Nov 6: Cornelius
Acts 10 introduces Cornelius and his family, the first gentiles baptized into the Church after circumcision requirement was …cut. That’s a big deal, and size matters!
Soldier or veteran?
Right off the bat, we know Cornelius is “a centurion of the Italian Cohort, as it was called.” The Greek is ambiguous as to the present or past tense; was it called the Italian Cohort at that time, or at some point in the past? By extension, is Cornelius a soldier in this cohort, or was he? Because there is an important distinction between soldier and veteran (and Soldier and Veteran, for that matter).
If Cornelius was still serving as a soldier, then it was probably the first of two cohorts of Roman voluntariorum (volunteers), low-status citizens paid like legionarii but treated like auxilia. The second cohort was stationed in Judea and made up of a mix of velones and Syrian recruits. As “a centurion” (rather than ‘the’ centurion,’ as with Synoptic Longinus), Cornelius would have been a “top” - one of five primi ordines leading a single century of about 100 men, the equivalent of a First Sergeant.
There is little consensus about his actual unit, but it may be that the past tense indicates Cornelius “was” a centurion of any Italian cohort, making him a veteran rather than a soldier. In that case, he may have left the service as a primus pilus, leading five centurions and their 600 soldiers. He also would have been a light-skinned foreigner who cashed in his veterans benefits for land close to the Roman capital of Judea. It may be that he was inspired by Jewish communities he encountered on the peninsula and chose to dedicate himself to ’ĕlōhîm, literally their “God(s).”
God-Fearer
The Roman religious system was actually inclusive rather than intolerant; citizens and soldiers alike could worship whichever gods they wished so long as their pietas, civic and familial duty, did not suffer. It was a fine line with Judaism, since their God(s) made claims to be the only god. As a “God-fearer,” phobeō ton Theon, Cornelius belonged to a class of almost-converts who adhered to varying degrees of Jewish observances.
The vast majority of early Christians were, like Jesus and his Apostles, Jewish. But they were also very tolerant, inviting even, to phoboumenoi. After all, Galileans like Jesus were ridiculed as living in gālîl hagôyim, the non-Jewish district. In this way, Cornelius’ pietas was not a far cry from Jesus’ pistis.
In fact, the centurion receives his vision about Peter at the hour of prayer when Jews observe a meal-offering, minḥâ, at 1500 hours, or three o’clock in the afternoon. It was the same time of day that Jesus expired on the cross (Mark 15:33), and it is the same word used for Cain and Abel’s offerings (Genesis 4:3-5). Cornelius was a Jew in every way except for the requirement to be snipped or dipped.
Pater familias par excellence
The beauty of Jesus’ faith is that it meets us where we are at, and for Cornelius that was in his Roman pietas. Cornelius may be the protagonist in Acts 10, but the focus is on the family and “all his household.” (v.2) His care for others exemplifies the spirit of Roman culture rather than merely the letter. He could have been a dominus dad, lording over everyone in his domus, but this military family invites others in, from a fellow Christian soldier to “his relatives and close friends.” (v.24)
Do you have a Semper Familia decal? Click the image to grab one if not…
Throughout Acts 10 Luke opts for the word oikos (vv.2,22,30), a term applied here to the whole Cornelii family. The two who go with the soldier to Joppa are not ‘slaves,’ at least not in the way they are treated. They are oiketēs, literally ‘family members’ (v.7), trusted with important tasks outside the home and, presumably, free to come and go without chains. As with most soldiers and veterans, Cornelius knows it isn’t about him, even if he may find himself in the spotlight. I got you, familia! Semper Fam!
