Core Glossary
Acts — Core Glossary (Hmong Language Package)
This glossary is organized in two parts: (A) Terms inherited unchanged from the Romans baseline TM, cited here for every chapter of Acts in which they recur (per the full-book-coverage mandate — these are NOT re-defined, only cross-referenced to their governing Romans TM entry), and (B) New terms surfacing for the first time in Acts, each given full field treatment consistent with bible_term_registry.json’s schema. Risk-tier definitions are inherited unchanged from the Romans baseline registry_metadata.risk_tier_definitions.
Part A — Inherited Romans-Baseline Terms Reused in Acts
| Term (English) | Hmong Rendering (fixed, verbatim from Romans TM) | Risk (inherited) | Acts Chapters Where Reused |
|---|---|---|---|
| God | Vajtswv | Low | all |
| Lord | tus Tswv | Low | all |
| Jesus Christ | Yexus Khetos | Low | all |
| Father (God) | Leej Txiv | Low | 1, 2 |
| Holy Spirit | Vaj Ntsuj Plig | Critical | 1, 2, 4, 5, 6, 8, 9, 10, 11, 13, 15, 19 |
| human spirit/soul | ntsuj plig | High | 2, 7 (Stephen’s spirit), 20 (Paul’s spirit) |
| Son of God | Leej Tub ntawm Vajtswv | Low | 9, 13 |
| Gospel | Txoj Moo Zoo | Low | throughout |
| Apostle | tus Tub Txib | Medium | 1, 2, 4, 5, 6, 8, 9, 11, 13-15, 16 |
| Servant/Slave (self-designation) | qhev | High | 4:29 (Peter/John), 16:17 |
| Deacon/Servant (office) | tus pab tu pawg ntseeg | Medium | 6 |
| Grace | txiaj ntsim | Critical | 4, 11, 13, 14, 15, 18, 20 |
| Peace | kev thaj yeeb | Low | 9, 10, 15 |
| Faith/Believe | kev ntseeg / ntseeg | Medium | throughout |
| Obedience of faith | kev mloog lus ntawm kev ntseeg | Medium | 5:32, 6:7 |
| Promise | lus cog tseg | Low | 1, 2, 7, 13, 26 |
| Nations/Gentiles | lwm Haiv Neeg | Low | 9, 10, 11, 13-15, 18, 21-22, 26, 28 |
| Jew | cov Yudas | Low | throughout |
| Greek | cov Kilis | Low | 6, 11, 14, 16-21 |
| Flesh (neutral) | lub cev nqaij tawv | Critical | 2 (Ps 16 quote) |
| Righteousness/Righteous | Vajtswv txoj kev ncaj ncees / tus ncaj ncees | Critical | 13, 24 |
| Justify/Reckon as righteous | ua kom ncaj ncees / raug suav tias ncaj ncees | Critical | 13 |
| Law (Mosaic/Divine) | Txoj Kevcai (ntawm Vajtswv / Mauxes) | Critical | 6-7, 13, 15, 18, 21-25, 28 |
| Circumcision | kev txiav (raws li Txoj Kevcai Mauxes) | Medium | 7, 10-11, 15-16, 21 |
| Impartiality of God | tsis saib ntsej muag | Low | 10, 15 |
| Wrath of God | kev npau taws ntawm Vajtswv | High | 17 (implied, judgment) |
| Idol | dab mlom | High | 7, 14-15, 17, 19 |
| Truth | qhov tseeb | Low | 24, 26 |
| Death | txoj kev tuag | Low | throughout narrative |
| Baptism | kev cai raus dej | High | 2, 8-11, 16, 18-19, 22 |
| Sanctification | kev raug ua kom dawb huv | High | 15, 20, 26 |
| Eternal life | txoj sia nyob mus ib txhis | Low | 13 |
| Adoption as sons | raug muab coj los ua me tub (ntawm Vajtswv) | Medium | (thematic, not lexically explicit in Acts) |
| Glory | lub yeeb koob | Low | 7, 12 |
| Election/Choose | kev xaiv (Vajtswv xaiv raws li nws lub siab nyiam) | Critical | 1, 9, 13, 15 |
| Foreknow/Predestine | twb paub ua ntej lawm / twm chaw ua ntej lawm | High | 2, 4 |
| Vessel (mercy/wrath) | lub yias uas tau txais txiaj ntsim / kev npau taws | Medium | 9 (adapted, see chosen_instrument_vessel below) |
| Power | hwjchim (always “Vajtswv hwjchim”) | High | 1-4, 6, 8, 10, 19 |
| Salvation/Save | kev cawm dim / cawm | High | throughout, esp. 2, 4, 11, 13, 16, 27 |
| Renewal of the mind | hloov siab tshiab | Low-Medium | (kept distinct from new repentance_repent, see Part B) |
| Body of Christ | lub cev ntawm Khetos | Low | (thematic) |
| Governing authority | cov muaj hwjchim kav teb chaws | High | 4-5 (council), 12 (Herod), 18 (Gallio), 23-26 (Roman officials) |
| Kingdom of God | lub Nceeg Vaj ntawm Vajtswv | Low | 1, 8, 14, 19-20, 28 |
| Stumbling block | qhov/pob zeb ua rau dawm ceg | Low-Medium | (contrast with new cornerstone entry, Part B) |
| Endurance | kev ua siab ntev | Low | 14, 20 |
| Worship/Serve (cultic) | pehawm / pab teev (always “pehawm Vajtswv”) | High | 7, 13, 14, 16, 18, 24 |
| Witness | tus timkhawv | Low (see semantic-development note, Part B) | 1-2, 5, 7, 10, 13, 22, 26 |
| Thanksgiving | ua tsaug | Low | 27-28 |
| World | lub ntiajteb | Low | 17 |
| Will of God | Vajtswv lub siab nyiam | Medium | 13, 21-22 |
| Scripture | Vaj Lug Kub | Low | 1, 8, 17-18 |
| In Christ (union formula) | nyob hauv Khetos | High | (thematic, esp. baptism passages) |
| Love | kev hlub | Low | 20 |
| Hope | kev cia siab | Low | 23-24, 26, 28 |
| Mercy | txoj kev khuv leej | Medium | (implicit in conversion narratives) |
| Firstfruits | thawj phaus qoob loo / cov ua ntej | Low-Medium | 2 (Pentecost harvest-feast association) |
Part B — New Terms Surfacing in Acts (Full Field Treatment)
| # | English Term | Greek / Transliteration | Category | Hmong Rendering | Risk | Doctrine(s) | Chapters | Alternatives Rejected | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| B1 | Repentance / Repent | μετάνοια / μετανοέω — metanoia / metanoeō | Repentance & Baptism | hloov siab lees txim tso kev txhaum tseg | High | Repentance and Baptism | 2:38, 3:19, 5:31, 8:22, 11:18, 13:24, 17:30, 19:4, 20:21, 26:20 | ”hloov siab tshiab” — rejected; reserved by Romans baseline for renewal_of_the_mind (ongoing sanctification), a distinct doctrinal moment from initial conversion-repentance | Must be taught as decisive God-ward reorientation, not the reparable social/ritual-fault repair pattern native to Hmong txhaum-custom. |
| B2 | Forgiveness of Sins | ἄφεσις ἁμαρτιῶν — aphesis hamartiōn | Repentance & Baptism | kev zam txim | Medium | Repentance and Baptism | 2:38, 5:31, 10:43, 13:38, 26:18 | none identified | Pair with B1’s teaching note to avoid a ritual-debt-cancellation reading. |
| B3 | Gift of the Holy Spirit | δωρεὰ τοῦ ἁγίου πνεύματος — dōrea tou hagiou pneumatos | Holy Spirit & Pentecost | Vaj Ntsuj Plig raug muab pub dawb rau | Medium | The Holy Spirit and Pentecost | 2:38, 8:20, 10:45, 11:17 | conflating with Romans-baseline spiritual_gift (charisma) — rejected; dōrea is the Spirit-Person given, not a distributed gift-manifestation | Keep lexically distinct from spiritual_gift. |
| B4 | Pour Out (the Spirit) | ἐκχέω — ekcheō | Holy Spirit & Pentecost | nchuav (Vaj Ntsuj Plig) — always with explicit divine subject | High | The Holy Spirit and Pentecost | 2:17-18, 2:33, 10:45 | bare “nchuav” with no subject — forbidden; collides with ancestor/spirit libation-pouring ritual | Mandatory: subject “Vajtswv/tus Tswv” must always precede or accompany the verb. |
| B5 | Filled with the Holy Spirit | πίμπλημι/πληρόω + πνεύματος ἁγίου — pimplēmi/plēroō + pneumatos hagiou | Holy Spirit & Pentecost | puv / puv npo ntawm Vaj Ntsuj Plig | High | The Holy Spirit and Pentecost | 2:4, 4:8, 4:31, 6:3, 6:5, 7:55, 9:17, 11:24, 13:9, 13:52 | ”nkag” (spirit-possession verb) — PERMANENTLY FORBIDDEN, same prohibition as Romans-baseline 5:12 note | Direct extension of a Romans-baseline forbidden substitution into a high-frequency Acts formula. |
