Semantic Analysis
07 Semantic Analysis — Acts 1–28 (English → Bengali)
0. Methodology and Scope
This document analyzes the entire book of Acts in Koine Greek, chapter 1 through chapter 28, per PRD Phase 1 Step 1. The core passage, Acts 2:1-41 (Pentecost and Peter’s sermon), receives full verse-by-verse treatment. Every other chapter receives a chapter-level section treating its load-bearing theological terms with the same analytical fields. Where a chapter introduces no new theological vocabulary beyond what has already been analyzed, this is stated explicitly and the chapter is marked as reviewed.
Baseline compliance: Every term already recorded in the baseline Romans translation_memory.json / bible_term_registry.json is reused with its exact established Bengali rendering. This document does not re-derive those renderings; it cites them and flags any Acts-specific contextual nuance. New terms specific to Acts (Pentecost, repentance, baptism, circumcision, sorcery, Ascension, “the Way,” pagan deities, etc.) are analyzed in full and assigned risk tiers using the same Critical/High/Medium/Low framework as the baseline doctrine_risk_registry.json.
Fields used for every load-bearing term:
- Original word (Greek)
- Transliteration
- Literal meaning
- Semantic range
- English variants (across major English translations)
- Contextual theological meaning in Acts
- Destination-language (Bengali) rendering + risk tier and grounded reason
1. Core Passage — Acts 2:1-41 (Verse-by-Verse)
Acts 2:1 — Πεντηκοστή, unity of the gathering
Καὶ ἐν τῷ συμπληροῦσθαι τὴν ἡμέραν τῆς πεντηκοστῆς ἦσαν πάντες ὁμοῦ ἐπὶ τὸ αὐτό.
| Term | Transliteration | Literal Meaning | Semantic Range | English Variants | Contextual Theological Meaning | Bengali Rendering | Risk |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| πεντηκοστή | pentēkostē | ”fiftieth” | The Jewish Feast of Weeks (Shavuot), 50 days after Passover, originally a harvest festival, later linked to giving of the Law at Sinai | ”Pentecost,” “the day of Pentecost,” “Feast of Weeks” | The Spirit descends on the very day Israel commemorated the Sinai covenant — the New Covenant’s inauguration replaces/fulfills the Old. Foundational to the doctrine The Holy Spirit and Pentecost. | পঞ্চাশত্তমীর দিন (ponchashottomir din, “the fiftieth day”) | Medium. No Bengali festival maps onto this; readers need a translator note supplying the Jewish agricultural/covenantal background so it is not read as an arbitrary date or assimilated to a Hindu harvest festival (e.g., Nabanna) or Bengali New Year associations. |
| ὁμοῦ ἐπὶ τὸ αὐτό | homou epi to auto | ”together, at the same [place]“ | Unified physical and spiritual gathering | ”all together,” “with one accord,” “in one place” | Sets up the Church-as-community doctrine from the very first verse: the Spirit falls on a gathered, unified body, not on isolated individuals. | সকলে একসঙ্গে এক স্থানে | Low. Straightforward; no collision risk. |
Acts 2:2-3 — Theophanic wind and fire
καὶ ἐγένετο ἄφνω ἐκ τοῦ οὐρανοῦ ἦχος ὥσπερ φερομένης πνοῆς βιαίας… καὶ ὤφθησαν αὐτοῖς διαμεριζόμεναι γλῶσσαι ὡσεὶ πυρός
| Term | Transliteration | Literal Meaning | Semantic Range | English Variants | Contextual Theological Meaning | Bengali Rendering | Risk |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| πνοή βιαία | pnoē biaia | ”violent breath/wind” | Same root as πνεῦμα (spirit/breath); OT theophany imagery (Sinai, Ezekiel’s breath) | “rushing wind,” “violent wind,” “mighty wind” | Echoes Genesis 2:7 and Ezekiel 37 — the Spirit as life-giving divine breath, now given corporately to launch the Church. | প্রবল বাতাসের মত শব্দ | Low-Medium. পবিত্র আত্মা (baseline term) is already established as personal, not an impersonal force; this wind-imagery verse must not be read as reducing the Spirit to mere natural phenomenon — a brief contextual note is sufficient, not a full risk flag. |
| γλῶσσαι ὡσεὶ πυρός | glōssai hōsei pyros | ”tongues as of fire” | Fire as OT theophany symbol (burning bush, Sinai, pillar of fire) | “tongues of fire,” “flames like tongues” | Divine presence resting individually on each believer — visible, personal empowerment for witness. | অগ্নির মত জিহ্বা/শিখা | Low. Standard OT-rooted symbolism; no local collision, though Hindu ritual fire (yajna/agni) imagery is culturally present — a brief note distinguishing this from ritual fire-worship is prudent but not doctrinally urgent. |
Acts 2:4 — Filled with the Holy Spirit; other tongues; inspired utterance
καὶ ἐπλήσθησαν πάντες Πνεύματος Ἁγίου, καὶ ἤρξαντο λαλεῖν ἑτέραις γλώσσαις καθὼς τὸ Πνεῦμα ἐδίδου ἀποφθέγγεσθαι αὐτοῖς.
| Term | Transliteration | Literal Meaning | Semantic Range | English Variants | Contextual Theological Meaning | Bengali Rendering | Risk |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| πίμπλημι (ἐπλήσθησαν) | eplēsthēsan | ”were filled” | Complete filling/saturation, recurring Acts idiom for Spirit-empowerment (also 4:8, 4:31, 9:17, 13:9) | “were filled,” “became full of” | Distinguishes Spirit-filling as an act of divine empowerment for mission, not a permanent ontological change or a merit-based attainment. | পূর্ণ হলেন (purno holen) | Medium. Must not be rendered in a way that suggests a Hindu/yogic “filling with cosmic energy” (śakti) attainable through practice; the agent is explicitly পবিত্র আত্মা (Holy Spirit), a personal divine gift, not self-cultivated power. |
| Πνεῦμα Ἅγιον | Pneuma Hagion | ”Holy Spirit” | The third Person of the Trinity | ”Holy Spirit,” “Holy Ghost” | Reused from baseline. | পবিত্র আত্মা | Critical (baseline). Reuse exactly; never ব্রহ্ম or পরমাত্মা. |
| ἑτέραις γλώσσαις | heterais glōssais | ”other tongues” | Actual human languages (confirmed by v.6, 8, 11 — each hears in his own διάλεκτος) | “other tongues,” “other languages” | Acts 2 defines “tongues” as real, known languages miraculously spoken — the reversal of Babel’s confusion (Genesis 11), enabling every nation to hear the gospel in its own tongue. | অন্য ভাষায় (onno bhashay) | Medium. Risk of conflating this with unintelligible ecstatic speech (as some charismatic traditions read later Pauline “tongues” passages) or with trance-possession speech familiar from Bengali folk-religious and Kali-worship ecstatic practice. A translator note should specify these are real human languages understood by hearers. |
| ἀποφθέγγομαι | apophthengesthai | ”to declare, utter forth [with weight/authority]“ | Solemn, weighty, Spirit-given proclamation (used of prophets/oracles) | “declare,” “utter,” “speak forth” | Marks the speech as divinely authoritative proclamation, not casual chatter — foundational to Bold Witness. | ঘোষণা করা / স্পষ্টভাবে বলা | Medium. Should not be rendered with vocabulary evoking Hindu oracle/possession utterance (e.g., a deity “speaking through” a medium at a shrine); frame as Spirit-given proclamation of intelligible content. |
Acts 2:5-6 — Devout Jews; each hearing in his own dialect
Ἦσαν δὲ ἐν Ἰερουσαλὴμ κατοικοῦντες Ἰουδαῖοι, ἄνδρες εὐλαβεῖς ἀπὸ παντὸς ἔθνους… ἤκουον εἷς ἕκαστος τῇ ἰδίᾳ διαλέκτῳ λαλούντων αὐτῶν.
| Term | Transliteration | Literal Meaning | Semantic Range | English Variants | Contextual Theological Meaning | Bengali Rendering | Risk |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ἰουδαῖοι | Ioudaioi | ”Jews” | Ethnic-religious identity | ”Jews” | Sets up The Gospel to Jews and Gentiles: the gospel begins within Judaism before expanding. | ইহুদি | Medium (baseline-adjacent). Established Bengali term; keep consistent with baseline’s ইস্রায়েল usage for the covenant people generally. |
| εὐλαβής | eulabēs | ”devout, reverent, taking care [in religious matters]“ | Sincere religious devotion, used positively of pious Jews (also Simeon, Luke 2:25) | “devout,” “God-fearing,” “pious” | Marks genuine, prior devotion to God among the hearers — not indiscriminate crowd curiosity. | ভক্তিপরায়ণ (bhoktiporayon) | Low-Medium. ভক্তি carries strong Vaishnava Hindu devotional connotations (bhakti movement); acceptable here since it describes devout Jews honoring the true God, but should not be used later for generic pagan religiosity without qualification. |
| διάλεκτος | dialektos | ”dialect, native language” | Mother tongue/regional language | ”language,” “tongue,” “dialect” | Reinforces that each hearer receives the gospel intelligibly in his own heart-language — a founding principle for all Bible translation, including this Bengali project. | মাতৃভাষা / ভাষা | Low. Straightforward; thematically significant for translation theology but not doctrinally risky. |
Acts 2:7-11 — The nation list; God’s mighty works
…Πάρθοι καὶ Μῆδοι καὶ Ἐλαμῖται… τὰ μεγαλεῖα τοῦ θεοῦ.
| Term | Transliteration | Literal Meaning | Semantic Range | English Variants | Contextual Theological Meaning | Bengali Rendering | Risk |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| (nation names) | — | proper nouns | Represent the known Jewish diaspora world | (transliterated proper names) | Anticipates the worldwide, all-nations scope of the gospel fulfilled through the book — Great Commission Fulfilled. | Transliterate per established Bengali Bible proper-name conventions (e.g., পার্থীয়, মাদীয়, এলামীয়) | Low. Proper nouns; consistency with Bengali Bible Society conventions required, not doctrinal risk. |
| τὰ μεγαλεῖα τοῦ θεοῦ | ta megaleia tou theou | ”the great/mighty things of God” | God’s great, praiseworthy deeds | ”the mighty works of God,” “the wonderful works of God,” “the great things God has done” | Connects Pentecost’s miracle to the pattern of God’s redemptive-historical mighty acts (Exodus, Sinai) — reinforces মহিমা (glory) doctrine. | ঈশ্বরের মহৎ কার্যসমূহ | Medium. Should echo, but not be identical to, baseline’s মহিমা (glory); this is God’s deeds, not his radiant presence per se — keep distinct vocabulary (কার্য/কাজ, “deed/work”) to avoid doctrinal blurring. |
Acts 2:12-15 — Amazement, mockery, Peter’s address (no new load-bearing terms)
These verses are narrative connective tissue (bewilderment, the “new wine” taunt, Peter standing to address the crowd). No new theological vocabulary; reuses ἀνήρ/ἄνδρες Ἰουδαῖοι already noted above.
