Core Glossary
08 Core Glossary — Acts 1–28 (English → Bengali)
Purpose
This glossary consolidates every load-bearing theological term identified across the full-book analysis in 07_semantic_analysis.md, citing terms from every chapter of Acts. Terms already recorded in the baseline Romans translation_memory.json are marked [BASELINE — REUSE EXACTLY] and must never be re-derived or altered. New terms specific to Acts are marked [NEW] and are proposed here for addition to translation memory upon theologian approval in Phase 2 Step 17.
Risk tiers follow the same framework as doctrine_risk_registry.json: Critical (human theologian review, every occurrence) / High (human theologian review) / Medium (native speaker review) / Low (automated review).
Section A — Baseline Terms Reused in Acts (No New Rendering; Cited for Cross-Reference)
| Term | Bengali (baseline, reuse exactly) | Risk | Key Acts Passages | Notes for Acts Context |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| God | ঈশ্বর | Critical | throughout | Must be sharply distinguished from new term দেবতা/দেবী (pagan gods/goddesses) introduced below — this distinction is far more load-bearing in Acts (chs. 14, 17, 19) than in Romans. |
| Jesus | যীশু | Critical | throughout | Never ঈসা. |
| Lord | প্রভু | Critical | 2:36; 10:36; 16:31; 28:31 | The Acts 2:36 “Lord and Christ” confession is the book’s Christological climax; must match Romans 10:9’s যীশু প্রভু register exactly. |
| Christ/Messiah | খ্রীষ্ট | Critical | 2:31, 36, 38; 3:18, 20; 5:42; 9:22; 17:3; 18:5, 28 | — |
| Holy Spirit | পবিত্র আত্মা | Critical | 1:5, 8; 2:4, 33, 38; 4:8, 31; 5:3, 9, 32; 6:5; 7:55; 8:15-19; 9:17, 31; 10:44-47; 11:15-16, 24; 13:2, 4, 9, 52; 15:8, 28; 16:6-7; 19:2, 6; 20:23, 28; 28:25 | Central to the doctrine The Holy Spirit and Pentecost; keep lexically separate from new term প্রাণ (“soul/person” idiom, Acts 2:41) to avoid homonym confusion. |
| Father | পিতা | Critical | 1:4, 7; 2:33 | — |
| Son of God | ঈশ্বরের পুত্র | Critical | 9:20; 13:33 | Must be paired with unambiguous Sonship framing wherever the new [NEW] term “servant of God” (ঈশ্বরের দাস, ch. 3) also appears, so the servant-title is read as humiliation of the divine Son, not mere prophetic status. |
| Resurrection | পুনরুত্থান | Critical | 1:22; 2:24, 31-32; 4:2, 33; 17:18, 32; 23:6-8; 24:15, 21; 26:23 | Never পুনর্জন্ম. Ch. 23’s Sadducee controversy makes this term’s bodily, historical force especially urgent to preserve. |
| Salvation | পরিত্রাণ | Critical | 2:21, 40, 47; 4:12; 13:26, 47; 16:17, 30-31; 28:28 | Never মুক্তি/মোক্ষ/নাজাত. |
| Righteousness | ধার্মিকতা | Critical | 13:10; 17:31; 24:25 | Never ধর্ম. |
| Justification | ধার্মিক বলে গণ্য হওয়া | Critical | 13:38-39 | Acts’ clearest justification-apart-from-law statement; must be lexically identical to Romans usage. |
| Grace | অনুগ্রহ | High | 4:33; 6:8; 11:23; 13:43; 14:3, 26; 15:11, 40; 18:27; 20:24, 32 | — |
| Faith | বিশ্বাস | High | 3:16; 6:5, 7; 11:24; 13:8; 14:9, 22, 27; 15:9; 16:5, 31; 20:21; 26:18 | — |
| Apostle | প্রেরিত | Medium | 1:2, 26; 2:37, 42-43; 4:33, 35-37; 5:2, 12, 18, 29, 34, 40; 6:6; 8:1, 14, 18; 9:27; 11:1; 14:4, 14; 15:2, 4, 6, 22-23; 16:4 | Keep lexically distinct from new term দূত (“angel,” a non-human sent being) despite shared “sent one” root sense. |
| Called / Calling | আহুত / আহ্বান | High | 2:39 | — |
| Holy | পবিত্র | High | throughout (Holy Spirit, holy ones, holy city, etc.) | — |
| Saints | পবিত্র লোক | High | 9:13, 32, 41; 26:10, 18 | Never সাধু/সাধুগণ. |
| Sanctification | পবিত্রীকরণ | High | 20:32; 26:18 | — |
| Church | মণ্ডলী | Medium | 2:47; 5:11; 8:1, 3; 9:31; 11:22, 26; 12:1, 5; 13:1; 14:23, 27; 15:3-4, 22, 41; 16:5; 20:17, 28 | — |
| Kingdom of God | ঈশ্বরের রাজ্য | Medium | 1:3, 6; 8:12; 14:22; 19:8; 20:25; 28:23, 31 | Acts 28:31’s closing use is the book’s climactic statement. |
| Law | ব্যবস্থা | High | 6:13; 7:53; 13:15, 39; 15:5, 24; 18:13; 21:20, 24, 28; 22:3, 12; 23:29; 24:14; 25:8; 28:23 | Never ধর্ম or শরিয়ত. Central to Justification apart from the Law. |
| Sin | পাপ | High | 2:38; 3:19; 5:31; 7:60; 10:43; 13:38; 22:16; 26:18 | — |
| Gentiles | পরজাতি | Medium | 9:15; 10:45; 11:1, 18; 13:46-48; 14:27; 15:3, 7, 12, 14, 19, 23; 18:6; 21:19, 21, 25; 22:21; 26:17, 20, 23; 28:28 | Central to The Gospel to Jews and Gentiles. |
| Glory | মহিমা | High | 7:2, 55; 12:23; 22:11 | Keep lexically distinct from new term মহৎ কার্য (“mighty works,” 2:11). |
| Prophet | ভাববাদী | Low | 2:16, 30; 3:18, 21-25; 7:37, 42, 48, 52; 8:28, 30, 34; 10:43; 11:27; 13:1, 15, 20, 27, 40; 15:15, 32; 21:10; 26:22, 27; 28:23 | — |
| Prophecy | ভাববাণী | Low | 2:17-18; 19:6; 21:9 | Must be kept lexically distinct from new term গণনার আত্মা (“spirit of divination,” 16:16), the counterfeit this gift displaces. |
| Covenant | নিয়ম | High | 3:25; 7:8 | — |
| Election | ঈশ্বরের মনোনয়ন | High | 9:15 (“chosen instrument,” see σκεῦος ἐκλογῆς below) | — |
| Providence | ঈশ্বরের পরিচালনা | High | 2:23 (“definite plan and foreknowledge”) | — |
| Mission | সুসমাচার প্রচার | Medium | throughout (esp. 1:8; 13:1-3; 28:31) | — |
| David | দায়ূদ | Medium | 1:16; 2:25, 29, 34; 4:25; 7:45; 13:22, 34, 36; 15:16 | — |
| Israel | ইস্রায়েল | Medium | 1:6; 2:36; 4:10, 27; 5:21, 31; 7:23, 37, 42; 9:15; 10:36; 13:16-17, 23-24; 21:28; 28:20 | — |
| Gospel | সুসমাচার | High | 8:25, 35, 40; 14:7, 15, 21; 15:7; 16:10; 20:24 | Never ইঞ্জিল. |
| Power of God | ঈশ্বরের সামর্থ্য | High | 1:8 (“power” for witness); 8:10 | Distinguish from new term পরাক্রম (“miracle-power,” concrete acts, e.g., 2:22), which never uses শক্তি either. |
| Peace | শান্তি | Medium | 9:31; 10:36; 24:2 | — |
| Fellowship | সহভাগিতা | Low | 2:42 | — |
| Thanksgiving | ধন্যবাদ | Low | 27:35; 28:15 | — |
| Adoption | দত্তকপুত্রতা | High | (implicit — see [NEW] “offspring of God,” ch. 17, which must be kept distinct) | — |
Section B — New Terms Introduced by Acts [NEW]
| # | Term (English) | Greek | Transliteration | Bengali Rendering | Transliteration (Bengali) | Risk | Doctrine | First Occurrence | Alternatives Rejected | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Repentance | μετάνοια / μετανοέω | metanoia / metanoeō | মন-পরিবর্তন (করা) | mon-poriborton (kora) | Critical | Repentance and Baptism | 2:38 | তওবা (Islamic ritual repentance), অনুশোচনা (mere regret without turning) | Never তওবা. Central to the Acts-specific doctrine. |
| 2 | Baptism | βάπτισμα / βαπτίζω | baptisma / baptizō | বাপ্তিস্ম / বাপ্তাইজিত হওয়া | baptisma / baptaijito howa | High | Repentance and Baptism | 2:38 | স্নান (Hindu ritual bathing), ওজু/গোসল (Islamic ablution), শুদ্ধিকরণ (ritual purification) | Established Bengali Christian loanword; must include “in the name of Jesus Christ” qualifier where present (2:38; 19:5). |
| 3 | Pentecost | Πεντηκοστή | Pentēkostē | পঞ্চাশত্তমীর দিন | Ponchashottomir din | Medium | The Holy Spirit and Pentecost | 2:1 | generic “উৎসব” (festival, loses specific Jewish covenantal background) | Requires translator note on Jewish Feast of Weeks background. |
| 4 | Vision | ὅρασις / ὅραμα | horasis / horama | দর্শন | dorshon | High | The Holy Spirit and Pentecost; Conversion of Paul; Gospel to Gentiles | 2:17 (fulfilled at 9:10; 10:3; 16:9; 18:9) | দৃশ্য (too weak/generic) | Collides with Hindu devotional temple-darshan concept; requires translator note at every major vision narrative. |
| 5 | Pour out (the Spirit) | ἐκχέω | ekcheō | ঢালিয়া দেওয়া | dhalia dewa | Medium | The Holy Spirit and Pentecost | 2:17, 33 | (none formally rejected; caution against shakti-descent framing) | Always pair with পবিত্র আত্মা to preserve personal-gift theology. |
| 6 | Signs and wonders | σημεῖα καὶ τέρατα | sēmeia kai terata | চিহ্ন ও আশ্চর্য কাজ | chihno o ashcharjo kaj | Medium | Apostolic Authority and Miracles | 2:19, 22, 43 | সিদ্ধি-সংক্রান্ত ভাষা (yogic-siddhi vocabulary), কারামত (Islamic saint-miracle vocabulary) | God’s own authenticating acts, not a holy person’s attainment. |
| 7 | Miracle-power (concrete acts) | δύναμις | dynamis | পরাক্রম / আশ্চর্য কাজ | porakrom / ashcharjo kaj | Medium | Apostolic Authority and Miracles | 2:22 | শক্তি (forbidden, Shakta-goddess association per baseline rule) | Distinct nuance from baseline’s abstract ঈশ্বরের সামর্থ্য. |
| 8 | Cross / to crucify | σταυρός / σταυρόω | stauros / staurousate | ক্রুশ / ক্রুশে দেওয়া | krush / krushe dewa | Critical | Messianic Promise; Resurrection (baseline-adjacent) | 2:23, 36; 4:10; 5:30; 10:39; 13:29 | ফাঁসিকাঠ (generic gallows/execution-post, strips atonement weight) | Must retain full atonement/fulfilled-prophecy weight; consistent across all Acts crucifixion references. |
