Semantic Analysis: Acts 1–28 (English → Sanskrit)
Methodology and Governing Constraints
This analysis extends, and never contradicts, the baseline Romans Language Package. Every term already present in translation_memory.json (gospel, grace, faith, righteousness, justification, salvation, apostle, called/calling, holy, saints, sanctification, adoption, resurrection, lord, son of God, incarnation, peace, spiritual gifts, thanksgiving, fellowship, church, kingdom of God, law, sin, gentiles, glory, obedience of faith, power of God, messiah, prophet, prophecy, covenant, election, intercession, providence, mission, David, Israel, Jesus, God, Holy Spirit, Father, Abba, exhort, seed of David, imputed righteousness) is reused exactly as recorded there and is not re-derived here. Acts reuses this vocabulary heavily (it is Luke’s second volume, continuing Paul’s theology narratively), so each chapter section below notes reused terms briefly and gives full treatment only to new load-bearing vocabulary.
Two consistency conventions inherited from the baseline and applied throughout:
- सर्वेश्वरः stands alone for “God”; परमेश्वर- is used as the compounding/genitive form in God-of/God’s-X constructions, matching baseline precedent (परमेश्वरस्य राज्यम्, परमेश्वरस्य विधानम्, परमेश्वरस्य वरणम्, परमेश्वरस्य सामर्थ्यम्).
- आत्मा (masc.) is reserved exclusively for पवित्र आत्मा (the Holy Spirit) and must never be used, even in construct, for any other spirit-being (demons, oracular spirits, the human “spirit/soul” in a loose sense). Acts introduces several occasions (divination spirits, unclean spirits) where this discipline is newly tested; each is flagged below.
Acts introduces a large body of new technical vocabulary beyond the Romans set, driven by this curriculum’s nine doctrines: The Holy Spirit and Pentecost; The Gospel to Jews and Gentiles; Repentance and Baptism; The Church as Community; Apostolic Authority and Miracles; Persecution and Bold Witness; Conversion of Paul; Justification apart from the Law; The Great Commission Fulfilled. All new terms are risk-rated using the same Critical/High/Medium/Low framework as the baseline and are consolidated in 08_core_glossary.md.
PART ONE: Core Passage — Acts 2:1–41 (Pentecost)
Verse 1 — “When the day of Pentecost arrived, they were all together in one place.”
| Term | Original | Translit. | Literal meaning | Semantic range | English variants | Theological meaning in context | Sanskrit rendering | Risk |
|---|
| Pentecost | Πεντηκοστή | Pentēkostē | ”fiftieth [day]“ | Jewish Feast of Weeks (Shavuot), 50 days after Passover, originally a harvest festival later associated with the giving of the Law at Sinai | Pentecost, Feast of Weeks | The day on which the Spirit is given, deliberately paralleling and fulfilling Sinai (law given by Moses / Spirit given by the risen Christ) | पेण्टेकोस्तपर्व (peṇṭekostaparva) | Medium — requires an explanatory note on the OT festival calendar (Shavuot); Sanskrit पर्व (“festival, node”) is a generic festival-word (cf. Mahābhārata parva-divisions) with no false technical baggage, but the linear historical-covenantal reason for the festival’s placement must be taught explicitly, since it has no equivalent in the Hindu festival calendar’s cyclical/agricultural/astrological rationale. |
Verses 2–4 — the sound like wind, tongues of fire, filled with the Holy Spirit, speaking in other tongues
| Term | Original | Translit. | Literal meaning | Semantic range | English variants | Theological meaning | Sanskrit rendering | Risk |
|---|
| wind | πνοή | pnoē | ”breath, blowing” | wind; breath; (cognate wordplay with πνεῦμα, “spirit”) | rushing wind, blast | The Spirit’s arrival marked by a physical, audible sign — echoing Ezekiel 37 and Genesis 2:7’s breath-of-life | वायुः (vāyuḥ) | Medium — वायु is the plain word for “wind” but is also the name of the Vedic deity of wind (one of the aṣṭadikpāla guardians). Contextually unambiguous (describing a sound “like” wind, not naming a deity), but a first-occurrence footnote is prudent. |
| fire | πῦρ | pyr | ”fire” | literal flame; symbol of purification, theophany (burning bush), judgment | fire, flame | Visible theophanic sign of the Spirit’s descent, echoing Sinai’s fire (Exodus 19:18) | अग्निः (agniḥ) | Medium — अग्नि is the plain word for “fire” but also the name of the major Vedic sacrificial deity Agni, central to yajña/homa ritual. Here it describes an appearance (“as of fire”), not the deity Agni or a sacrificial rite; must not be construed as invoking a fire-oblation. |
| tongues (of fire) | γλῶσσαι (ὡσεὶ πυρός) | glōssai (hōsei pyros) | “tongues, flame-shapes” | the physical shape of the visible manifestation | tongues of fire, flame-like shapes | Distinguishes the visible sign (flame-shaped tongues resting on each) from the miraculous speech that follows in v.4 (same Greek word, different referent) | अग्निजिह्वा इव विभक्ताः (agnijihvā iva vibhaktāḥ) | Low-Medium — descriptive compound, no rival technical sense; translator note should clarify the wordplay between this and “tongues” (languages) in v.4. |
| filled with the Holy Spirit | πλησθέντες πνεύματος ἁγίου | plēsthentes pneumatos hagiou | ”having been filled with holy spirit/breath” | full/complete indwelling and empowering presence, not partial possession | filled with the Spirit, Spirit-filled | The defining, paradigmatic experience of Pentecost: the Spirit’s personal, powerful indwelling of the gathered believers | पवित्रात्मना पूर्णाः (pavitrātmanā pūrṇāḥ) | Critical — inherits the baseline’s Holy Spirit risk in full. Every occurrence must carry or reference the personhood note: the Spirit indwelling here is the distinct, given third Person of the Trinity, not the reader’s own ātman achieving identity with Brahman (cf. mahāvākyas, tat tvam asi). पूर्णः (“filled/complete”) should not be read through Advaita’s pūrṇatā (completeness/plenitude of Brahman) either; it names an event of personal indwelling, not an ontological state achieved. |
| other tongues (languages) | ἑτέραις γλώσσαις | heterais glōssais | ”other tongues/languages” | actual human languages (confirmed by v.6, “each one heard them speaking in his own language”) | other tongues, other languages | A miracle of intelligible, real human speech — the reversal of Babel’s confusion (Genesis 11), not ecstatic unintelligible utterance | अन्यभाषाः (anyabhāṣāḥ) | Medium — भाषा is a neutral word for “language/speech” with no major technical rival sense. Must be explicitly taught as real known languages (per v.6), to prevent later conflation with a purely ecstatic-utterance reading some readers may import from elsewhere in the NT corpus. |
Verses 5–13 — the crowd, the list of nations, amazement, mockery
| Term | Original | Translit. | Literal meaning | Semantic range | English variants | Theological meaning | Sanskrit rendering | Risk |
|---|
| Jew(s) | Ἰουδαῖοι | Ioudaioi | ethnonym | the covenant people, in later Acts often contrasted with ἔθνη/gentiles | Jews, Jewish people | The initial, Jerusalem-centered audience of the Spirit’s outpouring — the gospel goes first to Jews (cf. Romans 1:16) | यहूदीयाः (yahūdīyāḥ) | Low — consistent with the baseline doctrine registry’s own use of “यहूद्य-” in the Unity of Jews and Gentiles entry. |
| nation (generic) | ἔθνος (sing.) | ethnos | ”people-group, nation” | here used in its generic sense (“every nation under heaven”), not the technical NT contrastive sense “Gentiles” (ἔθνη) already fixed in the baseline as अन्यजातीयाः | nation, people | The universal geographic reach of the miracle, foreshadowing the mission “to the ends of the earth” (1:8) | राष्ट्रम् / जातिः (rāṣṭram / jātiḥ) | Low — translator note: do NOT render this occurrence with अन्यजातीयाः (the fixed “Gentiles” term), since here ἔθνος includes Jews of the Diaspora; reserve अन्यजातीयाः strictly for the Jew/Gentile contrastive sense. |
| the mighty works of God | τὰ μεγαλεῖα τοῦ θεοῦ | ta megaleia tou theou | ”the great things of God” | God’s great redemptive acts, proclaimed audibly in many languages | the wonderful/mighty works of God | Content of the Spirit-given speech: not glossolalic noise but doxological proclamation | परमेश्वरस्य महत्कर्माणि (parameśvarasya mahatkarmāṇi) | Low — plain compound; may be linked to महिमा (glory, baseline) contextually. |
Verses 14–21 — Peter’s sermon opens; the Joel quotation (Joel 2:28–32)
This block is theologically the densest in the core passage outside vv. 36–39, since it supplies the interpretive key to Pentecost.
