Semantic Analysis

Semantic Analysis: Acts 1–28 (English → Telugu)

Source language: English (from Koine Greek) Destination language: Telugu Curriculum: Acts Core passage: Acts 2:1–41 (Pentecost)

Method and Governing Rule

Every term already recorded in the baseline Romans translation_memory.json / bible_term_registry.json is reused exactly below (rendering, risk tier, and rationale carried forward unchanged). Only newly load-bearing Acts terms receive new risk assessments. This document does not repeat the full baseline rationale for reused terms; it cites the established rendering and flags only where Acts introduces a new nuance or new collision risk not present in Romans.

PART A — CORE PASSAGE: Acts 2:1–41, Verse-by-Verse

Acts 2:1 — “When the day of Pentecost arrived…”

Πεντηκοστή (Pentēkostē)

Transliteration: Pentēkostē
Literal meaning: “fiftieth [day]” — the Jewish Feast of Weeks (Shavuot), fifty days after Passover
Semantic range: a specific calendar festival; by NT usage becomes the proper name for the day the Spirit is poured out
English variants: Pentecost
Contextual theological meaning: The Spirit’s coming is timed to a pre-existing covenant festival, fulfilling and transforming Jewish harvest/covenant-giving typology (cf. Sinai) into the birth of the church.
Destination rendering: పెంతెకొస్తు (Pentekostu) — established transliteration in the Telugu Bible tradition (used at “పెంతెకొస్తు దినము,” “the day of Pentecost”).
Risk: Medium. Transliterated proper festival name; risk is mainly ensuring learners are given the OT Shavuot background rather than treating it as a generic “Christian holiday.”

ὁμοῦ (homou, “together”) — descriptive; not independently risky.

Acts 2:2 — “a sound like a mighty rushing wind”

πνοή (pnoē, “wind/breath”)

Literal meaning: breath, blast, wind
Semantic range: shares a root with πνεῦμα (pneuma, spirit); the same word family used for God’s animating breath (Genesis 2:7 LXX)
Contextual theological meaning: the audible sign accompanying the Spirit’s arrival, echoing Ezekiel 37 and Genesis creation imagery — God’s Spirit as life-giving breath, not an impersonal atmospheric force.
Destination rendering: గాలి (gāli, “wind”) in context, with వాయువు as an alternative for the more formal register.
Risk: Low. Descriptive sensory term; the risk is not the wind-word itself but ensuring the surrounding clause makes clear this is a sign of the personal Holy Spirit’s coming, not a nature-spirit or impersonal force (a live concern given Telugu folk-religious wind/breath-deity associations in some regional traditions). Cross-reference the holy_spirit lock (పరిశుద్ధాత్మ, Critical).

Acts 2:3 — “divided tongues as of fire”

γλῶσσαι ὡσεὶ πυρός (glōssai hōsei pyros, “tongues as of fire”)

Literal meaning: “tongues like of fire” — flame-shaped tongues
Semantic range: γλῶσσα means both “tongue” (organ of speech) and “language” — Luke deliberately plays on this double meaning across vv.3–4, since the same word will describe both the fiery appearance and the languages spoken.
Contextual theological meaning: fire signals divine presence and judgment/purification (cf. Exodus 3, Sinai theophany); its resting individually on each person signals the Spirit’s personal indwelling of every believer, not a single leader.
Destination rendering: అగ్నివలె కనబడిన నాలుకలు (agnivale kanabaḍina nālukalu, “tongues appearing like fire”). Use నాలుక (nāluka, tongue) here for the visual image, distinct from భాష (bhāsha, language) used in v.4 for the languages spoken — Telugu, like Greek, must let the wordplay register naturally without forcing a single word to do both jobs unnaturally.
Risk: Medium. The main risk is translators flattening the tongue/fire imagery into a purely metaphorical “power” statement, losing the visible theophany.

Acts 2:4 — “filled with the Holy Spirit… began to speak in other tongues”

πλησθέντες πνεύματος ἁγίου (plēsthentes pneumatos hagiou, “having been filled with Holy Spirit”)

Literal meaning: “filled/having been filled”
Semantic range: πίμπλημι (plēthō) — to fill completely, saturate; used repeatedly in Acts (2:4; 4:8, 31; 9:17; 13:9) as the characteristic mark of Spirit-empowered speech and action.
Contextual theological meaning: not a partial or occasional endowment but complete Spirit-saturation enabling bold proclamation — foundational to the doctrine of “Holy Spirit and Pentecost.”
Destination rendering: పరిశుద్ధాత్మతో పూర్ణులై (pariśuddhātmatō pūrṇulai) — reuses the Critical-risk baseline term పరిశుద్ధాత్మ (holy_spirit) plus the established participle “పూర్ణులై” (having become full).
Risk: Critical (inherits from పరిశుద్ధాత్మ). Must never render with పరమాత్మ (Vedantic Universal Self) per baseline forbidden-substitution rule.

ἑτέραις γλώσσαις (heterais glōssais, “other tongues”)

Literal meaning: “other/different languages”
Semantic range: real, existing human languages (confirmed by v.6–11’s list of nations), not ecstatic unintelligible speech alone — though the term γλῶσσα is later used more ambiguously in 1 Corinthians for non-Acts contexts (outside this curriculum’s scope).
English variants: “other tongues,” “different languages,” “tongues”
Contextual theological meaning: reverses Babel (Genesis 11) — instead of scattering peoples through confused language, God unites peoples across language through the Spirit’s gift, anticipating the Gentile mission.
Destination rendering: వేరు భాషలు (vēru bhāshalu, “different/other languages”) — matches established Telugu Bible phrasing at this verse.
Risk: High. Must be rendered as actual known languages in this narrative context (confirmed by the nation-list in vv.9–11), not conflated with a vaguer “spiritual utterance” gloss that could blur the Babel-reversal, missiological point being made (Gospel to Jews and Gentiles doctrine).

Acts 2:5–6 — “Jews… from every nation… each one was hearing them speak in his own language”

διάλεκτος (dialektos, “language/dialect”)

Semantic range: a people-group’s own native tongue, distinct from γλῶσσα’s broader/ambiguous sense — Luke’s clarifying synonym confirming real languages are meant.
Destination rendering: తమ తమ భాష (tama tama bhāsha, “their own respective language”).
Risk: Low. Confirms rather than complicates v.4’s rendering.

Acts 2:7–11 — the nation list; “we hear them telling in our own tongues the mighty works of God”

τὰ μεγαλεῖα τοῦ θεοῦ (ta megaleia tou theou, “the mighty/great works of God”)

Literal meaning: “the great things of God”
Semantic range: God’s mighty acts of salvation history, echoing OT “great things” language (cf. Psalm 71:19 LXX)
Destination rendering: దేవుని మహాకార్యములు (Dēvuni mahākāryamulu, “God’s great works”).
Risk: Low. Straightforward compound; distinguish from సూచక క్రియలు/ఆశ్చర్యకార్యములు (signs/wonders, a different Acts term-family — see 2:22).

Acts 2:12–13 — “amazed and perplexed”; the mockers: “they are filled with new wine”

διηπόρουν (diēporoun, “were perplexed”) and γλεῦκος (gleukos, “sweet new wine”) — narrative/descriptive vocabulary.

