The Greek hekatontarchēs is the centurion — a Roman officer commanding roughly 100 soldiers. The Gospels and Acts present centurions consistently with positive characterization: the Capernaum centurion (Matthew 8:5-13) had greater faith than anyone in Israel; the centurion at the cross (Mark 15:39) confessed 'Surely this man was the Son of God!'; Cornelius (Acts 10) was the first Gentile convert; Julius (Acts 27:43) saved Paul's life by preventing the soldiers from killing the prisoners.
The centurions of the NT are a striking pattern: Gentile military men who recognize Jesus when Israel's leaders do not. The Capernaum centurion understood authority ('I myself am a man under authority' — Matthew 8:9) and therefore understood Jesus' authority. His logic was military: authority works through delegation. Jesus' capacity to heal at a distance was not strange to someone who understood that real authority does not require physical presence. The cross-centurion's confession (Mark 15:39) came at the exact moment all others had abandoned Jesus. Rome's soldier saw what Israel's priests missed.