Core Glossary
08 Core Glossary — Acts 1–28 (English → Vietnamese)
Notes on Use
- Reused (Romans TM) terms MUST be rendered exactly as recorded in the baseline
translation_memory.json; this glossary cites them for completeness and Acts-specific contextual notes only. Do not re-derive alternative renderings for these. - New (Acts) terms are proposed for addition to translation memory at their assigned risk tier. Critical/High require human theologian sign-off before Phase 2 use, per the baseline’s escalation rules.
- Sorted by first appearance (book order). “Chs.” lists all chapters in which the term is load-bearing.
A. Terms Reused Exactly from the Baseline Romans Translation Memory
| Term | Vietnamese | Risk (baseline) | Chs. (Acts) | Acts-specific note |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| gospel | Tin Lành | Medium | 1,5,8,10,13,14,15,16,20 | Central to “Gospel to Jews and Gentiles” doctrine throughout. |
| grace | ân điển | High | 4,11,13,14,15,18,20 | Ties to Simon Magus (8) money-for-gift contrast even though “grace” lexeme absent there; explicit at 15:11. |
| faith | đức tin | Medium | throughout | Object always Christ; e.g. 3:16, 14:27, 16:31. |
| righteousness | sự công bình | High | 3,10,13,24 | Combined title “Holy and Righteous One” (3:14). |
| justification | sự xưng công bình | High | 13 | 13:38-39 is the book’s key justification-apart-from-law text; must match Romans rendering exactly. |
| salvation | sự cứu rỗi | Critical | 2,4,11,13,16,27,28 | Never sự giải thoát. |
| apostle | sứ đồ | Medium | 1,2,4,5,8,9,14,15,16 | Reconstituted Twelve (Ch.1); Paul/Barnabas called apostles (14:4,14). |
| called / calling | được kêu gọi / sự kêu gọi | Medium/High | 2,13 | 2:39’s “as many as the Lord calls.” |
| holy | thánh | Medium | 2,3,5,6,7,9,10,13,26 | Applied to Spirit (Đức Thánh Linh) and to Christ (3:14). |
| saints | các thánh đồ | High | 9,26 | 9:13,32,41; 26:10,18 — never shorten to bare các thánh. |
| sanctification | sự nên thánh | Medium | 20,26 | 20:32 “inheritance among all who are sanctified”; 26:18. |
| adoption | sự làm con nuôi | High | 26 (conceptual) | Inheritance/κλῆρος language at 26:18 echoes adoption’s inheritance-rights framing. |
| resurrection | sự sống lại | Critical | 1,2,3,4,17,23,24,26 | Never đầu thai/luân hồi; both Christ’s specific resurrection and the general resurrection doctrine debated in Ch.23 use this term. |
| lord | Chúa | High | throughout | 2:21,34-36; exclusive supreme Lordship. |
| son_of_god | Con Đức Chúa Trời | Critical | 9,13 | Implicit in Paul’s early preaching (9:20). |
| incarnation | Ngôi Lời trở nên xác thịt | Critical | (background doctrine) | Not a lexical item in Acts; underlies Christ’s genuine humanity assumed in resurrection/ascension narratives. |
| peace | sự bình an | Medium | 9,10,15,24 | 9:31; 10:36 “preaching peace by Jesus Christ.” |
| spiritual_gifts | ân tứ thuộc linh | Medium | (contrast term) | Distinguished from “the gift of the Holy Spirit” (Person) at 2:38 — see new term below. |
| thanksgiving | sự cảm tạ | Low | 27 (implicit) | Minor. |
| fellowship | sự thông công | Low | 2 | 2:42. |
| church | Hội Thánh | Medium | 2,5,8,9,11,12,13,14,15,16,20 | Reused throughout; never đền/chùa. |