Acts 2:16-21 — Joel’s prophecy: the last days, outpoured Spirit, prophecy, visions, dreams, salvation
τοῦτό ἐστι τὸ εἰρημένον διὰ τοῦ προφήτου Ἰωήλ… ἐν ταῖς ἐσχάταις ἡμέραις… ἐκχεῶ ἀπὸ τοῦ Πνεύματός μου ἐπὶ πᾶσαν σάρκα, καὶ προφητεύσουσιν οἱ υἱοὶ ὑμῶν… καὶ ὁράσεις ὄψονται… ἐνυπνίοις ἐνυπνιασθήσονται… τέρατα… σημεῖα… πᾶς ὃς ἂν ἐπικαλέσηται τὸ ὄνομα Κυρίου σωθήσεται.
| Term | Transliteration | Literal Meaning | Semantic Range | English Variants | Contextual Theological Meaning | Bengali Rendering | Risk |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| προφήτης (Ἰωήλ) | prophētēs | ”prophet” | Reused from baseline | ”the prophet Joel” | Confirms Fulfillment of Prophecy doctrine (baseline). | ভাববাদী | Low (baseline). Reuse exactly. |
| ἔσχαται ἡμέραι | eschatai hēmerai | ”last days” | The inaugurated end-time era beginning with Christ’s first coming, not merely a future final era | ”last days,” “latter days” | Establishes that Pentecost inaugurates the eschatological age — the Spirit’s outpouring is itself end-times fulfillment, not a preliminary sign of a still-future age. | শেষ কাল / শেষের দিনসমূহ | Medium. Must not be assimilated to Hindu cyclical Kali Yuga (“dark/final age” within an endlessly repeating cosmic cycle) or to Islamic eschatological ভবিষ্যদ্বাণী (end-times signs) frameworks without clarification; Christian “last days” are linear and already inaugurated in Christ, running to his return. |
| ἐκχέω (τὸ Πνεῦμα) | ekcheō | ”to pour out” | Abundant, deliberate outpouring, OT sacrificial/covenantal image | ”pour out,” “pour forth” | The Spirit is God’s own gift, poured out sovereignly, not summoned, earned, or channeled by ritual technique. | ঢালিয়া দেওয়া (dhalia dewa) | Medium. Care is needed that this not be read through the lens of shakti descent/invocation in Hindu tantric or Shakta ritual, nor as an impersonal spiritual “current” — always pair with পবিত্র আত্মা to keep the gift personal and divinely initiated. |
| προφητεύω | prophēteuō | ”to prophesy” | Spirit-enabled declaration of God’s message | ”prophesy” | Verb form of established ভাববাণী/ভাববাদী. | ভাববাণী বলা / ভাববাণী করা | Low (baseline-consistent). |
| ὅρασις / ὅραμα | horasis / horama | ”vision, thing seen” | A God-given revelatory sight (waking, not dream) | “vision” | Recurs heavily through Acts (9:10, 10:3, 10:17, 16:9, 18:9) as God’s chosen means of direct guidance. | দর্শন (dorshon) | High. দর্শন is the standard Bengali word for a Hindu devotee’s ritual “beholding” of a deity’s image at a temple (মন্দিরে দর্শন) — an extremely live devotional concept in Bengal. Every occurrence in Acts requires contextual framing (a vision given by God to a person, not a worshiper’s devotional viewing of a deity) to prevent theological blurring. Recommend a standing translator note on first occurrence (Acts 9:10) and at each major vision narrative (chs. 9, 10, 16, 18). |
| ἐνύπνιον | enypnion | ”dream” | A God-given revelatory dream | ”dreams” | Alongside visions, affirms God speaks through dreams — resonant with, but not identical to, Bengali Muslim and Hindu cultural openness to dream-revelation; must remain tied to the true God’s initiative. | স্বপ্ন | Low-Medium. Generally safe; brief note that this is God-given, not fate-revealing (as in folk dream-omen practice) is sufficient. |
| τέρατα καὶ σημεῖα | terata kai sēmeia | ”wonders and signs” | Miraculous confirmations of God’s message/messenger | ”wonders and signs,” “miracles and signs” | Authenticates apostolic proclamation — core to Apostolic Authority and Miracles. | আশ্চর্য কাজ ও চিহ্ন | Medium. Must be distinguished from Hindu siddhi (yogic supernatural attainment) and from Islamic karamat (a saint’s miracle) — these are God’s own authenticating acts accompanying gospel proclamation, not a holy man’s personal spiritual attainment. |
| ἐπικαλέομαι τὸ ὄνομα Κυρίου | epikaleomai to onoma Kyriou | ”to call upon the name of the Lord” | Invoking the Lord in prayer/confession for salvation | ”call on the name of the Lord” | Directly parallels Romans 10:13 (already in baseline’s universal_scope_of_gospel doctrine) — the salvation confession is available to “everyone,” Jew or Gentile. | প্রভুর নাম ধরে ডাকা | Critical. Must render consistently with Romans 10:9-13’s established পরিত্রাণ and প্রভু vocabulary; this is the same salvation act, and any variant wording would fracture cross-curriculum consistency between Acts and Romans lessons. |
| σωθήσεται | sōthēsetai | ”will be saved” | Future passive of salvation | ”shall be saved,” “will be saved” | Reuses baseline পরিত্রাণ. | পরিত্রাণ পাবে | Critical (baseline). Never মুক্তি/মোক্ষ/নাজাত. |
Acts 2:22 — Jesus the Nazarene; powers, wonders, signs
Ἰησοῦν τὸν Ναζωραῖον, ἄνδρα ἀποδεδειγμένον ἀπὸ τοῦ θεοῦ εἰς ὑμᾶς δυνάμεσι καὶ τέρασι καὶ σημείοις
| Term | Transliteration | Literal Meaning | Semantic Range | English Variants | Contextual Theological Meaning | Bengali Rendering | Risk |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ναζωραῖος | Nazōraios | ”Nazarene, of Nazareth” | Geographic-messianic title | ”of Nazareth,” “the Nazarene” | Grounds Jesus’ full humanity and historical particularity — relevant to Conversion of Paul narratives where “Jesus of Nazareth” recurs (9:5, 22:8, 26:9). | নাসরতীয় / নাসরতের যীশু | Low. Established Bengali Bible geographic-adjective convention; no collision risk. |
| δύναμις | dynamis | ”power, might, capability” | Miracle-working power, distinct from baseline’s ঈশ্বরের সামর্থ্য (power of God for salvation, Rom 1:16) though etymologically related | ”power,” “miracle,” “mighty work” | Authenticates Jesus’ identity through miracle — feeds Apostolic Authority and Miracles. | পরাক্রম / আশ্চর্য কাজ | Medium. Distinct nuance from baseline’s abstract “power of God for salvation” (সামর্থ্য); here it denotes concrete miracle-acts. Never শক্তি (Shakta-goddess association, per baseline rule) even in this narrower miracle sense. |
Acts 2:23 — Foreknowledge, lawless hands, the cross
τῇ ὡρισμένῃ βουλῇ καὶ προγνώσει τοῦ θεοῦ ἔκδοτον διὰ χειρὸς ἀνόμων προσπήξαντες ἀνείλατε
| Term | Transliteration | Literal Meaning | Semantic Range | English Variants | Contextual Theological Meaning | Bengali Rendering | Risk |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| βουλή / πρόγνωσις (τοῦ θεοῦ) | boulē / prognōsis | ”plan/counsel” / “foreknowledge” | God’s sovereign predetermined purpose | ”definite plan and foreknowledge,” “set purpose and foreknowledge” | Ties Christ’s death to sovereign divine plan, not mere human tragedy or accident — feeds baseline Providence doctrine. | ঈশ্বরের পরিকল্পনা ও পূর্বজ্ঞান | High. Must not be rendered as impersonal fate (ভাগ্য/নিয়তি, explicitly rejected in baseline for providence/election); this is the personal God’s purposive plan, held together with genuine human responsibility (note the same verse also blames “lawless hands”). |
| ἄνομος | anomos | ”without law, lawless” | Those acting outside/against ব্যবস্থা (the Law) | “lawless men,” “wicked men” | Connects to baseline’s ব্যবস্থা (law) term family. | ব্যবস্থাহীন / দুষ্ট লোক | Medium. Reuses baseline’s ব্যবস্থা root; keep consistent. |
| σταυρόω / σταυρός (προσπήξαντες, “nailed/fastened,” implies crucifixion) | staurousate / stauros | ”cross; to crucify, fasten to a cross” | Roman execution method by nailing/binding to a wooden cross | ”crucified,” “put to death on a cross” | The central atoning act — must retain full weight as a specific, historical, shameful death, not a generic “killing.” | ক্রুশ (krush, noun) / ক্রুশে দিলে / ক্রুশবিদ্ধ করা (verb) | Critical. Must never be softened to a generic term for execution or “wood/gallows” (ফাঁসিকাঠ), which would strip the term of its atonement-theology and fulfilled-prophecy weight (cf. Acts 2:23, 36; Deut. 21:23 background). ক্রুশ is the established Bengali Christian term and must be used with complete consistency across all Acts references to the crucifixion (2:23, 2:36, 4:10, 5:30, 10:39, 13:29). |
Acts 2:24 — God raised him up
ὃν ὁ θεὸς ἀνέστησεν, λύσας τὰς ὠδῖνας τοῦ θανάτου
| Term | Transliteration | Literal Meaning | Semantic Range | English Variants | Contextual Theological Meaning | Bengali Rendering | Risk |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ἀνίστημι (ἀνέστησεν) | anestēsen | ”raised up” | Bodily resurrection, reuses baseline ἀνάστασις family | ”raised him up,” “raised him from the dead” | Central to Resurrection of Christ doctrine; God, not Jesus’ own inherent power alone, is the explicit subject — Trinitarian nuance worth preserving. | (ঈশ্বর) তাঁকে উত্থিত করলেন / পুনরুত্থিত করলেন | Critical (baseline). Never পুনর্জন্ম. |
| ὠδῖνες τοῦ θανάτου | ōdines tou thanatou | ”birth-pangs of death” | Metaphor: death’s grip breaking like labor pains ending in birth | ”pangs of death,” “agony of death,” “cords of death” | Vivid image of death’s defeat — death could not hold him. | মৃত্যুর প্রসববেদনা (আলঙ্কারিক) | Low. Figurative; a brief translator note on the birth-pangs metaphor (unusual in Bengali idiom) aids clarity but carries no doctrinal risk. |
Acts 2:25-31 — David’s prophecy of the resurrection (quoting Psalm 16)
Reuses established terms: δায়ূদ (David), πατριάρχης (patriarch — পিতৃকুলপতি/পূর্বপুরুষ, Low risk, new but simple proper-descriptive term), τάφος (tomb — কবর, Low risk), ἀνάστασις τοῦ Χριστοῦ (resurrection of the Christ — খ্রীষ্টের পুনরুত্থান, Critical, baseline-consistent), προφήτης (prophet, baseline).