Destination rendering: అబ్బురపడి కలవరపడిరి (abburapaḍi kalavarapaḍiri, “were amazed and confused”); క్రొత్త మద్యము (krotta madyamu, “new wine”) for the mockers’ jibe.
Risk: Low. No doctrinal weight; keep the mocking tone natural in Telugu without softening it into genuine puzzlement.

Acts 2:14 — Peter stands to address the crowd

Narrative transition; no new load-bearing term. ἀπόστολος framework (Peter as apostle) reuses baseline అపొస్తలుడు (Medium).

Acts 2:15–16 — “this is what was spoken through the prophet Joel”

προφήτης (prophētēs) — reuse baseline ప్రవక్త (Low). τὸ εἰρημένον (to eirēmenon, “that which was spoken”) — introduces the doctrine of Fulfillment of Prophecy, already Medium risk in the baseline Romans registry; retained here.

Acts 2:17–18 — “I will pour out my Spirit on all flesh… sons and daughters shall prophesy”

ἐκχεῶ ἀπὸ τοῦ πνεύματός μου (ekcheō apo tou pneumatos mou, “I will pour out from my Spirit”)

Literal meaning: “I will pour out”
Semantic range: liquid-outpouring imagery applied metaphorically to the Spirit’s abundant, universal distribution — a decisive OT-to-NT fulfillment (Joel 2:28–32).
Contextual theological meaning: the Spirit’s gift is no longer confined to prophets, priests, and kings but poured out on “all flesh” — sons and daughters, young and old, even servants — directly grounding this curriculum’s doctrine of the Gospel to Jews and Gentiles and Church as Community.
Destination rendering: నా ఆత్మను కుమ్మరించెదను (nā ātmanu kummarin̄chedanu, “I will pour out my Spirit”) — established Telugu Bible phrasing at this verse; ఆత్మ here stands for పరిశుద్ధాత్మ contextually (God’s own Spirit), reusing the Critical baseline term.
Risk: High. The universal-scope claim (“all flesh,” “sons and daughters,” “young and old”) must not be softened or narrowed — this is the same doctrinal caution the baseline registry applies to “no distinction” language in Romans (universal_scope_of_gospel, High), and it directly anchors the Acts doctrine “The Gospel to Jews and Gentiles.”

προφητεύσουσιν (prophēteusousin, “shall prophesy”) — reuse baseline ప్రవచనం/verb form ప్రవచించు (Low).

Acts 2:19–20 — cosmic signs; “the great and glorious day of the Lord”

ἡμέρα Κυρίου (hēmera Kyriou, “day of the Lord”)

Contextual theological meaning: the OT eschatological Day of the Lord’s judgment and salvation, now inaugurated (not yet consummated) in Christ’s first coming and the Spirit’s outpouring.
Destination rendering: ప్రభువు దినము (Prabhuvu dinamu) — reuses Critical baseline ప్రభువు (lord).
Risk: High. Must retain eschatological weight (both judgment and salvation), not flatten into a generic “special day.”

Acts 2:21 — “everyone who calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved”

ἐπικαλέσηται τὸ ὄνομα Κυρίου (epikalesētai to onoma Kyriou, “shall call upon the name of the Lord”)

Semantic range: to invoke/appeal to in worship and dependence, a covenantal act of trust and confession, not mere verbal mention of a name.
Contextual theological meaning: this Joel citation becomes, in Acts and in Romans 10:13 (already in the baseline TM’s universal-scope framework), the salvation-confession formula fulfilled climactically at 2:38’s baptismal call.
Destination rendering: ప్రభువు నామమును బట్టి ప్రార్థించు ప్రతివాడును రక్షింపబడును (Prabhuvu nāmamunu baṭṭi prārthin̄chu prativāḍunu rakshimpabaḍunu). Reuses Critical ప్రభువు and Critical రక్షణ/verb రక్షింపబడు.
Risk: Critical. Must render σωθήσεται (shall be saved) with రక్షింపబడు (from రక్షణ) — never మోక్షం/ముక్తి — and must keep “everyone” (πᾶς) fully universal and unqualified, matching this curriculum’s locked handling of Romans 10:12–13.

Acts 2:22–23 — “Jesus of Nazareth, a man attested by God with mighty works and wonders and signs… you crucified and killed”

δυνάμεσι καὶ τέρασι καὶ σημείοις (dynamesi kai terasi kai sēmeiois, “with mighty works and wonders and signs”)

Literal meaning: δύναμις = power/mighty deed; τέρας = wonder/portent; σημεῖον = sign/proof
Semantic range: three overlapping but distinct terms for the same category of miraculous divine confirmation — this triad becomes the standard Acts vocabulary for apostolic and dominical miracles (cf. 2:43; 4:30; 5:12; 14:3; 15:12).
Contextual theological meaning: God himself publicly attested/authenticated Jesus’s identity and mission through miracles — foundational for the doctrine “Apostolic Authority and Miracles,” since the apostles will go on to perform the same triad in Jesus’s name.
Destination rendering: అద్భుతకార్యములు, ఆశ్చర్యకార్యములు మరియు సూచక క్రియలు (adbhutakāryamulu, āścharyakāryamulu mariyu sūchaka kriyalu) — established Telugu Bible triad.
Risk: High. Miracle-vocabulary in a Telugu context sits near a live cultural field of guru/godman “miracle” claims and temple-based miracle traditions; the rendering must keep these as authenticating acts of the one true God through his appointed agent, not generic supernatural spectacle.

ἀνείλατε προσπήξαντες (aneilate prospēxantes, “you killed, having nailed [him] up”) — historical/narrative; no independent doctrinal risk beyond ensuring the crucifixion is stated plainly, not euphemized.

Acts 2:24 — “God raised him up, loosing the pangs of death”

ἀνέστησεν (anestēsen, “raised up”) and λύσας τὰς ὠδῖνας τοῦ θανάτου (lysas tas ōdinas tou thanatou, “having loosed the pains/pangs of death”)

Semantic range: ἀνίστημι, the standard verb-root behind ἀνάστασις (anastasis, resurrection); here in the historical-narrative verb form describing the single act.
Contextual theological meaning: God’s own act, reversing death’s grip — foundational to the resurrection doctrine central to apostolic preaching throughout Acts.
Destination rendering: దేవుడు ఆయనను లేపెను, మృత్యువేదనలను తీసివేసెను (Dēvuḍu āyananu lēpenu, mrityuvēdanalanu tīsivēsenu) — the underlying noun doctrine reuses Critical baseline పునరుత్థానం (resurrection) throughout surrounding catechesis, even though this verse uses the verb form.
Risk: Critical. Never render with పునర్జన్మ (reincarnation) vocabulary or imagery; this is a one-time, bodily, historical reversal of death, not a rebirth cycle.

Acts 2:25–28 — David’s prophecy (Psalm 16) applied to Christ

Δαυίδ (David) — reuse baseline దావీదు (Low/Medium per baseline: davidic_covenant context is High).

Contextual theological meaning: David, as prophet, foresaw the Messiah’s resurrection, not his own experience (since David himself remained dead and buried, v.29) — a key apostolic hermeneutical move fulfilling the Davidic Covenant and Messianic Promise doctrines.
Risk: High (inherits from davidic_covenant / messianic_promise, both High/Critical in the baseline registry).

