Doctrine Analysis
Doctrine Analysis — Luke (English → Cantonese)
This document provides the full doctrine matrix for Luke 1–24, consistent with doctrine_risk_registry.json (same 35 doctrines, same risk tiers, same review routing). It also provides mandatory full-book chapter-by-chapter coverage per the PRD Phase 1 mandate: every chapter of Luke is logged, even where a chapter primarily reinforces doctrines already carried by earlier chapters rather than introducing new load-bearing material.
Risk tier definitions and review routing conventions are inherited unchanged from the Romans baseline:
| Risk | Definition | Review Routing |
|---|---|---|
| Critical | Mistranslation alters or destroys essential doctrine | Human theologian — every occurrence |
| High | Mistranslation creates significant theological confusion or syncretism risk | Human theologian |
| Medium | Mistranslation reduces clarity but preserves essential meaning | Native speaker review |
| Low | Mistranslation causes minor misunderstanding | Automated review |
Part A — Doctrine Matrix (All 35 Doctrines)
| # | Doctrine | Cantonese Name | Supporting Passages (Luke) | Risk | Translation Risk (Cantonese/HK Collision) | Review Routing |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Incarnation and Virgin Birth | 道成肉身同處女懷孕 | 1:26-38; 2:1-7 | Critical | 處女 must never soften to “young woman”; ἐπισκιάζω must never use folk spirit-possession framing (附身, 問米-adjacent) | Human theologian |
| 2 | Deity of Christ | 基督嘅神性 | 1:32-35; 4:41; 8:28; 9:35; 22:70 | Critical | Never soften to “a powerful spirit” or a wish-granting local deity (e.g. Wong Tai Sin) | Human theologian |
| 3 | Sonship of Christ | 基督嘅兒子名分 | 1:32,35; 3:22,38; 4:3,9; 9:35; 22:70 | Critical | Never 天子 (“Son of Heaven”); genealogy (3:23-38) must not imply Sonship = ordinary descent | Human theologian |
| 4 | Son of Man Christology | 人子基督論 | 5:24; 6:5; 9:22,26,44,58; 12:8,40; 17:22-30; 18:8; 19:10; 21:27,36; 22:22,48,69; 24:7 | Critical | 人子 must never flatten to generic “a man”; Daniel 7 authority-to-judge background is easily lost for low-OT-literacy readers | Human theologian |
| 5 | Messianic Anointing | 彌賽亞嘅膏立 | 3:22; 4:1,18 | High | 膏立 must be distinguished from protective oil/cinnabar (硃砂) folk-ritual anointing and cosmetic oil use | Human theologian |
| 6 | Fulfillment of Prophecy | 預言嘅應驗 | 1:1-4; 4:16-21 (core); 24:25-27,44-47 | High | 應驗 must stay linear/historical, never the cyclical fortune-forecast (運程) frame of almanac culture | Human theologian |
| 7 | Inspiration of Scripture | 聖經嘅默示 | 4:17-21 (core); 24:27,32,44-45 | High | 聖經 must be distinguished from divinatory/almanac reference texts (老黃曆) | Human theologian |
| 8 | Davidic Covenant | 大衛之約 | 1:27,32-33,69; 2:4,11; 3:31; 18:38-39; 20:41-44 | High | No Cantonese/PRD clan analogue for unconditional perpetual-lineage covenant; clan practice uses 過繼 (adoption-for-succession) | Human theologian |
| 9 | The Holy Spirit’s Work in Salvation History | 聖靈喺救恩歷史入面嘅工作 | 1:15,35,41,67; 2:25-27; 3:16,22; 4:1,14,18 (core); 10:21; 11:13; 12:12; 24:49 | Critical | 聖靈 always full compound, never 靈 alone (ancestral/temple/問米 spirit overlap) | Human theologian |
| 10 | Good News to the Poor and Marginalized | 向貧窮同受欺壓嘅人傳嘅好消息 | 4:18 (core); 6:20-23; 7:22; 14:13,21; 16:19-31; 18:22; 19:8-9 | High | Risk of framing “the poor” as those lacking 福氣/luck rather than God’s specially favored; acute in Beatitudes’ status-reversal | Human theologian |
| 11 | Repentance and Forgiveness of Sins | 悔改同罪得赦免 | 1:77; 3:3,8; 5:20-24,32; 7:47-49; 13:3,5; 15:7,10; 17:3-4; 18:13-14; 19:8-9; 24:47 | Critical | 悔改 must never be 拜懺 (merit-ritual) or 賠罪 (face-saving apology); 赦免 must never be 解脫; single Greek ἄφεσις (4:18) splits into 釋放/赦免 — flag every occurrence | Human theologian |
| 12 | Redemption | 救贖 | 1:68-69; 2:38; 21:28; 24:21 | Critical | Must be distinguished from pawnshop redemption (當舖贖身) and karmic debt-repayment | Human theologian |
| 13 | Jesus as Savior for All Nations and All People | 耶穌係萬國萬民嘅救主 | 2:10-11,30-32; 3:6; 4:25-27; 7:1-10; 10:25-37; 13:29; 17:11-19; 24:47 | High | Must resist Cantonese insider/outsider or clan-village framing; retain unqualified universality (Samaritan, centurion) | Human theologian |
