Core Glossary
Core Glossary: Acts 1–28 (English/Greek → Maithili)
This glossary consolidates every load-bearing term identified in analysis/07_semantic_analysis.md, drawn from the entire book of Acts, chapter by chapter. It is organized in two parts:
- Table A — Terms already established in the baseline Romans
translation_memory.json. These renderings are reused EXACTLY with no deviation; only their Acts-specific occurrences and any additional context are noted here. - Table B — New terms required by Acts’ distinctive doctrines, not present in the baseline. Full risk analysis is given, following the same fields as
bible_term_registry.json.
All destination-language entries are in Devanagari script per the project’s script convention.
Table A — Baseline Terms Reused Exactly (Romans → Acts)
| Term | Maithili | Risk (baseline) | Key Acts Occurrences | Acts-Specific Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| gospel | सुसमाचार | High | 8:4-25; 15:7; 20:24 | Extended in Acts to Samaritans and Gentiles; reinforces “weighty proclamation,” not casual news. |
| grace | अनुग्रह | High | 11:23; 13:43; 15:11, 40; 18:27; 20:24, 32 | Central to Acts 15’s Jerusalem Council resolution: saved “through the grace of the Lord Jesus,” not law-keeping. |
| faith | विश्वास | High | 3:16; 6:5, 7; 13:8; 14:9, 22, 27; 16:31; 26:18 | Consistently trust in Christ specifically; never भक्ति. |
| righteousness | धार्मिकता | Critical | 13:10; 17:31; 24:25 | Never धर्म/सतीत्व; forensic standing, not duty or chastity-virtue. |
| justification | धर्मी घोषित कएल जाएब | Critical | 13:38-39 | KEY Acts anchor verse for “Justification apart from the Law” doctrine; full phrase, no abbreviation. |
| salvation | उद्धार | Critical | 2:21, 40, 47; 4:12; 11:14; 13:26, 47; 15:11; 16:17, 30-31 | Never मुक्ति/मोक्ष; the Philippian jailer’s question (16:30) is a key catechetical verse. |
| apostle | प्रेरित | Medium | 1:2, 25-26; 8:1; 14:4, 14 | Never पंडित (Panjikaran-genealogist collision, per baseline). |
| called / calling | बजाओल / बजाओल जाएब | High | 2:39; 13:2, 46-48 | Sovereign summons; never फ़ेट/प्रारब्ध framing. |
| holy | पवित्र | High | throughout (2:4 etc.) | Never शुद्ध (ritual-purity drift). |
| saints | पवित्र जन | High | 9:13, 32, 41; 26:10 | Never संत/सती. |
| sanctification | पवित्रीकरण | High | 20:32; 26:18 | See Ch.21 ἁγνισμός note — must not be confused with that OT ceremonial purification rite. |
| adoption | पुत्रत्व प्रदान | High | (thematic background to sonship of believers) | No direct Greek occurrence in Acts; retained for consistency where doctrine is implied. |
| resurrection | पुनरुत्थान | Critical | 1:22; 2:24, 31-32; 4:2, 33; 17:18, 31-32; 23:6, 8; 24:15, 21; 26:23 | NEVER पुनर्जन्म; mandatory distinguishing note at every occurrence, per baseline. |
| lord | प्रभु | Critical | 2:21, 34, 36; 10:36; 16:31; 28:31 | Exclusive supreme Lordship; consistent honorific verb agreement (छथि) required. |
| son_of_god | परमेश्वरक पुत्र | Critical | 9:20 | Paul’s first sermon after conversion proclaims this exact title. |
| incarnation | देहधारण | Critical | (background to 1:3 quoted in preaching; directly relevant to Ch.14 avatar-mistaken-identity episode) | NEVER अवतार; Ch.14 Lystra episode is the sharpest real-world test case for this prohibition. |
| peace | शान्ति | Medium | 9:31; 10:36; 15:33 | Relational peace, not domestic-harmony ideal. |
| spiritual_gifts | आत्मिक वरदान | Medium | (background; distinct from δωρεά “gift of the Spirit,” see Table B) | Never वरदान alone. |
| thanksgiving | धन्यवाद | Low | 27:35; 28:15 | No significant risk. |
| fellowship | सङ्गति | Low | 2:42 | Reuse exactly. |
| church | मण्डली | Medium | 2:47; 5:11; 8:1, 3; 9:31; 11:22, 26; 12:1, 5; 14:23, 27; 15:3-4, 22, 41; 20:17, 28 | Never मन्दिर/मठ; distinguished carefully from the literal Jerusalem Temple (मन्दिर), which appears frequently and correctly as मन्दिर in Acts’ narrative (a different, legitimate referent — the actual Temple building). |
| kingdom_of_god | परमेश्वरक राज्य | Medium | 1:3, 6; 8:12; 14:22; 19:8; 20:25; 28:23, 31 | Ch.1:6 disciples’ political-kingdom question is a direct illustration of this doctrine’s risk. |
| law | व्यवस्था | High | 13:38-39; 15:5; 21:20, 24; 22:3; 23:3, 29; 25:8 | Never धर्म; central to the circumcision/Judaizer controversy (ch.15). |
| sin | पाप | High | 2:38; 3:19; 22:16; 26:18 | Distinguished from ritual impurity/karmic debt. |
| gentiles | अन्यजाति | Medium | 9:15; 10:45; 11:1, 18; 13:46-48; 14:27; 15:3, 7, 12, 14, 19, 23; 18:6; 21:19, 21, 25; 22:21; 26:17, 20, 23; 28:28 | Never जाति in caste sense; central to the book’s major doctrine “Gospel to Jews and Gentiles.” |
| glory | महिमा | High | 7:2, 55; 12:23 | Avoid light-imagery conflation. |
| obedience_of_faith | विश्वासक आज्ञाकारिता | High | (thematic; cf. 5:29, 6:7) | Distinguished from duty-bound compliance. |
| power_of_god | परमेश्वरक सामर्थ्य | High | 1:8; 2:22; 3:12; 4:7, 33; 6:8; 8:10, 13; 10:38; 19:11 | Never शक्ति (Shakta-goddess collision); especially relevant given Ch.19’s Artemis episode. |
| messiah | मसीह | Critical | 2:31, 36; 3:18, 20; 5:42; 9:22; 17:3; 18:5, 28; 26:23 | Never assimilated to Ram/Krishna avatar figures. |
| prophet | भविष्यद्वक्ता | Low | 2:16, 30; 3:18, 21-25; 7:37, 48, 52; 8:28, 30, 34; 10:43; 13:20, 27, 40; 15:15, 32; 21:10; 24:14; 26:22, 27; 28:23, 25 | Frequent throughout; standard. |
| prophecy | भविष्यवाणी | Low | 2:17-18; 19:6; 21:9-11 | Distinct from astrological prediction. |
| covenant | वाचा | High | 3:25; 7:8 | Reuse in Abrahamic-covenant contexts (Ch.3, Ch.7). |
| election | परमेश्वरक चुनाव | High | 9:15 (“chosen instrument”); 13:48 (“appointed to eternal life”) | See Table B for the two new compound phrases built on this term. |
| intercession | मध्यस्थता | Medium | 12:5 (implied, church praying for Peter) | No direct lexeme in Acts equal to Romans 8:26, but doctrine present. |
| providence | परमेश्वरक विधान | High | 8:28-30 (thematic parallel); 27:1-44 (shipwreck) | Ch.27 is the book’s clearest sustained providence narrative. |
| mission | सुसमाचार प्रचार | Medium | throughout (esp. 1:8; 13:1-3; 26:16-18) | Central organizing theme of the whole book. |
| david | दाऊद | Low | 1:16; 2:25, 29, 34; 4:25; 7:45; 13:22, 34, 36; 15:16 | Standard proper name. |
| israel | इस्राएल | Medium | 1:6; 2:22, 36; 4:10, 27; 5:21, 31; 7:23, 37, 42; 9:15; 10:36; 13:16-24; 28:20 | Standard proper name. |
| jesus | यीशु | Critical | throughout | Standard form; never ईसा. |
| god | परमेश्वर | Critical | throughout | Never भगवान/ईश्वर. |
| holy_spirit | पवित्र आत्मा | Critical | 1:5, 8, 16; 2:4, 33, 38; 4:8, 31; 5:3, 9, 32; 6:5, 10; 7:51, 55; 8:15-19, 29, 39; 9:17, 31; 10:19, 38, 44-47; 11:12, 15-16, 24, 28; 13:2, 4, 9, 52; 15:8, 28; 16:6-7; 19:2, 6; 20:23, 28; 21:11; 28:25 | The single most frequent theologically load-bearing term in Acts; never ब्रह्म/परमात्मा. |
| father | पिता | Critical | 1:4, 7; 2:33; 3:13, 25; 5:30; 7:2, 11-12, 15, 19-20, 32, 38-39, 44-45, 51-52; 22:14; 28:25 | Never a Hindu creator-deity name. |
| abba | अब्बा | High | (not directly occurring in Acts; retained for cross-curriculum consistency) | — |
| exhort | उत्साहित करब | Low | 2:40; 4:36; 11:23; 14:22; 15:32; 16:40; 20:1-2 | Barnabas “son of encouragement,” Ch.4, builds directly on this term. |
| seed_of_david | दाऊदक वंशसँ | High | 2:30; 13:23 | Standard reuse for Davidic-descent language. |
| imputed_righteousness | आरोपित धार्मिकता | Critical | 13:39 (implied in the justification argument) | Not a separate Greek lexeme in Acts, but the doctrine underlies 13:38-39; keep terminologically distinct from अर्जित (earned). |
Table B — New Terms Introduced in Acts (Full Risk Analysis)
| # | Term (English) | Original (Greek) / Transliteration | Maithili Rendering | Transliteration | Risk | Doctrine Category | First/Key Acts Occurrence(s) | Rejected Alternatives | Risk Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Pentecost | πεντηκοστή / pentēkostē | पिन्तेकुस्त | pintekust | Medium-High | The Holy Spirit and Pentecost | 2:1 | — | Must not be assimilated to Mithila’s own harvest/seasonal festivals (e.g., Sama-Chakeva, Chhath); a specific, one-time historical feast day. |
| 2 | Other tongues / miracle languages | γλῶσσα / glōssa (ἑτέραις γλώσσαις) | अन्य भाषासभ | anya bhāṣāsabh | High | The Holy Spirit and Pentecost | 2:4, 6, 8, 11; 10:46; 19:6 | प्रलाप, गुह्य बोली | Real, known human languages, NOT ecstatic trance-speech; sharply distinguish from regional ojha/spirit-possession trance utterance. |
| 3 | Rushing wind | πνοή / pnoē | प्रचण्ड आँधी सन आवाज | pracaṇḍ āँdhī san āvāj | High | The Holy Spirit and Pentecost | 2:2 | पवन देवक आगमन | Not a manifestation of the Vedic wind-deity Vayu/Pavan; a physical sign only. |
| 4 | Tongues of fire | πῦρ / pyr | आगि सन जीभ | āgi san jībh | Critical | The Holy Spirit and Pentecost | 2:3 | अग्नि सन जीभ | अग्नि rejected — the Vedic fire-deity central to active havan/yagna ritual; must not be confused with the visible sign of the Spirit’s descent. |
| 5 | Devout | εὐλαβής / eulabēs | श्रद्धालु | śraddhālu | Medium | The Holy Spirit and Pentecost | 2:5 | भक्त | Sincere reverence toward the one true God, not bhakti-devotion to a chosen deity. |
| 6 | Nation (generic) | ἔθνος / ethnos | राष्ट्र / देश | rāṣṭra / deś | Medium | Gospel to Jews and Gentiles | 2:5 | जाति | जाति rejected for caste-lineage collision (per baseline gentiles note). |
| 7 | Dialect / own language | διάλεκτος / dialektos | मातृभाषा / बोली | mātṛbhāṣā / bolī | Low | The Holy Spirit and Pentecost | 2:6, 8 | — | Standard native-language term. |
| 8 | Mighty works of God | μεγαλεῖα τοῦ Θεοῦ / megaleia tou Theou | परमेश्वरक महान कार्य | parameśvarak mahān kārya | Low-Medium | The Holy Spirit and Pentecost | 2:11 | — | Content of Spirit-enabled speech is doxological proclamation. |
| 9 | New wine (mockery) | γλεῦκος / gleukos | नव अंगूर रस | nav aṅgūr ras | Low | The Holy Spirit and Pentecost | 2:13 | — | No doctrinal collision. |
| 10 | Last days | ἔσχαται ἡμέραι / eschatai hēmerai | अन्तिम दिनसभ | antim dinsabh | High | The Holy Spirit and Pentecost | 2:17 | कलियुग-सन अन्तिम काल | Linear, bounded eschatological era, NOT the cyclical Kali Yuga cosmology. |
| 11 | Wonders and signs | τέρατα καὶ σημεῖα / terata kai sēmeia | अद्भुत कार्य आ चिन्ह | adbhut kārya ā chinha | High | Apostolic Authority and Miracles | 2:19, 22, 43; 4:30; 5:12; 14:3; 15:12 | सिद्धि | Distinguish from yogic/tantric siddhi and Puranic avatar-miracle narratives; God’s own authenticating acts. |
| 12 | Day of the Lord | ἡμέρα Κυρίου / hēmera Kyriou | प्रभुक दिन | prabhuk din | Medium | The Holy Spirit and Pentecost | 2:20 | शुभ मुहूर्त | Not an astrologically auspicious day (मुहूर्त); an eschatological judgment/salvation event. |
