What did roman centurions think after Jesus was crucified?

Answer 1

The only known recorded instance of a Roman Centurion's opinion after Jesus was crucified was of the one who was set to guard the cross at the time of Christ's death. At the moment Jesus died the sky darkened, there was an earthquake and the curtian in the Temple of Jerusalem tore in two from top to bottom. The Centurion was awestruck and declared 'Truly this man was the Son of God!' Whether he went on to become a Christian is unknown.

The opinions of other Centurions is not clear- a Centurion was a high-ranking military officer in charge of a hundred men, something equivalent to a Major in a modern army, so the fact that one was placed to guard Christ's cross indicates just how seriously the Roman authorities took 'the Jesus phenomenon' for want of a better expression. I would imagine that they differed in their opinions- some with ridicule, some with indifference, some with a certain amount of pity, but they would mostly have gone on to live out their lives as military officers until they retired. Some may have converted to early Christianity in later life- but Roman soldiers were not known for their humanitarian feelings. All young Roman men had to do a period of national service lasting 3 years as legionaries, but after that they had a choice as to whether to leave the army and follow a civilian career, or stay on with higher military career prospects, good salaries and positions of high command that could, later on, lead to a political career. Those who chose to remain were usually hard, tough men, battle-seasoned and used to extreme violence and bloodshed. But that doesn't mean that they were incapable of feelings of mercy and pity at times.

Answer 2

He said something along the lines of "Surely this was the son of god." I haven't capitalized it, becuase I kind of doubt a Roman commander would have intended it in a capitialized way.

The reason I say "something along the lines of" is that first, whatever it was he actually said, he would have said it either in Latin, Greek, or Aramaic (depending on where he was from and whether he was using his native tongue, the lingua francaof the Roman Empire, or the local vernacular). Also, the synoptic gospels each have slightly different wording; it's more or less impossible at this date to know which of them is accurate, and it's possible that none of them got the phrasing exactly right.

Mark makes it sound like the centurion might have been being sarcastic. Luke has probably the weakest version, saying just that he was a righteous man. Matthew specifically says the centurion was "terrified" (by the earthquake and other signs and portents) when he said it, so it's probably the strongest of the three.