| 14 | Jesus’ Table Fellowship with Sinners | 耶穌同罪人同席 | 5:29-32; 7:36-50; 15:1-2,23; 19:1-10 | High | In HK face-culture, dining with the disgraced reads as status-compromising; must retain radical grace-driven welcome, not mere politeness | Human theologian |
| 15 | Jesus’ Compassion | 耶穌嘅憐憫 | 7:13; 10:33-37; 15:20 | Critical | σπλαγχνίζομαι must NEVER use 慈悲 (near-exclusively tied to Guanyin’s 大慈大悲 epithet in HK household devotion) | Human theologian |
| 16 | The Kingdom of God Present and Future | 神嘅國：現在同將來 | 4:43; 6:20; 8:1,10; 9:2,11,60; 10:9,11; 11:2,20; 12:31-32; 13:18-21,28-29; 14:15; 17:20-21; 18:16-17,24-25,29; 19:11; 21:31; 22:16,18,29-30; 23:42 | Medium | Keep spiritual, not political, given HK sovereignty sensitivities; 17:21 “within/among” risks Buddha-nature/inner-awakening resonance | Native speaker review |
| 17 | The Cost and Joy of Discipleship | 作門徒嘅代價同喜樂 | 5:1-11,27-28; 9:23-25,57-62; 14:25-33; 18:22-23,28-30; 24:52 | High | 十字架 must retain execution/shame weight, not decorative accessory; 跟從 distinct from fandom-following (追星) | Human theologian |
| 18 | Prayer and Dependence on God | 禱告同倚靠神 | 3:21; 5:16; 6:12; 9:18,28-29; 11:1-13; 18:1-14; 22:32,39-46; 23:34,46 | Medium | 禱告 distinct from temple fortune-stick drawing (求籤) or 問米 mediumship; direct filial address (阿爸/父) | Native speaker review |
| 19 | Grace versus Merit | 恩典並非功德 | 7:36-50; 15:11-32; 18:9-14 | Critical | Unearned favor contradicts Wong Tai Sin-style vow-and-offering exchange (“有求必應”) | Human theologian |
| 20 | Faith and Healing | 信心同醫治 | 5:20; 7:9,50; 8:25,48,50; 17:19; 18:42 | High | 信心 distinct from 睇相算命 confidence; σῴζω requires context choice between 救/醫好, defaulting to spiritual sense when faith/forgiveness explicit | Human theologian |
| 21 | Universal Human Need of Repentance | 全人類都需要悔改 | 3:7-9; 13:1-5; 15:1-32; 18:9-14 | High | 忿怒/神嘅震怒 distinct from impersonal karmic retribution (報應); 罪 not reducible to face/reputation (唔衰得) | Human theologian |
| 22 | Spiritual Warfare and Christ’s Authority over Evil | 屬靈爭戰同基督戰勝邪惡嘅權柄 | 4:1-13,33-36; 8:26-39; 10:17-20; 11:14-22; 13:10-17; 22:3,31,53 | High | 魔鬼/邪靈 distinct from folk “ghosts” (鬼), Hungry Ghost Festival (盂蘭節) category, and 問米-contacted spirits; 權柄 never 法力 | Human theologian |
| 23 | Resurrection of Christ | 基督嘅復活 | 9:22; 18:33; 20:34-38; 24:1-49 | Critical | 復活 never 投胎轉世 or 問米-style brief summoning; widow of Nain’s son (7:14-15, raise_up_temporary) must not be collapsed into the same category | Human theologian |
| 24 | Ascension of Christ | 基督升天 | 24:50-53 | Critical | 被接升天 must never be conflated with Daoist immortal-ascension (羽化登仙), deeply embedded in Cantonese wuxia/popular culture | Human theologian |
| 25 | Transfiguration and Divine Glory | 耶穌變像顯出神嘅榮耀 | 9:28-36 | Critical | 變像 never 化身 (Guanyin-style repeatable manifestation) or Daoist 羽化/成仙 transformation motifs | Human theologian |
| 26 | The New Covenant in Christ’s Blood | 基督用血立嘅新約 | 22:14-20 | Critical | 新約 never a commercial contract (合約) or temple vow-exchange (還神還願); 記念 distinct from ancestor-memorial ritual (祭祖) | Human theologian |
| 27 | Eternal Life and the Age to Come | 永生同將來嘅世代 | 10:25; 16:19-31; 18:18,30; 20:34-38; 23:43 | Critical | 永生 distinct from Daoist immortality-cultivation (長生不老/得道成仙) and Buddhist rebirth-escape (解脫輪迴); 陰間 distinct from 陰曹地府/閻羅王 and 地獄; 樂園 distinct from 西方極樂世界/仙境 | Human theologian |
| 28 | Wealth and Kingdom Ethics | 財富同神國嘅倫理 | 6:24; 12:13-21,33-34; 14:12-14; 16:1-31; 18:18-25; 19:1-10 | High | 瑪門/財寶 distinct from Wealth God (財神) worship and feng shui wealth-accumulation practice | Human theologian |
| 29 | Humility and Reversal of Status | 謙卑同身份地位嘅逆轉 | 1:52; 6:20-26; 14:7-14; 18:9-14 | Medium | 謙卑 distinct from face-losing humiliation (跌面/失禮); 有福 distinct from prosperity-luck 福 (恭喜發財); 有禍了 a solemn warning, not a curse-formula | Native speaker review |
| 30 | Law and Covenant Fulfillment | 律法同約嘅應驗 | 2:21-24,39; 5:14; 6:1-11; 10:26; 13:10-17; 16:16-17; 24:44 | High | 律法 never 禮/規矩/法律; 安息日 distinct from almanac day-selection (擇日); 聖殿 never 廟 | Human theologian |
