Core Glossary
Core Glossary — Acts 1–28 (English → French)
This glossary consolidates every load-bearing term identified in 07_semantic_analysis.md, across every chapter of Acts. Terms marked [BASELINE] are fixed by the Romans translation_memory.json and MUST be reused exactly, with no deviation — they are listed here for completeness and cross-reference only, not for renegotiation. Terms marked [NEW] are proposed additions to translation_memory.json v2, pending Phase 1 Step 8/9 confirmation. Risk tiers follow the baseline doctrine_risk_registry.json definitions exactly.
Part 1 — Baseline Terms Reused Exactly (from Romans translation_memory.json)
| Term | French Rendering | Risk | Acts Chapters | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| gospel | Évangile | Low | 8, 12, 15, 20 (concept throughout) | Content of the gospel spelled out narratively in Acts 2, 13, 17 |
| grace | grâce | High | 4, 6, 11, 13, 14, 15, 18, 20 | Climactic contrast with Law in ch.15’s Jerusalem Council |
| faith | foi | Medium | 3, 6, 11, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 20, 24, 26, 27 | ”Faith in Christ Jesus” as Paul’s defense-summary (24:24) |
| righteousness | justice | High | 3 (Christological title), 13, 17, 24 | Also compounded in “Holy and Righteous One” title, ch.3 |
| justification | justification | Critical | 13 (13:38-39) | Direct Romans-parallel passage; mandatory theologian review |
| salvation | salut | Medium | 2, 4, 11, 13, 16, 28 | ”No other name by which we must be saved” (4:12) |
| apostle | apôtre | Low | 1, 2, 4, 5, 6, 8, 9, 11, 14, 15, 16 | Apostolic authority/mission theme throughout |
| called / calling | appelé / appel | Medium/High | 2, 9, 13, 16 | ”Vessel of election,” “the Lord our God calls” |
| holy | saint | Medium | 3, 6, 9 (compounded titles) | “Holy and Righteous One” (3:14) |
| saints | saints | High | (concept; not a frequent standalone noun in Acts as in Romans; church-community sense predominates) | Corporate-believer sense; low frequency but same risk applies wherever used |
| sanctification | sanctification | Medium | 20, 26 | 26:18 “sanctified by faith” pairs with justification/forgiveness |
| adoption | adoption filiale | Medium | (concept, not a standalone Acts term) | Not directly lexicalized in Acts; retained for consistency if referenced |
| resurrection | résurrection | Medium/Critical | 1, 2, 4, 17, 23, 24, 26 | Central Pentecost-sermon claim; Sadducee/Pharisee dispute (23) |
| lord | Seigneur | High | 1, 2 (2:21, 2:34-36), 4, 9, 10, 16, 28 | Climactic confession “Lord and Christ” (2:36) |
| son_of_god | Fils de Dieu | Critical | 9 (implicit in Paul’s proclamation) | See also new term “Son of Man,” ch.7, a related but distinct title |
| incarnation | incarnation | Medium | (concept; background to ch.2’s “seed of David” echoes) | Not a frequent standalone Acts term |
| peace | paix | Low | 9, 10 (greeting formulas) | Relational, not merely narrative color |
| spiritual_gifts | dons spirituels | Medium | (contrast term; see NEW “gift_of_holy_spirit” below) | Must not be conflated with the singular gift of the Spirit himself |
| thanksgiving | action de grâce | Low | (implicit throughout prayer scenes) | |
| fellowship | communion fraternelle | Medium | 2 (2:42), 4 | Church-as-community core term |
| church | Église | High | 2, 5, 8, 9, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 20 | The ekklēsia forms and expands across the whole book |
| kingdom_of_god | Royaume de Dieu | Medium | 1, 8, 14, 19, 20, 28 | Bookends the entire book (1:3/1:6 and 28:31) |
| law | loi | High | 6, 7, 13, 15, 18, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25 | Central to Justification apart from the Law doctrine |
| sin | péché | Medium | 2 (2:38), 3, 5, 7, 10, 13, 22, 26 | Forgiveness-of-sins formula recurs at least 6 times |
| gentiles | païens | Medium | 9, 10, 11, 13, 14, 15, 18, 21, 22, 26, 28 | Prefer “les nations”/“non-Juifs” in mission-emphasis passages, per baseline |
| glory | gloire | Medium | 7, 12 (implicit), 22 | |
| obedience_of_faith | obéissance de la foi | High | 6 (implicit), 26 | ”Not disobedient to the heavenly vision” |
| power_of_god | puissance de Dieu | Medium | 1, 2, 3, 4, 6, 8, 10, 19, 26 | Contrasted with “power of Satan” (26) and sorcery/magic (8, 13, 19) |
| messiah | Messie | Medium | 2, 3, 5, 8, 9, 17, 18, 26 | Distinguish from bare name/title “Christ” (see new term “christ_title” below) |
| prophet | prophète | Low | 2, 3, 7, 8, 10, 11, 13, 15, 21 | Includes NT prophets (Agabus) alongside OT reference |
| prophecy | prophétie | Low | 2, 11, 13, 15, 19, 21 | |
| covenant | alliance | Medium | 2, 3, 7 | Davidic oath (2:30) and Abrahamic covenant background (7) |
| election | élection | High | 1 (casting lots), 9 (“vessel of election” — new compound term) | Extended into new compound term “instrument choisi,” see below |
| intercession | intercession | Medium | (concept; not a frequent standalone Acts term) | |
| providence | providence | Medium | 2 (2:23, “definite plan and foreknowledge”), 20 (20:27, “whole counsel of God”), 27 | Enlightenment-deism caution from baseline fully applies |
| mission | mission | Medium | 1, 9, 13, 14, 22, 26, 28 | Structural theme of the whole book; colonial-critique caution from baseline applies especially to teaching material framing Paul’s journeys |
| david | David | Low | 1, 2, 4, 7, 13, 15 | |
| israel | Israël | Medium | 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 9, 10, 13, 21, 22, 26, 28 | |
| jesus | Jésus | Low | throughout | |
| god | Dieu | Medium | throughout | Compounded in new term “living God,” ch.14 |
| holy_spirit | Esprit Saint | Critical (elevated from baseline Medium given Pentecost’s centrality) | 1, 2, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 13, 15, 16, 19, 20, 21 | Elevate to Critical for this curriculum: the Holy Spirit’s personhood, gift, and empowerment for witness is the doctrinal center of the entire book, not a secondary theme as in Romans |
| father | Père | Medium | 1 (implicit), 2 (2:33), 7 (7:2 “God of our fathers” — distinct sense) | |
| abba | Abba | Medium | (not directly lexicalized in Acts) | Retained for cross-curriculum consistency |
| exhort | exhorter | Low | 2, 11, 14, 15, 16, 20, 27 | |
| seed_of_david | descendance de David | Medium | 2 (background), 13 | |
| imputed_righteousness | justice imputée | Critical | 13 (conceptually, via justification language) |
Part 2 — New Terms Introduced by Acts (proposed for translation_memory.json v2)
| Term (key) | French Rendering | Risk | Category/Doctrine | Chapters | Rendering Risk Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| pentecost | Pentecôte | Low | Holy Spirit and Pentecost | 2 | Established French loanword; low OT/Shavuot literacy requires teaching gloss, not text change |
| tongues_pentecost | langues (autres langues) | High | Holy Spirit and Pentecost | 2 | Must be distinguished from later ecstatic-glossolalia debates (Renouveau charismatique/Pentecostal); Acts 2 = known human languages understood by hearers |
| devout | pieux | Low | Holy Spirit and Pentecost | 2 | Avoid “dévot” (ironic/hypocritical-piety connotation in French) |
| proselyte | prosélyte | Medium | Gospel to Jews and Gentiles | 2 | Avoid negative “prosélytisme” connotation; needs gloss |
| last_days | derniers jours | Medium | Holy Spirit and Pentecost | 2 | Anchor to inaugurated, not merely future-catastrophic, eschatology |
| pour_out_spirit | répandre (l’Esprit) | Medium | Holy Spirit and Pentecost | 2 | Retain divine agency; avoid passive obscuring of God as subject |
| signs_and_wonders | signes et prodiges | Medium/High | Apostolic Authority and Miracles | 2, 4, 5, 6, 14, 15 | Avoid “miracles” (Catholic hagiographic connotation); render consistently throughout |
| day_of_the_lord | jour du Seigneur | Medium | Holy Spirit and Pentecost | 2 | Distinguish from colloquial “jour du Seigneur” = Sunday |
| call_on_name_of_lord | invoquer le nom du Seigneur | Critical | Gospel to Jews and Gentiles / Repentance and Baptism | 2, 22 | Direct Romans 10:13 parallel; universal “quiconque” must not be narrowed; mandatory theologian review |