| kingdom_of_god | Nước Đức Chúa Trời | Medium | 1,8,14,19,20,28 | Bookends the whole narrative (1:3; 28:31). |
| law | luật pháp | Medium | 6,7,13,15,18,21,22,23,24,25 | Central to Ch.15 Jerusalem Council and Ch.13 justification. |
| sin | tội lỗi | Medium | 2,3,5,7,10,13,22,26 | 2:38 “forgiveness of sins.” |
| gentiles | dân ngoại | Medium | 9,10,11,13,14,15,18,21,22,26,28 | Central to “Gospel to Jews and Gentiles” doctrine. |
| glory | sự vinh hiển | Medium | 7,12,22 | 7:2,55; Stephen’s vision. |
| obedience_of_faith | sự vâng phục của đức tin | High | (conceptual) | Underlies repentance-response pattern throughout. |
| power_of_god | quyền năng của Đức Chúa Trời | Medium | 1,2,3,4,6,8,10,19 | Distinguish from Simon’s counterfeit “power” claim (8:10). |
| messiah | Đấng Mê-si-a | High | 2,3,17,18,26 | OT-concept sense; distinguish from “Đấng Christ” title usage — see note in Section C. |
| prophet | tiên tri | Low | 2,3,7,8,10,11,13,15,21,26,28 | Joel, Moses, Agabus, etc. |
| prophecy | lời tiên tri | Low | 2,15,21 | Joel citation; Agabus. |
| covenant | giao ước | Medium | 2,3,7 | Davidic oath (2:30); Abrahamic covenant (7:8). |
| election | sự lựa chọn | Medium | 9,13 | ”chosen instrument” (9:15); “appointed to eternal life” (13:48). |
| intercession | sự cầu thay | Critical | 1,4,7,12,27,28 (prayer contexts) | Corporate/apostolic prayer; never modeled on cầu xin tổ tiên. |
| providence | sự quan phòng của Đức Chúa Trời | Medium | 2,17,27 | 2:23 foreknowledge/plan; 17:26-28 God’s ordering of nations; Ch.27 voyage. |
| mission | công cuộc truyền giáo | Medium | 13,14,15,16,18,19,20 | Paul’s missionary journeys. |
| david | Đa-vít | Medium | 1,2,4,7,13,15 | Davidic covenant/seed. |
| israel | Y-sơ-ra-ên | Medium | 1,2,3,4,5,7,9,10,13,21,26,28 | Throughout. |
| jesus | Đức Chúa Giê-xu | Critical | throughout | Foundational proper name. |
| god | Đức Chúa Trời | Critical | throughout | Foundational proper name. |
| holy_spirit | Đức Thánh Linh | Critical | 1,2,4,5,6,7,8,9,10,11,13,15,16,19,20,21,28 | Central Pneumatological term of the whole book. |
| father | Cha | High | 1,2,3,7,13,22,28 | ”God of our fathers” (covenant-continuity sense) and Fatherhood of God. |
| abba | Áp-ba | Medium | (not directly lexical in Acts) | No direct occurrence; retained for cross-curriculum consistency if referenced. |
| exhort | khích lệ / khuyên nài | Low | 2,4,11,14,15,16,20,27 | Context-sensitive per baseline rule. |
| seed_of_david | dòng dõi Đa-vít | Medium | 2,13 | 2:30; 13:23. |
| imputed_righteousness | sự công bình được kể cho | Critical | 13 (conceptual) | Underlies 13:38-39 justification-apart-from-law logic. |
B. New Terms Introduced by Acts (proposed for Translation Memory)
| Term | Original (Translit.) | Vietnamese | Risk | Doctrine | Chs. | Rationale / Collision Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pentecost | Πεντηκοστή / Pentēkostē | Lễ Ngũ Tuần | Medium | Holy Spirit and Pentecost | 2,20 | OT feast-fulfillment; audience needs Shavuot background, not a syncretism risk per se. |
| tongues of fire | γλῶσσαι ὡσεὶ πυρός / glōssai hōsei pyros | hình lưỡi như lửa | Medium | Holy Spirit and Pentecost | 2 | Avoid resembling folk fire/candle omen imagery. |
