Cross-Reference Analysis
09 Cross-Reference and Theme Analysis — Acts (English → Mandarin)
Curriculum: Acts 1–28
Core passage: Acts 2:1–41 (Pentecost)
Governing authority: This analysis extends, and never contradicts, the baseline Romans Language Package and 07_semantic_analysis.md / 08_core_glossary.md of this curriculum. All term renderings cited below reuse the baseline translation_memory.json and this curriculum’s glossary exactly.
Citation convention: English-document citations use normalized Book chapter:verse form (e.g., “Genesis 15:6”, “Joel 2:32”, “Acts 2:21”). Mandarin-facing citations in Phase 2 output follow CUV book-name conventions already fixed in 12_ai_translation_requirements.md (罗马书, 创世记, 诗篇, 以赛亚书, 哈巴谷书, 约珥书, etc.); this document adds 申命记 (Deuteronomy), 出埃及记 (Exodus), 阿摩司书 (Amos), 撒母耳记上 (1 Samuel), 但以理书 (Daniel), 约书亚记 (Joshua) to the established CUV book-name list, all standard CUV forms with no rendering risk.
Method: The matrix below covers every explicit OT quotation and every theologically significant allusion or typological echo in every chapter of Acts, plus every direct parallel to the baseline Romans curriculum. Chapters with no direct OT quotation are explicitly marked “reviewed — no direct quotation” with typological notes where relevant, per the full-book-coverage mandate.
PART 1 — CROSS-REFERENCE MATRIX BY CHAPTER
Acts 1
| Passage | Theme | Related Character | OT/NT Connection | Translation Sensitivity |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Acts 1:6–8 | Great Commission Fulfilled; Kingdom Mission | Jesus, apostles | Programmatic outline echoing Isaiah 49:6 (“light to the nations… to the end of the earth”) | Render 直到地极 consistently; must not echo 天下 (forbidden under baseline kingdom_of_god). |
| Acts 1:9–11 | Ascension; Deity/Sonship of Christ | Jesus | Typology: Elijah’s ascension (2 Kings 2:11); cloud imagery echoes Daniel 7:13–14 (Son of Man coming with clouds) | 被接上升 must not be assimilated to Daoist immortal-ascension (成仙升天); the cloud is theophanic, not meteorological. |
| Acts 1:16, 20 | Fulfillment of Prophecy | Judas, David (as psalmist) | Quotes Psalm 69:25 and Psalm 109:8 (“let another take his office”) | Direct quotation formula (“as it is written,” 正如经上所记的) must retain forensic, predictive force — Scripture as divine speech, not a wisdom-classic (经) analogy. |
| Acts 1:24–26 | Providence; Election | apostles | Casting lots echoes OT lot-casting practice (Joshua 18:6–10; Leviticus 16:8) but is not repeated as a normative method after Pentecost | 抽签 must be distinguished from 求签 (temple fortune-stick divination); bounded, one-time act of trust in providence (神的护理), not a general divinatory technique. |
Acts 2 (Core Passage)
| Passage | Theme | Related Character | OT/NT Connection | Translation Sensitivity |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Acts 2:1 | Holy Spirit and Pentecost | — | Typology: Feast of Weeks/Shavuot (Leviticus 23:15–21; Exodus 19, giving of the Law at Sinai; firstfruits harvest, Exodus 34:22) | 五旬节 requires OT covenant-feast background teaching; not a generic 节 (festival). |
| Acts 2:3–4 | Holy Spirit and Pentecost | disciples | Typology: reversal of Babel’s confusion of tongues (Genesis 11:1–9) into gospel-clarity across languages | Must be taught as a deliberate narrative reversal — unity of understanding achieved by the Spirit, not human effort, contra Babel’s judgment. |
| Acts 2:14–21 | Holy Spirit and Pentecost; Great Commission Fulfilled | Peter, Joel (prophet) | Quotes Joel 2:28–32 in full | This is the doctrinal charter-quotation of the core passage. See Rendering-Consistency Rule 1 below (shared with Romans 10:13). |
| Acts 2:22–24 | Apostolic Authority and Miracles; Resurrection of Christ | Jesus, Peter | Alludes to Exodus/OT “signs and wonders” attestation pattern (Exodus 7:3; Deuteronomy 34:11) | 异能、奇事、神迹 triad must retain authenticating force, not generic “miracle story” flavor. |
| Acts 2:25–28, 31 | Resurrection of Christ; Fulfillment of Prophecy | David (as psalmist), Christ | Quotes Psalm 16:8–11 | Quoted again at Acts 13:35 — see Rendering-Consistency Rule 2. |
| Acts 2:29–30 | Davidic Covenant | David | Alludes to 2 Samuel 7:12–13; Psalm 132:11 | 大卫的后裔 register (baseline term) applies; covenant is unconditional promise, not revocable Mandate of Heaven. |
| Acts 2:33–35 | Lordship of Christ; Deity of Christ | Christ, David | Quotes Psalm 110:1 | 主 (Lord) enthronement language; must retain cosmic, not merely honorific, sense. |
