Core Glossary
08 — Core Glossary: Acts 1–28
Section 1 — Terms Reused Verbatim from the Romans Baseline
These terms recur throughout Acts and MUST use the exact Kannada rendering already fixed in the Romans translation_memory.json. No alternative rendering is permitted regardless of Acts context.
| Term | Kannada (baseline-fixed) | Risk | Acts occurrences (representative) |
|---|---|---|---|
| gospel | ಸುವಾರ್ತೆ | High | throughout |
| grace | ಕೃಪೆ | High | 4:33; 11:23; 13:43; 14:3, 26; 15:11, 40; 18:27; 20:24, 32 |
| faith | ನಂಬಿಕೆ | High | 3:16; 6:5, 7; 14:9, 22, 27; 16:5, 31; 20:21; 26:18 |
| righteousness | ನೀತಿವಂತಿಕೆ | Critical | 13:38-39; 17:31; 24:25 |
| justification | ನೀತಿವಂತರೆಂದು ನಿರ್ಣಯಿಸುವುದು | Critical | 13:38-39 |
| salvation | ರಕ್ಷಣೆ | Critical | 2:21, 40, 47; 4:12; 11:14; 13:26, 47; 15:1, 11; 16:17, 30-31; 27:20, 31 |
| apostle | ಅಪೊಸ್ತಲ | Medium | throughout (esp. 1:2, 25-26; 14:4, 14; 15:2-6) |
| called / calling | ಕರೆಯಲ್ಪಟ್ಟ / ಕರೆ | High | 2:39; 13:2; 16:10 |
| holy | ಪವಿತ್ರ | High | throughout, paired with Spirit |
| saints | ಪವಿತ್ರ ಜನರು | High | 9:13, 32, 41; 26:10 |
| sanctification | ಪವಿತ್ರೀಕರಣ | High | 20:32; 26:18 |
| adoption | ದತ್ತು ಪುತ್ರತ್ವ | High | (implicit; conceptual background to sonship discussions) |
| resurrection | ಪುನರುತ್ಥಾನ | Critical | 1:22; 2:24-32; 4:2, 33; 17:18, 31-32; 23:6-8; 24:15, 21; 26:23 |
| lord | ಕರ್ತ | Critical | throughout, esp. 2:21, 34-36; 4:33; 10:36; 16:31 |
| son_of_god | ದೇವರ ಮಗ | Critical | 9:20; 13:33 |
| incarnation | ದೇಹಧಾರಣೆ | Critical | conceptual background (13:23, “seed of David” fulfilled in flesh) |
| peace | ಶಾಂತಿ | Medium | 9:31; 10:36; 15:33; 24:2 |
| spiritual_gifts | ಆತ್ಮಿಕ ವರಗಳು | Medium | conceptual background to 2:38 “gift of the Holy Spirit,” 8:20, 10:45 |
| thanksgiving | ಕೃತಜ್ಞತಾಸ್ತುತಿ | Low | 27:35; 28:15 |
| fellowship | ಅನ್ಯೋನ್ಯತೆ | Low | 2:42 |
| church | ಸಭೆ | Medium | 5:11; 8:1, 3; 9:31; 11:26; 14:23, 27; 15:3-4, 22, 41; 20:17, 28 |
| kingdom_of_god | ದೇವರ ರಾಜ್ಯ | Medium | 1:3, 6; 8:12; 14:22; 19:8; 20:25; 28:23, 31 |
| law | ನಿಯಮಶಾಸ್ತ್ರ | High | 6:13-14; 7:53; 13:38-39; 15:5, 24; 18:13; 21:20-24; 22:3; 23:3, 29; 24:14; 25:8 |
| sin | ಪಾಪ | High | 2:38; 3:19; 5:31; 7:60; 10:43; 13:38; 22:16; 26:18 |
| gentiles | ಅನ್ಯಜನಾಂಗದವರು | Medium | 9:15; 10:45; 11:1, 18; 13:46-48; 14:27; 15:3, 7, 12, 14, 19; 18:6; 21:19, 25; 22:21; 26:17, 20, 23; 28:28 |
| glory | ಮಹಿಮೆ | High | 7:2, 55; 12:23 |
| obedience_of_faith | ನಂಬಿಕೆಯ ವಿಧೇಯತ್ವ | High | conceptual (6:7, “obedient to the faith”) |
| power_of_god | ದೇವರ ಸಾಮರ್ಥ್ಯ | High | 1:8; 4:33; 6:8; 10:38 |
| messiah | ಮೆಸ್ಸೀಯ | Critical | 2:36 (Χριστός); 9:22; 17:3; 18:5, 28 |
| prophet | ಪ್ರವಾದಿ | Low | 2:16, 30; 3:22-25; 7:37, 42, 48, 52; 8:28-34; 10:43; 11:27; 13:1, 20, 40; 15:32; 21:10; 24:14; 26:22, 27; 28:23, 25 |
| prophecy | ಪ್ರವಾದನೆ | Low | 2:17-18; 19:6; 21:9 |
| covenant | ಒಡಂಬಡಿಕೆ | High | 3:25; 7:8 |
| election | ದೇವರ ಆಯ್ಕೆ | High | 9:15; 13:17 |
| intercession | ಮಧ್ಯಸ್ಥಿಕೆ | Medium | 8:24 (implicit); 12:5 |
| providence | ದೇವರ ಪರಿಪಾಲನೆ | High | 17:26-28; 27:23-24 |
| mission | ಮಿಷನ್ / ಸುವಾರ್ತಾ ಪ್ರಸಾರ | Medium | 1:8; 13:2-3, 47; 22:21 |
| david | ದಾವೀದ | Medium | 2:25, 29-34; 4:25; 7:45; 13:22, 34, 36; 15:16 |
| israel | ಇಸ್ರಾಯೇಲ್ | Medium | 1:6; 2:36; 4:10, 27; 5:31; 9:15; 10:36; 13:16-24; 28:20 |
| jesus | ಯೇಸು | Critical | throughout |
| god | ದೇವರು | Critical | throughout |
| holy_spirit | ಪವಿತ್ರಾತ್ಮ | Critical | throughout, esp. ch.2, ch.5, ch.8, ch.10, ch.15, ch.19 |
| father | ತಂದೆ | Critical | 1:4, 7; 2:33 |
| abba | ಅಬ್ಬಾ | High | (not directly in Acts; retained for cross-curriculum consistency) |
| exhort | ಪ್ರೋತ್ಸಾಹಿಸುವುದು | Low | 2:40; 11:23; 14:22; 16:40; 20:1-2 |
| seed_of_david | ದಾವೀದನ ವಂಶದಿಂದ | High | 13:23 |
| imputed_righteousness | ಆರೋಪಿತ ನೀತಿ | Critical | conceptual background to 13:38-39 |
Section 2 — New Terms for the Acts Curriculum
All entries below are proposed Kannada renderings, risk-tiered on the same Critical/High/Medium/Low scale as the baseline, for adoption into an Acts-extension glossary. Full grounding/reasoning for each is in 07_semantic_analysis.md.
