Greek word · G2883

Κορνήλιος

kornēlios

Cornelius

Greek spelling of the Latin nomen (family name) Cornelius, borne by the great Roman clan, the gens Cornelia. The name was very common in the Roman world.

Appears 8 times in 8 verses of the Greek New Testament. ·

What it means

Κορνήλιος, -ου, ὁ (Lat.)

Cornelius: Acts 10:1 ff.†

(AS)

From G. Abbott-Smith, A Manual Greek Lexicon of the New Testament (1922), via STEPBible.org (CC BY 4.0).

In depth

From the study of Acts 10:3

Range of meaning

Greek spelling of the Latin nomen (family name) Cornelius, borne by the great Roman clan, the gens Cornelia. The name was very common in the Roman world.

Against the English

All versions simply give "Cornelius!" The Greek form is the one used for calling or addressing someone.

Used elsewhere in the period

Being addressed by name is a standard feature of divine encounters: "Abraham, Abraham" (Genesis 22:11), "Jacob, Jacob" (Genesis 46:2), "Samuel" (1 Samuel 3:10), "Saul, Saul" (Acts 9:4), "Ananias" (Acts 9:10). Appian (Civil Wars 1.100) reports that Sulla freed over 10,000 slaves who took the name Cornelius. That helps explain why the name was widespread, but it says nothing certain about this man's ancestry.

From the study of Acts 10:1

Range of meaning

The Latin family name (nomen gentile) Cornelius, borne by an old patrician clan (the Scipios, Sulla) and by huge numbers of their freedmen and clients' descendants.

Against the English

No drift. English readers just may not realize how thoroughly Roman, and how common, the name is.

Used elsewhere in the period

Appian (Civil Wars 1.100) records that Sulla freed over 10,000 slaves of proscribed men and named them all Cornelii. That is one reason the name was widespread across the empire.

Where it appears

Acts · 8

  1. Acts 10:1 Κορνήλιος, Cornelius,

    At Caesarea there was a man named Cornelius, a centurion in what was called the Italian Regiment.

    Here: A Latin family name (the nomen of the Cornelii). It was very common, partly because in 82 BC the dictator Sulla freed about 10,000 slaves who took his family name. It marks him at once as a Roman, very probably a Roman citizen.

  2. Acts 10:3 Κορνήλιε. Cornelius!

    One day at about the ninth hour, he had a clear vision of an angel of God who came to him and said, “Cornelius!”

    Here: "Cornelius!" Grammatically this is the form for calling someone by name. In Scripture God's messengers call people by name, as with Jacob, Samuel and Saul, and here a Roman officer's Latin family name is spoken the same way. God knows this Gentile by name.

  3. Acts 10:17 Κορνηλίου Cornelius

    While Peter was puzzling over the meaning of the vision, the men sent by Cornelius found Simon’s house and approached the gate.

  4. Acts 10:22 Κορνήλιος Cornelius

    “Cornelius the centurion has sent us,” they said. “He is a righteous and God-fearing man with a good reputation among the whole Jewish nation. A holy angel instructed him to request your presence in his home so he could hear a message from you.”

    Here: A Latin family name (of the gens Cornelia, a Roman clan), and very common after Sulla freed thousands of slaves who took the name. Peter would have heard it at once as Roman.

  5. Acts 10:24 Κορνήλιος Cornelius

    The following day he arrived in Caesarea, where Cornelius was expecting them and had called together his relatives and close friends.

  6. Acts 10:25 Κορνήλιος Cornelius

    As Peter was about to enter, Cornelius met him and fell at his feet to worship him.

    Here: A Roman centurion of the 'Italian Cohort' (10:1). He is a Gentile who reveres Israel's God, gives alms and prays. The name is a thoroughly Roman one.

  7. Acts 10:30 Κορνήλιος Cornelius

    Cornelius answered: “Four days ago I was in my house praying at this, the ninth hour. Suddenly a man in radiant clothing stood before me

    Here: A Roman family name (the gens Cornelia), very common among Romans and freedmen. He is the centurion of the 'Italian cohort' (10:1).

  8. Acts 10:31 Κορνήλιε, Cornelius,

    and said, ‘Cornelius, your prayer has been heard, and your gifts to the poor have been remembered before God.

    Here: The angel calls him by name, which is personal address from heaven. 'Cornelius' was a Roman family name, very common because Sulla had freed thousands of slaves who took it.

Word data: STEPBible.org (CC BY 4.0), main text only.