Bible Figure
Longinus
Longinus is the traditional name given in later Christianity to the Roman soldier associated with Jesus' crucifixion, especially the soldier who pierced Jesus' side in John 19 or the centurion who confessed Jesus' significance in the Synoptic Gospels. The New Testament itself never gives either man the name Longinus.
Biography
John 19 records that because Jesus was already dead, the soldiers did not break His legs; instead one soldier pierced His side with a spear, and blood and water came out. The Synoptic Gospels separately describe a centurion responding to the circumstances of Jesus' death with a confession concerning Him. Later Christian tradition developed the figure of Longinus and often identified the spear-bearing soldier with the centurion, supplying a name and subsequent biography. Those details are not found in the canonical Gospels. For a Bible-figures database, the record should therefore be transparent that 'Longinus' is a traditional post-biblical identification rather than a named New Testament character.
Biblical Significance
The unnamed soldier's piercing of Jesus' side is biblically significant because John presents it as eyewitness testimony and connects the events of the crucifixion with fulfillment of Scripture. The name Longinus and stories of his later conversion or martyrdom belong to Christian tradition and should be distinguished from the biblical account.