Core Glossary
08 Core Glossary — Acts | English → Malayalam
Purpose
This glossary consolidates every load-bearing theological term identified in 07_semantic_analysis.md across the full book of Acts (chapters 1–28). It is organized in two parts:
- Baseline Terms Reused from Romans — terms already recorded in the Romans
translation_memory.json/bible_term_registry.jsonthat recur in Acts. These renderings MUST be reused exactly; this section records only Acts-specific citation and nuance, not new definitions. - New Terms Introduced in Acts — terms not present in the Romans baseline, proposed here as candidates for addition to translation memory in Phase 1 Step 8 (synthesis).
Risk tiers (Critical / High / Medium / Low) follow the definitions established in the baseline doctrine_risk_registry.json.
Part 1 — Baseline Terms Reused from Romans (Acts Citations)
| English Term | Malayalam (reused exactly) | Risk (baseline) | Key Acts Citations | Acts-Specific Nuance |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| gospel | സുവിശേഷം | High | 8:12, 8:25, 13:32, 14:7, 14:21, 15:7, 20:24 | No new nuance; consistency required across all evangelistic summaries. |
| grace | കൃപ | High | 4:33, 11:23, 13:43, 14:26, 15:11, 15:40, 20:24, 20:32 | Acts 15:11 and 20:24 pair grace directly with salvation/gospel; must not drift toward bhakti-merit framing (baseline caution applies). |
| faith | വിശ്വാസം | Medium | 3:16, 6:5, 6:7, 11:24, 14:9, 14:22, 14:27, 16:5, 20:21 | 6:7 (“obedient to the faith”) anticipates Romans’ obedience-of-faith language. |
| righteousness | നീതി | Critical | 13:10, 17:31, 24:25 | 17:31 (“he will judge the world in righteousness”) and 24:25 pair with judgment; never ധര്മ്മം. |
| justification | നീതീകരണം | Critical | 13:38-39 | KEY: Acts’ clearest Pauline-theology anticipation; must match Romans rendering exactly. |
| salvation | രക്ഷ | High | 2:21, 2:40, 2:47, 4:12, 11:14, 13:26, 13:47, 16:17, 16:30-31, 27:34 | 4:12 and 16:31 are Critical-tier exclusivity/confession verses; never മോക്ഷം/മുക്തി. |
| apostle | അപ്പോസ്തലന് | Low | 1:2, 1:25-26, 2:37, 2:42-43, 4:33, 5:2, 5:12, 5:18, 5:29, 5:40, 8:1, 8:14, 8:18, 9:27, 11:1, 14:4, 14:14, 15:2, 15:4, 15:6, 15:22-23, 16:4 | Extremely frequent in Acts; never ഗുരു. |
| called / calling | വിളിക്കപ്പെട്ട / വിളി | Medium | 2:39 | Extends the calling to “all who are far off” (Gentiles). |
| holy | പരിശുദ്ധ | Medium | throughout (paired with Spirit, saints, temple) | No new nuance. |
| saints | വിശുദ്ധര് | High | 9:13, 9:32, 9:41, 26:10 | Same inverted-risk caution as baseline (Romans 1:7): Acts also addresses ordinary believers, not a canonized elite. |
| sanctification | വിശുദ്ധീകരണം | Medium | 20:32, 26:18 | Paired with “inheritance among those sanctified.” |
| resurrection | ഉയിര്ത്തെഴുന്നേല്പ്പ് | Critical | 1:22, 2:24, 2:31-32, 4:2, 4:33, 17:18, 17:32, 23:6-8, 24:15, 24:21, 25:19, 26:23 | Extremely frequent; central to Peter’s, Paul’s, and the apostles’ preaching; never പുനര്ജന്മം. |
| lord | കര്ത്താവ് | Critical | 2:21, 2:34, 2:36, 4:29, 4:33, 9:5, 9:17, 10:36, 11:20, 16:31, 20:24, 20:35 | 2:36 functions as Acts’ parallel to Romans 10:9; identical doctrinal precision required. |
| son_of_god | ദൈവപുത്രന് | Critical | 9:20, 13:33 (implied via “my Son”) | Never ദേവപുത്രന്. |
| peace | സമാധാനം | Low | 9:31, 10:36 | No new nuance. |
| fellowship | കൂട്ടായ്മ | Low | 2:42 | Anchors “The Church as Community” doctrine. |
| church | സഭ | Medium | 2:47, 5:11, 8:1, 8:3, 9:31, 11:22, 11:26, 12:1, 12:5, 13:1, 14:23, 14:27, 15:3-4, 15:22, 15:41, 16:5, 18:22, 20:17, 20:28 | Very frequent; never അമ്പലം. |
| kingdom_of_god | ദൈവരാജ്യം | Medium | 1:3, 1:6, 8:12, 14:22, 19:8, 20:25, 28:23, 28:31 | Brackets the whole book (1:3 and 28:31), the Great Commission’s theological frame. |
| law | ന്യായപ്രമാണം | Medium | 13:39, 15:5, 21:20, 21:24, 21:28, 22:3, 23:29, 24:14, 25:8, 28:23 | Central to the “Justification apart from the Law” doctrine, paired with justification at 13:39. |
| sin | പാപം | Medium | 2:38, 3:19, 7:60, 10:43, 13:38, 22:16, 26:18 | Frequently paired with forgiveness (new term, see Part 2). |
| gentiles | ജനതകള് | High | 9:15, 10:45, 11:1, 11:18, 13:46-48, 14:27, 15:3, 15:7, 15:12, 15:14, 15:19, 18:6, 21:19, 21:25, 22:21, 26:17-18, 26:20, 26:23, 28:28 | Extremely frequent; the doctrinal engine of “The Gospel to Jews and Gentiles”; never ജാതികള്. |
| glory | മഹത്വം | Medium | 7:2, 7:55, 12:23, 22:11 | No new nuance. |
| obedience_of_faith | വിശ്വാസത്തിന്റെ അനുസരണം | Medium | 6:7 (conceptual parallel) | Not a verbatim Acts phrase but the same concept (“obedient to the faith”). |
| power_of_god | ദൈവത്തിന്റെ ശക്തി | Medium | 1:8, 4:33 (implied), 6:8, 8:10 (contrast w/ Simon’s claimed power) | Contrast with sorcery/occult power claims (8:10, 8:19) sharpens this doctrine in Acts specifically. |
| messiah | ക്രിസ്തു | Critical | 2:31, 2:36, 2:38, 3:18, 3:20, 4:26, 5:42, 8:5, 9:22, 17:3, 18:5, 18:28, 26:23 | Extremely frequent; ക്രിസ്തു required throughout. |
| prophet | പ്രവാചകന് | Low | 2:16, 2:30, 3:18, 3:21-25, 7:37, 7:42, 7:48, 7:52, 8:28, 8:30, 8:34, 10:43, 11:27, 13:1, 13:20, 13:27, 13:40, 15:15, 15:32, 21:10, 26:22, 26:27, 28:23 | No new nuance. |
| prophecy | പ്രവചനം | Low | 2:17-18, 19:6, 21:9 | No new nuance. |
| covenant | ഉടമ്പടി | Medium | 3:25, 7:8 | OT covenant background (Abrahamic) referenced in Stephen’s and Peter’s speeches. |
| election | ദൈവത്തിന്റെ തിരഞ്ഞെടുപ്പ് | High | 1:24, 9:15, 13:48, 15:7, 22:14 | Frequently invoked for the choice of the Twelfth apostle, Paul, and Gentile inclusion; never വിധി/തലയെഴുത്ത്. |
| intercession | മധ്യസ്ഥത | Medium | 12:5 (prayer for Peter), 21:5 | Lower profile in Acts than Romans; primarily corporate prayer for deliverance. |
| providence | ദൈവത്തിന്റെ പരിപാലനം | Medium | 2:23, 4:28, 17:26, 27:22-25 | 27’s shipwreck narrative is the clearest sustained Acts example. |
| mission | സുവിശേഷപ്രവര്ത്തനം | Medium | throughout, esp. 13:1-3, 14:26-28, 15:36, 18:23, 20:24 | The organizing narrative arc of Acts 13-28; positive institutional resonance per baseline note. |
| david | ദാവീദ് | Low | 1:16, 2:25, 2:29, 2:34, 4:25, 7:45, 13:22, 13:34, 13:36, 15:16 | No new nuance. |
| israel | യിസ്രായേല് | Low | 1:6, 2:36, 4:10, 4:27, 5:21, 5:31, 7:23, 7:37, 7:42, 9:15, 10:36, 13:16-24, 21:28, 28:20 | No new nuance. |
| jesus | യേശു | Critical | throughout | No new nuance. |
| god | ദൈവം | Medium | throughout | No new nuance. |
| holy_spirit | പരിശുദ്ധാത്മാവ് | Critical | throughout, esp. ch. 1-2, 4, 6-8, 10-11, 13, 15-16, 19 | Central to the entire book; extremely frequent; never ബ്രഹ്മം/പരമാത്മാവ്. |
| father | പിതാവ് | Critical | 1:4, 1:7, 2:33, 7:2 | No new nuance. |
| exhort | പ്രോത്സാഹിപ്പിക്കുക | Low | 2:40, 11:23, 14:22, 15:32, 16:40, 20:1-2 | No new nuance. |
Part 2 — New Terms Introduced in Acts