| 31 | Witness and Proclamation of the Gospel | 見證同宣講福音 | 1:2; 8:11-15; 9:1-6; 10:1-12; 24:46-49 | Medium | 見證人/見證 distinct from commercial-testimonial marketing usage; sensitivity to HK public-evangelism climate | Native speaker review |
| 32 | Blasphemy against the Holy Spirit | 干犯聖靈嘅罪 | 12:10 | High | Not generic disrespect toward religious teachers; a solemn, decisive rejection of the Spirit’s testimony to Christ | Human theologian |
| 33 | Hypocrisy and True Righteousness | 假冒偽善同真正嘅義 | 11:37-54; 12:1-3; 18:9-14; 20:20-26 | Medium | 假冒偽善 distinct from social politeness/face-maintenance (要面), which is not itself sin | Native speaker review |
| 34 | Angelic Mediation and Annunciation | 天使報信同傳達神嘅信息 | 1:11-20,26-38; 2:9-15; 22:43; 24:4-7,23 | Medium | 天使 distinct from folk deities/immortals (神仙) and venerated/petitioned ancestral spirits | Native speaker review |
| 35 | Genealogical Lineage of Christ | 基督嘅家譜 | 3:23-38 | Medium | 家譜 bridges to clan-lineage record culture (族譜) but must not imply divine Sonship is mere extension of ordinary descent | Native speaker review |
Risk Summary (must match doctrine_risk_registry.json): Critical 14 · High 14 · Medium 7 · Low 0 · Theologian review 28 · Native speaker review 7 · Automated only 0.
Part B — Full-Book Chapter-by-Chapter Coverage Log
Every chapter of Luke is reviewed below. Where a chapter’s load-bearing doctrines are already fully captured by Part A, this log cross-references them rather than repeating full detail, satisfying full-book coverage without redundant re-analysis.
Luke 1 — Annunciations to Zechariah and Mary; Magnificat; Benedictus. Active: Incarnation/Virgin Birth (1), Sonship of Christ (3), The Holy Spirit’s Work in Salvation History (9), Davidic Covenant (8), Angelic Mediation (34), Redemption (12, 1:68-69), Humility/Reversal of Status (29, 1:52). Reviewed — fully covered above.
Luke 2 — Birth of Jesus; shepherds; presentation and circumcision; boy Jesus in the temple. Active: Incarnation/Virgin Birth (1), Jesus as Savior for All Nations (13, 2:10-11,30-32), Redemption (12, 2:38), Law and Covenant Fulfillment (30, circumcision/temple 2:21-24,39), Davidic Covenant (8), Angelic Mediation (34). Reviewed — fully covered above.
Luke 3 — John the Baptist’s preaching; genealogy; baptism of Jesus. Active: Repentance and Forgiveness of Sins (11, 3:3,8), Universal Human Need of Repentance (21, 3:7-9), The Holy Spirit’s Work in Salvation History (9, 3:16,22), Sonship of Christ (3, 3:22,38), Genealogical Lineage of Christ (35), Davidic Covenant (8, 3:31). Reviewed — fully covered above.
Luke 4 — CORE PASSAGE (4:16-21): Nazareth synagogue reading of Isaiah 61; temptation in the wilderness; authority over demons and disease. Active: Fulfillment of Prophecy (6), Inspiration of Scripture (7), Messianic Anointing (5), Good News to the Poor and Marginalized (10), The Holy Spirit’s Work in Salvation History (9), Spiritual Warfare and Authority over Evil (22, 4:1-13,33-36), Kingdom of God Present and Future (16, 4:43), Law and Covenant Fulfillment (30, sabbath synagogue setting). Reviewed — fully covered above; this chapter is the theological anchor of the curriculum.
Luke 5 — Miraculous catch and call of disciples; healing of a leper; healing/forgiveness of the paralytic; calling of Levi and table fellowship; wineskins saying. Active: Cost and Joy of Discipleship (17, 5:1-11,27-28), Repentance and Forgiveness of Sins (11, 5:20-24,32), Faith and Healing (20, 5:20), Table Fellowship with Sinners (14, 5:29-32), Law and Covenant Fulfillment (30, 5:14), Son of Man Christology (4, 5:24). Reviewed — fully covered above.
Luke 6 — Sabbath controversies; choosing the Twelve; Sermon on the Plain (Beatitudes, Woes, love of enemies). Active: Law and Covenant Fulfillment (30, 6:1-11), Son of Man Christology (4, 6:5), Humility and Reversal of Status (29, 6:20-26), Good News to the Poor and Marginalized (10, 6:20-23), Apostleship (baseline, Low risk — choosing the Twelve; no new doctrine beyond the baseline entry). Reviewed — fully covered above.