| 13 | Call upon the name of the Lord | ἐπικαλέω / epikaleō | प्रभुक नाम पुकारब | prabhuk nām pukārab | High | Repentance and Baptism | 2:21 | नाम-जप, नाम-स्मरण | A single trusting appeal to Christ for salvation, NOT repetitive meritorious name-chanting (nām-japa). |
| 14 | Hades | ᾅδης / hadēs | हेडेस (transliteration) | heḍes | High | The Holy Spirit and Pentecost | 2:27, 31 | पाताल, अधोलोक | पाताल/अधोलोक rejected — richly mythologized Puranic underworld cosmology; use transliteration with gloss “realm of the dead.” |
| 15 | Patriarch | πατριάρχης / patriarchēs | कुलपति / पूर्वज | kulapati / pūrvaj | Low | The Holy Spirit and Pentecost | 2:29 | — | Resonates helpfully, without collision, with Panjikaran lineage-consciousness. |
| 16 | Oath | ὅρκος / horkos | शपथ | śapath | Low-Medium | The Holy Spirit and Pentecost | 2:30 | — | Standard covenant-oath term. |
| 17 | Witness / testimony | μάρτυς / martys | साक्षी | sākṣī | Medium | Persecution and Bold Witness | 1:8; 2:32; 3:15; 5:32; 7:58-60 (→martyr sense); 10:39; 13:31; 22:15, 20; 26:16 | गवाह (used interchangeably where natural) | Legal/evidentiary “witness” in most occurrences; semantic shift toward “martyr” (one testifying unto death) visible from Stephen’s death (ch.7) onward — flag this shift for reviewers. |
| 18 | Exalted / right hand of God | ὑψόω / hypsoō | परमेश्वरक दहिना हाथ दिस उच्च कएल गेला | …ucca kael gelā | Medium | Conversion of Paul (Christology background) | 2:33 | — | Historical, one-time enthronement, not a recurring pattern of divine ascent. |
| 19 | Cut to the heart | κατανύσσομαι / katanyssomai | हृदयमे तीव्र रूपसँ बिझा गेला | hṛdaymẽ tīvra rūpsã bijhā gelā | Low-Medium | Repentance and Baptism | 2:37 | — | Idiom for Spirit-wrought conviction of sin. |
| 20 | Repentance | μετάνοια / μετανοέω / metanoia / metanoeō | मन फेराव (पश्चाताप as secondary gloss) | man pherāv (paśchātāp) | High | Repentance and Baptism | 2:38; 3:19; 17:30; 26:20 | प्रायश्चित | प्रायश्चित rejected — a merit-earning ritual expiation act; repentance is an inward, grace-granted turning, not a penitential ritual. |
| 21 | Baptism | βάπτισμα / βαπτίζω / baptisma / baptizō | बपतिस्मा | baptismā | High | Repentance and Baptism | 2:38, 41; 8:36-38; 9:18; 10:47-48; 16:15, 33; 18:8; 19:3-5 | स्नान | स्नान rejected — ritual purificatory river/tank bathing; baptism is a one-time public identification with Christ’s death/resurrection, not repeatable ritual purification. |
| 22 | Forgiveness of sins | ἄφεσις ἁμαρτιῶν / aphesis hamartiōn | पापक क्षमा | pāpak kṣamā | Medium-High | Repentance and Baptism | 2:38; 5:31; 10:43; 13:38; 26:18 | कर्मफल नाश | God’s judicial pardon through Christ, not automatic karmic-debt dissolution. |
| 23 | Gift of the Holy Spirit | δωρεά / dōrea | पवित्र आत्माक उपहार | pavitra ātmāk uphār | High | The Holy Spirit and Pentecost | 2:38; 10:45; 11:17 | वरदान, दान | वरदान rejected (Puranic boon connotation); दान rejected (implies meritorious human giving/almsgiving); keep terminologically distinct from आत्मिक वरदान (ministry gifts). |
| 24 | Promise | ἐπαγγελία / epangelia | प्रतिज्ञा | pratijñā | Medium | Great Commission Fulfilled | 2:39 | — | Coheres with baseline covenant (वाचा). |
| 25 | Crooked generation | γενεὰ σκολιά / genea skolia | कुटिल पीढ़ी | kuṭil pīṛhī | Low-Medium | Repentance and Baptism | 2:40 | — | Standard moral-exhortation idiom. |
| 26 | Souls / persons (headcount) | ψυχή / psychē | जन / व्यक्ति | jan / vyakti | Medium | The Church as Community | 2:41, 43, 47 | आत्मा | आत्मा rejected in this counting-idiom sense — reserved for “Spirit”; avoids collision with Hindu ātman/reincarnation doctrine. |
| 27 | Breaking of bread | κλάσις τοῦ ἄρτου / klasis tou artou | रोटी तोड़ब | roṭī toṛab | Medium | The Church as Community | 2:42, 46 | प्रसाद वितरण | Distinguish from prasad-sharing (food ritually offered to an image first). |
| 28 | Prayers | προσευχή / proseuchē | प्रार्थना | prārthanā | Low | The Church as Community | 2:42 | — | Standard term. |
| 29 | All things in common | ἅπαντα κοινά / hapanta koina | सभटा वस्तु मिलिकेँ राखब | sabhṭā vastu milikẽ rākhab | Low-Medium | The Church as Community | 2:44-45; 4:32 | — | Voluntary Spirit-motivated sharing, not caste-based obligation. |
| 30 | Favor with the people | χάρις (non-salvific) / charis | सद्भाव / लोकप्रियता | sadbhāv / lokapriyatā | Low | The Church as Community | 2:47 | अनुग्रह | अनुग्रह reserved exclusively for salvific grace, per baseline. |
| 31 | Ascension | ἀναλαμβάνω / analambanō | ऊपर उठाओल गेला (descriptive phrase) | ūpar uṭhāol gelā | High | Great Commission Fulfilled | 1:9-11 | स्वर्गारोहण | स्वर्गारोहण rejected as primary term — strong Mahabharata/Pandava “Swargarohini” association; use descriptive phrase with clarifying note if the noun form is needed. |
| 32 | Casting lots | κλῆρος / klēros | गोटी फेकब / चिट्ठी डारब | goṭī phekab | Medium | Apostolic Authority and Miracles | 1:26 | ज्योतिष गणना | Not astrological divination; a one-time, Spirit-superseded apostolic-era practice. |
| 33 | Office (ministry position) | ἐπισκοπή / episkopē | पद / सेवा-पद | pad / sevā-pad | Low-Medium | Apostolic Authority and Miracles | 1:20 | — | Foreshadows ἐπίσκοπος “overseer” (see #47). |
| 34 | Name / authority of Jesus | ὄνομα / onoma | यीशुक नाम | Yīśuk nām | Medium | Apostolic Authority and Miracles | 3:6, 16; 4:12 | — | Christ’s own authority and person, not a magical incantation-formula. |
| 35 | Holy and Righteous One | ὁ ἅγιος καὶ ὁ δίκαιος / ho hagios kai ho dikaios | पवित्र आ धर्मी जन | pavitra ā dharmī jan | Medium | Justification apart from the Law | 3:14 | — | Compound of two baseline High-risk terms (holy + righteous). |
| 36 | Author / Source of life | ἀρχηγὸς τῆς ζωῆς / archēgos tēs zōēs | जीवनक स्रोत आ अगुआ | jīvanak sroत ā aguā | High | Conversion of Paul (Christology) | 3:15 | गुरु | Unique Christological title naming Christ as origin and pioneer of life; not to be flattened to a “great teacher/guru” title. |
| 37 | Times of refreshing | καιροὶ ἀναψύξεως / kairoi anapsyxeōs | ताजगीक समय | tājagīk samay | Low-Medium | Repentance and Baptism | 3:19 | — | — |
| 38 | Restoration of all things | ἀποκατάστασις πάντων / apokatastasis pantōn | सभ वस्तुक पूर्ण पुनर्स्थापना | sabh vastuk pūrṇa punarsthāpanā | Medium-High | Great Commission Fulfilled | 3:21 | प्रलय-सृष्टि चक्र | Not cyclical cosmic dissolution/re-creation (pralaya); a single, final, linear event. |
| 39 | Seed of Abraham | σπέρμα Ἀβραάμ / sperma Abraam | अब्राहमक वंशसँ | Abrāhamak vanśasã̃ | Medium | Justification apart from the Law | 3:25 | — | Grammatical pattern of baseline seed_of_david. |
| 40 | Boldness | παρρησία / parrēsia | निडरता | nirḍartā | High | Persecution and Bold Witness | 4:13, 29, 31; 9:27-28; 13:46; 14:3; 18:26; 19:8; 26:26; 28:31 | — | Spirit-given courage in proclamation under threat, not social defiance for its own sake. |
| 41 | One heart and soul (unity) | καρδία καὶ ψυχὴ μία / kardia kai psychē mia | एक हृदय आ एक प्राण | ek hṛday ā ek prāṇ | Low-Medium | The Church as Community | 4:32 | — | Distinguish from caste-community solidarity. |
| 42 | Great fear (upon the church) | φόβος μέγας / phobos megas | ठूल डर | ṭhūl ḍar | Medium | The Church as Community | 5:5, 11 | भूत-प्रेतक डर | Reverent fear of God’s holiness, not superstitious dread of spirits. |
| 43 | Obey God rather than men | πειθαρχέω / peitharcheō | मनुष्यक बजाय परमेश्वरक आज्ञा मानब | manuṣyak bajāy parameśvarak ājñā mānab | Medium | Persecution and Bold Witness | 5:29 | — | Principled obedience to divine authority. |
| 44 | Service / ministry (diaconal) | διακονία / diakonia | सेवा | sevā | High | The Church as Community | 6:1-4 | — | Distinguish diaconal सेवा (service to fellow believers) from devotional temple/guru-sevā rendered to an image or living guru. |
| 45 | Wisdom (Spirit-given) | σοφία / sophia | बुद्धि | buddhi | Medium | Apostolic Authority and Miracles | 6:3, 10 | ज्ञान | ज्ञान rejected — Vedantic jñāna-mārga (path of liberating knowledge) association. |
| 46 | False witness | ψευδομάρτυς / pseudomartys | झूठ गवाह / झूठ साक्षी | jhūṭh gavāh | Low | Persecution and Bold Witness | 6:13 | — | — |
| 47 | Stiff-necked | σκληροτράχηλος / sklērotrachēlos | हठी / जिद्दी | haṭhī | Low-Medium | Persecution and Bold Witness | 7:51 | — | OT idiom for stubborn resistance to God. |
| 48 | Stoning | λιθοβολέω / lithoboleō | पाथर मारि मारब | pāthar māri mārab | Low | Persecution and Bold Witness | 7:58-59 | — | — |
| 49 | Sorcery / magician | μαγεία / μάγος / mageia / magos | जादू-टोना / तंत्र-मंत्र | jādū-ṭonā / tantra-mantra | Critical | Apostolic Authority and Miracles | 8:9, 11; 13:6-11; 19:19 | — | Condemned occult power-for-gain, directly contrasted with the Spirit’s freely-given power; live regional tantra-mantra/ojha collision. |
| 50 | Eunuch (court official) | εὐνοῦχος / eunouchos | खोजा / नपुंसक अधिकारी | khojā | Low-Medium | Gospel to Jews and Gentiles | 8:27, 34, 36, 38-39 | — | Historical court-title; note social marginalization overturned by gospel’s reach. |
| 51 | Persecution | διωγμός / diōgmos | सतावनी / उत्पीड़न | satāwanī / utpīṛan | Low-Medium | Persecution and Bold Witness | 8:1; 9:1, 4; 11:19; 13:50 | — | — |
| 52 | Scales (fell from eyes) | λεπίς / lepis | आँखिसँ छिलका सन खसल | āँkhisã chilkā san khasal | Low | Conversion of Paul | 9:18 | — | Idiom for restored sight. |
| 53 | The Way | ὁδός / hodos | मार्ग | mārg | Critical | Conversion of Paul / Great Commission Fulfilled | 9:2; 19:9, 23; 22:4; 24:14, 22 | पंथ | Must not read as one path among several (bhakti-mārg, karma-mārg, jñāna-mārg); mandatory note affirming Christ as the sole way, per John 14:6. |
| 54 | Chosen instrument / vessel | σκεῦος ἐκλογῆς / skeuos eklogēs | चुनल पात्र | cunal pātra | High | Conversion of Paul | 9:15 | — | Built on baseline election; describes Paul’s unique apostolic calling. |
| 55 | Raised to life (resuscitation) | ἀνίστημι (non-eschatological use) / anistēmi | जियाओल गेल/गेली | jiyāol gel/gelī | High | Apostolic Authority and Miracles | 9:40-41; 20:9-12 | पुनरुत्थान | पुनरुत्थान explicitly rejected here — must preserve its reserved, Critical, once-for-all sense for Christ’s resurrection and the future final resurrection only. |
| 56 | God-fearer | φοβούμενος τὸν Θεόν / phoboumenos ton Theon | परमेश्वरसँ डरनिहार | parameśvarsã̃ ḍaranihār | Medium | Gospel to Jews and Gentiles | 10:2, 22, 35 | — | Reverent worship/awe, not terror; Gentile devotee without full proselyte conversion. |
| 57 | Common / unclean (ritual) | κοινός / koinos | अशुद्ध | aśuddh | Medium | Gospel to Jews and Gentiles | 10:14-15, 28 | — | Contextually correct here (OT ritual-purity category being set aside); distinct handling from holy/पवित्र per baseline. |
