Core Glossary
Core Glossary: Acts 1–28 (English → Polish)
This glossary consolidates every load-bearing term identified in 07_semantic_analysis.md, spanning the entire book of Acts. It is organized into two sections:
- Section A lists terms already fixed by the Romans baseline
translation_memory.json, which recur in Acts and must be reused exactly, unchanged. - Section B lists new terms introduced by Acts, organized by the curriculum’s nine Bible Doctrines, each with a proposed Polish rendering, risk tier, and grounded rationale. These are candidates for formal addition to the translation memory and term registry in the next Phase 1 step.
Risk tiers follow the baseline’s definitions exactly:
- Critical — mistranslation destroys essential doctrine; human theologian review required for every occurrence.
- High — significant theological confusion/syncretism risk; human theologian review required.
- Medium — reduces clarity but preserves essential meaning; native speaker review recommended.
- Low — minor imprecision risk; automated review sufficient.
Section A — Baseline Terms Reused Exactly (Romans → Acts)
| English term | Polish rendering (baseline, reused) | Baseline risk | Key Acts occurrences |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gospel | Ewangelia | High | 8:12,25,35,40; 10:36; 13:32; 14:7,15,21; 15:7; 16:10; 20:24 |
| Grace | łaska | High | 4:33; 11:23; 13:43; 14:3,26; 15:11,40; 18:27; 20:24,32 |
| Faith | wiara | Critical | 3:16; 6:5,7; 11:24; 13:8; 14:9,22,27; 15:9; 16:5; 20:21; 24:24; 26:18 |
| Righteousness | sprawiedliwość | Critical | 10:35; 13:10; 17:31; 24:25 |
| Justification | usprawiedliwienie | Critical | 13:39 |
| Salvation | zbawienie | Critical | 4:12; 13:26,47; 16:17,30-31; 28:28 |
| Apostle | apostoł | Low | 1:2,25-26; 2:37,42-43; 4:33,35-37; 5:2,12,18,29,40; 6:6; 8:1,14,18; 9:27; 11:1; 14:4,14; 15:2,4,6,22-23,33; 16:4 |
| Called | powołany | Medium | 2:39; 13:2; 16:10 |
| Calling | powołanie | Critical | 2:39 (προσκαλέσηται family) |
| Holy | święty | Medium | throughout (e.g. 3:14 “the Holy and Righteous One”; 7:33; 21:28) |
| Saints | święci | Critical | 9:13,32,41; 26:10 |
| Sanctification | uświęcenie | High | 20:32; 26:18 |
| Resurrection | zmartwychwstanie | Critical | 1:22; 2:31; 4:2,33; 17:18,32; 23:6,8; 24:15,21; 26:23 |
| Lord | Pan | Critical | throughout, esp. 2:21,34,36; 10:36; 11:17; 16:31 |
| Son of God | Syn Boży | Critical | 9:20; 13:33 (cf. Ps.2 citation) |
| Peace | pokój | Medium | 9:31; 10:36; 15:33 |
| Spiritual gifts | dary duchowe | Medium | (thematically, esp. 2:38/8:20/10:45/11:17’s “gift” cluster — see Section B δωρεά entry) |
| Thanksgiving | dziękczynienie | Low | 27:35; 28:15 |
| Fellowship | wspólnota | Low | 2:42 (κοινωνία) |
| Church | kościół | Medium | 2:47; 5:11; 8:1,3; 9:31; 11:22,26; 12:1,5; 13:1; 14:23,27; 15:3-4,22,41; 16:5; 18:22; 20:17,28 |
| Kingdom of God | królestwo Boże | Medium | 1:3,6; 8:12; 14:22; 19:8; 20:25; 28:23,31 |
| Law | Prawo | High | 6:13; 7:53; 13:39; 15:5,24; 18:13,15; 21:20,24,28; 22:3; 23:29; 24:14; 25:8; 28:23 |
| Sin | grzech | Medium | 2:38; 3:19; 5:31; 7:60; 10:43; 13:38; 22:16; 26:18 |
| Gentiles | poganie | Medium | 9:15; 10:45; 11:1,18; 13:46,48; 14:27; 15:3,7,12,14,19,23; 18:6; 21:11,19,21,25; 22:21; 26:17,20,23; 28:28 |
| Glory | chwała | Medium | 7:2,55; 12:23; 22:11 |
| Obedience of faith | posłuszeństwo wiary | High | (thematic, esp. 6:7 “the faith” spreading and being obeyed) |
| Power of God | moc Boża | Medium | 1:8; 2:22; 3:12; 4:7,33; 6:8; 8:10,13,19; 10:38; 19:11 |
| Messiah | Mesjasz | Critical | 2:31,36; 3:18,20; 4:26; 5:42; 8:5; 9:22; 17:3; 18:5,28; 26:23 |
| Prophet | prorok | Low | 2:16,30; 3:18,21-25; 7:37,42,48,52; 8:28,30,34; 10:43; 11:27; 13:1,6,15,20,27,40; 15:15,32; 21:9-10; 24:14; 26:22,27; 28:23 |
| Prophecy | proroctwo | Low | 2:16-18; 21:9 |
| Covenant | przymierze | High | 3:25; 7:8 |
| Election | wybranie | High | 9:15 (σκεῦος ἐκλογῆς word-family) |
| Intercession | wstawiennictwo | Critical | (thematic; note Acts has no direct lexical parallel to Romans 8:26-34’s intercession vocabulary — flag as low-frequency but doctrine remains relevant for teaching direct divine access, esp. vs. 8’s Simon/money and 10’s Cornelius’s direct prayers being heard) |
| Providence | opatrzność Boża | Medium | 17:26-28; 27:24 |
| Mission | misja | Medium | (thematic throughout; esp. 13:1-3; 22:21) |
| David | Dawid | Low | 1:16; 2:25,29,34; 4:25; 7:45; 13:22,34,36; 15:16 |
| Israel | Izrael | Low | 1:6; 2:36; 4:10,27; 5:21,31; 7:23,37,42; 9:15; 10:36; 13:16-17,23-24; 21:28; 28:20 |
| Jesus | Jezus | Critical | throughout |
| God | Bóg | Critical | throughout |
| Holy Spirit | Duch Święty | Critical | throughout, esp. ch.2, 5, 8, 10, 19 |
| Father | Ojciec | Critical | 1:4,7; 2:33 |
| Exhort | napominać | Low | 2:40; 11:23; 14:22; 15:32; 16:40; 20:1-2 |
| Imputed righteousness | poczytana sprawiedliwość | Critical | (doctrinal parallel underlying 13:38-39’s justification statement, though Acts itself does not use the exact Genesis 15:6 citation language) |
Note on absent baseline terms: Acts does not use “seed of David,” “abba,” or “incarnation” as lexical items, though the underlying doctrines (Davidic descent, filial intimacy with God, the Word made flesh) are presupposed. No Acts-specific rendering decision is needed for these; retain baseline definitions for reference only.
Section B — New Terms Introduced by Acts (by Curriculum Doctrine)
Doctrine 1: The Holy Spirit and Pentecost
| English term | Greek (translit.) | Polish rendering | Risk | Key passages | Notes / alternatives rejected |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pentecost (feast) | πεντηκοστή (pentēkostē) | Pięćdziesiątnica | Medium | 2:1; 20:16 | Distinguish OT Feast of Weeks background from the Christian feast “Zesłanie Ducha Świętego.” |
| filled with the Holy Spirit | ἐπλήσθησαν Πνεύματος Ἁγίου (eplēsthēsan Pneumatos Hagiou) | napełnieni Duchem Świętym | High | 2:4; 4:8,31; 9:17; 13:9 | Must not be equated with the sacrament of Confirmation (bierzmowanie); this is a repeatable, non-sacramental empowering. |
| baptized in/with the Holy Spirit | βαπτισθήσεσθε ἐν Πνεύματι Ἁγίῳ (baptisthēsesthe en Pneumati Hagiō) | chrzest w Duchu Świętym | Critical | 1:5; 11:16 | Alternatives rejected: conflating with water baptism (“chrzest” alone) or treating as a required, separate, subsequent Charismatic experience without qualification — both readings are contested; flag every occurrence for theologian review. |
| speaking in [other] tongues | λαλεῖν [ἑτέραις] γλώσσαις (lalein [heterais] glōssais) | mówienie [innymi/różnymi] językami | High | 2:4,11; 10:46; 19:6 | Alternatives rejected: default equation with the ecstatic, unintelligible glossolalia practiced in Polish Catholic Charismatic Renewal (“Odnowa w Duchu Świętym”) without noting Acts 2’s specific xenolalia (known human languages, per 2:6,8,11). |
| tongues (visible fire) | γλῶσσαι ὡσεὶ πυρός (glōssai hōsei pyros) | języki (jakby) ognia | Low | 2:3 | Distinct visual sign, not to be merged with “speaking in tongues” above. |
| gift (of the Holy Spirit) | δωρεά (dōrea) | dar (Ducha Świętego) | High | 2:38; 8:20; 10:45; 11:17 | Reinforces baseline “łaska” (grace); Simon’s attempt to buy this gift (8:18-20) is the negative test case — never for sale. |
| the promise (of the Spirit) | ἐπαγγελία (epangelia) | obietnica | Medium | 1:4; 2:33,39 | Covenant-fulfillment term connecting Joel’s prophecy to its realization. |
| poured out | ἐκχέω (ekcheō) | wylać | Medium | 2:17-18,33; 10:45 | Describes the source event of the Spirit’s outpouring; distinct from “napełnić” (fill), which describes the individual’s resulting state. |
| fell upon | ἐπιπίπτω (epipiptō) | zstąpić / spaść na (kogoś) | Medium-High | 8:16; 10:44; 11:15 | Marks the “Gentile Pentecost” (ch.10) as a deliberate narrative parallel to Acts 2 — same gift, same terms, for Gentiles. |
| signs and wonders | σημεῖα καὶ τέρατα (sēmeia kai terata) | znaki i cuda | Medium-High | 2:19,22,43; 4:30; 5:12; 6:8; 8:13; 14:3; 15:12 | Risk of default association with Polish shrine/apparition folk piety rather than apostolic, gospel-confirming signs (parallels baseline’s spiritual_gifts caution). |
| last days | ἔσχαται ἡμέραι (eschatai hēmerai) | dni ostateczne | Medium | 2:17 | Names an era inaugurated at Pentecost and ongoing, not only a still-future end-time. |
Doctrine 2: The Gospel to Jews and Gentiles
| English term | Greek (translit.) | Polish rendering | Risk | Key passages | Notes / alternatives rejected |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| clean / unclean / common | καθαρός / ἀκάθαρτος / κοινός (katharos / akathartos / koinos) | czysty / nieczysty / pospolity | High | 10:9-16,28; 11:8-9 | Requires OT (Levitical) background; the dietary-law symbolism dismantles the Jew/Gentile purity barrier. |
| God-fearer | φοβούμενος τὸν θεόν (phoboumenos ton theon) | bojący się Boga | Medium | 10:2,22,35; 13:16,26 | Technical term for Gentile synagogue sympathizers, distinct from full proselyte conversion. |
| God shows no partiality | οὐ προσωπολημπτεῖ (ho theos) | Bóg nie ma względu na osobę | High | 10:34-35 | Direct parallel to baseline’s “universal_scope_of_gospel” doctrine (Critical); must not be softened toward any residual ethnic/national preference. |
