Core Glossary
Core Glossary — Acts 1–28 (Spanish)
English → Spanish | Acts Curriculum | Language Package Extension
Curriculum: Acts 1–28
Core passage: Acts 2:1–41
Baseline dependency: All entries below are additions/extensions to the Romans Language Package (translation_memory.json, bible_term_registry.json, doctrine_risk_registry.json). Terms already recorded in the baseline are reused exactly and are listed in Part A for cross-reference only, not redefined. New terms introduced by Acts are fully specified in Part B. Risk tiers, review routing, and forbidden-substitution conventions follow the baseline exactly: Critical/High → human theologian review; Medium → native speaker review; Low → automated review.
Part A — Baseline Terms Reused Exactly in Acts (No New Entry Required)
| English term | Spanish (baseline) | Baseline risk | Key Acts occurrences |
|---|---|---|---|
| gospel | evangelio | High | 15:7; 20:24 |
| grace | gracia | High | 11:23; 13:43; 14:26; 15:11; 20:24, 20:32 |
| faith | fe | High | 3:16; 6:7; 11:24; 13:8; 14:22, 14:27; 16:5; 26:18 |
| righteousness | justicia | Critical | 13:10; 17:31; 24:25 |
| justification | justificación | Critical | 13:39 |
| salvation | salvación | Critical | 4:12; 13:26, 13:47; 16:17, 16:30–31; 28:28 |
| apostle | apóstol | Low | 1:2, 1:25–26; 2:37, 2:42–43; 4:33, 4:35–37; 5:2, 5:12, 5:18, 5:29, 5:40; 6:6; 8:1, 8:14, 8:18; 9:27; 11:1; 14:4, 14:14; 15:2, 15:4, 15:6, 15:22–23; 16:4 |
| called / calling | llamado | High | 1:17, 1:25; 2:39 |
| holy | santo | Medium | 3:14, 3:21; 6:13; 7:33; 21:28 |
| saints | santos | Critical | 9:13, 9:32, 9:41; 26:10 |
| sanctification | santificación | High | 20:32; 26:18 |
| resurrection | resurrección | Critical | 1:22; 2:24, 2:31–32; 4:2, 4:33; 17:18, 17:32; 23:6, 23:8; 24:15, 24:21; 26:23 |
| lord | Señor | Critical | 2:21, 2:34, 2:36; 9:5, 9:10–17; 10:36; 16:31; 22:8, 22:10 |
| son_of_god | Hijo de Dios | Critical | 9:20 |
| peace | paz | Medium | 9:31; 10:36; 15:33 |
| spiritual_gifts | dones espirituales | Medium | (thematic background; not a fixed Acts occurrence, retained for consistency) |
| thanksgiving | acción de gracias | Low | 27:35; 28:15 |
| fellowship | compañerismo | Low | 2:42 |
| church | iglesia | Medium | 2:47 (v.l.); 5:11; 8:1, 8:3; 9:31; 11:22, 11:26; 12:1, 12:5; 13:1; 14:23, 14:27; 15:3–4, 15:22, 15:41; 16:5; 20:17, 20:28; 21:18 |
| kingdom_of_god | reino de Dios | Medium | 1:3, 1:6; 8:12; 14:22; 19:8; 20:25; 28:23, 28:31 |
| law | ley | High | 6:13; 7:53; 13:15, 13:39; 15:5, 15:24; 18:13; 21:20, 21:24, 21:28; 22:3, 22:12; 23:3, 23:29; 25:8; 28:23 |
| sin | pecado | Medium | 2:38; 3:19; 22:16 |
| gentiles | gentiles | Low | 9:15; 10:45; 11:1, 11:18; 13:46–48; 14:27; 15:3, 15:7, 15:12, 15:14, 15:19, 15:23; 18:6; 21:19, 21:21, 21:25; 22:21; 26:17, 26:20, 26:23; 28:28 |
| glory | gloria | Medium | 7:2, 7:55; 12:23; 22:11 |
| power_of_god | poder de Dios | Medium | 1:8; 4:33; 8:10; 10:38 |
| messiah | Mesías | Critical | 2:31, 2:36, 2:38; 3:18, 3:20; 4:26; 5:42; 8:5; 9:22; 17:3; 18:5, 18:28; 26:23 |
| prophet | profeta | Low | 2:16, 2:30; 3:18, 3:21–25; 7:37, 7:42, 7:48, 7:52; 8:28, 8:30, 8:34; 10:43; 11:27; 13:1, 13:20, 13:27, 13:40; 15:15, 15:32; 21:10; 24:14; 26:22, 26:27; 28:23 |
| prophecy | profecía | Low | 2:17–18; 19:6 |
| covenant | pacto | High | 3:25; 7:8 |
| election | elección | High | 1:24–26 (thematic background); 13:48 (related, see new entry) |
| intercession | intercesión | Critical | (thematic background; Spirit’s help in prayer, cf. Romans register; not a fixed Acts lexical occurrence) |
| providence | providencia | Medium | 2:23; 17:26; 27:22–25 |
| mission | misión | Medium | 13:2–4; 22:21; 26:17–18 |
| david | David | Low | 1:16; 2:25, 2:29, 2:34; 4:25; 7:45; 13:22, 13:34, 13:36; 15:16 |
| israel | Israel | Low | 1:6; 2:36; 4:10, 4:27; 5:21, 5:31; 7:23, 7:37, 7:42; 9:15; 10:36; 13:16–24; 21:28; 28:20 |
| jesus | Jesús | Critical | pervasive throughout |
| god | Dios | Critical | pervasive throughout |
| holy_spirit | Espíritu Santo | Critical | pervasive throughout, especially 1:5, 1:8; 2:4, 2:33, 2:38; 4:8, 4:31; 5:3, 5:32; 6:5; 7:55; 8:15–19; 9:17, 9:31; 10:38, 10:44–47; 11:15–17, 11:24; 13:2, 13:4, 13:9, 13:52; 15:8, 15:28; 19:2, 19:6; 20:23, 20:28 |
| father | Padre | Critical | 1:4, 1:7; 2:33 |
| exhort | exhortar | Low | 2:40; 11:23; 14:22; 15:32; 20:2 |
| seed_of_david | descendencia de David | Medium | 13:23 |
| imputed_righteousness | justicia imputada | Critical | 13:39 (thematic link; forensic justification background) |
Part B — New Terms Introduced in Acts
| ID | English term | Spanish rendering | Original / Transliteration | Category / Doctrine | Risk | Key Acts refs | Notes / Rejected alternatives |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| pentecost | Pentecost | Pentecostés | Πεντηκοστή / Pentēkostē | Holy Spirit and Pentecost | Medium | 2:1 | Established transliteration. Must be distinguished from the modern global Pentecostal/Charismatic movement named after this event; teach the historical, one-time inaugurating event vs. later denominational doctrine of a repeatable “second blessing” experience. |
| filled_with_holy_spirit | filled with the Holy Spirit | lleno(s) del Espíritu Santo | ἐπλήσθησαν Πνεύματος Ἁγίου / eplēsthēsan Pneumatos Hagiou | Holy Spirit and Pentecost | High | 2:4; 4:8, 4:31; 6:3, 6:5; 7:55; 9:17; 11:24; 13:9, 13:52 | Reuses baseline Espíritu Santo exactly. Must not be taught as a “second-blessing” experience subsequent to and separable from conversion; Acts applies the phrase to varied empowering moments without establishing a fixed post-conversion sequence. |
| tongues_glossolalia | speak in other tongues | hablar en otras lenguas | ἑτέραις γλώσσαις / heterais glōssais | Holy Spirit and Pentecost | High | 2:4, 2:6, 2:8, 2:11 | Acts 2’s tongues are real, known human languages (confirmed by v.6,8,11), miraculously enabled — distinct from later glossolalia/ecstatic-speech debates prominent in Latin American Pentecostal practice. Teach the historical distinction without adjudicating continuationist/cessationist debate. |
| tongues_of_fire | tongues of fire | lenguas como de fuego | γλῶσσαι ὡσεὶ πυρός / glōssai hōsei pyros | Holy Spirit and Pentecost | Medium | 2:3 | Visual theophany distinct from the speech-miracle of v.4 though sharing the same noun γλῶσσα; teach the two referents explicitly so learners do not collapse fire-imagery into a metaphor for eloquence. |
| wonders_and_signs | wonders and signs / miracles, wonders, and signs | prodigios y señales / milagros, prodigios y señales | τέρατα καὶ σημεῖα (καὶ δυνάμεις) / terata kai sēmeia (kai dynameis) | Apostolic Authority and Miracles | High | 2:19, 2:22, 2:43; 4:30; 5:12; 6:8; 8:6, 8:13; 14:3; 15:12 | ”Milagros” in Latin American folk Catholic and Pentecostal piety is closely tied to a miracle economy of saintly/Marian/shrine intercession (ex-votos). Teach that Acts’ miracles authenticate the apostolic message about Christ, not a general patron-intercessor miracle framework. |
| witness | witness(es) | testigo(s) | μάρτυς / martys | Persecution and Bold Witness | High | 1:8, 1:22; 2:32; 3:15; 5:32; 6:13 (false witnesses); 7:58 (root of “martyr”); 10:39, 10:41; 13:31; 22:15, 22:20; 26:16 | Legal/eyewitness testimony to the historical, bodily resurrection — not generic personal-story sharing. Note: unrelated to, but a name likely to be recognized alongside, “Testigos de Jehová” in the wider culture; include a brief disambiguating note in teaching materials, not a lexical change. |
| repentance | repent / repentance | arrepentirse / arrepentimiento | μετανοέω / μετάνοια / metanoeō / metanoia | Repentance and Baptism | High | 2:38; 3:19; 5:31; 8:22; 11:18; 13:24; 17:30; 19:4; 20:21; 26:20 | Must not collapse into the Catholic sacrament of penance/confession as an ongoing sacramental cycle; teach as a decisive, Spirit-produced reorientation from sin to God at conversion. Do not polemicize against confession as a devotional practice; carry the distinction via teaching notes, per baseline’s handling of justification. |
| baptism | baptize / baptism | bautizar / bautismo | βαπτίζω / βάπτισμα / baptizō / baptisma | Repentance and Baptism | High | 2:38, 2:41; 8:12–13, 8:36–38; 9:18; 10:47–48; 16:15, 16:33; 18:8; 19:3–5; 22:16 | Established, uncontested transliteration. Acts’ own pattern is always repentance/faith preceding baptism for a responsive hearer; preserve this sequence as the text presents it. Flag that broader ecclesial debates on infant baptism are a distinct pastoral topic beyond translation scope. |
