Core Glossary
08 Core Glossary — Acts (Apostelgeschichte)
This glossary consolidates every load-bearing term identified in 07_semantic_analysis.md, covering the entire book of Acts (chapters 1–28) with the core passage (Acts 2:1-41) weighted for verse-level detail. Terms already fixed in the baseline Romans translation_memory.json/bible_term_registry.json are marked [BASELINE REUSE] and MUST use the recorded rendering exactly, per the hard rule governing this curriculum. New terms are marked [NEW] and are proposed for formal addition to translation memory at the assigned risk tier, subject to the standard theologian-review escalation for Critical/High terms.
Risk tiers and review routing follow the baseline doctrine_risk_registry.json definitions exactly:
- Critical — Human theologian review required for every occurrence.
- High — Human theologian review required.
- Medium — Native speaker review recommended.
- Low — Automated review sufficient.
| # | Term (English) | German Rendering | Status | Risk | Category / Doctrine | Greek Original | Transliteration | Primary Passages | Translation Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Pentecost | Pfingsten | [NEW] | Low | Holy Spirit and Pentecost | Πεντηκοστή | Pentēkostē | Acts 2:1 | Established German holiday-name term; risk is under-teaching of Jewish-festival background, not mistranslation, given widespread biblical-illiteracy about the term’s origin. |
| 2 | tongues (miracle of languages) | (in) andere Sprachen | [NEW] | Critical | Holy Spirit and Pentecost | γλῶσσαι, ἑτέραις γλώσσαις | glōssai, heterais glōssais | Acts 2:3-4, 6, 8, 11 | NEVER render as “Zungenrede” — that German term carries a specific, confessionally contested contemporary charismatic/Pentecostal-movement association not present in the historical narrative, which describes real, known human languages. Mandatory theologian review. |
| 3 | filled with the Holy Spirit (Pentecost, aorist) | erfüllt mit dem Heiligen Geist / wurden erfüllt | [NEW, related to BASELINE “filled_with_the_spirit”] | High | Holy Spirit and Pentecost | ἐπλήσθησαν πνεύματος ἁγίου | eplēsthēsan pneumatos hagiou | Acts 2:4; 4:8, 31; 9:17; 13:9 | Distinct grammatical aspect from the Ephesians 5:18 ongoing-imperative sense (“lasst euch…erfüllen”); this is a completed historical event. Keep the shared root “erfüllen” for lexical consistency but preserve the tense distinction in teaching material. |
| 4 | wonders and signs (miracle formula) | Wunder und Zeichen (mit Kraft/Machttaten) | [NEW] | High | Apostolic Authority and Miracles | δυνάμεσι καὶ τέρασι καὶ σημείοις | dynamesi kai terasi kai sēmeiois | Acts 2:22, 43; 4:30; 5:12; 6:8; 14:3; 15:12 | Three-term formula (power/wonder/sign); render all three consistently across every occurrence rather than collapsing to a generic “Wunder.” |
| 5 | power of God | Kraft Gottes | [BASELINE REUSE] | Medium | Power of God for Salvation / Apostolic Authority | δύναμις (θεοῦ) | dynamis (theou) | Acts 1:8; 4:33; 10:38 | Reuse baseline rendering exactly; keep distinguishable from ἐξουσία (“Vollmacht/Macht,” delegated authority). |
| 6 | authority | Vollmacht | [NEW, connects to Matthew package’s “Vollmacht Jesu”] | Medium | Apostolic Authority and Miracles | ἐξουσία | exousia | Acts 1:7 | Delegated/inherent right to act; distinguish from δύναμις (raw capability, “Kraft”). |
| 7 | witness(es) | Zeuge / bezeugen | [NEW] | High | Persecution and Bold Witness; Great Commission Fulfilled | μάρτυς, μαρτυρέω | martys, martyreō | Acts 1:8; 2:32; 3:15; 5:32; 10:39, 41; 13:31; 22:20 | Legal/eyewitness sense predominates chs. 1-21; by ch.7 (Stephen) and 22:20, the sense shifts toward “Märtyrer” (one who dies for testimony) though the Greek word itself is unchanged. Track and flag the semantic shift explicitly in teaching material. |
| 8 | office / oversight (Judas’s forfeited office) | Amt | [NEW] | Medium | Apostolic Authority and Miracles | ἐπισκοπή | episkopē | Acts 1:20 | Do not over-translate toward “Bischofsamt” at this early stage; reserve fuller episcopal-office discussion for the ch.20 ἐπίσκοπος entry (#33 below). |
| 9 | lot(s) (casting lots) | Los | [NEW] | Low | Apostolic Authority and Miracles | κλῆρος | klēros | Acts 1:26 | Straightforward; minor etymological note (root of “clergy”) for background only. |
| 10 | end of the earth | bis an die Grenzen der Erde | [NEW] | Medium | Great Commission Fulfilled | ἕως ἐσχάτου τῆς γῆς | heōs eschatou tēs gēs | Acts 1:8; 13:47 | Established Lutherbibel phrasing; forms a deliberate inclusio with Acts 28’s “unhindered” ending — flag structurally in teaching material. |
| 11 | Holy and Righteous One | der Heilige und Gerechte | [NEW, built on BASELINE heilig/Gerechtigkeit] | High | Deity of Christ (continuation) | ὁ ἅγιος καὶ ὁ δίκαιος | ho hagios kai ho dikaios | Acts 3:14 | Deity-adjacent Christological title; theologian review required per existing curriculum discipline for such titles. |
| 12 | Author/Prince of life | der Urheber des Lebens / der Fürst des Lebens | [NEW] | High | Christ as Creator and Sustainer (continuation) | ἀρχηγὸς τῆς ζωῆς | archēgos tēs zōēs | Acts 3:15; 5:31 | No single German word captures both “founder/source” and “pioneering leader” senses; select per context and flag for theologian review; cross-reference Colossians 1:16-17. |
| 13 | restoration (of all things) | Wiederherstellung (aller Dinge) | [NEW] | Medium | Great Commission Fulfilled / Eschatology | ἀποκατάστασις | apokatastasis | Acts 3:21 | Must be distinguished in teaching material from the later, disputed technical “apokatastasis” (universal salvation) doctrine, which is a different and narrower theological claim than this text’s general restoration-hope. |
| 14 | boldness | Freimut / Freimütigkeit | [NEW] | Critical | Persecution and Bold Witness | παρρησία | parrēsia | Acts 4:13, 29, 31; 9:27-28; 28:31 | No single German word fully captures the confident-speech-plus-fearlessness sense; reinforce with fuller phrasing at key doctrinal occurrences. Explicitly the fruit of Spirit-filling (4:31), not natural personality. Mandatory theologian review at 4:13, 29, 31. |
| 15 | there is salvation in no other name | Rettung gibt es in keinem anderen Namen | [BASELINE REUSE — Rettung] | Critical | Salvation / Exclusivity of Christ | οὐκ ἔστιν ἐν ἄλλῳ οὐδενὶ ἡ σωτηρία | ouk estin en allō oudeni hē sōtēria | Acts 4:12 | Parallels the John 14:6 exclusivity claim; same pastoral/interfaith sensitivity framing required given Germany’s religious pluralism. |
| 16 | all things in common | alles gemeinsam haben | [NEW] | High | The Church as Community | κοινά / ἅπαντα κοινά | koina / hapanta koina | Acts 2:44-45; 4:32-35 | High German-specific risk: avoid resonance with DDR-era socialist collectivization or Nazi-era “Volksgemeinschaft” collectivism (already flagged in baseline under “Gemeinschaft”). Present as voluntary, love-motivated, historically specific to earliest Jerusalem church, not a normative economic mandate. |
| 17 | lying to the Holy Spirit | den Heiligen Geist belügen | [NEW] | Medium | Holy Spirit and Pentecost (deity of the Spirit) | ψεύδομαι τὸ πνεῦμα τὸ ἅγιον | pseudomai to pneuma to hagion | Acts 5:3-4 | Confirms Holy Spirit’s personal deity; draw out this implication explicitly in teaching material. |
| 18 | great fear (reverential) | große Furcht | [NEW] | Medium | The Church as Community | φόβος μέγας | phobos megas | Acts 5:5, 11 | Prefer “Furcht” (reverential fear) over “Angst” (anxiety) to preserve theological register. |
| 19 | service / ministry / deacon | Dienst / Diakonie / Diakon | [NEW] | High | The Church as Community | διακονία, διάκονος | diakonia, diakonos | Acts 6:1-6 | German “Diakonie” carries major modern institutional weight (parallel to Catholic “Caritas”); clarify this text is the NT origin-narrative, not a description of the modern institution’s scale or structure. |
| 20 | laying on of hands | Handauflegung | [NEW] | High | Apostolic Authority and Miracles | ἐπίθεσις τῶν χειρῶν | epithesis tōn cheirōn | Acts 6:6; 8:17-19; 9:17; 13:3; 19:6; 28:8 | Distinguish per-occurrence function (commissioning / Spirit-reception / healing); do not adjudicate the Catholic sacramental-ordination vs. Protestant non-sacramental-commissioning debate in the translated text. Theologian review required. |
