Semantic Analysis

Semantic Analysis — Acts 1–28

Koine Greek Source Analysis for Cantonese Translation Requirements

Governing rule: Any term already established in the baseline Romans translation_memory.json / bible_term_registry.json MUST be reused with its exact recorded Cantonese rendering. Such terms are marked [BASELINE TM] below and are not re-derived; only new contextual usage in Acts is noted. New terms not present in the Romans baseline are marked [NEW — ACTS] and receive full derivation.

PART 1 — CORE PASSAGE VERSE-BY-VERSE: Acts 2:1–41

Acts 2:1

Πεντηκοστή (Pentēkostē) — “Pentecost” [NEW — ACTS]

Literal meaning: “fiftieth [day],” the Feast of Weeks (Shavuot), fifty days after Passover.
Semantic range: proper name of a Jewish pilgrimage festival; NT usage narrows it to the specific historical day of the Spirit’s outpouring.
English variants: Pentecost, Feast of Weeks.
Contextual theological meaning: the historical, once-for-all inauguration of the New Covenant era of the Spirit, fulfilling Jewish festival typology.
Cantonese rendering risk: Low. Rendering: 五旬節 (Ng5 Seon4 Zit3) — established transliteration-calendar term shared across Chinese Bible tradition. Minor risk: Cantonese readers may assimilate it to a generic “festival” (節, zit3) the way Chinese folk festivals are experienced; a brief gloss (“the day fifty days after Passover when the Spirit came”) should accompany first use.

ὁμοῦ (homou) / ἐπὶ τὸ αὐτό — “together, in one place” [NEW — ACTS]

Literal meaning: gathered at the same place.
Contextual theological meaning: the unified, corporate posture of the waiting church — foundational to the “Church as Community” doctrine.
Cantonese rendering risk: Low. Rendering: 同心喺一齊 (tung4 sam1 hai2 jat1 cai4). No significant collision.

Acts 2:2

πνοή (pnoē) — “wind, breath” [NEW — ACTS]

Literal meaning: a blowing, a breath (root shared with πνεῦμα, “spirit/wind,” reinforcing the Spirit-wind association from Genesis and Ezekiel).
Semantic range: physical wind, breath of life, by extension divine breath.
Contextual theological meaning: a sensory sign accompanying the Spirit’s arrival, not the Spirit himself (πνεῦμα ἅγιον is the person; πνοή here is the phenomenon).
Cantonese rendering risk: Low. Rendering: 大風嘅聲 (daai6 fung1 ge3 seng1, “the sound of a mighty wind”). Note: must not be rendered in a way that suggests the Holy Spirit is merely wind/breath-force (which would tend toward an impersonal life-force reading — see 聖靈 note below).

Acts 2:3

γλῶσσαι ὡσεὶ πυρός (glōssai hōsei pyros) — “tongues as of fire” [NEW — ACTS]

Literal meaning: “tongue-shaped flames.”
Contextual theological meaning: visible sign of the Spirit’s presence, echoing OT theophany fire (burning bush, Sinai).
Cantonese rendering risk: Low. Rendering: 好似火舌噉嘅嘢 (hou2 ci5 fo2 sit3 gam2 ge3 je5). No cultural collision, though translators should avoid imagery evoking incense-burning/joss-stick fire commonly seen at temple altars; keep the description tied explicitly to the Spirit’s descent, not to a generic “sacred fire” trope.

Acts 2:4

ἐπλήσθησαν πνεύματος ἁγίου (eplēsthēsan pneumatos hagiou) — “were filled with the Holy Spirit” [BASELINE TM: holy_spirit = 聖靈, sing3 ling4, Critical]

New contextual note: this is the paradigm “filling” formula repeated across Acts (2:4; 4:8, 31; 9:17; 13:9, 52) as the normal experience of Spirit-empowered witness, distinct from the “indwelling” language of Romans 8. Render consistently 被聖靈充滿 (bei6 sing3 ling4 cung1 mun5) throughout Acts wherever this formula recurs, per the Theological Consistency Rules.
Cantonese rendering risk: Critical (inherits baseline 聖靈 risk). Must never drift toward 問米-summoned-spirit framing or “possession” language (附體, fu6 tai2 — a term used for ancestral-spirit or deity possession in Cantonese folk-mediumship) even though “filled” and “possessed” can sound superficially similar in translation. 充滿 (filled) must be kept distinct from 附體 (possessed/indwelt-by-a-spirit-medium).

ἑτέραις γλώσσαις (heterais glōssais) — “other tongues” [NEW — ACTS]

Literal meaning: other/different languages.
Semantic range: in Acts 2 context, real human languages (confirmed by v.6, 8, 11 “each one heard in his own language”); distinguished by most interpreters from the different (ecstatic-utterance) phenomenon in 1 Corinthians 12–14, though the same Greek word γλῶσσα is used in both places.
English variants: tongues, other languages, foreign languages.
Contextual theological meaning: a miraculous reversal of Babel — the gospel going out intelligibly to “every nation under heaven” (v.5), directly serving the “Gospel to Jews and Gentiles” and “Great Commission Fulfilled” doctrines.
Cantonese rendering risk: High. Rendering: 講別种方言 / 講其他嘅語言 (gong2 bit6 zung2 fong1 jin4 / gong2 kei4 taa1 ge3 jyu5 jin4). Risk: 方言 (fong1 jin4) in everyday Cantonese usually means regional Chinese “dialect” (as in the very fact that Cantonese itself is popularly called a 方言); this can obscure the miracle (real foreign languages never learned) by making it sound like ordinary dialect-switching. A translator’s note must clarify this is supernaturally-given fluency in unlearned human languages, not dialect code-switching, and not ecstatic/unintelligible utterance.

Acts 2:5

Ἰουδαῖοι (Ioudaioi) — “Jews” [NEW — ACTS, proper-noun class]

Rendering: 猶太人 (jau4 taai3 jan4). Low risk; established transliteration across Chinese Bible tradition.

εὐλαβεῖς (eulabeis) — “devout” [NEW — ACTS]

Literal meaning: reverent, taking care (with respect to religious duty).
Contextual theological meaning: sincere Jewish piety awaiting Messianic fulfillment — not yet saving faith, but genuine devotion.
Cantonese rendering risk: Low. Rendering: 敬虔嘅 (ging3 kin4 ge3). Distinguish from baseline’s rejected 虔誠 note under “faith” (虔誠 = generic piety toward any deity) — here it correctly describes pre-conversion Jewish piety, not a synonym for saving faith, so the term itself is acceptable in this narrative (not doctrinal-object) usage; flag for native speaker review to avoid conflating with 信心.

Acts 2:6–8

διάλεκτος (dialektos) — “language, dialect” [NEW — ACTS]

Literal meaning: manner of speech particular to a region or people.
Contextual theological meaning: reinforces that real, distinct native languages were heard — same miracle as v.4’s ἑτέραις γλώσσαις.
Cantonese rendering risk: Medium. Rendering: 本地嘅語言 / 家鄉話 (bun2 dei6 ge3 jyu5 jin4 / gaa1 hoeng1 waa2). Same collision risk as γλῶσσαι above: must not be flattened into ordinary Cantonese-dialect-diversity talk, which is a live and often politically-sensitive topic in Hong Kong (Cantonese vs. Mandarin standardization debates). Keep the miracle framing explicit and avoid incidental political resonance.

Acts 2:9–11

List of nations (Parthians, Medes, Elamites, etc.) and προσήλυτοι (prosēlytoi) — “proselytes” [NEW — ACTS]

Literal meaning: one who has come over (to Judaism); a Gentile convert to Judaism.
Contextual theological meaning: shows the audience already spans ethnic Jews, Diaspora Jews, and Gentile converts to Judaism — a rhetorical bridge toward the doctrine of “Gospel to Jews and Gentiles.”
Cantonese rendering risk: Low. Rendering: 歸信猶太教嘅人 (gwai1 seon3 jau4 taai3 gaau3 ge3 jan4). No significant collision; requires explanatory gloss since the concept (a formal convert to another ethnic-national religion) has no close Cantonese folk-religious analogue.

Acts 2:12–13

διηπόρουν (diēporoun) — “were perplexed” and γλεῦκος (gleukos) — “new/sweet wine” [NEW — ACTS]

Contextual theological meaning: the crowd’s confused, even mocking, response sets up Peter’s corrective sermon; establishes that the Spirit’s work will always meet both wonder and scoffing — relevant background to “Persecution and Bold Witness.”
Cantonese rendering risk: Low. Renderings: 猜疑/困惑 (caai1 ji4 / kwan3 waak6); 新酒 (san1 zau2). No cultural collision.

Acts 2:14–15

Πέτρος (Petros) — proper name, established rendering 彼得 (Bei2 Dak1). Low risk. μεθύουσιν (methyousin) — “are drunk” [NEW — ACTS] — 醉咗 (zeoi3 zo2). Low risk; sets up Peter’s rebuttal.

Acts 2:16

τοῦτο ἐστὶν τὸ εἰρημένον διὰ τοῦ προφήτου (touto estin to eirēmenon dia tou prophētou) — “this is what was spoken through the prophet” — fulfillment formula.

[BASELINE TM: prophet = 先知, sin1 zi1, Low] reused without change.
Contextual theological meaning: directly serves “Fulfillment of Prophecy” (a doctrine already flagged High in the Romans baseline) — Pentecost is presented as the fulfillment of Joel 2:28–32, not a novel or self-generated religious experience.
Cantonese rendering risk: High (inherits Romans baseline fulfillment-of-prophecy caution). Must render as one-time, linear historical fulfillment, never assimilated to the cyclical fortune-forecast framing (運程) flagged in the Romans package.

Acts 2:17

ἐν ταῖς ἐσχάταις ἡμέραις (en tais eschatais hēmerais) — “in the last days” [NEW — ACTS]

Literal meaning: in the final/latter days.
Semantic range: the eschatological age inaugurated by Christ’s first coming, running until his return — not merely “the end of the world” in a fatalistic almanac sense.
Cantonese rendering risk: Medium. Rendering: 末後嘅日子 (mut6 hau6 ge3 jat6 zi2). Risk of assimilation to fortune-telling “end-time prophecy” talk (末日預言) circulating in Cantonese pop culture (e.g. apocalyptic media, feng shui “doomsday” almanac chatter); clarify this names the entire church age inaugurated at Pentecost, not a single predicted date.

ἐκχεῶ ἀπὸ τοῦ πνεύματός μου (ekcheō apo tou pneumatos mou) — “I will pour out my Spirit” [NEW — ACTS, verb governs BASELINE TM 聖靈]

Literal meaning: to pour out, spill abundantly.
Contextual theological meaning: God’s generous, sovereign self-giving of his Spirit — the central Pentecost verb, doctrinally load-bearing for “The Holy Spirit and Pentecost.”
Cantonese rendering risk: Critical. Rendering: 澹灌/傾倒（聖靈） (king1 dou2 sing3 ling4, “to pour out [the Holy Spirit]”). Must be rendered as a generous, unearned, sovereign divine gift — never with vocabulary suggesting a substance dispensed in exchange for ritual merit (avoid any resonance with 還神還願 offering-and-blessing exchange, per the baseline’s Critical grace caution, since an outpoured “blessing” is exactly the register Wong Tai Sin devotion operates in).