| forgiveness_of_sins | forgiveness of sins | perdón de pecados / remisión de pecados | ἄφεσις ἁμαρτιῶν / aphesis hamartiōn | Repentance and Baptism; Justification apart from the Law | High | 2:38; 5:31; 10:43; 13:38; 26:18 | Full, decisive release, not a gradual or sacramentally-mediated cumulative process; parallels baseline’s Critical caution on salvation/justification against an infusion/merit framework. |
| gift_of_the_spirit | the gift of the Holy Spirit | el don del Espíritu Santo | δωρεὰ τοῦ Ἁγίου Πνεύματος / dōrea tou Hagiou Pneumatos | Holy Spirit and Pentecost | High | 2:38; 8:20; 10:45; 11:17 | Distinct from baseline spiritual_gifts (dones espirituales — individual ministry enablements); this “don” is the Spirit’s own personal presence given to every believer at conversion, not a special elite or purchasable experience (cf. Simon the sorcerer, 8:20). Keep the two “don(es)” terms lexically and conceptually distinct in teaching materials. |
| promise_epangelia | the promise | la promesa | ἐπαγγελία / epangelia | Holy Spirit and Pentecost; The Gospel to Jews and Gentiles | High | 2:39; 13:23, 13:32; 26:6 | Extends the Pentecost gift to “all who are far off” — preserve as genuinely open-ended (geographic and ethnic), the textual seed of Gentile inclusion; connects to baseline covenant without replacing it. |
| added_to_the_number | were added (to their number) | fueron añadidos / se añadieron | προστίθημι / prostithēmi | The Church as Community | Medium | 2:41, 2:47; 5:14; 11:24 | Preserve the sense of visible, countable incorporation into an accountable community, not merely private, invisible spiritual affiliation. |
| souls_persons | souls (i.e., persons) | almas (personas) | ψυχή / psychē | The Church as Community | Low | 2:41, 2:43; 27:37 | Simple headcount usage (“about three thousand souls” = people); teach as not implying a technical body/soul dualism. |
| one_accord | with one accord | de común acuerdo / unánimes | ὁμοθυμαδόν / homothymadon | The Church as Community | Low-Medium | 1:14; 2:46; 4:24, 4:32; 5:12; 15:25 | Voluntary, Spirit-produced unity, not institutional uniformity. |
| all_things_common | had all things in common | tenían todo en común | ἅπαντα κοινά / hapanta koina | The Church as Community | Medium | 2:44–45; 4:32, 4:34–35 | Teach as voluntary, Spirit-motivated generosity specific to the early Jerusalem community’s circumstances, not a universally binding communal-property mandate. |
| ascension | ascension / taken up | ascensión / fue llevado arriba | ἀναλαμβάνω / ἀνάλημψις / analambanō / analēmpsis | Apostolic Authority and Miracles (Christological background) | High | 1:9, 1:11, 1:22 | Literal, bodily, historical event, distinct from resurrection; avoid any rendering suggesting a symbolic/spiritual-only departure that could align with spiritist notions of a spirit’s ongoing detached presence. |
| casting_lots | casting lots | echar suertes | κλῆρος / klēros | Apostolic Authority and Miracles (background) | Low | 1:26 | Note as Spirit-guided discernment within the apostolic community, not divination; brief clarifying note recommended given cultural proximity to fortune-telling practice. |
| author_of_life | Author of life | Autor de la vida | ἀρχηγός / archēgos | Apostolic Authority and Miracles; Deity of Christ (background) | High | 3:15; 5:31 | High Christological title; must not be flattened to generic “líder” (leader). |
| servant_of_god | servant (of Isaiah’s Servant background) | siervo | παῖς / pais | The Gospel to Jews and Gentiles (background) | Medium | 3:13, 3:26 | Requires explicit OT (Isaianic Servant) background teaching; primarily a catechetical, not lexical, risk. |
| restoration | restoration (of all things) | restauración | ἀποκατάστασις / apokatastasis | The Great Commission Fulfilled (eschatological background) | Medium | 3:21 | Cosmic, eschatological restoration at Christ’s return; avoid conflating with a this-worldly political/national restoration project. |
| boldness | boldness | denuedo / valentía | παρρησία / parrēsia | Persecution and Bold Witness | High | 4:13, 4:29, 4:31; 9:27–29; 13:46; 14:3; 18:26; 19:8; 26:26; 28:31 | Spirit-given confidence to proclaim Christ despite threat; not mere natural courage or social assertiveness. Avoid renderings implying disrespectful defiance. |
| sanhedrin | Sanhedrin | Sanedrín | συνέδριον / synedrion | Persecution and Bold Witness (institutional background) | Low | 4:15; 5:21, 5:27, 5:34, 5:41; 6:12, 6:15; 22:30; 23:1, 23:6, 23:15, 23:20, 23:28; 24:20 | Established transliteration; institutional-historical term, no doctrinal collision. |
| lie_test_the_spirit | lie to / test the Holy Spirit | mentir al Espíritu Santo / tentar al Espíritu | ψεύδομαι / πειράζω τὸ Πνεῦμα / pseudomai / peirazō to Pneuma | Holy Spirit and Pentecost (personhood of the Spirit) | High | 5:3, 5:9 | Establishes the Spirit’s personhood and deity — lying to the Spirit = lying to God (5:4); reinforces baseline holy_spirit against any impersonal-force reading. |
| ministry_service | ministry / service | servicio / ministerio | διακονία / diakonia | The Church as Community | Medium | 6:1, 6:4; 11:29; 12:25; 20:24; 21:19 | Teach the functional distinction between practical service and word-ministry without over-reading later fixed clerical/diaconal office categories back into the text. |
| hellenists_hebrews | Hellenists / Hebrews | helenistas / hebreos | Ἑλληνισταί / Ἑβραῖοι / Hellēnistai / Hebraioi | The Church as Community (background) | Low | 6:1 | Internal Jewish sociolinguistic distinction, not Jew/Gentile; brief note prevents confusion with Gentile-inclusion terminology. |
| son_of_man | the Son of Man | el Hijo del Hombre | ὁ υἱὸς τοῦ ἀνθρώπου / ho huios tou anthrōpou | Apostolic Authority and Miracles; Conversion of Paul (Christological background) | Critical | 7:56 | Exalted self-designation combining humanity and divine authority (Daniel 7 background); not a generic reference to a human being. Reinforces baseline deity_of_christ/lordship_of_christ. |
| stoning | to stone | apedrear | λιθοβολέω / lithoboleō | Persecution and Bold Witness | Low | 7:58–59; 14:19 | Narrative-descriptive; establishes first martyrdom pattern. |
| evangelize_verb | evangelize / preach the gospel | anunciar el evangelio / evangelizar | εὐαγγελίζω / euangelizō | The Great Commission Fulfilled | High | 8:4, 8:12, 8:25, 8:35, 8:40; 10:36; 11:20; 13:32; 14:7, 14:15, 14:21; 15:35; 16:10; 17:18 | Verb form of baseline gospel = evangelio; must retain the same specific proclamation-of-Christ content, not generic outreach or humanitarian activity. |
| sorcery_magic | sorcery / sorcerer | hechicería / mago | μαγεία / μάγος / mageia / magos | The Gospel to Jews and Gentiles (syncretism confrontation) | Critical | 8:9–11, 8:18–24; 13:6, 13:8 (Bar-Jesus/Elymas), 13:10; 19:19 | Highest syncretism-collision risk given active curanderismo, Santería, and Espiritismo practice across the Spanish-speaking world; the Spirit’s freely-given power must be explicitly contrasted with purchasable/manipulable magic power. |
| eunuch | eunuch | eunuco | εὐνοῦχος / eunouchos | The Gospel to Jews and Gentiles | Low | 8:27, 8:34, 8:36, 8:38–39 | Historical/social term; significant for showing the gospel reaching a figure ritually excluded under OT law. |
| persecute | persecute | perseguir | διώκω / diōkō | Conversion of Paul; Persecution and Bold Witness | Medium | 7:52; 8:1, 8:3; 9:4–5; 22:4, 22:7–8; 26:11, 26:14–15 | Christ personally identifies with his persecuted church (“why do you persecute ME”) — make this identification explicit in teaching. |
| laying_on_of_hands | the laying on of hands | imposición de manos / imponer las manos | ἐπίθεσις χειρῶν / ἐπιτίθημι τὰς χεῖρας / epithesis cheirōn | Conversion of Paul; The Church as Community | High | 6:6; 8:17–19; 9:12, 9:17; 13:3; 19:6 | In Catholic tradition tied to Confirmation/Holy Orders with fixed sacramental-grace connotations; Acts uses the gesture for varied functions (healing, receiving the Spirit, commissioning) without a single fixed sacramental theology — teach the range explicitly. |
| disciple | disciple | discípulo | μαθητής / mathētēs | The Church as Community | Low | 6:1–2, 6:7; 9:1, 9:10, 9:19, 9:25–26, 9:36; 11:26, 11:29; 13:52; 14:20, 14:22, 14:28; 15:10; 16:1; 18:23, 18:27; 19:1, 19:9, 19:30; 20:1, 20:30; 21:4, 21:16 | Standard, unambiguous term; essentially synonymous with “believer” before “Christian” (11:26) is coined. |
| clean_unclean | clean / unclean / common | limpio / impuro / común | καθαρός / κοινός / ἀκάθαρτος / katharos / koinos / akathartos | The Gospel to Jews and Gentiles | High | 10:14–15, 10:28; 11:8–9 | Dismantles the Mosaic purity boundary separating Jew from Gentile table-fellowship; requires OT (Leviticus 11) background scaffolding for comprehension. |