| B6 | Speak in Other Tongues | ἑτέραις γλώσσαις λαλεῖν — heterais glōssais lalein | Holy Spirit & Pentecost | hais lwm yam lus | Medium | The Holy Spirit and Pentecost | 2:4, 10:46, 19:6 | using “nplaig” (organ) for the speech-miracle — rejected; reserve “nplaig” for the literal tongue-of-fire imagery of 2:3 | Comprehension-level distinction, not a doctrinal collision. |
| B7 | Signs and Wonders | σημεῖα καὶ τέρατα — sēmeia kai terata | Apostolic Authority & Miracles | tej cim thiab tej txuj ci tseem ceeb ntawm Vajtswv | High | Apostolic Authority and Miracles | 2:19, 2:22, 2:43, 4:30, 5:12, 6:8, 8:13, 14:3, 15:12 | bare, unqualified “txuj ci” — rejected, indistinguishable from a shaman’s ritual feats | Always anchor explicitly to God/the apostles’ Spirit-given commission. |
| B8 | Casting Lots | κλῆρος — klēros | Apostolic Authority & Miracles / Great Commission | ua nrig xaiv | High | Apostolic Authority and Miracles (cautionary) | 1:26 | none identified | Teach as a superseded, pre-Pentecost, Spirit-sanctioned one-time practice; never model as an ongoing divinatory method. |
| B9 | Sorcery / Magic | μαγεία — mageia (Σίμων ὁ μάγος, Simon the sorcerer; also 13:6-12, 19:19) | Apostolic Authority & Miracles | khawv koob | Critical | Apostolic Authority and Miracles | 8:9-24, 13:6-12, 19:19 | none — this IS the live Hmong term and cannot be softened without erasing the necessary contrast | Must always be presented as condemned/counterfeit, contrasted with genuine Vajtswv hwjchim. |
| B10 | Laying On of Hands | ἐπίθεσις τῶν χειρῶν — epithesis tōn cheirōn | Apostolic Authority & Miracles / Church as Community | tsa tes rau saum (lawv) | High | Apostolic Authority and Miracles; Church as Community | 6:6, 8:17-19, 9:12, 9:17, 13:3, 19:6, 28:8 | none identified | Simon Magus’s attempted purchase of this act (8:18-20) supplies built-in contrast-teaching material. |
| B11 | Vision / Trance | ὅραμα / ἔκστασις — horama / ekstasis | Conversion of Paul; Gospel to Jews and Gentiles | yog toog | Critical | Conversion of Paul; Gospel to Jews and Gentiles | 9:10, 9:12, 10:3, 10:10, 10:17, 10:19, 11:5, 12:9, 16:9-10, 18:9, 22:17-18, 26:19 | a purely descriptive circumlocution avoiding “yog toog” — considered, but rejected as impractical since “yog toog” is the only natural Hmong term for this experiential category; retained WITH mandatory contrast-teaching rather than avoided | Requires mandatory human theologian review at every occurrence; highest-priority new collision term in this Language Package alongside B14 and B18. |
| B12 | Clean / Unclean (food, ritual) | κοινός / ἀκάθαρτος — koinos / akathartos | Gospel to Jews and Gentiles | qias tsis huv / dawb huv | Critical | The Gospel to Jews and Gentiles | 10:14-15, 10:28, 11:8-9 | treating this primarily as a hygiene statement — rejected, obscures the Gentile-inclusion point | Extends the Romans-baseline dawb huv (sanctification) collision into food/ritual-purity taboo domain. |
| B13 | God-fearer | φοβούμενος τὸν θεόν — phoboumenos ton theon | Gospel to Jews and Gentiles | tus ntshai thiab hwm Vajtswv | Medium | The Gospel to Jews and Gentiles | 10:2, 10:22, 10:35, 13:16, 13:26, 13:43, 16:14, 17:4, 17:17 | none identified | Comprehension-level category term for Gentile sympathizers with Judaism. |
| B14 | Spirit of Divination | πνεῦμα πύθωνα — pneuma pythōna | Gospel to Jews and Gentiles; Holy Spirit and Pentecost (by contrast) | dab saib yaig | Critical | Persecution and Bold Witness; contrast to Holy Spirit and Pentecost | 16:16 | presenting as a neutral “spiritual gift” — PERMANENTLY FORBIDDEN | Text itself supplies contrast-teaching: Paul exorcises it; never a legitimate parallel to Spirit-given gifts. Mandatory human theologian review. |
| B15 | Proselyte | προσήλυτος — prosēlytos | Gospel to Jews and Gentiles | cov txawv haiv tuaj koom nkag rau Kevcai Yudas | Medium | The Gospel to Jews and Gentiles | 2:10, 6:5, 13:43 | none identified | Comprehension gap, no native institution equivalent. |
| B16 | The Way (self-designation) | ἡ ὁδός — hē hodos | Conversion of Paul; Church as Community | Txoj Kev (capitalized/marked as proper name) | Medium | Conversion of Paul; The Church as Community | 9:2, 19:9, 19:23, 22:4, 24:14, 24:22 | lowercase generic “txoj kev” alone — rejected, loses proper-name force | First-occurrence footnote required. |
| B17 | Chosen Instrument (vessel) | σκεῦος ἐκλογῆς — skeuos eklogēs | Conversion of Paul | lub yias uas Vajtswv xaiv | Medium | Conversion of Paul | 9:15 | none identified | Convergence of Romans-baseline vessel_of_mercy_wrath + election_choose roots; retain mandatory volitional-choice qualifier. |
| B18 | Unknown God | ἀγνώστῳ θεῷ — agnōstō theō | Gospel to Jews and Gentiles (cross-cultural apologetics) | tus Vajtswv uas lawv tsis paub | Critical | The Gospel to Jews and Gentiles | 17:23 | rendering with a lowercase/generic deity-term instead of Vajtswv — considered, but rejected since it would blunt Paul’s own deliberate rhetorical identification | Mandatory human theologian review; must never be generalized into a syncretistic principle for Hmong ancestor/spirit veneration. |
| B19 | Church / Assembly | ἐκκλησία — ekklēsia | Church as Community | pawg ntseeg | Low | The Church as Community | 8:1, 8:3, 9:31, 11:22, 11:26, 12:1, 13:1, 14:23, 14:27, 15:3-4, 15:22, 15:41, 16:5, 18:22, 19:32, 19:39-40, 20:17, 20:28 | none identified | Already implicit in Romans-baseline deacon_servant string; formalized as standalone entry. |
| B20 | Fellowship (koinōnia) | κοινωνία — koinōnia | Church as Community | kev sib raug zoo / kev koom ua ke ntawm cov ntseeg | Low-Medium | The Church as Community | 2:42 | none identified | Positive bridge to Hmong clan communal life. |
| B21 | Breaking of Bread | κλάσις τοῦ ἄρτου — klasis tou artou | Church as Community | kev muab ncuav rhe ua ke noj | Medium-High | The Church as Community | 2:42, 2:46, 20:7, 20:11, 27:35 | unmarked reuse of the fij (offering) domain — rejected, risks assimilation to ancestor-feast ritual | Must be taught as ordinary/possibly sacramental table-fellowship, never ancestor-feast offering. |
| B22 | Holding All Things in Common | εἶχον ἅπαντα κοινά | Church as Community | muab txhua yam khoom coj los ua ke | Low-Medium | The Church as Community | 2:44-45, 4:32-35 | none identified | Risk is under-teaching voluntary generosity vs. mandated ownership, not collision. |
| B23 | Elder (church office) | πρεσβύτερος — presbyteros | Church as Community | cov txwj laus (hauv pawg ntseeg) | Medium | The Church as Community | 11:30, 14:23, 15:2, 15:4, 15:6, 15:22-23, 16:4, 20:17, 21:18 | bare “txwj laus” with no qualifier — rejected, conflates with clan/ancestor-ritual elder authority | Qualifier “(hauv pawg ntseeg)” mandatory at every occurrence. |