Luke 7 — Centurion’s servant healed; widow of Nain’s son raised; John the Baptist’s question; sinful woman anoints Jesus. Active: Faith and Healing (20, 7:9,50), Jesus as Savior for All Nations (13, 7:1-10), Resurrection of Christ (23 — contrast note on raise_up_temporary, 7:14-15), Repentance and Forgiveness of Sins (11, 7:47-49), Grace versus Merit (19, 7:36-50), Jesus’ Compassion (15, 7:13), Table Fellowship with Sinners (14, 7:36-50). Reviewed — fully covered above.
Luke 8 — Parable of the sower; calming the storm; Gerasene demoniac; woman with the flow of blood; Jairus’ daughter. Active: Witness and Proclamation of the Gospel (31, 8:11-15 — word of God), Spiritual Warfare and Authority over Evil (22, 8:26-39), Faith and Healing (20, 8:25,48,50), Kingdom of God Present and Future (16, 8:1,10). Reviewed — fully covered above.
Luke 9 — Sending of the Twelve; feeding of the 5,000; Peter’s confession; Transfiguration; first passion prediction; discipleship demands; exorcism of a boy. Active: Transfiguration and Divine Glory (25, 9:28-36), Son of Man Christology (4, 9:22,26,44,58), Cost and Joy of Discipleship (17, 9:23-25,57-62), Sonship of Christ (3, 9:35), Resurrection of Christ (23, 9:22), Spiritual Warfare (22), Kingdom of God (16, 9:2,11,60), Witness and Proclamation (31, 9:1-6). Reviewed — fully covered above.
Luke 10 — Sending of the 72; the Good Samaritan; Mary and Martha; Jesus’ Spirit-filled rejoicing. Active: Jesus as Savior for All Nations and All People (13, 10:25-37), Witness and Proclamation of the Gospel (31, 10:1-12), Kingdom of God Present and Future (16, 10:9,11), The Holy Spirit’s Work in Salvation History (9, 10:21), Eternal Life and the Age to Come (27, 10:25 — lawyer’s question, background). Reviewed — fully covered above.
Luke 11 — The Lord’s Prayer; teaching on persistent prayer; Beelzebul controversy; sign of Jonah; woes against the Pharisees. Active: Prayer and Dependence on God (18, 11:1-13), Spiritual Warfare and Authority over Evil (22, 11:14-22), Hypocrisy and True Righteousness (33, 11:37-54), The Holy Spirit’s Work in Salvation History (9, 11:13). Reviewed — fully covered above.
Luke 12 — Warning against hypocrisy; fear God not man; blasphemy against the Spirit; the rich fool; treasure in heaven; watchfulness; Son of Man’s coming. Active: Blasphemy against the Holy Spirit (32, 12:10), Wealth and Kingdom Ethics (28, 12:13-21,33-34), Hypocrisy and True Righteousness (33, 12:1-3), Son of Man Christology (4, 12:8,40), Kingdom of God Present and Future (16, 12:31-32). Reviewed — fully covered above.
Luke 13 — Call to repentance (tower of Siloam); healing of the bent woman on the Sabbath; mustard seed/yeast parables; the narrow door; lament over Jerusalem. Active: Universal Human Need of Repentance (21, 13:1-5), Repentance and Forgiveness of Sins (11, 13:3,5), Law and Covenant Fulfillment (30, 13:10-17), Kingdom of God Present and Future (16, 13:18-21,28-29). Reviewed — fully covered above.
Luke 14 — Sabbath healing; banquet parable and teaching on humility; counting the cost of discipleship; salt saying. Active: Humility and Reversal of Status (29, 14:7-14), Cost and Joy of Discipleship (17, 14:25-33), Wealth and Kingdom Ethics (28, 14:12-14), Kingdom of God Present and Future (16, 14:15). Reviewed — fully covered above.
Luke 15 — Lost sheep, lost coin, and the prodigal son. Active: Repentance and Forgiveness of Sins (11, 15:7,10), Jesus’ Compassion (15, 15:20), Table Fellowship with Sinners (14, 15:1-2,23), Grace versus Merit (19, 15:11-32). Reviewed — fully covered above; this chapter is the thematic center of the compassion/forgiveness doctrines.
Luke 16 — The shrewd manager; teaching on Mammon; the rich man and Lazarus (Hades). Active: Wealth and Kingdom Ethics (28, 16:1-31), Eternal Life and the Age to Come (27, 16:19-31), Law and Covenant Fulfillment (30, 16:16-17). Reviewed — fully covered above.
Luke 17 — Teaching on forgiveness and faith; ten lepers healed (one a Samaritan); the kingdom within/among; the day of the Son of Man. Active: Repentance and Forgiveness of Sins (11, 17:3-4), Faith and Healing (20, 17:19), Jesus as Savior for All Nations and All People (13, 17:11-19), Kingdom of God Present and Future (16, 17:20-21), Son of Man Christology (4, 17:22-30). Reviewed — fully covered above.