| Term | Original | Translit. | Literal meaning | Semantic range | English variants | Theological meaning | Sanskrit rendering | Risk |
|---|
| last days | ἐν ταῖς ἐσχάταις ἡμέραις | en tais eschatais hēmerais | ”in the last/final days” | the inaugurated eschatological era beginning with Christ’s first coming and running to his return | the last days, the latter days | Peter reinterprets Joel: the “last days” have already begun, a single linear epoch moving toward consummation | अन्त्यदिनेषु / अन्तिमकालः (antyadineṣu / antimakālaḥ) | High — must be explicitly distinguished from the cyclical four-yuga cosmology (kṛta–tretā–dvāpara–kali) of Purāṇic literature, in which the “current degenerate age” (kali-yuga) is one recurring phase in an endlessly repeating cosmic cycle, not a unique, unrepeatable, linear-historical inbreaking of the end. This is the same linear-vs-cyclical contrast already flagged under the baseline’s “fulfillment_of_prophecy” doctrine and must be carried into Acts explicitly, since it appears here in the curriculum’s core passage. |
| I will pour out my Spirit | ἐκχεῶ ἀπὸ τοῦ πνεύματός μου | ekcheō apo tou pneumatos mou | ”I will pour out from my spirit” | a decisive, abundant, once-inaugurated bestowal (not a repeatable ritual libation) | pour out my Spirit | God’s own sovereign initiative giving his Spirit to “all flesh” — the definitive fulfillment-event this whole passage narrates | अहं स्वकीयं पवित्रम् आत्मानं सर्वस्मिन् मांसे सिञ्चामि (ahaṃ svakīyaṃ pavitram ātmānaṃ sarvasmin māṃse siñcāmi) | Critical — पवित्र आत्मा retained per baseline fixed compound; “pour out” (सिञ्चामि, from √sic) must not be read as a ritual libation-offering (as in Vedic soma-pouring or a tarpaṇa-style libation to ancestors/deities), but as God’s self-giving initiative toward humanity — the same deliberate reversal-of-direction noted in the baseline’s “called” entry (Vedic āhvāna is normally human-to-deity; here, and throughout Pentecost, God is the sole active agent). |
| sons and daughters shall prophesy | προφητεύσουσιν | prophēteusousin | ”they will prophesy” | Spirit-inspired declaration, now democratized across gender and age (verb form of baseline noun भविष्यवाणी) | shall prophesy | The Spirit’s gift is not restricted to a prophetic elite (contrast Vedic ṛṣi-status, an inspired-perceiver class); it is now given corporately | भविष्यवाणीं वक्ष्यन्ति (bhaviṣyavāṇīṃ vakṣyanti) | Medium — reuses baseline भविष्यवाणी root; risk is chiefly that of the underlying “prophet” entry (avoid ऋषि). |
| young men shall see visions / old men shall dream dreams | ὁράσεις ὄψονται / ἐνυπνίοις ἐνυπνιασθήσονται | horaseis opsontai / enypniois enypniasthēsontai | ”will see sights/visions” / “will dream in dreams” | God-given revelatory sight while awake (ὅραμα/ὅρασις) versus revelation during sleep (ἐνύπνιον) | visions, dreams | Two distinct modes of revelatory experience the Spirit grants — treated further in ch. 9, 10, 16 below | दर्शनानि द्रक्ष्यन्ति / स्वप्नान् द्रक्ष्यन्ति (darśanāni drakṣyanti / svapnān drakṣyanti) | High for दर्शनम् (vision); Low for स्वप्नः (dream). दर्शनम् is the single most doctrinally freighted available word: it is (a) the name of the six classical philosophical systems (ṣaḍdarśana), and (b) — far more practically dangerous for a “living tradition” audience — the technical term for temple darśana, the devotee’s beholding of a deity’s consecrated image, a central, actively practiced devotional act, not a classical-textual abstraction. Every occurrence must carry a note: biblical “vision” is God’s own initiative showing something to a person (direction: God → human, as with “called”), not a worshipper’s approach to behold a deity’s image (direction: human → deity). |
| wonders in heaven / signs on earth | τέρατα…σημεῖα | terata…sēmeia | ”portents…signs” | miraculous, attention-arresting divine acts confirming a message | wonders and signs | Cosmic confirmation accompanying the eschatological transition | आश्चर्यकर्माणि…चिह्नानि (āścaryakarmāṇi…cihnāni) | Medium — see full “signs and wonders” treatment under Apostolic Authority doctrine (ch. 4–5 below); must never be rendered सिद्धि (Yoga Sūtra 3’s catalogued yogic attainments, earned through disciplined practice, not divinely bestowed confirmatory signs). |
| the sun turned to darkness, the moon to blood; the great and magnificent day of the Lord | ἡ ἡμέρα Κυρίου ἡ μεγάλη καὶ ἐπιφανής | hē hēmera Kyriou hē megalē kai epiphanēs | ”the great and manifest/glorious day of the Lord” | the climactic day of divine judgment and vindication, both already-inaugurated (Pentecost as a foretaste) and yet-future (final consummation) | the day of the Lord | Fixes Pentecost within a single linear eschatological timeline running toward final judgment/return | प्रभोः महत् प्रकटं च दिनम् (prabhoḥ mahat prakaṭaṃ ca dinam) | High — प्रभुः reused per baseline (never ईश्वरः, for the same Advaita-subordination reasons). Risk of assimilation to the Purāṇic pralaya (the periodic dissolution of the universe at the close of a kalpa, followed by re-creation) is significant and must be explicitly countered: the Day of the Lord is a singular, non-repeating, morally decisive event, not one dissolution-and-recreation cycle among an infinite series. |
| everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved | πᾶς ὃς ἂν ἐπικαλέσηται τὸ ὄνομα Κυρίου σωθήσεται | pas hos an epikalesētai to onoma Kyriou sōthēsetai | ”whoever calls upon the name of [the] Lord will be saved” | universal, unrestricted access to salvation through calling on the Lord’s name in faith | whoever calls, all who call | The salvation-confession verse of the core passage; identical Greek clause (via LXX Joel) is quoted verbatim by Paul at Romans 10:13 — mandatory verbatim consistency required between this verse and the corresponding Romans 10:13 rendering per the baseline’s cross-document consistency rule. | यः कश्चित् प्रभोः नाम आह्वयति सः त्राणं लभते (yaḥ kaścit prabhoḥ nāma āhvayati saḥ trāṇaṃ labhate) | High — reuses प्रभुः and त्राणम् per baseline (never मोक्षः/मुक्तिः). Note: here आह्वयति (“calls upon”) is used in its ordinary Vedic invocation direction (human calling upon the divine) — the mirror opposite of the baseline’s “called” (आहूतः), where God calls the human. Translators must not confuse these two directions; both are theologically correct in their respective contexts, but conflating them would obscure Romans’ careful distinction between effectual calling (God’s initiative) and the believer’s confession (human response). |
Verses 22–24 — Jesus of Nazareth: attested, delivered up by plan, crucified, raised
| Term | Original | Translit. | Literal meaning | Semantic range | English variants | Theological meaning | Sanskrit rendering | Risk |
|---|
| Nazarene | Ναζωραῖος | Nazōraios | ”of Nazareth” | geographic-descriptive epithet, later also a name for the whole Christian movement (24:5) | Jesus of Nazareth, the Nazarene | Grounds Jesus’ full historicity, tied to the humanity-of-Christ doctrine | नासरतीयः (nāsaratīyaḥ) | Low — proper adjective, transliterated. |
| definite plan and foreknowledge of God | ὥρισμένη βουλή καὶ πρόγνωσις τοῦ θεοῦ | hōrismenē boulē kai prognōsis tou theou | ”the determined plan and foreknowledge of God” | God’s sovereign, purposive ordination of the crucifixion itself | God’s set plan, foreordained purpose, foreknowledge | Christ’s death is not a tragic accident but the outworking of divine providence — directly continuous with the “Providence” doctrine already Critical/High in the baseline (Romans 8:28–30) | परमेश्वरस्य विधानं पूर्वज्ञानं च (parameśvarasya vidhānaṃ pūrvajñānaṃ ca) | High — reuses परमेश्वरस्य विधानम् (providence, baseline) for “plan”; पूर्वज्ञानम् (“foreknowledge”) is new but low-technical. Escalation trigger per the baseline requirements doc: predestination/election-adjacent language must route to human theologian review. Must not be softened toward an impersonal karma-phala causal reading (the crucifixion as automatic karmic result) nor a fated/daiva reading. |