| the nations / Gentiles (neutral geographic sense) | ἔθνη (ethnē) | narody (contextually, alongside baseline “poganie”) | Medium | 13:47; 14:16; 15:7,17; 26:17,20,23 | Where the sense is neutral “nations/peoples” rather than religiously charged “pagans,” prefer “narody” per baseline’s own caution against overstating “poganie“‘s negative charge. |
| offspring of God (creational) | γένος θεοῦ (genos theou) | potomstwo Boże | Medium | 17:28-29 | Must be distinguished from baseline’s “usynowienie” (adoption) — a general creational relationship to all humanity, not the specific salvific sonship of believers. |
Doctrine 3: Repentance and Baptism
| English term | Greek (translit.) | Polish rendering | Risk | Key passages | Notes / alternatives rejected |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| repent / repentance | μετανοέω / μετάνοια (metanoeō / metanoia) | nawrócić się / nawrócenie | Critical | 2:38; 3:19; 5:31; 8:22; 11:18; 13:24; 17:30; 19:4; 20:21; 26:20 | Alternative rejected: “pokuta/pokutować” as the primary rendering for Acts’ evangelistic call, because “pokuta” is strongly tied in Polish Catholic usage to the sacrament of Penance/Confession requiring priestly absolution — a distinct liturgical act not what these texts describe. |
| baptize / baptism | βαπτίζω / βάπτισμα (baptizō / baptisma) | chrzcić / chrzest | Critical | 2:38,41; 8:12-13,36-38; 9:18; 10:47-48; 16:15,33; 18:8; 19:3-5; 22:16 | New Critical entry for this curriculum (not addressed in the Romans glossary). Acts consistently narrates baptism following personal repentance/faith as its public confession; must be flagged against silent conflation with the dominant Polish infant/sacramental-regeneration paradigm. |
| forgiveness / remission of sins | ἄφεσις (τῶν) ἁμαρτιῶν (aphesis [tōn] hamartiōn) | odpuszczenie grzechów | High | 2:38; 5:31; 10:43; 13:38; 26:18 | Same phrase as the Catholic Confession liturgical formula; must be clarified as God’s own direct forgiveness received through repentance/faith (expressed in baptism), not exclusively dependent on separate priestly absolution as an ongoing requirement. |
| wash away (sins) | ἀπολούω (apolouō) | zmyć / obmyć (grzechy) | High | 22:16 | Baptismal imagery paired with calling on Christ’s name; part of the same repentance/baptism/forgiveness cluster as 2:38. |
| turn to God | ἐπιστρέφω ἐπὶ τὸν θεόν (epistrephō epi ton theon) | zwrócić się do Boga | Critical | 3:19; 9:35; 11:21; 14:15; 15:19; 26:18,20 | Synonym-pairing with μετανοέω; same doctrinal caution applies. |
| the baptism of John | βάπτισμα Ἰωάννου (baptisma Iōannou) | chrzest Janowy | High | 18:25; 19:3-4 | The text’s own explicit distinction of two baptisms; must not be blurred with Christian baptism. |
Doctrine 4: The Church as Community
| English term | Greek (translit.) | Polish rendering | Risk | Key passages | Notes / alternatives rejected |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| with one accord | ὁμοθυμαδόν (homothymadon) | jednomyślnie / zgodnie | Medium | 1:14; 2:46; 4:24; 5:12; 15:25 | Recurring unity refrain; render consistently across all occurrences. |
| all things in common | ἅπαντα κοινά (hapanta koina) | wszystko wspólne | High | 2:44-45; 4:32-35 | Poland-specific caution: must be explicitly distinguished from the forced collectivization and suppression of private property under communist rule (PRL), which left strongly negative cultural associations with “wspólna własność.” This is voluntary, Spirit-motivated generosity within a free community, not an economic policy model. |
| the Way | ἡ ὁδός (hē hodos) | Droga (capitalized) | Medium | 9:2; 19:9,23; 22:4; 24:14,22 | Technical self-designation of the Christian movement; needs explicit context markers. |
| Christian | Χριστιανός (Christianos) | chrześcijanin | Low | 11:26; 26:28 | First applied at Antioch, originally likely an outsider label. |
| assembly / church | ἐκκλησία (ekklēsia) — secular sense | zgromadzenie (distinct from baseline “kościół” for the Christian sense) | Medium | 19:32,39,41 | Same Greek word, ordinary civic sense here (the Ephesus riot assembly); must not be rendered “kościół” in this context. |
| deacon / service / ministry | διακονία / διάκονος (diakonia / diakonos) | diakonia / służba | High | 6:1-4 | Must not silently import the full later Catholic sacramental diaconate (diakonat) theology onto this narrative’s functional service-role origin. |
| elder | πρεσβύτερος (presbyteros) | starszy | High | 11:30; 14:23; 15:2,4,6,22-23; 16:4; 20:17; 21:18 | Used interchangeably with ἐπίσκοπος in 20:17,28; see next entry. |
| overseer / bishop | ἐπίσκοπος (episkopos) | biskup / nadzorca | High | 20:28 | Must not read the later, developed three-tier hierarchy (biskup > prezbiter > diakon) back into Acts 20’s plural, interchangeable local eldership. |
| shepherd / flock | ποιμήν / ποίμνιον (poimēn / poimnion) | pasterz / stado (trzoda) | Medium | 20:28-29 | Well-integrated devotional metaphor in Polish Catholic culture; keep emphasis on plural, mutually accountable local leadership. |
| breaking of bread | κλάσις τοῦ ἄρτου (klasis tou artou) | łamanie chleba | High | 2:42,46; 20:7,11 | Distinguish the descriptive shared-meal practice from the full later Catholic Eucharistic/Mass theology; the text does not resolve later sacramental debates. |
| the word of God grew | ὁ λόγος τοῦ θεοῦ ηὔξανεν (ho logos tou theou ēuxanen) | słowo Boże rosło (i rozmnażało się) | Medium | 6:7; 12:24; 19:20 | Personified growth-of-the-word imagery; part of the Great Commission arc. |
Doctrine 5: Apostolic Authority and Miracles
| English term | Greek (translit.) | Polish rendering | Risk | Key passages | Notes / alternatives rejected |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| laying on of hands | ἐπίθεσις τῶν χειρῶν (epithesis tōn cheirōn) | nakładanie / kładzenie rąk | High | 6:6; 8:17-19; 9:12,17; 13:3; 19:6; 28:8 | Multiple distinct purposes in Acts (commissioning, Spirit-impartation, healing); must not assume one later sacramental sense governs all instances. |
| the Servant (of God), Christological title | παῖς (θεοῦ) (pais theou) | Sługa (Boży) | High | 3:13,26; 4:27,30 | Title drawn from Isaiah’s Servant Songs; must not be flattened to generic “child/boy.” |
| Author / Prince (of life) | ἀρχηγός (archēgos) | Twórca / Sprawca (życia) | Medium | 3:15; 5:31 | Convey originating/pioneering agency, not merely “leader.” |
| the Righteous One, Christological title | ὁ δίκαιος (ho dikaios) | Sprawiedliwy (capitalized, as title) | High | 3:14; 7:52; 22:14 | Must be recognized as a title for Christ, not a generic quality-description. |
| lying to the Holy Spirit | ψεύδομαι τὸ Πνεῦμα τὸ Ἅγιον (pseudomai to Pneuma to Hagion) | okłamać Ducha Świętego | High | 5:3-4 | Affirms the Spirit’s full personal deity — lying to the Spirit is lying to God directly. |
| resist the Spirit | ἀντιπίπτω τῷ Πνεύματι (antipiptō tō Pneumati) | przeciwstawiać się Duchowi Świętemu | High | 7:51 | Same doctrinal weight (Spirit’s personal agency) as the Ananias/Sapphira passage. |
| stone (to death) | λιθοβολέω (lithoboleō) | kamienować | High | 7:58-59; 14:19 | Narrative hinge from “witness” (forensic testimony) toward the later technical sense “martyr” (one who dies for testimony); make this transition explicit in teaching. |
| power (of God, miracle-working) | δύναμις (dynamis) | moc (baseline family, reused) | Medium | 2:22; 3:12; 4:7,33; 6:8; 8:10,13,19; 10:38; 19:11 | Distinguish God’s specific miracle-confirming power from generic “supernatural power” language. |
Doctrine 6: Persecution and Bold Witness
| English term | Greek (translit.) | Polish rendering | Risk | Key passages | Notes / alternatives rejected |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| witness | μάρτυς / μαρτυρέω / διαμαρτύρομαι (martys / martyreō / diamartyromai) | świadek / świadczyć | High | 1:8,22; 2:32,40; 3:15; 4:33; 5:32; 10:39,41; 13:31; 22:15,20; 26:16 | Central forensic/eyewitness testimony term; must not be anachronistically read as “martyr” (death) in its primary Acts usage, though the later sense develops narratively from Stephen’s death onward. |
| boldness (in speech) | παρρησία (parrēsia) | śmiałość / odwaga (w mówieniu) | Medium-High | 4:13,29,31; 9:27-28; 13:46; 14:3; 18:26; 19:8; 26:26; 28:31 | Boldness in proclaiming Christ specifically, not generic courage; positive cultural resonance with Poland’s history of costly public witness may be used pastorally as a bridge. |
| persecute / persecution | διώκω / διωγμός (diōkō / diōgmos) | prześladować / prześladowanie | Medium-High | 8:1,3; 9:1,4-5,13; 11:19; 13:50; 22:4,7-8; 26:11,14-15 | Strong positive resonance in Polish historical memory (Nazi/communist persecution of the Church); must retain the specific “persecuting the church = persecuting Christ” dimension, not only a national-historical narrative. |
Doctrine 7: Conversion of Paul
