Doctrine Analysis
Doctrine Analysis — Acts 1–28, English → Marathi
Purpose
This document is the full doctrine matrix for the book of Acts, covering every chapter from 1 to 28. It is fully consistent with assets/doctrine_risk_registry.json (Acts): the same 31 doctrines, identical risk tiers, identical review routing. This file adds the chapter-by-chapter coverage view required by the PRD Phase 1 mandate — every chapter is explicitly accounted for, whether or not it introduces new load-bearing doctrinal content. The core passage, Acts 2:1–41 (Pentecost), is the theological anchor of the curriculum but not its scope: this analysis spans the whole book.
Risk tiers, definitions, and review routing are inherited without modification from the Romans baseline and the Acts doctrine_risk_registry.json:
- Critical — Mistranslation alters or destroys essential doctrine. Human theologian review required for every occurrence.
- High — Mistranslation creates significant theological confusion or syncretism risk. Human theologian review required.
- Medium — Mistranslation reduces clarity but preserves essential meaning. Native speaker review recommended.
- Low — Mistranslation causes minor misunderstanding or imprecision. Automated review sufficient. (No Acts doctrine is rated Low; see Risk Summary.)
Doctrines already anchored in the Romans baseline (grace, salvation, resurrection, lordship of Christ, election, providence, universal sinfulness/accountability, etc.) are re-listed here with Acts-specific supporting passages and Acts-specific syncretism risk, rather than re-argued from scratch. New doctrines specific to Acts’ narrative (Pentecost/outpouring, ceremonial purity, apostolic authority, persecution/witness, Paul’s conversion, the Jerusalem Council) are given in full.
Full Doctrine Matrix
| # | Doctrine | Marathi Doctrine Name | Risk | Key Supporting Passages (Acts) | Translation Risk / Syncretism Note | Review Routing |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | The Holy Spirit and Pentecost: Outpouring of the Spirit | पवित्र आत्म्याचा वर्षाव | Critical | 2:1-4; 2:16-18; 2:33; 10:44-46; 19:1-6 | Sovereign, one-time, historically-anchored divine gift; must not be read through Warkari devotional “grace descending” idiom or folk trance-possession (अंगात येणे). Filling is the personal Spirit’s own act on conscious believers, never ecstatic possession or a yogic altered state. | Human theologian |
| 2 | Spirit-Filling and Empowerment for Witness | पवित्र आत्म्याने भरणे व सामर्थ्य | High | 2:4; 4:8; 4:31; 6:3; 9:17; 13:9 | Recurring refrain; must not be assimilated to trance-possession idiom or tantric/yogic self-cultivated altered consciousness. Produces clear-headed bold proclamation, not frenzy. | Human theologian |
| 3 | Tongues as Real, Known Languages | इतर भाषांमध्ये बोलणे | High | 2:4-11; 10:46; 19:6 | Must denote actual foreign human languages (xenolalia) confirmed by hearers’ native tongues; distinguish sharply from ecstatic trance-speech and from the flame-shaped visual sign of 2:3 (Marathi has no single word bridging both senses of Greek γλῶσσα). | Human theologian |
| 4 | The Gift of the Holy Spirit (Indwelling Presence) | पवित्र आत्म्याचे दान | High | 2:38; 8:14-17; 10:44-47; 11:15-17; 19:2-6 | Distinct from आत्मिक कृपादान (ministry charismata, Romans baseline); given equally to every believer at conversion, not an ascetically-attained state comparable to Buddhist siddhi-like attainment. | Human theologian |
| 5 | The Gospel to Jews and Gentiles | यहूदी व अन्यजातीयांसाठी शुभवर्तमान | High | 1:8; 10:1-48; 11:1-18; 13:46-48; 15:1-29; 28:28 | Central narrative arc from exclusively-Jewish to unqualified Gentile inclusion; resonant with Maharashtra’s own memory of caste exclusion and the 1956 Ambedkarite conversion’s rejection of spiritual hierarchy. | Human theologian |
| 6 | Unity of Jews and Gentiles (Acts Application) | यहूदी आणि अन्यजातीय यांची एकता | High | 10:34-35; 11:12; 11:17-18; 15:8-9 | Demonstrated narratively (Gentile Pentecost of ch.10 mirrors ch.2); directly challenges any caste-based spiritual hierarchy and must not be softened. | Human theologian |
| 7 | Ceremonial Purity Categories Abolished in Christ | विधिवत अशुद्धतेचे निर्मूलन | Critical | 10:9-16; 10:28; 11:1-18 | Direct collision with Maharashtra’s Brahminical शुद्ध/अशुद्ध caste-purity framework historically used against Dalit communities — the framework the 1956 Ambedkarite conversion rejected. Peter’s vision must read as liberating, boundary-breaking, not as merely a private dietary revision. | Human theologian |
| 8 | Repentance and Baptism | पश्चात्ताप आणि बाप्तिस्मा | Critical | 2:38; 3:19; 8:12-13; 8:36-38; 9:18; 16:31-33; 19:4-5; 22:16 | Repentance ≠ Hindu प्रायश्चित्त (ritual/ascetic karmic expiation) or Buddhist self-correcting karma-acknowledgment without a personal God. Baptism ≠ तीर्थस्नान/गंगास्नान (merit-earning ritual bathing); it signifies what God has already done, not a merit rite. | Human theologian |