προφητεύσουσιν (prophēteusousin) — “shall prophesy” [BASELINE TM: prophecy = 預言, Medium] reused; verb form 講預言/說預言.

Acts 2:18

δούλους καὶ δούλας (doulous kai doulas) — “menservants and maidservants” [NEW — ACTS]

Contextual theological meaning: the Spirit is poured out across every social rank and both sexes — reinforces doctrinal universality (parallel to “Universal Scope of the Gospel” in the Romans baseline).
Cantonese rendering risk: Low. Rendering: 僕人同婢女 (buk6 jan4 tung4 pei5 neoi5). No major collision, though translators should avoid words carrying feudal-bondage connotations still present in some Cantonese usage; a brief social-context note suffices.

Acts 2:19

τέρατα (terata) — “wonders” and σημεῖα (sēmeia) — “signs” [NEW — ACTS]

Literal meaning: τέρας = a portent, an astonishing event; σημεῖον = a sign, an event pointing beyond itself to meaning.
Semantic range: paired throughout Acts (2:19, 22, 43; 4:30; 5:12; 6:8; 14:3; 15:12) to describe apostolic miracles as divinely authenticating acts.
English variants: signs and wonders, miracles, marvels.
Contextual theological meaning: central to “Apostolic Authority and Miracles” — miracles authenticate the message and messenger, they are not autonomous displays of power.
Cantonese rendering risk: Critical. Rendering: 神蹟奇事 (san4 zik1 kei4 si6). This is the single highest-frequency new-term collision risk in Acts: Hong Kong temple culture (especially Wong Tai Sin’s reputation for 靈驗, ling4 jim6, “efficacious answered requests”) actively markets miraculous “signs” as proof of a deity’s power in a transactional register. Every occurrence of 神蹟奇事 must be anchored explicitly to God’s authentication of the apostles’ gospel proclamation, never presented as free-floating supernatural proof detachable from the message, and never described with 靈驗 vocabulary. Requires human theologian review at every occurrence, consistent with priority given to Apostolic Authority and Miracles doctrine.

Acts 2:20

ἡμέρα Κυρίου (hēmera Kyriou) — “the day of the Lord” [BASELINE TM: lord = 主, Critical] + [NEW compound]

Rendering: 主嘅日子 (zyu2 ge3 jat6 zi2). Risk: High. Must be distinguished from 老黃曆 lucky/unlucky-day almanac consultation (flagged in the Romans baseline under “prophecy” and “peace”) — this is the personal, sovereign Lord’s appointed day of judgment and salvation, not a calendrically auspicious/inauspicious date.

Acts 2:21

ἐπικαλέσηται τὸ ὄνομα Κυρίου (epikalesētai to onoma Kyriou) — “shall call on the name of the Lord” [NEW — ACTS, verb governs BASELINE TM 主]

Literal meaning: to call upon, invoke by name.
Contextual theological meaning: the salvation-appeal formula quoted again at Romans 10:13 (already in the baseline’s “Universal Scope of the Gospel” doctrine) — direct personal address to the Lord himself, with no ritual intermediary.
Cantonese rendering risk: Critical. Rendering: 求告主嘅名 (kau4 gou3 zyu2 ge3 ming4). Must never be assimilated to 求籤 (drawing a temple fortune-stick), 問米 (consulting a spirit-medium), or invoking Guanyin’s epithet — all explicitly forbidden analogues already flagged in the Romans baseline for parallel “calling on”/“salvation” vocabulary. This verse must be translated identically here and wherever quoted in Romans-linked cross-reference materials, per Theological Consistency Rules.

σωθήσεται (sōthēsetai) — “shall be saved” [BASELINE TM: salvation = 救恩, Critical] reused exactly; verb form 得救 (dak1 gau3).

Acts 2:22

δυνάμεσι καὶ τέρασι καὶ σημείοις (dynamesi kai terasi kai sēmeiois) — “mighty works and wonders and signs” — combines [BASELINE TM: power_of_god = 神嘅大能] with the new τέρατα/σημεῖα pairing above.

Contextual note: this is the first place δύναμις is used in Acts for miracle-working power performed through Jesus (and later the apostles), extending the Romans baseline’s “power of God for salvation” sense to a new usage: miracle-working power. Both senses must render 大能, but translators should add a disambiguating clause (“power shown through miracles”) when the miracle sense is primary, to avoid collapsing all occurrences into the soteriological sense alone.
Cantonese rendering risk: Critical (compounded — inherits both baseline power_of_god caution and the σημεῖα/τέρατα Critical note above).

Acts 2:23

ἔκδοτον (ekdoton) — “delivered up” and προγνώσει (prognōsei) — “foreknowledge” [NEW — ACTS]

Literal meaning: πρόγνωσις = knowing beforehand.
Contextual theological meaning: God’s sovereign foreordination working through, not excusing, human wickedness in the crucifixion — closely related to the Romans baseline’s “election”/“providence” doctrines (揀選, 神嘅護理).
Cantonese rendering risk: High. Rendering: 神嘅先見 (san4 ge3 sin1 gin3) or 預先知道 (jyu6 sin1 zi1 dou3). Risk: must not be rendered with fatalistic destiny vocabulary (命中注定, already forbidden under baseline “called” and “election”) — this is personal divine foreknowledge intersecting real human moral responsibility (“you crucified”), not impersonal fate absorbing away human guilt.

προσπήξαντες ἀνείλατε (prospēxantes aneilate) — “having nailed [him] to a cross, you killed [him]” [NEW — ACTS] — 釘死 (deng1 sei2). Low collision risk; standard crucifixion vocabulary shared with Passion narratives.

Acts 2:24

ἀνέστησεν (anestēsen) — “raised up” [BASELINE TM: resurrection = 復活, Critical] reused exactly.

New contextual note: this is the first Acts occurrence of the resurrection-of-Christ doctrine and must render identically to Romans usage — 復活, never 投胎轉世 (rebirth cycle) nor a 問米 spirit-medium framing (temporarily summoning the deceased for consultation). Acts’ repeated emphasis on Christ’s bodily, historical, once-for-all resurrection as apostolic eyewitness testimony (v.32, “we are witnesses”) sharpens the collision risk, since 問米 practice is itself a form of claimed “eyewitness” contact with the dead — the two must be kept sharply distinct in any explanatory note.

Acts 2:25–28

Quotation of Psalm 16 (LXX). ᾅδης (Hadēs) — “Hades” [NEW — ACTS]

Literal meaning: the realm/place of the dead.
Semantic range: in LXX/NT usage, the abode of the dead generally, not identical to the Western folk-concept of “hell” as a place of active torment (that is more properly γέεννα/Gehenna).
Cantonese rendering risk: Medium. Rendering: 陰間 (jam1 gaan1). Risk: 陰間 in Cantonese folk religion denotes the underworld realm governed by folk deities (e.g. City God 城隍, judged by ancestral/ghost-festival cosmology, central to Ghost Festival 盂蘭節 practices). Must be glossed as simply “the realm of the dead” in this context (from which Christ was not abandoned), not endorsed as the folk underworld bureaucracy Cantonese tradition envisions.

ὅσιος (hosios) — “Holy One” [NEW — ACTS]

Literal meaning: devout, pious, consecrated; used substantively as a divine title for the Messiah here.
Contextual theological meaning: Christ’s sinless purity guaranteeing his body would not decay — tightly linked to “Resurrection of Christ” (Critical, Romans baseline) and to the Deity/Sonship of Christ doctrines.
Cantonese rendering risk: High. Rendering: 聖者 (sing3 ze2). Note: must not be confused with 神仙 (Daoist immortal) or 得道高人 (an accomplished spiritual master), both already forbidden under the Romans baseline’s “saints” entry — 聖者 here names the unique Messiah, not an attained spiritual rank.

Acts 2:29–31

πατριάρχης (patriarchēs) — “patriarch” — 先祖/族長 (sin1 zou2). Risk: Medium. Caution: avoid 族長 (clan patriarch), which in Cantonese/Pearl River Delta usage names the living head of a village lineage system tied to ancestor-worship rites; prefer 先祖 or simply 祖先大衛 with explanatory apposition (“David our forefather”) to avoid importing clan-succession overtones.

ἀνάστασις (anastasis) — “resurrection” [BASELINE TM: resurrection = 復活, Critical] reused; explicit forward reference to Christ’s resurrection as the fulfillment David foresaw. Same Critical caution as v.24 applies.

Acts 2:32

μάρτυρες (martyres) — “witnesses” [NEW — ACTS]

Literal meaning: one who testifies to what he has seen/experienced; legal/courtroom root sense.
Semantic range: eyewitness testifier (Acts’ dominant sense) → later Christian usage narrows toward “one who testifies even unto death” (the martyrdom sense, first foreshadowed with Stephen in Acts 7, though the technical “martyr” sense is post-NT).
English variants: witness(es), testifier(s), (later) martyr(s).
Contextual theological meaning: apostolic authority rests on eyewitness testimony to the resurrection — foundational to “Apostolic Authority and Miracles” and anticipates “Persecution and Bold Witness.”
Cantonese rendering risk: High. Rendering: 見證人 (gin3 zing3 jan4). Must be kept in the sense of direct eyewitness testimony to a historical, bodily event, not weakened toward a generic “personal impression” or subjective inner conviction. When later chapters develop the martyrdom sense (esp. Acts 7, 22:20), add a clarifying note that suffering witness flows from, but is doctrinally distinct from, the eyewitness sense here.

Acts 2:33

ὑψωθείς (hypsōtheis) — “having been exalted” [NEW — ACTS]

Literal meaning: lifted up, raised to a height.
Contextual theological meaning: Christ’s exaltation to God’s right hand — the completion of the resurrection-ascension sequence, grounding both his Lordship (Critical, Romans baseline) and the outpoured Spirit.
Cantonese rendering risk: High. Rendering: 被高舉 (bei6 gou1 geoi2). No direct folk-religious collision, but must be kept tied to bodily ascension/enthronement, not to a vague “spiritual elevation” that could echo Daoist immortal-ascension imagery (羽化登仙, “transformed and ascending to immortality,” a stock Daoist hagiographic motif). A brief contextual note distinguishing Christ’s unique enthronement from an immortal’s apotheosis is recommended at first occurrence (also relevant at Acts 1:9–11, the Ascension proper).

τὴν ἐπαγγελίαν τοῦ πνεύματος τοῦ ἁγίου (tēn epangelian tou pneumatos tou hagiou) — “the promise of the Holy Spirit” [NEW compound over BASELINE TM 聖靈]

應許嘅聖靈 (jing3 heoi2 ge3 sing3 ling4). Risk: Critical (inherits 聖靈 Critical tier). Must render 應許 (promise) as a personal covenantal pledge kept by a personal God, not a lucky charm’s promised protection (cf. baseline’s 平安符 caution under “peace”).