| B24 | Overseer (episkopos) | ἐπίσκοπος — episkopos | Church as Community | tus saib xyuas pawg ntseeg | Medium | The Church as Community | 20:28 | treating as an office distinct from elder — rejected; 20:17,28 use both terms of the same referents | Teach as descriptive synonym-pair with elder, not a separate office; distinct from deacon_servant. |
| B25 | Hellenists / Hebrews | Ἑλληνισταί / Ἑβραῖοι — Hellēnistai / Hebraioi | Church as Community | cov Yudas hais lus Kilis / cov Yudas hais lus Henplais | Low | The Church as Community | 6:1 | none identified | Ethnic-linguistic subgroup distinction within the early Jewish-Christian community. |
| B26 | Christian | Χριστιανός — Christianos | Church as Community; General | cov Khixatia | Low | General / cross-cutting | 11:26, 26:28 | none identified | Built on the fixed Khetos root. |
| B27 | Angel of the Lord | ἄγγελος κυρίου — angelos kyriou | Apostolic Authority and Miracles; Persecution and Bold Witness | tus tubtxib saum ntuj ntawm tus Tswv | High | Apostolic Authority and Miracles; Persecution and Bold Witness | 5:19, 8:26, 10:3, 12:7-11, 12:23, 27:23 | plain “dab”/spirit-vocabulary — PERMANENTLY FORBIDDEN, would conflate with ancestor/nature-spirit intermediaries | Built on apostle’s “tub txib” root plus “saum ntuj” (heavenly) qualifier, mandatory at every occurrence. |
| B28 | Son of Man (Christological title) | ὁ υἱὸς τοῦ ἀνθρώπου — ho huios tou anthrōpou | Conversion of Paul; General Christology | Tus Tub ntawm Tib Neeg | Medium | Persecution and Bold Witness (Stephen’s vision) | 7:56 | conflating with Son of God — rejected, distinct apocalyptic-Danielic title | Keep lexically distinct from Romans-baseline son_of_god. |
| B29 | Servant of God (Messianic title, pais) | παῖς — pais | Gospel to Jews and Gentiles; Conversion doctrine (Christological) | nws tus Tub Qhe (honorific) | Medium | The Gospel to Jews and Gentiles | 3:13, 3:26, 4:27, 4:30 | reuse of bare Romans-baseline qhev unqualified — rejected, collapses honorific Isaianic title into Paul’s self-abasing bondservant self-designation | Keep distinct register: honorific third-person title vs. first-person bondservant confession. |
| B30 | Cornerstone / Rejected Stone | λίθος … κεφαλὴν γωνίας — lithos … kephalēn gōnias | Justification apart from the Law (Christology) | pob zeb uas cov kws tsim tsev tsis xaiv, tab sis rov ua tus thawj pob zeb | Medium | Persecution and Bold Witness; General Christology | 4:11 | conflating with Romans-baseline stumbling_block (negative sense) without disambiguation — rejected | Deliberately reversed positive valence from the shared “pob zeb” root; teach both together. |
| B31 | Resurrection of the Dead | ἀνάστασις — anastasis | Apostolic Authority and Miracles; Conversion of Paul; General Kerygma | sawv hauv qhov tuag rov qab los | High | Apostolic Authority and Miracles; core kerygma throughout | 1:22, 2:24, 2:31-32, 4:2, 4:33, 17:18, 17:32, 23:6, 23:8, 24:15, 24:21, 26:8, 26:23 | assimilating to ancestor-spirit continuity beliefs — rejected | Must be taught as future bodily event, not perpetual ancestor-spirit existence. |
| B32 | Exalted at the Right Hand | τῇ δεξιᷠτοῦ θεοῦ ὑψωθείς — tē dexia tou theou hypsōtheis | Holy Spirit and Pentecost; Christology | raug tsa qhov chaw rau ntawm sab tes xis ntawm Vajtswv | Medium | The Holy Spirit and Pentecost | 2:33, 5:31 | implying Jesus “became” Lord/God only at this moment (adoptionism) — must be explicitly guarded against | Pair with full-deity teaching already established for son_of_god. |
| B33 | Name of Jesus (invocation formula) | ἐπὶ τῷ ὀνόματι Ἰησοῦ (Χριστοῦ) — epi tō onomati Iēsou (Christou) | Repentance and Baptism; Apostolic Authority and Miracles | hauv lub npe ntawm Yexus Khetos | Critical | Repentance and Baptism; Apostolic Authority and Miracles | 2:38, 3:6, 3:16, 4:10, 4:12, 4:30, 8:12, 8:16, 9:27-28, 10:43, 10:48, 16:18, 19:5, 19:13, 19:17, 22:16 | treating as a magical incantation-formula — PERMANENTLY FORBIDDEN; text itself dramatizes the danger via the Sons of Sceva (19:13-17) | Must always be anchored to genuine faith-relationship with the risen Christ, never a name-formula usable by any invoker. |
| B34 | Yoke | ζυγός — zygos | Justification apart from the Law | lub quab | Low-Medium | Justification apart from the Law | 15:10 | none identified | Concrete agrarian metaphor, transfers cleanly. |
| B35 | Apostolic Council Decree | τὰ δόγματα / τὰ ἐπάναγκες — ta dogmata / ta epanagkes | Justification apart from the Law; Church as Community | tej lus qhia tseg ntawm cov Tub Txib thiab cov Txwj Laus | Medium | The Church as Community; Justification apart from the Law | 15:20, 15:28-29, 16:4 | none identified | Institutional/comprehension-level; content overlaps idol and clean_unclean_food entries. |
| B36 | Ends of the Earth | ἔσχατον τῆς γῆς — eschaton tēs gēs | The Great Commission Fulfilled | mus txog thaj chaw kawg ntawm ntiajteb | Low | The Great Commission Fulfilled | 1:8 | none identified | Bookends with B37 at 28:31. |
| B37 | Proclaiming Without Hindrance | ἀκωλύτως — akōlytōs | The Great Commission Fulfilled | qhia tsis muaj leej twg thaiv | Low-Medium | The Great Commission Fulfilled | 28:31 | none identified | Deliberate final-word thematic capstone of the book. |
| B38 | Fasting | νηστεία — nēsteia | Church as Community; Apostolic Authority and Miracles | kev yoo mov | Low | The Church as Community | 13:2-3, 14:23, 27:9 | none identified | Established Hmong Christian practice-term. |
| B39 | Prayer | προσευχή / προσεύχομαι — proseuchē / proseuchomai | General / Church as Community | kev thov Vajtswv | Low | The Church as Community; general | 1:14, 2:42, 3:1, 4:24, 6:4, 10:9, 12:5, 13:3, 16:25 | none identified | Established devotional term, no collision. |
| B40 | Prophesy / Prophecy | προφητεύω / προφητεία — prophēteuō / prophēteia | Holy Spirit and Pentecost | cev Vajtswv lus | Medium | The Holy Spirit and Pentecost | 2:17-18, 11:27, 13:1, 15:32, 19:6, 21:9-10 | leaving message-source unanchored — rejected, risks confusion with B14 (spirit of divination) | Message-source must always be explicit (“Vajtswv”), distinguishing genuine prophecy from divination. |
Governing Note
This glossary is the Acts-specific extension of the Romans baseline bible_term_registry.json/translation_memory.json schema. All Part A terms are locked exactly as recorded in the Romans TM — no re-gloss permitted for any Critical or High risk term without a formal TM-revision review, per the inherited governance rule. All Part B terms are newly surfaced in this Language Package and are proposed as candidate TM entries pending the doctrine-risk registry and requirements-document work of subsequent Phase 1 steps; until formally ratified, any generation context should flag them per the [TRANSLATOR REVIEW NEEDED] convention established in the Romans-baseline AI requirements document, particularly for the four terms marked Critical requiring mandatory human theologian review: B9 (sorcery/magic), B11 (vision/trance), B14 (spirit of divination), B18 (unknown god), and B33 (name of Jesus invocation formula).
