Cross-Reference Analysis
Cross-Reference and Theme Analysis — Acts 1–28 (English → Kurdish)
Methodology
This document catalogs every Old Testament quotation and clear allusion in the book of Acts, chapter by chapter, cover to cover, together with messianic references, typological patterns, and parallels to the baseline Romans Language Package curriculum already translated for Kurdish. Where Acts and Romans quote, allude to, or theologically depend on the same Old Testament text, this document establishes a rendering-consistency rule: the Kurdish translation of the shared material must match exactly, per the baseline 12_ai_translation_requirements.md’s Theological Consistency Rules Across Documents.
Citation format: All citations use normalizable Book Chapter:Verse form (e.g., “Acts 2:21”, “Genesis 15:6”, “Joel 2:32”), matching the baseline’s Kitêba Pîroz book-name conventions. Kurdish book-name equivalents follow the baseline table (Romans = Romayî, etc.); this document adds the Acts-relevant OT book names needed here: Genesis = Destpêbûn, Exodus = Derketin, Deuteronomy = Dubarekirina Şerîetê, Psalms = Zebûr, Isaiah = Îşaya, Joel = Yoêl, Amos = Amos, Habakkuk = Habakuk. Acts itself = Karên Şandiyan (“Acts/Works of the Sent Ones,” the standard Kurdish Bible title, built transparently on the baseline’s Şandî for “apostle”).
Risk tiers (Critical/High/Medium/Low) and all term renderings follow translation_memory.json, bible_term_registry.json, and the Acts-specific extensions proposed in 07_semantic_analysis.md and 08_core_glossary.md.
Rendering-Consistency Rules for Shared Quotations (Acts ↔ Romans)
The following Old Testament texts are quoted or theologically load-bearing in both Acts and the baseline Romans curriculum. Per the cross-document consistency rule, these must receive identical Kurdish renderings wherever they occur in either curriculum.
| Shared OT Text | Acts Occurrence(s) | Romans Occurrence(s) | Rendering Rule |
|---|---|---|---|
| Joel 2:32 — “everyone who calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved” | Acts 2:21 | Romans 10:13 | Render identically: “kî ku navê Xudan gazî bike, ê rizgar bibe.” Reuse baseline Xudan (Critical) + Rizgarî (Critical) exactly; both occurrences anchor salvation to a named, personal Lord — never generalized. |
| Psalm 110:1 — “The LORD said to my Lord, sit at my right hand” | Acts 2:34-35 | Romans 8:34 (allusion: “Christ Jesus… who is at the right hand of God”) | Render “li milê rastê yê Xwedê” (at the right hand of God) identically in both; teaching notes in both curricula must flag the double-Lord (YHWH/Messiah) structure as a deity claim. |
| Habakkuk 2:4 — “the righteous shall live by faith” | Not directly quoted in Acts, but theologically identical claim underlies Acts 13:38-39 | Romans 1:17 (thesis verse) | No direct quotation-text overlap requiring identical wording, but the doctrinal claim (right standing before God on the basis of faith, not law-keeping) must be taught as the same truth Peter/Paul preach narratively in Acts and Paul argues doctrinally in Romans. Use identical Wek adil hatin hesibandin (justification, Critical) and Şerîeta Mûsa (law of Moses, Critical) wherever the claim recurs. |
| Genesis 15:6 — Abraham’s faith credited as righteousness | Not directly quoted, but Abraham’s faith is the background of Acts 3:25 and Acts 7:2-8 | Romans 4:3, 4:9, 4:22 (extensively) | The Abrahamic-covenant background must be taught consistently: Acts narrates Abraham’s covenant call and promise; Romans draws the justification-by-faith doctrine explicitly from Genesis 15:6. Reuse baseline Adaleta ku tê hesibandin (imputed righteousness, Critical) whenever Acts material is taught alongside this doctrine. |
| Genesis 12:3 / 22:18 — “in your offspring all the families of the earth shall be blessed” | Acts 3:25 (direct quotation) | Romans 4:13, 16-17 (the promise “to Abraham and his offspring” as heir of the world) | Render the “offspring/seed” (dûndan, reusing baseline’s Dûndana Dawid compound pattern) and “families/nations of the earth” (hemû miletên erdê) identically across both curricula; this is the OT root of the Gospel to Jews and Gentiles doctrine. |
| Psalm 16:8-11 — “you will not abandon my soul to Hades… nor let your Holy One see corruption” | Acts 2:25-28, 2:31; Acts 13:35 | Not directly quoted in Romans, but underlies Romans 1:4’s resurrection claim | Render Rabûn (resurrection, Critical) consistently; teaching must connect this text’s “Holy One” (reusing baseline Pîroz) to Christ specifically, not a generic righteous man. |
| Psalm 2:7 — “You are my Son, today I have begotten you” | Acts 13:33 | Alluded to in Romans 1:4 (“declared to be the Son of God… by the resurrection”) | Render Kurê Xwedê (Son of God, Critical) consistently; “today I have begotten you” must be taught in both curricula as public declaration/enthronement at the resurrection, not the moment Christ’s sonship began (guard against adoptionism in both). |
| Isaiah 52:13-53:12 (Suffering Servant) | Acts 8:32-33 (direct quotation of Isaiah 53:7-8) | Alluded to throughout Romans (esp. Romans 4:25, 5:6-8) though not directly quoted | Render “servant” (reuse Xizmetkar, distinct from Şandî/apostle) and “led like a sheep to the slaughter” imagery consistently; both curricula must present this as the same fulfilled prophecy, not two separate messianic figures. |