Acts 2:34–35

David quotation continues; κάθου ἐκ δεξιῶν μου (kathou ek dexiōn mou) — “sit at my right hand” — royal enthronement idiom. Low new-term risk; reuses Lord/Christ vocabulary already covered.

Acts 2:36

ἀσφαλῶς (asphalōs) — “assuredly, with certainty” [NEW — ACTS] — 確實噉 (kok3 sat6 gam2). Low risk.

Κύριον καὶ Χριστόν (Kyrion kai Christon) — “Lord and Christ” [BASELINE TM: lord = 主, Critical; messiah/christ = 基督, Critical] reused exactly: 主同基督. This is the climactic double confession of the sermon and must be rendered with full doctrinal weight — Jesus is both the exclusive sovereign Lord and the promised Messiah — with no softening, per the “Lordship of Christ” and “Messianic Promise” Critical-tier requirements already established in the Romans baseline.

Acts 2:37

κατενύγησαν τὴν καρδίαν (katenygēsan tēn kardian) — “were pierced/pricked to the heart” [NEW — ACTS]

Literal meaning: to be stabbed, pierced through (strong, almost violent metaphor for conviction).
Contextual theological meaning: the Spirit-wrought conviction of sin that precedes repentance — closely tied to “Repentance and Baptism” and to the Romans baseline’s “Universal Human Accountability” doctrine.
Cantonese rendering risk: Medium. Rendering: 心裏面好難受/扎心 (sam1 leoi5 min6 hou2 naan4 sau6 / zaat3 sam1). Avoid rendering with vocabulary of social shame or loss of face (面子, already flagged as a rejected framing for “sin” in the Romans baseline) — this is conviction before God, not embarrassment before the crowd, even though the crowd is present.

“Τί ποιήσωμεν; (Ti poiēsōmen?)” — “What shall we do?” — narrative question, no special rendering risk; sets up v.38’s answer, the doctrinal center of the whole passage.

Acts 2:38

μετανοήσατε (metanoēsate) — “repent!” [NEW — ACTS — HIGH PRIORITY NEW TERM]

Literal meaning: μετάνοια = a change of mind (μετά, “after/change” + νοῦς, “mind”); a turning of the whole person, mind and will, away from sin and toward God.
Semantic range: godly sorrow leading to a decisive reorientation of life; distinguished in NT usage from μεταμέλομαι (mere regret without reorientation, cf. Judas in Matthew 27:3).
English variants: repent, turn, change one’s mind, be converted.
Contextual theological meaning: the necessary human response to the gospel proclamation, inseparably joined to faith and to baptism in this passage — the doctrinal core of “Repentance and Baptism.”
Cantonese rendering risk: Critical. Rendering: 悔改 (fui3 goi2). This is an established Chinese Christian term with no better substitute, but it requires the strongest possible contextual safeguarding: (1) it must be distinguished from 懺悔 (chaam3 wui2), the Buddhist ritual confession-repentance that functions within a karma-purification framework (confessing to reduce accumulated karmic consequence) — biblical repentance is relational reorientation toward a personal God, not karmic account-clearing; (2) it must be distinguished from the secular idiom 洗心革面 (sai2 sam1 gaak3 min6, “wash the heart and change the face” — turning over a new leaf through willpower alone), which lacks any reference to God or the Spirit’s enabling; (3) it must not be reduced to mere behavioral reform. Requires human theologian review at every occurrence.

βαπτισθήτω (baptisthētō) — “be baptized!” [NEW — ACTS — HIGH PRIORITY NEW TERM]

Literal meaning: βαπτίζω = to dip, immerse, submerge.
Semantic range: ritual water immersion; in NT usage, the outward, public sign of union with Christ’s death and resurrection and entry into the believing community.
English variants: baptize, be baptized, baptism (noun: βάπτισμα).
Contextual theological meaning: the public, once-for-all initiatory rite commanded alongside repentance — core to both “Repentance and Baptism” and “The Church as Community.”
Cantonese rendering risk: High. Rendering: 受洗 (sau6 sai2) [passive, “be baptized”]; noun 洗禮 (sai2 lai5); verb (administering) 施洗 (si1 sai2). This is an established Hong Kong Christian term. Risk: must be distinguished from generic ritual bathing/purification customs (e.g., Daoist ritual water-purification before temple worship, or the symbolic cleansing bath customs around Chinese New Year) — Christian baptism is a unique, non-repeatable public identification with Christ’s death and resurrection “in the name of Jesus Christ,” not a repeatable purification rite. A translator’s note distinguishing it from ritual bathing is recommended at first occurrence (Acts 2:38, 41) and reinforced at 8:36–38, 9:18, 10:47–48, 16:15, 16:33, 18:8, 19:5, 22:16.

ἐπὶ τῷ ὀνόματι Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ (epi tō onomati Iēsou Christou) — “in/upon the name of Jesus Christ” — reuses [BASELINE TM: jesus = 耶穌; messiah/christ = 基督] exactly; the “name” formula recurs throughout Acts (3:6, 16; 4:10, 12, 30; 8:16; 10:48; 16:18; 19:5, 13) and must always render 耶穌基督嘅名, never abbreviated or generalized to “in a/the name of a deity,” to preserve the exclusivity already established for Jesus/Christ in the baseline.

ἄφεσιν τῶν ἁμαρτιῶν (aphesin tōn hamartiōn) — “forgiveness of sins” [NEW compound over BASELINE TM: sin = 罪, High]

Literal meaning: ἄφεσις = a release, a sending away, a letting-go (root also used for the Jubilee “release” of debts/slaves).
Semantic range: judicial pardon; release from the guilt and penalty of sin.
Contextual theological meaning: closely related to, but distinct from, “justification” (稱義, Critical) — ἄφεσις emphasizes the removal/cancellation of the debt/guilt of sin rather than the forensic declaration of righteous status. Both occur through the same gospel act and must be kept theologically complementary, not conflated as identical technical terms.
Cantonese rendering risk: Critical. Rendering: 罪得赦免 (zeoi6 dak1 se3 min5); verbal 赦免 (se3 min5, “to forgive/pardon”). Must never be rendered with the folk-religious “dispel calamity” idiom 消災解難 (siu1 zoi1 gaai2 naan6, a common temple-petition phrase for removing misfortune) — biblical forgiveness cancels moral guilt before a personal God, it does not ward off impersonal bad luck. Also distinguish from 還神還願 vow-discharge language (already forbidden in the Romans baseline) — forgiveness is granted freely upon repentance and faith, not earned by fulfilling a vow.

δωρεὰν τοῦ ἁγίου πνεύματος (dōrean tou hagiou pneumatos) — “the gift of the Holy Spirit” [NEW — ACTS, distinct from BASELINE TM spiritual_gifts = 屬靈恩賜]

Literal meaning: δωρεά = a free gift, something given without payment (root shared with δίδωμι, “to give”; related to, but a distinct noun from, χάρισμα).
Semantic range: here refers to the Holy Spirit himself as the gift given to every believer at conversion — distinct from χαρίσματα, the particular enablements the Spirit distributes to believers already indwelt (the sense recorded in the Romans baseline’s “spiritual_gifts” entry, 屬靈恩賜).
Contextual theological meaning: this is the reception of the Spirit’s personal indwelling presence promised at Pentecost, given to “everyone whom the Lord our God calls” (v.39) — a universal, not elite, reception.
Cantonese rendering risk: Critical. Recommended rendering: 聖靈呢個白白嘅恩賜 (sing3 ling4 nei1 go3 baak6 baak6 ge3 jan1 ci3, “the Holy Spirit, this freely-given gift”) or simply 所賜嘅聖靈 (so2 ci3 ge3 sing3 ling4, “the Spirit who is given”), reserving 屬靈恩賜 exclusively for the Romans-baseline χαρίσματα sense so the two are never confused in translation memory. Must never be rendered with any vocabulary suggesting the Spirit is earned, purchased, or received in exchange for merit — reinforces the Critical grace/transactional-exchange caution already established in the Romans baseline.

Acts 2:39

ἡ ἐπαγγελία (hē epangelia) — “the promise” [BASELINE TM: not directly listed but closely parallels “covenant” = 約 usage; render consistently] — 應許 (jing3 heoi2). Risk: Medium. As with v.33, keep this a personal covenantal pledge, distinct from 平安符 charm-protection or almanac-based lucky promises.

ὅσους ἂν προσκαλέσηται Κύριος ὁ Θεὸς ἡμῶν (hosous an proskalesētai Kyrios ho Theos hēmōn) — “as many as the Lord our God calls” — reuses [BASELINE TM: called = 蒙召嘅; calling = 呼召, High] exactly. Must not be rendered with birth-chart/fate vocabulary (八字, 命中注定), per the existing baseline caution; the “far off” (τοῖς εἰς μακράν) clause reinforces the doctrine of “Gospel to Jews and Gentiles” and the Romans baseline’s “Unity of Jews and Gentiles.”

Acts 2:40

διεμαρτύρετο (diemartyreto) — “he solemnly testified” (intensified form of μαρτυρέω, related to μάρτυς above) — 極力見證 (gik6 lik6 gin3 zing3). Risk: Medium — same eyewitness-testimony caution as v.32.

σκολιᾶς γενεᾶς (skolias geneas) — “crooked generation” — 邪惡嘅世代 (ce4 ok3 ge3 sai3 doi6). Low risk; standard moral-exhortation vocabulary.

Acts 2:41

ἀποδεξάμενοι τὸν λόγον (apodexamenoi ton logon) — “having received the word” — 接受咗（神嘅）道 (zip3 sau6 zo2 dou6). Risk: Medium — see the extended note on ὁδός/道 under Acts 9 below; here λόγος (“the word/message”) not ὁδός is in view, but translators must not blur the two, since both render as 道 in some Chinese traditions. Prefer 接受咗福音嘅信息 (zip3 sau6 zo2 fuk1 jam1 ge3 seon3 sik1, “received the gospel message”) to avoid ambiguity with “the Way” as a name for the faith.

ἐβαπτίσθησαν (ebaptisthēsan) — “were baptized” — see v.38 above.

προσετέθησαν (prosetethēsan) — “were added [to their number]” [NEW — ACTS]

Literal meaning: to add to, to join to an existing group.
Contextual theological meaning: describes church growth as God’s own sovereign act (repeated 2:47, 5:14, 11:24) — foundational to “The Church as Community.”
Cantonese rendering risk: Low. Rendering: 加入咗教會 (gaa1 jap6 zo2 gaau3 wui2), reusing [BASELINE TM: church = 教會]. No significant collision, though translators should avoid language suggesting formal membership registration only (a modern institutional-society connotation); this is organic incorporation into the believing community.

ψυχαί (psychai) — “souls” — 人 (jan4, “persons/souls,” idiomatic for “people” in this counting formula). Low risk.