| lawless men | ἄνομοι | anomoi | ”without law, lawless” | those who acted outside/against divine and human law in executing Jesus | lawless men, wicked men | Identifies human moral responsibility for the crucifixion, held together with divine sovereign purpose (v.23 with v.24) | विधिहीनाः / अधार्मिकाः (vidhihīnāḥ / adhārmikāḥ) | Medium — negative form built on विधिः (Law, baseline) and धार्मिकता (righteousness, baseline); no new collision. |
| loosing the pangs of death | λύσας τὰς ὠδῖνας τοῦ θανάτου | lysas tas ōdinas tou thanatou | ”having loosed the birth-pains of death” | poetic image of death’s grip broken, likened to labor-pains ending in new life | freed from the agony of death, death could not hold him | Anticipates the Resurrection of Christ doctrine (Critical, baseline) | मृत्युवेदनाः मुक्ताः (mṛtyuvedanāḥ muktāḥ) | Medium — poetic phrase; caution that मुक्त here means “released/loosed” in the ordinary sense, not मुक्ति (the baseline’s explicitly forbidden term for salvation-as-liberation); context makes this safe but a footnote is prudent given the shared root. |
Verses 25–28 — David’s prophecy quoted (Psalm 16): “you will not abandon my soul to Hades… nor let your Holy One see corruption”
| Term | Original | Translit. | Literal meaning | Semantic range | English variants | Theological meaning | Sanskrit rendering | Risk |
|---|
| Hades / the realm of the dead | ᾍδης | Hadēs | Greek term for the abode of the dead (translating Hebrew Sheol) | the state/place of the dead generally, not a place of torment per se in this OT-quotation context | Hades, the grave, the realm of the dead | Christ’s soul was not abandoned to death’s domain — grounding bodily resurrection, not mere survival of an immortal soul | मृतलोकः (mṛtalokaḥ) | Medium — recommended over पातालम् (pātāla), the specific Purāṇic cosmological substratum-world of nāgas and asuras in the seven-tier lower-world (loka) system; using पातालम् would import an unwanted specific cosmology. मृतलोकः (“realm of the dead”) is deliberately generic. |
| your Holy One | ὁ ὅσιός σου | ho hosios sou | ”your holy/devout one” | title for the Messiah as uniquely consecrated to God | your Holy One, your holy servant | Applied to Christ, continuous with the baseline “holy” doctrine (High) | पवित्रः तव (pavitraḥ tava) | High — reuses पवित्रम्/पवित्रः per baseline; must retain the “set apart, morally pure” sense, not ritual-instrumental purity (kuśa-grass purifying-strainer sense noted in baseline). |
| corruption / decay | διαφθορά | diaphthora | ”destruction, decay, corruption” | bodily decomposition | corruption, decay | The proof-text for bodily, non-decaying resurrection — directly supporting the Resurrection of Christ doctrine (Critical) | क्षयः / विनाशः (kṣayaḥ / vināśaḥ) | Medium — plain vocabulary; tie explicitly to पुनरुत्थानम् (baseline) so translators do not treat this verse in isolation from the Critical resurrection doctrine. |
Verses 29–32 — David died and was buried; he prophesied the Messiah’s resurrection; “of this we are all witnesses”
Reuses: मसीहः (Messiah, baseline), पुनरुत्थानम् (resurrection, baseline; explicit note that this is NOT पुनर्जन्म), दाविद् (David, baseline).
| Term | Original | Translit. | Literal meaning | Semantic range | English variants | Theological meaning | Sanskrit rendering | Risk |
|---|
| witnesses | μάρτυρες | martyres | ”witnesses” (root of English “martyr”) | (a) legal-forensic eyewitness testimony (cf. Manusmṛti’s sākṣī court-witness law); (b) later in Acts, one who suffers/dies for testifying (semantic drift toward “martyr”) | witnesses, eyewitnesses | The apostles ground the resurrection claim in first-hand, verifiable historical testimony, not inward realization | साक्षिणः (sākṣiṇaḥ) | High — साक्षी positively echoes dharmaśāstra’s legal-witness procedure (a good, forensically-weighted precedent, structurally parallel to how निर्णयः was chosen for “justification”). However, साक्षिन् is also the Advaita Vedānta technical term for the witness-consciousness (sākṣicaitanya) — the silent, ever-present observing Self identified with ātman/Brahman. Every occurrence describing apostles as “witnesses” must be understood as active, verbal, historically-anchored testimony to external events, categorically different from Advaita’s passive, non-agentive witnessing-awareness. This term anchors the “Persecution and Bold Witness” doctrine throughout Acts and must carry this distinguishing note at first occurrence in each major document. |
Verses 33–35 — exalted at God’s right hand, poured out the Spirit, Psalm 110 quoted
| Term | Original | Translit. | Literal meaning | Semantic range | English variants | Theological meaning | Sanskrit rendering | Risk |
|---|
| exalted | ὑψωθείς | hypsōtheis | ”having been lifted up/exalted” | enthronement to supreme honor and authority | exalted, lifted up | Christ’s post-resurrection glorification and enthronement — continuous with Lordship of Christ (Critical, baseline) | उन्नतः (unnataḥ) | High — must not be read as Christ becoming divine only now (an “adoptionist” reading); the note required at v.36 below applies here too: this is public enthronement/installation into manifest glory, not first-time acquisition of deity. |
| the right hand of God | ἡ δεξιά τοῦ θεοῦ | hē dexia tou theou | ”the right [hand] of God” | idiom for the position of highest honor, authority, and co-regency | at God’s right hand | Christ shares God’s throne and authority — a direct claim to co-equal divine status | सर्वेश्वरस्य दक्षिणहस्तः (sarveśvarasya dakṣiṇahastaḥ) | Medium — retain as idiom per the baseline’s idiom-handling rule (theological content over idiomatic elegance); note it is a position-of-honor idiom, not literal anatomical language about God. |
Verse 36 — “God has made him both Lord and Christ, this Jesus whom you crucified”
| Term | Original | Translit. | Literal meaning | Semantic range | English variants | Theological meaning | Sanskrit rendering | Risk |
|---|
| God has made him Lord and Christ | ἐποίησεν…Κύριον καὶ Χριστόν | epoiēsen…Kyrion kai Christon | ”[God] made/appointed [him] Lord and Christ” | a declarative, enthronement/installation sense of ποιέω, not an ontological-origination sense | made, appointed, declared | The climactic Christological confession of the sermon: this crucified Jesus is the exalted, sovereign Lord-Messiah | सर्वेश्वरः तं प्रभुं मसीहं च कृतवान् (sarveśvaraḥ taṃ prabhuṃ masīhaṃ ca kṛtavān) | Critical — reuses प्रभुः and मसीहः exactly per baseline. Mandatory translator note: “made” here is a declarative/enthronement statement (God publicly installs the risen Jesus in his role as sovereign Lord-Messiah before all), not a claim that Jesus became divine for the first time at this moment. This must be read together with, not against, the Sonship/Deity of Christ doctrines (Critical, baseline), which affirm Christ’s eternal, pre-existent divine Sonship. Never permit a “divine promotion” reading, per the baseline’s explicit caution under Deity of Christ. |
| crucified | ἐσταυρώσατε | estaurōsate | ”you crucified” | Roman execution by nailing/binding to a cross | crucified, put to death on a cross | Grounds the confession in an undeniable, publicly witnessed historical execution | क्रूशे आरोपितः (krūśe āropitaḥ) | Medium — क्रूशः (krūśaḥ) is a transliterated loanword for “cross,” following the same precedent as मसीहः/यीशुः; आरोपितः (“placed/impaled upon”) carries no significant technical collision here despite superficial resemblance to आरोपिता धार्मिकता’s आरोप (“superimposed/credited”); the two uses are unrelated homonyms and should not be conflated in translator notes. |
Verses 37–38 — “Repent and be baptized… for the forgiveness of your sins… the gift of the Holy Spirit” (anchor verse: Repentance and Baptism)
This is the single most doctrinally load-bearing verse of the core passage for this curriculum’s “Repentance and Baptism” doctrine.