| 58 | No partiality | προσωπολημψία / prosōpolēmpsia | पक्षपात | pakṣapāt | Critical | Gospel to Jews and Gentiles | 10:34 | — | Direct doctrinal challenge to caste/lineage-based spiritual hierarchy (Panjikaran); must retain full unqualified force. |
| 59 | Christian (name) | Χριστιανός / Christianos | मसीही | masīhī | Medium | Great Commission Fulfilled | 11:26; 26:28 | — | Faith-allegiance designation, not a birth-caste/community label. |
| 60 | Word of God increased | αὐξάνω / auxanō | परमेश्वरक वचन बढ़ल | parameśvarak vacan baṛhal | Low | Great Commission Fulfilled | 12:24; 19:20 | — | Growth-of-the-gospel metaphor. |
| 61 | Set apart (for ministry) | ἀφορίζω / aphorizō | अलग कएल गेला | alag kael gelā | High | Apostolic Authority and Miracles | 13:2 | — | Spirit’s own initiative; ties to baseline separation_unto_gods_service doctrine. |
| 62 | Light for the Gentiles | φῶς ἐθνῶν / phōs ethnōn | अन्यजातिक हेतु ज्योति | anyajātik hetu jyoti | Low-Medium | Gospel to Jews and Gentiles | 13:47 | — | Literal light-imagery; minor residual Puranic light-association risk. |
| 63 | Appointed to eternal life | τεταγμένοι εἰς ζωὴν αἰώνιον / tetagmenoi eis zōēn aiōnion | अनन्त जीवनक हेतु ठहराओल गेल लोक | anant jīvanak hetu ṭhaharāol gel lok | High | Justification apart from the Law | 13:48 | प्रारब्ध-निर्धारित | Built on baseline election; not impersonal karma-determined fate. |
| 64 | Living God (vs. idols) | θεὸς ζῶν / theos zōn | जीवित परमेश्वर | jīvit parameśvar | Critical | Great Commission Fulfilled | 14:15 | — | Directly parallels the incarnation/avatar collision risk; Lystra’s “gods come down as men” (14:11) episode requires explicit cross-reference to the incarnation doctrine note. |
| 65 | Tribulation | θλῖψις / thlipsis | क्लेश / दुःख | kleś / duḥkh | Low-Medium | Persecution and Bold Witness | 14:22 | — | — |
| 66 | Circumcision | περιτομή / peritomē | खतना | khatanā | High | Justification apart from the Law | 15:1, 5, 24 | — | Central Judaizer controversy; NOT required for salvation — grace/faith alone. |
| 67 | Food sacrificed to idols | εἰδωλόθυτον / eidōlothyton | मूर्तिकेँ चढ़ाओल भोजन | mūrtikẽ caṛhāol bhojan | High | Gospel to Jews and Gentiles | 15:20, 29 | — | Direct parallel to prasad-sharing practice; pastoral concern about idol-association, not food contamination per se. |
| 68 | It seemed good (corporate discernment) | συνδοκέω / syndokeō | पवित्र आत्मा आ हमरा सभकेँ नीक लागल | … | Low-Medium | The Church as Community | 15:22, 25, 28 | — | Models Spirit-guided corporate church discernment. |
| 69 | Spirit of divination (Python spirit) | πνεῦμα πύθωνα / pneuma pythōna | भविष्यवाणी करएबला दुष्ट आत्मा | bhaviṣyavāṇī karaebalā duṣṭ ātmā | Critical | Apostolic Authority and Miracles | 16:16-18 | — | Direct parallel to regional oracle-possession/devī-āveś practice; exorcism, not veneration, is the modeled response. |
| 70 | Roman citizen | Ῥωμαῖος / πολίτης / Rōmaios / politēs | रोमी नागरिक | romī nāgarik | Low | Persecution and Bold Witness | 16:37-38; 22:25-28; 25:11 | — | Legal-status term. |
| 71 | Idol / image | εἴδωλον / eidōlon | मूर्ति | mūrti | Critical | Great Commission Fulfilled | 15:20; 17:16, 29; 19:26 | — | Deeply embedded regional murti-pūjā tradition; theological clarity required without gratuitous inflammatory phrasing. |
| 72 | Unknown god | ἄγνωστος θεός / agnōstos theos | अज्ञात देवता | agyāt devatā | High | Great Commission Fulfilled | 17:23 | — | The one true God, previously unknown — not one more deity to add to a village/family pantheon. |
| 73 | Offspring (general revelation) | γένος / genos | सन्तान | santān | Medium | Great Commission Fulfilled | 17:28 | — | Keep distinct from the specific soteriological doctrine of adoption. |
| 74 | Judgment seat / tribunal | βῆμα / bēma | न्याय आसन | nyāya āsan | Low | Persecution and Bold Witness | 18:12, 16-17; 25:6, 10, 17 | — | Standard legal-proceeding term. |
| 75 | Vow | εὐχή / euchē | मन्नत / संकल्प | mannat / sankalp | Medium | Apostolic Authority and Miracles | 18:18; 21:23-24 | — | OT Nazirite-rooted vow to the one true God, not a devotional vrat-sankalp to a chosen deity. |
| 76 | Demon / evil spirit | δαιμόνιον / πνεῦμα πονηρόν / daimonion | दुष्ट आत्मा | duṣṭ ātmā | Critical | Apostolic Authority and Miracles | 19:12-16 | भूत-प्रेत (avoid as primary) | Warns against imitative, technique-based exorcism; directly relevant to regional ojha jhāṛ-phūँk practice. |
| 77 | Artemis / Diana (goddess cult) | Ἄρτεμις / Artemis | (proper name, transliterated) आर्तेमिस/दियाना | Ārtemis/Diyānā | Critical | Great Commission Fulfilled | 19:24-41 | — | Direct real-world parallel to baseline’s Shakta-goddess devotion caution (cf. Ugratara shrine). |
| 78 | Elders | πρεσβύτεροι / presbyteroi | प्राचीन | prācīn | Medium | The Church as Community | 11:30; 14:23; 15:2, 4, 6, 22-23; 16:4; 20:17; 21:18 | पंच | पंच rejected — village/caste-council collision; this is an appointed spiritual-pastoral church office. |
| 79 | Overseer / bishop | ἐπίσκοπος / episkopos | अध्यक्ष / निरीक्षक | adhyakṣ / nirīkṣak | Medium | The Church as Community | 20:28 | — | Same office as elder, viewed as oversight/guardianship. |
| 80 | Shepherd (verb) | ποιμαίνω / poimainō | मण्डलीक रखबारी करब | maṇḍalīk rakhbārī karab | Low-Medium | The Church as Community | 20:28 | — | Standard pastoral metaphor. |
| 81 | Purification rite | ἁγνισμός / hagnismos | शुद्धिकरण | śuddhikaraṇ | High | Justification apart from the Law | 21:24, 26 | — | Contextually correct here as a literal OT/Temple-era rite; must NOT be read back into the doctrine of sanctification (which rejects this word per baseline). |
| 82 | Zealous | ζηλωτής / zēlōtēs | उत्साही / जोशी | utsāhī / jośī | Low-Medium | Conversion of Paul | 22:3 | — | — |
| 83 | Sect | αἵρεσις / hairesis | सम्प्रदाय / पंथ | sampradāy / panth | High | Persecution and Bold Witness | 24:5, 14; 28:22 | — | Outsiders’ dismissive framing; contrast with the church’s own self-understanding via “the Way.” |
| 84 | Judgment (future) | κρίσις / κρίμα / krisis / krima | न्याय | nyāy | Medium | Justification apart from the Law | 24:25 | कर्म-फल | Distinguish God’s forensic future judgment from impersonal karmic reckoning. |
| 85 | Appeal to Caesar | ἐπικαλέομαι Καίσαρα / epikaleomai Kaisara | कैसरक दरबारमे अपील करब | kaisarak darbārmẽ apīl karab | Low | Persecution and Bold Witness | 25:11-12 | — | Legal-procedural term. |
| 86 | Heavenly vision | ὀπτασία / optasia | स्वर्गीय दर्शन | svargīya darśan | High | Conversion of Paul | 26:19 | — | दर्शन’s temple-devotional “seeing the deity” connotation must be distinguished from this unique, unrepeatable revelatory appearance of the risen Christ. |
| 87 | Power/dominion of Satan | ἐξουσία τοῦ Σατανᾶ / exousia tou Satana | शैतानक अधिकार | śaitānak adhikār | Medium | Conversion of Paul | 26:18 | शैतानक शक्ति | शक्ति avoided to keep baseline’s सामर्थ्य/शक्ति distinction clean; अधिकार (dominion/authority) used instead. |
| 88 | Justice (personified, Malta) | Δίκη / Dikē | न्याय-देवी | nyāya-devī | Medium | Great Commission Fulfilled | 28:4 | — | Reported pagan inference by Maltese islanders, not an endorsed theological claim; note against karmic-cosmic-justice conflation. |
| 89 | Unhindered | ἀκωλύτως / akōlytōs | निर्बाध / बिना रोक-टोकक | nirbādh | High | Great Commission Fulfilled | 28:31 | — | Book’s climactic closing word; treat with Romans 1:16-17-level cross-document consistency discipline. |
Summary Statistics
| Risk Tier | Baseline Terms Reused (Table A) | New Terms Introduced (Table B) | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Critical | 10 | 9 | 19 |
| High | 12 | 24 | 36 |
| Medium | 6 | 30 | 36 |
| Low | 5 | 26 | 31 |
| Total | 33 | 89 | 122 |
Coverage confirmation: Every chapter of Acts (1–28) is represented in this glossary either through new terms (Table B) or through documented reuse of baseline terms (Table A). Chapter 27 was reviewed and contributes no new theological vocabulary; this is noted explicitly in analysis/07_semantic_analysis.md rather than silently omitted. Chapters 23, 25, and 12 contribute minimal new vocabulary and are likewise noted explicitly as reviewed with reuse of established terms.
See analysis/07_semantic_analysis.md for full contextual analysis, verse citations, and detailed risk reasoning behind each entry in this table.
Critical Risk Terms
Righteousness
Approved rendering: धार्मिकता
Transliteration: dhārmiktā
Doctrine: Salvation
Rejected alternatives: धर्म, पुण्य, सतीत्व
Original: δικαιοσύνη
Category: Salvation
Inherited from Romans package; no deviation permitted. Also occurs Acts 24:25 (Paul reasoning with Felix about righteousness, self-control, and judgment).
Justification
Approved rendering: धर्मी घोषित कएल जाएब
Transliteration: dharmī ghoṣit kael jaeb
Doctrine: Salvation
Rejected alternatives: क्षमा भेटब, पुण्य कमाएब
Original: δικαίωσις / δικαιόω
Category: Salvation
Inherited from Romans package; no deviation, no abbreviation permitted. Acts 13:38-39 is THE key Acts anchor verse for the ‘Justification apart from the Law’ doctrine.
Salvation
Approved rendering: उद्धार
Transliteration: uddhār
Doctrine: Salvation
Rejected alternatives: मुक्ति, मोक्ष, छुटकारा
Original: σωτηρία
Category: Salvation
Inherited from Romans package; no deviation permitted. Acts 16:30-31 (the Philippian jailer’s question) and 4:12 (‘no other name’) are key catechetical verses; never मुक्ति or मोक्ष.
Resurrection
Approved rendering: पुनरुत्थान
Transliteration: punaruthān
Doctrine: Resurrection of Christ
Rejected alternatives: पुनर्जन्म, पुनर्जीवन
Original: ἀνάστασις
Category: Eschatology
Inherited from Romans package; no deviation permitted. The most frequent Critical term in Acts (1:22;2:24,31-32;4:2,33;17:18,31-32;23:6,8;24:15,21;26:23); mandatory distinguishing note from पुनर्जन्म at every occurrence, especially against Athenian mockery (17:32) and Sadducean denial (23:8). NEVER used for Tabitha’s (9:40-41) or Eutychus’s (20:9-12) resuscitation — see raised_to_life_resuscitation.
Lord
Approved rendering: प्रभु
Transliteration: prabhu
Doctrine: Lordship of Christ
Rejected alternatives: स्वामी, मालिक
Original: κύριος
Category: Christology
Inherited from Romans package; no deviation permitted. Acts 2:36’s climactic ‘God has made him both Lord and Christ’ and 10:36;16:31;28:31 require the honorific verb register (छथि).
Son Of God
Approved rendering: परमेश्वरक पुत्र
Transliteration: parameśvarak putra
Doctrine: Sonship of Christ
Rejected alternatives: ईश्वरक अंश, देवपुरुष
Original: υἱὸς θεοῦ
Category: Christology
Inherited from Romans package; no deviation permitted. Acts 9:20 — Paul’s very first sermon after conversion proclaims this exact title.
