Core Glossary
Core Glossary: Acts 1–28 (English → Sanskrit)
Governing Conventions (apply to every table below)
- Exact reuse mandate: every term already fixed in the baseline
translation_memory.jsonis reproduced here unchanged for reference completeness, and MUST be used exactly as recorded — no Acts-specific “improvement” or paraphrase is permitted. - सर्वेश्वरः vs परमेश्वर-: सर्वेश्वरः stands alone for “God”; परमेश्वर- is the compounding/genitive form (परमेश्वरस्य राज्यम्, परमेश्वरस्य विधानम्, परमेश्वरभीरुः, etc.), matching baseline precedent.
- आत्मा reservation rule: आत्मा (masc.) is used only in the fixed compound पवित्र आत्मा (Holy Spirit) and its inflected forms. All other spirit-beings (demons, divining/oracular spirits, unclean spirits) use भूतः/प्रेतः/दुष्टभूतः — never आत्मा, even in a qualifying compound.
- Forbidden substitutions carried over from baseline, reaffirmed for Acts: never मोक्षः/मुक्तिः/निर्वाणम् for salvation; never bare धर्मः for righteousness; never पुनर्जन्म for resurrection; never अवतारः for incarnation; never bare ईश्वरः/ब्रह्मन्/भगवान्/देवः for the biblical God; never शक्तिः for God’s power; never श्रद्धा/भक्तिः as the primary term for faith.
- New Acts-specific forbidden substitutions (see full reasoning in
07_semantic_analysis.md):- Baptism: never स्नानम् or दीक्षा — always बाप्तिस्मः
- Sorcery/magic: never माया — always इन्द्रजालम्/कुहकम्
- Satan: never असुरः — always शैतानः
- The Way (Christian self-designation): never मार्गः — always पन्थाः
- Idols (Areopagus polemic): never bare मूर्तिः/प्रतिमा unqualified — always मिथ्यादेवप्रतिमा
- Shepherd (verb/agent): never गोपालः/गोपः — always पालकः
- Elder: never स्थविरः — always प्राचीनः
- Council/Sanhedrin: never न्यायसभा — always महासभा
- Any spirit-being other than the Holy Spirit: never आत्मा — always भूतः/प्रेतः
Table 1 — Terms Reused Exactly from the Romans Baseline (frequently recurring in Acts)
| English | Sanskrit | Transliteration | Risk | Key Acts occurrences |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| God | सर्वेश्वरः | sarveśvaraḥ | Critical | throughout |
| Lord | प्रभुः | prabhuḥ | Critical | 2:21, 2:34-36, 4:33, 10:36, 16:31 |
| Jesus | यीशुः | yīśuḥ | Critical | throughout |
| Christ | ख्रीष्टः | khrīṣṭaḥ | Critical | throughout |
| Holy Spirit | पवित्र आत्मा | pavitra ātmā | Critical | 1:5,8; 2:4,17,33,38; 4:8,31; 5:3,32; 6:3,5; 7:55; 8:15-19; 9:31; 10:44-47; 11:16,24; 13:2,4,9,52; 15:8,28; 19:2,6; 20:23,28; 21:11; 28:25 |
| Father | पिता | pitā | Critical | 1:4,7; 2:33 |
| Messiah | मसीहः | masīhaḥ | Critical | 2:31,36; 3:18,20; 4:26; 5:42; 9:22; 13:33-38; 17:3; 18:5,28; 26:23 |
| Resurrection | पुनरुत्थानम् | punarutthānam | Critical | 1:22; 2:24,31-32; 4:2,33; 17:18,31-32; 23:6,8; 24:15,21; 26:23 |
| Salvation | त्राणम् | trāṇam | Critical | 2:21,40,47; 4:12; 11:14; 13:26,47; 16:17,30-31; 27:20,31,34; 28:28 |
| Righteousness | धार्मिकता | dhārmikatā | Critical | 3:14; 13:10; 17:31; 24:25 |
| Justification | धर्मीति निर्णयः | dharmīti nirṇayaḥ | Critical | 13:39 |
| Faith | विश्वासः | viśvāsaḥ | High | 3:16; 6:5,7; 11:24; 13:8,39; 14:9,22; 15:9; 16:5,31; 20:21; 26:18 |
| Grace | अनुग्रहः | anugrahaḥ | High | 4:33; 11:23; 13:43; 14:26; 15:11,40; 18:27; 20:24,32 |
| Apostle | प्रेषितः | preṣitaḥ | Medium | 1:2,25-26; 2:37,42-43; 4:33,35-37; 5:2,12,18,29,34,40; 6:6; 8:1,14,18; 9:27; 11:1; 14:4,14; 15:2,4,6,22-23; 16:4 |
| Called / calling | आहूतः / आह्वानम् | āhūtaḥ / āhvānam | High | 2:21,39; 13:2 |
| Holy | पवित्रम् | pavitram | High | 3:14,21; 4:27,30; 6:13; 7:33; 9:13,32,41; 21:28; 26:10 |
| Saints | पवित्राः जनाः | pavitrāḥ janāḥ | High | 9:13,32,41; 26:10 |
| Sanctification | पवित्रीकरणम् | pavitrīkaraṇam | High | 20:32; 26:18 |
| Adoption / Church (institutional) | मण्डली | maṇḍalī | Medium | 5:11; 8:1,3; 9:31; 11:22,26; 12:1,5; 13:1; 14:23,27; 15:3-4,22,41; 16:5; 20:17,28 |
| Kingdom of God | परमेश्वरस्य राज्यम् | parameśvarasya rājyam | Medium | 1:3,6; 8:12; 14:22; 19:8; 20:25; 28:23,31 |
| Law | विधिः | vidhiḥ | High | 6:13; 7:53; 13:15,39; 15:5,24; 18:13,15; 21:20,24,28; 22:3,12; 23:29; 24:14; 25:8; 28:23 |
| Sin | पापम् | pāpam | High | 2:38; 3:19; 5:31; 7:60; 10:43; 13:38; 22:16; 26:18 |
| Gentiles | अन्यजातीयाः | anyajātīyāḥ | Medium | 9:15; 10:45; 11:1,18; 13:46-48; 14:27; 15:3,7,12,14,19,23; 18:6; 21:11,19,21,25; 22:21; 26:17,20,23; 28:28 |
| Glory | महिमा | mahimā | High | 7:2,55; 12:23; 22:11 |
| Power of God | परमेश्वरस्य सामर्थ्यम् | parameśvarasya sāmarthyam | High | 1:8; 4:33; 6:8; 8:10 |
| Prophet | भविष्यद्वक्ता | bhaviṣyadvaktā | Low | 2:16,30; 3:18,21-25; 7:37,42,48,52; 10:43; 11:27; 13:1,15,20,27,40; 15:15,32; 21:10; 26:22,27; 28:23 |
| Prophecy | भविष्यवाणी | bhaviṣyavāṇī | Low | 2:17-18 |
| Election | परमेश्वरस्य वरणम् | parameśvarasya varaṇam | High | 9:15 (as वरणस्य पात्रम्) |
| Providence | परमेश्वरस्य विधानम् | parameśvarasya vidhānam | High | 2:23; 4:28; 27:23-24 |
| Mission | सुसमाचारप्रचारः | susamācāraprachāraḥ | Medium | throughout, esp. 1:8; 13:1-3; 28:31 |
| David | दाविद् | dāvid | Medium | 1:16; 2:25,29,34; 4:25; 7:45; 13:22,34,36; 15:16 |
| Israel | इस्राएलः | isrāelaḥ | Medium | 1:6; 2:36; 4:10,27; 5:21,31; 7:23,37,42; 9:15; 10:36; 13:16-24; 28:20 |
| Gospel | सुसमाचारः | susamācāraḥ | High | 5:42; 8:4,12,25,35,40; 10:36; 13:32; 14:7,15,21; 15:7; 16:10; 17:18; 20:24; 28:31 |
| Peace | शान्तिः | śāntiḥ | Medium | 7:26; 9:31; 10:36; 24:2 |
| Fellowship | सहभागिता | sahabhāgitā | Low | 2:42 |
| Thanksgiving | धन्यवादः | dhanyavādaḥ | Low | 24:3; 27:35; 28:15 |
| Exhort | उत्तेजनम् / विनयः | uttejanam / vinayaḥ | Low | 2:40; 11:23; 14:22; 15:32; 20:1-2 |
| Spiritual gifts | आत्मिकं वरदानम् | ātmikaṃ varadānam | Medium | (implicit, cf. 1 Cor parallel; sparsely attested lexically in Acts itself) |
Table 2 — New Terms Introduced in Acts, by Curriculum Doctrine
Doctrine: The Holy Spirit and Pentecost
| English | Sanskrit | Transliteration | Risk | First occurrence | Notes / rejected alternatives |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pentecost | पेण्टेकोस्तपर्व | peṇṭekostaparva | Medium | 2:1 | Transliteration + पर्व (“festival”); requires OT Shavuot/harvest-festival background note; linear-historical, not cyclical-agricultural, rationale must be taught. |
| tongues (languages) | अन्यभाषाः | anyabhāṣāḥ | Medium | 2:4 | Must be taught as real human languages (2:6), not ecstatic unintelligible utterance. |
| tongues (flame-shape) | अग्निजिह्वा | agnijihvā | Low-Medium | 2:3 | Descriptive; distinct sense from “tongues” (languages) in the same pericope. |
| wind | वायुः | vāyuḥ | Medium | 2:2 | Plain word; also the Vedic wind-deity’s name — footnote recommended, context disambiguates. |
| fire | अग्निः | agniḥ | Medium | 2:3 | Plain word; also the major Vedic sacrificial deity — footnote recommended, no ritual-offering sense intended. |
| filled with the Holy Spirit | पवित्रात्मना पूर्णः | pavitrātmanā pūrṇaḥ | Critical | 2:4 | Inherits full Holy Spirit personhood note; distinguish पूर्णत्व here from Advaita’s pūrṇatā (plenitude of Brahman). |
| last days | अन्तिमकालः | antimakālaḥ | High | 2:17 | Linear eschatological epoch, never assimilated to cyclical yuga-decline cosmology. |
| pour out (the Spirit) | सिञ्चति | siñcati | Critical | 2:17-18 | God’s self-giving initiative, not a ritual libation (soma/tarpaṇa). |
| day of the Lord | प्रभोः दिनम् | prabhoḥ dinam | High | 2:20 | Singular, non-repeating; must not be assimilated to Purāṇic pralaya’s cyclical dissolution-recreation. |
| vision | दर्शनम् | darśanam | High | 2:17 (also 9:10; 10:3,17,19; 16:9; 18:9) | Direction God→human; must be distinguished from devotee-initiated temple darśana. |
Doctrine: Repentance and Baptism
| English | Sanskrit | Transliteration | Risk | First occurrence | Notes / rejected alternatives |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| baptism / baptize | बाप्तिस्मः | bāptismaḥ | High | 1:5; 2:38,41 | Transliterated per messiah/Christ precedent. Rejected: स्नानम् (Gaṅgā-style ritual purification bathing), दीक्षा (guru-lineage initiation). |
| repentance | पश्चात्तापः | paścāttāpaḥ | High | 2:38; 3:19; 11:18; 17:30; 20:21; 26:20 | Distinguish from dharmaśāstra’s prescribed ritual prāyaścitta (penance for a catalogued sin). |