| foreknowledge_plan | dessein arrêté et prescience de Dieu | High | Apostolic Authority and Miracles / Providence | 2, 20 | Same terrain as baseline’s providence/election cautions |
| hades | séjour des morts | Medium | Resurrection | 2 | Avoid “l’enfer” (false-friend collision with eternal-punishment doctrine) |
| promise | promesse | Medium | Holy Spirit and Pentecost | 2, 13, 26 | Anchor explicitly to fulfilled covenant word, not generic assurance |
| repentance | repentance / se repentir | Critical | Repentance and Baptism | 2, 3, 11, 17, 22, 26 | NEVER render as “faire pénitence” (imports Catholic sacramental Penance); mandatory theologian review every occurrence |
| baptism | baptême / baptiser | Critical | Repentance and Baptism | 2, 8, 9, 10, 16, 19, 22 | Preserve εἰς-clause ambiguity literally; do not resolve toward either baptismal-regeneration or symbol-only reading; mandatory theologian review every occurrence, especially household-baptism passages (ch.16) |
| forgiveness_of_sins | pardon des péchés | High | Repentance and Baptism | 2, 3, 5, 10, 13, 22, 26 | Prefer “pardon” over liturgical “rémission” to avoid sacramental-mediation connotation |
| gift_of_holy_spirit | don de l’Esprit Saint | High | Holy Spirit and Pentecost | 2, 8, 10, 11 | Distinguish from plural “dons spirituels” (baseline) and from Catholic Confirmation’s “sept dons du Saint-Esprit” catechetical category |
| crooked_generation | génération perverse | Low | Repentance and Baptism | 2 | Stable idiom |
| added_to_number | ajoutés (au nombre) | Medium | Church as Community | 2 | Avoid mere-enrollment reading; retain Spirit-formed community sense |
| witness | témoin / témoignage | High | Persecution and Bold Witness | 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 10, 13, 22, 26 | Avoid courtroom-flattening; leverage French “martyre” cognate pedagogically |
| boldness | assurance (hardiesse) | Medium | Persecution and Bold Witness | 4, 9, 28 | ”Assurance” risks insurance/self-confidence reading; always gloss |
| name_of_jesus | nom de Jésus(-Christ) | High | Apostolic Authority and Miracles | 2, 3, 4, 8, 9, 10, 16, 19, 22 | Consistent across all occurrences; ties to salvation-exclusivity claim (4:12) |
| all_things_common | tout en commun / communauté des biens | High | Church as Community | 2, 4 | Avoid French political “communisme”/“collectivisation” reading; voluntary, Spirit-generated generosity, not enforced economics |
| one_heart_soul | un seul cœur et une seule âme | Low | Church as Community | 4 | |
| lie_to_holy_spirit | mentir à l’Esprit Saint | Medium | Church as Community / Holy Spirit | 5 | Retain full personhood/deity of the Spirit |
| great_fear | une grande crainte | Low | Apostolic Authority and Miracles | 5, 19 | Reverent awe, not colloquial anxiety |
| angel | ange | Low | Apostolic Authority and Miracles | 5, 8, 12, 27 | Stable |
| council_sanhedrin | sanhédrin / conseil | Low/Medium | Persecution and Bold Witness | 4, 5, 6, 23 | Needs historical gloss for low-literacy readers |
| deacon_service | le service des tables / diaconie | Medium/High | Church as Community | 6 | Avoid anachronistic import of the later ordained Catholic “diacre” office |
| son_of_man | Fils de l’homme | Critical | Conversion of Paul / Christology (Stephen’s martyrdom) | 7 | Danielic divine-authority title; risk of reduction to “merely human” reading; mandatory theologian review |
| stoning | lapider | Low | Persecution and Bold Witness | 7, 14 | |
| blasphemy | blasphème | Medium | Persecution and Bold Witness | 6, 7 | Clarify false-accusation context |
| samaritans | Samaritains | Low (Medium doctrinal significance) | Gospel to Jews and Gentiles | 8 | Needs OT/intertestamental schism footnote |
| sorcery_magic | magie / sorcellerie | Medium | Apostolic Authority and Miracles | 8, 13, 19 | Contrast explicitly with unearned grace/Spirit-gift, not purchasable power |
| eunuch | eunuque | Low (Medium doctrinal significance) | Gospel to Jews and Gentiles | 8 | Needs Isaiah 56/Deuteronomy 23 footnote |
| the_way | la Voie | Medium | Conversion of Paul / Church identity | 9, 19, 22, 24 | Distinguish from generic French “voie spirituelle” self-help resonance |
| conversion | conversion / se convertir | Medium | Conversion of Paul | 9, 15 (2:19 concept) | Distinguish from generic religious-switching/transactional usage |
| chosen_instrument | instrument choisi | High | Conversion of Paul / Election | 9 | Inherits baseline’s “élection” political-vocabulary caution |
| clean_unclean | pur / impur | High | Gospel to Jews and Gentiles / Unity of Jews and Gentiles | 10 | Avoid hygiene-only reduction; salvation-historical boundary marker |
| god_fearer | craignant Dieu | Medium | Gospel to Jews and Gentiles | 10 | Distinguish from “prosélyte” (ch.2) — sympathizer, not full convert |
| christian | chrétien | Low | Church as Community | 11 | Watch for merely nominal/cultural “chrétien” identity in secularizing France |
| persecution | persécution | Medium | Persecution and Bold Witness | 12 (and throughout) | Keep faith-motivated, sometimes lethal character distinct from generic harassment |
| synagogue | synagogue | Low | Gospel to Jews and Gentiles | 13, 14, 17, 18, 19 | Accurate cognate with contemporary French Jewish community life |
| light_to_gentiles | lumière pour les nations | Medium | Great Commission Fulfilled | 13 | Footnote Isaiah 49:6 background |
| living_god | Dieu vivant | Medium | Gospel to Jews and Gentiles (apologetics) | 14 | Apologetic contrast with idolatry for secular/pluralist readers |
| circumcision | circoncision | Medium | Justification apart from the Law | 15 | Footnote Abrahamic-covenant background |
| decree | décret | Medium | Justification apart from the Law | 15 | Distinguish from Catholic “dogme” (fixed universal doctrine) — this is a specific pastoral ruling |
| idol_food | viandes sacrifiées aux idoles | Medium | Justification apart from the Law | 15 | Distinguish abolished ceremonial requirement from retained moral expectation |
| sexual_immorality | immoralité sexuelle (débauche) | Medium | Justification apart from the Law | 15 | Same as above |
| spirit_of_divination | esprit de divination | Medium | Apostolic Authority and Miracles | 16 | Contrast with France’s astrology/“voyance” cultural market |
| roman_citizen | citoyen romain | Low | Apostolic Authority and Miracles | 16, 22, 23, 25 | Historical-legal, low ambiguity |
| areopagus | Aréopage | Low | Great Commission Fulfilled | 17 | Culturally resonant proper noun |
| unknown_god | dieu inconnu | Low/Medium | Great Commission Fulfilled | 17 | Clarify apologetic bridge, not pluralistic endorsement |
| idols | idoles | Low | Great Commission Fulfilled | 14, 17, 19 | |
| tentmaker | fabricant de tentes | Low | Apostolic Authority and Miracles | 18 | Models non-mercenary ministry |
| overseer_elder_shepherd | surveillant / ancien / berger, troupeau | High | Church as Community / Apostolic Authority | 14, 20 | AVOID “évêque” — anachronistic Catholic hierarchical-office import; mandatory theologian review |
| elders | anciens | High | Church as Community | 11, 14, 15, 16, 20, 21 | Flag French “prêtre” etymological descent from presbyteros for reviewer awareness; do not import sacerdotal sense |
| inheritance | héritage | Medium | Church as Community | 20 | Avoid purely material/legal-estate reduction |
| nazirite_vow | vœu (de purification) | Medium | Repentance and Baptism (contextual) | 21 | Distinguish voluntary cultural practice from ch.15’s settled salvation-requirement question |
| hope | espérance | Medium | Conversion of Paul / Resurrection | 23, 24, 26 | Prefer “espérance” over “espoir”; recommend cross-curriculum TM addition |
| self_control | maîtrise de soi | Low | (contextual, ch.24) | 24 | |
| judgment_to_come | jugement à venir | Medium | (contextual, ch.24) | 24 | Frame within gospel already proclaimed, not bare moralism |
