Core Glossary
Core Glossary — Acts 1–28
English → Portuguese | Destination: Portuguese
Curriculum: Acts
Core passage: Acts 2:1–41
Status: All entries marked Reused are locked to the exact rendering already recorded in the baseline Romans translation_memory.json and must not be altered. All entries marked New are proposed additions for this curriculum, pending confirmation and formal addition to translation_memory.json before Phase 2 begins (per the Translation Memory Load and Enforcement Instructions in 12_ai_translation_requirements.md).
A. Terms Reused Verbatim from the Romans Baseline
| English Term | Portuguese Rendering | Risk | Doctrine | Acts Chapters | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| gospel | evangelho | High | Gospel | 1, 8, 10, 13, 14, 15, 16, 20, 28 | Reused |
| grace | graça | High | Grace | 4, 6, 11, 13, 14, 15, 18, 20 | Reused |
| faith | fé | High | Faith | 3, 6, 10, 11, 13, 14, 15, 16, 20, 24, 26 | Reused |
| righteousness | justiça | Critical | Salvation | 3, 13, 17, 24 | Reused |
| justification (conceptual, apart from law) | justificação | Critical | Salvation | 13, 15 (implicit) | Reused |
| salvation | salvação | Critical | Salvation | 2, 4, 11, 13, 15, 16, 27, 28 | Reused |
| apostle | apóstolo | Low | Apostleship | 1, 2, 4-6, 8-9, 11, 14-16 | Reused |
| called / calling | chamado | High | Divine Calling | 1, 2, 9, 13, 16 | Reused |
| holy | santo | Medium | Sanctification | throughout (Holy Spirit passim; 3:14 “the Holy and Righteous One”) | Reused |
| saints | santos | Critical | Sainthood | 9:13, 9:32, 9:41, 26:10 | Reused |
| sanctification | santificação | High | Sanctification | 20, 26 | Reused |
| adoption (conceptual background) | adoção | Medium | Adoption | (background only; not lexically prominent in Acts) | Reused |
| resurrection | ressurreição | Critical | Resurrection of Christ | 1, 2, 3, 4, 9, 17, 23, 24, 26 | Reused — NEVER “reencarnação” |
| lord | Senhor | Critical | Lordship of Christ | 2, 4, 9-11, 13, 15-16, 19-21, 26, 28 | Reused |
| son of God | Filho de Deus | Critical | Sonship of Christ | 9:20, 13:33 | Reused |
| incarnation (conceptual background) | encarnação | Critical | Incarnation | (background only; contrasted implicitly with Ch.9’s Damascus theophany) | Reused |
| peace | paz | Medium | Peace with God | 9:31, 10:36, 15:33 | Reused |
| spiritual gifts | dons espirituais | High | Spiritual Gifts | 2, 8, 10 (conceptual) | Reused |
| thanksgiving | ação de graças | Low | Thanksgiving | 27:35, 28:15 | Reused |
| fellowship | companheirismo | Low | Christian Fellowship | 2:42 | Reused |
| church | igreja | Medium | Church as God’s People | 2, 5, 8-9, 11-15, 20 | Reused |
| kingdom of God | reino de Deus | Medium | Kingdom Mission | 1, 8, 14, 19-20, 28 | Reused |
| law | lei | High | Fulfillment of Prophecy / Justification apart from Law | 6-7, 10, 13, 15, 18, 21-25 | Reused |
| sin | pecado | Medium | Universal Human Accountability | 2, 3, 5, 7, 10, 26 | Reused |
| gentiles | gentios | Low | Unity of Jews and Gentiles | 9-11, 13-15, 18, 21-22, 26, 28 | Reused |
| glory | glória | Medium | Deity of Christ | 7, 12 | Reused |
| obedience of faith (conceptual) | obediência da fé | High | Obedience of Faith | 6:7 (“the faith”), 13-15 | Reused |
| power of God | poder de Deus | Medium | Power of God for Salvation | 1, 4, 8, 10 | Reused |
| messiah | Messias | Critical | Messianic Promise | 2-3, 5, 8-9, 13, 17-18, 26 | Reused |
| prophet | profeta | Low | Inspiration of Scripture | 2-3, 7, 10-11, 13, 15, 21, 28 | Reused |
| prophecy | profecia | Low | Fulfillment of Prophecy | 2, 11, 13, 15, 21 | Reused |
| covenant | aliança | High | Davidic Covenant | 3, 7, 13, 15 (conceptual) | Reused |
| election | eleição | High | Effectual Calling | 9, 13 | Reused |
| intercession | intercessão | High | Prayer and Intercession | 12 (conceptual) | Reused |
| providence | providência | High | Providence | 2, 17, 27 | Reused |
| mission | missão | Medium | Mission to the Nations | throughout, esp. 1, 13, 26, 28 | Reused |
| david | Davi | Low | Davidic Covenant | 2, 4, 7, 13, 15 | Reused |
| israel | Israel | Low | Unity of Jews and Gentiles | 1-2, 4-5, 7, 9-10, 13, 21, 26, 28 | Reused |
| jesus | Jesus | Critical | Lordship of Christ | throughout | Reused |
| god | Deus | Critical | Deity of Christ | throughout | Reused |
| holy spirit | Espírito Santo | Critical | Sanctification / Pentecost | 1-2, 4-5, 7-11, 13, 15-16, 19, 21 | Reused |
| father | Pai | Critical | Adoption into God’s Family | 1:4, 1:7, 2:33 | Reused |
| abba (conceptual, not lexically present in Acts) | Abba | Medium | Adoption into God’s Family | (not present in Acts; retained for cross-curriculum consistency) | Reused |
| exhort | exortar | Low | Mutual Edification | 2:40, 11:23, 14:22, 15:32, 20:1-2 | Reused |
| seed of David | descendência de Davi | Medium | Davidic Covenant | 13:23 | Reused |
| imputed righteousness (conceptual echo) | justiça imputada | Critical | Justification by Faith | 7:60 (inverse: “não lhes imputes…”) | Reused |
B. New Terms Proposed for the Acts Language Package
| English Term | Portuguese Rendering | Original (Greek) | Transliteration | Risk | Doctrine | Acts Chapters | Alternatives Rejected | Rationale |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pentecost | Pentecoste | πεντηκοστή | pentēkostē | Medium | The Holy Spirit and Pentecost | 2, 20:16 | — | Unique, unrepeatable calendar event; must not be assimilated to Umbanda/Candomblé festival-cycle “energy” language. |
| filled with the Holy Spirit | cheio(s) do Espírito Santo | πίμπλημι/πλήρης + πνεῦμα ἅγιον | pimplēmi/plērēs pneumatos hagiou | Critical | The Holy Spirit and Pentecost | 2, 4, 6, 9, 13 | ”incorporado(a) pelo Espírito,” “possuído pelo Espírito” | Must never suggest loss of personal identity/agency as in Kardecist/Umbanda incorporação; the believer’s own faculties remain active and are empowered, not displaced. |
| tongues (glossolalia) | línguas / outras línguas | γλῶσσαι / ἑτέραις γλώσσαις | glōssai / heterais glōssais | Critical | The Holy Spirit and Pentecost | 2, 10, 19 | — | Must be anchored to intelligible human languages (per Acts 2:6-11), distinguished from psicofonia and ecstatic mediumistic utterance. |
| baptized with the Holy Spirit | batizado(s) com o Espírito Santo | βαπτισθήσεσθε ἐν πνεύματι ἁγίῳ | baptisthēsesthe en pneumati hagiō | Critical | The Holy Spirit and Pentecost | 1, 11 | — | Empowerment for witness, not a two-tier status marker or a mediumistic initiation experience. |