| 9 | Witness | μάρτυς | martys | সাক্ষী | sakkhi | High | Persecution and Bold Witness | 1:8, 22; 2:32 | শহীদ (forbidden — see #10) | Legal/testimonial sense; keep distinct from martyrdom sense. |
| 10 | Martyrdom (death for testimony) | (extended sense of μάρτυς) | — | প্রাণ দিয়ে সাক্ষ্য দেওয়া (ব্যক্তি) | pran diye sakkhyo dewa (bekti) | High | Persecution and Bold Witness | 7:54-60 (Stephen); 12:2 (James) | শহীদ (Islamic jihad-martyr connotation — forbidden) | Use descriptive phrase, never a single loaded noun. |
| 11 | Boldness | παρρησία | parrēsia | সাহস / নির্ভীকভাবে বলা | shahos / nirvikbhabe bola | Medium | Persecution and Bold Witness | 4:13, 29, 31; 28:31 | (generic courage vocabulary without Spirit-connection) | Must be tied explicitly to Spirit-empowerment, not innate courage. |
| 12 | Ascension | ἀνάλημψις / ἀναλαμβάνω | analēmpsis / analambanō | স্বর্গারোহণ | sworgarohon | High | (implicit — Lordship of Christ / Deity of Christ) | 1:9-11 | (no safe alternative; risk managed via translator note, not substitution) | স্বর্গ shared with Hindu svarga (temporary heaven); requires translator note affirming Christ’s unique, permanent, bodily enthronement. |
| 13 | Ends of the earth | ἔσχατον τῆς γῆς | eschaton tēs gēs | পৃথিবীর প্রান্ত পর্যন্ত | prithibir prant porjonto | Medium | The Great Commission Fulfilled | 1:8 | (narrowed regional readings rejected) | Book’s structural thesis statement; retain full geographic universality. |
| 14 | Casting lots | κλῆρος | klēros | গুটিকাপাত | gutikapat | Medium | Apostolic Authority (Matthias); Election (26:18 sense: “inheritance”) | 1:26; 26:18 | ভাগ্য / নিয়তি (fate/destiny — forbidden per baseline election/providence rule) | Dual sense: “lot-casting” (ch.1) and “inheritance/portion” (ch.26); disambiguate by context. |
| 15 | With one accord | ὁμοθυμαδόν | homothymadon | একমনে / একচিত্তে | ekmone / ekchitte | Medium | The Church as Community | 1:14; 2:46; 4:24; 5:12 | (mere crowd-conformity readings rejected) | Spirit-produced unity of purpose, not social conformity. |
| 16 | Servant of God (Christological title) | παῖς θεοῦ | pais theou | ঈশ্বরের দাস | Ishshorer das | High | Deity/Sonship of Christ (baseline-adjacent) | 3:13, 26; 4:27, 30 | (must not stand alone without Sonship/Lordship qualification) | Risk of Islamic-compatible “prophet/servant only” misreading; always pair with ঈশ্বরের পুত্র / প্রভু. |
| 17 | Author/Pioneer of life | ἀρχηγός | archēgos | জীবনের আদিকর্তা / অগ্রনায়ক | jiboner adikorta / ogronayok | Medium | Deity of Christ | 3:15; 5:31 | ধর্মপ্রতিষ্ঠাতা (generic “religious founder,” flattens uniqueness) | Christ as originating source, not one founder among comparative-religion founders. |
| 18 | Restoration (eschatological) | ἀποκατάστασις / ἀποκαθιστάνω | apokatastasis | পুনঃস্থাপন | punoshthapon | Medium | (eschatology, general) | 3:21 | (cyclical-restoration/yuga framing rejected) | Linear, one-time future consummation, not a repeating cosmic cycle. |
| 19 | Deacon / service | διάκονος / διακονία | diakonos / diakonia | সেবক / সেবা | sebok / seba | Medium | The Church as Community | 6:1-4 | (conflation with baseline’s সেবাকাজ ministry term to be avoided without clarification) | Early functional ministry-role distinction. |
| 20 | Wisdom | σοφία | sophia | প্রজ্ঞা | progya | Low-Medium | The Church as Community | 6:3, 10 | (self-attained meditative “prajna” framing to be avoided) | Spirit-given, not self-attained. |
| 21 | Stiff-necked | σκληροτράχηλος | sklērotrachēlos | কঠিন-গ্রীব / অবাধ্য | kothin-grib / obaddho | Medium | Persecution and Bold Witness | 7:51 | (none; idiom clarification only) | Prefer অবাধ্য for natural Bengali readability; footnote literal idiom. |
| 22 | Resist the Holy Spirit | ἀντιπίπτω (τῷ Πνεύματι) | antipiptō | পবিত্র আত্মার বিরুদ্ধে দাঁড়ানো | Pobitro Atthar birudhdhe dãṛano | High | Persecution and Bold Witness | 7:51 | (impersonal “resisting a moral order” framing rejected) | Resistance to a divine Person, not an abstract order. |
| 23 | Sorcery / magic | μαγεία / μαγεύω | mageia / mageuō | জাদুবিদ্যা | jadubidya | High | Apostolic Authority and Miracles | 8:9-11; 13:6-10; 19:19 | (no safe synonym; managed via translator note) | Collides with widespread Bengali folk tantra-mantra and taweez/amulet practice; must not be conflated with legitimate miracles. |
| 24 | Gift (of the Spirit/of God) | δωρεά | dōrea | উপহার / দান | uphar / dan | Medium | Grace (baseline-adjacent) | 2:38; 8:20 | (merit-earned “reward” framing rejected) | Keep lexically distinct from অনুগ্রহ (grace, the disposition) while preserving shared unmerited-gift theology. |
| 25 | Laying on of hands | ἐπίθεσις τῶν χειρῶν | epithesis tōn cheirōn | হাত রাখা | hat rakha | Medium | Apostolic Authority and Miracles | 6:6; 8:17-19; 9:17; 13:3; 19:6 | গুরুর আশীর্বাদ-স্পর্শ framing (guru’s blessing-touch, implies personal spiritual attainment transfer) | Apostolically-authorized sign accompanying God’s own gift-giving, not personal-merit transfer. |
| 26 | Conversion / turning | ἐπιστρέφω / ἐπιστροφή | epistrephō / epistrophē | ফেরা / ঈশ্বরের দিকে ফেরা | fera / Ishshorer dike fera | Critical | Conversion of Paul | 9:35 (verb form); thematic throughout chs. 9-26 | ধর্মান্তর (politically/legally loaded “formal religious conversion” — forbidden) | The single highest new sociopolitical risk term in this curriculum; never use ধর্মান্তর. |
| 27 | ”The Way” (movement name) | ἡ ὁδός | hē hodos | পথ | poth | Medium | Conversion of Paul; Church as Community | 9:2; 19:9, 23; 22:4; 24:14, 22 | শরিয়ত (Islamic legal “path” — forbidden per baseline law-term logic) | Early church’s self-designation for the exclusive way of salvation in Christ. |
| 28 | Chosen instrument | σκεῦος ἐκλογῆς | skeuos eklogēs | মনোনীত পাত্র | mononito patro | High | Election (baseline-adjacent) | 9:15 | (fate/destiny framing rejected per baseline election rule) | — |
| 29 | Clean / unclean (ceremonial) | καθαρός / ἀκάθαρτος | katharos / akathartos | শুচি / অশুচি | shuchi / oshuchi | High | The Gospel to Jews and Gentiles | 8:7; 10:14-15, 28 | (conflation with moral পাপ, or with Hindu caste-purity/Islamic halal-haram categories, to be avoided) | The passage’s point is to dismantle, not reinforce, purity-based social barriers. |
| 30 | God shows no partiality | οὐ προσωπολήμπτης | ou prosōpolēmptēs | ঈশ্বর পক্ষপাতিত্ব করেন না | Ishshor pokkhopatitto koren na | High | The Gospel to Jews and Gentiles | 10:34 | (softened “tolerance” framing rejected) | Must retain full force against caste/communal-identity partiality. |
| 31 | God-fearer | φοβούμενος τὸν θεόν | phoboumenos ton theon | ঈশ্বরভক্ত | Ishshorbhokto | Low-Medium | The Gospel to Jews and Gentiles | 10:2, 22, 35 | — | Historically specific pre-conversion category; distinct from full covenant/church membership. |
| 32 | Christian (name) | Χριστιανός | Christianos | খ্রীষ্টান | Khrishtan | Low | The Church as Community | 11:26 | — | First occurrence historically significant. |
| 33 | Set apart (commissioning) | ἀφορίζω | aphorizō | পৃথক করা | prithok kora | High | The Great Commission Fulfilled (baseline separation_unto_gods_service) | 13:2 | (monastic/ascetic-withdrawal framing rejected) | Commissioning for active mission, not retreat from the world. |
| 34 | Fasting | νηστεία | nēsteia | উপবাস | uposhash | Medium | The Great Commission Fulfilled | 13:2-3; 14:23 | ব্রত-উপবাস/রোজা framing implying merit-earning or obligatory ritual duty | Voluntary devotional accompaniment to prayer, not merit-earning. |
| 35 | Gods (pagan, plural) | θεοί | theoi | দেবতা | debota | Critical | The Gospel to Jews and Gentiles | 14:11-13 | ঈশ্বর (must never be used for pagan deities) | Sharp, consistent distinction from ঈশ্বর is the entire point of the narrative. |
| 36 | The living God | θεὸς ζῶν | theos zōn | জীবন্ত ঈশ্বর | jibonto Ishshor | High | The Gospel to Jews and Gentiles | 14:15 | (abstract-impersonal-principle framing rejected) | Personal, active, relational deity contrasted with lifeless idols. |
| 37 | Circumcision | περιτομή / περιτέμνω | peritomē / peritemnō | ত্বকচ্ছেদ | twokchedo | High | Justification apart from the Law | 15:1, 5, 24; 16:3; 21:21 | খৎনা (Islamic loanword — forbidden) | Central to the Jerusalem Council’s ruling; must pair consistently with ব্যবস্থা (law). |
| 38 | Yoke (of the Law) | ζυγός | zygos | জোয়াল | jowal | Medium | Justification apart from the Law | 15:10 | (generic “hardship” framing that loses the law-burden specificity) | — |