| heavenly_vision | vision céleste | Medium | Conversion of Paul | 26 | |
| power_of_satan | pouvoir de Satan | Medium | Conversion of Paul | 26 | Contrast explicitly with puissance de Dieu; retain real spiritual-authority sense |
| viper | vipère | Low | (contextual, ch.28) | 28 | |
| without_hindrance | sans empêchement | Low/Medium | Great Commission Fulfilled | 28 | Avoid flat/bureaucratic rendering of the book’s climactic final word |
| christ_title | Christ (titre) | High | Messianic Promise / Lordship of Christ | 2 (2:36), 13, 15, 17, 26 | Distinguish from “Messie” (baseline): render as established French Bible “Christ” per name/title convention, but flag teaching material to make explicit that “Christ” = “the Messiah,” so title-force is not lost behind what may read as a mere surname |
Part 3 — Doctrine-to-Term Cross-Reference (for Step-2 Doctrine Risk Registry construction)
| Curriculum Doctrine | Primary New Terms | Primary Reused Baseline Terms |
|---|---|---|
| The Holy Spirit and Pentecost | pentecost, tongues_pentecost, pour_out_spirit, gift_of_holy_spirit, lie_to_holy_spirit | holy_spirit, prophecy, power_of_god |
| The Gospel to Jews and Gentiles | samaritans, eunuch, clean_unclean, god_fearer, light_to_gentiles, living_god, synagogue | gentiles, israel, mission |
| Repentance and Baptism | repentance, baptism, forgiveness_of_sins, crooked_generation, nazirite_vow | sin, calling |
| The Church as Community | all_things_common, one_heart_soul, deacon_service, elders, overseer_elder_shepherd, christian, added_to_number, inheritance | church, fellowship, saints |
| Apostolic Authority and Miracles | signs_and_wonders, name_of_jesus, sorcery_magic, spirit_of_divination, roman_citizen, tentmaker, great_fear, council_sanhedrin | apostle, power_of_god |
| Persecution and Bold Witness | witness, boldness, stoning, blasphemy, persecution, son_of_man | obedience_of_faith |
| Conversion of Paul | the_way, conversion, chosen_instrument, heavenly_vision, power_of_satan, hope | election, obedience_of_faith |
| Justification apart from the Law | circumcision, decree, idol_food, sexual_immorality | justification, imputed_righteousness, grace, law, faith |
| The Great Commission Fulfilled | areopagus, unknown_god, idols, without_hindrance, christ_title | kingdom_of_god, mission, messiah |
This glossary and 07_semantic_analysis.md together constitute the completed PRD Phase 1 Step 1 deliverable for Acts. All new terms above are proposed for formal integration into translation_memory.json v2 and bible_term_registry.json in the subsequent Phase 1 steps (Linguistic Gap Analysis, Core Glossary finalization, Doctrine Risk Registry update).
Critical Risk Terms
Justification
Approved rendering: justification
Transliteration: justification
Doctrine: Salvation
Rejected alternatives: sanctification (conflation), salut (too generic)
Original: δικαίωσις / δικαιοῦται
Category: Salvation
CRITICAL: Acts 13:38-39 (‘everyone who believes is justified from everything the Law of Moses could not justify you from’) is this curriculum’s single clearest Romans-parallel passage. Render as a declared, not gradually achieved, status; mandatory theologian review. [Inherited from Romans package.]
Son Of God
Approved rendering: Fils de Dieu
Transliteration: Fils de Dieu
Doctrine: Sonship of Christ
Rejected alternatives: envoyé de Dieu, homme divin
Original: υἱὸς τοῦ θεοῦ
Category: Christology
CRITICAL: full phrase required, conveying eternal, unique Sonship. Underlies Paul’s Damascus-road proclamation (Acts 9:20). Must not be confused with the related but distinct Danielic title ‘Son of Man’ (see son_of_man, Acts 7:56). [Inherited from Romans package.]
Holy Spirit
Approved rendering: Esprit Saint
Transliteration: Esprit Saint
Doctrine: The Holy Spirit and Pentecost
Original: πνεῦμα ἅγιον
Category: God
ELEVATED from the baseline’s Medium to CRITICAL for this curriculum: the Spirit’s personhood, gift, and empowerment for witness is the doctrinal center of Acts, not a secondary theme as in Romans, and the core passage (2:1-41) is Pentecost itself. Must never be flattened into an impersonal force (contra Jehovah’s Witnesses’ ‘esprit saint’ non-capitalized/non-personal usage and unitarian/Christadelphian readings) — personal-agency language (‘descends’, ‘fills’, ‘speaks’, ‘is lied to’, 5:3) must be preserved. French Renouveau charismatique and Pentecostal-evangelical readers attach different expectations to ‘être rempli de l’Esprit’; anchor inaugural fillings (2:4, 4:8,31) to their immediate result — intelligible, public, cross-cultural proclamation. [Inherited from Romans package, risk tier elevated for Acts.]
Imputed Righteousness
Approved rendering: justice imputée
Transliteration: justice imputée
Doctrine: Justification by Faith
Rejected alternatives: justice méritée
Original: ἐλογίσθη αὐτῷ εἰς δικαιοσύνην (conceptual background to Acts 13:39)
Category: Salvation
Underlies Paul’s synagogue argument (13:38-39) alongside ‘justification’. [Inherited from Romans package.]
Call On Name Of Lord
Approved rendering: invoquer le nom du Seigneur
Transliteration: epikalesētai to onoma Kyriou
Doctrine: The Gospel to Jews and Gentiles
Original: ἐπικαλέσηται τὸ ὄνομα Κυρίου
Category: Salvation
Acts-new. CRITICAL: direct echo of Romans 10:13 (same Joel 2:32 citation); must be rendered identically to this curriculum’s Romans-package precedent. The universal ‘quiconque’ (whoever) scope must never be narrowed. Occurs at 2:21 and 22:16. Never insert ‘Jéhovah’ into this or any related OT-quotation-applied-to-Jesus context (see forbidden substitutions).
Repentance
Approved rendering: repentance / se repentir
Transliteration: metanoia / metanoeō
Doctrine: Repentance and Baptism
Rejected alternatives: faire pénitence (FORBIDDEN — imports Catholic sacramental Penance/Reconciliation)
Original: μετάνοια / μετανοέω
Category: Salvation
Acts-new. CRITICAL: French Catholic tradition strongly associates ‘repentance’ with the sacrament of Penance (confession to a priest, contrition, absolution). Acts’ metanoia is a Spirit-wrought inward turning prior to and apart from any sacramental mediation. Recurs at 2:38, 3:19, 11:18, 17:30, 20:21, 26:20. Mandatory theologian review, every occurrence.
Baptism
Approved rendering: baptême / baptiser
Transliteration: baptisma / baptizō
Doctrine: Repentance and Baptism
Original: βάπτισμα / βαπτίζω
Category: Salvation
Acts-new. CRITICAL: sits directly on the Reformation-era Catholic/Protestant fault line over baptismal efficacy (sacramental regeneration vs. sign/seal of prior faith). Render the εἰς-clauses literally without resolving the ambiguity toward either reading. Household-baptism passages (16:15, 33) additionally engage the live French ecumenical paedobaptism/believer’s-baptism debate. Recurs at 2:38,41; 8:36-38; 9:18; 10:47-48; 16:15,33; 19:1-6; 22:16. Mandatory theologian review, every occurrence.
Son Of Man
Approved rendering: Fils de l’homme
Transliteration: huios tou anthrōpou
Doctrine: Deity and Sonship of Christ
Original: υἱὸς τοῦ ἀνθρώπου
Category: Christology
Acts-new. CRITICAL: Danielic (Daniel 7:13-14) messianic-divine title of exalted authority, seen in Stephen’s dying vision (7:56) at the book’s first martyrdom. Risk that French readers unfamiliar with Daniel 7 hear this as merely emphasizing Jesus’ ordinary humanity rather than the exalted, divine-authority title it is. Must not be confused with or substituted for son_of_god. Mandatory theologian review.
High Risk Terms
Grace
Approved rendering: grâce
Transliteration: grâce
Doctrine: Grace
Rejected alternatives: faveur, mérite
Original: χάρις
Category: Salvation
Must render as wholly unmerited, per Romans’ contrast with works; climactic narrative dramatization at the Jerusalem Council (Acts 15:10-11). EXCEPTION: at Acts 2:47 (‘favor with all the people’), the same Greek word χάρις is used in its ordinary social-goodwill sense, not the doctrinal sense — render that specific occurrence as ‘faveur’, never ‘grâce’, to avoid doctrinal conflation. [Inherited from Romans package, with Acts-specific exception noted.]