| Acts 2:36 | Lordship of Christ; Messianic Promise | Peter, Israel | Climax applying Psalm 110 and Psalm 16 together to Jesus | Critical risk inherited from baseline lord/messiah entries — no softening. |
| Acts 2:38–39 | Repentance and Baptism; Gospel to Jews and Gentiles | Peter | Alludes to Joel 2:32 (“all who are far off… whom the Lord calls”) and to the Abrahamic promise pattern (Genesis 12:3) | “For all who are far off” must remain fully unqualified — see baseline universal_scope_of_gospel. |
| Acts 2:40 | Persecution and Bold Witness | Peter | Alludes to Deuteronomy 32:5 (“crooked generation”) | 这弯曲的世代 — established idiom; low risk. |
Acts 3
| Passage | Theme | Related Character | OT/NT Connection | Translation Sensitivity |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Acts 3:13 | Apostolic Authority and Miracles; Deity of Christ | Peter, Abraham/Isaac/Jacob | Alludes to Exodus 3:6 (“the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob”); calls Jesus God’s “servant” (παῖς), echoing Isaiah 52:13 | 神/仆人 vocabulary; “servant” here is the Isaianic Servant title, not an ordinary 仆人 — disambiguate from Joel’s “menservants” (2:18) each occurrence. |
| Acts 3:18 | Fulfillment of Prophecy; Messianic Promise | prophets, Christ | Alludes to the Suffering Servant corpus, Isaiah 52:13–53:12 | Sets up the direct quotation at Acts 8:32–33; keep vocabulary consistent across both passages. |
| Acts 3:22–23 | Fulfillment of Prophecy; Great Commission Fulfilled | Moses, Christ | Quotes Deuteronomy 18:15, 18–19 (“a prophet like me”) | Quoted again at Acts 7:37 — see Rendering-Consistency Rule 3 (Moses-typology). |
| Acts 3:25 | Gospel to Jews and Gentiles | Abraham | Quotes/alludes to Genesis 22:18 and Genesis 12:3 (“in your offspring all families of the earth shall be blessed”) | Distinct Abrahamic-covenant verse from Romans 4:3’s Genesis 15:6 — see Rendering-Consistency Rule 7. |
| Acts 3:13–15 (title) | Deity of Christ; Justification apart from the Law | Christ | ”Holy and Righteous One” (ὁ ἅγιος καὶ δίκαιος) doubles baseline 圣洁/义 cautions | See 08_core_glossary.md; Critical risk. |
Acts 4
| Passage | Theme | Related Character | OT/NT Connection | Translation Sensitivity |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Acts 4:11 | Apostolic Authority and Miracles; Messianic Promise | Peter, builders | Quotes Psalm 118:22 (“the stone that was rejected… has become the cornerstone”) | 石头/房角石 imagery; must retain rejection-then-vindication structure central to the Messianic Promise doctrine. |
| Acts 4:24 | Church as Community; Providence | apostles, believers | Alludes to Exodus 20:11; Psalm 146:6 (“Sovereign Lord, who made heaven and earth”) | Creator-language; reinforces 神 as sole personal Creator, not one deity among a pantheon. |
| Acts 4:25–26 | Persecution and Bold Witness; Providence | David (psalmist), rulers | Quotes Psalm 2:1–2 (“why did the Gentiles rage…”) | Same psalm quoted again (v.7) at Acts 13:33 — thematic link to Romans 1:4’s sonship-in-power Christology; see Rendering-Consistency Rule 8. |
| Acts 4:32–35 | Church as Community | believers | No direct OT quotation; echoes the ideal of Deuteronomy 15:4 (“there will be no poor among you”) | 凡物公用 requires anti-anachronism note (see 08_core_glossary.md); voluntary generosity, not collectivized mandate. |
Acts 5
Reviewed. No direct OT quotation in this chapter.
| Passage | Theme | Related Character | OT/NT Connection | Translation Sensitivity |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Acts 5:1–11 | Church as Community; Apostolic Authority and Miracles | Ananias, Sapphira | Typological echo of Joshua 7:1–26 (Achan’s concealed sin exposed and judged within the covenant community) | The parallel is structural (concealed sin against the community’s holiness, exposed by God), not a direct citation; teaching note should draw the parallel without overstating textual dependence. |
| Acts 5:3–4 | The Holy Spirit and Pentecost | Peter, Ananias | Narrative assertion of the Spirit’s deity (lying to the Spirit = lying to God) | Critical risk, inherited; reinforces baseline holy_spirit entry. |
| Acts 5:29–32 | Apostolic Authority and Miracles; Persecution and Bold Witness | apostles, Sanhedrin | Echoes the prophetic pattern of obeying God over human authority (cf. Daniel 3:16–18; Daniel 6:10) | Structural/typological echo, not direct quotation. |
Acts 6
Reviewed. No direct OT quotation in this chapter.