| filled with the Holy Spirit | ἐπλήσθησαν Πνεύματος Ἁγίου / eplēsthēsan Pneumatos Hagiou | được đầy dẫy Đức Thánh Linh | Critical | Holy Spirit and Pentecost | 2,4,6,9,13 | Must be distinguished from Vietnamese folk spirit-possession/trance mediumship (đồng bóng); agency/personhood of the believer is retained, not displaced. |
| speaking in other tongues | ἑτέραις γλώσσαις λαλεῖν / heterais glōssais lalein | nói các thứ tiếng khác | Critical | Holy Spirit and Pentecost | 2,10,19 | Intelligible real languages (2:6-11), not ecstatic/unintelligible speech; must not be conflated with trance-utterance at spirit-medium ceremonies. |
| pour out (the Spirit) | ἐκχέω / ekcheō | đổ … ra | High | Holy Spirit and Pentecost | 2,10 | God as sole personal agent of the giving. |
| last days | ἔσχαται ἡμέραι / eschatai hēmerai | những ngày sau rốt | High | Fulfillment of Prophecy | 2 | Linear eschatology; not a cyclical age. |
| the gift of the Holy Spirit | δωρεὰ τοῦ Ἁγίου Πνεύματος / dōrea tou Hagiou Pneumatos | sự ban tặng Đức Thánh Linh | Critical | Holy Spirit and Pentecost | 2,8,10,11 | Distinguish from baseline “spiritual_gifts” (ân tứ thuộc linh, plural enablements); this is the Spirit-Person himself given. |
| repentance | μετάνοια / μετανοέω, metanoia/metanoeō | sự ăn năn | High | Repentance and Baptism | 2,3,8,11,13,17,19,20,26 | Must not be assimilated to Buddhist sám hối (karma-clearing self-effort); repentance here is Spirit-enabled turning to a personal, forgiving God. |
| baptism | βαπτίζω / βάπτισμα, baptizō/baptisma | báp-têm | High | Repentance and Baptism | 2,8,9,10,16,18,19,22 | Established Protestant transliteration; not a purification ritual causing salvation apart from repentance/faith. |
| in the name of Jesus | ἐν/ἐπὶ τῷ ὀνόματι Ἰησοῦ / en/epi tō onomati Iēsou | trong danh Đức Chúa Giê-xu | Critical | Apostolic Authority and Miracles | 2,3,4,9,16,19 | Must never be treated as an incantation formula comparable to folk charms/spirit-invocations (bùa, khấn); it names trusting reliance on Christ’s authority and person. |
| call on the name of the Lord | ἐπικαλέσηται τὸ ὄνομα Κυρίου / epikalesētai to onoma Kyriou | kêu cầu danh Chúa | Critical | Repentance and Baptism / Justification | 2 | Must match any Romans 10:13 rendering exactly for curriculum-wide consistency. |
| signs and wonders | σημεῖα καὶ τέρατα / sēmeia kai terata | dấu lạ và phép lạ | High | Apostolic Authority and Miracles | 2,4,5,6,8,14,15 | Contrasted throughout with tà thuật (sorcery); true divine attestation vs. counterfeit. |
| witness(es) | μάρτυς / martys | chứng nhân | High | Persecution and Bold Witness | 1,2,3,4,5,7,10,13,22,26 | Eyewitness legal-testimony sense; semantic bridge to “martyr” at Ch.7. |
| boldness | παρρησία / parrēsia | sự dạn dĩ | Medium | Persecution and Bold Witness | 4,9,28 | Spirit-given fearless proclamation under threat. |
| ascension | ἀνελήμφθη / anelēmphthē | sự thăng thiên | High | (Christology, background) | 1 | Bodily, historical, permanent — not a temporary heavenly visit or shamanic journey. |
| to the end of the earth | ἕως ἐσχάτου τῆς γῆς / heōs eschatou tēs gēs | cho đến cùng đất | High | The Great Commission Fulfilled | 1 | Structures the whole book; unqualified geographic universality. |