Incarnation
Approved rendering: देहधारण
Transliteration: dehadhāraṇ
Doctrine: Incarnation
Rejected alternatives: अवतार, देह प्रकट
Original: ὁ λόγος σὰρξ ἐγένετο
Category: Christology
Inherited from Romans package; no deviation permitted. Acts 14:11-15 (Lystra) is the sharpest real-world test case in the whole Bible for the prohibition on अवतार — see living_god entry below for the direct textual cross-reference.
Messiah
Approved rendering: मसीह
Transliteration: masīh
Doctrine: Messianic Promise
Rejected alternatives: अभिषिक्त पुरुष, अवतारी पुरुष
Original: Χριστός / מָשִׁיחַ
Category: Christology
Inherited from Romans package; no deviation permitted. Acts 2:31,36;3:18,20;5:42;9:22;17:3;18:5,28;26:23 — never assimilated to Ram/Krishna avatar figures.
Jesus
Approved rendering: यीशु
Transliteration: Yīśu
Doctrine: Lordship of Christ
Rejected alternatives: ईसा
Original: Ἰησοῦς / יֵשׁוּעַ
Category: Christology
Inherited from Romans package; no deviation permitted. Occurs throughout Acts; never ईसा.
God
Approved rendering: परमेश्वर
Transliteration: parameśvar
Doctrine: Deity of Christ
Rejected alternatives: भगवान, ईश्वर
Original: θεός / אֱלֹהִים / יהוה
Category: God
Inherited from Romans package; no deviation permitted. Occurs throughout Acts; never भगवान or ईश्वर.
Holy Spirit
Approved rendering: पवित्र आत्मा
Transliteration: pavitra ātmā
Doctrine: Sanctification
Rejected alternatives: ब्रह्म, परमात्मा
Original: πνεῦμα ἅγιον
Category: God
Inherited from Romans package; no deviation permitted. The single most frequent theologically load-bearing term in the whole book (40+ occurrences); never ब्रह्म or परमात्मा. Never appears unqualified as बare आत्मा — see souls_persons entry for the fenced headcount sense.
Father
Approved rendering: पिता
Transliteration: pitā
Doctrine: Adoption into God’s Family
Rejected alternatives: ब्रह्मा, सृष्टिकर्ता
Original: πατήρ
Category: God
Inherited from Romans package; no deviation permitted. Acts 1:4,7;2:33;3:13,25;7 (Stephen’s speech) — never a Hindu creator-deity name.
Imputed Righteousness
Approved rendering: आरोपित धार्मिकता
Transliteration: āropit dhārmiktā
Doctrine: Justification by Faith
Rejected alternatives: अर्जित धार्मिकता, सती-धर्म
Original: ἐλογίσθη αὐτῷ εἰς δικαιοσύνην
Category: Salvation
Inherited from Romans package; no deviation permitted. Not a separate Greek lexeme in Acts, but underlies the justification argument of Acts 13:38-39; keep distinct from अर्जित (earned).
Tongues Of Fire
Approved rendering: आगि सन जीभ
Transliteration: āgi san jībh
Doctrine: The Holy Spirit and Pentecost
Rejected alternatives: अग्नि सन जीभ
Original: γλῶσσαι ὡσεὶ πυρός
Category: Pentecost
NEW (Acts). Visible flame-like tongues resting on each believer (Acts 2:3). अग्नि is FORBIDDEN — it names the Vedic fire-deity central to actively-practiced havan/yagna ritual. Use the native word आगि only, with mandatory translator note that this is a visible sign of the Spirit’s descent, categorically not a manifestation of Agni or a sacrificial fire ritual.
Sorcery
Approved rendering: जादू-टोना / तंत्र-मंत्र
Transliteration: jādū-ṭonā / tantra-mantra
Doctrine: Sorcery and Occult Power Confronted
Original: μαγεία / μάγος
Category: Apostleship
NEW (Acts). Occult practice claiming supernatural power for personal gain/prestige (Simon Magus, Acts 8:9,11; Elymas 13:6-11; Ephesian magic books 19:19). Mithila has an actively practiced regional tantra-mantra and ojha tradition; a mandatory translator note must state that condemned sorcery and Simon’s attempt to buy the Spirit’s power (simony, 8:18-24) stand in direct contrast to God’s freely-given gift (अनुग्रह/उपहार) — a live temptation given regional tantric fee-for-power practices.
The Way
Approved rendering: मार्ग
Transliteration: mārg
Doctrine: The Way as the Exclusive Path to God
Rejected alternatives: पंथ
Original: ἡ ὁδός
Category: Conversion of Paul
NEW (Acts). The earliest self-designation of the Christian movement as the one true path to God through Christ (Acts 9:2;19:9,23;22:4;24:14,22). मार्ग is deeply embedded in Hindu soteriological vocabulary as one of three classical parallel paths (bhakti-mārg, karma-mārg, jñāna-mārg) to the same goal (moksha); a MANDATORY clarifying translator note is required at EVERY occurrence stating ‘the Way’ names the one true path revealed in Christ (cf. John 14:6), not one alternative among several equally valid options.
No Partiality
Approved rendering: पक्षपात
Transliteration: pakṣapāt
Doctrine: Universal Scope of the Gospel (No Partiality)
Original: προσωπολημψία
Category: Gospel to Jews and Gentiles
NEW (Acts). God’s impartiality toward all people regardless of ethnicity or status — ‘God shows no partiality’ (Acts 10:34). This verse directly confronts caste-and-lineage-based spiritual hierarchy given the Panjikaran genealogical-registry system; the universal, no-exception force must be preserved without softening.
Living God
Approved rendering: जीवित परमेश्वर
Transliteration: jīvit parameśvar
Doctrine: Incarnation and the Avatar Collision (Lystra)
Original: θεὸς ζῶν
Category: Great Commission Fulfilled
NEW (Acts). The one true, personal, ever-living God, contrasted with Zeus and Hermes when the Lystra crowd mistakes Paul and Barnabas for gods (Acts 14:15). This episode is the single most direct NT parallel to the incarnation/देहधारण collision risk; Paul and Barnabas’s emphatic REJECTION of being worshipped (14:14) distinguishes the true, unique, permanent incarnation of the eternal Son from this pagan/mythic avatar-descent pattern.
Spirit Of Divination
Approved rendering: भविष्यवाणी करएबला दुष्ट आत्मा
Transliteration: bhaviṣyavāṇī karaebalā duṣṭ ātmā
Doctrine: Spirit of Divination and Christian Exorcism
Original: πνεῦμα πύθωνα
Category: Apostleship
NEW (Acts). An evil, divining spirit granting a slave-girl fortune-telling ability, expelled by Paul in Christ’s authority (Acts 16:16-18). Directly parallels living regional practices of village oracle-possession, devī-āveś, and ojha-mediated fortune-telling; a mandatory translator note must state Paul’s response is exorcism/expulsion, NOT veneration, consultation, or negotiation with the spirit.
Idol
Approved rendering: मूर्ति
Transliteration: mūrti
Doctrine: Idol Worship and the True, Unrepresentable God
Original: εἴδωλον
Category: Great Commission Fulfilled
NEW (Acts). A manufactured representation of a deity, contrasted with the living God (Acts 17:16,29; also 15:20;19:26). Mithila has a deeply embedded and continuously practiced murti-pūjā tradition across Vaishnava, Shaiva, and Shakta devotional life; Paul’s Areopagus argument must be rendered with full theological clarity while avoiding gratuitously inflammatory phrasing not present in the source text.
Demon
Approved rendering: दुष्ट आत्मा
Transliteration: duṣṭ ātmā
Doctrine: Spirit of Divination and Christian Exorcism
Rejected alternatives: भूत-प्रेत
Original: δαιμόνιον / πνεῦμα πονηρόν
Category: Apostleship
NEW (Acts). A malevolent spiritual being under Satan’s authority, shown overpowering those attempting to use Jesus’ name as a magical formula (sons of Sceva, Acts 19:12-16). भूत-प्रेत is discouraged as the primary rendering — saturated with specific regional folk-exorcism (ojha jhāṛ-phūँk) associations and remedies. This narrative warns against imitative, technique-based use of Jesus’ name as a power-formula.
Artemis
Approved rendering: आर्तेमिस / दियाना
Transliteration: Ārtemis / Diyānā
Doctrine: Goddess-Cult Confrontation (Artemis of Ephesus)
Original: Ἄρτεμις
Category: Great Commission Fulfilled
NEW (Acts). The great mother-goddess of Ephesus, whose temple and cult income the gospel’s exclusivity claim threatens (Acts 19:24-41). This is the single clearest real-world NT parallel to the baseline’s flagged risk regarding शक्ति and regional Shakta-goddess devotion (e.g. the Ugratara shrine, Durga/Kali worship); a translator/theologian note should draw this parallel explicitly.
High Risk Terms
Gospel
Approved rendering: सुसमाचार
Transliteration: susamācār
Doctrine: Gospel
Rejected alternatives: नीक खबर, शुभ सन्देश
Original: εὐαγγέλιον
Category: Salvation
Inherited from Romans package; no deviation permitted. Acts extends this term to Samaritans (8:4-25) and Gentiles (15:7), reinforcing the register of a weighty, unique, authoritative proclamation rather than casual news.
Grace
Approved rendering: अनुग्रह
Transliteration: anugraha
Doctrine: Grace
Rejected alternatives: कृपा, दया, पुण्य, कर्मफल, भाग
Original: χάρις
Category: Salvation
Inherited from Romans package; no deviation permitted. Acts 15:11’s Jerusalem Council resolution (‘saved through the grace of the Lord Jesus’) explicitly excludes law-keeping/circumcision as an added requirement.
Faith
Approved rendering: विश्वास
Transliteration: biswas
Doctrine: Faith
Rejected alternatives: श्रद्धा, भक्ति
Original: πίστις
Category: Faith
Inherited from Romans package; no deviation permitted. Acts 16:31 (the Philippian jailer) and 26:18 anchor personal trust in Christ specifically, never भक्ति.
Called
Approved rendering: बजाओल
Transliteration: bajāol
Doctrine: Divine Calling
Rejected alternatives: आमंत्रित, नेह पाओल
Original: κλητός
Category: Salvation
Inherited from Romans package; no deviation permitted. Acts 2:39 and 13:2 show God’s sovereign initiative in calling both individuals to salvation and to specific mission.
Calling
Approved rendering: बजाओल जाएब
Transliteration: bajāol jāeb
Doctrine: Divine Calling
Rejected alternatives: आह्वान
Original: κλῆσις
Category: Salvation
Inherited from Romans package; no deviation permitted. Acts 13:46-48 illustrates the call extending to Gentiles.
Holy
Approved rendering: पवित्र
Transliteration: pavitra
Doctrine: Sanctification
Rejected alternatives: शुद्ध, निर्मल
Original: ἅγιος
Category: Sanctification
Inherited from Romans package; no deviation permitted. Occurs throughout Acts, especially in ‘Holy Spirit’.
Saints
Approved rendering: पवित्र जन
Transliteration: pavitra jan
Doctrine: Sainthood
Rejected alternatives: संत, सती
Original: ἅγιοι
Category: Church
Inherited from Romans package; no deviation permitted. Acts 9:13,32,41;26:10 — corporate designation for all believers, not an ascetic elite.
Sanctification
Approved rendering: पवित्रीकरण
Transliteration: pavitrīkaraṇ
Doctrine: Sanctification
Rejected alternatives: शुद्धिकरण, संस्कार
Original: ἁγιασμός
Category: Sanctification
Inherited from Romans package; no deviation permitted. Acts 20:32;26:18. MUST be kept terminologically distinct from purification_rite (शुद्धिकरण, Acts 21:24,26), a literal one-time OT/Temple-era ceremonial rite Paul undergoes — conflating the two would wrongly suggest Christian sanctification is achieved by ritual.
Adoption
Approved rendering: पुत्रत्व प्रदान
Transliteration: putratva pradān
Doctrine: Adoption into God’s Family
Rejected alternatives: गोद लेब
Original: υἱοθεσία
Category: Salvation
Inherited from Romans package; no deviation permitted. No direct Greek lexeme occurs in Acts, but retained for cross-curriculum consistency where sonship-by-faith into God’s family is implied (esp. Gentile inclusion, chs. 10-15).
Law
Approved rendering: व्यवस्था
Transliteration: byavasthā
Doctrine: Fulfillment of Prophecy
Rejected alternatives: धर्म, नियम
Original: νόμος
Category: Covenant
Inherited from Romans package; no deviation permitted. Central to Acts 15’s circumcision/Judaizer controversy and Acts 13:38-39’s justification argument; never धर्म.
Sin
Approved rendering: पाप
Transliteration: pāp
Doctrine: Universal Human Accountability
Rejected alternatives: अधर्म, अशुद्धता
Original: ἁμαρτία
Category: Sin
Inherited from Romans package; no deviation permitted. Acts 2:38;3:19;22:16;26:18.
Glory
Approved rendering: महिमा
Transliteration: mahimā
Doctrine: Deity of Christ
Rejected alternatives: तेज, ज्योति
Original: δόξα
Category: God
Inherited from Romans package; no deviation permitted. Acts 7:2,55 (Stephen’s vision) and 12:23 (Herod judged for accepting worship-glory belonging only to God).