Critical Risk Terms
Holy Spirit
Approved rendering: Vaj Ntsuj Plig
Transliteration: pneuma hagion
Doctrine: The Holy Spirit and Pentecost
Rejected alternatives: bare ntsuj plig (no Vaj prefix) — rejected, denotes an animistic wandering human soul
Inherited from Romans package. Risk intensifies in Acts because the book repeatedly narrates the Spirit’s dramatic ‘filling’ and ‘falling upon’ persons (2:4, 4:8, 4:31, 8:15-17, 10:44) in scenes that could otherwise be read exactly like shamanic possession-trance. ‘Vaj’ prefix mandatory at every occurrence, no exceptions.
Grace
Approved rendering: txiaj ntsim
Transliteration: charis
Doctrine: Justification apart from the Law
Rejected alternatives: koob hmoov (fortune/blessing tied to fate and ritual correctness) — PERMANENTLY FORBIDDEN
Inherited from Romans package. Explicitly invoked as the ground of Gentile salvation apart from circumcision at 15:11. Also occurs in an ordinary non-salvific ‘favor/goodwill’ sense at 2:47, 7:10, 24:27, 25:9 — that ordinary sense must be rendered ‘txaus siab rau,’ never ‘txiaj ntsim,’ so the Critical term is never diluted.
Flesh Neutral Descent Body
Approved rendering: lub cev nqaij tawv
Transliteration: sarx (neutral)
Doctrine: The Holy Spirit and Pentecost
Rejected alternatives: bare nqaij used unmarked for both senses — rejected
Inherited from Romans package. Used in Acts 2:26,31 (Psalm 16 quotation, Christ’s flesh not seeing corruption). Acts does not deploy the moral/sinful-nature sense prominently; keep reserved for the neutral sense here.
Righteousness Of God Righteous
Approved rendering: Vajtswv txoj kev ncaj ncees / tus ncaj ncees
Transliteration: dikaiosynē theou / dikaios
Doctrine: Justification apart from the Law
Rejected alternatives: bare ‘kev ncaj ncees’ without the reckoning qualifier — rejected
Inherited from Romans package. Applied to Christ as ‘the Righteous One’ (3:14, 7:52, 22:14) and future judgment standard (17:31, 24:25).
Justify Reckon As Righteous
Approved rendering: ua kom ncaj ncees / raug suav tias ncaj ncees
Transliteration: dikaioō
Doctrine: Justification apart from the Law
Rejected alternatives: ‘ua zoo’ (do good) framing — rejected, reintroduces works-righteousness
Inherited from Romans package. Explicit antithesis with the Law at 13:38-39, Acts’ clearest single-verse anchor for this doctrine; must never suggest the Law could partially justify.
Law Mosaic Divine
Approved rendering: Txoj Kevcai (ntawm Vajtswv / Mauxes)
Transliteration: nomos
Doctrine: Justification apart from the Law
Rejected alternatives: bare ‘Txoj Kevcai’ without qualifier — rejected
Inherited from Romans package. Qualifier mandatory at every occurrence without exception; central controversy of the Jerusalem Council (ch.15) and Paul’s Nazirite-vow accommodation (ch.21).
Election Choose
Approved rendering: kev xaiv (Vajtswv xaiv raws li nws lub siab nyiam)
Transliteration: eklegomai / eklogē
Doctrine: Conversion of Paul
Rejected alternatives: hmoov (impersonal fate/fortune) — PERMANENTLY FORBIDDEN
Inherited from Romans package. Applied to apostles (1:2,24), Paul’s own commissioning (9:15, converging with chosen_instrument_vessel), and the missionary response at 13:48.
Propitiation Atoning Sacrifice
Approved rendering: qhov theej txhoj kev txhaum
Transliteration: hilastērion
Doctrine: The Gospel to Jews and Gentiles
Rejected alternatives: transliterated loanword — rejected, bare ‘qhov theej’ without qualifier — rejected
Inherited from Romans package. Contextually reused at the Isaiah 53 quotation applied to Christ (8:32-33, the Ethiopian eunuch narrative).
Sorcery Magic
Approved rendering: khawv koob
Transliteration: mageia
Doctrine: Apostolic Authority and Miracles
Rejected alternatives: softened/generic rendering — rejected, this IS the live Hmong term and cannot be softened without erasing the necessary contrast
NEW TERM. Applied to Simon Magus (8:9-24), Elymas (13:6-12), and the Ephesian exorcists (19:13-19). Must always be presented as condemned/counterfeit power, contrasted with genuine Vajtswv hwjchim. Mandatory human theologian review.
Vision Trance
Approved rendering: yog toog
Transliteration: horama / ekstasis
Doctrine: Conversion of Paul
Rejected alternatives: descriptive circumlocution avoiding ‘yog toog’ — considered, rejected as impractical; the only natural Hmong term for this experiential category
NEW TERM. Occurs 9:10,12, 10:3,10,17,19, 11:5, 12:9, 16:9-10, 18:9, 22:17-18, 26:19. The identical term for a shaman’s deliberately self-induced or ritually-induced trance-journey. Highest-priority collision term in this Language Package; mandatory human theologian review at every occurrence, with co-text establishing God as sole initiator and Christ-centered content.
Clean Unclean Food
Approved rendering: qias tsis huv / dawb huv
Transliteration: koinos / akathartos
Doctrine: The Gospel to Jews and Gentiles
Rejected alternatives: treating primarily as a hygiene statement — rejected, obscures the Gentile-inclusion point
NEW TERM. Occurs 10:14-15, 10:28, 11:8-9. Extends the Romans-baseline ‘dawb huv’ collision into Hmong food/ritual-purity taboo domain. Must be taught as God’s declaration of Gentile inclusion, not primarily a statement about food hygiene.
Spirit Of Divination
Approved rendering: dab saib yaig
Transliteration: pneuma pythōna
Doctrine: Persecution and Bold Witness
Rejected alternatives: presenting as a neutral ‘spiritual gift’ — PERMANENTLY FORBIDDEN
NEW TERM. Occurs 16:16. Names an actual recognized category in Hmong spirit-taxonomy (a spirit granting second-sight/fortune-telling to its host). The passage itself identifies this as an evil/oppressive spirit exorcised by Paul, providing built-in contrast-teaching against confusion with the Holy Spirit’s genuine gifts. Mandatory human theologian review.
Unknown God
Approved rendering: tus Vajtswv uas lawv tsis paub
Transliteration: agnōstō theō
Doctrine: The Gospel to Jews and Gentiles
Rejected alternatives: lowercase/generic deity-term instead of Vajtswv — considered, rejected since it would blunt Paul’s own deliberate rhetorical identification
NEW TERM. Occurs 17:23. Textually justified by Paul’s own argument, but risks being generalized into a syncretistic principle legitimizing Hmong ancestor/nature-spirit veneration as unknowing worship of the true God. Must be taught with the specific historical-rhetorical context intact, never generalized. Mandatory human theologian review.
Name Of Jesus
Approved rendering: hauv lub npe ntawm Yexus Khetos
Transliteration: epi tō onomati Iēsou (Christou)
Doctrine: Repentance and Baptism
Rejected alternatives: treating as a magical incantation-formula — PERMANENTLY FORBIDDEN, text itself dramatizes the danger via the Sons of Sceva, 19:13-17
NEW TERM. Occurs 2:38, 3:6,16, 4:10,12,30, 8:12,16, 9:27-28, 10:43,48, 16:18, 19:5,13,17, 22:16. Must always be anchored to genuine faith-relationship with the risen Christ, never a name-formula usable by any invoker. Also underlies the Romans-baseline forbidden ‘hu’ (ritual soul-calling) prohibition applied to ‘call on the name of the Lord’ (2:21, 22:16).
