The New Testament mentions some ten different centurions – the Roman army officers who commanded around eighty soldiers – but only mentions the names of two of them. The first is Cornelius – the centurion familiar to every Bible reader – who became the first Gentile convert to Christianity. The second centurion who is named, Julius, is hardly known by comparison, but what the New Testament tells us about him shows that he was an exceptional soldier and of no small importance in the spread of Christianity.
Like Cornelius, Julius was stationed in Caesarea, the Roman headquarters in Palestine, but he is said to have belonged to the Sebastes or Imperial Cohort or regiment (Acts 12:1), rather than the Italian Cohort. Although the title Sebastes was given to some Imperial troops, Caesarea was itself called “Sebaste” and it is likely that the soldiers under Julius’ command were simply troops belonging to Caesarea itself (see Josephus, Wars of the Jews ii.12.5).
Because Julius was stationed in Caesarea, he was selected to transfer the apostle Paul from Caesarea to Rome (Acts 27:1) and he is mentioned several times in the narrative of Paul’s sea voyage (Acts 27:6, 11, 31, 43). At first, Julius did not listen to Paul when the apostle warned him of impending hazards; but eventually he allowed Paul to tell him what the soldiers should or should not be allowed to do, and even took measures to ensure Paul’s safety when others wished to kill him.
Throughout the voyage to Rome, Julius showed considerable kindness to Paul. Acts tells us that when the ship stopped at the port of Sidon “Julius treated Paul kindly and allowed him to go to his friends to receive their care” (Acts 27:3 CSB).
It is possible that Julius knew that Paul had done nothing wrong, and that if he had not appealed to Caesar he could have been released (Acts 26:32). But Roman centurions were held personally responsible for the prisoners delivered into their charge, many had reputations for being strict, and few would allow any situations in which prisoners might escape. Julius could also not easily give Paul preferential treatment before the other prisoners and the fact that he allowed Paul to visit his friends was unusual enough for Luke to record this – and shows a notable level of kindness on the part of the soldier.
Later in this account when a great storm arose, at Paul’s urging Julius prevented the crew from escaping in the lifeboat – which would have led to the death of all those left aboard the ship. After the ship was wrecked, Julius again intervened to prevent the soldiers from killing Paul and the other prisoners (Acts 27:31-32, 42-43). In fact, Luke tells us specifically that the centurion “wanted to spare Paul’s life” (Acts 27:43).
So, we see that during a particularly dangerous and critical period in Paul’s ministry, the centurion Julius played a vital role in his protection and ultimately in the successful spread of Christianity. As a soldier and an officer, he was alert, learned from experience, acted decisively when necessary, and conducted himself with discretion and courage. As an individual with a caring side, he treated Paul – although he was only a prisoner – with consideration, respect, and care.
Although Luke gives us no hint that Julius was a believer like Cornelius, there are several lessons we can learn from Julius, nonetheless. The centurion can remind us that there are many unconverted people in the world who exhibit unselfish kindness, and we should be willing to learn from their behavior where it is good. To take a single example from what Luke records, Julius evidently focused on his prisoners enough to see that Paul could use the help of his friends – and then assisted him in getting that help. Do we look out for the needs of those even in the peripheries of our lives? Pondering the actions of this soldier can be profitable for anyone who can see the qualities that Luke highlights in his account of Julius, the centurion who balanced service, honor, and caring.
