Doctrine Analysis
Doctrine Analysis — Acts 1–28 (Full Book Coverage)
This document is the Phase 1 Step 4 doctrine matrix for the Acts curriculum. It is fully consistent with assets/doctrine_risk_registry.json: the same doctrine set, the same risk tiers, and the same review-routing conventions established there and in the baseline Romans Language Package. This matrix maps every doctrine to its supporting passages chapter by chapter across the entire book of Acts, per the PRD’s full-book-coverage mandate. The core passage, Acts 2:1-41 (Pentecost), is the theological anchor of the curriculum but is not the boundary of this analysis — every chapter, first to last, is accounted for below.
Risk tiers follow the baseline definitions:
- Critical — Mistranslation alters or destroys essential doctrine. Human theologian review required for every occurrence.
- High — Mistranslation creates significant theological confusion or syncretism risk. Human theologian review required.
- Medium — Mistranslation reduces clarity but preserves essential meaning. Native speaker review recommended.
- Low — Mistranslation causes minor misunderstanding or imprecision. Automated review sufficient.
Chapter 1 — Ascension, Apostolic Foundation, and the Redirected Question of the Kingdom
| Doctrine | Risk | Supporting Passages (Acts) | Translation Risk | Review Routing |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apostolic Authority | Medium | 1:2, 1:21-26 | Şandî avoids Rasul Allah collision, but the non-repeatable finality of the apostolic office (qualification: eyewitness of the risen Lord, 1:21-22) must be clarified against a single final-prophetic-authority framework. | Native speaker review |
| Resurrection of Christ | Critical | 1:3, 1:22 | Opening chapter’s “many proofs” (1:3) sets the evidentiary tone for the whole book; must be bodily/historical from the first occurrence, resisting both Sunni crucifixion-denial and Yazidi kiras guhertin. | Human theologian |
| The Holy Spirit and Pentecost | Critical | 1:5, 1:8 | John’s water baptism vs. Spirit baptism (1:5) must be kept distinct at the very first occurrence, establishing the pattern for 19:1-7. | Human theologian |
| Kingdom Mission / Great Commission Fulfilled | Critical | 1:6-8 | THE key anchoring text: disciples’ own question (“will you restore the kingdom to Israel?”) is directly redirected by Jesus to spiritual mission/empowerment. Must be taught explicitly as the book’s programmatic refusal of political-nationalist kingdom expectation, given Kurdish statehood aspiration. | Human theologian |
| Ascension of Christ | High | 1:9-11 | Inverted risk: mainstream Sunni Islam already affirms bodily removal to heaven without death; must be taught as confirming, not replacing, the prior death and resurrection narrated from ch. 2 onward. | Human theologian |
| Inspiration of Scripture | High | 1:16 | Peter’s citation of “the Holy Spirit spoke through David” models Scripture’s dual human/divine authorship, distinct from Islamic wahy dictation. | Human theologian |
| Sovereign Election and Calling | High | 1:24-26 | Casting lots for Matthias must be read as God’s sovereign choice made visible through a culturally-specific ancient practice, not a template for church decision-making, and not a “vote.” | Human theologian |
Chapter 2 — Pentecost (Core Passage, Acts 2:1-41)
| Doctrine | Risk | Supporting Passages (Acts) | Translation Risk | Review Routing |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| The Holy Spirit and Pentecost | Critical | 2:1-4, 2:16-18, 2:33 | The theological anchor of the whole curriculum. Pentîkost must not be assimilated to a generic Kurdish “cejn” (festival, incl. Newroz/Eid); teach as unrepeatable redemptive-historical event fulfilling Joel. | Human theologian |
| Repeated Filling for Empowerment | Medium | 2:4 | First occurrence of the recurring formula; establish that “filled” denotes full personal presence, not a partial/graded amount. | Native speaker review |
| Tongues as Real Languages | High | 2:4-11 | Core passage’s central miracle. “Ziman” must be disambiguated between the flame-shape (2:3) and speech-miracle (2:4) senses; the strong positive resonance with Kurdish mother-tongue suppression history is a pastoral asset requiring careful framing to avoid over-politicization. | Human theologian |
| Fulfillment of Prophecy | Critical | 2:16-21, 2:25-31 | Peter’s Joel and Psalm 16 citations are the interpretive key to the whole event; naskh (abrogation) thinking must not be allowed to frame this as prior revelation superseded rather than fulfilled. | Human theologian |
| Signs and Wonders | High | 2:22, 2:43 | Jesus’ own signs (2:22) and the apostles’ signs (2:43) authenticate the messianic claim, never apostolic spiritual rank; avoid the Sufi-adjacent cognate “keramet.” | Human theologian |
| Resurrection of Christ | Critical | 2:24-32 | Peter’s central proclamation; bodily, historical, once-for-all — the doctrinal heart of the sermon. | Human theologian |
| Messianic Fulfillment | Critical | 2:30-36 | David’s throne-oath fulfilled exclusively in Jesus; must resist assimilation to Alevi/Yarsani divinely-guided-figure frameworks. | Human theologian |
| Lordship and Deity of Christ | Critical | 2:33-36 | The Psalm 110 double-referent (“The LORD said to my Lord”) is Peter’s proof of Jesus’ deity at 2:36 (“God has made him both Lord and Christ”); Xudan must retain full exclusive force for both referents, with explicit teaching notes distinguishing the two persons who share the title. | Human theologian |
| Repentance | Critical | 2:38 | Core passage’s central command; must be taught as Spirit-granted response tied exclusively to trust in the crucified-and-risen Jesus, sharply distinguished from Islamic tawba’s human-initiated, formula-based restoration. | Human theologian |
| Baptism | Critical | 2:38, 2:41 | Core passage’s baptismal formula (“in the name of Jesus Christ”); one-time act of identification with Christ, distinct from repeatable ritual washing (wudu/ghusl). | Human theologian |
| Forgiveness of Sins | High | 2:38 | Decisively secured at conversion in the core passage, grounding assurance against the Islamic maghfira framework’s case-by-case uncertainty. | Human theologian |
| The Gospel to Jews and Gentiles | Critical | 2:39 | ”For you and your children and all who are far off” — the promise’s opening universalization within the core passage itself, setting up the whole book’s Jew-Gentile trajectory. | Human theologian |
| Apostolic Authority | Medium | 2:42-43 | The apostles’ teaching as a mark of the newly-formed community’s identity. | Native speaker review |
| The Church as Community | High | 2:42-47 | Immediately follows the core passage; the voluntary sharing of goods (2:44-45) is the first instance of a description at real risk of assimilation to 20th-century Kurdish socialist/communist political memory — must be taught as voluntary, Spirit-motivated, and historically specific to the Jerusalem church, not a normative economic program. | Human theologian |