PART 2 — CHAPTER-BY-CHAPTER ANALYSIS OF THE WHOLE BOOK

Chapter 1 — Ascension, the Promised Spirit, and Apostolic Succession

ἀνελήμφθη (anelēmphthē) / ἀνάλημψις (analēmpsis) — “was taken up / the taking-up” (Ascension) [NEW — ACTS]

Literal meaning: to take up, lift up and carry away.
Contextual theological meaning: Christ’s bodily, visible, historical departure into heaven, promising a future bodily, visible return (v.11) — grounds “The Great Commission Fulfilled” and the church’s mission mandate.
Cantonese rendering risk: High. Rendering: 被接上天 (bei6 zip3 soeng5 tin1) / 升天 (sing1 tin1). Note: 升天 is common Chinese-Christian usage but risks assimilation to Daoist “ascension to immortality” imagery (羽化登仙) or the folk-Buddhist notion of a soul’s ascent after death; must be anchored to visible, bodily, historical departure witnessed by the apostles (v.9–10), not a spiritual release of an ordinary soul.

βασιλεία τοῦ θεοῦ (basileia tou theou) — “kingdom of God” [BASELINE TM: kingdom_of_god = 神嘅國, Medium] reused. New contextual note: the disciples’ question “will you at this time restore the kingdom to Israel?” (v.6) shows the same political-misreading risk already flagged in the Romans baseline (avoid territorial/nationalist readings) is present from the very opening of Acts; Jesus’ answer (v.7–8) explicitly redirects kingdom expectation toward Spirit-empowered witness, not political restoration — an important corrective note for Hong Kong’s political sensitivities.

μάρτυρες (martyres) — “witnesses” — see full treatment under 2:32 above; first occurrence here (1:8) as the programmatic mission statement: “you will be my witnesses… to the end of the earth” (ἕως ἐσχάτου τῆς γῆς).

ἔσχατον τῆς γῆς (eschaton tēs gēs) — “the end/uttermost part of the earth” [NEW — ACTS] — 地極 (dei6 gik6). Risk: Medium. Ties directly to [BASELINE TM: mission = 宣教, Medium]; this verse is the thesis statement for “The Great Commission Fulfilled” doctrine across all 28 chapters and should be rendered identically at every echo (8:1, 13:47, 28:31 [implicitly]).

κλῆρος (klēros) — “lot” (casting lots for Judas’ replacement, v.26) [NEW — ACTS]

Literal meaning: a lot, a pebble or shard used for random selection; by extension, an allotted portion/inheritance (the sense behind “saints’” κλῆρος in Colossians/Ephesians, and echoed in the Romans baseline’s “election” discussion).
Contextual theological meaning: a specific, one-time, pre-Pentecost method of discerning God’s choice among two qualified candidates — not established as a normative ongoing practice for guidance (which is why it disappears from Acts after Pentecost, once the Spirit’s ongoing guidance is given, e.g. 13:2).
Cantonese rendering risk: Critical. Rendering: 抽籤 (cau1 chim1). This term collides directly with 求籤 (kau4 chim1), drawing a temple fortune-stick for guidance — the single most iconic form of divination practiced at Wong Tai Sin Temple and other Hong Kong temples, already flagged in the Romans baseline under “prophecy.” A mandatory translator’s note is required at Acts 1:26 explaining that this was a specific historical means of discernment used once, in a unique pre-Pentecost transitional moment, entrusted to prayer (“Lord, you know the hearts of all,” v.24) rather than to an impersonal random mechanism believed to carry independent spiritual power — and that it is never repeated or commended as a model for personal guidance elsewhere in Acts or the NT. Requires human theologian review at every occurrence.

ἀποστολή (apostolē) — “apostleship” [BASELINE TM: apostle = 使徒, Low] reused; new contextual note: this chapter (esp. v.20–26, citing Psalm 109:8 “let another take his office,” τὴν ἐπισκοπὴν αὐτοῦ) introduces ἐπισκοπή (“office, oversight”) as a term-root that will later develop into the church-office title ἐπίσκοπος (“overseer/bishop,” see Acts 20 below); flag for consistency tracking.

Chapter 2 — see Part 1 above (core passage).

Chapter 3 — Healing at the Temple; Peter’s Second Sermon

ἰάσατο / ὑγιής (iasato / hygiēs) — “healed / made well” [NEW — ACTS]

Contextual theological meaning: physical healing performed “in the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth” (v.6), continuing the “signs and wonders” doctrine from ch.2.
Cantonese rendering risk: High (inherits the 神蹟奇事 Critical caution above whenever paired with σημεῖα language, as it is at v.7–10). Rendering: 醫好 (ji1 hou2). Standalone healing-verb usage is Medium risk, but must never be described with 靈驗 (temple-efficacy) vocabulary.

παῖς (pais) — “servant” (of God, referring to Jesus, v.13, 26) [NEW — ACTS]

Literal meaning: child, servant, one who serves (the same word can mean “child” or “servant” depending on context; here a Christological title echoing Isaiah’s Suffering Servant, e.g. Isaiah 52:13 LXX).
Contextual theological meaning: identifies Jesus as the promised Isaianic Servant of the Lord — reinforces “Messianic Promise” (Critical, Romans baseline) with OT servant-theology background.
Cantonese rendering risk: High. Rendering: 神嘅僕人 (san4 ge3 buk6 jan4). Must not be softened toward mere “helper” or “assistant” — this is a specific messianic title requiring an explanatory note pointing to Isaiah’s Servant Songs, since Cantonese readers with low OT literacy (per the audience profile) will not recover this connection without help.

μετανοήσατε καὶ ἐπιστρέψατε (metanoēsate kai epistrepsate) — “repent and turn again” (v.19) [NEW — ACTS]

ἐπιστρέφω (epistrephō) — “turn, turn back/around.”
Contextual theological meaning: pairs with μετανοέω to describe repentance as a full reorientation (“turning”) of life-direction, not a single momentary act.
Cantonese rendering risk: Critical (inherits 悔改 Critical tier). Compound rendering: 悔改，轉向神 (fui3 goi2, zyun3 hoeng3 san4, “repent, and turn toward God”). Same folk-religious cautions as 2:38 apply.

καιροὶ ἀναψύξεως (kairoi anapsyxeōs) — “times of refreshing” [NEW — ACTS]

Literal meaning: ἀνάψυξις = a cooling off, a breathing space, relief.
Contextual theological meaning: an eschatological description of the relief/renewal that repentance brings, anticipating final restoration.
Cantonese rendering risk: Medium. Rendering: 安舒嘅時候 (on1 syu1 ge3 si4 hau6), following the established Chinese Bible idiom. Low direct folk-religious collision, but avoid vocabulary suggesting a feng shui “balancing”/coolness remedy (涼氣, 陰陽調和); keep this an eschatological, God-given relief, not an energetic-balance concept.

ἀποκατάστασις πάντων (apokatastasis pantōn) — “the restoration of all things” (v.21) [NEW — ACTS]

Contextual theological meaning: final eschatological renewal at Christ’s return, tied to OT prophetic hope.
Cantonese rendering risk: Medium. Rendering: 萬物復興 (maan6 mat6 fuk6 hing1). As with “kingdom of God” in the Romans baseline, keep clearly framed as God’s future cosmic renewal, not a this-worldly political-restoration slogan — a live sensitivity in the Hong Kong context around “restoration” language generally.

Chapter 4 — Boldness under Persecution; Great Grace; Goods in Common

παρρησία (parrēsia) — “boldness, plainness of speech” [NEW — ACTS — HIGH PRIORITY NEW TERM]

Literal meaning: freedom/openness of speech, frankness; originally a civic-political term for the free citizen’s right to speak openly in the assembly.
Semantic range: boldness before hostile authorities (4:13, 29, 31); candid, unashamed proclamation (28:31).
English variants: boldness, confidence, openly, freely, plainly, without fear.
Contextual theological meaning: the Spirit-given courage to proclaim the gospel despite threat — the defining term of “Persecution and Bold Witness.”
Cantonese rendering risk: High. Rendering: 坦然無懼 (taan2 jin4 mou4 geoi6) / 膽量 (daam2 loeng6, noun). Must be distinguished from bravado or face-seeking assertiveness (a possible false-friend reading given Hong Kong’s status-conscious “face”/威水 culture already flagged in the Romans baseline under “glory”) — this is Spirit-given courage rooted in the truth of the message and confidence in Christ’s Lordship, not self-generated confidence or the pursuit of a bold reputation.

χάρις (charis) — “grace” [BASELINE TM: grace = 恩典, Critical] reused exactly. New occurrence: “great grace was upon them all” (v.33, μεγάλη τε χάρις ἦν ἐπὶ πάντας αὐτούς) — describes the church’s corporate flourishing under grace. Same Critical caution applies: never framed as reciprocal, vow-earned favor (Wong Tai Sin’s transactional model).

ὁμοθυμαδόν (homothymadon) — “with one accord, unanimously” [NEW — ACTS]

Literal meaning: of one mind/passion together.
Contextual theological meaning: the church’s Spirit-given unity in prayer and mission — recurring marker of “The Church as Community” (also at 1:14, 2:46, 5:12, 15:25).
Cantonese rendering risk: Low. Rendering: 同心合意 (tung4 sam1 hap6 ji3). No significant collision; distinguish lightly from clan/village solidarity language (同鄉會, already flagged under “fellowship” in the Romans baseline) since this unity is Spirit-given across ethnic and social lines, not native-place loyalty.

ἦν αὐτοῖς ἅπαντα κοινά (ēn autois hapanta koina) — “they had all things in common” [NEW — ACTS]

Literal meaning: κοινός = common, shared, belonging jointly.
Contextual theological meaning: voluntary, Spirit-motivated sharing of possessions within the early Jerusalem church, an expression of unity in Christ, not an imposed economic system.
Cantonese rendering risk: Medium. Rendering: 大家共享所有嘅嘢 (daai6 gaa1 gung6 hoeng2 so2 jau5 ge3 je5). Distinguish from clan-property arrangements historically practiced in Pearl River Delta ancestral-hall economics (祠堂 common land, already flagged in the Romans baseline under “church”), which serve lineage/ancestor-worship continuity rather than gospel-motivated love; also flag for native-speaker review given contemporary political sensitivity around communal-property language in the Hong Kong/PRC context — keep the description historically descriptive of the Jerusalem church, not prescriptive of a general economic program.

Chapter 5 — Ananias and Sapphira; Apostolic Discipline; Gamaliel’s Counsel

ψεύσασθαι τὸ πνεῦμα τὸ ἅγιον (pseusasthai to pneuma to hagion) — “to lie to the Holy Spirit” (v.3) [NEW — ACTS, over BASELINE TM 聖靈]

Contextual theological meaning: sin against the church’s shared life is treated as sin directly against the person of the Holy Spirit, underscoring the Spirit’s full personal deity (reinforcing “Deity of Christ”-parallel personhood-of-the-Spirit theology, closely tied to the Romans baseline’s Critical 聖靈 entry).
Cantonese rendering risk: Critical (inherits 聖靈 Critical tier). Rendering: 欺騙聖靈 (hei1 pin3 sing3 ling4). No new collision beyond the baseline’s existing caution, but the severity of the consequence (vv.5, 10) makes this a doctrinally weighty occurrence requiring theologian review.