Acts 2:32-33 — Witnesses; exalted to God’s right hand; the Spirit poured out
τοῦτον τὸν Ἰησοῦν ἀνέστησεν ὁ θεός, οὗ πάντες ἡμεῖς ἐσμεν μάρτυρες. τῇ δεξιᾷ τοῦ θεοῦ ὑψωθείς, τήν τε ἐπαγγελίαν τοῦ Ἁγίου Πνεύματος λαβὼν παρὰ τοῦ πατρός, ἐξέχεεν τοῦτο
| Term | Transliteration | Literal Meaning | Semantic Range | English Variants | Contextual Theological Meaning | Bengali Rendering | Risk |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| μάρτυς | martys | ”witness” (legal/testimonial sense) | One who personally attests to a fact, especially the resurrection | ”witness,” “witnesses” | Foundational to Persecution and Bold Witness: the apostles’ authority rests on eyewitness testimony to the risen Christ, not on mystical insight or inherited office alone. | সাক্ষী (sakkhi) | High. Must be kept distinct from the later technical sense of “martyr” (one killed for testimony, first illustrated by Stephen in ch. 7). Never render either sense with শহীদ (the dominant Bengali Muslim term for a religious/jihad martyr, carrying a militant-sacrificial theological framework foreign to the biblical concept). For legal/testimonial “witness,” always use সাক্ষী; for a believer who died while testifying, use a descriptive phrase (see ch. 7 below), not a single loaded noun. |
| δεξιὰ τοῦ θεοῦ | dexia tou theou | ”the right hand of God” | Position of highest honor and co-regent authority | ”right hand of God” | Exaltation of Christ to divine co-regency — reinforces Deity of Christ and Lordship of Christ (baseline). | ঈশ্বরের দক্ষিণ হস্তে | Critical. Must convey Christ’s unique exaltation to share divine rule, not merely an honored position among many — consistent with baseline’s Critical-risk lordship_of_christ and deity_of_christ doctrines. |
| ἐπαγγελία (τοῦ Ἁγίου Πνεύματος) | epangelia | ”promise” | A covenantal, reliable divine pledge, reuses baseline নিয়ম-adjacent covenant theology | ”the promise of the Holy Spirit” | Ties Pentecost directly to fulfilled covenant promise, not a new, unrelated event. | প্রতিশ্রুতি | High. Should be distinguished from generic “promise” (word given casually); this is a covenantal divine pledge — pair consistently with নিয়ম (covenant) vocabulary where relevant. |
| ἐκχέω | ekcheō | ”poured out” | Repeated from v.17-18 | ”poured out,” “poured forth” | Same outpouring the Joel quotation anticipated, now historically fulfilled. | ঢালিয়া দিলেন | Medium (see v.17-18 above). |
Acts 2:34-35 — David’s Lordship prophecy (Psalm 110)
Reuses established Κύριος/প্রভু (Critical, baseline) with no new terms.
Acts 2:36 — “Let all Israel know… God has made him both Lord and Christ”
ἀσφαλῶς οὖν γινωσκέτω πᾶς οἶκος Ἰσραὴλ ὅτι καὶ Κύριον καὶ Χριστὸν αὐτὸν ὁ θεὸς ἐποίησεν, τοῦτον τὸν Ἰησοῦν ὃν ὑμεῖς ἐσταυρώσατε
| Term | Transliteration | Literal Meaning | Semantic Range | English Variants | Contextual Theological Meaning | Bengali Rendering | Risk |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Κύριος καὶ Χριστός | Kyrios kai Christos | ”Lord and Christ/Messiah” | The climactic double title of the sermon | ”Lord and Christ,” “both Lord and Messiah” | The sermon’s theological climax: the crucified Nazarene is the exalted, sovereign Lord and the promised Messiah — the single most load-bearing Christological claim in the passage. | প্রভু ও খ্রীষ্ট | Critical. Both terms individually Critical per baseline; their conjunction here is the passage’s theological peak and must be rendered with zero softening or reordering that would blunt the force of “God has made him” (ὁ θεὸς ἐποίησεν — a legal-declarative act, not “he became” through gradual attainment, which could wrongly suggest adoptionism). |
| ἐσταυρώσατε | estaurōsate | ”you crucified” | Reused ক্রুশ vocabulary, now with direct second-person accusation | ”you crucified,” “you put to death on a cross” | Rhetorically implicates the hearers directly — sets up their conviction in v.37. | আপনারা ক্রুশে দিয়েছিলেন | Critical (see v.23 above). |
Acts 2:37 — Cut to the heart
ἀκούσαντες δὲ κατενύγησαν τὴν καρδίαν, εἶπόν τε πρὸς τὸν Πέτρον καὶ τοὺς λοιποὺς ἀποστόλους· Τί ποιήσωμεν;
| Term | Transliteration | Literal Meaning | Semantic Range | English Variants | Contextual Theological Meaning | Bengali Rendering | Risk |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| κατανύσσομαι | katanyssomai | ”to be pierced, stabbed, cut deeply” | Sharp emotional/spiritual conviction, not mere sadness | ”cut to the heart,” “pierced to the heart,” “deeply troubled” | The Spirit’s convicting work producing genuine conviction of sin — the necessary precursor to repentance. | হৃদয়ে বিদ্ধ হওয়া / অন্তরে গভীরভাবে আঘাত পাওয়া | Medium. Should convey Spirit-produced conviction, not mere social shame or emotional guilt (a live distinction in honor-shame-saturated Bengali culture, where communal shame could be mistaken for genuine repentance). |
Acts 2:38 — Repent, be baptized, forgiveness of sins, the gift of the Holy Spirit
Πέτρος δὲ πρὸς αὐτούς· Μετανοήσατε, καὶ βαπτισθήτω ἕκαστος ὑμῶν ἐπὶ τῷ ὀνόματι Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ εἰς ἄφεσιν τῶν ἁμαρτιῶν ὑμῶν, καὶ λήμψεσθε τὴν δωρεὰν τοῦ Ἁγίου Πνεύματος.
This is the single most theologically load-bearing verse in the core passage — the doctrinal hinge of Repentance and Baptism.
| Term | Transliteration | Literal Meaning | Semantic Range | English Variants | Contextual Theological Meaning | Bengali Rendering | Risk |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| μετανοέω / μετάνοια | metanoeō / metanoia | ”to change one’s mind/heart” (meta = change, nous = mind) | A total inward reorientation away from sin and toward God, producing changed direction of life, not mere regret | ”repent,” “turn,” “change your mind and heart” | The necessary human response to the gospel proclamation — inseparable from, but not identical to, faith. Central to the doctrine Repentance and Baptism. | মন-পরিবর্তন করা (mon-poriborton kora) | Critical. Must never be rendered তওবা (tawba), the Bengali Muslim term for Islamic repentance, which centers on seeking Allah’s forgiveness for specific sins through ritual/verbal formula within a submission-and-weighed-deeds framework distinct from turning to Christ in faith. Also avoid অনুশোচনা (mere regret/remorse) alone, which captures only the emotional component and loses the volitional turning. মন-পরিবর্তন conveys the full “change of mind/direction” sense and should be used consistently everywhere μετανοέω/μετάνοια occurs in Acts (2:38; 3:19; 5:31; 8:22; 11:18; 13:24; 17:30; 19:4; 20:21; 26:20). |
| βαπτίζω / βάπτισμα | baptizō / baptisma | ”to immerse, dip” | The public, water-based Christian initiation rite commanded by Christ | ”baptize,” “baptism” | The outward, public sign of union with Christ and entrance into the believing community; historically distinct from, though associated with, John’s baptism of repentance. | বাপ্তিস্ম (baptisma, noun) / বাপ্তাইজিত হওয়া, বাপ্তিস্ম নেওয়া (verb) | High. Must never be rendered with স্নান or শুদ্ধিকরণ-family vocabulary (Hindu ritual bathing/purification, e.g., Ganges snan for removing sin/karma) nor with Islamic ritual washing terms (ওজু/গোসল, wudu/ghusl, which are pre-prayer ceremonial cleansings, not one-time covenantal initiation). বাপ্তিস্ম is the established Bengali Christian loanword and must be used with total consistency. |
| ἐπὶ τῷ ὀνόματι Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ | epi tō onomati Iēsou Christou | ”in/upon the name of Jesus Christ” | Baptism performed with explicit confession of and identification with Christ | ”in the name of Jesus Christ” | Distinguishes Christian baptism from John’s earlier baptism (cf. Acts 19:1-5) — the name invoked matters doctrinally. | যীশু খ্রীষ্টের নামে | Critical. Reuses established যীশু/খ্রীষ্ট (baseline, Critical); the phrase must retain the explicit naming of Jesus Christ and not be generalized to “in God’s name” alone, since this is precisely what later distinguishes true Christian baptism (19:5) from a merely preparatory rite. |
| ἄφεσις τῶν ἁμαρτιῶν | aphesis tōn hamartiōn | ”release/forgiveness of sins” | Sins cancelled, released, no longer held against the person | ”forgiveness of sins,” “remission of sins” | The immediate benefit received in repentance/baptism — related to, but not synonymous with, the baseline’s forensic ধার্মিক বলে গণ্য হওয়া (justification). | পাপের ক্ষমা (paper khoma) | High. ক্ষমা (forgiveness) alone is appropriate here for ἄφεσις, but translators must not confuse this with, or substitute it for, the baseline’s compound justification phrase ধার্মিক বলে গণ্য হওয়া, which the baseline explicitly warns must never be abbreviated to bare ক্ষমা. পাপের ক্ষমা (forgiveness of sins specifically) and ধার্মিক বলে গণ্য হওয়া (forensic righteous-standing) are related but distinct blessings and must not be collapsed into one term. |
| δωρεά (τοῦ Ἁγίου Πνεύματος) | dōrea | ”free gift” | An unearned, freely given gift — same root family as baseline’s grace (χάρις) theology | ”the gift of the Holy Spirit” | The Spirit himself is given as an unmerited gift upon repentance/baptism, not earned by ritual performance — reinforces the baseline Grace doctrine. | উপহার / দান | Medium. Should echo, without duplicating, baseline’s অনুগ্রহ (grace); δωρεά specifically denotes the gift given rather than the favor/disposition itself — keep the two lexically distinct while preserving the shared “unmerited” theology in translator notes. |
Acts 2:39 — The promise for all who are far off
ὑμῖν γάρ ἐστιν ἡ ἐπαγγελία καὶ τοῖς τέκνοις ὑμῶν καὶ πᾶσι τοῖς εἰς μακράν, ὅσους ἂν προσκαλέσηται Κύριος ὁ θεὸς ἡμῶν.