| no_partiality | God shows no partiality | Dios no hace acepción de personas / Dios es imparcial | προσωπολημψία (negated) / prosōpolēmpsia | The Gospel to Jews and Gentiles; Unity of Jews and Gentiles | High | 10:34 | Full, unqualified doctrinal claim; retain without ethnic/social/class exception, echoing the baseline’s caution about Latin America’s own regional and racial hierarchies. |
| vision | vision | visión | ὅραμα / horama | The Gospel to Jews and Gentiles (background) | Medium | 9:10, 9:12; 10:3, 10:17, 10:19, 10:22; 11:5; 12:9; 16:9–10; 18:9 | Spirit-given, doctrinally purposeful, historically singular; distinguish from folk-spiritist “visiones” as a repeatable mystical technique. |
| christian_name | Christian | cristiano | Χριστιανός / Christianos | The Church as Community | Low | 11:26; 26:28 | Universally standard, uncontested term in Spanish; note the historical origin (outsiders’ label) only as background. |
| turn_convert | turn (to the Lord) / conversion | convertirse / volverse al Señor | ἐπιστρέφω / ἐπιστροφή / epistrephō / epistrophē | Conversion of Paul; The Gospel to Jews and Gentiles | Medium | 3:19; 9:35; 11:21; 14:15; 15:19; 26:18, 26:20; 28:27 | Distinguish from the Spanish cultural default of “conversión” as switching religious affiliation/denomination; here a decisive turning from unbelief/idolatry to genuine faith. |
| set_apart_ministry | set apart (for ministry) | apartar | ἀφορίζω / aphorizō | The Great Commission Fulfilled; Apostolic Authority and Miracles | Medium | 13:2 | Individual ministry-commissioning sense; distinguish from the general sanctification “set apart” sense already in the baseline (separation_unto_gods_service). |
| appointed_to_eternal_life | appointed / disposed to eternal life | dispuestos / ordenados para vida eterna | τεταγμένοι εἰς ζωὴν αἰώνιον / tetagmenoi eis zōēn aiōnion | Justification apart from the Law (election background) | High | 13:48 | Election/predestination language paralleling baseline election; avoid both fatalistic “destino” framing and a fully human-decision rendering that erases the sovereign-grace emphasis. Flag for theologian review per baseline’s election/predestination rule. |
| circumcision | circumcision | circuncisión | περιτομή / peritomē | Justification apart from the Law | High | 15:1, 15:5; 7:8; 10:45; 11:2–3; 16:3; 21:21 | Central historical flashpoint for justification apart from law-keeping; preserve as the concrete occasion of the doctrine, tied to baseline law/justification. |
| yoke | yoke | yugo | ζυγός / zygos | Justification apart from the Law | Medium | 15:10 | Metaphor for the burden of law-keeping as a means of standing before God; teach with full doctrinal weight, not as a generic “difficulty” metaphor. |
| seemed_good_to_spirit | it seemed good to the Holy Spirit and to us | pareció bien al Espíritu Santo y a nosotros | ἔδοξεν τῷ Πνεύματι τῷ Ἁγίῳ / edoxen tō Pneumati tō Hagiō | The Church as Community; Holy Spirit and Pentecost | High | 15:28 | Model of the Spirit’s guidance of corporate church discernment; balance between not reducing the Spirit’s role to mere consensus and not treating this as an unrepeatable apostolic-only event. |
| spirit_of_divination | spirit of divination | espíritu de adivinación / espíritu pitón | πνεῦμα πύθωνα / pneuma pythōna | The Gospel to Jews and Gentiles (syncretism confrontation) | Critical | 16:16–18 | Direct confrontation between the Holy Spirit and a hostile occult divinatory spirit; paramount relevance given active Espiritismo/Santería/mediumistic practice across the Spanish-speaking Caribbean and Latin America. |
| unknown_god | unknown god | dios desconocido | ἄγνωστος θεός / agnōstos theos | The Gospel to Jews and Gentiles; The Great Commission Fulfilled | High | 17:23 | Diagnostic/evangelistic rhetorical bridge, not a syncretistic affirmation that pagan worship already reached the true God; teach carefully to avoid overreach into affirming religious equivalence. |
| idol | idol | ídolo | εἴδωλον / eidōlon | The Gospel to Jews and Gentiles | High | 15:20; 17:16; 19:26 | Given the baseline’s extensive santos/Marian syncretism documentation, teach Acts’ specific target (Greco-Roman polytheistic idol-worship) without extending Paul’s rhetoric into a blanket verdict on any particular community’s devotional practice. |
| religiosity | very religious / religiosity | muy religiosos | δεισιδαιμονία / deisidaimonia | The Gospel to Jews and Gentiles (rhetorical background) | Medium | 17:22 | Deliberately double-edged diplomatic term in Paul’s speech; preserve the same rhetorical tact rather than resolving toward either flattering or insulting extremes. |
| ekklesia_civic | assembly (civic, non-church sense) | asamblea | ἐκκλησία / ekklēsia | The Church as Community (contrast background) | Medium | 19:32, 19:39, 19:41 | Ordinary Greek civic-assembly sense of the same word used for “church” elsewhere; render asamblea here (not iglesia) to keep the two senses distinct. |
| elders_overseers | elders / overseers (bishops) | ancianos / obispos | πρεσβύτεροι / ἐπίσκοποι / presbyteroi / episkopoi | The Church as Community; Apostolic Authority and Miracles | Critical | 20:17, 20:28; 11:30; 14:23; 15:2, 15:4, 15:6, 15:22–23; 16:4; 21:18 | HIGHEST institutional-collision risk in the Acts glossary: modern Spanish “obispo” denotes the monarchical, diocesan Catholic/Orthodox bishop; Acts 20 identifies ἐπίσκοπος with the plural, local, congregational “anciano.” MANDATORY translator/teaching note wherever ἐπίσκοπος occurs, clarifying the NT sense is not the later monarchical-episcopal office. |
| shepherd | shepherd (verb/noun) | pastorear / pastor | ποιμαίνω / ποιμήν / poimainō / poimēn | The Church as Community | Medium | 20:28 | Standard pastoral metaphor across Catholic and Protestant tradition; teach the metaphor’s sacrificial-protective content explicitly. |
| did_not_shrink_back | did not shrink from declaring | no rehuí / no eludí | ὑποστέλλω / hypostellō | Persecution and Bold Witness | Low-Medium | 20:20, 20:27 | Reinforces boldness (παρρησία) theme in the specific sense of not withholding hard truth from fear. |
| purification_rites | purification rites (vow) | ritos de purificación | ἁγνισμός / hagnismos | The Church as Community (Jewish-background practice) | Medium | 21:24, 21:26 | Requires OT/Second Temple Jewish ritual background (Numbers 6); comprehension gap rather than doctrinal collision. |
| roman_citizenship | Roman citizenship / citizen | ciudadanía romana / ciudadano romano | πολιτεία / πολίτης / politeia / politēs | Persecution and Bold Witness (legal background) | Low | 16:37–38; 22:25–28; 23:27 | Legal-social status term; narrative detail shaping how persecution unfolds, not independently doctrinal. |
| the_way | the Way | el Camino | ἡ ὁδός / hē hodos | Conversion of Paul; The Church as Community | High | 9:2; 19:9, 19:23; 22:4; 24:14, 24:22 | Early self-designation of the Christian movement; preserve as a proper title, distinct from generic New Age “spiritual path” usage of “camino” current in contemporary wellness-spirituality culture. |
| self_control | self-control | dominio propio | ἐγκράτεια / egkrateia | Persecution and Bold Witness (ethical background) | Low | 24:25 | Standard ethical term paired with baseline righteousness; no rival meaning. |
| appeal_to_caesar | appeal to Caesar | apelar a César | ἐπικαλοῦμαι Καίσαρα / epikaloumai Kaisara | The Great Commission Fulfilled (narrative-legal background) | Low | 25:11–12, 25:21; 26:32; 28:19 | Roman legal procedure term; the means by which Paul’s case advances toward Rome. |
| unhindered | unhindered / without obstruction | sin impedimento / abiertamente y sin obstáculo | ἀκωλύτως / akōlytōs | The Great Commission Fulfilled | Medium | 28:31 | Acts’ deliberate closing word; preserve full rhetorical weight as the gospel’s unstoppable advance beyond the narrative’s own ending. |
Risk Summary (New Terms, Part B)
| Risk tier | Count | Review routing |
|---|---|---|
| Critical | 5 | Human theologian (mandatory, every occurrence) |
| High | 17 | Human theologian |
| Medium | 15 | Native speaker review |
| Low | 12 | Automated review |
| Total new terms | 49 |
Critical-tier new terms requiring mandatory theologian review on every occurrence: sorcery_magic, son_of_man, spirit_of_divination, elders_overseers, and the combined wonders_and_signs/filled_with_holy_spirit/tongues_glossolalia cluster at Pentecost is treated as High but reviewed jointly with the Critical items given their concentration in the core passage.