| # | English Term | Malayalam Term | Transliteration | Greek Original | Doctrine Category | Risk | Key Citations | Rejected Alternatives / Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Pentecost | പെന്തക്കോസ്ത് | penthakkosthu | πεντηκοστή | The Holy Spirit and Pentecost | Low | 2:1, 20:16 | Established transliterated loanword; no competing concept. |
| 2 | Filled with the Holy Spirit | പരിശുദ്ധാത്മാവിനാൽ നിറയുക | parishudhathmavinaal niraya | πλησθέντες/πλήρης πνεύματος ἁγίου | The Holy Spirit and Pentecost | High | 2:4, 4:8, 4:31, 6:3, 9:17, 13:9, 13:52 | NEVER ആവേശം (avesham, ecstatic possession — collides with Kerala’s theyyam/folk spirit-possession traditions). Use നിറയുക (fill) framing throughout. |
| 3 | Other tongues (Pentecost speech) | അന്യഭാഷകൾ | anya bhashakal | ἑτέραι γλῶσσαι | The Holy Spirit and Pentecost | Medium | 2:4, 10:46, 19:6 | Real, known human languages in Acts 2 (confirmed by context); note denominational sensitivity re: contemporary charismatic “tongues” usage. |
| 4 | Repentance | മാനസാന്തരം | manasantharam | μετάνοια / μετανοέω | Repentance and Baptism | High | 2:38, 3:19, 5:31, 8:22, 11:18, 17:30, 20:21, 26:20 | Do NOT collapse into പശ്ചാത്താപം (mere remorse) — must convey transformative turning, not emotion alone. |
| 5 | Baptism / to baptize | സ്നാനം | snanam | βάπτισμα / βαπτίζω | Repentance and Baptism | High | 1:5, 2:38, 2:41, 8:36-38, 9:18, 10:47-48, 16:15, 16:33, 18:8, 19:3-5, 22:16 | Must be distinguished from Hindu ritual-purification bathing (temple tank/holy-river bathing traditions); one-time act of identification with Christ, not repeatable purification. |
| 6 | Forgiveness of sins | പാപമോചനം | papamochanam | ἄφεσις (τῶν) ἁμαρτιῶν | Repentance and Baptism | High | 2:38, 5:31, 10:43, 13:38, 26:18 | CAUTION: മോചനം root is phonetically/etymologically close to the FORBIDDEN salvation-term മോക്ഷം (moksha, reincarnation-escape). പാപമോചനം itself is correct and required; flag every occurrence for consistency review to prevent AI drift toward reincarnation-adjacent framing. |
| 7 | Gift of the Holy Spirit | പരിശുദ്ധാത്മാവിന്റെ ദാനം | parishudhathmavinte danam | δωρεὰ τοῦ ἁγίου Πνεύματος | The Holy Spirit and Pentecost | Medium | 2:38, 8:20, 10:45, 11:17 | Prefer ദാനം over bare വരം (avoids “deity grants a boon” folklore framing per baseline’s spiritual_gifts caution); clarify the gift IS the personal Spirit, not merely a benefit he distributes. |
| 8 | Witness (eyewitness/testifier) | സാക്ഷി | sakshi | μάρτυς | Persecution and Bold Witness; Apostolic Authority | Medium | 1:8, 1:22, 2:32, 3:15, 5:32, 10:39, 10:41, 13:31, 22:15, 22:20, 26:16 | Primary eyewitness-testimony sense in Acts; later “martyr” (die-for-testimony) sense not yet fully developed but foreshadowed at 22:20. |
| 9 | Boldness | ധൈര്യം / പരസ്യമായി | dhairyam / parasyamayi | παρρησία | Persecution and Bold Witness | Medium | 4:13, 4:29, 4:31, 9:27-28, 14:3, 18:26, 19:8, 26:26, 28:31 | Spirit-given confidence before hostile authority, not mere social assertiveness. |
| 10 | Unhindered | തടസ്സം കൂടാതെ | thadassam koodathe | ἀκωλύτως | The Great Commission Fulfilled | Medium | 28:31 | Book’s climactic final word; pairs with boldness (28:31) and κωλύω (8:36) thematically. |
| 11 | Persecution | ഉപദ്രവം | upadravam | διωγμός | Persecution and Bold Witness | Medium | 8:1, 11:19, 13:50 | Established Malayalam Bible term for suffering/persecution; low competing-association risk. |
| 12 | Signs and wonders | അടയാളങ്ങളും അത്ഭുതങ്ങളും | adayalangalum athbhuthangalum | σημεῖα καὶ τέρατα | Apostolic Authority and Miracles | Medium | 2:19, 2:22, 2:43, 4:30, 5:12, 6:8, 8:6, 8:13, 14:3, 15:12 | അത്ഭുതം is also the generic word for any marvel (folk/guru miracle legends); anchor explicitly to God’s specific redemptive action. |
| 13 | Sorcery / magic | ആഭിചാരം / മന്ത്രവാദം | abhicharam / manthravadam | μαγεία / γοητεία | Apostolic Authority and Miracles (contrast) | High | 8:9-11, 13:6-10, 19:19 | Collides with living Kerala folk-sorcery practice (manthravadam); the Spirit’s power is categorically different from, not merely stronger than, occult power-for-sale. |
| 14 | Evil spirit | ദുഷ്ടാത്മാവ് | dushtatmavu | πνεῦμα πονηρόν / ἀκάθαρτον | Apostolic Authority and Miracles (contrast) | High | 19:12-16 | Deliberate antonym-pairing with പരിശുദ്ധാത്മാവ്; Jesus’ name is not a magical formula wieldable by imitators — guard against folk-exorcism framing. |
| 15 | Satan | സാത്താൻ | sathan | Σατανᾶς | Apostolic Authority and Miracles; Conversion of Paul | High | 26:18 | Singular, personal, defeated enemy — must not collapse into Kerala’s generic folk category of many local evil spirits/ghosts (ഭൂതം/പ്രേതം) addressed by manthravadam. |
| 16 | Vision | ദർശനം | darshanam | ὅρασις / ὀπτασία | The Holy Spirit and Pentecost; Conversion of Paul | High | 2:17, 9:10, 9:12, 10:3, 10:17, 10:19, 16:9-10, 18:9, 26:19 | Established Malayalam Bible term, but collides with Hindu temple darshan (devotee viewing/being seen by a deity’s image); clarify this is God’s unbidden revelatory disclosure to a person, not ritual deity-viewing. |
| 17 | The Way (self-designation of the Christian movement) | മാർഗ്ഗം | margam | ἡ ὁδός | Conversion of Paul; Persecution and Bold Witness | High | 9:2, 19:9, 19:23, 22:4, 24:14, 24:22 | Positive note: the historic Saint Thomas Christian (Nasrani) self-designation. Risk: Hindu philosophical “marga” denotes one of several valid parallel paths (bhakti/jnana/karma-marga); must clarify exclusivity (cf. 4:12), not pluralism. |
| 18 | Disciple | ശിഷ്യൻ | shishyan | μαθητής | The Church as Community; Conversion of Paul | Medium | 6:1-2, 9:1, 9:10, 9:19, 9:25-26, 11:26, 14:20, 14:22 | Guru-shishya paradigm caution, same family as baseline’s “apostle ≠ ഗുരു” note. |
| 19 | Chosen instrument / vessel | തിരഞ്ഞെടുക്കപ്പെട്ട പാത്രം | thiranjedukkappetta pathram | σκεῦος ἐκλογῆς | Conversion of Paul | High | 9:15 | Built on baseline election term; escalate per election/predestination review rule. |
| 20 | Appointed to eternal life | നിത്യജീവനായി നിയമിക്കപ്പെട്ടവർ | nithyajeevanayi niyamikkappettavar | τεταγμένοι εἰς ζωὴν αἰώνιον | The Gospel to Jews and Gentiles | High | 13:48 | Election/predestination family; theologian review required per baseline escalation rule. |
| 21 | Christian | ക്രിസ്ത്യാനി | kristyani | Χριστιανός | The Church as Community | Low | 11:26, 26:28 | Long-established, ecumenically shared term. |
| 22 | Elder (church office) | മൂപ്പൻ | moopan | πρεσβύτερος | The Church as Community | Medium | 11:30, 14:23, 15:2-6, 15:22-23, 16:4, 20:17, 21:18 | Also a generic secular/tribal “elder”; context must clarify ecclesial office. |
| 23 | Overseer / bishop | മേൽവിചാരകൻ | melvicharakan | ἐπίσκοπος | The Church as Community | High | 20:28 | Prefer over ബിഷപ്പ് (institutionally loaded transliteration); Kerala’s distinct episcopal (Orthodox/Catholic) vs. elder-led (Protestant/Evangelical) polities make this a live cross-denominational sensitivity. |
| 24 | Shepherd (verb/metaphor) | ഇടയൻ / മേയ്ക്കുക | idayan / meikkuka | ποιμήν / ποιμαίνω | The Church as Community | Low | 20:28 | Established pastoral metaphor. |