| casting lots | κλῆρος / klēros | rút thăm / bắt thăm | Medium | Apostolic Authority (calling) | 1,26 (inheritance sense at 26) | Distinguish from folk fortune-telling (xin xăm); unique-office discernment, not general divination. |
| the Holy and Righteous One | ὅσιος καὶ δίκαιος / hosios kai dikaios | Đấng Thánh và Công Bình | High | Deity/Sonship of Christ (reuse) | 3 | Unique Christological title. |
| Author/Prince of life | ἀρχηγὸς τῆς ζωῆς / archēgos tēs zōēs | Đấng Khởi Nguyên của Sự Sống | High | Lordship of Christ | 3 | Not one life-source among several folk-spiritual sources. |
| God’s Servant (of Christ) | παῖς (Θεοῦ) / pais (Theou) | Đầy Tôi (của) Đức Chúa Trời | Medium-High | Messianic Promise | 3,4 | Isaiah Servant-Song background required. |
| times of refreshing | ἀνάψυξις / anapsyxis | kỳ yên nghỉ | Medium | Fulfillment of Prophecy | 3 | Eschatological, not this-worldly relief. |
| restoration of all things | ἀποκατάστασις πάντων / apokatastasis pantōn | sự phục hồi mọi sự | Medium | Fulfillment of Prophecy | 3 | Once-for-all future consummation, not a repeating cosmic cycle. |
| Sanhedrin | Συνέδριον / Synedrion | Tòa Công Luận | Medium | Persecution and Bold Witness | 4,5,6,22,23,24 | Institutional proper term. |
| no other name (salvation exclusivity) | οὐδὲ ἐν ἄλλῳ … ὄνομα / oude en allō … onoma | không có sự cứu rỗi trong danh nào khác | Critical | Justification / Salvation | 4 | Absolute exclusivity; resist pluralist softening. |
| held all things in common | ἅπαντα κοινά / hapanta koina | có mọi sự làm của chung | Medium | The Church as Community | 2,4 | Voluntary grace-generosity, not forced communalism or clan obligation. |
| lied to the Holy Spirit | ψεύσασθαι τὸ Πνεῦμα τὸ Ἅγιον / pseusasthai to Pneuma to Hagion | nói dối cùng Đức Thánh Linh | Critical | Holy Spirit and Pentecost | 5 | Confirms full personhood/deity of the Spirit. |
| deacon’s ministry/service | διακονία / diakonia | sự phục vụ (chức vụ) | Medium | The Church as Community | 6 | Spiritual service, not detached social charity. |
| laying on of hands | ἐπίθεσις χειρῶν / epithesis cheirōn | sự đặt tay | Medium-High | Apostolic Authority and Miracles | 6,8,9,13,19 | Distinguish from folk healers’/mediums’ power-transfer touch. |
| stoning | λιθοβολέω / lithoboleō | ném đá | Low | Persecution and Bold Witness | 7,14 | Narrative/historical. |
| Son of Man (vision) | υἱὸς τοῦ ἀνθρώπου / huios tou anthrōpou | Con Người | High | Deity of Christ | 7 | Divine self-designation, Daniel 7 background. |
| sorcery / magic | μαγεία / γοητεία, mageia/goēteia | tà thuật | Critical | Apostolic Authority and Miracles | 8,13,19 | Direct collision with living Vietnamese occult practice (thầy pháp, bùa chú); condemned counterfeit power, not a neutral alternative “technology.” |
| buying God’s gift with money | ἀργύριον (τὴν δωρεὰν τοῦ Θεοῦ κτᾶσθαι) | mua ân tứ Đức Chúa Trời bằng tiền | High | Grace (reuse doctrine) | 8 | Reinforces grace-cannot-be-purchased distinction from baseline. |
| the Way (Christian movement) | ἡ ὁδός / hē hodos | Đạo (của Chúa) | Critical | The Gospel to Jews and Gentiles / Great Commission | 9,19,22,24 | Bare “Đạo” reads as generic religious path (Đạo Phật, Đạo Khổng); must always be qualified to avoid pluralist reading. |
| chosen instrument | σκεῦος ἐκλογῆς / skeuos eklogēs | khí cụ được chọn | Medium | Conversion of Paul | 9 | Reuse “election” framework. |