| 39 | Spirit of divination | πνεῦμα Πύθωνος / πνεῦμα μαντικόν | pneuma Pythōnos | গণনার আত্মা / ভবিষ্যদ্বাণীর মন্দ আত্মা | gononar attha / bhobishyodbanir mondo attha | High | Apostolic Authority and Miracles | 16:16-18 | (lexical overlap with legitimate ভাববাণী/ভাববাদী to be strictly avoided) | Counterfeit demonic power displaced by true apostolic authority; collides with widespread Bengali folk astrology/possession practice. |
| 40 | Unknown god | ἄγνωστος θεός | agnōstos theos | অজানা ঈশ্বর | ojana Ishshor | Medium | The Gospel to Jews and Gentiles | 17:23 | দেবতা (would wrongly affirm the Athenians’ polytheistic framing) | Paul’s rhetorical bridge; requires note that Paul redefines the inscription toward the one true God. |
| 41 | The Divine [Being] (philosophical) | τὸ θεῖον | to theion | ঈশ্বরিক সত্তা | Ishshorik shotta | Medium | The Gospel to Jews and Gentiles | 17:29 | (substitution for ঈশ্বর itself elsewhere rejected) | Used only in this philosophical-bridge context. |
| 42 | Superstition / religiosity | δεισιδαιμονία / δεισιδαιμονέστερος | deisidaimonia | ধর্মভাবাপন্ন / কুসংস্কারপ্রবণ | dhormobhabapon / kusanskarprobon | Medium | The Gospel to Jews and Gentiles | 17:22 | — | Deliberately ambiguous term in the source; context-dependent rendering. |
| 43 | Offspring of God (creational, generic) | τοῦ θεοῦ γένος | tou theou genos | ঈশ্বরের সৃষ্ট সন্তান | Ishshorer shrishto shontan | Critical | The Gospel to Jews and Gentiles | 17:28-29 | দত্তকপুত্রতা-এর ভাষা প্রয়োগ (must not borrow adoption-doctrine vocabulary) | Must be sharply distinguished from baseline’s adoption doctrine (দত্তকপুত্রতা), which is specific to believers by faith, not all humanity by creation. |
| 44 | Judgment | κρίσις / κρίμα | krisis / krima | বিচার | bichar | Medium | The Gospel to Jews and Gentiles; eschatology | 17:31; 24:25 | কর্মফল (impersonal karmic-accounting framing — rejected) | Personal future tribunal presided over by the risen Christ. |
| 45 | Elder (church office) | πρεσβύτερος | presbyteros | প্রাচীন | prachin | Medium | The Church as Community | 4:5 (Jewish sense); 11:30; 14:23; 15:2; 20:17 (church sense) | — | Context-sensitive: Jewish council elder vs. Christian congregational office; track per occurrence. |
| 46 | Overseer | ἐπίσκοπος | episkopos | অধ্যক্ষ / তত্ত্বাবধায়ক | odhyokkho / totttabodhayok | Medium | The Church as Community | 20:28 | (hierarchical clerical-rank framing rejected; also avoid vocabulary implying Hindu mahant or Islamic imam institutional roles) | Same office as elder, viewed by function. |
| 47 | Shepherd (verb, pastoral care) | ποιμαίνω | poimainō | পালন করা | palon kora | Medium | The Church as Community | 20:28 | (mere administrative “management” framing rejected) | Protective, feeding, teaching care. |
| 48 | Vow | εὐχή | euchē | ব্রত / মানত | broto / manot | Medium | Justification apart from the Law (cultural accommodation) | 21:23-24 | (merit/favor-transactional framing to be clarified as cultural accommodation, not required for salvation) | — |
| 49 | Self-control | ἐγκράτεια | egkrateia | আত্মসংযম | attoshonghom | Low-Medium | ethics (Justification apart from the Law, contextual) | 24:25 | ascetic merit-earning self-denial framing rejected | Spirit-enabled character flowing from, not earning, right standing. |
| 50 | Authority/dominion of Satan | ἡ ἐξουσία τοῦ Σατανᾶ | hē exousia tou Satana | শয়তানের কর্তৃত্ব | Shoytaner kortritto | Medium | Conversion of Paul | 26:18 | — | Cosmic-dualism framing distinct in specifics from Islamic Iblis-as-jinn theology; brief note sufficient. |
| 51 | Unhindered | ἀκωλύτως | akōlytōs | নির্বাধে / অবাধে | nirbadhe / obadhe | Low-Medium | The Great Commission Fulfilled | 28:31 | — | Book’s climactic final word; preserve emphatic placement. |
| 52 | Forgiveness of sins | ἄφεσις τῶν ἁμαρτιῶν | aphesis tōn hamartiōn | পাপের ক্ষমা | paper khoma | High | Repentance and Baptism | 2:38; 5:31; 10:43; 13:38; 26:18 | (must not be confused with or substitute for baseline’s ধার্মিক বলে গণ্য হওয়া) | Related to, but distinct from, forensic justification. |
| 53 | Added (to the church) | προστίθημι | prostithēmi | যুক্ত হওয়া / সংযুক্ত হওয়া | jukto howa / songjukto howa | Medium | The Church as Community | 2:41, 47 | (loose “voluntary association” framing rejected) | Organic incorporation into মণ্ডলী, formal countable membership. |
| 54 | Souls (person-count idiom) | ψυχή (pl. ψυχαί) | psychē | প্রাণ / জন | pran / jon | Medium | The Church as Community | 2:41 | আত্মা (reserved exclusively for Holy Spirit / spiritual-nature contexts — avoid homonym collision) | Person-count idiom, not a technical anthropological statement. |
| 55 | Devout | εὐλαβής | eulabēs | ভক্তিপরায়ণ | bhoktiporayon | Low-Medium | The Gospel to Jews and Gentiles | 2:5 | — | Acceptable for devout Jews honoring the true God; not for generic pagan religiosity without qualification. |
| 56 | Dialect / language | διάλεκτος | dialektos | মাতৃভাষা / ভাষা | matribhasha / bhasha | Low | The Holy Spirit and Pentecost | 2:6, 8 | — | Heart-language principle; thematically significant, low doctrinal risk. |
| 57 | Great goddess (Artemis) | ἡ μεγάλη θεά | hē megalē thea | মহান দেবী | mohan debi | Critical | (pagan cult confrontation; Great Commission’s cost) | 19:27-28, 34-35 | (any wording echoing মহাদেবী, a standing Durga devotional title, must be avoided) | Highest single collision risk with Bengali Shakta-Hindu goddess devotion in the entire book; requires firm translator note and possible descriptive supplement (ইফিষের প্রতিমা-দেবী আর্তেমিস). |
| 58 | ”Mighty works of God” | τὰ μεγαλεῖα τοῦ θεοῦ | ta megaleia tou theou | ঈশ্বরের মহৎ কার্যসমূহ | Ishshorer mohot karyoshomuho | Medium | The Holy Spirit and Pentecost | 2:11 | (conflation with মহিমা/glory, baseline term, to be avoided) | God’s deeds, distinct from God’s radiant presence. |
| 59 | Cut to the heart | κατανύσσομαι | katanyssomai | হৃদয়ে বিদ্ধ হওয়া | hridoye biddho howa | Medium | Repentance and Baptism | 2:37 | (mere social-shame framing rejected) | Spirit-produced conviction, distinct from honor-shame social pressure. |
Section C — Chapters Reviewed with No New Theological Vocabulary
| Chapter | Status |
|---|---|
| 18 | Reviewed — reuses established terms (ἡ ὁδός/পথ, βαπτίζω/বাপ্তিস্ম, μάρτυς/সাক্ষী, Κύριος/প্রভু). No new theological vocabulary. |
| 22 | Reviewed — reuses ἐπιστρέφω/ফেরা, ἡ ὁδός/পথ, μάρτυς/সাক্ষী, βαπτίζω/বাপ্তিস্ম. Civic term πολίτης/নাগরিকত্ব noted, Low risk, no full entry required. |
| 23 | Reviewed — no new terms; reinforces baseline পুনরুত্থান (resurrection) doctrine via the Sadducee controversy. |
| 25 | Reviewed — civic/legal proceedings only; reuses μάρτυς/সাক্ষী and বিচার/κρίσις (ch. 17). No new theological vocabulary. |
| 27 | Reviewed — nautical narrative; reuses পরিত্রাণ (hope of salvation) and বিশ্বাস (faith under trial). No new theological vocabulary. |
3. Cross-Reference to Doctrine Coverage
| Curriculum Doctrine | Primary New Terms | Primary Baseline Terms Reused |
|---|---|---|
| The Holy Spirit and Pentecost | Pentecost, vision, pour out, dialect, mighty works | Holy Spirit, prophecy, glory |
| The Gospel to Jews and Gentiles | clean/unclean, no partiality, God-fearer, gods (plural), living God, unknown god, the Divine, superstition, offspring of God, judgment | Gentiles, gospel, Israel |
| Repentance and Baptism | repentance, baptism, forgiveness of sins, cut to the heart | sin, salvation |
| The Church as Community | with one accord, deacon/service, wisdom, Christian, elder, overseer, shepherd, added, souls | church, saints, fellowship |
| Apostolic Authority and Miracles | signs and wonders, miracle-power, sorcery, laying on of hands, spirit of divination | apostle, power of God |
| Persecution and Bold Witness | witness, martyrdom, boldness, stiff-necked, resist the Holy Spirit | — |
| Conversion of Paul | conversion/turning, the Way, chosen instrument, authority of Satan | election, faith |
| Justification apart from the Law | circumcision, yoke, vow, self-control | law, righteousness, justification, grace |
| The Great Commission Fulfilled | ends of the earth, set apart, fasting, unhindered | mission, kingdom of God |
This glossary must be loaded into Phase 2 translation memory alongside the baseline translation_memory.json before any Acts segment translation begins. New terms marked [NEW] require theologian sign-off (per doctrine risk tier) before being written into the production translation memory, per the escalation rules in 12_ai_translation_requirements.md.