| Deuteronomy 21:23 — “cursed is everyone who is hanged on a tree” | Acts 5:30, 10:39 (allusion: “whom you killed by hanging on a tree”) | Not directly quoted in Romans, but the cross’s penal significance parallels Romans 3:25 (propitiation) | Render “dar” (tree/wood, i.e., the cross) with the established Kurdish Christian term for the cross (xaç) glossed alongside; teaching should note the curse-bearing significance without requiring a shared fixed phrase, since Romans does not quote this text directly. |
| Isaiah 6:9-10 (hardened hearts, “hearing you will hear and not understand”) | Acts 28:26-27 (direct quotation, book’s penultimate scene) | Alluded to in Romans 11:8 (quoting a composite of Deuteronomy 29:4/Isaiah 29:10) on Israel’s partial hardening | Both curricula address Israel’s hardening theologically; render “hardened” (req kirin/dilreqî) consistently and ensure teaching connects Acts 28’s closing scene to Romans 11’s fuller argument about Israel’s partial and temporary hardening, not final rejection. |
| Isaiah 49:6 — “a light for the nations… salvation to the ends of the earth” | Acts 13:47 (direct quotation); echoed at Acts 1:8, 26:23 | Echoed in Romans 15:9-12 (the catena of OT citations on Gentile inclusion) | Render “ronahiya miletan” (light of the nations) and “heta dawiya erdê” (to the ends of the earth) consistently in both curricula as the OT missionary mandate fulfilled in the church’s Gentile mission. |
| Amos 9:11-12 — “I will rebuild the tent of David… that the remnant of mankind may seek the Lord” | Acts 15:16-18 (direct quotation, James’s Jerusalem Council argument) | Underlies Romans 15:8-12’s argument that Gentile inclusion fulfills, rather than contradicts, God’s promises to Israel | Render “konê Dawid ê hilweşiyayî” (the fallen tent of David) consistently; both curricula must teach Gentile inclusion as a fulfillment of covenant promise, not an improvised departure from it — directly reinforcing the baseline’s non-supersessionist framing requirement. |
Section A: Chapter-by-Chapter Cross-Reference Matrix
Columns: Acts Passage | Theme | Related Character(s) | OT/NT Connection | Translation Sensitivity
Chapter 1
| Acts Passage | Theme | Related Character | OT/NT Connection | Translation Sensitivity |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Acts 1:6-8 | Great Commission Fulfilled; Kingdom Mission | Jesus, the apostles | Echoes Isaiah 49:6 (“ends of the earth”); structures the whole book (Jerusalem → Judea/Samaria → ends of the earth) | Critical. Disciples’ question about restoring the kingdom to Israel must be rendered so Jesus’ redirection to spiritual mission (not political timeline denial) is unmistakable — the key anchoring text against Kurdish statehood-aspiration conflation with Padîşahiya Xwedê. |
| Acts 1:9-11 | Apostolic Authority; Christology | Jesus, two men in white (angels) | Parallels Elijah’s ascension (2 Kings 2:11) as a typological forerunner; presupposes the resurrection (Acts 1:3) | High. See 07’s ascension entry — must be taught as confirming, not replacing, the prior bodily death and resurrection, given the Quranic affirmation of a bodily “raising” without death. |
| Acts 1:16-20 | Apostolic Authority | Peter, Judas | Direct quotation: Psalm 69:25 and Psalm 109:8 (“let his camp become desolate… let another take his office”) | Medium. Imprecatory psalm material applied to Judas; render as fulfilled Scripture concerning a specific historical betrayal, not a general model for cursing enemies. |
| Acts 1:21-26 | Apostolic Authority | The Eleven, Matthias | No direct OT quotation; the “casting lots” (Acts 1:26) echoes OT lot-casting practice (Proverbs 16:33; Leviticus 16:8) | Medium. Distinguish from regional folk-divination (fal); see 07’s ch.1 entry on pişk (lot). |
Chapter 2 (see Part A of 07_semantic_analysis.md for full verse-by-verse treatment of the core passage 2:1-41; this table records only the cross-reference dimension)
| Acts Passage | Theme | Related Character | OT/NT Connection | Translation Sensitivity |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Acts 2:1 | The Holy Spirit and Pentecost | — | Fulfills the Feast of Weeks/Shavuot (Leviticus 23:15-21; Exodus 34:22) — the OT firstfruits-harvest feast now yields the firstfruits of the church | Medium. Teach as fulfillment typology (firstfruits of harvest → firstfruits of the church), not a generic religious festival parallel to Newroz/Eid. |
| Acts 2:17-21 | The Holy Spirit and Pentecost | Peter | Direct quotation: Joel 2:28-32 | Critical. See consistency-rule table above (Joel 2:32 = Romans 10:13). The “last days” (2:17) inaugurated-eschatology framing must be preserved — the Spirit’s outpouring marks the beginning, not the completion, of the end times. |
| Acts 2:25-28, 2:31 | Resurrection of Christ; Messianic Promise | David (as prophetic voice), Christ | Direct quotation: Psalm 16:8-11 | Critical. See consistency-rule table above. Must be taught as messianic prophecy fulfilled specifically in Christ’s bodily resurrection, distinguished from ordinary Davidic biography (David himself “saw corruption,” Acts 2:29). |
| Acts 2:29-30 | Davidic Covenant | David, Peter | Allusion: 2 Samuel 7:12-13; Psalm 132:11 (the Davidic oath) | High. Reuses baseline Davidic Covenant doctrine (High); the oath’s fulfillment in a resurrected, enthroned descendant must be made explicit, since the underlying covenant background is not assumed knowledge for most readers. |