| Term (English) | Original (Greek) | Transliteration | Kannada rendering | Doctrine | Risk | Alternatives rejected | Grounded risk reason |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pentecost | Πεντηκοστή | Pentēkostē | ಪಂತೆಕೊಸ್ತೆ (ಐವತ್ತನೆಯ ದಿನದ ಹಬ್ಬ) | Holy Spirit and Pentecost | Medium | generic “ಹಬ್ಬ” alone | Requires OT festival-calendar background; low syncretism risk but easily reduced to a bare Christian holiday name |
| tongues (Pentecost sense) | γλῶσσαι ἕτεραι | glōssai heterai | ಅನ್ಯಭಾಷೆಗಳು / ಪರಭಾಷೆಗಳು | Holy Spirit and Pentecost | High | ಆವೇಶ (trance/possession terms) | Risk of conflation with folk oracle/trance-possession speech (ಮೈಮೇಲೆ ಬರುವುದು) at village deity shrines; Acts 2 tongues are real, intelligible human languages for gospel proclamation, not ecstatic possession |
| tongues of fire | γλῶσσαι ὡσεὶ πυρός | glōssai hōsei pyros | ಬೆಂಕಿಯಂತಿರುವ ನಾಲಿಗೆಗಳು | Holy Spirit and Pentecost | Medium | — | Fire imagery may evoke Agni/homa fire-ritual associations; symbolic, not literal element to venerate |
| visions/dreams | ὁράσεις / ἐνύπνια | horaseis / enypnia | ದರ್ಶನಗಳು / ಕನಸುಗಳು | Holy Spirit and Pentecost | High | ದೃಷ್ಟಾಂತ alone | ದರ್ಶನ is the standard word for devotee’s ritual viewing of a deity/guru image; must be glossed to mean God-given revelatory disclosure, not devotional image-viewing |
| repentance | μετάνοια | metanoia | ಪಶ್ಚಾತ್ತಾಪ(ಪಡು) | Repentance and Baptism | High | ಪ್ರಾಯಶ್ಚಿತ್ತ | ಪ್ರಾಯಶ್ಚಿತ್ತ names ritual/expiatory penance that itself removes guilt; metanoia is inward change of heart/mind, a response to grace, not a self-performed transaction |
| baptism | βάπτισμα | baptisma | ದೀಕ್ಷಾಸ್ನಾನ | Repentance and Baptism | High | plain ಸ್ನಾನ; ದೀಕ್ಷೆ alone | Must be distinguished from repeatable ritual-purification bathing and from guru-lineage ದೀಕ್ಷೆ initiation; a one-time identification with Christ’s death/resurrection |
| the Name (of Jesus, invoked for salvation/healing) | ὄνομα | onoma | ಹೆಸರು | Apostolic Authority and Miracles | High | — | Must not be understood as a mantra-formula effective by repetition (japa); healing/salvation is through faith in the person named, not phonetic invocation |
| signs and wonders | σημεῖα καὶ τέρατα (καὶ δυνάμεις) | sēmeia kai terata (kai dynameis) | ಸೂಚಕಕಾರ್ಯಗಳೂ ಅದ್ಭುತಕಾರ್ಯಗಳೂ (ಮಹತ್ಕಾರ್ಯಗಳೂ) | Apostolic Authority and Miracles | High | ಸಿದ್ಧಿ | Must be distinguished from yogic siddhi and from the “godman”/miracle-guru phenomenon; God’s authenticating action through messengers, not the messenger’s personal spiritual attainment |
| boldness | παρρησία | parrēsia | ಧೈರ್ಯ / ನಿರ್ಭಯವಾಗಿ ಮಾತನಾಡುವಿಕೆ | Persecution and Bold Witness | High | ಆತ್ಮವಿಶ್ವಾಸ (self-confidence) alone | Must convey Spirit-empowered, unashamed public gospel speech under opposition, not generic social confidence |
| witness / martyr | μάρτυς | martys | ಸಾಕ್ಷಿ | Persecution and Bold Witness | High | — | Tracks a semantic development within Acts from “eyewitness testifier” (1:8; 2:32) toward “one who testifies unto death” (7:54-60; 22:20); requires a standing cross-reference note |
| the Way | ἡ ὁδός | hē hodos | ಮಾರ್ಗ (glossed ಕ್ರಿಸ್ತನ ಮಾರ್ಗ) | The Church as Community / Gospel exclusivity | Critical | unqualified ಮಾರ್ಗ alone | Collides directly with bhakti-mārga/jñāna-mārga/karma-mārga and the Lingayat shatsthala “path” framework; risks reducing exclusive faith in Christ to one path among many recognized ways to liberation |
| sorcery / magic | μαγεία / μάγος | mageia / magos | ಮಾಟಮಂತ್ರ / ಮಂತ್ರವಾದ | Apostolic Authority and Miracles | High | — | Must be sharply distinguished from Spirit-given gifts (freely given, not purchased or transactional) given the strong cultural presence of black-magic belief and folk ritual specialists |
| unclean / common (ritual) | κοινός | koinos | ಅಶುದ್ಧ / ಸಾಮಾನ್ಯ | Gospel to Jews and Gentiles | High | — | Directly dismantles a ritual purity/impurity boundary; sensitive parallel to caste-based purity hierarchy; must not be softened per the baseline’s own caste-related handling principle |
| God-fearer | φοβούμενος τὸν θεόν | phoboumenos ton theon | ದೇವರಿಗೆ ಭಯಪಡುವವನು | Gospel to Jews and Gentiles | Medium | — | Describes Gentile monotheistic sympathizer pre-conversion; background category, moderate risk |
| Christian (name) | Χριστιανός | Christianos | ಕ್ರೈಸ್ತ | The Church as Community | Medium | ಧಾರ್ಮಿಕ (generic “religious person”) | First community self-designation; must read as a distinct proper identity belonging to Christ, not a generic religious label |
| angel | ἄγγελος | angelos | ದೂತ | Apostolic Authority and Miracles | Medium–High | ದೇವತೆ | Must be a created servant-messenger of the one God, not an autonomous minor deity within a populated pantheon |
| circumcision | περιτομή | peritomē | ಸುನ್ನತಿ | Justification apart from the Law | High | — | Central to the Jerusalem Council’s resolution that law-works (symbolized by circumcision) are not required for salvation |
| yoke (of the law) | ζυγός | zygos | ನೊಗ | Justification apart from the Law | Medium | — | Metaphor for the law’s burden that neither ancestors nor present generation could bear; supports the justification-apart-from-law doctrine |
| Python spirit / spirit of divination | πνεῦμα πύθωνα | pneuma pythōna | ಶಕುನ ಹೇಳುವ ಆತ್ಮ / ಭವಿಷ್ಯ ಹೇಳುವ ದೆವ್ವದ ಆತ್ಮ | Persecution and Bold Witness / Apostolic Authority | High | ಪ್ರವಾದನೆಯ ಆತ್ಮ (spirit of prophecy) | Must be clearly distinguished from legitimate Spirit-given prophecy; engages astrology (ಜ್ಯೋತಿಷ್ಯ) and oracle-medium practices already flagged in the Romans baseline |
| unknown god | ἄγνωστος θεός | agnōstos theos | ಅಪರಿಚಿತ ದೇವರು | The Great Commission Fulfilled | High | — | Must not be read through Hindu inclusivist “many names, one truth” formulas; Paul argues correction/fulfillment, not equivalence of deities |
| idolatry / full of idols | κατείδωλος | kateidōlos | ವಿಗ್ರಹಾರಾಧನೆ | The Great Commission Fulfilled | High | — | Direct critique of image-worship; must not be softened, handled with pastoral care given centrality of murti-worship in majority religious practice |
| ”in him we live and move and have our being” | ἐν αὐτῷ ζῶμεν καὶ κινούμεθα καὶ ἐσμέν | en autō zōmen kai kinoumetha kai esmen | ಆತನಲ್ಲಿ ನಾವು ಜೀವಿಸುತ್ತೇವೆ, ಚಲಿಸುತ್ತೇವೆ, ಇದ್ದೇವೆ | The Great Commission Fulfilled | Critical | any rendering implying ontological identity | Reads as panentheistic/monistic if mishandled; must convey creaturely dependence on a distinct Creator, not merger/dissolution of self into the divine (the same Aikya risk flagged Critical in the Romans baseline) |
| made with hands (of temples/idols) | χειροποίητος | cheiropoiētos | ಕೈಯಿಂದ ಮಾಡಿದ | The Great Commission Fulfilled | High | — | Applies to any human-made sacred structure/image as a container for the divine; theologically essential, culturally sensitive |
| Artemis of the Ephesians | Ἄρτεμις Ἐφεσίων | Artemis Ephesiōn | ಆರ್ತೆಮಿ (ಎಫೆಸದ ಆರ್ತೆಮಿ) | The Great Commission Fulfilled | High | — | Structural parallel to Karnataka goddess devotion/temple economies (cf. Chamundeshwari); teach accurately without appearing to mock local devotional life |