| 9 | Baptism of the Spirit Distinguished from John’s Baptism | पवित्र आत्म्याचा बाप्तिस्मा व योहानाचा बाप्तिस्मा यातील फरक | Medium | 1:5; 11:16; 18:24-26; 19:1-6 | Christian baptism is specifically Christ-centered and united with receiving the Spirit, not a merely repeatable preparatory purification rite. | Native speaker review |
| 10 | The Church as Community | समुदाय म्हणून मंडळी | Medium | 2:42-47; 4:32-35; 6:1-7 | Voluntary, Spirit-motivated generosity and shared life, not compulsory economic redistribution or caste-based mutual-aid networks; growth is God’s sovereign act, not recruitment strategy. | Native speaker review |
| 11 | Apostolic Authority and Miracles | प्रेषितांचा अधिकार व चमत्कार | High | 2:43; 3:1-10; 5:12-16; 8:9-24; 13:6-12; 14:3; 19:11-20 | Miracles performed by divine सामर्थ्य channeled through Christ’s name and delegated authority, never the apostles’ own inherent power; sharply and repeatedly distinguished from जादूटोणा (sorcery/occult manipulation) given living occult/tantra practice. | Human theologian |
| 12 | Authority in the Name of Jesus | येशूच्या नावाचा अधिकार | Critical | 2:38; 3:6; 3:16; 4:7-12; 16:18; 19:13-17 | The sons-of-Sceva text (19:13-17) is the book’s own explicit warning against reducing “the name of Jesus” to a repeatable power-formula akin to Warkari नामस्मरण or occult incantation; denotes personal authority through genuine relationship with the risen Lord. | Human theologian |
| 13 | Persecution and Bold Witness | छळ व धैर्याने साक्ष | High | 4:13; 4:29-31; 5:29; 5:41; 8:1-4; 12:1-5; 14:19-22; 16:19-25 | Boldness tied explicitly to the Spirit’s empowerment, not natural courage or Buddhist self-cultivated equanimity; persecution is suffering specifically for gospel testimony, never phrased to echo a karmic-misfortune framework the Ambedkarite Buddhist community specifically rejected. | Human theologian |
| 14 | The Martyrdom of Stephen | स्तेफनाचे हौतात्म्य | High | 7:54-60 | The point where “witness” (साक्षीदार) and “martyr” converge historically for the first time; Stephen’s forgiving prayer models grace toward persecutors and must retain full force, echoing Christ’s own words from the cross. | Human theologian |
| 15 | Conversion of Paul | पौलाचे धर्मांतर | Critical | 9:1-19; 22:6-16; 26:12-18 | Sovereign divine interruption of a religious persecutor, not the result of his own seeking — parallels the baseline’s contrast with devotee-initiated seeking (wari pilgrimage) and the Buddhist deliberate “taking of refuge.” Christ’s identification with his persecuted church ties directly to Lordship of Christ. | Human theologian |
| 16 | ”The Way” as Christian Identity | मार्ग - ख्रिस्ती ओळख | High | 9:2; 19:9; 19:23; 22:4; 24:14; 24:22 | मार्ग is already loaded in Hindu thought (भक्तिमार्ग/ज्ञानमार्ग/कर्ममार्ग) and Navayana Buddhism (अष्टांगिक मार्ग). “The Way” here names trusting union with and following a specific person, the risen exclusive Lord, not a self-directed discipline or one path among several. | Human theologian |
| 17 | Justification Apart from the Law | नियमशास्त्राशिवाय नीतिमान ठरवणे | Critical | 13:38-39; 15:1-11; 15:28-29 | The clearest “apart from the law” statement in Acts and the Jerusalem Council’s resolution that Gentiles are saved by grace through faith identically to Jews, without circumcision or law-works. Reuse नीतिमान ठरवणे / नियमशास्त्र exactly; never धर्म/धम्म. | Human theologian |
| 18 | The Jerusalem Council and Gentile Freedom from the Law | यरुशलेम परिषद व अन्यजातीयांचे स्वातंत्र्य | High | 15:1-29 | Establishes legitimate corporate apostolic authority under the Spirit’s own authorship, distinct from a merely human committee decision; the pastoral compromise must not be read as reimposing a law-works requirement or licensing moral compromise. | Human theologian |
| 19 | Exclusivity of Salvation in Christ | ख्रिस्तातच तारणाची अनन्यता | Critical | 4:12 | The single most explicit exclusivity statement in the book; must not be softened, and must be held together without contradiction alongside the equally unqualified universal invitation of 2:21 and 10:34-35. | Human theologian |
| 20 | Universal Call to Salvation | तारणासाठी सार्वत्रिक आमंत्रण | Critical | 2:21; 2:39; 10:34-35; 17:30 | No caste, ethnic, or status barrier to the invitation — directly resonant with the 1956 Ambedkarite Buddhist mass conversion away from caste hierarchy. Distinguish “calling on the name of the Lord” from Warkari नामस्मरण’s repetitive devotional-merit chanting. | Human theologian |
| 21 | The Great Commission Fulfilled | महान आज्ञेची पूर्तता | High | 1:8; 6:7; 12:24; 19:20; 28:30-31 | Structures the whole book geographically (Jerusalem → Judea/Samaria → ends of the earth); closes triumphantly “unhindered” in Rome despite persecution. Consistent rendering of the recurring growth-refrain and closing word required as deliberate structural bookends. | Human theologian |