Critical Risk Terms
Conversion Turning
Approved rendering: ফেরা / ঈশ্বরের দিকে ফেরা
Transliteration: fera / Ishshorer dike fera
Doctrine: Conversion of Paul
Rejected alternatives: ধর্মান্তর
Original: ἐπιστρέφω / ἐπιστροφή
Category: Conversion of Paul
NEW. A decisive turning from one’s former life/allegiance to God in Christ (9:35; thematic throughout chs. 9-26). The single highest sociopolitical risk term this curriculum introduces. NEVER ধর্মান্তর — a legally and politically loaded term for formal religious conversion, subject to state-level anti-conversion laws in India and communal-tension rhetoric in Bangladesh. Use the verb phrase ফেরা/মন ফেরানো, never a noun naming a formal community-transferring act.
Cross Crucifixion
Approved rendering: ক্রুশ / ক্রুশে দেওয়া
Transliteration: krush / krushe dewa
Doctrine: Messianic Promise
Rejected alternatives: ফাঁসিকাঠ
Original: σταυρός / σταυρόω
Category: Christology
NEW. The cross; to crucify — the central atoning act, recalled repeatedly in Acts’ sermons (2:23, 36; 4:10; 5:30; 10:39; 13:29). Never ফাঁসিকাঠ (generic gallows), which strips atonement-theology and fulfilled-prophecy weight.
Father
Approved rendering: পিতা
Transliteration: Pita
Doctrine: Adoption into God’s Family
Rejected alternatives: ব্রহ্মা, সৃষ্টিকর্তা
Original: πατήρ
Category: God
Inherited from Romans package. Acts context: 1:4, 7; 2:33 — the source of the promised Spirit.
God
Approved rendering: ঈশ্বর
Transliteration: Ishshor
Doctrine: Deity of Christ / False Religion and Idolatry Confronted
Rejected alternatives: ভগবান, আল্লাহ
Original: θεός
Category: God
Inherited from Romans package. Acts context: this term’s boundary becomes far more load-bearing in Acts because the narrative repeatedly stages direct confrontation with named pagan deities (Zeus, Hermes, Artemis, ‘the Unknown God,’ Acts 14, 17, 19). ঈশ্বর must NEVER be applied to any of these; reserve দেবতা/দেবী for them.
Great Goddess Artemis
Approved rendering: মহান দেবী
Transliteration: mohan debi
Doctrine: False Religion and Idolatry Confronted
Rejected alternatives: মহাদেবী
Original: ἡ μεγάλη θεά
Category: The Gospel to Jews and Gentiles
NEW. The patron goddess of Ephesus, at the center of the riot against Paul’s preaching (19:27-28, 34-35). দেবী carries an unusually strong, active devotional charge in Bengal, the historic heartland of Shakta Hinduism; মহাদেবী is itself a standing devotional title for Durga and must never be used. Requires a firm translator note stating this describes a historical pagan cult condemned by the narrative, with no parallel to any currently-worshiped deity intended; supplement with ইফিষের প্রতিমা-দেবী আর্তেমিস where possible.
Holy Spirit
Approved rendering: পবিত্র আত্মা
Transliteration: Pobitro Attha
Doctrine: The Holy Spirit and Pentecost
Rejected alternatives: ব্রহ্ম, পরমাত্মা
Original: πνεῦμα ἅγιον
Category: God
Inherited from Romans package. Acts context: central to nearly every chapter. Keep lexically distinct from the new term প্রাণ (person-count idiom, Acts 2:41) to avoid homonym confusion within the same chapter.
Jesus
Approved rendering: যীশু
Transliteration: Jishu
Doctrine: Lordship of Christ
Rejected alternatives: ঈসা
Original: Ἰησοῦς
Category: Christology
Inherited from Romans package. Acts context: repeatedly paired with ‘the Nazarene’ (নাসরতীয়, e.g. 2:22; 3:6; 4:10; 22:8; 26:9) as a marker of full, particular humanity — keep both elements consistent.
Justification
Approved rendering: ধার্মিক বলে গণ্য হওয়া
Transliteration: dharmik bole gonyo howa
Doctrine: Justification apart from the Law
Rejected alternatives: ক্ষমা পাওয়া, পুণ্য লাভ করা
Original: δικαιωθῆναι
Category: Salvation
Inherited from Romans package. Acts context: 13:38-39, Acts’ clearest justification-apart-from-law statement, is the direct narrative counterpart to Romans 3-4 and must be lexically identical. Never abbreviate to bare ক্ষমা.
Lord
Approved rendering: প্রভু
Transliteration: provu
Doctrine: Lordship of Christ
Rejected alternatives: মালিক, ঈশ্বর
Original: κύριος
Category: Christology
Inherited from Romans package. Acts context: 2:36’s climactic double title ‘Lord and Christ’ (প্রভু ও খ্রীষ্ট) is the sermon’s theological peak and must match Romans 10:9’s যীশু প্রভু register exactly.
Messiah
Approved rendering: খ্রীষ্ট
Transliteration: Khrishto
Doctrine: Messianic Promise
Rejected alternatives: মশীহ, অবতার পুরুষ
Original: Χριστός
Category: Christology
Inherited from Romans package. Acts context: identified exclusively with Jesus throughout Acts’ sermons (2:31, 36, 38; 3:18, 20; 5:42; 9:22; 17:3; 18:5, 28). Never মশীহ, shared with Muslim usage denying divinity, crucifixion, resurrection.
Offspring Of God
Approved rendering: ঈশ্বরের সৃষ্ট সন্তান
Transliteration: Ishshorer shrishto shontan
Doctrine: The Gospel to Jews and Gentiles
Rejected alternatives: দত্তকপুত্রতার ভাষা প্রয়োগ (must not borrow adoption-doctrine vocabulary)
Original: τοῦ θεοῦ γένος
Category: The Gospel to Jews and Gentiles
NEW. Generic creaturely relationship of all humanity to God as Creator, quoting Greek poets (17:28-29). Must be sharply distinguished from baseline দত্তকপুত্রতা (soteriological adoption reserved for believers by faith with full inheritance rights).
Pagan Gods
Approved rendering: দেবতা
Transliteration: debota
Doctrine: False Religion and Idolatry Confronted
Rejected alternatives: ঈশ্বর (never)
Original: θεοί
Category: The Gospel to Jews and Gentiles
NEW. The Greco-Roman pantheon; the crowd’s polytheistic misidentification of Paul and Barnabas as Zeus and Hermes (14:11-13). Must be sharply and consistently distinguished from ঈশ্বর. দেবতা is correct precisely because it signals these are NOT the true God.
Repentance
Approved rendering: মন-পরিবর্তন করা
Transliteration: mon-poriborton kora
Doctrine: Repentance and Baptism
Rejected alternatives: তওবা, অনুশোচনা
Original: μετάνοια / μετανοέω
Category: Repentance and Baptism
NEW. A total inward reorientation away from sin toward God, the necessary human response to gospel proclamation (2:38; 3:19; 5:31; 8:22; 11:18; 13:24; 17:30; 19:4; 20:21; 26:20). NEVER তওবা (Islamic ritual repentance within a submission-and-weighed-deeds framework). Avoid অনুশোচনা alone (mere regret, loses volitional turning). Use identically at every occurrence.