Forbidden substitutions introduced by this curriculum (in addition to the baseline’s list):
- Elders/overseers: NEVER let “obispos” (20:28) be taught or illustrated using the modern monarchical-diocesan bishop’s office — always pair with “ancianos” and an explicit clarifying note.
- Sorcery/magic: NEVER treat Simon’s or Elymas’s “magia/hechicería” as a neutral cultural practice — always preserve the explicit narrative contrast with the Spirit’s freely-given power.
- Repentance: NEVER let “arrepentimiento” default silently to the sacrament of confession/penance as the primary referent without a clarifying teaching note.
- The Way: NEVER render “el Camino” as a generic New Age spiritual-journey concept — preserve as a specific historical self-designation of the Christian movement.
- Tongues: NEVER let Acts 2’s “hablar en otras lenguas” (known human languages) be taught as identical without qualification to later glossolalia debates without noting the historical distinction.
This glossary extends, and must be read alongside, the baseline Romans Language Package (translation_memory.json, bible_term_registry.json, doctrine_risk_registry.json). Phase 2 processing must load both the baseline files and this document before translating any Acts segment.
Critical Risk Terms
Righteousness
Approved rendering: justicia
Transliteration: dikaiosynē
Doctrine: Salvation
Rejected alternatives: rectitud moral autónoma, mérito acumulado
Original: δικαιοσύνη
Category: Salvation
Inherited from Romans package. Acts 13:10, 17:31, 24:25 use the term in ethical/eschatological-judgment senses; must not collapse into dutiful conduct.
Justification
Approved rendering: justificación
Transliteration: dikaiōsis
Doctrine: Salvation
Rejected alternatives: proceso gradual de purificación interior
Original: δικαίωσις / δικαιόω
Category: Salvation
Inherited from Romans package. Acts 13:39, ‘everyone who believes is justified,’ is the book’s first explicit statement of this doctrine. NEVER render toward ‘justicia infundida.‘
Salvation
Approved rendering: salvación
Transliteration: sōtēria
Doctrine: Salvation
Rejected alternatives: salvarse por buenas obras, merecer el cielo mediante sacramentos y penitencia
Original: σωτηρία / σῴζω
Category: Salvation
Inherited from Romans package. Acts 4:12 (‘no other name’), 16:30-31 anchor salvation in Christ’s exclusivity; must not be conflated with sacramental/saint-mediated processes.
Saints
Approved rendering: santos
Transliteration: hagioi
Doctrine: Sainthood
Rejected alternatives: los santos (canonizados, objeto de veneración e intercesión)
Original: ἅγιοι
Category: Church
Inherited from Romans package. Acts 9:13, 9:32, 9:41, 26:10 use ‘los santos’ for ordinary Jerusalem believers; requires the same clarifying note as Romans 1:7 at every occurrence.
Resurrection
Approved rendering: resurrección
Transliteration: anastasis
Doctrine: Resurrection of Christ
Rejected alternatives: reencarnación
Original: ἀνάστασις
Category: Eschatology
Inherited from Romans package. Acts 2:24, 2:31-32 (first full narrative demonstration in the curriculum); 17:18, 17:32; 23:6-8; 24:15, 24:21, 26:23. Espiritismo/Santería reincarnation-adjacent frameworks require explicit distinction.
Lord
Approved rendering: Señor
Transliteration: kyrios
Doctrine: Lordship of Christ
Rejected alternatives: Señor mío (devotional-only, without lordship claim over the whole of life)
Original: κύριος
Category: Christology
Inherited from Romans package. Acts 2:21, 2:34, 2:36 (Pentecost sermon’s climax); 9:5, 9:10-17; 10:36; 16:31; 22:8, 22:10. Must convey exclusive, supreme lordship.
Son Of God
Approved rendering: Hijo de Dios
Transliteration: huios theou
Doctrine: Sonship of Christ
Rejected alternatives: hijo de Dios en el sentido genérico aplicado a todo creyente
Original: υἱὸς θεοῦ
Category: Christology
Inherited from Romans package. Acts 9:20, Saul’s first public preaching immediately after conversion. Full phrase required; not adoptive/honorary sonship.
Messiah
Approved rendering: Mesías
Transliteration: Christos / Mashiach
Doctrine: Messianic Promise
Rejected alternatives: un ungido más, entre otros santos o profetas venerados
Original: Χριστός / מָשִׁיחַ
Category: Christology
Inherited from Romans package. Acts 2:31, 2:36, 2:38; 3:18, 3:20; 5:42; 8:5; 9:22; 17:3; 18:5, 18:28; 26:23.
Intercession
Approved rendering: intercesión
Transliteration: hyperentynchanei / enteuxis
Doctrine: Prayer and Intercession
Rejected alternatives: intercesión de los santos o de la Virgen como mediadores necesarios ante Dios
Original: ἔντευξις (thematic; cf. Romans register)
Category: Faith
Inherited from Romans package. Acts narrates the church’s corporate prayer (1:14; 4:24; 12:5, 12:12) as direct address to God, not mediated through saints or the Virgin.
Jesus
Approved rendering: Jesús
Transliteration: Iēsous / Yeshua
Doctrine: Lordship of Christ
Original: Ἰησοῦς / יֵשׁוּעַ
Category: Christology
Inherited from Romans package. Pervasive throughout Acts; universally standard Spanish Bible-translation form.
God
Approved rendering: Dios
Transliteration: theos / Elohim / YHWH
Doctrine: Deity of Christ
Original: θεός / אֱלֹהִים / יהוה
Category: God
Inherited from Romans package. Pervasive throughout Acts, including in direct contrast with pagan deities (14:11-15; 17:22-31; 19:26-35) and occult power (8:9-24; 13:6-10; 16:16-18).
Holy Spirit
Approved rendering: Espíritu Santo
Transliteration: pneuma hagion
Doctrine: Sanctification
Rejected alternatives: una fuerza impersonal, un espíritu guía o ancestral
Original: πνεῦμα ἅγιον
Category: God
Inherited from Romans package. Pervasive throughout Acts, especially 1:5, 1:8; 2:4, 2:33, 2:38; 4:8, 4:31; 5:3, 5:32; 8:15-19; 10:44-47; 13:2, 13:4, 13:9; 15:8, 15:28; 19:2, 19:6; 20:23, 20:28. Must be distinguished from ancestral/‘guide’ spirits and from the hostile ‘espíritu de adivinación’ confronted at 16:16-18.
Father
Approved rendering: Padre
Transliteration: patēr
Doctrine: Adoption into God’s Family
Original: πατήρ
Category: God
Inherited from Romans package. Acts 1:4, 1:7 (the Father’s timetable); 2:33 (Christ receiving the Spirit from the Father).