| Passage | Theme | Related Character | OT/NT Connection | Translation Sensitivity |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Acts 6:3, 5 | The Holy Spirit and Pentecost; Church as Community | the Seven, Stephen | Echoes Spirit-and-wisdom-filled figures: Joseph (Genesis 41:38), Bezalel (Exodus 31:3), Daniel (Daniel 5:11–14) | 智慧/圣灵充满 pairing; Spirit-given competency for practical service, not a separate “wisdom tradition” category. |
Acts 7
| Passage | Theme | Related Character | OT/NT Connection | Translation Sensitivity |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Acts 7:2–8 | Gospel to Jews and Gentiles; Fulfillment of Prophecy | Abraham | Retells Genesis 12, 15, 17 (call and covenant of Abraham) | Historical-narrative recounting; low lexical risk, but sets up 3:25’s covenant-to-the-nations theme. |
| Acts 7:9–16 | Church as Community (typological) | Joseph | Retells Genesis 37–50; typology of the rejected-yet-exalted deliverer, prefiguring Christ | Joseph-typology (rejected by his own, exalted, becomes the means of nations’ survival) should be flagged as a Christological type in teaching notes, parallel to the Suffering-Servant/rejected-stone motifs (Ps 118:22; Isaiah 53). |
| Acts 7:17–43 | Fulfillment of Prophecy | Moses | Retells Exodus narrative; quotes Deuteronomy 18:15 again (“a prophet like me,” v.37); quotes Amos 5:25–27 (v.42–43, idolatry in the wilderness, “images… star of Rephan”) | v.37 must render identically to Acts 3:22 — see Rendering-Consistency Rule 3. Amos quotation: 阿摩司书 — established CUV book name, low transliteration risk, but content requires clarity that idol-worship (偶像) is condemned, not neutral cultural practice. |
| Acts 7:44–50 | Church as Community; Apostolic Authority and Miracles | Moses, Solomon | Quotes Isaiah 66:1–2 (“heaven is my throne… what is the house you will build for me?”) | Directly relevant to baseline’s church entry (教会 ≠ ritual temple-building); God is not confined to a physical shrine — resonates strongly against Chinese temple-centered religious architecture (庙/寺/道观) already forbidden for 教会. |
| Acts 7:51 | Persecution and Bold Witness; Universal Human Accountability | Stephen, council | Alludes to Exodus 33:3 and Deuteronomy 9:6 (“stiff-necked people”) | 硬着颈项 established idiom; retain moral/spiritual obstinacy sense, not physical description. |
| Acts 7:55–56 | Deity of Christ; Sonship of Christ | Stephen, Christ | Alludes to Daniel 7:13 (Son of Man at God’s right hand) | 人子 — Critical risk, inherited; must retain full divine-authority weight, not “a human being.” |
Acts 8
| Passage | Theme | Related Character | OT/NT Connection | Translation Sensitivity |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Acts 8:9–24 | Apostolic Authority and Miracles | Simon, Peter | Echoes the false-prophet/sorcerer contrast pattern (cf. Exodus 7:11–12, Egyptian magicians vs. Moses; Deuteronomy 18:10–14, prohibition of sorcery) | 邪术 — Critical risk, inherited; the true 神的大能 vs. condemned occult power contrast must be sharply preserved. |
| Acts 8:32–33 | Gospel to Jews and Gentiles; Justification apart from the Law | Ethiopian eunuch, Philip, Christ | Quotes Isaiah 53:7–8 (“like a sheep led to the slaughter…”) | This is Acts’s only direct quotation of the Suffering Servant song; must align in vocabulary with Acts 3:13/18’s servant allusions. See Rendering-Consistency Rule 4. |
| Acts 8:26–39 (narrative frame) | Gospel to Jews and Gentiles | Ethiopian eunuch | Typological fulfillment of Isaiah 56:3–5 (eunuchs no longer excluded from God’s people) and reversal of Deuteronomy 23:1’s exclusion | Not a direct quotation but a strong typological inclusion narrative; teaching note should draw this out as an early, concrete instance of the gospel’s boundary-breaking scope. |
Acts 9
| Passage | Theme | Related Character | OT/NT Connection | Translation Sensitivity |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Acts 9:3–9 | Conversion of Paul | Saul, Christ | Theophany-pattern allusion (Exodus 3:2–6; Isaiah 6:1–8) — light, voice, personal address, commissioning | 从天上来的光 must be anchored to the risen Jesus (v.5), not read as a generic mystical-light testimony genre. |
| Acts 9:15–16 | Conversion of Paul; Great Commission Fulfilled | Christ, Saul | Echoes prophetic call-commissioning language (cf. Jeremiah 1:5, “before you were born I… appointed you”) | 蒙召的/呼召 — High risk, inherited; personal divine summons, not impersonal destiny. |
Acts 10
| Passage | Theme | Related Character | OT/NT Connection | Translation Sensitivity |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Acts 10:9–16 | Gospel to Jews and Gentiles | Peter | Alludes to Leviticus 11 (clean/unclean food categories), now declared abolished | 俗物/洁净 — High risk, inherited; symbolizes removal of the Jew-Gentile ceremonial barrier, not a general dietary statement. |
| Acts 10:34–35 | Gospel to Jews and Gentiles; Universal Human Accountability | Peter, Cornelius | Alludes to Deuteronomy 10:17 (“God… who is not partial”) | 不偏待人 — reinforces baseline unity_of_jews_and_gentiles doctrine. |
| Acts 10:44–48 | The Holy Spirit and Pentecost | Cornelius’s household | Direct narrative parallel to Acts 2 (“the Gentile Pentecost”) | Spirit-filling and tongues vocabulary must be handled identically to Acts 2 for narrative-doctrinal consistency (see Rendering-Consistency Rule 5). |
Acts 11
Reviewed. No direct OT quotation in this chapter.