| 21 | stoning | steinigen | [NEW] | Low | Persecution and Bold Witness | λιθοβολέω | lithoboleō | Acts 7:58-59; 14:19 | Concrete first-century execution method; handle with the same historical-specificity discipline as other violence narratives in this curriculum. |
| 22 | sorcery / Simon the magician | Zauberei / Simon der Zauberer | [NEW] | Medium | Apostolic Authority and Miracles | μαγεία, Σίμων ὁ μάγος | mageia, Simōn ho magos | Acts 8:9-24 | Origin-narrative of the later church-historical term “Simonie” (buying/selling ecclesiastical office); note this legacy explicitly in teaching material. |
| 23 | eunuch | Eunuch | [NEW] | Medium | Gospel to Jews and Gentiles | εὐνοῦχος | eunouchos | Acts 8:27-39 | Retain the specific term (not a softened “official”) since the OT exclusion/inclusion background (Deuteronomy 23:1; Isaiah 56:3-5) depends on it. |
| 24 | chosen instrument | auserwähltes Werkzeug | [NEW, built on BASELINE Erwählung] | High | Conversion of Paul / Election | σκεῦος ἐκλογῆς | skeuos eklogēs | Acts 9:15 | Directly invokes the Election doctrine’s existing pastoral-care caution for a mixed Lutheran/Reformed audience; theologian review required. |
| 25 | the Way (early Christian self-designation) | der Weg | [NEW] | Medium | Church as Community / Conversion of Paul | ἡ ὁδός | hē hodos | Acts 9:2; 19:9, 23; 22:4; 24:14, 22 | Note resonance with, but do not conflate with, John 14:6’s Christological “Ich bin der Weg” (a claim about Christ’s person, not the movement’s name). |
| 26 | common / unclean (ritual) | unrein / gemein | [BASELINE-adjacent — reuses Mark 7 “nothing_outside_defiles” doctrine] | High | Gospel to Jews and Gentiles | κοινός, καθαρός | koinos, katharos | Acts 10:14-15, 28; 11:8-9 | Direct extension of the established dietary-law-freedom doctrine to the Jew/Gentile inclusion question; theologian review required. |
| 27 | God shows no partiality | Gott sieht nicht auf die Person | [NEW] | Critical | Gospel to Jews and Gentiles; Unity of Jews and Gentiles | οὐκ ἔστιν προσωπολήμπτης ὁ θεός | ouk estin prosōpolēmptēs ho theos | Acts 10:34 | Established Lutherbibel idiom; retain exact traditional phrasing. Connect explicitly to the baseline’s Unity of Jews and Gentiles doctrine and its historical-sensitivity requirements. |
| 28 | Christians (first usage) | Christen | [NEW] | Low | Gospel to Jews and Gentiles | Χριστιανός | Christianos | Acts 11:26 | Stable, ubiquitous term; note only the historically significant first-usage context. |
| 29 | fervent prayer | inständiges Gebet | [NEW, connects to BASELINE Fürbitte] | Medium | Persecution and Bold Witness / Intercession | ἐκτενῶς προσευχή | ektenōs proseuchē | Acts 12:5 | Reuse “Fürbitte” where the on-behalf-of intercessory sense is specifically in view. |
| 30 | justified / justification (apart from the law) | gerechtfertigt / Rechtfertigung | [BASELINE REUSE — Rechtfertigung, Critical] | Critical | Justification apart from the Law | δικαιωθῆναι, δικαιοσύνη | dikaiōthēnai, dikaiosynē | Acts 13:38-39 | Direct parallel to Romans 3-4 / Galatians 2:16 justification argument delivered in missionary-sermon form; mandatory theologian review at the same tier as those passages. |
| 31 | law of Moses | Gesetz des Mose | [BASELINE REUSE — Gesetz] | High | Justification apart from the Law | νόμος Μωυσέως | nomos Mōuseōs | Acts 13:38-39; 15:5 | Reuse baseline “Gesetz” rendering; “Mose” per established transliteration standard. |
| 32 | elders (church office) | Älteste | [NEW] | High | The Church as Community; Apostolic Authority | πρεσβύτερος | presbyteros | Acts 14:23; 15:2-23; 16:4; 20:17; 21:18 | Avoid importing any single German confessional tradition’s specific modern governance structure (Presbyterium/Kirchenvorstand/Ältestenkreis vary by tradition). Native speaker review. |
| 33 | yoke (of the law) | Joch | [NEW] | Medium | Justification apart from the Law / Law and Grace | ζυγός | zygos | Acts 15:10 | Distinguish from Matthew 11:29-30’s different, positive use of the same German word (“mein Joch ist sanft”). |
| 34 | it seemed good to the Holy Spirit and to us | es schien dem Heiligen Geist und uns gut | [NEW] | High | Apostolic Authority and Miracles | ἔδοξεν τῷ πνεύματι τῷ ἁγίῳ καὶ ἡμῖν | edoxen tō pneumati tō hagiō kai hēmin | Acts 15:28 | Relevant to (but this curriculum does not adjudicate) broader ecclesiology debates over councils, magisterium, and Spirit-guidance across German confessional traditions. Theologian review required. |
| 35 | household (baptism) | Haus / Haushalt | [NEW] | Critical | Repentance and Baptism | οἶκος | oikos | Acts 16:15, 33; 18:8 | Directly engages the German Kindertaufe/Gläubigentaufe confessional divide; present the text’s genuine exegetical ambiguity transparently. Mandatory theologian AND native-speaker review. |
| 36 | baptism (repent and be baptized) | Taufe / taufen | [NEW] | Critical | Repentance and Baptism | βάπτισμα, βαπτίζω | baptisma, baptizō | Acts 2:38, 41; 8:36-38; 9:18; 10:47-48; 16:15, 33; 18:8; 19:1-5 | Newly established Critical-risk term for this curriculum (no prior Romans-baseline entry). Engages the German infant-baptism/believer’s-baptism confessional divide throughout. Mandatory theologian AND native-speaker review at every doctrinally load-bearing occurrence. |
| 37 | forgiveness of sins | Vergebung der Sünden | [BASELINE REUSE — Sünde] | Critical | Repentance and Baptism | ἄφεσις τῶν ἁμαρτιῶν | aphesis tōn hamartiōn | Acts 2:38; 10:43; 13:38; 26:18 | Preserve the directional ambiguity of εἰς/“zur” between baptism-as-instrumental-cause and baptism-as-sign-of-already-granted forgiveness; do not resolve silently in translation. Theologian review required. |
| 38 | gift of the Holy Spirit | die Gabe des Heiligen Geistes | [NEW, distinct from BASELINE “Gottes Geschenk”] | Medium | Holy Spirit and Pentecost | δωρεά τοῦ ἁγίου πνεύματος | dōrea tou hagiou pneumatos | Acts 2:38; 10:45; 11:17 | Distinguish from the Ephesians 2:8 δῶρον (“Gottes Geschenk,” the gift of salvation itself); related root, distinguishable referent. |
| 39 | promise | Verheißung | [NEW, consistent with existing covenant-fulfillment vocabulary] | Medium | Holy Spirit and Pentecost; Messianic Promise (continuation) | ἐπαγγελία | epangelia | Acts 1:4; 2:33, 39 | Established biblical-German term, distinct from everyday “Versprechen.” |
| 40 | to you, your children, and all who are far off | euch, euren Kindern und allen, die fern sind | [NEW] | High | Repentance and Baptism; Gospel to Jews and Gentiles | ὑμῖν καὶ τοῖς τέκνοις ὑμῶν καὶ πᾶσι τοῖς εἰς μακράν | hymin kai tois teknois hymōn kai pasi tois eis makran | Acts 2:39 | Historically cited on both sides of the infant-baptism debate; present transparently without silently resolving via translation choice. |
| 41 | everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved | jeder, der den Namen des Herrn anruft, wird gerettet werden | [BASELINE REUSE — matches Romans 10:13 exactly] | Critical | Universal Scope of the Gospel; Salvation | πᾶς ὃς ἂν ἐπικαλέσηται τὸ ὄνομα κυρίου σωθήσεται | pas hos an epikalesētai to onoma kyriou sōthēsetai | Acts 2:21 (cf. Romans 10:13) | MUST render identically to the fixed Romans 10:13 rendering; verify exact match before finalizing. |
| 42 | Lord and Christ | Herr und Christus | [BASELINE REUSE — Herr, Messias] | Critical | Lordship of Christ; Conversion/Repentance (Pentecost sermon climax) | κύριον καὶ Χριστόν | kyrion kai Christon | Acts 2:36 | Must match the weight and clarity of the established Romans 10:9 confession exactly; mandatory theologian review, same tier as Romans 10:9. |
| 43 | cut to the heart | mitten ins Herz treffen | [NEW] | Medium | Repentance and Baptism | κατενύγησαν τὴν καρδίαν | katenygēsan tēn kardian | Acts 2:37 | Preserve the piercing/wounding intensity; avoid flattening to a mild “betroffen sein.” |
| 44 | repent | Buße (tun) / Umkehr | [BASELINE REUSE — Buße, from Matthew package] | High | Repentance and Baptism | μετανοήσατε, μετάνοια | metanoēsate, metanoia | Acts 2:38; 3:19; 8:22; 17:30; 26:20 | Pair with “Umkehr” (turning) where Acts pairs μετανοέω with ἐπιστρέφω, to capture the fuller biblical picture without abandoning the established baseline term. |
| 45 | added [to their number] | hinzugefügt werden | [NEW] | Medium | The Church as Community | προσετέθησαν | prosetethēsan | Acts 2:41, 47; 5:14 | Read alongside “Gemeinde” [BASELINE REUSE] to keep incorporation into a concrete, bounded community clear, not an abstract “invisible church” idea. |