Imputed Righteousness
Approved rendering: justicia imputada
Transliteration: elogisthē autō eis dikaiosynēn
Doctrine: Justification by Faith
Rejected alternatives: justicia infundida (Tridentine category of righteousness progressively infused and increased through merit)
Original: ἐλογίσθη αὐτῷ εἰς δικαιοσύνην (thematic; cf. Acts 13:39)
Category: Salvation
Inherited from Romans package. Thematic background for Acts 13:39’s justification statement. NEVER render as ‘justicia infundida.‘
Son Of Man
Approved rendering: el Hijo del Hombre
Transliteration: ho huios tou anthrōpou
Doctrine: Stephen’s Martyrdom and the Son of Man Vision
Rejected alternatives: referencia genérica a un ser humano
Original: ὁ υἱὸς τοῦ ἀνθρώπου
Category: Christology
Acts 7:56 (Stephen’s dying vision). Exalted self-designation combining humanity and divine authority (Daniel 7 background); reinforces the deity and lordship of Christ.
Sorcery Magic
Approved rendering: hechicería / mago
Transliteration: mageia / magos
Doctrine: The Gospel to Jews and Gentiles
Rejected alternatives: práctica cultural neutral (curanderismo, santería, espiritismo tratados como alternativa aceptable)
Original: μαγεία / μάγος
Category: The Gospel to Jews and Gentiles
Acts 8:9-11, 8:18-24 (Simon); 13:6-10 (Elymas); 19:19. Highest syncretism-collision risk in the curriculum given active curanderismo, Santería, Espiritismo; the Spirit’s freely-given power must be explicitly contrasted with purchasable/manipulable magic.
Spirit Of Divination
Approved rendering: espíritu de adivinación / espíritu pitón
Transliteration: pneuma pythōna
Doctrine: The Gospel to Jews and Gentiles
Rejected alternatives: práctica folclórica moralmente neutral o culturalmente respetable
Original: πνεῦμα πύθωνα
Category: The Gospel to Jews and Gentiles
Acts 16:16-18. Direct confrontation between the Holy Spirit and a hostile occult divinatory spirit; paramount relevance given active Espiritismo/Santería/mediumistic practice.
Elders Overseers
Approved rendering: ancianos / obispos
Transliteration: presbyteroi / episkopoi
Doctrine: The Church as Community
Rejected alternatives: obispo monárquico diocesano moderno sin nota aclaratoria
Original: πρεσβύτεροι / ἐπίσκοποι
Category: The Church as Community
Acts 20:17, 20:28 (explicitly identifies the two titles as the same men); 11:30; 14:23; 15:2-23; 16:4; 21:18. Modern Spanish ‘obispo’ denotes the monarchical diocesan office; MANDATORY clarifying note wherever ‘obispo(s)’ occurs, always paired with ‘ancianos.‘
High Risk Terms
Gospel
Approved rendering: evangelio
Transliteration: euangelion
Doctrine: Gospel
Rejected alternatives: buenas nuevas (only as a descriptive gloss, never the standalone technical term)
Original: εὐαγγέλιον
Category: Salvation
Inherited from Romans package. In Acts also appears as the verb form (see evangelize_verb, 8:4, 20:24); must convey the specific proclamation of the crucified, risen Christ, not generic good news.
Grace
Approved rendering: gracia
Transliteration: charis
Doctrine: Grace
Rejected alternatives: favor merecido, recompensa por buenas obras
Original: χάρις
Category: Salvation
Inherited from Romans package. Acts 15:11; 20:24, 20:32 anchor grace to the Jerusalem Council’s resolution that Gentiles are saved through grace apart from law-keeping; reinforce against a merit-cooperation reading.
Faith
Approved rendering: fe
Transliteration: pistis
Doctrine: Faith
Rejected alternatives: devoción religiosa general, creencia cultural heredada
Original: πίστις
Category: Faith
Inherited from Romans package. Acts 3:16, faith in Jesus’ name effects healing; must not soften into generic positive belief or inherited cultural religiosity.
Calling
Approved rendering: llamado
Transliteration: klēsis
Doctrine: Divine Calling
Rejected alternatives: vocación (in the narrow sense of a call to priesthood or religious life)
Original: κλῆσις
Category: Salvation
Inherited from Romans package. Acts 2:39, ‘para cuantos el Señor nuestro Dios llame,’ extends the Pentecost promise as sovereign summons; NEVER use ‘vocación’ unqualified.
Sanctification
Approved rendering: santificación
Transliteration: hagiasmos
Doctrine: Sanctification
Rejected alternatives: purificación penitencial, vía purgativa
Original: ἁγιασμός
Category: Sanctification
Inherited from Romans package. Acts 20:32, 26:18 (‘an inheritance among those sanctified by faith’); must not collapse into a penitential/indulgence framework.
Law
Approved rendering: ley
Transliteration: nomos
Doctrine: Fulfillment of Prophecy
Original: νόμος
Category: Covenant
Inherited from Romans package. Acts 15:5, 15:24 (Judaizing demand); 21:20-28; 25:8. Central to Justification apart from the Law.
Covenant
Approved rendering: pacto
Transliteration: diathēkē
Doctrine: Davidic Covenant
Rejected alternatives: contrato legal
Original: διαθήκη
Category: Covenant
Inherited from Romans package. Acts 3:25 (Abrahamic covenant of blessing to all nations), 7:8 (circumcision as covenant sign).
Election
Approved rendering: elección
Transliteration: eklogē
Doctrine: Effectual Calling
Rejected alternatives: destino, suerte
Original: ἐκλογή / τάσσω
Category: Salvation
Inherited from Romans package. Acts 1:24-26 (lot for Judas’s replacement); connects to the new entry ‘appointed_to_eternal_life’ (13:48).
Filled With Holy Spirit
Approved rendering: lleno(s) del Espíritu Santo
Transliteration: eplēsthēsan Pneumatos Hagiou
Doctrine: The Holy Spirit and Pentecost
Rejected alternatives: bautismo del Espíritu como experiencia posterior y separable de la conversión
Original: ἐπλήσθησαν Πνεύματος Ἁγίου
Category: Holy Spirit and Pentecost
Acts 2:4; 4:8, 4:31; 6:3, 6:5; 7:55; 9:17; 11:24; 13:9, 13:52. Reuses ‘Espíritu Santo’ exactly. Must not be taught as a fixed post-conversion ‘second blessing’ sequence; Acts applies the phrase to varied empowering moments.
Tongues Glossolalia
Approved rendering: hablar en otras lenguas
Transliteration: heterais glōssais
Doctrine: The Holy Spirit and Pentecost
Rejected alternatives: glosolalia extática moderna interpretada como idéntica sin distinción histórica
Original: ἑτέραις γλώσσαις
Category: Holy Spirit and Pentecost
Acts 2:4, 2:6, 2:8, 2:11. Real, known human languages confirmed by hearers’ own native dialects; distinct from later glossolalia debates. Teach the historical distinction without adjudicating continuationist/cessationist positions.
Wonders And Signs
Approved rendering: milagros, prodigios y señales
Transliteration: terata kai sēmeia (kai dynameis)
Doctrine: Apostolic Authority and Miracles
Rejected alternatives: milagros como economía de intercesión de santos/santuarios
Original: τέρατα καὶ σημεῖα (καὶ δυνάμεις)
Category: Apostolic Authority and Miracles
Acts 2:19, 2:22, 2:43; 4:30; 5:12; 6:8; 8:6, 8:13; 14:3; 15:12. Must be taught as authenticating the apostolic message about Christ, not assimilated into the folk-Catholic patron-intercessor miracle economy (ex-votos, milagritos).
Witness
Approved rendering: testigo(s)
Transliteration: martys
Doctrine: Persecution and Bold Witness
Rejected alternatives: testimonio personal genérico sin contenido histórico verificable
Original: μάρτυς
Category: Persecution and Bold Witness
Acts 1:8, 1:22; 2:32; 3:15; 5:32; 6:13; 7:58 (root of ‘martyr’); 10:39,41; 13:31; 22:15,20; 26:16. Legal/eyewitness testimony to the resurrection. Include a brief disambiguating teaching note distinguishing from ‘Testigos de Jehová’ (unrelated group name).
Repentance
Approved rendering: arrepentirse / arrepentimiento
Transliteration: metanoeō / metanoia
Doctrine: Repentance and Baptism
Rejected alternatives: arrepentimiento como sinónimo exclusivo del sacramento de penitencia/confesión repetible
Original: μετανοέω / μετάνοια
Category: Repentance and Baptism
Acts 2:38; 3:19; 5:31; 8:22; 11:18; 13:24; 17:30; 19:4; 20:21; 26:20. Decisive, Spirit-produced reorientation at conversion; do not polemicize against confession as a devotional practice, but never let it default silently to that referent.
Baptism
Approved rendering: bautizar / bautismo
Transliteration: baptizō / baptisma
Doctrine: Repentance and Baptism
Rejected alternatives: bautismo desconectado de la secuencia arrepentimiento/fe que antecede en Hechos
Original: βαπτίζω / βάπτισμα
Category: Repentance and Baptism
Acts 2:38, 2:41; 8:12-13, 8:36-38; 9:18; 10:47-48; 16:15, 16:33; 18:8; 19:3-5 (John’s baptism vs. Christian baptism); 22:16. Preserve Acts’ own repentance/faith-then-baptism sequence; broader infant-baptism debate is out of scope for translation.