| turn/convert | ἐπιστρέφω / epistrephō | trở lại / quay về | High | Conversion of Paul / Repentance | 9,26 | Spirit-wrought reorientation, not mere institutional affiliation-switch. |
| common or unclean (food) | κοινὸν ἢ ἀκάθαρτον / koinon ē akatharton | chung hay không sạch | Medium-High | The Gospel to Jews and Gentiles | 10 | Removal of Mosaic ceremonial barrier; distinguish from ancestor-offering food concerns. |
| God-fearer | φοβούμενος τὸν Θεόν / phoboumenos ton Theon | kính sợ Đức Chúa Trời | Medium | The Gospel to Jews and Gentiles | 10 | Devout Gentile bridge-figure. |
| God shows no partiality | οὐκ ἔστιν προσωπολήπτης / ouk estin prosōpolēptēs | Đức Chúa Trời chẳng tây vị ai | High | The Gospel to Jews and Gentiles | 10 | Foundational impartiality statement. |
| Christian | Χριστιανός / Christianos | Cơ Đốc nhân | Medium | The Church as Community | 11 | Historical origin at Antioch; ties to “Đấng Christ” naming convention. |
| angel | ἄγγελος / angelos | thiên sứ | Medium | Apostolic Authority and Miracles | 1,5,8,10,12,27 | Created, personal servant of God, distinct from folk thần linh category. |
| set apart (for ministry) | ἀφορίζω / aphorizō | biệt riêng ra | High | Apostolic Authority / Great Commission | 13 | Not modeled on monastic withdrawal (xuất gia); commissioning for active mission. |
| fasting | νηστεία / nēsteia | sự kiêng ăn | Low | (spiritual discipline) | 13,14 | Standard term. |
| appointed to eternal life | τεταγμένοι εἰς ζωὴν αἰώνιον / tetagmenoi eis zōēn aiōnion | được định cho sự sống đời đời | High | Justification / Election (reuse) | 13 | Not số mệnh/nghiệp (fate/karma). |
| elders (church office) | πρεσβύτεροι / presbyteroi | các trưởng lão | Medium | The Church as Community | 14,15,16,20,21 | Distinguish from Confucian clan-elder council. |
| gods in human form | θεοὶ ἐν ἀνθρωπίνῃ μορφῇ / theoi en anthrōpinē morphē | các thần lấy hình người | Medium | The Gospel to Jews and Gentiles | 14 | Cautionary example of pagan polytheism the gospel corrects. |
| circumcision | περιτομή / peritomē | phép cắt bì | Medium | Justification apart from the Law | 15,16,21 | Council’s central controversy. |
| yoke (of the law) | ζυγός / zygos | gánh nặng | Medium | Justification apart from the Law | 15 | Cannot be borne/cannot save. |
| things sacrificed to idols | εἰδωλόθυτα / eidōlothyta | của cúng hình tượng | Medium-High | Justification apart from the Law | 15,19 | Cultural resonance with ancestor/spirit food-offerings (cúng); needs pastoral framing. |
| blood (dietary prohibition) | αἷμα / haima | huyết | Medium | Justification apart from the Law | 15 | Cultural tension with Vietnamese blood-dishes (huyết, tiết canh); needs explicit teaching note. |
| Roman citizen | πολίτης Ῥωμαῖος / politēs Rhōmaios | công dân Rô-ma | Low | (background, legal) | 16,22,23,25 | Historical/legal term. |
| spirit of divination | πνεῦμα Πύθωνος / pneuma Pythōnos | tà linh bói toán | Critical | Apostolic Authority and Miracles | 16 | Direct collision with Vietnamese fortune-telling practice (thầy bói, gọi hồn); real, evil spirit defeated by Christ’s authority. |