| 46 | Hades / realm of the dead | Hades / Totenreich | [NEW] | Medium | Resurrection of Christ (continuation) | ᾍδης | Hadēs | Acts 2:27, 31 | Do NOT render as “Hölle” (Hell) — that German word carries specific torment/damnation connotations not present in the OT Sheol/Hades sense of “realm of the dead generally.” |
| 47 | determined plan and foreknowledge of God | Gottes festgesetzter Plan und Vorauswissen | [NEW, connects to BASELINE Vorsehung/Erwählung] | High | Providence; Election (continuation) | ὥρισμένῃ βουλῇ καὶ προγνώσει τοῦ θεοῦ | hōrismenē boulē kai prognōsei tou theou | Acts 2:23 | Must not remove human moral responsibility for the crucifixion; pair with mandatory historical-sensitivity framing given the audience addressed (cf. Matthew 27:25 caution already fixed in this curriculum). Theologian review required. |
| 48 | Roman citizenship (literal, legal) | römisches Bürgerrecht | [NEW, distinct from BASELINE “Bürgerrecht” heavenly sense] | Medium | Persecution and Bold Witness (narrative background) | πολίτης Ῥωμαῖος, πολιτεία | politēs Rhōmaios, politeia | Acts 16:37; 22:25-29 | Explicitly distinguish from the already-fixed heavenly “Bürgerrecht” of Philippians 3:20; same German word, different referent and theological weight. |
| 49 | I appeal to Caesar | Ich berufe mich auf den Kaiser | [NEW — direct collision with BASELINE “Berufung” homonym caution] | High | Apostolic Authority / Providence (narrative) | ἐπικαλέομαι Καίσαρα | epikaleomai Kaisara | Acts 25:11-12 | This IS the secular legal-appeal sense of “Berufung” already flagged as a homonym risk in the baseline against the divine-calling sense. Flag explicitly so students do not conflate Paul’s legal appeal with theological calling. |
| 50 | overseer(s) | Aufseher / Hüter | [NEW] | Critical | Apostolic Authority; The Church as Community | ἐπίσκοπος | episkopos | Acts 20:28 | NEVER render as “Bischof” without heavy qualification — imports the later, fully developed monepiscopal office anachronistically onto this earlier, more fluid leadership pattern (used interchangeably with “elder” in this very passage). Mandatory theologian review. |
| 51 | to shepherd the church of God | die Gemeinde Gottes weiden/hüten | [BASELINE REUSE — Gemeinde] | High | The Church as Community | ποιμαίνειν τὴν ἐκκλησίαν τοῦ θεοῦ | poimainein tēn ekklēsian tou theou | Acts 20:28 | ”Weiden” preserves the shepherding image; note the etymological link to the modern clergy title “Pastor” for teaching material only, not as a translation directive. |
| 52 | self-control | Selbstbeherrschung | [BASELINE-adjacent — part of established Frucht des Geistes list] | Medium | Persecution and Bold Witness (Paul before Felix) | ἐγκράτεια | egkrateia | Acts 24:25 | Already implicit in the fixed Galatians 5:23 fruit-of-the-Spirit list; no new risk beyond standard consistency. |
| 53 | this salvation of God (sent to the Gentiles) | dieses Rettung Gottes / dieses Heil Gottes (Reviewer sign-off if “Heil”) | [BASELINE REUSE — Rettung] | High | Gospel to Jews and Gentiles; Great Commission Fulfilled | ἡ σωτηρία τοῦ θεοῦ | hē sōtēria tou theou | Acts 28:28 | Closes the book’s Jew/Gentile narrative arc (Acts 2 → 10 → 28); apply the existing “Heil” reviewer sign-off rule if that word is ever considered as an alternative. |
| 54 | unhindered | ungehindert | [NEW] | Medium | Great Commission Fulfilled | ἀκωλύτως | akōlytōs | Acts 28:31 | Final word of the book; forms a deliberate structural inclusio with Acts 1:8. Draw out this structural significance explicitly in teaching material. |
| 55 | tongues of fire | feuerartige Zungen / Zungen wie von Feuer | [NEW] | Medium | Holy Spirit and Pentecost | γλῶσσαι ὡσεὶ πυρός | glōssai hōsei pyros | Acts 2:3 | Sets up the deliberate wordplay with v.4’s “tongues [languages]”; flag the Zungen/Sprachen switch for translators so continuity across vv.3-4 and 2:11 is not lost. |
| 56 | pour out (the Spirit) | ausgießen | [NEW] | Medium | Holy Spirit and Pentecost | ἐκχέω | ekcheō | Acts 2:17, 18, 33 | Established Lutherbibel liquid-metaphor verb; render identically across all three occurrences for cross-reference consistency. |
| 57 | in the last days | in den letzten Tagen | [NEW] | Medium | Holy Spirit and Pentecost (eschatology) | ἐν ταῖς ἐσχάταις ἡμέραις | en tais eschatais hēmerais | Acts 2:17 | Anchor to inaugurated (already-begun, not-yet-consummated) eschatology; avoid feeding into speculative popular German Endzeit-literature framing. |
| 58 | day of the Lord | Tag des Herrn | [NEW] | Medium | Holy Spirit and Pentecost (eschatology) | ἡμέρα κυρίου | hēmera kyriou | Acts 2:20 | Distinguish in teaching material from the liturgical use of the same German phrase for the Christian Sunday. |
| 59 | unknown god | der unbekannte Gott | [NEW] | Medium | Gospel to Jews and Gentiles (Gentile apologetics) | ἄγνωστος θεός | agnōstos theos | Acts 17:23 | Risk is contemporary misuse as an endorsement of generic pluralistic spirituality; Paul’s argument moves specifically to the God who raised Jesus, not to religious pluralism generally. Cross-reference the Colossians 2:8 anti-philosophy-blanket-condemnation caution. |
| 60 | spirit of divination (pagan) | Wahrsagergeist | [NEW] | Medium | Apostolic Authority and Miracles | πνεῦμα πύθωνα | pneuma pythōna | Acts 16:16-18 | Distinguish sharply by explicit contrast from the positive gift of prophecy [BASELINE REUSE: Weissagung] elsewhere in the curriculum. |
| 61 | Artemis (of the Ephesians) | Artemis | [NEW] | Low | Persecution and Bold Witness (economic/religious conflict) | Ἄρτεμις | Artemis | Acts 19:24-41 | Retain Greek proper name (not Latin “Diana”); minor background note on modern Neopagan usage only. |
| 62 | Zeus / Hermes (mistaken worship) | Zeus / Hermes | [NEW] | Low | Apostolic Authority and Miracles | Ζεύς, Ἑρμῆς | Zeus, Hermēs | Acts 14:12 | Retain Greek proper names; minimal contemporary German collision risk. |
Notes on Baseline Cross-References
The following terms are used extensively throughout Acts and MUST reuse the exact baseline rendering with no modification: Gott (God), Jesus, Herr (Lord), Heiliger Geist (Holy Spirit), Auferstehung (resurrection), Sünde (sin), Gnade (grace), Glaube (faith), Gemeinde (church), Apostel (apostle), Reich Gottes (kingdom of God), David, Israel, Heiden (Gentiles), Messias (Messiah), Erwählung (election), Vater (Father), Weissagung/Prophet (prophecy/prophet), Bund (covenant), Fürbitte (intercession), Vorsehung (providence), Kraft Gottes (power of God), Buße (repentance, from the Matthew package), berufen/Berufung (called/calling — noting the ch.25 secular-legal homonym collision documented above as a NEW, distinct usage of the same German word requiring careful disambiguation).
Summary Statistics
| Risk Tier | Count (this glossary) | Review Routing |
|---|---|---|
| Critical | 9 | Mandatory human theologian review, every occurrence |
| High | 20 | Mandatory human theologian review |
| Medium | 26 | Native speaker review recommended |
| Low | 7 | Automated review sufficient |
| Total new/extended terms | 62 | — |
This glossary must be loaded alongside the baseline translation_memory.json and bible_term_registry.json before any Phase 2 translation of Acts material. New terms marked [NEW] above are candidates for formal addition to translation memory in Step 2 of this curriculum’s Phase 1 pipeline, with risk tiers pre-assigned here for reviewer confirmation.
Critical Risk Terms
Ascension
Approved rendering: er ward aufgehoben gen Himmel
Transliteration: er ward aufgehoben gen Himmel
Doctrine: The Emmaus Road and the Ascension
Inherited from the Luke package via the baseline, unchanged (Luke 24:51). Directly re-narrated and expanded at Acts 1:9-11, which adds the cloud and the angelic promise of Christ’s return in the same manner; render Acts 1:9’s ascension description consistently with this fixed Lukan phrasing.
Baptism
Approved rendering: Taufe / taufen
Transliteration: Taufe
Doctrine: Repentance and Baptism
Original: βάπτισμα, βαπτίζω
Category: Repentance and Baptism
NEW. Acts 2:38, 41; 8:36-38; 9:18; 10:47-48; 16:15, 33; 18:8; 19:1-5. Newly established Critical-risk term for this curriculum (no prior Romans-baseline entry beyond Romans 6’s allusive treatment). Directly engages the German infant-baptism/believer’s-baptism confessional divide throughout Acts. Mandatory theologian AND native-speaker review at every doctrinally load-bearing occurrence.