| Term | Original | Translit. | Literal meaning | Semantic range | English variants | Theological meaning | Sanskrit rendering | Risk |
|---|
| cut to the heart | κατενύγησαν τὴν καρδίαν | katenygēsan tēn kardian | ”were pierced/stabbed in the heart” | deep conviction of sin and grief | pierced to the heart, deeply convicted | The audience’s genuine conviction, the necessary precondition for repentance | हृदये विद्धाः (hṛdaye viddhāḥ) | Low — vivid but non-technical idiom. |
| repent | μετανοήσατε | metanoēsate | ”change your mind/purpose” | inward turning from sin toward God, a reorientation of the whole person, not merely regret | repent, turn, change one’s mind | The first response commanded — inward, God-ward reorientation, prerequisite to and inseparable from baptism | पश्चात्तापं कुरुत (paścāttāpaṃ kuruta) | High — पश्चात्ताप (“after-burning, remorse”) is the standard word but must be explicitly distinguished from the dharmaśāstra category of prāyaścitta — a specific, prescribed ritual penance performed to expiate a particular catalogued sin (cf. Manusmṛti’s prāyaścitta chapters, already flagged under the baseline’s “sin” entry). Biblical repentance is an inward change of heart/mind that precedes and enables forgiveness through Christ’s finished work; it is not itself the ritual mechanism that removes the sin’s guilt. |
| be baptized | βαπτισθήτω | baptisthētō | ”let each be immersed/dipped” | ritual water-immersion marking entry into the new-covenant community and union with Christ’s death/resurrection (cf. Romans 6:3–4, not itself glossed in the Romans baseline) | be baptized, be immersed | The outward, public, once-for-all sign of repentance, cleansing, and incorporation into the believing community | बाप्तिस्मं ग्रहीतव्यम् / बाप्तिस्मितः भवतु (bāptismaṃ grahītavyam) | High — following the exact precedent of मसीहः (transliteration deliberately chosen over a repurposed native term to avoid importing a rival technical apparatus), this Language Package establishes बाप्तिस्मः (bāptismaḥ) as the fixed rendering of “baptism/baptize.” Rejected alternatives: (1) स्नानम् (snānam, “ritual bathing”) — rejected because it directly names the extremely well-attested, actively-practiced Hindu devotional act of ritual purificatory bathing (e.g., Gaṅgā-snāna at sacred rivers/tīrthas), which would risk baptism being understood as a repeatable, water-efficacious purification rite performed for merit, detached from repentance and faith in Christ’s finished work. (2) दीक्षा (dīkṣā, “initiation”) — rejected because it names the fully theorized guru-lineage initiation rite (mantra-dīkṣā, sannyāsa-dīkṣā) central to nearly every classical Indian religious system’s transmission of authority, which would wrongly imply baptism transmits esoteric authority through a human initiatory lineage rather than publicly confessing an already-accomplished, once-for-all work of Christ. This term anchors an entire named curriculum doctrine (“Repentance and Baptism”) and must be flagged for human theologian review at every occurrence. |
| in the name of Jesus Christ | ἐπὶ τῷ ὀνόματι Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ | epi tō onomati Iēsou Christou | ”upon/in the name of Jesus Christ” | invoking Christ’s authority and identity as the ground of the act | in the name of Jesus Christ | Baptism is performed on the authority of, and identifies the believer with, Christ specifically — not a generic religious washing | यीशुख्रीष्टस्य नाम्ना (yīśukhrīṣṭasya nāmnā) | Medium — reuses यीशुः, ख्रीष्टः (baseline/requirements doc); नाम is plain; theological weight carried by the whole phrase’s exclusivity. |
| for the forgiveness of your sins | εἰς ἄφεσιν τῶν ἁμαρτιῶν ὑμῶν | eis aphesin tōn hamartiōn hymōn | ”for release/forgiveness of your sins” | judicial pardon and release from the guilt and penalty of sin | for the forgiveness of sins, for remission of sins | The purpose and result of repentance-and-baptism: God’s gracious pardon, not a ritual expiation the believer performs | युष्मत्पापानां क्षमार्थम् (yuṣmatpāpānāṃ kṣamārtham) | High — क्षमा (“forgiveness/patience”) is a classical ethical virtue-term (cf. its place among the cardinal virtues in dharmaśāstra lists and the Bhagavad Gītā’s divine qualities) with no rival soteriological-mechanism baggage, unlike grace/salvation; but it must be explicitly taught here as a divine judicial pardon grounded in Christ’s atoning work (not automatically dissolved by karmaphala, nor merely an interpersonal ethical virtue of tolerance). Reuses पापम् (sin, baseline) as its root. |
| the gift of the Holy Spirit | τὴν δωρεὰν τοῦ ἁγίου πνεύματος | tēn dōrean tou hagiou pneumatos | ”the gift of the holy spirit” | the Spirit given freely, not earned | the gift of the Holy Spirit | Confirms the whole event: baptism and repentance are followed by God’s own gracious self-gift, not human achievement | पवित्रस्य आत्मनः दानम् (pavitrasya ātmanaḥ dānam) | Critical — पवित्र आत्मा retained exactly per baseline with mandatory personhood note; दानम् (“gift”) is comparatively low-risk but should be explicitly anchored to अनुग्रहः (grace, baseline High risk) in translator notes so that “gift” is not heard through दान-dharma’s meritorious-giving-as-duty framework (a dharmaśāstra virtue-category) but as unmerited divine self-giving. |
Verse 39 — “For the promise is for you and for your children and for all who are far off, everyone whom the Lord our God calls to himself”
| Term | Original | Translit. | Literal meaning | Semantic range | English variants | Theological meaning | Sanskrit rendering | Risk |
|---|
| the promise | ἡ ἐπαγγελία | hē epangelia | ”the promise, announcement” | God’s covenantal pledge, now extended | the promise | Ties Pentecost to the whole sweep of OT covenant promise (cf. Davidic Covenant, baseline High) | प्रतिज्ञा (pratijñā) | Low-Medium — प्रतिज्ञा is a generic word for “promise/vow”; interestingly it is also the technical name for the first member (the thesis-statement) of a Nyāya five-membered syllogism (avayava), a resonance that is helpful rather than harmful here (a firmly and formally stated declaration), paralleling how निर्णयः was positively repurposed for “justification.” No collision requiring rejection. |
| far off | εἰς μακράν | eis makran | ”unto far off” | those geographically/covenantally distant — Gentiles, and Jews of the Diaspora | those far off, those far away | Anticipates full Gentile inclusion (developed fully in ch. 10–15) | दूरस्थाः (dūrasthāḥ) | Low — plain; connects forward to “Unity of Jews and Gentiles” (High, baseline). |
| calls to himself | προσκαλέσηται | proskalesētai | ”calls to himself” | God’s own sovereign summons | calls, summons | Reuses the baseline’s “called” doctrine (High): this is God’s initiative, the same direction as आहूतः | आहूतः (āhūtaḥ, adapted verbally) | High — reuse per baseline exactly; contrast explicitly with v.21’s आह्वयति (human calling on God), noted above. |
Verses 40–41 — Peter’s continued exhortation; ~3,000 baptized and added
| Term | Original | Translit. | Literal meaning | Semantic range | English variants | Theological meaning | Sanskrit rendering | Risk |
|---|
| bore witness / testified solemnly | διεμαρτύρατο | diemartyrato | ”testified thoroughly/solemnly” | intensified form of the witness-root already treated above (v.32) | solemnly testified, earnestly witnessed | Peter’s sermon itself modeled as an act of bold witness | दृढं साक्ष्यम् अदात् (dṛḍhaṃ sākṣyam adāt) | High — reuses साक्षी/साक्ष्य root; see full note at v.32. |
| continued to exhort/entreat | παρεκάλει | parekalei | ”kept urging/entreating” | context-sensitive per the baseline’s own “exhort” entry: here beseeching (not building-up encouragement) | urged, pleaded, exhorted | Peter beseeches the crowd to respond, matching the baseline’s own instruction to use विनयः/प्रार्थना for entreaty rather than उत्तेजनम् (reserved for edification) | विनयेन प्रार्थयत् (vinayena prārthayat) | Low-Medium — direct, correct application of the baseline’s existing context-sensitivity rule for “exhort”; flagged here as a worked example for Phase 2 translators. |
| this crooked generation | τῆς γενεᾶς τῆς σκολιᾶς ταύτης | tēs geneas tēs skolias tautēs | ”this crooked/perverse generation” | morally twisted, unfaithful contemporaries | this corrupt generation, this crooked generation | Echoes Deuteronomy 32:5, situating the call to repentance within Israel’s own prophetic self-critique tradition | वक्रा एषा पीढी (vakrā eṣā pīḍhī) | Low — descriptive, no technical collision. |
| were baptized… added | ἐβαπτίσθησαν…προσετέθησαν | ebaptisthēsan…prosetethēsan | ”were baptized…were added” | incorporation into the believing community following baptism | were baptized and added | The narrative’s first demonstration of “The Church as Community” doctrine: baptism results immediately in incorporation into a visible, numbered fellowship | बाप्तिस्मिताः…संयोजिताः (bāptismitāḥ…saṃyojitāḥ) | High (बाप्तिस्मः) / Low (संयोजित) — see full baptism note at v.38. |
Verses 42–47 (remainder of Acts chapter 2, outside the designated 2:1–41 core-passage boundary, included here for full-chapter coverage)
The believers “devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and the fellowship (κοινωνία), to the breaking of bread (κλάσις τοῦ ἄρτου) and the prayers (προσευχαί)… and had all things in common (εἶχον ἅπαντα κοινά)… many wonders and signs (τέρατα καὶ σημεῖα) were being done through the apostles… and the Lord added to their number day by day.”