| 25 | Ministry / service | ശുശ്രൂഷ | shushrusha | διακονία | The Church as Community | Medium | 6:1, 6:4, 11:29, 12:25, 20:24, 21:19 | Consistent with baseline doctrine registry’s existing use for “Christ-Centered Ministry.” |
| 26 | Inheritance (among the saints) | അവകാശം | avakasham | κληρονομία | The Church as Community | Medium | 20:32, 26:18 | Retain spiritual/eschatological sense, not merely legal-property sense. |
| 27 | Sect / faction | വിഭാഗം | vibhagam | αἵρεσις | Persecution and Bold Witness | Medium | 24:5, 24:14, 28:22 | Hostile outsider framing of “the Way”; Paul reframes as fulfillment, not deviation (24:14). |
| 28 | Judgment to come | ന്യായവിധി | nyayavidhi | κρίμα | Justification apart from the Law (contrast) | Medium | 24:25 | Shares ന്യായ- root with ന്യായപ്രമാണം (law); keep eschatological sense distinct from ordinary legal judgment. |
| 29 | Conscience | മനസ്സാക്ഷി | manassakshi | συνείδησις | Justification apart from the Law | Low | 23:1, 24:16 | Well-established, doctrinally uncomplicated term. |
| 30 | Self-control | ആത്മനിയന്ത്രണം | atmaniyantranam | ἐγκράτεια | Justification apart from the Law | Low | 24:25 | Standard modern Malayalam term. |
| 31 | Circumcision | പരിച്ഛേദനം | parichchedanam | περιτομή | Justification apart from the Law | Medium | 15:1, 15:5, 16:3, 21:21 | Requires OT covenant-sign background note. |
| 32 | Yoke | നുകം | nukam | ζυγός | Justification apart from the Law | Low | 15:10 | Familiar Kerala agricultural image (ox-yoke). |
| 33 | Unknown god | അജ്ഞാത ദൈവം | ajnjatha daivam | ἄγνωστος θεός | The Gospel to Jews and Gentiles | Medium | 17:23 | Natural point of contact with Kerala’s unnamed folk shrines; must preserve discontinuity-through-fulfillment, not syncretism. |
| 34 | Living God (vs. idols) | ജീവനുള്ള ദൈവം | jeevanulla daivam | θεὸς ζῶν | The Gospel to Jews and Gentiles | Medium | 14:15 | Built on baseline ദൈവം; contrastive with idols. |
| 35 | Idol / idol-worship | വിഗ്രഹം / വിഗ്രഹാരാധന | vigraham / vigraharadhana | εἴδωλον | The Gospel to Jews and Gentiles | High | 14:11-18 (implied), 15:20, 15:29, 17:16, 19:23-27, 21:25 | Names the central devotional object of Hindu temple worship (murti/vigraha); necessary and settled term, but requires careful, non-gratuitous contextual tone. |
| 36 | Unclean / clean | അശുദ്ധം / ശുദ്ധം | ashudham / shudham | κοινός / ἀκάθαρτος / καθαρός | The Gospel to Jews and Gentiles | High | 10:14-15, 10:28, 11:8-9 | Directly intersects Kerala’s own ritual-purity/caste-exclusion history (cf. Vaikom Satyagraha); the gospel’s overturning of these categories should be surfaced explicitly, not left as an unexamined echo. |
| 37 | Partiality / favoritism (God shows none) | പക്ഷഭേദം | pakshabhedam | προσωπολημψία | The Gospel to Jews and Gentiles | High | 10:34 | Continues baseline “Unity of Jews and Gentiles” caste-heritage sensitivity into Acts. |
| 38 | Ascension | സ്വർഗ്ഗാരോഹണം | swargarohanam | ἀνάληψις / ἀνελήμφθη | The Great Commission Fulfilled | High | 1:9-11 | Distinct from Hindu mythological “ascents to svarga” by sages; unique, historical, bodily event to the Father’s throne. |
| 39 | To the end of the earth | ഭൂമിയുടെ അറ്റത്തോളം | bhoomiyude attathholam | ἕως ἐσχάτου τῆς γῆς | The Great Commission Fulfilled | Low | 1:8 | Realized narratively by 28:31; bracket verse for the whole book. |
| 40 | Casting lots | ചീട്ടിടൽ | cheettidal | κλῆρος | Apostolic Authority (church order) | Medium | 1:26 | Distinguish from Malayalam popular fatalism idioms (cf. baseline’s തലയെഴുത്ത് caution under “election”); a prayerful discernment practice. |
| 41 | Author / Prince of Life | ജീവന്റെ നായകൻ | jeevante nayakan | ἀρχηγός | Apostolic Authority and Miracles; Christology | High | 3:15, 5:31 | Must not flatten into a generic “founder of a religion” role; claims Christ as divine source/originator of life. |
| 42 | Servant (of Jesus, Isaianic title) | ദാസൻ | dasan | παῖς | Conversion of Paul; Apostolic Authority | High | 3:13, 3:26, 4:27, 4:30 | Kerala-specific caste-name-suffix sensitivity (ദാസ്/ദാസൻ historically associated with certain Dalit-convert community naming patterns); affirm as exalted Isaianic Christological title, not a status descriptor. |
| 43 | Times of refreshing | ആശ്വാസകാലം | aswasakalam | ἀνάψυξις | Repentance and Baptism | Low | 3:20 | Descriptive eschatological phrase. |
| 44 | Restoration (of all things) | പുനഃസ്ഥാപനം | punasthapanam | ἀποκατάστασις | The Great Commission Fulfilled (eschatology) | Medium | 3:21 | Distinct from Hindu cyclical cosmic-renewal concepts (yuga cycles, pralaya); a single, linear, consummating event. |
| 45 | Cornerstone | മൂലക്കല്ല് | moolakkallu | κεφαλὴ γωνίας | Apostolic Authority and Miracles | Low | 4:11 | Established Christological metaphor. |
| 46 | Son of Man | മനുഷ്യപുത്രൻ | manushyaputhran | ὁ υἱὸς τοῦ ἀνθρώπου | Persecution and Bold Witness; Christology | Critical | 7:56 | Danielic apocalyptic title (Daniel 7:13-14), not a circumlocution for “a human being”; same review tier as Son of God/Lordship of Christ. |
| 47 | Breaking of bread | അപ്പം നുറുക്കൽ | appam nurukkal | κλάσις τοῦ ἄρτου | The Church as Community | High | 2:42, 2:46, 20:7, 20:11 | Denominational sensitivity: Kerala’s liturgical traditions use കുർബാന (Qurbana); Protestant/Evangelical traditions use കർത്തൃമേശ/വിശുദ്ധ അത്താഴം. Recommend neutral rendering with a cross-denominational teaching note. |
| 48 | All things in common | സകലവും പൊതുവായി വച്ചു | sakalavum pothuvayi vachu | ἅπαντα κοινά | The Church as Community | High | 2:44-45, 4:32-35 | Distinctive Kerala political-resonance risk: possible conflation with 20th-century Kerala communist political vocabulary/ideology; clarify voluntary, Spirit-generated generosity, not mandated redistribution. |
| 49 | Devoted themselves (to steadfast continuance) | സ്ഥിരമായി തുടർന്നു | sthiramayi thudarnnu | προσκαρτερέω | The Church as Community | Low | 1:14, 2:42, 2:46, 6:4 | Persevering commitment, not casual attendance. |
| 50 | Sanhedrin / council | ന്യായാധിപസംഘം | nyayadhipa sangham | συνέδριον | Persecution and Bold Witness | Low | 4:15, 5:21, 5:27, 5:34, 5:41, 6:12, 22:30, 23:1, 23:6, 23:15, 23:20, 23:28, 24:20 | Institutional proper term; transliteration സൻഹെദ്രിൻ also acceptable. |
| 51 | Angel | ദൂതൻ | doothan | ἄγγελος | Apostolic Authority and Miracles | Medium | 5:19, 8:26, 10:3-7, 10:22, 12:7-11, 12:23, 27:23 | Preferred over colloquial മാലാഖ (Arabic/Islamic-influenced loanword common in Kerala’s shared multi-religious vocabulary) to keep Bible-translation register and avoid importing distinct Islamic angelological associations. |
Risk Summary (New Terms Only)
| Tier | Count |
|---|---|
| Critical | 1 |
| High | 20 |
| Medium | 21 |
| Low | 9 |
| Total new terms | 51 |
Combined with the 40 baseline terms reused from Romans (Part 1), this glossary covers 91 tracked terms across the full book of Acts, chapters 1–28, in addition to the core-passage verse-level analysis in 07_semantic_analysis.md.