Boldness Parrhesia
Approved rendering: Freimut / Freimütigkeit
Transliteration: Freimut
Doctrine: Persecution and Bold Witness
Rejected alternatives: Kühnheit (captures courage but not the speech/openness sense), natural-assertiveness framing (rejected — must remain explicitly Spirit-given, not personality-driven)
Original: παρρησία
Category: Persecution and Witness
NEW. Acts 4:13, 29, 31; 9:27-28; 28:31. No single German word fully captures parrēsia’s blend of confident speech, fearlessness, and openness. Reinforce with fuller phrasing (‘mit aller Freimütigkeit reden’) at doctrinally central occurrences. Explicitly the fruit of Spirit-filling (4:31), never natural personality. Mandatory theologian review at 4:13, 29, 31.
Calls On Name Of Lord Saved
Approved rendering: jeder, der den Namen des Herrn anruft, wird gerettet werden
Transliteration: jeder, der den Namen des Herrn anruft, wird gerettet werden
Doctrine: Universal Scope of the Gospel; Salvation
Original: πᾶς ὃς ἂν ἐπικαλέσηται τὸ ὄνομα κυρίου σωθήσεται
Category: Salvation
NEW. Acts 2:21 (cf. Romans 10:13). MUST render identically to the fixed Romans 10:13 rendering; verify exact match against the Romans translation output before finalizing, per the curriculum’s shared-citation verbatim-match rule.
Forgiveness Of Sins Acts
Approved rendering: Vergebung der Sünden
Transliteration: Vergebung der Sünden
Doctrine: Repentance and Baptism
Original: ἄφεσις τῶν ἁμαρτιῶν
Category: Repentance and Baptism
NEW. Acts 2:38; 10:43; 13:38; 26:18. Preserve the directional ambiguity of εἰς/‘zur’ between baptism-as-instrumental-cause and baptism-as-sign-of-already-granted-forgiveness readings; do not resolve this silently in translation. Theologian review required.
God Shows No Partiality
Approved rendering: Gott sieht nicht auf die Person
Transliteration: Gott sieht nicht auf die Person
Doctrine: God Shows No Partiality; Gospel to Jews and Gentiles
Original: οὐκ ἔστιν προσωπολήμπτης ὁ θεός
Category: Gospel to Jews and Gentiles
NEW. Acts 10:34. Established Lutherbibel idiom; retain exactly for recognizability. Connect explicitly to the baseline’s Unity of Jews and Gentiles doctrine and its mandatory historical-sensitivity requirements rather than treating it as a freestanding ethical maxim.
Holy Spirit
Approved rendering: Heiliger Geist
Transliteration: Heiliger Geist
Doctrine: Sanctification
Original: πνεῦμα ἅγιον
Category: God
Inherited from Romans package, unchanged. The central actor of Acts, poured out at Pentecost (2:1-4) and directing the church’s mission throughout (8:29; 10:19; 13:2; 16:6-7). Acts 5:3-4 explicitly equates lying to the Spirit with lying to God, reinforcing this term’s established personal-deity sense; no impersonal life-force reading (cf. Jehovah’s Witness Neue-Welt-Übersetzung depersonalization) is permissible anywhere in this book. Always capitalize as a personal noun-phrase.
Household Baptism
Approved rendering: Haus / Haushalt
Transliteration: Haus
Doctrine: Repentance and Baptism
Original: οἶκος
Category: Repentance and Baptism
NEW. Acts 16:15, 33; 18:8. Directly engages the German Kindertaufe (infant baptism, universal in Landeskirche and Catholic practice) versus Gläubigentaufe (believer’s baptism, the Freikirche/Baptist norm) confessional divide. Render ‘Haus/Haushalt’ plainly without tipping the exegetical scale in either direction and without implying age or composition not stated in the text; present the text’s genuine ambiguity transparently. Mandatory theologian AND native-speaker review, paralleling the household-code sensitivity discipline established for Ephesians 5-6 and Colossians 3-4.
Justification
Approved rendering: Rechtfertigung
Transliteration: Rechtfertigung
Doctrine: Salvation
Rejected alternatives: Erlösung (distinct concept)
Original: δικαιωθῆναι / δικαίωσις
Category: Salvation
Inherited from Romans package, unchanged. Central to Paul’s Pisidian Antioch sermon (Acts 13:38-39) and the Jerusalem Council’s ruling (15:1-11); must trigger the same mandatory theologian review already required for Romans 3-4 and Galatians 2:16.
Lord And Christ
Approved rendering: Herr und Christus
Transliteration: Herr und Christus
Doctrine: Lordship of Christ; Peter’s Pentecost Sermon: Messianic Fulfillment
Rejected alternatives: ein bedeutender Herr und Lehrer (rejected — unacceptable softening of the confession)
Original: κύριον καὶ Χριστόν
Category: Christology
NEW. Acts 2:36. The climactic double confession of Peter’s Pentecost sermon. Must match the weight and clarity of the established Romans 10:9 confession exactly; mandatory theologian review, same tier as Romans 10:9.
Lord
Approved rendering: Herr
Transliteration: Herr
Doctrine: Lordship of Christ
Rejected alternatives: Meister, Chef
Original: κύριος
Category: Christology
Inherited from Romans package, unchanged. The same ‘Herr’/‘Mr.’ flattening risk already documented for Romans 10:9 applies with full force to Acts 2:36 and the Joel citation at 2:21; mandatory theologian review at every doctrinally climactic occurrence, including Paul’s address to the risen Christ at 9:5; 22:8.
No Other Name
Approved rendering: Rettung gibt es in keinem anderen Namen
Transliteration: Rettung gibt es in keinem anderen Namen
Doctrine: Salvation Exclusivity: No Other Name
Original: οὐκ ἔστιν ἐν ἄλλῳ οὐδενὶ ἡ σωτηρία
Category: Salvation
NEW. Acts 4:12. Parallels the already-fixed John 14:6 exclusivity claim; requires the same pastoral/interfaith sensitivity framing given Germany’s contemporary religious pluralism, combined with the existing Rettung/Heil discipline.
Overseer Episkopos
Approved rendering: Aufseher / Hüter
Transliteration: Aufseher
Doctrine: Apostolic Farewell: Shepherds, Overseers, and the Church of God
Rejected alternatives: Bischof (rejected — anachronistically imports the fully developed later monepiscopal office; note that Luther’s own historic rendering used ‘Bischöfe’ here, a deliberate, documented departure by this curriculum)
Original: ἐπίσκοπος
Category: Apostolic Authority
NEW. Acts 20:28. NEVER render as ‘Bischof’ without heavy qualification. German ‘Bischof’ carries the very heavy institutional weight of the fully developed Catholic/Landeskirche episcopal office (Diözesanbischof, Landesbischof), anachronistic for this earlier, fluid leadership pattern, where the same men are called both ‘elders’ (20:17) and ‘overseers’ (20:28) interchangeably. Prefer ‘Aufseher/Hüter,’ with explicit teaching-material notes tracing the term’s later development without adjudicating any later church-governance model. Mandatory theologian review.
Righteousness
Approved rendering: Gerechtigkeit
Transliteration: Gerechtigkeit
Doctrine: Salvation
Rejected alternatives: Tugend
Original: δικαιοσύνη
Category: Salvation
Inherited from Romans package, unchanged. Same Luther-Turmerlebnis-freighted term as Romans; Acts 13:38-39 and 24:25 restate this term in missionary-sermon and defense-speech settings and must not be softened toward moral achievement.
Son Of God
Approved rendering: Sohn Gottes
Transliteration: Sohn Gottes
Doctrine: Sonship of Christ
Original: υἱὸς θεοῦ
Category: Christology
Inherited from Romans package, unchanged. Full phrase required, conveying eternal, unique Sonship; proclaimed by Paul immediately after his conversion (Acts 9:20).
Tongues Miracle Languages
Approved rendering: in anderen Sprachen
Transliteration: in anderen Sprachen
Doctrine: The Holy Spirit and Pentecost
Rejected alternatives: Zungenrede (rejected — imports a specific, confessionally contested contemporary Pentecostal/charismatic ecstatic-speech association absent from this text)
Original: γλῶσσαι, ἑτέραις γλώσσαις
Category: Holy Spirit
NEW. Acts 2:3-4, 6, 8, 11. NEVER render as ‘Zungenrede’. The text explicitly confirms real, known human languages (‘each one heard them in his own language,’ 2:6, 8, 11), not unintelligible ecstatic speech (a different phenomenon addressed elsewhere, e.g. 1 Corinthians 14, outside this curriculum’s scope). Mandatory theologian review at every occurrence given the live confessional stakes for a mixed Landeskirche/Freikirche/Pentecostal German audience.
High Risk Terms
All Things In Common
Approved rendering: sie hatten alles gemeinsam
Transliteration: sie hatten alles gemeinsam
Doctrine: The Church as Community
Original: κοινά / ἅπαντα κοινά
Category: Church
NEW. Acts 2:44-45; 4:32-35. High German-specific risk: avoid resonance with DDR-era socialist collectivization of property or Nazi-era ‘Volksgemeinschaft’ collectivism (already flagged in the baseline under ‘Gemeinschaft’). Present as voluntary, love-motivated, historically specific to the earliest Jerusalem church — never a normative economic mandate. Escalate to theologian review if teaching material draws contemporary economic-policy applications.
Appeal To Caesar
Approved rendering: ich berufe mich auf den Kaiser
Transliteration: ich berufe mich auf den Kaiser
Doctrine: Apostolic Authority / Providence (narrative); Paul’s Appeal to Caesar and Divine Providence
Original: ἐπικαλέομαι Καίσαρα
Category: Providence
NEW. Acts 25:11-12. This IS the secular legal-appeal sense of ‘Berufung’ already flagged in the baseline as a homonym risk against the divine-calling doctrine. Flag explicitly so students do not conflate Paul’s legal appeal with theological calling (‘Berufung Gottes’).