φόβος μέγας (phobos megas) — “great fear” (v.5, 11) [NEW — ACTS] — 好大嘅懼怕 (hou2 daai6 ge3 geoi6 pa3). Risk: Low. Reverent fear of God’s holiness manifest in judgment; distinguish lightly from superstitious dread of offending a temple deity or ancestral spirit (a common register in Cantonese ghost-story/temple culture) — this is fear appropriate before the living, holy God’s own church discipline.

Γαμαλιήλ (Gamaliēl) — proper name; his counsel “if this plan is of God, you will not be able to overthrow it” (v.38–39) — narrative wisdom-saying, low doctrinal-term risk, but thematically important groundwork for “Apostolic Authority and Miracles” (the Sanhedrin’s own uncertainty about the movement’s divine origin).

Chapter 6 — The Seven Chosen; Stephen Introduced

διακονία (diakonia) — “service, ministry” [NEW — ACTS]

Literal meaning: table-service, attendance, ministry.
Semantic range: practical service (distribution of food, v.1–2) and, in the same chapter, “ministry of the word” (διακονία τοῦ λόγου, v.4) — showing the term spans both practical and preaching service.
Cantonese rendering risk: Medium. Rendering: 服侍/事奉 (fuk6 si6 / si6 fung6). Distinguish office-title use (below) from this general verb/noun sense.

Ἑλληνισταί / Ἑβραῖοι (Hellēnistai / Hebraioi) — “Hellenists / Hebrews” (v.1) [NEW — ACTS, proper-noun class]

Contextual theological meaning: an internal ethnic-linguistic tension (Greek-speaking vs. Aramaic-speaking Jewish believers) resolved through the appointment of the Seven — an early test case for “The Church as Community” doctrine’s call to practical unity across cultural lines, directly anticipating the larger Jew-Gentile unity doctrine developed later in Acts.
Cantonese rendering risk: Low. Renderings: 講希臘話嘅猶太人 (gong2 hei1 laap6 waa2 ge3 jau4 taai3 jan4) / 講希伯來話嘅猶太人 (gong2 hei1 baak3 loi4 waa2 ge3 jau4 taai3 jan4). No direct collision, though the underlying dynamic (majority-language vs. minority-language tension within one worshipping community) may carry unintended resonance given Cantonese-Mandarin language-politics sensitivities in Hong Kong; keep description historically descriptive.

πλήρης πίστεως καὶ πνεύματος ἁγίου (plērēs pisteōs kai pneumatos hagiou) — “full of faith and the Holy Spirit” (Stephen, v.5) — reuses [BASELINE TM: faith = 信心; holy_spirit = 聖靈] exactly. No new collision; standard character-description formula recurring at 6:8, 7:55, 11:24, 13:52.

Chapter 7 — Stephen’s Speech and Martyrdom

σκληροτράχηλοι (sklērotrachēloi) — “stiff-necked” (v.51) [NEW — ACTS]

Literal meaning: hard/stiff-necked, stubbornly resistant.
Contextual theological meaning: Stephen’s climactic charge that Israel’s history is one of resisting the Holy Spirit — links directly to “Universal Human Accountability” (High, Romans baseline).
Cantonese rendering risk: Medium. Rendering: 頸硬 (geng2 ngaang6, a natural Cantonese idiom for stubbornness). Low direct folk-religious collision; ensure the idiom’s colloquial flavor doesn’t undercut the passage’s severity — pair with 抗拒聖靈 (“resisting the Holy Spirit”) for doctrinal clarity.

λιθοβολέω (lithoboleō) — “to stone” (v.58–59) [NEW — ACTS] — 用石頭打死 (jung6 sek6 tau4 daa2 sei2). Risk: Low. Narrative-descriptive; no significant collision, though this is the passage that establishes the pattern developed into “Persecution and Bold Witness” doctrine, and Stephen’s dying prayer (“Lord, do not hold this sin against them,” v.60) becomes a template for the doctrine’s call to bold, non-retaliatory witness under suffering — flag for native speaker review given the emotionally weighty content but no special term-collision risk beyond what is already covered.

εἶδεν τὴν δόξαν τοῦ θεοῦ (eiden tēn doxan tou theou) — “saw the glory of God” (v.55) — reuses [BASELINE TM: glory = 榮耀, Medium] exactly. No new collision.

Chapter 8 — Philip, Simon Magus, the Samaritans, the Ethiopian Eunuch

μαγεία / μάγος (mageia / magos) — “sorcery / sorcerer” (Simon, v.9–11) [NEW — ACTS]

Literal meaning: the practice of a magos, a practitioner of occult/ritual power (root behind English “magic”).
Contextual theological meaning: Simon’s occult power-for-hire is explicitly contrasted with the Spirit’s freely-given power, and Simon’s later attempt to purchase the Spirit’s gift (v.18–19, “give me also this power/ἐξουσία”) is directly rebuked by Peter as fundamentally incompatible with grace.
Cantonese rendering risk: Critical. Rendering: 巫術 (mou4 seot6) / 行邪術嘅人 (hang4 ce4 seot6 ge3 jan4, “a practitioner of sorcery”). This episode is the single clearest NT dramatization of the Romans baseline’s Critical “grace” caution — Simon’s attempt to buy spiritual power is precisely the transactional exchange logic the baseline warns against (Wong Tai Sin’s “whatever you ask, you shall receive,” and generally the exchange of offerings for spiritual favor prevalent in Hong Kong temple and mediumship (問米) culture). Peter’s rebuke (“your silver perish with you,” v.20) should be translated with full force as a direct repudiation of the pay-for-power model. Requires human theologian review.

κοινωνία / δωρεά τοῦ θεοῦ (dōrea tou theou) — “the gift of God” (v.20) — reuses the δωρεά analysis from Acts 2:38 above; same Critical caution against transactional framing applies with even greater force here since the text explicitly stages the temptation to treat it as purchasable.

Σαμαρῖται (Samaritai) — “Samaritans” (v.5–25) [NEW — ACTS, proper-noun/ethnic class]

Contextual theological meaning: the gospel’s first cross-ethnic-boundary expansion within the broader Jewish world, a crucial preparatory step for “Gospel to Jews and Gentiles” before the fuller Gentile inclusion in ch.10.
Cantonese rendering risk: Low term-wise (撒馬利亞人, saat3 maa5 lei6 aa3 jan4, established transliteration), but doctrinally High: this narrative must not be softened or generalized in a way that loses its specific function as a deliberate, Spirit-directed boundary-crossing precedent — a key building block for “Unity of Jews and Gentiles” (already High-risk in the Romans baseline).

εὐνοῦχος (eunouchos) — “eunuch” (the Ethiopian official, v.27ff) [NEW — ACTS] — 太監/宮廷官員 (taai3 gaam3 / gung1 ting4 gun1 jyun4). Risk: Low. No doctrinal-term collision; note the passage’s significance for “Gospel to Jews and Gentiles” (a foreign, ritually-excluded-by-OT-law figure fully received into the gospel) should be preserved in any accompanying explanatory material, though this is a doctrinal/contextual note rather than a term-rendering risk.

τὸ πνεῦμα ἥρπασεν τὸν Φίλιππον (to pneuma hērpasen ton Philippon) — “the Spirit caught up Philip” (v.39) — reuses [BASELINE TM: holy_spirit = 聖靈]; verb ἁρπάζω = to seize, snatch away. Risk: Medium. Rendering: 聖靈將腓利提走/帶走 (sing3 ling4 zoeng1 fei4 lei6 tai4 zau2/daai3 zau2). Avoid vocabulary suggesting spirit-possession-style bodily removal as understood in mediumship culture (問米); this is the Spirit’s sovereign, purposeful direction of his servant, a distinct category from folk spirit-abduction narratives sometimes told in Cantonese ghost-story tradition.

Chapter 9 — Saul’s Conversion; Ananias; Early Ministry

φῶς ἐκ τοῦ οὐρανοῦ (phōs ek tou ouranou) — “a light from heaven” (v.3) [NEW — ACTS] — 從天上嚟嘅光 (cung4 tin1 soeng6 lai4 ge3 gwong1). Risk: Low. No significant collision, though translators should avoid imagery resonant with Daoist “revelation-light” hagiography motifs; keep tied to the historical, one-time Damascus-road event central to “Conversion of Paul.”

Σαούλ, Σαούλ, τί με διώκεις; (Saoul, Saoul, ti me diōkeis?) — “Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?” — narrative confrontation; διώκω (diōkō) = “to persecute” [NEW — ACTS], root of διωγμός (“persecution,” see ch.8 and ch.11–12 below) — 迫害 (bik1 hoi6). Risk: Low term-wise; doctrinally central to both “Conversion of Paul” and “Persecution and Bold Witness” (the persecutor becomes the persecuted witness).

σκεῦος ἐκλογῆς (skeuos eklogēs) — “a chosen instrument/vessel” (v.15) [NEW compound over BASELINE TM: election = 揀選, High]

Literal meaning: σκεῦος = vessel, tool, instrument; ἐκλογή = a choosing out, election (same root as the Romans baseline’s “election” entry).
Contextual theological meaning: God’s sovereign choice of Saul/Paul for a specific missionary task — directly extends the Romans baseline’s election doctrine into a concrete narrative example.
Cantonese rendering risk: High (inherits 揀選 High tier). Rendering: （神）揀選嘅器皿 (san4 gaan2 syun2 ge3 hei3 min5). Must not be rendered with fatalistic birth-chart vocabulary (八字注定), consistent with the existing baseline caution; this is a personal, purposive, missional choice, not a fixed cosmic destiny discernible independently of God’s revealed call.

ἡ ὁδός (hē hodos) — “the Way” (as a name for the Christian movement, v.2; recurring 19:9, 19:23, 22:4, 24:14, 24:22) [NEW — ACTS — CRITICAL PRIORITY NEW TERM]

Literal meaning: a road, path, way; by extension, a way of life or teaching.
Semantic range: in Acts, a semi-technical shorthand name outsiders and insiders alike use for the Christian movement (“persecuting those belonging to the Way,” 9:2; “the Way of the Lord,” 18:25; “a sect of the Way,” 24:5, 14; “the Way of salvation,” 16:17).
English variants: the Way, the Way of the Lord, the Christian Way, this sect/movement.
Contextual theological meaning: names the concrete, exclusive, lived path of following Jesus — not one spiritual path among many.
Cantonese rendering risk: Critical. Established Chinese-Bible-tradition rendering: 道 (dou6), consistent with the Traditional-character Chinese Union Version. This is arguably the single highest-stakes new-term collision in the entire Acts curriculum for a Cantonese/Hong Kong audience: 道 is the foundational term of Daoism (道教), naming the cosmic, impersonal, ultimately ineffable Way that Daoist religious and philosophical practice pursues; Hong Kong’s active Daoist temple culture (e.g., Wong Tai Sin Temple is itself formally a Daoist temple; Man Mo Temple) means 道 carries immediate, strong prior religious associations for the general Cantonese reader that no other term-collision in this analysis matches in cultural weight. Recommendation: retain 道 (there is no viable alternative within the established Bible-translation tradition, and inventing a novel rendering would break consistency with the wider Chinese Christian textual heritage the audience may encounter), but MANDATE an accompanying explanatory clause at every first occurrence per document (“這道，即係跟從耶穌基督嘅信仰道路” / “this Way — that is, the path of following Jesus Christ”) and require human theologian review at every occurrence, not merely at first use, given the severity and pervasiveness of the collision. Never permit 道 to stand completely unqualified as a bare title for the Christian faith in Cantonese curriculum text.

