Centurion

American Tract Society Bible Dictionary

A Roman officer commanding a hundred soldiers; similar to "captain" in modern times. Several centurions are mentioned with honor in the New Testament, Mark 15:39; Luke 7:1-10; and the first fruits to Christ from the Gentiles was the generous and devout Cornelius, Acts 10:1-48 .

Bridgeway Bible Dictionary

A centurion was an officer in the Roman army. The name came from the Latin centurio, indicating that originally it was the title for an officer in charge of a hundred soldiers. The favourable references to centurions in the New Testament suggest that they may have been carefully chosen because of their quality of character. Some even became believers in Jesus Christ ( Matthew 8:5-13; Matthew 27:54; Acts 10:1-2; Acts 23:17-18; Acts 27:43).

Easton's Bible Dictionary

Mark 15:39,44,45 Acts 10:1,22 Matthew 8:5,8,13 Luke 7:2,6 Acts 21:32 22:25,26 23:17,23 24:23 27:1,6,11,31,43 28:16 Matthew 27:54 Luke 23:47

Fausset's Bible Dictionary

It is a propriety in the New Testament that centurions are so often favorably noticed. Good conduct was generally the cause of their promotion to the command of a century (properly 100 men). Truthful straightforwardness would make them open to conviction. For instance, the one whose faith Jesus so commends in Matthew 8; Cornelius, whom Peter was by vision sent to, and who is described as "devout, fearing God with all his house, giving much alms to the people, and praying to God always" (Acts 10); Julius, the centurion of Augustus' band, who entreated Paul courteously and saved his life when threatened by the soldiers ( Acts 27:1; Acts 27:3-42; Acts 27:43). In Acts 24:23 translate "the centurion," namely, the commander of the horse who had conveyed Paul to Caesarea after the other of the two centurions had come back with the infantry (compare Acts 23:23; Acts 23:32). The centurion at the Lord's crucifixion uttered the testimony so remarkable from a Gentile: "certainly this was a righteous man"; Luke's explanation ( Luke 23:47) of what a Gentile would mean by saying, "Truly this was the Son of God" ( Matthew 27:54).

Holman Bible Dictionary

Matthew 8:5 Mark 15:39 Acts 10:1 Acts 27:3

Hawker's Poor Man's Concordance And Dictionary

This is a word often met with in the gospel; and the meaning is, that the man who was a Centurion, commanded, or governed, an hundred soldiers.

Hastings' Dictionary of the Bible

CENTURION . A centurion was a Roman military officer, corresponding in the number of infantry commanded by him (100) to the modern ‘captain,’ but in his status like our non-commissioned officers. The passage to the higher ranks was even more difficult in his case than it is amongst our non-commissioned officers. However, the chief centurion of a legion. known as the ‘centurion of the first (chief) pike,’ was sometimes promoted to the equestrian order. The Capernaum centurion ( Matthew 8:5-13 , Luke 7:2-10 ) was probably in Herod’s army, not in the Roman army strictly so called. Some of those mentioned in the NT were on special service in command of their units, and separated from the cohorts or legions of which they formed a part.

A. Souter.

Hastings' Dictionary of the New Testament

See Army.

King James Dictionary

CENTURION, n. Among the Romans, a military officer who commanded a hundred men, a century or company of infantry, answering to the captain in modern armies.

Morrish Bible Dictionary

An officer over (about) 100 men: they were promoted to this office because of their good conduct and trustworthiness, and it is to be remarked how often centurions are favourably noticed in the Gospels and the Acts. Matthew 8:5-13; Luke 23:47; Acts 10:1,22; Acts 27:6 , etc.

People's Dictionary of the Bible

Centurion. The commander of a century or military company, of which there were 60 in a Roman legion. At first there were, as the name implies, 100 men in each century; subsequently the number varied according, to the strength of the legion. Matthew 8:5; Matthew 27:54; Acts 10:1; Acts 22:25; Acts 23:23; Acts 27:1.