Chapter 3 — Healing at the Temple Gate and Peter’s Second Sermon
| Doctrine | Risk | Supporting Passages (Acts) | Translation Risk | Review Routing |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Miracles, Signs and Wonders | High | 3:1-10 | The healing of the lame man; authenticates the apostolic message about the risen Jesus, not the apostles’ own spiritual standing. | Human theologian |
| Authority in the Name of Jesus | High | 3:6, 3:16 | ”In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, rise up and walk” — must rest entirely on Christ’s person, not a verbal formula comparable to invoking a pîr’s or saint’s name. | Human theologian |
| Resurrection of Christ | Critical | 3:15 | ”You killed the Author of life, whom God raised from the dead” — direct confrontation with crucifixion-denial theology. | Human theologian |
| Messianic Fulfillment | Critical | 3:18, 3:20 | ”That his Christ would suffer” — a suffering Messiah is itself a distinct collision point beyond Mesîh’s general Quranic loading. | Human theologian |
| Repentance | Critical | 3:19 | ”Repent therefore, and turn back, that your sins may be blotted out” — reinforces 2:38’s pattern outside the core passage. | Human theologian |
| Fulfillment of Prophecy | Critical | 3:22-25 | Peter’s citation of “a prophet like Moses” (Deut 18:15) applied exclusively to Jesus — one of the most common live arguments in regional Muslim apologetics for Muhammad’s finality of prophethood; requires explicit teaching every time it recurs. | Human theologian |
Chapter 4 — Arrest, Bold Defense, and Prayer for Boldness
| Doctrine | Risk | Supporting Passages (Acts) | Translation Risk | Review Routing |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Persecution and Bold Witness | Critical | 4:1-3, 4:13-31 | First formal persecution narrative; establishes Şahid (testimonial witness) usage before the death-sense Şehîd appears later (ch. 7). | Human theologian |
| Resurrection of Christ | Critical | 4:2 | The Sadducees’ specific objection is “proclaiming in Jesus the resurrection” — the doctrinal flashpoint named explicitly in the text. | Human theologian |
| Authority in the Name of Jesus | High | 4:7-12, 4:30 | ”By what name/power did you do this?” directly raises the exclusivity-of-name question resolved in 4:12. | Human theologian |
| Exclusivity of Salvation in Christ | Critical | 4:12 | ”There is no other name under heaven by which we must be saved” — the sharpest exclusivity claim in Acts; must be preserved in full force despite the multi-religious Kurdish audience (Sunni, Sufi, Yazidi, Alevi, Yarsani). | Human theologian |
| Boldness in Proclamation | High | 4:13, 4:29, 4:31 | Parrēsia/Wêrekî must be distinguished from politically-coded courage or activist defiance, a strongly positive value in Kurdish resistance-movement culture; here it is specifically Spirit-produced testimony to Christ. | Human theologian |
| Inspiration of Scripture | High | 4:25 | The church’s prayer quotes Psalm 2 as spoken “by the Holy Spirit through the mouth of our father David” — reinforces the human-and-divine-authorship model. | Human theologian |
| Miracles, Signs and Wonders | High | 4:30 | Prayer for continued signs “through the name of your holy servant Jesus.” | Human theologian |
| Apostolic Authority | Medium | 4:33 | ”With great power the apostles were giving their testimony to the resurrection.” | Native speaker review |
Chapter 5 — Ananias and Sapphira, Apostolic Signs, and Renewed Persecution
| Doctrine | Risk | Supporting Passages (Acts) | Translation Risk | Review Routing |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Miracles, Signs and Wonders | High | 5:12 | ”Many signs and wonders were regularly done among the people by the hands of the apostles.” | Human theologian |
| Apostolic Authority | Medium | 5:12-16 | The apostles’ unique, foundational role in the earliest church, distinct from later ordinary church leadership. | Native speaker review |
| Persecution and Bold Witness | Critical | 5:17-42 | Gamaliel’s counsel and the apostles’ rejoicing “that they were counted worthy to suffer dishonor for the name” — early theology of suffering for Christ, to be kept distinct from Kurdish political martyrdom vocabulary developed further in later chapters. | Human theologian |
| Forgiveness of Sins | High | 5:31 | ”God exalted him… to give repentance to Israel and forgiveness of sins” — links repentance, forgiveness, and Christ’s exaltation as a single divine gift, not a human achievement. | Human theologian |
Chapter 6 — The Appointment of the Seven
| Doctrine | Risk | Supporting Passages (Acts) | Translation Risk | Review Routing |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| The Church as Community | High | 6:1-6 | The Hellenist/Hebrew widow dispute and its resolution model conflict-resolution within voluntary community structures, not a permanent economic system. | Human theologian |
| Church Leadership (Elders and Overseers) | High | 6:1-6 | First appearance of qualification-based (not lineage-based) selection of servant-leaders — foundational counter-model to aşîret tribal elder authority developed further at 14:23, 20:17-28. | Human theologian |
| Repeated Filling for Empowerment | Medium | 6:3, 6:5 | Qualification criterion “full of the Spirit and of wisdom” for the Seven, including Stephen. | Native speaker review |
| Miracles, Signs and Wonders | High | 6:8 | ”Stephen, full of grace and power, was doing great wonders and signs among the people.” | Human theologian |
Chapter 7 — Stephen’s Speech and Martyrdom
| Doctrine | Risk | Supporting Passages (Acts) | Translation Risk | Review Routing |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Persecution and Bold Witness | Critical | 7:54-60 | The first Christian death-by-persecution in Acts; this is the pivot chapter where Şahid (witness) and Şehîd (martyr) first converge in the narrative — the distinction from Kurdish national-political martyrdom (Peshmerga, PKK) must be taught explicitly here, at its first full occurrence. | Human theologian |
| Repeated Filling for Empowerment | Medium | 7:55 | ”Full of the Holy Spirit, [Stephen] gazed into heaven” at the moment of martyrdom — empowerment for faithful witness unto death. | Native speaker review |
| Lordship and Deity of Christ | Critical | 7:59-60 | Stephen’s dying prayer, “Lord Jesus, receive my spirit,” addresses Jesus directly with the language of prayer reserved for God — an implicit deity claim that must not be softened. | Human theologian |
Note: Acts 7:51 (“uncircumcised in heart”) uses circumcision metaphorically ahead of the ch. 13-16 justification/circumcision doctrinal cluster; flag for consistency with the Section 8 glossary term “uncircumcised in heart” but no separate doctrine entry beyond the existing Justification/Circumcision doctrines below.