Escalation note for Phase 2: all Critical-tier and High-tier new terms in this glossary must be added to an updated translation_memory.json (version increment) and bible_term_registry.json/doctrine_risk_registry.json before any Phase 2 segment translation of Acts begins, per the enforcement rules in the baseline 12_ai_translation_requirements.md.
Critical Risk Terms
Righteousness
Approved rendering: നീതി
Transliteration: neethi
Doctrine: Salvation
Rejected alternatives: ധര്മ്മം
Original: δικαιοσύνη
Category: Salvation
Inherited from Romans package. Acts 17:31 and 24:25 pair righteousness with coming judgment; never ധര്മ്മം.
Justification
Approved rendering: നീതീകരണം
Transliteration: neetheekaranam
Doctrine: Salvation
Rejected alternatives: ക്ഷമ ലഭിക്കല്
Original: δικαίωσις / δικαιωθῆναι
Category: Salvation
Inherited from Romans package. Acts 13:38-39 is Acts’ clearest anticipation of Romans’ central argument; rendering must be verbatim-consistent with the Romans translation memory entry.
Resurrection
Approved rendering: ഉയിര്ത്തെഴുന്നേല്പ്പ്
Transliteration: uyirthezhunnelppu
Doctrine: Resurrection of Christ
Rejected alternatives: പുനര്ജന്മം
Original: ἀνάστασις
Category: Eschatology
Inherited from Romans package. Extremely frequent central proclamation content across Peter’s, Paul’s, and the apostles’ preaching (1:22, 2:24, 2:31-32, 4:2, 4:33, 13:30-37, 17:18, 17:32, 23:6-8, 24:15, 24:21, 25:19, 26:23); never പുനര്ജന്മം, including at 17:32 where the doctrine is mocked — the mockery must not soften the rendering.
Lord
Approved rendering: കര്ത്താവ്
Transliteration: karthavu
Doctrine: Lordship of Christ
Original: κύριος
Category: Christology
Inherited from Romans package. Acts 2:36 (‘God has made him both Lord and Christ’) functions as Acts’ parallel to Romans 10:9 and requires identical doctrinal precision; also 4:29, 4:33, 9:5, 9:17, 10:36, 11:20, 16:31, 20:24, 20:35.
Son Of God
Approved rendering: ദൈവപുത്രന്
Transliteration: daivaputhran
Doctrine: Sonship of Christ
Rejected alternatives: ദേവപുത്രന്
Original: υἱὸς θεοῦ
Category: Christology
Inherited from Romans package. Acts 9:20 and 13:33 (implied via ‘my Son’); never ദേവപുത്രന്.
Messiah
Approved rendering: ക്രിസ്തു
Transliteration: kristu
Doctrine: Messianic Promise
Original: Χριστός
Category: Christology
Inherited from Romans package. Extremely frequent throughout Acts (2:31-38, 3:18-20, 4:26, 5:42, 8:5, 9:22, 17:3, 18:5-28, 26:23); ക്രിസ്തു required throughout.
Jesus
Approved rendering: യേശു
Transliteration: yeshu
Doctrine: Lordship of Christ
Original: Ἰησοῦς
Category: Christology
Inherited from Romans package. Occurs throughout Acts; യേശു required.
Holy Spirit
Approved rendering: പരിശുദ്ധാത്മാവ്
Transliteration: parishudhathmavu
Doctrine: Sanctification
Rejected alternatives: ബ്രഹ്മം, പരമാത്മാവ്
Original: πνεῦμα ἅγιον
Category: God
Inherited from Romans package. Central to the entire book of Acts (chs. 1-2, 4, 6-8, 10-11, 13, 15-16, 19); lying to the Spirit (5:3-4) affirms his full personhood and deity. Never ബ്രഹ്മം or പരമാത്മാവ്.
Father
Approved rendering: പിതാവ്
Transliteration: pithavu
Doctrine: Adoption into God’s Family
Original: πατήρ
Category: God
Inherited from Romans package. Acts 1:4, 1:7, 2:33, 7:2.
Son Of Man
Approved rendering: മനുഷ്യപുത്രൻ
Transliteration: manushyaputhran
Doctrine: Persecution and Bold Witness
Rejected alternatives: ഒരു മനുഷ്യൻ (mere circumlocution for ‘a human being’)
Original: ὁ υἱὸς τοῦ ἀνθρώπου
Category: Christology
New term, not present in the Romans baseline package. The Danielic apocalyptic title (Daniel 7:13-14) at Stephen’s climactic vision (7:56); must not be read as a circumlocution for ‘a human being’ but as a claim of Christ’s divine glory and authority at the Father’s right hand. Requires the same theologian-review escalation as Son of God and Lordship of Christ.
High Risk Terms
Gospel
Approved rendering: സുവിശേഷം
Transliteration: suvisesham
Doctrine: Gospel
Original: εὐαγγέλιον
Category: Salvation
Inherited from Romans package (rendering unchanged). Anchors every evangelistic summary in Acts (8:12, 8:25, 13:32, 14:7, 14:21, 15:7, 20:24); risk tier elevated to High for Acts because consistency across this many recurring proclamation formulas raises the practical stakes versus Romans’ more argumentative use.
Grace
Approved rendering: കൃപ
Transliteration: krupa
Doctrine: Grace
Rejected alternatives: പുണ്യം
Original: χάρις
Category: Salvation
Inherited from Romans package. Acts 15:11 and 20:24 pair grace directly with salvation and the gospel at the Jerusalem Council’s law-vs-grace hinge; the bhakti-devotion merit-drift risk documented in the Romans baseline is elevated here by the direct law/circumcision contrast in Acts 15.
Salvation
Approved rendering: രക്ഷ
Transliteration: raksha
Doctrine: Salvation
Rejected alternatives: മോക്ഷം, മുക്തി
Original: σωτηρία
Category: Salvation
Inherited from Romans package. Acts 4:12 (‘no other name… salvation’) and 16:31 are Critical-tier exclusivity/confession verses within this High-tier doctrine; never മോക്ഷം or മുക്തി.
Called
Approved rendering: വിളിക്കപ്പെട്ട
Transliteration: vilikkappetta
Doctrine: Divine Calling
Original: κλητός
Category: Salvation
Inherited from Romans package. Acts 2:39 extends this calling explicitly to ‘all who are far off,’ i.e. the Gentiles, directly launching the Gospel-to-Jews-and-Gentiles doctrine.
Calling
Approved rendering: വിളി
Transliteration: vili
Doctrine: Divine Calling
Original: κλῆσις
Category: Salvation
Inherited from Romans package. Applies to Acts 13:2, Barnabas and Saul ‘set apart’ by the Spirit, the concrete narrative enactment of a sovereign summons.
Saints
Approved rendering: വിശുദ്ധര്
Transliteration: vishudhar
Doctrine: Sainthood
Original: ἅγιοι
Category: Church
Inherited from Romans package. Same inverted-risk caution applies at Acts 9:13, 9:32, 9:41, 26:10: വിശുദ്ധര് carries a canonization-flavored sense in Kerala’s Catholic/Orthodox tradition; these occurrences also address ordinary believers, not a formally recognized elite.
