Centurions

A centurion commanded roughly eighty to a hundred men and formed the backbone of the Roman army's officer corps. Four appear in the New Testament, and the striking thing about all four is that the text presents them favourably.

The centurion at Capernaum sent to Jesus on behalf of a servant who was paralysed and in terrible distress, and asked Him not to trouble Himself with the journey but only to say the word, because he too was a man under authority who said go and come and it was done. Jesus said He had not found such faith in Israel (Matthew 8:5-13; Luke 7:1-10). Luke adds that the Jewish elders spoke for him, saying he loved the nation and had built their synagogue.

The centurion at the cross stood facing Jesus as He died. Mark records his verdict - truly this man was the Son of God (Mark 15:39) - and Luke gives it as certainly this man was innocent (Luke 23:47).

Cornelius, a centurion of the Italian Cohort stationed at Caesarea, is described as devout and God-fearing, generous to the people and constant in prayer. The vision he received and Peter's parallel vision opened the gospel to the Gentiles, and his household believed and was baptised (Acts 10:1-48).

Julius, of the Augustan Cohort, was the officer charged with taking Paul to Rome. He treated Paul kindly at Sidon, allowed him to be cared for by friends, and later overruled the soldiers' plan to kill the prisoners in order to save Paul's life (Acts 27:1-3; Acts 27:42-43).