| English term | Greek (translit.) | Polish rendering | Risk | Key passages | Notes / alternatives rejected |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| chosen instrument/vessel | σκεῦος ἐκλογῆς (skeuos eklogēs) | naczynie wybrane / wybrane narzędzie | High | 9:15 | Reuses baseline “wybranie” (election, High); convey personal, purposive divine choice, not impersonal fate (“los”). |
| regain sight | ἀναβλέπω (anablepō) | odzyskać wzrok | Low | 9:12,17-18; 22:13 | Physical healing paired with spiritual illumination motif, recurring at each retelling of the Damascus-road story. |
| set apart (for a specific task) | ἀφορίζω (aphorizō) | oddzielić / wyznaczyć | Medium-High | 13:2 | A specific missionary commissioning distinct from — but a genuine instance of — the general doctrine of divine calling; contrast carefully with the dominant Polish “powołanie” = priesthood association. |
| zealous for God (pre-conversion) | ζηλωτὴς τοῦ θεοῦ (zēlōtēs tou theou) | żarliwy dla Boga | Low-Medium | 22:3 | Sets up the total reorientation of Paul’s zeal toward Christ. |
Doctrine 8: Justification apart from the Law
| English term | Greek (translit.) | Polish rendering | Risk | Key passages | Notes / alternatives rejected |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| justified | δικαιόω (dikaioō) | usprawiedliwiony (baseline family, reused) | Critical | 13:38-39 | Direct doctrinal climax bridging to the Romans baseline’s Critical justification entry; must retain the forensic “declared righteous” sense, not gradual sacramental transformation. |
| circumcision | περιτομή / περιτέμνω (peritomē / peritemnō) | obrzezanie / obrzezać | Critical | 15:1,5,24; 16:3; 21:21 | Central Judaizing controversy; Acts’ counterpart to baseline’s Critical grace/faith cautions about merit-based righteousness. |
| yoke (of the Law) | ζυγός (zygos) | jarzmo | Medium-High | 15:10 | Refers specifically to law-keeping made a condition of salvation; must not imply blanket disparagement of the Law’s devotional value generally. |
| the grace of the Lord Jesus (salvation thesis) | χάρις τοῦ Κυρίου Ἰησοῦ (charis tou Kyriou Iēsou) | łaska Pana Jezusa (baseline family, reused) | Critical | 15:11 | Acts’ version of the Romans 3-4 grace-not-works argument. |
| uncircumcised in heart | ἀπερίτμητος τῇ καρδίᾳ (aperitmētos tē kardia) | nieobrzezany na sercu | Medium | 7:51 | Metaphorical extension anticipating the ch.15 circumcision controversy. |
Doctrine 9: The Great Commission Fulfilled
| English term | Greek (translit.) | Polish rendering | Risk | Key passages | Notes / alternatives rejected |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| to the ends of the earth | ἕως ἐσχάτου τῆς γῆς (heōs eschatou tēs gēs) | aż do krańców ziemi | Medium | 1:8 | Must be taught as literal global scope, bracketing the whole book with 28:31. |
| restore the kingdom (rejected nationalist framing) | ἀποκαθιστάνω τὴν βασιλείαν τῷ Ἰσραήλ (apokathistanō tēn basileian tō Israēl) | przywrócić królestwo Izraelowi | Medium-High | 1:6 | A corrected misunderstanding, not a model; parallel to baseline’s caution against national-political kingdom readings. |
| preach / proclaim | κηρύσσω (kēryssō) | głosić | Medium | 8:5; 9:20; 10:37,42; 19:13; 20:25; 28:31 | Connect explicitly to baseline “Ewangelia” as the content proclaimed. |
| unhindered | ἀκωλύτως (akōlytōs) | bez przeszkód | Medium | 28:31 | Book’s deliberately open-ended final word; teach as ongoing mandate, not closed program. |
| appeal to Caesar | ἐπικαλοῦμαι Καίσαρα (epikaloumai Kaisara) | odwołuję się do Cezara | Low-Medium | 25:11 | Providential legal mechanism advancing the gospel to Rome. |
| you must appear before Caesar | δεῖ σε Καίσαρι παραστῆναι (dei se Kaisari parastēnai) | musisz stanąć przed Cezarem | Medium | 27:24 | Reuses baseline “opatrzność Boża” (providence) in narrative form; avoid fatalistic tone. |
Cross-Cutting Risk Flags Requiring Priority Human Theologian Review
The following terms/passages carry the highest combined doctrinal and cultural-collision weight and should be prioritized for Phase 1 Step 2 (term registry) and Phase 2 review routing:
- μετανοέω/βαπτίζω cluster (2:38 and parallels) — repentance/baptism/forgiveness, given the “pokuta” and infant-baptism collision risks.
- πίμπλημι/βαπτίζω ἐν Πνεύματι (Spirit-filling/Spirit-baptism) — given Confirmation (bierzmowanie) and Charismatic-tongues collision risks.
- ἅπαντα κοινά (all things common) — given Poland’s specific communist-era historical association with forced collectivization.
- ἐπίσκοπος/πρεσβύτερος (overseer/elder) — given the developed three-tier Catholic hierarchy’s potential anachronistic imposition on Acts 20.
- περιτομή (circumcision) and δικαιόω (justified), Acts 13:38-39 and ch.15 — the Acts counterpart to the Romans baseline’s Critical justification/grace doctrines.
- Acts 2:23’s ἄνομος (“lawless men”) — historically sensitive crucifixion-responsibility language requiring explicit anti-collective-blame framing.
- Acts 2:36’s ἐποίησεν (“God has made him…”) — Critical Christological installation-vs-ontological-becoming distinction.
This glossary must be loaded alongside analysis/07_semantic_analysis.md and the Romans baseline artifacts before Phase 1 Step 2 (term registry and doctrine risk registry extension for Acts).
Critical Risk Terms
Faith
Approved rendering: wiara
Transliteration: pistis
Doctrine: Faith
Rejected alternatives: wiara jako tożsamość narodowa i kulturowa (‘Polak-katolik’), wiara odziedziczona automatycznie przez chrzest i Pierwszą Komunię
Original: πίστις
Category: Faith
Inherited from Romans package. Acts consistently pairs ‘wiara’ with personal response to apostolic preaching (11:24; 14:9,22,27; 16:5; 26:18); must not collapse into inherited Polish-Catholic national-cultural identity.
Righteousness
Approved rendering: sprawiedliwość
Transliteration: dikaiosynē
Doctrine: Salvation
Rejected alternatives: sprawiedliwość zdobyta przez zasługi i praktyki religijne
Original: δικαιοσύνη
Category: Salvation
Inherited from Romans package. Acts 10:35 (God’s own righteous standard) and 17:31 (Christ’s coming judgment) reuse this term; must not collapse into dutiful conduct or ritual observance.
Justification
Approved rendering: usprawiedliwienie
Transliteration: dikaiōsis / dikaioō
Doctrine: Salvation
Rejected alternatives: stopniowe uświęcenie zamiast deklaracji prawnej
Original: δικαίωσις / δικαιόω
Category: Salvation
Inherited from Romans package. Acts 13:38-39 is the book’s doctrinal climax on this term, directly bridging to the Romans baseline’s Critical entry; must retain the forensic ‘declared righteous’ sense, resisting collapse into gradual sacramental transformation.
Salvation
Approved rendering: zbawienie
Transliteration: sōtēria
Doctrine: Salvation
Rejected alternatives: zbawienie zapewnione automatycznie przez chrzest, sakramenty i przynależność narodowo-religijną
Original: σωτηρία
Category: Salvation
Inherited from Romans package. Acts 4:12’s exclusivity claim and 16:30-31’s jailer scene are key occurrences; must not be read as a status conferred automatically by sacramental participation or national-religious belonging, nor by family membership alone (16:31-34).
Calling
Approved rendering: powołanie
Transliteration: klēsis
Doctrine: Divine Calling
Rejected alternatives: powołanie kapłańskie lub zakonne wyłącznie
Original: κλῆσις (cf. προσκαλέσηται, 2:39)
Category: Salvation
Inherited from Romans package. Acts 2:39 universalizes the summons beyond Israel; must be paired with explicit context so it is not read as the dominant Polish sense of a call to priesthood or religious life. See also Acts-new term set_apart_for_task (13:2) for a distinct, specific missionary commissioning.
Saints
Approved rendering: święci
Transliteration: hagioi
Doctrine: Sainthood
Rejected alternatives: święci kanonizowani, czczeni i proszeni o wstawiennictwo
Original: ἅγιοι
Category: Church
Inherited from Romans package. Acts 9:13,32,41; 26:10 use this corporately of ordinary believers; must carry the mandatory clarifying note distinguishing corporate sainthood from canonized, venerated figures, given Poland’s exceptionally high cultural prominence of canonized sainthood.
Resurrection
Approved rendering: zmartwychwstanie
Transliteration: anastasis / anistēmi
Doctrine: Resurrection of Christ
Original: ἀνάστασις / ἀνίστημι
Category: Eschatology
Inherited from Romans package. Acts grounds all apostolic preaching in this event (1:22; 2:24-32; 4:2,33; 13:34-37; 17:18,32; 23:6,8; 24:15,21; 26:23); 23:6-9’s Pharisee/Sadducee dispute is a useful teaching bridge but must never soften bodily resurrection into a merely spiritual claim.
Lord
Approved rendering: Pan
Transliteration: kyrios
Doctrine: Lordship of Christ
Original: κύριος
Category: Christology
Inherited from Romans package. Recurs throughout Acts, notably 2:21,34,36; 10:36; 11:17; 16:31; must convey exclusive, supreme lordship in every occurrence.
Son Of God
Approved rendering: Syn Boży
Transliteration: huios theou
Doctrine: Sonship of Christ
Rejected alternatives: syn Boży w sensie ogólnym, stosowanym do każdego wierzącego
Original: υἱὸς θεοῦ
Category: Christology
Inherited from Romans package. Acts 9:20 and 13:33 (citing Psalm 2) apply this to Jesus; must be read alongside Acts 2:36’s installation language (new term installed_lord_and_messiah) without implying ontological becoming.