Acts 2:29–31 — “he was a prophet… he foresaw and spoke of the resurrection of the Christ”

Χριστός (Christos, “Christ/Messiah”) — reuse Critical baseline మెస్సీయ in doctrinal contexts stressing the OT-promised deliverer; when used as a virtual second name for Jesus (as increasingly through Acts), pair with క్రీస్తు (Krīstu, the established Telugu Bible proper-name form, per the AI Requirements transliteration table).

Risk: Critical. Never render as one of several avatar-figures; the unique, OT-promised deliverer.

Acts 2:32–33 — “This Jesus God raised up… he has poured out this… having received from the Father the promise of the Holy Spirit”

ἐπαγγελία (epangelia, “promise”)

Semantic range: a formal, binding pledge — God’s own word of guarantee, not a casual assurance.
Destination rendering: వాగ్దానము (vāgdānamu) — established Telugu Bible term for divine promise, paired here with Critical baseline పరిశుద్ధాత్మ.
Risk: Medium. Keep the covenantal weight of “promise” rather than softening to a generic hope or wish.

Acts 2:34–35 — Psalm 110 quoted: “Sit at my right hand”

ἐκ δεξιῶν (ek dexiōn, “at the right hand”) — enthronement/authority idiom.

Destination rendering: కుడి పార్శ్వమున (kuḍi pārśvamuna) — established idiom for the position of highest honor and shared rule.
Risk: High. Must convey Christ’s present, active enthronement and authority (Lordship of Christ doctrine), not a merely honorary or spatial image.

Acts 2:36 — “Let all the house of Israel know for certain that God has made him both Lord and Christ”

κύριος καὶ Χριστός (Kyrios kai Christos, “Lord and Christ”)

Contextual theological meaning: the climax of Peter’s sermon — the full identity claim about Jesus, joining Critical baseline terms ప్రభువు (lord) and మెస్సీయ/క్రీస్తు (messiah/Christ).
Destination rendering: ప్రభువును క్రీస్తును (Prabhuvunu Krīstunu).
Risk: Critical. This is the doctrinal peak of the sermon; both titles must be rendered with their full, exclusive, established weight — no softened or comparative phrasing, matching the AI Requirements’ explicit rule for Romans 10:9’s confession.

Acts 2:37 — “they were cut to the heart… ‘what shall we do?’”

κατενύγησαν τὴν καρδίαν (katenygēsan tēn kardian, “were pierced/stabbed in the heart”)

Destination rendering: హృదయములో గుచ్చుకొనినట్లుగా బాధపడిరి (hృdayamulō guchukoninaṭlugā bādhapaḍiri, “were pained as if pierced in the heart”).
Risk: Low. Vivid idiom conveying deep conviction of conscience; must not be flattened into mere sadness, but no doctrinal-term collision risk.

Acts 2:38 — “Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit”

μετανοήσατε (metanoēsate, “repent”)

Literal meaning: μετά (change) + νοέω (mind/perceive) — “change of mind/perception” leading to a change of direction and life.
Semantic range: not mere regret or emotional remorse (a common surface-level rendering risk), but a decisive turning from sin toward God.
English variants: “repent,” “turn,” “change your mind”
Contextual theological meaning: the necessary human response to the gospel proclamation, inseparably linked to faith and to baptism in this verse — foundational to the curriculum doctrine “Repentance and Baptism.”
Destination rendering: మారుమనస్సు పొందండి (mārumanassu pondaṇḍi) — established Telugu Christian term, literally “receive/obtain a changed mind.”
Risk: High. Must not be reduced to పరితాపం (paritāpam, remorse/regret alone) which loses the turning/reorientation sense; must not be confused with Hindu ascetic renunciation categories either. New Acts term (not previously in the Romans baseline TM) — recommend adding to translation memory at High risk.

βαπτισθήτω (baptisthētō, “let him be baptized”)

Semantic range: ritual immersion; in the NT, a decisive, public, once-for-all identification with Christ’s death and resurrection and entrance into the believing community.
Contextual theological meaning: repentance and baptism together mark entry into the new covenant community; the baptismal act here is done explicitly “in the name of Jesus Christ,” distinguishing it from John’s preparatory baptism (cf. Acts 19:1–5).
Destination rendering: బాప్తిస్మము పొందండి (baptismamu pondaṇḍi) — established transliterated Telugu Christian term.
Risk: High. New Acts term. Must not imply that the water rite itself mechanically effects forgiveness apart from repentance and faith (a live cross-denominational sensitivity in Telugu Baptist/Protestant tradition specifically); the phrase’s ordering (repent → be baptized → for forgiveness) should be preserved exactly, without added interpretive glosses, and flagged for human theologian review per the baptism/repentance doctrine’s High-risk tier.

εἰς ἄφεσιν τῶν ἁμαρτιῶν (eis aphesin tōn hamartiōn, “for/unto the forgiveness of sins”)

Destination rendering: పాపక్షమాపణ కొరకు (pāpakshamāpaṇa koraku) — compound of reused baseline పాపం (sin) + established క్షమాపణ (forgiveness).
Risk: High. Distinct from నీతిమంతులుగా తీర్చడం (justification, the forensic declaration) per the baseline’s own justification/forgiveness distinction — forgiveness here is the removal of the debt of sin, not the fuller forensic righteousness-crediting act, though both flow from the same gospel.

δωρεὰν τοῦ ἁγίου πνεύματος (dōrean tou hagiou pneumatos, “the gift of the Holy Spirit”)

Destination rendering: పరిశుద్ధాత్మ వరము (pariśuddhātma varamu) — pairs Critical baseline పరిశుద్ధాత్మ with established వరము (gift).
Risk: Critical (inherits from holy_spirit). Distinguish from ఆత్మీయ వరములు (spiritual gifts, charismata, Medium risk in the baseline) — here it is the gift of the Spirit himself, not the gifts he subsequently distributes.

Acts 2:39 — “the promise is for you and for your children and for all who are far off”

Reuses వాగ్దానము (promise) and introduces the universal-reach clause “all who are far off” (πᾶσιν τοῖς εἰς μακράν).

Risk: High. This clause is the seed of the Gentile mission fulfilled later in Acts 10–15; must be rendered with its full open-ended reach (“as many as the Lord our God calls to himself”), tying directly to the reused election term (దేవుని ఏర్పాటు, High) and to the doctrine “The Gospel to Jews and Gentiles.”

Acts 2:40 — “Save yourselves from this crooked generation”

σκολιᾶς γενεᾶς (skolias geneas, “crooked/perverse generation”)

Destination rendering: ఈ వక్రమైన తరము నుండి రక్షించుకొనుడి (ī vakramaina taramu nuṇḍi rakshin̄chukonuḍi) — reuses Critical రక్షణ root.
Risk: Medium. Descriptive idiom; ensure “వక్రమైన” (crooked/perverse) is understood morally-relationally, not merely as “difficult times.”

Acts 2:41 — “those who received his word were baptized, and there were added that day about three thousand souls”

προσετέθησαν (prosetethēsan, “were added”)

Contextual theological meaning: introduces the corporate, numbered growth of the church as God’s gathered people — the narrative hinge into 2:42–47’s description of the first community, foundational to “Church as Community.”
Destination rendering: చేర్చబడిరి (chērchabaḍiri, “were added/joined”).
Risk: Low. Straightforward; no forbidden-term collision, but should be kept distinct from baseline సంఘము (church) which denotes the ongoing gathered body this verse begins to form.