| repentance | arrependimento / arrepender-se | μετάνοια / μετανοέω | metanoia / metanoeō | Critical | Repentance and Baptism | 2, 3, 5, 8, 11, 17, 19, 20, 26 | ”reforma íntima” (Kardecist self-reform across lifetimes) | Decisive, once-for-all turning received in this life through Christ, not a multi-life self-improvement program. |
| baptism / to baptize | batismo / batizar | βάπτισμα / βαπτίζω | baptisma / baptizō | Critical | Repentance and Baptism | 2, 8, 9, 10, 16, 18, 19, 22 | — | Faith-response and public identification with Christ; never a magical rite conferring merit apart from faith, nor equivalent to a ritual cleansing/descarrego. |
| forgiveness / remission of sins | perdão dos pecados / remissão dos pecados | ἄφεσις ἁμαρτιῶν | aphesis hamartiōn | Critical | Repentance and Baptism | 2, 5 (implicit), 10, 13, 26 | ”reparação gradual do erro” | Complete, immediate forgiveness in this life, not a partial credit toward a multi-life karmic ledger. |
| gift of the Holy Spirit / gift of God | dom do Espírito Santo / dom de Deus | δωρεὰ τοῦ ἁγίου πνεύματος / δωρεὰ τοῦ θεοῦ | dōrea tou hagiou pneumatos / dōrea tou theou | Critical | The Holy Spirit and Pentecost | 2, 8, 10, 11 | ”dom mediúnico” | Free, sovereign, un-purchasable gift of God’s own personal Spirit; never a cultivable mediumistic faculty. |
| witness(es) | testemunha(s) | μάρτυς / μάρτυρες | martys / martyres | High | Persecution and Bold Witness | 1-2, 5, 6, 10, 13, 22, 26 | — | Firsthand, historical, verifiable eyewitness testimony to a bodily, historical event; consistency required across the whole book. |
| martyr (semantic emergence) | mártir | μάρτυς (developing sense) | martys | High | Persecution and Bold Witness | 7 (narrative origin), 22:20 | — | Use “testemunha” within verse text; reserve “mártir” for teaching/heading material describing the later technical sense. |
| boldness | ousadia | παρρησία | parrēsia | High | Persecution and Bold Witness | 4, 9, 13, 14, 18, 19, 28 | ”confiança” (too weak), “atrevimento” (negative connotation) | Fearless, Spirit-given public speech under threat; consistent rendering required throughout. |
| persecution | perseguição | διωγμός | diōgmos | Medium | Persecution and Bold Witness | 8, 11, 13 | — | Standard term; low ambiguity. |
| the Way (name for the Christian movement) | o Caminho | ἡ ὁδός | hē hodos | High | The Great Commission Fulfilled / Christian Identity | 9, 18, 19, 22, 24 | ”a religião,” “a seita” | Exclusive, historically-anchored community of faith in the risen Christ; not one “spiritual path” among several valid options as in Brazilian religious pluralism. |
| sect | seita | αἵρεσις | hairesis | High | Apostolic Authority / Persecution | 24, 26, 28:22 | — | Ancient neutral “party/school” sense vs. modern pejorative “cult” sense; requires a translator’s note distinguishing the two on first occurrence. |
| Christian(s) | cristão(s) | Χριστιανός | Christianos | Low | Church as Community / Christian Identity | 11, 26 | — | Originally an outsider-applied label; historically useful teaching note. |
| disciple(s) | discípulo(s) | μαθητής | mathētēs | Low | Church as Community | throughout, esp. 6, 9, 11, 14, 16 | — | Standard, unambiguous term. |
| in the name of Jesus | em nome de Jesus | ἐν τῷ ὀνόματι Ἰησοῦ | en tō onomati Iēsou | Critical | Apostolic Authority and Miracles | 3, 4, 9, 16, 19 | — | Delegated divine authority, never a magical incantation; sharply distinguished from occult name-invocation formulas (Acts 19:13-16 shows the formula’s failure apart from genuine faith/authority). |
| signs and wonders / miracles | sinais e prodígios / milagres | σημεῖα καὶ τέρατα / δυνάμεις | sēmeia kai terata / dynameis | High | Apostolic Authority and Miracles | 2, 4-6, 8, 14-15, 19 | ”fenômenos” (too neutral/occult-adjacent) | God’s own authentication of his messengers; distinguished from occult “fenômenos mediúnicos.” |
| sorcery / magic | magia / feitiçaria | μαγεία | mageia | Critical | Apostolic Authority and Miracles | 8, 13, 19 | — | Occult power sought/manipulated/monetized, opposed to and decisively defeated by the gospel; central collision term with Kardecist/Umbanda/Candomblé practice. |
| sorcerer / magician | mago / feiticeiro | μάγος | magos | Critical | Apostolic Authority and Miracles | 8 (Simon), 13 (Elymas) | — | Same risk family as “magia/feitiçaria.” |
| spirit of divination | espírito de adivinhação | πνεῦμα πύθωνα | pneuma pythōna | Critical | Apostolic Authority and Miracles | 16 | — | Direct textual parallel to mainstream Brazilian divinatory mediumship; must preserve the reality and defeat of this power without glamorizing occult detail. |
| unclean spirit / demon | espírito impuro / demônio | πνεῦμα ἀκάθαρτον / δαιμόνιον | pneuma akatharton / daimonion | Critical | Apostolic Authority and Miracles | 8, 16, 19 | ”espírito obsessor” (Kardecist term), “encantado,” “exu” (Afro-Brazilian terms) | Must retain personal, malevolent, spiritual-adversary sense distinct from ancestor/orixá/guide categories in Afro-Brazilian and Kardecist cosmology. |
| vision | visão | ὅραμα / ὀπτασία | horama / optasia | High | Conversion of Paul / Apostolic Authority | 9-11, 16, 18, 26 | — | God-initiated, morally transformative, Scripture-consistent revelation; distinguished from mediumistic visions demanding no moral change. |
| the power of Satan | o poder de Satanás | ἡ ἐξουσία τοῦ σατανᾶ | hē exousia tou satana | Critical | Conversion of Paul | 26 | — | Preserves the two-kingdom dualism (Satan/God) central to conversion theology; resists any single-continuum “evolution of spirits” framework. |
| circumcision | circuncisão | περιτομή | peritomē | High | Justification apart from the Law | 15, 16:3, 21:21 | — | Covenant-sign question resolved by grace; central term for the whole doctrine. |
| yoke (of the law) | jugo | ζυγός | zygos | Medium | Justification apart from the Law | 15:10 | — | Burden of law-keeping as a (rejected) requirement for salvation. |
| God shows no partiality | Deus não faz acepção de pessoas | οὐκ ἔστιν προσωπολήπτης ὁ θεός | ouk estin prosōpolēptēs ho theos | High | Gospel to Jews and Gentiles | 10 | — | Foundational impartiality statement; carries direct social weight given Brazil’s history of racial/social stratification. |
| household baptism | batismo de toda a casa | ἐβαπτίσθη πανοικί | ebaptisthē panoiki | High | Repentance and Baptism / Church as Community | 10, 16 | — | Corporate/family dimension of conversion and baptism. |
| idol(s) / idolatry | ídolo(s) / idolatria | εἴδωλον / εἴδωλα | eidōlon / eidōla | High | Gospel to Jews and Gentiles | 7, 14-15, 17, 19 | — | Direct relevance to Afro-Brazilian religious imagery and folk-Catholic image veneration; requires pastoral but doctrinally clear handling. |
