Bible Encyclopedia: Cornelius

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International Standard Bible Encyclopedia

CORNELIUS

kor-ne'-li-us (Kornelios, "of a horn"): The story of Cornelius is given in Acts 10:1-11:18.

1. His Family and Station:

The name is Roman and belonged to distinguished families in the imperial city, such as the Scipios and Sulla. Thus he was probably an Italian of Roman blood. Julian the Apostate reckons him as one of the few persons of distinction who became a Christian. He was evidently a man of importance in Caesarea and well known to the Jews (Acts 10:22). He was a centurion in the Italian cohort. To understand this we must note that the Roman army was divided into two broad divisions, the legions and the auxiliary forces.

See ARMY, ROMAN.

Legions were never permanently quartered in Palestine until the great war which ended in the destruction of Jerusalem, 70 A.D. From the year 6 A.D., when Palestine was made into province of the second rank, until 66 A.D., it was garrisoned by auxiliary troops recruited amongst the Samaritans and Syrian Greeks. The headquarters were naturally at Caesarea, the residence of the procurator. But it would not have been prudent for a garrison in Palestine to be composed wholly of troops locally recruited. Therefore the Roman government mingled with the garrison 600 soldiers, free Italian volunteers. With this cohort Cornelius was connected as centurion.

2. His Character:

He is described as devout and God-fearing, i.e. at least, one of those men so numerous in that effete age of decadent heathenism who, discontented with polytheism, yearned for a better faith, embraced, therefore, the monotheism of the Jews, read the Scriptures, and practiced more or less of the Jewish rites. He was well reported of by the Jews, and his religion showed itself in prayer at the regular hours, and in alms to the people (of Israel). Even Jewish bigotry was dumb in presence of so noble a man. Moreover, he seems to have made his house a sort of church, for his kinsfolk and friends were in sympathy with him, and among the soldiers who closely attended him were some devout ones (Acts 10:1, 27).

3. His Admission into the Christian Church:

The story of his conversion and admission into the Christian church is told with some minuteness in Acts 10. Nothing further is known of Cornelius, though one tradition asserts that he founded the church in Caesarea, and another legend that he became the bishop of Scamandros.

4. Significance of the Incident:

The exact importance of the incident depends upon the position of Cornelius before it occurred. Certainly he was not a proselyte of the sanctuary, circumcised, under the law, a member of the Jewish communion. This is abundantly evident from Acts 10:28, 34, 45; Acts 11:3, 18; 15:7, 14. But was he not an inferior form of proselyte, later called "proselytes of the gate"? This question has been much debated and is still under discussion. Ramsay (St. Paul the Traveler, 43) says that the expression, "God-fearing," applied to him, is always used in Acts with reference to this kind of proselytes. Such were bound to observe certain regulations of purity, probably those, this author thinks, mentioned in Acts 15:29, and which stand in close relation to the principles laid down in Leviticus 17-18 for the conduct of strangers dwelling among Israel. Renan, on the other hand, denies that Cornelius was a proselyte at all, but simply a devout Gentile who adopted some of the Jewish ideas and religious customs which did not involve a special profession. The importance of the whole transaction to the development of the church seems to depend on the circumstance that Cornelius was probably not a proselyte at all. Thus we regard Cornelius as literally the first-fruits of the Gentiles. The step here taken by Peter was therefore one of tremendous importance to the whole development of the church. The significance of the incident consists exactly in this, that under Divine direction, the first Gentile, not at all belonging to the old theocracy, becomes a Spirit-filled Christian, entering through the front door of the Christian church without first going through the narrow gate of Judaism. The incident settled forever the great, fundamental question as to the relations of Jew and Gentile in the church. The difficulties in the way of the complete triumph of Peter's view of the equality of Jews and Gentiles in the Kingdom of Christ were enormous. It would have been indeed little short of miraculous if the multitude of Christian Pharisees had not raised the question again and again. Did they not dog Paul's steps after the Council? Certainly Ramsay is wrong in saying that the case of Cornelius was passed over or condoned as exceptional, for it was used as a precedent by both Peter and James (Acts 15:7, 14).

As for Peter's subsequent conduct at Antioch, no one who knows Peter need be surprised at it. The very accusation that Paul hurled at him was that for the moment he was carried into inconsistency with his principles (hupokrisis). Of course, this incident of Cornelius was only the first step in a long development; but the principle was forever settled. The rest in due time and proper order was sure to follow. By this tremendous innovation it was settled that Christianity was to be freed from the swaddling bands of Judaism and that the Christian church was not to be an appendix to the synagogue. The noble character of Cornelius was just fitted to abate, as far as possible, the prejudices of the Jewish Christians against what must have seemed to them a dangerous, if not awful, innovation.