| 22 | Resurrection of Christ and the General Resurrection | ख्रिस्ताचे पुनरुत्थान व सर्वसाधारण पुनरुत्थान | Critical | 2:24-32; 4:2; 4:33; 17:18; 17:31-32; 23:6-8; 24:15; 24:21; 26:23 | पुनरुत्थान only, never पुनर्जन्म (Hindu rebirth) or पुनर्भव (Buddhist arising of a new aggregate-configuration). Sanhedrin’s Pharisee-Sadducee dispute (ch.23) and Paul’s repeated defense of future bodily resurrection (24:15) require this positive, bodily, historical, once-for-all sense to be actively built up. | Human theologian |
| 23 | Lordship of Christ | ख्रिस्ताचे प्रभुत्व | Critical | 2:36; 10:36; 16:31 | Consistency-locked across all three occurrences per the cross-document rule; exclusive, supreme, presently-reigning Lordship, not one more beloved personal deity alongside Vitthal within bhakti devotion. | Human theologian |
| 24 | Deity and Exaltation of Christ | ख्रिस्ताचे ईश्वरत्व व उन्नयन | Critical | 2:33-36; 7:55-56 | Christ’s ascension-enthronement grounds his authority to give the Spirit and forgive sins; Stephen’s dying vision affirms co-equal, undiminished divine glory — not a humbly-postured personal deity nor an enlightened human teacher elevated in memory. | Human theologian |
| 25 | Sorcery and Occult Power Contrasted with the Spirit’s Power | जादूटोणा व पवित्र आत्म्याचे सामर्थ्य | High | 8:9-24; 13:6-11; 19:13-20 | Directly relevant given living tantra/occult practice; Simon Magus’s attempt to purchase power (origin of “simony”) reinforces कृपा as ungraspable, unpurchasable gift, never a commodity or technique. | Human theologian |
| 26 | Idolatry Confronted | मूर्तिपूजेला आव्हान | Critical | 14:11-18; 17:16-31; 19:23-41 | Direct collision with Warkari murti-devotion (Vitthal’s image at Pandharpur); Lystra’s “the gods have come down to us” episode is the biblical warrant paralleling the baseline’s caution against अवतार. Must be a doctrinal contrast, never a cultural insult to devotional practice as such. | Human theologian |
| 27 | Providence and the Sovereign Plan of God | देवाचे विधान व सार्वभौम योजना | High | 2:23; 2:27; 4:27-28; 17:26 | God’s sovereign plan and genuine human guilt/wickedness held together without contradiction; must not echo the karma-based “everything is fated” explanation of misfortune or status that Ambedkarite Buddhist communities specifically rejected. | Human theologian |
| 28 | Inspiration and Fulfillment of Scripture | पवित्रशास्त्राची प्रेरणा व पूर्तता | High | 1:16; 2:16-21; 3:18; 3:24; 13:32-33; 17:2-3; 17:11; 26:22-23 | Linear, one-time historical fulfillment of specific OT prophecy, not cyclical yuga-cycle time nor the Buddhist wheel of dependent-origination; the Bereans’ daily scripture-searching (17:11) models discernment distinct from devotional abhang poetry or Tripitaka teaching-authority. | Human theologian |
| 29 | Election and Divine Calling | देवाची निवड व पाचारण | High | 9:15; 13:48; 16:14; 22:14 | God’s sovereign, personal choice and prior initiative must never echo the karma-birth explanation of social standing that Ambedkarite Buddhist communities painfully rejected; election is God’s gracious choosing of a person, not a cosmic ledger. | Human theologian |
| 30 | Church Leadership and Ordination | मंडळीचे नेतृत्व व नियुक्ती | Medium | 6:1-6; 14:23; 20:17; 20:28 | Recognized offices appointed under the Spirit’s guidance and community confirmation; laying on of hands must not be conflated with folk-healing touch rituals or guru-śiṣya blessing-lineage transmission. | Native speaker review |
| 31 | Grace, Not Merit or Law-Works | कृपा, गुणवत्तेने नव्हे | Critical | 4:33; 11:23; 13:43; 14:26; 15:11; 18:27; 20:24; 20:32 | Acts 15:11 is the book’s decisive resolution of the Jew-Gentile salvation question, equal in weight to Romans 3:23-24. कृपा still risks reading as Vitthal’s devotional favor in Warkari bhakti; must be reinforced as unearned and Christ-specific, and built up (not merely corrected) for readers formed by Buddhist self-cultivation ethics. | Human theologian |
Chapter-by-Chapter Coverage (Acts 1–28)
Every chapter of Acts is reviewed below. Chapters that introduce no new load-bearing doctrine beyond what is already tabulated are noted explicitly as “reviewed — no new doctrinal content” with a brief statement of why, per the full-book-coverage mandate.
Acts 1 — Load-bearing: #21 Great Commission Fulfilled (1:8, the programmatic Jerusalem/Judea-Samaria/ends-of-earth structure); #28 Inspiration and Fulfillment of Scripture (1:16, Judas/Scripture-fulfillment); #9 Baptism of the Spirit Distinguished from John’s Baptism (1:5). Background: देवाचे राज्य (Kingdom of God, baseline term, 1:3) frames the whole book; no new risk beyond baseline.