| the gods have come down (idolatrous misreading of miracle) | os deuses desceram | οἱ θεοὶ κατέβησαν | hoi theoi katebēsan | High | Apostolic Authority and Miracles | 14, 28 (parallel) | — | Teaching point: apostolic miracles authenticate the message but must never be received as the miracle-worker’s own deity. |
| elders | anciãos / presbíteros | πρεσβύτεροι | presbyteroi | Medium | The Church as Community | 11, 14-15, 20-21 | ”padres” (anachronistic sacerdotal import) | Functional, non-hierarchical local leadership; avoid importing later clericalized weight. |
| overseers / bishops | bispos / supervisores | ἐπίσκοποι | episkopoi | High | The Church as Community | 20 | ”bispos” (unqualified, risks importing monarchical episcopate) | Functional synonym for “elders” in this passage (local oversight), not a regional hierarchical office; recommend qualifying note. |
| shepherd (verb) | pastorear | ποιμαίνω | poimainō | Medium | The Church as Community | 20 | — | Pastoral care/protection of the flock purchased by Christ’s blood. |
| the whole counsel of God | todo o conselho de Deus | πᾶσα ἡ βουλὴ τοῦ θεοῦ | pasa hē boulē tou theou | Medium | Apostolic Authority and Miracles | 20 | — | Complete, undiminished apostolic teaching; nothing withheld. |
| all things in common | tudo em comum | ἅπαντα κοινά | hapanta koina | Medium | The Church as Community | 2, 4 | — | Voluntary Spirit-prompted generosity, not a mandated communal-property doctrine. |
| breaking of bread | partir do pão | κλάσις τοῦ ἄρτου | klasis tou artou | Medium | The Church as Community | 2, 20 | — | Shared meals, likely including the Lord’s Supper; distinguish from, without conflating with, the specific Catholic Eucharistic formula. |
| unclean / common (ritual) | impuro / comum | ἀκάθαρτος / κοινός | akathartos / koinos | Medium | Justification apart from the Law | 10 | — | Abrogation of Mosaic ritual purity distinctions in Christ, not a claim that morality is irrelevant. |
| ascension | ascensão | ἀνελήμφθη | anelēmphthē | High | The Great Commission Fulfilled (background) | 1 | ”desencarnação” (Kardecist term for death) | Bodily, visible, historical, unrepeated departure into heaven; sharply distinct from a spirit’s “desencarnação” and migration through “planos espirituais.” |
| ends of the earth | confins da terra | ἔσχατον τῆς γῆς | eschaton tēs gēs | Medium | The Great Commission Fulfilled | 1, 13 | — | Programmatic geographic totality of the mission mandate. |
| unknown god | deus desconhecido | ἄγνωστος θεός | agnōstos theos | Medium | Gospel to Jews and Gentiles | 17 | — | Apologetic bridge-term; must culminate in the specific, personal, named God, not remain generic. |
| the resurrection mocked | ressurreição… mocked (see “resurrection” [TM-REUSE]) | ἀνάστασις… ἐχλεύαζον | anastasis… echleuazon | Critical | Resurrection of Christ | 17, 23-24 | — | Teaching point paralleling ancient Greek and modern Brazilian resistance to bodily (as opposed to disembodied-soul or reincarnation) resurrection. |
| cut to the heart | compungir-se / ser cortado no coração | κατανύσσομαι | katanyssomai | Medium | Repentance and Baptism | 2:37 | — | Spirit-produced conviction of sin, distinct from generic guilt or karmic remorse. |
| added (to the church) | acrescentado(s) | προστίθημι | prostithēmi | Medium | The Church as Community | 2, 5, 11 | — | Genuine incorporation into visible community, not mere headcount growth. |
C. Cross-Reference: High-Priority Consistency Verses for Phase 2
The following verses/phrases must be rendered identically everywhere they occur across all Acts curriculum materials, per the Theological Consistency Rules established in the baseline 12_ai_translation_requirements.md:
| Reference | Phrase | Locked Portuguese Rendering |
|---|---|---|
| Acts 1:8 | ”you will be my witnesses… to the end of the earth" | "sereis minhas testemunhas… até os confins da terra” |
| Acts 2:38 | ”Repent and be baptized… for the forgiveness of sins… the gift of the Holy Spirit" | "Arrependei-vos, e cada um de vós seja batizado em nome de Jesus Cristo, para perdão dos pecados; e recebereis o dom do Espírito Santo” |
| Acts 4:12 | ”no other name… no salvation" | "em nenhum outro há salvação… não há debaixo do céu nenhum outro nome” |
| Acts 15:11 | ”saved through the grace of the Lord Jesus" | "somos salvos pela graça do Senhor Jesus” |
| Acts 16:31 | ”believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved" | "crê no Senhor Jesus, e serás salvo” |
| Acts 28:31 | ”the kingdom of God… with all boldness and without hindrance" | "o reino de Deus… com toda ousadia, sem impedimento” |
This glossary extends, and must never contradict, the baseline Romans translation_memory.json and bible_term_registry.json. All “New” entries above are pending formal addition to translation_memory.json (version increment) before any Phase 2 segment translation of Acts may proceed, per the Pre-flight Checklist in 12_ai_translation_requirements.md.
Critical Risk Terms
Righteousness
Approved rendering: justiça
Transliteration: dikaiosynē
Doctrine: Salvation
Rejected alternatives: mérito conquistado por esforço moral próprio
Original: δικαιοσύνη
Category: Salvation
Inherited from Romans package. Right standing before God granted through faith; combines with ‘santo’ in the Acts 3:14 title ‘o Santo e o Justo.‘
Justification
Approved rendering: justificação
Transliteration: dikaiōsis
Doctrine: Salvation
Rejected alternatives: progresso espiritual gradual
Original: δικαίωσις
Category: Salvation
Inherited from Romans package. Forensic declaration of righteousness received by faith, background to Acts 13:38-39 and 15’s Jerusalem Council resolution.
Salvation
Approved rendering: salvação
Transliteration: sōtēria
Doctrine: Salvation
Rejected alternatives: evolução espiritual através de reencarnações sucessivas
Original: σωτηρία
Category: Salvation
Inherited from Romans package. The single highest-risk term in the Language Package; Acts 4:12 and 16:31 apply it with unqualified exclusivity, directly confronting Kardecism’s evolução espiritual doctrine.
Saints
Approved rendering: santos
Transliteration: hagioi
Doctrine: Sainthood
Rejected alternatives: santos venerados e invocados como intercessores
Original: ἅγιοι
Category: Church
Inherited from Romans package. Applies to ordinary believers in Acts 9:13, 9:32, 9:41, 26:10; requires the same explanatory note as in Romans 1:7 in every occurrence.
Resurrection
Approved rendering: ressurreição
Transliteration: anastasis
Doctrine: Resurrection of Christ
Rejected alternatives: reencarnação
Original: ἀνάστασις
Category: Eschatology
Inherited from Romans package. NEVER reencarnação. Central to Peter’s Pentecost sermon (Acts 2:24-32) and Paul’s later defenses (17:31-32; 23:6-8; 24:15,21; 26:23).