| exorcist / exorcism | ἐξορκιστής | exorkistēs | ಬೂತ ಬಿಡಿಸುವವನು | Apostolic Authority and Miracles | Medium | — | Sons-of-Sceva failure reinforces name-as-faith vs. name-as-magic-formula distinction |
| elder (church office) | πρεσβύτερος | presbyteros | ಹಿರಿಯರು | The Church as Community | Medium | — | Delegated, accountable pastoral office, not status earned through personal ascetic/spiritual attainment |
| overseer | ἐπίσκοπος | episkopos | ಅಧ್ಯಕ್ಷ / ಮೇಲ್ವಿಚಾರಕ | The Church as Community | Medium | — | Church governance office term |
| shepherd / flock | ποιμήν / ποίμνιον | poimēn / poimnion | ಕುರುಬ / ಹಿಂಡು | The Church as Community | Low | — | Standard pastoral metaphor |
| vow | εὐχή | euchē | ಪ್ರಮಾಣ / ಹರಕೆ | The Church as Community | Medium–High | — | ಹರಕೆ carries strong transactional votive-offering connotation from folk devotional practice; must be glossed as OT Nazirite consecration, not a bargain-vow for personal favor |
| conscience | συνείδησις | syneidēsis | ಮನಸ್ಸಾಕ್ಷಿ | Justification apart from the Law | Medium–High | — | Personal moral faculty answerable to a personal God; distinguish from impersonal karma-tracking |
| Satan | Σατανᾶς | Satanas | ಸೈತಾನ | Conversion of Paul / Persecution and Bold Witness | High | any single existing folk-demon name | Must be a single, personal, defeated-yet-active spiritual adversary opposed to the one God, not one hostile deity among many nor casually equated with a specific folk-demon figure |
| the Seven / diaconal service | διακονία / διακονεῖν | diakonia / diakonein | ಶುಶ್ರೂಷೆ / ಸೇವೆ | The Church as Community | Medium | ಪೂಜಾ ಸೇವೆ | Must be distinguished from ritual temple service rendered to a deity’s image; this is care-ministry to fellow believers |
| chosen instrument | σκεῦος ἐκλογῆς | skeuos eklogēs | ಆಯ್ಕೆಯ ಸಾಧನ | Conversion of Paul | High | — | Reuses ಆಯ್ಕೆ (election, REUSE baseline High); narrative embodiment of God’s sovereign, personal choice of Paul |
| ascension | ἀνελήμφθη (analambanō) | anelēmphthē | ಮೇಲಕ್ಕೆ ಎತ್ತಲ್ಪಟ್ಟನು / ಆರೋಹಣ | The Great Commission Fulfilled (background) | Critical | mystic-ascent framing | Christ’s bodily, historical, visible glorification; must not be assimilated to a mystic’s spiritual-ascent narrative toward Aikya-type merger |
| synagogue | συναγωγή | synagōgē | ಸಭಾಮಂದಿರ | The Church as Community | Low–Medium | ಸಭೆ (reserved for “church”) | Keep distinct from ಸಭೆ (church/new-covenant assembly) to avoid institutional conflation |
| God shows no partiality | οὐκ ἔστιν προσωπολήμπτης ὁ θεός | ouk estin prosōpolēmptēs ho theos | ದೇವರು ಪಕ್ಷಪಾತ ಮಾಡುವವನಲ್ಲ | Gospel to Jews and Gentiles | High | — | Direct doctrinal statement underlying Jew-Gentile unity; narratively demonstrated in Cornelius’s household receiving the Spirit exactly as at Pentecost |
Section 3 — Verses Flagged for Mandatory Cross-Document Consistency
Per the baseline’s own principle that certain high-use salvation/confession verses must be rendered identically wherever they recur in the curriculum, the following Acts verses require fixed, verbatim-consistent Kannada renderings once first translated in Phase 2, paralleling Romans 10:9-10 and 8:28’s treatment in the baseline:
- Acts 2:21 / 2:38 — the Pentecost salvation-confession and repentance-baptism formula (parallels Romans 10:13).
- Acts 4:12 — “no other name… by which we must be saved” (the sharpest exclusivity statement in Acts).
- Acts 13:38-39 — the justification-apart-from-the-law statement (parallels Romans 3-4).
- Acts 16:30-31 — “What must I do to be saved?” / “Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved” (parallels Romans 10:9).
- Acts 17:28 — “in him we live and move and have our being” (Critical Aikya-adjacent risk; requires standing translator note wherever it recurs in any lesson material).
This glossary, together with 07_semantic_analysis.md, constitutes the complete Phase 1 Step 1 deliverable for the Acts curriculum and is ready for extension into an Acts-specific bible_term_registry.json and doctrine_risk_registry.json in the subsequent PRD step.
Critical Risk Terms
Righteousness
Approved rendering: ನೀತಿವಂತಿಕೆ
Transliteration: nītivantike
Doctrine: Salvation
Rejected alternatives: ಧರ್ಮ, ಪುಣ್ಯ
Original: δικαιοσύνη
Category: Salvation
Inherited from Romans package. CRITICAL: never ಧರ್ಮ. In Acts 13:38-39, 17:31, and 24:25 must retain the forensic/relational sense; in 24:25 must not slide into generic ethical uprightness detached from right standing before God.
Justification
Approved rendering: ನೀತಿವಂತರೆಂದು ನಿರ್ಣಯಿಸುವುದು
Transliteration: nītivantarendu nirṇayisuvudu
Doctrine: Salvation
Rejected alternatives: ಕ್ಷಮೆ ಪಡೆಯುವುದು, ಪುಣ್ಯ ಗಳಿಸುವುದು
Original: δικαιόω
Category: Salvation
Inherited from Romans package. Compound phrase required, never abbreviated. Acts 13:38-39 is this curriculum’s central ‘Justification apart from the Law’ proof text and must match any Romans 3-4 rendering exactly.
Salvation
Approved rendering: ರಕ್ಷಣೆ
Transliteration: rakṣaṇe
Doctrine: Salvation
Rejected alternatives: ಮೋಕ್ಷ, ಮುಕ್ತಿ, ಐಕ್ಯ
Original: σωτηρία
Category: Salvation
Inherited from Romans package. CRITICAL: NEVER ಮೋಕ್ಷ/ಮುಕ್ತಿ/ಐಕ್ಯ. Acts 4:12’s ‘no other name by which we must be saved’ requires the same unqualified rendering as 16:31 and Romans 10:9-13; fixed for verbatim cross-document consistency.
Resurrection
Approved rendering: ಪುನರುತ್ಥಾನ
Transliteration: punarutthāna
Doctrine: Resurrection of Christ
Rejected alternatives: ಪುನರ್ಜನ್ಮ
Original: ἀνάστασις
Category: Eschatology
Inherited from Romans package. CRITICAL: NEVER ಪುನರ್ಜನ್ಮ. Both Christ’s own resurrection (2:24-32; 4:2) and the general resurrection of the just and unjust (17:31-32; 23:6-8; 24:15, 21). In the Sadducee/Pharisee dispute (23:6-8) both parties already agree resurrection means bodily return from death, not reincarnation.
Lord
Approved rendering: ಕರ್ತ
Transliteration: karta
Doctrine: Lordship of Christ
Rejected alternatives: ಸ್ವಾಮಿ
Original: κύριος
Category: Christology
Inherited from Romans package. In Acts 2:34-35’s double-kyrios citation of Psalm 110, both Father and Son must be rendered ಕರ್ತ so readers see two distinct persons sharing the title, not a lesser lord promoted by a greater one.
Son Of God
Approved rendering: ದೇವರ ಮಗ
Transliteration: Dēvara Maga
Doctrine: Sonship of Christ
Rejected alternatives: ದೇವಮಾನವ
Original: υἱὸς θεοῦ
Category: Christology
Inherited from Romans package. Proclaimed by Paul in Damascus (9:20) and Pisidian Antioch (13:33). Acts 2:36’s ‘God has made him… Christ’ must not be read as adoptionist promotion of a merely human figure.
Incarnation
Approved rendering: ದೇಹಧಾರಣೆ
Transliteration: dēhadhāraṇe
Doctrine: Incarnation
Rejected alternatives: ಅವತಾರ
Original: ὁ λόγος σὰρξ ἐγένετο (cf. Acts 13:23 ‘of this man’s seed’)
Category: Christology
Inherited from Romans package. CRITICAL: NEVER ಅವತಾರ. Conceptual background to Paul’s ‘seed of David’ preaching (Acts 13:23).
Messiah
Approved rendering: ಮೆಸ್ಸೀಯ
Transliteration: Messīya
Doctrine: Messianic Promise
Rejected alternatives: ಅವತಾರಪುರುಷ
Original: Χριστός / מָשִׁיחַ
Category: Christology
Inherited from Romans package. Publicly declared in Acts 2:36 (Christos) and argued from Scripture throughout (9:22; 17:3; 18:5, 28).