Author Of Life
Approved rendering: der Urheber des Lebens / der Fürst des Lebens
Transliteration: der Urheber des Lebens
Doctrine: Christ as Author and Prince of Life
Original: ἀρχηγὸς τῆς ζωῆς
Category: Christology
NEW. Acts 3:15; 5:31 (‘Prince and Savior’). No single German word captures both the ‘founder/source’ and ‘pioneering leader’ senses of ἀρχηγός simultaneously; select the emphasis appropriate to context and flag for theologian review. Cross-reference the already-fixed Colossians 1:16-17 Creator-and-Sustainer doctrine.
Chosen Instrument
Approved rendering: auserwähltes Werkzeug
Transliteration: auserwähltes Werkzeug
Doctrine: Conversion of Paul / Paul’s Election as a Chosen Instrument
Original: σκεῦος ἐκλογῆς
Category: Conversion of Paul
NEW. Acts 9:15. Directly invokes the already-established Election doctrine’s pastoral-care caution for a mixed Lutheran/Reformed German audience; a narrative application, not a systematic treatise, and should be taught accordingly. Theologian review required.
Church
Approved rendering: Gemeinde
Transliteration: Gemeinde
Doctrine: Church as God’s People
Rejected alternatives: Kirche (institution-default)
Original: ἐκκλησία
Category: Church
Inherited from Romans package, unchanged. Continue preferring ‘Gemeinde’ over ‘Kirche’ for the gathered-body sense throughout Acts (5:11; 8:1, 3; 9:31; 11:26; 14:23, 27; 20:28); Acts 20:28’s ‘shepherd the church of God’ is a key occurrence.
Common Unclean
Approved rendering: unrein / gemein
Transliteration: unrein
Doctrine: Gospel to Jews and Gentiles
Original: κοινός, καθαρός
Category: Gospel to Jews and Gentiles
NEW. Acts 10:14-15, 28; 11:8-9. Direct extension of the already-established Mark 7 ‘nothing outside defiles’ doctrine to the Jew/Gentile inclusion question — the single most important OT-law-and-Gentile-inclusion text in Acts prior to the Jerusalem Council. Pair both German words; connect explicitly and every time to the Mark 7 doctrine. Theologian review required.
Determined Plan Foreknowledge
Approved rendering: Gottes festgesetzter Plan und Vorauswissen
Transliteration: Gottes festgesetzter Plan und Vorauswissen
Doctrine: Providence; Election (continuation); Peter’s Pentecost Sermon
Original: ὥρισμένῃ βουλῇ καὶ προγνώσει τοῦ θεοῦ
Category: Providence
NEW. Acts 2:23. Must not remove human moral responsibility for the crucifixion — a live antisemitism-adjacent risk since the addressed crowd includes the first-century Jewish hearers Peter directly implicates. Pair mandatorily with explicit historical-sensitivity framing, paralleling the already-fixed Matthew 27:25 caution. Theologian review required.
Elders
Approved rendering: Älteste
Transliteration: Älteste
Doctrine: The Church as Community; Apostolic Authority
Rejected alternatives: Presbyter (rejected — imports a specifically Reformed modern governance connotation)
Original: πρεσβύτερος
Category: Church
NEW. Acts 14:23; 15:2-23; 16:4; 20:17; 21:18. German church-governance vocabulary varies significantly by tradition (Reformed ‘Presbyterium/Ältestenkreis’; Lutheran ‘Kirchenvorstand’; no direct Catholic lay-elder equivalent). Use the neutral ‘Älteste’; avoid importing any single tradition’s modern governance structure onto this first-century text. Native speaker review.
Election
Approved rendering: Erwählung
Transliteration: Erwählung
Doctrine: Effectual Calling
Original: ἐκλογή
Category: Salvation
Inherited from Romans package, unchanged. Underlies Paul’s designation as a ‘chosen instrument’ (σκεῦος ἐκλογῆς, Acts 9:15); continue the existing pastoral caution against over-systematizing for a mixed Lutheran/Reformed audience.
Filled With Holy Spirit Pentecost
Approved rendering: erfüllt mit dem Heiligen Geist / wurden erfüllt
Transliteration: erfüllt mit dem Heiligen Geist
Doctrine: The Holy Spirit and Pentecost
Original: ἐπλήσθησαν πάντες πνεύματος ἁγίου
Category: Holy Spirit
NEW. Acts 2:4; 4:8, 31; 9:17; 13:9. Aorist passive indicative — a completed historical event (‘wurden erfüllt’), grammatically distinct from Ephesians 5:18’s present passive imperative ongoing command (‘lasst euch…erfüllen,’ see ‘filled_with_the_spirit’ above). Keep the shared root ‘erfüllen’ for lexical consistency across the curriculum but preserve and explicitly teach the tense/aspect distinction at every occurrence.
Filled With The Spirit
Approved rendering: lasst euch vom Geist erfüllen
Transliteration: lasst euch vom Geist erfüllen
Doctrine: Filled with the Spirit
Original: πληρόω/πίμπλημι + πνεῦμα ἅγιον
Category: Holy Spirit
Inherited from the Ephesians package via the baseline, unchanged. Ongoing, present passive imperative sense (Ephesians 5:18). Distinct grammatical aspect from Acts 2:4’s aorist historical event — see ‘filled_with_holy_spirit_pentecost’ below for the Acts-specific completed-event rendering; keep the shared root ‘erfüllen’ while preserving the tense distinction.
Gentiles
Approved rendering: Heiden
Transliteration: Heiden
Doctrine: Unity of Jews and Gentiles
Original: ἔθνη
Category: Church
Inherited from Romans package, unchanged. Continue the mandatory historical-sensitivity handling for every ‘Juden und Heiden’ pairing, which recurs with unusual density throughout Acts 10-15 and again at 28:28; this book contains the single highest concentration of this pairing in the curriculum to date.
Grace
Approved rendering: Gnade
Transliteration: Gnade
Doctrine: Grace
Rejected alternatives: Barmherzigkeit, Wohlwollen
Original: χάρις
Category: Salvation
Inherited from Romans package, unchanged. Luther’s ‘sola gratia’ versus Catholic sacramental grace (Gnadenmittel) is the same word carrying different doctrinal freight. Acts 15:11 is the Jerusalem Council’s own summary of the justification-apart-from-law doctrine and must preserve the unmerited, apart-from-works sense with full force.
Holy And Righteous One
Approved rendering: der Heilige und Gerechte
Transliteration: der Heilige und Gerechte
Doctrine: Christ as Author and Prince of Life (Deity of Christ, continuation)
Original: ὁ ἅγιος καὶ ὁ δίκαιος
Category: Christology
NEW. Acts 3:14. Deity-adjacent Christological title applying OT divine-holiness/righteousness language directly to Jesus. Requires the same theologian-review discipline already applied to comparable titles (e.g. Colossians’s ‘image of the invisible God’).
Law Of Moses
Approved rendering: Gesetz des Mose
Transliteration: Gesetz des Mose
Doctrine: Justification apart from the Law
Original: νόμος Μωυσέως
Category: Law and Grace
NEW. Acts 13:38-39; 15:5. Reuses the baseline ‘Gesetz’ rendering exactly; ‘Mose’ per the established transliteration standard. Consistent with the Galatians package’s ‘Werke des Gesetzes’ precision discipline — never a generalized ‘good deeds’ reading.
Law
Approved rendering: Gesetz
Transliteration: Gesetz
Doctrine: Fulfillment of Prophecy
Original: νόμος
Category: Covenant
Inherited from Romans package, unchanged. Subject of the Jerusalem Council’s ruling (Acts 15) and Paul’s justification argument (13:38-39); continue the ‘Gesetz und Evangelium’ hermeneutical weight already documented for the Lutheran tradition.
Laying On Of Hands
Approved rendering: Handauflegung
Transliteration: Handauflegung
Doctrine: Apostolic Authority and Miracles
Original: ἐπίθεσις τῶν χειρῶν
Category: Apostolic Authority
NEW. Acts 6:6; 8:17-19; 9:17; 13:3; 19:6; 28:8. Carries live sacramental-theology weight (Catholic Holy Orders vs. Protestant non-sacramental commissioning). Distinguish per-occurrence function (commissioning / Spirit-reception / healing) without adjudicating the later sacramental dispute in the translated text. Theologian review required. Also relevant to the Neuapostolische Kirche’s distinctive apostolic-sealing doctrine — see 12_ai_translation_requirements.md escalation notes.
Repentance
Approved rendering: Buße
Transliteration: Buße
Doctrine: Repentance
Original: μετάνοια / μετανοέω
Category: Christian Life
Inherited from the Matthew package via the baseline, unchanged. Continue the confessional-history caution around ‘Buße’; Acts repeatedly pairs μετανοέω with ἐπιστρέφω (‘turn,’ 3:19; 26:20) — supplement with ‘Umkehr’ language wherever the Greek pairs the two verbs, without abandoning the established baseline term. The pivot of Peter’s Pentecost sermon (2:38), repeated at 3:19; 8:22; 11:18; 17:30; 20:21; 26:20.
Saints
Approved rendering: Heilige
Transliteration: die Heiligen
Doctrine: Sainthood
Original: ἅγιοι
Category: Church
Inherited from Romans package, unchanged. Used of the Judean believers Peter visits (Acts 9:13, 32, 41) and of those Paul persecuted (26:10); gloss as ‘alle Gläubigen’ where the corporate sense needs reinforcement.