| Term | Transliteration | Literal Meaning | Semantic Range | English Variants | Contextual Theological Meaning | Bengali Rendering | Risk |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| πᾶσι τοῖς εἰς μακράν | pasi tois eis makran | ”all those far off” | Both spatially and covenantally distant peoples — anticipates Gentile inclusion | ”all who are far off,” “everyone far away” | First hint within the sermon itself of the Gentile mission that will unfold through the whole book — Universal Scope of the Gospel (baseline) applied programmatically to Acts. | দূরবর্তী সকলের জন্য | High. Must retain full universal force; do not narrow to “distant Jews of the diaspora” only, since the book’s unfolding narrative (chs. 10-15) confirms Gentiles are included in “all who are far off.” |
| προσκαλέσηται (Κύριος ὁ θεός) | proskalesētai | ”calls to himself” | Reuses baseline’s আহুত/আহ্বান (calling) doctrine family | ”calls,” “will call” | God’s own sovereign summoning initiative — consistent with baseline’s effectual_calling doctrine. | আহ্বান করেন | High (baseline). Reuse আহ্বান/আহুত family exactly. |
Acts 2:40-41 — Testifying, exhorting, saved from a crooked generation; the word received; baptized; added; three thousand souls
ἑτέροις τε λόγοις πλείοσιν διεμαρτύρετο καὶ παρεκάλει αὐτοὺς λέγων· Σώθητε ἀπὸ τῆς γενεᾶς τῆς σκολιᾶς ταύτης. οἱ μὲν οὖν ἀποδεξάμενοι τὸν λόγον αὐτοῦ ἐβαπτίσθησαν, καὶ προσετέθησαν ἐν τῇ ἡμέρᾳ ἐκείνῃ ψυχαὶ ὡσεὶ τρισχίλιαι.
| Term | Transliteration | Literal Meaning | Semantic Range | English Variants | Contextual Theological Meaning | Bengali Rendering | Risk |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| διαμαρτύρομαι | diamartyromai | ”to testify solemnly” | Intensified form of μάρτυς (witness) family | ”testified,” “solemnly testified” | Reinforces সাক্ষী/witness theology already established at v.32 — bold, weighty testimony, not casual comment. | সাক্ষ্য দিলেন / দৃঢ়ভাবে সাক্ষ্য দিলেন | High. See সাক্ষী notes at v.32; keep the witness-family vocabulary consistent throughout. |
| παρακαλέω | parakaleō | ”to exhort, urge, encourage” | Context-sensitive (baseline already flags this) | “exhorted,” “urged,” “pleaded with” | Here functions as urgent pastoral appeal following proclamation. | বিনতি করলেন / উৎসাহিত করলেন | Low (baseline). Context here favors বিনতি (urgent appeal) over উৎসাহিত করা (building up); baseline already notes this context-sensitivity. |
| γενεὰ σκολιά | genea skolia | ”crooked generation” | Morally twisted, deviant generation (echoes Deut. 32:5) | “crooked generation,” “corrupt generation,” “perverse generation” | Calls for decisive separation from a morally compromised culture, not merely bad luck or circumstance. | কুটিল প্রজন্ম / বিপথগামী প্রজন্ম | Medium. Must convey moral corruption, not a fatalistic “bad era” reading; avoid any phrase suggesting an astrologically-determined “bad age” (as in Hindu Kali Yuga framing). |
| ἀποδέχομαι (τὸν λόγον) | apodechomai | ”to receive, welcome, accept” | Genuine reception of the message, not mere hearing | ”received the word,” “welcomed the message” | Marks genuine faith-response distinct from the earlier crowd’s mere curiosity (v.12). | বাক্য গ্রহণ করলেন | Medium. Should convey wholehearted acceptance/embrace, connected to বিশ্বাস (faith, baseline), not passive intellectual assent. |
| προστίθημι (προσετέθησαν) | prosetethēsan | ”were added” | Being incorporated into an existing, defined community | ”were added,” “were added to their number” | Founding statement of The Church as Community: conversion is not merely individual but immediate incorporation into a visible, countable body. | সংযুক্ত হলেন / যুক্ত হলেন | Medium. Should convey organic incorporation into মণ্ডলী (baseline church term), not a loose voluntary-association model — the passage assumes formal, countable membership in a defined community. |
| ψυχαί | psychai | ”souls” (used here as a person-count idiom, “about three thousand souls/people”) | Idiomatic for “persons,” though the word can also denote the immaterial soul elsewhere | ”souls,” “people,” “persons” | A numerical/pastoral statement of church growth, not a technical anthropological statement about the soul’s nature per se. | প্রাণ (praan) or জন (jon, “persons,” count-word) | Medium. Must not be rendered আত্মা, which the baseline reserves exclusively for the Holy Spirit (পবিত্র আত্মা) and for humans’ spiritual nature in other contexts — using আত্মা here would create a confusing homonym collision with the divine Person’s name in the very same chapter. প্রাণ or the plain count-word জন is safer for this specific “person-count” idiom. |
2. Book-Wide Chapter Survey (Acts 1, 3–28)
Chapter 1 — Ascension, the Promise of the Spirit, Witness to the Ends of the Earth
Doctrinal focus: The Great Commission Fulfilled (programmatic statement, 1:8); The Holy Spirit and Pentecost (promise anticipated); Apostolic Authority (replacement of Judas).
| Term | Transliteration | Literal Meaning | Semantic Range | English Variants | Contextual Theological Meaning | Bengali Rendering | Risk |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ἀναλαμβάνω / ἀνάλημψις | analambanō / analēmpsis | ”to take up” | Christ’s bodily, visible departure into heaven | ”taken up,” “ascended,” “the ascension” | Confirms the resurrected Christ’s bodily glorification and enthronement — sets up 2:33’s “right hand of God.” | স্বর্গারোহণ (sworgarohon) / স্বর্গে উত্তোলিত হলেন | High. স্বর্গ (heaven) is shared vocabulary with the Hindu concept of svarga, a temporary heavenly abode within an ongoing rebirth cycle, not an eternal dwelling with God. Established Bengali Bible usage retains স্বর্গ for the Christian heaven throughout, so wholesale replacement is not proposed; however, a translator note is required at this first major Ascension narrative clarifying that this is Christ’s unique, permanent, bodily enthronement, not entry into a temporary heavenly realm within samsara. |
| μάρτυς | martys | ”witness” | See full treatment above (Acts 2:32) | “witnesses” | First occurrence of the book’s programmatic witness-mandate: “you will be my witnesses… to the end of the earth.” | সাক্ষী | High (fully defined at 2:32; first occurrence here). |
| ἔσχατον τῆς γῆς | eschaton tēs gēs | ”the end/uttermost part of the earth” | Geographic totality — the entire inhabited world | ”ends of the earth,” “uttermost parts of the earth” | The book’s structural roadmap and thesis statement — Acts narrates the gospel’s advance from Jerusalem to Rome as a partial fulfillment of this total scope. | পৃথিবীর প্রান্ত পর্যন্ত | Medium. Should retain full geographic/universal force; do not narrow to a regional or nationalistic reading. Pair consistently with baseline’s mission (সুসমাচার প্রচার) vocabulary. |
| ὁμοθυμαδόν | homothymadon | ”with one accord, of one mind” | United corporate action, recurring church-unity idiom (1:14; 2:46; 4:24; 5:12) | “with one accord,” “together,” “unanimously” | Establishes early pattern of unified corporate prayer/devotion foundational to The Church as Community. | একমনে / একচিত্তে | Medium. Must convey Spirit-produced unity of purpose, not mere crowd conformity or communal social pressure (a live distinction given strong communal/group-identity dynamics in Bengali social life). |
| κλῆρος | klēros | ”lot; portion assigned by lot” | Casting lots as a means of discerning God’s choice (also used for “inheritance/portion,” cf. baseline’s adoption/inheritance theology) | “lot,” “casting lots” | God’s sovereign selection of Matthias — divine guidance, not chance. | গুটিকাপাত (gutikapat) | Medium. Must not be rendered with ভাগ্য or নিয়তি (fate/destiny, explicitly rejected in baseline for providence and election), since the text presents this as a means through which the sovereign God, not impersonal chance, makes his choice known. |
Chapter 3 — Healing at the Temple Gate; the Servant, the Author of Life, Restoration
Doctrinal focus: Apostolic Authority and Miracles; Repentance; Christological titles.
| Term | Transliteration | Literal Meaning | Semantic Range | English Variants | Contextual Theological Meaning | Bengali Rendering | Risk |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| παῖς (θεοῦ) | pais (theou) | “servant, child” | OT “Servant of the LORD” title (Isaiah 42, 52-53) applied to Jesus | ”his servant,” “his Holy Servant” | A deliberately paradoxical title: the exalted, glorified one is also the suffering Servant of Isaiah — deepens rather than diminishes his identity. | ঈশ্বরের দাস | High. This title, taken alone, could be misread by Muslim-background readers as confirming the Islamic view of Isa as merely God’s servant/prophet (a title Islam readily affirms) rather than the co-equal divine Son. Must always be paired with, or followed closely by, unambiguous Sonship/Lordship language (ঈশ্বরের পুত্র, প্রভু) so the servant-title is understood as the humiliation of the divine Son, not a statement of mere prophetic status. |
| ἀρχηγός (τῆς ζωῆς) | archēgos (tēs zōēs) | “originator, pioneer, founder” | One who opens/originates a way others follow; also rendered “Prince” (5:31) | “Author of life,” “Prince of life,” “Founder” | Christ as the source and pioneer of resurrection life for others. | জীবনের আদিকর্তা / অগ্রনায়ক | Medium. Should convey Christ as originating source, not merely a religious founder-figure among founders (a risk given comparative-religion framing common in pluralistic Bengali discourse about “founders” of Hinduism, Buddhism, Islam, Christianity as parallel figures). |
| ἀποκατάστασις / ἀποκαθιστάνω | apokatastasis / apokathistanō | ”restoration” | Eschatological renewal of all things at Christ’s return | ”restoration of all things,” “restore” | Christian hope is the future, linear restoration of creation at Christ’s return, contrasted with cyclical renewal frameworks. | পুনঃস্থাপন | Medium. Must not be conflated with Hindu cyclical cosmology (successive yugas ending and restarting) — Christian restoration is a definite, future, one-time consummation tied to Christ’s return, not a recurring cosmic cycle. |
| ἀνάψυξις | anapsyxis | ”refreshing, relief” | Spiritual relief/refreshment following repentance | ”times of refreshing” | Repentance brings relief from sin’s burden, connected to the coming of the Lord’s presence. | সজীবতার সময় / প্রশান্তির সময় | Low. Minor poetic term; low collision risk. |
| μετανοέω (again, 3:19) | metanoeō | (see 2:38) | — | “repent” | Reuses established মন-পরিবর্তন. | মন-পরিবর্তন করা | Critical (established at 2:38). |
Chapter 4 — Boldness before the Council; Salvation in No Other Name; Holding All Things in Common
Doctrinal focus: Persecution and Bold Witness; Salvation; The Church as Community.