| Term | Sanskrit rendering | Risk | Note |
|---|
| fellowship (κοινωνία) | सहभागिता | Low | Reused exactly per baseline. |
| breaking of bread (κλάσις τοῦ ἄρτου) | पूपभञ्जनम् (pūpabhañjanam) | Medium | New descriptive compound; must be flagged as ambiguous between an ordinary shared meal and the inaugurated Lord’s Supper practice — a genuine exegetical ambiguity in Acts 2:42, worth preserving rather than resolving by translation choice. |
| the prayers (προσευχαί) | प्रार्थनाः | Low | Standard, already implicit in baseline’s “prayer_and_intercession” doctrine name. |
| had all things in common (εἶχον ἅπαντα κοινά) | सर्वं साधारणम् आसीत् (sarvaṃ sādhāraṇam āsīt) | Medium | साधारण (“common/general”) is doctrinally neutral; note that this voluntary, Spirit-motivated sharing is not identical to joint-family property norms of dharmaśāstra household law, nor to any ideological collectivism — it is a free, temporary, love-motivated response, foundational to “The Church as Community” doctrine. |
| wonders and signs (τέρατα καὶ σημεῖα) | आश्चर्यकर्माणि चिह्नानि च | Medium | See full treatment under “Apostolic Authority and Miracles,” ch. 3–5 below; never सिद्धि. |
PART TWO: Chapter-by-Chapter Study, Acts 1, 3–28
Chapter 1 — Ascension, the promise of the Spirit, replacing Judas
| Term | Original | Translit. | Literal/semantic | English variants | Theological meaning | Sanskrit | Risk |
|---|
| baptized with the Holy Spirit | βαπτισθήσεσθε ἐν πνεύματι ἁγίῳ (1:5) | baptisthēsesthe en pneumati hagiō | immersion-image applied to Spirit-reception | baptized with/in the Holy Spirit | The promised empowering that Pentecost (ch. 2) fulfills | पवित्रेण आत्मना बाप्तिस्मं प्राप्स्यथ | Critical/High |
| power | δύναμιν (1:8) | dynamin | capacity, might, enablement | power | Empowerment for witness, not a personified/hypostasized force | सामर्थ्यम् | High |
| witnesses to the end of the earth | μάρτυρες…ἕως ἐσχάτου τῆς γῆς (1:8) | martyres…heōs eschatou tēs gēs | commissioned eyewitnesses, universal geographic scope | witnesses, to the ends of the earth | The programmatic verse for “The Great Commission Fulfilled,” bracketing the whole book with 28:31 | साक्षिणः…पृथिव्याः अन्तं यावत् | High |
| ascended / taken up | ἀνελήμφθη / ἐπήρθη (1:9, 1:11) | anelēmphthē / epērthē | bodily removal upward into the presence of God | ascended, was taken up | Christ’s unique post-resurrection exaltation to co-regency, not a virtuous soul’s reward-ascent | ऊर्ध्वं नीतः (ūrdhvaṃ nītaḥ) | Medium-High |
| casting lots | κλῆρον (1:26) | klēron | a lot, portion; also “inheritance/share” elsewhere | cast lots | A neutral decision-procedure entrusting the choice to God’s sovereign will | अक्षपातः / चिट्ठिका | Low-Medium |
| office/charge | κλῆρος τῆς διακονίας ταύτης / ἐπισκοπή (1:17, 1:20) | klēros tēs diakonias tautēs / episkopē | a share/office of ministry; “oversight” | share in this ministry, office | First occurrence of the “overseer” root treated fully at ch. 20 below | अधिकारपदम् | Low-Medium |
Chapter 2 — see Part One (core passage, Acts 2:1–41, and coda 2:42–47 above)
Chapter 3 — Healing of the lame man; “the Holy and Righteous One”; call to repentance
| Term | Original | Translit. | Literal/semantic | English variants | Theological meaning | Sanskrit | Risk |
|---|
| in the name of Jesus Christ (rise up and walk) | ἐν τῷ ὀνόματι Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ (3:6) | en tō onomati Iēsou Christou | invoking Christ’s authority as the effective agent of healing | in the name of Jesus Christ | Apostolic miracles are performed on Christ’s authority, not the apostle’s own power — foundational for “Apostolic Authority and Miracles” | यीशुख्रीष्टस्य नाम्ना | Medium |
| God’s servant (παῖς) | τὸν παῖδα αὐτοῦ (3:13, 3:26) | ton paida autou | ”his servant/child” — Isaianic Servant-of-the-Lord title | his servant, his holy servant | Identifies Jesus as the Isaiah 53 Suffering Servant | तस्य सेवकः (tasya sevakaḥ) | Medium |
| the Holy and Righteous One | τὸν ἅγιον καὶ δίκαιον (3:14) | ton hagion kai dikaion | compound title combining holiness and righteousness | the Holy and Righteous One | Direct compound of two baseline Critical/High terms applied as a Christological title | पवित्रं धार्मिकं च (pavitraṃ dhārmikaṃ ca) | High |
| times of refreshing | καιροὶ ἀναψύξεως (3:20) | kairoi anapsyxeōs | ”seasons of refreshment/relief” | times of refreshing | Eschatological renewal accompanying Christ’s return | विश्रामकालाः (viśrāmakālāḥ) | Low |
Chapter 4 — Boldness before the council; “no salvation in any other name”; believers hold all things in common; great grace
| Term | Original | Translit. | Literal/semantic | English variants | Theological meaning | Sanskrit | Risk |
|---|
| boldness | παρρησία (4:13, 4:29, 4:31) | parrēsia | free, fearless, confident public speech | boldness, confidence | The Spirit-given courage to testify despite threat — anchors “Persecution and Bold Witness” | प्रगल्भता (pragalbhatā) | Low-Medium |
| salvation in no other name | οὐδὲ…ἐν ἄλλῳ οὐδενί (4:12) | oude…en allō oudeni | exclusive, singular salvific efficacy | no other name, salvation in no one else | The strongest exclusivity claim in Acts — direct implication for inter-religious dialogue with the target audience | अन्येन नाम्ना त्राणं नास्ति | Critical |
| great grace | χάρις τε μεγάλη (4:33) | charis te megalē | abundant, powerful favor resting on the community | great grace | Continuous with baseline Grace doctrine (High) | महान् अनुग्रहः | High |
| had everything in common | ἅπαντα κοινά (4:32) | hapanta koina | shared possessions | held everything in common | Second occurrence of the Church-as-Community economic-sharing theme (see 2:44 above) | सर्वं साधारणम् | Medium |
Chapter 5 — Ananias and Sapphira; “why has Satan filled your heart”; Gamaliel’s speech; apostolic signs
| Term | Original | Translit. | Literal/semantic | English variants | Theological meaning | Sanskrit | Risk |
|---|
| Satan | ὁ Σατανᾶς (5:3) | ho Satanas | proper name, “the Adversary” | Satan, the devil | The singular personal spiritual adversary, first named in Acts here (recurs 26:18) | शैतानः (śaitānaḥ) | High |
| lied to the Holy Spirit | ψεύσασθαι…τὸ πνεῦμα τὸ ἅγιον (5:3) | pseusasthai…to pneuma to hagion | deceiving/lying against the Spirit personally | lie to the Holy Spirit | Confirms the Spirit’s full, offendable personhood — directly reinforcing the baseline’s Critical Holy Spirit doctrine | पवित्रम् आत्मानं वञ्चितवान् | Critical |
| great fear | φόβος μέγας (5:5, 5:11) | phobos megas | reverential dread at God’s holiness and judgment | great fear, fear came upon all | Communal response to divine holiness made manifest in judgment | महद् भयम् | Low-Medium |
| signs and wonders through the apostles | σημεῖα καὶ τέρατα…διὰ τῶν ἀποστόλων (5:12) | sēmeia kai terata | see core-passage note | signs and wonders | Establishes the recurring “Apostolic Authority and Miracles” formula, repeated at 2:43, 4:30, 5:12, 6:8, 8:6-7, 14:3, 15:12, 19:11 | चिह्नानि आश्चर्यकर्माणि च | Medium |
Chapter 6 — Choosing of the Seven; Stephen full of the Spirit and wisdom
| Term | Original | Translit. | Literal/semantic | English variants | Theological meaning | Sanskrit | Risk |