Gentiles
Approved rendering: ജനതകള്
Transliteration: janathakal
Doctrine: Unity of Jews and Gentiles
Rejected alternatives: ജാതികള്
Original: ἔθνη
Category: Church
Inherited from Romans package. Extremely frequent and doctrinally central in Acts (9:15, 10:45, 11:1-18, 13:46-48, 14:27, 15:3-19, 18:6, 21:19-25, 22:21, 26:17-23, 28:28); never ജാതികള് (reads as ‘castes’), a risk elevated in Acts because the doctrine moves from argument (Romans) to narrative enactment (Acts 10-15).
Election
Approved rendering: ദൈവത്തിന്റെ തിരഞ്ഞെടുപ്പ്
Transliteration: daivathinte thiranjeduppu
Doctrine: Effectual Calling
Rejected alternatives: വിധി, തലയെഴുത്ത്
Original: ἐκλογή
Category: Salvation
Inherited from Romans package. Invoked at the choice of the Twelfth apostle (1:24), Paul’s calling (9:15, 22:14), and Gentile inclusion (13:48, 15:7); never വിധി or തലയെഴുത്ത്.
Providence
Approved rendering: ദൈവത്തിന്റെ പരിപാലനം
Transliteration: daivathinte paripalanam
Doctrine: Providence
Rejected alternatives: വിധി
Original: βουλή καὶ πρόγνωσις τοῦ θεοῦ
Category: God
Inherited from Romans package. Acts 2:23 and 4:27-28 explicitly hold God’s determined plan together with genuine human culpability for the crucifixion; 17:26 and the Acts 27 shipwreck narrative (27:22-25) are the clearest sustained examples. Never വിധി (fate).
Filled With Holy Spirit
Approved rendering: പരിശുദ്ധാത്മാവിനാൽ നിറയുക
Transliteration: parishudhathmavinaal niraya
Doctrine: The Holy Spirit and Pentecost
Rejected alternatives: ആവേശം
Original: πλησθέντες / πλήρης πνεύματος ἁγίου
Category: Holy Spirit
New term. NEVER ആവേശം (ecstatic ritual possession/trance) — Kerala’s living folk-religious performance traditions (theyyam, mudiyettu) describe a performer ‘entered’ by a deity; this vocabulary would recast the Spirit’s personal indwelling as folk possession. Use the നിറയുക (fill) verb-family at every occurrence: 2:4, 4:8, 4:31, 6:3, 9:17, 13:9, 13:52. Requires a standing translator note at each occurrence.
Repentance
Approved rendering: മാനസാന്തരം
Transliteration: manasantharam
Doctrine: Repentance and Baptism
Rejected alternatives: പശ്ചാത്താപം
Original: μετάνοια / μετανοέω
Category: Salvation
New term. A whole-person turning from sin toward God, not mere regret. Do NOT collapse into പശ്ചാത്താപം (emotional remorse/contrition alone) as the primary doctrinal rendering. Key occurrences: 2:38, 3:19, 5:31, 8:22, 11:18, 17:30, 20:21, 26:20. Acts 17:30 universalizes the command (‘all people everywhere’), reinforcing Universal Human Accountability.
Baptism
Approved rendering: സ്നാനം
Transliteration: snanam
Doctrine: Repentance and Baptism
Original: βάπτισμα / βαπτίζω
Category: Salvation
New term. Kerala’s religious landscape includes prominent ritual-bathing practices (temple tank/pond bathing, holy-river bathing, Hindu purification bathing); സ്നാനം must be understood as a one-time act of public identification with Christ’s death and resurrection, not a repeatable purification ritual. Key occurrences: 1:5, 2:38-41, 8:36-38, 9:18, 10:47-48, 16:15-33, 18:8, 19:3-5, 22:16. Differing modes/timing of baptism across Malayalam denominations is an internal distinctive, not a translation error to correct.
Forgiveness Of Sins
Approved rendering: പാപമോചനം
Transliteration: papamochanam
Doctrine: Repentance and Baptism
Original: ἄφεσις (τῶν) ἁμαρτιῶν
Category: Salvation
New term. CAUTION: the മോചനം root is phonetically/etymologically close to the FORBIDDEN salvation term മോക്ഷം (moksha, liberation from the cycle of rebirth). പാപമോചനം itself is correct and required (forgiveness specifically OF SIN, a moral-relational category, not liberation from samsara), but flag every occurrence (2:38, 5:31, 10:43, 13:38, 26:18) for consistency review against reincarnation-adjacent drift in surrounding phrasing.
Sorcery
Approved rendering: ആഭിചാരം / മന്ത്രവാദം
Transliteration: abhicharam / manthravadam
Doctrine: Apostolic Authority and Miracles
Original: μαγεία / γοητεία
Category: Miracles
New term. Collides with living Kerala folk-sorcery practice (manthravadam: ritual sorcery, exorcism-for-hire, charm-craft); the text’s point at 8:9-24, 13:6-11, and 19:19 is that the Spirit’s power is categorically different from, not merely stronger than, occult power-for-sale — must not be read as one power source competing within the same magical marketplace.
Evil Spirit
Approved rendering: ദുഷ്ടാത്മാവ്
Transliteration: dushtatmavu
Doctrine: Apostolic Authority and Miracles
Original: πνεῦμα πονηρόν / ἀκάθαρτον
Category: Miracles
New term. Deliberate antonym-pairing with പരിശുദ്ധാത്മാവ്. The sons-of-Sceva episode (19:12-16) shows Jesus’ name cannot be wielded as a magical formula by imitators lacking genuine relationship with him; guard against folk-exorcism framing common to Kerala’s living manthravadam practice.
Satan
Approved rendering: സാത്താൻ
Transliteration: sathan
Doctrine: Apostolic Authority and Miracles
Original: Σατανᾶς
Category: Miracles
New term, not present in the Romans baseline. Must be understood as a singular, personal, defeated spiritual enemy (26:18), distinct from Kerala’s folk-religious category of numerous local evil spirits/ghosts (ഭൂതം, പ്രേതം) addressed through exorcism rituals and manthravadam; collapsing Satan into this generic category understates both his singular reality and his defeat by Christ.
Vision
Approved rendering: ദർശനം
Transliteration: darshanam
Doctrine: The Holy Spirit and Pentecost
Original: ὅρασις / ὀπτασία / ἐνύπνιον
Category: Holy Spirit
New term. Established Malayalam Bible word for a God-given revelatory vision, but also the central technical term for Hindu temple darshan (a devotee ritually viewing, and being seen by, a deity’s image). Translator notes must clarify that Acts’ ‘vision’ (2:17, 9:10-12, 10:3-19, 16:9-10, 18:9, 26:19) is God’s unbidden disclosure to a person, not a devotee’s ritual approach to a deity’s form. No viable transliteration alternative exists; fence via note, not substitution.
The Way
Approved rendering: മാർഗ്ഗം
Transliteration: margam
Doctrine: Conversion of Paul
Original: ἡ ὁδός
Category: Church
New term. Positive: the historic Saint Thomas Christian (Nasrani) self-designation for the faith (‘Nasrani Margam’), giving deep, positive Kerala-specific rootedness. Risk: Hindu philosophical usage of ‘marga’ denotes one of several legitimate parallel paths (bhakti-marga, jnana-marga, karma-marga). Translator notes at every occurrence (9:2, 19:9, 19:23, 22:4, 24:14, 24:22) must clarify exclusivity per 4:12, not pluralism among equally valid paths.
Chosen Instrument
Approved rendering: തിരഞ്ഞെടുക്കപ്പെട്ട പാത്രം
Transliteration: thiranjedukkappetta pathram
Doctrine: Conversion of Paul
Original: σκεῦος ἐκλογῆς
Category: Salvation
New term. Built on the baseline’s ദൈവത്തിന്റെ തിരഞ്ഞെടുപ്പ് (election) term-family; anchors the Conversion-of-Paul doctrine at 9:15. Escalate per the baseline’s election/predestination-language review rule.
Appointed To Eternal Life
Approved rendering: നിത്യജീവനായി നിയമിക്കപ്പെട്ടവർ
Transliteration: nithyajeevanayi niyamikkappettavar
Doctrine: The Gospel to Jews and Gentiles
Original: τεταγμένοι εἰς ζωὴν αἰώνιον
Category: Salvation
New term. Election/predestination family term at 13:48, extending the Gentile-inclusion doctrine; theologian review required per the baseline’s escalation rule for any election/predestination-language segment.