Resurrection
Approved rendering: পুনরুত্থান
Transliteration: punorutthan
Doctrine: Resurrection of Christ
Rejected alternatives: পুনর্জন্ম, পুনর্জীবন
Original: ἀνάστασις
Category: Eschatology
Inherited from Romans package. Acts context: 1:22; 2:24, 31-32; 4:2, 33; 17:18, 32; 23:6-8; 24:15, 21; 26:23. Acts 23’s Sadducee-Pharisee controversy makes preserving the bodily, historical force especially urgent.
Righteousness
Approved rendering: ধার্মিকতা
Transliteration: dharmikota
Doctrine: Salvation
Rejected alternatives: ধর্ম, পুণ্য, ন্যায়
Original: δικαιοσύνη
Category: Salvation
Inherited from Romans package. Acts context: 13:10; 17:31; 24:25. NEVER ধর্ম.
Salvation
Approved rendering: পরিত্রাণ
Transliteration: poritran
Doctrine: Salvation
Rejected alternatives: মুক্তি, মোক্ষ, নাজাত
Original: σωτηρία
Category: Salvation
Inherited from Romans package. Acts context: 2:21, 40, 47; 4:12; 13:26, 47; 16:17, 30-31; 28:28. Acts 4:12’s exclusivity claim (‘salvation in no one else’) must be rendered with full force.
Son Of God
Approved rendering: ঈশ্বরের পুত্র
Transliteration: Ishshorer Putro
Doctrine: Sonship of Christ
Rejected alternatives: দেবপুত্র, ঈশ্বরের অংশ
Original: υἱὸς θεοῦ
Category: Christology
Inherited from Romans package. Acts context: 9:20; 13:33. Must always be paired with, or read alongside, unambiguous Sonship framing wherever the new term ঈশ্বরের দাস (servant of God) also appears, so the servant-title is read as humiliation of the divine Son, not mere prophetic status per Islamic Christology.
High Risk Terms
Adoption
Approved rendering: দত্তকপুত্রতা
Transliteration: dattaka-putrota
Doctrine: Adoption into God’s Family
Rejected alternatives: দত্তক নেওয়া
Original: υἱοθεσία
Category: Salvation
Inherited from Romans package. Acts context: implicit background doctrine behind 26:18’s ‘inheritance among the sanctified.’ Must be sharply distinguished from the new term offspring_of_god (ঈশ্বরের সৃষ্ট সন্তান, 17:28-29), a generic creational relationship shared by all humanity, not the soteriological adoption reserved for believers by faith.
Ascension
Approved rendering: স্বর্গারোহণ
Transliteration: sworgarohon
Doctrine: Ascension and Exaltation of Christ
Original: ἀνάλημψις / ἀναλαμβάνω
Category: Christology
NEW. Christ’s bodily, visible departure into heaven (1:9-11; cf. 2:33-34). স্বর্গ is shared vocabulary with Hindu svarga (a temporary heavenly abode within samsara); requires a translator note affirming Christ’s unique, permanent, bodily enthronement at first occurrence.
Baptism In Jesus Name
Approved rendering: যীশু খ্রীষ্টের নামে বাপ্তিস্ম
Transliteration: Jishu Khrishtor name baptisma
Doctrine: Baptism Explicitly in the Name of Jesus Christ
Rejected alternatives: ঈশ্বরের নামে বাপ্তিস্ম (generalized)
NEW. Acts 19:1-5 depends precisely on distinguishing full Christian baptism (explicitly naming Jesus Christ) from John’s earlier, merely preparatory baptism. Never generalize to ‘in God’s name’ alone.
Baptism
Approved rendering: বাপ্তিস্ম
Transliteration: baptisma
Doctrine: Repentance and Baptism
Rejected alternatives: স্নান, ওজু/গোসল, শুদ্ধিকরণ
Original: βάπτισμα / βαπτίζω
Category: Repentance and Baptism
NEW. The public, water-based Christian initiation rite (2:38, 41; 8:12-13, 36-38; 9:18; 10:47-48; 16:15, 33; 18:8; 19:3-5). Never স্নান (Hindu ritual bathing/Ganges purification) or ওজু/গোসল (Islamic ablution). Established Bengali Christian loanword; must include the ‘in the name of Jesus Christ’ qualifier where present in the source text (2:38; 19:5).
Called
Approved rendering: আহুত
Transliteration: ahuto
Doctrine: Divine Calling
Rejected alternatives: আমন্ত্রিত, নিমন্ত্রিত
Original: κλητός
Category: Salvation
Inherited from Romans package. Acts context: 2:39, ‘as many as the Lord our God calls.‘
Calling
Approved rendering: আহ্বান
Transliteration: ahban
Doctrine: Divine Calling
Original: κλῆσις
Category: Salvation
Inherited from Romans package. Noun form for the act or state of being called by God.
Chosen Instrument
Approved rendering: মনোনীত পাত্র
Transliteration: mononito patro
Doctrine: Divine Sovereignty and Election
Rejected alternatives: ভাগ্য, নিয়তি
Original: σκεῦος ἐκλογῆς
Category: Conversion of Paul
NEW. God’s sovereign choice of Saul for Gentile mission (9:15). Never fate/destiny framing.
Circumcision
Approved rendering: ত্বকচ্ছেদ
Transliteration: twokchedo
Doctrine: The Circumcision Controversy
Rejected alternatives: খৎনা
Original: περιτομή / περιτέμνω
Category: Justification apart from the Law
NEW. The Mosaic covenant-sign rite; the Jerusalem Council’s central dispute (15:1, 5, 24; 16:3; 21:21). Never খৎনা, the Islamic loanword, which would import an unrelated Islamic ritual-legal frame. Pair consistently with ব্যবস্থা (law).
Clean Unclean
Approved rendering: শুচি / অশুচি
Transliteration: shuchi / oshuchi
Doctrine: The Gospel to Jews and Gentiles
Original: καθαρός / ἀκάθαρτος
Category: The Gospel to Jews and Gentiles
NEW. Ceremonial dietary purity categories under the Mosaic Law, set aside by God’s declaration to Peter (8:7; 10:14-15, 28). Must be framed as ceremonial/dietary purity, never পাপ (moral sin), Hindu caste/ritual purity, or Islamic halal/haram categories — the passage’s point is to dismantle, not reinforce, such barriers.
Covenant
Approved rendering: নিয়ম
Transliteration: niyom
Doctrine: Davidic Covenant
Rejected alternatives: চুক্তি, অঙ্গীকার
Original: διαθήκη
Category: Covenant
Inherited from Romans package. Acts context: 3:25; 7:8.
Election
Approved rendering: ঈশ্বরের মনোনয়ন
Transliteration: Ishshorer monownoyon
Doctrine: Divine Sovereignty and Election
Rejected alternatives: ভাগ্য, নিয়তি, কর্মফল
Original: ἐκλογή
Category: Salvation
Inherited from Romans package. Acts context: embodied concretely in Paul as God’s ‘chosen instrument’ (9:15). Never ভাগ্য/নিয়তি/কর্মফল.
Faith
Approved rendering: বিশ্বাস
Transliteration: bishwas
Doctrine: Faith
Rejected alternatives: ঈমান, শ্রদ্ধা
Original: πίστις
Category: Faith
Inherited from Romans package. Acts context: 3:16; 6:5, 7; 11:24; 13:8; 14:9, 22, 27; 15:9; 16:5, 31; 20:21; 26:18. The Philippian jailer’s ‘Believe and you will be saved’ (16:31) must match the established faith+salvation pattern.
Forgiveness Of Sins
Approved rendering: পাপের ক্ষমা
Transliteration: paper khoma
Doctrine: Forgiveness of Sins
Original: ἄφεσις τῶν ἁμαρτιῶν
Category: Repentance and Baptism
NEW. Sins cancelled, released (2:38; 5:31; 10:43; 13:38; 22:16; 26:18). Must be kept distinct from, and never substituted for, the baseline compound justification phrase ধার্মিক বলে গণ্য হওয়া; these are related but theologically distinct blessings.
Glory
Approved rendering: মহিমা
Transliteration: mohima
Doctrine: Deity of Christ
Rejected alternatives: জ্যোতি, তেজ
Original: δόξα
Category: God
Inherited from Romans package. Acts context: 7:2, 55; 12:23; 22:11. Keep lexically distinct from the new term ঈশ্বরের মহৎ কার্যসমূহ (‘mighty works of God,’ 2:11), which denotes deeds, not radiant presence.
Gospel
Approved rendering: সুসমাচার
Transliteration: susomachar
Doctrine: Gospel
Rejected alternatives: খুশ খবর, ইঞ্জিল
Original: εὐαγγέλιον
Category: Salvation
Inherited from Romans package. Acts context: 8:25, 35, 40; 14:7, 15, 21; 15:7; 16:10; 20:24. Never ইঞ্জিল.
Grace
Approved rendering: অনুগ্রহ
Transliteration: anugroho
Doctrine: Grace versus Merit (Acts)
Rejected alternatives: কৃপা, পুণ্য, ভাগ্য
Original: χάρις
Category: Salvation
Inherited from Romans package. Acts context: 4:33; 6:8; 11:23; 13:43; 14:3, 26; 15:11, 40; 18:27; 20:24, 32. Simon Magus’s attempt to buy the gift of God (8:18-20) and the Jerusalem Council’s ruling (15:11) both dramatize the grace-versus-merit contrast.
Holy
Approved rendering: পবিত্র
Transliteration: pobitro
Doctrine: Holiness and Sanctification (Acts)
Rejected alternatives: শুচি, নির্মল
Original: ἅγιος
Category: Sanctification
Inherited from Romans package. Used throughout Acts (Holy Spirit, holy ones, holy city, holy covenant).