|---|
| serve/service (deacon root) | διακονεῖν / διακονία (6:1-4) | diakonein / diakonia | practical serving, especially of physical needs | serve, ministry, service, deacon | The Church-as-Community doctrine expressed institutionally: appointed servant-leaders for practical care | सेवा / सेवकः (sevā / sevakaḥ) | Medium |
| full of the Spirit and of wisdom | πλήρης πνεύματος καὶ σοφίας (6:3) | plērēs pneumatos kai sophias | complete indwelling/endowment | full of the Spirit and wisdom | Qualification for church leadership grounded in Spirit-given character, not inherited status | आत्मना ज्ञानेन च पूर्णः | Critical |
Chapter 7 — Stephen’s speech and martyrdom
| Term | Original | Translit. | Literal/semantic | English variants | Theological meaning | Sanskrit | Risk |
|---|
| stiff-necked | σκληροτράχηλοι (7:51) | sklērotrachēloi | stubbornly resistant to God | stiff-necked, stubborn | Prophetic indictment continuous with OT covenant-unfaithfulness language | कठोरग्रीवाः | Low |
| Son of Man | τὸν υἱὸν τοῦ ἀνθρώπου (7:56) | ton huion tou anthrōpou | Danielic title for the exalted, vindicated one | Son of Man | Stephen’s dying vision confirms Christ’s heavenly enthronement — continuous with Lordship/Deity of Christ (Critical) | मनुष्यपुत्रः | High |
| first martyr (implicit, by narrative) | — | — | Stephen’s death models the semantic drift from “witness” (μάρτυς) to “martyr” | martyrdom | Confirms the “Persecution and Bold Witness” doctrine’s costliest form | साक्षित्वेन मृतः (implicit) | High |
Chapter 8 — Persecution scatters the church; Philip in Samaria; Simon Magus; the Ethiopian eunuch
| Term | Original | Translit. | Literal/semantic | English variants | Theological meaning | Sanskrit | Risk |
|---|
| sorcery/magic | μαγεία (8:9, 8:11) | mageia | occult craft, conjuring | sorcery, magic arts | Simon’s prior occult practice, later corrupted attempt to buy the Spirit’s power | इन्द्रजालम् / कुहकम् (indrajālam / kuhakam) | High |
| laying on of hands (for the Spirit) | ἐπέθεσαν τὰς χεῖρας (8:17-19) | epethesan tas cheiras | ceremonial placing of hands accompanying prayer for the Spirit’s coming | laying on of hands | A symbolic act accompanying prayer, not a magical or mechanical transfer of power | हस्तार्पणम् (hastārpaṇam) | Medium |
| eunuch | εὐνοῦχος (8:27, 8:34, 8:36, 8:38, 8:39) | eunouchos | a castrated male, often a court/treasury official | eunuch | Fulfills Isaiah 56:3-5’s promise of the eunuch’s full inclusion, previously excluded from OT temple assembly (Deuteronomy 23:1) | नपुंसकः (napuṃsakaḥ) | Medium |
| baptized | ἐβαπτίσθη (8:36, 8:38) | ebaptisthē | see core-passage note | was baptized | Further confirms baptism’s universal openness — Ethiopian, eunuch, and (implicitly) proselyte/God-fearer, all included | बाप्तिस्मितः | High |
Chapter 9 — Saul’s conversion on the Damascus road; “the Way”; Ananias; “a chosen instrument”
| Term | Original | Translit. | Literal/semantic | English variants | Theological meaning | Sanskrit | Risk |
|---|
| the Way | τῆς ὁδοῦ (9:2) | tēs hodou | ”the road/path” — early self-designation of the Christian movement | the Way, this Way, followers of the Way | A proper title Christians used for their own movement, not a philosophical path-category among others | पन्थाः (panthāḥ) | High |
| scales fell from his eyes | ἀπέπεσαν…αἱ λεπίδες (9:18) | apepesan…hai lepides | literal physical restoration paired with spiritual illumination | scales fell from his eyes | Physical healing as sign of spiritual conversion/enlightenment | अक्षिपटलानि पतितानि | Low |
| a chosen instrument | σκεῦος ἐκλογῆς (9:15) | skeuos eklogēs | ”a vessel of election/choosing” | a chosen instrument, chosen vessel | Directly reuses the baseline’s Election doctrine (High) vocabulary in a new compound naming Paul’s calling | वरणस्य पात्रम् (varaṇasya pātram) | High |
Chapter 10 — Cornelius; Peter’s vision; “unclean/common”; the Gentile Pentecost
| Term | Original | Translit. | Literal/semantic | English variants | Theological meaning | Sanskrit | Risk |
|---|
| God-fearer | φοβούμενος τὸν θεόν / εὐσεβής (10:2, 10:22) | phoboumenos ton theon / eusebēs | a Gentile sympathizer with Judaism, reverent toward God but not (yet) circumcised/fully converted | God-fearing, devout | An important sociological bridge-category directly relevant to “The Gospel to Jews and Gentiles” | परमेश्वरभीरुः (parameśvarabhīruḥ) | Medium |
| vision | ὅραμα (10:3, 10:17, 10:19) | horama | see core-passage note (2:17) | vision, trance | Peter’s and Cornelius’s parallel visions orchestrate the Gentile Pentecost narrative | दर्शनम् | High |
| unclean / common | ἀκάθαρτον…κοινόν (10:14, 10:15, 10:28) | akatharton…koinon | ritually impure / profane-ordinary, as opposed to consecrated-holy | unclean, common, profane | God declares no food (and by extension no person) “common” that he has cleansed — directly dismantling a ritual-purity boundary between Jew and Gentile | अशुद्धम् / सामान्यम् (aśuddham / sāmānyam), contrasted with शुद्धम् (śuddham, “clean”) | High |
| the Holy Spirit fell on all who heard | ἐπέπεσεν τὸ πνεῦμα τὸ ἅγιον ἐπὶ πάντας (10:44) | epepesen to pneuma to hagion epi pantas | sovereign, unmediated Spirit-outpouring on Gentiles, prior to baptism | the Spirit fell on them | The “Gentile Pentecost” — direct narrative parallel to Acts 2, confirming Gentiles receive the same Spirit on the same basis (faith), not a lesser/derivative grace | पवित्रः आत्मा सर्वेषु अपतत् | Critical |
Chapter 11 — Report to Jerusalem; church at Antioch; believers first called “Christians”
| Term | Original | Translit. | Literal/semantic | English variants | Theological meaning | Sanskrit | Risk |
|---|
| granted repentance that leads to life | τὴν μετάνοιαν εἰς ζωήν ἔδωκεν (11:18) | tēn metanoian eis zōēn edōken | repentance itself as God’s gracious gift, not human achievement | granted repentance unto life | Confirms Gentile repentance is God-given, on the same terms as Jewish repentance — reinforces Grace doctrine (High) | जीवनार्थं पश्चात्तापं दत्तवान् | High |
| Christians | Χριστιανοί (11:26) | Christianoi | ”belonging to/followers of Christ” | Christians | First occurrence in the NT of the name that becomes the movement’s permanent self-designation | ख्रीष्टीयाः (khrīṣṭīyāḥ) | Low |
Chapter 12 — Herod’s persecution; James martyred; Peter’s angelic deliverance
| Term | Original | Translit. | Literal/semantic | English variants | Theological meaning | Sanskrit | Risk |
|---|
| angel of the Lord | ἄγγελος Κυρίου (12:7, 12:23) | angelos Kyriou | God’s personal messenger, sent to deliver or to judge | angel of the Lord | Providence doctrine (High, baseline) narratively enacted: God’s personal governance over persecution and persecutors alike | प्रभोः दूतः (prabhoḥ dūtaḥ) | Medium |
| struck down (Herod) | ἐπάταξεν αὐτὸν ἄγγελος Κυρίου (12:23) | epataxen auton angelos Kyriou | direct divine judgment on a persecutor | struck him down | God’s personal governance extends to judging persecutors — continuous with Providence doctrine | तं दूतः अहनत् | Medium |
Chapter 13 — Barnabas and Saul sent out; Sergius Paulus; “light to the Gentiles”; justification by faith preached (anchor for “Justification apart from the Law”)