Luke 18 — Parable of the persistent widow; the Pharisee and the tax collector; the rich young ruler; the blind beggar healed. Active: Prayer and Dependence on God (18, 18:1-14), Grace versus Merit (19, 18:9-14), Hypocrisy and True Righteousness (33, 18:9-14), Wealth and Kingdom Ethics (28, 18:18-25), Faith and Healing (20, 18:42), Humility and Reversal of Status (29, 18:9-14), Son of Man Christology (4, 18:8), Davidic Covenant (8, 18:38-39), Eternal Life and the Age to Come (27, 18:18,30). Reviewed — fully covered above.
Luke 19 — Zacchaeus; parable of the minas; triumphal entry; weeping over Jerusalem; temple cleansing. Active: Jesus as Savior for All Nations and All People (13, 19:1-10 — a tax collector welcomed), Wealth and Kingdom Ethics (28, 19:1-10), Good News to the Poor and Marginalized (10, 19:8-9), Kingdom of God Present and Future (16, 19:11), Law and Covenant Fulfillment (30, temple). Reviewed — fully covered above.
Luke 20 — Authority questioned; parable of the tenants; paying taxes to Caesar; the resurrection debate with the Sadducees; David’s son and Lord. Active: Davidic Covenant (8, 20:41-44), Resurrection of Christ (23, 20:34-38 — doctrinal background for the general resurrection, illuminating ch.24), Hypocrisy and True Righteousness (33, 20:20-26), Law and Covenant Fulfillment (30). Reviewed — fully covered above.
Luke 21 — The widow’s offering; signs of the end times; the destruction of Jerusalem foretold; the coming of the Son of Man. Active: Son of Man Christology (4, 21:27,36), Universal Human Need of Repentance (21 — wrath/judgment overtones), Redemption (12, 21:28), Kingdom of God Present and Future (16, 21:31). Reviewed — fully covered above.
Luke 22 — The Last Supper and the New Covenant; Gethsemane prayer; betrayal; Peter’s denial; arrest; Jesus before the council as Son of Man. Active: The New Covenant in Christ’s Blood (26, 22:14-20), Prayer and Dependence on God (18, 22:32,39-46), Son of Man Christology (4, 22:22,48,69), Sonship of Christ (3, 22:70), Spiritual Warfare and Authority over Evil (22, 22:3,31,53). Reviewed — fully covered above.
Luke 23 — Trial before Pilate and Herod; crucifixion; the penitent thief and paradise; Jesus’ death and burial. Active: Cost and Joy of Discipleship (17 — the cross itself), Eternal Life and the Age to Come (27, 23:43 — paradise), Prayer and Dependence on God (18, 23:34,46), Kingdom of God Present and Future (16 — “King of the Jews” mockery/title). Reviewed — fully covered above.
Luke 24 — Resurrection appearances; the road to Emmaus; fulfillment of Scripture; the Great Commission; the Ascension. Active: Resurrection of Christ (23, 24:1-49), Fulfillment of Prophecy (6, 24:25-27,44-47), Inspiration of Scripture (7, 24:27,32,44-45), Witness and Proclamation of the Gospel (31, 24:46-49), Ascension of Christ (24, 24:50-53). Reviewed — fully covered above; this chapter closes the narrative arc opened by the core passage’s prophecy-fulfillment theme.
This document is consistent with and must be read alongside assets/doctrine_risk_registry.json, assets/translation_memory.json (Romans baseline, to be extended for Luke), and analysis/08_core_glossary.md. No doctrine, risk tier, or routing assignment in this document contradicts the registry.
Critical Risk Doctrines
Incarnation and Virgin Birth
Cantonese name: 道成肉身同處女懷孕
Key terms: virgin, overshadow, son_of_god, holy_spirit, incarnation
Review routing: Human theologian
CRITICAL: 處女 must never be softened to a generic ‘young woman’ nor assimilated to any local goddess-birth or miraculous-conception folk myth. 臨到/覆蓋 for ἐπισκιάζω must not be rendered with folk spirit-possession framing (附身) associated with 問米 mediumship. This is a unique, historical, once-for-all divine act producing the eternal Son’s true humanity, not a repeatable mythic motif.
Deity of Christ
Cantonese name: 基督嘅神性
Key terms: son_of_god, lord, messiah
Review routing: Human theologian
CRITICAL, per the Romans baseline: co-equal, eternal divine nature, never softened to ‘an especially powerful spirit’ or a wish-granting local deity of the kind found at Hong Kong temples (e.g. Wong Tai Sin).
Sonship of Christ
Cantonese name: 基督嘅兒子名分
Key terms: son_of_god, genealogy
Review routing: Human theologian
CRITICAL, per the Romans baseline: never equate with 天子 (‘Son of Heaven’, the historic imperial title). Luke’s genealogy (3:23-38), which resonates with Cantonese clan-lineage record culture (族譜), must not be read as implying Christ’s Sonship is of the same kind as ordinary human descent from Adam.
Son of Man Christology
Cantonese name: 人子基督論
Key terms: son_of_man
Review routing: Human theologian
CRITICAL: 人子 must never be flattened to a merely generic ‘a man’ or ‘a human being’; this title uniquely combines Daniel 7’s exalted authority-to-judge with genuine humanity. Cantonese readers with low OT literacy may miss the Daniel 7 background entirely without explicit teaching.