τὰ λέπυρα (?) / αἱ λεπίδες (v.18, “the scales” fell from his eyes) — narrative detail, low risk; 眼裡好似有鱗噉嘅東西跌咗落嚫 (ngaan5 leoi5 hou2 ci5 jau5 leon4 gam2 ge3 dung1 sai1 dit3 zo2 lok6 lai4). No doctrinal-term risk.

Chapter 10 — Cornelius; Gentile Inclusion

κοινός / ἀκάθαρτος (koinos / akathartos) — “common / unclean” (dietary vision, v.14–15, 28) [NEW — ACTS]

Literal meaning: κοινός = common, ordinary, profane (as opposed to consecrated); ἀκάθαρτος = unclean, impure.
Semantic range: Mosaic ritual purity categories applied to both food and, by extension in this narrative, to people (v.28, “you yourselves know how unlawful it is for a Jew to associate with or visit anyone of another nation… God has shown me that I should not call any person common or unclean”).
Contextual theological meaning: the vision’s dietary symbolism becomes the vehicle for the doctrinally decisive statement that no person (specifically Gentiles) is to be considered ritually excluded from the gospel — the narrative hinge of “Gospel to Jews and Gentiles.”
Cantonese rendering risk: High. Rendering: 俗物/唔潔淨嘅嘢 (zuk6 mat6 / m4 git3 zing6 ge3 je5) for the food sense; 唔潔淨嘅人 for the extended person-sense. Distinguish clearly from Cantonese folk ritual-pollution taboos surrounding funerals, childbirth, and certain foods (e.g., avoidance behaviors around 白事/紅事 ritual-purity customs still observed in some Hong Kong families) — the text’s own point is precisely that these categories, wherever biblically grounded, no longer determine who may receive the gospel; the doctrinal payoff is inclusion, not a statement about hygiene or continuing ritual-purity practice.

οὐκ ἔστιν προσωπολήπτης ὁ θεός (ouk estin prosōpolēptēs ho theos) — “God is not one who shows partiality” (v.34) [NEW — ACTS]

Literal meaning: προσωπολήπτης = one who receives/judges by the face/appearance (πρόσωπον, “face” + λαμβάνω, “to take/receive”) — i.e., a respecter of persons, one who plays favorites based on external status.
Contextual theological meaning: grounds Gentile inclusion in God’s own impartial character — a direct, personal-relational claim about God, tightly related to the Romans baseline’s “Universal Human Accountability” and “Universal Scope of the Gospel” doctrines (cf. Romans 2:11, which uses this same Greek term).
Cantonese rendering risk: High. Rendering: 神唔偏待人 (san4 m4 pin1 doi6 jan4). Must be carefully distinguished from the impersonal-karma concept of 報應 (retributive fate that “plays no favorites” simply because it is a mechanical cosmic law), already flagged as a rejected framing under “sin” in the Romans baseline — divine impartiality here is the personal, moral consistency of a relational God’s character, not the automatic fairness of an impersonal karmic mechanism.

ἐπέπεσε τὸ πνεῦμα τὸ ἅγιον (epepese to pneuma to hagion) — “the Holy Spirit fell upon [the Gentiles]” (v.44) — reuses [BASELINE TM: holy_spirit = 聖靈, Critical] exactly; this occurrence is doctrinally decisive because it happens before baptism and entirely apart from any Jewish ritual requirement, definitively settling (alongside ch.15) that the Spirit — and therefore salvation itself — comes by grace through faith, not through law-keeping. Directly reinforces “Justification apart from the Law.”

Chapter 11 — Jerusalem’s Response; the Name “Christians” Coined at Antioch

ὁ θεὸς καὶ τοῖς ἔθνεσιν τὴν μετάνοιαν ἔδωκεν εἰς ζωήν (ho theos kai tois ethnesin tēn metanoian edōken eis zōēn) — “God has granted repentance that leads to life even to the Gentiles” (v.18) — combines [NEW — ACTS: μετάνοια, see 2:38] with [BASELINE TM: gentiles = 外邦人, Medium] exactly. Doctrinally decisive Jerusalem-church ratification of Gentile inclusion; no new term-risk beyond what is already flagged for 悔改 and 外邦人.

Χριστιανοί (Christianoi) — “Christians” (v.26) [NEW — ACTS]

Literal meaning: “belonging to/followers of Christ” — likely coined originally as an outsider’s label (parallel formation to “Herodians,” “Caesarians”) at Antioch.
Contextual theological meaning: the first appearance of a distinct group-name for believers, marking the movement’s maturing identity distinct from both Judaism and Gentile paganism.
Cantonese rendering risk: Low. Rendering: 基督徒 (gei1 duk1 tou4) — fully established, widely used Cantonese self-designation with no significant folk-religious collision; note only that 徒 (follower/disciple) parallels 使徒 (apostle) and 聖徒 (saints), which is linguistically helpful for teaching continuity within the baseline glossary.

Chapter 12 — Herod’s Persecution; Peter’s Deliverance

διωγμός (diōgmos) — “persecution” (implicit theme; explicit noun used elsewhere, e.g. 8:1, 13:50) [NEW — ACTS]

Cantonese rendering risk: Medium. Rendering: 迫害 (bik1 hoi6). No direct folk-religious collision; flag for native-speaker sensitivity review given the contemporary political weight persecution-and-authority language can carry in the Hong Kong context — keep description historically anchored to the narrative (Herod, the Sanhedrin, Roman authorities) rather than generalized into present-day political commentary.

ἄγγελος Κυρίου (angelos Kyriou) — “an angel of the Lord” (v.7) — 主嘅使者/天使 (zyu2 ge3 si3 ze2 / tin1 si2). Risk: Low. No significant collision, though note lightly that 天使 should not be assimilated to folk-deity messenger-spirits sometimes invoked in popular temple practice; this is God’s own personal messenger, not an independent spiritual agent.

ὁ δὲ λόγος τοῦ θεοῦ ηὔξανεν (ho de logos tou theou ēuxanen) — “but the word of God grew and multiplied” (v.24) — narrative growth-summary formula, recurring at 6:7, 19:20. Low term-risk; reuse 神嘅道/福音 vocabulary already established. Thematically reinforces “The Great Commission Fulfilled.”

Chapter 13 — First Missionary Journey; Paul’s Sermon at Antioch of Pisidia

ἀφορίσατε δή μοι (aphorisate dē moi) — “set apart for me” (the Spirit’s commissioning of Barnabas and Saul, v.2) [NEW — ACTS]

Contextual theological meaning: the Holy Spirit’s direct, personal initiative in commissioning missionaries — reinforces both “The Holy Spirit and Pentecost” and “The Great Commission Fulfilled” as Spirit-driven, not merely human-strategic, undertakings.
Cantonese rendering risk: Medium. Rendering: 分別出嚚 (fan1 bit6 ceot1 lai4) — echoes the Romans baseline’s “separation unto God’s service” doctrine language exactly; reuse consistently.

διὰ τούτου ὑμῖν ἄφεσις ἁμαρτιῶν καταγγέλλεται (dia toutou hymin aphesis hamartiōn katangelletai) — “through him forgiveness of sins is proclaimed to you” (v.38) — reuses [NEW compound, see 2:38 above] ἄφεσις ἁμαρτιῶν; no new risk.

ἐν τούτῳ πᾶς ὁ πιστεύων δικαιοῦται (en toutō pas ho pisteuōn dikaioutai) — “by him everyone who believes is justified” (v.39) — [BASELINE TM: justification = 稱義, Critical] reused exactly.

New contextual note: this is the Acts curriculum’s clearest single-verse statement of the “Justification apart from the Law” doctrine, explicitly contrasted in the same verse with “the law of Moses” (νόμος Μωϋσέως, reusing [BASELINE TM: law = 律法, High]), from which “you could not be justified.” This verse should be flagged for identical, verbatim-consistent rendering with Romans’ own justification-by-faith-apart-from-law passages (esp. Romans 3:20–28), per Theological Consistency Rules extended from the Romans baseline. Requires human theologian review.

φῶς ἐθνῶν (phōs ethnōn) — “a light for/to the Gentiles” (v.47, quoting Isaiah 49:6) — combines [BASELINE TM: gentiles = 外邦人] with 光 (gwong1, “light”). Risk: Medium. Rendering: 外邦人嘅光 (ngoi6 bong1 jan4 ge3 gwong1). No direct folk-religious collision, but note the “light” metaphor should be kept distinct from Buddhist “enlightenment” imagery (悟/開悟) — this is revelatory illumination given by God to the nations, not an attained inner awakening.

Chapter 14 — Continued Mission; Persecution at Lystra; Appointing Elders

No major new theological vocabulary beyond terms already introduced. Reuses: σημεῖα καὶ τέρατα (signs and wonders, v.3 — 神蹟奇事, Critical, see ch.2), χάρις (grace, v.26 — 恩典, Critical), διωγμός-pattern persecution narrative (v.19–20, stoning of Paul, echoing ch.7’s Stephen pattern).

πρεσβύτεροι (presbyteroi) — “elders” (appointed in every church, v.23) [NEW — ACTS]

Literal meaning: “elder ones” — an older man; by NT usage, a recognized local church leadership office (borrowed from Jewish synagogue-eldership structure).
Contextual theological meaning: establishes an early pattern of local church governance — relevant to “The Church as Community” and anticipating the fuller “elders/overseers” discussion in Acts 20.
Cantonese rendering risk: Medium. Rendering: 長老 (zoeng2 lou5). Distinguish from the clan-village elder/patriarch (族長, already flagged under ch.2’s πατριάρχης note, and under the Romans baseline’s “father” entry’s ancestor-veneration caution) — church eldership is a spiritual-service office within the gospel community, not a hereditary clan-authority position tied to ancestor-worship obligations. Full treatment deferred to Acts 20 below where the term recurs alongside ἐπίσκοπος.

Chapter 15 — The Jerusalem Council: Law, Grace, and Gentile Freedom

περιτέμνησθε (peritemnēsthe) — “be circumcised” (the controversy, v.1, 5) [NEW — ACTS]

Contextual theological meaning: the specific test-case dispute (must Gentile believers keep the Mosaic law, symbolized by circumcision, to be saved?) that the whole council resolves — the narrative center of “Justification apart from the Law.”
Cantonese rendering risk: Medium. Rendering: 受割禮 (sau6 got3 lai5). Established term; low folk-religious collision, though it requires an explanatory note for a Cantonese audience with limited OT literacy (per the audience profile assumption already established for the Romans baseline) since circumcision has no ready cultural analogue in Cantonese custom beyond a purely medical framing.