| Passage | Theme | Related Character | OT/NT Connection | Translation Sensitivity |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Acts 11:15–17 | The Holy Spirit and Pentecost; Gospel to Jews and Gentiles | Peter | Retrospective reference to Acts 1:5 (Christ’s own promise of Spirit-baptism) | Must be read as fulfillment of Christ’s specific prior promise, not a generalized spiritual experience. |
| Acts 11:26 | The Church as Community | believers at Antioch | Introduces the name “Christian” (基督徒), built on baseline 基督 | Low risk. |
Acts 12
Reviewed. No direct OT quotation in this chapter.
| Passage | Theme | Related Character | OT/NT Connection | Translation Sensitivity |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Acts 12:1–11 | Apostolic Authority and Miracles; Providence | Peter, angel | Typological echo of Passover/Exodus deliverance (Exodus 12:29–30; Exodus 14) — angelic deliverance from bondage on the eve of judgment | 神的护理; deliverance by a personal, purposive God, not luck or fate. |
| Acts 12:20–23 | Persecution and Bold Witness (inverted: judgment on the persecutor) | Herod | Typological echo of the proud-ruler-struck-down pattern (Daniel 4:28–33, Nebuchadnezzar; Daniel 5:22–30, Belshazzar) | Structural parallel; not a direct citation. God alone receives glory (荣耀) — reinforces baseline caution against collapsing 荣耀 into human 面子/光宗耀祖. |
Acts 13
| Passage | Theme | Related Character | OT/NT Connection | Translation Sensitivity |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Acts 13:17–22 | Fulfillment of Prophecy | Moses, judges, Saul, David | Historical summary of Exodus–Judges–Saul–David narrative | Low lexical risk; establishes covenant-historical framework for v.22–37’s messianic argument. |
| Acts 13:22 | Davidic Covenant | David | Quotes/alludes to 1 Samuel 13:14 and Psalm 89:20 (“a man after my heart”) | 大卫 — established baseline proper name; low risk. |
| Acts 13:33 | Sonship of Christ; Deity of Christ | Christ | Quotes Psalm 2:7 (“You are my Son, today I have begotten you”) | Same psalm as Acts 4:25–26; thematic tie to Romans 1:4’s “declared Son of God” — see Rendering-Consistency Rule 8. |
| Acts 13:34 | Davidic Covenant; Resurrection of Christ | Christ | Quotes Isaiah 55:3 (“the holy and sure blessings of David”) | 圣者/圣洁 register; ties covenant promise to resurrection guarantee. |
| Acts 13:35 | Resurrection of Christ | Christ, David | Quotes Psalm 16:10 again (cf. Acts 2:27) | Must render identically to Acts 2:27/31 within this document set — see Rendering-Consistency Rule 2. |
| Acts 13:39 | Justification apart from the Law | Paul, hearers | Direct doctrinal statement: “everyone who believes is justified” — theological summary anticipating Romans and Galatians | 称义/信心/律法 — Critical risk, fully inherited; no law-plus-faith softening. |
| Acts 13:41 | Persecution and Bold Witness; Fulfillment of Prophecy | Paul (quoting) | Quotes Habakkuk 1:5 (“Look, you scoffers…”) | 哈巴谷书 — established CUV book name (also quoted differently in Romans 1:17, Habakkuk 2:4). See Rendering-Consistency Rule 6. |
| Acts 13:47 | Great Commission Fulfilled; Gospel to Jews and Gentiles | Paul, Barnabas | Quotes Isaiah 49:6 (“a light for the Gentiles… salvation to the end of the earth”) | Ties directly to Acts 1:8’s 直到地极; see Rendering-Consistency Rule 9 (Isaiah Servant-Song/Gentile-light cluster, parallel to Romans 15’s Gentile catena). |
| Acts 13:48 | Effectual Calling; Election | Gentile hearers | Reuses baseline election (拣选) vocabulary (“as many as were appointed to eternal life believed”) | High risk, inherited; never 天命/命运/缘分. |
Acts 14
Reviewed. No direct OT quotation in this chapter.
| Passage | Theme | Related Character | OT/NT Connection | Translation Sensitivity |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Acts 14:15–17 | Gospel to Jews and Gentiles | Paul, Barnabas, Lystrans | Alludes to Exodus 20:11; general-revelation/creation-testimony pattern also found in Psalm 19:1–4 | ”Living God who made heaven and earth” — reinforces sole Creator-God identity against the Zeus/Hermes deification episode. |
Acts 15
| Passage | Theme | Related Character | OT/NT Connection | Translation Sensitivity |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Acts 15:16–17 | Gospel to Jews and Gentiles; Justification apart from the Law | James, Amos (prophet) | Quotes Amos 9:11–12 (“after this I will return, and I will rebuild the tent of David… that the remnant of mankind may seek the Lord”) | Key Gentile-inclusion prooftext at the Jerusalem Council; must retain the “remnant of mankind”/Gentile-inclusion force without softening toward a merely ethnic-Israel-restoration reading. |
| Acts 15:1–29 (whole chapter) | Justification apart from the Law | Paul, Peter, James, council | Direct narrative resolution of the doctrine also expounded in Romans 3–4 and Galatians 2–3 | This chapter is the narrative hinge for baseline’s justification/grace/law entries; flag every occurrence for theologian review — see Rendering-Consistency Rule 10. |
Acts 16
Reviewed. No direct OT quotation in this chapter.