Messiah
Approved rendering: Mesjasz
Transliteration: Christos / Mashiach
Doctrine: Messianic Promise
Original: Χριστός / מָשִׁיחַ
Category: Christology
Inherited from Romans package. Central to Peter’s Pentecost sermon and throughout Acts (2:31,36; 3:18,20; 4:26; 5:42; 8:5; 9:22; 17:3; 18:5,28; 26:23); functions as a title (‘the Messiah’), not a surname.
Intercession
Approved rendering: wstawiennictwo
Transliteration: hyperentynchanei / enteuxis
Doctrine: Prayer and Intercession
Rejected alternatives: wstawiennictwo wyłącznie świętych i Maryi jako niezbędnych pośredników
Original: (thematic; cf. προσευχή, δέησις)
Category: Faith
Inherited from Romans package. Acts has no direct lexical parallel to Romans 8:26-34, but the church’s own united prayer (1:14; 4:24-31; 12:5,12) and Cornelius’s prayers being directly heard (10:4,31) reinforce direct divine access; do not let this default to Marian or saintly mediation.
Jesus
Approved rendering: Jezus
Transliteration: Iēsous / Yeshua
Doctrine: Lordship of Christ
Original: Ἰησοῦς
Category: Christology
Inherited from Romans package. Occurs throughout Acts without variant-form risk.
God
Approved rendering: Bóg
Transliteration: theos / Elohim / YHWH
Doctrine: Deity of Christ
Original: θεός
Category: God
Inherited from Romans package. Standard and unambiguous throughout Acts.
Holy Spirit
Approved rendering: Duch Święty
Transliteration: pneuma hagion
Doctrine: Sanctification
Original: πνεῦμα ἅγιον
Category: God
Inherited from Romans package. Acts is Luke’s most concentrated Holy Spirit narrative (ch.2, 5, 8, 10, 19); Ananias/Sapphira (5:3-4,9) and Stephen’s speech (7:51) make the Spirit’s personal deity explicit — never render as an impersonal force, especially relevant given non-Trinitarian groups active in Poland.
Father
Approved rendering: Ojciec
Transliteration: patēr
Doctrine: Adoption into God’s Family
Original: πατήρ
Category: God
Inherited from Romans package. Occurs 1:4,7; 2:33 in connection with the promised Spirit.
Imputed Righteousness
Approved rendering: poczytana sprawiedliwość
Transliteration: elogisthē autō eis dikaiosynēn
Doctrine: Justification by Faith
Rejected alternatives: sprawiedliwość wlana (kategoria trydencka)
Original: (doctrinal parallel; cf. 13:38-39)
Category: Salvation
Inherited from Romans package. Acts does not cite the Genesis 15:6 formula directly, but 13:38-39’s justification statement presupposes the identical forensic-crediting doctrine; keep terminology consistent with the Romans baseline when teaching the cross-reference.
Spirit Baptism
Approved rendering: chrzest w Duchu Świętym
Transliteration: baptizō en Pneumati Hagiō
Doctrine: Baptism in/with the Holy Spirit
Rejected alternatives: utożsamienie z chrztem wodnym, milcząca akceptacja doktryny Odnowy w Duchu Świętym o odrębnym, powtarzalnym ‘chrzcie w Duchu’ związanym z mówieniem językami, bez zaznaczenia debaty
Original: βαπτίζω ἐν Πνεύματι Ἁγίῳ
Category: Holy Spirit and Pentecost
NEW Critical term for Acts. Occurs 1:5; 11:16; 19:1-6. Two live collision risks: (1) conflation with water baptism in a single-sacrament catechetical culture; (2) the Catholic Charismatic Renewal (‘Odnowa w Duchu Świętym’) teaches a distinct, contested post-conversion experience. Must present the text’s own claims without silently adopting or rejecting the Charismatic reading. Human theologian review mandatory for every occurrence.
Repentance
Approved rendering: nawrócić się / nawrócenie
Transliteration: metanoeō / metanoia
Doctrine: Repentance as Personal Turning to God
Rejected alternatives: pokuta / pokutować (jako podstawowe tłumaczenie)
Original: μετανοέω / μετάνοια
Category: Repentance and Baptism
NEW Critical term for Acts. Occurs 2:38; 3:19; 5:31; 8:22; 11:18; 13:24; 17:30; 19:4; 20:21; 26:20. Must NOT default to ‘pokuta,’ tied in Polish Catholic usage to sacramental Confession requiring priestly absolution. Human theologian review required for every occurrence.
Baptism
Approved rendering: chrzcić / chrzest
Transliteration: baptizō / baptisma
Doctrine: Baptism Following Personal Faith
Rejected alternatives: milczące przyjęcie chrztu niemowląt jako domyślnego paradygmatu bez uwzględnienia biblijnej sekwencji wiara/nawrócenie → chrzest
Original: βαπτίζω / βάπτισμα
Category: Repentance and Baptism
NEW Critical term for Acts (not addressed in the Romans baseline). Occurs 2:38,41; 8:12-13,36-38; 9:18; 10:47-48; 16:15,33; 18:8; 19:3-5; 22:16. Poland’s dominant infant-baptism paradigm is administered prior to personal faith; Acts consistently narrates baptism FOLLOWING personal repentance/faith. Human theologian review required for every occurrence.
Turn To God
Approved rendering: zwrócić się do Boga
Transliteration: epistrephō epi ton theon
Doctrine: Repentance as Personal Turning to God
Original: ἐπιστρέφω ἐπὶ τὸν θεόν
Category: Repentance and Baptism
NEW Critical term for Acts. Occurs 3:19; 9:35; 11:21; 14:15; 15:19; 26:18,20. Synonym-pairing with μετανοέω; carries the identical ‘pokuta’ collision caution as the repentance entry.
Circumcision
Approved rendering: obrzezanie / obrzezać
Transliteration: peritomē / peritemnō
Doctrine: The Jerusalem Council’s Rejection of Circumcision as Necessary for Salvation
Rejected alternatives: potraktowanie jako drugorzędny, kulturowy szczegół bez związku z doktryną usprawiedliwienia
Original: περιτομή / περιτέμνω
Category: Justification apart from the Law
NEW Critical term for Acts. Occurs 15:1,5,24; 16:3; 21:21. The central Judaizing controversy; the Acts counterpart to the baseline’s Critical grace/faith cautions about merit-based righteousness. Human theologian review required for every occurrence.
Lawless Men
Approved rendering: bezprawni / ludzie bezbożni
Transliteration: anomos
Doctrine: Human Responsibility for the Crucifixion (without collective ethnic blame)
Rejected alternatives: ‘zbrodniarze’ (zbyt mocne, sugerujące zbiorową winę), odczytanie jako zbiorowa, transhistoryczna wina narodu żydowskiego
Original: ἄνομος
Category: Justification apart from the Law
NEW Critical term for Acts. Occurs 2:23. Must never be rendered or taught in a way that supports collective, trans-historical blame of the Jewish people — especially sensitive given Poland’s own historical record of antisemitic violence. Human theologian review mandatory for every occurrence.
Installed Lord And Messiah
Approved rendering: Bóg Go ustanowił [Panem i Mesjaszem]
Transliteration: ho theos epoiēsen (Kyrion kai Christon)
Doctrine: Christ’s Public Installation as Lord and Messiah
Rejected alternatives: odczytanie adopcjanistyczne — Jezus ‘staje się’ Boży w tym momencie
Original: ὁ θεὸς ἐποίησεν (Κύριον καὶ Χριστόν)
Category: Christology
NEW Critical term for Acts. Occurs 2:36. Functional/public installation of the already-eternal Son, NOT Jesus becoming divine at this moment. Given non-Trinitarian groups active in Poland, requires an explicit note distinguishing historical vindication from ontological becoming. Human theologian review mandatory.
High Risk Terms
Gospel
Approved rendering: Ewangelia
Transliteration: euangelion
Doctrine: Gospel
Original: εὐαγγέλιον
Category: Salvation
Inherited from Romans package. Acts uses the noun and verb cognate εὐαγγελίζομαι as the content of apostolic proclamation (8:12,25,35,40; 10:36; 13:32; 14:7,15,21; 15:7; 16:10; 20:24). Must convey an authoritative announcement of salvation in Christ, not a generic uplifting message or the four Gospel books alone.
Grace
Approved rendering: łaska
Transliteration: charis
Doctrine: Grace
Rejected alternatives: łaska otrzymywana głównie przez zasługi i praktyki sakramentalne
Original: χάρις
Category: Salvation
Inherited from Romans package. Acts 15:11 (‘saved through the grace of the Lord Jesus’) is Acts’ clearest grace-not-works thesis, directly parallel to Romans 3-4; preserve the grace/merit contrast per the baseline’s Trent merit-cooperation caution.
Sanctification
Approved rendering: uświęcenie
Transliteration: hagiasmos / hēgiasmenoi
Doctrine: Sanctification
Rejected alternatives: oczyszczenie pokutne, w tym poprzez czyściec
Original: ἁγιασμός / ἡγιασμένοι
Category: Sanctification
Inherited from Romans package. Acts 20:32 and 26:18 (‘inheritance among those sanctified’) use this of the Spirit’s ongoing work; must not collapse into the penitential/purgatorial framework (czyściec).
Incarnation
Approved rendering: wcielenie
Transliteration: ho logos sarx egeneto
Doctrine: Incarnation
Inherited from Romans package. Acts does not use this term lexically (not a direct citation target in Acts), but the underlying doctrine (the Word made flesh) undergirds Acts 2:22’s ‘Jesus of Nazareth’ and 13:23’s Davidic-descent argument. Retained for cross-curriculum reference only.
Law
Approved rendering: Prawo
Transliteration: nomos
Doctrine: Fulfillment of Prophecy
Original: νόμος
Category: Covenant
Inherited from Romans package. Central to the ch.15 Jerusalem Council controversy and 13:39’s justification statement (6:13; 7:53; 13:39; 15:5,24; 18:13,15; 21:20-28; 22:3; 23:29; 24:14; 25:8; 28:23); must not be rendered with a term suggesting general cosmic duty.
Obedience Of Faith
Approved rendering: posłuszeństwo wiary
Transliteration: hypakoē pisteōs
Doctrine: Obedience of Faith
Rejected alternatives: posłuszeństwo nakazom kościelnym i praktykom religijnym
Original: ὑπακοὴ πίστεως (thematic; cf. 6:7)
Category: Faith
Inherited from Romans package. Acts 6:7’s ‘a great many became obedient to the faith’ is the closest lexical parallel; must not collapse into compliance with church precepts.
