Who was the Roman Centurion who converted to Christianity?

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Who was the Roman Centurion who converted to Christianity?

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Answer:

Cornelius (in Greek, ΚορνήλιοÏ,) was a Roman centurion who is considered by Christians to be the first Gentile to convert to the faith, as related in Acts of the Apostles.

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Cornelius was a centurion in the Cohors II Italica Civium Romanorum, mentioned as Cohors Italica in the Vulgate.

The Catholic Encyclopedia summarizes the importance of Cornelius' baptism as follows:

The baptism of Cornelius is an important event in the history of the Early Church. The gates of the Church, within which thus far only those who were circumcised and observed the Law of Moses had been admitted, were now thrown open to the uncircumcised Gentiles without the obligation of submitting to the Jewish ceremonial laws.


Reference:
http://www.catholic.org/encyclopedia/

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Peter Baptizing the Centurion Cornelius, by Francesco Trevisani, 1709.