| Passage | Theme | Related Character | OT/NT Connection | Translation Sensitivity |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Acts 16:16–18 | Apostolic Authority and Miracles | Paul, slave girl | Echoes Deuteronomy 18:10–11’s prohibition of divination/spiritism | 占卜的灵 — High risk, inherited; counterfeit power expelled, not a legitimate alternate prophetic channel. |
| Acts 16:30–34 | Repentance and Baptism; The Gospel to Jews and Gentiles | Philippian jailer | Echoes the individual-faith/household-solidarity pattern also seen in Joshua 24:15 (“choose this day”) applied corporately, but with explicit individual belief affirmed (v.34) | Household salvation language must not imply automatic collective salvation apart from personal faith — see 08_core_glossary.md. |
Acts 17
| Passage | Theme | Related Character | OT/NT Connection | Translation Sensitivity |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Acts 17:24–27 | Gospel to Jews and Gentiles | Paul, Athenians | Alludes to Genesis 1–2 (creation); Isaiah 42:5; Deuteronomy 4:7 (“God is not far”) | Creator/providence language; must retain personal nearness, not pantheistic immanence. |
| Acts 17:28 | Gospel to Jews and Gentiles | Paul (quoting Greek poets) | Quotes Epimenides and Aratus/Cleanthes (Greek poetry, not OT Scripture) — the only non-Scriptural quotation Paul cites approvingly in Acts | Flag distinctly: this is a rhetorical bridge to pagan hearers, not an endorsement of Stoic pantheism; the surrounding verses (17:24–29, 30–31) immediately correct any impersonal-deity misreading by naming the one true God and his coming judgment through the risen Christ. Translators must not let this isolated citation read as approval of syncretistic “all religions point to the same god” theology. |
| Acts 17:30–31 | Repentance and Baptism; Fulfillment of Prophecy | Paul, all nations | Universal call to repentance grounded in the resurrection and coming judgment | 悔改/复活 — reinforces baseline Critical-tier cautions in a fully Gentile, non-Jewish-background setting — an important data point showing these doctrines are not culturally Jewish-specific but universally addressed. |
Acts 18
Reviewed. No direct OT quotation in this chapter.
No new theological cross-reference beyond reuse of established terms (grace, synagogue). Gallio’s ruling and Paul’s tentmaking are historical-narrative detail with no OT quotation or typological load.
Acts 19
Reviewed. No direct OT quotation in this chapter.
| Passage | Theme | Related Character | OT/NT Connection | Translation Sensitivity |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Acts 19:1–7 | Repentance and Baptism; The Holy Spirit and Pentecost | John’s disciples, Paul | Retrospective link to John the Baptist’s ministry (cf. Luke 3:3, itself rooted in Isaiah 40:3) | Requires disambiguation of John’s baptism of repentance vs. Christian baptism in Jesus’ name vs. Spirit-baptism (see Acts 2:38 note in 07_semantic_analysis.md). |
| Acts 19:11–20 | Apostolic Authority and Miracles | Paul, exorcists, Ephesians | Echoes Deuteronomy 18:10–14’s condemnation of occult practice (same cluster as Ch.8, 16) | 邪术 register applies to the burned “books of magic.” |
Acts 20
Reviewed. No direct OT quotation in this chapter.
| Passage | Theme | Related Character | OT/NT Connection | Translation Sensitivity |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Acts 20:28–29 | The Church as Community; Apostolic Authority and Miracles | Ephesian elders | Shepherd-flock typology, echoing Ezekiel 34:1–16 and Psalm 23 | 牧养 must retain the caring, protective-authority sense of the OT shepherd motif, not a merely administrative “manager” sense. |
| Acts 20:35 | The Church as Community | Paul | Cites a saying of Jesus not recorded in the canonical Gospels (“it is more blessed to give than to receive”) | Flag as an instance of extra-canonical dominical tradition (λόγια) faithfully preserved by Paul; not an OT citation, and not to be treated as a proverb of unknown/folk origin. |
Acts 21
Reviewed. No direct OT quotation in this chapter.