G. H. Trever

Greek

2883. Kornelios -- Cornelius, a Roman centurion
... Cornelius, a Roman centurion. Part of Speech: Noun, Masculine Transliteration:
Kornelios Phonetic Spelling: (kor-nay'-lee-os) Short Definition: Cornelius ...
//strongsnumbers.com/greek2/2883.htm - 6k

Library

Cornelius
... Chapter LXVI. Cornelius. Cornelius, [2480] bishop of Rome, to whom eight letters
of Cyprian are extant, wrote a letter to Fabius, [2481 ...
/.../jerome and gennadius lives of illustrious men /chapter lxvi cornelius.htm

The Conversion of Cornelius.
... LECTURES LECTURE XIII. THE CONVERSION OF CORNELIUS. Chap. x. THE conversion
of Cornelius, who was the first-fruits of the Gentiles ...
/.../dick/lectures on the acts of the apostles/lecture xiii the conversion of.htm

Epistle Xlv. Cornelius to Cyprian, on the Return of the Confessors ...
... Epistle XLV. Cornelius to Cyprian, on the Return of the Confessors to Unity.
Argument ... It. 1. Cornelius to Cyprian his brother, greeting. ...
/.../cyprian/the epistles of cyprian/epistle xlv cornelius to cyprian.htm

Epistle Xl. To Cornelius, on his Refusal to Receive Novatian's ...
... Epistle XL. To Cornelius, on His Refusal to Receive Novatian's Ordination.
Argument ... 1. Cyprian to Cornelius, his brother, greeting. There ...
/.../cyprian/the epistles of cyprian/epistle xl to cornelius on.htm

Epistle iv. --To Cornelius the Roman Bishop.
... Epistle IV."To Cornelius the Roman Bishop. In addition to all these, he writes likewise
to Cornelius at Rome after receiving his Epistle against Novatus. ...
/.../dionysius/the works of dionysius/epistle iv to cornelius the roman.htm

Epistle Li. To Antonianus About Cornelius and Novatian.
... Epistle LI. To Antonianus About Cornelius and Novatian. Argument."When
Antonianus, Having Received Letters from Novatian, Had ...
/.../cyprian/the epistles of cyprian/epistle li to antonianus about.htm

Epistle Xliv. To Cornelius, Concerning Polycarp the Adrumetine.
... Epistle XLIV. To Cornelius, Concerning Polycarp the Adrumetine.
Argument."He ... Ones. 1. Cyprian to Cornelius his brother, greeting. I ...
/.../cyprian/the epistles of cyprian/epistle xliv to cornelius concerning.htm

Epistle Xli. To Cornelius, About Cyprian's Approval of his ...
... Epistle XLI. To Cornelius, About Cyprian's Approval of His Ordination, and Concerning
Felicissimus. ... 1. Cyprian to Cornelius his brother, greeting. ...
/.../cyprian/the epistles of cyprian/epistle xli to cornelius about.htm

Epistle Lvi. To Cornelius in Exile, Concerning his Confession.
... Epistle LVI. To Cornelius in Exile, Concerning His Confession. Argument ... Death.
[2620] 1. Cyprian to Cornelius his brother, greeting. ...
/.../cyprian/the epistles of cyprian/epistle lvi to cornelius in.htm

Epistle Xlvii. Cornelius to Cyprian, Concerning the Faction of ...
... Cornelius to Cyprian, Concerning the Faction of Novatian with His Party.
Argument."Cornelius Gives Cyprian an Account of the Faction of Novatian. [2437] ...
/.../cyprian/the epistles of cyprian/epistle xlvii cornelius to cyprian.htm

Hitchcock's Bible Names Dictionary

Cornelius

of a horn

Smith's Bible Dictionary

Cornelius

(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.

ATS Bible Dictionary

Cornelius

A Roman centurion, stationed at Caesarea in Palestine, supposed to have been of a distinguished family in Rome. He was "the first gentile convert;" and the story of his reception of the gospel shows how God broke down the partition-wall between Jews and Gentiles. When first mentioned, Acts 10:1, he had evidently been led by the Holy Spirit to renounce idolatry, to worship the true God, and to lead, in the midst of profligacy, a devout and beneficent life; he was prepared to receive the Savior, and God did not fail to reveal Him. Cornelius was miraculously directed to send for Peter, who was also miraculously prepared to attend the summons. He went from Joppa to Caesarea, thirty-five miles, preached the gospel to Cornelius and his friends, and saw with wonder the miraculous gifts of the Spirit poured upon them all. Providence thus explained his recent vision in the trance; he nobly discarded his Jewish prejudices, and at once began his great work as apostle to the Gentiles by receiving into the church of Christ those whom Christ had so manifestly accepted, Acts 10:11.

Easton's Bible Dictionary

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.)