The Holy Spirit’s Work in Salvation History
Cantonese name: 聖靈喺救恩歷史入面嘅工作
Key terms: holy_spirit, overshadow, anoint
Review routing: Human theologian
CRITICAL, per the Romans baseline: 聖靈 must always be the full compound, never 靈 alone, which in Hong Kong folk usage covers ancestral spirits, temple spirits, and spirits summoned in 問米 mediumship. The Spirit’s active work throughout Luke (conception, empowering prophecy, anointing Jesus, promised as ‘power from on high’) is the personal third Person of the Trinity, not a folk spirit-being.
Repentance and Forgiveness of Sins
Cantonese name: 悔改同罪得赦免
Key terms: repentance, forgiveness, release, sin, lost
Review routing: Human theologian
CRITICAL: 悔改 must never be rendered with 拜懺 (a Buddhist/Daoist ceremonial confession-and-merit rite) or reduced to a face-saving public apology (賠罪). 赦免 must never use 解脫 (Buddhist liberation from samsara, already forbidden absolutely for ‘salvation’ in the Romans baseline). Because Luke 4:18’s single Greek word ἄφεσις covers both ‘release’ (釋放) and ‘forgiveness’ (赦免), every occurrence requires a translator note explaining the split so the doctrine’s coherence is not lost.
Redemption
Cantonese name: 救贖
Key terms: redemption, savior, salvation
Review routing: Human theologian
CRITICAL: 救贖 must be distinguished from the everyday Cantonese sense of redeeming a pawned item at a pawnshop (當舖贖身) and from karmic debt-repayment. Biblical redemption is God’s own gracious act of ransoming his people through the Messiah, not a commercial or karmic transaction the person performs.
Jesus’ Compassion
Cantonese name: 耶穌嘅憐憫
Key terms: compassion_visceral, mercy, leprosy
Review routing: Human theologian
CRITICAL: the visceral-compassion verb σπλαγχνίζομαι must NEVER be rendered with the stock Buddhist compassion term 慈悲, whose near-exclusive cultural association in Hong Kong is the epithet 大慈大悲 attached to Guanyin devotion — a household-level devotional practice. Use 動了慈心/滿心憐憫 consistently, with a translator note that this is the Father God’s own compassion, expressed climactically in Christ, not a bodhisattva’s intervention.
Grace versus Merit
Cantonese name: 恩典並非功德
Key terms: grace, justification, righteousness
Review routing: Human theologian
CRITICAL, per the Romans baseline: grace as unearned favor directly contradicts the vow-and-offering transactional exchange modeled by Hong Kong’s most popular temple worship (e.g. Wong Tai Sin’s ‘whatever you ask, you shall receive’). The Pharisee-and-tax-collector scene (18:9-14) and the Prodigal Son (15:11-32) are especially vivid narrative illustrations of grace received through humble faith rather than religious achievement or social status.
Resurrection of Christ
Cantonese name: 基督嘅復活
Key terms: resurrection, raise_up_temporary
Review routing: Human theologian
CRITICAL, per the Romans baseline: 復活 must never be rendered with 投胎轉世 (rebirth cycle) or framed like a 問米 spirit-medium briefly summoning a deceased person’s spirit. Luke’s own account of the widow of Nain’s son (7:14-15) is a temporary resuscitation to mortal life (ἐγείρω) and must not be collapsed into the same category as Christ’s final, unrepeatable resurrection.
Ascension of Christ
Cantonese name: 基督升天
Key terms: ascension
Review routing: Human theologian
CRITICAL: 被接升天 must be explicitly and firmly distinguished from the very well-known Daoist immortal-ascension motif (羽化登仙), deeply embedded in Cantonese popular religious and wuxia/fantasy storytelling culture. Christ’s ascension is a unique, bodily, historical exaltation of the eternal Son to the Father’s right hand as sovereign Lord, not a cultivator’s personal attainment of immortal transcendence.
Transfiguration and Divine Glory
Cantonese name: 耶穌變像顯出神嘅榮耀
Key terms: transfiguration, glory
Review routing: Human theologian
CRITICAL: 變像 must never be rendered with 化身 (a deity’s repeatable manifestation, as popularly attributed to Guanyin, already forbidden under the Romans baseline incarnation entry) or with Daoist immortal-transformation motifs (羽化, 成仙). The Transfiguration is a unique, temporary unveiling of Christ’s own permanent divine glory, not a cultivator’s attainment.
The New Covenant in Christ’s Blood
Cantonese name: 基督用血立嘅新約
Key terms: new_covenant, covenant, remembrance
Review routing: Human theologian
CRITICAL, per the Romans baseline’s caution on 約: 新約 must retain the relational, blood-sealed, once-for-all covenant sense, never reduced to a commercial contract (合約) nor to a temple vow-and-fulfillment exchange (還神還願). 記念 (‘do this in remembrance of me’) must be distinguished from ancestor-memorial ritual observance (祭祖, 拜祖先).
