Cornelius the Centurion Cornelius ( in Greek , Κορνήλιος ) was a Roman centurion who is considered by Christians to be the first Gentile to convert to the faith , as related in Acts of the Apostles . Biblical account . A centurion of the Italic cohort , Cornelius 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 . 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 . The conversion of Cornelius comes after a separate vision given to Simon Peter ( ) 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 falls 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 ( ) , 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 . Cornelius was a centurion in the Cohors II Italica Civium Romanorum , mentioned as " Cohors Italica " in the Vulgate . The warlike nature of the vocation of Cornelius as an officer of respect . a member of a special forces type group in the Roman military hierarchy , finding no dichotomous division between loyalism to both Roman imperium and Christianity , is of weighty importance . Membership in the Imperial Roman Army carried no relevance either way in the narrative . The fact that the first non - Jewish Christian was a sword - bearing Roman warrior offers material for exegesis and interpretive analysis as to the validity of Christian pacifism . Florentine Bechtel summarizes the importance of Cornelius ' baptism as follows : Certain traditions hold Cornelius as becoming either the first bishop of Caesarea or the bishop of Scepsis in Mysia . Veneration . His feast day on the Roman calendar is 2 February . He is commemorated in the Orthodox tradition on September 13 . Cornelius is honored with a feast day 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 .