| forgiveness of sins | पापक्षमा | pāpakṣamā | High | 2:38; 5:31; 10:43; 13:38; 26:18 | Divine judicial pardon through Christ’s work; not automatically dissolved by karmaphala; not merely the ethical virtue kṣamā alone. |
| gift (of the Spirit) | दानम् | dānam | Medium | 2:38 | Anchor to अनुग्रहः (grace) so as not to read through दान-dharma’s meritorious-giving framework. |
| wash away your sins | पापं प्रक्षालय | pāpaṃ prakṣālaya | High | 22:16 | Cleansing accomplished through faith in Christ’s name, not a repeatable ritual river-bath (cf. Gaṅgā-snāna popular piety). |
Doctrine: The Gospel to Jews and Gentiles
| English | Sanskrit | Transliteration | Risk | First occurrence | Notes / rejected alternatives |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| unclean / common | अशुद्धम् / सामान्यम् | aśuddham / sāmānyam | High | 10:14-15,28 | Contrast शुद्धम् (“clean”). Directly parallels and must not be softened relative to jāti-based food/commensality purity rules (Manusmṛti); anchors universal_scope_of_gospel doctrine. |
| God-fearer / proselyte | परमेश्वरभीरुः | parameśvarabhīruḥ | Medium | 10:2,22; 13:16,26; 16:14 | Second Temple Jewish sociological category; low technical collision, needs explanatory background note. |
| circumcision | त्वक्छेदः | tvakchedaḥ | Medium-High | 10:45; 11:2; 15:1,5; 16:3; 21:21 | Deliberately not संस्कार (avoids equating with the dharmaśāstra 16-saṃskāra life-rite system). |
| light to the Gentiles | अन्यजातीयानां ज्योतिः | anyajātīyānāṃ jyotiḥ | High | 13:47 | Reuses अन्यजातीयाः exactly; ज्योतिः plain/low-risk. |
| synagogue | सभा / यहूदीयसभा | sabhā / yahūdīyasabhā | Low | 6:9; 9:2,20; 13:5,14,43; 14:1; 17:1,10,17; 18:4,7,19,26; 19:8 | Generic assembly-hall word; distinguish from मण्डली (church). |
| in him we live and move and have our being | तस्मिन् एव वयं जीवामः चलामः वर्तामहे च | tasmin eva vayaṃ jīvāmaḥ calāmaḥ vartāmahe ca | High | 17:28 | Contingent creaturely dependence on a distinct, personal, transcendent Creator — not Advaitic self-Absolute identity. |
| idols (Areopagus polemic) | मिथ्यादेवप्रतिमा | mithyādevapratimā | Critical | 17:16,23,29 | Never unqualified मूर्तिः/प्रतिमा (the positively-valenced Hindu devotional-image term); mandatory theologian review at every occurrence. |
| the unknown god (Athenian referent) | अज्ञातदेवः | ajñātadevaḥ | Low | 17:23 | देवः contextually appropriate here — describing the Athenians’ own polytheism, never the biblical God. |
Doctrine: The Church as Community
| English | Sanskrit | Transliteration | Risk | First occurrence | Notes / rejected alternatives |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| had all things in common | सर्वं साधारणम् आसीत् | sarvaṃ sādhāraṇam āsīt | Medium | 2:44; 4:32 | Voluntary, love-motivated sharing; not joint-family dharmaśāstra property law nor ideological collectivism. |
| breaking of bread | पूपभञ्जनम् | pūpabhañjanam | Medium | 2:42,46 | Preserve exegetical ambiguity between ordinary shared meal and inaugurated Lord’s Supper. |
| deacon / service | सेवा / सेवकः | sevā / sevakaḥ | Medium | 6:1-4 | Distinguish from Vaiṣṇava temple/deity-image ritual sevā; here, practical service to fellow believers. |
| elder | प्राचीनः | prācīnaḥ | Medium | 11:30; 14:23; 15:2,4,6,22-23; 16:4; 20:17; 21:18 | Never स्थविरः (Buddhist/Jain monastic-elder title). |
| overseer | अध्यक्षः | adhyakṣaḥ | Low-Medium | 20:28 | Generic administrative-superintendence term (cf. Arthaśāstra usage); same office as “elder” in this context. |
| shepherd (verb/agent) | पालकः | pālakaḥ | High | 20:28 | Never गोपालः/गोपः (Kṛṣṇa’s cowherd epithet). |
| flock | मेषवृन्दम् | meṣavṛndam | Low | 20:28-29 | Sheep-imagery carries no comparable Kṛṣṇa-association risk. |
| household (salvation) | कुटुम्बम् / गृहम् | kuṭumbam / gṛham | Low | 10:2; 11:14; 16:15,31,33; 18:8 | Plain; doctrinally significant for covenant-household inclusion, term itself low-risk. |
| Christian | ख्रीष्टीयः | khrīṣṭīyaḥ | Low | 11:26; 26:28 | Transliteration-coinage on ख्रीष्टः; consistent with baseline’s ख्रीष्टीया सहभागिता usage. |
Doctrine: Apostolic Authority and Miracles
| English | Sanskrit | Transliteration | Risk | First occurrence | Notes / rejected alternatives |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| signs and wonders | चिह्नानि आश्चर्यकर्माणि च | cihnāni āścaryakarmāṇi ca | Medium | 2:19,22,43; 4:30; 5:12; 6:8; 8:6,13; 14:3; 15:12; 19:11 | Never सिद्धि (Yoga Sūtra 3’s disciplined-practice attainments); apostolic-authority confirmations, not earned yogic powers. |
| authority | अधिकारः | adhikāraḥ | Medium-High | 1:7; 5:4; 9:14; 26:18 | Positively echoes Mīmāṃsā adhikāra-vāda (ritual eligibility/entitlement) similarly to how vidhi was chosen for Law; must be explicitly taught as authority delegated by Christ’s commission, not earned ritual qualification restricted by status. |
| laying on of hands | हस्तार्पणम् | hastārpaṇam | Medium | 6:6; 8:17-19; 9:17; 13:3; 19:6; 28:8 | Symbolic act accompanying prayer, not mechanical/magical power-transfer (contrast Simon’s own error, 8:18-19). |
| name (of Jesus, invoked in miracles) | नाम | nāma | Low | 3:6,16; 4:7,10,30; 16:18; 19:13 | Weight carried by exclusivity of the phrase, not the word itself. |
Doctrine: Persecution and Bold Witness
| English | Sanskrit | Transliteration | Risk | First occurrence | Notes / rejected alternatives |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| witness / testify | साक्षी / साक्ष्यम् | sākṣī / sākṣyam | High | 1:8; 2:32; 3:15; 5:32; 10:39,41; 13:31; 22:15,20; 26:16 | Positively echoes dharmaśāstra legal-witness procedure (forensic weight, like nirṇaya); must be explicitly distinguished from Advaita’s sākṣin (passive witness-consciousness identified with ātman/Brahman) — biblical witness is active, verbal, historically-anchored testimony. |
| persecution | उपद्रवः | upadravaḥ | Medium | 8:1; 11:19; 13:50; 14:5; 26:11 | Never दुःखम् (Buddhist First Noble Truth / Sāṃkhya’s three duḥkhas) — this is targeted hostility for the faith, not generic existential suffering. |
| boldness | प्रगल्भता | pragalbhatā | Low-Medium | 4:13,29,31; 28:31 | Recurring keyword across the whole book; generic classical virtue-term, no rival technical apparatus. |
| Satan | शैतानः | śaitānaḥ | High | 5:3; 26:18 | Never असुरः (Puranic anti-god mythological class with its own independent narrative tradition). |
| evil / unclean spirit | दुष्टभूताः / अशुद्धभूताः | duṣṭabhūtāḥ / aśuddhabhūtāḥ | High | 5:16; 8:7; 16:16,18; 19:12-16 | Never आत्मा (see governing convention 3 above). |
Doctrine: Conversion of Paul
| English | Sanskrit | Transliteration | Risk | First occurrence | Notes / rejected alternatives |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| the Way | पन्थाः | panthāḥ | High | 9:2; 19:9,23; 22:4; 24:14,22 | Never मार्गः (Gita’s jñāna-/bhakti-/karma-mārga soteriological-path terminology); a proper self-designation, not one path among several toward a shared goal. |
| a chosen instrument | वरणस्य पात्रम् | varaṇasya pātram | High | 9:15 | Reuses परमेश्वरस्य वरणम् (election, baseline) root exactly. |
| ascended / taken up | ऊर्ध्वं नीतः | ūrdhvaṃ nītaḥ | Medium-High | 1:9,11 | Distinguish from the Mahābhārata motif of a virtuous hero’s bodily ascent to svarga; Christ’s is a unique exaltation tied to eternal Sonship/Lordship. |
Doctrine: Justification apart from the Law
| English | Sanskrit | Transliteration | Risk | First occurrence | Notes / rejected alternatives |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| everyone who believes is justified | यः कश्चित् विश्वासं करोति सः धर्मीति निर्णीतः भवति | yaḥ kaścit viśvāsaṃ karoti saḥ dharmīti nirṇītaḥ bhavati | Critical | 13:39 | Reuses विश्वासः and धर्मीति निर्णयः exactly; must be cross-checked against the Romans rendering of 3:28 for verbatim doctrinal consistency. |
| saved through grace | अनुग्रहेण त्राणम् | anugraheṇa trāṇam | Critical | 15:11 | Reuses त्राणम्, अनुग्रहः exactly; densest single-verse concentration of baseline Critical terms in Acts. |
| yoke (of the Law) | युगम् | yugam | Low-Medium | 15:10 | Homonym of yuga (cosmic age); no doctrinal collision, but a footnote is prudent for isolated citation. |
| self-control | इन्द्रियनिग्रहः | indriyanigrahaḥ | Medium | 24:25 | Ordinary ethical expectation here, not a technical yogic aṣṭāṅga attainment; light footnote, not rejection. |