PART B — CHAPTER-BY-CHAPTER STUDY, WHOLE BOOK (Acts 1–28)

Chapter 1 — Ascension and the Promise of the Spirit

μάρτυς (martys, “witness”) — Literal: one who testifies to what he has seen; semantic range spans legal testimony to (later Christian usage) death for that testimony. Contextual meaning (1:8): the apostles’ commissioned role, “witnesses… to the end of the earth,” structurally previewing the whole book’s geographic and doctrinal arc, and grounding the curriculum doctrine “Persecution and Bold Witness.” Destination rendering: సాక్షి (sākshi). Risk: High — new Acts term; must be tracked consistently since it carries both “testify” and (by the time of Stephen, ch.7–8) implicit “die for the testimony” senses; flag for theologian review at first occurrence and at Acts 22:20 (Stephen called “your witness”).
δύναμις (dynamis, “power”) (1:8, “you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you”) — reuses baseline Critical power_of_god rendering దేవుని సామర్థ్యం, never శక్తి, maintained here even though the referent is empowerment-for-witness rather than “power of God for salvation” specifically; same forbidden-substitution rule applies.
βασιλεία τοῦ θεοῦ (kingdom of God) (1:3, 1:6) — reuse baseline దేవుని రాజ్యం (Medium); note this term brackets the entire book, reappearing verbatim in the closing verse (28:31).
ἐπαγγελία (promise) (1:4) — reuse rendering established above (వాగ్దానము); ties to the Spirit’s outpouring fulfilled in ch.2.
κλῆρος (klēros, “lot”) (1:26, casting lots for Judas’s replacement) — descriptive; destination: చీట్లు (chīṭlu). Risk: Low.
ἐπισκοπή (episkopē, “office/oversight”) (1:20, Psalm 109 quoted) — same root as ἐπίσκοπος (overseer, cf. Acts 20:28); destination: అధ్యక్ష పదవి (adhyaksha padavi). Risk: Medium — worth flagging the terminological link forward to ch.20’s overseer/elder vocabulary.

Chapter 2 — Pentecost (see Part A for vv.1–41); vv.42–47

κοινωνία (koinōnia, “fellowship”) (2:42) — reuse baseline సహవాసం (Low).
κλάσις τοῦ ἄρτου (klasis tou artou, “breaking of bread”) (2:42, 46) — destination: రొట్టె విరుచుట (roṭṭe viruchuṭa). Risk: Medium — must be understood as shared communal/Lord’s-table fellowship, not a generic meal; also not conflated with formal sacramental terminology beyond what the text itself states, given denominational variance on the Lord’s Supper across Telugu church traditions.
ἅπαντα κοινά (hapanta koina, “all things in common”) (2:44) — destination: అన్నియు ఉమ్మడిగా (anniyu ummaḍigā). Risk: Medium — describes a historically-specific voluntary sharing, not a normative communism; avoid over-systematizing in translator notes.
χάρις (charis, “favor”) (2:47, “having favor with all the people”) — here used in its everyday sense of goodwill/favor rather than the technical soteriological grace; still reuse baseline glyph కృప but flag context: this is relational favor with onlookers, not the doctrine of unmerited salvation-grace. Risk: Medium (disambiguation risk, not syncretism risk).

Chapter 3 — Peter Heals the Lame Man; Sermon at the Temple

ὄνομα (onoma, “name,” of Jesus) (3:6, 16) — introduces the recurring “name of Jesus” invocation formula; destination: యేసు నామము (Yēsu nāmamu), reusing Critical యేసు. Risk: High — the name is not a magic formula but shorthand for the person and authority of Christ; guard against a folk-magical reading given regional mantra/incantation traditions.
ἀρχηγός (archēgos, “author/originator,” 3:15; also 5:31 “author of life… Savior”) — Literal: leader/founder/originator. Contextual meaning: Christ as the source and pioneer of life and salvation, not merely a chief among leaders. Destination: జీవకర్త (jīvakarta, “author/originator of life”) at 3:15; కర్తయు రక్షకుడు (karta and Savior, reusing రక్షకుడు from రక్షణ) at 5:31. Risk: High — must not collapse to a generic “leader/guru” sense.
ὁ ἅγιος καὶ δίκαιος (ho hagios kai dikaios, “the Holy and Righteous One”) (3:14) — reuses Critical/High baseline పరిశుద్ధ and నీతి roots as a Christological title: పరిశుద్ధుడును నీతిమంతుడును. Risk: Critical — a divine title, not a general moral descriptor.
ἀνάψυξις (anapsyxis, “refreshing”) and ἀποκατάστασις (apokatastasis, “restoration”) (3:19–21) — eschatological terms; destination: విశ్రాంతికాలము / సమస్తమును తిరిగి స్థాపించు కాలము. Risk: Medium — keep future/eschatological, not present psychological relief.
μετάνοια (repentance) (3:19) — reuse the High-risk rendering established at 2:38: మారుమనస్సు.

παρρησία (parrēsia, “boldness”) (4:13, 29, 31) — Literal: freedom/openness of speech. Semantic range: courage to speak truth publicly despite risk, closely tied to the Spirit’s filling. Destination: ధైర్యము (dhairyamu) — established Telugu Bible rendering (“బహుధైర్యముతో,” “with much boldness”). Risk: High — new Acts term, central to the doctrine “Persecution and Bold Witness”; must not be watered down to mere confidence/self-assurance, but bold Spirit-given courage to proclaim under threat.
οὐδὲ ἐν ἄλλῳ τινί ἐστιν ἡ σωτηρία (4:12, “there is salvation in no one else”) — exclusivity claim reusing Critical రక్షణ; risk: Critical — must retain the unqualified exclusivity (“no other name”), matching the AI Requirements’ rule against softening universality/exclusivity claims.
σημεῖα καὶ τέρατα (signs and wonders) (4:30) — reuse rendering from 2:22; risk: High, continuing the Apostolic Authority and Miracles doctrine.
χάρις μεγάλη (great grace) (4:33) — reuse baseline కృప (High).
κοινά (held all things in common) (4:32–37) — reuse rendering from 2:44–45; new note: Barnabas (Βαρνάβας) introduced by name, established Telugu form బర్నబా — Low risk proper name.

Chapter 5 — Ananias and Sapphira; Apostolic Signs; Gamaliel’s Counsel

ψεύσασθαι τῷ πνεύματι τῷ ἁγίῳ (5:3, “to lie to the Holy Spirit”) — reuses Critical పరిశుద్ధాత్మ; contextual meaning: sin against the church is sin against the Spirit personally present in it. Risk: Critical — must retain the personal-Spirit framing, not reduce to “lying to the community.”
φόβος (phobos, “fear”) (5:5, 11, “great fear came upon the church”) — destination: మహాభయము (mahābhayamu). Risk: Medium — distinguish this reverential/awestruck fear at God’s holiness from ordinary anxiety; do not confuse with భయభక్తులు (devout fear/reverence, a positive discipleship posture used elsewhere).
σημεῖα καὶ τέρατα (5:12) — reuse; Apostolic Authority and Miracles doctrine continues.
ἄγγελος Κυρίου (angel of the Lord) (5:19) — destination: ప్రభువు దూత (Prabhuvu dūta). Risk: Medium — standard, established term; ensure దూత (messenger/angel) is not confused with a semi-divine intermediary figure in local devotional frameworks.
Gamaliel’s counsel, “if this plan/undertaking is of God” (5:38–39, ἔργον) — descriptive; no independent doctrinal risk beyond providence resonance (reuse baseline దేవుని పరిపాలన, High).

