Cornelius the Centurion
Feast | 20 October, 2 February,[1] 4 February,[2] 7 February, 13 September |
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Attributes | Roman military garb |
Cornelius (
Biblical account
Cornelius was a centurion in the
The conversion of Cornelius comes after a separate vision given to Simon Peter himself (Acts 10:10–16). 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.[7]
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.
Religious situation of Judea
Taking into account that Judea had been within the Hellenic orbit since the conquest of
Significance
Can any man forbid water, that these should not be baptized, which have received the Holy Ghost as well as we?
— Acts 10:47
Cornelius is considered to be one of the first gentile converts to Christianity.[13]
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, including Jesus himself, were Galilean, except for Judas, who was Judean. All males in the Judean community were Jews: they were circumcised and observed the Law of Moses. The reception of Cornelius sparked a debate among the leaders of the new community of followers of Jesus, culminating in the decision to allow Gentiles to become Christians without conforming to Jewish requirements for circumcision, as recounted in Acts 15.
Traditions
Certain traditions hold Cornelius as becoming either the first
Commemoration
His feast day on the new
Cornelius is honored on the
The Armenian Apostolic Church commemorates Cornelius on the Tuesday after the third Sunday of Advent.[15]
The Greek-French philosopher Cornelius Castoriadis is named after him.[16]
Gallery
- Images of St. Cornelius Chapel, Governors Island, New York
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Three military saints in the reredos (Cornelius on the right)
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Stained glass window based on Acts 10
See also
- Acts 10
- Biblical law in Christianity
- Saint Cornelius the Centurion, patron saint archive
References
- ^ Jones, Terry. "Cornelius the Centurion". Patron Saints Index. Archived from the original on 2007-02-09. Retrieved 2007-03-18.
- ^ a b "Cornelius the Centurion". The Episcopal Church. Retrieved 2022-07-20.
- ^ Bromiley, Geoffrey W., International Standard Bible Encyclopedia, Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing, 1979, p. 297
- EWTN News, Inc. Archived from the originalon 2018-09-24. Retrieved 2023-08-18.
- ^ a b Bechtel, Florentine. "Cornelius." The Catholic Encyclopedia. Vol. 4. New York: Robert Appleton Company, 1908. 24 Apr. 2013
- ISBN 978-0-8028-3932-9.
- ^ a b c "Hieromartyr Cornelius the Centurion", Orthodox Church in America
- ^ a b ""The Departure of St. Cornelius the Centurion", Coptic Orthodox Church Network". Archived from the original on 2020-12-02. Retrieved 2013-04-25.
- ^ Florus, Epitome 1.40 (3.5.30): "The Jews tried to defend Jerusalem; but he [Pompeius Magnus] entered this city also and saw that grand Holy of Holies of an impious people exposed, Caelum under a golden vine" (Hierosolymam defendere temptavere Iudaei; verum haec quoque et intravit et vidit illud grande inpiae gentis arcanum patens, sub aurea vite Caelum). Finbarr Barry Flood, The Great Mosque of Damascus: Studies on the Makings of an Umayyad Visual Culture (Brill, 2001), pp. 81 and 83 (note 118). The Oxford Latin Dictionary (Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1982, 1985 reprinting), p. 252, entry on caelum, cites Juvenal, Petronius, and Florus as examples of Caelus or Caelum "with reference to Jehovah; also, to some symbolization of Jehovah."
- ^ Todd C. Penner, In praise of Christian origins: Stephen and the Hellenists, p. 226, 2004: "The category of Theosebes is notoriously difficult to delineate. It is debatable whether or not the term was ever a widely recognized technical designation of a Gentile "hanger-on," and much of the evidence is difficult to date".
- ^ Pieter W. van der Horst, God-fearers (theosebeis) (2015), Oxford Classical Dictionary.
- The Walters Art Museum.
- ^ Kiefer, James E., "Cornelius the Centurion", Biographical sketches of memorable Christians of the past, Society of Archbishop Justus
- ^ "CHURCH TO TURN OVER A CHAPEL ON GOVERNORS I. TO COAST GUARD". The New York Times. March 9, 1986. Retrieved May 23, 2019.
- ^ "Armenian church pays tribute to St. Cornelius and others".
- ^ François Dosse. Castoriadis. Une vie. Paris: La Découverte, 2014, p. 13.
Further reading
- Knecht, Friedrich Justus (1910). . A Practical Commentary on Holy Scripture. B. Herder.