Eternal Life and the Age to Come
Cantonese name: 永生同將來嘅世代
Key terms: eternal_life, hades, paradise
Review routing: Human theologian
CRITICAL: 永生 must be distinguished from the Daoist/folk pursuit of physical immortality through cultivation or elixirs (長生不老, 得道成仙) and from the Buddhist goal of escaping the cycle of rebirth (解脫輪迴). 陰間 must be distinguished from the folk-religious underworld bureaucracy (陰曹地府/閻羅王) and Buddhist hell-realms (地獄). 樂園 must be distinguished from the Buddhist Pure Land (西方極樂世界) and Daoist fairylands (仙境).
High Risk Doctrines
Messianic Anointing
Cantonese name: 彌賽亞嘅膏立
Key terms: anoint, messiah, holy_spirit
Review routing: Human theologian
膏立 must be distinguished from folk-ritual anointing of objects with oil or cinnabar (硃砂) for protective blessing, a practice with some currency in Hong Kong temple culture, and from ordinary cosmetic/medicinal oil use. Jesus’ Isaiah-61 anointing is God’s unique commissioning of the Messiah, the root sense underlying 基督.
Fulfillment of Prophecy
Cantonese name: 預言嘅應驗
Key terms: fulfilled, prophecy, scripture
Review routing: Human theologian
應驗 must retain a linear, one-time, historical fulfillment sense (Old Testament promise fulfilled once in Christ), never the cyclical fortune-forecast framework (運程) of yearly feng shui/almanac prediction familiar from Hong Kong culture.
Inspiration of Scripture
Cantonese name: 聖經嘅默示
Key terms: scripture, prophet, word_of_god
Review routing: Human theologian
聖經 must be distinguished from divinatory or almanac reference texts (老黃曆) consulted for guidance in daily Hong Kong life; Scripture is the direct, God-breathed communication of a personal God, not a predictive reference text.
Davidic Covenant
Cantonese name: 大衛之約
Key terms: david, seed_of_david, king, covenant
Review routing: Human theologian
Per the Romans baseline: requires OT background explanation. No directly analogous perpetual-lineage covenant concept exists in Cantonese/Pearl River Delta clan tradition, where lineage continuity is maintained through adoption-for-succession (過繼) rather than an unconditional divine promise.
Good News to the Poor and Marginalized
Cantonese name: 向貧窮同受欺壓嘅人傳嘅好消息
Key terms: poor, gospel, oppressed, beatitude_blessed, captive
Review routing: Human theologian
Hong Kong’s prosperity-and-luck-oriented popular religious culture (福氣, 恭喜發財, temple wealth petitions such as those at Wong Tai Sin) risks framing ‘the poor’ as those lacking fortune/luck rather than as those God specially favors. This collision is most acute in the Beatitudes (6:20-23), where ‘blessed are you who are poor’ directly inverts the popular equation of 福 with material prosperity.
Jesus as Savior for All Nations and All People
Cantonese name: 耶穌係萬國萬民嘅救主
Key terms: gentiles, savior, salvation, samaritan, neighbor
Review routing: Human theologian
Salvation crosses Jew/Gentile and rich/poor barriers alike, paralleled in Luke by the Samaritan (an ethnic-religious outsider) and the Gentile centurion. Must resist any framing that echoes Cantonese insider/outsider or clan-village distinctions (as the Romans baseline already flags for 外邦人); retain unqualified universality.
Jesus’ Table Fellowship with Sinners
Cantonese name: 耶穌同罪人同席
Key terms: sinner, fellowship, compassion_visceral, joy
Review routing: Human theologian
In Hong Kong’s face-conscious social culture, sharing a meal with a socially disgraced person can itself be read as a status-compromising act; teaching must retain that Jesus’ table fellowship is a radical, grace-driven act of welcome and restoration, not merely a polite social courtesy extended without theological weight.
The Cost and Joy of Discipleship
Cantonese name: 作門徒嘅代價同喜樂
Key terms: disciple, follow, cross, joy, lost
Review routing: Human theologian
十字架 must retain its full weight as a shameful instrument of execution and locus of costly self-denial, not a decorative or merely symbolic accessory as it can appear in secular Hong Kong fashion/jewelry contexts. 跟從 must be distinguished from casual celebrity-fandom idiom (追星); biblical discipleship is total, costly reorientation of life and loyalty.
Faith and Healing
Cantonese name: 信心同醫治
Key terms: faith, save_heal
Review routing: Human theologian
信心 is personal trust in Christ specifically, not the confidence commonly placed in fortune-telling and palm-reading services (睇相算命). Because σῴζω covers both ‘save’ and ‘heal,’ the translator must choose between 救 and 醫好 in Cantonese where Greek uses one verb, defaulting to the spiritual sense whenever forgiveness or faith is explicitly in view.
Universal Human Need of Repentance
Cantonese name: 全人類都需要悔改
Key terms: sin, wrath, repentance
Review routing: Human theologian
忿怒/神嘅震怒 must be kept distinct from impersonal karmic retribution (報應) that mechanically ‘catches up’ with a person, and 罪 must not be reduced to a face/reputation framing (唔衰得). All humanity stands equally accountable before a personal God, regardless of social standing.