Jesus
Approved rendering: ಯೇಸು
Transliteration: Yēsu
Doctrine: Lordship of Christ
Rejected alternatives: ಈಸಾ
Original: Ἰησοῦς
Category: Christology
Inherited from Romans package. Never ಈಸಾ (Muslim/Urdu usage). Invoked throughout Acts for salvation, healing, and baptism.
God
Approved rendering: ದೇವರು
Transliteration: Dēvaru
Doctrine: Deity of Christ
Rejected alternatives: ಭಗವಂತ, ಪರಶಿವ
Original: θεός
Category: God
Inherited from Romans package. Avoid ಭಗವಂತ and never ಪರಶಿವ. Proclaimed against Athenian polytheism (17:16-31) and Lystra’s crowd-deification (14:11-18); Acts 17:28’s ‘in him we live and move and have our being’ is especially vulnerable to a monistic/Aikya-adjacent misreading (see separate entry).
Holy Spirit
Approved rendering: ಪವಿತ್ರಾತ್ಮ
Transliteration: Pavitrātma
Doctrine: Sanctification
Rejected alternatives: ಪರಮಾತ್ಮ
Original: πνεῦμα ἅγιον
Category: God
Inherited from Romans package. Never ಪರಮಾತ್ಮ. Poured out at Pentecost (2:1-4), lied to by Ananias (5:3-4, a key Trinitarian personhood proof-text), received by Gentiles (10:44-47) and Ephesian disciples (19:1-6).
Father
Approved rendering: ತಂದೆ
Transliteration: Tande
Doctrine: Adoption into God’s Family
Rejected alternatives: ಸೃಷ್ಟಿಕರ್ತ
Original: πατήρ
Category: God
Inherited from Romans package. God as personal Father; source of ‘the promise of the Father’ (Acts 1:4) and Pentecost (2:33).
Imputed Righteousness
Approved rendering: ಆರೋಪಿತ ನೀತಿ
Transliteration: āropita nīti
Doctrine: Justification by Faith
Rejected alternatives: ಸ್ವಂತ ಸಾಧನೆಯ ನೀತಿ
Original: ἐλογίσθη αὐτῷ εἰς δικαιοσύνην (conceptual background)
Category: Salvation
Inherited from Romans package. Conceptual background to Acts 13:38-39’s justification-apart-from-law argument.
The Way
Approved rendering: ಮಾರ್ಗ (ಕ್ರಿಸ್ತನ ಮಾರ್ಗ)
Transliteration: mārga (Kristana mārga)
Doctrine: Conversion of Paul
Rejected alternatives: unqualified ಮಾರ್ಗ alone
Original: ἡ ὁδός
Category: Conversion of Paul
Early Christian movement’s self-designation (Acts 9:2; 19:9, 23; 22:4; 24:14, 22). Collides directly with bhakti-mārga/jñāna-mārga/karma-mārga and the Lingayat shatsthala ‘path’ framework; unqualified ಮಾರ್ಗ risks the church being received as one path among many. Every occurrence requires the qualifying gloss ಕ್ರಿಸ್ತನ ಮಾರ್ಗ or unmistakable context. Mandatory theologian review at every occurrence.
In Him We Live Move Have Being
Approved rendering: ಆತನಲ್ಲಿ ನಾವು ಜೀವಿಸುತ್ತೇವೆ, ಚಲಿಸುತ್ತೇವೆ ಮತ್ತು ಇದ್ದೇವೆ
Transliteration: ātanalli nāvu jīvisuttēve, calisuttēve mattu iddēve
Doctrine: The Great Commission Fulfilled
Rejected alternatives: any rendering implying ontological identity or merger
Original: ἐν αὐτῷ γὰρ ζῶμεν καὶ κινούμεθα καὶ ἐσμέν
Category: The Great Commission Fulfilled
Paul’s Areopagus quotation affirming humanity’s total dependence on God (Acts 17:28). Reads panentheistic/monistic if mishandled — dangerously close to Veerashaiva Aikya language already Critical in the Romans baseline. Must convey creaturely dependence, not ontological merger. Mandatory theologian review; fixed rendering wherever it recurs.
Ascension
Approved rendering: ಮೇಲಕ್ಕೆ ಎತ್ತಲ್ಪಟ್ಟನು / ಆರೋಹಣ
Transliteration: mēlakke ettalpaṭṭanu / ārōhaṇa
Doctrine: The Great Commission Fulfilled
Rejected alternatives: mystic-ascent framing
Original: ἀνελήμφθη (ἀναλαμβάνω)
Category: The Great Commission Fulfilled
Christ’s bodily, historical, visible, once-for-all being taken up to the Father’s right hand (Acts 1:9-11). Must not be assimilated to a mystic’s spiritual ascent narrative (Lingayat shatsthala/Aikya) nor a revered teacher’s apotheosis.
High Risk Terms
Gospel
Approved rendering: ಸುವಾರ್ತೆ
Transliteration: suvārte
Doctrine: Gospel
Rejected alternatives: ಸುದ್ದಿ
Original: εὐαγγέλιον
Category: Salvation
Inherited from Romans package. Established Kannada Christian term (su- ‘good’ + vārte ‘news’). Avoid the generic ಸುದ್ದಿ (news), which lacks the technical sense of the one saving proclamation. In Acts, preached repeatedly to Jews and Gentiles alike throughout the book.
Grace
Approved rendering: ಕೃಪೆ
Transliteration: kṛpe
Doctrine: Grace
Rejected alternatives: ಕರ್ಮಫಲ, ಪುಣ್ಯ
Original: χάρις
Category: Salvation
Inherited from Romans package. Unmerited favor apart from human merit. In Acts 15:11 and 20:24, 32, must preserve the contrast against law-keeping (circumcision) as the ground of salvation, not a reward for kayaka-style sacred labor or ritual merit.
Faith
Approved rendering: ನಂಬಿಕೆ
Transliteration: nambike
Doctrine: Faith
Rejected alternatives: ಭಕ್ತಿ
Original: πίστις
Category: Faith
Inherited from Romans package. Personal trust in Christ specifically; ಭಕ್ತಿ carries devotional-surrender sense central to Haridasa Krishna-bhakti and Lingayat devotion. In Acts 16:31 (‘Believe in the Lord Jesus’) the object must remain the specific person of Christ.
Called
Approved rendering: ಕರೆಯಲ್ಪಟ್ಟ
Transliteration: kareyalpaṭṭa
Doctrine: Divine Calling
Rejected alternatives: ಆಮಂತ್ರಿತ
Original: κλητός / καλέω
Category: Salvation
Inherited from Romans package. Context-sensitive; in Acts 9:15 = Paul’s apostolic commissioning, in 13:2 = the Spirit’s initiative in sending missionaries, not a self-chosen vocation.
Calling
Approved rendering: ಕರೆ
Transliteration: kare
Doctrine: Divine Calling
Rejected alternatives: ಆಹ್ವಾನ
Original: κλῆσις
Category: Salvation
Inherited from Romans package. Noun form for the act/state of being called; pair with ಕರೆಯಲ್ಪಟ್ಟ for the participle.
Holy
Approved rendering: ಪವಿತ್ರ
Transliteration: pavitra
Doctrine: Sanctification
Rejected alternatives: ಶುದ್ಧ
Original: ἅγιος
Category: Sanctification
Inherited from Romans package. Set apart for God and morally pure; the constant modifier of ‘Spirit’ throughout Acts.
Saints
Approved rendering: ಪವಿತ್ರ ಜನರು
Transliteration: pavitra janaru
Doctrine: Sainthood
Rejected alternatives: ಶರಣರು, ಸಂತರು
Original: ἅγιοι
Category: Church
Inherited from Romans package. Never ಶರಣರು, the elite Veerashaiva Sharana poet-saint title. Used of ordinary disciples in Acts 9:13, 32, 41; 26:10.
Sanctification
Approved rendering: ಪವಿತ್ರೀಕರಣ
Transliteration: pavitrīkaraṇa
Doctrine: Sanctification
Rejected alternatives: ಶುದ್ಧೀಕರಣ
Original: ἁγιασμός
Category: Sanctification
Inherited from Romans package. The Spirit’s ongoing work of making believers holy; invoked in Acts 20:32 and 26:18 regarding the inheritance among those sanctified by faith.