| judgment to come | भाविविचारणा | bhāviवicāraṇā | Medium | 17:31; 24:25 | Deliberately avoids both न्याय (Nyāya school name) and दण्ड (dharmaśāstra royal-punishment science). |
Doctrine: The Great Commission Fulfilled
| English | Sanskrit | Transliteration | Risk | First occurrence | Notes / rejected alternatives |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| witnesses…to the end of the earth | साक्षिणः…पृथिव्याः अन्तं यावत् | sākṣiṇaḥ…pṛthivyāḥ antaṃ yāvat | High | 1:8 | Programmatic bracket-verse with 28:31; reuses साक्षी exactly. |
| preaching the kingdom…without hindrance | परमेश्वरस्य राज्यम्…अप्रतिबद्धम् प्रचारयन् | parameśvarasya rājyam…apratibaddham pracārayan | High | 28:31 | Closing bracket-verse with 1:8; reuses परमेश्वरस्य राज्यम् exactly; अप्रतिबद्धम् is new, low-risk. |
Table 3 — Proper Nouns (transliterated per Serampore-tradition precedent)
| English | Sanskrit | Transliteration | First occurrence |
|---|---|---|---|
| Paul | पौलः | paulaḥ | 13:9 (renamed from Saul) |
| Saul | शावूलः | śāvūlaḥ | 7:58; 8:1; 9:1 |
| Barnabas | बर्णबाः | barṇabāḥ | 4:36 |
| Stephen | स्तिफनः | stiphanaḥ | 6:5 |
| Philip | फिलिपः | philipaḥ | 6:5; 8:5 |
| Peter | पेतरः | petaraḥ | 1:13 |
| Cornelius | कर्नेलियः | karneliyaḥ | 10:1 |
| Timothy | तीमथियः | tīmathiyaḥ | 16:1 |
| Lydia | लूदिया | lūdiyā | 16:14 |
| Silas | सीलः | sīlaḥ | 15:40 |
| Apollos | अपल्लोः | apalloḥ | 18:24 |
| Agrippa | अग्रिप्पः | agrippaḥ | 25:13 |
| Felix | फेलिक्षः | phelikṣaḥ | 23:24 |
| Festus | फेस्तः | phestaḥ | 24:27 |
| Gamaliel | गमलिएलः | gamalielaḥ | 5:34 |
| Ananias (disciple) / Ananias (deceiver) | अनन्यः | ananyaḥ | 5:1; 9:10 |
| Sapphira | सफीरा | saphīrā | 5:1 |
| Simon (Magus) | शिमोनः | śimonaḥ | 8:9 |
| Damascus | दमास्कः | damāskaḥ | 9:2 |
| Antioch | अन्तियोखिया | antiyokhiyā | 11:19 |
| Ephesus | इफिसः | iphisaḥ | 18:19; 19:1 |
| Athens | एथेन्सः / अथीनी | athīnī | 17:15 |
| Areopagus | अरियपागः | ariyapāgaḥ | 17:19 |
| Artemis | अर्तिमिस् | artimis | 19:24,28 |
| Caesar | कैसरः | kaisaraḥ | 25:8,10-12 |
| Isaiah | यशायाः | yaśāyāḥ | 8:28,30; 28:25 (per baseline requirements doc convention) |
| Moses | मोशेः | mośeḥ | 3:22; 6:11; 7:20-44; 15:1,5; 21:21; 26:22 (per baseline requirements doc convention) |
| Abraham | अब्राहामः | abrāhāmaḥ | 3:13,25; 7:2-32; 13:26 (per baseline requirements doc convention) |
Cross-Reference Note for Phase 2
Several Acts passages are direct doctrinal companions to specific Romans verses already governed by the baseline’s mandatory cross-document consistency rules:
- Acts 2:21 / Romans 10:13 — identical Joel 2:32 quotation (“whoever calls on the name of the Lord will be saved”); must render verbatim-consistently.
- Acts 13:39 / Romans 3:28 — “justified by faith” thesis restated narratively; terminology must match exactly.
- Acts 15:11 / Romans 3:24 — “saved by grace” restated; terminology must match exactly.
- Acts 16:31 / Romans 10:9 — “believe…and be saved” salvation-confession structure; terminology must match exactly.
- Acts 4:12 / Romans 10:12-13 — exclusivity of salvation “in no other name” vs. universal openness “to all who call”; both must be preserved without softening either the exclusivity or the universality.
This glossary must be loaded alongside 07_semantic_analysis.md and the full baseline Romans Language Package before any Phase 2 Acts segment translation begins. New terms recorded here are proposed for promotion into a future translation_memory.json v2 covering both Romans and Acts.
Critical Risk Terms
Righteousness
Approved rendering: धार्मिकता
Transliteration: dhārmikatā
Doctrine: Salvation
Rejected alternatives: धर्मः, न्यायः, पुण्यम्
Original: δικαιοσύνη
Category: Salvation
Inherited from Romans package (unchanged). Mandatory explicit redefinition at every occurrence given dharma’s unavoidable weight. Acts occurrences: 3:14 (‘the Holy and Righteous One’); 13:10; 17:31; 24:25.
Justification
Approved rendering: धर्मीति निर्णयः
Transliteration: dharmīti nirṇayaḥ
Doctrine: Salvation
Rejected alternatives: क्षमा, पुण्यार्जनम्
Original: δικαιοῦται / δικαίωσις
Category: Salvation
Inherited from Romans package (unchanged). निर्णयः deliberately borrows Mīmāṃsā/Nyāya’s formal-conclusion vocabulary. Acts occurrence: 13:39, ‘everyone who believes is justified’ — mandatory verbatim cross-check against Romans 3:28.
Salvation
Approved rendering: त्राणम्
Transliteration: trāṇam
Doctrine: Salvation
Rejected alternatives: मोक्षः, मुक्तिः, निर्वाणम्
Original: σωτηρία / σωθήσεται
Category: Salvation
Inherited from Romans package (unchanged). NEVER मोक्षः/मुक्तिः/निर्वाणम्. Acts occurrences: 2:21,40,47; 4:12; 11:14; 13:26,47; 16:17,30-31; 27:20,31,34; 28:28.
Resurrection
Approved rendering: पुनरुत्थानम्
Transliteration: punarutthānam
Doctrine: Resurrection of Christ
Rejected alternatives: पुनर्जन्म
Original: ἀνάστασις
Category: Eschatology
Inherited from Romans package (unchanged). NEVER पुनर्जन्म (Sāṃkhya-Yoga/Vedānta transmigration mechanism). Acts occurrences: 1:22; 2:24,31-32; 4:2,33; 13:30-37; 17:18,31-32; 23:6,8 (live Pharisee/Sadducee doctrinal fault line); 24:15,21; 26:23.
Lord
Approved rendering: प्रभुः
Transliteration: prabhuḥ
Doctrine: Lordship of Christ
Rejected alternatives: ईश्वरः, स्वामी
Original: κύριος
Category: Christology
Inherited from Romans package (unchanged). ईश्वरः avoided for Advaita’s Brahman-under-māyā subordination risk. Acts occurrences: 2:21,34-36; 4:33; 10:36; 16:31. Acts 16:31 must remain lexically consistent with Romans 10:9.
Son Of God
Approved rendering: परमेश्वरस्य पुत्रः
Transliteration: parameśvarasya putraḥ
Doctrine: Sonship of Christ
Rejected alternatives: ईश्वरांशः, देवपुरुषः
Inherited from Romans package (unchanged). अंशः avoided as avatāra-portion language. Acts does not use this exact phrase as frequently as Romans but the underlying doctrine is invoked at 2:33-36, 7:55-56, 13:33 via ‘Son of Man’ and enthronement language; see son_of_man and made_lord_and_christ entries below.
Incarnation
Approved rendering: देहधारणम्
Transliteration: dehadhāraṇam
Doctrine: Incarnation
Rejected alternatives: अवतारः
Inherited from Romans package (unchanged). NEVER अवतारः (Gītā 4.7-8 proof-text). Acts’ Lystra episode (14:11-15) and Areopagus speech (17:16-31) are the book’s own narrative-level engagements with this exact collision; see living_god and idols entries below.
Messiah
Approved rendering: मसीहः
Transliteration: masīhaḥ
Doctrine: Messianic Promise
Rejected alternatives: अवतारपुरुषः
Original: Χριστός
Category: Christology
Inherited from Romans package (unchanged). Never assimilated to an avatāra-puruṣa within the daśāvatāra sequence. Acts occurrences: 2:31,36; 3:18,20; 4:26; 5:42; 9:22; 13:33-38; 17:3; 18:5,28; 26:23.
Jesus
Approved rendering: यीशुः
Transliteration: yīśuḥ
Doctrine: Lordship of Christ
Original: Ἰησοῦς
Category: Christology
Inherited from Romans package (unchanged). Serampore (1808) precedent. Occurs throughout Acts.
God
Approved rendering: सर्वेश्वरः
Transliteration: sarveśvaraḥ
Doctrine: Deity of Christ
Rejected alternatives: ईश्वरः, ब्रह्मन्, भगवान्, देवः
Original: θεός
Category: God
Inherited from Romans package (unchanged). De Nobili’s Sarvēśvara-over-Dēva precedent. देवः is licensed ONLY at Acts 17:23 to describe the Athenians’ own pagan referent (‘the unknown god’) — see unknown_god entry; never for the biblical God anywhere else.
Holy Spirit
Approved rendering: पवित्र आत्मा
Transliteration: pavitra ātmā
Doctrine: Sanctification
Rejected alternatives: ब्रह्मन्, परमात्मा
Original: πνεῦμα ἅγιον
Category: God
Inherited from Romans package (unchanged) — THE single highest-stakes term, intensified in Acts by Pentecost’s simultaneous multi-person indwelling (2:4) and by Acts 5:3-4’s strong positive proof-text for the Spirit’s distinct personhood (lying to the Spirit personally). Acts occurrences: 1:5,8; 2:4,17,33,38; 4:8,31; 5:3,32; 6:3,5; 7:55; 8:15-19; 9:31; 10:44-47; 11:16,24; 13:2,4,9,52; 15:8,28; 19:2,6; 20:23,28; 21:11; 28:25. आत्मा (masc.) is used ONLY in this fixed compound throughout Acts; never for any other spirit-being.
Father
Approved rendering: पिता
Transliteration: pitā
Doctrine: Adoption into God’s Family
Rejected alternatives: ब्रह्मा, प्रजापतिः
Original: πατήρ
Category: God
Inherited from Romans package (unchanged). Acts occurrences: 1:4,7; 2:33 (source of the promised Spirit).