| Term | Transliteration | Literal Meaning | Semantic Range | English Variants | Contextual Theological Meaning | Bengali Rendering | Risk |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| παρρησία | parrēsia | ”boldness, freedom/openness of speech” | Fearless, unashamed public proclamation, often Spirit-produced (also 4:29, 31; 28:31) | “boldness,” “confidence,” “openly, plainly” | Marks the apostles’ Spirit-empowered courage under threat — the defining posture of Bold Witness. | সাহস / নির্ভীকভাবে বলা | Medium. Must be tied explicitly to the Holy Spirit’s empowerment (4:31, “filled with the Holy Spirit… spoke the word of God with boldness”), not portrayed as innate human courage, stubborn defiance, or confrontational aggression — a needed distinction given social sensitivities around public religious speech in both Bangladesh and West Bengal. |
| οὐκ ἔστιν ἐν ἄλλῳ οὐδενὶ ἡ σωτηρία (4:12) | — | “salvation is in no one else” | Exclusivity of salvation in Christ’s name alone | ”salvation in no other name” | Reuses baseline পরিত্রাণ with maximal exclusivity claim — must not be softened for interfaith comfort. | অন্য কোনো নামে পরিত্রাণ নেই | Critical (baseline salvation doctrine + universal_scope_of_gospel exclusivity). Preserve full exclusivity; do not soften to “a way” among ways. |
| πρεσβύτερος | presbyteros | ”elder” | (a) Jewish council elder (used here, 4:5, 4:8, 4:23) (b) later, Christian congregational elder (11:30; 14:23; 15:2; 20:17) | “elders” | Context-sensitive term: here, part of the Sanhedrin’s ruling body opposing the apostles; later, a Christian church office. | প্রাচীন | Medium. Context-sensitive like baseline’s আহুত/called; translators must track which sense (Jewish council vs. Christian church office) is active per occurrence. First full church-office sense at 11:30/14:23; fully treated in ch. 20 below. |
| κοινά (εἶχον ἅπαντα κοινά) | koina | ”held in common” | Voluntary communal sharing of goods among believers (2:44-45; 4:32-35) | “had everything in common,” “shared all things” | A concrete practice of The Church as Community flowing from unity in the Spirit — voluntary, not coerced or ideologically mandated. | সবকিছু একসাথে ভাগ করে নেওয়া | Medium. Should be framed as voluntary, Spirit-motivated generosity, not conflated with a political-economic ideology (a risk in South Asian political discourse where “everything in common” language can trigger communist/collectivist associations unrelated to the text’s meaning). |
| ὁμοθυμαδόν | — | (see ch. 1) | — | “with one accord” | Reused (4:24). | একমনে | Medium (established ch. 1). |
Chapter 5 — Ananias and Sapphira; Angelic Deliverance; the Fear of God
Doctrinal focus: The Church as Community (holiness within it); Apostolic Authority and Miracles; Persecution.
| Term | Transliteration | Literal Meaning | Semantic Range | English Variants | Contextual Theological Meaning | Bengali Rendering | Risk |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ψεύδομαι (τὸ Πνεῦμα τὸ Ἅγιον) | pseudomai | ”to lie [to]“ | Deliberate deception directed at the Holy Spirit himself, not merely at human leaders | ”lied to the Holy Spirit” | Confirms the Spirit’s full personhood and divine presence within the community — lying to the community’s leaders is treated as lying to God himself. | পবিত্র আত্মার কাছে মিথ্যা বলা | High. Reinforces baseline’s Critical-risk পবিত্র আত্মা personhood doctrine; must not be diluted into “deceiving the community” alone, losing the direct divine-offense dimension. |
| φόβος (μέγας φόβος) | phobos | ”fear” | Reverential awe/dread at God’s holiness and judgment, not casual fright | ”great fear,” “fear came upon” | The community’s response to God’s holiness being vindicated within it — reinforces baseline holiness (পবিত্র) doctrine’s seriousness. | ভয় / সম্ভ্রম | Medium. Should convey reverential fear before a holy God, distinguished from superstitious dread of capricious spirits (a live category in Bengali folk religion, both Hindu bhoot/pretatma fear and folk-Islamic jinn fear). |
| ἄγγελος | angelos | ”messenger” | A heavenly, personal spirit-being sent by God (5:19; also 8:26; 10:3; 12:7-11; 27:23) | “angel” | God’s supernatural intervention to protect and direct his apostles — distinct from baseline’s rejection of δούς for “apostle” (a human sent-one); here the referent is a non-human heavenly being. | স্বর্গীয় দূত / দূত | Low-Medium. Must be distinguished contextually from প্রেরিত (apostle, a human sent-one, baseline term) despite the shared root sense of “one sent”; established Bengali usage already keeps দूত (angel/messenger) and প্রেরিত (apostle) lexically separate — maintain this separation. |
| ἀρχηγὸς καὶ σωτήρ | archēgos kai sōtēr | ”Prince/Author and Savior” | Reuses ἀρχηγός (ch. 3) plus baseline’s সোতেরিয়া family concept | ”Prince and Savior” | Reinforces exalted Christological status alongside baseline’s পরিত্রাণ-granting role. | অগ্রনায়ক ও পরিত্রাণদাতা | Critical (baseline পরিত্রাণ component). |
Chapter 6 — Choosing of the Seven; Stephen Full of Wisdom
Doctrinal focus: The Church as Community (structured service); Apostolic Authority.
| Term | Transliteration | Literal Meaning | Semantic Range | English Variants | Contextual Theological Meaning | Bengali Rendering | Risk |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| διακονία / διάκονος | diakonia / diakonos | ”service, ministry” / “servant, deacon” | Practical service to the community’s needs, distinct from apostolic preaching ministry (6:2-4 explicitly contrasts the two) | “service,” “ministry,” “deacon,” “to serve tables” | Establishes an early functional distinction of ministry roles within The Church as Community — service to physical needs is dignified, Spirit-qualified ministry, not a lesser task. | সেবা / সেবক | Medium. Should be kept distinct from baseline’s সেবাকাজ (Christ-centered ministry, Romans doctrine) while conveying the same underlying “Spirit-empowered service” theology; no direct baseline entry exists for this specific “deacon” office, so this is a new term requiring careful first-use framing. |
| σοφία (καὶ πνεῦμα) | sophia | ”wisdom” | Spirit-given practical and spiritual discernment (also used of Stephen, 6:3, 10; and Paul’s opponents’ inability to withstand it) | “wisdom” | Wisdom here is Spirit-given, not merely intellectual attainment or ascetic spiritual accomplishment. | প্রজ্ঞা | Low-Medium. প্রজ্ঞা could carry Buddhist/Hindu connotations of enlightened insight (cf. Sanskrit prajñā); a brief framing note that this wisdom is Spirit-given, not self-attained through meditation/ascetic practice, is prudent. |
Chapter 7 — Stephen’s Speech and Martyrdom
Doctrinal focus: Persecution and Bold Witness (its costliest form).
| Term | Transliteration | Literal Meaning | Semantic Range | English Variants | Contextual Theological Meaning | Bengali Rendering | Risk |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| σκληροτράχηλος | sklērotrachēlos | ”stiff-necked” | OT idiom for stubborn resistance to God (Exodus 32:9 etc.) | “stiff-necked,” “stubborn” | Stephen’s climactic indictment — resistance to God’s messengers throughout redemptive history. | কঠিন-গ্রীব / অবাধ্য | Medium. Idiom requires cultural equivalence check; “stiff-necked” is not a natural Bengali idiom for stubbornness — অবাধ্য (disobedient/rebellious) conveys the sense more naturally while কঠিন-গ্রীব preserves the literal OT idiom for footnoting. |
| ἀντιπίπτω (τῷ Πνεύματι τῷ Ἁγίῳ) | antipiptō | ”to fall against, resist” | Active resistance to the Holy Spirit’s work | ”resist the Holy Spirit” | Names the underlying spiritual reality behind persistent unbelief and persecution of God’s messengers. | পবিত্র আত্মার বিরুদ্ধে দাঁড়ানো | High. Reinforces baseline’s Critical পবিত্র আত্মা personhood; resistance is against a Person, not an impersonal moral order or “fate.” |
| μάρτυς (extended to martyrdom) | martys | (see 2:32) | Stephen becomes the paradigm case of a witness who dies for his testimony | ”witness,” and by extension “martyr” | Stephen’s death establishes the pattern for the doctrine of costly witness running through the rest of Acts and church history. | সাক্ষী; a witness who died for his testimony: প্রাণ দিয়ে সাক্ষ্য দেওয়া ব্যক্তি | High. As flagged at 2:32, never render “martyr” with শহীদ. Use a descriptive phrase (প্রাণ দিয়ে সাক্ষ্য দেওয়া, “one who gave his life while testifying”) rather than importing a single loaded noun, to keep the biblical concept of witness-unto-death distinct from the Islamic theological-political concept of martyrdom in jihad. |
| ἐκοιμήθη | ekoimēthē | ”he fell asleep” | Euphemism for a believer’s death, implying resurrection hope | ”he fell asleep,” “he died” | Death for the believer is temporary “sleep,” not annihilation or an uncertain rebirth — connects to baseline resurrection doctrine’s hope. | তিনি নিদ্রাগত হলেন / ঘুমিয়ে পড়লেন (মৃত্যুবরণ করলেন) | Low-Medium. A gentle euphemism; ensure it is not misread as literal sleep or as a claim of soul-sleep doctrine — a brief note tying it to resurrection hope (পুনরুত্থান) is helpful. |
Chapter 8 — Simon Magus, Sorcery, Philip and the Ethiopian Eunuch
Doctrinal focus: The Gospel to Jews and Gentiles (Samaritans, the eunuch); Apostolic Authority and Miracles (contrasted with false power).
| Term | Transliteration | Literal Meaning | Semantic Range | English Variants | Contextual Theological Meaning | Bengali Rendering | Risk |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| μαγεία / μαγεύω | mageia / mageuō | ”sorcery, magic” | Occult practice claiming supernatural power apart from God, condemned throughout Scripture | ”sorcery,” “magic,” “magic arts” | Simon’s sorcery is explicitly contrasted with, and defeated by, the true, gift-given power of God — sets up the doctrine that apostolic miracles are God’s gracious gift, never a competing occult technique or a purchasable commodity (8:18-23). | জাদুবিদ্যা (jadubidya) | High. Bengal has widespread folk practices — Hindu tantra-mantra, and folk-Islamic taweez/amulet and pir-based occult practice — colloquially also called “jadu.” The text’s condemnation must be clearly aimed at occult power-seeking in general, including any practice (regardless of religious label) that seeks supernatural results through manipulation/technique rather than through the gift and grace of God. A translator note distinguishing this from legitimate miracles (see baseline’s টার্মস/অলौकिक কাজ) is recommended. |
| δωρεὰ τοῦ θεοῦ | dōrea tou theou | ”the gift of God” | Reuses δωρεά (2:38) | “the gift of God” | Simon’s attempt to buy this gift (8:18-20) is the direct narrative antithesis of grace — reinforces baseline’s grace-versus-merit doctrine. | ঈশ্বরের দান | High (see 2:38 δωρεά notes; ties directly to baseline grace doctrine — cf. Romans 4:4-5, 11:5-6 contrast rule). |
| ἐπίθεσις τῶν χειρῶν | epithesis tōn cheirōn | ”laying on of hands” | A physical act of apostolic impartation/commissioning (also 6:6; 9:17; 13:3; 19:6) | “laying on of hands” | An apostolically-authorized means of impartation, distinct from a magical touch or a guru’s blessing-touch. | হাত রাখা | Medium. Should be distinguished from the Hindu guru’s blessing-touch (আশীর্বাদ) or the Sufi pir’s blessing, which are typically understood as channeling the holy person’s own accumulated spiritual merit/power; the biblical act is an apostolically-authorized sign accompanying God’s own sovereign gift-giving, not a transfer of the apostle’s personal spiritual attainment. |
| καθαρός / ἀκάθαρτος (contextual — unclean spirit, 8:7) | katharos / akathartos | ”clean/unclean” | Ritual/spiritual purity language, reused more fully at ch. 10 | ”unclean spirit” | Anticipates ch. 10’s fuller purity-language discussion. | অশুচি আত্মা | Medium (fuller treatment at ch. 10). |
Chapter 9 — Conversion of Saul; “The Way”; Ananias’s Vision
Doctrinal focus: Conversion of Paul; The Gospel to Jews and Gentiles (Saul as its future apostle).