Salvation Of God To Gentiles
Approved rendering: diese Rettung Gottes
Transliteration: diese Rettung Gottes
Doctrine: Gospel to Jews and Gentiles; The Great Commission Fulfilled
Rejected alternatives: dieses Heil Gottes (requires explicit reviewer sign-off per the baseline’s Heil rule if ever proposed as an alternative)
Original: ἡ σωτηρία τοῦ θεοῦ
Category: Gospel to Jews and Gentiles
NEW. Acts 28:28. Closes the book’s Jew/Gentile narrative arc begun at Acts 2 and Acts 10. Apply the existing ‘Heil’ reviewer sign-off rule if that word is ever considered as an alternative rendering; prefer ‘Rettung.‘
Salvation
Approved rendering: Rettung
Transliteration: Rettung
Doctrine: Salvation
Rejected alternatives: Heil (Nazi-era contamination risk), Erlösung (more existential/liberation-flavored)
Original: σωτηρία
Category: Salvation
Inherited from Romans package, unchanged. Continue avoiding ‘Heil’ except with explicit reviewer sign-off. Central to Peter’s temple-court sermon (4:12) and the book’s closing statement (28:28); recurs at unusually high density across Acts’ sermon summaries.
Seemed Good To Holy Spirit
Approved rendering: es schien dem Heiligen Geist und uns gut
Transliteration: es schien dem Heiligen Geist und uns gut
Doctrine: The Jerusalem Council: Law and Grace; Apostolic Authority and Miracles
Original: ἔδοξεν τῷ πνεύματι τῷ ἁγίῳ καὶ ἡμῖν
Category: Apostolic Authority
NEW. Acts 15:28. Formal decision-formula joining human deliberation with explicit Spirit-endorsement. Relevant to, though this curriculum does not adjudicate, broader ecclesiology debates over councils, magisterium, and Spirit-guidance across German Catholic, Orthodox, and Protestant traditions. Theologian review required.
Service Ministry Deacon
Approved rendering: Dienst / Diakonie / Diakon
Transliteration: Diakonie
Doctrine: Church Ministry and the Appointment of the Seven
Original: διακονία, διάκονος
Category: Church
NEW. Acts 6:1-6. German ‘Diakonie’ carries major modern institutional weight — one of Germany’s largest Protestant social-welfare organizations, comparable in scale to the Catholic ‘Caritas.’ Teaching material must clarify Acts 6 is the New Testament origin-narrative later tradition drew on to name the office/organization, not a description of the modern institution’s contemporary scale or structure.
Shepherd The Church
Approved rendering: die Gemeinde Gottes weiden / hüten
Transliteration: die Gemeinde Gottes weiden
Doctrine: The Church as Community; Apostolic Farewell
Original: ποιμαίνειν τὴν ἐκκλησίαν τοῦ θεοῦ
Category: Church
NEW. Acts 20:28. ‘Weiden’ preserves the shepherding image concretely; note the etymological link to the modern clergy title ‘Pastor’ for teaching material only, not as a translation directive.
To You Your Children Far Off
Approved rendering: euch, euren Kindern und allen, die fern sind
Transliteration: euch, euren Kindern und allen, die fern sind
Doctrine: Repentance and Baptism; Gospel to Jews and Gentiles
Original: ὑμῖν καὶ τοῖς τέκνοις ὑμῶν καὶ πᾶσι τοῖς εἰς μακράν
Category: Repentance and Baptism
NEW. Acts 2:39. Historically cited on both sides of the German infant-baptism debate; present transparently without silently resolving the exegetical question via translation choice, paralleling the caution required at ‘household_baptism.‘
Witness
Approved rendering: Zeuge / bezeugen
Transliteration: Zeuge
Doctrine: Persecution and Bold Witness; Great Commission Fulfilled
Original: μάρτυς, μαρτυρέω
Category: Persecution and Witness
NEW. Acts 1:8; 2:32; 3:15; 5:32; 10:39, 41; 13:31; 22:20. Legal/eyewitness sense predominates chs. 1-21; by ch.7 (Stephen’s death) and 22:20 the referent genuinely shifts toward ‘Märtyrer’ (one who dies for the testimony) though the Greek word itself (μάρτυς) is unchanged. German requires two distinct words for the one Greek root — track and flag this semantic-historical shift explicitly per occurrence rather than silently harmonizing to one German word throughout.
Wonders And Signs
Approved rendering: Wunder und Zeichen (mit Kraft-/Machttaten)
Transliteration: Wunder und Zeichen
Doctrine: Apostolic Authority and Miracles
Rejected alternatives: a bare, generic ‘Wunder’ alone (collapses the three-part formula and its structural function)
Original: δυνάμεσι καὶ τέρασι καὶ σημείοις
Category: Apostolic Authority
NEW. Acts 2:22, 43; 4:30; 5:12; 6:8; 14:3; 15:12. Three-part formula (δυνάμεσι/τέρασι/σημείοις). Render all three terms consistently at every occurrence; collapsing to a generic ‘Wunder’ loses the formula’s function as divine authentication of apostolic proclamation.
Medium Risk Terms
Added To Number
Approved rendering: hinzugefügt werden
Transliteration: hinzugefügt werden
Doctrine: The Church as Community
Original: προσετέθησαν
Category: Church
NEW. Acts 2:41, 47; 5:14. Read alongside the established ‘Gemeinde’ term to keep incorporation into a concrete, gathered body clear, not an abstract ‘invisible church’ idea.
Authority Exousia
Approved rendering: Vollmacht
Transliteration: Vollmacht
Doctrine: Apostolic Authority and Miracles
Original: ἐξουσία
Category: Apostolic Authority
NEW. Acts 1:7. Delegated/inherent right to act; connects to the Matthew package’s established ‘Vollmacht Jesu.’ Keep strictly distinguishable from δύναμις (‘Kraft Gottes’) so the authority/capability distinction Acts 1:7-8 draws is not lost.
Called
Approved rendering: berufen
Transliteration: berufen
Doctrine: Divine Calling
Original: κλητός / προσκαλέσηται
Category: Salvation
Inherited from Romans package, unchanged. Used at Acts 2:39 of God’s sovereign calling of ‘all who are far off’; keep distinct from the ch.25 secular legal-appeal homonym documented under ‘appeal_to_caesar’ below.
Calling
Approved rendering: Berufung
Transliteration: Berufung
Doctrine: Divine Calling
Original: κλῆσις
Category: Salvation
Inherited from Romans package, unchanged. The homonym collision already flagged in the baseline (career vocation; legal appeal) becomes concretely live within this very book at Acts 25:11-12’s ‘ich berufe mich auf den Kaiser’ — the secular legal-appeal sense of the identical German word. Disambiguate explicitly wherever both senses could appear near each other.
Covenant
Approved rendering: Bund
Transliteration: Bund
Doctrine: Davidic Covenant
Original: διαθήκη
Category: Covenant
Inherited from Romans package, unchanged. Invoked at Acts 3:25 (the covenant to Abraham) and 7:8 (the covenant of circumcision).
Cut To The Heart
Approved rendering: es traf sie mitten ins Herz
Transliteration: es traf sie mitten ins Herz
Doctrine: Repentance and Baptism
Rejected alternatives: sie waren betroffen (rejected — too mild, flattens the piercing intensity of κατανύσσομαι)
Original: κατενύγησαν τὴν καρδίαν
Category: Repentance and Baptism
NEW. Acts 2:37. Preserve the piercing/wounding intensity of the image; avoid flattening to a mild ‘sie waren betroffen’ (they were affected).
Day Of The Lord
Approved rendering: Tag des Herrn
Transliteration: Tag des Herrn
Doctrine: The Holy Spirit and Pentecost (eschatology)
Original: ἡμέρα κυρίου
Category: Holy Spirit
NEW. Acts 2:20. Distinguish in teaching material from the liturgical use of the same German phrase for the Christian Sunday, to avoid confusing eschatological judgment with the weekly day of worship.
End Of The Earth
Approved rendering: bis an die Grenzen der Erde
Transliteration: bis an die Grenzen der Erde
Doctrine: The Great Commission Fulfilled
Original: ἕως ἐσχάτου τῆς γῆς
Category: Mission
NEW. Acts 1:8; 13:47 (Isaiah 49:6 citation). Established Lutherbibel phrase; render identically at both occurrences for cross-reference consistency. Forms a deliberate structural inclusio with Acts 28:31’s ‘ungehindert’ — surface this explicitly in teaching material, paralleling the Mark 1:1/15:39 and John 1:1/20:28 inclusio pattern already documented in this pipeline.
Eunuch
Approved rendering: Eunuch
Transliteration: Eunuch
Doctrine: Gospel to Jews and Gentiles
Rejected alternatives: Beamter/official (rejected — softens the specific OT exclusion/inclusion background needed)
Original: εὐνοῦχος
Category: Gospel to Jews and Gentiles
NEW. Acts 8:27-39. Retain the specific term rather than a softened ‘official,’ since the OT exclusion/inclusion background (Deuteronomy 23:1; Isaiah 56:3-5) the German audience needs explained depends on the specific bodily and social category named.
Faith
Approved rendering: Glaube
Transliteration: Glaube
Doctrine: Faith
Rejected alternatives: Weltanschauung
Original: πίστις
Category: Faith
Inherited from Romans package, unchanged. The object of faith (Jesus specifically) must remain recoverable from context, especially in Acts’ cross-cultural mission narratives (chs. 10, 16, 17).