Obedience Of Faith
Approved rendering: विश्वासक आज्ञाकारिता
Transliteration: biswasak ājñākāritā
Doctrine: Obedience of Faith
Rejected alternatives: धार्मिक कर्तव्य पालन
Original: ὑπακοὴ πίστεως
Category: Faith
Inherited from Romans package; no deviation permitted. Thematically present Acts 5:29 and 6:7 (‘a great many priests became obedient to the faith’).
Power Of God
Approved rendering: परमेश्वरक सामर्थ्य
Transliteration: parameśvarak sāmarthya
Doctrine: Power of God for Salvation
Rejected alternatives: शक्ति, बल
Original: δύναμις θεοῦ
Category: God
Inherited from Romans package; no deviation permitted. Especially sensitive at Acts 19’s Artemis-cult riot and 8:9-24’s Simon Magus episode, where surrounding culture treats supernatural power as purchasable or goddess-derived; never शक्ति.
Covenant
Approved rendering: वाचा
Transliteration: vācā
Doctrine: Davidic Covenant
Rejected alternatives: अनुबंध, बिआह-सम्बन्ध
Original: διαθήκη
Category: Covenant
Inherited from Romans package; no deviation permitted. Acts 3:25, 7:8 — Abrahamic covenant background.
Election
Approved rendering: परमेश्वरक चुनाव
Transliteration: parameśvarak cunāv
Doctrine: Effectual Calling
Rejected alternatives: भाग्य, किस्मत, प्रारब्ध
Original: ἐκλογή
Category: Salvation
Inherited from Romans package; no deviation permitted. Acts 9:15 (‘chosen instrument’) and 13:48 (‘appointed to eternal life’) both build directly on this term; never प्रारब्ध.
Providence
Approved rendering: परमेश्वरक विधान
Transliteration: parameśvarak vidhān
Doctrine: Providence
Rejected alternatives: भाग्य, प्रारब्ध
Original: πρόνοια
Category: God
Inherited from Romans package; no deviation permitted. Acts 27’s shipwreck narrative is the book’s clearest sustained providence account; never भाग्य or प्रारब्ध.
Abba
Approved rendering: अब्बा
Transliteration: abbā
Doctrine: Adoption into God’s Family
Original: אַבָּא
Category: God
Inherited from Romans package; no deviation permitted. Not directly occurring in Acts; retained for cross-curriculum consistency.
Seed Of David
Approved rendering: दाऊदक वंशसँ
Transliteration: Dāūdak vanśasã̃
Doctrine: Davidic Covenant
Original: σπέρμα Δαυίδ
Category: Covenant
Inherited from Romans package; no deviation permitted. Acts 2:30, 13:23.
Pentecost
Approved rendering: पिन्तेकुस्त
Transliteration: pintekust
Doctrine: Pentecost
Original: πεντηκοστή
Category: Pentecost
NEW (Acts). Transliterated proper name for the Jewish Feast of Weeks (Shavuot), fulfilled once at Acts 2:1. Must not be assimilated to Mithila’s own harvest/seasonal festival calendar (Sama-Chakeva, Chhath); a specific, one-time historical event fulfilled once in redemptive history, not a recurring seasonal observance.
Other Tongues
Approved rendering: अन्य भाषासभ
Transliteration: anya bhāṣāsabh
Doctrine: Tongues as Known Human Languages
Rejected alternatives: प्रलाप, गुह्य बोली
Original: γλῶσσα (ἑτέραις γλώσσαις)
Category: Pentecost
NEW (Acts). Real, known human languages miraculously spoken and understood by hearers (Acts 2:4,6,8,11;10:46;19:6), reversing Babel’s confusion. Must be sharply distinguished from regional ojha/spirit-possession trance-speech (devī-āveś), which produces unintelligible or altered speech and is not what this passage describes or endorses.
Rushing Wind
Approved rendering: प्रचण्ड आँधी सन आवाज
Transliteration: pracaṇḍ āँdhī san āvāj
Doctrine: The Holy Spirit and Pentecost
Rejected alternatives: पवन देवक आगमन
Original: πνοή βιαία
Category: Pentecost
NEW (Acts). A violent wind-like sound accompanying but distinct from the Spirit’s descent (Acts 2:2). The Sanskrit-tatsama पवन also names the Vedic wind-deity Vayu/Pavan, actively invoked in Mithila’s Brahmanical tradition; render descriptively, never with पवन as a noun-name, and note this is a physical sign only.
Last Days
Approved rendering: अन्तिम दिनसभ
Transliteration: antim dinsabh
Doctrine: The Last Days (Linear Eschatology)
Rejected alternatives: कलियुग-सन अन्तिम काल
Original: ἐν ταῖς ἐσχάταις ἡμέραις
Category: Eschatology
NEW (Acts). The linear, bounded eschatological era inaugurated by Christ’s first coming (Acts 2:17, quoting Joel). Must be sharply distinguished from the Hindu cyclical Kali Yuga cosmology; a single, unrepeated era, not a phase in a recurring cosmic cycle.
Wonders And Signs
Approved rendering: अद्भुत कार्य आ चिन्ह
Transliteration: adbhut kārya ā chinha
Doctrine: Apostolic Wonders and Signs
Rejected alternatives: सिद्धि
Original: τέρατα καὶ σημεῖα
Category: Apostleship
NEW (Acts). God-given authenticating acts accompanying apostolic ministry (Acts 2:19,22,43;4:30;5:12;14:3;15:12). Must be distinguished from yogic/tantric siddhi and Puranic avatar-miracle narratives — these are God’s own authenticating acts, not powers earned by human spiritual achievement.
Call On The Name Of The Lord
Approved rendering: प्रभुक नाम पुकारब
Transliteration: prabhuk nām pukārab
Doctrine: Calling on the Name of the Lord (Salvation Confession)
Rejected alternatives: नाम-जप, नाम-स्मरण
Original: ἐπικαλέομαι τὸ ὄνομα Κυρίου
Category: Salvation
NEW (Acts). A single, trusting, saving appeal to Christ specifically (Acts 2:21;16:31;22:16), NOT repetitive meritorious name-chanting (nām-japa/nām-smaran), a live regional devotional practice.
Hades
Approved rendering: हेडेस
Transliteration: heḍes
Doctrine: Hades and the State of the Dead
Rejected alternatives: पाताल, अधोलोक
Original: ᾅδης
Category: Eschatology
NEW (Acts). The Greek term (translating Hebrew Sheol) for the realm/state of the dead (Acts 2:27,31). पाताल/अधोलोक are richly mythologized Puranic cosmological realms and are FORBIDDEN; transliterate as हेडेस with clarifying gloss ‘the realm of the dead in Jewish thought’.
Repentance
Approved rendering: मन फेराव (पश्चाताप as secondary gloss only, never standalone)
Transliteration: man pherāv (paśchātāp)
Doctrine: Repentance and Baptism
Rejected alternatives: प्रायश्चित
Original: μετάνοια / μετανοέω
Category: Repentance and Baptism
NEW (Acts). A genuine, God-granted inward reorientation of mind and will (Acts 2:38;3:19;17:30;26:20). प्रायश्चित is FORBIDDEN even as a gloss — it names the Hindu ritual act of penance/expiation performed to cancel ritual or karmic guilt through a prescribed rite; biblical repentance is inward turning granted by grace, not a merit-earning ritual performance.
Baptism
Approved rendering: बपतिस्मा
Transliteration: baptismā
Doctrine: Repentance and Baptism
Rejected alternatives: स्नान
Original: βάπτισμα / βαπτίζω
Category: Repentance and Baptism
NEW (Acts). Ritual immersion marking public identification with Christ’s death/resurrection (Acts 2:38,41;8:36-38;9:18;10:47-48;16:15,33;18:8;19:3-5). स्नान is FORBIDDEN — repeatable ritual purificatory river/tank bathing (e.g. Kosi/Bagmati river festivals, Ganga Sagar pilgrimage bathing); baptism is a single, unrepeatable act of public identification with Christ, not repeatable ritual purification.
Forgiveness Of Sins
Approved rendering: पापक क्षमा
Transliteration: pāpak kṣamā
Doctrine: Forgiveness of Sins
Rejected alternatives: कर्मफल नाश
Original: ἄφεσις ἁμαρτιῶν
Category: Repentance and Baptism
NEW (Acts). God’s judicial pardon through Christ’s atoning work (Acts 2:38;5:31;10:43;13:38;26:18), reusing baseline पाप. Not merely interpersonal reconciliation, and not the automatic dissolution of karmic debt through time or ritual action.
Gift Of The Holy Spirit
Approved rendering: पवित्र आत्माक उपहार
Transliteration: pavitra ātmāk uphār
Doctrine: The Gift of the Holy Spirit at Conversion
Rejected alternatives: वरदान, दान
Original: δωρεά
Category: Pentecost
NEW (Acts). The gift of the Spirit’s own indwelling presence given at conversion (Acts 2:38;10:45;11:17). वरदान is FORBIDDEN — Puranic boon-for-austerity connotation; दान is FORBIDDEN — standard word for meritorious religious giving/almsgiving that would imply the believer earns or reciprocates this gift. Keep terminologically distinct from spiritual_gifts (आत्मिक वरदान, ministry enablements).
Ascension
Approved rendering: ऊपर उठाओल गेला आ बादर हुनका आँखिसँ ओझल कऽ देलक
Transliteration: ūpar uṭhāol gelā ā bādar hunkā āँkhisã̃ ojhal ka’ delak
Doctrine: Ascension of Christ
Rejected alternatives: स्वर्गारोहण
Original: ἀναλαμβάνω / ἐπήρθη
Category: Christology
NEW (Acts). Christ’s bodily, visible, historical, permanent departure into heaven, to return the same way (Acts 1:9-11). स्वर्गारोहण is REJECTED as the primary rendering — strongly associated regionally with the Mahabharata’s Pandava ascent narrative (the Himalayan peak literally named ‘Swargarohini’); use the descriptive verb-phrase in running text. See ascension_heading_term below for a proposed, NOT YET RATIFIED short heading-only coinage.
Author Of Life
Approved rendering: जीवनक स्रोत आ अगुआ
Transliteration: jīvanak sroत ā aguā
Doctrine: Conversion of Paul
Rejected alternatives: गुरु
Original: ὁ ἀρχηγὸς τῆς ζωῆς
Category: Christology
NEW (Acts). A unique christological title naming Jesus as both originator and pioneer/leader of resurrection life (Acts 3:15). गुरु is FORBIDDEN as a substitute — would flatten this to a generic ‘great teacher’ title, understating its unique claim that Jesus is the very origin of life itself.
Restoration Of All Things
Approved rendering: सभ वस्तुक पूर्ण पुनर्स्थापना
Transliteration: sabh vastuk pūrṇa punarsthāpanā
Doctrine: The Last Days (Linear Eschatology)
Rejected alternatives: प्रलय-सृष्टि चक्र
Original: ἀποκατάστασις πάντων
Category: Eschatology
NEW (Acts). The final, comprehensive setting-right of creation at Christ’s return (Acts 3:21). Must be distinguished from the Hindu cyclical cosmology of periodic cosmic dissolution and re-creation (pralaya); a single, final, linear event, not a recurring cosmic pattern.
Boldness
Approved rendering: निडरता
Transliteration: nirḍartā
Doctrine: Persecution and Bold Witness
Original: παρρησία
Category: Persecution
NEW (Acts). Fearless, Spirit-given openness in gospel proclamation especially under threat (Acts 4:13,29,31;9:27-28;13:46;14:3;18:26;19:8;26:26;28:31). Must be framed explicitly as Spirit-given courage under threat, not social defiance or confrontation for its own sake.
Service Diaconal
Approved rendering: सेवा
Transliteration: sevā
Doctrine: Church as God’s People
Original: διακονία
Category: Church
NEW (Acts). Practical, Spirit-empowered service within the believing community (Acts 6:1-4). सेवा carries strong regional devotional connotation (guru-sevā, temple/deity-sevā); a translator note is required at every occurrence distinguishing diaconal सेवा (service to fellow believers) from devotional सेवा rendered to an image or living guru.
Chosen Instrument
Approved rendering: चुनल पात्र
Transliteration: cunal pātra
Doctrine: Conversion of Paul
Original: σκεῦος ἐκλογῆς
Category: Conversion of Paul
NEW (Acts). Paul’s unique apostolic calling, described as God’s ‘chosen vessel/instrument’ (Acts 9:15); built directly on the election term (परमेश्वरक चुनाव), describing a specific, personal, sovereign commissioning, not impersonal fate.
Raised To Life Resuscitation
Approved rendering: जियाओल गेल / गेली
Transliteration: jiyāol gel / gelī
Doctrine: Apostolic Wonders and Signs
Rejected alternatives: पुनरुत्थान
Original: ἀνίστημι (non-eschatological use)
Category: Apostleship
NEW (Acts). A genuine miracle of restoration to ordinary mortal life — Tabitha (Acts 9:40-41) and Eutychus (20:9-12) — categorically distinct from Christ’s own resurrection. पुनरुत्थान must explicitly NEVER be used here; a clear terminological distinction must be maintained between resuscitation-to-mortal-life and the unique, permanent, once-for-all resurrection of Christ.