διὰ τῆς χάριτος τοῦ κυρίου Ἰησοῦ πιστεύομεν σωθῆναι (dia tēs charitos tou kyriou Iēsou pisteuomen sōthēnai) — “we believe that we are saved through the grace of the Lord Jesus” (v.11) — combines [BASELINE TM: grace = 恩典, Critical; lord = 主, Critical; jesus = 耶穌, Critical; salvation-verb 得救] — all reused exactly. This is the council’s doctrinal thesis statement and should be flagged for the highest level of consistency enforcement, alongside Romans 3:24 and Acts 13:38–39, as one of the curriculum’s core statements of “Justification apart from the Law.”

ζυγός (zygos) — “yoke” (v.10, “why put a yoke on the neck of the disciples…”) [NEW — ACTS]

Literal meaning: a yoke, the wooden crosspiece binding draft animals to a plow or cart.
Contextual theological meaning: the burden of law-keeping as a condition for salvation, rejected by the council as contrary to grace.
Cantonese rendering risk: Medium. Rendering: 軛 (aak3, the established Chinese Bible term for a yoke) or descriptively 重擔 (cung5 daam3, “heavy burden”). No significant folk-religious collision; ensure the metaphor is not confused with the unrelated Confucian “duty-burden” idiom register (禮教嘅重擔) — this is a burden of legal requirement for salvation specifically, not a general social-duty metaphor.

ἔδοξε γὰρ τῷ πνεύματι τῷ ἁγίῳ καὶ ἡμῖν (edoxe gar tō pneumati tō hagiō kai hēmin) — “for it seemed good to the Holy Spirit and to us” (v.28) — reuses [BASELINE TM: holy_spirit = 聖靈, Critical]; models Spirit-guided corporate church decision-making, directly relevant to “The Church as Community” and “Apostolic Authority.”

Chapter 16 — Lydia; the Philippian Jailer; Paul’s Roman Citizenship

πνεῦμα πύθωνα (pneuma pythōna) — “a spirit of divination” (literally, “a python spirit,” v.16) [NEW — ACTS — CRITICAL PRIORITY NEW TERM]

Literal meaning: named for the Python, the mythological serpent associated with the Delphic oracle; by NT usage, an occult divinatory spirit empowering fortune-telling.
Contextual theological meaning: this slave girl’s occult spirit correctly identifies Paul and Silas as “servants of the Most High God” (v.17) yet is explicitly cast out by Paul as an unclean/evil spiritual power, not befriended or left ambiguous — the text itself models the sharp separation required between divinely-given prophecy/testimony and occult divination, even when the occult source speaks superficially true words.
Cantonese rendering risk: Critical. Rendering: 占卜嘅邪靈 (zim1 buk1 ge3 ce4 ling4, “a divinatory evil spirit”) or 巫靈 (mou4 ling4). NEVER use 靈 alone — this reinforces, in the strongest possible narrative form, the Romans baseline’s existing Critical caution against ever using bare 靈 for the Holy Spirit or conflating spiritual power sources: here the text supplies a perfect worked example of exactly the ambiguity the baseline warns against, since this occult spirit could easily be mistaken for a “spiritually gifted” figure absent careful translation. Directly relevant to Hong Kong’s active 問米/fortune-telling culture (求籤, 睇相算命, already flagged in the Romans baseline). Requires human theologian review at this occurrence.

τί με δεῖ ποιεῖν ἵνα σωθῶ; (ti me dei poiein hina sōthō?) — “what must I do to be saved?” (the jailer, v.30) — reuses [BASELINE TM: salvation-verb 得救] exactly; echoes Acts 2:37, 16:31 answer “πίστευσον ἐπὶ τὸν κύριον Ἰησοῦν, καὶ σωθήσῃ” (“believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved”) — combines [BASELINE TM: faith/believe = 信 (root of 信心); lord = 主; jesus = 耶穌; salvation = 得救/救恩] — all reused exactly, no new risk, but flag for Theological Consistency Rules as a key recurring “what must I do” salvation-formula alongside Acts 2:37–38 and 22:10.

Ῥωμαῖος (Rhōmaios) — “a Roman [citizen]” (v.37–38) — narrative-legal term, low doctrinal risk; relevant background for “Persecution and Bold Witness” (Paul leverages legal status in defense of the gospel’s freedom to operate, without compromising the message itself).

Chapter 17 — Athens: the Areopagus Address

ἀγνώστῳ θεῷ (agnōstō theō) — “to an unknown god” (the altar inscription, v.23) [NEW — ACTS]

Contextual theological meaning: Paul’s rhetorical bridge from pagan religious groping toward the revealed, personal, knowable God — a paradigm for gospel proclamation to a religiously plural audience, directly relevant to the whole curriculum’s Hong Kong context (a religiously plural society with active temple, feng shui, and folk-mediumship practice alongside Christianity).
Cantonese rendering risk: Medium. Rendering: 未識嘅神 (mei6 sik1 ge3 san4). No direct term-collision, but this passage’s strategy — using a point of cultural religious contact as a bridge, while firmly correcting its content (v.24–29 flatly reject idol-worship and image-making) — should be highlighted in accompanying teaching notes as a model for engaging Hong Kong’s own plural religious landscape without syncretistic compromise.

τὰ νῦν παραγγέλλει τοῖς ἀνθρώποις πᾶσιν πανταχοῦ μετανοεῖν (ta nyn parangellei tois anthrōpois pasin pantachou metanoein) — “he commands all people everywhere to repent” (v.30) — reuses [NEW — ACTS: μετανοέω, see 2:38], Critical tier; universalizes the repentance-call across all humanity/nations, reinforcing “Universal Scope of the Gospel” (High, Romans baseline) alongside “Gospel to Jews and Gentiles.”

ἀνάστασιν νεκρῶν (anastasin nekrōn) — “resurrection of the dead” (v.31–32, mocked by some hearers) — reuses [BASELINE TM: resurrection = 復活, Critical] exactly; this is the first Acts instance of the resurrection doctrine being explicitly mocked by a Greco-Roman audience, foreshadowing the Sadducee/Pharisee dispute in ch.23, and useful for teaching that the Critical caution against 投胎轉世/問米 framing applies even when addressing an audience for whom bodily resurrection is an entirely foreign concept, not merely a competing folk concept.

Chapter 18 — Corinth; Gallio’s Ruling

No major new theological vocabulary. Reuses: 教會 (church), 福音 (gospel), 主 (Lord), 信心 (faith). Gallio’s ruling that the dispute is an internal Jewish religious matter (v.14–15) is narratively significant for “Persecution and Bold Witness” (state authorities declining to adjudicate theological disputes) but introduces no new load-bearing theological term requiring glossary treatment.

Chapter 19 — Ephesus: John’s Baptism vs. Spirit-Baptism; Sons of Sceva; Riot

εἰς τί ἐβαπτίσθητε; (eis ti ebaptisthēte?) — “into what were you baptized?” and the disciples’ answer, “into John’s baptism” (v.3) [NEW compound over BASELINE TM: baptism-related terms]

Contextual theological meaning: distinguishes John’s preparatory, repentance-only baptism from Christian baptism “in the name of the Lord Jesus” accompanied by the Spirit’s coming (v.4–6) — sharpens the doctrinal content of “Repentance and Baptism” by showing baptism’s meaning develops and is completed in the new-covenant reality inaugurated at Pentecost.
Cantonese rendering risk: High. Rendering: 約翰嘅洗禮 (joek3 hon6 ge3 sai2 lai5) vs. 主耶穌嘅名受嘅洗 (zyu2 je4 sou1 ge3 ming4 sau6 ge3 sai2). Requires a clear teaching note (not merely a term-substitution) explaining the historical-redemptive distinction, since collapsing the two into a single undifferentiated “baptism” term would obscure this passage’s specific theological point.

τὰ βιβλία κατέκαυσαν (ta biblia katekausan) — “they burned the books [of magic]” (v.19) — reuses [NEW — ACTS: μαγεία, see ch.8] context; no new term, but strong narrative reinforcement of the Critical Simon-Magus-style caution against occult power practices, now applied at the level of a whole city’s public renunciation — useful teaching illustration for the “Apostolic Authority and Miracles” doctrine’s insistence that true spiritual power is categorically different from, and triumphs over, occult practice.

Chapter 20 — Miletus Farewell: Elders, Overseers, and Shepherds

ἐπίσκοπος (episkopos) — “overseer” (v.28) [NEW — ACTS]

Literal meaning: one who watches over, an overseer, superintendent.
Semantic range: in this passage, used interchangeably with πρεσβύτεροι (“elders,” v.17) and ποιμήν (“shepherd,” v.28) to describe the same local church leadership office from three complementary angles (age/dignity, oversight-function, pastoral-care-function).
Contextual theological meaning: establishes the vocabulary basis for ongoing local church governance — directly relevant to “The Church as Community” and “Apostolic Authority.”
Cantonese rendering risk: Medium. Rendering: 監督 (gaam1 duk1). No major folk-religious collision, but note that 監督 also carries a generic secular “supervisor/inspector” sense in modern Cantonese business usage; ensure the church-office sense is clearly marked in context.

ποιμήν / ποιμαίνειν (poimēn / poimainein) — “shepherd / to shepherd” (v.28) [NEW — ACTS]

Contextual theological meaning: pastoral care imagery — feeding, protecting, leading the flock (τὸ ποίμνιον) — echoes OT shepherd-king and Good Shepherd imagery.
Cantonese rendering risk: Low. Rendering: 牧養 (muk6 joeng5) / 牧者 (muk6 ze2). Established Chinese-Christian pastoral vocabulary; no significant folk-religious collision.

διαμαρτύρομαι τὸ εὐαγγέλιον τῆς χάριτος τοῦ θεοῦ (diamartyromai to euangelion tēs charitos tou theou) — “I testify to the gospel of the grace of God” (v.24) — combines [BASELINE TM: gospel = 福音, Medium; grace = 恩典, Critical] exactly with the μαρτυρέω-root witness vocabulary established at 2:32; no new term, but flagged for Theological Consistency Rules as Paul’s own summary self-description of his entire ministry — should render identically wherever quoted in teaching materials.

Chapter 21 — Warnings of Suffering; the Temple; Agabus’s Prophecy

τὸ πνεῦμα τὸ ἅγιον λέγει (to pneuma to hagion legei) — “the Holy Spirit says” (through Agabus’s prophecy, v.11) — reuses [BASELINE TM: holy_spirit = 聖靈; prophecy = 預言] exactly; models ongoing (not merely apostolic-era-limited) Spirit-given prophetic guidance regarding coming persecution — reinforces both “The Holy Spirit and Pentecost” and “Persecution and Bold Witness.”