| Acts 2:34-35 | Lordship of Christ; Deity of Christ | David (as prophetic voice), Christ | Direct quotation: Psalm 110:1 | Critical. See consistency-rule table above (parallel to Romans 8:34). The double-Lord structure (YHWH and Messiah both called “Xudan”) is Peter’s proof text for 2:36’s climax. |
| Acts 2:38-39 | Repentance and Baptism; Gospel to Jews and Gentiles | Peter, the crowd | Echoes the “far off” language of Isaiah 57:19 (“peace, peace, to the far and to the near”) | High. “All who are far off” (2:39) is the narrative seed of the Gentile mission developed fully in chapters 10-15; must retain open, forward-pointing force. |
Chapters 2:42-47 (continuation)
| Acts Passage | Theme | Related Character | OT/NT Connection | Translation Sensitivity |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Acts 2:42-47 | Church as Community | The Jerusalem believers | Echoes the OT ideal of covenant community life (Deuteronomy 15:4’s vision of “no poor among you”); parallels Romans 12:4-13’s body-of-Christ ethic | High. See baseline caution on “all things in common” (Acts 2:44-45) risking assimilation to Kurdish socialist/communist political memory; must be taught as voluntary, Spirit-motivated, Jerusalem-specific generosity. |
Chapter 3
| Acts Passage | Theme | Related Character | OT/NT Connection | Translation Sensitivity |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Acts 3:13 | Deity/Christology | Peter, “the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob” | Direct allusion: Exodus 3:6, 15; echoes Isaiah 52:13’s “my servant” language | Medium. “Glorified his servant Jesus” (xizmetkarê xwe Îsa) should not be confused with Şandî (apostle); this is Isaiah’s Suffering Servant title, reused fully at Acts 8:32-33. |
| Acts 3:18 | Fulfillment of Prophecy; Incarnation/Suffering | Peter | General allusion to prophetic Suffering-Servant material (Isaiah 53) foretelling Messiah’s suffering | High. Reuses baseline’s Fulfillment of Prophecy doctrine (High); must be framed against the region’s naskh (abrogation) default — earlier prophecy fulfilled, not superseded, by later revelation. |
| Acts 3:22-23 | Fulfillment of Prophecy; Inspiration of Scripture | Peter, Moses | Direct quotation: Deuteronomy 18:15, 18-19 (“a prophet like me… God will raise up”) | Critical. See 07_semantic_analysis.md ch.3 entry — a live interfaith apologetic collision point (claimed regionally for Muhammad); flag for theologian review every occurrence. |
| Acts 3:25 | Gospel to Jews and Gentiles; Abrahamic Covenant | Peter, Abraham | Direct quotation: Genesis 22:18 (cf. 12:3) | High. See consistency-rule table above (parallels Romans 4:13, 16-17). This is the OT covenantal root of the entire Jew-Gentile unity doctrine developed across the rest of Acts. |
Chapter 4
| Acts Passage | Theme | Related Character | OT/NT Connection | Translation Sensitivity |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Acts 4:11 | Christology; Rejection/Vindication | Peter | Direct quotation: Psalm 118:22 (“the stone that the builders rejected has become the cornerstone”) | High. Same stone-testimony used elsewhere in the NT (cf. 1 Peter 2:7, not in this curriculum); render “kevirê ku avakeran red kir” consistently if this text recurs in future curricula; ties rejection-by-Israel’s-leaders to divine vindication. |
| Acts 4:12 | Salvation; Universal Scope of the Gospel | Peter | Theological climax; no direct OT quotation but fulfills the “no other god” exclusivity of Isaiah 45:21-22 | Critical. See 07/08 — the sharpest exclusivity claim in Acts; must retain full force per baseline’s Universal Scope of Gospel doctrine (High) without softening toward religious pluralism. |
| Acts 4:24-26 | Apostolic Authority; Persecution | The gathered believers | Direct quotation: Psalm 2:1-2 (“why did the nations rage… against his Anointed”); allusion to Exodus 20:11/Psalm 146:6 (creation formula, “who made heaven and earth”) | Medium. “Anointed” (Mesîh-cognate in the psalm) reinforces Messiah, Critical; the creation-formula prayer opening is a model prayer pattern, low ambiguity itself. |
| Acts 4:32-35 | Church as Community | The Jerusalem believers | Parallels Deuteronomy 15:4; restates the “one heart and soul” ideal from 2:44-45 | High. Same caution as 2:44-45 regarding socialist/communist political resonance. |
Chapter 5
| Acts Passage | Theme | Related Character | OT/NT Connection | Translation Sensitivity |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Acts 5:3-4 | The Holy Spirit; Deity of the Spirit | Ananias, Peter, the Holy Spirit | No direct OT quotation; theological argument (lying to the Spirit = lying to God) affirms the Spirit’s full deity, paralleling Romans 8:9-11’s identification of the Spirit as both “Spirit of God” and “Spirit of Christ” | Critical. Reinforces baseline’s Ruhê Pîroz caution (Critical) against reduction to an impersonal force or created being. |
| Acts 5:30-31 | Resurrection; Atonement | Peter, the Sanhedrin | Allusion: Deuteronomy 21:23 (“hanging him on a tree”) | High. See consistency-rule table above; parallels Acts 10:39. |
| Acts 5:41 | Persecution and Bold Witness | The apostles | Echoes the OT pattern of persecuted prophets (e.g., Jeremiah 20:1-2; 1 Kings 19:10) | High. Joy-in-suffering-for-the-Name motif; distinguish from Kurdish national-martyrdom valorization per baseline’s şehîd caution. |
