In the New Testament, Cornelius is the Roman centurion described in Acts as the first Gentile convert to Christianity.
Acts 10 introduces Cornelius as a centurion in the Italian Cohort stationed at Caesarea. He is described as devout, generous to the poor, and devoted to prayer. In a vision, he is instructed to send for the apostle Peter, while Peter receives a vision teaching him not to call unclean what God has made clean.
Peter then visits Cornelius’s household and proclaims Jesus. The Holy Spirit comes upon the Gentile listeners, and they are baptized. The episode becomes a major argument that Gentiles can join the Christian community without first becoming Jewish.
Cornelius is sometimes confused with Roman officials named Felix and Festus, who appear later in Acts during Paul’s trials. Unlike those governors, Cornelius is presented as a military officer and a convert. His story marks a major turning point in the expansion of Christianity beyond its Jewish beginnings.