centurion

Sen-tyoor´ee-uhn

The commander of a hundred men in a Roman legion. Jesus healed the son (or servant?) of a centurion at Capernaum (Matt 8:5-13; Luke 7:1-10; John 4:46-53). Another centurion supervised the soldiers who crucified Jesus (Mark 15:19). The centurion Cornelius was baptized by Peter, sparking a controversy over the admission of Gentiles to the Christian church (Acts 10:1-11:18). Another centurion is mentioned when Paul is arrested in Jerusalem (Acts 22:25-26).