Imputed Righteousness
Approved rendering: आरोपिता धार्मिकता
Transliteration: āropitā dhārmikatā
Doctrine: Justification by Faith
Rejected alternatives: अर्जिता धार्मिकता
Inherited from Romans package (unchanged). Underlies Acts 13:39’s ‘everyone who believes is justified’ and 15:11’s ‘saved through grace,’ Luke’s narrative confirmation of the Romans doctrine — see justified_by_faith_acts and saved_through_grace_acts entries below.
Christ
Approved rendering: ख्रीष्टः
Transliteration: khrīṣṭaḥ
Doctrine: Deity and Lordship of Christ
New entry for Acts, though the form itself is already fixed by the baseline requirements document’s transliteration table (12_ai_translation_requirements.md, Romans version). Distinct from मसीहः (the title ‘Messiah/Anointed One’); ख्रीष्टः functions in Acts as part of the proper name ‘Jesus Christ’ / ‘the Lord Jesus Christ’ (e.g. 2:38; 3:6; 4:10; 10:36; 15:11; 16:31; 20:21). Both terms must be used consistently and never interchanged without reason: मसीहः when the title’s OT-fulfillment sense is in view, ख्रीष्टः when functioning as part of the proper name.
Filled With The Holy Spirit
Approved rendering: पवित्रात्मना पूर्णः
Transliteration: pavitrātmanā pūrṇaḥ
Doctrine: The Holy Spirit and Pentecost
Original: πλησθέντες πνεύματος ἁγίου
Category: Holy Spirit and Pentecost
New term built on the fixed पवित्र आत्मा compound. पूर्णः must not be read through Advaita’s pūrṇatā (Brahman’s own plenitude, cf. Īśa Upaniṣad’s pūrṇamadaḥ pūrṇamidam invocation); this names an event of personal indwelling by a distinct divine Person, not a self-achieved ontological state. First occurrence: 2:4; recurs 4:8,31; 6:3,5; 7:55; 13:9,52.
Pour Out The Spirit
Approved rendering: सिञ्चति
Transliteration: siñcati
Doctrine: The Holy Spirit and Pentecost
Original: ἐκχεῶ ἀπὸ τοῦ πνεύματός μου
Category: Holy Spirit and Pentecost
New term. Must not be read as a ritual libation-offering (Vedic soma-pouring, tarpaṇa to ancestors/deities) but as God’s own self-giving initiative toward humanity — a direction-reversal of ordinary Vedic ritual agency, paralleling ‘called’ (आहूतः). First occurrence: 2:17-18 (Joel citation).
Made Lord And Christ
Approved rendering: सर्वेश्वरः तं प्रभुं मसीहं च कृतवान्
Transliteration: sarveśvaraḥ taṃ prabhuṃ masīhaṃ ca kṛtavān
Doctrine: Deity and Lordship of Christ
New compound reusing प्रभुः and मसीहः exactly. Mandatory translator note: ‘made’ is declarative/enthronement language (God publicly installs the risen Jesus in his sovereign role), NOT a claim that Jesus became divine for the first time. Must be read together with the Sonship/Deity of Christ doctrines’ affirmation of eternal, pre-existent divine Sonship; never permit a ‘divine promotion’ reading. Occurrence: 2:36, the climactic verse of Peter’s sermon.
Idols
Approved rendering: मिथ्यादेवप्रतिमा
Transliteration: mithyādevapratimā
Doctrine: Idolatry and the Living God
Rejected alternatives: मूर्तिः, प्रतिमा
Original: σεβάσματα / εἴδωλα
Category: The Gospel to Jews and Gentiles
New term — the single highest-stakes new lexical decision in Acts for this Package’s inter-religious-dialogue audience. Bare मूर्तिः/प्रतिमा rejected: these are the standard, positively-valenced terms for a consecrated devotional image within living Hindu temple worship (mūrti-pūjā via prāṇa-pratiṣṭhā consecration), theologically defended within Hindu tradition itself, not a pejorative category by default. Rendering Paul’s Areopagus polemic with bare मूर्ति/प्रतिमा risks a blanket condemnation of an entire living devotional tradition rather than engaging Paul’s specific philosophical argument (Creator vs. manufactured object, cf. Isaiah 44). The qualified compound मिथ्यादेवप्रतिमा (‘false-god image’) is mandatory, always with a note that Paul’s argument should be engaged philosophically, not reduced to a slogan against image-veneration generally. Mandatory human theologian review at every occurrence. Occurrences: 17:16,23,29.
Justified By Faith Acts
Approved rendering: यः कश्चित् विश्वासं करोति सः धर्मीति निर्णीतः भवति
Transliteration: yaḥ kaścit viśvāsaṃ karoti saḥ dharmīti nirṇītaḥ bhavati
Doctrine: Justification apart from the Law
Original: πᾶς ὁ πιστεύων δικαιοῦται
Category: Justification apart from the Law
New compound reusing विश्वासः and धर्मीति निर्णयः exactly. Mandatory cross-reference to Romans 3:28 for absolute lexical consistency, since this verse functions in Acts exactly as Romans 3:28 does — Luke’s narrative confirmation of Paul’s doctrinal argument. Mandatory human theologian review at every occurrence. Occurrence: 13:39.
Saved Through Grace Acts
Approved rendering: प्रभोः यीशोः अनुग्रहेण त्राणं प्राप्तवन्तः इति विश्वासामः
Transliteration: prabhoḥ yīśoḥ anugraheṇa trāṇaṃ prāptavantaḥ iti viśvāsāmaḥ
Doctrine: Justification apart from the Law
Original: διὰ τῆς χάριτος τοῦ Κυρίου Ἰησοῦ πιστεύομεν σωθῆναι
Category: Justification apart from the Law
Reuses त्राणम्, अनुग्रहः, प्रभुः, यीशुः, and विश्वासः all exactly per baseline in a single verse — the densest concentration of Critical/High baseline terms in Acts. Mandatory human theologian review and cross-check against the Romans rendering of 3:24. Occurrence: 15:11 (the Jerusalem Council’s own doctrinal resolution).
High Risk Terms
Gospel
Approved rendering: सुसमाचारः
Transliteration: susamācāraḥ
Doctrine: Gospel
Rejected alternatives: शुभवार्ता
Original: εὐαγγέλιον
Category: Salvation
Inherited from Romans package (unchanged). Serampore (1808) coinage; शुभ rejected for its astrological/ritual-timing (śubha muhūrta) connotation. Acts occurrences: 5:42; 8:4,12,25,35,40; 10:36; 13:32; 14:7,15,21; 15:7; 16:10; 17:18; 20:24; 28:31.
Grace
Approved rendering: अनुग्रहः
Transliteration: anugrahaḥ
Doctrine: Grace
Rejected alternatives: कृपा, प्रसादः, पुण्यम्
Original: χάρις
Category: Salvation
Inherited from Romans package (unchanged). प्रसादः rejected as a ritual food-offering-and-return term; पुण्यम् rejected as accumulated karmic merit. Acts occurrences: 4:33; 11:23; 13:43; 14:26; 15:11,40; 18:27; 20:24,32 — 15:11 and 20:24 are key Acts anchor verses.
Faith
Approved rendering: विश्वासः
Transliteration: viśvāsaḥ
Doctrine: Faith
Rejected alternatives: श्रद्धा, भक्तिः
Original: πίστις
Category: Faith
Inherited from Romans package (unchanged). श्रद्धा rejected as Gita 17’s guṇa-classified technical term; भक्तिः rejected as a named soteriological mārga. Acts occurrences: 3:16; 6:5,7; 11:24; 13:8,39; 14:9,22; 15:9; 16:5,31; 20:21; 26:18.
Called
Approved rendering: आहूतः
Transliteration: āhūtaḥ
Doctrine: Divine Calling
Rejected alternatives: निमन्त्रितः
Original: κλητός / κληθῆναι
Category: Salvation
Inherited from Romans package (unchanged). Deliberate reversal of Vedic āhvāna’s ordinary human-to-deity invocation direction. Acts occurrences: 2:39 (‘calls to himself’); 13:2. Contrast v.21’s human-to-Lord आह्वयति direction — see ‘calling_on_the_lords_name’ below.
Calling
Approved rendering: आह्वानम्
Transliteration: āhvānam
Doctrine: Divine Calling
Rejected alternatives: निमन्त्रणम्
Original: κλῆσις
Category: Salvation
Inherited from Romans package (unchanged). Noun form sharing its root with ‘called’; flag at first occurrence that ordinary Vedic sense is human-to-deity, reversed here.
Holy
Approved rendering: पवित्रम्
Transliteration: pavitram
Doctrine: Sanctification
Rejected alternatives: शुद्धम्
Original: ἅγιος
Category: Sanctification
Inherited from Romans package (unchanged). Vedic root sense is the kuśa-grass soma-purifying instrument; requires deliberate moral/relational redefinition. Acts occurrences: 3:14,21; 4:27,30; 6:13; 7:33; 9:13,32,41; 21:28; 26:10.
Saints
Approved rendering: पवित्राः जनाः
Transliteration: pavitrāḥ janāḥ
Doctrine: Sainthood
Rejected alternatives: ऋषयः, संन्यासिनः
Original: ἅγιοι
Category: Church
Inherited from Romans package (unchanged). Not an inspired ṛṣi-elite nor a formal saṃnyāsin renunciate class. Acts occurrences: 9:13,32,41; 26:10.
Sanctification
Approved rendering: पवित्रीकरणम्
Transliteration: pavitrīkaraṇam
Doctrine: Sanctification
Rejected alternatives: शुद्धिः
Original: ἁγιασμός / ἡγιασμένοι
Category: Sanctification
Inherited from Romans package (unchanged). Distinguish from Vedic/dharmaśāstra ritual śuddhi. Acts occurrences: 20:32; 26:18.
Adoption
Approved rendering: पुत्रत्वेन स्वीकरणम्
Transliteration: putratvena svīkaraṇam
Doctrine: Adoption into God’s Family
Rejected alternatives: दत्तकग्रहणम्
Inherited from Romans package (unchanged). दत्तकग्रहणम् avoided to foreground full inheritance rights rather than dharmaśāstra’s partial-share adoption rules. Not independently thematized in Acts’ narrative but retained for cross-document consistency (household/family-inclusion passages, e.g. 16:31-34, draw on the same theological register).
Law
Approved rendering: विधिः
Transliteration: vidhiḥ
Doctrine: Fulfillment of Prophecy
Rejected alternatives: धर्मः, धर्मशास्त्रम्
Original: νόμος
Category: Covenant
Inherited from Romans package (unchanged). Mīmāṃsā vidhi (scriptural injunction) chosen over dharmaśāstra’s varṇāśrama-tied धर्मशास्त्रम्. Acts occurrences: 6:13; 7:53; 13:15,39; 15:5,24; 18:13,15; 21:20,24,28; 22:3,12; 23:29; 24:14; 25:8; 28:23 — central to the Jerusalem Council (ch.15).