| Term | Original | Translit. | Literal/semantic | English variants | Theological meaning | Sanskrit | Risk |
|---|
| the Holy Spirit said… set apart | εἶπεν τὸ πνεῦμα τὸ ἅγιον…ἀφορίσατε (13:2) | eipen to pneuma to hagion…aphorisate | the Spirit’s own sovereign initiative in commissioning missionaries | the Holy Spirit said, set apart | The Great Commission’s ongoing outworking is Spirit-directed, not human strategic planning alone | पवित्र आत्मा उवाच…पृथक् कुरुत | Critical |
| light for the Gentiles / salvation to the ends of the earth | φῶς ἐθνῶν…σωτηρίαν ἕως ἐσχάτου τῆς γῆς (13:47, quoting Isaiah 49:6) | phōs ethnōn…sōtērian heōs eschatou tēs gēs | universal-scope salvation prophecy fulfilled in the apostolic mission | a light to the Gentiles, salvation to the ends of the earth | Directly fulfills and echoes Acts 1:8, bracketing the Gospel’s geographic/ethnic universality doctrine | अन्यजातीयानां ज्योतिः…त्राणं पृथिव्याः अन्तं यावत् | High |
| everyone who believes is justified | πᾶς ὁ πιστεύων δικαιοῦται (13:39) | pas ho pisteuōn dikaioutai | universal, faith-conditioned forensic declaration of righteousness | everyone who believes is justified, justified by faith | The clearest single verse in Acts anchoring “Justification apart from the Law” — a direct narrative echo of Romans’ central thesis | यः कश्चित् विश्वासं करोति सः धर्मीति निर्णीतः भवति | Critical |
Chapter 14 — Continued signs and wonders; mistaken for gods at Lystra; “the living God”
Reuses: चिह्नानि आश्चर्यकर्माणि च (signs and wonders), धार्मिकता/मसीहः/त्राणम् context. One new item:
| Term | Original | Translit. | Literal/semantic | English variants | Theological meaning | Sanskrit | Risk |
|---|
| the living God | θεὸν ζῶντα (14:15) | theon zōnta | God who is alive, active, personal — contrasted with lifeless idols | the living God | When mistaken for the gods Zeus and Hermes (an ironic near-miss with avatāra-descent logic: “the gods have come down in human form,” 14:11), Paul and Barnabas emphatically redirect worship to the one living Creator | जीवन् सर्वेश्वरः (jīvan sarveśvaraḥ) | Medium-High |
Chapter 15 — The Jerusalem Council; circumcision controversy; salvation by grace, not the Law
| Term | Original | Translit. | Literal/semantic | English variants | Theological meaning | Sanskrit | Risk |
|---|
| circumcision | περιτομή (15:1, 15:5) | peritomē | the OT covenant-sign rite (Genesis 17) | circumcision | The Council’s central controversy: whether Gentile converts must be circumcised and keep the Law to be saved — direct anchor for “Justification apart from the Law” | त्वक्छेदः (tvakchedaḥ) | Medium-High |
| we believe that we are saved through the grace of the Lord Jesus | διὰ τῆς χάριτος τοῦ Κυρίου Ἰησοῦ πιστεύομεν σωθῆναι (15:11) | dia tēs charitos tou Kyriou Iēsou pisteuomen sōthēnai | salvation’s sole ground stated as grace through faith, explicitly not law-keeping | saved through grace | The Council’s own doctrinal resolution, verbally paralleling Romans 3:24 and anchoring “Justification apart from the Law” as forcefully as 13:39 | प्रभोः यीशोः अनुग्रहेण त्राणं प्राप्तवन्तः इति विश्वासामः | Critical |
| an unbearable yoke | ζυγόν…βαστάσαι (15:10) | zygon…bastasai | a heavy, unbearable burden imagery, here of law-observance imposed as a salvation-condition | yoke, burden | Rejects imposing Torah-observance as a condition of salvation upon Gentiles | दुर्वहं युगम् (durvahaṃ yugam) | Low-Medium |
| it seemed good to the Holy Spirit and to us | ἔδοξεν…τῷ πνεύματι τῷ ἁγίῳ καὶ ἡμῖν (15:28) | edoxen…tō pneumati tō hagiō kai hēmin | the Council’s decision jointly attributed to the Spirit’s guidance and the apostles’ human deliberation | it seemed good to the Holy Spirit and to us | Models Spirit-guided ecclesial decision-making — a key “Apostolic Authority” and “Church as Community” text | पवित्रस्य आत्मनः च अस्मभ्यं च रुचितम् | Critical |
Chapter 16 — Lydia; the divining spirit; Philippian jailer; household salvation
| Term | Original | Translit. | Literal/semantic | English variants | Theological meaning | Sanskrit | Risk |
|---|
| spirit of divination (“spirit of Python”) | πνεῦμα πύθωνος (16:16) | pneuma pythōnos | an oracular/possessing spirit associated with Greek mythological divination | a spirit of divination | An occult possessing-spirit expelled by apostolic authority — must be sharply distinguished lexically from the Holy Spirit | भूतः (bhūtaḥ), never आत्मा | High |
| believe on the Lord Jesus, you and your household will be saved | πίστευσον ἐπὶ τὸν Κύριον Ἰησοῦν, καὶ σωθήσῃ σὺ καὶ ὁ οἶκός σου (16:31) | pisteuson epi ton Kyrion Iēsoun, kai sōthēsē sy kai ho oikos sou | faith’s household-inclusive scope | you and your household will be saved | A key salvation-confession verse alongside Romans 10:9 and Acts 2:21/16:31’s shared Kyrios-confession structure | प्रभुं यीशुं विश्वस, तेन त्वं तव कुटुम्बं च त्राणं लभेथे | Critical |
Chapter 17 — The Areopagus speech: idols, the “unknown god,” “in him we live and move and have our being”
| Term | Original | Translit. | Literal/semantic | English variants | Theological meaning | Sanskrit | Risk |
|---|
| idols / objects of worship | σεβάσματα / εἴδωλα (17:16, 17:23, 17:29) | sebasmata / eidōla | manufactured images mistakenly worshipped as ultimate | idols, objects of worship | Paul’s philosophical critique of manufactured images as inadequate representations of the true, transcendent Creator | मिथ्यादेवप्रतिमाः (mithyādevapratimāḥ) | Critical |
| the unknown god | ἀγνώστῳ θεῷ (17:23) | agnōstō theō | an altar inscription to an unidentified deity, within the Athenians’ own polytheistic system | the unknown god | Paul’s rhetorical bridge, identifying this unknown god as the one true God he proclaims | अज्ञातदेवः (ajñātadevaḥ) | Low |
| in him we live and move and have our being | ἐν αὐτῷ γὰρ ζῶμεν καὶ κινούμεθα καὶ ἐσμέν (17:28) | en autō gar zōmen kai kinoumetha kai esmen | God’s sustaining, immanent presence upholding all creaturely existence | in him we live and move and have our being | Affirms God’s immanence and creation’s ongoing dependence on him — a transcendent-yet-present Creator, not identity/fusion between creature and Creator | तस्मिन् एव वयं जीवामः चलामः वर्तामहे च | High |
| repentance / the day of judgment / resurrection of the dead | μετάνοιαν…κρίσιν…ἀνάστασιν νεκρῶν (17:30-32) | metanoian…krisin…anastasin nekrōn | God’s universal call to repentance grounded in a coming, certain, historically-anchored judgment, evidenced by Christ’s bodily resurrection | repent…judgment…resurrection | Some mocked at “resurrection of the dead” specifically — anticipating the Pharisee/Sadducee resurrection debates of ch. 23-26 | पश्चात्तापः…विचारणा…पुनरुत्थानम् | High |
Chapter 18 — Corinth; Aquila and Priscilla; Gallio’s ruling; Apollos taught “the way of the Lord”
No major new theological vocabulary. Reuses: पन्थाः (“the way of the Lord,” 18:25-26), विधिः (Gallio’s reference to Jewish “law,” 18:15), बाप्तिस्मः (Apollos’s incomplete instruction, corrected further in ch. 19). Noted here explicitly as a chapter reviewed for full-book coverage but contributing no new load-bearing terms.