High Risk Terms
Human Spirit Soul
Approved rendering: ntsuj plig
Transliteration: pneuma / psychē (anthropological)
Doctrine: The Holy Spirit and Pentecost
Rejected alternatives: Vaj Ntsuj Plig — forbidden for this referent, reserved exclusively for the Holy Spirit
Inherited from Romans package. In Acts also used in an ordinary census-counting sense (‘about three thousand souls,’ 2:41) and of Stephen’s dying spirit (7:59) and Paul’s/Eutychus’s spirit (20:10); never prefixed with ‘Vaj’ in any of these senses.
Servant Slave Doulos
Approved rendering: qhev
Transliteration: doulos
Doctrine: Apostolic Authority and Miracles
Rejected alternatives: koom tes (co-worker/partner) — rejected
Inherited from Romans package. Must never be confused with the honorific third-person ‘pais’ title (servant_of_god_pais).
Wrath Of God
Approved rendering: kev npau taws ntawm Vajtswv
Transliteration: orgē theou
Doctrine: The Gospel to Jews and Gentiles
Rejected alternatives: unqualified ‘npau taws’ — rejected
Inherited from Romans package. Implied in the coming-judgment proclamation at Athens (17:31).
Idol
Approved rendering: dab mlom
Transliteration: eidōlon
Doctrine: The Gospel to Jews and Gentiles
Rejected alternatives: generic ‘statue’ softening — rejected
Inherited from Romans package. Central to the Council decree (15:20,29), Stephen’s speech (7:41ff, golden calf), Athens speech (17:16), and Ephesus riot (19:23-41).
Baptism
Approved rendering: kev cai raus dej
Transliteration: baptizō / baptisma
Doctrine: Repentance and Baptism
Rejected alternatives: transliterated loanword — rejected, baptism-as-testimony-only catechesis — rejected
Inherited from Romans package. Acts additionally requires a two-stage teaching note not previously needed in the Romans package: John’s baptism (repentance-oriented, water-only, 19:1-7) must be explicitly distinguished from Christian baptism (in the name of the Lord Jesus, joined with reception of the Spirit).
Sanctification
Approved rendering: kev raug ua kom dawb huv
Transliteration: hagiazō / katharizō
Doctrine: The Church as Community
Rejected alternatives: treating dawb huv as a repeatable ritual-cleansing state — rejected
Inherited from Romans package. 15:9 (‘purifying their hearts by faith’) reinforces the mandatory teaching that this purity is inward/faith-wrought, not external ritual cleansing.
Foreknow Predestine
Approved rendering: twb paub ua ntej lawm / twm chaw ua ntej lawm
Transliteration: prognōsis / horizō
Doctrine: The Holy Spirit and Pentecost
Rejected alternatives: hmoov (fate) vocabulary — rejected
Inherited from Romans package. At 2:23 must be paired with an explicit human-culpability clause (‘by the hand of lawless men’); also underlies 4:28 and 17:31 (appointed judgment).
Power
Approved rendering: hwjchim
Transliteration: dynamis
Doctrine: The Great Commission Fulfilled
Rejected alternatives: bare, unqualified hwjchim — FORBIDDEN
Inherited from Romans package. Always ‘Vajtswv hwjchim.’ The programmatic thesis-verse 1:8 (‘you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you’) is the densest concentration of this risk in the book, paralleling Rom 1:16.
Salvation Save
Approved rendering: kev cawm dim / cawm
Transliteration: sōtēria / sōzō
Doctrine: The Great Commission Fulfilled
Rejected alternatives: unanchored ‘dim’ parallel to shamanic soul-rescue — rejected
Inherited from Romans package. Always anchor explicitly to Yexus Khetos as sole agent/means in its spiritual sense; the shared Hmong rendering also covers ordinary physical rescue at 27:20,31,34, distinguished by context, not by a different word.
Governing Authority
Approved rendering: cov muaj hwjchim kav teb chaws
Transliteration: exousia
Doctrine: Persecution and Bold Witness
Rejected alternatives: unmarked hwjchim for civil rulers — rejected
Inherited from Romans package. Applies to the Sanhedrin, Herod, Gallio, and Roman officials (Felix, Festus, Agrippa) across chs. 4,5,12,18,23-26.
Worship Serve Cultic
Approved rendering: pehawm / pab teev
Transliteration: latreuō / proskyneō
Doctrine: The Gospel to Jews and Gentiles
Rejected alternatives: bare, unanchored pehawm — FORBIDDEN
Inherited from Romans package. Object must always be stated (‘pehawm Vajtswv’); dramatized at Lystra (14:14-15) where Paul refuses misdirected worship.
In Christ Union Formula
Approved rendering: nyob hauv Khetos
Transliteration: en Christō
Doctrine: Repentance and Baptism
Rejected alternatives: bare spatial ‘hauv’ with no fixed co-text — rejected
Inherited from Romans package. Thematic in Acts’ baptism narratives; must always be co-textually anchored to union with Christ’s death/resurrection.
Sin Act And Condition
Approved rendering: txhaum / kev txhaum
Transliteration: hamartia
Doctrine: Repentance and Baptism
Inherited from Romans package. Hmong custom frames wrongdoing as reparable social/ritual fault; this collision underlies the entire ‘repentance_repent’ and ‘forgiveness_of_sins’ entries below.
Repentance Repent
Approved rendering: hloov siab lees txim tso kev txhaum tseg
Transliteration: metanoia / metanoeō
Doctrine: Repentance and Baptism
Rejected alternatives: hloov siab tshiab — rejected, reserved for ongoing post-conversion sanctification (renewal_of_the_mind), a distinct doctrinal moment
NEW TERM. Hmong traditional religion frames wrongdoing (txhaum) chiefly as a reparable social/ritual fault against elders, clan order, or spirits, correctable through restitution or ritual apology — not a decisive, inward, God-ward reorientation. Occurs at every evangelistic climax: 2:38, 3:19, 5:31, 8:22, 11:18, 13:24, 17:30, 19:4, 20:21, 26:20.
Pour Out The Spirit
Approved rendering: nchuav (Vaj Ntsuj Plig) — always with explicit divine subject
Transliteration: ekcheō
Doctrine: The Holy Spirit and Pentecost
Rejected alternatives: bare ‘nchuav’ with no divine subject — FORBIDDEN, collides with ancestor/spirit libation-pouring ritual
NEW TERM. Occurs 2:17-18, 2:33, 10:45. The verb is identical to that used for pouring libations of liquor/water in Hmong ancestor-veneration and shamanic ritual offerings. The subject ‘Vajtswv/tus Tswv’ must always precede or accompany the verb, taught as a sovereign, one-directional divine bestowal, never a ritual exchange technique.
Filled With The Holy Spirit
Approved rendering: puv / puv npo ntawm Vaj Ntsuj Plig
Transliteration: pimplēmi / plēroō pneumatos hagiou
Doctrine: The Holy Spirit and Pentecost
Rejected alternatives: nkag (spirit-possession entry-verb) — PERMANENTLY FORBIDDEN, extends the identical prohibition from the Romans baseline’s 5:12 note
NEW TERM, high-frequency formula: 2:4, 4:8, 4:31, 6:3, 6:5, 7:55, 9:17, 11:24, 13:9, 13:52. Without the mandatory construction, hearers will assimilate this to shamanic possession-trance.
Signs And Wonders
Approved rendering: tej cim thiab tej txuj ci tseem ceeb ntawm Vajtswv
Transliteration: sēmeia kai terata
Doctrine: Apostolic Authority and Miracles
Rejected alternatives: bare, unqualified ‘txuj ci’ — rejected, indistinguishable from a shaman’s ritual feats
NEW TERM. Occurs 2:19, 2:22, 2:43, 4:30, 5:12, 6:8, 8:13, 14:3, 15:12. Always anchor explicitly to God/the apostles’ Spirit-given commission.
Casting Lots
Approved rendering: ua nrig xaiv
Transliteration: klēros
Doctrine: The Great Commission Fulfilled
NEW TERM. Occurs 1:26 (choosing Matthias). Closely resembles Hmong and broader animist divination practices; must be explicitly taught as a sanctioned, Spirit-guided, one-time, pre-Pentecost practice, never an ongoing endorsed divinatory technique.