Chapter 8 — Philip in Samaria and with the Ethiopian Eunuch
| Doctrine | Risk | Supporting Passages (Acts) | Translation Risk | Review Routing |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Persecution and Bold Witness | Critical | 8:1-3 | The “great persecution” scattering the church becomes the mechanism for the gospel’s geographic spread — an early instance of persecution advancing rather than halting mission. | Human theologian |
| Miracles, Signs and Wonders | High | 8:6-7 | Philip’s signs in Samaria draw crowds’ attention to his message, not his person. | Human theologian |
| Sorcery and Spiritual Power | High | 8:9-24 | Simon Magus attempts to purchase the Spirit’s gift — a direct, narrated rejection of a transactional, magical view of spiritual power, highly relevant to regional Sufi/folk/Yazidi belief in jinn and protective magic. | Human theologian |
| Kingdom Mission / Great Commission Fulfilled | Critical | 8:12 | ”Philip… preaching good news about the kingdom of God” — reinforces the exclusively spiritual framing established in 1:6-8. | Human theologian |
| Baptism | Critical | 8:12-13, 8:36-38 | Samaritan and Ethiopian eunuch baptisms extend the baptismal pattern of 2:38 across ethnic/social boundaries. | Human theologian |
Chapter 9 — The Conversion of Saul; Peter’s Ministry Widens
| Doctrine | Risk | Supporting Passages (Acts) | Translation Risk | Review Routing |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Conversion of Paul | Critical | 9:1-19 | First of three tellings (cf. 22, 26); must be taught as a specific transfer of dominion, not generic religious enlightenment flattened into shared regional light/darkness imagery. | Human theologian |
| ”The Way” as Christian Identity | High | 9:2 | First occurrence of “the Way” as a self-designation for the persecuted community; must be distinguished from the Islamic “straight path” (sirat al-mustaqim). | Human theologian |
| Lordship and Deity of Christ | Critical | 9:5 | ”Who are you, Lord?” / “I am Jesus” — Saul’s confrontation with the risen, exalted Lord. | Human theologian |
| Sovereign Election and Calling | High | 9:15 | ”He is a chosen instrument of mine” — God’s prior sovereign choice of Paul for mission, not a democratic or self-initiated appointment. | Human theologian |
| Authority in the Name of Jesus | High | 9:15-16 | Paul’s commission is explicitly “to carry my name” — ties his entire ministry to Christ’s name/authority. | Human theologian |
| Repeated Filling for Empowerment | Medium | 9:17 | Ananias’ commissioning of Saul, “filled with the Holy Spirit.” | Native speaker review |
| Baptism | Critical | 9:18 | Saul’s baptism immediately follows his sight’s restoration — public identification with Christ at the outset of his new life. | Human theologian |
| Messianic Fulfillment | Critical | 9:22 | Saul “proving that Jesus was the Christ” in the Damascus synagogues. | Human theologian |
| Boldness in Proclamation | High | 9:27-29 | Barnabas vouches for Saul’s bold preaching in Jerusalem. | Human theologian |
| The Church as Community | High | 9:31 | Summary statement: the church “had peace… and was being built up,” walking in the fear of the Lord and the comfort of the Spirit. | Human theologian |
Chapter 10 — Cornelius and the Gentile Pentecost
| Doctrine | Risk | Supporting Passages (Acts) | Translation Risk | Review Routing |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| God’s Impartiality | Medium | 10:34-35 | ”God shows no partiality” — the primary Jew-Gentile theological point must not be displaced by a secondary application against Kurdish aşîret tribal favoritism. | Native speaker review |
| Lordship and Deity of Christ | Critical | 10:36 | ”He is Lord of all” — universal, not merely local or national, lordship. | Human theologian |
| Resurrection of Christ | Critical | 10:40-41 | ”God raised him on the third day and made him to appear… to us who ate and drank with him” — bodily, verifiable resurrection. | Human theologian |
| Forgiveness of Sins | High | 10:43 | ”Everyone who believes in him receives forgiveness of sins through his name.” | Human theologian |
| The Holy Spirit and Pentecost | Critical | 10:44-46 | The “Gentile Pentecost” — the Spirit falls on Gentiles exactly as at Jerusalem, the narrative proof that Gentile inclusion is God’s own doing, not a human accommodation. | Human theologian |
| The Gospel to Jews and Gentiles | Critical | 10:44-48 | The hinge event of the book’s Jew-Gentile trajectory; full inclusion without a prior circumcision requirement is demonstrated narratively before it is argued theologically in ch. 15. | Human theologian |
| Baptism | Critical | 10:47-48 | Baptism follows, not precedes, the Spirit’s coming here — a notable sequence variation from 2:38 requiring careful, non-formulaic teaching. | Human theologian |
Chapter 11 — Peter’s Report to Jerusalem and the Church at Antioch
| Doctrine | Risk | Supporting Passages (Acts) | Translation Risk | Review Routing |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Repentance | Critical | 11:18 | ”Then to the Gentiles also God has granted repentance that leads to life” — repentance explicitly named as a divine grant, reinforcing the Spirit-granted (not self-generated) nature of metanoia. | Human theologian |
| The Gospel to Jews and Gentiles | Critical | 11:18 | The Jerusalem church’s own theological conclusion validating Gentile inclusion. | Human theologian |
| Christian Self-Designation | Low | 11:26 | ”The disciples were first called Christians at Antioch” — establishes Mesîhî as the standard Kurdish Christian self-designation for the rest of the curriculum. | Automated review |
Chapter 12 — Herod’s Persecution and Peter’s Deliverance
| Doctrine | Risk | Supporting Passages (Acts) | Translation Risk | Review Routing |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Persecution and Bold Witness | Critical | 12:1-5 | James’s execution and Peter’s imprisonment — state persecution under civil authority, a live concern given differing religious-freedom environments across the four host states. | Human theologian |
| The Church as Community | High | 12:5, 12:12 | The gathered church’s earnest prayer for Peter, meeting in a home — communal life sustaining witness under persecution. | Human theologian |
Chapter 13 — Commissioning from Antioch; Paul’s First Sermon; Justification Apart from the Law
| Doctrine | Risk | Supporting Passages (Acts) | Translation Risk | Review Routing |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sorcery and Spiritual Power | High | 13:6-11 | Elymas the magician opposed and struck blind — spiritual power confrontation parallel to ch. 8 and ch. 19. | Human theologian |
| Repeated Filling for Empowerment | Medium | 13:9, 13:52 | Paul “filled with the Holy Spirit” for confrontation; disciples “filled with joy and the Holy Spirit” at chapter’s close. | Native speaker review |
| Resurrection of Christ | Critical | 13:30-37 | Paul’s sermon at Pisidian Antioch grounds the gospel in the historical, bodily resurrection, citing Psalm 16 as at Pentecost. | Human theologian |
| Fulfillment of Prophecy | Critical | 13:32-35, 13:40-41 | Paul’s Old Testament argument for fulfillment in Jesus, with an explicit prophetic warning against scoffing unbelief. | Human theologian |
| Forgiveness of Sins | High | 13:38 | ”Through this man forgiveness of sins is proclaimed to you.” | Human theologian |
| Justification Apart from the Law | Critical | 13:38-39 | ”By him everyone who believes is freed from everything from which you could not be freed by the law of Moses” — must be rendered as the same forensic event as the baseline’s “Wek adil hatin hesibandin,” not two separate benefits; the Mosaic Law is presented as insufficient for justification, not deficient or evil in itself. | Human theologian |