Set Apart Ministry
Approved rendering: अलग कएल गेला
Transliteration: alag kael gelā
Doctrine: Apostolic Authority and Miracles
Original: ἀφορίζω
Category: Apostleship
NEW (Acts). The Holy Spirit’s own initiative in setting apart Barnabas and Saul for a specific missionary task (Acts 13:2); ties to the baseline separation_unto_gods_service doctrine — must be the Spirit’s own initiative, not human self-selection or ascetic self-renunciation modeled on regional monastic (math) traditions.
Appointed To Eternal Life
Approved rendering: अनन्त जीवनक हेतु ठहराओल गेल लोक
Transliteration: anant jīvanak hetu ṭhaharāol gel lok
Doctrine: Justification apart from the Law
Rejected alternatives: प्रारब्ध-निर्धारित
Original: τεταγμένοι εἰς ζωὴν αἰώνιον
Category: Justification apart from the Law
NEW (Acts). God’s sovereign appointment of certain hearers to eternal life resulting in their believing (Acts 13:48); built on the election term. Must not read as impersonal karma-determined fate but as God’s own personal, sovereign choice.
Circumcision
Approved rendering: खतना
Transliteration: khatanā
Doctrine: The Circumcision Controversy
Original: περιτομή
Category: Justification apart from the Law
NEW (Acts). The Mosaic covenant-sign rite; central point of controversy in the Jerusalem Council (Acts 15:1,5,24;21:21). खतना must be presented as historically real but explicitly NOT required for salvation, preserving the Council’s resolution that grace/faith alone justifies, apart from the law and its rites.
Food Sacrificed To Idols
Approved rendering: मूर्तिकेँ चढ़ाओल भोजन
Transliteration: mūrtikẽ caṛhāol bhojan
Doctrine: Food Sacrificed to Idols and Christian Liberty
Original: εἰδωλόθυτον
Category: Gospel to Jews and Gentiles
NEW (Acts). Food ritually offered to an idol, addressed in the apostolic decree (Acts 15:20,29). Directly parallels the living regional practice of prasad; a translator note should clarify the concern is idol-association, not a claim that food itself is spiritually contaminated.
Unknown God
Approved rendering: अज्ञात देवता
Transliteration: agyāt devatā
Doctrine: Idol Worship and the True, Unrepresentable God
Original: ἄγνωστος θεός
Category: Great Commission Fulfilled
NEW (Acts). An Athenian altar inscription Paul uses as a rhetorical bridge to proclaim the one true God (Acts 17:23). Given Mithila’s living tradition of numerous village/family/regional deities (grām devatā), a translator note must make explicit that the true God is not one deity among many but the sole Creator of all.
Purification Rite
Approved rendering: शुद्धिकरण
Transliteration: śuddhikaraṇ
Doctrine: Sanctification vs. Ritual Purification
Original: ἁγνισμός
Category: Justification apart from the Law
NEW (Acts). A Jewish ceremonial purification act (likely completing a Nazirite vow) Paul undergoes at the Jerusalem temple (Acts 21:24,26). शुद्धिकरण is contextually correct here as a literal, historical OT/Temple-era rite performed for cultural-relational reasons — NOT a description of how Christian sanctification works; a MANDATORY note must prevent readers from concluding sanctification is achieved through ritual purification, since the baseline sanctification entry explicitly rejects शुद्धिकरण for that doctrine. Scope strictly limited to Acts 21:24,26.
Sect
Approved rendering: सम्प्रदाय / पंथ
Transliteration: sampradāy / panth
Doctrine: Outsider ‘Sect’ Label vs. the Church’s Own Self-Understanding
Original: αἵρεσις
Category: Persecution
NEW (Acts). A named religious party or faction; used pejoratively of the early church by Paul’s accuser Tertullus, then reclaimed by Paul (Acts 24:5,14;28:22). सम्प्रदाय is the standard term for a recognized Hindu religious tradition/lineage; a translator note must clarify this is the accusers’ outside framing, not the church’s own self-understanding as fulfillment of God’s promises rather than one sampradāya among equally valid others (contrast with the_way).
Heavenly Vision
Approved rendering: स्वर्गीय दर्शन
Transliteration: svargīya darśan
Doctrine: Conversion of Paul
Original: ὀπτασία
Category: Conversion of Paul
NEW (Acts). A divinely-given visionary appearance — Paul’s own retrospective description of his Damascus-road encounter with the risen Christ (Acts 26:19). दर्शन carries a very specific meaning in regional devotional practice (the reciprocal ‘seeing and being seen’ of a deity’s temple image, a core devotional act throughout Mithila’s temple culture); a translator note is required clarifying Paul’s ‘vision’ is a unique, unrepeatable revelatory appearance, not a devotional temple-viewing practice open to ongoing repetition.
Unhindered
Approved rendering: निर्बाध / बिना रोक-टोकक
Transliteration: nirbādh / binā rok-ṭokak
Doctrine: The Great Commission Fulfilled
Original: ἀκωλύτως
Category: Great Commission Fulfilled
NEW (Acts). Paul’s gospel proclamation in Rome carried out ‘without hindrance’ — the book’s climactic closing word (Acts 28:31). This verse is the doctrinal climax of ‘The Great Commission Fulfilled’ and should receive the same cross-document consistency discipline required for Romans 1:16-17, 8:28, and 10:9-10.
Synagogue
Approved rendering: यहूदी सभा-घर
Transliteration: yahūdī sabhā-ghar
Doctrine: Gospel to Jews and Gentiles
Rejected alternatives: सिनागाग
NEW (Acts, previously undocumented gap term closed per analysis/06_linguistic_gap_analysis.md §3). The Jewish assembly-house/institution (Acts 6:9;9:2,20;13:5,14,42-43;14:1;17:1,10,17;18:4,7,19,26;19:8;22:19;24:12;26:11). Transliteration (सिनागाग) is REJECTED as a foreign loanword with no recognition value; the descriptive compound must be kept distinct from both मण्डली (church) and मन्दिर (Jerusalem Temple), since all three institutions frequently appear together in the same narrative (e.g. chs. 13, 17-19) and must never be conflated.
Ascension Heading Term
Approved rendering: प्रभुक ऊर्ध्वगमन [PROPOSED — PENDING THEOLOGIAN RATIFICATION, HEADING/CROSS-REFERENCE USE ONLY]
Transliteration: prabhuk ūrdhvagaman
Doctrine: Ascension of Christ
Rejected alternatives: स्वर्गारोहण
PENDING (Acts, flagged in analysis/06_linguistic_gap_analysis.md §2 and §8). A proposed short heading-only coinage (from ऊर्ध्व + गमन, a Sanskrit-tatsama compound carrying no Mahabharata association) for use strictly in section titles/cross-references, since स्वर्गारोहण is rejected for its Pandava ‘Swargarohini’ association and the full descriptive clause (see ascension entry) is too long for headings. NOT YET RATIFIED for use in running text or Phase 2 segment translation — requires theologian sign-off before promotion to full active status in this translation memory. Until ratified, running text must use the full descriptive clause recorded under the ascension entry.
Medium Risk Terms
Apostle
Approved rendering: प्रेरित
Transliteration: prerit
Doctrine: Apostleship
Rejected alternatives: दूत, पंडित
Original: ἀπόστολος
Category: Church
Inherited from Romans package; no deviation permitted. Acts 1:2 and 14:4,14 extend the term to Barnabas and Paul, not only the Twelve; never पंडित (Panjikaran-genealogist collision).
Peace
Approved rendering: शान्ति
Transliteration: śānti
Doctrine: Peace with God
Rejected alternatives: चैन, सुख
Original: εἰρήνη
Category: Salvation
Inherited from Romans package; no deviation permitted. Acts 9:31 (the church ‘had peace’), 10:36, 15:33.
Spiritual Gifts
Approved rendering: आत्मिक वरदान
Transliteration: ātmik varadān
Doctrine: Spiritual Gifts
Rejected alternatives: वरदान, सिद्धि
Original: χαρίσματα
Category: Church
Inherited from Romans package; no deviation permitted. Must be kept terminologically distinct from the new Acts term gift_of_the_holy_spirit (पवित्र आत्माक उपहार, δωρεά, Acts 2:38) — spiritual_gifts names ongoing ministry enablements, gift_of_the_holy_spirit names the Spirit’s own indwelling presence at conversion.
Church
Approved rendering: मण्डली
Transliteration: maṇḍalī
Doctrine: Church as God’s People
Rejected alternatives: मन्दिर, मठ
Original: ἐκκλησία
Category: Church
Inherited from Romans package; no deviation permitted. Occurs throughout Acts (2:47 onward); must be kept distinct from the literal Jerusalem मन्दिर (Temple building, e.g. 3:1-10), which appears frequently and correctly in Acts as a different, legitimate referent, and from यहूदी सभा-घर (synagogue, see new entry below).
Kingdom Of God
Approved rendering: परमेश्वरक राज्य
Transliteration: parameśvarak rājya
Doctrine: Kingdom Mission
Rejected alternatives: ईश्वरक राष्ट्र
Original: βασιλεία τοῦ θεοῦ
Category: Kingdom
Inherited from Romans package; no deviation permitted. Acts 1:3,6 (disciples’ ‘will you restore the kingdom to Israel?’ question) directly illustrates this doctrine’s central risk in a region with its own historic Janak-kingdom identity.
Gentiles
Approved rendering: अन्यजाति
Transliteration: anyajāti
Doctrine: Unity of Jews and Gentiles
Rejected alternatives: विदेशी
Original: ἔθνη
Category: Church
Inherited from Romans package; no deviation permitted. Central to the book’s major doctrine of Gentile inclusion (10:45;11:1,18;13:46-48;15 throughout); never जाति in the caste sense. Kept distinct from the new term yehudi (यहूदी, Jews) as the two covenant-history categories, and from nation_generic (राष्ट्र/देश) for neutral geographic-ethnic ‘nation’.
Intercession
Approved rendering: मध्यस्थता
Transliteration: madhyasthatā
Doctrine: Prayer and Intercession
Rejected alternatives: सिफारिश
Original: ὑπερεντυγχάνει / ἔντευξις
Category: Faith
Inherited from Romans package; no deviation permitted. Acts 12:5 — the church’s corporate prayer for Peter’s release.
Mission
Approved rendering: सुसमाचार प्रचार
Transliteration: susamācār pracār
Doctrine: Mission to the Nations
Rejected alternatives: मिशन
Original: ἀποστολή / πέμπω
Category: Church
Inherited from Romans package; no deviation permitted. The organizing theme of the whole book, anchored at 1:8 and 13:1-3.
David
Approved rendering: दाऊद
Transliteration: Dāūd
Doctrine: Davidic Covenant
Original: דָּוִד
Category: Covenant
Inherited from Romans package; no deviation permitted. Acts 1:16;2:25,29,34;4:25;7:45;13:22,34,36;15:16.
Israel
Approved rendering: इस्राएल
Transliteration: Isrāel
Doctrine: Unity of Jews and Gentiles
Original: יִשְׂרָאֵל
Category: Covenant
Inherited from Romans package; no deviation permitted. Acts 1:6;2:22,36 and throughout Peter’s and Stephen’s sermons.
Devout
Approved rendering: श्रद्धालु
Transliteration: śraddhālu
Doctrine: Faith
Rejected alternatives: भक्त
Original: εὐλαβής
Category: Faith
NEW (Acts). Sincere reverence toward the one true God of Israel (Acts 2:5), not bhakti-devotion toward a chosen deity among many. भक्त carries too much regional devotional-object connotation for this use.
Nation Generic
Approved rendering: राष्ट्र / देश
Transliteration: rāṣṭra / deś
Doctrine: Gospel to Jews and Gentiles
Rejected alternatives: जाति
Original: ἔθνος
Category: Church
NEW (Acts). ἔθνος in its neutral geographic-ethnic sense (Acts 2:5), not the technical Gentile sense (see gentiles/अन्यजाति). जाति is FORBIDDEN — carries heavy caste-lineage weight in Mithila’s Panjikaran-conscious social structure.
Mighty Works Of God
Approved rendering: परमेश्वरक महान कार्य
Transliteration: parameśvarak mahān kārya
Doctrine: The Holy Spirit and Pentecost
Original: τὰ μεγαλεῖα τοῦ θεοῦ
Category: Faith
NEW (Acts). The content of the Spirit-enabled Pentecost speech (Acts 2:11) is doxological proclamation of God’s acts; ensure परमेश्वर (never भगवान) is used as the noun for God.
Day Of The Lord
Approved rendering: प्रभुक दिन
Transliteration: prabhuk din
Doctrine: The Last Days (Linear Eschatology)
Rejected alternatives: शुभ मुहूर्त
Original: ἡ ἡμέρα Κυρίου
Category: Eschatology
NEW (Acts). God’s decisive intervention in judgment/salvation (Acts 2:20, quoting Joel). Ensure प्रभु retains its exclusive supreme sense; do not let दिन drift toward an astrologically auspicious-day (मुहूर्त) framing common in regional almanac culture.
Oath
Approved rendering: शपथ
Transliteration: śapath
Doctrine: Davidic Covenant
Original: ὅρκος
Category: Covenant
NEW (Acts). God’s oath to David regarding his throne (Acts 2:30); standard covenant-oath vocabulary, distinct from marriage-vow imagery.