Lord
Approved rendering: Senhor
Transliteration: kyrios
Doctrine: Lordship of Christ
Rejected alternatives: Senhor apenas em sentido devocional, sem reivindicação de senhorio total
Original: κύριος
Category: Christology
Inherited from Romans package. Acts 2:36 (‘Deus o fez Senhor e Cristo’) and 16:31 (‘crê no Senhor Jesus’) are the book’s climactic lordship statements.
Son Of God
Approved rendering: Filho de Deus
Transliteration: huios theou
Doctrine: Sonship of Christ
Rejected alternatives: filho de Deus no sentido genérico aplicado a todo crente
Original: υἱὸς θεοῦ
Category: Christology
Inherited from Romans package. Used of Jesus at Acts 9:20 and 13:33; full phrase required.
Incarnation
Approved rendering: encarnação
Transliteration: ho logos sarx egeneto
Doctrine: Incarnation
Rejected alternatives: encarnação como uma entre muitas vidas sucessivas de um espírito (sentido espírita)
Original: ὁ λόγος σὰρξ ἐγένετο
Category: Christology
Inherited from Romans package. Conceptual background only in Acts, relevant to teaching material framing the Damascus theophany and resurrection narratives against a reincarnation misreading.
Messiah
Approved rendering: Messias
Transliteration: Christos / Mashiach
Doctrine: Messianic Promise
Rejected alternatives: um espírito superior ou mais evoluído (leitura espírita de Jesus como ‘o mais evoluído dos espíritos’)
Original: Χριστός / מָשִׁיחַ
Category: Christology
Inherited from Romans package. Central to Peter’s and Paul’s Old Testament demonstrations throughout Acts (2-3, 5, 8-9, 13, 17-18, 26).
Jesus
Approved rendering: Jesus
Transliteration: Iēsous / Yeshua
Doctrine: Lordship of Christ
Original: Ἰησοῦς / יֵשׁוּעַ
Category: Christology
Inherited from Romans package. Standard across all Portuguese Bible traditions; risk lies in the doctrinal content surrounding it (Messiah, Incarnation, Resurrection).
God
Approved rendering: Deus
Transliteration: theos / Elohim / YHWH
Doctrine: Deity of Christ
Original: θεός / אֱלֹהִים / יהוה
Category: God
Inherited from Romans package. Standard and unambiguous. Acts repeatedly confronts polytheistic/syncretistic misreadings (14:11-18; 17:23-29; 28:6), relevant to orixá-Catholic saint syncretism.
Holy Spirit
Approved rendering: Espírito Santo
Transliteration: pneuma hagion
Doctrine: Sanctification
Rejected alternatives: espíritos guias ou mentores espirituais (espiritismo), orixás e guias (Candomblé/Umbanda)
Original: πνεῦμα ἅγιον
Category: God
Inherited from Romans package. Full personhood decisively proven at Acts 5:3-4 (‘you have lied… to the Holy Spirit’); this personhood argument is a key teaching resource against impersonal-force readings.
Father
Approved rendering: Pai
Transliteration: patēr
Doctrine: Adoption into God’s Family
Original: πατήρ
Category: God
Inherited from Romans package. Occurs at Acts 1:4, 1:7, 2:33.
Imputed Righteousness
Approved rendering: justiça imputada
Transliteration: elogisthē autō eis dikaiosynēn
Doctrine: Justification by Faith
Rejected alternatives: justiça infundida (categoria tridentina), justiça conquistada por mérito próprio ao longo de vidas sucessivas
Original: ἐλογίσθη αὐτῷ εἰς δικαιοσύνην
Category: Salvation
Inherited from Romans package. Cf. the inverse echo at Acts 7:60, ‘do not hold this sin against them.‘
Filled With The Holy Spirit
Approved rendering: cheio(s) do Espírito Santo
Transliteration: pimplēmi / plērēs pneumatos hagiou
Doctrine: The Holy Spirit and Pentecost
Rejected alternatives: incorporado(a) pelo Espírito, possuído pelo Espírito
Original: πίμπλημι / πλήρης πνεύματος ἁγίου
Category: The Holy Spirit and Pentecost
Repeated empowerment for witness (2:4; 4:8,31; 6:3; 9:17; 13:9). Must never suggest loss of personal identity/agency as in Kardecist/Umbanda incorporação; the believer’s own faculties remain active and are empowered, not displaced.
Tongues
Approved rendering: línguas / outras línguas
Transliteration: glōssai / heterais glōssais
Doctrine: The Holy Spirit and Pentecost
Rejected alternatives: psicofonia (Kardecist mediumistic transcription/vocalization)
Original: γλῶσσαι / ἑτέραις γλώσσαις
Category: The Holy Spirit and Pentecost
Must be anchored to real, intelligible human languages confirmed by named nationalities understanding their own dialect (2:6-11; also 10:46; 19:6). Sharply distinguish from ecstatic utterance detached from communicative purpose.
Baptized With The Holy Spirit
Approved rendering: batizado(s) com o Espírito Santo
Transliteration: baptisthēsesthe en pneumati hagiō
Doctrine: The Holy Spirit and Pentecost
Original: βαπτισθήσεσθε ἐν πνεύματι ἁγίῳ
Category: The Holy Spirit and Pentecost
Christ’s promised empowering immersion in the Spirit for mission (1:5; 2:1-4; 11:16). Empowerment for bold witness, not a two-tier status marker, and never conflated with mediumistic incorporação or spirit-possession initiation.
Gift Of The Holy Spirit
Approved rendering: dom do Espírito Santo / dom de Deus
Transliteration: dōrea tou hagiou pneumatos / dōrea tou theou
Doctrine: The Holy Spirit and Pentecost
Rejected alternatives: dom mediúnico (cultivable Kardecist faculty)
Original: δωρεὰ τοῦ ἁγίου πνεύματος / δωρεὰ τοῦ θεοῦ
Category: The Holy Spirit and Pentecost
God’s free, sovereign, un-purchasable gift of his own personal Spirit (2:38; 10:45; 11:17). Simon’s attempted purchase (8:18-20) is the text’s own internal rebuke of any commercialized spiritual-services framing.
Repentance
Approved rendering: arrependimento / arrepender-se
Transliteration: metanoia / metanoeō
Doctrine: Repentance and Baptism
Rejected alternatives: reforma íntima (Kardecist gradual self-reform across reincarnations)
Original: μετάνοια / μετανοέω
Category: Repentance and Baptism
A decisive, Spirit-enabled turning of mind, will, and life-direction away from sin toward God, received in this life (2:38; 3:19; 17:30; 26:20).
Baptism
Approved rendering: batismo / batizar
Transliteration: baptisma / baptizō
Doctrine: Repentance and Baptism
Rejected alternatives: banho de descarrego (Afro-Brazilian ritual cleansing), rito mágico independente da fé
Original: βάπτισμα / βαπτίζω
Category: Repentance and Baptism
Ritual water immersion marking public identification with Christ in response to repentance and faith (2:38,41; 8:36-38; 9:18; 10:47-48; 16:15,33; 19:5). Never a magical rite conferring merit apart from faith.