| Boldness in Proclamation | High | 13:46 | ”It was necessary that the word of God be spoken first to you… since you thrust it aside… we are turning to the Gentiles.” | Human theologian |
| The Gospel to Jews and Gentiles | Critical | 13:46-48 | Explicit turning point: gospel proclamation deliberately widened to Gentiles as fulfillment, not abandonment, of the Jewish mission. | Human theologian |
| Sovereign Election and Calling | High | 13:48 | ”As many as were appointed to eternal life believed” — God’s prior sovereign appointment made visible in belief, not a human vote or self-selection. | Human theologian |
Chapter 14 — Iconium, Lystra, and the Return Journey
| Doctrine | Risk | Supporting Passages (Acts) | Translation Risk | Review Routing |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Miracles, Signs and Wonders / Boldness in Proclamation | High | 14:3 | ”The Lord… bore witness to the word of his grace, granting signs and wonders to be done by their hands.” | Human theologian |
| Idolatry and the Living God | Medium | 14:11-18 | The Lystra crowd’s attempt to worship Paul and Barnabas as gods (Zeus and Hermes); Paul’s response models turning “from these vain things to a living God” — a valuable bridge for an audience with Sufi, Yazidi, Alevi, or Yarsani frameworks involving multiple divine or spiritual figures. | Native speaker review |
| Persecution and Bold Witness | Critical | 14:19 | Paul stoned and left for dead at Lystra, yet continues ministry. | Human theologian |
| Kingdom Mission / Great Commission Fulfilled | Critical | 14:22 | ”Through many tribulations we must enter the kingdom of God” — kingdom entered through suffering, never political achievement or statehood; a critical anchoring verse for the Kurdish audience’s political-liberation associations. | Human theologian |
| Church Leadership (Elders and Overseers) | High | 14:23 | Elders appointed in every church on the return journey — extends the qualification-based model of ch. 6 across Gentile congregations. | Human theologian |
Chapter 15 — The Jerusalem Council
| Doctrine | Risk | Supporting Passages (Acts) | Translation Risk | Review Routing |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Circumcision and the Jerusalem Council | Critical | 15:1, 15:5, 15:10-11, 15:19-21 | ”Sinet” is a major, near-universal Islamic cultural rite of passage for Kurdish boys, independent of this text; the Council’s ruling must be taught strictly as a first-century salvation-basis question, never as commentary on or challenge to contemporary Kurdish Muslim family practice, to avoid serious unnecessary offense. | Human theologian |
| Apostolic Authority | Medium | 15:1-29 | The Council’s collective, deliberative apostolic and elder authority in resolving doctrinal dispute for the whole church. | Native speaker review |
| Church Leadership (Elders and Overseers) | High | 15:2-6 | Apostles and elders convened together to deliberate — institutional pattern for future church governance. | Human theologian |
| The Gospel to Jews and Gentiles | Critical | 15:7-11 | Peter’s own testimony (echoing ch. 10) as evidence within the Council’s deliberation. | Human theologian |
| Miracles, Signs and Wonders | High | 15:12 | Barnabas and Paul recount “the signs and wonders that God had done through them among the Gentiles” as supporting evidence. | Human theologian |
| Fulfillment of Prophecy | Critical | 15:15-18 | James’s citation of Amos as prophetic warrant for Gentile inclusion without circumcision. | Human theologian |
| Justification Apart from the Law | Critical | 15:1-11 (general) | “We believe that we will be saved through the grace of the Lord Jesus, just as they will” — Jewish and Gentile believers justified identically, by grace through faith. | Human theologian |
Chapter 16 — Timothy, Philippi, and the Philippian Jailer
| Doctrine | Risk | Supporting Passages (Acts) | Translation Risk | Review Routing |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Circumcision and the Jerusalem Council | Critical | 16:3 | Paul circumcises Timothy for missional/cultural reasons even after ch. 15’s ruling — must be taught as pragmatic accommodation, not a reversal of the salvation-basis doctrine. | Human theologian |
| Baptism | Critical | 16:15, 16:33 | Lydia’s household and the jailer’s household baptisms, both immediately following conversion. | Human theologian |
| Sorcery and Spiritual Power | High | 16:16-18 | The slave girl with “a spirit of divination” (python spirit) — relevant to regional fal (fortune-telling) practice. | Human theologian |
| Authority in the Name of Jesus | High | 16:18 | Paul’s exorcism command is given explicitly “in the name of Jesus Christ.” | Human theologian |
| Persecution and Bold Witness | Critical | 16:19-24 | Paul and Silas beaten and imprisoned at Philippi. | Human theologian |
| Exclusivity of Salvation in Christ | Critical | 16:30-31 | ”Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved, you and your household” — the jailer’s question and its answer must retain full exclusivity and personal address. | Human theologian |
| Lordship and Deity of Christ | Critical | 16:31 | ”The Lord Jesus” as the exclusive object of saving faith. | Human theologian |
Chapter 17 — Thessalonica, Berea, and the Areopagus
| Doctrine | Risk | Supporting Passages (Acts) | Translation Risk | Review Routing |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Inspiration of Scripture | High | 17:2, 17:11 | The Berean pattern of testing apostolic preaching against Scripture “examining the Scriptures daily” is a valuable model given widespread regional suspicion of textual corruption (tahrif). | Human theologian |
| Messianic Fulfillment | Critical | 17:3 | Paul reasoning “that it was necessary for the Christ to suffer and to rise from the dead” — again pairing a suffering Messiah with resurrection. | Human theologian |
| Idolatry and the Living God | Medium | 17:16, 17:22-31 | The Areopagus “unknown god” bridge (17:23) must be completed with Christ’s specific, exclusive resurrection/judgment claims, not left as an affirmation of shared religious sentiment. | Native speaker review |
| Resurrection of Christ | Critical | 17:18, 17:31-32 | Athenian reaction to “Jesus and the resurrection,” and mockery at the resurrection announcement — the doctrine’s most direct confrontation with Greco-Roman (and by extension, regionally comparable) skepticism about bodily resurrection. | Human theologian |
| Providence | Medium | 17:26-28 | ”He determined… the boundaries of their dwelling place” — God’s personal governance of nations and history, distinct from folk qadar fatalism. | Native speaker review |
| Repentance | Critical | 17:30 | ”God commands all people everywhere to repent” — universal scope of the repentance call. | Human theologian |
| Judgment to Come | Medium | 17:31 | Future judgment “by a man whom he has appointed… by raising him from the dead” — shared broadly with Islamic eschatology as a bridge point, but Christ’s resurrection as the specific ground of judgment must not be lost. | Native speaker review |
Chapter 18 — Corinth and Ephesus (Apollos)
| Doctrine | Risk | Supporting Passages (Acts) | Translation Risk | Review Routing |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Messianic Fulfillment | Critical | 18:5, 18:28 | Paul, and later Apollos, “showing by the Scriptures that the Christ was Jesus.” | Human theologian |
| Providence | Medium | 18:9-10 | The Lord’s vision to Paul, “Do not be afraid… for I am with you” — divine care sustaining the mission amid opposition. | Native speaker review |