Adoption
Approved rendering: ದತ್ತು ಪುತ್ರತ್ವ
Transliteration: dattu putratva
Doctrine: Adoption into God’s Family
Rejected alternatives: ದತ್ತು ತೆಗೆದುಕೊಳ್ಳುವುದು
Original: υἱοθεσία
Category: Salvation
Inherited from Romans package. Full son-status with inheritance rights; conceptual background to Acts’ sonship/inheritance language (20:32, 26:18).
Law
Approved rendering: ನಿಯಮಶಾಸ್ತ್ರ
Transliteration: niyamaśāstra
Doctrine: Fulfillment of Prophecy
Rejected alternatives: ಧರ್ಮ
Original: νόμος (Μωϋσέως)
Category: Covenant
Inherited from Romans package. NEVER ಧರ್ಮ. Central to the Jerusalem Council’s deliberations (15:5) and Paul’s Pisidian Antioch sermon (13:38-39).
Sin
Approved rendering: ಪಾಪ
Transliteration: pāpa
Doctrine: Universal Human Accountability
Rejected alternatives: ಅಧರ್ಮ
Original: ἁμαρτία
Category: Sin
Inherited from Romans package. The object of the forgiveness proclaimed at Pentecost (2:38) and in Paul’s preaching (13:38; 26:18).
Glory
Approved rendering: ಮಹಿಮೆ
Transliteration: mahime
Doctrine: Deity of Christ
Rejected alternatives: ತೇಜಸ್ಸು
Original: δόξα
Category: God
Inherited from Romans package. Seen by Stephen at his martyrdom (7:55) and withheld from Herod who accepted worship in its place (12:23) — a vivid negative case study.
Obedience Of Faith
Approved rendering: ನಂಬಿಕೆಯ ವಿಧೇಯತ್ವ
Transliteration: nambikeya vidhēyatva
Doctrine: Obedience of Faith
Rejected alternatives: ಧಾರ್ಮಿಕ ಕರ್ತವ್ಯ
Original: ὑπήκουον τῇ πίστει
Category: Faith
Inherited from Romans package. Described of priests in Jerusalem becoming ‘obedient to the faith’ (Acts 6:7).
Power Of God
Approved rendering: ದೇವರ ಸಾಮರ್ಥ್ಯ
Transliteration: Dēvara Sāmarthya
Doctrine: Power of God for Salvation
Rejected alternatives: ಶಕ್ತಿ
Original: δύναμις (θεοῦ)
Category: God
Inherited from Romans package. Use ಸಾಮರ್ಥ್ಯ; never ಶಕ್ತಿ. God’s power for witness and salvation (Acts 1:8; 4:33; 6:8; 10:38).
Covenant
Approved rendering: ಒಡಂಬಡಿಕೆ
Transliteration: oḍambaḍike
Doctrine: Davidic Covenant
Rejected alternatives: ಒಪ್ಪಂದ
Original: διαθήκη
Category: Covenant
Inherited from Romans package. Cited in Stephen’s speech (7:8, the Abrahamic covenant) and background to 3:25.
Election
Approved rendering: ದೇವರ ಆಯ್ಕೆ
Transliteration: Dēvara Āyke
Doctrine: Effectual Calling
Rejected alternatives: ಹಣೆಬರಹ, ವಿಧಿ
Original: ἐκλογή
Category: Salvation
Inherited from Romans package. Explicit of Paul as a ‘chosen instrument’ (9:15) and of Israel’s fathers (13:17); never ಹಣೆಬರಹ or ವಿಧಿ.
Providence
Approved rendering: ದೇವರ ಪರಿಪಾಲನೆ
Transliteration: Dēvara Paripālane
Doctrine: Providence
Rejected alternatives: ಹಣೆಬರಹ, ಕರ್ಮದ ನಿಯಮ
Original: πρόνοια (cf. Acts 17:26-28; 27:22-25)
Category: God
Inherited from Romans package. Of the nations’ boundaries (17:26) and of Paul’s shipwreck voyage (27:22-25); must not be absorbed into fatalism or an impersonal law of karma.
Tongues Other Languages
Approved rendering: ಅನ್ಯಭಾಷೆಗಳು / ಪರಭಾಷೆಗಳು
Transliteration: anyabhāṣegaḷu / parabhāṣegaḷu
Doctrine: The Holy Spirit and Pentecost
Rejected alternatives: ಆವೇಶ (trance/possession vocabulary)
Original: γλῶσσαι ἕτεραι
Category: Holy Spirit and Pentecost
Real, humanly-recognizable foreign languages given at Pentecost (Acts 2:4, confirmed by v.6-11) for intelligible gospel proclamation. Must be distinguished from Karnataka folk oracle/trance-possession speech (ಮೈಮೇಲೆ ಬರುವುದು, a deity ‘coming upon’ a medium) at village goddess shrines: speaker retains consciousness/agency, and content is intelligible gospel proclamation, never ecstatic trance utterance. Requires a translator note at first occurrence.
Visions Dreams
Approved rendering: ದರ್ಶನಗಳು / ಕನಸುಗಳು
Transliteration: darśanagaḷu / kanasugaḷu
Doctrine: The Holy Spirit and Pentecost
Rejected alternatives: ದೃಷ್ಟಾಂತ (alone, insufficient)
Original: ὁράσεις / ἐνύπνια
Category: Holy Spirit and Pentecost
God-given revelatory disclosures promised in the Joel citation (Acts 2:17) and given throughout Acts (9:10; 10:3, 17; 16:9; 18:9). ದರ್ಶನ is heavily loaded: in Hindu devotional practice it names the devotee’s ritual act of beholding a deity/guru image, itself believed to confer blessing through sight. Retained as the best available and Bible-established word, but requires a standing translator note distinguishing prophetic ದರ್ಶನ (God’s sovereign initiative) from devotional darshan (devotee’s initiative), reapplied at each major occurrence cluster.
Repentance
Approved rendering: ಪಶ್ಚಾತ್ತಾಪಪಡಿರಿ / ಪಶ್ಚಾತ್ತಾಪ
Transliteration: paścāttāpapaḍiri / paścāttāpa
Doctrine: Repentance and Baptism
Rejected alternatives: ಪ್ರಾಯಶ್ಚಿತ್ತ
Original: μετάνοια / μετανοέω
Category: Repentance and Baptism
Inward, Spirit-enabled change of mind/heart turning from sin to God (Acts 2:38; 11:18; 17:30). Must be sharply distinguished from ಪ್ರಾಯಶ್ಚಿತ್ತ, ritual/expiatory penance that itself removes guilt or offsets karma; biblical metanoia is a gift-enabled response to grace, not a self-performed ritual transaction.
Baptism
Approved rendering: ದೀಕ್ಷಾಸ್ನಾನ
Transliteration: dīkṣāsnāna
Doctrine: Repentance and Baptism
Rejected alternatives: ಸ್ನಾನ (plain ritual bathing, alone), ದೀಕ್ಷೆ (guru-lineage initiation, alone)
Original: βάπτισμα / βαπτίζω
Category: Repentance and Baptism
Established Kannada Christian compound (‘initiation-bath’) for the one-time, public act of identification with Christ’s death and resurrection (Acts 2:38, 41; 8:36-38; 9:18; 10:47-48; 16:15, 33; 19:1-6). Must be distinguished from repeatable ritual purification bathing at sacred rivers/tanks and from guru-lineage ದೀಕ್ಷೆ initiation. Acts 19:1-6 additionally requires distinguishing John’s preparatory baptism from Christian baptism-with-the-Spirit.
Name Of Jesus
Approved rendering: ಹೆಸರು
Transliteration: hesaru
Doctrine: Apostolic Authority and Miracles
Original: ὄνομα (Ἰησοῦ)
Category: Apostolic Authority and Miracles
The Name as the locus of divine authority and saving/healing power invoked in faith (Acts 3:6, 16; 4:7-12, 30; 16:18; 19:13-17). Must not be understood as a mantra-formula (japa) effective by repetition; healing/salvation occurs through faith in the person named, dramatized negatively at 19:13-16 (sons of Sceva).