Sin
Approved rendering: पापम्
Transliteration: pāpam
Doctrine: Universal Human Accountability
Rejected alternatives: अधर्मः
Original: ἁμαρτία
Category: Sin
Inherited from Romans package (unchanged). Guard against a prāyaścitta ritual-penance reading. Acts occurrences: 2:38; 3:19; 5:31; 7:60; 10:43; 13:38; 22:16; 26:18.
Glory
Approved rendering: महिमा
Transliteration: mahimā
Doctrine: Deity of Christ
Rejected alternatives: तेजस्
Original: δόξα
Category: God
Inherited from Romans package (unchanged). तेजस् rejected as the Sāṃkhya/Purāṇic radiant-substance term behind Devī’s tejas-formation narrative. Acts occurrences: 7:2,55 (Stephen’s vision); 12:23; 22:11 (Paul’s blinding light).
Obedience Of Faith
Approved rendering: विश्वासस्य आज्ञापालनम्
Transliteration: viśvāsasya ājñāpālanam
Doctrine: Obedience of Faith
Rejected alternatives: धर्माचरणम्
Inherited from Romans package (unchanged). Not independently attested by a matching Greek phrase in Acts but retained for consistency with the underlying doctrine expressed narratively throughout the book’s obedience-of-repentant-faith pattern (e.g. 5:32; 6:7).
Power Of God
Approved rendering: परमेश्वरस्य सामर्थ्यम्
Transliteration: parameśvarasya sāmarthyam
Doctrine: Power of God for Salvation
Rejected alternatives: शक्तिः
Original: δύναμις θεοῦ
Category: God
Inherited from Romans package (unchanged). शक्तिः rejected as Śākta Tantric theology’s hypostasized divine feminine power. Acts occurrences: 1:8; 4:33; 6:8; 8:10 — note 8:10 records Simon Magus’s own rival claim to ‘the power called Great,’ which must NOT be rendered with the same word used for God’s power.
Covenant
Approved rendering: संविद्
Transliteration: saṃvid
Doctrine: Davidic Covenant
Rejected alternatives: वाचा, नियमः
Inherited from Romans package (unchanged). वाचा avoided for Vāc/śabda-brahman theology; नियमः avoided as Patañjali’s second yogic limb. Underlies Acts’ Davidic-covenant citations (2:25-34; 13:22-36; 15:16) though the noun itself is not repeated as often as in Romans; requires the same explicit teaching as ‘God’s own binding promise.‘
Election
Approved rendering: परमेश्वरस्य वरणम्
Transliteration: parameśvarasya varaṇam
Doctrine: Effectual Calling
Rejected alternatives: भाग्यम्, दैवम्
Original: ἐκλογή / σκεῦος ἐκλογῆς
Category: Salvation
Inherited from Romans package (unchanged). Acts occurrence: 9:15, applied to Paul as वरणस्य पात्रम् (‘a chosen instrument’) — see chosen_instrument entry below; also 13:48, ‘as many as were appointed to eternal life.‘
Providence
Approved rendering: परमेश्वरस्य विधानम्
Transliteration: parameśvarasya vidhānam
Doctrine: Providence
Rejected alternatives: भाग्यम्, दैवम्, कर्मफलम्
Original: βουλή / πρόνοια
Category: God
Inherited from Romans package (unchanged). Acts occurrences: 2:23 (‘definite plan and foreknowledge of God’); 4:28; 12:23 (Herod’s judgment); 27:23-24 (shipwreck reassurance).
Abba
Approved rendering: अब्बा
Transliteration: abbā
Doctrine: Adoption into God’s Family
Inherited from Romans package (unchanged). Not independently attested in Acts’ text but retained for cross-document consistency with Romans 8:15.
Seed Of David
Approved rendering: दाविदः वंशात्
Transliteration: dāvidaḥ vaṃśāt
Doctrine: Davidic Covenant
Inherited from Romans package (unchanged). Not independently repeated verbatim in Acts but underlies the Davidic-descent argument of Peter’s and Paul’s sermons (2:29-36; 13:22-23).
Last Days
Approved rendering: अन्तिमकालः
Transliteration: antimakālaḥ
Doctrine: The Holy Spirit and Pentecost
Rejected alternatives: युगान्तः
Original: ἐν ταῖς ἐσχάταις ἡμέραις
Category: Holy Spirit and Pentecost
New term. युगान्तः rejected because it directly invokes the cyclical four-yuga cosmology (kṛta-tretā-dvāpara-kali). Must be explicitly taught as a unique, linear, unrepeatable inbreaking of the end, not one recurring phase in an endless cosmic cycle. First occurrence: 2:17.
Day Of The Lord
Approved rendering: प्रभोः दिनम्
Transliteration: prabhoḥ dinam
Doctrine: The Holy Spirit and Pentecost
Original: ἡ ἡμέρα Κυρίου ἡ μεγάλη καὶ ἐπιφανής
Category: Holy Spirit and Pentecost
New term reusing प्रभुः exactly. Risk of assimilation to Purāṇic pralaya (periodic cosmic dissolution/re-creation at a kalpa’s close) must be explicitly countered: this is a singular, non-repeating, morally decisive event. First occurrence: 2:20.
Vision
Approved rendering: दर्शनम्
Transliteration: darśanam
Doctrine: The Holy Spirit and Pentecost
Original: ὅραμα / ὁράσεις
Category: Holy Spirit and Pentecost
New term. दर्शनम् names (a) the six orthodox darśanas and (b) the actively practiced devotional act of temple darśana (worshipper beholding a consecrated deity image). Every occurrence must carry a note: biblical vision is God-initiated toward the human (direction God→human), the reverse of devotee-initiated temple darśana. First occurrence: 2:17; recurs 9:10; 10:3,17,19; 16:9; 18:9.
Exalted
Approved rendering: उन्नतः
Transliteration: unnataḥ
Doctrine: Deity and Lordship of Christ
New term. Must not be read as Christ becoming divine only now (adoptionist misreading); this is public enthronement/installation into manifest glory. Occurrence: 2:33.
Son Of Man
Approved rendering: मनुष्यपुत्रः
Transliteration: manuṣyaputraḥ
Doctrine: Deity and Lordship of Christ
New Christological title-compound. Must be distinguished from generic ‘son of man’ as mere humanity; this is the specific Daniel 7:13-14 exalted/authoritative figure, requiring explanatory note. Occurrence: 7:56 (Stephen’s dying vision).
Witness
Approved rendering: साक्षी
Transliteration: sākṣī
Doctrine: Persecution and Bold Witness
Original: μάρτυς / μαρτυρία
Category: Persecution and Bold Witness
New term, but the single highest-risk new lexical decision in the whole Acts curriculum by combined severity and frequency. साक्षी positively echoes dharmaśāstra’s legal-witness procedure (a genuine asset, structurally parallel to निर्णयः for ‘justification’), but साक्षिन् is ALSO Advaita Vedānta’s technical term for witness-consciousness (sākṣicaitanya), the passive, 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. Occurs at the book’s programmatic bracket-verses (1:8; 28:31) and throughout (2:32; 3:15; 5:32; 10:39,41; 13:31; 22:15,20; 26:16); Stephen’s death (ch.7) models the word’s semantic drift toward ‘martyr.’ Mandatory human theologian review at every occurrence per the ranked risk analysis in 06_linguistic_gap_analysis.md.
Holy And Righteous One
Approved rendering: पवित्रं धार्मिकं च
Transliteration: pavitraṃ dhārmikaṃ ca
Doctrine: Deity and Lordship of Christ
New Christological title-compound directly combining पवित्रम् and धार्मिकता exactly per baseline. Both terms’ baseline redefinition-on-first-use requirements apply simultaneously here. Occurrence: 3:14.
Baptism
Approved rendering: बाप्तिस्मः
Transliteration: bāptismaḥ
Doctrine: Repentance and Baptism
Rejected alternatives: स्नानम्, दीक्षा
Original: βάπτισμα / βαπτίζω
Category: Repentance and Baptism
New term, transliterated following the मसीहः/यीशुः precedent. स्नानम् rejected: names the actively practiced Hindu devotional act of ritual purificatory bathing (e.g. Gaṅgā-snāna), risking baptism being heard as a repeatable, water-efficacious merit rite. दीक्षा rejected: names the fully theorized guru-lineage initiation rite (mantra-dīkṣā, sannyāsa-dīkṣā) transmitting esoteric authority through a human lineage, which baptism does not do. Anchors an entire named curriculum doctrine; mandatory human theologian review at every occurrence. Occurrences: 1:5; 2:38,41; 8:36-38; 9:18; 10:47-48; 16:33; 19:3-5; 22:16.
Repentance
Approved rendering: पश्चात्तापः
Transliteration: paścāttāpaḥ
Doctrine: Repentance and Baptism
Rejected alternatives: प्रायश्चित्तम्
Original: μετάνοια / μετανοέω
Category: Repentance and Baptism
New term. प्रायश्चित्तम् rejected as dharmaśāstra’s own catalogued ritual-penance-per-sin mechanism (Manusmṛti). पश्चात्तापः is an inward reorientation that precedes and enables forgiveness through Christ’s finished work; it is not itself the mechanism removing guilt. Occurrences: 2:38; 3:19; 11:18; 17:30; 20:21; 26:20.
Forgiveness Of Sins
Approved rendering: पापक्षमा
Transliteration: pāpakṣamā
Doctrine: Repentance and Baptism
Original: ἄφεσις τῶν ἁμαρτιῶν
Category: Repentance and Baptism
New term built on पापम् (baseline). क्षमा is a classical cardinal-virtue term with no rival soteriological-mechanism baggage, but must be explicitly taught as divine judicial pardon grounded in Christ’s atoning work, not automatically dissolved by karmaphala nor a merely interpersonal virtue of tolerance. Occurrences: 2:38; 5:31; 10:43; 13:38; 26:18.
Wash Away Sins
Approved rendering: पापं प्रक्षालय
Transliteration: pāpaṃ prakṣālaya
Doctrine: Repentance and Baptism
Original: βάπτισαι καὶ ἀπόλουσαι τὰς ἁμαρτίας σου
Category: Repentance and Baptism
New term. प्रक्षालन creates acute risk of assimilation to the widely and currently practiced Hindu devotional act of washing away sin through ritual bathing in a sacred river (Gaṅgā-snāna) — a live-tradition risk, not merely a classical-textual one. Must carry an explicit note: cleansing is accomplished by calling on Christ’s name in faith (22:16b), of which baptism is the outward sign, not a repeatable ritual bath with independent water-efficacy. Occurrence: 22:16.