Laying On Of Hands
Approved rendering: tsa tes rau saum (lawv)
Transliteration: epithesis tōn cheirōn
Doctrine: Apostolic Authority and Miracles
NEW TERM. Occurs 6:6, 8:17-19, 9:12,17, 13:3, 19:6, 28:8. Risks being read as a shamanic power-transmission gesture; the Simon Magus narrative (8:18-20) dramatizes this danger. Must be taught as a Spirit-empowered act of commissioning under God’s sovereign authority, never a technique that transmits power independent of God’s will.
Angel Of The Lord
Approved rendering: tus tubtxib saum ntuj ntawm tus Tswv
Transliteration: angelos kyriou
Doctrine: Apostolic Authority and Miracles
Rejected alternatives: plain ‘dab’/spirit-vocabulary — PERMANENTLY FORBIDDEN
NEW TERM. Occurs 5:19, 8:26, 10:3, 12:7-11,23, 27:23. Built on the apostle root (‘tub txib’) plus mandatory ‘saum ntuj’ qualifier at every occurrence, to distinguish from human apostles and from Hmong animistic spirit-intermediaries. Functions both as deliverer (5:19,12:7-11) and judgment-agent (12:23).
Resurrection Of The Dead
Approved rendering: sawv hauv qhov tuag rov qab los
Transliteration: anastasis
Doctrine: Apostolic Authority and Miracles
Rejected alternatives: assimilating to ancestor-spirit continuity beliefs — rejected
NEW TERM. Occurs 1:22, 2:24,31-32, 4:2,33, 9:36-42 (Tabitha), 17:18,32, 20:9-12 (Eutychus), 23:6,8, 24:15,21, 26:8,23. Must be taught as a one-time-past (Christ)/future (believers) bodily event, distinct from perpetual ancestor-spirit existence. Explicit point of pagan mockery at 17:32.
Medium Risk Terms
Apostle
Approved rendering: tus Tub Txib
Transliteration: apostolos
Doctrine: Apostolic Authority and Miracles
Inherited from Romans package. Foundational office-term structuring the whole book of Acts.
Deacon Servant
Approved rendering: tus pab tu pawg ntseeg
Transliteration: diakonos
Doctrine: The Church as Community
Rejected alternatives: qhev — rejected, would confuse the office with the total-ownership bondservant metaphor
Inherited from Romans package. Direct scriptural basis for this office is instituted in Acts 6:1-6.
Faith Believe
Approved rendering: kev ntseeg / ntseeg
Transliteration: pistis / pisteuō
Doctrine: Repentance and Baptism
Inherited from Romans package. Must always be anchored explicitly to its object (Christ), e.g. 16:31’s ‘believe in the Lord Jesus.‘
Obedience Of Faith
Approved rendering: kev mloog lus ntawm kev ntseeg
Transliteration: hypakoē pisteōs
Doctrine: Justification apart from the Law
Inherited from Romans package.
Circumcision
Approved rendering: kev txiav (raws li Txoj Kevcai Mauxes)
Transliteration: peritomē
Doctrine: Justification apart from the Law
Inherited from Romans package. Central controversy of the Jerusalem Council.
Adoption As Sons
Approved rendering: raug muab coj los ua me tub (ntawm Vajtswv)
Transliteration: huiothesia
Doctrine: The Church as Community
Inherited from Romans package. Thematic in Acts, not lexically explicit.
Vessel Of Mercy Wrath
Approved rendering: lub yias uas tau txais txiaj ntsim / kev npau taws
Transliteration: skeuos
Doctrine: Conversion of Paul
Inherited from Romans package. Distinct from the new ‘chosen_instrument_vessel’ entry (9:15), which is Paul’s specific apostolic-commissioning vessel-metaphor, not the general eschatological category.
Will Of God
Approved rendering: Vajtswv lub siab nyiam
Transliteration: thelēma theou / boulē
Doctrine: Election and the Sovereignty of God (carried over)
Inherited from Romans package. The ‘boulē’ sense underlies 2:23, 5:38-39, and 20:27’s ‘whole counsel of God.‘
Spiritual Gift
Approved rendering: ib yam khoom plig ntawm Vaj Ntsuj Plig
Transliteration: charisma pneumatikon
Doctrine: The Holy Spirit and Pentecost
Inherited from Romans package. Kept distinct from the new ‘gift_of_the_holy_spirit’ entry, which renders the Spirit-Person himself as gift (dōrea), not distributed gift-manifestations (charisma).
Mercy
Approved rendering: txoj kev khuv leej
Transliteration: eleos
Doctrine: Conversion of Paul
Rejected alternatives: txiaj ntsim (grace) used interchangeably — rejected
Inherited from Romans package. Implicit in conversion narratives throughout the book; kept lexically distinct from ‘grace.‘
Forgiveness Of Sins
Approved rendering: kev zam txim
Transliteration: aphesis hamartiōn
Doctrine: Repentance and Baptism
NEW TERM. ‘Zam’ (forgive/release) is a stable interpersonal-forgiveness term with no direct traditional-religion collision, but must be taught alongside repentance_repent’s collision note so hearers do not default to a ritual-debt-cancellation reading. Occurs 2:38, 5:31, 10:43, 13:38, 26:18.
Gift Of The Holy Spirit
Approved rendering: Vaj Ntsuj Plig raug muab pub dawb rau
Transliteration: dōrea tou hagiou pneumatos
Doctrine: The Holy Spirit and Pentecost
Rejected alternatives: conflating with spiritual_gift (charisma pneumatikon) — rejected, dōrea is the Spirit-Person given, not a distributed gift-manifestation
NEW TERM. Occurs 2:38, 8:20, 10:45, 11:17. Kept lexically distinct from spiritual_gift.
Speak In Other Tongues
Approved rendering: hais lwm yam lus
Transliteration: heterais glōssais lalein
Doctrine: The Holy Spirit and Pentecost
Rejected alternatives: using ‘nplaig’ (organ) for the speech-miracle — rejected, reserve ‘nplaig’ for the literal tongue-of-fire imagery of 2:3
NEW TERM. Occurs 2:4, 10:46, 19:6. Comprehension-level distinction only; text confirms real languages (2:6,8,11), not ecstatic gibberish.
God Fearer
Approved rendering: tus ntshai thiab hwm Vajtswv
Transliteration: phoboumenos ton theon
Doctrine: The Gospel to Jews and Gentiles
NEW TERM. Occurs 10:2,22,35, 13:16,26,43, 16:14, 17:4,17. Comprehension-level category for Gentile sympathizers with Judaism.
Proselyte
Approved rendering: cov txawv haiv tuaj koom nkag rau Kevcai Yudas
Transliteration: prosēlytos
Doctrine: The Gospel to Jews and Gentiles
NEW TERM. Occurs 2:10, 6:5, 13:43. Comprehension gap; no native equivalent institution.
The Way
Approved rendering: Txoj Kev
Transliteration: hē hodos
Doctrine: Conversion of Paul
Rejected alternatives: lowercase generic ‘txoj kev’ alone — rejected, loses proper-name force
NEW TERM. Occurs 9:2, 19:9,23, 22:4, 24:14,22. Must be visually/contextually marked as a proper name for the Christian movement; first-occurrence footnote required.
Chosen Instrument Vessel
Approved rendering: lub yias uas Vajtswv xaiv
Transliteration: skeuos eklogēs
Doctrine: Conversion of Paul
NEW TERM. Occurs 9:15. Convergence of the Romans-baseline vessel_of_mercy_wrath and election_choose roots; must retain the mandatory volitional-choice qualifier, never bare ‘xaiv,’ and must be contextually anchored to Paul’s specific commissioning.
Elder Church Office
Approved rendering: cov txwj laus (hauv pawg ntseeg)
Transliteration: presbyteros
Doctrine: The Church as Community
Rejected alternatives: bare ‘txwj laus’ with no qualifier — rejected, conflates with clan/ancestor-ritual elder authority
NEW TERM. Occurs 11:30, 14:23, 15:2,4,6,22-23, 16:4, 20:17, 21:18. Qualifier ‘(hauv pawg ntseeg)’ mandatory at every occurrence, zero exceptions.