| Passage | Theme | Related Character | OT/NT Connection | Translation Sensitivity |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Acts 21:23–26 | Justification apart from the Law | Paul, Jewish believers | Background: Numbers 6 (Nazirite vow regulations) | 许愿 risk (transactional-bargain misreading) — see 07_semantic_analysis.md; Paul’s voluntary cultural accommodation is compatible with, not contrary to, justification apart from law-keeping. |
| Acts 21:10–11 | Persecution and Bold Witness | Agabus | Echoes the OT prophetic sign-act tradition (Isaiah 20:2–4; Jeremiah 13:1–11; Ezekiel 4:1–3) | 预言 must retain the sense of God-given, meaningful revelation-through-action, not theatrical or superstitious omen-reading. |
Acts 22
| Passage | Theme | Related Character | OT/NT Connection | Translation Sensitivity |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Acts 22:3–21 | Conversion of Paul | Paul | Retells Acts 9’s conversion narrative; v.14 alludes to Exodus 3:6 (“the God of our fathers”) | Reuses vocabulary established at Acts 9 exactly, for narrative-doctrinal consistency across the two retellings (also Acts 26). |
Acts 23
| Passage | Theme | Related Character | OT/NT Connection | Translation Sensitivity |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Acts 23:3 | Persecution and Bold Witness | Paul, Ananias (high priest) | Alludes to Ezekiel 13:10–15 (“whitewashed wall”) | Figurative judgment-idiom; low-medium risk if rendered as a vivid metaphor rather than literalized. |
| Acts 23:5 | Persecution and Bold Witness | Paul | Quotes Exodus 22:28 (“you shall not speak evil of a ruler of your people”) | Paul’s self-correction models respectful engagement with authority even under provocation — consonant with baseline’s Romans 13 government/authority flag. |
| Acts 23:6–8 | Resurrection of Christ | Pharisees, Sadducees, Paul | Intra-Jewish resurrection dispute; reinforces baseline resurrection (复活) entry within a live theological controversy, not merely a Christian-vs-pagan debate | Critical risk, fully inherited; resurrection-hope is the specific point of contention, not incidental detail. |
Acts 24
Reviewed. No direct OT quotation in this chapter.
| Passage | Theme | Related Character | OT/NT Connection | Translation Sensitivity |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Acts 24:14–16 | Justification apart from the Law; Resurrection of Christ | Paul, Felix | ”The Way” defended as continuous with, not opposed to, “the Law and the Prophets”; hope of resurrection echoes Daniel 12:2 | 这道/复活 — Critical risk, inherited from both baseline and Acts 9’s “the Way” entry. |
| Acts 24:25 | Justification apart from the Law; Universal Human Accountability | Paul, Felix | Righteousness/self-control/judgment-to-come triad | 义/将来的审判 — must distinguish personal forensic judgment from impersonal karmic retribution (报应), per baseline sin entry. |
Acts 25
Reviewed. No direct OT quotation in this chapter. Historical-legal narrative (appeal to Caesar) with no OT quotation or typological freight; theologically significant only as the narrative mechanism advancing the “end of the earth” trajectory (Acts 1:8; 23:11).
Acts 26
| Passage | Theme | Related Character | OT/NT Connection | Translation Sensitivity |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Acts 26:12–18 | Conversion of Paul | Paul, Christ | Retells Acts 9 conversion; v.18 echoes Isaiah 42:7, 16 (opening blind eyes, light from darkness) | Reuse Acts 9/22 vocabulary exactly for cross-passage consistency. |
| Acts 26:23 | Great Commission Fulfilled; Gospel to Jews and Gentiles | Paul, Christ | Echoes Isaiah 42:6 / Isaiah 49:6 (“light both to Jews and to Gentiles”) — same Isaianic cluster as Acts 13:47 | See Rendering-Consistency Rule 9. |
Acts 27
Reviewed. No direct OT quotation in this chapter.
| Passage | Theme | Related Character | OT/NT Connection | Translation Sensitivity |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Acts 27:9–44 | Providence; Persecution and Bold Witness | Paul, ship’s crew | Loose narrative-typological echo of Jonah (a prophet of God, a storm at sea, ultimate deliverance) and thematic resonance with Psalm 107:23–30 (“those who go down to the sea”) | This is an evocative narrative parallel, not a citation; teaching notes may draw the Jonah contrast (Jonah fled his commission; Paul is fulfilling his) without overstating textual dependence. |
| Acts 27:22–25, 34 | Providence | Paul | Angelically-grounded assurance (“take heart”) | 放心/不要惧怕 grounded in a specific divine promise (神的护理), not generic optimism or fatalistic resignation. |
Acts 28
| Passage | Theme | Related Character | OT/NT Connection | Translation Sensitivity |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Acts 28:6 | Apostolic Authority and Miracles | Paul, Maltese islanders | Same human-deification pattern as Acts 14 (Zeus/Hermes) | High risk, inherited; the narrative is corrective, not affirming, of the islanders’ conclusion. |