Unclean Or Common
Approved rendering: अशुद्धम् / सामान्यम्
Transliteration: aśuddham / sāmānyam
Doctrine: The Gospel to Jews and Gentiles
Original: ἀκάθαρτον / κοινόν
Category: The Gospel to Jews and Gentiles
New term, contrasted with शुद्धम् (‘clean’). This passage’s purity-boundary logic has a real, citable structural analogue in dharmaśāstra’s jāti-based commensality and food-purity rules (e.g. Manusmṛti); the declaration ‘what God has made clean, do not call common’ will likely be heard as directly addressing caste-based commensality restrictions. Must not be softened; mandatory human theologian review. Occurrences: 10:14-15,28; 11:1-18.
Light To The Gentiles
Approved rendering: अन्यजातीयानां ज्योतिः
Transliteration: anyajātīyānāṃ jyotiḥ
Doctrine: The Gospel to Jews and Gentiles
Original: φῶς ἐθνῶν
Category: The Gospel to Jews and Gentiles
New compound reusing अन्यजातीयाः exactly; ज्योतिः is plain and low-risk on its own. Fulfills and echoes Acts 1:8’s geographic-ethnic universality. Occurrence: 13:47 (Isaiah 49:6 citation).
In Him We Live And Move
Approved rendering: तस्मिन् एव वयं जीवामः चलामः वर्तामहे च
Transliteration: tasmin eva vayaṃ jīvāmaḥ calāmaḥ vartāmahe ca
Doctrine: Idolatry and the Living God
Original: ἐν αὐτῷ γὰρ ζῶμεν καὶ κινούμεθα καὶ ἐσμέν
Category: The Gospel to Jews and Gentiles
New term. Extremely close in surface form to Advaitic immanence language and the mahāvākyas’ identity claims. Must carry an explicit note affirming contingent dependence of creation upon a distinct, personal, transcendent Creator — not the non-difference (advaita) of the individual self and the universal Absolute. This is the verse this Package’s classically-trained-pandit audience will probe most sharply. Mandatory human theologian review. Occurrence: 17:28.
Shepherd
Approved rendering: पालकः
Transliteration: pālakaḥ
Doctrine: The Church as Community
Rejected alternatives: गोपालः, गोपः
Original: ποιμαίνειν
Category: The Church as Community
New term. गोपालः/गोपः EMPHATICALLY rejected — this is Kṛṣṇa’s own most famous devotional epithet as the cowherd of Vṛndāvana (Bhāgavata Purāṇa); applying it to human church leaders would create a serious, unintended Christological collision, not a minor connotation. Treated as a hard forbidden-substitution, not merely a flagged note, given the term’s enormous popular devotional resonance. Occurrence: 20:28.
Authority
Approved rendering: अधिकारः
Transliteration: adhikāraḥ
Doctrine: Apostolic Authority and Miracles
Original: ἐξουσία
Category: Apostolic Authority and Miracles
New term. Positively echoes Mīmāṃsā’s adhikāra-vāda (ritual eligibility/entitlement, often status-restricted), similarly to how vidhiḥ was chosen for Law, but must be explicitly taught as authority delegated by Christ’s commission, not an earned/status-restricted ritual qualification. Occurrences: 1:7; 5:4; 9:14; 26:18.
Satan
Approved rendering: शैतानः
Transliteration: śaitānaḥ
Doctrine: Spiritual Conflict and Occult Power
Rejected alternatives: असुरः
Original: ὁ Σατανᾶς
Category: Persecution and Bold Witness
New term, transliterated. असुरः rejected: names an entire, richly narrated Puranic/Vedic anti-god class locked in cosmic conflict with the devas (e.g. samudra-manthan), a fundamentally different category — a mythological class with its own independent narrative tradition — from a single personal fallen spiritual being. A substantive explanatory note beyond the glossary entry is recommended, since a reader may still map शैतानः loosely onto the devāsura conflict pattern by narrative analogy even without lexical overlap. Occurrences: 5:3; 26:18.
Evil Spirit
Approved rendering: दुष्टभूताः / अशुद्धभूताः
Transliteration: duṣṭabhūtāḥ / aśuddhabhūtāḥ
Doctrine: Spiritual Conflict and Occult Power
Original: πνεῦμα πονηρόν / ἀκάθαρτον
Category: Persecution and Bold Witness
New term. Must NEVER use आत्मा, even in a qualifying compound, to prevent any drift toward collapsing all spirit-language into the ātman-Brahman identity already Critical for the Holy Spirit. Always भूतः/प्रेतः/दुष्टभूतः. Occurrences: 5:16; 8:7; 16:16,18; 19:12-16.
Sorcery Magic
Approved rendering: इन्द्रजालम् / कुहकम्
Transliteration: indrajālam / kuhakam
Doctrine: Spiritual Conflict and Occult Power
Rejected alternatives: माया
New term. माया ABSOLUTELY rejected: the central Advaita Vedānta technical term for the phenomenal world’s provisionally-real, illusory nature; using it for mere occult trickery would create a severe, avoidable philosophical collision. इन्द्रजालम् (‘Indra’s net,’ the standard classical term for conjuring/stage-magic in narrative literature such as the Kathāsaritsāgara) names the craft without this baggage. Occurrences: 8:9-24 (Simon Magus); 13:6-11 (Elymas).
The Way
Approved rendering: पन्थाः
Transliteration: panthāḥ
Doctrine: Conversion of Paul
Rejected alternatives: मार्गः
Original: ἡ ὁδός
Category: Conversion of Paul
New term. मार्गः rejected: the fixed technical term for the Bhagavad Gītā’s three named soteriological paths (jñāna-mārga, bhakti-mārga, karma-mārga, already referenced in the baseline’s ‘faith’ entry); using it here risks assimilating Christianity into ‘one more mārga’ within a shared multi-path framework toward a common goal (mokṣa). पन्थाः requires the note that this is a specific proper self-designation — the way of salvation exclusively through Jesus Christ, cf. 4:12’s ‘no other name’ — not a parallel path among several converging on the same destination. Occurrences: 9:2; 19:9,23; 22:4; 24:14,22.
Chosen Instrument
Approved rendering: वरणस्य पात्रम्
Transliteration: varaṇasya pātram
Doctrine: Conversion of Paul
Original: σκεῦος ἐκλογῆς
Category: Conversion of Paul
New compound reusing परमेश्वरस्य वरणम् (election, baseline) root exactly; पात्रम् (‘vessel/instrument’) is low-risk. Anchors ‘Conversion of Paul’ to the baseline’s Election doctrine explicitly. Occurrence: 9:15.
Witnesses To The Ends Of The Earth
Approved rendering: साक्षिणः…पृथिव्याः अन्तं यावत्
Transliteration: sākṣiṇaḥ…pṛthivyāḥ antaṃ yāvat
Doctrine: The Great Commission Fulfilled
Original: μάρτυρες…ἕως ἐσχάτου τῆς γῆς
Category: The Great Commission Fulfilled
Programmatic bracket-verse with 28:31; reuses साक्षी exactly, inheriting its full fencing requirement. The doctrinal anchor for the whole book’s missionary structure. Occurrence: 1:8.
Kingdom Preached Without Hindrance
Approved rendering: परमेश्वरस्य राज्यम्…सर्वया प्रगल्भतया अप्रतिबद्धं प्रचारयन्
Transliteration: parameśvarasya rājyam…sarvayā pragalbhatayā apratibaddhaṃ pracārayan
Doctrine: The Great Commission Fulfilled
Original: κηρύσσων τὴν βασιλείαν τοῦ θεοῦ…μετὰ πάσης παρρησίας ἀκωλύτως
Category: The Great Commission Fulfilled
Closing bracket-verse with 1:8; reuses परमेश्वरस्य राज्यम् and प्रगल्भता exactly; अप्रतिबद्धम् (‘unhindered’) is new, low-risk, plain vocabulary. The single most important structural cross-reference in the whole book for the ‘Great Commission Fulfilled’ doctrine. Occurrence: 28:31.
Medium Risk Terms
Apostle
Approved rendering: प्रेषितः
Transliteration: preṣitaḥ
Doctrine: Apostleship
Rejected alternatives: गुरुः, ऋषिः
Original: ἀπόστολος
Category: Church
Inherited from Romans package (unchanged). गुरुः rejected as guru-śiṣya-paramparā lineage authority; ऋषिः rejected as a Vedic seer of eternal uncreated mantra. Acts occurrences: throughout, esp. 1:2,25-26; 14:4,14; 15:2-23. Book title ‘Acts of the Apostles’ is rendered प्रेषितकृत्यानि on this same root — see 12_ai_translation_requirements.md.
Peace
Approved rendering: शान्तिः
Transliteration: śāntiḥ
Doctrine: Peace with God
Rejected alternatives: निर्वृत्तिः
Inherited from Romans package (unchanged). Guard against citta-vṛtti-nirodha (Yoga Sūtra 1.2) misreading. Acts occurrences: 7:26; 9:31; 10:36; 24:2.
Spiritual Gifts
Approved rendering: आत्मिकं वरदानम्
Transliteration: ātmikaṃ varadānam
Doctrine: Spiritual Gifts
Rejected alternatives: वरदानम्, सिद्धिः
Inherited from Romans package (unchanged). सिद्धिः rejected as Yoga Sūtra 3’s catalogued aṣṭasiddhi. Sparsely lexically attested directly in Acts itself but foundational to the Apostolic Authority and Miracles doctrine’s contrast with siddhi.
Church
Approved rendering: मण्डली
Transliteration: maṇḍalī
Doctrine: Church as God’s People
Rejected alternatives: मन्दिरम्, मठः
Original: ἐκκλησία
Category: Church
Inherited from Romans package (unchanged). Never मन्दिरम् (temple) or मठः (guru-lineage monastic institution). Acts occurrences: 5:11 (first NT occurrence); 8:1,3; 9:31; 11:22,26; 12:1,5; 13:1; 14:23,27; 15:3-4,22,41; 16:5; 20:17,28.
Kingdom Of God
Approved rendering: परमेश्वरस्य राज्यम्
Transliteration: parameśvarasya rājyam
Doctrine: Kingdom Mission
Original: βασιλεία τοῦ θεοῦ
Category: Kingdom
Inherited from Romans package (unchanged). Acts occurrences: 1:3,6; 8:12; 14:22; 19:8; 20:25; 28:23,31 — bracketing verses of the whole book’s Kingdom-Mission arc.
