ABSTRACT
The name Longinus (Greek) derives from ÏfiÁ¯Ë, the lance with which the soldier pierced Christ’s side on the Cross (John 19:34). Although John’s account of Christ’s Passion differs from that of the three synoptic ones which are identical, this soldier was early identified with the centurion (ëηÙfiÓ·Ú¯Ô˜) who stood guard and who was convinced that Christ was the Son of God (Matthew 27:54; Mark 15:39; Luke 23:47). He was also identified with the officer in charge of the soldiers who subsequently stood guard at Christ’s sepulchre (Matthew 27:65-6). He would have then resigned from the army, taken up residence at Caesarea in Cappadocia, where he was appointed bishop and in due course died as a martyr. The centurion was first commemorated under the name of Longinus in the Martyrologium Hieronymianum on various days. The Life of Longinus is an outstanding example of how the early Christians created their hagiography.1