Father
Approved rendering: Vater
Transliteration: Vater
Doctrine: Adoption into God’s Family
Original: πατήρ
Category: God
Inherited from Romans package, unchanged. Referenced at Acts 1:4, 7 regarding the promise and the Father’s timing.
Fervent Prayer
Approved rendering: inständiges Gebet
Transliteration: inständiges Gebet
Doctrine: Persecution under Herod and Providential Deliverance
Original: ἐκτενῶς προσευχή
Category: Prayer and Intercession
NEW. Acts 12:5. Reuse ‘Fürbitte’ where the on-behalf-of intercessory sense is specifically in view, modeling the established doctrine functioning under acute persecution.
Gift Of Holy Spirit
Approved rendering: die Gabe des Heiligen Geistes
Transliteration: die Gabe des Heiligen Geistes
Doctrine: The Holy Spirit and Pentecost
Original: δωρεά τοῦ ἁγίου πνεύματος
Category: Holy Spirit
NEW. Acts 2:38; 10:45; 11:17. Distinguish from the already-fixed Ephesians 2:8 δῶρον (‘Gottes Geschenk,’ the gift of salvation itself) — related root, distinguishable referent (the Spirit’s personal indwelling vs. salvation itself).
Glory
Approved rendering: Herrlichkeit
Transliteration: Herrlichkeit
Doctrine: Deity of Christ
Original: δόξα
Category: God
Inherited from Romans package, unchanged. Seen by Stephen at his death (Acts 7:55) and referenced in Paul’s Pisidian Antioch sermon; avoid light-metaphor terms that could conflate with unrelated divine-radiance concepts.
God
Approved rendering: Gott
Transliteration: Gott
Doctrine: Deity of Christ
Original: θεός
Category: God
Inherited from Romans package, unchanged. Acts 17’s Areopagus sermon requires the same East/West German religious-literacy divide caution already documented, since Paul there addresses religiously literate pagans rather than biblically illiterate moderns — a reversed but analogous rhetorical situation.
Great Fear
Approved rendering: große Furcht
Transliteration: große Furcht
Doctrine: The Church as Community
Rejected alternatives: Angst (rejected — suggests anxiety/dread rather than reverential awe)
Original: φόβος μέγας
Category: Church
NEW. Acts 5:5, 11. Prefer ‘Furcht’ (reverential fear of God’s holiness) over ‘Angst’ (anxiety) to preserve the theological register.
Hades Realm Of Dead
Approved rendering: Hades / Totenreich
Transliteration: Hades
Doctrine: Resurrection of Christ (continuation)
Rejected alternatives: Hölle (rejected — imports specific torment/damnation connotations absent from the neutral Sheol/Hades sense of ‘realm of the dead generally’)
Original: ᾍδης
Category: Resurrection of Christ
NEW. Acts 2:27, 31. Do NOT render as ‘Hölle.’ Prefer transliterated ‘Hades’ or periphrastic ‘Totenreich,’ with an explicit note distinguishing this from Gehenna/the lake of fire elsewhere in the NT.
Holy
Approved rendering: heilig
Transliteration: heilig
Doctrine: Sanctification
Rejected alternatives: rein
Original: ἅγιος
Category: Sanctification
Inherited from Romans package, unchanged. Part of the Christological title at Acts 3:14 (‘the Holy and Righteous One’) and the recurring designation of believers as ἅγιοι.
Intercession
Approved rendering: Fürbitte
Transliteration: Fürbitte
Doctrine: Prayer and Intercession
Original: προσευχή / ἐντυγχάνω
Category: Faith
Inherited from Romans package, unchanged. Reuse where the on-behalf-of sense is specifically active, e.g. the church’s ‘fervent prayer’ for Peter’s release (Acts 12:5).
Israel
Approved rendering: Israel
Transliteration: Israel
Doctrine: Unity of Jews and Gentiles
Original: Ἰσραήλ
Category: Covenant
Inherited from Romans package, unchanged. Addressed directly by Peter (2:36; 3:12) and central to the whole Jew/Gentile narrative arc of Acts; same contemporary political-sensitivity caution already documented.
Kingdom Of God
Approved rendering: Reich Gottes
Transliteration: Reich Gottes
Doctrine: Kingdom Mission
Original: βασιλεία τοῦ θεοῦ
Category: Kingdom
Inherited from Romans package, unchanged. Forms part of Acts’ structural inclusio (1:3, 6 / 28:23, 31); distinguish from any political/territorial reading, especially given the disciples’ own political misunderstanding corrected at 1:6-8.
Last Days
Approved rendering: in den letzten Tagen
Transliteration: in den letzten Tagen
Doctrine: The Holy Spirit and Pentecost (eschatology)
Original: ἐν ταῖς ἐσχάταις ἡμέραις
Category: Holy Spirit
NEW. Acts 2:17. Anchor to inaugurated (already-begun, not-yet-consummated) eschatology; avoid feeding into speculative popular German Endzeit-Literatur framing.
Lying To Holy Spirit
Approved rendering: den Heiligen Geist belügen
Transliteration: den Heiligen Geist belügen
Doctrine: The Holy Spirit’s Deity and the Purity of the Church
Original: ψεύδομαι τὸ πνεῦμα τὸ ἅγιον
Category: Holy Spirit
NEW. Acts 5:3-4. Confirms the Holy Spirit’s personal deity (lying to the Spirit is equated with lying to God); draw out this implication explicitly in teaching material since the plain German phrasing alone may not surface it for readers.
Messiah
Approved rendering: Messias
Transliteration: Messias
Doctrine: Messianic Promise
Original: Χριστός / Μεσσίας
Category: Christology
Inherited from Romans package, unchanged. The identity Peter (2:36), Paul (9:22; 17:3; 18:5, 28), and Apollos (18:28) all argue Jesus fulfills; must not be flattened into a generic moral teacher.
Mission
Approved rendering: Mission
Transliteration: Mission
Doctrine: Mission to the Nations
Original: ἀποστολή / πέμπω / ἐκπέμπω
Category: Church
Inherited from Romans package, unchanged. Structures the entire missionary-journey narrative of Acts 13-28; be sensitive to colonial/postcolonial associations in contemporary German missiological discourse.
Office Episkope
Approved rendering: Amt
Transliteration: Amt
Doctrine: Apostolic Authority and Miracles
Rejected alternatives: Bischofsamt (rejected — over-translates at this early, undeveloped narrative stage)
Original: ἐπισκοπή
Category: Apostolic Authority
NEW. Acts 1:20 (citing Psalm 109:8 LXX), Judas’s forfeited apostolic office. Do not over-translate toward ‘Bischofsamt’; reserve fuller episcopal-office discussion for the ch. 20 ἐπίσκοπος entry (‘overseer_episkopos’ below).
Pour Out Spirit
Approved rendering: ausgießen
Transliteration: ausgießen
Doctrine: The Holy Spirit and Pentecost
Original: ἐκχέω
Category: Holy Spirit
NEW. Acts 2:17, 18, 33. Established Lutherbibel liquid-metaphor verb; render identically across all three occurrences for cross-reference consistency.
Power Of God
Approved rendering: Kraft Gottes
Transliteration: Kraft Gottes
Doctrine: Power of God for Salvation
Original: δύναμις (θεοῦ)
Category: God
Inherited from Romans package, unchanged. Promised at Acts 1:8 (‘you will receive power’) and demonstrated throughout the apostolic miracle narratives; keep distinguishable from ἐξουσία (‘Vollmacht,’ delegated authority).
Promise Epangelia
Approved rendering: Verheißung
Transliteration: Verheißung
Doctrine: The Holy Spirit and Pentecost; Messianic Promise (continuation)
Rejected alternatives: Versprechen (rejected — everyday register, loses covenantal weight)
Original: ἐπαγγελία
Category: Holy Spirit
NEW. Acts 1:4; 2:33, 39. Established biblical-German term, consistent with existing covenant-fulfillment vocabulary elsewhere in this curriculum; distinct from the everyday ‘Versprechen.‘
Providence
Approved rendering: Vorsehung
Transliteration: Vorsehung
Doctrine: Providence
Original: πρόνοια (cf. βουλή/πρόγνωσις θεοῦ)
Category: God
Inherited from Romans package, unchanged. Explicit at Acts 2:23 (the crucifixion’s ‘determined plan and foreknowledge’), 17:26-28 (God’s ordering of nations), and implicit throughout the voyage narrative (ch. 27); must not be rendered as impersonal fate.
Restoration Of All Things
Approved rendering: Wiederherstellung aller Dinge
Transliteration: Wiederherstellung aller Dinge
Doctrine: The Promised Restoration of All Things
Original: ἀποκατάστασις
Category: Eschatology
NEW. Acts 3:21. Must be distinguished in teaching material from the later, disputed technical theological doctrine of universal salvation (also called ‘Apokatastasis’ in scholarly literature) — a narrower, controversial claim this text does not itself make. Do not transliterate as ‘Apokatastasis,’ which would increase rather than reduce confusion.
Resurrection
Approved rendering: Auferstehung
Transliteration: Auferstehung
Doctrine: Resurrection of Christ
Original: ἀνάστασις
Category: Eschatology
Inherited from Romans package, unchanged. The central apologetic claim of nearly every apostolic sermon in Acts (2:24-32; 4:2, 33; 17:18, 32; 23:6; 24:15, 21; 26:23); must retain the historical, bodily sense without softening into metaphor, especially at 17:32’s Athenian mockery and 23:6-8’s intra-Jewish dispute.
