Cornelius of Caesarea

Caesarea was a coastal port city built by Herod the Great. It was the administrative center for Roman rule in Judea and the residence of the Roman governor, with a population that was mostly Greek. The Bible mentions Cornelius, a centurion of the Italian Cohort, who was stationed there. A “cohort” was a Roman military unit of about six hundred men, commanded by a tribune, with a centurion in charge of every hundred men.

The Roman regular army was not stationed in Judea at that time, and the “Italian Cohort” was a garrison unit composed of Roman citizens born in Italy. Cornelius was a devout man who, along with his whole family, feared God. He gave generously to the poor and prayed to God constantly. One day, he clearly saw an angel of God in a vision, telling him to send men to Joppa to summon Peter.

Peter was staying at the house of Simon the tanner by the sea. A tanner was a craftsman who made leather. His work involved handling animal carcasses, which made him ritually unclean and an outcast among the Pharisees. Peter’s willingness to stay at his house showed that he was not bound by traditional Jewish customs. Before Cornelius’s messengers arrived, Peter himself had a vision: he saw a large sheet descending from heaven, containing all kinds of four-footed animals and birds. A voice commanded Peter three times to “kill and eat.” Peter could not accept this because, according to the Old Testament law, these animals were unclean and unfit for consumption. A voice then told him, “Do not call anything impure that God has made clean.”

While Peter was still confused by the vision, the men sent by Cornelius arrived at the door. Peter then understood that the vision was a sign that Gentiles were now welcome in the church. When Cornelius saw Peter, he fell at his feet and worshiped him. Peter, however, raised him up and welcomed him. After the two shared their respective visions, Peter began to preach about the work and resurrection of Jesus. At that moment, the Holy Spirit fell on everyone present. The Jewish believers with Peter were astonished that Gentiles like Cornelius had also received the gift of the Holy Spirit, began speaking in tongues, and praised God. Peter then baptized Cornelius and his household. Cornelius became one of the most well-known non-Jewish converts to Christianity in the New Testament.