Gentiles
Approved rendering: अन्यजातीयाः
Transliteration: anyajātīyāḥ
Doctrine: Unity of Jews and Gentiles
Rejected alternatives: म्लेच्छाः
Original: ἔθνη
Category: Church
Inherited from Romans package (unchanged). म्लेच्छाः rejected for its ritual-impurity/contempt connotation. Acts occurrences: 9:15; 10:45; 11:1,18; 13:46-48; 14:27; 15:3-23; 18:6; 21:11-25; 22:21; 26:17-23; 28:28. Do NOT use for the generic ‘every nation’ sense of ἔθνος at 2:5 — see nation_generic caution in 07_semantic_analysis.md.
Intercession
Approved rendering: मध्यस्थता
Transliteration: madhyasthatā
Doctrine: Prayer and Intercession
Inherited from Romans package (unchanged). Underlies Acts’ prayer narratives (8:15; 12:5; 13:3), where the specific term does not always recur lexically but the doctrine of Christ-mediated prayer is continuous with Romans.
Mission
Approved rendering: सुसमाचारप्रचारः
Transliteration: susamācāraprachāraḥ
Doctrine: Mission to the Nations
Original: ἀποστολή / πέμπω
Category: Church
Inherited from Romans package (unchanged). Structures the whole book from 1:8 to 28:31; tone remains descriptive/non-triumphalist per this Package’s scholarly/dialogical audience.
David
Approved rendering: दाविद्
Transliteration: dāvid
Doctrine: Davidic Covenant
Original: Δαυίδ
Category: Covenant
Inherited from Romans package (unchanged). Acts occurrences: 1:16; 2:25,29,34; 4:25; 7:45; 13:22,34,36; 15:16.
Israel
Approved rendering: इस्राएलः
Transliteration: isrāelaḥ
Doctrine: Unity of Jews and Gentiles
Original: Ἰσραήλ
Category: Covenant
Inherited from Romans package (unchanged). Acts occurrences: 1:6; 2:36; 4:10,27; 5:21,31; 7:23,37,42; 9:15; 10:36; 13:16-24; 28:20.
Pentecost
Approved rendering: पेण्टेकोस्तपर्व
Transliteration: peṇṭekostaparva
Doctrine: The Holy Spirit and Pentecost
Original: Πεντηκοστή
Category: Holy Spirit and Pentecost
New term. Transliteration + पर्व (‘festival, node’); requires an explanatory note on the OT Feast of Weeks/Shavuot calendar. Linear-historical-covenantal rationale (fulfilling Sinai) has no equivalent in the Hindu festival calendar’s cyclical/agricultural rationale. First occurrence: 2:1.
Tongues Languages
Approved rendering: अन्यभाषाः
Transliteration: anyabhāṣāḥ
Doctrine: The Holy Spirit and Pentecost
Original: ἑτέραις γλώσσαις
Category: Holy Spirit and Pentecost
New term. Must be explicitly taught as real, known human languages (confirmed by 2:6), distinguished from a purely ecstatic-unintelligible-utterance reading some readers may import from elsewhere in the NT corpus. First occurrence: 2:4.
Wind Pentecost
Approved rendering: वायुः
Transliteration: vāyuḥ
Doctrine: The Holy Spirit and Pentecost
Rejected alternatives: प्राणः
New term. वायु is also the name of the Vedic wind-deity; प्राणः rejected to avoid prāṇāyāma’s yogic breath-discipline apparatus. Contextually unambiguous (‘a sound like wind’) but a first-occurrence footnote is prudent. First occurrence: 2:2.
Fire Pentecost
Approved rendering: अग्निः
Transliteration: agniḥ
Doctrine: The Holy Spirit and Pentecost
New term. अग्नि is also the major Vedic sacrificial deity, receiver of yajña oblations; describes an appearance (‘as of fire’), not the deity or a sacrificial rite. First occurrence: 2:3.
Right Hand Of God
Approved rendering: सर्वेश्वरस्य दक्षिणहस्तः
Transliteration: sarveśvarasya dakṣiṇahastaḥ
Doctrine: Deity and Lordship of Christ
New idiom. Position-of-honor/co-regency idiom, not literal anatomical language about God; retain per the baseline’s idiom-handling rule (theological content over idiomatic elegance). Occurrence: 2:33-34.
Hades Realm Of Dead
Approved rendering: मृतलोकः
Transliteration: mṛtalokaḥ
Doctrine: Resurrection of Christ
Rejected alternatives: पातालम्
New term. पातालम् rejected as the specific Purāṇic cosmological substratum-world of nāgas/asuras in the seven-tier lower-world system, which would import an unwanted specific cosmology. मृतलोकः is deliberately generic. Occurrence: 2:27,31 (Psalm 16 citation).
Gods Servant Title
Approved rendering: तस्य सेवकः
Transliteration: tasya sevakaḥ
Doctrine: Messianic Promise
New title identifying Jesus as the Isaiah 53 Suffering Servant (Isaianic παῖς). Requires explanatory note since Sanskrit सेवक carries no inherent OT-Servant resonance on its own. Occurrences: 3:13,26.
Gift Of The Spirit
Approved rendering: पवित्रस्य आत्मनः दानम्
Transliteration: pavitrasya ātmanaḥ dānam
Doctrine: Repentance and Baptism
Original: ἡ δωρεὰ τοῦ ἁγίου πνεύματος
Category: Repentance and Baptism
New term. दानम् should be explicitly anchored to अनुग्रहः (grace) in translator notes so as not to be heard through dāna-dharma’s meritorious-giving-as-duty framework, but as unmerited divine self-giving. Occurrence: 2:38.
God Fearer
Approved rendering: परमेश्वरभीरुः
Transliteration: parameśvarabhīruḥ
Doctrine: The Gospel to Jews and Gentiles
Original: φοβούμενος τὸν θεόν / εὐσεβής
Category: The Gospel to Jews and Gentiles
New descriptive compound built on the परमेश्वर- convention. A genuine vocabulary gap: no native Sanskrit sociological category exists for a Gentile sympathizer-but-not-convert. Requires a background-explanation note on the Second Temple Judaism category, not a doctrinal-collision note. Occurrences: 10:2,22; 13:16,26; 16:14.
Circumcision
Approved rendering: त्वक्छेदः
Transliteration: tvakchedaḥ
Doctrine: The Gospel to Jews and Gentiles
Rejected alternatives: संस्कार
Original: περιτομή
Category: The Gospel to Jews and Gentiles
New term, deliberately a plain descriptive compound (‘skin-cutting’) rather than संस्कार, dharmaśāstra’s own technical term for the sixteen prescribed Hindu life-cycle rites; using संस्कार would falsely frame circumcision as a merit-generating rite the Jerusalem Council itself denies is necessary for salvation. Occurrences: 10:45; 11:2; 15:1,5; 16:3; 21:21.
Living God
Approved rendering: जीवन् सर्वेश्वरः
Transliteration: jīvan sarveśvaraḥ
Doctrine: Idolatry and the Living God
Original: θεὸν ζῶντα
Category: The Gospel to Jews and Gentiles
New term. The Lystra crowd’s assumption that ‘the gods have come down in human form’ (14:11) is a striking narrative near-collision with avatāra theology’s own logic (Bhagavad Gītā 4.7-8); Paul’s emphatic rejection of the inference (‘we also are men, of like nature with you,’ 14:15) itself models the categorical distinction the baseline’s Incarnation entry insists on — a rich teaching moment, not merely a vocabulary item. Occurrences: 14:15.
Fellowship Common Life
Approved rendering: सर्वं साधारणम् आसीत्
Transliteration: sarvaṃ sādhāraṇam āsīt
Doctrine: The Church as Community
Original: εἶχον ἅπαντα κοινά
Category: The Church as Community
New term. साधारण is doctrinally neutral but must be distinguished from dharmaśāstra’s joint-family (kutumba) property law and from any ideological collectivism; this is voluntary, temporary, love-motivated sharing. Occurrences: 2:44-45; 4:32-35.
Breaking Of Bread
Approved rendering: पूपभञ्जनम्
Transliteration: pūpabhañjanam
Doctrine: The Church as Community
Original: κλάσις τοῦ ἄρτου
Category: The Church as Community
New descriptive compound. Preserve, rather than resolve, the genuine exegetical ambiguity between an ordinary shared meal and the inaugurated Lord’s Supper. Occurrences: 2:42,46.
Deacon Service
Approved rendering: सेवा / सेवकः
Transliteration: sevā / sevakaḥ
Doctrine: The Church as Community
Original: διακονεῖν / διακονία
Category: The Church as Community
New term. Risk that सेवा evokes Vaiṣṇava temple/deity-image ritual sevā; here it names practical, communal service to fellow believers (the poor/widows), not liturgical service to a deity’s image. Occurrences: 6:1-4.
Elder
Approved rendering: प्राचीनः
Transliteration: prācīnaḥ
Doctrine: The Church as Community
Rejected alternatives: स्थविरः
Original: πρεσβύτεροι
Category: The Church as Community
New term. स्थविरः rejected: the specific technical title for a senior monk/elder within Buddhist and Jain monastic hierarchies, which would wrongly assimilate church eldership to a monastic-renunciate office rather than a married, ordinarily-engaged congregational leadership role. Occurrences: 11:30; 14:23; 15:2-23; 16:4; 20:17; 21:18.
Household Salvation
Approved rendering: कुटुम्बम् / गृहम्
Transliteration: kuṭumbam / gṛham
Doctrine: Household Salvation and Family Inclusion
Original: σὺ καὶ ὁ οἶκός σου
Category: The Church as Community
New term, plain and low-risk lexically, but must not be read as automatic collective merit-transfer irrespective of personal faith; each household member’s inclusion follows the same faith-based pattern established elsewhere in Acts, not a joint-family karma-pooling assumption. Occurrences: 10:2; 11:14; 16:15,31,33; 18:8.
Signs And Wonders
Approved rendering: चिह्नानि आश्चर्यकर्माणि च
Transliteration: cihnāni āścaryakarmāṇi ca
Doctrine: Apostolic Authority and Miracles
Rejected alternatives: सिद्धिः
Original: σημεῖα καὶ τέρατα
Category: Apostolic Authority and Miracles
New term. सिद्धिः rejected: Yoga Sūtra 3’s catalogued eight supernatural attainments (aṣṭasiddhi) earned through disciplined yogic practice — these are divinely bestowed confirmations of a delegated commission, not achieved powers. Treated as a hard forbidden-substitution given the term’s precise technical fixity. Occurrences: 2:19,22,43; 4:30; 5:12; 6:8; 8:6,13; 14:3; 15:12; 19:11.