Signs And Wonders
Approved rendering: ಸೂಚಕಕಾರ್ಯಗಳೂ ಅದ್ಭುತಕಾರ್ಯಗಳೂ (ಮಹತ್ಕಾರ್ಯಗಳೂ)
Transliteration: sūcakakāryagaḷū adbhutakāryagaḷū (mahatkāryagaḷū)
Doctrine: Apostolic Authority and Miracles
Rejected alternatives: ಸಿದ್ಧಿ
Original: σημεῖα καὶ τέρατα (καὶ δυνάμεις)
Category: Apostolic Authority and Miracles
Standard vocabulary for apostolic miracles recurring across Acts (2:22, 43; 3:1-10; 4:30; 5:12; 8:6-13; 14:3; 19:11-12). Must be distinguished from the yogic siddhi framework and the contemporary ‘godman’/miracle-guru phenomenon; God’s authenticating action through his messengers, never evidence of the messenger’s own attainment.
Boldness
Approved rendering: ಧೈರ್ಯ / ನಿರ್ಭಯವಾಗಿ ಮಾತನಾಡುವಿಕೆ
Transliteration: dhairya / nirbhayavāgi mātanāḍuvike
Doctrine: Persecution and Bold Witness
Rejected alternatives: ಆತ್ಮವಿಶ್ವಾಸ (generic self-confidence, alone)
Original: παρρησία
Category: Persecution and Bold Witness
Confident, unashamed, public gospel speech empowered by the Spirit under opposition (Acts 4:13, 29, 31; 9:27-28; 13:46; 14:3; 19:8; 26:26; 28:31). Not mere social confidence or rhetorical skill; consistent rendering required across every occurrence.
Witness Martyr
Approved rendering: ಸಾಕ್ಷಿ
Transliteration: sākṣi
Doctrine: Persecution and Bold Witness
Original: μάρτυς
Category: Persecution and Bold Witness
Undergoes semantic development in Acts from ‘eyewitness testifier’ (1:8; 2:32) toward ‘one who testifies unto death’ (7:54-60, Stephen’s death sealing its later technical sense; fully technical by 22:20). A standing cross-reference note should track this word’s arc across the whole book.
Sorcery Magic
Approved rendering: ಮಾಟಮಂತ್ರ / ಮಂತ್ರವಾದ
Transliteration: māṭamantra / mantravāda
Doctrine: Apostolic Authority and Miracles
Original: μαγεία / μάγος
Category: Apostolic Authority and Miracles
Occult ritual power for hire, practiced by Simon (8:9-24) and Elymas (13:6-12), renounced through burned books at Ephesus (19:19). Must draw a firm categorical line between Spirit-given gifts (freely given, never purchased) and occult/magical power (acquired, manipulated, transactional), given the strong cultural presence of māṭa-mantra black-magic belief in Karnataka.
Unclean Common
Approved rendering: ಅಶುದ್ಧ / ಸಾಮಾನ್ಯ
Transliteration: aśuddha / sāmānya
Doctrine: The Gospel to Jews and Gentiles
Original: κοινός
Category: Gospel to Jews and Gentiles
Ritually ‘common/unclean,’ the category dismantled by Peter’s vision (Acts 10:14-15, 28). Directly parallels ritual purity/impurity categories historically undergirding caste hierarchy; must not be softened, handled with the same pastoral care as caste-related material.
Circumcision
Approved rendering: ಸುನ್ನತಿ
Transliteration: sunnati
Doctrine: Justification apart from the Law
Original: περιτομή
Category: Justification apart from the Law
The Jerusalem Council’s central question — whether Gentile believers must be circumcised to be saved — resolved decisively in the negative (Acts 15:1-11). The narrative embodiment of Justification apart from the Law.
Python Spirit
Approved rendering: ಶಕುನ ಹೇಳುವ ಆತ್ಮ / ಭವಿಷ್ಯ ಹೇಳುವ ದೆವ್ವದ ಆತ್ಮ
Transliteration: śakuna hēḷuva ātma / bhaviṣya hēḷuva devvada ātma
Doctrine: Apostolic Authority and Miracles
Rejected alternatives: ಪ್ರವಾದನೆಯ ಆತ್ಮ (spirit of prophecy)
Original: πνεῦμα πύθωνα
Category: Apostolic Authority and Miracles
A spirit of divination enabling a slave girl’s fortune-telling for profit, explicitly identified as evil and cast out by Paul (Acts 16:16-18). Engages astrology and oracle/spirit-medium practices at village shrines; must be clearly distinguished from legitimate Spirit-given prophecy.
Unknown God
Approved rendering: ಅಪರಿಚಿತ ದೇವರು
Transliteration: aparicita dēvaru
Doctrine: The Great Commission Fulfilled
Original: ἀγνώστῳ θεῷ
Category: The Great Commission Fulfilled
The Athenian altar inscription Paul uses as a rhetorical bridge (Acts 17:23). Must not be read as endorsing Hindu inclusivist ‘many names, one truth’ formulas; Paul’s argument is correction/fulfillment of ignorance, not equivalence of deities. Mandatory translator note.
Idolatry
Approved rendering: ವಿಗ್ರಹಾರಾಧನೆ
Transliteration: vigrahārādhane
Doctrine: The Great Commission Fulfilled
Original: κατείδωλος
Category: The Great Commission Fulfilled
Athens ‘full of idols’ (Acts 17:16). Direct critique of image-worship; must be rendered faithfully without softening, with pastoral awareness of murti-worship’s centrality in majority religious life.
Made With Hands
Approved rendering: ಕೈಯಿಂದ ಮಾಡಿದ
Transliteration: kaiyinda māḍida
Doctrine: The Great Commission Fulfilled
Original: χειροποίητος
Category: The Great Commission Fulfilled
Stephen’s climactic claim (Acts 7:48), echoed at 17:24 and 19:26. Applies to any human-constructed sacred structure or image; theologically essential but culturally sensitive; render faithfully without editorializing.
Artemis Of Ephesians
Approved rendering: ಆರ್ತೆಮಿ (ಎಫೆಸದ ಆರ್ತೆಮಿ)
Transliteration: Artemi (Ephesada Artemi)
Doctrine: The Great Commission Fulfilled
Original: Ἄρτεμις Ἐφεσίων
Category: The Great Commission Fulfilled
The Ephesian patron goddess whose devotees rioted against Paul (Acts 19:23-41). Structural parallel to Karnataka goddess devotion/temple economies (cf. Chamundeshwari, Mysore); teach as accurate historical narrative, not framed to mock local devotional life.
Zeus And Hermes
Approved rendering: ಜೀಯುಸ್ ಮತ್ತು ಹೆರ್ಮೀಸ್
Transliteration: Jīyus mattu Hermīs
Doctrine: The Great Commission Fulfilled
Original: Ζεύς καὶ Ἑρμῆς
Category: The Great Commission Fulfilled
Greco-Roman deities the Lystra crowd identifies Barnabas and Paul with (Acts 14:11-13). Parallels avatāra theology and Lingayat Aikya-attainment categories and the ‘godman’ phenomenon; Paul/Barnabas’s refusal (14:15) is the key apologetic counter-model.
Vow
Approved rendering: ಪ್ರಮಾಣ / ಹರಕೆ
Transliteration: pramāṇa / harake
Doctrine: The Church as Community
Original: εὐχή
Category: The Church as Community
The Nazirite-type vow Paul undertakes out of cultural sensitivity (Acts 21:23-24). ಹರಕೆ is the everyday word for a transactional votive pledge to a deity for a favor granted; must be glossed as OT Nazirite consecration, not a bargain-vow for personal favor.
Satan
Approved rendering: ಸೈತಾನ
Transliteration: saitāna
Doctrine: Conversion of Paul
Rejected alternatives: any single existing folk-demon name
Original: Σατανᾶς
Category: Conversion of Paul
The personal spiritual adversary in Paul’s commission (Acts 26:18). Must be a single, personal, defeated-yet-active adversary, not one hostile deity among many nor equated with a specific folk-demon figure.
Chosen Instrument
Approved rendering: ಆಯ್ಕೆಯ ಸಾಧನ
Transliteration: āykeya sādhana
Doctrine: Conversion of Paul
Original: σκεῦος ἐκλογῆς
Category: Conversion of Paul
God’s description of Paul as a chosen instrument (Acts 9:15). Reuses ದೇವರ ಆಯ್ಕೆ (election, High); strong narrative embodiment of God’s sovereign initiative.