| Term | Transliteration | Literal Meaning | Semantic Range | English Variants | Contextual Theological Meaning | Bengali Rendering | Risk |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ἐπιστρέφω / ἐπιστροφή | epistrephō / epistrophē | ”to turn, turn back” | A decisive turning from one’s former life/allegiance to God in Christ | ”convert,” “turn to the Lord,” “conversion” | Names the theological reality behind Saul’s Damascus Road experience and the doctrine Conversion of Paul more broadly. | ফেরা / ঈশ্বরের দিকে ফেরা (fera / Ishshorer dike fera) | Critical. Must NEVER be rendered ধর্মান্তর (“religious conversion” in the formal sociopolitical sense), which in both India and Bangladesh is an intensely loaded legal-political term — India has state-level “anti-conversion” laws specifically targeting ধর্মান্তরকরণ, and the word routinely appears in communal-tension news coverage and riot rhetoric. Using it here would recast a New Testament theological turning-to-Christ as a formal, legally-fraught act of leaving one religious community for another, importing controversy the biblical text does not carry. Use ফেরা/মন ফেরানো (turning) — the same verb family already established for μετανοέω — instead. |
| ἡ ὁδός | hē hodos | ”the Way” | A proper-noun self-designation for the early Christian movement (9:2; 19:9, 23; 22:4; 24:14, 22) | “the Way” | Names Christianity’s earliest self-identity as a distinct, exclusive path of life and truth centered on Christ. | পথ (poth) | Medium. Must not be confused with শরিয়ত (Arabic shari’a, literally “the path/way,” the Islamic legal-religious path — already flagged as forbidden for “law” in the baseline), nor with the Hindu/Buddhist mārga (path) concept of one of several valid spiritual paths to liberation. A translator note on first occurrence (9:2) clarifying this is the early church’s own self-designation for the exclusive way of salvation in Christ is recommended. |
| σκεῦος ἐκλογῆς | skeuos eklogēs | ”vessel/instrument of choosing” | Reuses baseline’s ঈশ্বরের মনোনয়ন (election) family | ”chosen instrument” | God’s sovereign choice of Saul specifically for Gentile mission — reinforces baseline’s election doctrine. | মনোনীত পাত্র | High (baseline election family). |
| ὅραμα (Ananias’s vision, 9:10) | horama | (see full treatment at 2:17) | — | “vision” | First narrative occurrence of the vision-motif that recurs through the book. | দর্শন | High (see full risk note at Acts 2:17 above; require translator note here as the first full narrative vision account). |
Chapter 10 — Cornelius; Peter’s Vision; Clean and Unclean; No Partiality
Doctrinal focus: The Gospel to Jews and Gentiles (its decisive turning point).
| Term | Transliteration | Literal Meaning | Semantic Range | English Variants | Contextual Theological Meaning | Bengali Rendering | Risk |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| καθαρός / ἀκάθαρτος | katharos / akathartos | ”clean/unclean” | Ceremonial dietary purity categories under the Mosaic Law | ”clean,” “unclean,” “common” | God’s declaration “what God has made clean, do not call common” (10:15) abolishes the ceremonial food-purity distinction as a barrier to table-fellowship between Jews and Gentiles — theologically prepares for Justification apart from the Law. | শুচি / অশুচি | High. Must be clearly framed as ceremonial/dietary purity language, not the moral concept of sin (পাপ, baseline) nor Hindu ritual purity (śuddhi, an active and socially significant category in Bengali Hindu practice around food, caste, and touch) nor Islamic halal/haram categories. The text’s point is precisely that this category is being set aside as a barrier between peoples — translators must not accidentally reinforce a caste-like purity framework while translating a passage whose very point is to dismantle one. |
| οὐ προσωπολήμπτης | ou prosōpolēmptēs | ”not a respecter of faces/persons” | God’s impartiality across ethnic/social lines | ”God shows no partiality,” “God is not one to show partiality” | Direct doctrinal statement undergirding the whole Jew-Gentile inclusion narrative — connects to baseline’s universal_scope_of_gospel and unity_of_jews_and_gentiles doctrines. | ঈশ্বর পক্ষপাতিত্ব করেন না | High (baseline-adjacent). Must retain full force against caste, ethnic, or communal-identity partiality — a socially pointed claim in the Bengali context. |
| φοβούμενος τὸν θεόν | phoboumenos ton theon | ”one who fears/reveres God” | A technical term for Gentile sympathizers/adherents to Jewish monotheism and ethics without full conversion (proselyte status) | “God-fearing,” “a God-fearer” | Describes Cornelius’s spiritual state prior to the gospel — genuine but incomplete devotion, now brought to fulfillment in Christ. | ঈশ্বরভক্ত / ঈশ্বরকে ভয়কারী | Low-Medium. Should be distinguished from full covenant membership (baseline’s saints/church doctrine); this is a historically specific pre-conversion category. |
Chapter 11 — The Church at Antioch; First Called “Christians”
Doctrinal focus: The Church as Community; The Gospel to Jews and Gentiles.
| Term | Transliteration | Literal Meaning | Semantic Range | English Variants | Contextual Theological Meaning | Bengali Rendering | Risk |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Χριστιανός | Christianos | ”Christ-follower, partisan of Christ” | The name first applied to believers at Antioch (11:26) | “Christians” | Marks the movement’s emergence as a distinct, recognizable community with its own name, no longer merely a Jewish sect. | খ্রীষ্টান | Low. Established Bengali term (already referenced in the baseline’s righteousness note, “খ্রীষ্টান ধর্ম”); no new collision risk, though its first appearance here is historically and thematically significant for The Church as Community. |
| πρεσβύτεροι (church-office sense, 11:30) | presbyteroi | (see ch. 4) | Now clearly a Christian congregational office receiving famine relief | ”elders” | First clear instance of the church-office sense of elder (as opposed to the Sanhedrin sense in ch. 4). | প্রাচীন | Medium (see ch. 4 and full treatment ch. 20). |
Chapter 12 — Herod’s Persecution; Peter’s Deliverance; James’s Death
Doctrinal focus: Persecution and Bold Witness; Apostolic Authority and Miracles.
No significant new theological vocabulary beyond ἄγγελος (angel, fully treated ch. 5) and the martyrdom-distinction already established for James’s death (see ch. 7 — avoid শহীদ; use descriptive phrasing). Reuse established terms.
Chapter 13 — Saul Becomes Paul; Sent Out by the Spirit; Justified from What the Law Could Not
Doctrinal focus: Justification apart from the Law; The Great Commission Fulfilled (formal missionary sending begins).
| Term | Transliteration | Literal Meaning | Semantic Range | English Variants | Contextual Theological Meaning | Bengali Rendering | Risk |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ἀφορίζω | aphorizō | ”to set apart, mark off” | Deliberate, Spirit-directed separation for a specific commissioned task (13:2) | “set apart,” “separate” | Connects directly to baseline’s High-risk Separation unto God’s Service doctrine — formal commissioning for gospel mission. | পৃথক করা | High (baseline doctrine reuse: separation_unto_gods_service). Must not be read as monastic/ascetic withdrawal (baseline already flags this against sannyasa/Sufi withdrawal); this is commissioning for active mission, not retreat from the world. |
| νηστεία | nēsteia | ”fasting” | Devotional abstention from food accompanying prayer and commissioning (13:2-3; also 14:23) | “fasting” | A devotional practice accompanying seeking God’s guidance, not a merit-earning ritual. | উপবাস | Medium. Must be distinguished from Hindu vrata-fasting (undertaken for merit or to fulfill a vow to a deity) and from Islamic Ramadan roja (obligatory ritual fasting as a pillar of religious duty); Christian fasting here is a voluntary devotional accompaniment to prayer, not a merit-earning or obligatory ritual act. |
| δικαιωθῆναι (πάντα ὅσα οὐκ ἐδυνήθητε ἐν νόμῳ Μωϋσέως δικαιωθῆναι, 13:38-39) | dikaiōthēnai | ”to be justified” | Direct citation of the justification-apart-from-law doctrine in narrative/sermonic form | ”justified,” “freed,” “everyone who believes is justified” | This is Acts’ clearest statement of Justification apart from the Law — must align exactly with Romans’ established justification language. | ধার্মিক বলে গণ্য হওয়া | Critical (baseline). Reuse the exact compound phrase; do not abbreviate to ক্ষমা (forgiveness) alone, per baseline’s explicit warning. This passage is thematically the Acts counterpart to Romans 3-4 and must be lexically identical for curriculum-wide consistency. |
Chapter 14 — Lystra; Mistaken for Gods; The Living God
Doctrinal focus: The Gospel to Jews and Gentiles (Gentile paganism directly confronted).
| Term | Transliteration | Literal Meaning | Semantic Range | English Variants | Contextual Theological Meaning | Bengali Rendering | Risk |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| θεοί (plural, Zeus/Hermes identification, 14:11-13) | theoi | ”gods” (plural, pagan deities) | The Greco-Roman pantheon | ”the gods,” “Zeus,” “Hermes/Mercury” | The crowd’s polytheistic misidentification of Paul and Barnabas as pagan deities — the narrative’s entire point is Paul’s urgent correction of this error. | দেবতা (debota, plural pagan gods) | Critical. Must be sharply and consistently distinguished from ঈশ্বর (the one true God, baseline Critical term). Using ঈশ্বর for these pagan deities, even descriptively, would blur the very distinction the text is drawing; দেবতা (used in Bengali generally for Hindu gods/demigods) is the correct term precisely because it signals these are not the true God — the same distinction Bengali Hindu readers will recognize between দেবতা (a god among many) and the unique concept the text insists ঈশ্বর must occupy alone. |
| θεὸς ζῶν | theos zōn | ”the living God” | Contrasts the true, active, personal God against lifeless idols/deities | ”the living God” | Paul’s direct polemical contrast — foundational apologetic language reused at ch. 17. | জীবন্ত ঈশ্বর | High. Central to distinguishing biblical monotheism from both Hindu polytheistic/devotional plurality and from any perception of ঈশ্বর as an abstract impersonal principle; “living” must convey personal, active, relational deity. |
Chapter 15 — The Jerusalem Council; Circumcision; the Yoke of the Law
Doctrinal focus: Justification apart from the Law (its climactic ecclesial resolution).