Thesaurus

Cornelius (10 Occurrences)
...CORNELIUS. kor-ne'-li-us (Kornelios, "of a horn"): The story of Cornelius is given
in Acts 10:1-11:18. ... With this cohort Cornelius was connected as centurion. ...
/c/cornelius.htm - 16k

Centurion (22 Occurrences)
... A Roman officer in command of a hundred men (Mark 15:39, 44, 45). Cornelius,
the first Gentile convert, was a centurion (Acts 10:1, 22). ...
/c/centurion.htm - 16k

Cesarea (17 Occurrences)
... Here Cornelius the centurion was converted through the instrumentality of Peter
(Acts 10:1, 24), and thus for the first time the door of faith was opened to ...
/c/cesarea.htm - 13k

Caesarea (20 Occurrences)
... Here Cornelius the centurion was converted through the instrumentality of Peter
(Acts 10:1, 24), and thus for the first time the door of faith was opened to ...
/c/caesarea.htm - 20k

Vision (106 Occurrences)
... 1:11 Ezekiel 1:1 Daniel 2:19 Acts 9:10; Acts 10:3; Acts 16:9). The vision may come
in one's waking moments (Daniel 10:7 Acts 9:7); by day (Cornelius, Acts 10:3 ...
/v/vision.htm - 45k

Spirit (706 Occurrences)
... While Peter was speaking to Cornelius (Acts 10:44) the Holy Spirit fell on all that
heard the word and they of the circumcision who were with Peter "were amazed ...
/s/spirit.htm - 101k

Ninth (35 Occurrences)
... Acts 10:3 At about the ninth hour of the day, he clearly saw in a vision an angel
of God coming to him, and saying to him, "Cornelius!" (WEB KJV ASV BBE DBY ...
/n/ninth.htm - 18k

God-fearing (24 Occurrences)
... (WEY NIV). Acts 10:7 So when the angel who had been speaking to him was gone, Cornelius
called two of his servants and a God-fearing soldier who was in constant ...
/g/god-fearing.htm - 13k

Waited (72 Occurrences)
... (WEY). Acts 10:7 When the angel who spoke to him had departed, Cornelius called
two of his household servants and a devout soldier of those who waited on him ...
/w/waited.htm - 26k

Italian (1 Occurrence)
... Italian band. The name of the Roman cohort to which Cornelius belonged (Acts
10:1), so called probably because it consisted of men recruited in Italy. ...
/i/italian.htm - 7k

Bible Concordance

Cornelius (10 Occurrences)

Acts 10:1 Now there was a certain man in Caesarea, Cornelius by name, a centurion of what was called the Italian Regiment,
(WEB KJV WEY ASV BBE DBY WBS YLT NAS RSV NIV)

Acts 10:3 At about the ninth hour of the day, he clearly saw in a vision an angel of God coming to him, and saying to him, "Cornelius!"
(WEB KJV WEY ASV BBE DBY WBS YLT NAS RSV NIV)

Acts 10:7 When the angel who spoke to him had departed, Cornelius called two of his household servants and a devout soldier of those who waited on him continually.
(WEB KJV WEY WBS YLT NIV)

Acts 10:17 Now while Peter was very perplexed in himself what the vision which he had seen might mean, behold, the men who were sent by Cornelius, having made inquiry for Simon's house, stood before the gate,
(WEB KJV WEY ASV BBE DBY WBS YLT NAS RSV NIV)

Acts 10:21 Then Peter went down to the men which were sent unto him from Cornelius; and said, Behold, I am he whom ye seek: what is the cause wherefore ye are come?
(KJV WBS YLT)

Acts 10:22 They said, "Cornelius, a centurion, a righteous man and one who fears God, and well spoken of by all the nation of the Jews, was directed by a holy angel to invite you to his house, and to listen to what you say."
(WEB KJV WEY ASV BBE DBY WBS YLT NAS RSV NIV)

Acts 10:24 On the next day they entered into Caesarea. Cornelius was waiting for them, having called together his relatives and his near friends.
(WEB KJV WEY ASV BBE DBY WBS YLT NAS RSV NIV)

Acts 10:25 When it happened that Peter entered, Cornelius met him, fell down at his feet, and worshiped him.
(WEB KJV WEY ASV BBE DBY WBS YLT NAS RSV NIV)

Acts 10:30 Cornelius said, "Four days ago, I was fasting until this hour, and at the ninth hour, I prayed in my house, and behold, a man stood before me in bright clothing,
(WEB KJV WEY ASV BBE DBY WBS YLT NAS RSV NIV)

Acts 10:31 and said,'Cornelius, your prayer is heard, and your gifts to the needy are remembered in the sight of God.
(WEB KJV WEY ASV BBE DBY WBS YLT NAS RSV NIV)

Subtopics

Cornelius

Cornelius: A Roman Centurion

Related Terms

Centurion (22 Occurrences)

Cesarea (17 Occurrences)

Caesarea (20 Occurrences)

Vision (106 Occurrences)

Spirit (706 Occurrences)

Ninth (35 Occurrences)

God-fearing (24 Occurrences)

Waited (72 Occurrences)