Overseer
Approved rendering: മേൽവിചാരകൻ
Transliteration: melvicharakan
Doctrine: The Church as Community
Rejected alternatives: ബിഷപ്പ്
Original: ἐπίσκοπος
Category: Church
New term. Prefer മേൽവിചാരകൻ over the institutionally loaded transliteration ബിഷപ്പ്. Kerala’s churches include well-developed, historically distinct episcopal structures (Malankara Orthodox, Syro-Malabar, Latin Catholic dioceses) alongside Protestant/Evangelical elder-led polities with no bishops. ബിഷപ്പ് at 20:28 would import one denomination’s modern institutional structure into a first-century text that uses ‘overseer’ and ‘elder’ (20:17) interchangeably for the same local function.
Idol
Approved rendering: വിഗ്രഹം / വിഗ്രഹാരാധന
Transliteration: vigraham / vigraharadhana
Doctrine: The Gospel to Jews and Gentiles
Original: εἴδωλον
Category: God
New term. The standard, doctrinally necessary Malayalam Bible term, but it directly names the central devotional object of Hindu temple worship (the murti/vigraha) practiced by most of Kerala’s population (implicit at 14:11-18; explicit at 15:20-29, 17:16, 19:23-27, 21:25). Settled and unavoidable in faithful translation; tone and context notes should keep the narrative’s polemical force targeted at the specific first-century episodes rather than reading as gratuitous contemporary commentary.
Unclean Clean
Approved rendering: അശുദ്ധം / ശുദ്ധം
Transliteration: ashudham / shudham
Doctrine: The Gospel to Jews and Gentiles
Original: κοινός / ἀκάθαρτος / καθαρός
Category: Church
New term. One of the most historically loaded word-pairs in Malayalam, given Kerala’s own documented social history of ritual-purity-based exclusion (temple-entry restrictions, caste-linked pollution rules, the 1924-25 Vaikom Satyagraha). Peter’s vision (10:14-15, 10:28, 11:8-9) overturning these categories should be surfaced explicitly and positively, not left as an unexamined echo.
Partiality
Approved rendering: പക്ഷഭേദം
Transliteration: pakshabhedam
Doctrine: The Gospel to Jews and Gentiles
Original: προσωπολημψία
Category: God
New term. Directly continues the baseline’s Unity-of-Jews-and-Gentiles caste-heritage sensitivity into Acts at 10:34; must be rendered with full force, not softened, given Kerala’s own internal caste-linked church history.
Ascension
Approved rendering: സ്വർഗ്ഗാരോഹണം
Transliteration: swargarohanam
Doctrine: The Great Commission Fulfilled
Original: ἀνάληψις / ἀνελήμφθη
Category: Christology
New term. Hindu cosmology contains numerous mythological ‘ascents to svarga’ by sages and semi-divine figures; translator notes at 1:9-11 must clarify this is Christ’s unique, historical, bodily ascension to the Father’s throne of universal authority, not one ascent-narrative among comparable religious myths.
Author Of Life
Approved rendering: ജീവന്റെ നായകൻ
Transliteration: jeevante nayakan
Doctrine: Apostolic Authority and Miracles
Original: ἀρχηγός
Category: Christology
New term. Must not flatten this Christological title into a generic ‘founder of a religion’ role, as one might describe a guru; ἀρχηγός at 3:15 and 5:31 claims Christ as the divine source and originator of life itself.
Servant
Approved rendering: ദാസൻ
Transliteration: dasan
Doctrine: Conversion of Paul
Original: παῖς
Category: Christology
New term. ദാസൻ carries an unexpected Kerala-specific social-history sensitivity: historically also a name-suffix associated with certain lower-caste and Dalit-convert Christian communities. Translator notes at 3:13, 3:26, 4:27, 4:30 must affirm that ‘Servant’ is an exalted Isaianic Christological title (the Suffering Servant), not a social-status descriptor.
Breaking Of Bread
Approved rendering: അപ്പം നുറുക്കൽ
Transliteration: appam nurukkal
Doctrine: The Church as Community
Rejected alternatives: കുർബാന (as exclusive base rendering), കർത്തൃമേശ (as exclusive base rendering), വിശുദ്ധ അത്താഴം (as exclusive base rendering)
Original: κλάσις τοῦ ἄρτου
Category: Church
New term. Denominational sensitivity: Kerala’s liturgical traditions carry rich, distinct Eucharistic vocabulary (Syriac-derived കുർബാന for Syro-Malabar/Orthodox/Catholic; കർത്തൃമേശ/വിശുദ്ധ അത്താഴം for Protestant/Evangelical/Pentecostal). Use the neutral descriptive rendering for the base text (2:42, 2:46, 20:7, 20:11) with a cross-denominational teaching note connecting it to, while formally distinguishing it from, each tradition’s sacramental term.
All Things Common
Approved rendering: സകലവും പൊതുവായി വച്ചു
Transliteration: sakalavum pothuvayi vachu
Doctrine: The Church as Community
Original: ἅπαντα κοινά
Category: Church
New term. Distinctively Kerala-specific political-resonance risk: Kerala elected the world’s first democratically-elected Communist government (1957) and retains a strong communist political tradition and vocabulary (കമ്യൂണിസം, പൊതുവുടമ). Must be clarified as voluntary, Spirit-generated, temporary and localized generosity (2:44-45, 4:32-35), not a mandated redistributive political system.
Medium Risk Terms
Faith
Approved rendering: വിശ്വാസം
Transliteration: vishwasam
Doctrine: Faith
Rejected alternatives: ഭക്തി
Original: πίστις
Category: Faith
Inherited from Romans package. Acts 6:7 (‘obedient to the faith’) anticipates the obedience-of-faith phrase family fully developed in Romans.
Holy
Approved rendering: പരിശുദ്ധ
Transliteration: parishudha
Doctrine: Sanctification
Rejected alternatives: ശുദ്ധം
Original: ἅγιος
Category: Sanctification
Inherited from Romans package. Recurs throughout Acts paired with Spirit, saints, and temple language.
Sanctification
Approved rendering: വിശുദ്ധീകരണം
Transliteration: vishudheekaranam
Doctrine: Sanctification
Original: ἁγιασμός
Category: Sanctification
Inherited from Romans package. Acts 20:32 and 26:18 pair sanctification with ‘inheritance among those sanctified.‘
Church
Approved rendering: സഭ
Transliteration: sabha
Doctrine: Church as God’s People
Rejected alternatives: അമ്പലം
Original: ἐκκλησία
Category: Church
Inherited from Romans package. Very frequent throughout Acts (2:47, 5:11, 8:1, 8:3, 9:31, 11:22-26, 12:1-5, 13:1, 14:23-27, 15:3-41, 16:5, 18:22, 20:17-28); never അമ്പലം.
Kingdom Of God
Approved rendering: ദൈവരാജ്യം
Transliteration: daivarajyam
Doctrine: Kingdom Mission
Original: βασιλεία τοῦ θεοῦ
Category: Kingdom
Inherited from Romans package. Brackets the whole book of Acts (1:3, 1:6 at the opening; 28:23, 28:31 at the close), forming the Great Commission’s theological frame.
Law
Approved rendering: ന്യായപ്രമാണം
Transliteration: nyayapramanam
Doctrine: Fulfillment of Prophecy
Rejected alternatives: ധര്മ്മം
Original: νόμος
Category: Covenant
Inherited from Romans package. Central to ‘Justification apart from the Law,’ paired directly with justification at 13:39 and with circumcision at 15:5; also 21:20-28, 22:3, 24:14, 25:8, 28:23. Avoid ധര്മ്മം.
Sin
Approved rendering: പാപം
Transliteration: papam
Doctrine: Universal Human Accountability
Original: ἁμαρτία
Category: Sin
Inherited from Romans package. Frequently paired with forgiveness in Acts (2:38, 3:19, 5:31, 10:43, 13:38, 22:16, 26:18).
Glory
Approved rendering: മഹത്വം
Transliteration: mahatvam
Doctrine: Deity of Christ
Original: δόξα
Category: God
Inherited from Romans package. Acts 7:2, 7:55, 12:23, 22:11.