| Term | Transliteration | Literal Meaning | Semantic Range | English Variants | Contextual Theological Meaning | Bengali Rendering | Risk |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| περιτομή / περιτέμνω | peritomē / peritemnō | ”circumcision” | The Mosaic covenant-sign rite; the council’s central dispute is whether Gentile believers must undergo it | ”circumcision,” “be circumcised” | The Jerusalem Council’s ruling that circumcision is not required for Gentile salvation is Acts’ most explicit institutional statement of Justification apart from the Law. | ত্বকচ্ছেদ (twokchedo) | High. Must never be rendered খৎনা, the Bengali Muslim loanword for the parallel (and, in Islam, likewise religiously significant) practice — using it would import an Islamic ritual-legal frame onto a Jewish covenant-sign whose theological stakes (a requirement for salvation, versus optional cultural practice) are the very subject under dispute in the passage. ত্বকচ্ছেদ is the established Bengali Bible term and must be used consistently, paired with বেবস্থा (baseline “law”) vocabulary. |
| ζυγός | zygos | ”yoke” | Metaphor for a burden of obligation, here specifically the full weight of Mosaic Law-keeping (15:10) | “yoke” | Names the Law’s demand as an unbearable burden from which grace liberates — direct support for baseline’s Grace-versus-merit doctrine. | জোয়াল | Medium. Standard agricultural metaphor, recognizable in rural Bengali context; ensure it is read as “burden of law-keeping obligation,” not simply “hardship in general.” |
Chapter 16 — Lydia; the Philippian Jailer; the Spirit of Divination
Doctrinal focus: The Gospel to Jews and Gentiles; Repentance and Baptism; Apostolic Authority and Miracles.
| Term | Transliteration | Literal Meaning | Semantic Range | English Variants | Contextual Theological Meaning | Bengali Rendering | Risk |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| πνεῦμα Πύθωνος / πνεῦμα μαντικόν | pneuma Pythōnos | ”a python spirit” (referencing the Delphic oracle) / “a divining spirit” | An evil spirit granting occult fortune-telling ability, explicitly demonic in the narrative (16:16-18) | “spirit of divination,” “spirit by which she predicted the future” | Contrasted sharply with legitimate, Spirit-given ভাববাণী (prophecy, baseline) — this is a counterfeit, demonically-sourced prediction, cast out as an act of apostolic authority. | গণনার আত্মা / ভবিষ্যদ্বাণীর মন্দ আত্মা | High. Reuses baseline’s already-rejected গণনা (astrological/fortune-telling prediction, explicitly distinguished from legitimate ভাববাণী in the baseline’s prophecy entry) — here applied to name the demonic source directly. Must never be confused with, or lexically overlap, the legitimate ভাববাণী/ভাববাদী (prophet/prophecy) vocabulary; this is precisely the counterfeit the true gift exposes and displaces. Highly relevant given the prevalence of astrology (জ্যোতিষ) and spirit-possession fortune-telling in Bengali folk religious practice. |
| πιστεύω… σωθήσῃ (16:31, “Believe and you will be saved”) | — | — | The Philippian jailer’s salvation confession, structurally parallel to Acts 2:38 and Romans 10:9 | ”Believe… and you will be saved” | Must be rendered identically in pattern to the other salvation-confession passages for curriculum-wide consistency. | বিশ্বাস কর… তুমি পরিত্রাণ পাবে | Critical (baseline faith + salvation doctrines). |
Chapter 17 — Athens; the Unknown God; God’s Offspring
Doctrinal focus: The Gospel to Jews and Gentiles (pagan philosophical audience); apologetics.
| Term | Transliteration | Literal Meaning | Semantic Range | English Variants | Contextual Theological Meaning | Bengali Rendering | Risk |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ἄγνωστος θεός | agnōstos theos | ”unknown god” | The Athenian altar inscription Paul uses as a rhetorical bridge (17:23) | “The Unknown God” | Here θεός refers ambiguously (from the Athenians’ own perspective) to whichever deity they had failed to identify; Paul reinterprets it to point to the one true God. | অজানা ঈশ্বর | Medium. Because this specific occurrence functions as Paul’s rhetorical bridge to introduce the true ঈশ্বর, keep ঈশ্বর here (matching Paul’s own strategic reinterpretation) rather than দেবতা — but a translator note is needed clarifying that Paul is redefining the Athenians’ ambiguous inscription to refer to the one true God, not affirming that their intended pagan referent was correct. |
| δεισιδαιμονέστερος / τὸ θεῖον | deisidaimonesteros / to theion | ”very religious/superstitious” / “the Divine [Being]“ | Ambiguous term (can mean either sincere religiosity or superstition); τὸ θεῖον is abstract philosophical language for deity in general | ”very religious,” “extremely religious,” “somewhat superstitious” / “the Divine Being,” “Deity,” “Godhead” | Paul meets Greek philosophical vocabulary on its own ground before redirecting it to the specific, personal, self-revealing God of Scripture. | ধর্মভাবাপন্ন/কুসংস্কারপ্রবণ (context-dependent) / ঈশ্বরিক সত্তা | Medium. Requires context judgment (positive “religious” vs. negative “superstitious” reading); ঈশ্বরিক সত্তা for τὸ θεῖον should be used only in this philosophical-bridge context, never as a substitute for ঈশ্বর itself elsewhere. |
| τοῦ θεοῦ γένος (17:28-29, quoting Greek poets, “we are God’s offspring”) | tou theou genos | ”of the race/family of God” | Generic creaturely relationship of all humanity to God as Creator (by virtue of creation, not covenant or redemption) | “God’s offspring,” “his offspring,” “children of God” (creational sense) | Affirms universal human dependence on and relatedness to the Creator — but this is categorically distinct from the baseline’s specific soteriological adoption doctrine (দত্তকপুত্রতা). | ঈশ্বরের সৃষ্ট সন্তান / ঈশ্বরের বংশ (সাধারণ অর্থে) | Critical. Must be sharply distinguished from baseline’s দত্তকপুত্রতা (adoption into God’s family through faith in Christ, a High-risk Salvation doctrine reserved specifically for believers with full inheritance rights). If this generic creational “offspring of God” language is confused with the soteriological adoption doctrine, it would wrongly imply that all humanity — apart from faith in Christ — already possesses the full filial/inheritance status Romans 8 reserves for believers. A translator note distinguishing “offspring by creation” from “sons by adoption through faith” is required. |
| κρίσις / κρίμα | krisis / krima | ”judgment” | Final divine judgment of all humanity (17:31) | “judgment,” “the judgment” | Grounds repentance in the certainty of a coming, personal, moral reckoning by God through the risen Christ — not an impersonal karmic accounting. | বিচার | Medium. Must not be assimilated to the Hindu/Buddhist karma-and-rebirth framework of impersonal moral accounting across lifetimes; this is a specific, future, personal tribunal presided over by the risen Christ (17:31), a decisively different structure. |
Chapter 18 — Corinth; Gallio; Apollos
No significant new theological vocabulary; reuses established terms — ἡ ὁδός/“the Way” (ch. 9), βαπτίζω (2:38), μαρτυρέω/witness family (2:32), Κύριος (baseline). Reviewed; no new entries required.
Chapter 19 — Ephesus; Rebaptism in Jesus’ Name; Sons of Sceva; the Riot for Artemis
Doctrinal focus: Repentance and Baptism (clarified); Apostolic Authority and Miracles; pagan religious collision.
| Term | Transliteration | Literal Meaning | Semantic Range | English Variants | Contextual Theological Meaning | Bengali Rendering | Risk |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| βάπτισμα Ἰωάννου vs. εἰς τὸ ὄνομα τοῦ κυρίου Ἰησοῦ | — | John’s baptism vs. baptism into the name of the Lord Jesus | Distinguishes a preparatory repentance-baptism from full Christian baptism explicitly naming Jesus and accompanied by the Spirit | ”John’s baptism,” “baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus” | Confirms 2:38’s requirement that Christian baptism explicitly names Jesus Christ — this is not incidental phrasing but doctrinally load-bearing. | যোহনের বাপ্তিস্ম / প্রভু যীশুর নামে বাপ্তিস্ম | High (see 2:38 baptisma notes). Reinforces that বাপ্তিস্ম must retain the “in the name of Jesus” qualifier where present in the source text. |
| μαγεία (magic scrolls burned, 19:19) | — | (see ch. 8) | — | “magic books,” “books of sorcery” | Reuses জাদুবিদ্যা; the public burning dramatizes decisive renunciation of occult practice upon repentance/conversion. | জাদুবিদ্যার বই | High (see ch. 8). |
| ἡ μεγάλη θεά (Ἄρτεμις) | hē megalē thea (Artemis) | “the great goddess (Artemis)“ | The patron goddess of Ephesus, at the center of the riot (19:27-28, 34-35) | “the great goddess Artemis,” “great is Artemis” | The narrative’s dramatic climax showing economic and religious opposition to the gospel’s exclusive claims — Paul’s preaching directly threatens the goddess-cult’s commercial and religious base. | মহান দেবী (আর্তেমিস) | Critical. দেবী (goddess) carries an unusually strong, active devotional charge in Bengal specifically because Bengal is the historic heartland of Shakta Hinduism — Durga Puja and Kali worship are the region’s most prominent religious-cultural events, and “the great goddess” (মহাদেবী is in fact a standing devotional title for Durga herself in Bengali religious language). Rendering Artemis as মহান দেবী risks unintentional resonance with, or accidental honorific echo of, living Bengali goddess devotion. A firm translator note is required stating unambiguously that this describes a historical pagan Greco-Roman cult condemned by the narrative, and that no parallel or comparison to any currently-worshiped deity is intended or implied. Consider supplementing with a clarifying descriptive phrase (e.g., ইফিষের প্রতিমা-দেবী আর্তেমিস, “the idol-goddess Artemis of Ephesus”) to keep the idol/false-deity framing explicit. |
Chapter 20 — Miletus Farewell; Elders, Overseers, Shepherding the Flock
Doctrinal focus: The Church as Community; Apostolic Authority.