| Inspiration of Scripture | High | 18:24-28 | Apollos, “competent in the Scriptures,” further instructed in “the way of God more accurately.” | Human theologian |
| ”The Way” as Christian Identity | High | 18:25-26 | Early, pre-technical use of “the way of God” in connection with Apollos, transitional to the fuller technical sense of “the Way” elsewhere. | Human theologian |
Chapter 19 — Ephesus: The Spirit, Sorcery, and the Riot
| Doctrine | Risk | Supporting Passages (Acts) | Translation Risk | Review Routing |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| The Holy Spirit and Pentecost | Critical | 19:1-6 | The Ephesian disciples’ incomplete understanding, corrected and completed by the Spirit’s coming — reinforces the John’s-baptism-vs.-Spirit-baptism distinction from 1:5. | Human theologian |
| Baptism | Critical | 19:1-7 | Explicit re-baptism “in the name of the Lord Jesus” after clarifying John’s baptism was preparatory only. | Human theologian |
| Tongues as Real Languages | High | 19:6 | Tongues recur here alongside prophecy as a sign of the Spirit’s coming upon this group, paralleling ch. 2 and ch. 10. | Human theologian |
| Kingdom Mission / Great Commission Fulfilled / Boldness in Proclamation | Critical / High | 19:8 | Paul “reasoning and persuading them about the kingdom of God,” continuing the exclusively spiritual framing. | Human theologian |
| ”The Way” as Christian Identity | High | 19:9, 19:23 | ”Some became stubborn… speaking evil of the Way” and “a great disturbance concerning the Way” — the term’s use by outsiders confirms its currency as the community’s identifying label. | Human theologian |
| Miracles, Signs and Wonders | High | 19:11-12 | ”Extraordinary miracles” through Paul’s handkerchiefs — must be distinguished from folk-magical amulet practice even as it superficially resembles it. | Human theologian |
| Authority in the Name of Jesus | High | 19:13-17 | The seven sons of Sceva’s failed exorcism attempt — using Jesus’ name as a magical formula without relationship to him fails catastrophically, the text’s own built-in warning against a transactional view of the name. | Human theologian |
| Sorcery and Spiritual Power | High | 19:13-20 | Following the Sceva incident, believers burn their magic scrolls — a decisive narrative rejection of transactional spiritual power, highly relevant to regional jinn/amulet/evil-eye belief. | Human theologian |
| Idolatry and the Living God | Medium | 19:23-41 | The riot of the Ephesian silversmiths over Artemis — economic and religious resistance to exclusive gospel claims. | Native speaker review |
Chapter 20 — Paul’s Farewell to the Ephesian Elders
| Doctrine | Risk | Supporting Passages (Acts) | Translation Risk | Review Routing |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Church Leadership (Elders and Overseers) | High | 20:17, 20:28 | Paul’s charge to the elders/overseers to “shepherd the church of God” — the fullest single statement of Spirit-appointed, qualification-based church leadership in Acts, to be taught explicitly against aşîret tribal age/lineage-based authority. | Human theologian |
| Repentance | Critical | 20:21 | Paul’s summary of his own preaching: “repentance toward God and faith in our Lord Jesus Christ.” | Human theologian |
| Kingdom Mission / Great Commission Fulfilled | Critical | 20:25 | Paul’s anticipation that the Ephesians will see his face no more, “among whom I have gone about proclaiming the kingdom.” | Human theologian |
| Sanctification and Holiness of Believers | High | 20:32 | ”The word of his grace, which is able to build you up and to give you the inheritance among all those who are sanctified” — holiness tied to grace and the word, not ritual purification. | Human theologian |
Chapter 21 — Paul’s Arrival in Jerusalem and Arrest
| Doctrine | Risk | Supporting Passages (Acts) | Translation Risk | Review Routing |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Circumcision and the Jerusalem Council | Critical | 21:20-25 | James and the elders ask Paul to demonstrate continued respect for Jewish custom, reaffirming that the Council’s ruling concerned Gentile believers specifically, not a repudiation of Jewish practice generally. | Human theologian |
| Persecution and Bold Witness | Critical | 21:27-36 | Paul seized in the temple and nearly killed by a mob — persecution now reaching its climax in Jerusalem itself, setting up the final chapters’ legal proceedings. | Human theologian |
Chapter 22 — Paul’s Defense Before the Jerusalem Crowd
| Doctrine | Risk | Supporting Passages (Acts) | Translation Risk | Review Routing |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Conversion of Paul | Critical | 22:3-21 | Second of three tellings, addressed to a hostile Jewish crowd in Aramaic — the retelling itself is an act of bold witness under threat. | Human theologian |
| ”The Way” as Christian Identity | High | 22:4 | Paul recalls his former persecution of “the Way,” confirming the term’s currency from his own pre-conversion vocabulary. | Human theologian |
| Sovereign Election and Calling | High | 22:14 | Ananias’ words to Saul: “The God of our fathers appointed you to know his will” — reinforces 9:15’s chosen-instrument theme. | Human theologian |
| Baptism | Critical | 22:16 | ”Rise and be baptized and wash away your sins, calling on his name” — baptism’s meaning tied explicitly to Christ’s name, not a self-administered purification rite. | Human theologian |
Chapter 23 — The Sanhedrin and the Plot Against Paul
| Doctrine | Risk | Supporting Passages (Acts) | Translation Risk | Review Routing |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Resurrection of Christ | Critical | 23:6 | Paul strategically identifies himself with the Pharisees on “the hope and the resurrection of the dead” — his defense strategy hinges on this doctrine’s centrality. | Human theologian |
| Providence | Medium | 23:11 | ”The Lord stood by him and said, Take courage” — divine reassurance amid legal peril, resonant with the audience’s own experience under differing state authorities. | Native speaker review |
Chapter 24 — Trial Before Felix
| Doctrine | Risk | Supporting Passages (Acts) | Translation Risk | Review Routing |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ”The Way” as Christian Identity | High | 24:14, 24:22 | Paul’s formal legal self-identification: “according to the Way, which they call a sect, I worship the God of our fathers.” | Human theologian |
| Resurrection of Christ / Judgment to Come | Critical / Medium | 24:15, 24:25 | ”There will be a resurrection of both the just and the unjust” and Felix’s fear at Paul’s discussion of “righteousness and self-control and the coming judgment” — shared eschatological ground with Islam requiring the specific Christ-grounded distinctive to be preserved. | Human theologian / Native speaker review |
Chapter 25 — Trial Before Festus and Appeal to Caesar
| Doctrine | Risk | Supporting Passages (Acts) | Translation Risk | Review Routing |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lordship and Deity of Christ | Critical | 25:26 | Festus’s own uncertain report about “my lord” (Caesar) juxtaposed narratively with the Lord Jesus already confessed throughout Acts — an incidental but real point requiring translator awareness that “lord” language for Caesar must not blur with Xudan’s reserved Christological force. | Human theologian |
| (Reviewed — no new doctrine) | — | 25:1-12 | Appeal to Caesar as legal-procedural mechanism (see Great Commission Fulfilled, ch. 28, for its narrative payoff); chapter reviewed, no independent doctrinal content beyond the note above. | — |
Chapter 26 — Paul’s Defense Before Agrippa