Obedience Of Faith
Approved rendering: വിശ്വാസത്തിന്റെ അനുസരണം
Transliteration: vishwasathinte anusaranam
Doctrine: Obedience of Faith
Rejected alternatives: മതപരമായ കടമ
Original: ὑπήκουον τῇ πίστει (conceptual)
Category: Faith
Inherited from Romans package. Acts 6:7 (‘a great many of the priests were obedient to the faith’) is a conceptual parallel to the Romans 1:5/16:26 formula.
Power Of God
Approved rendering: ദൈവത്തിന്റെ ശക്തി
Transliteration: daivathinte shakthi
Doctrine: Power of God for Salvation
Original: δύναμις θεοῦ
Category: God
Inherited from Romans package. Acts sharpens this doctrine by direct contrast with claimed occult power (8:10, 8:19, 19:11-20); also 1:8, 6:8.
Covenant
Approved rendering: ഉടമ്പടി
Transliteration: udampadi
Doctrine: Davidic Covenant
Rejected alternatives: കരാര്
Original: διαθήκη
Category: Covenant
Inherited from Romans package. Acts 3:25 and 7:8 reference the Abrahamic covenant in Peter’s and Stephen’s speeches.
Intercession
Approved rendering: മധ്യസ്ഥത
Transliteration: madhyasthatha
Doctrine: Prayer and Intercession
Original: ἔντευξις / δέησις (conceptual, cf. προσευχή)
Category: Faith
Inherited from Romans package. Lower profile in Acts than Romans; primarily corporate prayer for deliverance (12:5, prayer for Peter; 21:5).
Mission
Approved rendering: സുവിശേഷപ്രവര്ത്തനം
Transliteration: suvisesha pravarthanam
Doctrine: Mission to the Nations
Original: ἀποστολή / πέμπω
Category: Church
Inherited from Romans package. The organizing narrative arc of Acts 13-28, especially 13:1-3, 14:26-28, 15:36, 18:23, 20:24; carries positive institutional weight from Kerala’s long mission-sending tradition.
God
Approved rendering: ദൈവം
Transliteration: daivam
Doctrine: Deity of Christ
Rejected alternatives: ഭഗവാന്
Original: θεός
Category: God
Inherited from Romans package. Occurs throughout Acts, notably contrasted with idols (14:15, 17:23-31) and with claimed occult power (8:10-24).
Other Tongues
Approved rendering: അന്യഭാഷകൾ
Transliteration: anya bhashakal
Doctrine: The Holy Spirit and Pentecost
Original: ἑτέραι γλῶσσαι / γλῶσσαι ὡσεὶ πυρός
Category: Holy Spirit
New term. Real, known human languages at Pentecost (confirmed intelligible by the diverse hearers, 2:6-11), distinct from the visible flame-shapes of 2:3. Acts 10:46, 19:6. Denominational sensitivity: Pentecostal/Charismatic Malayalam readers may read this through the lens of contemporary ecstatic prayer-tongues; a note should preserve the Acts 2 real-language sense without adjudicating later denominational practice.
Gift Of Holy Spirit
Approved rendering: പരിശുദ്ധാത്മാവിന്റെ ദാനം
Transliteration: parishudhathmavinte danam
Doctrine: The Holy Spirit and Pentecost
Rejected alternatives: വരം (bare, unqualified)
Original: δωρεὰ τοῦ ἁγίου Πνεύματος
Category: Holy Spirit
New term. Prefer ദാനം over bare വരം, avoiding the ‘deity grants a boon’ folklore framing already flagged in the baseline’s spiritual_gifts entry. Clarify at each occurrence (2:38, 8:20, 10:45, 11:17) that the ‘gift’ IS the personal Spirit himself, not merely a benefit he distributes.
Witness
Approved rendering: സാക്ഷി
Transliteration: sakshi
Doctrine: Persecution and Bold Witness
Original: μάρτυς
Category: Church
New term. Primary eyewitness-testimony sense throughout Acts (1:8, 1:22, 2:32, 3:15, 5:32, 10:39-41, 13:31, 22:15-20, 26:16); the later ‘martyr’ (die-for-testimony) sense is foreshadowed but not fully developed, e.g. at 22:20 referencing Stephen’s death. Do not prematurely color early occurrences with the martyr sense.
Boldness
Approved rendering: ധൈര്യം / പരസ്യമായി
Transliteration: dhairyam / parasyamayi
Doctrine: Persecution and Bold Witness
Original: παρρησία
Category: Faith
New term. Spirit-given confidence and freedom of speech before hostile authority (4:13, 4:29-31, 9:27-28, 14:3, 18:26, 19:8, 26:26, 28:31); must not read as mere social assertiveness or generic political bravado.
Unhindered
Approved rendering: തടസ്സം കൂടാതെ
Transliteration: thadassam koodathe
Doctrine: The Great Commission Fulfilled
Original: ἀκωλύτως
Category: Church
New term. Acts’ climactic final word (28:31), thematically linked to κωλύω (‘prevent,’ 8:36); pairs with ‘boldness’ in the same verse. Must not be flattened into a merely administrative rendering — it carries the book’s rhetorical climax that the gospel reaches the end of the earth wholly unobstructed, even from within a Roman prison.
Persecution
Approved rendering: ഉപദ്രവം
Transliteration: upadravam
Doctrine: Persecution and Bold Witness
Original: διωγμός
Category: Church
New term. Established Malayalam Bible term for suffering/persecution (8:1, 11:19, 13:50); low competing-association risk.
Signs And Wonders
Approved rendering: അടയാളങ്ങളും അത്ഭുതങ്ങളും
Transliteration: adayalangalum athbhuthangalum
Doctrine: Apostolic Authority and Miracles
Original: σημεῖα καὶ τέρατα
Category: Miracles
New term. അത്ഭുതം is also the generic word for any marvel, including folk and guru-miracle legends common in Malayalam devotional literature and cinema; anchor explicitly to God’s specific redemptive-historical action (2:19-22, 2:43, 4:30, 5:12, 6:8, 8:6-13, 14:3, 15:12), not generic supernatural spectacle.
Disciple
Approved rendering: ശിഷ്യൻ
Transliteration: shishyan
Doctrine: The Church as Community
Original: μαθητής
Category: Church
New term. An established Malayalam Bible term, but India’s dominant guru-shishya paradigm (ritual initiation and personal transmission-lineage from a living human guru) sits in the cultural background; ശിഷ്യൻ (6:1-2, 9:1-26, 11:26, 14:20-22) must be understood as a follower of the risen, exalted Lord Jesus specifically — the same family of concern already flagged for ‘apostle’ (never ഗുരു) in the baseline.
Elder
Approved rendering: മൂപ്പൻ
Transliteration: moopan
Doctrine: The Church as Community
Original: πρεσβύτερος
Category: Church
New term. An established Malayalam church-office term used across Orthodox/Protestant traditions, but also the generic word for ‘elder/senior person’ in secular and tribal-community contexts (11:30, 14:23, 15:2-23, 16:4, 20:17, 21:18); context must clarify the ecclesial office sense.
Ministry
Approved rendering: ശുശ്രൂഷ
Transliteration: shushrusha
Doctrine: The Church as Community
Original: διακονία
Category: Church
New term, consistent with the baseline doctrine registry’s existing use of ശുശ്രൂഷ for ‘Christ-Centered Ministry.’ Anchors the appointment of the Seven (6:1-4), modeling the church organizing practical care without dividing it from spiritual authority; also 11:29, 12:25, 20:24, 21:19.
Inheritance
Approved rendering: അവകാശം
Transliteration: avakasham
Doctrine: The Church as Community
Original: κληρονομία
Category: Salvation
New term. Must retain the spiritual/eschatological sense at 20:32 and 26:18, not a merely legal-property sense.
Sect
Approved rendering: വിഭാഗം
Transliteration: vibhagam
Doctrine: Persecution and Bold Witness
Original: αἵρεσις
Category: Church
New term. Descriptive of hostile outsiders’ framing of ‘the Way’ as one faction among Judaism’s sects (24:5, 24:14, 28:22); translator notes may clarify Paul’s own reframing at 24:14 as fulfillment, not deviation.
Judgment To Come
Approved rendering: ന്യായവിധി
Transliteration: nyayavidhi
Doctrine: Justification apart from the Law
Original: κρίμα
Category: Eschatology
New term. Shares the ന്യായ- root with ന്യായപ്രമാണം (law); at 24:25, context must keep the eschatological-judgment sense distinct from ordinary legal judgment.