Chapter 6 — Appointment of the Seven; Stephen Seized

διακονία (diakonia, “ministry/service”) and the appointed Seven (6:1–6) — introduces the church-office vocabulary that will develop into deacon. Destination: పరిచర్య (parichárya, ministry) and పరిచారకులు (parichārakulu, those who serve/deacons). Risk: Medium — new Acts term; distinguish this service-office sense from the general “ministry” verb used of apostolic preaching (6:4, “ministry of the word,” వాక్య పరిచర్య).
Ἑλληνισταί (Hellēnistai, “Hellenists”) vs. Ἑβραῖοι (Hebraioi, “Hebrews”) (6:1) — proper cultural-linguistic groups within the early Jerusalem church; destination: గ్రీకు భాష మాట్లాడు యూదులు (Greek-speaking Jews) / హెబ్రీ భాష మాట్లాడు యూదులు. Risk: Medium — requires a brief explanatory gloss for Telugu learners unfamiliar with first-century Jewish diaspora sociolinguistics; relevant to “Church as Community” doctrine (unity across cultural difference within the church, prefiguring the larger Jew-Gentile unity theme).
πλήρης πνεύματος καὶ σοφίας (full of the Spirit and of wisdom) (6:3, 5, Stephen) — reuses Critical పరిశుద్ధాత్మ plus established జ్ఞానము (wisdom). Risk: High.

Chapter 7 — Stephen’s Speech and Martyrdom

Extensive OT recap (Abraham, Joseph, Moses, the tabernacle) reuses established proper-name forms: అబ్రాహాము, యోసేపు, మోషే. No new theological-term risk beyond the reused baseline covenant (నిబంధన, High) underlying the whole speech’s structure.
σκηνή (skēnē, “tabernacle”) (7:44) — destination: గుడారము (guḍāramu). Risk: Low — descriptive, historically located.
λιθοβολέω (lithoboleō, “to stone”) (7:58–59) — destination: రాళ్లతో కొట్టుట (rāllatō koṭṭuṭa). Risk: Low linguistically, but the event itself is the first fulfillment of the “Persecution and Bold Witness” doctrine and the direct model for μάρτυς (witness) developing martyrological weight — cross-reference ch.1 and ch.22.
Κύριε, δέξαι τὸ πνεῦμά μου (7:59, “Lord, receive my spirit”) — here πνεῦμα refers to Stephen’s own human spirit, NOT the Holy Spirit; destination: నా ఆత్మను చేర్చుకొనుము using unprefixed ఆత్మ (ātma, spirit/soul) rather than పరిశుద్ధాత్మ. Risk: High — a real disambiguation risk: translators must not accidentally write పరిశుద్ధాత్మ here, which would confuse Stephen’s dying prayer with an address to the Holy Spirit rather than to the Lord Jesus about his own soul.
Saul present at the stoning (7:58; 8:1) — narrative seed for chapter 9’s Conversion of Paul doctrine.

Chapter 8 — Persecution Scatters the Church; Philip in Samaria; Simon Magus; the Ethiopian Eunuch

διωγμός (diōgmos, “persecution”) (8:1) — destination: హింస (hinsa). Risk: Medium — new Acts term central to “Persecution and Bold Witness”; keep as organized hostile suppression, not vague “trouble.”
μαγεία (mageia, “sorcery/magic”), Simon (8:9–24) — destination: మాంత్రికవిద్య (māntrikavidya). Risk: High — must be clearly distinguished from the apostolic signs and wonders vocabulary (2:22, 4:30) as an illegitimate, self-serving counterfeit power, especially given the live cultural presence of folk-magic and astrology practices in parts of Telugu-speaking society; the text’s own contrast (Simon wants to buy the gift) must not be blurred.
ἐπίθεσις τῶν χειρῶν (epithesis tōn cheirōn, “laying on of hands”) (8:17–19) — destination: హస్తనిక్షేపణ (hastanikshepana). Risk: High — new Acts term; a recurring ordination/impartation gesture (cf. 6:6; 9:17; 13:3; 19:6) that must be kept distinct from folk-healing touch-practices; flag for native speaker review at each occurrence for consistency.
εὐνοῦχος (eunouchos, “eunuch”) (8:27ff) — destination: నపుంసకుడు (napunsakuḍu), the established Telugu Bible term. Risk: Medium — sensitive term; keep dignified and non-derogatory register, matching the narrative’s own respectful treatment of this Gentile-adjacent convert (relevant to “Gospel to Jews and Gentiles”).
Isaiah 53 quoted (8:32–33) — reuse baseline prophecy/prophet terms; ties Messianic Promise doctrine forward.

Chapter 9 — Conversion of Saul; Peter’s Ministry in Lydda and Joppa

ἡ ὁδός (hē hodos, “the Way”) (9:2) — Literal: “the road/path.” Semantic range: the early self-designation of the Christian movement as a way of life/faith, not yet “Christianity” as an institution-name. Contextual theological meaning: central to the doctrine “Great Commission Fulfilled” and to Paul’s own later legal defenses (22:4; 24:14; 24:22). Destination: మార్గము (mārgamu). Risk: High — new Acts term; must not be rendered with a word implying a philosophical “path” among many equally valid paths (a live syncretism risk in a culture where “మార్గము” could otherwise evoke a generic dharmic-path framework); the definite article (“the Way,” not “a way”) must be preserved in context.
Saul’s blindness and restoration (“scales fell from his eyes,” 9:18) — descriptive; no independent term risk.
σκεῦος ἐκλογῆς (skeuos eklogēs, “a chosen instrument/vessel”) (9:15) — destination: ఏర్పరచబడిన పాత్ర (ērparachabaḍina pātra), tying to baseline election (దేవుని ఏర్పాటు, High). Risk: High — must retain the sense of divine sovereign choice for a specific mission, not a self-selected role.
βαπτίζω (baptize) (9:18) — reuse rendering established at 2:38: బాప్తిస్మము.
Tabitha/Dorcas raised (9:36–41, ἀνέστη/ἀνάστησον, “arose/raise up”) — Risk: High. This is an individual miraculous revivification, not the doctrinal, once-for-all bodily resurrection (ἀνάστασις) applied to Christ and to the general resurrection of the dead. Recommend a distinct destination rendering, బ్రతికించెను (brathikin̄chenu, “made alive again/revived”), reserving Critical పునరుత్థానం exclusively for Christ’s resurrection and the future general resurrection, per the baseline’s own forbidden-substitution logic (never blur a one-time miracle-of-revival with the doctrinal resurrection).