| Doctrine | Risk | Supporting Passages (Acts) | Translation Risk | Review Routing |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Conversion of Paul | Critical | 26:9-18 | Third and fullest telling, before King Agrippa; culminates in the explicit “power of Satan to God” formula — the clearest single statement in Acts of conversion as a transfer of dominion. | Human theologian |
| Forgiveness of Sins | High | 26:18 | ”That they may receive forgiveness of sins and a place among those who are sanctified by faith in me.” | Human theologian |
| Sanctification and Holiness of Believers | High | 26:18 | ”Sanctified by faith in me” ties holiness directly to trust in Christ, consistent with the baseline’s caution against “Pakkirin” (ritual cleanliness) for this doctrine. | Human theologian |
| Repentance | Critical | 26:20 | Paul’s summary of his preaching: “that they should repent and turn to God, performing deeds in keeping with their repentance.” | Human theologian |
| Fulfillment of Prophecy | Critical | 26:22-23 | Paul’s defense rests explicitly on “nothing but what the prophets and Moses said would happen.” | Human theologian |
| Resurrection of Christ / Messianic Fulfillment | Critical | 26:23 | ”That the Christ must suffer and… by being the first to rise from the dead, he would proclaim light” — resurrection and messiahship fused in a single climactic statement. | Human theologian |
| Boldness in Proclamation | High | 26:26 | ”This has not been done in a corner” — Paul’s appeal to the public, verifiable nature of these events. | Human theologian |
| Christian Self-Designation | Low | 26:28 | Agrippa’s reply, “In a short time would you persuade me to be a Christian?” — second and final occurrence of the term in Acts. | Automated review |
Chapter 27 — The Voyage and Shipwreck
| Doctrine | Risk | Supporting Passages (Acts) | Translation Risk | Review Routing |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Providence | Medium | 27:23-25 | The angel’s assurance to Paul during the storm, “Do not be afraid, Paul… God has granted you all those who sail with you” — God’s personal governance extended even to a pagan ship’s company. | Native speaker review |
Chapter 28 — Malta and Arrival in Rome (Book’s Conclusion)
| Doctrine | Risk | Supporting Passages (Acts) | Translation Risk | Review Routing |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Miracles, Signs and Wonders | High | 28:3-6 | Paul’s survival of the viper bite on Malta — a sign witnessed by non-believers, prompting (mistaken) deification, echoing the Lystra pattern of ch. 14. | Human theologian |
| Inspiration of Scripture | High | 28:23 | Paul in Rome “expounding to them… trying to convince them about Jesus both from the Law of Moses and from the Prophets.” | Human theologian |
| Kingdom Mission / Great Commission Fulfilled | Critical | 28:23 | Kingdom-of-God proclamation continuing to the book’s final scene in the imperial capital itself. | Human theologian |
| Fulfillment of Prophecy | Critical | 28:25-27 | Paul’s closing citation of Isaiah’s hardening prophecy, applied to unbelieving hearers to the very end of the book. | Human theologian |
| The Gospel to Jews and Gentiles | Critical | 28:28 | ”This salvation of God has been sent to the Gentiles” — the book’s capstone statement of its central Jew-Gentile trajectory; reuse Rizgarî and Ne-cihû exactly as recorded in translation memory. | Human theologian |
| Kingdom Mission / Great Commission Fulfilled | Critical | 28:31 | The book’s final verse: “proclaiming the kingdom of God and teaching about the Lord Jesus Christ with all boldness and without hindrance” — must reuse Padîşahiya Xwedê, Xudan/Mesîh, and Wêrekî exactly, consistent with every prior occurrence, as the curriculum’s closing theological statement. | Human theologian |
| Boldness in Proclamation | High | 28:31 | ”With all boldness and without hindrance” — the book’s final word on the character of faithful gospel proclamation under state authority. | Human theologian |
Cross-Book Consistency Notes
The following doctrines recur across many chapters and require identical Kurdish rendering at every occurrence throughout Phase 2, per the baseline’s Theological Consistency Rules Across Documents:
- Resurrection of Christ (Rabûn) — occurs in nearly every chapter from 1 to 26; every instance must be taught as bodily, historical, and once-for-all, resisting both the mainstream Sunni crucifixion-denial and the distinctly Kurdish Yazidi kiras guhertin (reincarnation) conflation risk.
- Repentance (Tobe) and Baptism (Vaftîzm) — recur as a fixed pair (2:38; 3:19; 11:18; 17:30; 20:21; 26:20 for repentance; 2:38-41; 8:12-38; 9:18; 10:47-48; 16:15-33; 19:1-7; 22:16 for baptism) and must retain identical anchoring language distinguishing them from Islamic tawba and wudu/ghusl respectively at every occurrence.
- The Gospel to Jews and Gentiles — opens (2:39), pivots (10:44-48; 13:46-48; 15:7-11), and closes (28:28) the book; the same Kurdish phrasing established for 2:39 and 28:28 must be used consistently across all intermediate occurrences.
- Kingdom Mission / Great Commission Fulfilled — brackets the entire book (1:6-8 opening; 28:31 closing) and must be rendered identically at both ends to make the inclusio, and its anti-nationalist anchoring, unmistakable to Kurdish readers.
- Persecution and Bold Witness, together with the Şahid/Şehîd distinction — recurs at 4, 5, 7, 8, 12, 14, 16, and 21; the martyrdom/witness distinction established at its first full convergence (ch. 7) must be maintained without drift at every later occurrence.
Summary Table (Matches doctrine_risk_registry.json Exactly)
| Risk Tier | Count | Review Routing |
|---|---|---|
| Critical | 14 | Human theologian (every occurrence) |
| High | 13 | Human theologian |
| Medium | 6 | Native speaker review |
| Low | 1 | Automated review |
| Total doctrines | 34 | 27 theologian / 6 native speaker / 1 automated |
This matrix introduces no doctrine, risk tier, or review routing not already present in assets/doctrine_risk_registry.json; it extends that registry’s chapter/verse mapping to full-book granularity as required for Phase 2 segment-level routing.
See assets/translation_memory.json and assets/bible_term_registry.json (baseline, Romans) and analysis/08_core_glossary.md (Acts) for the term-level enforcement databases underlying every doctrine entry above.
Critical Risk Doctrines
The Holy Spirit and Pentecost
Kurdish name: Ruhê Pîroz û Pentîkost
Key terms: Holy Spirit, Pentecost, filled with the Spirit, poured out, tongues
Review routing: Human theologian
Ruhê Pîroz shares the Quranic phrase and mainstream tafsir identification with the angel Jibril (Gabriel), already Critical in the baseline; Pentîkost itself must not be assimilated to a generic Kurdish ‘cejn’ (festival, incl. Newroz/Eid) but taught as an unrepeatable redemptive-historical event.
The Gospel to Jews and Gentiles
Kurdish name: Mizgînî ji bo Cihûyan û Ne-cihûyan
Key terms: gospel, Gentiles, no distinction, all nations, God shows no partiality
Review routing: Human theologian
The book’s central Jew-Gentile trajectory must retain full universal scope while not being heard as an endorsement of religious pluralism, for an audience with substantial Sunni, Sufi, Yazidi, Alevi, and Yarsani religious plurality.
Repentance
Kurdish name: Tobe
Key terms: repent, repentance
Review routing: Human theologian
Tobe is cognate with the Islamic tawba, a structurally central concept of ritualized, human-initiated remorse and formula restoring standing before God through one’s own effort; biblical metanoia in Acts must be taught as Spirit-granted (11:18) and tied exclusively to trust in the crucified-and-risen Jesus, not a self-generated act that earns forgiveness.
