10:1 Caesarea stood on the Mediterranean coast about 30 miles north of Joppa. Formerly its name was Strato's Tower, but Herod the Great renamed it in honor of Augustus Caesar, his patron and the adopted heir of Julius Caesar. Herod the Great had modernized the city, made it the provincial capital of Judea (Pilate lived there), and built its magnificent harbor. It was at this time the major Roman seaport for Palestine and its most important center of Roman government and military activity.425
Cornelius was a common Roman name.426Centurions were non-commissioned officers of the Roman army who each commanded 100 soldiers and were on about the same level of authority as a captain in the United States army. A "cohort"contained 600 soldiers, and Cornelius' cohort had connections with Italy.427Every reference to centurions in the New Testament is positive (Matt. 8:5-10; 27:54; Mark 15:44-45; Acts 22:25-26; 23:17-18; 27:6, 43). These men were "the backbone of the Roman army."428Cornelius was similar to the centurion of Luke 7:1-10.429
"The legion was the regiment [cf. an American division] of the Roman army, and it consisted nominally of 6000 men. Each legion was divided into ten cohorts [Amer. battalion], and again each cohort contained six centuries or hundreds' of men [Amer. company]. The officer in command of a cohort was called a tribuneor in the Greek chiliarch: Such was Claudius Lysias of xxi 31 and xxiii 26. A century was under a centurionor kekatontarch."430
Cornelius represents a new type of person to whom the gospel had not gone before, as recorded in Acts. The Ethiopian eunuch was also a Gentile, but the Jews viewed his occupation favorably. There was nothing about his occupation that would have repulsed the Jews. However, Cornelius, in addition to being a Gentile, was a member of Israel's occupying army. The Jews would have avoided him because of his occupation even though he possessed an admirable character and was friendly to the Jews.
It is interesting to note that the first Gentile Jesus dealt with during His ministry was a Roman centurion and he, too, believed. In response to that man's faith Jesus announced that many would come from among the Gentiles to join Jews in the kingdom of heaven (Matt. 8:11).
10:2 Cornelius lived a moral life because he feared God, as did the other members of his household. His giving to the people (Gr. to lao, i.e., to the Jews) and his praying (Gr. deomai, lit. begging) were further evidences of his respect for Israel's God. His relations with God and people were admirable (cf. Matt. 22:37-39). Cornelius had not become a full Jewish proselyte (11:3), but he did pray to the Jews' God.431This type of Gentile constituted fertile soil for the gospel seed (cf. 8:26-40). It was mainly such God-fearing Gentiles who responded to Paul's ministry.432
Some students of Acts have contended that Cornelius was a believer (i.e., an Old Testament saint) before he sent for Peter.433It seems to many others and to me that in view of what we read in this chapter and the next he was not truly saved (i.e., justified) until verse 44 (cf. 11:14).434
10:3-4 The ninth hour (3:00 p.m.) was the hour of prayer (cf. 3:1), so Cornelius may have been praying. Again God prepared two people to get together by giving each of them a vision (cf. Paul and Ananias). Cornelius saw an angel, not Jesus (vv. 7, 22, 30; 11: 13; cf. 1:20). "Lord"here is a respectful address such as "Sir,"but the centurion undoubtedly felt great awe when he saw this supernatural visitor (cf. v. 30). Cornelius was not calling the angel his Savior or his Sovereign. God had noted Cornelius' piety (his prayers Godward, proseuchai, and his alms manward, cf. v. 2) and was now going to give him more revelation.
Modern missionaries have told stories of similar seekers after God. After they penetrated some remote tribe and preached the gospel, the natives explained how they had previously worshiped the God the missionary preached and had prayed for more light.
10:5-6 God told Cornelius to send some men to Joppa for Simon Peter who was staying with another Simon, the tanner, there (cf. 9:43). Tanners used quite a bit of water in practicing their trade, and this may be the reason this Simon lived by the Mediterranean sea.
10:7-8 Cornelius immediately (v. 33) sent two of his servants, probably to assist Peter, and a spiritually devout military aide to ask Peter to come. These servants appear to have been God-fearing individuals, members of his household (cf. v. 2), who were in sympathy with Cornelius' purpose.