Chapter 10 — Cornelius; Peter’s Vision; the Spirit Falls on Gentiles

κοινός/ἀκάθαρτος (koinos/akathartos, “common/unclean”) (10:14–15, 28) — Literal: ritually common or impure under Levitical categories. Contextual theological meaning: God’s declaration “what God has made clean, do not call common” reverses ceremonial food-law boundaries to open table-fellowship (and by extension, salvation) to Gentiles — central to “Gospel to Jews and Gentiles.” Destination: అపవిత్రమైనది (apavitramainadi, unclean) / శుద్ధమైనది (śuddhamainadi, clean). Risk: High — must be kept distinct from the locked baseline term పరిశుద్ధ (holy, from hagios); this is ceremonial/ritual purity vocabulary (a different Greek word family), not the moral-relational holiness category. Confusing the two would blur an important exegetical distinction the passage itself is making.
οὐ προσωπολήμπτης (ou prosōpolēmptēs, “not a respecter of persons/shows no partiality”) (10:34) — destination: దేవుడు పక్షపాతం చూపడు (Dēvuḍu pakshapātam chūpaḍu). Risk: High — directly parallels the baseline’s “Universal Scope of the Gospel” doctrine (already High risk in Romans) and its resonance with Telugu Dalit-community Christian history; retain unqualified.
πᾶς ὁ πιστεύων (10:43, “everyone who believes”) — reuse Critical విశ్వాసం faith vocabulary; universality preserved per AI Requirements rule.
Gentiles receive the Spirit and speak in tongues (10:44–46) — reuse rendering from 2:4 (వేరు భాషలు, పరిశుద్ధాత్మతో పూర్ణులై); confirms Gentile inclusion is Spirit-attested, not merely apostolically permitted.
κύριος πάντων (Lord of all) (10:36) — reuse Critical ప్రభువు, extended explicitly to “all” (Jew and Gentile). Risk: Critical.

Chapter 11 — Report to Jerusalem; the Church at Antioch; “Christians”

μετάνοιαν εἰς ζωήν (11:18, “repentance that leads to life”) — reuse High-risk మారుమనస్సు plus established జీవము (life; note: distinct from నిత్యజీవము, eternal life, used later at 13:48).
Χριστιανοί (Christianoi, “Christians”) (11:26) — destination: క్రైస్తవులు (Kraistavulu) — established Telugu term. Risk: Medium — historically this was initially an outsider label; ensure the learner-facing material notes it became the accepted self-designation without importing modern denominational-political connotations.
χεῖρ Κυρίου (hand of the Lord) (11:21) — idiom for God’s effective power at work; destination: ప్రభువు హస్తము. Risk: Low.

Chapter 12 — Herod’s Persecution; Peter’s Deliverance; James Martyred

James (son of Zebedee) killed (12:2) — first apostolic martyrdom; reinforces μάρτυς/persecution doctrine vocabulary from ch.1, 4, 7, 8.
ἄγγελος Κυρίου (angel of the Lord, 12:7, 23) — reuse rendering from ch.5.
ὁ λόγος τοῦ θεοῦ ηὔξανεν (12:24, “the word of God increased/grew”) — destination: దేవుని వాక్యము వ్యాపించెను (Dēvuni vākyamu vyāpin̄chenu). Risk: Low — a recurring Acts summary-refrain (cf. 6:7; 19:20) marking narrative growth of the mission; keep consistent phrasing across occurrences for the “Great Commission Fulfilled” doctrine.

Chapter 13 — First Missionary Journey; Paul’s Sermon at Antioch of Pisidia; “Justified”

ἀφορίζω (aphorizō, “set apart”) (13:2, the Spirit sets apart Barnabas and Saul) — reuse baseline doctrine “separation unto God’s service” (High); destination: ప్రత్యేకించుట (pratyēkin̄chuṭa). Risk: High.
νηστεία (nēsteia, “fasting”) (13:2–3) — destination: ఉపవాసము (upavāsamu), established. Risk: Low.
δικαιοῦται (dikaioutai, “is justified”) (13:38–39, “through this man forgiveness of sins is proclaimed to you, and by him everyone who believes is justified from everything from which you could not be justified by the law of Moses”) — direct match to the baseline Critical term justification (నీతిమంతులుగా తీర్చడం) and to the curriculum doctrine “Justification apart from the Law.” Risk: Critical — must reuse the exact baseline compound rendering, contrasted explicitly with ధర్మశాస్త్రము (the Law, reuse baseline Medium term); the contrast (law cannot justify; faith in Christ does) must not be softened, paralleling Romans 3–4’s grace/works contrast rule in the AI Requirements.
φῶς ἐθνῶν (light to the Gentiles, quoting Isaiah 49:6) (13:47) — reuse baseline అన్యజనులు (gentiles) plus established వెలుగు (light). Risk: High — central Gospel-to-Gentiles proof-text.
τεταγμένοι εἰς ζωὴν αἰώνιον (13:48, “appointed/ordained to eternal life”) — reuse baseline election (దేవుని ఏర్పాటు, High) plus established నిత్యజీవము (eternal life). Risk: High.

Chapter 14 — Lystra; Mistaken for Gods; Elders Appointed

Paul and Barnabas mistaken for Zeus and Hermes (14:11–13) — proper pagan deity names; destination: transliterate as జెయుస్ and హెర్మేస్ (or retain the Greek-named local titles the crowd uses, glossed). Risk: High — direct parallel to the baseline’s Tirupati/avatar syncretism concern: this passage is the clearest NT enactment of “the crowd conflates God’s messengers with pagan deity figures,” and Paul’s own response (14:15, “we are men of like nature with you… turn from these vain things to the living God”) is the model corrective; translators must render this contrast sharply, not blend the vocabulary. Directly informs “Apostolic Authority and Miracles” (miracles authenticate God’s messenger, they do not divinize the messenger).
θεός (theos, “god,” of the crowd’s misidentification) — here NOT the doctrinal, Critical baseline దేవుడు in its normal referent (the one true God); the same Telugu word must be used since Greek uses the same word, but a translator note is required clarifying this is the pagan crowd’s mistaken usage, not an endorsement. Risk: Critical (disambiguation, not substitution — same word, opposite referent, requires theologian-reviewed footnoting per the AI Requirements’ translator-note protocol).
πρεσβύτεροι (presbyteroi, “elders”) (14:23) — destination: పెద్దలు (peddalu), established Telugu Bible church-office term. Risk: Medium — new Acts term, foundational to “Church as Community” and later developed in ch.20; keep distinct from generic “elderly people” sense by context.
“through many tribulations we must enter the kingdom of God” (14:22) — reuse baseline దేవుని రాజ్యం (Medium).

Chapter 15 — The Jerusalem Council

περιτομή (peritomē, “circumcision”) (15:1, 5) — destination: సున్నతి (sunnati), established. Risk: High — the council’s central dispute; must be kept as the literal Mosaic rite under debate, foundational to “Justification apart from the Law.”
διὰ τῆς χάριτος (15:11, “through grace we are saved”) — Peter’s climactic statement; reuse Critical/High baseline కృప (grace) and Critical రక్షణ (salvation). Risk: Critical — this is the theological center of the whole council narrative and must be rendered with full grace-not-law force, directly echoing Romans’s grace-versus-works contrast rule.
ζυγός (zygos, “yoke”) (15:10, “why put a yoke on the neck of the disciples”) — destination: కాడి (kāḍi, yoke). Risk: Medium — vivid burden-of-the-law metaphor; keep concrete, not abstracted away.
Apostolic decree (15:20, 29: abstain from things polluted by idols, from sexual immorality, from what has been strangled, and from blood) — descriptive list; reuse baseline గంతజనులు (gentiles) context; no single new doctrinal-risk term beyond ensuring the list is not moralized into a new “law” contradicting the letter’s own grace-based framing.

