Untitled Sermon

dActs 10:1–11:18 ECB

During the New Testament period, Caesarea, not Jerusalem, was the actual Roman capital of Judea, perhaps because Caesarea was relatively free of political strife. A Roman centurion was literally a “captain of a hundred,” but may have commanded more than that number if his regiment was up to full strength; that is, one-tenth of a legion which was officially six thousand men, making a regiment six hundred men. The Italian Regiment, or cohort, was probably an elite group of freedmen from Italy who had received citizenship.

Cornelius and his family (v. 2; lit. house) were “devout and God-fearing.” This means that they were followers of the Old Testament Scriptures and worshipers of Yahweh, the God of Israel, but not necessarily proselytes who had been baptized and circumcised (see 11:3). This category of worshiper in the Jewish synagogue will appear several times in Acts as those Gentiles in the synagogues who usually respond favorably to the gospel message (13:16, 50; 16:14; 17:4, 17; 18:7; sometimes also called “worshipers”).