Forgiveness Of Sins
Approved rendering: perdão dos pecados / remissão dos pecados
Transliteration: aphesis hamartiōn
Doctrine: Repentance and Baptism
Rejected alternatives: reparação gradual do erro (Kardecist karmic ledger)
Original: ἄφεσις ἁμαρτιῶν
Category: Repentance and Baptism
Full, decisive, immediate release/remission of sin’s guilt (2:38; 5:31; 10:43; 13:38; 26:18), not a partial credit toward a multi-life ledger under ‘lei de causa e efeito.‘
In The Name Of Jesus
Approved rendering: em nome de Jesus
Transliteration: en tō onomati Iēsou
Doctrine: Apostolic Authority and Miracles
Rejected alternatives: fórmula mágica de invocação, invocação de orixás, santos ou guias espirituais
Original: ἐν τῷ ὀνόματι Ἰησοῦ
Category: Apostolic Authority and Miracles
Delegated authority behind apostolic healing/proclamation (3:6,16; 4:10,30; 9:27; 16:18; 19:13). Acts 19:13-17 records the formula’s failure apart from genuine faith and Christ’s own authority — proof this is never a magic incantation.
Sorcery
Approved rendering: magia / feitiçaria
Transliteration: mageia
Doctrine: Confrontation with Occult and Demonic Power
Original: μαγεία
Category: Apostolic Authority and Miracles
Occult practice claiming power apart from and opposed to God (Simon, 8:9-24; scrolls burned, 19:19). Structurally identical to claims within Umbanda, Candomblé, and folk-Catholic practice mediated through orixás, exus, or ritual objects; the text shows this power genuinely defeated, not merely fraudulent.
Sorcerer
Approved rendering: mago / feiticeiro
Transliteration: magos
Doctrine: Confrontation with Occult and Demonic Power
Original: μάγος
Category: Apostolic Authority and Miracles
Simon (8:9-11) and Elymas/Bar-Jesus (13:6-11), personally opposed to gospel truth, not neutral practitioners of a competing but valid spiritual technology.
Spirit Of Divination
Approved rendering: espírito de adivinhação
Transliteration: pneuma pythōna
Doctrine: Confrontation with Occult and Demonic Power
Rejected alternatives: espírito de Pitão (mythological transliteration, avoided to prevent occult-detail fascination)
Original: πνεῦμα πύθωνα
Category: Apostolic Authority and Miracles
The Philippi slave girl’s divinatory spirit, expelled by Christ’s authority (16:16-18). The single most direct textual parallel in Acts to mainstream contemporary Brazilian divinatory mediumship; must preserve the reality and defeat of this power without glamorizing occult detail.
Unclean Spirit
Approved rendering: espírito impuro / demônio
Transliteration: pneuma akatharton / daimonion
Doctrine: Confrontation with Occult and Demonic Power
Rejected alternatives: espírito obsessor (Kardecist term), encantado, exu
Original: πνεῦμα ἀκάθαρτον / δαιμόνιον
Category: Apostolic Authority and Miracles
A malevolent, personal spiritual adversary cast out by apostolic authority (5:16; 8:7; 16:16-18; 19:12-16). Must be clearly distinct from ancestor-spirit, orixá, or guide categories venerated (not feared/expelled) in Afro-Brazilian and Kardecist cosmology.
Power Of Satan
Approved rendering: o poder de Satanás
Transliteration: hē exousia tou satana
Doctrine: Conversion of Paul
Original: ἡ ἐξουσία τοῦ σατανᾶ
Category: Conversion of Paul
Christ’s commissioning words to Paul (26:18) frame conversion as a decisive transfer between two opposed kingdoms; must resist any framework in which spirits/forces are morally ambiguous or arranged along a single evolutionary continuum.
Laying On Of Hands
Approved rendering: imposição de mãos
Transliteration: epithesis tōn cheirōn
Doctrine: Apostolic Authority and Miracles
Rejected alternatives: passe espírita (Kardecist energy-transfer practice)
Commissioning/Spirit-impartation gesture at Spirit-reception moments (6:6; 8:17-19; 13:3; 19:6). Direct gestural and terminological collision with the Kardecist ‘passe,’ a laying-on-of-hands energy-transfer practice routine at Brazilian Spiritist centers; requires the same fencing rigor as ‘cheio do Espírito Santo.‘
Holy And Righteous One
Approved rendering: o Santo e o Justo
Transliteration: ho hagios kai dikaios
Doctrine: Messianic Promise
Original: ὁ ἅγιος καὶ δίκαιος
Category: Messianic Promise
A compound messianic title for Jesus combining ‘santo’ and ‘justiça’ (3:14); compounds two already-Critical baseline terms, never softened to an exemplary moral teacher’s title.
High Risk Terms
Gospel
Approved rendering: evangelho
Transliteration: euangelion
Doctrine: Gospel
Rejected alternatives: mensagem de evolução moral (Kardecist ethical-progress framing)
Original: εὐαγγέλιον
Category: Salvation
Inherited from Romans package. Standard term shared by Catholic and Protestant Portuguese Bibles; must be taught as the New Testament proclamation of salvation through Christ’s death and resurrection, not Kardec’s ‘O Evangelho Segundo o Espiritismo’ ethical-progress reading. Recurs throughout Acts (1, 8, 10, 13, 14, 15, 16, 20, 28).
Grace
Approved rendering: graça
Transliteration: charis
Doctrine: Grace
Rejected alternatives: mérito espiritual acumulado ao longo de vidas sucessivas
Original: χάρις
Category: Salvation
Inherited from Romans package. Unmerited favor received by faith, distinguished from Kardecism’s merit-across-reincarnations doctrine. Central to Acts 15:11 and 20:32.
Faith
Approved rendering: fé
Transliteration: pistis
Doctrine: Faith
Rejected alternatives: convicção espírita, fé genérica em forças espirituais
Original: πίστις
Category: Faith
Inherited from Romans package. Personal trust in Christ, not generic belief in the spirit world. Object of faith is always the Lord Jesus in Acts (16:31).
Calling
Approved rendering: chamado
Transliteration: klēsis
Doctrine: Divine Calling
Rejected alternatives: vocação (narrow sense of a call to priesthood or religious life)
Original: κλῆσις
Category: Salvation
Inherited from Romans package. Universal divine calling; avoid the narrow Catholic-culture sense of ‘vocação.‘
Sanctification
Approved rendering: santificação
Transliteration: hagiasmos
Doctrine: Sanctification
Rejected alternatives: purificação cármica ao longo de reencarnações (leitura espírita)
Original: ἁγιασμός
Category: Sanctification
Inherited from Romans package. Relevant background to Acts 20:32 and 26:18.
Spiritual Gifts
Approved rendering: dons espirituais
Transliteration: charismata
Doctrine: Spiritual Gifts
Rejected alternatives: mediunidade (dom mediúnico espírita), dons de incorporação (Candomblé/Umbanda)
Original: χαρίσματα
Category: Church
Inherited from Romans package. Conceptual background to Acts 2, 8, 10; must be tied to the Holy Spirit equipping the church, not mediumship.
Law
Approved rendering: lei
Transliteration: nomos
Doctrine: Fulfillment of Prophecy
Original: νόμος
Category: Covenant
Inherited from Romans package. Central to the Jerusalem Council debate (Acts 15) and distinguished from the Kardecist ‘lei de causa e efeito.‘
Obedience Of Faith
Approved rendering: obediência da fé
Transliteration: hypakoē pisteōs
Doctrine: Obedience of Faith
Rejected alternatives: cumprimento de preceitos religiosos, disciplina moral espírita de autoaperfeiçoamento
Original: ὑπακοὴ πίστεως
Category: Faith
Inherited from Romans package. Conceptual background to Acts 6:7 (‘a fé’) and chapters 13-15.