Righteousness
Approved rendering: justice
Transliteration: justice (de Dieu)
Doctrine: Salvation
Rejected alternatives: vertu, droiture
Original: δικαιοσύνη
Category: Salvation
Must be read as God’s saving, gift-status righteousness, not human moral virtue. Compounded into the Christological title ‘the Holy and Righteous One’ (Acts 3:14) and Paul’s ethical address to Felix (24:25) — both must retain the forensic, gift-status sense. [Inherited from Romans package.]
Saints
Approved rendering: saints
Transliteration: les saints
Doctrine: Sainthood
Original: ἅγιοι
Category: Church
Lower standalone frequency in Acts than in Romans, but the same risk applies wherever the corporate-believer sense appears; French ‘les saints’ overwhelmingly evokes canonized intercessors. Must add a clarifying gloss (‘tous les croyants’) in teaching contexts. [Inherited from Romans package.]
Lord
Approved rendering: Seigneur
Transliteration: Seigneur
Doctrine: Lordship of Christ
Rejected alternatives: maître, patron
Original: κύριος
Category: Christology
Acts 2:36’s climactic ‘Seigneur et Christ’ is the Pentecost sermon’s Christological hinge and must be rendered without qualification. Never insert ‘Jéhovah’ into OT-quotation contexts applied to Jesus (Acts 2:21, 2:34-36) — see forbidden substitutions in 12_ai_translation_requirements.md. [Inherited from Romans package.]
Church
Approved rendering: Église
Transliteration: Église
Doctrine: Church as God’s People
Rejected alternatives: temple (building only)
Original: ἐκκλησία
Category: Church
Forms and expands across the whole book (2, 5, 8, 9, 11-16, 20). Must clarify the body-of-Christ sense distinct from the institution or building. [Inherited from Romans package.]
Law
Approved rendering: loi
Transliteration: loi (la Loi)
Doctrine: Fulfillment of Prophecy
Original: νόμος
Category: Covenant
Central to Stephen’s speech (ch.7), Paul’s synagogue preaching (ch.13), and the Jerusalem Council (ch.15). Keep the referent narrowly Mosaic. [Inherited from Romans package.]
Obedience Of Faith
Approved rendering: obéissance de la foi
Transliteration: obéissance de la foi
Doctrine: Obedience of Faith
Rejected alternatives: devoir religieux
Original: ὑπακοή πίστεως (cf. Acts 26:19 οὐκ ἐγενόμην ἀπειθής)
Category: Faith
Paul’s ‘I was not disobedient to the heavenly vision’ (26:19) must retain the sense of response flowing from grace already received, not a merit-condition for standing before God. [Inherited from Romans package.]
Election
Approved rendering: élection
Transliteration: élection
Doctrine: Effectual Calling
Rejected alternatives: chance, destin
Original: ἐκλογή / κλῆρος
Category: Salvation
French ‘élection’ is the everyday political/electoral word; underlies both casting of lots (1:24-26) and Saul’s designation as ‘chosen instrument’ (see chosen_instrument, 9:15). Must never stand unglossed near these passages. [Inherited from Romans package.]
Providence
Approved rendering: providence
Transliteration: providence
Doctrine: Providence
Rejected alternatives: destin, hasard
Original: πρόνοια (cf. Acts 2:23 ὡρισμένῃ βουλῇ, 20:27 ἡ βουλὴ τοῦ θεοῦ)
Category: God
ELEVATED from the baseline’s Medium to High for this curriculum: Acts repeatedly stages providence as dramatic, contested narrative (the cross, 2:23; Paul’s shipwreck, ch.27) rather than pastoral background comfort. Enlightenment-deist ‘la Providence’ as an impersonal benevolent order remains the live risk. [Inherited from Romans package, risk tier adjusted for Acts.]
Tongues Pentecost
Approved rendering: d’autres langues
Transliteration: heterais glōssais
Doctrine: The Holy Spirit and Pentecost
Rejected alternatives: glossolalie (coined technical term, avoid), langues extatiques
Original: ἑτέραις γλώσσαις / γλώσσαις λαλεῖν
Category: Holy Spirit
Acts-new. Real, known human languages given supernaturally, understood by foreign hearers (xenolalia) — confirmed by the hearer list at 2:9-11. Must NOT be conflated with the later, distinct phenomenon of ecstatic/unintelligible glossolalia debated in French Renouveau charismatique and Pentecostal-evangelical circles. Recurs at 10:46, 19:6.
Signs And Wonders
Approved rendering: signes et prodiges
Transliteration: sēmeia kai terata
Doctrine: Apostolic Authority and Miracles
Rejected alternatives: miracles (FORBIDDEN as primary term — Catholic hagiographic connotation, Lourdes/canonization)
Original: σημεῖα καὶ τέρατα
Category: Miracles
Acts-new. Miraculous, attention-arresting acts authenticating a divine message. Recurs at least eight times (2:19,22,43; 4:30; 5:12; 6:8; 14:3; 15:12) and must be rendered consistently throughout, never as bare ‘miracles’.
Foreknowledge Plan
Approved rendering: dessein arrêté et prescience de Dieu
Transliteration: hōrismenē boulē kai prognōsei tou theou
Doctrine: Providence
Rejected alternatives: plan de Dieu (too weak, loses sovereign-decree force)
Original: ὡρισμένῃ βουλῇ καὶ προγνώσει τοῦ θεοῦ
Category: God
Acts-new. God’s determined plan/counsel and foreknowledge (2:23), recurring as ‘the whole counsel of God’ (20:27, hē boulē tou theou) and 4:28. Same terrain as baseline’s providence/election cautions; French ‘prescience’ is rare/academic register.
Forgiveness Of Sins
Approved rendering: pardon des péchés
Transliteration: aphesis hamartiōn
Doctrine: Repentance and Baptism
Rejected alternatives: rémission des péchés (recognized Catholic liturgical/Creed variant with stronger sacramental-mediation connotation — note for reviewer awareness only, do not use as primary rendering)
Original: ἄφεσις ἁμαρτιῶν
Category: Salvation
Acts-new. Full remission of the debt/guilt of sin. Recurs at 2:38, 3:19, 5:31, 10:43, 13:38, 26:18. Prefer ‘pardon’ as the primary rendering to avoid implying priestly absolution is the mechanism.
Gift Of Holy Spirit
Approved rendering: don de l’Esprit Saint
Transliteration: dōrea tou hagiou pneumatos
Doctrine: The Holy Spirit and Pentecost
Original: δωρεὰ τοῦ ἁγίου πνεύματος
Category: Holy Spirit
Acts-new. The Spirit himself given as an unearned gift — singular, once-for-all — distinct from the plural spiritual_gifts (dons spirituels) and distinct from French Catholic Confirmation catechesis’s fixed ‘sept dons du Saint-Esprit’ (Isaiah 11 list), an unrelated catechetical category. Flag wherever this phrase occurs: 2:38, 8:20, 10:45, 11:17.
Witness
Approved rendering: témoin / témoignage
Transliteration: martys / martyria
Doctrine: Persecution and Bold Witness
Original: μάρτυς / μαρτυρία
Category: Persecution
Acts-new. Eyewitness testifiers commissioned to a specific proclamation task (1:8, 2:32, and constantly thereafter). French ‘témoin’ is primarily a courtroom/legal register word, risking a flattened, dispassionate reading; leverage the etymological link to French ‘martyre’ pedagogically, since several witnesses (Stephen, James) become martyrs in the fuller sense.
Name Of Jesus
Approved rendering: nom de Jésus(-Christ)
Transliteration: to onoma Iēsou
Doctrine: Apostolic Authority and Miracles
Original: τὸ ὄνομα Ἰησοῦ
Category: Christology
Acts-new. Christ’s authority invoked as the effective ground of salvation and healing (3:6, 3:16, 4:12, 8:12, 9:15, 10:43, 16:18, 19:13). Ties directly to the salvation-exclusivity claim of 4:12; render consistently throughout.
All Things Common
Approved rendering: tout en commun
Transliteration: hapanta koina
Doctrine: The Church as Community
Rejected alternatives: communisme des biens (FORBIDDEN — political/collectivist reading), communauté des biens (acceptable secondary variant)
Original: ἅπαντα κοινά
Category: Church
Acts-new. Voluntary radical sharing of possessions (2:44-45; 4:32-35). French secular-political vocabulary (‘communisme’, ‘collectivisation’) risks reading this as an economic-political program rather than Spirit-generated, voluntary generosity.