Covenant
Approved rendering: przymierze
Transliteration: diathēkē
Doctrine: Davidic Covenant
Rejected alternatives: umowa prawna
Original: διαθήκη
Category: Covenant
Inherited from Romans package. Acts 3:25 and 7:8 reference the Abrahamic covenant of circumcision, directly setting up ch.15’s controversy over its continuing salvific necessity.
Election
Approved rendering: wybranie
Transliteration: eklogē
Doctrine: Effectual Calling
Rejected alternatives: przeznaczenie, los
Original: ἐκλογή (cf. σκεῦος ἐκλογῆς, 9:15)
Category: Salvation
Inherited from Romans package. Acts 9:15’s ‘chosen instrument’ (see new term chosen_instrument) is the key occurrence; must not be rendered with fatalistic ‘los/przeznaczenie’ framing.
Filled With Holy Spirit
Approved rendering: napełnieni Duchem Świętym
Transliteration: eplēsthēsan / plēsthentes Pneumatos Hagiou
Doctrine: Filling of the Holy Spirit
Rejected alternatives: zrównanie z sakramentem bierzmowania jako jedynym sposobem otrzymania pełni Ducha
Original: ἐπλήσθησαν / πλησθέντες Πνεύματος Ἁγίου
Category: Holy Spirit and Pentecost
NEW term for Acts. Occurs 2:4; 4:8,31; 9:17; 13:9. In Polish Catholic sacramental theology, receiving the Spirit’s fullness is popularly tied to Confirmation (‘bierzmowanie’), a once-for-life rite. Acts describes a direct, repeatable, non-sacramental empowering tied to bold proclamation. Human theologian review required for every occurrence.
Speaking In Tongues
Approved rendering: mówienie [innymi/różnymi] językami
Transliteration: lalein [heterais] glōssais
Doctrine: Tongues as Known Human Languages (Xenolalia)
Rejected alternatives: domyślne zrównanie z ekstatycznym, niezrozumiałym mówieniem językami praktykowanym w Odnowie w Duchu Świętym
Original: λαλεῖν [ἑτέραις/γλώσσαις] γλώσσαις
Category: Holy Spirit and Pentecost
NEW term for Acts. Occurs 2:4,11; 10:46; 19:6. Acts 2:6,8,11 explicitly clarify these are known human languages (xenolalia). Poland’s widespread Catholic Charismatic Renewal practices ecstatic, unintelligible ‘mówienie językami’ (closer to 1 Corinthians 14); must not be silently equated. Human theologian review required for every occurrence.
Gift Of The Spirit
Approved rendering: dar Ducha Świętego
Transliteration: dōrea (tou Hagiou Pneumatos)
Doctrine: The Gift of the Spirit Cannot Be Purchased
Rejected alternatives: dar jako coś, co można kupić lub zasłużyć (por. Szymon Czarnoksiężnik, Dz 8:18-24)
Original: δωρεά (τοῦ Ἁγίου Πνεύματος)
Category: Holy Spirit and Pentecost
NEW term for Acts. Occurs 2:38; 8:20; 10:45; 11:17. Reinforces baseline ‘łaska’ (grace). Simon Magus’s attempt to purchase this gift with money (8:18-24) is the text’s own negative test case; relevant to commercialized folk-devotional practice around certain shrines. Human theologian review required.
Clean Unclean Common
Approved rendering: czysty / pospolity (nieczysty) / nieczysty
Transliteration: katharos / koinos / akathartos
Doctrine: Removal of the Jew/Gentile Purity Barrier
Rejected alternatives: potraktowanie jako słaby odpowiednik katolickich przepisów postnych (piątek postny)
Original: καθαρός / κοινός / ἀκάθαρτος
Category: The Gospel to Jews and Gentiles
NEW term for Acts. Occurs 10:9-16,28; 11:8-9. Peter’s vision dismantles the Mosaic food-purity boundary as a symbol for removing the Jew/Gentile barrier. Requires substantial OT (Levitical) background; human theologian or native speaker review required.
No Partiality
Approved rendering: Bóg nie ma względu na osobę
Transliteration: ou prosōpolēmptei
Doctrine: God Shows No Partiality
Rejected alternatives: złagodzenie do implikacji jakiegokolwiek uprzywilejowania etnicznego/narodowego
Original: οὐ προσωπολημπτεῖ (ὁ θεός)
Category: The Gospel to Jews and Gentiles
NEW term for Acts. Occurs 10:34-35, Peter’s climactic conclusion from the Cornelius episode; must not be softened to imply any residual ethnic/national religious preference, directly parallel to the baseline’s ‘Polak-katolik’ caution.
Forgiveness Of Sins
Approved rendering: odpuszczenie grzechów
Transliteration: aphesis (tōn) hamartiōn
Doctrine: Forgiveness of Sins Received by Faith
Rejected alternatives: uzależnienie od odrębnej, powtarzalnej rozgrzeszenia kapłańskiego jako koniecznego warunku
Original: ἄφεσις (τῶν) ἁμαρτιῶν
Category: Repentance and Baptism
NEW term for Acts. Occurs 2:38; 5:31; 10:43; 13:38; 26:18. This exact phrase is also the standard liturgical formula pronounced by a priest in Confession; must be clarified as God’s own direct forgiveness through repentance/faith, expressed in baptism.
Wash Away Sins
Approved rendering: zmyć / obmyć (grzechy)
Transliteration: apolouō
Doctrine: Forgiveness of Sins Received by Faith
Rejected alternatives: dosłowne rytualne obmycie oddzielone od wzywania imienia Chrystusa
Original: ἀπολούω
Category: Repentance and Baptism
NEW term for Acts. Occurs 22:16. Baptismal imagery paired with calling on Christ’s name; always translate with the full clause retained, part of the same 2:38 cluster.
Baptism Of John
Approved rendering: chrzest Janowy
Transliteration: baptisma Iōannou
Doctrine: The Baptism of John Distinguished from Christian Baptism
Rejected alternatives: potraktowanie jako wczesna/niepełna forma tego samego sakramentu chrztu chrześcijańskiego
Original: βάπτισμα Ἰωάννου
Category: Repentance and Baptism
NEW term for Acts. Occurs 18:25; 19:1-5. The clearest place in Acts where the text itself distinguishes two baptisms; catechized Catholic readers accustomed to a single sacramental category risk blurring this. Human theologian review required.
All Things Common
Approved rendering: wszystko wspólne
Transliteration: hapanta koina
Doctrine: Voluntary Communal Generosity
Rejected alternatives: odczytanie jako model kolektywizacji na wzór PRL
Original: ἅπαντα κοινά
Category: The Church as Community
NEW term for Acts. Occurs 2:44-45; 4:32-35. Poland-specific: forced collectivization under communist rule (PRL) left deeply negative associations with ‘wspólna własność’; must be framed as voluntary, Spirit-motivated generosity, not an economic policy model. Human theologian review recommended.
Deacon Service
Approved rendering: diakonia / służba
Transliteration: diakonia / diakonos
Doctrine: Local Church Leadership (Elders/Overseers)
Rejected alternatives: odczytanie jako w pełni rozwinięty sakramentalny diakonat
Original: διακονία / διάκονος
Category: The Church as Community
NEW term for Acts. Occurs 6:1-4. Origin narrative of a functional, Spirit-and-wisdom-qualified service role (distribution to widows). The Polish Catholic ‘diakonat’ is a formal clerical order; must not silently import this later sacramental theology. Human theologian review required.
Elder
Approved rendering: starszy
Transliteration: presbyteros
Doctrine: Local Church Leadership (Elders/Overseers)
Rejected alternatives: odczytanie przez rozwinięty, trójstopniowy system hierarchiczny
Original: πρεσβύτερος
Category: The Church as Community
NEW term for Acts. Occurs 11:30; 14:23; 15:2-23; 16:4; 20:17; 21:18. Used interchangeably with ἐπίσκοπος at 20:17,28; must not be read through Poland’s later, developed clerical hierarchy without explicit teaching notes.
Overseer Bishop
Approved rendering: biskup / nadzorca
Transliteration: episkopos
Doctrine: Local Church Leadership (Elders/Overseers)
Rejected alternatives: odczytanie jako biskup w sensie władzy nad wieloma zborami, jak w późniejszym trójstopniowym systemie
Original: ἐπίσκοπος
Category: The Church as Community
NEW term for Acts. Occurs 20:28, used for the SAME leaders called πρεσβύτεροι two verses earlier (20:17). Poland’s developed three-tier hierarchy (biskup > prezbiter > diakon), reinforced by the Konferencja Episkopatu Polski, risks anachronistic imposition. Human theologian review required.
Breaking Of Bread
Approved rendering: łamanie chleba
Transliteration: klasis tou artou
Doctrine: The Breaking of Bread
Rejected alternatives: odczytanie jako pełna, rozwinięta teologia eucharystyczna (transsubstancjacja), zredukowanie do zwykłego wspólnego posiłku bez znaczenia duchowego
Original: κλάσις τοῦ ἄρτου
Category: The Church as Community
NEW term for Acts. Occurs 2:42,46; 20:7,11. Must distinguish the descriptive shared-meal practice from fully developed Catholic Eucharistic/Mass theology; the text does not resolve later sacramental debates. Human theologian review required.
Laying On Of Hands
Approved rendering: nakładanie / kładzenie rąk
Transliteration: epithesis tōn cheirōn
Doctrine: Apostolic Authority and Miracles
Rejected alternatives: założenie jednego sakramentalnego sensu dla wszystkich wystąpień gestu
Original: ἐπίθεσις τῶν χειρῶν / ἐπιτίθημι τὰς χεῖρας
Category: Apostolic Authority and Miracles
NEW term for Acts. Occurs 6:6; 8:17-19; 9:12,17; 13:3; 19:6; 28:8, for at least three distinct purposes (commissioning, Spirit-impartation, healing). Polish sacramental practice uses the identical gesture; must note Acts’ varied purposes. Human theologian review required.
Servant Of God Title
Approved rendering: Sługa (Boży)
Transliteration: pais theou
Doctrine: Christ as the Servant of God (Isaianic Title)
Rejected alternatives: pomylenie z kanonicznym tytułem ‘Służebnik Boży’ używanym w procesie beatyfikacyjnym
Original: παῖς (θεοῦ)
Category: Apostolic Authority and Miracles
NEW term for Acts. Occurs 3:13,26; 4:27,30. Christological title drawn from Isaiah’s Servant Songs. ‘Służebnik Boży’ is the OFFICIAL Catholic canonization-process title for beatification candidates — a genuine homonym collision. Human theologian review required.