Chapter 19 — Ephesus; disciples of John’s baptism vs. Spirit-baptism; unclean spirits; the Artemis riot
| Term | Original | Translit. | Literal/semantic | English variants | Theological meaning | Sanskrit | Risk |
|---|
| John’s baptism vs. baptism in the name of the Lord Jesus | τὸ Ἰωάννου βάπτισμα / εἰς τὸ ὄνομα τοῦ Κυρίου Ἰησοῦ (19:3-5) | to Iōannou baptisma / eis to onoma tou Kyriou Iēsou | preparatory repentance-baptism vs. the fuller Christian baptism accompanied by the Spirit’s coming | John’s baptism, baptism in the name of the Lord Jesus | Clarifies that Christian baptism is not merely John’s preparatory repentance-rite, but is bound to the Spirit’s own coming (19:6) | योहनस्य बाप्तिस्मः / प्रभोः यीशोः नाम्ना बाप्तिस्मः | High |
| evil/unclean spirits | πνεύματα…πονηρά / ἀκάθαρτα (19:12-13, 19:15-16) | pneumata…ponēra / akatharta | possessing evil spirits, distinct from the Holy Spirit | evil spirits, unclean spirits | Continued application of the आत्मा-reservation rule established at 16:16 | दुष्टभूताः / अशुद्धभूताः | High |
| Great is Artemis of the Ephesians | Μεγάλη ἡ Ἄρτεμις Ἐφεσίων (19:28, 19:34) | Megalē hē Artemis Ephesiōn | acclamation of the city’s patron goddess, whose temple economy is threatened by the gospel’s spread | Great is Artemis | A goddess-devotion economic and religious system directly confronted by gospel proclamation | महती अर्तिमिस् (proper name, transliterated) | Medium |
| magic books burned | βιβλία…κατέκαιον (19:19) | biblia…katekaion | renunciation of occult practice | burned their books | Confirms the “sorcery” doctrine established at 8:9-11 and 13:6-11 (Bar-Jesus/Elymas the magician) — decisive, costly repentance from occult practice | पुस्तकानि दग्धवन्तः | Medium |
Chapter 20 — Ephesian elders; overseers to shepherd the flock; farewell speech
| Term | Original | Translit. | Literal/semantic | English variants | Theological meaning | Sanskrit | Risk |
|---|
| elders | πρεσβύτεροι (20:17) | presbyteroi | recognized senior leaders of a local congregation | elders | Institutional church leadership — continuous with “Church as Community” and “Apostolic Authority” | प्राचीनाः (prācīnāḥ) | Medium |
| overseers | ἐπισκόπους (20:28) | episkopous | those charged with oversight/superintendence | overseers, bishops | Same office as “elders” here (20:17 and 20:28 describe the same men), a key ecclesiological data point | अध्यक्षाः (adhyakṣāḥ) | Low-Medium |
| shepherd / flock | ποιμαίνειν / ποίμνιον (20:28) | poimainein / poimnion | nurturing, protective care of a group, imaged as a shepherd’s care of sheep | shepherd, tend, flock | Pastoral care as the church’s leadership model | पालकः (verb: पालनं कुरुत) / मेषवृन्दम् (flock) | High (verb) / Low (noun) |
| purchased with his own blood | περιεποιήσατο διὰ τοῦ αἵματος τοῦ ἰδίου (20:28) | periepoiēsato dia tou haimatos tou idiou | the church’s costly acquisition through Christ’s own atoning death | purchased with his own blood | Grounds church leadership’s seriousness in the costliness of Christ’s atoning death | स्वरक्तेण क्रीता | Medium |
| testify to the gospel of the grace of God | διαμαρτύρασθαι τὸ εὐαγγέλιον τῆς χάριτος τοῦ θεοῦ (20:24) | diamartyrasthai to euangelion tēs charitos tou theou | Paul’s summary of his whole ministry’s content | the gospel of the grace of God | A triple reuse of Gospel, Grace, and Witness vocabulary in a single clause — an excellent consistency-check verse for Phase 2 translators | सुसमाचारं…अनुग्रहस्य साक्ष्यम् | High |
Chapter 21 — Nazirite vow; Agabus’s prophecy; Paul’s arrest in the temple
| Term | Original | Translit. | Literal/semantic | English variants | Theological meaning | Sanskrit | Risk |
|---|
| vow (Nazirite) | εὐχή (21:23), cf. Numbers 6 | euchē | a voluntary, time-bound religious vow of consecration | vow, Nazirite vow | Shows Paul’s continued respect for Jewish practice even while teaching justification apart from the Law for Gentiles — a delicate pastoral balance | व्रतम् (vratam) | Low-Medium |
| through the Spirit, [Agabus] said | διὰ τοῦ πνεύματος…λέγει (21:11, cf. 21:4) | dia tou pneumatos…legei | prophetic warning given through the Spirit’s guidance | the Spirit says, the Spirit warned | Continues the “Apostolic Authority and Miracles” and prophetic-inspiration themes into the narrative’s final act | पवित्रेण आत्मना…उवाच | Critical |
Chapter 22 — Paul’s defense before the crowd; Damascus road retold; “wash away your sins”; Roman citizenship
| Term | Original | Translit. | Literal/semantic | English variants | Theological meaning | Sanskrit | Risk |
|---|
| be baptized and wash away your sins | βάπτισαι καὶ ἀπόλουσαι τὰς ἁμαρτίας σου (22:16) | baptisai kai apolousai tas hamartias sou | baptism as the outward sign of an inward cleansing accomplished by calling on Christ’s name | be baptized, wash away your sins | Combines Baptism and Forgiveness-of-Sins doctrine in one of Acts’ most compact soteriological verses | बाप्तिस्मं गृहाण, तव पापानि प्रक्षालय | High |
| Roman citizenship | πολιτεία / πολίτης (22:25-29) | politeia / politēs | legal civic status affording specific rights (e.g., protection from unwarranted scourging) | Roman citizen, Roman citizenship | A socio-legal narrative detail (Paul’s legal defense strategy), not a theological term | (no Sanskrit rendering risk beyond ordinary civic vocabulary) | Low |
Chapter 23 — The Sanhedrin trial; Pharisees and Sadducees dispute over the resurrection
| Term | Original | Translit. | Literal/semantic | English variants | Theological meaning | Sanskrit | Risk |
|---|
| council/Sanhedrin | συνέδριον (23:1, 23:6) | synedrion | the Jewish supreme judicial-religious council | the council, Sanhedrin | Recurs from ch. 4-5; here specifically the site of an intra-Jewish doctrinal dispute over resurrection | महासभा (mahāsabhā) | Low-Medium |
| resurrection (Pharisees affirm, Sadducees deny) | ἀνάστασιν (23:6, 23:8) | anastasin | see baseline entry; here specifically the general resurrection of the dead as a contested Jewish doctrinal position, not yet the specific resurrection of Christ | resurrection of the dead | Positions Christian resurrection-faith as continuous with, and the decisive confirmation of, the Pharisaic (not Sadducean) side of an existing intra-Jewish debate | पुनरुत्थानम् | Critical |
Chapter 24 — Paul before Felix; “the Way”; righteousness, self-control, and judgment to come
| Term | Original | Translit. | Literal/semantic | English variants | Theological meaning | Sanskrit | Risk |
|---|
| the Way | τῆς ὁδοῦ (24:14, 24:22) | tēs hodou | see ch. 9 note | the Way | Continued self-designation of the movement now before a Roman governor | पन्थाः | High |
| righteousness, self-control, and the judgment to come | περὶ δικαιοσύνης καὶ ἐγκρατείας καὶ τοῦ κρίματος τοῦ μέλλοντος (24:25) | peri dikaiosynēs kai enkrateias kai tou krimatos tou mellontos | Paul’s ethical-eschatological preaching that visibly unsettled Felix | righteousness, self-control, judgment to come | Ties personal ethics to final accountability before God — continuous with baseline Righteousness (Critical) and new eschatological-judgment vocabulary | धार्मिकता, इन्द्रियनिग्रहः, भाविविचारणा | High |
Chapter 25 — Festus; Paul’s appeal to Caesar
No major new theological vocabulary; primarily legal-narrative content (appeal to Caesar, Festus’s jurisdiction). Reuses “the Way” and resurrection vocabulary already established. Noted explicitly as reviewed for full-book coverage.
Chapter 26 — Paul before Agrippa; conversion retold; “turn from darkness to light… from the power of Satan to God”
| Term | Original | Translit. | Literal/semantic | English variants | Theological meaning | Sanskrit | Risk |
|---|
| open their eyes, turn from darkness to light, from the power of Satan to God, receive forgiveness of sins | ἀνοῖξαι ὀφθαλμούς…ἐπιστρέψαι ἀπὸ τοῦ σκότους εἰς φῶς καὶ τῆς ἐξουσίας τοῦ Σατανᾶ ἐπὶ τὸν θεόν, τοῦ λαβεῖν αὐτοὺς ἄφεσιν ἁμαρτιῶν (26:18) | anoixai ophthalmous…epistrepsai apo tou skotous eis phōs kai tēs exousias tou Satana epi ton theon, tou labein autous aphesin hamartiōn | Christ’s own commissioning-word to Paul, summarizing the whole gospel’s content in one verse | open their eyes, turn from darkness to light, forgiveness of sins | The single most complete summary-verse of Pauline conversion-theology in Acts, combining light/darkness, deliverance-from-Satan, and forgiveness | अन्धकारात् ज्योतिः प्रति, शैतानस्य अधिकारात् सर्वेश्वरं प्रति…पापक्षमां लब्धुं परिवर्तनम् | Critical |
Chapter 27 — The shipwreck; providence and angelic reassurance
No major new theological vocabulary. Reuses परमेश्वरस्य विधानम् (Providence, baseline High) and दूतः (angel, ch. 12) for the angelic reassurance of 27:23-24. Noted explicitly as reviewed for full-book coverage; narrative-dominant chapter.
Chapter 28 — Malta; the viper; healing; Rome; the kingdom of God preached without hindrance
| Term | Original | Translit. | Literal/semantic | English variants | Theological meaning | Sanskrit | Risk |
|---|
| preaching the kingdom of God…quite openly and unhindered | κηρύσσων τὴν βασιλείαν τοῦ θεοῦ…μετὰ πάσης παρρησίας ἀκωλύτως (28:31) | kēryssōn tēn basileian tou theou…meta pasēs parrēsias akōlytōs | the book’s closing, deliberately open-ended note: the gospel’s advance is unstoppable | preaching the kingdom of God, without hindrance | The Great Commission’s provisional fulfillment-marker: from Jerusalem (1:8) to Rome, “without hindrance” — the doctrinal capstone of “The Great Commission Fulfilled” | परमेश्वरस्य राज्यं…सर्वया प्रगल्भतया अप्रतिबद्धं प्रचारयन् | High |
This document must be loaded alongside the baseline Romans Language Package artifacts and 08_core_glossary.md before any Phase 2 Acts segment translation begins.