Chapter 16 — Lydia; the Philippian Jailer; Paul and Silas

ὅραμα (horama, “vision”) (16:9–10, the Macedonian call) — destination: దర్శనము (darśanamu), established. Risk: Medium — a normal term for a divinely-given vision in Telugu Christian usage; ensure it is not confused with generic mystical-vision terminology from other regional devotional traditions without contextual anchoring in God’s specific guidance.
σῴζω (sōzō, “be saved”) (16:31, “Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved, you and your household”) — reuse Critical రక్షణ/verb రక్షింపబడు; also reuse Critical ప్రభువు and Critical విశ్వాసం (faith). Risk: Critical — this is one of the curriculum’s headline salvation-confession verses (parallel to Romans 10:9); the household scope (“you and your household”) must be preserved without over- or under-reading into it a doctrine of automatic household salvation, per standard exegetical caution — flag for theologian review.
Timothy circumcised (16:3) vs. the Council’s ruling in ch.15 — narrative nuance (Timothy is half-Jewish); no new term but worth a translator/theologian note on consistency with ch.15’s decree.

Chapter 17 — Areopagus; “The Unknown God”

ἄγνωστος θεός (agnōstos theos, “unknown god”) (17:23) — destination: అపరిచిత దేవుడు (aparichita dēvuḍu). Risk: High — a quoted pagan altar-inscription Paul repurposes apologetically; must be clearly marked as the Athenians’ own label for an unidentified deity, not a name Paul endorses as a valid alternate designation for the true God, to avoid the appearance of syncretistic equivalence.
ἐν αὐτῷ ζῶμεν καὶ κινούμεθα καὶ ἐσμέν (17:28, “in him we live and move and have our being,” quoting Greek poets) — destination: rendered plainly and literally: ఆయనలో మనము జీవించుచున్నాము, సంచరించుచున్నాము, ఉన్నాము. Risk: High — a genuine syncretism-adjacent risk: this line, lifted from Stoic/pantheistic poetry, must in Telugu retain Paul’s own reframing toward a personal Creator who is “not far” yet distinct from his creation, not slide toward a Vedantic-monist reading (God as the impersonal substance in which all things merely exist) that Telugu readers steeped in Advaita-influenced popular religiosity could import; requires human theologian review and a clarifying translator note.
χρόνοι τῆς ἀγνοίας (times of ignorance) (17:30) — destination: అజ్ఞానకాలములు. Risk: Medium.
ἀνάστασις νεκρῶν (resurrection of the dead) (17:31–32) — reuse Critical పునరుత్థానం; note this is the point at which the Athenian audience visibly scoffs, underscoring the doctrine’s original cultural strangeness — useful context for Telugu learners navigating a modern culture where reincarnation categories create an analogous, if different, strangeness.

Chapter 18 — Corinth; Aquila and Priscilla; Apollos

σκηνοποιός (skēnopoios, “tentmaker”) (18:3) — destination: గుడారములు కుట్టువాడు. Risk: Low — vocational/cultural detail, useful for “Apostolic Authority” context (Paul’s bi-vocational ministry model) but no doctrinal weight.
ἡ ὁδὸς τοῦ Κυρίου (the Way of the Lord) (18:25, of Apollos) — reuse మార్గము + ప్రభువు rendering from ch.9. Risk: High (inherited).
John’s baptism vs. fuller instruction (18:25–26; developed fully in 19:1–5) — reuse బాప్తిస్మము; flag distinction forward to ch.19.

Chapter 19 — Ephesus; Re-baptism in Jesus’s Name; the Riot over Artemis

βάπτισμα Ἰωάννου vs. εἰς τὸ ὄνομα τοῦ κυρίου Ἰησοῦ (John’s baptism vs. baptism into the name of the Lord Jesus) (19:3–5) — destination: యోహాను బాప్తిస్మము vs. ప్రభువైన యేసు నామమున బాప్తిస్మము. Risk: High — must clearly distinguish John’s preparatory, repentance-focused baptism from Christian baptism explicitly tied to Jesus’s name and accompanied by the Spirit’s coming (19:6), reinforcing the “Repentance and Baptism” doctrine’s full NT shape.
γλώσσαις καὶ ἐπροφήτευον (spoke in tongues and prophesied) (19:6) — reuse renderings from ch.2 and baseline ప్రవచనం.
βιβλία (magic scrolls burned) (19:19) — destination: మాంత్రిక గ్రంథములు (māntrika granthamulu), reusing the మాంత్రికవిద్య (sorcery) term-family from ch.8. Risk: Medium.
Ἄρτεμις (Artemis/Diana of the Ephesians) (19:24–35) — proper pagan deity name; destination: అర్తెమి దేవత (Artemi dēvata). Risk: High — direct structural parallel to the baseline’s own flagged Andhra Shakta-tradition concern (Kanaka Durgamma at Vijayawada): a regionally beloved goddess-cult confronted by exclusive gospel proclamation. The rendering must present Artemis clearly as a named local pagan cult figure being confronted, not use vocabulary (e.g., a generic దేవత, “goddess,” standing alone without the proper name) that could read as a general critique of goddess-devotion as a category rather than the specific historical confrontation the text narrates. Flag for human theologian review with an explicit translator note on this parallel.
ἡ ὁδός (the Way, causing the riot, implied through “this business,” 19:23–27) — reuse established rendering.

Chapter 20 — Farewell to the Ephesian Elders

πρεσβύτεροι / ἐπίσκοποι (elders / overseers) (20:17, 28) — Literal: elders (age/office term) and overseers (watching/guarding term) used of the same office in this passage. Destination: పెద్దలు (peddalu, reuse from ch.14) and అధ్యక్షులు (adhyakshulu, overseers). Risk: High — new Acts term-pair foundational to “Church as Community”; Telugu’s several denominational traditions use varying office-vocabulary (పెద్దలు, కరుణాధికారులు, పాస్టర్లు, etc.) — this curriculum should lock పెద్దలు and అధ్యక్షులు consistently, paralleling the baseline’s own πరిశుద్ధాత్మ/పరిశుద్ధ-vs-alternative denominational lock logic.
ποιμαίνειν τὴν ἐκκλησίαν τοῦ θεοῦ (20:28, “shepherd the church of God”) — reuse baseline Critical సంఘము (church) plus established pastoral verb కాయుడి (kāyuḍi, tend/shepherd). Risk: High.
πᾶσαν τὴν βουλὴν τοῦ θεοῦ (20:27, “the whole counsel of God”) — destination: దేవుని సంకల్పమంతయు (Dēvuni sankalpamantayu). Risk: Medium.
τὸ εὐαγγέλιον τῆς χάριτος τοῦ θεοῦ (20:24, “the gospel of the grace of God”) — reuse baseline సువార్త + కృప. Risk: High.
Eutychus revived (20:9–12) — reuse the ch.9 disambiguation rendering బ్రతికించెను, not పునరుత్థానం.

Chapter 21 — Warnings to Jerusalem; Paul’s Vow and Arrest

προφητεύω (Agabus prophesies Paul’s arrest) (21:10–11) — reuse baseline ప్రవచనం/ప్రవక్త.
εὐχή (euchē, “vow”), the Nazirite purification vow (21:23–26) — destination: ప్రతిజ్ఞ (pratijña). Risk: Medium — requires OT/Numbers 6 background note for Telugu learners without prior OT literacy exposure, per the AI Requirements’ baseline-familiarity caveat.
Riot and arrest in the temple (21:27–36) — reuse హింస (persecution) term-family.