| the unknown god | ἀγνώστῳ Θεῷ / agnōstō Theō | Thần Không Biết | High | The Gospel to Jews and Gentiles | 17 | Missiological bridge only; not validation of folk pantheon’s supreme-heaven figure as sufficient knowledge of God. |
| examining the Scriptures | ἀνακρίνοντες τὰς γραφάς / anakrinontes tas graphas | tra xem Kinh Thánh | Medium | Inspiration of Scripture (reuse) | 17 | Bereans’ model commended. |
| synagogue | συναγωγή / synagōgē | nhà hội | Low | The Church as Community | 9,13,14,17,18,19 | Distinct from Hội Thánh, đền, chùa. |
| overseer | ἐπίσκοπος / episkopos | người coi sóc (Hội Thánh) | Medium | The Church as Community | 20 | Spiritual shepherding, not clan/civil hierarchy. |
| shepherd / flock | ποιμήν / ποίμνιον, poimēn/poimnion | người chăn / bầy (đàn chiên) | Low-Medium | The Church as Community | 20 | Standard pastoral metaphor. |
| wolves (false teachers) | λύκοι / lykoi | muông sói | Low | The Church as Community | 20 | Warning metaphor. |
| whole counsel of God | πᾶσαν τὴν βουλὴν τοῦ Θεοῦ / pasan tēn boulēn tou Theou | trọn ý muốn của Đức Chúa Trời | Medium | Providence (reuse) | 20 | Full, undiminished proclamation. |
| Nazirite vow | εὐχή (Ναζιραίου) / euchē (Nazairaiou) | lời thề Na-xi-rê | Low-Medium | (cultural accommodation) | 21 | Cultural accommodation, not law-based righteousness. |
| self-control | ἐγκράτεια / egkrateia | tiết độ | Low-Medium | (ethical, gospel fruit) | 24 | Gospel fruit, not self-generated moral cultivation. |
| judgment to come | τὸ κρίμα τὸ μέλλον / to krima to mellon | sự phán xét hầu đến | High | Universal Human Accountability (reuse) | 24 | Personal divine judgment, not impersonal karma. |
| appeal to Caesar | Καίσαρα ἐπικαλοῦμαι / Kaisara epikaloumai | chống án lên Sê-sa | Low | (legal, narrative) | 25 | Legal/proper term. |
| heavenly vision | οὐράνιος ὀπτασία / ouranios optasia | sự hiện thấy từ trời | Medium-High | Conversion of Paul | 26 | Distinguish from folk ancestor/spirit-contact visions. |
| turn from darkness to light | ἐπιστρέφειν ἀπὸ σκότους εἰς φῶς / epistrephein apo skotous eis phōs | trở lại từ sự tối tăm qua sự sáng láng | High | Conversion of Paul | 26 | Moral-spiritual, not yin-yang duality framework. |
| inheritance/lot (sanctified people’s portion) | κλῆρος / klēros | cơ nghiệp | Medium | Adoption (reuse) | 26 | Grace-given, not ancestral-merit inheritance. |
| viper | ἔχιδνα / echidna | rắn độc | Low | (narrative, providence) | 28 | Minor providential sign. |
| without hindrance | ἀκωλύτως / akōlytōs | không ai ngăn cấm | High | The Great Commission Fulfilled | 28 | Triumphant closing note; unstoppable gospel advance. |
C. Special Terminology Note — “Messiah” vs. “Christ”
The baseline registers “messiah” (the OT concept/title, transliterated from Hebrew Mashiach) as Đấng Mê-si-a, while the established Vietnamese Bible transliteration standard (per baseline 12_ai_translation_requirements.md) renders the Greek title/name “Christ” (Χριστός) as Đấng Christ. Acts uses Χριστός constantly as Jesus’s title/name (e.g., 2:31, 2:36, 3:18, 3:20, 4:26, 5:42, 8:5, 9:22, 17:3, 18:5, 18:28, 24:24, 26:23). Phase 2 translators must:
- Use Đấng Mê-si-a only when the text is making the explicit OT-promise/fulfillment argument that Jesus is the promised Messiah (e.g., 17:3; 18:5, 28 — “proving from the Scriptures that Jesus was the Christ/Messiah”).
