Centurion
Archimandrite Nikifor’s Biblical Encyclopedia
(Matt. 8:5)—a Roman officer commanding a centuria. Although the title derives from “hundred,” the unit often contained fewer than one hundred soldiers in practice. The New Testament remembers several centurions favorably: the officer at Capernaum trusted Christ’s authority; the centurion at the cross confessed Jesus’ identity; Cornelius received the gospel with his household; and Julius treated Paul considerately on the voyage to Rome (Matt. 8:5-13; Mark 15:39; Acts 10; 27:1-3). Their examples show faith and integrity within an imperial military structure without idealizing that structure.