Forgiveness Of Sins
Approved rendering: perdón de pecados / remisión de pecados
Transliteration: aphesis hamartiōn
Doctrine: Repentance and Baptism
Rejected alternatives: perdón como proceso gradual mediado sacramentalmente
Original: ἄφεσις ἁμαρτιῶν
Category: Repentance and Baptism
Acts 2:38; 5:31; 10:43; 13:38; 26:18. Full, decisive release granted at conversion, not a gradual, cumulative, sacramentally-administered process.
Gift Of The Spirit
Approved rendering: el don del Espíritu Santo
Transliteration: dōrea tou Hagiou Pneumatos
Doctrine: The Holy Spirit and Pentecost
Rejected alternatives: confusión con ‘dones espirituales’ (carismas distribuidos), don que puede comprarse o merecerse
Original: δωρεὰ τοῦ Ἁγίου Πνεύματος
Category: Holy Spirit and Pentecost
Acts 2:38; 8:20 (Simon tries to buy it); 10:45; 11:17. Keep lexically and conceptually distinct from ‘dones espirituales’; this ‘don’ is the Spirit’s own presence given freely to every believer at conversion, never purchasable.
Promise Epangelia
Approved rendering: la promesa
Transliteration: epangelia
Doctrine: The Holy Spirit and Pentecost
Rejected alternatives: promesa limitada geográficamente a la diáspora judía, excluyendo a los gentiles
Original: ἐπαγγελία
Category: Holy Spirit and Pentecost
Acts 2:39 (‘para todos los que están lejos’); 13:23, 13:32; 26:6. Preserve as genuinely open-ended, geographically and ethnically — the textual seed of Gentile inclusion.
Ascension
Approved rendering: ascensión / fue llevado arriba
Transliteration: analambanō / analēmpsis
Doctrine: Apostolic Authority and Miracles
Rejected alternatives: partida simbólica o meramente espiritual sin cuerpo
Original: ἀναλαμβάνω / ἀνάλημψις
Category: Apostolic Authority and Miracles
Acts 1:9, 1:11, 1:22. Literal, bodily, historical event distinct from resurrection; avoid any rendering suggesting a symbolic-only departure aligning with spiritist notions of a spirit’s ongoing detached presence.
Author Of Life
Approved rendering: Autor de la vida
Transliteration: archēgos
Doctrine: Apostolic Authority and Miracles
Rejected alternatives: líder (genérico, pierde el sentido de origen/fuente de la vida)
Original: ἀρχηγός
Category: Apostolic Authority and Miracles
Acts 3:15; 5:31. High Christological title; must not be flattened to a generic ‘leader.‘
Boldness
Approved rendering: denuedo / valentía
Transliteration: parrēsia
Doctrine: Persecution and Bold Witness
Rejected alternatives: valentía natural humana, desafío irrespetuoso hacia la autoridad
Original: παρρησία
Category: Persecution and Bold Witness
Acts 4:13, 4:29, 4:31; 9:27-29; 13:46; 14:3; 18:26; 19:8; 26:26; 28:31. Spirit-given confidence to proclaim Christ under threat; not natural courage or disrespectful defiance.
Lie Test The Spirit
Approved rendering: mentir al Espíritu Santo / tentar al Espíritu
Transliteration: pseudomai / peirazō to Pneuma
Doctrine: The Holy Spirit and Pentecost
Rejected alternatives: Espíritu Santo como fuerza impersonal que no puede ser engañada
Original: ψεύδομαι / πειράζω τὸ Πνεῦμα
Category: Holy Spirit and Pentecost
Acts 5:3, 5:9 (Ananias and Sapphira); v.4 equates lying to the Spirit with lying to God. Reinforces the Spirit’s personhood and deity.
Evangelize Verb
Approved rendering: anunciar el evangelio / evangelizar
Transliteration: euangelizō
Doctrine: The Great Commission Fulfilled
Rejected alternatives: proselitismo confrontacional genérico, acción humanitaria desligada de la proclamación de Cristo
Original: εὐαγγελίζω
Category: The Great Commission Fulfilled
Acts 8:4, 8:12, 8:25, 8:35, 8:40; 10:36; 11:20; 13:32; 14:7,15,21; 15:35; 16:10; 17:18. Verb form of ‘evangelio’; must retain the same specific proclamation-of-Christ content.
Laying On Of Hands
Approved rendering: imposición de manos / imponer las manos
Transliteration: epithesis cheirōn
Doctrine: The Church as Community
Rejected alternatives: referente sacramental fijo único (Confirmación/Órdenes Sagradas) aplicado a todas las ocurrencias
Original: ἐπίθεσις χειρῶν / ἐπιτίθημι τὰς χεῖρας
Category: Conversion of Paul
Acts 6:6; 8:17-19; 9:12, 9:17; 13:3; 19:6. Acts uses the gesture for varied functions (healing, receiving the Spirit, commissioning) without a single fixed sacramental theology.
Clean Unclean
Approved rendering: limpio / impuro / común
Transliteration: katharos / koinos / akathartos
Doctrine: The Gospel to Jews and Gentiles
Original: καθαρός / κοινός / ἀκάθαρτος
Category: The Gospel to Jews and Gentiles
Acts 10:14-15, 10:28; 11:8-9. Dismantles the Mosaic purity boundary separating Jew from Gentile table-fellowship; requires OT (Leviticus 11) background scaffolding.
No Partiality
Approved rendering: Dios no hace acepción de personas / Dios es imparcial
Transliteration: prosōpolēmpsia (negated)
Doctrine: The Gospel to Jews and Gentiles
Rejected alternatives: imparcialidad calificada con excepciones étnicas, sociales o de clase
Original: προσωπολημψία (negated)
Category: The Gospel to Jews and Gentiles
Acts 10:34. Retain full, unqualified force, echoing Latin America’s own regional and racial hierarchies making this claim socially, not merely doctrinally, significant.
Appointed To Eternal Life
Approved rendering: dispuestos / ordenados para vida eterna
Transliteration: tetagmenoi eis zōēn aiōnion
Doctrine: Justification apart from the Law
Rejected alternatives: destino/fatalismo impersonal, decisión puramente humana que borra la gracia soberana
Original: τεταγμένοι εἰς ζωὴν αἰώνιον
Category: Justification apart from the Law
Acts 13:48. Election/predestination language in narrative form; avoid both fatalistic ‘destino’ framing and an overcorrected purely-human-decision rendering.
Circumcision
Approved rendering: circuncisión
Transliteration: peritomē
Doctrine: Justification apart from the Law
Original: περιτομή
Category: Justification apart from the Law
Acts 15:1, 15:5; 7:8; 10:45; 11:2-3; 16:3; 21:21. Central historical flashpoint for justification apart from law-keeping; preserve as the concrete occasion of the doctrine.
Seemed Good To Spirit
Approved rendering: pareció bien al Espíritu Santo y a nosotros
Transliteration: edoxen tō Pneumati tō Hagiō
Doctrine: The Church as Community
Rejected alternatives: consenso meramente humano, evento apostólico irrepetible sin relevancia para el discernimiento eclesial posterior
Original: ἔδοξεν τῷ Πνεύματι τῷ Ἁγίῳ
Category: The Church as Community
Acts 15:28. The Jerusalem Council’s decree formula; balance between not reducing the Spirit’s authority to mere consensus and not treating this as unrepeatable.
Unknown God
Approved rendering: dios desconocido
Transliteration: agnōstos theos
Doctrine: The Great Commission Fulfilled
Rejected alternatives: afirmación sincretista de que el altar pagano ya adoraba al Dios verdadero
Original: ἄγνωστος θεός
Category: The Great Commission Fulfilled
Acts 17:23. Diagnostic/evangelistic rhetorical bridge, not a syncretistic affirmation; teach carefully to avoid overreach into affirming religious equivalence.
Idol
Approved rendering: ídolo
Transliteration: eidōlon
Doctrine: The Gospel to Jews and Gentiles
Rejected alternatives: veredicto generalizado sobre la imaginería devocional católica contemporánea
Original: εἴδωλον
Category: The Gospel to Jews and Gentiles
Acts 15:20; 17:16; 19:26. Teach Acts’ own specific target (Greco-Roman polytheistic idol-worship) without extending Paul’s rhetoric into a blanket verdict on any particular community’s devotional practice.
The Way
Approved rendering: el Camino
Transliteration: hē hodos
Doctrine: Conversion of Paul
Rejected alternatives: camino espiritual genérico de tipo new age/bienestar
Original: ἡ ὁδός
Category: Conversion of Paul
Acts 9:2; 19:9, 19:23; 22:4; 24:14, 24:22. Preserve as a proper historical self-designation of the Christian movement, capitalized; distinct from generic contemporary ‘camino espiritual’ wellness usage.
Medium Risk Terms
Called
Approved rendering: llamado
Transliteration: klētos
Doctrine: Divine Calling
Rejected alternatives: convocado (bureaucratic/legal register)
Original: κλητός
Category: Salvation
Inherited from Romans package. Acts 1:17, 1:25 (apostolic office under divine calling); context-sensitive per baseline guidance.