- Use Đấng Christ as the ordinary running title/name for Jesus throughout narrative and sermon material, consistent with the transliteration standard already fixed in the baseline for Romans.
- Flag any ambiguous case for human theologian review per the baseline’s escalation rule for Messianic Promise references.
Risk Summary (New Acts Terms)
| Risk Tier | Count (new terms, Section B) |
|---|---|
| Critical | 8 |
| High | 16 |
| Medium | 22 |
| Low | 14 |
| Total new terms | 60 |
Combined with the ~44 baseline terms reused exactly (Section A), this glossary covers the full theological vocabulary load of Acts 1–28 for Phase 2 processing.
Critical Risk Terms
Salvation
Approved rendering: sự cứu rỗi
Transliteration: su cuu roi
Doctrine: Salvation
Rejected alternatives: sự giải thoát
Original: σωτηρία / σῴζω
Category: Salvation
CRITICAL: NEVER use sự giải thoát (liberation from the cycle of rebirth, the central goal in Vietnamese Mahayana Buddhist practice). Sự cứu rỗi = deliverance BY God THROUGH Christ, a rescue by another, not liberation self-attained through practice and insight. Inherited from Romans package. Acts note: recurs at 2:21,40,47; 4:12; 11:14; 13:26,47; 16:17,30-31; 4:12’s exclusivity claim must resist pluralist softening.
Resurrection
Approved rendering: sự sống lại
Transliteration: su song lai
Doctrine: Resurrection of Christ
Rejected alternatives: sự đầu thai, luân hồi
Original: ἀνάστασις / ἀνίστημι / ἐγείρω
Category: Eschatology
CRITICAL: NEVER use sự đầu thai or luân hồi (rebirth/reincarnation into a new existence within the cycle of samsara). Sự sống lại = the same body raised bodily, once for all, not a new incarnation in a cycle of rebirth. Inherited from Romans package. Acts note: covers both Christ’s specific resurrection (2:24-32; 3:15; 13:30-37; 17:31; 26:23) and the general resurrection debated between Pharisees and Sadducees (23:6-8; 24:15,21).
Son Of God
Approved rendering: Con Đức Chúa Trời
Transliteration: Con Duc Chua Troi
Doctrine: Sonship of Christ
Original: υἱὸς θεοῦ
Category: Christology
CRITICAL: Full phrase required. Conveys eternal, unique Sonship within the Godhead, not a title claimed by a deified folk hero or ancestor spirit. Inherited from Romans package. Acts note: underlies Paul’s earliest preaching (9:20) and the Psalm 2 citation applied to Jesus (13:33).
Incarnation
Approved rendering: Ngôi Lời trở nên xác thịt
Transliteration: Ngoi Loi tro nen xac thit
Doctrine: Incarnation
Rejected alternatives: hóa thân
Original: ὁ λόγος σὰρξ ἐγένετο
Category: Christology
CRITICAL: NEVER use hóa thân alone, the standard Vietnamese Buddhist term for a bodhisattva’s or deity’s manifestation into a body. Inherited from Romans package. Acts note: not a distinct lexical item in Acts, but the background doctrine underlying Christ’s genuine, once-for-all humanity assumed in the resurrection and ascension narratives (1:9-11; 2:24-32).