Roman Citizenship Literal
Approved rendering: römisches Bürgerrecht
Transliteration: römisches Bürgerrecht
Doctrine: Persecution and Bold Witness (narrative background)
Original: πολίτης Ῥωμαῖος, πολιτεία
Category: Persecution and Witness
NEW. Acts 16:37; 22:25-29. Explicitly distinguish from the already-fixed heavenly ‘Bürgerrecht’ of Philippians 3:20 — same German word, entirely different referent and theological weight.
Self Control
Approved rendering: Selbstbeherrschung
Transliteration: Selbstbeherrschung
Doctrine: Persecution and Bold Witness (Paul before Felix)
Original: ἐγκράτεια
Category: Christian Life
NEW. Acts 24:25. Already implicit in the fixed Galatians 5:23 Frucht des Geistes list; no new risk beyond standard cross-curriculum consistency.
Sin
Approved rendering: Sünde
Transliteration: Sünde
Doctrine: Universal Human Accountability
Original: ἁμαρτία
Category: Sin
Inherited from Romans package, unchanged. Target of the forgiveness proclaimed throughout Acts’ sermons (2:38; 3:19; 10:43; 13:38; 26:18); continue guarding against colloquial trivialization.
Sorcery Simon Magus
Approved rendering: Zauberei / Simon der Zauberer
Transliteration: Zauberei
Doctrine: Simon Magus and the Purity of Spiritual Power
Original: μαγεία, Σίμων ὁ μάγος
Category: Apostolic Authority
NEW. Acts 8:9-24. Origin-narrative of the later German church-historical term ‘Simonie’ (buying/selling ecclesiastical office); note this legacy explicitly in teaching material, since German readers with church-historical background will likely supply the association unprompted.
Spirit Of Divination
Approved rendering: Wahrsagergeist
Transliteration: Wahrsagergeist
Doctrine: Apostolic Authority and Miracles; Confrontation with Pagan Occult Power
Original: πνεῦμα πύθωνα
Category: Apostolic Authority
NEW. Acts 16:16-18. Must be distinguished sharply, by explicit contrast, from the positive gift of prophecy (‘Weissagung’) elsewhere in this curriculum, since the German word field for prophecy/divination/fortune-telling overlaps more than the Greek does.
The Way
Approved rendering: der Weg
Transliteration: der Weg
Doctrine: Church as Community / Conversion of Paul
Original: ἡ ὁδός
Category: Church
NEW. Acts 9:2; 19:9, 23; 22:4; 24:14, 22. Early self-designation for the Christian movement. Note the resonance with, but do not conflate with, John 14:6’s Christological ‘Ich bin der Weg’ — a claim about Christ’s person, not the movement’s name.
Tongues Of Fire
Approved rendering: feuerartige Zungen / Zungen wie von Feuer
Transliteration: feuerartige Zungen
Doctrine: The Holy Spirit and Pentecost
Original: γλῶσσαι ὡσεὶ πυρός
Category: Holy Spirit
NEW. Acts 2:3. Sets up the deliberate Greek wordplay with v.4’s ‘tongues [languages]’; flag the Zungen/Sprachen switch explicitly so continuity across vv.3-4 and 2:11 is not lost for German readers, who cannot recover the pun from the German text alone.
Unhindered
Approved rendering: ungehindert
Transliteration: ungehindert
Doctrine: The Great Commission Fulfilled
Original: ἀκωλύτως
Category: Great Commission
NEW. Acts 28:31. Final word of the book in Greek word order. Forms a deliberate structural inclusio with Acts 1:8; draw out this structural significance explicitly in teaching material, paralleling the Mark 1:1/15:39 and John 1:1/20:28 inclusio pattern already documented in this curriculum.
Unknown God
Approved rendering: der unbekannte Gott
Transliteration: der unbekannte Gott
Doctrine: Gospel to Jews and Gentiles (Gentile apologetics); Areopagus Sermon
Original: ἄγνωστος θεός
Category: Gospel to Jews and Gentiles
NEW. Acts 17:23. Risk is contemporary misuse as an endorsement of generic pluralistic spirituality; Paul’s argument moves specifically and immediately to the God who raised Jesus (17:31), not to religious pluralism generally. Cross-reference the already-fixed Colossians 2:8 anti-philosophy-blanket-condemnation caution.
Yoke Of The Law
Approved rendering: Joch
Transliteration: Joch
Doctrine: Justification apart from the Law / Law and Grace
Original: ζυγός
Category: Law and Grace
NEW. Acts 15:10. Distinguish explicitly from Matthew 11:29-30’s very different, positive use of the same German word (‘mein Joch ist sanft’), so students do not conflate the two contrasting uses.
Low Risk Terms
Apostle
Approved rendering: Apostel
Transliteration: Apostel
Doctrine: Apostleship
Original: ἀπόστολος
Category: Church
Inherited from Romans package, unchanged. Note Acts 14:4, 14 applies the term also to Barnabas, slightly widening its later narrower usage — a background note, not a translation risk.
Artemis
Approved rendering: Artemis
Transliteration: Artemis
Doctrine: Persecution and Bold Witness (economic/religious conflict)
Rejected alternatives: Diana (rejected — the Latin form, not aligned with the Greek source or modern German Bible convention)
Original: Ἄρτεμις
Category: Persecution and Witness
NEW. Acts 19:23-41. Retain the Greek proper name; minor background note on modern German Neopagan usage only.
Casting Lots
Approved rendering: Los
Transliteration: Los
Doctrine: Apostolic Authority and Miracles
Original: κλῆρος
Category: Apostolic Authority
NEW. Acts 1:26. Literal casting-of-lots practice selecting Matthias. Etymological link to ‘Klerus/clergy’ is background trivia only, not a translation directive.
Christians Name
Approved rendering: Christen
Transliteration: Christen
Doctrine: Gospel to Jews and Gentiles
Original: Χριστιανός
Category: Gospel to Jews and Gentiles
NEW. Acts 11:26. Historically significant first application of a distinct social/religious identity label to the movement, at Antioch. Fully stable, ubiquitous German term; the only teaching-material note needed is the historical-first-usage significance, not a translation-choice risk.
David
Approved rendering: David
Transliteration: David
Doctrine: Davidic Covenant
Original: Δαυίδ
Category: Covenant
Inherited from Romans package, unchanged. Source of the messianic Psalm citations Peter (2:25-31, 34) and Paul (13:22, 34-37) both use.
Exhort
Approved rendering: ermahnen
Transliteration: ermahnen
Doctrine: Mutual Edification
Original: παρακαλέω
Category: Faith
Inherited from Romans package, unchanged. Context at Acts 2:40 (a receptive, responsive crowd) favors the warmer ‘ermutigte’ rendering over the more corrective ‘ermahnte’; used repeatedly of apostolic encouragement (11:23; 14:22; 15:32; 20:2).
Gospel
Approved rendering: Evangelium
Transliteration: Evangelium
Doctrine: Gospel
Original: εὐαγγέλιον
Category: Salvation
Inherited from Romans package, unchanged. Shared, stable term across Catholic (Einheitsübersetzung) and Protestant (Lutherbibel) German Bibles since Luther himself coined this usage. Used throughout Acts for the content of apostolic preaching (e.g. Acts 20:24).
Jesus
Approved rendering: Jesus
Transliteration: Jesus
Doctrine: Lordship of Christ
Original: Ἰησοῦς
Category: Christology
Inherited from Romans package, unchanged. Stable across all German traditions.
Pentecost
Approved rendering: Pfingsten
Transliteration: Pfingsten
Doctrine: The Holy Spirit and Pentecost
Original: Πεντηκοστή
Category: Holy Spirit
NEW. Acts 2:1. Established German holiday-name term (Pfingstmontag is a public holiday). Risk is under-teaching of the Jewish Feast-of-Weeks (Shavuot) background, not mistranslation — secular/konfessionslos readers know the holiday but not its theological content, requiring explicit exposition rather than assumed background knowledge.
Prophecy
Approved rendering: Weissagung
Transliteration: Weissagung
Doctrine: Fulfillment of Prophecy
Original: προφητεία
Category: Covenant
Inherited from Romans package, unchanged. Must be kept explicitly distinct from the pagan divinatory ‘spirit of Python’ (Acts 16:16-18) by contrast; see ‘spirit_of_divination’ below.
Prophet
Approved rendering: Prophet
Transliteration: Prophet
Doctrine: Inspiration of Scripture
Original: προφήτης
Category: Covenant
Inherited from Romans package, unchanged. Applied to Joel (2:16), David (2:30), Moses (3:22; 7:37), and to the church’s own prophets (Agabus, 11:28; 21:10-11; also 13:1; 15:32; 21:9).
Stoning
Approved rendering: steinigen
Transliteration: steinigen
Doctrine: Persecution and Bold Witness
Original: λιθοβολέω
Category: Persecution and Witness
NEW. Acts 7:58-59; 14:19. Concrete first-century capital-punishment method; handle with the same historical-specificity discipline already established for other historically-anchored violence narratives in this curriculum.
Zeus Hermes
Approved rendering: Zeus / Hermes
Transliteration: Zeus
Doctrine: Apostolic Authority and Miracles
Original: Ζεύς, Ἑρμῆς
Category: Apostolic Authority
NEW. Acts 14:12. Retain the Greek proper names as-is; minimal contemporary German collision risk.
Referenced passages