Righteous One Title
Approved rendering: Sprawiedliwy
Transliteration: ho dikaios
Doctrine: Christ as the Righteous One
Rejected alternatives: tłumaczenie jako ogólny opis cechy (‘sprawiedliwy człowiek’) bez zaznaczenia tytułu
Original: ὁ δίκαιος
Category: Apostolic Authority and Miracles
NEW term for Acts. Occurs 3:14; 7:52; 22:14. Must be capitalized and recognized as a title paralleling ‘the Holy One’ and ‘the Author of Life’, not a generic quality-description.
Lying To Holy Spirit
Approved rendering: okłamać Ducha Świętego
Transliteration: pseudomai to Pneuma to Hagion
Doctrine: The Holy Spirit’s Personal Deity
Original: ψεύδομαι τὸ Πνεῦμα τὸ Ἅγιον
Category: Apostolic Authority and Miracles
NEW term for Acts. Occurs 5:3-4. Affirms the Spirit’s full personal deity — of special relevance given non-Trinitarian groups active in Poland (e.g. Jehovah’s Witnesses). Human theologian review required.
Resist The Spirit
Approved rendering: przeciwstawiać się Duchowi Świętemu
Transliteration: antipiptō tō Pneumati
Doctrine: The Holy Spirit’s Personal Deity
Original: ἀντιπίπτω τῷ Πνεύματι
Category: Apostolic Authority and Miracles
NEW term for Acts. Occurs 7:51. Same Trinitarian/personhood doctrinal weight as the Ananias/Sapphira passage. Human theologian review required.
Stone To Death
Approved rendering: kamienować
Transliteration: lithoboleō
Doctrine: Martyrdom as the Culmination of Faithful Witness
Original: λιθοβολέω
Category: Apostolic Authority and Miracles
NEW term for Acts. Occurs 7:58-59; 14:19. Narrative hinge where Acts’ witness-vocabulary (‘świadek’) begins to acquire its later ‘martyrdom’ association. Poland’s strong martyr-saint cult (e.g. Maksymilian Kolbe) makes this transition worth teaching explicitly.
Witness
Approved rendering: świadek / świadczyć
Transliteration: martys / martyreō / diamartyromai
Doctrine: Apostolic Authority Grounded in Eyewitness Testimony
Rejected alternatives: odczytanie wstecz jako ‘męczennik’ (śmierć za wiarę) w pierwotnym, forensycznym znaczeniu
Original: μάρτυς / μαρτυρέω / διαμαρτύρομαι
Category: Persecution and Bold Witness
NEW term for Acts. Occurs 1:8,22; 2:32,40; 3:15; 4:33; 5:32; 10:39,41; 13:31; 22:15,20; 26:16. Must retain the primary forensic/eyewitness sense; the death-sense develops narratively only from Stephen’s death (ch.7) onward. Human theologian review required.
Chosen Instrument
Approved rendering: naczynie wybrane / wybrane narzędzie
Transliteration: skeuos eklogēs
Doctrine: Paul as God’s Chosen Instrument to the Gentiles
Rejected alternatives: los, przeznaczenie
Original: σκεῦος ἐκλογῆς
Category: Conversion of Paul
NEW term for Acts. Occurs 9:15. Reuses baseline ‘wybranie’ (election) caution: convey personal, purposive divine choice, not impersonal fate.
Gods Plan Foreknowledge
Approved rendering: zamysł Boży / uprzednia znajomość
Transliteration: boulē / prognōsis
Doctrine: God’s Sovereign Plan and Foreknowledge
Rejected alternatives: los, przeznaczenie
Original: βουλή / πρόγνωσις
Category: Justification apart from the Law
NEW term for Acts. Occurs 2:23; 4:28. Must avoid fatalistic ‘los/przeznaczenie’ framing while affirming genuine divine sovereignty. Human theologian review required.
Medium Risk Terms
Called
Approved rendering: powołany
Transliteration: klētos / proskaleomai
Doctrine: Divine Calling
Original: κλητός / προσκαλέομαι
Category: Salvation
Inherited from Romans package. Acts 2:39’s summons extends explicitly to Gentiles ‘far off’; context-sensitive per the baseline caution against priesthood/religious-life association.
Holy
Approved rendering: święty
Transliteration: hagios
Doctrine: Sanctification
Original: ἅγιος
Category: Sanctification
Inherited from Romans package. Occurs throughout Acts (e.g. 3:14 ‘the Holy and Righteous One’; 7:33; 21:28); applies both to God/Christ and, in the plural, to all believers.
Adoption
Approved rendering: usynowienie
Transliteration: huiothesia
Doctrine: Adoption into God’s Family
Inherited from Romans package. Acts does not use this term lexically, but Paul’s Areopagus argument (17:28-29, ‘offspring of God’) raises an adjacent, general creational relationship that must be explicitly distinguished from this specific salvific sonship — see new term offspring_of_god.
Peace
Approved rendering: pokój
Transliteration: eirēnē
Doctrine: Peace with God
Original: εἰρήνη
Category: Salvation
Inherited from Romans package. Acts 9:31; 10:36; 15:33 use the term for the church’s relational peace and the gospel of peace preached to Gentiles.
Spiritual Gifts
Approved rendering: dary duchowe
Transliteration: charismata
Doctrine: Spiritual Gifts
Original: χαρίσματα (thematic; cf. δωρεά)
Category: Church
Inherited from Romans package. Acts’ Spirit-gift vocabulary clusters around δωρεά (‘gift’, see new term gift_of_the_spirit) and specific manifestations (tongues, prophecy); distinguish from folk-devotional ‘gift’ language associated with shrine visionaries.
Church
Approved rendering: kościół
Transliteration: ekklēsia
Doctrine: Church as God’s People
Rejected alternatives: Kościół jako jedyna prawowita instytucja hierarchiczna
Original: ἐκκλησία
Category: Church
Inherited from Romans package. Reused for the Christian-community sense (2:47; 5:11; 8:1,3; 9:31; 11:22,26; 12:1,5; 13:1; 14:23,27; 15:3-41; 16:5; 18:22; 20:17,28). CRITICAL DISTINCTION for Acts: 19:32,39,41 uses the IDENTICAL Greek word ἐκκλησία for the secular Ephesian civic riot assembly — do NOT render ‘kościół’ there; use new term assembly_secular (‘zgromadzenie’) instead.
Kingdom Of God
Approved rendering: królestwo Boże
Transliteration: basileia tou theou
Doctrine: Kingdom Mission
Original: βασιλεία τοῦ θεοῦ
Category: Kingdom
Inherited from Romans package. Frames the whole book (1:3,6; 8:12; 14:22; 19:8; 20:25; 28:23,31). Acts 1:6’s disciples’ question about restoring the kingdom ‘to Israel’ is a corrected nationalist misreading, not a model — see new term restore_kingdom_to_israel.
Sin
Approved rendering: grzech
Transliteration: hamartia
Doctrine: Universal Human Accountability
Rejected alternatives: drobne przewinienie (minimizing euphemism)
Original: ἁμαρτία
Category: Sin
Inherited from Romans package. Recurs in Acts’ repentance/forgiveness cluster (2:38; 3:19; 5:31; 7:60; 10:43; 13:38; 22:16; 26:18); avoid minimizing euphemisms.
Gentiles
Approved rendering: poganie
Transliteration: ethnē
Doctrine: Unity of Jews and Gentiles
Original: ἔθνη
Category: Church
Inherited from Romans package. Use for the religiously charged sense (9:15; 10:45; 11:1,18; 13:46,48; 14:27; 15:3-23; 18:6; 21:11-25; 22:21; 26:17-23; 28:28). Where the neutral geographic/ethnic sense ‘nations’ is intended, prefer the new term nations_ethne (‘narody’).
Glory
Approved rendering: chwała
Transliteration: doxa
Doctrine: Deity of Christ
Original: δόξα
Category: God
Inherited from Romans package. Occurs at Stephen’s vision (7:2,55), Herod’s death (12:23), and Paul’s blinding light (22:11).
Power Of God
Approved rendering: moc Boża
Transliteration: dynamis theou
Doctrine: Power of God for Salvation
Original: δύναμις (θεοῦ)
Category: God
Inherited from Romans package. Acts uses this pervasively for miracle-working power confirming apostolic preaching (1:8; 2:22; 3:12; 4:7,33; 6:8; 8:10,13,19; 10:38; 19:11); distinguish from Simon Magus’s counterfeit ‘power’ (8:9-24) and from generic supernatural-force language.
Providence
Approved rendering: opatrzność Boża
Transliteration: boulē / pronoia
Doctrine: Providence
Rejected alternatives: los, przeznaczenie
Original: (thematic; cf. βουλή, πρόνοια)
Category: God
Inherited from Romans package. Acts 17:26-28 and 27:24 (see new term must_appear_before_caesar) are key occurrences; avoid fatalistic ‘los/przeznaczenie’ framing. Cf. new term gods_plan_foreknowledge for the Critical-tier crucifixion-specific instance (2:23; 4:28).
Mission
Approved rendering: misja
Transliteration: apostolē / pempō
Doctrine: Mission to the Nations
Original: ἀποστολή / πέμπω / ἀφορίζω
Category: Church
Inherited from Romans package. Thematic throughout, especially the Spirit’s commissioning of Barnabas and Saul (13:1-3, see new term set_apart_for_task) and Paul’s own account of his sending (22:21).
Abba
Approved rendering: Abba
Transliteration: Abba
Doctrine: Adoption into God’s Family
Inherited from Romans package. Not lexically present in Acts; retained for cross-curriculum reference only, per standard Polish Bible precedent established in Romans 8:15.
Seed Of David
Approved rendering: potomek Dawida
Transliteration: sperma Dauid
Doctrine: Davidic Covenant
Inherited from Romans package. Not lexically present in Acts as this exact phrase, but 13:22-23’s Davidic-descent argument presupposes the same doctrine; retained for cross-curriculum reference.
