Captain Cornelius

By Carl Fout

Cornelius was the first Gentile to receive word about Christ. But he was the leader of the Romans who crucified Jesus. Why was he chosen? How was he chosen? Who gave him the message? What was the result? How did he respond? What was God's plan for him? What about his friend, Pontius Pilate? This book attempts to answer all these questions. It all could have happened this way.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Christian Faith Publishing, Inc.
• Release date: Mar 30, 2023
• ISBN: 9798888323045

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Captain Cornelius

Carl Fout

ISBN 979-8-88832-303-8 (paperback)

ISBN 979-8-88832-304-5 (digital)

Copyright © 2023 by Carl Fout

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods without the prior written permission of the publisher. For permission requests, solicit the publisher via the address below.

Christian Faith Publishing

832 Park Avenue

Meadville, PA 16335

www.christianfaithpublishing.com

Printed in the United States of America

Table of Contents

Introduction

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

Chapter 8

Chapter 9

Chapter 10

Chapter 11

Chapter 12

Chapter 13

Chapter 14

Chapter 15

Chapter 16

Chapter 17

Postscripts

Captain Cornelius

Market Day

Pontius Pilate

Dismas, Gestas, and Barabbas

Caesarea

About the Author

Introduction

In Acts 10, of the New Living Translation, we read that there was a Roman army officer named Cornelius living in Caesarea who was captain of the Italian regiment. He was a devout God-fearing man, as was everyone in his household. He gave generously to the poor and prayed regularly to God. One afternoon, he had a vision of an angel of God, who told him that his prayers and gifts to the poor had been received by God as an offering and he should send for a man named Simon Peter to come to him.

Caesarea was an ocean seaport made into the grandest city, other than Jerusalem, in Palestine by Herod the Great. Herod named the city Caesarea in honor of the Roman emperor Caesar Augustus. The population was half Gentile and half Jewish, often causing disputes among the people. Caesarea became the home of the Roman governors (procurators) of Judea.

Chapter 1

Justus had finally reached the age that he had so longed for. At a very young age, he started watching the soldiers as they marched and trained. He lived near the field because his father, Marcus Cornelius, had a very important job for the most powerful army in the world. His father was a military messenger and wore the uniform of the army, except for the heavy armor and sword.

His father told him that he was named for one the most important Roman generals of all time, Justus Marius. He didn't know much about the famous general but hoped to learn about him one day.

Justus sometimes went out onto the field and played as if he were training and learning to march. He used a short stick as a sword and a long stick as a spear. Sometimes, the soldiers would talk to him and play soldiers with him. Even the officers knew him and told him what to do. He knew that someday, he would be a feared Roman centurion.

But at the age of seven, he had to begin school. School was heavily disciplined, especially for boys. Boys were expected to be the future of the country. They had to learn reading, writing, and basic mathematics using an abacus. Justus saw one student, who continually got