Circumcision
Approved rendering: പരിച്ഛേദനം
Transliteration: parichchedanam
Doctrine: Justification apart from the Law
Original: περιτομή
Category: Covenant
New term. Requires Old Testament covenant-sign background explanation (15:1-5, 16:3, 21:21); the doctrinal point is the narrative embodiment of Justification apart from the Law.
Unknown God
Approved rendering: അജ്ഞാത ദൈവം
Transliteration: ajnjatha daivam
Doctrine: The Gospel to Jews and Gentiles
Original: ἄγνωστος θεός
Category: God
New term. Kerala’s own religious landscape includes numerous village/folk shrines to unnamed or locally-named deities; a translator note at 17:23 can usefully surface this point of contact, provided it does not imply doctrinal equivalence — Paul’s move is discontinuity-through-fulfillment, not syncretistic continuity.
Living God
Approved rendering: ജീവനുള്ള ദൈവം
Transliteration: jeevanulla daivam
Doctrine: The Gospel to Jews and Gentiles
Original: θεὸς ζῶν
Category: God
New term. Built on the baseline ദൈവം; contrastive with idols at 14:15.
Casting Lots
Approved rendering: ചീട്ടിടൽ
Transliteration: cheettidal
Doctrine: Apostolic Authority and Miracles
Original: κλῆρος
Category: Church
New term. Must be distinguished from Malayalam popular fatalism idioms (cf. the baseline’s caution regarding തലയെഴുത്ത് under ‘election’); at 1:26 this is a specific, prayerful, Spirit-guided discernment practice for choosing the twelfth apostle, not fate-divination.
Restoration
Approved rendering: പുനഃസ്ഥാപനം
Transliteration: punasthapanam
Doctrine: The Great Commission Fulfilled
Original: ἀποκατάστασις
Category: Eschatology
New term. Distinct from Hindu cyclical cosmic-renewal concepts (yuga cycles, creation-dissolution-recreation/pralaya); the biblical ‘restoration of all things’ at 3:21 is a single, linear, consummating event tied to Christ’s return, not a repeating cosmic cycle.
Angel
Approved rendering: ദൂതൻ
Transliteration: doothan
Doctrine: Apostolic Authority and Miracles
Rejected alternatives: മാലാഖ
Original: ἄγγελος
Category: God
New term. Preferred over the colloquial മാലാഖ (an Arabic/Islamic-influenced loanword common in Kerala’s shared multi-religious vocabulary) to keep Bible-translation register and avoid importing distinct Islamic angelological associations (5:19, 8:26, 10:3-22, 12:7-23, 27:23).
Low Risk Terms
Apostle
Approved rendering: അപ്പോസ്തലന്
Transliteration: appostalan
Doctrine: Apostleship
Rejected alternatives: ഗുരു
Original: ἀπόστολος
Category: Church
Inherited from Romans package. Extremely frequent throughout Acts (1:2, 1:25-26, 2:42-43, 4:33, 5:12, 8:1, 9:27, 14:4, 14:14, 15:2-23, 16:4); never ഗുരു.
Peace
Approved rendering: സമാധാനം
Transliteration: samadhanam
Doctrine: Peace with God
Original: εἰρήνη
Category: Salvation
Inherited from Romans package. Acts 9:31, 10:36; no new nuance.
Fellowship
Approved rendering: കൂട്ടായ്മ
Transliteration: koottayma
Doctrine: Christian Fellowship
Rejected alternatives: സൗഹൃദം
Original: κοινωνία
Category: Church
Inherited from Romans package. Acts 2:42 anchors the doctrine ‘The Church as Community.‘
Prophet
Approved rendering: പ്രവാചകന്
Transliteration: pravachakan
Doctrine: Inspiration of Scripture
Rejected alternatives: ജ്യോത്സ്യന്
Original: προφήτης
Category: Covenant
Inherited from Romans package. Frequent throughout Acts, especially in Peter’s, Stephen’s, and Paul’s speeches.
Prophecy
Approved rendering: പ്രവചനം
Transliteration: pravachanam
Doctrine: Fulfillment of Prophecy
Original: προφητεία
Category: Covenant
Inherited from Romans package. Acts 2:17-18 (Joel quotation), 19:6, 21:9.
David
Approved rendering: ദാവീദ്
Transliteration: daveed
Doctrine: Davidic Covenant
Original: Δαυίδ
Category: Covenant
Inherited from Romans package. Acts 1:16, 2:25-34, 4:25, 7:45, 13:22-36, 15:16.
Israel
Approved rendering: യിസ്രായേല്
Transliteration: yisrayel
Doctrine: Unity of Jews and Gentiles
Original: Ἰσραήλ
Category: Covenant
Inherited from Romans package. Acts 1:6, 2:36, 4:10-27, 5:21-31, 7:23-42, 9:15, 10:36, 13:16-24, 21:28, 28:20.
Exhort
Approved rendering: പ്രോത്സാഹിപ്പിക്കുക
Transliteration: prothsahippikkuka
Doctrine: Mutual Edification
Original: παρακαλέω
Category: Faith
Inherited from Romans package. Acts 2:40, 11:23, 14:22, 15:32, 16:40, 20:1-2.
Pentecost
Approved rendering: പെന്തക്കോസ്ത്
Transliteration: penthakkosthu
Doctrine: The Holy Spirit and Pentecost
Original: πεντηκοστή
Category: Holy Spirit
New term. Established transliterated loanword across all Malayalam Christian traditions for the Jewish harvest feast (Shavuot), fifty days after Passover, on which the Spirit was poured out. Acts 2:1, 20:16. No competing indigenous concept; gloss once for readers unfamiliar with the Jewish calendar.
Christian
Approved rendering: ക്രിസ്ത്യാനി
Transliteration: kristyani
Doctrine: The Church as Community
Original: Χριστιανός
Category: Church
New term. Long-established, ecumenically shared Malayalam term across all denominations (11:26, first occurrence of the name; 26:28).
Shepherd
Approved rendering: ഇടയൻ / മേയ്ക്കുക
Transliteration: idayan / meikkuka
Doctrine: The Church as Community
Original: ποιμαίνειν / ποιμήν
Category: Church
New term. Established pastoral metaphor at 20:28.
Conscience
Approved rendering: മനസ്സാക്ഷി
Transliteration: manassakshi
Doctrine: Justification apart from the Law
Original: συνείδησις
Category: Faith
New term. A well-established, doctrinally uncomplicated Malayalam term with no significant competing religious association in Kerala’s context (23:1, 24:16).
Self Control
Approved rendering: ആത്മനിയന്ത്രണം
Transliteration: atmaniyantranam
Doctrine: Justification apart from the Law
Original: ἐγκράτεια
Category: Faith
New term. Standard modern Malayalam term (24:25).
Yoke
Approved rendering: നുകം
Transliteration: nukam
Doctrine: Justification apart from the Law
Original: ζυγός
Category: Covenant
New term. A familiar Kerala agricultural image (the ox-yoke) at 15:10.
End Of The Earth
Approved rendering: ഭൂമിയുടെ അറ്റത്തോളം
Transliteration: bhoomiyude attathholam
Doctrine: The Great Commission Fulfilled
Original: ἕως ἐσχάτου τῆς γῆς
Category: Church
New term. Bracket phrase for the whole book (1:8), realized narratively by 28:31.
Times Of Refreshing
Approved rendering: ആശ്വാസകാലം
Transliteration: aswasakalam
Doctrine: Repentance and Baptism
Original: ἀνάψυξις
Category: Eschatology
New term. Descriptive eschatological phrase at 3:20; no single settled one-word Bible term exists, so this is a constructed phrase.
Cornerstone
Approved rendering: മൂലക്കല്ല്
Transliteration: moolakkallu
Doctrine: Apostolic Authority and Miracles
Original: κεφαλὴ γωνίας
Category: Christology
New term. Established Christological metaphor at 4:11.
Devoted Themselves
Approved rendering: സ്ഥിരമായി തുടർന്നു
Transliteration: sthiramayi thudarnnu
Doctrine: The Church as Community
Original: προσκαρτερέω
Category: Church
New term. Must convey persevering commitment, not casual attendance (1:14, 2:42, 2:46, 6:4).
Sanhedrin
Approved rendering: ന്യായാധിപസംഘം
Transliteration: nyayadhipa sangham
Doctrine: Persecution and Bold Witness
Original: συνέδριον
Category: Church
New term. Institutional proper term (4:15, 5:21-41, 6:12, 22:30, 23:1-28, 24:20); transliteration സൻഹെദ്രിൻ also acceptable as a secondary variant.
Referenced passages