Laying On Of Hands
Approved rendering: हस्तार्पणम्
Transliteration: hastārpaṇam
Doctrine: Apostolic Authority and Miracles
Original: ἐπίθεσις τῶν χειρῶν
Category: Apostolic Authority and Miracles
New term. Must be explicitly taught as symbolic/prayer-accompanying, not a magical or mechanical power-transfer — the text itself supplies this corrective through Simon Magus’s own error (8:18-19). Occurrences: 6:6; 8:17-19; 9:17; 13:3; 19:6; 28:8.
Persecution
Approved rendering: उपद्रवः
Transliteration: upadravaḥ
Doctrine: Persecution and Bold Witness
Rejected alternatives: दुःखम्
Original: διωγμός
Category: Persecution and Bold Witness
New term. दुःखम् rejected: the Buddhist First Noble Truth / Sāṃkhya’s three duḥkhas name generic existential suffering, not targeted hostility for testimony. Treated as a hard forbidden-substitution. Occurrences: 8:1; 11:19; 13:50; 14:5; 26:11.
Ascended
Approved rendering: ऊर्ध्वं नीतः
Transliteration: ūrdhvaṃ nītaḥ
Doctrine: Ascension and Exaltation of Christ
Rejected alternatives: स्वर्गं गतः
Original: ἀνελήμφθη / ἐπήρθη
Category: Conversion of Paul
New term. स्वर्गं गतः rejected/avoided: would evoke the Mahābhārata motif of a righteous hero’s bodily ascent to svarga as a reward for accumulated virtue (e.g. Yudhiṣṭhira’s ascension, Mahāprasthānika Parva). The passive ऊर्ध्वं नीतः (‘was taken up’) deliberately keeps Christ as the recipient of the Father’s action, not an agent ascending by self-accumulated virtue; tied to eternal Sonship and Lordship, not merit. Occurrences: 1:9,11.
Self Control
Approved rendering: इन्द्रियनिग्रहः
Transliteration: indriyanigrahaḥ
Doctrine: Justification apart from the Law
Original: ἐγκράτεια
Category: Justification apart from the Law
New term. Light risk of evoking Yoga’s disciplined self-mastery (yama/niyama, Patañjali) as a technical achieved attainment; here it functions as ordinary ethical expectation, not a technical yogic attainment. Light footnote, not rejection. Occurrence: 24:25.
Judgment To Come
Approved rendering: भाविविचारणा
Transliteration: bhāviвicāraṇā
Doctrine: Eschatological Judgment
Rejected alternatives: न्याय, दण्ड
Original: τὸ κρίμα τὸ μέλλον
Category: Justification apart from the Law
New term, deliberately avoiding both न्याय (the Nyāya darśana’s proper name, cf. the baseline’s righteousness/justification entries) and दण्ड (dharmaśāstra’s royal-punishment science, daṇḍanīti). Occurrences: 17:31; 24:25.
Eunuch
Approved rendering: नपुंसकः
Transliteration: napuṃsakaḥ
Doctrine: The Gospel to Jews and Gentiles
New term. The prior-exclusion-then-inclusion theme (fulfilling Isaiah 56:3-5’s promise against Deuteronomy 23:1’s prior exclusion) is itself the theological point and should be explained, not smoothed over. नपुंसकः is the standard grammatical/descriptive term with minimal added pejorative weight in classical usage. Occurrences: 8:27,34,36,38-39.
Angel Of The Lord
Approved rendering: प्रभोः दूतः
Transliteration: prabhoḥ dūtaḥ
Doctrine: Providence in the Mission’s Advance
New term reusing प्रभुः exactly; दूतः (‘messenger’) is a plain, low-collision word (cf. classical secular kāvya usage for envoys), not overloaded by any specific philosophical school. Occurrences: 12:7,23; 27:23-24.
Council Sanhedrin
Approved rendering: महासभा
Transliteration: mahāsabhā
Doctrine: Persecution and Bold Witness
Rejected alternatives: न्यायसभा
New term. न्यायसभा avoided because न्याय again risks invoking the Nyāya darśana by name (cf. baseline’s righteousness/justification entries and judgment_to_come above). महासभा (‘great assembly’) is preferred. Occurrences: 4:5-15; 5:21-41; 6:12-15; 22:30; 23:1-6.
Purchased With His Own Blood
Approved rendering: स्वरक्तेण क्रीता
Transliteration: svarakteṇa krītā
Doctrine: The Church as Community
New vocabulary (रक्तम्, ‘blood’); grounds church leadership’s seriousness in the costliness of Christ’s atoning death. Connects to atonement/propitiation language, an escalation trigger per the baseline requirements doc even though Acts does not develop atonement theology as fully as Romans 3:25. Flag for review when this verse is rendered. Occurrence: 20:28.
Low Risk Terms
Thanksgiving
Approved rendering: धन्यवादः
Transliteration: dhanyavādaḥ
Doctrine: Thanksgiving
Inherited from Romans package (unchanged). Acts occurrences: 24:3; 27:35; 28:15.
Fellowship
Approved rendering: सहभागिता
Transliteration: sahabhāgitā
Doctrine: Christian Fellowship
Rejected alternatives: सत्सङ्गः
Inherited from Romans package (unchanged). सत्सङ्गः rejected as a specific Vaishnava devotional-gathering practice-category. Acts occurrence: 2:42.
Prophet
Approved rendering: भविष्यद्वक्ता
Transliteration: bhaviṣyadvaktā
Doctrine: Inspiration of Scripture
Rejected alternatives: ऋषिः
Original: προφήτης
Category: Covenant
Inherited from Romans package (unchanged). Acts occurrences: 2:16,30; 3:18-25; 7:37,42,48,52; 10:43; 11:27; 13:1,15,20,27,40; 15:15,32; 21:10; 26:22,27; 28:23.
Prophecy
Approved rendering: भविष्यवाणी
Transliteration: bhaviṣyavāṇī
Doctrine: Fulfillment of Prophecy
Original: προφητεία
Category: Covenant
Inherited from Romans package (unchanged). Acts occurrence: 2:17-18 (Joel citation).
Exhort
Approved rendering: उत्तेजनम्
Transliteration: uttejanam
Doctrine: Mutual Edification
Original: παρακαλέω
Category: Faith
Inherited from Romans package (unchanged). Context-sensitive: विनयः/प्रार्थना for entreaty, उत्तेजनम् for edification. Acts occurrences: 2:40 (entreaty); 11:23; 14:22; 15:32; 20:1-2 (edification).
Tongues Of Fire
Approved rendering: अग्निजिह्वा इव विभक्ताः
Transliteration: agnijihvā iva vibhaktāḥ
Doctrine: The Holy Spirit and Pentecost
Original: γλῶσσαι ὡσεὶ πυρός
Category: Holy Spirit and Pentecost
New descriptive compound. Distinct sense from tongues_languages in the same pericope (2:3 vs. 2:4); translator note should clarify the wordplay.
Synagogue
Approved rendering: सभा / यहूदीयसभा
Transliteration: sabhā / yahūdīyasabhā
Doctrine: The Gospel to Jews and Gentiles
Original: συναγωγή
Category: The Gospel to Jews and Gentiles
New term. Generic assembly-hall word; must be kept distinct from मण्डली (church) to preserve the Jewish/Christian institutional distinction. Occurrences: 6:9; 9:2,20; 13:5,14,43; 14:1; 17:1,10,17; 18:4,7,19,26; 19:8.
Unknown God
Approved rendering: अज्ञातदेवः
Transliteration: ajñātadevaḥ
Doctrine: Idolatry and the Living God
Original: ἀγνώστῳ θεῷ
Category: The Gospel to Jews and Gentiles
New term. देवः is contextually appropriate here since it describes the Athenians’ own polytheistic referent, not the biblical God — the single licensed exception to the baseline’s never-देवः rule. Must not be confused with any use of देवः for the true God elsewhere. Occurrence: 17:23.
Overseer
Approved rendering: अध्यक्षः
Transliteration: adhyakṣaḥ
Doctrine: The Church as Community
Original: ἐπίσκοπος
Category: The Church as Community
New term. Generic administrative-superintendence word (cf. Kauṭilya’s Arthaśāstra usage of adhyakṣa for government officers); institutional without importing a specific rival religious office. Same office as ‘elder’ at this occurrence. Occurrence: 20:28.
Flock
Approved rendering: मेषवृन्दम्
Transliteration: meṣavṛndam
Doctrine: The Church as Community
Original: ποίμνιον
Category: The Church as Community
New term. Sheep-imagery carries no comparable Kṛṣṇa-association risk, unlike the shepherding verb/agent-noun. Occurrences: 20:28-29.
Christian
Approved rendering: ख्रीष्टीयः
Transliteration: khrīṣṭīyaḥ
Doctrine: The Church as Community
Original: Χριστιανοί
Category: The Church as Community
New transliteration-coinage on ख्रीष्टः, consistent with the baseline’s own ख्रीष्टीया सहभागिता usage; no rival technical meaning. Occurrences: 11:26 (first use); 26:28.
Name Of Jesus Invoked
Approved rendering: यीशुख्रीष्टस्य नाम्ना
Transliteration: yīśukhrīṣṭasya nāmnā
Doctrine: Apostolic Authority and Miracles
Original: ἐν τῷ ὀνόματι Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ
Category: Apostolic Authority and Miracles
New term reusing established proper nouns. Theological weight is carried by the phrase’s exclusivity, not नाम itself; contrast generic mantra-invocation efficacy, where the mantra’s own inherent sound-power (Mīmāṃsā’s śabda-nitya doctrine) is often held operative rather than delegated personal authority. Occurrences: 3:6,16; 4:7,10,30; 16:18; 19:13.
Boldness
Approved rendering: प्रगल्भता
Transliteration: pragalbhatā
Doctrine: Persecution and Bold Witness
Original: παρρησία
Category: Persecution and Bold Witness
New term, a recurring keyword across the whole book. Generic classical virtue-term for confident/skilled speech; no rival technical apparatus. Occurrences: 4:13,29,31; 28:31.
Yoke Of The Law
Approved rendering: दुर्वहं युगम्
Transliteration: durvahaṃ yugam
Doctrine: Justification apart from the Law
Original: ζυγόν
Category: Justification apart from the Law
New term. युगम् is a genuine homonym of yuga (cosmic age), not a doctrinal collision, but worth a light footnote for isolated citation. Occurrence: 15:10.
Nazirite Vow
Approved rendering: व्रतम्
Transliteration: vratam
Doctrine: The Gospel to Jews and Gentiles
New term. व्रत is a broadly generic Sanskrit term for religious vows/votive observances across many traditions, not tied to one specific school; requires an explanatory note on the OT Nazirite background (Numbers 6), not a lexical caution. Occurrence: 21:23.
Referenced passages