joanna John the Baptist Joseph Joseph of Arimathea Joses Jude Lazarus Legion Luke Lysanias Malchus Martha Mary, mother of Jesus Mary Magdalene Mary, mother of James Mary of Bethany Mary of Clopas Naked fugitive Son of Nain 's widow Nathanael Nicodemus ( Nicodemus ben Gurion ) Salome Samaritan woman Satan Simeon Simon, brother of Jesus Simon of Cyrene Simon the Leper Simon the Pharisee Susanna Syrophoenician woman Theophilus Zacchaeus Zebedee Zechariah Groups Angels Jesus 's brothers Demons Disciples Evangelists Female disciples of Jesus God - fearers Herodians Magi Myrrhbearers Nameless Pharisees Proselytes Sadducees Samaritans Sanhedrin Scribes Seventy disciples Shepherds Zealots Apostles Andrew Bartholomew James of Alphaeus ( James the Less ) James of Zebedee Evangelist Patmos `` Disciple whom Jesus loved '' Judas Iscariot Jude Thaddeus Matthew Philip Simon Peter Simon the Zealot Thomas Acts Aeneas Agabus Ananias ( Damascus ) Ananias ( Judaea ) Ananias son of Nedebeus Apollos Aquila Aristarchus Barnabas Blastus Cornelius Demetrius Dionysius Dorcas Elymas Egyptian Ethiopian eunuch Eutychus Gamaliel James, brother of Jesus Jason Joseph Barsabbas Judas Barsabbas Judas of Galilee Lucius Luke Lydia Manaen ( John ) Mark Evangelist cousin of Barnabas Mary, mother of ( John ) Mark Matthias Mnason Nicanor Nicholas Parmenas Paul Philip Priscilla Prochorus Publius Rhoda Sapphira Sceva Seven Deacons Silas / Silvanus Simeon Niger Simon Magus Sopater Sosthenes Stephen Theudas Timothy Titus Trophimus Tychicus Zenas Romans Herod 's family Gospels Antipas Archelaus Herod the Great Herodias Longinus Philip Pilate Pilate 's wife Quirinius Salome Tiberius Acts Agrippa Agrippa II Berenice Cornelius Drusilla Felix Festus Gallio Lysias Paullus Epistles Achaicus Alexander Andronicus Archippus Aretas IV Carpus Claudia Crescens Demas Diotrephes Epaphras Epaphroditus Erastus Eunice Euodia and Syntyche Herodion Hymenaeus Jesus Justus John the Presbyter Junia Lois Mary Michael Nymphas Olympas Onesimus Onesiphorus Pudens Philemon Philetus Phoebe Quartus Sosipater Tertius Revelation Antipas Four Horsemen Apollyon Two witnesses Woman Beast Three Angels Whore of Babylon Retrieved from `` https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Cornelius_the_Centurion&oldid=820700851 '' Categories : 1st - century Romans Saints from the Holy Land Cultural assimilation Christian saints from the New Testament Ancient Roman soldiers People in Acts of the Apostles Converts to Christianity from pagan religions Angelic visionaries Cornelii Military saints Hidden categories : Articles containing Greek - language text All articles with unsourced statements Articles with unsourced statements from July 2016 Talk Contents About Wikipedia Беларуская Català Čeština Deutsch Español Français Bahasa Indonesia Italiano ქართული Kiswahili Lingála Македонски 日本 語 Polski Português Русский Slovenčina Српски / srpski Українська 中文 12 more Edit links This page was last edited on 16 January 2018, at 03 : 24. 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Question: who is cornelius in the book of acts
Answer: a Roman centurion who is considered by Christians to be one of the first Gentiles to convert to the faith