Chapter 6
| Acts Passage | Theme | Related Character | OT/NT Connection | Translation Sensitivity |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Acts 6:1-6 | Church as Community; Apostolic Authority | The Twelve, Stephen and the Seven | Parallels Exodus 18:13-26 (Moses appointing elders/judges to share the burden of leadership) | Medium. A positive OT leadership-delegation typology; low collision risk. |
| Acts 6:8 | Apostolic Authority and Miracles | Stephen | Echoes Moses/Elijah sign-prophet pattern | Low. Reuses Hêza Xwedê/nîşan û ecêb vocabulary already established. |
Chapter 7 (Stephen’s speech — the densest OT survey in the NT)
| Acts Passage | Theme | Related Character | OT/NT Connection | Translation Sensitivity |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Acts 7:2-8 | Abrahamic Covenant; Gospel to Jews and Gentiles (root) | Stephen, Abraham | Allusion/summary: Genesis 12:1, 7; 15:13-14; 17:8 | High. Same Abrahamic-covenant background as Acts 3:25; ensure vocabulary consistency (dûndan, peyman). |
| Acts 7:9-16 | Providence | Stephen, Joseph | Allusion/summary: Genesis 37, 39-50 | Low. Illustrates God’s providential rescue through suffering; reuses Rêveberiya Xwedê (Medium). |
| Acts 7:17-43 | Fulfillment of Prophecy; Apostolic Authority (Moses typology) | Stephen, Moses | Allusion/summary: Exodus 1-3, 32; direct quotation of Exodus 3:6 (7:32) and Deuteronomy 18:15 (7:37, repeating 3:22) | Critical. The “prophet like me” citation recurs here (7:37) — same interfaith-apologetic caution as Acts 3:22-23 applies. |
| Acts 7:42-43 | Idolatry; Judgment | Stephen | Direct quotation: Amos 5:25-27 (LXX) | Medium. Illustrates Israel’s historical idolatry; reuse but (idol, Medium). |
| Acts 7:49-50 | God’s Transcendence | Stephen | Direct quotation: Isaiah 66:1-2 (“heaven is my throne, earth my footstool… what house will you build for me?”) | Medium. Relevant backdrop for the Church as Community doctrine’s caution that Dêr denotes people, not primarily a building. |
| Acts 7:51 | Persecution; Universal Human Accountability | Stephen, the Sanhedrin | Metaphorical extension of circumcision (see baseline ch.15 note); echoes Jeremiah 6:10; 9:26 (“uncircumcised ears/heart”) | High. See 07/08 — must not be read as literal disparagement of physical sinet. |
| Acts 7:55-56 | Deity of Christ; Ascension | Stephen | Visual fulfillment of Psalm 110:1 and Daniel 7:13 (“Son of Man standing at the right hand of God”) | Critical. First post-ascension vision of Christ’s heavenly glory in Acts; reuse Kurê Mirov (Son of Man, if introduced) alongside Xudan/Kurê Xwedê. |
| Acts 7:59-60 | Persecution and Bold Witness (martyrdom) | Stephen | Echoes Christ’s own words on the cross (Luke 23:34, 46) — deliberate Luke-Acts literary parallel | Critical. First full crystallization of martys into the death-sealed sense; introduce Şehîd here per baseline caution, sharply distinguished from Kurdish national-political martyrdom. |
Chapter 8
| Acts Passage | Theme | Related Character | OT/NT Connection | Translation Sensitivity |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Acts 8:26-40 | Gospel to Jews and Gentiles; Messianic Promise | Philip, the Ethiopian eunuch | Direct quotation: Isaiah 53:7-8 | Critical. See consistency-rule table above. The eunuch’s inclusion also fulfills Isaiah 56:3-5’s promise of eunuchs’ full welcome — a rich, doubled fulfillment text worth flagging for teaching emphasis. |
| Acts 8:9-24 | Apostolic Authority and Miracles | Simon Magus, Peter | No direct OT quotation; echoes the polemic against false/purchased spiritual power found in prophetic literature (e.g., Micah 3:11) | High. See sêrbazî (sorcery, High) entry. |
Chapter 9
| Acts Passage | Theme | Related Character | OT/NT Connection | Translation Sensitivity |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Acts 9:1-19 | Conversion of Paul | Saul/Paul, Ananias, Christ | Structural parallel to OT prophetic call narratives (Isaiah 6; Jeremiah 1; Exodus 3 — light/voice/commission pattern) | High. The call-narrative typology should be taught explicitly: Paul’s conversion is also a prophetic-apostolic commissioning, paralleling Moses’ and Isaiah’s call scenes already present in Stephen’s speech (ch.7) and the “Servant” texts (Isaiah 49:1-6, echoed at 9:15’s “chosen instrument”). |
| Acts 9:15 | Conversion of Paul; Election | Christ, Ananias | Echoes Isaiah 49:1, 5-6 (the Servant’s commission to Israel, kings, and the nations) | Medium. Reuse Hilbijartin (High) carefully per baseline’s democratic-election caution. |
Chapter 10
| Acts Passage | Theme | Related Character | OT/NT Connection | Translation Sensitivity |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Acts 10:34-35 | Gospel to Jews and Gentiles | Peter, Cornelius | Allusion: Deuteronomy 10:17 (“God shows no partiality”); 2 Chronicles 19:7 | Medium. Foundational Jew-Gentile equality text; see 08 entry. |
| Acts 10:44-46 | The Holy Spirit and Pentecost (Gentile confirmation) | Cornelius’s household | Deliberate narrative echo of Acts 2 (the “Gentile Pentecost”), confirming Joel 2:28’s “all flesh” is now visibly realized across the Jew-Gentile line | Critical. Must be taught as the same Spirit-gift as Acts 2, given without prior circumcision or law-observance — directly feeding Justification apart from the Law (chs. 13, 15). |