Covenant
Approved rendering: aliança
Transliteration: diathēkē
Doctrine: Davidic Covenant
Rejected alternatives: contrato legal
Original: διαθήκη
Category: Covenant
Inherited from Romans package. Background to Acts 3:25, 7:8.
Election
Approved rendering: eleição
Transliteration: eklogē
Doctrine: Effectual Calling
Rejected alternatives: mérito conquistado ao longo de reencarnações
Original: ἐκλογή
Category: Salvation
Inherited from Romans package. Cf. Paul as ‘chosen instrument,’ Acts 9:15; ‘appointed to eternal life,’ 13:48.
Intercession
Approved rendering: intercessão
Transliteration: hyperentynchanei / enteuxis
Doctrine: Prayer and Intercession
Rejected alternatives: comunicação com espíritos de mortos por meio de médiuns, intercessão exclusiva dos santos e de Maria
Original: ὑπερεντυγχάνει / ἔντευξις
Category: Faith
Inherited from Romans package. Conceptual background to the church’s prayer for Peter, Acts 12:5.
Providence
Approved rendering: providência
Transliteration: pronoia
Doctrine: Providence
Rejected alternatives: lei de causa e efeito espírita (regência cármica das reencarnações)
Original: πρόνοια (cf. Acts 2:23 “determined plan and foreknowledge”; 17:26-28)
Category: God
Inherited from Romans package. Cf. Acts 2:23, 4:28, 17:26-28, 27:22-25.
Witness
Approved rendering: testemunha(s)
Transliteration: martys / martyres
Doctrine: Persecution and Bold Witness
Rejected alternatives: testemunho espiritual (subjective inner mystical experience)
Original: μάρτυς / μάρτυρες
Category: Persecution and Bold Witness
Firsthand eyewitness testimony to historical, bodily events (1:8,22; 2:32; 5:32; 10:39; 22:15); programmatic to the whole book via Acts 1:8. Must be anchored to verifiable historical events, not inward mystical experience.
Martyr
Approved rendering: testemunha (no texto) / mártir (material didático)
Transliteration: martys (developing sense)
Doctrine: Persecution and Bold Witness
Original: μάρτυς (developing sense)
Category: Persecution and Bold Witness
Stephen’s death (7:54-60) is the narrative origin-point of the later technical sense ‘mártir.’ Use ‘testemunha’ within the verse text itself; reserve ‘mártir’ for headings/teaching material.
Boldness
Approved rendering: ousadia
Transliteration: parrēsia
Doctrine: Persecution and Bold Witness
Rejected alternatives: confiança (too weak), atrevimento (negative connotation of presumption)
Original: παρρησία
Category: Persecution and Bold Witness
Fearless, Spirit-given public speech under threat (4:13,29,31; 9:27-28; 13:46; 14:3; 18:26; 19:8; 28:31). Consistent rendering required, especially at the book’s closing verse.
The Way
Approved rendering: o Caminho
Transliteration: hē hodos
Doctrine: The Great Commission Fulfilled
Rejected alternatives: a religião, a seita, caminho evolutivo (Kardecist self-description)
Original: ἡ ὁδός
Category: The Great Commission Fulfilled
The early Christian movement’s own self-designation (9:2; 18:25; 19:9,23; 22:4; 24:14,22). Must be distinguished from Kardecism’s language of a gradual ‘caminho evolutivo’; names one exclusive, historically-anchored community, not one path among several.
Sect
Approved rendering: seita
Transliteration: hairesis
Doctrine: Apostolic Authority and Miracles
Original: αἵρεσις
Category: Apostolic Authority and Miracles
‘The sect of the Nazarenes’ (24:5,14; 28:22). Modern Portuguese ‘seita’ is strongly pejorative (‘cult’), unlike the ancient Greek’s relatively neutral sense; requires a translator’s note distinguishing the two senses on first occurrence.
Signs And Wonders
Approved rendering: sinais e prodígios / milagres
Transliteration: sēmeia kai terata / dynameis
Doctrine: Apostolic Authority and Miracles
Rejected alternatives: fenômenos (mediúnicos)
Original: σημεῖα καὶ τέρατα / δυνάμεις
Category: Apostolic Authority and Miracles
God’s own authentication of his messengers (2:22,43; 4:30; 5:12; 6:8; 8:13; 14:3; 15:12; 19:11), sharply distinguished from feitiçaria/magia and Kardecist/Umbanda ‘fenômenos mediúnicos.‘
Vision
Approved rendering: visão
Transliteration: horama / optasia
Doctrine: Conversion of Paul
Original: ὅραμα / ὀπτασία
Category: Conversion of Paul
God-initiated revelatory experience at key turning points (9:3-10; 10:9-17; 16:9-10; 18:9; 22:17-18; 26:19); distinguished from mediumistic visions that demand no moral transformation.
Circumcision
Approved rendering: circuncisão
Transliteration: peritomē
Doctrine: Justification apart from the Law
Rejected alternatives: mero costume judaico (sem peso teológico)
Original: περιτομή
Category: Justification apart from the Law
The old covenant sign at issue in the Jerusalem Council’s debate (15:1,5; 16:3; 21:21); a covenant-sign question resolved by grace, not simply a stripped-down cultural custom.
God Shows No Partiality
Approved rendering: Deus não faz acepção de pessoas
Transliteration: ouk estin prosōpolēptēs ho theos
Doctrine: The Gospel to Jews and Gentiles
Original: οὐκ ἔστιν προσωπολήπτης ὁ θεός
Category: Gospel to Jews and Gentiles
Peter’s foundational impartiality statement (10:34-35); Brazil’s own history of racial/social stratification gives this claim direct social weight.
Household Baptism
Approved rendering: batismo de toda a casa
Transliteration: ebaptisthē panoiki
Doctrine: Repentance and Baptism
Original: ἐβαπτίσθη πανοικί
Category: Repentance and Baptism
The corporate/family dimension of conversion (10:48 implicit; Lydia, 16:15; the Philippian jailer, 16:33); reflects the household’s unified response, not salvation apart from personal faith.
Idol
Approved rendering: ídolo(s)
Transliteration: eidōlon / eidōla
Doctrine: Idolatry and Exclusive Worship of God
Original: εἴδωλον / εἴδωλα
Category: Gospel to Jews and Gentiles
Objects/images of false worship confronted at Athens (17:16,23) and elsewhere (7:41; 14:15; 15:20; 19:26); direct relevance to Afro-Brazilian religious imagery and folk-Catholic image veneration, requiring pastoral care without softening the text’s exclusive monotheism.
Gods Have Come Down
Approved rendering: diziam que ele(s) era(m) deus(es)
Transliteration: hoi theoi katebēsan / elegon auton einai theon
Doctrine: Idolatry and Exclusive Worship of God
Original: οἱ θεοὶ κατέβησαν / ἔλεγον αὐτὸν εἶναι θεόν
Category: Apostolic Authority and Miracles
The pagan crowd’s idolatrous misreading of an apostolic miracle at Lystra (14:11-15) and Malta (28:6); Paul and Barnabas’s forceful refusal of worship must be rendered at full force.
Overseers
Approved rendering: bispos / supervisores
Transliteration: episkopoi
Doctrine: Church Governance and Spirit-Filled Leadership
Rejected alternatives: bispos (unqualified, imports monarchical episcopate)
Original: ἐπίσκοποι
Category: Church as Community
A functional synonym for ‘elders’ in Paul’s Miletus farewell (20:17,28), describing local oversight, not a regional hierarchical office; recommend ‘supervisores’ or a qualifying note.