Chosen Instrument
Approved rendering: instrument choisi
Transliteration: skeuos eklogēs
Doctrine: Conversion of Paul
Rejected alternatives: vase d’élection (FORBIDDEN — archaic calque, re-triggers the political élection collision)
Original: σκεῦος ἐκλογῆς
Category: Salvation
Acts-new. A chosen instrument set apart for a specific divine purpose (9:15). Directly related to baseline’s élection caution; use ‘instrument choisi (par Dieu)’, never the archaic literal calque.
Clean Unclean
Approved rendering: pur / impur
Transliteration: katharos / koinos
Doctrine: The Gospel to Jews and Gentiles
Original: καθαρός / κοινός
Category: Church
Acts-new. Peter’s vision (10:14-15, 28) dismantles the Jew-Gentile dietary/purity boundary. Readers may reduce this to hygiene/dietary preference rather than grasping its function as the now-abolished salvation-historical boundary marker.
Overseer Elder Shepherd
Approved rendering: surveillant / ancien / berger, troupeau
Transliteration: episkopoi / poimainein / poimnion
Doctrine: The Church as Community
Rejected alternatives: évêque (FORBIDDEN — anachronistically imports the later, hierarchically distinct Catholic episcopal office)
Original: ἐπίσκοποι / ποιμαίνειν / ποίμνιον
Category: Church
Acts-new. Local church leadership office defined by pastoral care. Acts 20:17,28 explicitly equates episkopos (‘overseer’) and presbyteros (‘elder’) as the same office. Note: contemporary French also risks a Jehovah’s Witness organizational-title collision (‘surveillant de circonscription’); flag for teaching-material footnotes. Mandatory theologian review.
Elders
Approved rendering: anciens
Transliteration: presbyteroi
Doctrine: The Church as Community
Rejected alternatives: prêtre (etymological descendant of presbyteros but denotes a later, sacerdotal Catholic office — never use for this term)
Original: πρεσβύτεροι
Category: Church
Acts-new. Local congregational leaders (11:30, 14:23, 15:2-6,22-23, 16:4, 20:17, 21:18). Flag French ‘prêtre’ etymology for reviewer awareness only; never import that sacerdotal sense into the reader-facing text.
Christ Title
Approved rendering: Christ
Transliteration: Christos
Doctrine: Lordship of Christ
Rejected alternatives: Messie (reserved for the bare-title messianic sense elsewhere; here follow established French Bible name/title convention)
Original: Χριστός (as title, e.g. Acts 2:36 Κύριον καὶ Χριστόν)
Category: Christology
Acts-new. The Anointed One as a combined title with kyrios (Acts 2:36 ‘Seigneur et Christ’), distinct in use from bare ‘Messie’. Rendered as the established French Bible name/title ‘Christ’ (Segond/TOB convention), but teaching material must make explicit that ‘Christ’ = ‘the Messiah’ so the title-force is not lost behind what may otherwise read as merely part of Jesus’ proper name. Also recurs at 13, 15, 17, 26.
Medium Risk Terms
Faith
Approved rendering: foi
Transliteration: foi
Doctrine: Faith
Rejected alternatives: croyance, religion
Original: πίστις
Category: Faith
Must specify personal trust in Christ, not adherence to a religious system. Acts 24:24’s ‘faith in Christ Jesus’ models personal trust as Paul’s explicit legal-defense content. [Inherited from Romans package.]
Salvation
Approved rendering: salut
Transliteration: salut
Doctrine: Salvation
Rejected alternatives: délivrance
Original: σωτηρία
Category: Salvation
Ground salvation explicitly in Christ’s work, not institutional membership. Acts 4:12’s exclusivity claim (‘no other name by which we must be saved’) must never be softened. [Inherited from Romans package.]
Called
Approved rendering: appelé
Transliteration: appelé
Doctrine: Divine Calling
Rejected alternatives: invité
Original: κλητός / προσκαλέσηται
Category: Salvation
Context-sensitive. Acts 2:39 (‘all whom the Lord our God calls to himself’) reuses this exactly and retains the sovereign, effectual sense. [Inherited from Romans package.]
Calling
Approved rendering: appel
Transliteration: appel
Doctrine: Divine Calling
Rejected alternatives: vocation (clergy-narrowing risk)
Original: κλῆσις
Category: Salvation
Use ‘appel’ for the general believer’s calling; reserve ‘vocation’ ONLY for explicit occupational/trade contexts (cf. tentmaker, Acts 18:3), never for salvation-calling. [Inherited from Romans package.]
Holy
Approved rendering: saint
Transliteration: saint
Doctrine: Sanctification
Rejected alternatives: pur
Original: ἅγιος / ὅσιος
Category: Sanctification
Set apart for God and morally pure. Compounded into the Christological title ‘the Holy and Righteous One’ (Acts 3:14; cf. hosios at 2:27 in the Psalm 16 quotation applied messianically). [Inherited from Romans package.]
Sanctification
Approved rendering: sanctification
Transliteration: sanctification
Doctrine: Sanctification
Rejected alternatives: purification
Original: ἁγιασμός / ἡγιασμένοις
Category: Sanctification
The Spirit’s ongoing work of making believers holy. Acts 26:18 pairs ‘forgiveness of sins and a place among those sanctified by faith’ — a compact soteriological summary. [Inherited from Romans package.]
Adoption
Approved rendering: adoption filiale
Transliteration: adoption filiale
Doctrine: Adoption into God’s Family
Rejected alternatives: adoption (bare, legal-procedural)
Original: υἱοθεσία
Category: Salvation
Not directly lexicalized as a standalone term in Acts, but retained for curriculum-wide consistency wherever family-of-God/inheritance language is invoked in teaching material. [Inherited from Romans package.]
Resurrection
Approved rendering: résurrection
Transliteration: résurrection
Doctrine: Resurrection of Christ
Rejected alternatives: renaissance
Original: ἀνάστασις
Category: Eschatology
Real risk is secular naturalism flattening ‘résurrection’ into a metaphor. The explicit Sadducee/Pharisee dispute (Acts 23:6-8) is a uniquely Acts teaching opportunity underlining this is a contested, historical claim, not a devotional metaphor. [Inherited from Romans package.]
Incarnation
Approved rendering: incarnation
Transliteration: incarnation
Doctrine: Incarnation
Original: ὁ λόγος σὰρξ ἐγένετο (cf. Acts 2:30, 13:23 ‘of David’s descendants’)
Category: Christology
Not a frequent standalone Acts term; background to the ‘descendance de David’ language of the Pentecost sermon (2:29-31) and Paul’s synagogue preaching (13:22-23). [Inherited from Romans package.]
Spiritual Gifts
Approved rendering: dons spirituels
Transliteration: dons spirituels
Doctrine: Spiritual Gifts
Rejected alternatives: talents
Original: χαρίσματα
Category: Church
Must be kept distinct from the singular ‘gift of the Holy Spirit’ (see gift_of_holy_spirit) — the plural charismata are ministry-enablements, not the Spirit’s own indwelling presence. [Inherited from Romans package.]
Fellowship
Approved rendering: communion fraternelle
Transliteration: communion fraternelle
Doctrine: Christian Fellowship
Rejected alternatives: communion (bare)
Original: κοινωνία
Category: Church
Acts 2:42 names it as one of four foundational marks of the new community. Bare ‘communion’ is heard first as the Eucharist. [Inherited from Romans package.]
Kingdom Of God
Approved rendering: Royaume de Dieu
Transliteration: Royaume de Dieu
Doctrine: Kingdom Mission
Original: βασιλεία τοῦ θεοῦ
Category: Kingdom
Bookends the entire book (Acts 1:3,6 and 28:23,31); consistent rendering across both passages is required. [Inherited from Romans package.]
Sin
Approved rendering: péché
Transliteration: péché
Doctrine: Universal Human Accountability
Original: ἁμαρτία
Category: Sin
The ‘forgiveness of sins’ formula recurs at least six times (2:38, 3:19, 5:31, 10:43, 13:38, 26:18); colloquial trivialization (‘péché mignon’) risk applies. [Inherited from Romans package.]
Gentiles
Approved rendering: païens
Transliteration: païens
Doctrine: Unity of Jews and Gentiles
Rejected alternatives: étrangers
Original: ἔθνη
Category: Church
Prefer ‘les nations’/‘non-Juifs’ in mission-emphasis chapters (10, 13-15, 28). ‘Païens’ carries a pejorative charge stronger than the neutral biblical sense. [Inherited from Romans package.]