Chapter 11
| Acts Passage | Theme | Related Character | OT/NT Connection | Translation Sensitivity |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Acts 11:15-18 | Gospel to Jews and Gentiles; Repentance | Peter, the Jerusalem church | Retrospective confirmation of the Acts 2/Joel 2:28 fulfillment now extended to Gentiles | Critical. “Repentance that leads to life” (11:18) explicitly stated as something God “granted” — reinforces the Repentance and Baptism doctrine’s Spirit-enabled, not self-generated, framing (cf. baseline tawba caution). |
| Acts 11:19-26 | Church as Community; Great Commission Fulfilled | Barnabas, Saul, the Antioch believers | First use of “Christians” (Χριστιανοί) as a self-designation | Low-Medium. See 08 — Mesîhî, transparent derivation. |
Chapter 12
| Acts Passage | Theme | Related Character | OT/NT Connection | Translation Sensitivity |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Acts 12:1-2 | Persecution and Bold Witness | Herod, James | Reuses the martyrdom framework introduced at Stephen’s death (ch.7) | Critical. Reuse Şehîd with restated caution. |
| Acts 12:6-11 | Providence; Apostolic Authority | Peter, an angel of the Lord | Parallels OT deliverance narratives (e.g., Daniel 6, Daniel in the lions’ den; Exodus deliverance motifs) | Medium. Reuse Rêveberiya Xwedê (providence); relevant to audience’s lived experience of state power across four jurisdictions. |
| Acts 12:23 | Judgment | Herod, an angel of the Lord | Echoes OT judgment-on-pride narratives (e.g., Daniel 4, Nebuchadnezzar) | Low. Illustrative divine judgment on a persecuting ruler; standard vocabulary. |
Chapter 13
| Acts Passage | Theme | Related Character | OT/NT Connection | Translation Sensitivity |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Acts 13:17-22 | Fulfillment of Prophecy; Davidic Covenant | Paul, summarizing Israel’s history to David | Allusion/summary: Exodus 12-14; Deuteronomy 1; 1 Samuel 13:14 (direct quotation, “a man after my own heart”); Psalm 89:20 | Medium. Standard salvation-history summary; reuse Dawid (Medium). |
| Acts 13:23 | Messianic Promise; Davidic Covenant | Paul, Jesus | Direct fulfillment claim: “of this man’s offspring God has brought… a Savior, Jesus” — fulfills 2 Samuel 7:12-16 | Critical. Reuse Mesîh/Rizgarî. |
| Acts 13:33 | Deity of Christ; Sonship of Christ | Paul | Direct quotation: Psalm 2:7 | Critical. See consistency-rule table above. |
| Acts 13:34 | Resurrection; Davidic Covenant | Paul | Direct quotation: Isaiah 55:3 (“the holy and sure blessings of David”) | High. Ties resurrection to covenant fulfillment; reuse Peyman (covenant, High). |
| Acts 13:35 | Resurrection of Christ | Paul | Direct quotation: Psalm 16:10 (same text as Acts 2:27, 31) | Critical. Must render identically to the Acts 2 occurrence per internal consistency. |
| Acts 13:38-39 | Justification apart from the Law | Paul | Doctrinal climax; echoes but does not directly quote Habakkuk 2:4 | Critical. See consistency-rule table above (parallels Romans 3-4 extensively); the single most important Justification text in Acts. |
| Acts 13:41 | Fulfillment of Prophecy; Warning | Paul | Direct quotation: Habakkuk 1:5 | Medium. A warning against unbelief despite clear testimony; low independent risk. |
| Acts 13:47 | Gospel to Jews and Gentiles; Great Commission Fulfilled | Paul, Barnabas | Direct quotation: Isaiah 49:6 | Critical. See consistency-rule table above. |
| Acts 13:48 | Election; Effectual Calling | Luke (narrator) | Theological claim, no direct OT quotation; parallels Romans 8:29-30’s calling-order | High. See baseline democratic-election caution. |
Chapter 14
| Acts Passage | Theme | Related Character | OT/NT Connection | Translation Sensitivity |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Acts 14:15-17 | Idolatry; Providence; Universal Revelation | Paul, Barnabas, the Lystra crowd | Echoes Psalm 145:15-16 and general-revelation themes later systematized in Romans 1:19-20 | High. Direct thematic parallel to Romans 1:19-20’s natural-revelation argument; useful bridge to Yazidi/Yarsani/folk-religious audiences, provided the bridge concludes (as here) in a call to turn to the living God specifically. |
| Acts 14:22 | Kingdom Mission; Persecution | Paul, Barnabas | No direct OT quotation; echoes the “many tribulations” pattern of the righteous sufferer throughout the Psalms and prophetic literature | High. See 07/08 — kingdom entered through suffering, not political achievement. |
Chapter 15
| Acts Passage | Theme | Related Character | OT/NT Connection | Translation Sensitivity |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Acts 15:1-5 | Justification apart from the Law | Certain men from Judea, Paul, Barnabas | Sets up the direct conflict over circumcision/law-keeping and salvation | Critical. See Sinet caution in 08. |
| Acts 15:10-11 | Grace; Justification apart from the Law | Peter | Theological climax: “we believe that we will be saved through the grace of the Lord Jesus, just as they will” | Critical. Reuse Kerem (High) + Rizgarî (Critical) exactly as in the baseline. |
| Acts 15:16-18 | Gospel to Jews and Gentiles; Davidic Covenant | James | Direct quotation: Amos 9:11-12 | Critical. See consistency-rule table above; directly parallels Romans 15:8-12’s non-supersessionist Gentile-inclusion argument. |