| Acts 28:23–28 | Gospel to Jews and Gentiles; Great Commission Fulfilled | Paul, Roman Jews | Quotes Isaiah 6:9–10 (“you will indeed hear but never understand…”) | Bookends the entire book’s OT-quotation arc (opened with Joel 2:28–32 in Ch.2, closed with Isaiah 6:9–10 in Ch.28); thematically parallels Israel’s partial hardening also addressed (via different verses — Isaiah 29:10, Deuteronomy 29:4) in Romans 11:8. See Rendering-Consistency Rule 11. |
| Acts 28:30–31 | Great Commission Fulfilled | Paul | Narrative and theological capstone: “unhindered” proclamation of the kingdom of God | 神的国/主 reused exactly; triumphant, forward-looking tone required. |
PART 2 — MESSIANIC REFERENCES AND TYPOLOGY SUMMARY
| Type/Figure | OT Root | Fulfillment in Acts | Doctrine Connection | Mandarin Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Prophet like Moses | Deuteronomy 18:15, 18–19 | Acts 3:22–23; 7:37 | Fulfillment of Prophecy; Justification apart from the Law (Christ supersedes/fulfills the Mosaic office) | Identical rendering required at both occurrences — Rule 3. |
| Davidic heir enthroned | 2 Samuel 7:12–13; Psalm 132:11; Psalm 110:1; Psalm 2:7 | Acts 2:29–36; 13:22–23, 33–37 | Davidic Covenant; Sonship of Christ; Lordship of Christ | Reuses baseline 大卫/主/神的儿子 exactly; enthronement is unique and eternal, not a revocable Mandate-of-Heaven-style office. |
| Suffering Servant | Isaiah 52:13–53:12 | Acts 3:13, 18 (allusion); Acts 8:32–35 (direct quotation) | Justification apart from the Law; Gospel to Jews and Gentiles | 仆人 (servant) title requires disambiguation from ordinary servant/slave vocabulary (cf. Joel’s “menservants,” Acts 2:18). |
| Rejected-yet-exalted deliverer (Joseph) | Genesis 37–50 | Acts 7:9–16 (Stephen’s retelling) | Church as Community; Apostolic Authority and Miracles | Typological, not quoted directly; flag as a Christological pattern in teaching notes, not a strict prophecy-fulfillment citation. |
| Cornerstone/rejected stone | Psalm 118:22 | Acts 4:11 | Messianic Promise; Apostolic Authority and Miracles | 房角石/石头 imagery; rejection-then-vindication structure must be preserved. |
| Light to the nations | Isaiah 42:6; 49:6 | Acts 13:47; 26:23 | Great Commission Fulfilled; Gospel to Jews and Gentiles | Cluster parallels Romans 15’s Gentile-inclusion catena (Isaiah 11:10, Psalm 18:49, Deuteronomy 32:43) — see Rule 9. |
| Son of Man at God’s right hand | Daniel 7:13–14 | Acts 7:55–56 | Deity of Christ; Sonship of Christ | 人子 — Critical risk; full divine-authority weight required. |
| Firstfruits / Sinai typology | Leviticus 23:15–21; Exodus 19 | Acts 2:1 (Pentecost setting) | The Holy Spirit and Pentecost | 五旬节 requires explicit OT background teaching. |
| Babel reversed | Genesis 11:1–9 | Acts 2:3–11 | The Holy Spirit and Pentecost; Gospel to Jews and Gentiles | Deliberate narrative reversal; teaching note recommended, not a lexical risk. |
| Amos’s restored tent of David | Amos 9:11–12 | Acts 15:16–17 | Gospel to Jews and Gentiles; Justification apart from the Law | Key Jerusalem Council prooftext; must retain Gentile-inclusion force. |
PART 3 — PARALLELS TO THE BASELINE ROMANS CURRICULUM AND RENDERING-CONSISTENCY RULES
The following rules govern any segment in Phase 2 where an Acts passage and a Romans passage either (a) quote the identical OT text, (b) quote different verses from the same OT book/passage cluster, or (c) expound the same doctrine using shared baseline vocabulary. All rules are binding on Phase 2 translation and must be checked at validation.
Rule 1 — Joel 2:32 (identical quotation, Acts 2:21 = Romans 10:13). Acts 2:21 and Romans 10:13 both quote Joel 2:32 verbatim (“everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved”). The Mandarin rendering 凡求告主名的，就必得救 must be used identically in both locations, reusing baseline 主 (Lord) and 救恩-root 得救 (saved) exactly. This is the single most important cross-curricular consistency requirement identified in this analysis, extending the baseline’s existing “Same rendering of Romans 10:9–10” rule to its OT source-quotation.
Rule 2 — Psalm 16:10 (repeated within Acts, Acts 2:27/31 = Acts 13:35). Both occurrences must render identically within the Acts curriculum: 你必不叫你的圣者见朽坏 (or the established CUV equivalent), reusing 圣者/复活-adjacent vocabulary consistently.
Rule 3 — Deuteronomy 18:15/18–19 (repeated within Acts, Acts 3:22–23 = Acts 7:37). Both occurrences of the “prophet like Moses” quotation must render identically, reinforcing the Fulfillment of Prophecy and Justification apart from the Law doctrines (Christ as the definitive prophetic voice superseding, not merely repeating, Moses).
Rule 4 — Isaiah 53 Servant-Song cluster (Acts 3:13, 18 allusion; Acts 8:32–33 direct quotation; cf. Romans 10:16’s quotation of Isaiah 53:1). Although Acts and Romans quote different verses within Isaiah 53, all three must use a single, consistent Mandarin vocabulary set for “the Servant,” “led to slaughter,” and related imagery, so that a reader moving between Acts and Romans recognizes the same Isaianic figure. 仆人 for “Servant” must always be disambiguated from ordinary-servant usage by context.