Baptism
Kurdish name: Vaftîzm
Key terms: baptize, baptism, John’s baptism
Review routing: Human theologian
Must be sharply distinguished from Islamic wudu/ghusl, repeatable self-administered ritual purification rites; Christian baptism is a one-time, Spirit-and-church-mediated act of public identification with Christ’s death and resurrection, further distinguished within the text itself from John’s preparatory water baptism.
Persecution and Bold Witness
Kurdish name: Çewisandin û Şahidiya Wêrek
Key terms: witness, martyr, persecute, boldness
Review routing: Human theologian
The single Greek root martys underlies both Şahid (testimonial witness) and Şehîd (martyr); Şehîd is among the most emotionally loaded words in contemporary Kurdish life, denoting the political and military martyrs of the Kurdish national struggle (Peshmerga, PKK, and related movements). Gospel testimony sealed by death must never be conflated with, or read as endorsing, national-political martyrdom, even though both carry immense cultural weight.
Conversion of Paul
Kurdish name: Vegera Pawlos
Key terms: the Way, light from heaven, turn/convert, power of Satan to God
Review routing: Human theologian
Narrated three times in Acts, underscoring its programmatic importance; must be taught as a specific transfer of dominion (from Satan’s power to God’s, 26:18), not generic religious enlightenment flattened into the broadly shared regional light/darkness imagery.
Justification Apart from the Law
Kurdish name: Adaletbûn bêyî Şerîeta Mûsa
Key terms: justified, freed, law of Moses, grace
Review routing: Human theologian
Acts 13:38-39’s ‘freed’/‘justified’ must be rendered as the same forensic event as the baseline’s ‘Wek adil hatin hesibandin,’ not two separate benefits; the law of Moses must not be implied deficient or evil, only unable to justify, a nuance requiring careful, non-supersessionist framing given Acts’ consistently positive regard for Jewish heritage.
Circumcision and the Jerusalem Council
Kurdish name: Sinet û Encumena Orşelîmê
Key terms: circumcision, law of Moses, grace of the Lord Jesus
Review routing: Human theologian
‘Sinet’ is a major, near-universal Islamic cultural rite of passage for Kurdish boys, entirely independent of this text; the Jerusalem Council’s ruling that circumcision is unnecessary for salvation must be taught strictly as a first-century salvation-basis question, never as commentary on or challenge to the contemporary practice of sinet within Kurdish Muslim families, to avoid serious, unnecessary offense and confusion.
Kingdom Mission / The Great Commission Fulfilled
Kurdish name: Peywira Padîşahiyê û Temambûna Peywira Mezin
Key terms: kingdom of God, witnesses, to the ends of the earth, unhindered proclamation
Review routing: Human theologian
Acts 1:6-8 records the disciples’ own question about restoring a national kingdom to Israel, redirected by Jesus to spiritual mission and empowerment by the Spirit; this is the key anchoring text for teaching Kurdish audiences, whose century-long stateless-nation aspiration makes ‘Kingdom of God’ language especially prone to conflation, that this language is deliberately non-political throughout Acts, from its first chapter to its last.
Resurrection of Christ
Kurdish name: Rabûna Mesîh
Key terms: raised, resurrection, from the dead
Review routing: Human theologian
Shares the mainstream Sunni Quranic crucifixion-denial found regionally and, distinctly for Kurdish, the indigenous Yazidi doctrine of kiras guhertin (‘changing shirts,’ reincarnation) as a genuinely separate conflation risk; must be taught as a bodily, historical, once-for-all event at every occurrence throughout Acts, the most resurrection-saturated book in the New Testament.
Lordship and Deity of Christ
Kurdish name: Xudanatî û Xwedatiya Mesîh
Key terms: Lord, made him Lord and Christ, exalted at the right hand
Review routing: Human theologian
Acts 2:34-35’s quotation of Psalm 110 applies ‘Lord’ (Xudan) to both YHWH and the Messiah, Peter’s proof text for Jesus’ deity at 2:36 (‘God has made him both Lord and Christ’); Xudan must retain full exclusive, supreme-lordship force at every occurrence and never be softened to a merely honorific title, with teaching notes making explicit that two distinct persons share the same title in the Psalm 110 citation.
Messianic Fulfillment
Kurdish name: Realbûna Mesîhtiyê
Key terms: Christ, Messiah, anointed, fulfilled
Review routing: Human theologian
Mesîh carries the same pre-loaded Quranic content as Arabic’s al-Masih shared regionally; Kurdish communities with Alevi or Yarsani beliefs add a further layer of divinely-guided-figure comparison beyond mainstream Sunni expectation that should be considered by audience.
Exclusivity of Salvation in Christ
Kurdish name: Yekta-bûna Rizgariyê di Mesîh de
Key terms: no other name, salvation, believe and be saved
Review routing: Human theologian
The sharpest exclusivity claim in Acts (‘there is no other name under heaven by which we must be saved’) must be preserved in full force without softening into religious pluralism, despite the genuine pastoral sensitivity of proclaiming this to a multi-religious Kurdish audience spanning Sunni, Sufi, Yazidi, Alevi, and Yarsani traditions.
Fulfillment of Prophecy
Kurdish name: Realbûna Pêxemberiyê
Key terms: prophet like Moses, it is written, fulfilled
Review routing: Human theologian
The ‘prophet like Moses’ argument (Acts 3:22-23, citing Deuteronomy 18:15) is one of the most common live arguments in regional Muslim apologetics for Muhammad’s finality of prophethood; Peter applies this prophecy exclusively to Jesus, a direct and frequently-encountered interfaith collision point requiring explicit teaching wherever it recurs.
High Risk Doctrines
Tongues as Real Languages
Kurdish name: Ziman wek Nîşana Ruhê Pîroz
Key terms: tongues, other tongues, own dialect
Review routing: Human theologian
Must remain unambiguously real, known human languages in Acts 2 without pre-resolving broader continuationist debates; the same Kurdish word ‘ziman’ serves both the flame-shape of 2:3 and the speech-miracle of 2:4, requiring explicit disambiguation; the miracle’s strong positive resonance with Kurdish mother-tongue suppression history is a pastoral asset that risks over-politicization if not carefully framed.
Forgiveness of Sins
Kurdish name: Lêbûrîna Guneha
Key terms: forgiveness of sins, sins blotted out
Review routing: Human theologian
Must be distinguished from the Islamic maghfira framework, in which forgiveness is granted case-by-case and remains uncertain until final judgment; Acts presents forgiveness as decisively secured at conversion, grounding present assurance against the baseline’s already-flagged Assurance of Salvation caution.
The Church as Community
Kurdish name: Dêr wek Civat
Key terms: fellowship, breaking of bread, all things in common, one heart and soul
Review routing: Human theologian
The description of voluntary sharing of possessions is at genuine risk of assimilation to 20th-century Kurdish political movements’ explicitly socialist/communist programs (collective property, ‘heval’ as comrade); must be taught as a voluntary, Spirit-motivated, temporary Jerusalem-specific practice of generosity, not a normative economic system or political-ideological endorsement.