| Acts 15:20, 29 | Church as Community; Ethical Holiness | The Jerusalem Council | Echoes the Noahic-covenant restrictions of Genesis 9:4 and Leviticus 17-18 (the “apostolic decree”) | Medium. Reuse zînap/fuhûş (sexual immorality, Medium); explicitly avoid namûs-derived vocabulary per baseline’s rejection of that term for unrelated reasons. |
Chapter 16
| Acts Passage | Theme | Related Character | OT/NT Connection | Translation Sensitivity |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Acts 16:14 | Effectual Calling; Conversion | Lydia | No direct OT quotation; theological parallel to Romans 8:29-30 (God’s initiative in effectual calling) | High. Reuse Xudan (Critical); models divine initiative in individual conversion. |
| Acts 16:16-18 | Apostolic Authority; Spiritual Conflict | Paul, the slave girl with “a spirit of divination” | No direct OT quotation; echoes OT prohibitions against divination (Deuteronomy 18:10-11, the same chapter that supplies the “prophet like Moses” text of Acts 3:22) | High. See ruhê fala entry. |
| Acts 16:30-31 | Salvation; Faith | The Philippian jailer, Paul | Direct doctrinal parallel to Acts 2:21/38, 4:12, and Romans 10:9-13 — the curriculum’s core salvation formula | Critical. Must be rendered with word-for-word consistency with the other core salvation-formula verses per the baseline cross-document consistency rule. |
Chapter 17
| Acts Passage | Theme | Related Character | OT/NT Connection | Translation Sensitivity |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Acts 17:2-3 | Fulfillment of Prophecy; Messianic Promise | Paul, the Thessalonian synagogue | General appeal to “the Scriptures” concerning the Messiah’s necessary suffering and resurrection (summarizing texts like Isaiah 53, Psalm 16, Psalm 22) | High. Same naskh-related caution as Acts 3:18. |
| Acts 17:11 | Inspiration of Scripture | The Bereans | Models careful scriptural verification; no direct quotation | Low. Positive pattern countering tahrif suspicion (baseline High-risk doctrine). |
| Acts 17:24-25 | Providence; Idolatry | Paul, the Areopagus | Allusion: Isaiah 42:5; 1 Kings 8:27 (“heaven and the highest heaven cannot contain you”) | Medium. Reuse Rêveberiya Xwedê. |
| Acts 17:26 | Providence; Universal Human Accountability | Paul | Allusion: Deuteronomy 32:8; Genesis 10-11 (table of nations) | Medium. God’s sovereign ordering of nations’ times and boundaries — a potentially resonant text for a stateless people; teach with pastoral sensitivity, avoiding either fatalism or political application. |
| Acts 17:28 | Apologetic Bridge-Building | Paul | Quotation of Greek poets (Epimenides, Aratus), not the OT — Paul’s unique use of pagan literary sources | Medium. Not an OT cross-reference but structurally identical in function to the “Unknown God” bridge (17:23); a model for engaging Kurdish Sufi/Yazidi poetic-philosophical traditions (cf. baseline’s note on Melayê Cizîrî, Ehmedê Xanî), provided the bridge concludes in the exclusive, historical claims of Christ’s resurrection and judgment (17:30-31), as Paul’s own does. |
| Acts 17:31 | Resurrection; Judgment | Paul | Allusion: Psalm 9:8; 96:13 (“he will judge the world in righteousness”) | High. Reuse Rabûn (Critical) and Adalet (High) in its forensic/eschatological sense; ties resurrection directly to final judgment. |
Chapter 18
| Acts Passage | Theme | Related Character | OT/NT Connection | Translation Sensitivity |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Acts 18:5-6 | Persecution; Gospel to Jews and Gentiles | Paul | Echoes prophetic “blood on your own heads” formula (Ezekiel 33:1-9) | Medium. Illustrates the pattern of turning to Gentiles after Jewish synagogue rejection, recurring throughout Acts (13:46; 28:28). |
| Acts 18:24-28 | Inspiration of Scripture; Apostolic Authority | Apollos, Priscilla, Aquila | No direct OT quotation; models further instruction “in the way of God more accurately” | Low. Reuses Rê (the Way, High). |
Chapter 19
| Acts Passage | Theme | Related Character | OT/NT Connection | Translation Sensitivity |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Acts 19:1-7 | The Holy Spirit and Pentecost; Repentance and Baptism | Paul, twelve disciples of John | Distinguishes John’s baptism (itself rooted in prophetic repentance-preaching, e.g. Malachi 3:1; 4:5-6) from Christian Spirit-baptism | Critical. See 08 — must be taught with the John’s-baptism-versus-Christian-baptism distinction fully explicit. |
| Acts 19:11-20 | Apostolic Authority and Miracles | Paul, the sons of Sceva | Echoes OT polemic against imitative/false spiritual power (cf. Exodus 7-8, Pharaoh’s magicians) | High. Reuse sêrbazî. |
Chapter 20
| Acts Passage | Theme | Related Character | OT/NT Connection | Translation Sensitivity |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Acts 20:28 | Church as Community; Apostolic Authority | Paul, the Ephesian elders | Echoes the OT shepherd-leader motif (Ezekiel 34; Psalm 23; Numbers 27:16-17) | Medium. Reuse Şivan/Kerî; positive pastoral-nomadic resonance per 08. |
| Acts 20:29-30 | False Teaching | Paul | Echoes prophetic warnings against false shepherds (Jeremiah 23:1-4; Ezekiel 34:2-6) | Low. Standard metaphor, gurên hovane. |
