A devout man, and one that feared God with all his house, who gave much alms to the people, and prayed to God always.
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Cyprian of Carthage
AD 258
To this man, when he prayed about the ninth hour, appeared an angel bearing testimony to his labours, and saying, "Cornelius, thy prayers and thine alms are gone up in remembrance before God."
A religious man, and one that feared God. He was not a Jew, yet believed in one God.
Always, that is, frequently praying, and giving alms. In the Rheims Testament we find this note: "Hereby it appeareth, that such works as are done before justification, though they suffice not to salvation, yet are acceptable preparatives for the grace of justification, and such as move God to mercy. though all such preparative works come also of grace. "These Douay divines did not hold with the Quenellists that a true faith, or the habit of faith, must needs be the first grace. (Witham)
Cornelius religiously observed the law of nature, and the principal points of the Jewish moral law, though he did not profess Judaism. (Calmet)
He was an admirable example of virtue before his knowledge of Christianity. He feared God, and brought up his family in the same holy fear. He was leader of the first band, and consequently had the eagle, the Roman ensign, carried before him. Four hundred men were under his ...
Observe with whom the beginning of the Gentiles is made— with a devout man, and one proved to be worthy by his works. For if, though the case be so, they are still offended, if this had not been the case, what would not have been the consequence! But mark the greatness of the assurance. (c) To this end all is done (in the way it is done), and the affair takes its beginning from Judea. (d) He saw in a vision, evidently, etc.
that you may not imagine that it is because of his high station that these things are done.— When Paul was to be brought over, there is no angel, but the Lord Himself: and He does not send him to some great one, but to a very ordinary person: but here, on the contrary, He brings the chief Apostle (to these Gentiles), not sends them to him: herein condescending to their weakness, and knowing how such persons need to be treated. As indeed on many occasions we find Christ Himself hasting (to such), as being more infirm. Or (it may be) because (Cornelius) was not able himself to leave his home. But here again is a high commendation of alms, just as was there given by means of Tabitha. A devout man, it says, and one that feared God with all his house. Let us hear this, whoever of us neglect them of our own house, whereas this man was careful of his soldiers also. And that gave alms, it says, to all the people. Both his doctrines and his life were right. He saw in a vision evidently, about t...