Church Leadership (Elders and Overseers)
Kurdish name: Rêveberiya Dêrê (Rihspî û Çavdêr)
Key terms: elders, overseers, shepherd the church
Review routing: Human theologian
‘Rihspî’ (elder) reflects Kurdish aşîret tribal structures granting authority substantially on age and lineage; church eldership in Acts 20:28 is instead Spirit-appointed and qualification-based, open in principle to any qualified believer regardless of tribal lineage, and this distinction must be taught explicitly.
Miracles, Signs and Wonders
Kurdish name: Nîşan û Ecêb
Key terms: signs and wonders, power of God, healing
Review routing: Human theologian
Must deliberately avoid the cognate ‘keramet’ (Sufi saint-miracle vocabulary already Critical/High in the baseline under grace, reserved for an elevated spiritual elite); apostolic signs authenticate a specific historical claim about Jesus, never the apostles’ own spiritual rank.
Authority in the Name of Jesus
Kurdish name: Desthilata di Navê Îsa de
Key terms: in the name of Jesus, no other name
Review routing: Human theologian
Regional folk-religious practice (Sufi, folk-Islamic, and some Yazidi contexts) invokes the names of God, a pîr, or a saint for healing or protection, sometimes with amulets; ‘in the name of Jesus’ must rest entirely on Christ’s own person and finished work, not a verbal formula with independent power comparable to invoking a saint’s intercessory name.
Boldness in Proclamation
Kurdish name: Wêrekiya Ragihandinê
Key terms: boldness, spoke the word with boldness
Review routing: Human theologian
Parrēsia was originally a civic-political term for free speech; Kurdish ‘wêrekî’ must be distinguished from politically-coded courage or activist defiance, a strongly positive value in Kurdish resistance-movement culture, since biblical boldness here is Spirit-produced testimony to Christ specifically.
”The Way” as Christian Identity
Kurdish name: Rê wek Nasnameya Mesîhî
Key terms: the Way
Review routing: Human theologian
‘Rê’ resonates with, but must be sharply distinguished from, the Islamic ‘straight path’ (sirat al-mustaqim, recited in every performance of the Quran’s opening chapter); Acts’ ‘the Way’ denotes the specific, concrete community following the crucified-and-risen Jesus, not a general ethical path or path to God.
Ascension of Christ
Kurdish name: Hilkişîna Mesîh
Key terms: taken up, ascension, cloud received him
Review routing: Human theologian
Inverted risk distinct from the baseline’s usual pattern: mainstream Sunni Islam already affirms Jesus was bodily raised to heaven without dying (Quran 4:157-158), so a reader may too readily accept ‘ascension’ language while continuing to deny the crucifixion and resurrection Acts presents as its precondition; teaching must make clear the ascension confirms, not replaces, the prior death and bodily resurrection.
Sovereign Election and Calling
Kurdish name: Hilbijartina Xwedayî ya Bibandor
Key terms: chosen instrument, casting lots, ordained to eternal life
Review routing: Human theologian
Hilbijartin is also the modern standard word for democratic elections (KRG and Rojava electoral politics); God’s sovereign, prior choice of a person or mission — whether by lot (1:26), direct commission (9:15), or invisible prior appointment made visible in belief (13:48) — must not be read as a vote or a human-driven appointment process.
Sorcery and Spiritual Power
Kurdish name: Sêrbazî û Hêza Giyanî
Key terms: sorcery, magic, divination spirit
Review routing: Human theologian
Relevant to widespread regional belief across Sunni, Sufi, Yazidi, and folk traditions in jinn, the evil eye, and protective/harmful magical practice; these narratives must be taught as a rejection of a transactional, magical view of spiritual power altogether, not merely a rule against paying for it.
Sanctification and Holiness of Believers
Kurdish name: Teqdîsa Bawermendan
Key terms: sanctified, sanctified by faith
Review routing: Human theologian
‘Sanctified by faith in me’ (26:18) ties holiness directly to trust in Christ rather than ritual purification or self-directed moral improvement, consistent with the baseline’s caution against ‘Pakkirin’ (ritual cleanliness) for this doctrine.
Inspiration of Scripture
Kurdish name: Îlhama Nivîsara Pîroz
Key terms: it is written, examining the Scriptures, the prophets spoke
Review routing: Human theologian
Reinforces the baseline’s caution that Islamic wahy denotes verbatim divine dictation, distinct from biblical inspiration through human authors writing in their own voice; the Berean pattern of testing apostolic preaching against Scripture (17:11) is a valuable model given widespread regional suspicion of textual corruption (tahrif).
Medium Risk Doctrines
Repeated Filling for Empowerment
Kurdish name: Tijebûna Ruhê Pîroz ji bo Xizmetê
Key terms: filled with the Holy Spirit
Review routing: Native speaker review
The recurring formula must not be read as a partial or impersonal possession by a diffuse spiritual force; each occurrence should reinforce the Spirit’s full, personal presence rather than a graded ‘amount’ received.
God’s Impartiality
Kurdish name: Bêalîgiriya Xwedê
Key terms: God shows no partiality
Review routing: Native speaker review
‘Xwedê alîgir nîne’ may secondarily, but only secondarily, be applied against Kurdish aşîret (tribal) favoritism; the primary Jew-Gentile point of the passage must not be displaced by this secondary application.
Apostolic Authority
Kurdish name: Desthilata Şandiyan
Key terms: apostle, apostolic authority
Review routing: Native speaker review
Şandî avoids the direct collision with Muhammad’s Rasul Allah title, but the scope and non-repeatable finality of the apostolic office relative to later church leadership needs clarification for an audience shaped by a single final-prophetic-authority framework.
Providence
Kurdish name: Rêveberiya Xwedê
Key terms: God determined the times and boundaries, angel of the Lord, do not be afraid
Review routing: Native speaker review
God’s personal, purposive governance amid state persecution, imprisonment, and peril resonates with the audience’s own lived experience of state power across four differing jurisdictions; must be kept distinct from folk qadar fatalism already cautioned against in the baseline.
Judgment to Come
Kurdish name: Dîwana Xwedê ya bê
Key terms: judgment, resurrection of the just and unjust
Review routing: Native speaker review
Shared broadly with Islamic eschatology as a genuine bridge point, but the specific, already-accomplished resurrection of Christ as the ground of future resurrection and judgment must not be lost within the more general, shared future-judgment expectation.
Idolatry and the Living God
Kurdish name: Perestiya Betan û Xwedayê Zindî
Key terms: idol, unknown god, living God, vain things
Review routing: Native speaker review
Idol vocabulary (‘but’) is broadly shared anti-idolatry ground with regional Islam; the Areopagus ‘unknown god’ bridge (17:23) must be completed with Christ’s specific, exclusive resurrection and judgment claims rather than left as an affirmation of shared religious sentiment, which is especially relevant when engaging Sufi, Yazidi, Alevi, or Yarsani frameworks involving multiple divine or spiritual figures.
Low Risk Doctrines
Christian Self-Designation
Kurdish name: Nasnameya Mesîhiyan
Key terms: Christians, called Christians first at Antioch
Review routing: Automated review
Mesîhî is a transparent, low-collision derivation from the already-established Mesîh; this establishes the standard Kurdish Christian self-designation used for the remainder of the curriculum with minimal ambiguity risk.
Referenced passages