| Acts 20:35 | Ethical Instruction | Paul | Quotation of an unrecorded saying of Jesus (an agraphon: “it is more blessed to give than to receive”) — not an OT citation but a unique dominical-saying cross-reference | Low. Note for translators: this is the only place in the NT a saying of Jesus not found in the Gospels is directly quoted; render plainly, no special doctrinal risk. |
Chapter 21
| Acts Passage | Theme | Related Character | OT/NT Connection | Translation Sensitivity |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Acts 21:10-11 | Fulfillment of Prophecy | Agabus, Paul | Prophetic sign-act, structurally parallel to OT prophetic sign-acts (e.g., Isaiah 20:2-4; Jeremiah 13:1-11; Ezekiel 4) | Low. Reuse Pêxemberî. |
| Acts 21:23-26 | Justification apart from the Law (nuance) | Paul | Echoes Numbers 6 (Nazirite vow regulations) | Medium. Illustrates Paul’s continued respect for Jewish custom alongside his teaching that law-keeping is not the basis of justification for Gentiles — a nuance requiring careful, non-contradictory teaching. |
Chapter 22
| Acts Passage | Theme | Related Character | OT/NT Connection | Translation Sensitivity |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Acts 22:3-21 | Conversion of Paul | Paul | Second of three tellings of the conversion narrative (cf. ch. 9, ch. 26); reinforces the prophetic call-narrative typology | High. No new OT citation; reinforcement through Luke’s deliberate literary repetition — worth flagging for teaching emphasis on the programmatic importance of this doctrine. |
| Acts 22:14 | Election; Justification apart from the Law | Ananias, Paul | ”The God of our fathers appointed you… to see the Righteous One” — echoes the Abrahamic-fathers formula (cf. Acts 3:13, 7:32) | Medium. “The Righteous One” as a messianic title — reuse Adalet-family vocabulary carefully, distinguishing the title from the forensic-justification sense used elsewhere. |
Chapter 23
| Acts Passage | Theme | Related Character | OT/NT Connection | Translation Sensitivity |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Acts 23:5 | Civic Ethics | Paul, the high priest | Direct quotation: Exodus 22:28 (“you shall not speak evil of a ruler of your people”) | Low. Parallels Romans 13:1-7’s respect-for-authority teaching; low doctrinal risk, useful cross-reference for that unit if taught alongside Acts. |
| Acts 23:6-8 | Resurrection of Christ | Paul, Pharisees, Sadducees | No direct OT quotation; intra-Jewish resurrection debate | High. See 07 — useful teaching point that resurrection was disputed within first-century Judaism itself; helps distinguish general future-resurrection belief (shared broadly, including in Islam) from the specific claim that Jesus has already, historically, been raised. |
Chapter 24
| Acts Passage | Theme | Related Character | OT/NT Connection | Translation Sensitivity |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Acts 24:14-15 | The Way; Resurrection; Judgment | Paul, Felix | No direct OT quotation; affirms continuity with “the Law and… the Prophets,” and a coming resurrection “of both the just and the unjust” | High. Reuse Rabûn and Adalet; a bridge point with broadly shared eschatological expectation, provided Christ’s own accomplished resurrection is not lost in the general future hope. |
| Acts 24:25 | Ethics; Judgment | Paul, Felix | No direct OT quotation; “righteousness, self-control, and the judgment to come” | Medium. See 07 — disambiguate Adalet’s ethical sense here from its forensic-justification sense elsewhere. |
Chapter 25
| Acts Passage | Theme | Related Character | OT/NT Connection | Translation Sensitivity |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Acts 25:11 | Great Commission Fulfilled | Paul | No OT/NT direct citation; legal-procedural narrative device advancing the plot toward Rome | Low. See 08. |
Chapter 26
| Acts Passage | Theme | Related Character | OT/NT Connection | Translation Sensitivity |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Acts 26:6-8 | Messianic Promise; Resurrection | Paul, Agrippa | ”The promise made by God to our fathers” — echoes the Abrahamic/Davidic covenant promises already cited at Acts 3:25, 13:23, 32-34 | High. Reuse Peyman (covenant, High) and Rabûn (Critical); ties Paul’s trial defense directly back to the same covenant-fulfillment argument structure used throughout Acts. |
| Acts 26:18 | Conversion; Repentance | Christ (speaking to Paul), reported by Paul | Echoes Isaiah 42:7, 16 (“to open the eyes that are blind… turn darkness into light”) | Medium-High. See vegerandin entry (08) — teach as specific power-transfer from Satan’s dominion to God, not generic enlightenment; the Isaiah 42 servant-mission language deliberately links Paul’s calling to Christ’s own. |
| Acts 26:22-23 | Fulfillment of Prophecy; Messianic Promise | Paul | Summary appeal to “what the prophets and Moses said would come to pass” — namely, that the Christ would suffer, rise first from the dead, and proclaim light to Jews and Gentiles (echoing Isaiah 53 and Isaiah 49:6 again) | Critical. A compressed summary of the whole book’s messianic-fulfillment argument; render consistently with the fuller citations at Acts 8:32-33 and 13:47. |
Chapter 27
Reviewed — no new OT quotation, allusion, or load-bearing theological cross-reference beyond the already-established Rêveberiya Xwedê (providence, Medium) doctrine, reinforced narratively through God’s angelic reassurance to Paul (27:23-24) during the storm and shipwreck. Explicitly noted as reviewed; no new matrix entries required.