Chapter 22 — Paul’s Defense; Retelling His Conversion

βάπτισαι καὶ ἀπόλουσαι τὰς ἁμαρτίας σου, ἐπικαλεσάμενος τὸ ὄνομα αὐτοῦ (22:16, “be baptized and wash away your sins, calling on his name”) — destination: బాప్తిస్మము పొంది, ఆయన నామమును బట్టి ప్రార్థించి, నీ పాపములను కడిగివేయుము. Risk: High — this vivid washing-image sits close to sacramental-efficacy debates across Telugu denominational traditions (Baptist/Protestant vs. more sacramentally-oriented traditions); the AI Requirements’ translator-note protocol should be triggered here to clarify the rendering reflects the symbolic/testimonial force of baptism marking cleansing already accomplished through repentance and faith, without adjudicating denominational sacramental theology in the learner-facing text itself. Flag for human theologian review.
Paul’s retelling reuses మార్గము (the Way, 22:4) and యేసు నామము (name of Jesus) term-families established above.

Chapter 23 — Before the Sanhedrin; Plot Against Paul

συνέδριον (synedrion, “Sanhedrin/council”) — destination: మహాసభ (mahāsabha), established. Risk: Medium.
Pharisees vs. Sadducees dispute over ἀνάστασις (resurrection) (23:6–8) — reuse Critical పునరుత్థానం; useful didactic moment showing first-century Jewish internal disagreement on this doctrine prior to the gospel’s clarifying fulfillment in Christ.

Chapter 24 — Trial Before Felix

αἵρεσις (hairesis, “sect/faction”) (24:5, 14, “the sect of the Nazarenes”; “the Way, which they call a sect”) — destination: వర్గము (vargamu, faction/party), deliberately NOT మతము (matamu, a whole separate religion), matching Paul’s own insistence that “the Way” is the fulfillment of, not a break from, Israel’s own faith and hope. Risk: High — a subtle but doctrinally important word choice; mistranslating as “religion” would concede the accusers’ framing that Christianity is a novel breakaway sect rather than fulfilled biblical faith.
δικαιοσύνη, ἐγκράτεια, καὶ τὸ κρίμα τὸ μέλλον (24:25, “righteousness, self-control, and the judgment to come”) — reuse baseline నీతి (righteousness) plus established ఆత్మనిగ్రహం (self-control) and తీర్పు (judgment). Risk: Medium.

Chapter 25 — Trial Before Festus; Appeal to Caesar

ἐπικαλοῦμαι Καίσαρα (25:11, “I appeal to Caesar”) — legal-procedural, descriptive; destination: కైసరు వద్ద న్యాయము అడుగుచున్నాను. Risk: Low.
No new theological-doctrinal vocabulary; chapter is narrative/legal.

Chapter 26 — Paul Before Agrippa: Full Testimony

φῶς ἐκ τοῦ οὐρανοῦ (light from heaven) (26:13) — reuse established వెలుగు (light) vocabulary from ch.13/17.
ἐπιστρέψαι ἀπὸ τοῦ σκότους εἰς φῶς καὶ τῆς ἐξουσίας τοῦ Σατανᾶ ἐπὶ τὸν θεόν (26:18, “turn from darkness to light, and from the authority of Satan to God”) — introduces Σατανᾶς (Satan), destination transliterated సాతాను (established Telugu Christian form), and ἐξουσία (exousia, “authority/dominion”), destination అధికారము (adhikāramu) — deliberately NOT సామర్థ్యం (which the baseline reserves specifically for God’s saving δύναμις/power) nor శక్తి (the forbidden Shakta-collision term). Risk: High — must preserve the baseline’s own శక్తి/సామర్థ్యం discipline by using a third, distinct word (అధికారము) for Satan’s usurped authority, so as not to imply Satan wields the same category of power reserved for God’s saving సామర్థ్యం, nor accidentally invoke the శక్తి goddess-tradition collision in an already sensitive spiritual-warfare verse.
Reuse మారుమనస్సు (repent, implied throughout the testimony) and Critical దేవుని రాజ్యం, రక్షణ term-families.

Chapter 27 — Shipwreck Voyage to Rome

σωτηρία / διασώζω (sōtēria / diasōzō, “safety/rescue” from the storm and sea) (27:20, 31, 34, 44) — Literal and semantic range: this is the SAME root as the doctrinal salvation term, but used here in its ordinary, physical, this-worldly sense (bodily rescue from drowning/shipwreck). Destination: recommend ప్రాణరక్షణ (prāṇarakshaṇa, “life-rescue/safety”) or a verb form of the general రక్షించు root kept contextually bounded to physical safety, rather than the capitalized doctrinal రక్షణ used elsewhere for salvation from sin. Risk: High — a genuine and instructive translation-memory case: Telugu (like English “saved”) shares the same root for both senses, and Luke may be exploiting this overlap rhetorically (God who saves from sin also providentially saves from the sea), but this curriculum’s own discipline of reserving రక్షణ for the soteriological doctrine (per the baseline’s Critical-risk lock) means each occurrence here should be checked in context and, where purely physical, rendered with the less doctrinally loaded compound to avoid diluting రక్షణ’s doctrinal precision through overuse. Flag for native speaker review with a translator note preserving the option to note Luke’s wordplay in commentary material without importing it into the base translation itself.
Breaking of bread aboard ship (27:35) — reuse రొట్టె విరుచుట term-family from 2:42, contextually a meal of encouragement, not the Lord’s Supper — low risk disambiguation note only.

Chapter 28 — Malta; Arrival in Rome; the Gospel Preached Unhindered

Paul mistaken for a god after surviving the snakebite (28:6, ἔλεγον αὐτὸν εἶναι θεόν, “they said he was a god”) — same disambiguation risk as ch.14’s Lystra episode; reuse దేవుడు with the same required translator note that this is the pagan islanders’ mistaken assumption, not an endorsement, tying back to the Apostolic Authority and Miracles doctrine’s own built-in caution against divinizing the messenger. Risk: Critical (disambiguation).
Final verse (28:31): κηρύσσων τὴν βασιλείαν τοῦ θεοῦ… μετὰ πάσης παρρησίας ἀκωλύτως (“proclaiming the kingdom of God… with all boldness and without hindrance”) — reuse baseline దేవుని రాజ్యం (Critical/Medium bracket-term, closing the inclusio opened at 1:3, 1:6) and the established ధైర్యము (boldness) term-family from ch.4; ἀκωλύτως (akōlytōs, “without hindrance”) destination: అడ్డంకి లేకుండా (aḍḍanki lēkuṇḍā). Risk: High — the book’s deliberate open/unresolved ending (Paul still a prisoner, yet the gospel unhindered) is the capstone of “The Great Commission Fulfilled” doctrine and should not be smoothed into a falsely triumphant or falsely defeated tone in Telugu; preserve the tension.

Summary Note on Full-Book Coverage

All 28 chapters of Acts have been reviewed. Chapters not separately itemized above for a given sub-unit (e.g., extended genealogical/geographic detail within chapters already covered) introduce no additional load-bearing theological vocabulary beyond what is documented under that chapter’s heading and are considered reviewed under this analysis. No chapter was silently omitted.

This document feeds directly into analysis/08_core_glossary.md. All Critical and High risk terms identified above must be added to the project’s translation_memory.json and bible_term_registry.json in Phase 1 Steps 2–8, following the same schema as the baseline Romans Language Package.

Library content is free and openly licensed under CC BY-NC-SA 4.0 — share and adapt it for non-commercial use, with attribution to tri-bible.ai.