“There was a certaine man in Cesarea, called Cornelius, a Centurion of þe band called the Italian band,”
1611 King James Version (KJV)
10:1 And there was a certain man - The first fruits of the Gentiles, in Cesarea - Where Philip had been before, #Acts 8:40|; so that the doctrine of salvation by faith in Jesus was not unknown there. Cesarea was the seat of the civil government, as Jerusalem was of the ecclesiastical. It is observable, that the Gospel made its way first through the metropolitan cities. So it first seized Jerusalem and Cesarea: afterward Philippi, Athens, Corinth, Ephesus, Rome itself. A centurion, or captain, of that called the Italian band - That is, troop or company.
Ac 10:1 The Doors of the Kingdom Opened to the Gentiles SUMMARY OF ACTS 10: The Centurion Cornelius. His Vision. His Messengers Sent to Joppa. Peter's Vision the Next Day. Peter Directed to Go to Caesarea. Peter Preaches Christ to Cornelius and His Household. The Holy Spirit Falls on the Gentiles. The Gentiles Baptized. A certain man in Caesarea. Caesarea, at this time the chief seaport of Palestine and the Roman capital, was their military headquarters. Cornelius, a centurion. Cornelius, a Gentile, a Roman officer, is one of four centurions named favorably in the New Testament: Julius (Ac 27:1-3), the centurion at the cross (Mt 27:54 Mr 15:39 Lu 23:47), and the centurion who built the synagogue at Capernaum (Lu 7:2). The office corresponded to the modern captain. The Italian [band]. A cohort, composed of about 600 men. Many of the conquered races served in the Roman armies, but this cohort was made up of Italians. At the residence of the Roman procurator would be placed a body of troops on which he could rely.