Witness
Approved rendering: साक्षी
Transliteration: sākṣī
Doctrine: Persecution and Bold Witness
Rejected alternatives: गवाह, शहीद
Original: μάρτυς
Category: Persecution
NEW (Acts). One who testifies to what they have personally seen (Acts 1:8;2:32;3:15;5:32;10:39;13:31;22:15,20;26:16). Its sense visibly shifts toward sacrificial ‘martyr’ from Stephen’s death onward (7:58-60;22:20) — pair with प्राणपर्यन्त साक्षी (‘witness even unto death’) at the first occurrence in each martyrdom-adjacent passage. शहीद is FORBIDDEN — carries a specific Islamic-martyrdom register in North Indian usage.
Exalted
Approved rendering: परमेश्वरक दहिना हाथ दिस उच्च कएल गेला
Transliteration: parameśvarak dahinā hāth dis ucca kael gelā
Doctrine: Christology
Original: ὑψόω
Category: Christology
NEW (Acts). Christ’s post-resurrection enthronement (Acts 2:33); a unique, historical, one-time exaltation, not a recurring pattern of divine ascent found in Puranic narrative.
Cut To The Heart
Approved rendering: हृदयमे तीव्र रूपसँ बिझा गेला
Transliteration: hṛdaymẽ tīvra rūpsã bijhā gelā
Doctrine: Repentance and Baptism
Original: κατανύσσομαι
Category: Repentance
NEW (Acts). Idiom for Spirit-produced conviction of sin preceding repentance (Acts 2:37); ensure this is Spirit-wrought conviction, not mere emotional guilt.
Promise
Approved rendering: प्रतिज्ञा
Transliteration: pratijñā
Doctrine: Covenant
Original: ἐπαγγελία
Category: Covenant
NEW (Acts). A formally announced pledge, especially God’s covenant pledge (Acts 2:39); coheres with baseline covenant (वाचा). Doctrinal seed of the Gentile mission developed through the rest of Acts.
Crooked Generation
Approved rendering: कुटिल पीढ़ी
Transliteration: kuṭil pīṛhī
Doctrine: Repentance and Baptism
Original: γενεὰ σκολιά
Category: Repentance
NEW (Acts). A morally twisted, deviant contemporary generation (Acts 2:40, echoing Deuteronomy 32:5); standard moral-exhortation idiom.
Souls Persons
Approved rendering: जन / व्यक्ति
Transliteration: jan / vyakti
Doctrine: Church as God’s People
Rejected alternatives: आत्मा
Original: ψυχή
Category: Church
NEW (Acts). A counting idiom meaning persons/individuals (Acts 2:41,43,47). आत्मा is FORBIDDEN in this sense — reserved exclusively for ‘Spirit’ (पवित्र आत्मा); using it here would also risk invoking the Hindu ātman, the eternal transmigrating self central to reincarnation doctrine.
Breaking Of Bread
Approved rendering: रोटी तोड़ब
Transliteration: roṭī toṛab
Doctrine: Church as God’s People
Rejected alternatives: प्रसाद वितरण
Original: κλάσις τοῦ ἄρτου
Category: Church
NEW (Acts). A shared communal meal including the Lord’s Supper (Acts 2:42,46). Distinguish from the regional custom of prasad-sharing (food ritually offered to a deity image first, then distributed as blessed food); breaking bread commemorates Christ’s broken body and shared fellowship, not an image-sanctified offering.
All Things In Common
Approved rendering: सभटा वस्तु मिलिकेँ राखब
Transliteration: sabhṭā vastu milikẽ rākhab
Doctrine: Church as God’s People
Original: ἅπαντα κοινά
Category: Church
NEW (Acts). The voluntary pooling of possessions among believers (Acts 2:44-45;4:32); Spirit-motivated sharing, not a caste-based communal obligation or forced redistribution.
Casting Lots
Approved rendering: गोटी फेकब / चिट्ठी डारब
Transliteration: goṭī phekab / ciṭṭhī ḍārab
Doctrine: Apostolic Authority and Miracles
Rejected alternatives: ज्योतिष गणना
Original: κλῆρος
Category: Apostleship
NEW (Acts). A lot cast to discern God’s choice of Judas’ replacement (Acts 1:26); must be distinguished from regional astrological/fortune-telling divination (ज्योतिष), being a one-time, Spirit-superseded apostolic-era practice never repeated after Pentecost.
Office
Approved rendering: पद / सेवा-पद
Transliteration: pad / sevā-pad
Doctrine: Apostolic Authority and Miracles
Original: ἐπισκοπή
Category: Apostleship
NEW (Acts). The position vacated by Judas and filled by another (Acts 1:20); foreshadows the fuller ‘overseer’ term at Acts 20:28.
Name Of Jesus
Approved rendering: यीशुक नाम
Transliteration: Yīśuk nām
Doctrine: Apostolic Authority and Miracles
Original: ὄνομα
Category: Apostleship
NEW (Acts). Christ’s own authority and person invoked as the ground of apostolic healing/preaching acts (Acts 3:6,16;4:12). Must not read as a magical incantation-formula, given regional tantra-mantra practice invoking a deity’s/spirit’s name as a verbal-power device.
Holy And Righteous One
Approved rendering: पवित्र आ धर्मी जन
Transliteration: pavitra ā dharmī jan
Doctrine: Justification apart from the Law
Original: ὁ ἅγιος καὶ ὁ δίκαιος
Category: Christology
NEW (Acts). A christological title for Jesus (Acts 3:14); a compound of two baseline High-risk terms (holy + righteous) — ensure neither collapses into ritual purity or dutiful-conduct senses.
Times Of Refreshing
Approved rendering: ताजगीक समय
Transliteration: tājagīk samay
Doctrine: Repentance and Baptism
Original: καιροὶ ἀναψύξεως
Category: Repentance
NEW (Acts). A time of spiritual renewal following repentance (Acts 3:19); low-risk renewal imagery.
Seed Of Abraham
Approved rendering: अब्राहमक वंशसँ
Transliteration: Abrāhamak vanśasã̃
Doctrine: Covenant
Original: σπέρμα Ἀβραάμ
Category: Covenant
NEW (Acts). Physical/covenantal descent from Abraham (Acts 3:25); follows the grammatical pattern of baseline seed_of_david.
One Heart And Soul
Approved rendering: एक हृदय आ एक प्राण
Transliteration: ek hṛday ā ek prāṇ
Doctrine: Church as God’s People
Original: καρδία καὶ ψυχὴ μία
Category: Church
NEW (Acts). A unity idiom for the early believing community’s shared devotion (Acts 4:32); distinguish from caste-community solidarity, which this doctrine intentionally transcends.
Great Fear
Approved rendering: ठूल डर
Transliteration: ṭhūl ḍar
Doctrine: Church as God’s People
Rejected alternatives: भूत-प्रेतक डर
Original: φόβος μέγας
Category: Church
NEW (Acts). Reverent, awe-struck fear provoked by an act of God’s holiness (Acts 5:5,11). Should be distinguished from ordinary regional fear of ghosts/malevolent spirits (bhoot-pret); this is reverent fear of the living God’s holiness and direct judgment.
Obey God Rather Than Men
Approved rendering: मनुष्यक बजाय परमेश्वरक आज्ञा मानब आवश्यक अछि
Transliteration: manuṣyak bajāy parameśvarak ājñā mānab āvaśyak achi
Doctrine: Persecution and Bold Witness
Original: πειθαρχέω
Category: Persecution
NEW (Acts). The apostles’ principled priority of obeying God’s authority over human/religious-council authority (Acts 5:29); ensure this reads as principled obedience, not mere civil defiance.
Wisdom Spirit Given
Approved rendering: बुद्धि
Transliteration: buddhi
Doctrine: Apostolic Authority and Miracles
Rejected alternatives: ज्ञान
Original: σοφία
Category: Apostleship
NEW (Acts). Spirit-given practical wisdom/discernment, seen in Stephen and the Seven (Acts 6:3,10). ज्ञान is REJECTED — carries strong Vedantic weight as the ‘knowledge’ of jñāna-mārga (path of liberating knowledge); बुद्धि keeps this Spirit-given wisdom distinct from that soteriological framework.
Eunuch
Approved rendering: खोजा / नपुंसक अधिकारी
Transliteration: khojā / napuṃsak adhikārī
Doctrine: Gospel to Jews and Gentiles
Original: εὐνοῦχος
Category: Gospel to Jews and Gentiles
NEW (Acts). A castrated court official managing a royal treasury (the Ethiopian official, Acts 8:27,34,36,38-39); use respectfully as a historical court-title; his social marginalization is precisely what the gospel’s universal reach in this episode overturns.
Persecution
Approved rendering: सतावनी / उत्पीड़न
Transliteration: satāwanī / utpīṛan
Doctrine: Persecution and Bold Witness
Original: διωγμός
Category: Persecution
NEW (Acts). Organized hostility and suffering directed at believers because of their faith (Acts 8:1;9:1,4;11:19;13:50).
God Fearer
Approved rendering: परमेश्वरसँ डरनिहार
Transliteration: parameśvarsã̃ ḍaranihār
Doctrine: Gospel to Jews and Gentiles
Original: φοβούμενος τὸν Θεόν
Category: Gospel to Jews and Gentiles
NEW (Acts). A technical designation for Gentiles who worshipped and revered the God of Israel without full proselyte conversion (Cornelius, Acts 10:2,22,35); clarify ‘fear’ here means reverent worship and awe, not terror.
Common Unclean
Approved rendering: अशुद्ध
Transliteration: aśuddh
Doctrine: Gospel to Jews and Gentiles
Original: κοινός
Category: Gospel to Jews and Gentiles
NEW (Acts). Ritually unclean according to Mosaic dietary law, declared abolished by God’s own voice (Acts 10:14-15,28). This contextual OT-ritual-purity-food-category use of अशुद्ध does not conflict with the separate baseline caution against अशुद्ध for ‘holy’ — translators must understand this is doctrine-specific handling of the same root concept.
Christian Name
Approved rendering: मसीही
Transliteration: masīhī
Doctrine: The Great Commission Fulfilled
Original: Χριστιανός
Category: Great Commission Fulfilled
NEW (Acts). The name first applied to believers at Antioch, meaning ‘belonging to/follower of Christ’ (Acts 11:26;26:28); built on baseline messiah (मसीह). Should not be confused with a birth-caste/community-membership label, but is a designation of personal faith-allegiance to Christ.
Light For The Gentiles
Approved rendering: अन्यजातिक हेतु ज्योति
Transliteration: anyajātik hetu jyoti
Doctrine: Gospel to Jews and Gentiles
Original: φῶς ἐθνῶν
Category: Gospel to Jews and Gentiles
NEW (Acts). A messianic mission-title (quoting Isaiah 49:6) describing the apostles’ role in bringing salvation to non-Jewish peoples (Acts 13:47). Literal mission-light imagery, distinct from the rejected light-imagery for baseline ‘glory’; minor residual regional light-imagery association (Puranic divine luster) should still be flagged for reviewer awareness.
Tribulation
Approved rendering: क्लेश / दुःख
Transliteration: kleś / duḥkh
Doctrine: Persecution and Bold Witness
Original: θλῖψις
Category: Persecution
NEW (Acts). Suffering/hardship believers must pass through to enter the kingdom of God (Acts 14:22); standard suffering-vocabulary.
It Seemed Good
Approved rendering: पवित्र आत्मा आ हमरा सभकेँ नीक लागल
Transliteration: pavitra ātmā ā hamrā sabhkẽ nīk lāgal
Doctrine: Church as God’s People
Original: συνδοκέω
Category: Church
NEW (Acts). The formula of corporate, Spirit-guided church discernment used in the Jerusalem Council’s decision letter (Acts 15:22,25,28); models Spirit-guided consensus, not divination.
Offspring
Approved rendering: सन्तान
Transliteration: santān
Doctrine: The Great Commission Fulfilled
Original: γένος
Category: Great Commission Fulfilled
NEW (Acts). Humanity as God’s creation/offspring, from Paul’s use of Greek poets (Acts 17:28); keep distinct from the specific soteriological doctrine of baseline adoption (पुत्रत्व प्रदान) into God’s family through faith.
Vow
Approved rendering: मन्नत / संकल्प
Transliteration: mannat / sankalp
Doctrine: Apostolic Authority and Miracles
Original: εὐχή
Category: Apostleship
NEW (Acts). A formal, OT-rooted vow of dedication to God, likely the Nazirite vow, taken by Paul (Acts 18:18; cf. 21:23-24). संकल्प carries strong regional ritual-vow connotation (a vrat-sankalp made before a chosen deity); a translator note should clarify Paul’s vow is rooted in OT Nazirite practice directed to the one true God, not a devotional vrat.
Elders
Approved rendering: प्राचीन
Transliteration: prācīn
Doctrine: Elders and Overseers as Church Office
Rejected alternatives: पंच
Original: πρεσβύτεροι
Category: Church
NEW (Acts). Appointed spiritual leaders/overseers of a local congregation (Acts 11:30;14:23;15:2,4,6,22-23;16:4;20:17;21:18). पंच is REJECTED — collides with the regional village/caste-council panchayat institution (social/customary-legal authority, not spiritual-pastoral); this is a specific appointed church office.
