Saint Cornelius

Cornelius was a military professional in the Roman Army, a Roman citizen in charge of the discipline and conduct of one hundred soldiers.  Centurions were typically noted for their courage, competence and religious piety; and they were well-paid.  Cornelius was the first gentile convert to the Christian Faith.  He and his entire household were baptised simultaneously into their new faith.  As Roman households were typically large, the baptisms likely included very mature adults all the way to small children, perhaps infants.  The notion that there is an "age of accountability" before which children are forbidden baptism was unknown in the early church.   "Let the children come to me and do not hinder them," said Jesus, "for of such is the Kingdom of God."

Cornelius's conversion was a watershed moment and gentile conversions would become a strong point of contention between conservatives who wanted to continue to require converts to become Jewish and keep the Law and liberals like Saint Paul who wanted gentiles qua gentiles admitted to the church on an equal basis. A key development was a vision in which Saint Peter became convinced to relax the kashrut requirements of Torah for non-Jewish Christians.  The matter was settled a few years later when an apostolic council in Jerusalem ruled that gentile converts would be full and equal partners in the Faith.

Cornelius and his family formed the core of the parish at Caesarea founded by the apostle Philip when he moved there; and in turn Cornelius was later ordained the second bishop of Caesarea.  The city had been the capital of [Roman] Palestine from the year 13, BCE and would certainly have benefitted by a gentile bishop.

We know that the early church began to refuse baptism to any soldier unless he first renounced his commissios and also excluded from fellowship any baptised person who joined the military.  That policy was a direct reflection of Jesus' pacifism and anti-imperialism.  So, it is very likely that our friend Cornelius retired from the military following his baptism, and that act opened the door for his service in the Episcopate.