Man living at the time of the New Testament
Cornelius, a centurion, was the first Gentile convert to Christianity through Peter's ministry.
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Cornelius was a Roman centurion stationed in Caesarea. He is described as a devout man who feared God, gave alms generously, and prayed regularly (Act.10.1-2). Despite his piety, Cornelius was not a convert to Judaism.
In a vision, an angel instructed Cornelius to send for Peter, who was staying in Joppa (Act.10.3-8). Meanwhile, Peter had a vision in which God revealed that he should not consider anything unclean that God had made clean, preparing him to accept Gentile believers (Act.10.9-16).
When Peter arrived at Cornelius' house, Cornelius gathered his relatives and close friends to hear Peter's message (Act.10.24-27). As Peter shared the gospel, the Holy Spirit fell upon the Gentile listeners, confirming that God had accepted them (Act.10.44-46). This event marked a significant turning point in the early church, as it demonstrated that the gospel was for both Jews and Gentiles.
Peter then ordered that Cornelius and the other believing Gentiles be baptized (Act.10.47-48). The conversion of Cornelius and his household was a pivotal moment in the spread of Christianity, paving the way for the inclusion of Gentiles in the church.
Part of: Roman Officials
Cornelius, a centurion of the Italian Cohort at Caesarea, was told by an angel to send to Simon the tanner's house in Joppa for Peter. The first Gentiles received the Spirit there.
Sources: Scripture
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A centurion whose history is narrated in Acts 10. He was a “devout man,” and like the centurion of Capernaum, believed in the God of Israel. His residence at Caesrea probably brought him into contact with Jews who communicated to him their expectations regarding the Messiah; and thus he was prepared to welcome the message Peter brought him. He became the first fruit of the Gentile world to Christ. He and his family were baptized and admitted into the Christian church (Acts 10:1, 44-48). (See CENTURION.)
(of a horn), a Roman centurion of the Italian cohort stationed in Caesarea, (Acts 10:1) etc., a man full of good works and alms-deeds. With his household he was baptized by St. Peter, and thus Cornelius became the firstfruits of the Gentile world to Christ.
CORNE'LIUS, a Roman centurion of the Italian cohort stationed at Caesarea, and the first heathen convert to Christianity. He was a Gentile by birth, but a God-fearing man, a half proselyte i.e. leaning to the Jewish religion, yet uncircumcised, and hence considered unclean. Acts 10:1. His prayers, being offered in the faith of a promised Messiah, were heard, and God sent Peter to make known to him the plan of salvation through a crucified and risen Redeemer. Thus the door of faith was opened to the Gentiles. Cornelius and his family were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. Acts 10 and Rev 1:11.
CORNE'LIUS, a Roman centurion of the Italian cohort stationed at Caesarea, and the first heathen convert to Christianity. He was a Gentile by birth, but a God-fearing man, a half proselyte i.e. leaning to the Jewish religion, yet uncircumcised, and hence considered unclean. Acts 10:1. His prayers, being offered in the faith of a promised Messiah, were heard, and God sent Peter to make known to him the plan of salvation through a crucified and risen Redeemer. Thus the door of faith was opened to the Gentiles. Cornelius and his family were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. Acts 10 and Rev 1:11.
Easton (1897), Smith (1863), Hitchcock (1869), Hastings (1898) and Schaff are in the public domain. Parsed text: neuu-org/bible-dictionary-dataset (CC BY 4.0). Headwords and whitespace normalised for this site.
10 verses in 1 book · English text: BSB (change it from the menu at the top) · Strong’s G2883
At Caesarea there was a man named Cornelius, a centurion in what was called the Italian Regiment.
One day at about the ninth hour, he had a clear vision of an angel of God who came to him and said, “Cornelius!”
When the angel who spoke to him had gone, Cornelius called two of his servants and a devout soldier from among his attendants.
While Peter was puzzling over the meaning of the vision, the men sent by Cornelius found Simonʼs house and approached the gate.
So Peter went down to the men and said, “Here am I, the one you are looking for. Why have you come?”
“Cornelius the centurion has sent us,” they said. “He is a righteous and God-fearing man with a good reputation among the whole Jewish nation. A holy angel instructed him to request your presence in his home so he could hear a message from you.”
The following day he arrived in Caesarea, where Cornelius was expecting them and had called together his relatives and close friends.
As Peter was about to enter, Cornelius met him and fell at his feet to worship him.
Cornelius answered: “Four days ago I was in my house praying at this, the ninth hour. Suddenly a man in radiant clothing stood before me
and said, ‘Cornelius, your prayer has been heard, and your gifts to the poor have been remembered before God.
Names, family links and references: STEPBible TIPNR (Tyndale House Cambridge, CC BY 4.0). Short descriptions were drafted with AI assistance by STEPBible. Family links follow STEPBible’s scholarly decisions where genealogies are ambiguous.