cornelujs
617
CORNELIUS A LAPmE
of having fint preached to the Ckntiles (xv, 7) ; that the remark of Uie oppoeing party at Jerusalem, when ocmTinoedy ** then hath God also to the Gentiles grant- ed rq»eRt€moe wtio Ufe," would have been inapplicable upon the verynndples of those who assert that Cor- nelins was a proseljte, since they argue from the tra- ditions of modem Jews, the most eminent of whom, Maimonides, admits a sincere proselyte to be ma ttate ofsaivaiitm. The other arguments, derived from the obserrance of the Jewish hours of prayer by Corne- lius, and his acquaintance with the Old Testament, are all resolvable into a view of his religious position, which will shortly be stated. The strongest objection against the supposition that Cornelius was a proselyte of the gate arises from the very reasonable doubt whether any such distinction existed in the time of the apostles (see Tomline, Eiementa of Theology, i, 266 sq.). Dr. Lardner has remarked that the notion of two sorts of proselytes is not to be found in any Chris- tian writer befbre the /ovrtesntA century (IForib,vi, 522). See also Jennings's Jewish Antiqmtiet (bk. i, ch. 3). The arguments on the other side are ably stated by Townsend (Ckronolog, N. Teet, note in loc.)- See Proselyte. On the whole, the position of Cor- nelius with regard to religion appears to have been in that class of persons described by bishop Tomline, consisting of GentQes who had so £ur benefited by their contact with tlie Jewish people as to have become con- vinced that theirs was the true religion, who conse- quently worshipped the true God, were acquainted with the Scriptures of the Old Testament, most prob- ably in the Greek translation, and observed several Jewish customs, as, for instance, their hours of prayer, or anything else that did not involve an act of special profession. This class of persons seems referred to in Acts xiil, 16, where they are plainly dbtinguished from the Jews, though certainly mingled with them. To the same class is to be referred Candace's treasurer (Acts viii, 27, etc) ; and in earlier times the midwives of Egypt (Exod. i, 17), Rahab (Josh, vi, 26), Ruth, Arannah the Jebusite (2 Sam. xxiv, 18, etc.), the per- sons mentioned 1 Kings viii, 41, 42, 43, Naaman (2 Kings V, 16, 17). See also Josephus, AiOiq, xiv, 7, 2, and liis account of Alexander the Great going into the Temple, and ofifering sacrifice to God according to the direction of the high-priest (ibid, xi, 8, 5) ; of Antio- chos the Great (ibid, xii, 3, 3, 4), and of Ptolemy Philadelphus (ibid, xii, 2, 1, etc). Under the influ- ence of these fiicts and arguments, we regard Come- Uus as having been selected of God to become th^ftrtU- fruit of tie (jenHlee. His character appears suited, as much as possible, to abate the prejudices of the Jewish converts against what appeared to them so great an innovation. It is well observed by Theophy- lact that ComeliQS, though neither a Jew nor a Chris- tian, lived ftiejffe of a good Christian. HewaseirtTf- fiqiy influenced by spontaneous reverence to God. He practically obeyed the restraints of religion, for he feared God, and this latter part of the description is extended to all his femOy or household (ver. 2). He was liberal in alms to the Jewish people, which show- ed his respect for them ; and he '* prayed to God al- ways,*' at all the hours of prayer observed by the Jew- ish nation. Such piety, obedience, faith, and charity prepared hfin for superior attainments and benefits, and secured to him their bestowment (Psa. xxv, 9 ; 1, 23; ICatt. xiii, 12; Luke viii, 16; John vii, 17). His position in command at Cssarea doubtless brought him into contact with intelligent Jews, ttom whom he learned the truths respecting the Messiah, and he seems to have been prepared by a personal knowledge of the external facts of Christianity to welcome the message of Peter as of divine authority.
The remarkable circumstances under which the benefits of the Gospel were conferred upon him are too plainly and forcibly related in Acts x to require much comment (see Paley , Evidences^ prop. 2, ch. 2 ;
memeyer, Charakt, i, 660 sq. ; Neander, Pkmting and Traitmg^ p. 69 sq.). WhUe in prayer at the ninth hour of the day, he beheld, in waking vision, an angel of God, who declared that **his prayers and alms had come up for a memorial before God," and directed him to send to Joppa for Peter, who was then abiding ** at the house of one Simon, a tanner.'* Cornelius sent accordingly ; and when his messenger had nearly reached that place, Peter was prepared by the symbol- ical revelations of a noonday ecstasy, or trance, to un- derstand that nothing which God had cleansed was to be regarded as common or unclean. — Kitto, s. v. This event took place about September, A.D. 32 (see Meth, Quart, Review, 1860, p. 49&-601). ** On his arriving at the house of Cornelius, and while he was explaining to them the vision which he had seen in reference to this mission, the Holy Ghost fell on the Gentiles pres- ent, and thus anticipated the reply to the question, which might still have proved a difficult one for the apostle, whether they were to be baptized <u OentUes into the Christian Church. They were so baptized, and thus Cornelius became the first-fruit of the Gen- tile world to Christ, publicly recognised as such. Tradition has been busy with his life and acts. Ac- cording to Jerome (adv, Jovin, 1, p. 301), he built a Christian church at Cssarea ; but later tradition makes him bishop of Scamandios (Scamandria ?), and ascribes to him the working of a great miracle (^Menohg, Gnec, \, 129)."— Smith, s. v.