Spiritual Warfare and Christ’s Authority over Evil
Cantonese name: 屬靈爭戰同基督戰勝邪惡嘅權柄
Key terms: devil, demon, authority
Review routing: Human theologian
魔鬼 and 邪靈 must be distinguished from Hong Kong’s very active folk category of ‘ghosts’ (鬼), especially ‘hungry ghosts’ (餓鬼) prominent at the annual Hungry Ghost Festival (盂蘭節), and from spirits contacted through 問米 mediumship or ancestral placation rites. Christ’s authority (權柄) is a rightful, divinely given authority, never a medium’s or feng shui master’s ritual power (法力).
Wealth and Kingdom Ethics
Cantonese name: 財富同神國嘅倫理
Key terms: mammon, treasure, poor
Review routing: Human theologian
瑪門/財寶 must be distinguished from the popular worship of the Wealth God (財神), prominent in Hong Kong shop-front and Lunar New Year devotional practice, and from feng shui-driven wealth-accumulation practices. Mammon names a spiritual rival to God, and ‘treasure in heaven’ relativizes rather than sanctifies the pursuit of earthly financial security.
Law and Covenant Fulfillment
Cantonese name: 律法同約嘅應驗
Key terms: law, circumcision, sabbath, temple
Review routing: Human theologian
律法 must never equate with 禮 (Confucian ritual propriety), 規矩 (generic rules/customs), or 法律 (secular civil law), per the Romans baseline. 安息日 must be distinguished from almanac day-selection culture (擇日, 睇日子); 聖殿 must never be rendered 廟.
Blasphemy against the Holy Spirit
Cantonese name: 干犯聖靈嘅罪
Key terms: blasphemy_against_spirit, holy_spirit
Review routing: Human theologian
干犯聖靈 must not be confused with generic disrespect toward religious figures or teachers; this is a solemn warning about decisive, willful rejection of the Spirit’s testimony to Christ, distinct from ordinary sin.
Medium Risk Doctrines
The Kingdom of God Present and Future
Cantonese name: 神嘅國：現在同將來
Key terms: kingdom_of_god, today_eschatological, kingdom_within_among, narrow_door
Review routing: Native speaker review
Given Hong Kong’s political sensitivities around sovereignty and loyalty language, the kingdom of God must be kept clearly framed as God’s spiritual reign, not an earthly political program. The rendering of Luke 17:21’s ἐντός (‘within/among you’) carries additional risk of resonance with Buddhist inner Buddha-nature/self-cultivation concepts (佛性/內在覺悟) if translated too individualistically.
Prayer and Dependence on God
Cantonese name: 禱告同倚靠神
Key terms: prayer, intercession, abba, father
Review routing: Native speaker review
禱告 must be distinguished from drawing a temple fortune-stick (求籤) or consulting a spirit-medium (問米); biblical prayer is direct, filial address to a personal God (阿爸/父), not a divinatory or intermediary ritual practice.
Humility and Reversal of Status
Cantonese name: 謙卑同身份地位嘅逆轉
Key terms: humble_exalt, beatitude_blessed, woe
Review routing: Native speaker review
謙卑 must be distinguished from face-losing social humiliation (跌面/失禮), which carries negative social connotation in Cantonese honor culture; biblical humility is virtuous self-lowering rewarded by God, not shameful loss of standing. 有福 must be distinguished from prosperity-luck 福 (恭喜發財); 有禍了 must be a solemn prophetic warning, not a superstitious curse-formula.
Witness and Proclamation of the Gospel
Cantonese name: 見證同宣講福音
Key terms: witness, word_of_god, mission
Review routing: Native speaker review
見證人/見證 must be distinguished from casual eyewitness storytelling or from commercial-testimonial advertising usage of 見證, common in Hong Kong marketing; this is authoritative, gospel-founding testimony to Christ. Given Hong Kong’s current political and social climate, public evangelism framing requires ongoing sensitivity, per the Romans baseline’s mission-doctrine note.
Hypocrisy and True Righteousness
Cantonese name: 假冒偽善同真正嘅義
Key terms: hypocrisy, righteousness
Review routing: Native speaker review
假冒偽善 must be distinguished from mere social politeness/face-maintenance (要面), which is not itself sinful; biblical hypocrisy is specifically religious pretense that misleads others about one’s standing before God, illustrated sharply by the Pharisee-and-tax-collector scene (18:9-14).
Angelic Mediation and Annunciation
Cantonese name: 天使報信同傳達神嘅信息
Key terms: angel
Review routing: Native speaker review
天使 must be distinguished clearly from folk deities/immortals (神仙) and from ancestral spirits venerated or petitioned in Hong Kong folk religion; an angel is a created heavenly messenger of the one true God, not an object of veneration or a spirit to be placated for favors.
Genealogical Lineage of Christ
Cantonese name: 基督嘅家譜
Key terms: genealogy, seed_of_david
Review routing: Native speaker review
家譜 bridges naturally to Cantonese clan-lineage record culture (族譜) prominent in Pearl River Delta genealogical practice, which can be a helpful teaching bridge, but must not be allowed to imply that Christ’s divine Sonship of God is simply an extension of ordinary human descent from Adam.
Referenced passages