Acts 2 (core passage, 2:1-41) — Anchor chapter. Load-bearing: #1 Outpouring of the Spirit, #2 Spirit-Filling and Empowerment, #3 Tongues as Known Languages, #4 Gift of the Holy Spirit (Indwelling), #8 Repentance and Baptism, #20 Universal Call to Salvation, #22 Resurrection of Christ, #23 Lordship of Christ (2:36), #24 Deity and Exaltation of Christ (2:33-36), #27 Providence (2:23, 2:27), #28 Inspiration/Fulfillment of Scripture (2:16-21). Also (2:42-47): #10 The Church as Community; #11 Apostolic Authority and Miracles (2:43). This is the single densest chapter in the book for doctrine-risk density and must receive the most thorough Phase 2 review coverage.
Acts 3 — Load-bearing: #11 Apostolic Authority and Miracles (3:1-10, healing of the lame man); #12 Authority in the Name of Jesus (3:6, 3:16); #8 Repentance and Baptism (3:19); #28 Inspiration and Fulfillment of Scripture (3:18, 3:24, Peter’s sermon citing the prophets).
Acts 4 — Load-bearing: #19 Exclusivity of Salvation in Christ (4:12, “no other name”); #12 Authority in the Name of Jesus (4:7-12); #13 Persecution and Bold Witness (4:13, 4:29-31); #2 Spirit-Filling and Empowerment (4:8, 4:31); #27 Providence (4:27-28); #31 Grace, Not Merit (4:33).
Acts 5 — Load-bearing: #13 Persecution and Bold Witness (5:29 “obey God rather than men,” 5:41); #11 Apostolic Authority and Miracles (5:12-16). No new doctrines introduced.
Acts 6 — Load-bearing: #30 Church Leadership and Ordination (6:1-6, appointment of the Seven); #2 Spirit-Filling and Empowerment (6:3); #21 Great Commission Fulfilled (6:7, first occurrence of the growth refrain).
Acts 7 — Load-bearing: #14 The Martyrdom of Stephen (7:54-60); #24 Deity and Exaltation of Christ (7:55-56, Stephen’s vision). Stephen’s speech (7:2-53) is extensive Scripture-recital background to #28 but introduces no new doctrine beyond reinforcing linear covenant-historical fulfillment already tabulated.
Acts 8 — Load-bearing: #5 The Gospel to Jews and Gentiles (Philip’s mission to Samaria, an early widening); #11 Apostolic Authority and Miracles and #25 Sorcery and Occult Power Contrasted (8:9-24, Simon Magus); #8 Repentance and Baptism (8:12-13, 8:36-38, the Ethiopian eunuch).
Acts 9 — Load-bearing: #15 Conversion of Paul (9:1-19); #16 “The Way” as Christian Identity (9:2, first occurrence); #29 Election and Divine Calling (9:15, “chosen vessel”); #8 Repentance and Baptism (9:18).
Acts 10 — Load-bearing: #5 The Gospel to Jews and Gentiles, #6 Unity of Jews and Gentiles (10:34-35), #7 Ceremonial Purity Categories Abolished (10:9-16, 10:28), #4 Gift of the Holy Spirit/Indwelling (10:44-47), #23 Lordship of Christ (10:36), #8 Repentance and Baptism. This is the narrative counterpart to Acts 2 and requires equally careful review.
Acts 11 — Load-bearing: #5/#6 (11:1-18, Peter’s report and defense to the Jerusalem church), #7 Ceremonial Purity Categories Abolished, #4 Gift of the Holy Spirit (11:15-17), #9 Baptism of the Spirit vs. John’s Baptism (11:16), #31 Grace, Not Merit (11:23).
Acts 12 — Load-bearing: #13 Persecution and Bold Witness (12:1-5, Herod’s persecution, James’ martyrdom, Peter’s imprisonment); #21 Great Commission Fulfilled (12:24, second growth-refrain occurrence). No new doctrines beyond these.
Acts 13 — Load-bearing: #17 Justification Apart from the Law (13:38-39, the clearest statement in Acts); #29 Election and Divine Calling (13:48); #25 Sorcery and Occult Power Contrasted (13:6-11, Elymas); #31 Grace, Not Merit (13:43); #2 Spirit-Filling (13:9, Paul filled with the Spirit).
Acts 14 — Load-bearing: #26 Idolatry Confronted (14:11-18, Lystra, “the gods have come down to us in the likeness of men” — the direct biblical parallel to the baseline’s अवतार caution); #11 Apostolic Authority and Miracles (14:3); #30 Church Leadership and Ordination (14:23); #13 Persecution and Bold Witness (14:19-22); #31 Grace, Not Merit (14:26).
Acts 15 — Load-bearing: #18 The Jerusalem Council and Gentile Freedom from the Law (15:1-29); #17 Justification Apart from the Law (15:1-11, 15:28-29); #31 Grace, Not Merit (15:11, the decisive Jew-Gentile salvation statement — theologically equal in weight to Romans 3:23-24 and requires the same review rigor).
Acts 16 — Load-bearing: #29 Election and Divine Calling (16:14, “the Lord opened her heart,” Lydia); #23 Lordship of Christ (16:31, consistency-locked verse); #13 Persecution and Bold Witness (16:19-25, Philippian jailer narrative); #10 The Church as Community (Lydia’s household and the jailer’s household as gathered communities).
Acts 17 — Load-bearing: #26 Idolatry Confronted (17:16-31, the Areopagus address, “unknown god”); #28 Inspiration and Fulfillment of Scripture (17:2-3, 17:11, the Bereans); #20 Universal Call to Salvation (17:30); #27 Providence (17:26, “of one blood all nations”).