Holy
Approved rendering: santo
Transliteration: hagios
Doctrine: Sanctification
Rejected alternatives: puro en sentido ritual
Original: ἅγιος
Category: Sanctification
Inherited from Romans package. Acts 3:14 (‘the Holy and Righteous One’), 3:21, 6:13, 7:33, 21:28 (sacred space); applied to Christ’s holiness and sacred things.
Peace
Approved rendering: paz
Transliteration: eirēnē
Doctrine: Peace with God
Rejected alternatives: tranquilidad emocional
Original: εἰρήνη
Category: Salvation
Inherited from Romans package. Acts 9:31, 10:36 (‘preaching peace through Jesus Christ’), 15:33.
Spiritual Gifts
Approved rendering: dones espirituales
Transliteration: charismata
Doctrine: Spiritual Gifts
Rejected alternatives: poderes espirituales
Original: χαρίσματα
Category: Church
Inherited from Romans package. Retained for thematic consistency; must be kept lexically distinct from the new Acts entry ‘gift_of_the_spirit’ (el don del Espíritu Santo).
Church
Approved rendering: iglesia
Transliteration: ekklēsia
Doctrine: Church as God’s People
Rejected alternatives: la Iglesia (institución jerárquica en sentido católico-institucional)
Original: ἐκκλησία
Category: Church
Inherited from Romans package. Pervasive throughout Acts. NOTE: the same Greek word denotes the ordinary Ephesian civic assembly at 19:32,39,41 — render that instance ‘asamblea’ (see ekklesia_civic), never ‘iglesia.‘
Kingdom Of God
Approved rendering: reino de Dios
Transliteration: basileia tou theou
Doctrine: Kingdom Mission
Original: βασιλεία τοῦ θεοῦ
Category: Kingdom
Inherited from Romans package. Acts 1:3, 1:6 (disciples’ corrected nationalistic expectation); 8:12; 14:22; 19:8; 20:25; 28:23, 28:31 (closing summary).
Sin
Approved rendering: pecado
Transliteration: hamartia
Doctrine: Universal Human Accountability
Rejected alternatives: falta (minimizing euphemism common in pastoral speech)
Original: ἁμαρτία
Category: Sin
Inherited from Romans package. Acts 2:38 (forgiveness tied to repentance and baptism), 3:19, 22:16.
Glory
Approved rendering: gloria
Transliteration: doxa
Doctrine: Deity of Christ
Original: δόξα
Category: God
Inherited from Romans package. Acts 7:2, 7:55 (Stephen’s martyrdom vision); 12:23 (Herod struck down); 22:11.
Power Of God
Approved rendering: poder de Dios
Transliteration: dynamis theou
Doctrine: Power of God for Salvation
Original: δύναμις θεοῦ
Category: God
Inherited from Romans package. Acts 1:8; 4:33; 8:10 (contrasted with Simon’s counterfeit power); 10:38.
Providence
Approved rendering: providencia
Transliteration: pronoia
Doctrine: Providence
Rejected alternatives: destino, la suerte
Original: πρόνοια (cf. Acts 2:23’s βουλή; 27:22-25)
Category: God
Inherited from Romans package. Acts 2:23 (the crucifixion by God’s ‘determined plan and foreknowledge’); 17:26; 27:22-25 (shipwreck). Must not dilute human responsibility (‘vosotros… matasteis’).
Mission
Approved rendering: misión
Transliteration: apostolē / pempō
Doctrine: Mission to the Nations
Original: ἀποστολή / πέμπω
Category: Church
Inherited from Romans package. Acts 13:2-4 (Antioch commissioning); 22:21; 26:17-18. Mild historical colonial-mission-system association warrants a brief contextual note.
Seed Of David
Approved rendering: descendencia de David
Transliteration: sperma Dauid
Doctrine: Davidic Covenant
Original: σπέρμα Δαυίδ
Category: Covenant
Inherited from Romans package. Acts 13:23; requires OT covenant background.
Pentecost
Approved rendering: Pentecostés
Transliteration: Pentēkostē
Doctrine: The Holy Spirit and Pentecost
Original: Πεντηκοστή
Category: Holy Spirit and Pentecost
Acts 2:1. Established transliteration across all Spanish Bible traditions. Must be distinguished from the modern global Pentecostal/Charismatic movement named after this event; teach the one-time inaugurating event versus later denominational ‘second blessing’ doctrine.
Tongues Of Fire
Approved rendering: lenguas como de fuego
Transliteration: glōssai hōsei pyros
Doctrine: The Holy Spirit and Pentecost
Rejected alternatives: metáfora de elocuencia (colapsar con el milagro del habla)
Original: γλῶσσαι ὡσεὶ πυρός
Category: Holy Spirit and Pentecost
Acts 2:3. Visual theophany distinct from v.4’s speech-miracle though sharing the noun ‘lenguas’; teach both referents explicitly.
Added To The Number
Approved rendering: fueron añadidos / se añadieron
Transliteration: prostithēmi
Doctrine: The Church as Community
Rejected alternatives: afiliación espiritual privada e invisible sin incorporación visible a la comunidad
Original: προστίθημι
Category: The Church as Community
Acts 2:41, 2:47; 5:14; 11:24. Preserve the sense of visible, countable incorporation into an accountable community.
One Accord
Approved rendering: de común acuerdo / unánimes
Transliteration: homothymadon
Doctrine: The Church as Community
Rejected alternatives: uniformidad institucional impuesta
Original: ὁμοθυμαδόν
Category: The Church as Community
Acts 1:14; 2:46; 4:24, 4:32; 5:12; 15:25. Voluntary, Spirit-produced unity, not institutional uniformity.
All Things Common
Approved rendering: tenían todo en común
Transliteration: hapanta koina
Doctrine: The Church as Community
Rejected alternatives: mandato comunitario de propiedad vinculante para todas las iglesias
Original: ἅπαντα κοινά
Category: The Church as Community
Acts 2:44-45; 4:32, 4:34-35. Voluntary, Spirit-motivated generosity specific to the early Jerusalem community’s circumstances, not a universally binding mandate.
Servant Of God
Approved rendering: siervo
Transliteration: pais
Doctrine: The Gospel to Jews and Gentiles
Original: παῖς
Category: The Gospel to Jews and Gentiles
Acts 3:13, 3:26. Echoes the Isaianic Suffering Servant; requires explicit OT background teaching (catechetical, not lexical, risk).
Restoration
Approved rendering: restauración
Transliteration: apokatastasis
Doctrine: The Great Commission Fulfilled
Rejected alternatives: proyecto de restauración política o nacionalista
Original: ἀποκατάστασις
Category: The Great Commission Fulfilled
Acts 3:21. Cosmic, eschatological restoration at Christ’s return; avoid conflating with a this-worldly political/national restoration project.
Ministry Service
Approved rendering: servicio / ministerio
Transliteration: diakonia
Doctrine: The Church as Community
Rejected alternatives: oficio clerical/diaconal fijo posterior proyectado retroactivamente
Original: διακονία
Category: The Church as Community
Acts 6:1, 6:4; 11:29; 12:25; 20:24; 21:19. Teach the functional distinction between practical service and word-ministry without over-reading later fixed diaconal office categories (including the modern Catholic permanent diaconate).
Persecute
Approved rendering: perseguir
Transliteration: diōkō
Doctrine: Conversion of Paul
Original: διώκω
Category: Persecution and Bold Witness
Acts 7:52; 8:1, 8:3; 9:4-5 (‘why do you persecute ME’); 22:4,7-8; 26:11,14-15. Make Christ’s identification with his persecuted church explicit in teaching.
Vision
Approved rendering: visión
Transliteration: horama
Doctrine: The Gospel to Jews and Gentiles
Rejected alternatives: técnica mística repetible de tipo espiritista/folclórico
Original: ὅραμα
Category: The Gospel to Jews and Gentiles
Acts 9:10,12; 10:3,17,19,22; 11:5; 12:9; 16:9-10; 18:9. Spirit-given, doctrinally purposeful, historically singular; distinguish from folk-spiritist ‘visiones.‘
Turn Convert
Approved rendering: convertirse / volverse al Señor
Transliteration: epistrephō / epistrophē
Doctrine: Conversion of Paul
Rejected alternatives: cambio de afiliación confesional o denominacional
Original: ἐπιστρέφω / ἐπιστροφή
Category: Conversion of Paul
Acts 3:19; 9:35; 11:21; 14:15; 15:19; 26:18,20; 28:27. Distinguish from the Spanish cultural default of ‘conversión’ as switching religious affiliation.
Set Apart Ministry
Approved rendering: apartar
Transliteration: aphorizō
Doctrine: The Great Commission Fulfilled
Rejected alternatives: colapso con el sentido general de santificación de todo creyente
Original: ἀφορίζω
Category: The Great Commission Fulfilled
Acts 13:2 (Barnabas and Saul). Distinguish from the general sanctification ‘set apart’ sense already documented for every believer.
Yoke
Approved rendering: yugo
Transliteration: zygos
Doctrine: Justification apart from the Law
Rejected alternatives: metáfora genérica de dificultad sin contenido doctrinal
Original: ζυγός
Category: Justification apart from the Law
Acts 15:10. Metaphor for the burden of law-keeping as a means of standing before God; teach with full doctrinal weight.