Overseer
Approved rendering: अध्यक्ष / निरीक्षक
Transliteration: adhyakṣ / nirīkṣak
Doctrine: Elders and Overseers as Church Office
Original: ἐπίσκοπος
Category: Church
NEW (Acts). The same local-church leadership office as elder, viewed as oversight/guardianship (Acts 20:28); present alongside प्राचीन as two aspects (seniority; oversight) of one office.
Shepherd Verb
Approved rendering: मण्डलीक रखबारी करब
Transliteration: maṇḍalīk rakhbārī karab
Doctrine: Church as God’s People
Original: ποιμαίνω
Category: Church
NEW (Acts). To care for and lead the church as a shepherd cares for a flock (Acts 20:28); standard pastoral metaphor built on baseline मण्डली.
Judgment Future
Approved rendering: न्याय
Transliteration: nyāy
Doctrine: The Judgment to Come
Rejected alternatives: कर्म-फल
Original: κρίσις / κρίμα
Category: Justification apart from the Law
NEW (Acts). God’s coming forensic judgment (Acts 24:25); distinguish from impersonal karmic reckoning (कर्म-फल), a live conceptual competitor in the regional worldview.
Power Of Satan
Approved rendering: शैतानक अधिकार
Transliteration: śaitānak adhikār
Doctrine: Conversion of Paul
Rejected alternatives: शैतानक शक्ति
Original: ἐξουσία τοῦ Σατανᾶ
Category: Conversion of Paul
NEW (Acts). Satan’s dominion/authority over unbelief and darkness (Acts 26:18). शक्ति is REJECTED to keep the baseline सामर्थ्य/शक्ति distinction clean; अधिकार (authority/dominion) is used instead so God’s power vocabulary (सामर्थ्य) remains uncontaminated by association with Satan’s dominion.
Justice Personified
Approved rendering: न्याय-देवी
Transliteration: nyāya-devī
Doctrine: The Great Commission Fulfilled
Original: Δίκη
Category: Great Commission Fulfilled
NEW (Acts). The Greek goddess Justice (Δίκη), invoked by the superstitious inference of Maltese islanders (Acts 28:4); a reported pagan/mythological inference the narrator records without endorsing. A translator note is useful so this is not misread as Scripture affirming a goddess of cosmic justice, a concept with regional resonance in dharmic/karmic cosmic-order thinking.
Pharisee
Approved rendering: फरीसी
Transliteration: farīsī
Doctrine: Justification apart from the Law
NEW (Acts, previously undocumented gap term closed per analysis/06_linguistic_gap_analysis.md §3). A Jewish religious-legal party (Acts 5:34;15:5;23:6-9;26:5); transliterated per established North Indian Bible-translation convention, introduced with a brief descriptive gloss rather than assimilated to a generic ‘priest’ or ‘guru’ category.
Sadducee
Approved rendering: सदूकी
Transliteration: sadūkī
Doctrine: Resurrection of Christ
NEW (Acts, previously undocumented gap term closed per analysis/06_linguistic_gap_analysis.md §3). A Jewish religious party denying the resurrection, angels, and spirits (Acts 4:1;5:17;23:6-8); companion transliteration to Pharisee. Doctrinally significant at 23:8 — must be glossed precisely so the resurrection controversy is clear.
Angel
Approved rendering: स्वर्गदूत
Transliteration: svargadūt
Doctrine: The Great Commission Fulfilled
Rejected alternatives: देवता, देवदूत
NEW (Acts, previously undocumented gap term closed per analysis/06_linguistic_gap_analysis.md §3). A created, personal, sent heavenly messenger (Acts 5:19;7:30,35,38,53;8:26;10:3,7,22;11:13;12:7-11,15,23;23:8-9;27:23). देवता/देवदूत are REJECTED — carry active folk-pantheon and local-deity associations (grām devatā); स्वर्गदूत keeps the sense of a created, personal, sent messenger, not a minor deity.
Sabbath
Approved rendering: सब्त (विश्रामदिन as first-occurrence gloss)
Transliteration: sabt
Doctrine: Justification apart from the Law
NEW (Acts, previously undocumented gap term closed per analysis/06_linguistic_gap_analysis.md §3). The seventh-day observance central to synagogue-attendance narratives (Acts 1:12;13:14,27,42,44;15:21;16:13;17:2;18:4). Transliterate as established in North Indian Christian usage (सब्त), glossed on first occurrence as ‘day of rest’; avoid rendering as a generic weekly holy day that could merge with unrelated regional observance days.
Fasting
Approved rendering: उपवास
Transliteration: upavās
Doctrine: Apostolic Authority and Miracles
NEW (Acts, previously undocumented gap term closed per analysis/06_linguistic_gap_analysis.md §3). Spirit-led, prayer-focused abstention from food at commissioning moments (Acts 13:2-3;14:23;27:9). Must carry a note distinguishing this from regional vrat-upvās practiced for merit-accrual or vow-fulfillment toward a chosen deity.
Blasphemy
Approved rendering: ईश्वर-निन्दा
Transliteration: īśvar-nindā
Doctrine: Deity of Christ
Rejected alternatives: निन्दा
NEW (Acts, previously undocumented gap term closed per analysis/06_linguistic_gap_analysis.md §3). Speech dishonoring God specifically (Acts 6:11,13;19:37;26:11). निन्दा alone is REJECTED as too broad/secular (general insult); the compound clarifies this is specifically speech against God.
Low Risk Terms
Thanksgiving
Approved rendering: धन्यवाद
Transliteration: dhanyavād
Doctrine: Thanksgiving
Original: εὐχαριστία
Category: Faith
Inherited from Romans package; no deviation permitted. Acts 27:35;28:15.
Fellowship
Approved rendering: सङ्गति
Transliteration: saṅgati
Doctrine: Christian Fellowship
Rejected alternatives: मित्रता, समाज
Original: κοινωνία
Category: Church
Inherited from Romans package; no deviation permitted. Acts 2:42, the first occurrence in the young Jerusalem church’s common life.
Prophet
Approved rendering: भविष्यद्वक्ता
Transliteration: bhaviṣyadvaktā
Doctrine: Inspiration of Scripture
Rejected alternatives: ज्योतिषी
Original: προφήτης
Category: Covenant
Inherited from Romans package; no deviation permitted. Very frequent throughout Acts (2:16,30;3:18-25;7:37,48,52; etc.).
Prophecy
Approved rendering: भविष्यवाणी
Transliteration: bhaviṣyavāṇī
Doctrine: Fulfillment of Prophecy
Rejected alternatives: भविष्यफल
Original: προφητεία
Category: Covenant
Inherited from Romans package; no deviation permitted. Acts 2:17-18 (Joel quotation), 19:6, 21:9-11 (Agabus).
Exhort
Approved rendering: उत्साहित करब
Transliteration: utsāhit karab
Doctrine: Mutual Edification
Original: παρακαλέω
Category: Faith
Inherited from Romans package; no deviation permitted. Acts 2:40;4:36 (‘son of encouragement’ — Barnabas);11:23;14:22;15:32;16:40;20:1-2.
Dialect
Approved rendering: मातृभाषा / बोली
Transliteration: mātṛbhāṣā / bolī
Doctrine: The Holy Spirit and Pentecost
Original: διάλεκτος
Category: Pentecost
NEW (Acts). One’s own native tongue/regional speech (Acts 2:6,8); standard vocabulary, no collision risk.
New Wine
Approved rendering: नव अंगूर रस
Transliteration: nav aṅgūr ras
Doctrine: The Holy Spirit and Pentecost
Original: γλεῦκος
Category: Pentecost
NEW (Acts). The mocking crowd’s accusation of drunkenness (Acts 2:13); no doctrinal collision.
Patriarch
Approved rendering: कुलपति / पूर्वज
Transliteration: kulapati / pūrvaj
Doctrine: Davidic Covenant
Original: πατριάρχης
Category: Covenant
NEW (Acts). A revered family-head/ancestor, used of David (Acts 2:29). Resonates helpfully, without collision, with Mithila’s own Panjikaran lineage-consciousness.
Prayers
Approved rendering: प्रार्थना
Transliteration: prārthanā
Doctrine: Church as God’s People
Original: προσευχή
Category: Church
NEW (Acts). Corporate and individual prayer, one of the four marks of the early church’s devotion (Acts 2:42); standard term.
Favor With The People
Approved rendering: सद्भाव / लोकप्रियता
Transliteration: sadbhāv / lokapriyatā
Doctrine: Church as God’s People
Rejected alternatives: अनुग्रह
Original: χάρις (non-salvific use)
Category: Church
NEW (Acts). Ordinary, non-salvific goodwill the young church enjoyed among the wider populace (Acts 2:47, non-salvific χάρις). अनुग्रह is reserved exclusively for salvific grace, per baseline note reserving कृपा/सद्भाव for ordinary favor.
False Witness
Approved rendering: झूठ गवाह / झूठ साक्षी
Transliteration: jhūṭh gavāh / jhūṭh sākṣī
Doctrine: Persecution and Bold Witness
Original: ψευδομάρτυς
Category: Persecution
NEW (Acts). A witness who testifies falsely, as those brought against Stephen (Acts 6:13); built on the witness/साक्षी root.
Stiff Necked
Approved rendering: हठी / जिद्दी
Transliteration: haṭhī / jiddī
Doctrine: Persecution and Bold Witness
Original: σκληροτράχηλος
Category: Persecution
NEW (Acts). An OT idiom for stubborn resistance to God despite evidence and warning (Acts 7:51).
Stoning
Approved rendering: पाथर मारि मारब
Transliteration: pāthar māri mārab
Doctrine: Persecution and Bold Witness
Original: λιθοβολέω
Category: Persecution
NEW (Acts). Execution by stoning, the manner of Stephen’s death (Acts 7:58-59); descriptive narrative term.
Scales Fell From Eyes
Approved rendering: आँखिसँ छिलका सन खसल
Transliteration: āँkhisã chilkā san khasal
Doctrine: Conversion of Paul
Original: λεπίδες
Category: Conversion of Paul
NEW (Acts). An idiom for Saul’s restored sight following his Damascus-road encounter (Acts 9:18).
Word Of God Increased
Approved rendering: परमेश्वरक वचन बढ़ल
Transliteration: parameśvarak vacan baṛhal
Doctrine: The Great Commission Fulfilled
Original: αὐξάνω
Category: Great Commission Fulfilled
NEW (Acts). The gospel’s numerical and geographic growth (Acts 12:24;19:20); a growth-of-the-gospel metaphor with no significant collision risk.
Roman Citizen
Approved rendering: रोमी नागरिक
Transliteration: romī nāgarik
Doctrine: Persecution and Bold Witness
Original: Ῥωμαῖος / πολίτης
Category: Persecution
NEW (Acts). Paul’s legal status as a Roman citizen, invoked in his defense (Acts 16:37-38;22:25-28;25:11); legal-status term, no doctrinal collision.
Judgment Seat
Approved rendering: न्याय आसन
Transliteration: nyāya āsan
Doctrine: Persecution and Bold Witness
Original: βῆμα
Category: Persecution
NEW (Acts). A judicial tribunal/bench (Acts 18:12,16-17;25:6,10,17); standard legal-proceeding term.
Zealous
Approved rendering: उत्साही / जोशी
Transliteration: utsāhī / jośī
Doctrine: Conversion of Paul
Original: ζηλωτής
Category: Conversion of Paul
NEW (Acts). Fervent devotion/zeal, Paul’s own self-description of his pre-conversion religious intensity (Acts 22:3).
Appeal To Caesar
Approved rendering: कैसरक दरबारमे अपील करब
Transliteration: kaisarak darbārmẽ apīl karab
Doctrine: Persecution and Bold Witness
Original: ἐπικαλέομαι Καίσαρα
Category: Persecution
NEW (Acts). Paul’s legal appeal of his case to the emperor’s court (Acts 25:11-12); legal-procedural term, no doctrinal collision.
Jew
Approved rendering: यहूदी
Transliteration: yahūdī
Doctrine: Gospel to Jews and Gentiles
Rejected alternatives: जाति
NEW (Acts, previously undocumented gap term closed per analysis/06_linguistic_gap_analysis.md §3). Standard ethnonym for the Jewish people, occurring throughout Acts (2:5,14;9:22-23;10:39;13:5;14:1;17:1;18:2,24;19:13-14;21:20,39;22:3;26:3). Must be kept terminologically separate from जाति (caste); names historical/ethnic identity, not a caste category.
High Priest
Approved rendering: महायाजक
Transliteration: mahāyājak
Doctrine: Apostolic Authority and Miracles
NEW (Acts, previously undocumented gap term closed per analysis/06_linguistic_gap_analysis.md §3). The chief Jewish temple official (Acts 4:6;5:17,21,27;7:1;9:1;19:14;22:5;23:2,4-5;24:1); standard Sanskrit-tatsama compound, already the settled North Indian Bible-translation form, no collision risk.
Sanhedrin
Approved rendering: महासभा
Transliteration: mahāsabhā
Doctrine: Persecution and Bold Witness
NEW (Acts, previously undocumented gap term closed per analysis/06_linguistic_gap_analysis.md §3). The Jewish ruling council (Acts 4:15;5:21,27,34,41;6:12,15;22:30;23:1,6,15,20,28;24:20); standard descriptive compound (‘great council’), distinguished from मण्डली (church assembly) and from village पंचायत.
Referenced passages