Glory
Approved rendering: gloire
Transliteration: gloire
Doctrine: Deity of Christ
Original: δόξα
Category: God
Present implicitly in Stephen’s vision of glory (7:55) and God’s honor given/withheld from human agents (12:23, 22:11). [Inherited from Romans package.]
Power Of God
Approved rendering: puissance de Dieu
Transliteration: puissance de Dieu
Doctrine: Power of God for Salvation
Rejected alternatives: force
Original: δύναμις θεοῦ
Category: God
Acts 1:8’s ‘you will receive power’ links this term directly to Pentecost’s empowerment for witness; contrasted with sorcery/magic (ch.8,13,19) and ‘the power of Satan’ (26). [Inherited from Romans package.]
Messiah
Approved rendering: Messie
Transliteration: Messie
Doctrine: Messianic Promise
Original: Χριστός / מָשִׁיחַ
Category: Christology
Distinguish from the established French Bible name/title ‘Christ’ (see christ_title) — both must be understood as naming the identical fulfilled office. [Inherited from Romans package.]
Covenant
Approved rendering: alliance
Transliteration: alliance
Doctrine: Davidic Covenant
Rejected alternatives: contrat
Original: διαθήκη
Category: Covenant
Underlies the Davidic oath cited at Acts 2:30 and the Abrahamic covenant background of Stephen’s speech (ch.7). [Inherited from Romans package.]
Intercession
Approved rendering: intercession
Transliteration: intercession
Doctrine: Prayer and Intercession
Original: ἔντευξις (concept; cf. Acts 12:5 προσευχή)
Category: Faith
Not a frequent standalone Acts term, but the church’s corporate prayer for Peter’s release (12:5) exemplifies it; distinguish from Catholic devotional intercession of the saints. [Inherited from Romans package.]
Mission
Approved rendering: mission
Transliteration: mission
Doctrine: Mission to the Nations
Original: ἀποστολή / πέμπω
Category: Church
Structural theme of the whole book (1:8, 13:1-3, 22:21, 26:17-18, 28:31). France’s colonial missionary history carries live postcolonial critique; frame as gospel proclamation, not cultural conquest. [Inherited from Romans package.]
Israel
Approved rendering: Israël
Transliteration: Israël
Doctrine: Unity of Jews and Gentiles
Original: Ἰσραήλ
Category: Covenant
Keep the referent historical/theological, not the modern nation-state. Recurs throughout as the primary first audience of the gospel. [Inherited from Romans package.]
God
Approved rendering: Dieu
Transliteration: Dieu
Doctrine: Deity of Christ
Original: θεός
Category: God
Compounded into the apologetic phrase ‘the living God’ (see living_god, 14:15), contrasting biblical monotheism with Greco-Roman idolatry. [Inherited from Romans package.]
Father
Approved rendering: Père
Transliteration: Père
Doctrine: Adoption into God’s Family
Original: πατήρ
Category: God
Appears in the promise formula (2:33); note the distinct sense at 7:2 (‘the God of our fathers’, Israel’s patriarchal ancestors) which must not be confused with this Trinitarian sense. [Inherited from Romans package.]
Abba
Approved rendering: Abba
Transliteration: Abba
Doctrine: Adoption into God’s Family
Original: אַבָּא
Category: God
Not directly lexicalized in Acts; retained for cross-curriculum consistency with Romans 8:15. [Inherited from Romans package.]
Seed Of David
Approved rendering: descendance de David
Transliteration: descendance de David
Doctrine: Davidic Covenant
Rejected alternatives: semence de David (archaic)
Original: σπέρμα Δαυίδ
Category: Covenant
Background to Acts 2’s Davidic-oath argument and Acts 13:23’s explicit citation. [Inherited from Romans package.]
Proselyte
Approved rendering: prosélytes
Transliteration: prosēlytoi
Doctrine: The Gospel to Jews and Gentiles
Original: προσήλυτοι
Category: Church
Acts-new. Gentile converts to Judaism who kept Torah, including circumcision (2:10-11). Almost no currency in everyday French outside the pejorative ‘prosélytisme’; needs a clarifying gloss to avoid importing that negative connotation. Distinguish from god_fearer (ch.10, a sympathizer short of full conversion).
Last Days
Approved rendering: derniers jours
Transliteration: eschatais hēmerais
Doctrine: The Holy Spirit and Pentecost
Original: ἐσχάταις ἡμέραις
Category: Eschatology
Acts-new. The messianic, inaugurated end-time era beginning with Christ’s first coming (2:17). Anchor to already-inaugurated, not merely future-catastrophic, eschatology — French popular media usage tilts toward imminent-catastrophe connotations.
Pour Out Spirit
Approved rendering: répandre (l’Esprit)
Transliteration: ekcheō
Doctrine: The Holy Spirit and Pentecost
Rejected alternatives: verser (too generic/liquid-only)
Original: ἐκχεῶ
Category: Holy Spirit
Acts-new. God’s abundant, deliberate outpouring of the Spirit (2:17-18, 2:33). Must retain the divine subject and generosity of the act; avoid passive constructions that obscure God as agent.
Day Of The Lord
Approved rendering: jour du Seigneur
Transliteration: hēmera Kyriou
Doctrine: The Holy Spirit and Pentecost
Original: ἡμέρα Κυρίου
Category: Eschatology
Acts-new. The decisive day of divine judgment/salvation (2:20). Must be distinguished in teaching notes from colloquial French usage of ‘le jour du Seigneur’ as a label for Sunday.
Hades
Approved rendering: séjour des morts
Transliteration: hadēs
Doctrine: Resurrection of Christ
Rejected alternatives: l’enfer (FORBIDDEN — false friend implying eternal punishment/damnation), Hadès (acceptable transliteration alternative with an explanatory gloss)
Original: ᾅδης
Category: Eschatology
Acts-new. The realm/abode of the dead, not eternal punishment (2:27, 2:31). Avoid the false-friend collision with ‘l’enfer’ that would misstate the resurrection claim being made.
Promise
Approved rendering: promesse
Transliteration: epangelia
Doctrine: The Holy Spirit and Pentecost
Original: ἐπαγγελία
Category: Covenant
Acts-new. Fulfilled covenant promise, now given as a gift. Recurs at 1:4, 2:33, 2:39, 13:23, 13:32, 26:6. Anchor explicitly to God’s covenant word, not the generic everyday French sense of ‘promesse’ as any assurance.
Added To Number
Approved rendering: ajoutés (au nombre)
Transliteration: prosetethēsan
Doctrine: The Church as Community
Rejected alternatives: recrutés (too organizational)
Original: προσετέθησαν
Category: Church
Acts-new. Growth of the believing community by God’s own incorporation (2:41,47), not human recruitment engineering. Avoid language implying mere organizational/membership enrollment.
Boldness
Approved rendering: assurance (hardiesse)
Transliteration: parrēsia
Doctrine: Persecution and Bold Witness
Original: παρρησία
Category: Persecution
Acts-new. Fearless, unrestrained public speech (4:13, 4:29, 4:31; recurs 9:27-28, 28:31). ‘Assurance’ ordinarily means insurance or self-confidence in French; retain the Segond-tradition rendering but always gloss ‘(hardiesse)’.
Lie To Holy Spirit
Approved rendering: mentir à l’Esprit Saint
Transliteration: pseusasthai to pneuma to hagion
Doctrine: The Holy Spirit and Pentecost
Original: ψεύσασθαι τὸ πνεῦμα τὸ ἅγιον
Category: Holy Spirit
Acts-new. Ananias and Sapphira (ch.5): the Spirit is a Person who can be personally deceived/sinned against, reinforcing the Spirit’s full personhood and deity — not merely a community rule broken.
Council Sanhedrin
Approved rendering: sanhédrin / conseil
Transliteration: synedrion
Doctrine: Persecution and Bold Witness
Original: συνέδριον
Category: Persecution
Acts-new. The supreme Jewish judicial-religious authority in Jerusalem (ch.4-6, 23); the same body that condemned Jesus now opposes the apostles. Needs a historical gloss for readers with low biblical literacy.
Deacon Service
Approved rendering: le service des tables / diaconie
Transliteration: diakonein trapezais / diakonia
Doctrine: The Church as Community
Rejected alternatives: diacre (FORBIDDEN as a translation of Acts 6’s role — anachronistically imports the later ordained Catholic Holy-Orders office)
Original: διακονεῖν τραπέζαις / διακονία
Category: Church
Acts-new. Practical, material care-taking service distinguished from apostolic word-ministry (ch.6); an informal precursor to the later formal diaconate, not yet institutionalized in the text.