Law
Approved rendering: ব্যবস্থা
Transliteration: bebostha
Doctrine: Justification apart from the Law
Rejected alternatives: ধর্ম, শরিয়ত, নিয়ম
Original: νόμος
Category: Covenant
Inherited from Romans package. Acts context: 6:13; 7:53; 13:15, 39; 15:5, 24; 18:13; 21:20-28; 22:3, 12; 23:29; 24:14; 25:8; 28:23. Must pair consistently with ত্বকচ্ছেদ (circumcision) in the ch. 15 dispute.
Living God
Approved rendering: জীবন্ত ঈশ্বর
Transliteration: jibonto Ishshor
Doctrine: False Religion and Idolatry Confronted
Original: θεὸς ζῶν
Category: The Gospel to Jews and Gentiles
NEW. The true, active, personal God, contrasted against lifeless idols/deities (14:15). Central to distinguishing biblical monotheism from Hindu polytheistic plurality; ‘living’ must convey personal, active, relational deity.
Martyrdom
Approved rendering: প্রাণ দিয়ে সাক্ষ্য দেওয়া (ব্যক্তি)
Transliteration: pran diye sakkhyo dewa (bekti)
Doctrine: Martyrdom as Witness unto Death
Rejected alternatives: শহীদ
Original: μάρτυς (extended sense)
Category: Persecution and Bold Witness
NEW. A believer who dies while testifying to Christ, paradigmatically Stephen (7:54-60) and James (12:2). NEVER শহীদ, the dominant Bengali Muslim term for a jihad/religious martyr, which carries a militant-sacrificial framework foreign to the biblical concept. Use the descriptive phrase, never a single noun.
No Partiality
Approved rendering: ঈশ্বর পক্ষপাতিত্ব করেন না
Transliteration: Ishshor pokkhopatitto koren na
Doctrine: Gentile Inclusion and God’s Impartiality
Original: οὐ προσωπολήμπτης
Category: The Gospel to Jews and Gentiles
NEW. God’s impartiality across ethnic/social lines (10:34). Must retain full force against caste, ethnic, or communal-identity partiality; do not soften to generic tolerance language.
Power Of God
Approved rendering: ঈশ্বরের সামর্থ্য
Transliteration: Ishshorer shamorthyo
Doctrine: Power of God for Salvation
Rejected alternatives: শক্তি
Original: δύναμις θεοῦ
Category: God
Inherited from Romans package. Acts context: 1:8 (power for witness); 8:10. Distinguish from the new term পরাক্রম (miracle-power, concrete acts, e.g. 2:22), which also never uses শক্তি.
Providence
Approved rendering: ঈশ্বরের পরিচালনা
Transliteration: Ishshorer porichalona
Doctrine: Providence and God’s Sovereign Plan
Rejected alternatives: ভাগ্য, নিয়তি
Original: βουλὴ καὶ πρόγνωσις τοῦ θεοῦ
Category: God
Inherited from Romans package. Acts context: 2:23 (‘God’s definite plan and foreknowledge’); 4:28; 27:21-26 (shipwreck deliverance). Must be held together with genuine human responsibility.
Resist Holy Spirit
Approved rendering: পবিত্র আত্মার বিরুদ্ধে দাঁড়ানো
Transliteration: Pobitro Atthar birudhdhe dãṛano
Doctrine: Persecution and Bold Witness
Original: ἀντιπίπτω (τῷ Πνεύματι τῷ Ἁγίῳ)
Category: Persecution and Bold Witness
NEW. Active resistance to the Holy Spirit’s work (7:51). Reinforces baseline পবিত্র আত্মা personhood doctrine — resistance to a divine Person, not an abstract order or fate.
Saints
Approved rendering: পবিত্র লোক
Transliteration: pobitro lok
Doctrine: Holiness and Sanctification (Acts)
Rejected alternatives: সাধু, সাধুগণ
Original: ἅγιοι
Category: Church
Inherited from Romans package. Acts context: 9:13, 32, 41; 26:10, 18. Never সাধু/সাধুগণ.
Sanctification
Approved rendering: পবিত্রীকরণ
Transliteration: pobitrikoron
Doctrine: Holiness and Sanctification (Acts)
Rejected alternatives: শুদ্ধিকরণ
Original: ἁγιασμός
Category: Sanctification
Inherited from Romans package. Acts context: 20:32; 26:18.
Servant Of God
Approved rendering: ঈশ্বরের দাস
Transliteration: Ishshorer das
Doctrine: Deity of Christ
Original: παῖς θεοῦ
Category: Christology
NEW. The OT ‘Servant of the LORD’ title (Isaiah 42, 52-53) applied to Jesus (3:13, 26; 4:27, 30). Risk of being misread by Muslim-background readers as confirming Isa as merely God’s servant/prophet; must always be paired with unambiguous Sonship/Lordship language.
Set Apart Commissioning
Approved rendering: পৃথক করা
Transliteration: prithok kora
Doctrine: The Great Commission Fulfilled
Original: ἀφορίζω
Category: The Great Commission Fulfilled
NEW. Deliberate, Spirit-directed separation for a commissioned task (13:2). Baseline separation_unto_gods_service doctrine reuse. Must not be read as monastic/ascetic withdrawal; this is commissioning for active mission.
Signs And Wonders
Approved rendering: চিহ্ন ও আশ্চর্য কাজ
Transliteration: chihno o ashcharjo kaj
Doctrine: Apostolic Miracles and Signs
Rejected alternatives: সিদ্ধি-সংক্রান্ত ভাষা, কারামত
Original: σημεῖα καὶ τέρατα
Category: Apostolic Authority and Miracles
NEW. Miraculous confirmations of God’s message and messengers (2:19, 22, 43; 4:30; 5:12; 6:8; 14:3; 15:12). Must be distinguished from Hindu siddhi (yogic attainment) and Islamic karamat (a saint’s miracle).
Sin
Approved rendering: পাপ
Transliteration: pap
Doctrine: Repentance and Baptism
Rejected alternatives: অধর্ম, অশুচিতা
Original: ἁμαρτία
Category: Sin
Inherited from Romans package. Acts context: 2:38; 3:19; 5:31; 7:60; 10:43; 13:38; 22:16; 26:18.
Sorcery
Approved rendering: জাদুবিদ্যা
Transliteration: jadubidya
Doctrine: Sorcery and Occult Power Confronted
Original: μαγεία / μαγεύω
Category: Apostolic Authority and Miracles
NEW. Occult practice claiming supernatural power apart from God, condemned and defeated (8:9-24; 13:6-11; 19:19). Collides with widespread Bengali folk tantra-mantra and folk-Islamic taweez/pir occult practice; requires a standing translator note distinguishing it from legitimate God-given miracles.
Spirit Of Divination
Approved rendering: গণনার আত্মা
Transliteration: gononar attha
Doctrine: Sorcery and Occult Power Confronted
Original: πνεῦμα Πύθωνος / πνεῦμα μαντικόν
Category: Apostolic Authority and Miracles
NEW. An evil, explicitly demonic spirit granting occult fortune-telling ability (16:16-18). Must never lexically overlap with legitimate ভাববাণী/ভাববাদী; highly relevant given prevalent Bengali folk astrology and spirit-possession fortune-telling.
Vision
Approved rendering: দর্শন
Transliteration: dorshon
Doctrine: Prayer and Divine Guidance through Visions
Rejected alternatives: দৃশ্য
Original: ὅρασις / ὅραμα
Category: Holy Spirit and Pentecost
NEW. A God-given revelatory sight (2:17; 9:10; 10:3, 17; 16:9; 18:9). দর্শন is the standard Bengali word for a Hindu devotee’s ritual ‘beholding’ of a deity’s image at a temple (মন্দিরে দর্শন) — requires a standing translator note distinguishing God-initiated revelation from devotee-initiated idol-viewing at every major occurrence.
Witness
Approved rendering: সাক্ষী
Transliteration: sakkhi
Doctrine: Persecution and Bold Witness
Rejected alternatives: শহীদ
Original: μάρτυς
Category: Persecution and Bold Witness
NEW. One who personally attests to the risen Christ (1:8, 22; 2:32; 3:15; 5:32; 10:39, 41; 13:31; 22:15; 26:16). Legal/testimonial sense; keep distinct from the extended martyrdom sense. Never শহীদ for either sense.
Medium Risk Terms
Added To Church
Approved rendering: যুক্ত হওয়া / সংযুক্ত হওয়া
Transliteration: jukto howa / songjukto howa
Doctrine: The Church as Community
Original: προστίθημι
Category: The Church as Community
NEW. Being incorporated into an existing, defined community of believers (2:41, 47). Convey organic incorporation into মণ্ডলী, not a loose voluntary-association model.
Apostle
Approved rendering: প্রেরিত
Transliteration: prerito
Doctrine: Apostolic Authority
Rejected alternatives: দূত, বার্তাবাহক
Original: ἀπόστολος
Category: Church
Inherited from Romans package. Acts context: 1:2, 26; 2:37, 42-43; 4:33; 5:2, 12, 18; 8:1, 14, 18; 9:27; 11:1; 14:4, 14; 15:2-23; 16:4. Keep lexically distinct from new terms দূত (angel, non-human sent being) and প্রাচীন (elder).
Author Of Life
Approved rendering: জীবনের আদিকর্তা / অগ্রনায়ক
Transliteration: jiboner adikorta / ogronayok
Doctrine: Deity of Christ
Rejected alternatives: ধর্মপ্রতিষ্ঠাতা
Original: ἀρχηγός
Category: Christology
NEW. Christ as originator/pioneer of resurrection life for others (3:15; 5:31). Should convey originating source, not a religious founder-figure among comparative-religion founders.
Authority Of Satan
Approved rendering: শয়তানের কর্তৃত্ব
Transliteration: Shoytaner kortritto
Doctrine: Conversion of Paul
Original: ἡ ἐξουσία τοῦ Σατανᾶ
Category: Conversion of Paul
NEW. The realm of spiritual bondage from which conversion delivers a person (26:18). শয়তান is lexically shared with Bengali Muslim usage, but Islamic theology holds Satan (Iblis) to be a disobedient jinn, not a fallen angel; brief note on first extended theological use suffices.