Contact Relics
Approved rendering: lenços e aventais (de Paulo)
Transliteration: soudaria ē simikinthia
Doctrine: Apostolic Authority and Miracles
Rejected alternatives: relíquias veneradas, patuás/amuletos
Healing associated with cloth items that had touched Paul (19:11-12). Risk of assimilation to Catholic relic veneration and folk-Catholic/Umbanda amulets; teaching note required that the healing power is God’s own, sovereignly expressed, not inherent in the cloth.
Ascension
Approved rendering: ascensão
Transliteration: anelēmphthē
Doctrine: Ascension and Exaltation of Christ
Rejected alternatives: desencarnação (Kardecist term for ordinary death)
Original: ἀνελήμφθη
Category: The Great Commission Fulfilled
Christ’s bodily, visible, historical departure into heaven (1:9-11); must be kept sharply distinct from Kardecist ‘desencarnação’ and subsequent migration through ‘planos espirituais.‘
Author Of Life
Approved rendering: Autor da vida
Transliteration: archēgos tēs zōēs
Doctrine: Resurrection of Christ
Rejected alternatives: um ser evoluído que modela a vida para outros (leitura espírita)
Original: ἀρχηγὸς τῆς ζωῆς
Category: Resurrection of Christ
Christ as originator, pioneer, and source of resurrection life (3:15); must not be softened toward Kardecist Christology of an exemplary evolved spirit.
Son Of Man
Approved rendering: Filho do Homem
Transliteration: huios tou anthrōpou
Doctrine: Deity and Sonship of Christ
Original: υἱὸς τοῦ ἀνθρώπου
Category: Deity of Christ
A messianic self-designation from Daniel 7:13 used of the exalted, standing Christ in Stephen’s dying vision (7:56); functions as a divine-glory title, distinct from ‘Filho de Deus.‘
Medium Risk Terms
Called
Approved rendering: chamado
Transliteration: klētos
Doctrine: Divine Calling
Rejected alternatives: convocado (bureaucratic register)
Original: κλητός
Category: Salvation
Inherited from Romans package. Context-sensitive; relevant to Acts 1:24-26, 9:15, 13:48.
Holy
Approved rendering: santo
Transliteration: hagios
Doctrine: Sanctification
Rejected alternatives: puro em sentido ritual
Original: ἅγιος
Category: Sanctification
Inherited from Romans package. Set apart for God and morally pure; applies throughout Acts to the Holy Spirit and, at 3:14, to Christ (‘o Santo e o Justo’).
Adoption
Approved rendering: adoção
Transliteration: huiothesia
Doctrine: Adoption into God’s Family
Original: υἱοθεσία
Category: Salvation
Inherited from Romans package. Conceptual background only in Acts; not lexically prominent.
Peace
Approved rendering: paz
Transliteration: eirēnē
Doctrine: Peace with God
Rejected alternatives: tranquilidade emocional
Original: εἰρήνη
Category: Salvation
Inherited from Romans package. Occurs at Acts 9:31, 10:36, 15:33.
Church
Approved rendering: igreja
Transliteration: ekklēsia
Doctrine: Church as God’s People
Rejected alternatives: a Igreja (institutional-hierarchical sense)
Original: ἐκκλησία
Category: Church
Inherited from Romans package. Distinguish the gathered assembly from the capitalized institutional sense; recurs throughout Acts 2, 5, 8-9, 11-15, 20.
Kingdom Of God
Approved rendering: reino de Deus
Transliteration: basileia tou theou
Doctrine: Kingdom Mission
Original: βασιλεία τοῦ θεοῦ
Category: Kingdom
Inherited from Romans package. Frames the book’s opening (1:3,6) and climactic closing verse (28:31).
Sin
Approved rendering: pecado
Transliteration: hamartia
Doctrine: Universal Human Accountability
Rejected alternatives: erro a ser corrigido em vidas futuras (leitura espírita)
Original: ἁμαρτία
Category: Sin
Inherited from Romans package. Occurs at Acts 2, 3, 5, 7, 10, 26.
Glory
Approved rendering: glória
Transliteration: doxa
Doctrine: Deity of Christ
Original: δόξα
Category: God
Inherited from Romans package. Cf. Herod’s judgment for not giving God the glory, Acts 12:23.
Power Of God
Approved rendering: poder de Deus
Transliteration: dynamis theou
Doctrine: Power of God for Salvation
Original: δύναμις θεοῦ
Category: God
Inherited from Romans package. Occurs at Acts 1:8, 4:33; contrasted with Simon’s false claim at 8:10.
Mission
Approved rendering: missão
Transliteration: apostolē / pempō
Doctrine: Mission to the Nations
Original: ἀποστολή / πέμπω
Category: Church
Inherited from Romans package. Programmatic to the whole book, especially Acts 1, 13, 26, 28.
Abba
Approved rendering: Abba
Transliteration: Abba
Doctrine: Adoption into God’s Family
Original: אַבָּא
Category: God
Inherited from Romans package. Not lexically present in Acts; retained for cross-curriculum consistency.
Seed Of David
Approved rendering: descendência de Davi
Transliteration: sperma Dauid
Doctrine: Davidic Covenant
Original: σπέρμα Δαυίδ
Category: Covenant
Inherited from Romans package. Occurs at Acts 13:23.
Pentecost
Approved rendering: Pentecoste
Transliteration: pentēkostē
Doctrine: The Holy Spirit and Pentecost
Rejected alternatives: festa dos cinquenta dias (unnecessary paraphrase), ciclo festivo espírita/afro-brasileiro (framing to avoid)
Original: πεντηκοστή
Category: The Holy Spirit and Pentecost
Unique, unrepeatable, calendar-anchored historical event tied to Christ’s ascension promise (Acts 1:5, 8; 2:1). Must not be assimilated to Umbanda/Candomblé festival-cycle or generic ‘spiritual energy’ outpouring language.
Persecution
Approved rendering: perseguição
Transliteration: diōgmos
Doctrine: Persecution and Bold Witness
Original: διωγμός
Category: Persecution and Bold Witness
Organized hostility toward the church for its gospel witness (8:1; 11:19; 13:50).
Sanhedrin
Approved rendering: Sinédrio
Transliteration: synedrion
Doctrine: Persecution and Bold Witness
The Jewish ruling council, the primary institutional antagonist to apostolic witness (4:15; 5:21,27,34,41; 6:12,15; 22:30; 23:1-6,15,20,28; 24:20). Requires a brief explanatory gloss on first occurrence for readers without Second Temple background.
Ends Of The Earth
Approved rendering: confins da terra
Transliteration: eschaton tēs gēs
Doctrine: The Great Commission Fulfilled
Original: ἔσχατον τῆς γῆς
Category: The Great Commission Fulfilled
Programmatic geographic totality of the mission mandate (1:8; cf. 13:47); should not be narrowed to a particular nation’s own missionary self-image.
Yoke
Approved rendering: jugo
Transliteration: zygos
Doctrine: Justification apart from the Law
Original: ζυγός
Category: Justification apart from the Law
The burden of full law-keeping proposed and rejected as a requirement for Gentile salvation (15:10).
Unknown God
Approved rendering: deus desconhecido
Transliteration: agnōstos theos
Doctrine: The Gospel to Jews and Gentiles
Original: ἄγνωστος θεός
Category: Gospel to Jews and Gentiles
An Athenian altar inscription used as an apologetic bridge (17:23); must culminate, as the passage does, in the specific, named, personal God, not remain generic.