Blasphemy
Approved rendering: blasphème
Transliteration: blasphēmia
Doctrine: Persecution and Bold Witness
Original: βλασφημία
Category: Persecution
Acts-new. The false accusation triggering Stephen’s trial (6:11); ensure narrative context makes clear this is a false charge, not an actual offense.
Sorcery Magic
Approved rendering: magie / sorcellerie
Transliteration: mageia / mageuō
Doctrine: Apostolic Authority and Miracles
Original: μαγεία / μαγεύω
Category: Miracles
Acts-new. Occult power contrasted with the Spirit’s genuine, unpurchasable power. Simon Magus wrongly assumes the Spirit’s gift can be bought (8:18-20); keep explicitly contrasted with grâce and Esprit Saint, avoiding vocabulary that trivializes it as mere folklore.
The Way
Approved rendering: la Voie
Transliteration: hē hodos
Doctrine: Conversion of Paul
Rejected alternatives: chemin spirituel (too generic, self-help resonance)
Original: ἡ ὁδός
Category: Church
Acts-new. Self-designation of the early Christian movement (9:2, 19:9,23, 22:4, 24:14,22). Capitalize as a proper self-designation; contemporary French spiritual marketplace (‘voie spirituelle’, New Age/self-help) risks reading this as one path among many rather than the exclusive way of salvation.
Conversion
Approved rendering: conversion / se convertir
Transliteration: epistrephō / epistrophē
Doctrine: Conversion of Paul
Original: ἐπιστρέφω / ἐπιστροφή
Category: Salvation
Acts-new. Radical reorientation of life-direction toward God (ch.9, 15:3). Secular French usage (‘conversion religieuse’, ‘taux de conversion’) risks generic religious-switching or transactional framing; retain the Spirit-wrought, Christ-centered, once-for-all sense.
God Fearer
Approved rendering: craignant Dieu
Transliteration: phoboumenos / sebomenos ton theon
Doctrine: The Gospel to Jews and Gentiles
Original: φοβούμενος / σεβόμενος τὸν θεόν
Category: Church
Acts-new. A technical designation for Gentiles who worshipped Israel’s God without full conversion (Cornelius, ch.10). Distinct from proselyte (full convert, ch.2); needs a distinguishing gloss.
Persecution
Approved rendering: persécution
Transliteration: diōgmos / diōkō
Doctrine: Persecution and Bold Witness
Original: διωγμός / διώκω
Category: Persecution
Acts-new. Organized hostile action against believers, escalating to state-sponsored violence under Herod (ch.12). Keep the specifically faith-motivated, sometimes lethal character distinct from the broader secular usage as any harassment.
Light To Gentiles
Approved rendering: lumière pour les nations
Transliteration: phōs ethnōn
Doctrine: The Great Commission Fulfilled
Original: φῶς ἐθνῶν
Category: Mission
Acts-new. Isaiah 49:6 messianic-mission citation applied to Paul’s ministry (13:47). Footnote the OT background so the phrase is not read as a generic enlightenment metaphor.
Living God
Approved rendering: Dieu vivant
Transliteration: theos zōn
Doctrine: The Gospel to Jews and Gentiles
Original: θεὸς ζῶν
Category: God
Acts-new. Apologetic contrast-term against Greco-Roman polytheism at Lystra (14:15); a move secular French readers, who may treat all deity-language as equally mythological, need unpacked.
Circumcision
Approved rendering: circoncision
Transliteration: peritomē
Doctrine: Justification apart from the Law
Original: περιτομή
Category: Covenant
Acts-new. The presenting controversy of the Jerusalem Council (ch.15); readers with low OT literacy will miss why this is even a controversy without a footnote connecting it to the Abrahamic covenant sign.
Decree
Approved rendering: décret
Transliteration: dogma
Doctrine: Justification apart from the Law
Rejected alternatives: dogme (FORBIDDEN — false cognate implying a fixed, universally binding Catholic doctrinal formula)
Original: δόγμα
Category: Church
Acts-new. The Jerusalem Council’s specific pastoral ruling (15:20,28-29; cf. 16:4), not a new binding law parallel to the Mosaic Law it deliberately sets aside.
Idol Food
Approved rendering: viandes sacrifiées aux idoles
Transliteration: eidōlothyta
Doctrine: Justification apart from the Law
Original: εἰδωλόθυτα
Category: Church
Acts-new. One of the Council’s retained minimal moral/table-fellowship requirements, distinct from the abolished ceremonial requirement (circumcision). Keep the distinction explicit.
Sexual Immorality
Approved rendering: immoralité sexuelle (débauche)
Transliteration: porneia
Doctrine: Justification apart from the Law
Original: πορνεία
Category: Sin
Acts-new. Same context as idol_food; readers must not conclude the Law’s ethics are entirely abolished, only its ceremonial-salvation-requirement function.
Spirit Of Divination
Approved rendering: esprit de divination
Transliteration: pneuma pythōnos
Doctrine: Apostolic Authority and Miracles
Original: πνεῦμα πύθωνος
Category: Miracles
Acts-new. An oracular, occult spirit empowering fortune-telling, contrasted with the Holy Spirit at Philippi (16:16-18). France’s continuing astrology/‘voyance’ market makes this a live cultural contrast-point.
Inheritance
Approved rendering: héritage
Transliteration: klēronomia
Doctrine: The Church as Community
Original: κληρονομία
Category: Salvation
Acts-new. Assured future possession promised to God’s people (20:32). Avoid a purely material/legal-estate reduction; frame as the eschatological, grace-given inheritance among the sanctified.
Nazirite Vow
Approved rendering: un vœu / des rites de purification
Transliteration: euchē / hagnizomai
Doctrine: Repentance and Baptism
Original: εὐχή / ἁγνίζομαι
Category: Covenant
Acts-new. Paul’s voluntary, culturally sensitive Jewish practice (ch.21). Must be distinguished in teaching notes from the salvation-requirement question already settled at the Jerusalem Council (ch.15) — this is not a reopening of that decision.
Hope
Approved rendering: espérance
Transliteration: elpis
Doctrine: Conversion of Paul
Rejected alternatives: espoir (vaguer wish in ordinary French usage, avoid in doctrinal contexts)
Original: ἐλπίς
Category: Faith
Acts-new. Confident, forward-looking trust grounded in God’s promise (23:6, 24:15, 26:6-7 ‘hope of Israel’). Prefer ‘espérance’ over ‘espoir’ to preserve the theological weight; recommended for cross-curriculum consistency with any future Romans-adjacent material (Romans 5, 8, 15).
Judgment To Come
Approved rendering: jugement à venir
Transliteration: krima to mellon
Doctrine: Persecution and Bold Witness
Original: κρίμα τὸ μέλλον
Category: Eschatology
Acts-new. The future divine reckoning (24:25); must be framed within the gospel already proclaimed to Felix, not bare fear-based moralism.
Heavenly Vision
Approved rendering: vision céleste
Transliteration: hē ouranios optasia
Doctrine: Conversion of Paul
Original: ἡ οὐράνιος ὀπτασία
Category: Christology
Acts-new. The Damascus-road Christophany (26:19: ‘I was not disobedient to the heavenly vision’); ties to obedience_of_faith — response flowing from grace, not merit-earning compliance.
Power Of Satan
Approved rendering: pouvoir de Satan
Transliteration: exousia tou Satana
Doctrine: Conversion of Paul
Original: ἐξουσία τοῦ Σατανᾶ
Category: God
Acts-new. Cosmic spiritual dominion contrasted with power_of_god (26:18). Keep the personal, real spiritual-authority contrast, resisting a rationalist-secular French flattening into mere ignorance vs. enlightenment (contra unitarian/Christadelphian impersonalizing readings).
Without Hindrance
Approved rendering: sans empêchement
Transliteration: akōlytōs
Doctrine: The Great Commission Fulfilled
Rejected alternatives: sans obstacle (too flat/bureaucratic), sans restriction (bureaucratic/administrative register, avoid)
Original: ἀκωλύτως
Category: Mission
Acts-new. The book’s climactic final word (28:31) — nothing stops the gospel’s advance. Must retain the triumphant, sovereign-providence force, echoing 2:23’s ‘dessein arrêté’ and 4:29,31’s boldness, not a flat administrative reading.