Boldness
Approved rendering: সাহস / নির্ভীকভাবে বলা
Transliteration: shahos / nirvikbhabe bola
Doctrine: Persecution and Bold Witness
Original: παρρησία
Category: Persecution and Bold Witness
NEW. Fearless, Spirit-produced proclamation (4:13, 29, 31; 9:27-28; 13:46; 14:3; 18:26; 19:8; 28:31). Must be tied explicitly to Spirit-empowerment, not innate human courage or confrontational aggression.
Casting Lots
Approved rendering: গুটিকাপাত
Transliteration: gutikapat
Doctrine: Divine Sovereignty and Election
Rejected alternatives: ভাগ্য, নিয়তি
Original: κλῆρος
Category: Apostolic Authority and Miracles
NEW. Casting lots to discern God’s choice of Matthias (1:26); also ‘inheritance/portion’ sense at 26:18. Never ভাগ্য/নিয়তি; the sovereign God, not chance, makes his choice known through this means.
Church
Approved rendering: মণ্ডলী
Transliteration: mondoli
Doctrine: The Church as Community
Rejected alternatives: মন্দির, গির্জা
Original: ἐκκλησία
Category: Church
Inherited from Romans package. Acts context: 2:47; 5:11; 8:1, 3; 9:31; 11:22, 26; 12:1, 5; 13:1; 14:23, 27; 15:3-41; 16:5; 20:17, 28.
Cut To The Heart
Approved rendering: হৃদয়ে বিদ্ধ হওয়া
Transliteration: hridoye biddho howa
Doctrine: Repentance and Baptism
Original: κατανύσσομαι
Category: Repentance and Baptism
NEW. Sharp Spirit-produced conviction (2:37), the precursor to repentance. Distinguish from mere social shame or honor-loss, a live risk in honor-shame-saturated Bengali culture.
David
Approved rendering: দায়ূদ
Transliteration: Dayud
Doctrine: Davidic Covenant
Original: Δαυίδ
Category: Covenant
Inherited from Romans package. Acts context: 1:16; 2:25-34; 4:25; 7:45; 13:22-36; 15:16.
Deacon Service
Approved rendering: সেবক / সেবা
Transliteration: sebok / seba
Doctrine: The Church as Community
Original: διάκονος / διακονία
Category: The Church as Community
NEW. Practical service to the community’s physical needs, distinct from apostolic preaching ministry (6:1-4). Keep distinct from baseline সেবাকাজ (Christ-centered ministry, Romans) while conveying shared Spirit-empowered service theology.
Devout
Approved rendering: ভক্তিপরায়ণ
Transliteration: bhoktiporayon
Doctrine: The Gospel to Jews and Gentiles
Original: εὐλαβής
Category: The Gospel to Jews and Gentiles
NEW. Sincere religious devotion of pious Jews present at Pentecost (2:5). ভক্তি carries strong Vaishnava devotional connotations; acceptable for devout Jews honoring the true God, not for generic pagan religiosity without qualification.
Elder
Approved rendering: প্রাচীন
Transliteration: prachin
Doctrine: Church Leadership and Polity
Original: πρεσβύτερος
Category: The Church as Community
NEW for Acts context. Context-sensitive: Jewish council elder (4:5, 8, 23) or Christian congregational office (11:30; 14:23; 15:2; 20:17). Track which sense is active per occurrence.
Ends Of The Earth
Approved rendering: পৃথিবীর প্রান্ত পর্যন্ত
Transliteration: prithibir prant porjonto
Doctrine: The Great Commission Fulfilled
Original: ἔσχατον τῆς γῆς
Category: The Great Commission Fulfilled
NEW. The entire inhabited world, the book’s structural thesis (1:8; fulfilled through ch. 28). Retain full geographic/universal force; no regional or nationalistic narrowing.
Fasting
Approved rendering: উপবাস
Transliteration: uposhash
Doctrine: Fasting and Devotional Practice
Original: νηστεία
Category: The Great Commission Fulfilled
NEW. Devotional abstention from food accompanying prayer and commissioning (13:2-3; 14:23). Distinguish from Hindu vrata-fasting (merit-earning/vow-to-a-deity) and Islamic Ramadan roja (obligatory ritual duty).
Gentiles
Approved rendering: পরজাতি
Transliteration: porojati
Doctrine: The Gospel to Jews and Gentiles
Rejected alternatives: বিদেশী
Original: ἔθνη
Category: Church
Inherited from Romans package. Acts context: 9:15; 10:45; 11:1, 18; 13:46-48; 14:27; 15:3-23; 18:6; 21:19-25; 22:21; 26:17-23; 28:28 — the central expanding audience of Acts’ second half.
Gift Of Spirit
Approved rendering: উপহার / দান
Transliteration: uphar / dan
Doctrine: Grace versus Merit (Acts)
Original: δωρεά
Category: Repentance and Baptism
NEW. An unearned, freely given gift, especially the Spirit himself (2:38; 8:20; 10:45; 11:17). Keep lexically distinct from অনুগ্রহ (grace, the disposition) while preserving shared unmerited-gift theology; Simon’s attempt to buy this gift (8:18-20) is grace’s direct narrative antithesis.
Intercession
Approved rendering: মধ্যস্থতা
Transliteration: moddhosthota
Doctrine: Prayer and Divine Guidance through Visions
Rejected alternatives: সুপারিশ
Original: προσευχή / δέησις
Category: Faith
Inherited from Romans package. Acts context: 1:14, 24; 4:24-31; 8:15; 10:9; 12:5; 13:3 — the early church’s recurring practice of prayer on behalf of others.
Israel
Approved rendering: ইস্রায়েল
Transliteration: Israel
Doctrine: Unity of Jews and Gentiles
Original: Ἰσραήλ
Category: Covenant
Inherited from Romans package. Acts context: 1:6; 2:36; 4:10, 27; 5:21, 31; 7:23-42; 9:15; 10:36; 13:16-24; 21:28; 28:20.
Judgment
Approved rendering: বিচার
Transliteration: bichar
Doctrine: The Gospel to Jews and Gentiles
Rejected alternatives: কর্মফল
Original: κρίσις / κρίμα
Category: The Gospel to Jews and Gentiles
NEW. Final divine judgment of all humanity through the risen Christ (17:31; 24:25). Must not be assimilated to a Hindu/Buddhist karma-and-rebirth framework of impersonal moral accounting; this is a specific, future, personal tribunal.
Kingdom Of God
Approved rendering: ঈশ্বরের রাজ্য
Transliteration: Ishshorer Rajyo
Doctrine: The Great Commission Fulfilled
Rejected alternatives: ঈশ্বরের দেশ
Original: βασιλεία τοῦ θεοῦ
Category: Kingdom
Inherited from Romans package. Acts context: 1:3, 6; 8:12; 14:22; 19:8; 20:25; 28:23, 31. Acts 28:31’s closing use is the book’s climactic statement — retain full doctrinal weight, not a political/territorial reading.
Laying On Of Hands
Approved rendering: হাত রাখা
Transliteration: hat rakha
Doctrine: Apostolic Miracles and Signs
Original: ἐπίθεσις τῶν χειρῶν
Category: Apostolic Authority and Miracles
NEW. A physical act of apostolic impartation/commissioning (6:6; 8:17-19; 9:17; 13:3; 19:6). Distinguish from a Hindu guru’s or Sufi pir’s blessing-touch, which channels the holy person’s own accumulated merit; this is an apostolically-authorized sign accompanying God’s own gift-giving.
Mighty Works Of God
Approved rendering: ঈশ্বরের মহৎ কার্যসমূহ
Transliteration: Ishshorer mohot karyoshomuho
Doctrine: The Holy Spirit and Pentecost
Original: τὰ μεγαλεῖα τοῦ θεοῦ
Category: Holy Spirit and Pentecost
NEW. God’s great redemptive-historical deeds, heard in every tongue at Pentecost (2:11). Keep distinct from baseline মহিমা (glory, God’s radiant presence) — this is deeds, not presence.
Miracle Power
Approved rendering: পরাক্রম
Transliteration: porakrom
Doctrine: Apostolic Miracles and Signs
Rejected alternatives: শক্তি
Original: δύναμις
Category: Apostolic Authority and Miracles
NEW. Concrete miracle-working power authenticating Jesus’ and the apostles’ ministry (2:22; 3:12; 4:7; 6:8; 8:13; 19:11). Never শক্তি (Shakta-goddess association per baseline rule), even in this narrower miracle sense.
Mission
Approved rendering: সুসমাচার প্রচার
Transliteration: susomachar prochar
Doctrine: The Great Commission Fulfilled
Original: ἀποστολή / πέμπω
Category: Church
Inherited from Romans package. Acts context: the organizing action of the book as a whole (1:8; 13:1-3; 28:31).
Overseer
Approved rendering: অধ্যক্ষ / তত্ত্বাবধায়ক
Transliteration: odhyokkho / totttabodhayok
Doctrine: Church Leadership and Polity
Original: ἐπίσκοπος
Category: The Church as Community
NEW. Used interchangeably with ‘elder’ for the same office (20:28). Avoid hierarchical clerical-rank framing, and avoid vocabulary evoking a Hindu mahant’s temple authority or an Islamic imam’s distinct juridical role.
Peace
Approved rendering: শান্তি
Transliteration: shanti
Doctrine: Peace with God
Rejected alternatives: সুখ, স্বস্তি
Original: εἰρήνη
Category: Salvation
Inherited from Romans package. Acts context: 9:31; 10:36; 24:2.