Religiosity
Approved rendering: muy religiosos
Transliteration: deisidaimonia
Doctrine: The Great Commission Fulfilled
Rejected alternatives: piadosos (demasiado elogioso), supersticiosos (demasiado insultante)
Original: δεισιδαιμονία
Category: The Great Commission Fulfilled
Acts 17:22. Deliberately double-edged diplomatic term in Paul’s Areopagus opening; preserve the same rhetorical tact.
Ekklesia Civic
Approved rendering: asamblea
Transliteration: ekklēsia
Doctrine: The Church as Community
Rejected alternatives: iglesia (confundiría el sentido civil con el teológico)
Original: ἐκκλησία
Category: The Church as Community
Acts 19:32, 19:39, 19:41. Ordinary Greek civic-assembly sense of the same word used for ‘church’ elsewhere; render ‘asamblea’ here, never ‘iglesia.‘
Shepherd
Approved rendering: pastorear / pastor
Transliteration: poimainō / poimēn
Doctrine: The Church as Community
Original: ποιμαίνω / ποιμήν
Category: The Church as Community
Acts 20:28. Standard pastoral metaphor across Catholic and Protestant tradition; teach the sacrificial-protective content explicitly.
Did Not Shrink Back
Approved rendering: no rehuir / no eludir
Transliteration: hypostellō
Doctrine: Persecution and Bold Witness
Original: ὑποστέλλω
Category: Persecution and Bold Witness
Acts 20:20, 20:27. Reinforces the boldness (parrēsia) theme in the specific sense of not withholding hard truth from fear.
Purification Rites
Approved rendering: ritos de purificación
Transliteration: hagnismos
Doctrine: The Church as Community
Original: ἁγνισμός
Category: The Church as Community
Acts 21:24, 21:26. Requires OT/Second Temple Jewish ritual background (Numbers 6); comprehension gap rather than doctrinal collision.
Unhindered
Approved rendering: sin impedimento / abiertamente y sin obstáculo
Transliteration: akōlytōs
Doctrine: The Great Commission Fulfilled
Rejected alternatives: detalle procesal neutral sin peso retórico
Original: ἀκωλύτως
Category: The Great Commission Fulfilled
Acts 28:31, the Greek text’s deliberate final word. Preserve full rhetorical weight as the gospel’s unstoppable ongoing advance.
Low Risk Terms
Apostle
Approved rendering: apóstol
Transliteration: apostolos
Doctrine: Apostleship
Original: ἀπόστολος
Category: Church
Inherited from Romans package. Pervasive throughout Acts as the recognized authoritative office validating apostolic teaching and the Jerusalem decree.
Thanksgiving
Approved rendering: acción de gracias
Transliteration: eucharistia
Doctrine: Thanksgiving
Original: εὐχαριστία
Category: Faith
Inherited from Romans package. Acts 27:35, 28:15.
Fellowship
Approved rendering: compañerismo
Transliteration: koinōnia
Doctrine: Christian Fellowship
Rejected alternatives: comunión de los santos (specific Catholic liturgical formula)
Original: κοινωνία
Category: Church
Inherited from Romans package. Acts 2:42, expressed through breaking of bread and shared possessions.
Gentiles
Approved rendering: gentiles
Transliteration: ethnē
Doctrine: Unity of Jews and Gentiles
Rejected alternatives: paganos (pejorative in modern Spanish)
Original: ἔθνη
Category: Church
Inherited from Romans package. Central to Acts 10-15’s inclusion narrative (9:15; 10:45; 11:1,18; 13:46-48; 15:3-23; 18:6; 21:19-25; 22:21; 26:17-23; 28:28).
Prophet
Approved rendering: profeta
Transliteration: prophētēs
Doctrine: Inspiration of Scripture
Rejected alternatives: vidente, adivino
Original: προφήτης
Category: Covenant
Inherited from Romans package. Acts 2:16, 2:30; 3:18-25; 7:37-52; 11:27; 13:1, 13:20; 15:32; 21:10 (Agabus); 24:14.
Prophecy
Approved rendering: profecía
Transliteration: prophēteia
Doctrine: Fulfillment of Prophecy
Rejected alternatives: horóscopo, predicción esotérica
Original: προφητεία
Category: Covenant
Inherited from Romans package. Acts 2:17-18 (Joel fulfilled at Pentecost); 19:6.
David
Approved rendering: David
Transliteration: Dawid
Doctrine: Davidic Covenant
Original: דָּוִד
Category: Covenant
Inherited from Romans package. Acts 1:16; 2:25, 2:29, 2:34; 4:25; 7:45; 13:22, 13:34-36; 15:16.
Israel
Approved rendering: Israel
Transliteration: Yisra’el
Doctrine: Unity of Jews and Gentiles
Original: יִשְׂרָאֵל
Category: Covenant
Inherited from Romans package. Acts 1:6; 2:36; 4:10, 4:27; 5:21, 5:31; 7:23-42; 9:15; 10:36; 13:16-24; 21:28; 28:20.
Exhort
Approved rendering: exhortar
Transliteration: parakaleō
Doctrine: Mutual Edification
Original: παρακαλέω
Category: Faith
Inherited from Romans package. Acts 2:40 (Peter’s closing appeal); 11:23; 14:22; 15:32; 20:2.
Souls Persons
Approved rendering: almas (personas)
Transliteration: psychē
Doctrine: The Church as Community
Rejected alternatives: dualismo técnico cuerpo/alma
Original: ψυχή
Category: The Church as Community
Acts 2:41, 2:43; 27:37. Simple headcount usage (‘about three thousand souls’ = people); not a body/soul dualism.
Casting Lots
Approved rendering: echar suertes
Transliteration: klēros
Doctrine: Apostolic Authority and Miracles
Rejected alternatives: adivinación o práctica de la suerte popular
Original: κλῆρος
Category: Apostolic Authority and Miracles
Acts 1:26. Spirit-guided discernment within the apostolic community, not divination; brief clarifying note recommended given cultural proximity to fortune-telling practice.
Sanhedrin
Approved rendering: Sanedrín
Transliteration: synedrion
Doctrine: Persecution and Bold Witness
Original: συνέδριον
Category: Persecution and Bold Witness
Acts 4:15; 5:21-41; 6:12-15; 22:30; 23:1-28; 24:20. Established transliteration; institutional-historical term, no doctrinal collision.
Hellenists Hebrews
Approved rendering: helenistas / hebreos
Transliteration: Hellēnistai / Hebraioi
Doctrine: The Church as Community
Rejected alternatives: confusión con la distinción judío/gentil
Original: Ἑλληνισταί / Ἑβραῖοι
Category: The Church as Community
Acts 6:1. Internal Jewish sociolinguistic distinction, not Jew/Gentile.
Stoning
Approved rendering: apedrear
Transliteration: lithoboleō
Doctrine: Persecution and Bold Witness
Original: λιθοβολέω
Category: Persecution and Bold Witness
Acts 7:58-59 (first martyrdom); 14:19. Narrative-descriptive term.
Eunuch
Approved rendering: eunuco
Transliteration: eunouchos
Doctrine: The Gospel to Jews and Gentiles
Original: εὐνοῦχος
Category: The Gospel to Jews and Gentiles
Acts 8:27, 8:34, 8:36, 8:38-39. Significant for showing the gospel reaching a figure ritually excluded under OT law.
Disciple
Approved rendering: discípulo
Transliteration: mathētēs
Doctrine: The Church as Community
Original: μαθητής
Category: The Church as Community
Acts 6:1-2,7; 9:1,10,19,25-26,36; 11:26,29; 13:52; 14:20,22,28; 15:10; 16:1; 18:23,27; 19:1,9,30; 20:1,30; 21:4,16. Essentially synonymous with ‘believer’ before ‘Christian’ is coined.
Christian Name
Approved rendering: cristiano
Transliteration: Christianos
Doctrine: The Church as Community
Original: Χριστιανός
Category: The Church as Community
Acts 11:26; 26:28. Universally standard, uncontested term; note only its historical origin as outsiders’ label later embraced by believers.
Roman Citizenship
Approved rendering: ciudadanía romana / ciudadano romano
Transliteration: politeia / politēs
Doctrine: Persecution and Bold Witness
Original: πολιτεία / πολίτης
Category: Persecution and Bold Witness
Acts 16:37-38; 22:25-28; 23:27. Legal-social status term; narrative detail shaping how persecution unfolds.
Self Control
Approved rendering: dominio propio
Transliteration: egkrateia
Doctrine: Persecution and Bold Witness
Original: ἐγκράτεια
Category: Persecution and Bold Witness
Acts 24:25. Standard ethical term paired with ‘justicia’ in the same verse; no rival meaning.
Appeal To Caesar
Approved rendering: apelar a César
Transliteration: epikaloumai Kaisara
Doctrine: The Great Commission Fulfilled
Original: ἐπικαλοῦμαι Καίσαρα
Category: The Great Commission Fulfilled
Acts 25:11-12, 25:21; 26:32; 28:19. Roman legal procedure term; the narrative means by which Paul reaches Rome.
Referenced passages