God Shows No Partiality
Approved rendering: ದೇವರು ಪಕ್ಷಪಾತ ಮಾಡುವವನಲ್ಲ
Transliteration: dēvaru pakṣapāta māḍuvavanalla
Doctrine: The Gospel to Jews and Gentiles
Original: οὐκ ἔστιν προσωπολήμπτης ὁ θεός
Category: Gospel to Jews and Gentiles
Peter’s declaration at Cornelius’s household (Acts 10:34). Underlies the Unity of Jews and Gentiles doctrine, given fresh narrative demonstration at 10:44-47.
Promise
Approved rendering: ವಾಗ್ದಾನ
Transliteration: vāgdāna
Doctrine: The Holy Spirit and Pentecost
Original: ἐπαγγελία
Category: Covenant
God’s binding pledge — of the Father (1:4), of the Spirit (2:33), and to the fathers (13:32; 26:6). Tightly linked to ಒಡಂಬಡಿಕೆ (covenant); must not be softened to a general hope.
Medium Risk Terms
Apostle
Approved rendering: ಅಪೊಸ್ತಲ
Transliteration: apostala
Doctrine: Apostleship
Rejected alternatives: ಗುರು, ಜಂಗಮ
Original: ἀπόστολος
Category: Church
Inherited from Romans package. Transliterated, established Kannada Christian term. In Acts, the office at stake in the replacement of Judas (1:15-26) and Paul/Barnabas’s ministry (14:4, 14).
Peace
Approved rendering: ಶಾಂತಿ
Transliteration: śānti
Doctrine: Peace with God
Rejected alternatives: ಮನಶ್ಶಾಂತಿ
Original: εἰρήνη
Category: Salvation
Inherited from Romans package. Relational peace with God and among churches (Acts 9:31; 10:36; 15:33).
Spiritual Gifts
Approved rendering: ಆತ್ಮಿಕ ವರಗಳು
Transliteration: ātmika varagaḷu
Doctrine: Spiritual Gifts
Rejected alternatives: ವರ, ಸಿದ್ಧಿ
Original: χαρίσματα (cf. δωρεά, δωρεὰ τοῦ ἁγίου πνεύματος)
Category: Church
Inherited from Romans package. Conceptual background to ‘the gift of the Holy Spirit’ (2:38), Simon Magus’s attempted purchase (8:20), and 10:45, 19:6. Must not be read as merit-earned or purchasable, or as yogic siddhi.
Church
Approved rendering: ಸಭೆ
Transliteration: sabhe
Doctrine: Church as God’s People
Rejected alternatives: ದೇವಸ್ಥಾನ, ಗುಡಿ
Original: ἐκκλησία
Category: Church
Inherited from Romans package. Never ದೇವಸ್ಥಾನ/ಗುಡಿ (Hindu temple). Keep distinct from ಸಭಾಮಂದಿರ (synagogue), a separate Jewish institution present in the same narrative from Acts 9 onward.
Kingdom Of God
Approved rendering: ದೇವರ ರಾಜ್ಯ
Transliteration: Dēvara Rājya
Doctrine: Kingdom Mission
Original: βασιλεία τοῦ θεοῦ
Category: Kingdom
Inherited from Romans package. In Acts 1:6, the disciples’ question about restoring ‘the kingdom to Israel’ reflects a political/nationalist misunderstanding Jesus redirects (1:7-8); the Kannada rendering must not affirm the disciples’ assumption as correct.
Gentiles
Approved rendering: ಅನ್ಯಜನಾಂಗದವರು
Transliteration: anyajanāṅgadavaru
Doctrine: Unity of Jews and Gentiles
Rejected alternatives: ವಿದೇಶಿಯರು
Original: ἔθνη
Category: Church
Inherited from Romans package. Recipients of the gospel’s expanding reach across Acts (10:45; 11:1, 18; 13:46-48; 15; 28:28).
Intercession
Approved rendering: ಮಧ್ಯಸ್ಥಿಕೆ
Transliteration: madhyasthike
Doctrine: Prayer and Intercession
Original: προσευχή (ἐκτενής)
Category: Faith
Inherited from Romans package. Prayer on behalf of others; the church’s earnest prayer for Peter’s release (12:5).
Mission
Approved rendering: ಮಿಷನ್ / ಸುವಾರ್ತಾ ಪ್ರಸಾರ
Transliteration: miṣan / suvārtā prasāra
Doctrine: Mission to the Nations
Original: ἀποστολή / πέμπω (cf. Acts 1:8; 13:2-3)
Category: Church
Inherited from Romans package. Being sent to proclaim the gospel to the nations, the Great Commission’s structural fulfillment across Acts (1:8; 13:2-3, 47; 22:21).
Israel
Approved rendering: ಇಸ್ರಾಯೇಲ್
Transliteration: Isrāyēl
Doctrine: Unity of Jews and Gentiles
Original: Ἰσραήλ
Category: Covenant
Inherited from Romans package. Subject of the disciples’ kingdom-restoration question (1:6) and of Israel’s mixed reception of the gospel (28:20-28).
Abba
Approved rendering: ಅಬ್ಬಾ
Transliteration: Abbā
Doctrine: Adoption into God’s Family
Original: אַבָּא
Category: God
Inherited from Romans package. Not directly occurring in Acts; retained for cross-curriculum consistency with Romans 8:15.
Seed Of David
Approved rendering: ದಾವೀದನ ವಂಶದಿಂದ
Transliteration: Dāvīdana vaṃśadinda
Doctrine: Davidic Covenant
Original: σπέρμα Δαυίδ / ἐκ τοῦ σπέρματος τούτου
Category: Covenant
Inherited from Romans package. Physical descent from David, fulfilling the Davidic covenant (Acts 13:23).
Pentecost
Approved rendering: ಪಂತೆಕೊಸ್ತೆ (ಐವತ್ತನೆಯ ದಿನದ ಹಬ್ಬ)
Transliteration: Pantekoste (aivattaneya dinada habba)
Doctrine: The Holy Spirit and Pentecost
Rejected alternatives: ಹಬ್ಬ (generic ‘festival’ alone)
Original: Πεντηκοστή
Category: Holy Spirit and Pentecost
Transliteration of the Greek Pentēkostē, glossed with the Kannada description of the fiftieth-day feast (Acts 2:1). No indigenous Kannada term exists for this specific OT festival (Feast of Weeks/Shavuot); requires a one-time OT festival-calendar background note at first occurrence so the term is not reduced to a generic Christian holiday detached from its Sinai/harvest covenant background.
Tongues Of Fire
Approved rendering: ಬೆಂಕಿಯಂತಿರುವ ನಾಲಿಗೆಗಳು
Transliteration: beṅkiyantiruva nālige gaḷu
Doctrine: The Holy Spirit and Pentecost
Original: γλῶσσαι ὡσεὶ πυρός
Category: Holy Spirit and Pentecost
Symbolic manifestation of the Spirit’s presence resting individually on each believer (Acts 2:3). Fire imagery can evoke Agni-worship or ritual homa fire-offering associations; a translator note should clarify this is symbolic, not an element to be venerated.
Proselytes
Approved rendering: ಮತಾಂತರಗೊಂಡ ಅನ್ಯಜನಾಂಗದವರು
Transliteration: matāntaragoṇḍa anyajanāṅgadavaru
Doctrine: The Gospel to Jews and Gentiles
Original: προσήλυτοι
Category: Gospel to Jews and Gentiles
Gentile converts to Judaism present at Pentecost (Acts 2:10), establishing from the first sermon that the audience already spans the whole known world. Reuses ಅನ್ಯಜನಾಂಗದವರು (Gentiles).
God Fearer
Approved rendering: ದೇವರಿಗೆ ಭಯಪಡುವವನು
Transliteration: dēvarige bhayapaḍuvavanu
Doctrine: The Gospel to Jews and Gentiles
Original: φοβούμενος τὸν θεόν
Category: Gospel to Jews and Gentiles
A Gentile sympathetic to Jewish monotheism and ethics but not a full proselyte (Acts 10:2, 22). Background category for teaching Cornelius’s pre-conversion spiritual state.
Christian Name
Approved rendering: ಕ್ರೈಸ್ತರು
Transliteration: kraistaru
Doctrine: The Church as Community
Rejected alternatives: ಧಾರ್ಮಿಕರು (generic ‘religious people’)
Original: Χριστιανός
Category: The Church as Community
The first community self-designation, given at Antioch (Acts 11:26). Must read as a distinct proper identity belonging to Christ, not a generic religious label.