Overseer Episkopos
Approved rendering: tus saib xyuas pawg ntseeg
Transliteration: episkopos
Doctrine: The Church as Community
Rejected alternatives: treating as an office distinct from elder — rejected, 20:17,28 use both terms of the same referents
NEW TERM. Occurs 20:28. Teach as descriptive synonym-pair with elder_church_office, not a separate office, and distinct from deacon_servant.
Son Of Man
Approved rendering: Tus Tub ntawm Tib Neeg
Transliteration: ho huios tou anthrōpou
Doctrine: Persecution and Bold Witness
Rejected alternatives: conflating with son_of_god — rejected, distinct apocalyptic-Danielic title
NEW TERM. Occurs 7:56 (Stephen’s vision). Keep lexically distinct from son_of_god to preserve Luke’s deliberate two-title Christology.
Servant Of God Pais
Approved rendering: nws tus Tub Qhe
Transliteration: pais
Doctrine: The Gospel to Jews and Gentiles
Rejected alternatives: reuse of bare servant_slave_doulos unqualified — rejected, collapses honorific title into self-abasing bondservant confession
NEW TERM. Occurs 3:13,26, 4:27,30. Honorific third-person Isaianic Suffering-Servant title applied to Christ by others; keep register distinct from Paul’s first-person qhev.
Cornerstone Rejected Stone
Approved rendering: pob zeb uas cov kws tsim tsev tsis xaiv, tab sis rov ua tus thawj pob zeb
Transliteration: lithos … kephalēn gōnias
Doctrine: Persecution and Bold Witness
Rejected alternatives: conflating with stumbling_block without disambiguation — rejected
NEW TERM. Occurs 4:11 (Ps 118 citation). Deliberately reversed positive valence from the shared ‘pob zeb’ root; always teach paired with stumbling_block.
Exalted At The Right Hand
Approved rendering: raug tsa qhov chaw rau ntawm sab tes xis ntawm Vajtswv
Transliteration: tē dexia tou theou hypsōtheis
Doctrine: The Holy Spirit and Pentecost
Rejected alternatives: implying Jesus ‘became’ Lord/God only at this moment (adoptionism) — must be explicitly guarded against
NEW TERM. Occurs 2:33, 5:31. Honor-idiom, comprehension-level; pair with full-deity teaching already established for son_of_god.
Apostolic Council Decree
Approved rendering: tej lus qhia tseg ntawm cov Tub Txib thiab cov Txwj Laus
Transliteration: ta dogmata / ta epanagkes
Doctrine: Justification apart from the Law
NEW TERM. Occurs 15:20,28-29, 16:4. Institutional/comprehension-level; content overlaps the idol and clean_unclean_food entries.
Prophesy Prophecy
Approved rendering: cev Vajtswv lus
Transliteration: prophēteuō / prophēteia
Doctrine: The Holy Spirit and Pentecost
Rejected alternatives: leaving message-source unanchored — rejected, risks confusion with spirit_of_divination
NEW TERM. Occurs 2:17-18, 11:27, 13:1, 15:32, 19:6, 21:9-10. Message-source must always be explicit (‘Vajtswv’) to keep this distinct from the evil, exorcism-worthy spirit_of_divination category.
Eunuch
Approved rendering: tus tub qhe raug txiav
Transliteration: eunouchos
Doctrine: The Gospel to Jews and Gentiles
NEW TERM. Occurs 8:27ff (Ethiopian eunuch). Comprehension/sensitivity gap, no doctrinal collision; requires a brief explanatory gloss.
Pentecost Feast Name
Approved rendering: Hnub Petekhaus (Kaum Tsib Hnub Tom Qab Kevcai Hla Dhau)
Transliteration: Pentēkostē
Doctrine: The Holy Spirit and Pentecost
NEW TERM, ratified from linguistic-gap-analysis candidate. Occurs 2:1, 20:16. No native harvest-pilgrimage-festival equivalent; transliterate with mandatory gloss (‘fiftieth day after Passover’) at first occurrence.
Synagogue
Approved rendering: tsev sablaj ntawm cov Yudas
Transliteration: synagōgē
Doctrine: The Gospel to Jews and Gentiles
NEW TERM, ratified from linguistic-gap-analysis candidate. Occurs 6, 9, 13, 14, 17, 18, 19. No native equivalent gathering-institution; descriptive gloss required at first occurrence.
Sanhedrin Council
Approved rendering: lub rooj sablaj loj ntawm cov Yudas
Transliteration: synedrion
Doctrine: Persecution and Bold Witness
NEW TERM, ratified from linguistic-gap-analysis candidate. Occurs 4, 5, 6, 22, 23, 24. Keep distinct from governing_authority (a religious-judicial body, not a Roman civil office).
Pharisee Sadducee
Approved rendering: cov Falixais / cov Xadukais
Transliteration: Pharisaios / Saddoukaios
Doctrine: Apostolic Authority and Miracles
NEW TERM, ratified from linguistic-gap-analysis candidate. Occurs 4, 5, 15, 23. Transliterated proper-party names, each with a first-occurrence descriptive footnote.
Nazirite Vow
Approved rendering: lus cog tseg ua Naxi (tsis txiav plaub hau, tsis haus cawv)
Transliteration: euchē
Doctrine: Justification apart from the Law
NEW TERM, ratified from linguistic-gap-analysis candidate. Occurs 21:23-26. Requires mandatory teaching note distinguishing voluntary Jewish cultural/ceremonial accommodation from doctrinal compromise on the Law’s justifying power.
Low Risk Terms
God
Approved rendering: Vajtswv
Transliteration: theos
Doctrine: General / Cross-cutting
Rejected alternatives: Ntuj (impersonal sky/heaven) — rejected, lacks personal deity sense, dab (spirit) — rejected, denotes false/lesser spirit
Inherited from Romans package. Reused unchanged throughout Acts.
Lord
Approved rendering: tus Tswv
Transliteration: kyrios
Doctrine: General / Cross-cutting
Inherited from Romans package. Stable throughout Acts.
Jesus Christ
Approved rendering: Yexus Khetos
Transliteration: Iēsous Christos
Doctrine: General / Cross-cutting
Inherited from Romans package.
Father God
Approved rendering: Leej Txiv
Transliteration: patēr
Doctrine: The Holy Spirit and Pentecost
Inherited from Romans package. Used in the Pentecost promise-chain (Acts 2:33).
Son Of God
Approved rendering: Leej Tub ntawm Vajtswv
Transliteration: huios theou
Doctrine: Conversion of Paul
Rejected alternatives: diminished-sonship renderings — rejected, must preserve full deity
Inherited from Romans package.
Gospel
Approved rendering: Txoj Moo Zoo
Transliteration: euangelion
Doctrine: The Great Commission Fulfilled
Inherited from Romans package.
Peace
Approved rendering: kev thaj yeeb
Transliteration: eirēnē
Doctrine: General / Cross-cutting
Inherited from Romans package.
Promise
Approved rendering: lus cog tseg
Transliteration: epangelia
Doctrine: The Holy Spirit and Pentecost
Inherited from Romans package. Applied in Acts to the promise of the Spirit (1:4, 2:33, 2:39) and Israel’s hope (26:6-7).
Nations Gentiles
Approved rendering: lwm Haiv Neeg
Transliteration: ethnē
Doctrine: The Gospel to Jews and Gentiles
Inherited from Romans package.
Jew
Approved rendering: cov Yudas
Transliteration: Ioudaios
Doctrine: The Gospel to Jews and Gentiles
Inherited from Romans package.
Greek
Approved rendering: cov Kilis
Transliteration: Hellēn
Doctrine: The Gospel to Jews and Gentiles
Inherited from Romans package.
Impartiality Of God
Approved rendering: tsis saib ntsej muag
Transliteration: aprosōpolēmpsia
Doctrine: The Gospel to Jews and Gentiles
Inherited from Romans package. Anchors the Cornelius narrative’s central doctrinal claim (10:34-35).
Truth
Approved rendering: qhov tseeb
Transliteration: alētheia
Doctrine: General / Cross-cutting
Inherited from Romans package.
Death
Approved rendering: txoj kev tuag
Transliteration: thanatos
Doctrine: Persecution and Bold Witness
Inherited from Romans package.