Pentecost Feast
Approved rendering: Pięćdziesiątnica
Transliteration: pentēkostē
Doctrine: Pentecost and the Outpouring of the Spirit
Rejected alternatives: wyłącznie ‘Zesłanie Ducha Świętego’ bez odniesienia do żydowskiego Święta Tygodni/Szawuot
Original: πεντηκοστή
Category: Holy Spirit and Pentecost
NEW term for Acts. Occurs 2:1; 20:16. The Jewish Feast of Weeks (Shavuot), 50 days after Passover, tied to harvest and (in later tradition) the giving of the Law at Sinai. Distinguish from the Christian liturgical feast ‘Zesłanie Ducha Świętego’ already familiar to Polish readers as a public holiday; without explicit OT teaching, the term risks reduction to ‘the day the Church calls Pentecost’ with no covenant content.
Promise Of The Spirit
Approved rendering: obietnica
Transliteration: epangelia
Doctrine: Pentecost and the Outpouring of the Spirit
Original: ἐπαγγελία
Category: Holy Spirit and Pentecost
NEW term for Acts. Occurs 1:4; 2:33,39. Connects Joel’s prophecy to its historical realization at Pentecost.
Poured Out
Approved rendering: wylać
Transliteration: ekcheō
Doctrine: Pentecost and the Outpouring of the Spirit
Rejected alternatives: zlanie z ‘napełnić’ (πίμπλημι), które opisuje stan jednostki, nie wydarzenie źródłowe
Original: ἐκχέω
Category: Holy Spirit and Pentecost
NEW term for Acts. Occurs 2:17-18,33; 10:45. Describes the source event of the Spirit’s outpouring, distinct from ‘napełnić Duchem’ (filled), which describes the individual’s resulting state.
Fell Upon
Approved rendering: zstąpić / spaść na (kogoś)
Transliteration: epipiptō (to Pneuma)
Doctrine: Pentecost and the Outpouring of the Spirit
Original: ἐπιπίπτω (τὸ Πνεῦμα)
Category: Holy Spirit and Pentecost
NEW term for Acts. Occurs 8:16; 10:44; 11:15. Marks the ‘Gentile Pentecost’ of ch.10 as a deliberate narrative parallel to Acts 2 — teach explicitly so learners see Gentiles receiving the identical gift on identical terms.
Signs And Wonders
Approved rendering: znaki i cuda
Transliteration: sēmeia kai terata
Doctrine: Signs and Wonders Confirming the Word
Rejected alternatives: domyślne skojarzenie z pobożnością sanktuaryjną/objawieniami prywatnymi
Original: σημεῖα καὶ τέρατα
Category: Holy Spirit and Pentecost
NEW term for Acts. Occurs 2:19,22,43; 4:30; 5:12; 6:8; 8:13; 14:3; 15:12. Risk of default association with Polish shrine and apparition folk piety rather than apostolic, gospel-confirming signs. Native speaker review recommended.
Last Days
Approved rendering: dni ostateczne
Transliteration: eschatai hēmerai
Doctrine: Inaugurated Last Days
Rejected alternatives: wyłącznie przyszłe, jeszcze nie rozpoczęte czasy eschatologiczne
Original: ἔσχαται ἡμέραι
Category: Holy Spirit and Pentecost
NEW term for Acts. Occurs 2:17 (Joel citation). Must be taught as an era beginning at Pentecost and continuing through the church age, not exclusively a still-future end-time.
Own Language Dialect
Approved rendering: własny język (dialekt)
Transliteration: dialektos
Doctrine: Tongues as Known Human Languages (Xenolalia)
Original: διάλεκτος
Category: Holy Spirit and Pentecost
NEW term for Acts. Occurs 2:6,8. Each hearer understands the apostles’ Spirit-enabled speech in his own native tongue — the reversal of Babel’s confusion (Genesis 11); the Babel background must be named explicitly since Polish readers will not automatically supply it.
God Fearer
Approved rendering: bojący się Boga
Transliteration: phoboumenos ton theon
Doctrine: Removal of the Jew/Gentile Purity Barrier
Original: φοβούμενος τὸν θεόν
Category: The Gospel to Jews and Gentiles
NEW term for Acts. Occurs 10:2,22,35; 13:16,26. Technical sociological category for Gentile synagogue sympathizers short of full proselyte conversion; distinct from the general ethical sense of ‘fearing God’ elsewhere.
Nations Ethne
Approved rendering: narody
Transliteration: ethnē (neutral sense)
Doctrine: Universal Scope of the Gospel (Jew and Gentile)
Rejected alternatives: ‘poganie’ w kontekstach neutralnych etnicznie/geograficznie
Original: ἔθνη (neutral sense)
Category: The Gospel to Jews and Gentiles
NEW term for Acts. Occurs 13:47; 14:16; 15:17; 17:26; 26:17,20,23. Where the sense is neutral ‘nations/peoples’ rather than religiously charged ‘pagans,’ prefer this over ‘poganie’ per the baseline’s own caution against overstating the negative charge of ‘poganie’.
Offspring Of God
Approved rendering: potomstwo Boże
Transliteration: genos theou
Doctrine: Gospel to Jews and Gentiles
Rejected alternatives: zlanie z ‘usynowieniem’ (adopcyjnym synostwem wierzących)
Original: γένος θεοῦ
Category: The Gospel to Jews and Gentiles
NEW term for Acts. Occurs 17:28-29, Paul’s citation of Greek poets at the Areopagus. Must be distinguished from baseline ‘usynowienie’ (adoption) — this is a general creational relationship to all humanity, not the specific salvific sonship of believers.
Gods Made With Hands
Approved rendering: bogowie czynieni rękami
Transliteration: theoi dia cheirōn ginomenoi
Doctrine: Idolatry Confronted by the Living God
Rejected alternatives: zastosowanie krytyki do katolickich obrazów/statuy używanych w kulcie (np. Czarna Madonna z Częstochowy)
Original: θεοὶ διὰ χειρῶν γινόμενοι
Category: The Gospel to Jews and Gentiles
NEW term for Acts. Occurs 19:26. Must not be extended by analogy to Catholic devotional statues/icons; the biblical critique targets objects worshipped as gods themselves, not devotional images within a monotheistic frame. Native speaker/theologian review recommended for teaching framing.
One Accord
Approved rendering: jednomyślnie / zgodnie
Transliteration: homothymadon
Doctrine: Church as a Spirit-Filled Community
Original: ὁμοθυμαδόν
Category: The Church as Community
NEW term for Acts. Occurs 1:14; 2:46; 4:24; 5:12; 15:25. Recurring unity refrain; render consistently across all occurrences.
The Way
Approved rendering: Droga
Transliteration: hē hodos
Doctrine: Church as Community
Rejected alternatives: ‘droga życia’ w sensie ogólnej metafory
Original: ἡ ὁδός
Category: The Church as Community
NEW term for Acts. Occurs 9:2; 19:9,23; 22:4; 24:14,22. Technical self-designation of the Christian movement before ‘Christian’ existed; needs explicit capitalization and context markers.
Assembly Secular
Approved rendering: zgromadzenie
Transliteration: ekklēsia (secular sense)
Doctrine: Church as Community
Rejected alternatives: ‘kościół’ dla świeckiego, cywilnego zgromadzenia w Dz 19
Original: ἐκκλησία (secular sense)
Category: The Church as Community
NEW term for Acts. Occurs 19:32,39,41, the Ephesian civic riot assembly. Same Greek word rendered ‘kościół’ elsewhere in Acts for the Christian community; must use this distinct Polish word here to avoid implying a ‘church riot’.
Shepherd Flock
Approved rendering: pasterz / stado (trzoda)
Transliteration: poimēn / poimainō / poimnion
Doctrine: Local Church Leadership (Elders/Overseers)
Original: ποιμήν / ποιμαίνω / ποίμνιον
Category: The Church as Community
NEW term for Acts. Occurs 20:28-29. Well-integrated devotional metaphor in Polish Catholic culture; keep emphasis on plural, mutually accountable local eldership rather than a solitary hierarchical figure.
Word Of God Grew
Approved rendering: słowo Boże rosło (i rozmnażało się)
Transliteration: ho logos tou theou ēuxanen
Doctrine: The Gospel’s Unhindered, Ongoing Advance
Rejected alternatives: spłaszczenie do ogólnikowego ‘kościół się powiększał’
Original: ὁ λόγος τοῦ θεοῦ ηὔξανεν
Category: The Church as Community
NEW term for Acts. Occurs 6:7; 12:24; 19:20. Personified growth-of-the-word imagery must be preserved.
Author Of Life
Approved rendering: Twórca / Sprawca (życia)
Transliteration: archēgos
Doctrine: Apostolic Authority and Miracles
Rejected alternatives: ‘książę’ w sensie politycznym, ogólny ‘przywódca’
Original: ἀρχηγός
Category: Apostolic Authority and Miracles
NEW term for Acts. Occurs 3:15; 5:31. Convey originating/pioneering agency, not merely political ‘prince’ or generic ‘leader’.
Boldness Parrhesia
Approved rendering: śmiałość / odwaga (w mówieniu)
Transliteration: parrēsia
Doctrine: Bold Witness Under Persecution
Rejected alternatives: ogólna odwaga bez związku z głoszeniem Chrystusa
Original: παρρησία
Category: Persecution and Bold Witness
NEW term for Acts. Occurs 4:13,29,31; 9:27-28; 13:46; 14:3; 18:26; 19:8; 26:26; 28:31. Teach as boldness specifically in proclaiming Christ, not generic courage.
Persecution
Approved rendering: prześladować / prześladowanie
Transliteration: diōkō / diōgmos
Doctrine: Persecution as Opposition to Christ Himself
Rejected alternatives: zredukowanie do wyłącznie narodowo-historycznej narracji polskiego prześladowania
Original: διώκω / διωγμός
Category: Persecution and Bold Witness
NEW term for Acts. Occurs 8:1,3; 9:1,4-5,13; 11:19; 13:50; 22:4,7-8; 26:11,14-15. Must retain the specifically Christ-centered dimension (9:4-5) rather than narrowing to a national-historical narrative alone.
Set Apart For Task
Approved rendering: oddzielić / wyznaczyć
Transliteration: aphorizō
Doctrine: The Sovereign, Gracious Call of Paul
Rejected alternatives: zlanie z ogólnym administracyjnym przydzieleniem zadania, nadmierne przyswojenie do powołania kapłańskiego/zakonnego
Original: ἀφορίζω
Category: Conversion of Paul
NEW term for Acts. Occurs 13:2. A specific missionary commissioning, distinct from — but a genuine instance of — the general doctrine of divine calling; contrast carefully with the dominant Polish ‘powołanie’ = priesthood association.