Acts 18 — Load-bearing: #9 Baptism of the Spirit vs. John’s Baptism (18:24-26, Apollos); #31 Grace, Not Merit (18:27). No new doctrines beyond these.
Acts 19 — Load-bearing: #1 Outpouring of the Spirit and #4 Gift of the Holy Spirit (19:1-6, the Ephesian disciples); #9 Baptism of the Spirit vs. John’s Baptism (19:1-6); #11 Apostolic Authority and Miracles and #25 Sorcery and Occult Power Contrasted (19:11-20, the sons of Sceva); #12 Authority in the Name of Jesus (19:13-17, the book’s own explicit warning text); #26 Idolatry Confronted (19:23-41, the Artemis/Diana riot at Ephesus); #21 Great Commission Fulfilled (19:20, third growth-refrain occurrence).
Acts 20 — Load-bearing: #31 Grace, Not Merit (20:24, 20:32); #30 Church Leadership and Ordination (20:17, 20:28, the Ephesian elders). No new doctrines beyond these.
Acts 21 — Reviewed — no new doctrine beyond what is already tabulated. Background tension over circumcision/the law (Paul’s temple purification vow at James’ urging, 21:20-26) reinforces #17/#18 (Justification Apart from the Law; Jerusalem Council) but introduces no new doctrinal category. The temporary ceremonial vow (Section B term “vow/नवस,” core glossary #29) requires care to distinguish from the common Hindu/folk devotional bargain-vow made at shrines such as Pandharpur, but this is a terminological rather than doctrinal risk, already flagged in the core glossary.
Acts 22 — Load-bearing: #15 Conversion of Paul (22:6-16, Paul’s own retelling); #16 “The Way” as Christian Identity (22:4); #29 Election and Divine Calling (22:14); #13 Persecution and Bold Witness (Paul’s defense speech to the Jerusalem crowd).
Acts 23 — Load-bearing: #22 Resurrection of Christ and the General Resurrection (23:6-8, the Pharisee-Sadducee dispute before the Sanhedrin — a key textual occasion requiring the doctrine to be built up positively); #13 Persecution and Bold Witness (the plot against Paul’s life).
Acts 24 — Load-bearing: #22 Resurrection of Christ and the General Resurrection (24:15, 24:21); #16 “The Way” as Christian Identity (24:14, 24:22); #13 Persecution and Bold Witness (Paul’s defense before Felix).
Acts 25 — Reviewed — no new doctrine beyond what is already tabulated. Continues #13 Persecution and Bold Witness (Paul’s defense before Festus and appeal to Caesar); no new doctrinal category is introduced.
Acts 26 — Load-bearing: #15 Conversion of Paul (26:12-18, the fullest retelling); #22 Resurrection of Christ and the General Resurrection (26:23); #29 Election and Divine Calling; #13 Persecution and Bold Witness (Paul’s defense before Agrippa).
Acts 27 — Reviewed — no new doctrine beyond what is already tabulated. The shipwreck narrative illustrates #27 Providence and the Sovereign Plan of God implicitly (God’s preserving purpose amid genuine peril) but introduces no new doctrinal category requiring separate registry treatment. Baseline term उपकारस्तुती (thanksgiving, 27:35) applies with standard low-risk usage.
Acts 28 — Load-bearing: #21 The Great Commission Fulfilled (28:30-31, the closing “unhindered” bookend to 1:8); #5 The Gospel to Jews and Gentiles (28:28, the final programmatic statement of Gentile inclusion). This chapter closes the book’s structural doctrinal arc and must render the final growth-refrain/closing word consistently with its two earlier occurrences (6:7, 12:24, 19:20 and 1:8 respectively).
Risk Summary
Consistent with assets/doctrine_risk_registry.json (Acts):
| Risk Tier | Count | Review Routing |
|---|---|---|
| Critical | 13 | Human theologian (mandatory, every occurrence) |
| High | 15 | Human theologian (mandatory) |
| Medium | 3 | Native speaker review |
| Low | 0 | — |
| Total requiring theologian review | 28 | |
| Total requiring native speaker review | 3 | |
| Total automated-only | 0 |
No doctrine in Acts is rated Low risk; the book’s dense concentration of first-occurrence, narrative-enacted doctrine (Pentecost, Gentile inclusion, ceremonial purity, apostolic authority, persecution, Paul’s conversion, justification apart from the law) places every tabulated doctrine at Medium risk or above, consistent with the elevated review burden already reflected in the Acts doctrine_risk_registry.json.
Cross-Reference Note
This doctrine matrix must be read alongside analysis/08_core_glossary.md (term-level detail and Section B new-term proposals) and assets/doctrine_risk_registry.json (machine-readable routing source of truth for Phase 2 Step 17). Any future revision to risk tier, doctrine name, or supporting passage list must be applied identically to both this file and the registry to preserve consistency, per the baseline’s Theological Consistency Rules Across Documents.
Critical Risk Doctrines
The Holy Spirit and Pentecost: Outpouring of the Spirit
Marathi name: पवित्र आत्म्याचा वर्षाव
Key terms: outpouring, poured out, filled with the Holy Ghost, gift of the Holy Ghost
Review routing: Human theologian
The Spirit’s coming is a sovereign, one-time-historical, once-for-all-inaugurated divine gift, not a repeatable devotional attainment. कृपा-adjacent risk: Warkari bhakti’s own devotional vocabulary of a deity’s grace ‘coming upon’ a devotee, and the folk-religious idiom of a spirit ‘coming upon/into’ a person (अंगात येणे, associated with trance-possession), both risk being read into this text; the filling must be presented as the personal Holy Spirit’s own sovereign act on ordinary, conscious believers, not ecstatic possession or a meditative/yogic altered state.