Rule 5 — Spirit-filling and tongues vocabulary (Acts 2 = Acts 10:44–48, “the Gentile Pentecost”). The Mandarin rendering of 被圣灵充满 and 别国的话 established for Acts 2 must be reused identically at Acts 10, preserving Luke’s own deliberate narrative parallel between the Jewish and Gentile outpourings of the Spirit — central to the Gospel to Jews and Gentiles doctrine.
Rule 6 — Habakkuk citations (Acts 13:41 quotes Habakkuk 1:5; Romans 1:17 quotes Habakkuk 2:4). Different verses, same OT book. The book-name transliteration 哈巴谷书 (already fixed in the baseline’s cross-reference book-name list) must be used identically in both curricula. No harmonization of the verse content itself is required or permitted — these are two distinct quotations serving two distinct rhetorical purposes (a warning against scoffing at God’s work, vs. the foundational faith-by-which-the-righteous-shall-live thesis).
Rule 7 — Abrahamic covenant-to-the-nations texts (Acts 3:25 quotes/alludes Genesis 22:18/12:3; Romans 4:3 quotes Genesis 15:6). Different verses within the Abraham narrative, serving different doctrinal purposes (Acts 3:25 = promise of blessing to all nations; Romans 4:3 = imputed righteousness by faith). Both must use the baseline’s established 亚伯拉罕 proper name and 约 (covenant) vocabulary consistently; translators must not conflate the two distinct covenant-promise strands into a single generic “Abraham verse.”
Rule 8 — Psalm 2 (Acts 4:25–26 quotes Psalm 2:1–2; Acts 13:33 quotes Psalm 2:7; thematically parallels Romans 1:4’s “declared Son of God… by his resurrection”). Not a shared direct quotation with Romans, but a shared theological substrate (Davidic Sonship-enthronement Christology). The Mandarin rendering of Psalm 2:7 in Acts 13:33 must use baseline’s 神的儿子 register consistently with how Romans 1:4 is rendered, so that the enthronement-Sonship connection is recoverable for a reader of both curricula.
Rule 9 — Isaiah Servant/light-to-the-nations cluster (Acts 13:47; 26:23 quote/echo Isaiah 49:6/42:6; Romans 15:9–12 quotes Isaiah 11:10, Psalm 18:49, Deuteronomy 32:43, Isaiah 11:1 for the same Gentile-inclusion purpose). Different specific OT texts serving an identical doctrinal function (the promised worldwide scope of God’s saving purpose reaching the Gentiles). Consistent Mandarin phrasing for “light to the nations” (外邦人的光) and “to the end of the earth” (直到地极, shared with Acts 1:8) should be used across both curricula’s teaching material wherever this cluster is invoked, reinforcing the Great Commission Fulfilled and Mission to the Nations doctrines as a single coherent biblical-theological thread.
Rule 10 — Justification apart from the Law (Acts 13:38–39; Acts 15:1–29 narrate what Romans 3–4 and Galatians 2–3 expound). Acts contains no independent technical exposition of justification distinct from the baseline’s Romans treatment; it narrates the historical events (Paul’s preaching, the Jerusalem Council) that Romans and Galatians later expound doctrinally. All key terms — 称义, 恩典, 信心, 律法 — must be rendered using the exact baseline forms with full Critical-tier risk inherited; Acts 15 in particular should be flagged for theologian review at the same priority level as Romans 3–4.
Rule 11 — Isaiah 6:9–10 (Acts 28:26–27) and Israel’s hardening (Romans 11:8, quoting Isaiah 29:10/Deuteronomy 29:4). Different verses addressing the same theological reality — a partial, purposive divine hardening of unbelieving Israel that does not cancel God’s covenant faithfulness or the ongoing mission to “whoever calls” (Rule 1). Translators must frame both passages consistently as instances of God’s personal, purposive providence (神的护理) working through, not despite, human unbelief — never as impersonal fatalism, and never implying ethnic Israel’s final or total rejection (cf. baseline unity_of_jews_and_gentiles doctrine, and Romans 11:1’s “has God rejected his people? By no means!”).
Rule 12 — Non-Scriptural quotation flag (Acts 17:28, Greek poets). This is the only instance across both curricula where Paul quotes a non-canonical source approvingly. It must never be rendered or annotated in a way that implies parity between this quotation and an OT/NT Scripture citation; the surrounding verses’ explicit, exclusive naming of the true God must anchor its interpretation in Phase 2 output and any accompanying teaching notes.
Every chapter of Acts 1–28 has been reviewed for OT quotation, allusion, typology, and Romans-curriculum parallel. Chapters with no direct OT quotation (5, 6, 11, 12, 14, 16, 18, 19, 20, 21, 24, 25, 27) are explicitly confirmed reviewed above, each with typological or structural notes where present.
This document extends, and does not contradict, translation_memory.json, bible_term_registry.json, doctrine_risk_registry.json, and this curriculum’s 07_semantic_analysis.md / 08_core_glossary.md. See 10_biblical_theme_map.md for the accompanying whole-book theme structure.