Eternal Life
Approved rendering: txoj sia nyob mus ib txhis
Transliteration: zōē aiōnios
Doctrine: Justification apart from the Law
Inherited from Romans package. Used at 13:48, ‘appointed to eternal life.‘
Glory
Approved rendering: lub yeeb koob
Transliteration: doxa
Doctrine: General / Cross-cutting
Inherited from Romans package. Herod’s failure to give God the glory (12:23) is a providential-judgment narrative.
Body Of Christ
Approved rendering: lub cev ntawm Khetos
Transliteration: sōma Christou
Doctrine: The Church as Community
Inherited from Romans package. Thematic in Acts.
Kingdom Of God
Approved rendering: lub Nceeg Vaj ntawm Vajtswv
Transliteration: basileia tou theou
Doctrine: The Great Commission Fulfilled
Inherited from Romans package. Bookends the book at 1:3,6 and 28:23,31.
Endurance
Approved rendering: kev ua siab ntev
Transliteration: hypomonē
Doctrine: Persecution and Bold Witness
Inherited from Romans package.
Witness
Approved rendering: tus timkhawv
Transliteration: martys
Doctrine: Persecution and Bold Witness
Inherited from Romans package. The rendering itself is unchanged, but Stephen’s death (ch.7) is the decisive point at which this term’s sense visibly develops toward the technical sense ‘martyr’ — a semantic-development note, not a lexical change, that must be explicitly taught.
Thanksgiving
Approved rendering: ua tsaug
Transliteration: eucharisteō
Doctrine: General / Cross-cutting
Inherited from Romans package. Paul’s thanksgiving before the shipwreck meal (27:35).
World
Approved rendering: lub ntiajteb
Transliteration: kosmos / oikoumenē
Doctrine: The Gospel to Jews and Gentiles
Inherited from Romans package. Used in Paul’s Areopagus speech (17:24).
Scripture
Approved rendering: Vaj Lug Kub
Transliteration: graphē
Doctrine: General / Cross-cutting
Inherited from Romans package. Quoted extensively in apostolic sermons (1:16-20, 2:16-21, 2:25-28,34-35, 8:32-33, 17:2, 18:24-28).
Love
Approved rendering: kev hlub
Transliteration: agapē
Doctrine: The Church as Community
Inherited from Romans package. Paul’s Miletus farewell exhortations (ch.20).
Hope
Approved rendering: kev cia siab
Transliteration: elpis
Doctrine: Conversion of Paul
Inherited from Romans package. Applied to Israel’s resurrection hope in Paul’s later defenses (23-24, 26, 28). Must not be taught as mere optimism/wishing.
Church Assembly
Approved rendering: pawg ntseeg
Transliteration: ekklēsia
Doctrine: The Church as Community
NEW TERM formalized as standalone entry (already implicit in the Romans-baseline deacon_servant string). High-frequency term structuring the second half of Acts: 8:1,3, 9:31, 11:22,26, 12:1, 13:1, 14:23,27, 15:3-4,22,41, 16:5, 18:22, 19:32,39-40, 20:17,28.
Hellenists Hebrews
Approved rendering: cov Yudas hais lus Kilis / cov Yudas hais lus Henplais
Transliteration: Hellēnistai / Hebraioi
Doctrine: The Church as Community
NEW TERM. Occurs 6:1. Ethnic-linguistic subgroup distinction within the early Jewish-Christian community.
Christian
Approved rendering: cov Khixatia
Transliteration: Christianos
Doctrine: General / Cross-cutting
NEW TERM. Occurs 11:26, 26:28. Built on the fixed Khetos root.
Ends Of The Earth
Approved rendering: mus txog thaj chaw kawg ntawm ntiajteb
Transliteration: eschaton tēs gēs
Doctrine: The Great Commission Fulfilled
NEW TERM. Occurs 1:8. Bookends with proclaiming_without_hindrance at 28:31; treat as a fixed literary inclusio in all curriculum materials.
Fasting
Approved rendering: kev yoo mov
Transliteration: nēsteia
Doctrine: The Church as Community
NEW TERM. Occurs 13:2-3, 14:23, 27:9. Established Hmong Christian practice-term.
Prayer
Approved rendering: kev thov Vajtswv
Transliteration: proseuchē / proseuchomai
Doctrine: The Church as Community
NEW TERM. Occurs 1:14, 2:42, 3:1, 4:24, 6:4, 10:9, 12:5, 13:3, 16:25. Established devotional term recurring throughout the book.
Samaritans
Approved rendering: cov Xamalis
Transliteration: Samareitai
Doctrine: The Gospel to Jews and Gentiles
NEW TERM. Occurs ch.8. Transliteration; comprehension gap only, relevant to the Jerusalem-Samaria-Gentile progression of Acts 1:8.
Roman Citizenship Appeal To Caesar
Approved rendering: neeg xub qab ntawm tebchaws Loos (muaj cai raug hu mus rau Xixas)
Transliteration: Rhōmaios / Kaisar
Doctrine: Persecution and Bold Witness
NEW TERM, ratified from linguistic-gap-analysis candidate. Occurs 16, 22, 25. Comprehension gap only, low doctrinal weight.
Areopagus Philosophical Schools
Approved rendering: Alekiaupaka (thaj chaw); cov Epikulis; cov Xato-ikes
Transliteration: Areios Pagos; Epikoureioi; Stoikoi
Doctrine: The Gospel to Jews and Gentiles
NEW TERM, ratified from linguistic-gap-analysis candidate. Occurs 17. Transliterated proper/technical names treated as background color, not doctrinally load-bearing.
Low-Medium Risk Terms
Renewal Of The Mind
Approved rendering: hloov siab tshiab
Transliteration: anakainōsis tou noos
Doctrine: Repentance and Baptism
Inherited from Romans package. Must be kept lexically distinct from the new ‘repentance_repent’ entry: this denotes ongoing post-conversion sanctification, a different doctrinal moment from initial conversion-repentance.
Stumbling Block
Approved rendering: qhov/pob zeb ua rau dawm ceg
Transliteration: proskomma / skandalon
Doctrine: Persecution and Bold Witness
Inherited from Romans package. Must always be taught paired with the new positive-valence ‘cornerstone_rejected_stone’ entry (4:11), which shares the same ‘pob zeb’ root with a deliberately reversed valence.
Firstfruits
Approved rendering: thawj phaus qoob loo / cov ua ntej
Transliteration: aparchē
Doctrine: The Holy Spirit and Pentecost
Inherited from Romans package. Retained for its harvest-feast association with the Pentecost setting (2:1).
Fellowship Koinonia
Approved rendering: kev sib raug zoo / kev koom ua ke ntawm cov ntseeg
Transliteration: koinōnia
Doctrine: The Church as Community
NEW TERM. Occurs 2:42. Positive comprehension-level bridge to Hmong clan communal life.
Holding All Things In Common
Approved rendering: muab txhua yam khoom coj los ua ke
Transliteration: eichon hapanta koina
Doctrine: The Church as Community
NEW TERM. Occurs 2:44-45, 4:32-35. Risk is under-teaching voluntary generosity vs. mandated communal ownership, not a traditional-religion collision.
Yoke
Approved rendering: lub quab
Transliteration: zygos
Doctrine: Justification apart from the Law
NEW TERM. Occurs 15:10. Concrete agrarian (ox-yoke) metaphor for the burden of Law-observance; transfers cleanly to an agrarian Hmong context.
Proclaiming Without Hindrance
Approved rendering: qhia tsis muaj leej twg thaiv
Transliteration: akōlytōs
Doctrine: The Great Commission Fulfilled
NEW TERM. Occurs 28:31, the book’s final word. Deliberate thematic capstone, bookending ends_of_the_earth (1:8).
Medium-High Risk Terms
Breaking Of Bread
Approved rendering: kev muab ncuav rhe ua ke noj
Transliteration: klasis tou artou
Doctrine: The Church as Community
Rejected alternatives: unmarked reuse of the ‘fij’ (offering) domain — rejected, risks assimilation to ancestor-feast ritual
NEW TERM. Occurs 2:42,46, 20:7,11, 27:35. Must be taught as ordinary/possibly sacramental table-fellowship, never assimilated into ancestor-feast offering ritual.