τὸ θέλημα τοῦ κυρίου γενέσθω (to thelēma tou kyriou genesthō) — “let the will of the Lord be done” (v.14) [NEW — ACTS] — 願主嘅心意得成 (jyun6 zyu2 ge3 sam1 ji3 dak1 sing4). Risk: Low. Reuses [BASELINE TM: lord = 主]; models submission to God’s sovereign purpose even when it entails suffering — thematically important for “Persecution and Bold Witness,” no new term-collision.

εὐχή / ἁγνισθῆναι (euchē / hagnisthēnai) — “vow / to purify oneself” (the Nazirite-vow rite, v.23–26) [NEW — ACTS]

Contextual theological meaning: Paul’s participation in a Jewish purification rite to avoid unnecessary offense — a matter of cultural accommodation, not doctrinal compromise.
Cantonese rendering risk: Medium. Rendering: 願 (jyun6) / 自潔 (zi6 git3). Distinguish sharply from the Romans baseline’s forbidden 還神還願 (temple vow-fulfillment for a granted request) — this is a Mosaic-law purification vow with a fixed OT background and cultural-accommodation purpose, not a transactional exchange for divine favor; a clarifying note is recommended given the surface similarity of “vow” vocabulary.

Chapter 22 — Paul’s Defense: Testimony Before the Crowd

Recapitulates the conversion narrative (see ch.9 above); no significant new theological terms beyond:

ἀπόλουσαι τὰς ἁμαρτίας σου (apolousai tas hamartias sou) — “wash away your sins” (Ananias’s words to Saul, v.16) [NEW compound over BASELINE TM: sin = 罪]

Contextual theological meaning: baptismal imagery describing the cleansing associated with (not mechanically causing) forgiveness, received “calling on his name” (ἐπικαλεσάμενος τὸ ὄνομα αὐτοῦ, echoing 2:21).
Cantonese rendering risk: High. Rendering: 洗去你嘅罪 (sai2 heoi3 nei5 ge3 zeoi6). Must be taught alongside baptism (受洗) without implying baptismal water itself mechanically effects forgiveness (a caution relevant given how ritual-washing-for-purification is a familiar category in Cantonese folk religious practice, e.g., ritual bathing before temple worship, or symbolic washing to “remove bad luck,” 洗邋遢) — the passage’s own emphasis is on calling on Christ’s name in faith, of which baptism is the outward sign.

Chapter 23 — The Sanhedrin; Pharisees and Sadducees Dispute the Resurrection

Φαρισαῖοι… Σαδδουκαῖοι (Pharisaioi… Saddoukaioi) — proper-noun party names; the dispute centers on ἀνάστασις (anastasis) — reuses [BASELINE TM: resurrection = 復活, Critical] exactly. New contextual note: this is the second instance (after Athens, ch.17) of resurrection doctrine functioning as a live point of religious controversy within the narrative itself, useful for teaching that the doctrine was contested from the very beginning, not a later theological development — reinforces “Resurrection of Christ”-adjacent doctrine (here, resurrection hope generally) as historically contested, evidentially-grounded claim, not simply asserted dogma.

Chapter 24 — Paul before Felix

τῆς ὁδοῦ (tēs hodou) — “the Way” (v.14, 22) — reuses the full [NEW — ACTS — CRITICAL] ὁδός analysis from ch.9 above. Paul’s own self-description, “according to the Way, which they call a sect, I worship the God of our fathers” (v.14), is doctrinally important: Paul claims continuity with, not departure from, the OT covenant faith — relevant to “Fulfillment of Prophecy” and “Justification apart from the Law” (the gospel fulfills, rather than abolishes, God’s covenant purposes).

δικαιοσύνη καὶ ἐγκράτεια καὶ κρίμα (dikaiosynē kai egkrateia kai krima) — “righteousness and self-control and the coming judgment” (v.25) — reuses [BASELINE TM: righteousness = 義, Critical] exactly, with the same caution against the Confucian loyalty-and-honor collision (義氣) already flagged in the Romans baseline; ἐγκράτεια (“self-control”) [NEW — ACTS] — 自制 (zi6 zai3), low risk; κρίμα (“judgment”) — 審判 (sam2 pun3), low risk, standard eschatological-judgment vocabulary.

Chapter 25 — Paul before Festus and Agrippa; Appeal to Caesar

No major new theological vocabulary. Narrative-legal chapter; reuses established terms (μάρτυς-related testimony vocabulary, ἀνάστασις in Festus’s confused report to Agrippa, v.19). Relevant to “Persecution and Bold Witness” as continued demonstration of bold testimony before successive layers of state authority, without new term-collision risk beyond what chs. 22–24 already establish.

Chapter 26 — Paul’s Testimony before Agrippa

τοῦ ἀνοίξαι τοὺς ὀφθαλμοὺς αὐτῶν, τοῦ ἐπιστρέψαι ἀπὸ σκότους εἰς φῶς καὶ τῆς ἐξουσίας τοῦ Σατανᾶ ἐπὶ τὸν θεόν (v.18) — “to open their eyes, that they may turn from darkness to light and from the power of Satan to God” [NEW compound]

Contextual theological meaning: Paul’s own summary of his commissioned mission — a compact statement of the whole gospel’s transformative scope, directly serving “Conversion of Paul” and, by extension, “Gospel to Jews and Gentiles.”
Cantonese rendering risk: High. Rendering: 從黑暗轉向光明，從撒但嘅權勢歸向神 (cung4 hak1 am3 zyun3 hoeng3 gwong1 ming4, cung4 saat3 daan6 ge3 kyun4 sai3 gwai1 hoeng3 san4). Caution: the “darkness to light” polarity must not be assimilated to Chinese yin-yang cosmological dualism (陰陽) — this is a moral and spiritual reversal from bondage to Satan’s dominion into God’s kingdom, not a cosmic-balance concept, nor Buddhist “enlightenment” imagery (開悟/覺悟); a brief clarifying note is recommended at first occurrence.

Σατανᾶς (Satanas) — “Satan” [NEW — ACTS, proper-noun class] — 撒但 (saat3 daan6), established transliteration. Risk: Medium. Distinguish from Cantonese folk-demonology’s diffuse, often morally-ambiguous “evil spirit/ghost” (鬼) category — Satan is a specific, personal, defeated spiritual enemy with a definite biblical narrative role, not one hungry ghost among many appeased during Ghost Festival (盂蘭節) observances.

λαβεῖν ἄφεσιν ἁμαρτιῶν καὶ κλῆρον ἐν τοῖς ἡγιασμένοις πίστει τῇ εἰς ἐμέ (v.18) — “to receive forgiveness of sins and a place among those sanctified by faith in me” — combines [NEW — ACTS: ἄφεσις ἁμαρτιῶν, see 2:38] with [BASELINE TM: saints/sanctified = 聖徒/成聖, High; faith = 信心, High] — all reused exactly. κλῆρος here returns in its inheritance/allotted-portion sense (distinct from its ch.1 lot-casting sense) — 產業 (caan2 jip6, “inheritance/portion”), not 抽籤; translators must keep these two senses of κλῆρος sharply distinguished in the glossary (see ch.1 note above) to avoid accidentally importing the ch.1 divination-collision caution into this unrelated inheritance usage.

Chapter 27 — The Voyage and Shipwreck

No major new theological vocabulary. The narrative’s providential-preservation theme (v.22–25, an angel’s assurance that all will be saved from the storm) lightly reuses [BASELINE TM: providence = 神嘅護理, High] register; ensure this is not rendered with 運程 fortune-forecast vocabulary, consistent with the existing baseline caution, even though the immediate context (a sea voyage, storm-omens) might otherwise invite folk-nautical-superstition framing (e.g., traditional Cantonese/Chinese seafaring taboos and Tin Hau/天后 sea-goddess protection invocations, highly relevant given Hong Kong’s maritime culture). A clarifying note distinguishing God’s personal providential care from Tin Hau devotion (a living, prominent Hong Kong folk-religious practice among fishing communities) is recommended if this chapter is used in teaching material.

Chapter 28 — Malta; Arrival in Rome; Unhindered Proclamation

ἔχιδνα (echidna) — “viper” (v.3) and the islanders’ assumption Paul was a god after surviving the snakebite (v.6) — narrative-only; no doctrinal term risk, though the islanders’ instinctive move from “unharmed by a deadly snake” to “he must be a god” (θεόν) is a useful teaching illustration of the same folk-religious impulse to read miraculous signs as proof of the god must be handled with care that Acts itself does not endorse (Paul does not accept or correct this claim on-page but the narrative implicitly does not affirm it) — relevant supporting note for “Apostolic Authority and Miracles” doctrine’s caution against treating miracle as free-floating proof of a worker’s own divinity or special favor status.

κηρύσσων τὴν βασιλείαν τοῦ θεοῦ καὶ διδάσκων τὰ περὶ τοῦ κυρίου Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ μετὰ πάσης παρρησίας ἀκωλύτως (v.31) — “proclaiming the kingdom of God and teaching about the Lord Jesus Christ with all boldness and without hindrance” — the book’s closing verse, combining [BASELINE TM: kingdom_of_god = 神嘅國; lord = 主; jesus = 耶穌; messiah/christ = 基督] with [NEW — ACTS: παρρησία, see ch.4] and:

ἀκωλύτως (akōlytōs) — “without hindrance, unhindered” [NEW — ACTS]

Literal meaning: not hindered, not prevented, unobstructed.
Contextual theological meaning: the book’s deliberately open-ended final word — the gospel’s unstoppable advance despite every persecution and obstacle narrated across all 28 chapters — the climactic term for “The Great Commission Fulfilled.”
Cantonese rendering risk: Medium. Rendering: 無阻擋噉 (mou4 zo2 dong2 gam2). No direct folk-religious collision; flag for native speaker review given the term’s climactic rhetorical weight — the rendering should carry the same sense of triumphant, ongoing, unstoppable momentum as the Greek adverb, not a flat “without difficulty.”

Summary of New Critical-Priority Terms Requiring Mandatory Human Theologian Review

The following Acts-specific new terms carry Critical risk and require theologian review at every occurrence, in addition to all Critical-tier terms inherited from the Romans baseline (grace, righteousness, justification, salvation, resurrection, lord, son_of_god, incarnation, messiah, god, holy_spirit, jesus, imputed_righteousness):

神蹟奇事 (signs and wonders) — collision with temple-efficacy (靈驗) culture
抽籤 (casting lots, Acts 1:26) — collision with temple fortune-stick divination (求籤)
悔改 (repentance) — collision with Buddhist ritual confession (懺悔) and secular self-reform idiom
道 (the Way, as name for Christianity) — collision with Daoism (道教)
占卜嘅邪靈 (spirit of divination, Acts 16:16) — collision with 問米/fortune-telling culture
聖靈嘅（白白嘅）恩賜 (the gift of the Holy Spirit, distinct from spiritual gifts) — collision with transactional grace/merit framing
巫術 (sorcery, Simon Magus) — dramatizes the grace-vs-merit transactional collision at narrative length

This document extends, and in every instance defers to, the baseline Romans translation_memory.json and bible_term_registry.json. See analysis/08_core_glossary.md for the consolidated per-term glossary table covering all chapters of Acts.

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