Smith's Bible Dictionary

Centurion. See Army .

Vine's Expository Dictionary of NT Words

1: Ἑκατοντάρχης

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(Strong'S #1543 — Noun Masculine — hekatontarchos — hek-at-on-tar'-khace, hek-at-on-tar'-khos )

"a centurion," denotes a military officer commanding from 50 to 100 men, according to the size of the legion of which it was a part (hekaton, "a hundred," archo, "to rule"), e.g., Matthew 8:5,8 .

2: Ἑκατοντάρχης

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(Strong'S #1543 — Noun Masculine — hekatontarches — hek-at-on-tar'-khace, hek-at-on-tar'-khos )

has the same meaning as No. 1, e.g., Acts 10:1,22 . The Sept. has this word frequently, to denote "captains of hundreds."

3: Κεντυρίων

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(Strong'S #2760 — Noun Masculine — kenturion — ken-too-ree'-ohn )

is a Greek transliteration of the Latin centurio, signifying practically the same as No. 1, Mark 15:39,44,45 . There were ten "centurions" to a cohort when the numbers were complete. There were several at Jerusalem under the chief captain mentioned in Acts 21:31 .

Watson's Biblical & Theological Dictionary

an officer in the Roman army, who, as the term indicates, had the command of a hundred men, Matthew 8:5 , &c.

International Standard Bible Encyclopedia

sen -tū´ri -un : As the name implies, ἑκατοντάρχης , hekatontárchēs or ἑκατοντάρχος , hekatontárchos , κεντυρίων , kenturı́ōn , Latin centurio , was the commander of a hundred men, more or less, in a Roman legion. Matthew and Luke use the Greek word while Mark prefers the Latin form, as he does in the case of other words, seeing that he wrote primarily for Roman readers. The number of centurions in a legion was 60, that being at all epochs the number of centuries, although the number varied in the cohort or speı́ra ̌ . The ordinary duties of the centurion were to drill his men, inspect their arms, food and clothing, and to command them in the camp and in the field. Centurions were sometimes employed on detached service the conditions of which in the provinces are somewhat obscure. Men like Cornelius and Julius ( Acts 10:1; Acts 27:1 ) may have been separated from the legion to which they properly belonged for the discharge of special duties. They and other centurions mentioned in the Gospels and the Acts ( Matthew 8:5; Mark 15:39 , Mark 15:44 , Mark 15:45; Luke 23:47 ) are represented by the sacred writers in a favorable light. See Augustan Band .

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Kitto's Popular Cyclopedia of Biblial Literature

Centu´rion, a Roman military officer in command of a hundred men, as the title implies. Cornelius, the first Gentile convert to Christianity, held this rank (; ). Other Centurions are mentioned in ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ;

Cyclopedia of Biblical, Theological and Ecclesiastical Literature

( ἑκατοντάρχης and ἑκατόνταρχος , a translation of the Latin centurio, which also occurs in the Graecized form κεντυρίων, Mark 15:39; Mark 15:44-45), a Roman military officer in command of a hundred mnen, as the title implies. The number under him, however, was not always uniform, being enlarged or lessened according to circumstances (see Smith's Dict. of Class. Antiq. s.v.). Cornelius, the first Gentile convert to Christianity, held this rank ( Acts 10:1; Acts 10:22). (See Cornelius). Other centurions are mentioned in Matthew 8:5; Matthew 8:8; Matthew 8:13; Luke 7:2; Luke 7:6; Acts 21:32; Acts 22:25-26; Acts 23:17; Acts 23:23; Acts 24:23; Acts 27:1; Acts 27:6; Acts 27:11; Acts 27:31; Acts 27:43; Acts 28:16. (See Army). The centurion at our Savior's cross ( Matthew 27:54; Luke 23:47) is said to have been named Longinus (see the treatises on this point by Goetze and by M ö ller, Obss.philol. Rost. 1696, p.4 sq.). (See Captain).