God Fearers
Approved rendering: tementes a Deus
Transliteration: sebomenoi / phoboumenoi ton theon
Doctrine: The Gospel to Jews and Gentiles
A specific first-century social category (Gentile sympathizers attached to the synagogue without full conversion), essential to Cornelius (10:2,22), Lydia’s context, and Paul’s synagogue preaching pattern (13:16,26; 16:14; 17:4,17). Requires a defined phrase plus background note.
Elders
Approved rendering: anciãos / presbíteros
Transliteration: presbyteroi
Doctrine: Church Governance and Spirit-Filled Leadership
Rejected alternatives: padres (anachronistic sacerdotal import)
Original: πρεσβύτεροι
Category: Church as Community
Respected, spiritually mature local leaders (11:30; 14:23; 15:2,4,6,22-23; 16:4; 20:17; 21:18); avoid importing the later hierarchical, sacramental Catholic priesthood.
Shepherd
Approved rendering: pastorear
Transliteration: poimainō
Doctrine: Church Governance and Spirit-Filled Leadership
Original: ποιμαίνω
Category: Church as Community
Pastoral care/protection of the flock, purchased by Christ’s own blood (20:28); the flock belongs to God, not to the human shepherd’s own authority.
Whole Counsel Of God
Approved rendering: todo o conselho de Deus
Transliteration: pasa hē boulē tou theou
Doctrine: Apostolic Authority and Miracles
Original: πᾶσα ἡ βουλὴ τοῦ θεοῦ
Category: Apostolic Authority and Miracles
Paul’s complete, undiminished apostolic proclamation (20:27), withholding nothing profitable for the church.
All Things In Common
Approved rendering: tudo em comum
Transliteration: hapanta koina
Doctrine: The Church as Community
Rejected alternatives: doutrina obrigatória de propriedade comunal
Original: ἅπαντα κοινά
Category: Church as Community
Voluntary sharing of possessions expressing Spirit-formed unity and generosity (2:44-45; 4:32-35), not a mandated communal-property doctrine.
Breaking Of Bread
Approved rendering: partir do pão
Transliteration: klasis tou artou
Doctrine: The Church as Community
Original: κλάσις τοῦ ἄρτου
Category: Church as Community
Shared communal meals, likely including what became the Lord’s Supper (2:42,46; 20:7,11); distinguish from, without fully conflating with, the specific Catholic Eucharistic sacramental sense.
Unclean Or Common
Approved rendering: impuro / comum
Transliteration: koinos / akathartos
Doctrine: Justification apart from the Law
Original: κοινός / ἀκάθαρτος
Category: Justification apart from the Law
Mosaic ritual purity categories abolished in Peter’s vision (10:14-15,28; 11:8-9), opening table fellowship with Gentiles; not a claim that morality is irrelevant.
Cut To The Heart
Approved rendering: compungir-se / ser cortado no coração
Transliteration: katanyssomai
Doctrine: Repentance and Baptism
Rejected alternatives: remorso cármico (leitura espírita)
Original: κατανύσσομαι
Category: Repentance and Baptism
Sudden, sharp conviction of conscience produced by the Spirit through the preached word, leading directly to repentance (2:37).
Added To The Church
Approved rendering: acrescentado(s)
Transliteration: prostithēmi
Doctrine: The Church as Community
Original: προστίθημι
Category: Church as Community
God’s own act of incorporating new believers into the visible community (2:41,47; 5:14; 11:24); not mere headcount growth.
The Seven Deacons
Approved rendering: os Sete (no texto) / diácono(s) (material didático)
Transliteration: diakonein trapezais / diakonia
Doctrine: The Church as Community
Origin of the diaconal office (6:1-6); avoid retrofitting the later fully developed technical office onto the narrative text itself, paralleling the ‘testemunha/mártir’ strategy.
Servant
Approved rendering: servo
Transliteration: pais
Doctrine: Messianic Promise
Original: παῖς
Category: Messianic Promise
The Isaianic Suffering Servant title applied to Jesus (3:13,26; 4:27,30); requires OT background support for readers without prior literacy.
Low Risk Terms
Apostle
Approved rendering: apóstolo
Transliteration: apostolos
Doctrine: Apostleship
Original: ἀπόστολος
Category: Church
Inherited from Romans package. Established, unambiguous term; background to the Twelve throughout Acts.
Thanksgiving
Approved rendering: ação de graças
Transliteration: eucharistia
Doctrine: Thanksgiving
Original: εὐχαριστία
Category: Faith
Inherited from Romans package. Occurs at Acts 27:35, 28:15.
Fellowship
Approved rendering: companheirismo
Transliteration: koinōnia
Doctrine: Christian Fellowship
Rejected alternatives: comunhão dos santos (specific Catholic liturgical formula)
Original: κοινωνία
Category: Church
Inherited from Romans package. Applies to Acts 2:42.
Gentiles
Approved rendering: gentios
Transliteration: ethnē
Doctrine: Unity of Jews and Gentiles
Rejected alternatives: pagãos (pejorative)
Original: ἔθνη
Category: Church
Inherited from Romans package. Central to Acts 9-11, 13-15, 18, 21-22, 26, 28.
Prophet
Approved rendering: profeta
Transliteration: prophētēs
Doctrine: Inspiration of Scripture
Rejected alternatives: médium (channeler of spirit messages)
Original: προφήτης
Category: Covenant
Inherited from Romans package. Occurs at Acts 2-3, 7, 10-11, 13, 15, 21, 28.
Prophecy
Approved rendering: profecia
Transliteration: prophēteia
Doctrine: Fulfillment of Prophecy
Rejected alternatives: psicografia (spirit messages transcribed through mediums)
Original: προφητεία
Category: Covenant
Inherited from Romans package. Cf. the Joel quotation, Acts 2:16-21.
David
Approved rendering: Davi
Transliteration: Dawid
Doctrine: Davidic Covenant
Original: דָּוִד
Category: Covenant
Inherited from Romans package. Standard proper name; cf. Acts 2, 4, 7, 13, 15.
Israel
Approved rendering: Israel
Transliteration: Yisra’el
Doctrine: Unity of Jews and Gentiles
Original: יִשְׂרָאֵל
Category: Covenant
Inherited from Romans package. Standard proper name; cf. Acts 1-2, 4-5, 7, 9-10, 13, 21, 26, 28.
Exhort
Approved rendering: exortar
Transliteration: parakaleō
Doctrine: Mutual Edification
Original: παρακαλέω
Category: Faith
Inherited from Romans package. Occurs at Acts 2:40, 11:23, 14:22, 15:32, 20:1-2.
Christian
Approved rendering: cristão(s)
Transliteration: Christianos
Doctrine: The Church as Community
Original: Χριστιανός
Category: Church as Community
Originally an outsider-coined label, first used at Antioch (11:26; also 26:28).
Disciple
Approved rendering: discípulo(s)
Transliteration: mathētēs
Doctrine: The Church as Community
Original: μαθητής
Category: Church as Community
Standard, unambiguous term; recurs throughout Acts, esp. 6, 9, 11, 14, 16.
Areopagus
Approved rendering: Areópago
Transliteration: Areios Pagos
Doctrine: The Gospel to Jews and Gentiles
Rejected alternatives: colina de Marte (unnecessary paraphrase), tribunal (loses specific venue identity)
The Athenian council/venue for Paul’s speech (17:19,22); standard transliteration convention for place/institution names.
Referenced passages