Ceremonial Purity Categories Abolished in Christ
Marathi name: विधिवत अशुद्धतेचे निर्मूलन
Key terms: common, unclean, what God hath cleansed
Review routing: Human theologian
CRITICAL: extremely sensitive rendering given Maharashtra’s Brahminical शुद्ध/अशुद्ध (pure/impure) caste-purity framework historically used to stigmatize and exclude Dalit communities — the very framework the 1956 Ambedkarite Buddhist conversion explicitly rejected. Peter’s vision must be translated so its liberating, boundary-breaking thrust is unmistakable: this text supports, not undermines, the rejection of purity-based exclusion. Requires mandatory translator/theologian note at every occurrence.
Repentance and Baptism
Marathi name: पश्चात्ताप आणि बाप्तिस्मा
Key terms: repent, be baptized, remission of sins, gift of the Holy Ghost
Review routing: Human theologian
Repentance must be distinguished from Hindu प्रायश्चित्त (ritual/ascetic expiation cancelling karmic sin-debt through austerity or pilgrimage) and from Buddhist self-correcting acknowledgment of unwholesome karma without reference to a personal God. Baptism must be distinguished from Hindu तीर्थस्नान/गंगास्नान (ritual bathing in sacred rivers for purification or merit); it is a sign of what God has already done in response to repentance and faith, not a merit-earning rite.
Authority in the Name of Jesus
Marathi name: येशूच्या नावाचा अधिकार
Key terms: in the name of Jesus Christ, no other name, called over them the name
Review routing: Human theologian
CRITICAL: the single clearest textual warning (19:13-17, the sons of Sceva) against reducing ‘the name of Jesus’ to a repeatable power-formula akin to Warkari नामस्मरण (repetitive name-chanting for merit/blessing) or an occult incantation; the name denotes personal authority and belonging invoked through genuine faith, operative only through real relationship with the risen Lord.
Conversion of Paul
Marathi name: पौलाचे धर्मांतर
Key terms: light from heaven, Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou me?, chosen vessel, the Way
Review routing: Human theologian
Must be presented as sovereign divine interruption of a religious persecutor, not the result of Paul’s own seeking — paralleling the baseline divine_calling’s contrast with devotee-initiated seeking (e.g., the Warkari wari pilgrimage) and the Buddhist deliberate, self-chosen ‘taking of refuge.’ Christ’s identification with his persecuted church (‘why persecutest thou me?’) ties directly to lordship_of_christ.
Justification Apart from the Law
Marathi name: नियमशास्त्राशिवाय नीतिमान ठरवणे
Key terms: justified, law of Moses, circumcision, grace of the Lord Jesus
Review routing: Human theologian
The clearest ‘apart from the law’ statement in Acts (13:38-39) and the Jerusalem Council’s resolution (ch.15) that Gentiles are saved by grace through faith identically to Jews, without circumcision or law-works. Reuse नीतिमान ठरवणे and नियमशास्त्र exactly per the Romans baseline; never render law as धर्म/धम्म.
Exclusivity of Salvation in Christ
Marathi name: ख्रिस्तातच तारणाची अनन्यता
Key terms: no other name, must be saved
Review routing: Human theologian
The single most explicit exclusivity statement in the book; must not be softened, and must be held together without contradiction alongside the equally unqualified universal invitation of 2:21 and 10:34-35 — universal invitation plus singular means, both intact.
Universal Call to Salvation
Marathi name: तारणासाठी सार्वत्रिक आमंत्रण
Key terms: whosoever shall call, all that are afar off, God is no respecter of persons, repent
Review routing: Human theologian
No caste, ethnic, or status barrier to the gospel invitation — a claim with unusually direct resonance in Maharashtra given the 1956 Ambedkarite Buddhist mass conversion away from caste hierarchy; retain the unqualified universality without softening, and distinguish ‘calling on the name of the Lord’ from Warkari नामस्मरण’s repetitive devotional-merit chanting.
Resurrection of Christ and the General Resurrection
Marathi name: ख्रिस्ताचे पुनरुत्थान व सर्वसाधारण पुनरुत्थान
Key terms: raised up, resurrection, loosed the pains of death, corruption
Review routing: Human theologian
CRITICAL: पुनरुत्थान only, never पुनर्जन्म (Hindu rebirth) or पुनर्भव (the Buddhist arising of a new configuration of aggregates, explicitly not survival of a continuous self). The Sanhedrin’s internal Pharisee-Sadducee dispute over resurrection (ch.23) and Paul’s repeated defense of a future bodily resurrection of all people (24:15) require this bodily, historical, once-for-all sense to be built up positively, not merely defended against rejected alternatives.
Lordship of Christ
Marathi name: ख्रिस्ताचे प्रभुत्व
Key terms: Lord and Christ, believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, Lord of all
Review routing: Human theologian
Consistency-locked across 2:36, 10:36, and 16:31 per the cross-document consistency rule; must convey exclusive, supreme, presently-reigning Lordship, not one more beloved personal deity alongside Vitthal within a devotee’s bhakti practice.