Yoke Of The Law
Approved rendering: jarzmo
Transliteration: zygos
Doctrine: The Jerusalem Council’s Rejection of Circumcision as Necessary for Salvation
Rejected alternatives: ogólne zdyskredytowanie wartości nabożnej Prawa Mojżeszowego
Original: ζυγός
Category: Justification apart from the Law
NEW term for Acts. Occurs 15:10. Refers specifically to law-keeping made a condition of salvation; must not imply blanket disparagement of the Law’s devotional value generally.
Uncircumcised In Heart
Approved rendering: nieobrzezany na sercu
Transliteration: aperitmētos tē kardia
Doctrine: Justification apart from the Law
Original: ἀπερίτμητος τῇ καρδί�ᾳ
Category: Justification apart from the Law
NEW term for Acts. Occurs 7:51. Metaphorical extension of circumcision to spiritual resistance; anticipates ch.15’s circumcision controversy and requires OT background.
Ends Of The Earth
Approved rendering: aż do krańców ziemi
Transliteration: heōs eschatou tēs gēs
Doctrine: The Great Commission’s Geographic Fulfillment
Rejected alternatives: ograniczenie do znanego świata rzymskiego jako już wypełnionego zasięgu
Original: ἕως ἐσχάτου τῆς γῆς
Category: The Great Commission Fulfilled
NEW term for Acts. Occurs 1:8. Must be taught as literal global scope, bracketing the whole book with 28:31.
Restore Kingdom To Israel
Approved rendering: przywrócić królestwo Izraelowi
Transliteration: apokathistanō tēn basileian tō Israēl
Doctrine: The Kingdom of God Is Not a Nationalist Political Program
Rejected alternatives: potraktowanie pytania uczniów jako wzoru do naśladowania
Original: ἀποκαθιστάνω τὴν βασιλείαν τῷ Ἰσραήλ
Category: The Great Commission Fulfilled
NEW term for Acts. Occurs 1:6. A corrected nationalist misunderstanding, not a model; parallel to the baseline’s caution against conflating God’s kingdom with national-political heritage.
Preach Proclaim
Approved rendering: głosić
Transliteration: kēryssō
Doctrine: The Gospel’s Unhindered, Ongoing Advance
Original: κηρύσσω
Category: The Great Commission Fulfilled
NEW term for Acts. Occurs 8:5; 9:20; 10:37,42; 19:13; 20:25; 28:31. Connect explicitly to baseline ‘Ewangelia’ as the content proclaimed.
Unhindered
Approved rendering: bez przeszkód
Transliteration: akōlytōs
Doctrine: The Gospel’s Unhindered, Ongoing Advance
Rejected alternatives: potraktowanie jako zamknięte, zakończone zwycięstwo misji
Original: ἀκωλύτως
Category: The Great Commission Fulfilled
NEW term for Acts. Occurs 28:31. The book’s deliberately open-ended final word; teach as an intentional ‘open ending,’ bracketing back to 1:8.
Must Appear Before Caesar
Approved rendering: musisz stanąć przed Cezarem
Transliteration: dei se Kaisari parastēnai
Doctrine: God’s Sovereign Plan and Foreknowledge
Rejected alternatives: ‘musi się stać’ w tonie bezosobowej konieczności
Original: δεῖ σε Καίσαρι παραστῆναι
Category: The Great Commission Fulfilled
NEW term for Acts. Occurs 27:24. Reuses baseline ‘opatrzność Boża’ (providence) in narrative form; avoid a fatalistic, impersonal-necessity tone.
Hades Realm Of Dead
Approved rendering: Otchłań (Hades)
Transliteration: Hadēs
Doctrine: Resurrection of Christ (Bodily, Historical)
Rejected alternatives: ‘piekło’ (piekło jako ostateczny sąd/potępienie)
Original: ᾅδης
Category: Eschatology
NEW term for Acts. Occurs 2:27,31 (Psalm 16 citation). Must be explicitly distinguished from Polish popular ‘piekło’ (final judgment/damnation); conflating the two misrepresents both the Psalm and Christ’s resurrection claim.
Exalted
Approved rendering: wywyższony
Transliteration: hypsoō
Doctrine: Christ’s Public Installation as Lord and Messiah
Rejected alternatives: ‘awansowany/uhonorowany’ bez sensu intronizacji
Original: ὑψόω
Category: Christology
NEW term for Acts. Occurs 2:33; 5:31. Enthronement language tied to Psalm 110 (cited 2:34-35); keep distinct from mere ‘promoted/honored’.
Lot Inheritance
Approved rendering: los / dział
Transliteration: klēros
Doctrine: God’s Sovereign Plan and Foreknowledge
Rejected alternatives: ‘los’ jako opis Bożego charakteru opatrznościowego (zamiast tylko literalnego losowania lub dziedzictwa)
Original: κλῆρος
Category: Providence and Divine Sovereignty
NEW term for Acts. Occurs 1:17,25-26 (casting lots) and 26:18 (‘inheritance among those sanctified’). ‘Los’ is used ONLY for the literal procedure of casting lots or covenantal inheritance, never as a description of God’s providential character — this distinction must be made explicit in teaching, consistent with the baseline’s forbidden fatalistic ‘los/przeznaczenie’ framing for providence/election.
Low Risk Terms
Apostle
Approved rendering: apostoł
Transliteration: apostolos
Doctrine: Apostleship
Original: ἀπόστολος
Category: Church
Inherited from Romans package. Acts is the term’s narrative home (1:2,25-26; 2:37,42-43; 4:33; 5:2,12,18,29,40; 6:6; 8:1,14,18; 9:27; 11:1; 14:4,14; 15:2-33; 16:4); distinguish from a generic missionary or spiritual teacher.
Thanksgiving
Approved rendering: dziękczynienie
Transliteration: eucharistia / eucharisteō
Doctrine: Thanksgiving
Original: εὐχαριστία / εὐχαριστέω
Category: Faith
Inherited from Romans package. Acts 27:35 and 28:15 use this of Paul’s own thanksgiving; low risk, standard vocabulary.
Fellowship
Approved rendering: wspólnota
Transliteration: koinōnia
Doctrine: Christian Fellowship
Rejected alternatives: świętych obcowanie (specific creedal formula)
Original: κοινωνία
Category: Church
Inherited from Romans package. Acts 2:42 lists ‘the fellowship’ among the four marks of the early church alongside teaching, breaking of bread, and prayer.
Prophet
Approved rendering: prorok
Transliteration: prophētēs
Doctrine: Inspiration of Scripture
Original: προφήτης
Category: Covenant
Inherited from Romans package. Frequent throughout Acts, including of contemporary church prophets (11:27; 21:9-10), not only OT figures.
Prophecy
Approved rendering: proroctwo
Transliteration: prophēteia
Doctrine: Fulfillment of Prophecy
Original: προφητεία
Category: Covenant
Inherited from Romans package. Key occurrences at 2:16-18 (Joel citation) and 21:9 (Philip’s daughters prophesying).
David
Approved rendering: Dawid
Transliteration: Dauid
Doctrine: Davidic Covenant
Original: Δαυίδ
Category: Covenant
Inherited from Romans package. Occurs 1:16; 2:25,29,34; 4:25; 7:45; 13:22,34,36; 15:16.
Israel
Approved rendering: Izrael
Transliteration: Israēl
Doctrine: Unity of Jews and Gentiles
Original: Ἰσραήλ
Category: Covenant
Inherited from Romans package. Occurs 1:6; 2:36; 4:10,27; 5:21,31; 7:23,37,42; 9:15; 10:36; 13:16-24; 21:28; 28:20. 1:6’s ‘restore the kingdom to Israel’ requires careful handling — see new term restore_kingdom_to_israel.
Exhort
Approved rendering: napominać
Transliteration: parakaleō
Doctrine: Mutual Edification
Original: παρακαλέω
Category: Faith
Inherited from Romans package. Occurs 2:40; 11:23; 14:22; 15:32; 16:40; 20:1-2.
Tongues Of Fire
Approved rendering: języki (jakby) ognia
Transliteration: glōssai hōsei pyros
Doctrine: Pentecost and the Outpouring of the Spirit
Rejected alternatives: zlanie z ‘mówieniem językami’ (dar mowy) w jedno zjawisko
Original: γλῶσσαι ὡσεὶ πυρός
Category: Holy Spirit and Pentecost
NEW term for Acts. Occurs 2:3. A visible, divided, flame-shaped sign resting on each person — distinct from v.4’s spoken ‘other tongues’; must not be conflated with speaking_in_tongues in teaching.
Christian Name
Approved rendering: chrześcijanin
Transliteration: Christianos
Doctrine: Church as Community
Original: Χριστιανός
Category: The Church as Community
NEW term for Acts. Occurs 11:26; 26:28. First applied at Antioch, originally likely an outsider label — useful cultural-historical color.
Regain Sight
Approved rendering: odzyskać wzrok
Transliteration: anablepō
Doctrine: Conversion of Paul
Original: ἀναβλέπω
Category: Conversion of Paul
NEW term for Acts. Occurs 9:12,17-18; 22:13. Physical healing paired with spiritual illumination, recurring at each retelling of the Damascus-road story.
Zealous For God
Approved rendering: żarliwy dla Boga
Transliteration: zēlōtēs tou theou
Doctrine: Conversion of Paul
Original: ζηλωτὴς τοῦ θεοῦ
Category: Conversion of Paul
NEW term for Acts. Occurs 22:3. Sets up the total reorientation of Paul’s zeal toward Christ.
Appeal To Caesar
Approved rendering: odwołuję się do Cezara
Transliteration: epikaloumai Kaisara
Doctrine: The Great Commission’s Geographic Fulfillment
Original: ἐπικαλοῦμαι Καίσαρα
Category: The Great Commission Fulfilled
NEW term for Acts. Occurs 25:11. The providential legal mechanism advancing the gospel to Rome itself.
Corruption Of Body
Approved rendering: skażenie / zniszczenie (ciała)
Transliteration: diaphthora
Doctrine: Resurrection of Christ (Bodily, Historical)
Rejected alternatives: spłaszczenie do ogólnego ‘cierpienia’
Original: διαφθορά
Category: Eschatology
NEW term for Acts. Occurs 2:27,31; 13:34-37. Grounds bodily (not merely spiritual) resurrection doctrine.
Referenced passages