Chapter 28
| Acts Passage | Theme | Related Character | OT/NT Connection | Translation Sensitivity |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Acts 28:3-6 | Apostolic Authority and Miracles; Idolatry | Paul, Maltese islanders | Echoes Mark 16:18’s snake-handling protection promise (not OT, but an intra-NT cross-reference) and the recurring “mistaken for a god” motif of Acts 14:11-13 | Medium. Reuse hêz/nîşan and but vocabulary; reinforce the distinction between divine attestation and deification of the messenger. |
| Acts 28:26-27 | Fulfillment of Prophecy; Universal Human Accountability | Paul, the Roman Jewish leaders | Direct quotation: Isaiah 6:9-10 | Critical. See consistency-rule table above (parallels Romans 11:8). |
| Acts 28:28 | Gospel to Jews and Gentiles | Paul (narrator’s summary) | Fulfills the trajectory begun at Acts 2:39, Isaiah 49:6 (13:47), and Amos 9:11-12 (15:16-18) | Critical. See 08 — the book’s capstone verse for this doctrine. |
| Acts 28:30-31 | Great Commission Fulfilled; Kingdom Mission | Paul (narrator’s summary) | Closes the Acts 1:8 program (“to the end of the earth”) with unhindered proclamation in Rome, the imperial capital | Critical. See 08 — the book’s final verse; must align with every other occurrence of Padîşahiya Xwedê, Xudan/Mesîh, and Wêrekî. |
Section B: Messianic Typology Summary
| Type (OT figure/event) | Antitype (fulfillment in Acts) | Key Passages | Kurdish Teaching Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| The Passover/Firstfruits feast cycle | Pentecost as the firstfruits of the church age | Acts 2:1 (cf. Leviticus 23) | Teach the type-fulfillment structure explicitly; do not let Pentîkost default to a generic “cejn.” |
| Moses as prophet-deliverer | Christ as “the prophet like Moses” | Acts 3:22-23; 7:37 | Critical apologetic collision point (see above); requires deliberate, careful teaching against the regional Muhammad-identification argument. |
| David as covenant-king | Christ as the greater Son of David, permanently enthroned | Acts 2:29-36; 13:22-23, 33-37 | Reuse baseline Davidic Covenant doctrine (High); David “saw corruption,” Christ did not — the argument’s hinge. |
| The Suffering Servant (Isaiah 53) | Christ’s atoning death, explicitly identified by Philip | Acts 3:13, 18; 8:32-35 | Central messianic-typology text for a multi-religious audience; anchor firmly to Jesus alone. |
| The tabernacle/tent of David (fallen and rebuilt) | The multi-ethnic church as the rebuilt “tent,” including Gentiles without circumcision | Acts 15:16-18 | Directly supports non-supersessionist framing: Gentile inclusion fulfills rather than replaces God’s promise to Israel. |
| The “light to the nations” Servant commission | The apostolic mission’s Gentile turn | Acts 13:47; 26:23 | Ties Great Commission Fulfilled doctrine to an explicit OT missionary mandate, not a novel innovation. |
| Elijah’s ascension (2 Kings 2:11) | Christ’s ascension | Acts 1:9-11 | A structural, not verbally-quoted, typological parallel; useful for teaching the reality and visibility of Christ’s bodily departure. |
Section C: Parallels to the Romans Curriculum — Summary Table
| Acts Doctrine | Corresponding Romans Doctrine/Passage | Nature of Parallel |
|---|---|---|
| The Holy Spirit and Pentecost | Romans 8:9-16 (Spirit of adoption, indwelling) | Acts narrates the historical inauguration; Romans systematizes the ongoing indwelling and assurance doctrine. |
| The Gospel to Jews and Gentiles | Romans 1:16; 3:29-30; 9-11 | Acts narrates the historical unfolding (ch. 10, 15, 28); Romans provides the fullest doctrinal argument for Jew-Gentile unity in the NT. |
| Repentance and Baptism | Romans 6:1-11 (baptism into Christ’s death/resurrection); Romans 2:4 (God’s kindness leads to repentance) | Acts gives the evangelistic call-and-response pattern; Romans gives the theological meaning of what baptism accomplishes. |
| Church as Community | Romans 12:3-13 (one body, many members); Romans 16 (named church members/house churches) | Acts narrates the earliest community’s practice; Romans gives the mature ecclesiological metaphor and personal application. |
| Apostolic Authority and Miracles | Romans 15:18-19 (Paul’s own signs and wonders) | Paul’s later self-description in Romans directly references the pattern narrated throughout Acts. |
| Persecution and Bold Witness | Romans 8:35-39 (nothing can separate); Romans 12:14 (bless those who persecute you) | Acts narrates the lived experience; Romans gives the theological ground for assurance and non-retaliation under persecution. |
| Conversion of Paul | Romans 1:1, 5 (Paul’s self-identification as called apostle) | Acts narrates the event three times; Romans shows its abiding effect on Paul’s self-understanding and mission. |
| Justification apart from the Law | Romans 3:21-4:25 (extensively) | Acts 13:38-39 and Acts 15 narrate the doctrine’s proclamation and defense in the early church’s actual controversies; Romans is its fullest systematic exposition. |
| The Great Commission Fulfilled | Romans 10:14-15 (sending and preaching); Romans 15:18-24 (Paul’s mission strategy and plans) | Acts narrates the commission’s actual historical execution (Jerusalem to Rome); Romans reflects Paul’s own theological rationale for ongoing frontier mission. |
This document must be read alongside 07_semantic_analysis.md and 08_core_glossary.md for full term-level treatment, and alongside the baseline translation_memory.json, bible_term_registry.json, and doctrine_risk_registry.json for enforcement mechanics before Phase 2 processing begins.