Pentecost
Approved rendering: পঞ্চাশত্তমীর দিন
Transliteration: Ponchashottomir din
Doctrine: The Holy Spirit and Pentecost
Rejected alternatives: উৎসব (generic festival)
Original: Πεντηκοστή
Category: Holy Spirit and Pentecost
NEW. The Jewish Feast of Weeks/Shavuot, fifty days after Passover (2:1). No Bengali festival maps onto this; risks assimilation to a harvest festival (Nabanna) or Bengali New Year without an explanatory note on the Jewish covenantal background.
Pour Out Spirit
Approved rendering: ঢালিয়া দেওয়া
Transliteration: dhalia dewa
Doctrine: The Holy Spirit and Pentecost
Original: ἐκχέω
Category: Holy Spirit and Pentecost
NEW. God’s abundant, deliberate outpouring of the Spirit (2:17-18, 33; 10:45). Must not be read through shakti-descent/tantric-invocation lens; always pair with পবিত্র আত্মা to keep the gift personal and divinely initiated.
Restoration Eschatological
Approved rendering: পুনঃস্থাপন
Transliteration: punoshthapon
Doctrine: Eschatology (general)
Original: ἀποκατάστασις / ἀποκαθιστάνω
Category: Eschatology
NEW. The future, linear restoration of all things at Christ’s return (3:21). Must not be conflated with Hindu cyclical cosmology (successive yugas ending and restarting).
Shepherd Pastoral Care
Approved rendering: পালন করা
Transliteration: palon kora
Doctrine: Church Leadership and Polity
Original: ποιμαίνω
Category: The Church as Community
NEW. Pastoral care metaphor — feeding, guiding, protecting the church (20:28). Convey protective care and spiritual nourishment, not mere administrative management.
Souls Person Count
Approved rendering: প্রাণ / জন
Transliteration: pran / jon
Doctrine: The Church as Community
Rejected alternatives: আত্মা
Original: ψυχαί
Category: The Church as Community
NEW. Idiomatic for ‘persons’ in a numerical church-growth statement (2:41). Must not be rendered আত্মা, reserved exclusively for the Holy Spirit and humans’ spiritual nature — would create a homonym collision within the same chapter.
Spiritual Gifts
Approved rendering: আত্মিক বর
Transliteration: attik bor
Doctrine: Spiritual Gifts and Prophecy (Acts)
Rejected alternatives: বর, আশীর্বাদ
Original: χαρίσματα
Category: Church
Inherited from Romans package. Acts context: 2:4, 17-18; 11:27-28; 19:6; 21:9. Never বর alone.
Stiff Necked
Approved rendering: অবাধ্য (কঠিন-গ্রীব)
Transliteration: obaddho (kothin-grib)
Doctrine: Persecution and Bold Witness
Original: σκληροτράχηλος
Category: Persecution and Bold Witness
NEW. OT idiom for stubborn resistance to God (7:51). Not a natural Bengali idiom; prefer অবাধ্য for readability, footnote literal কঠিন-গ্রীব.
Superstition Religiosity
Approved rendering: ধর্মভাবাপন্ন / কুসংস্কারপ্রবণ
Transliteration: dhormobhabapon / kusanskarprobon
Doctrine: The Gospel to Jews and Gentiles
Original: δεισιδαιμονία / δεισιδαιμονέστερος
Category: The Gospel to Jews and Gentiles
NEW. A deliberately ambiguous term (sincere religiosity or superstition) used of the Athenians (17:22). Context-dependent rendering required.
The Divine Being
Approved rendering: ঈশ্বরিক সত্তা
Transliteration: Ishshorik shotta
Doctrine: The Gospel to Jews and Gentiles
Original: τὸ θεῖον
Category: The Gospel to Jews and Gentiles
NEW. Abstract Greek philosophical language for deity in general (17:29). Used only in this philosophical-bridge context; never substitute for ঈশ্বর itself elsewhere.
The Way
Approved rendering: পথ
Transliteration: poth
Doctrine: ‘The Way’ as Early Christian Identity
Rejected alternatives: শরিয়ত
Original: ἡ ὁδός
Category: Conversion of Paul
NEW. A proper-noun self-designation for the early Christian movement (9:2; 19:9, 23; 22:4; 24:14, 22). Must not be confused with শরিয়ত (Islamic legal-religious path) nor the Hindu/Buddhist mārga concept of one valid path among several. Translator note recommended at first occurrence (9:2).
Unknown God
Approved rendering: অজানা ঈশ্বর
Transliteration: ojana Ishshor
Doctrine: The Gospel to Jews and Gentiles
Rejected alternatives: দেবতা (would affirm the Athenians’ polytheistic framing)
Original: ἄγνωστος θεός
Category: The Gospel to Jews and Gentiles
NEW. The Athenian altar inscription Paul uses as a rhetorical bridge (17:23). Keep ঈশ্বর here (matching Paul’s own strategic reinterpretation), with a note clarifying Paul redefines, not affirms, the inscription.
Vow
Approved rendering: ব্রত / মানত
Transliteration: broto / manot
Doctrine: Justification apart from the Law
Original: εὐχή
Category: Justification apart from the Law
NEW. A voluntary, temporary Jewish Nazirite ceremonial vow (21:23-24). ব্রত/মানত can evoke Hindu vrata (merit-seeking) or Islamic mannat (shrine-based transactional vow) — both risk implying salvation-relevant merit. Require a clarifying note that this is cultural accommodation, not merit-earning, and does not reopen the ch. 15 ruling.
Wisdom Acts
Approved rendering: প্রজ্ঞা
Transliteration: progya
Doctrine: The Church as Community
Original: σοφία
Category: The Church as Community
NEW. Spirit-given practical/spiritual discernment, especially in Stephen (6:3, 10). প্রজ্ঞা could carry Buddhist/Hindu enlightened-insight connotations; frame as Spirit-given, not self-attained through meditation.
With One Accord
Approved rendering: একমনে / একচিত্তে
Transliteration: ekmone / ekchitte
Doctrine: The Church as Community
Original: ὁμοθυμαδόν
Category: The Church as Community
NEW. United corporate action in prayer and devotion (1:14; 2:46; 4:24; 5:12). Must convey Spirit-produced unity of purpose, not mere crowd conformity.
Yoke Of Law
Approved rendering: জোয়াল
Transliteration: jowal
Doctrine: Justification apart from the Law
Original: ζυγός
Category: Justification apart from the Law
NEW. Metaphor for the burden of full Mosaic Law-keeping (15:10). Standard agricultural metaphor; ensure it is read as ‘burden of law-keeping obligation,’ not generic hardship.
Low Risk Terms
Christian Name
Approved rendering: খ্রীষ্টান
Transliteration: Khrishtan
Doctrine: The Church as Community
Original: Χριστιανός
Category: The Church as Community
NEW. The name first applied to believers at Antioch (11:26). Low collision risk; already culturally established.
Dialect Language
Approved rendering: মাতৃভাষা / ভাষা
Transliteration: matribhasha / bhasha
Doctrine: Tongues as Known Human Languages
Original: διάλεκτος
Category: Holy Spirit and Pentecost
NEW. Mother tongue/regional language in which each hearer receives the Pentecost message (2:6, 8). Thematically significant heart-language principle, low doctrinal risk.
Fellowship
Approved rendering: সহভাগিতা
Transliteration: shohobhagita
Doctrine: Christian Fellowship
Rejected alternatives: বন্ধুত্ব
Original: κοινωνία
Category: Church
Inherited from Romans package. Acts context: 2:42.
God Fearer
Approved rendering: ঈশ্বরভক্ত
Transliteration: Ishshorbhokto
Doctrine: The Gospel to Jews and Gentiles
Original: φοβούμενος τὸν θεόν
Category: The Gospel to Jews and Gentiles
NEW. A technical term for Gentile sympathizers/adherents to Jewish monotheism and ethics without full conversion (10:2, 22, 35). A historically specific pre-conversion category, distinct from full covenant/church membership.
Prophecy
Approved rendering: ভাববাণী
Transliteration: bhabbani
Doctrine: Spiritual Gifts and Prophecy (Acts)
Rejected alternatives: গণনা
Original: προφητεία
Category: Covenant
Inherited from Romans package. Acts context: 2:17-18; 19:6; 21:9. Must be kept lexically distinct from the new term গণনার আত্মা (‘spirit of divination,’ 16:16), the counterfeit this gift displaces.
Prophet
Approved rendering: ভাববাদী
Transliteration: bhabbadi
Doctrine: Inspiration of Scripture
Rejected alternatives: জ্যোতিষী
Original: προφήτης
Category: Covenant
Inherited from Romans package. Acts context: 2:16, 30; 3:18-25; 7:37-52; 8:28-34; 10:43; 11:27; 13:1-40; 15:15, 32; 21:10; 26:22, 27; 28:23.
Self Control
Approved rendering: আত্মসংযম
Transliteration: attoshonghom
Doctrine: Justification apart from the Law
Original: ἐγκράτεια
Category: Justification apart from the Law
NEW. Spirit-formed mastery over one’s desires (24:25). Should not be read as ascetic self-denial for merit; Spirit-enabled character flowing from, not earning, right standing.
Thanksgiving
Approved rendering: ধন্যবাদ
Transliteration: dhonnobad
Doctrine: Thanksgiving
Original: εὐχαριστία
Category: Faith
Inherited from Romans package. Acts context: 27:35; 28:15.
Unhindered
Approved rendering: নির্বাধে / অবাধে
Transliteration: nirbadhe / obadhe
Doctrine: The Great Commission Fulfilled
Original: ἀκωλύτως
Category: The Great Commission Fulfilled
NEW. The final word of the Greek text of Acts (28:31), emphasizing the gospel’s unstoppable advance. Low lexical risk, but high thematic weight; preserve its emphatic, climactic placement.
Referenced passages