Low Risk Terms
Gospel
Approved rendering: Évangile
Transliteration: Évangile
Doctrine: Gospel
Rejected alternatives: bonne nouvelle (informal only)
Original: εὐαγγέλιον
Category: Salvation
Shared, stable term across Catholic and Protestant French Bibles. Low risk; content of the gospel is narratively spelled out in Acts 2, 13, and 17, useful anchors for readers with low biblical literacy. [Inherited from Romans package.]
Apostle
Approved rendering: apôtre
Transliteration: apôtre
Doctrine: Apostleship
Original: ἀπόστολος
Category: Church
Stable, shared term. Acts 1:21-26’s replacement-selection criteria show apostleship is a specific, non-repeatable, foundational office (eyewitness of the resurrection), not an ongoing generic ministry title — a distinction relevant against restorationist (‘living apostles’) movements. [Inherited from Romans package.]
Peace
Approved rendering: paix
Transliteration: paix
Doctrine: Peace with God
Original: εἰρήνη
Category: Salvation
Occurs in greeting formulas (Acts 9:31, 10:36); retain the relational, covenantal sense. [Inherited from Romans package.]
Thanksgiving
Approved rendering: action de grâce
Transliteration: action de grâce
Doctrine: Thanksgiving
Original: εὐχαριστία
Category: Faith
Implicit throughout Acts’ prayer scenes. [Inherited from Romans package.]
Prophet
Approved rendering: prophète
Transliteration: prophète
Doctrine: Inspiration of Scripture
Rejected alternatives: voyant
Original: προφήτης
Category: Covenant
Includes both OT prophetic citation (Joel, ch.2; Moses, ch.3,7) and NT prophets (Agabus, ch.11,21). [Inherited from Romans package.]
Prophecy
Approved rendering: prophétie
Transliteration: prophétie
Doctrine: Fulfillment of Prophecy
Original: προφητεία
Category: Covenant
Recurs at 2:17-18, 11:27-28, 13:1, 15:32, 19:6, 21:9-11. [Inherited from Romans package.]
David
Approved rendering: David
Transliteration: David
Doctrine: Davidic Covenant
Original: Δαυίδ
Category: Covenant
Standard proper name form; recurs at 1:16, 2:25-34, 4:25, 7:45, 13:22,34,36, 15:16. [Inherited from Romans package.]
Jesus
Approved rendering: Jésus
Transliteration: Jésus
Doctrine: Lordship of Christ
Original: Ἰησοῦς
Category: Christology
Stable across all French traditions. The phrase ‘in the name of Jesus’ recurs as shorthand for his saving authority (see name_of_jesus). [Inherited from Romans package.]
Exhort
Approved rendering: exhorter
Transliteration: exhorter
Doctrine: Mutual Edification
Original: παρακαλέω
Category: Faith
Recurs at 2:40, 11:23, 14:22, 15:32, 16:40, 20:1-2, 27:33-34. [Inherited from Romans package.]
Pentecost
Approved rendering: Pentecôte
Transliteration: Pentecôte
Doctrine: The Holy Spirit and Pentecost
Original: Πεντηκοστή
Category: Holy Spirit
Acts-new. Long-established French loanword and public holiday name; readers will not automatically connect it to Shavuot or to any doctrinal content. Requires a teaching gloss, not a text change.
Devout
Approved rendering: pieux
Transliteration: eulabeis
Doctrine: The Holy Spirit and Pentecost
Rejected alternatives: dévot (ironic/hypocritical-piety connotation, cf. Molière’s Tartuffe)
Original: εὐλαβεῖς
Category: Faith
Acts-new. Pious observance of the diaspora Jews present at Pentecost (2:5).
Crooked Generation
Approved rendering: génération perverse
Transliteration: geneas skolias
Doctrine: Repentance and Baptism
Original: γενεᾶς σκολιᾶς
Category: Sin
Acts-new. Old Testament-echoing indictment (Deuteronomy 32:5) at Acts 2:40; stable idiom in French Bible tradition.
One Heart Soul
Approved rendering: un seul cœur et une seule âme
Transliteration: mia kardia kai mia psychē
Doctrine: The Church as Community
Original: μία καρδία καὶ μία ψυχή
Category: Church
Acts-new. Companion phrase to all_things_common at Acts 4:32; translates naturally into French.
Great Fear
Approved rendering: une grande crainte
Transliteration: phobos megas
Doctrine: Apostolic Authority and Miracles
Original: φόβος μέγας
Category: God
Acts-new. Reverent, sobering awe at God’s holiness and active presence (2:43, 5:5,11, 19:17); clarify it is not colloquial anxiety.
Angel
Approved rendering: ange
Transliteration: angelos
Doctrine: Providence
Original: ἄγγελος
Category: Providence
Acts-new. Heavenly messenger, agent of divine deliverance (5:19, 8:26, 12:7-11, 27:23); stable across all French Christian traditions.
Stoning
Approved rendering: lapider
Transliteration: lithoboleō
Doctrine: Persecution and Bold Witness
Original: λιθοβολέω
Category: Persecution
Acts-new. The mode of Stephen’s martyrdom (7:58-59), echoing the fate of OT prophets (7:52); stable vocabulary.
Samaritans
Approved rendering: Samaritains
Transliteration: Samaritai
Doctrine: The Gospel to Jews and Gentiles
Original: Σαμαρῖται
Category: Church
Acts-new. First geographic expansion of the gospel beyond Jerusalem Jews (ch.8), a crucial hinge toward Gentile inclusion; low intertestamental literacy requires a footnote on the schism-with-Judaism background.
Eunuch
Approved rendering: eunuque
Transliteration: eunouchos
Doctrine: The Gospel to Jews and Gentiles
Original: εὐνοῦχος
Category: Church
Acts-new. A category historically excluded from full temple worship (Deuteronomy 23:1). The Ethiopian eunuch’s baptism (8:36-38) anticipates full Gentile inclusion; needs an Isaiah 56:3-5 footnote.
Christian
Approved rendering: chrétien
Transliteration: Christianos
Doctrine: The Church as Community
Original: Χριστιανός
Category: Church
Acts-new. First NT occurrence at 11:26. Stable term, though watch for merely nominal/cultural ‘chrétien’ identity (baptismal-certificate Christianity) common in secularizing France, distinct from Acts’ living conviction.
Synagogue
Approved rendering: synagogue
Transliteration: synagōgē
Doctrine: The Gospel to Jews and Gentiles
Original: συναγωγή
Category: Mission
Acts-new. Paul’s regular first point of contact in a new city (ch.13-19); an accurate cognate with contemporary French Jewish community life, not a doctrinal collision.
Roman Citizen
Approved rendering: citoyen romain
Transliteration: Rhōmaios / politēs
Doctrine: Apostolic Authority and Miracles
Original: Ῥωμαῖος / πολίτης
Category: Persecution
Acts-new. Legal status granting specific rights, a recurring plot device for apostolic authority operating within legitimate civil structures (16:37-39, 22:25-29, 25:11).
Areopagus
Approved rendering: l’Aréopage
Transliteration: Areios Pagos
Doctrine: The Great Commission Fulfilled
Original: Ἄρειος Πάγος
Category: Mission
Acts-new. Setting for Paul’s philosophical apologetic to a purely Gentile audience (ch.17); culturally resonant proper noun for French readers with classical education.
Unknown God
Approved rendering: dieu inconnu
Transliteration: agnōstos theos
Doctrine: The Great Commission Fulfilled
Original: ἄγνωστος θεός
Category: Mission
Acts-new. An altar inscription used as a rhetorical bridge (17:23-31), not an endorsement of pagan or pluralistic worship.
Idols
Approved rendering: idoles
Transliteration: eidōla
Doctrine: The Great Commission Fulfilled
Original: εἴδωλα
Category: Mission
Acts-new. Physical representations of false gods, backdrop for the gospel’s exclusivity claim (14:15, 17:16, 19:26).
Tentmaker
Approved rendering: fabricant de tentes
Transliteration: skēnopoios
Doctrine: Apostolic Authority and Miracles
Original: σκηνοποιός
Category: Mission
Acts-new. Paul’s manual trade (18:3), modeling bi-vocational, non-mercenary ministry.
Self Control
Approved rendering: maîtrise de soi
Transliteration: egkrateia
Doctrine: Persecution and Bold Witness
Original: ἐγκράτεια
Category: Sanctification
Acts-new. Part of Paul’s gospel-ethics address to Felix (24:25); low doctrinal risk in itself.
Viper
Approved rendering: vipère
Transliteration: echidna
Doctrine: Providence
Original: ἔχιδνα
Category: Providence
Acts-new. Narrative peril at Malta (ch.28); useful teaching point on providence versus superstition, echoing the Lystra deification pattern of ch.14.