| Term | Transliteration | Literal Meaning | Semantic Range | English Variants | Contextual Theological Meaning | Bengali Rendering | Risk |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| πρεσβύτεροι (full church-office treatment) | presbyteroi | ”elders” | Established local congregational leaders, summoned by Paul for final instruction (20:17) | “elders” | Confirms the mature, structured leadership pattern of The Church as Community by the end of the missionary era. | প্রাচীন | Medium (established ch. 4/11; full context here). Must be read as a recognized congregational office, distinct from either a generic “old man” or a Hindu village-council/Islamic community elder role that carries different social authority structures. |
| ἐπίσκοπος | episkopos | ”overseer” | Used interchangeably with πρεσβύτερος in this passage (20:28) for the same office, viewed from the angle of oversight/supervision | ”overseer,” “bishop” | The same leaders are called both “elder” (status/honor) and “overseer” (function/task) — establishing early church polity vocabulary. | অধ্যক্ষ / তত্ত্বাবধায়ক | Medium. Should not be rendered with vocabulary implying a hierarchical clerical rank system foreign to the text’s flatter usage here (where elder and overseer describe the same local leaders), and must be kept distinct from titles carrying strong external religious-authority connotations (e.g., avoid vocabulary evoking a Hindu mahant’s institutional temple authority or an Islamic imam’s distinct juridical role). |
| ποιμαίνω (τὴν ἐκκλησίαν τοῦ θεοῦ) | poimainō | ”to shepherd” | Pastoral care metaphor — feeding, guiding, protecting | ”shepherd the church,” “care for the church,” “be shepherds of” | Reinforces baseline’s মণ্डली (church) doctrine with a caring, protective leadership model, warned against by the following verses’ image of “wolves” (false teachers). | পালন করা / মণ্ডলীকে পালন করা | Medium. Pastoral shepherd imagery translates reasonably well in agrarian Bengali context; ensure it conveys protective care and feeding (spiritual nourishment through teaching), not mere administrative management. |
Chapter 21 — Paul’s Arrest Warnings; Agabus; the Nazirite Vow
Doctrinal focus: Persecution and Bold Witness; cultural accommodation within Justification apart from the Law.
| Term | Transliteration | Literal Meaning | Semantic Range | English Variants | Contextual Theological Meaning | Bengali Rendering | Risk |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| εὐχή (Nazirite vow, 21:23-24) | euchē | ”vow” | A voluntary, temporary Jewish ceremonial vow of consecration | ”vow” | Paul’s participation in Jewish ceremonial practice as a matter of cultural accommodation, explicitly not because it is required for salvation (consistent with the ch. 15 ruling) — a nuanced pastoral balance the doctrine of Justification apart from the Law must preserve without contradiction. | ব্রত / মানত | Medium. ব্রত/মানত can evoke Hindu vrata (a vow undertaken for merit or to petition a deity for a favor) or Islamic mannat (a vow, often at a shrine, in exchange for a granted request) — both transactional, merit/favor-seeking frameworks. A translator note clarifying that Paul’s vow here is cultural accommodation for the sake of Jewish believers’ consciences (cf. 1 Cor. 9:19-23 principle), not a merit-earning or favor-transactional act, and does not compromise the ch. 15 ruling that circumcision/law-keeping is not required for salvation, is recommended. |
Chapter 22 — Paul’s Defense; Retelling His Conversion; Roman Citizenship
No significant new theological vocabulary; reuses ἐπιστρέφω/ফেরা (ch. 9), ἡ ὁδός/পথ (ch. 9), μάρτυς/সাক্ষী (2:32), βαπτίζω/বাপ্তिস্ম (2:38). The term πολίτης/πολιτεία (“citizen/citizenship”) is a civic-legal term with minimal doctrinal risk (নাগরিকত্ব, Low risk) and is noted but does not require full theological treatment.
Chapter 23 — The Sanhedrin Trial; Pharisees and Sadducees on the Resurrection
Doctrinal focus: Resurrection (baseline, reinforced by direct controversy).
No new terms; this chapter’s significance lies in reinforcing baseline’s Critical ἀνάστασις/পুনরুত্থান doctrine, since the Sadducees explicitly deny bodily resurrection (23:6-8) while Paul affirms it — translators must ensure পুনরুত্থান is rendered with full doctrinal weight here, distinctly from any reading that could reduce it to a merely “spiritual” survival concept, since the passage’s entire dramatic tension rests on the reality of bodily resurrection being contested.
Chapter 24 — Felix; Righteousness, Self-Control, and Coming Judgment
Doctrinal focus: Justification apart from the Law (contextual echo); ethics.
| Term | Transliteration | Literal Meaning | Semantic Range | English Variants | Contextual Theological Meaning | Bengali Rendering | Risk |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ἐγκράτεια | egkrateia | ”self-control” | Mastery over one’s desires/impulses, a fruit of Spirit-formed character | ”self-control” | Paul’s message to Felix pairs baseline’s ধার্মিকতা (righteousness) with practical ethical self-mastery and future judgment (κρίσις, ch. 17) — a full gospel presentation, not moralism alone. | আত্মসংযম | Low-Medium. Should not be read as ascetic self-denial for merit (as in some Hindu/Jain ascetic traditions) but as Spirit-enabled character flowing from, not earning, right standing with God. |
Chapter 25 — Festus; Appeal to Caesar
No new theological vocabulary; civic/legal proceedings (ἀνθύπατος, “proconsul”; ἐπικαλέομαι Καίσαρα, “appeal to Caesar”) carry minimal doctrinal content. Reviewed; reuses established terms (μάρτυς, বিচার/κρίσις from ch. 17).
Chapter 26 — Paul before Agrippa; Turning from the Authority of Satan to God
Doctrinal focus: Conversion of Paul (Paul’s own fullest retelling); The Great Commission Fulfilled.
| Term | Transliteration | Literal Meaning | Semantic Range | English Variants | Contextual Theological Meaning | Bengali Rendering | Risk |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ἡ ἐξουσία τοῦ Σατανᾶ | hē exousia tou Satana | ”the authority/dominion of Satan” | The realm of spiritual bondage from which conversion delivers a person | ”the power of Satan,” “the dominion of Satan” | Paul’s commission (26:18) is framed as rescue “from the authority of Satan to God” — a cosmic-spiritual dimension underlying Conversion of Paul and, by extension, all gospel conversion. | শয়তানের কর্তৃত্ব / শয়তানের ক্ষমতা | Medium. শয়তান (Satan) is lexically shared with Bengali Muslim usage of “shaitan,” but the underlying theology differs: Islamic theology generally holds Satan (Iblis) to be a disobedient jinn, not a fallen angel, and frames his opposition somewhat differently than the biblical cosmic-dualism of two competing “authorities” (Satan’s dominion vs. God’s kingdom) presented here. A brief translator note on first extended theological use (rather than every casual mention) is sufficient; this does not require full Critical-tier escalation since শয়তান as a personal evil spiritual being is broadly intelligible across both Bengali Hindu and Muslim frameworks, even though the specifics differ. |
| φωτὶ… σκότος | phōs / skotos | ”light… darkness” | Standard biblical conversion metaphor (26:18) | “turn from darkness to light” | Reinforces the decisive, total nature of conversion — reused from ch. 9’s light imagery (Paul’s own blinding light experience). | আলো / অন্ধকার | Low. Broadly intelligible dualistic imagery; low collision risk, though avoid vocabulary suggesting Hindu/Vedantic light-as-divine-essence (Brahman-as-light) monism — this is a moral-relational, not ontological-metaphysical, light/darkness contrast. |
| κλῆρος (τῶν ἡγιασμένων, 26:18, “inheritance among the sanctified”) | klēros | ”inheritance/portion” | Reuses κλῆρος (ch. 1) in its “portion/inheritance” sense, plus baseline’s holiness/sanctification family | ”inheritance among the sanctified,” “a place among God’s holy people” | Ties Paul’s commissioning directly to baseline’s Sanctification and Sainthood doctrines. | পবিত্র লোকদের মধ্যে অধিকার | High (baseline পবিত্র লোক family). |
Chapter 27 — Shipwreck at Sea
No significant new theological vocabulary. Nautical narrative; reuses established terms — “hope of salvation” reuses পরিত্রাণ, and Paul’s steadfast faith under trial reuses বিশ্বাস (baseline). No new theological terms requiring separate treatment. Reviewed.
Chapter 28 — Malta; the Viper; Paul in Rome, Preaching Unhindered
Doctrinal focus: The Great Commission Fulfilled (the book’s climactic closing statement).
| Term | Transliteration | Literal Meaning | Semantic Range | English Variants | Contextual Theological Meaning | Bengali Rendering | Risk |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| κηρύσσων τὴν βασιλείαν τοῦ θεοῦ καὶ διδάσκων τὰ περὶ τοῦ κυρίου Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ | — | “proclaiming the kingdom of God and teaching about the Lord Jesus Christ” | Reuses baseline’s ঈশ্বরের রাজ্য (kingdom of God) and প্রভু যীশু খ্রীষ্ট | ”preaching the kingdom of God and teaching about the Lord Jesus Christ” | The book’s final theological summary statement — Acts ends not with Paul’s fate but with the unstoppable advance of gospel proclamation, fulfilling Acts 1:8’s “ends of the earth” mandate reaching Rome itself. | ঈশ্বরের রাজ্য প্রচার করে ও প্রভু যীশু খ্রীষ্টের বিষয়ে শিক্ষা দিয়ে | High (baseline kingdom_of_god + lordship_of_christ). Must retain full doctrinal weight as this is the book’s climactic closing theological statement. |
| ἀκωλύτως | akōlytōs | ”without hindrance, unimpeded” | The final word of the Greek text of Acts — emphatic, deliberate placement | ”without hindrance,” “unhindered,” “quite openly” | Names the book’s central theological claim about the gospel’s nature: no human power — imprisonment, shipwreck, riot, trial — can ultimately stop its advance. Directly supports The Great Commission Fulfilled. | নির্বাধে / অবাধে | Low-Medium. Low lexical risk, but high thematic weight as the book’s final word; translators should preserve its emphatic, climactic placement at the very end of the document rather than smoothing it into a less prominent position, given its significance as Acts’ concluding theological statement. |
3. Summary of Cross-Cutting Risk Patterns
- Politically-loaded conversion vocabulary (ধর্মান্তর) is the single most consequential NEW risk this curriculum introduces beyond the Romans baseline, given Acts’ extensive first-person conversion narratives (Paul, Cornelius, Lydia, the jailer, the Ethiopian eunuch) and the term’s live sociopolitical charge in both Bangladesh and West Bengal.
- Goddess/deity vocabulary (দেবী for Artemis, দেবতা for pagan gods) requires the same rigor the baseline applied to শক্তি — Bengal’s Shakta-Hindu religious landscape makes এই ধরনের terms unusually charged.
- Vision language (দর্শন) recurs far more heavily in Acts than in Romans and carries a live Hindu devotional-ritual collision (temple darshan) requiring consistent translator notes at every major vision narrative.
- Martyrdom vocabulary must never use শহীদ; Acts is the New Testament book most dependent on a consistent alternative (descriptive witness-unto-death phrasing).
- Baptism/circumcision/purity vocabulary (বাপ্তিস্ম, ত্বকচ্ছেদ, শুচি/অশুচি) each has a specific, tempting Islamic-idiom or Hindu-ritual alternative that must be avoided in favor of the established or newly-recommended Christian-register term.
This document feeds directly into 08_core_glossary.md, which consolidates every term above into a single glossary table for Phase 2 translation memory seeding.