Deity and Exaltation of Christ
Marathi name: ख्रिस्ताचे ईश्वरत्व व उन्नयन
Key terms: exalted, right hand of God, glory of God, and Jesus standing
Review routing: Human theologian
Christ’s ascension-enthronement is the basis of his authority to give the Spirit and forgive sins; Stephen’s dying vision (7:55-56) affirms Christ’s co-equal, undiminished divine glory — not a beloved humbly-postured personal deity nor an enlightened human teacher elevated in memory.
Idolatry Confronted
Marathi name: मूर्तिपूजेला आव्हान
Key terms: the gods are come down to us in the likeness of men, wholly given to idolatry, unknown god, living God
Review routing: Human theologian
CRITICAL: direct collision with Warkari murti-devotion (Vitthal’s image at Pandharpur); ch.14’s Lystra episode, where the crowd mistakes Paul and Barnabas for descending gods, is itself the biblical warrant paralleling the baseline’s caution against अवतार for the true incarnation. Must be framed as a doctrinal contrast between the living God and manufactured images, never a cultural insult to Hindu devotional practice as such.
Grace, Not Merit or Law-Works
Marathi name: कृपा, गुणवत्तेने नव्हे
Key terms: grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, great grace, word of his grace
Review routing: Human theologian
Acts 15:11 (‘we shall be saved through the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, even as they’) is the book’s decisive resolution of the Jew-Gentile salvation question, equal to Romans 3:23-24 in theological weight; कृपा still risks reading as Vitthal’s devotional favor in Warkari bhakti and must be reinforced as unearned and Christ-specific at every occurrence, and as a concept requiring positive construction (not merely correction) for readers formed by Navayana Buddhist self-cultivation ethics.
High Risk Doctrines
Spirit-Filling and Empowerment for Witness
Marathi name: पवित्र आत्म्याने भरणे व सामर्थ्य
Key terms: filled with the Holy Ghost, power, boldness
Review routing: Human theologian
Recurring refrain across Acts must not be assimilated to Hindu/folk trance-possession idiom (अंगात येणे, involuntary ecstatic-frenzy) or to yogic/tantric altered-consciousness attainment achieved through discipline; this filling is the Spirit’s sovereign act, producing clear-headed, bold proclamation, not trance.
Tongues as Real, Known Languages
Marathi name: इतर भाषांमध्ये बोलणे
Key terms: other tongues, tongues of fire, own language
Review routing: Human theologian
Must denote actual foreign human languages (xenolalia) confirmed by the hearers’ own native tongues, distinguished from ecstatic trance-speech associated with local spirit-possession or mantra/tantric practice; also distinguished from the flame-shaped visual sign in 2:3, since Marathi has no single word bridging ‘tongue’ and ‘language’ as Greek γλῶσσα does.
The Gift of the Holy Spirit (Indwelling Presence)
Marathi name: पवित्र आत्म्याचे दान
Key terms: gift of the Holy Ghost, receive the Holy Ghost
Review routing: Human theologian
Must be kept distinct from आत्मिक कृपादान (spiritual gifts/charismata for ministry, Romans baseline); this is the Spirit’s own indwelling presence given equally to every believer at conversion, not an unevenly distributed enablement or an ascetically attained state (contrast Buddhist siddhi-like attainments through discipline).
The Gospel to Jews and Gentiles
Marathi name: यहूदी व अन्यजातीयांसाठी शुभवर्तमान
Key terms: Jews, Gentiles, nations, to the ends of the earth
Review routing: Human theologian
The book’s central narrative arc: the gospel moves from an exclusively Jewish audience to explicit, unqualified Gentile inclusion. Must be rendered with the same care as the Romans baseline’s unity_of_jews_and_gentiles, resonant with Maharashtra’s own recent memory of caste-based exclusion and the 1956 Ambedkarite conversion’s rejection of hierarchical spiritual status.
Unity of Jews and Gentiles (Acts Application)
Marathi name: यहूदी आणि अन्यजातीय यांची एकता
Key terms: no distinction, God is no respecter of persons, same gift
Review routing: Human theologian
Reuses the Romans baseline doctrine; in Acts this is demonstrated narratively (the Gentile Pentecost of ch.10 mirrors ch.2 exactly) rather than argued propositionally as in Romans. Directly challenges any caste-based spiritual hierarchy and must not be softened.
Apostolic Authority and Miracles
Marathi name: प्रेषितांचा अधिकार व चमत्कार
Key terms: signs and wonders, in the name of Jesus, power of God, sorcery
Review routing: Human theologian
Miracles are performed by divine सामर्थ्य channeled through Christ’s name and delegated apostolic authority, never Peter’s or Paul’s own inherent power; must be sharply and repeatedly distinguished from जादूटोणा (sorcery/occult manipulation), which the narrative itself explicitly contrasts (Simon Magus, ch.8; Elymas, ch.13; sons of Sceva, ch.19) — relevant given living occult/tantra practice contexts.
Persecution and Bold Witness
Marathi name: छळ व धैर्याने साक्ष
Key terms: witnesses, boldness, persecution, obey God rather than men
Review routing: Human theologian
Boldness must be tied explicitly to the Spirit’s own empowerment, not natural courage or Buddhist-style self-cultivated equanimity; persecution must be understood as suffering specifically for gospel testimony, never phrased so as to echo a karmic-misfortune framework the Ambedkarite Buddhist community specifically rejected.