Angel
Approved rendering: ದೂತ
Transliteration: dūta
Doctrine: Apostolic Authority and Miracles
Rejected alternatives: ದೇವತೆ
Original: ἄγγελος (κυρίου)
Category: Apostolic Authority and Miracles
A created servant-spirit sent by God, delivering Peter from prison (12:7-11) and reassuring Paul at sea (27:23-24). Must be framed as a created servant-messenger, not an autonomous minor deity within a populated pantheon.
Yoke Of Law
Approved rendering: ನೊಗ
Transliteration: noga
Doctrine: Justification apart from the Law
Original: ζυγός
Category: Justification apart from the Law
The metaphor for the law’s burden that neither Jewish ancestors nor the present generation could bear (Acts 15:10).
Exorcist
Approved rendering: ಬೂತ ಬಿಡಿಸುವವನು
Transliteration: būta biḍisuvavanu
Doctrine: Apostolic Authority and Miracles
Original: ἐξορκιστής
Category: Apostolic Authority and Miracles
The seven sons of Sceva who attempted to use ‘the name of Jesus’ as an impersonal formula and failed (Acts 19:13-16).
Elder
Approved rendering: ಹಿರಿಯರು
Transliteration: hiriyaru
Doctrine: The Church as Community
Original: πρεσβύτερος
Category: The Church as Community
Appointed pastoral office (Acts 14:23; 15:2-6; 20:17-35). Distinguish from a generically honored elder or guru-status attained through personal spiritual seniority.
Overseer
Approved rendering: ಅಧ್ಯಕ್ಷ / ಮೇಲ್ವಿಚಾರಕ
Transliteration: adhyakṣa / mēlvicāraka
Doctrine: The Church as Community
Original: ἐπίσκοπος
Category: The Church as Community
The office the Spirit appoints elders to as overseers of God’s flock (Acts 20:28).
Conscience
Approved rendering: ಮನಸ್ಸಾಕ್ಷಿ
Transliteration: manassākṣi
Doctrine: Justification apart from the Law
Original: συνείδησις
Category: Justification apart from the Law
Paul’s claim to have lived before God in all good conscience (Acts 23:1; cf. 24:16). Personal moral faculty answerable directly to a personal God, distinct from impersonal karma-tracking.
Diaconal Service
Approved rendering: ಶುಶ್ರೂಷೆ / ಸೇವೆ
Transliteration: śuśrūṣe / sēve
Doctrine: The Church as Community
Rejected alternatives: ಪೂಜಾ ಸೇವೆ
Original: διακονία / διακονεῖν
Category: The Church as Community
The church office of practical care-ministry established for the Hellenist widows (Acts 6:1-6). Must be distinguished from ritual temple service rendered to a deity’s image.
Synagogue
Approved rendering: ಸಭಾಮಂದಿರ
Transliteration: sabhāmandira
Doctrine: The Church as Community
Original: συναγωγή
Category: The Church as Community
The Jewish assembly-place, the repeated venue for apostolic preaching from ch.9 onward. Keep distinct from ಸಭೆ (church).
Hades
Approved rendering: ಪಾತಾಳ ಲೋಕ
Transliteration: pātāḷa lōka
Doctrine: The Great Commission Fulfilled
Original: ᾅδης
Category: Eschatology
The realm of the dead, from which Christ was not abandoned (Acts 2:27, 31, citing Psalm 16). Must not be conflated with reincarnation-adjacent intermediate soul-journey concepts.
Restoration Of All Things
Approved rendering: ಎಲ್ಲಾ ವಿಷಯಗಳ ಪುನಃಸ್ಥಾಪನೆ
Transliteration: ellā viṣayagaḷa punaḥsthāpane
Doctrine: The Great Commission Fulfilled
Original: ἀποκατάστασις πάντων
Category: Eschatology
Final cosmic restoration at Christ’s return (Acts 3:21). Must remain a single, future, Christ-centered consummation, not cyclical yuga-based renewal.
Times Of Refreshing
Approved rendering: ಚೈತನ್ಯದ ಕಾಲಗಳು
Transliteration: caitanyada kālagaḷu
Doctrine: The Great Commission Fulfilled
Original: καιροὶ ἀναψύξεως
Category: Eschatology
Eschatological relief following repentance, promised by Peter (Acts 3:19). Avoid cyclical-renewal overtones.
Casting Lots
Approved rendering: ಚೀಟು
Transliteration: cīṭu
Doctrine: Conversion of Paul
Original: κλῆρος
Category: Conversion of Paul
The one-time apostolic-era practice of seeking God’s choice in replacing Judas (Acts 1:26). Distinguish from divination/omen-reading or astrological fortune-casting.
Low Risk Terms
Thanksgiving
Approved rendering: ಕೃತಜ್ಞತಾಸ್ತುತಿ
Transliteration: kṛtajñatāstuti
Doctrine: Thanksgiving
Original: εὐχαριστία / εὐχαριστέω
Category: Faith
Inherited from Romans package. Standard term. Acts 27:35, 28:15.
Fellowship
Approved rendering: ಅನ್ಯೋನ್ಯತೆ
Transliteration: anyōnyate
Doctrine: Christian Fellowship
Rejected alternatives: ಸ್ನೇಹ
Original: κοινωνία
Category: Church
Inherited from Romans package. Shared participation in Christ, not mere social friendship. Acts 2:42.
Prophet
Approved rendering: ಪ್ರವಾದಿ
Transliteration: pravādi
Doctrine: Inspiration of Scripture
Rejected alternatives: ಜ್ಯೋತಿಷಿ
Original: προφήτης
Category: Covenant
Inherited from Romans package. God’s spokesperson, not a fortune-teller/astrologer. The Moses-typology prophet of Acts 3:22-25 and the OT prophets cited throughout Peter’s and Paul’s sermons.
Prophecy
Approved rendering: ಪ್ರವಾದನೆ
Transliteration: pravādane
Doctrine: Fulfillment of Prophecy
Rejected alternatives: ಭವಿಷ್ಯಫಲ
Original: προφητεία
Category: Covenant
Inherited from Romans package. Fulfilled at Pentecost (2:17-18) and exercised by Agabus (21:10-11) and Philip’s daughters (21:9).
David
Approved rendering: ದಾವೀದ
Transliteration: Dāvīda
Doctrine: Davidic Covenant
Original: Δαυίδ
Category: Covenant
Inherited from Romans package. Cited repeatedly by Peter (2:25-34) and Paul (13:22-36) as the covenant ancestor fulfilled in Christ.
Exhort
Approved rendering: ಪ್ರೋತ್ಸಾಹಿಸುವುದು
Transliteration: prōtsāhisuvudu
Doctrine: Mutual Edification
Original: παρακαλέω
Category: Faith
Inherited from Romans package. Peter’s continued exhortation at Pentecost (2:40) and Paul and Barnabas’s exhortation of new disciples (14:22).
Rushing Wind
Approved rendering: ಬಲವಾದ ಗಾಳಿಯಂತಿರುವ ಶಬ್ದ
Transliteration: balavāda gāḷiyantiruva śabda
Doctrine: The Holy Spirit and Pentecost
Original: πνοή
Category: Holy Spirit and Pentecost
Descriptive rendering of the sound like a mighty rushing wind (Acts 2:2), echoing Sinai theophany imagery and the Hebrew ruach wind/breath/spirit word-play. Ensure ಗಾಳಿ (wind) is not treated as strictly interchangeable with ಆತ್ಮ (spirit).
Shepherd Flock
Approved rendering: ಕುರುಬ / ಹಿಂಡು
Transliteration: kuruba / hiṇḍu
Doctrine: The Church as Community
Original: ποιμήν / ποίμνιον
Category: The Church as Community
Standard pastoral metaphor Paul uses for elders’ care of the Ephesian church (Acts 20:28-29).
Corruption Decay
Approved rendering: ಕೊಳೆತು ಹೋಗುವಿಕೆ
Transliteration: koḷetu hōguvike
Doctrine: The Great Commission Fulfilled
Original: διαφθορά
Category: Eschatology
Physical bodily decay, from which the Holy One was preserved (Acts 2:27, 31; 13:35-37).
Referenced passages