The Martyrdom of Stephen
Marathi name: स्तेफनाचे हौतात्म्य
Key terms: witness, Lord Jesus, receive my spirit, lay not this sin to their charge
Review routing: Human theologian
The moment where ‘witness’ (साक्षीदार) and ‘martyr’ converge historically for the first time in the church; Stephen’s prayer of forgiveness models grace toward persecutors and must retain its full force, echoing Christ’s own words from the cross.
”The Way” as Christian Identity
Marathi name: मार्ग - ख्रिस्ती ओळख
Key terms: the Way, this way, sect of the Nazarenes
Review routing: Human theologian
Extremely important collision risk: मार्ग is already deeply loaded in Hindu thought (भक्तिमार्ग, ज्ञानमार्ग, कर्ममार्ग — the three margs to liberation) and in Navayana Buddhism (अष्टांगिक मार्ग, the Noble Eightfold Path to self-attained enlightenment). ‘The Way’ in Acts names trusting union with and following a specific person, the risen exclusive Lord Jesus, not a self-directed discipline or one path among several to a shared impersonal goal.
The Jerusalem Council and Gentile Freedom from the Law
Marathi name: यरुशलेम परिषद व अन्यजातीयांचे स्वातंत्र्य
Key terms: circumcision, it seemed good to the Holy Ghost, and to us, abstain from pollutions of idols
Review routing: Human theologian
Establishes the pattern for legitimate corporate apostolic authority exercised under the Spirit’s own authorship, distinct from a merely human committee decision; the pastoral compromise (abstaining from certain practices) enables unity without reimposing the law, and must not be read as licensing moral compromise or as re-establishing a law-works requirement.
The Great Commission Fulfilled
Marathi name: महान आज्ञेची पूर्तता
Key terms: witnesses to the uttermost part of the earth, the word of God grew and multiplied, unhindered
Review routing: Human theologian
Structures the entire book geographically (Jerusalem, Judea/Samaria, ends of the earth) and closes triumphantly with the gospel proclaimed ‘unhindered’ in Rome itself despite persecution and imprisonment throughout; consistent rendering of the recurring growth-refrain and the closing word is required as deliberate structural bookends.
Sorcery and Occult Power Contrasted with the Spirit’s Power
Marathi name: जादूटोणा व पवित्र आत्म्याचे सामर्थ्य
Key terms: sorcery, thy money perish with thee, curious arts, sons of Sceva
Review routing: Human theologian
Directly relevant given living tantra/occult traditions; Simon Magus’s attempt to purchase spiritual power (origin of ‘simony’) reinforces that grace/power is an ungraspable, unpurchasable divine gift, never a commodity or technique — reinforcing the baseline’s कृपा-as-unearned-gift doctrine from a new angle.
Providence and the Sovereign Plan of God
Marathi name: देवाचे विधान व सार्वभौम योजना
Key terms: determinate counsel and foreknowledge, hath made of one blood all nations, the times before appointed
Review routing: Human theologian
God’s sovereign plan and genuine human wickedness/guilt are held together without contradiction (2:23); must not be phrased so as to echo the karma-based ‘everything is fated’ explanation of misfortune or social status that Ambedkarite Buddhist communities specifically rejected in leaving caste Hinduism.
Inspiration and Fulfillment of Scripture
Marathi name: पवित्रशास्त्राची प्रेरणा व पूर्तता
Key terms: this is that which was spoken, searched the scriptures daily, last days
Review routing: Human theologian
Linear, one-time historical fulfillment of specific OT prophecy, not cyclical cosmic time (Hindu yuga cycles) nor the Buddhist wheel of dependent-origination where no single moment carries unrepeatable significance; the Bereans’ daily scripture-searching (17:11) models careful discernment distinct from devotional abhang poetry or Tripitaka teaching-authority.
Election and Divine Calling
Marathi name: देवाची निवड व पाचारण
Key terms: chosen vessel, ordained to eternal life, the Lord opened her heart
Review routing: Human theologian
God’s sovereign, personal choice and prior initiative in salvation must never be phrased so as to echo the karma-birth explanation of social standing that Ambedkarite Buddhist communities explicitly and painfully rejected; election is God’s gracious choosing of a person, not a cosmic ledger.
Medium Risk Doctrines
Baptism of the Spirit Distinguished from John’s Baptism
Marathi name: पवित्र आत्म्याचा बाप्तिस्मा व योहानाचा बाप्तिस्मा यातील फरक
Key terms: baptism of John, baptized with the Holy Ghost, baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus
Review routing: Native speaker review
Clarifies that Christian baptism is specifically Christ-centered and united with receiving the Spirit, not merely a repeatable preparatory purification rite; low ambiguity risk beyond ensuring translators do not flatten the distinction.
The Church as Community
Marathi name: समुदाय म्हणून मंडळी
Key terms: fellowship, breaking of bread, had all things common, added to the church
Review routing: Native speaker review
Voluntary, Spirit-motivated generosity and shared life, not a compulsory economic system or caste-based mutual-aid network; church growth (2:47; 5:14) is God’s own sovereign act, not human recruitment strategy or social-reform-movement expansion.
Church Leadership and Ordination
Marathi name: मंडळीचे नेतृत्व व नियुक्ती
Key terms: elders, overseers, laying on of hands, serve tables
Review routing: Native speaker review
Recognized offices (elders/overseers, and the deacon-type table-serving role) are appointed under the Spirit’s guidance and the community’s confirmation; laying on of hands must not be conflated with folk-healing touch rituals or guru-śiṣya blessing-lineage transmission.
Referenced passages