Intercession
Approved rendering: sự cầu thay
Transliteration: su cau thay
Doctrine: Prayer and Intercession
Rejected alternatives: cầu xin tổ tiên
Original: ἔντευξις / δέησις (cf. προσευχή)
Category: Faith
CRITICAL: Never model this on cầu xin tổ tiên (petitioning deceased ancestors at the family altar). Inherited from Romans package. Acts note: the corporate church’s intercessory prayer for Peter (12:5,12) and for Paul’s voyage (27:29; 28:8).
Jesus
Approved rendering: Đức Chúa Giê-xu
Transliteration: Duc Chua Gie-xu
Doctrine: Lordship of Christ
Original: Ἰησοῦς
Category: Christology
CRITICAL: Standard Vietnamese Protestant Bible form since the 1926 Bản Dịch Truyền Thống. Inherited from Romans package. Acts note: foundational proper name throughout; must remain consistent across all 28 chapters.
Holy Spirit
Approved rendering: Đức Thánh Linh
Transliteration: Duc Thanh Linh
Doctrine: Sanctification
Rejected alternatives: thần linh
Original: πνεῦμα ἅγιον
Category: God
CRITICAL: Never use bare thần linh (the broad Vietnamese folk-religious category of spirits and local deities). Inherited from Romans package. Acts note: the central Pneumatological term of the whole book (Ch. 1-2, 4-11, 13, 15-16, 19-21, 28); see also new terms filled_with_the_holy_spirit, the_gift_of_the_holy_spirit, lied_to_the_holy_spirit.
Imputed Righteousness
Approved rendering: sự công bình được kể cho
Transliteration: su cong binh duoc ke cho
Doctrine: Salvation
Rejected alternatives: công đức tích lũy
Original: ἐλογίσθη … εἰς δικαιοσύνην (cf. Rom 4:3)
Category: Salvation
Righteousness credited by God, not earned. Công đức tích lũy (accumulated merit, from Buddhist practice) is explicitly rejected. Inherited from Romans package. Acts note: not a direct lexeme in Acts but underlies 13:38-39’s justification-apart-from-law logic.
Filled With The Holy Spirit
Approved rendering: được đầy dẫy Đức Thánh Linh
Transliteration: duoc day day Duc Thanh Linh
Doctrine: Holy Spirit and Pentecost
Rejected alternatives: bị Đức Thánh Linh nhập (possession framing)
Original: ἐπλήσθησαν Πνεύματος Ἁγίου
Category: Holy Spirit and Pentecost
CRITICAL: must be sharply distinguished from Vietnamese folk spirit-possession/mediumship (đồng bóng, hầu đồng, bị thần/tà linh nhập), in which the medium’s own will and identity are displaced. Biblical filling heightens and empowers the believer’s own conscious, willing agency; it never overrides it. Recurs 2:4; 4:8,31; 6:3; 9:17; 13:9.
Speaking In Other Tongues
Approved rendering: nói các thứ tiếng khác
Transliteration: noi cac thu tieng khac
Doctrine: Holy Spirit and Pentecost
Rejected alternatives: nói tiếng lạ (bare, ecstatic/unintelligible reading)
Original: ἑτέραις γλώσσαις λαλεῖν
Category: Holy Spirit and Pentecost
CRITICAL: 2:6-11 explicitly confirms comprehension by named nationalities; must never be rendered or taught as ecstatic/unintelligible utterance, nor conflated with trance-speech at spirit-medium ceremonies (hầu đồng). Recurs 10:46; 19:6.
The Gift Of The Holy Spirit
Approved rendering: sự ban tặng Đức Thánh Linh
Transliteration: su ban tang Duc Thanh Linh
Doctrine: Holy Spirit and Pentecost
Rejected alternatives: ân tứ thuộc linh (conflating the Person with plural enablements)
Original: ἡ δωρεὰ τοῦ Ἁγίου Πνεύματος
Category: Holy Spirit and Pentecost
CRITICAL: the Spirit-Person himself given to indwell every believer, not merely his plural enablements. Must be distinguished from ân tứ thuộc linh (spiritual gifts) in teaching. Recurs 2:38; 8:20; 10:45; 11:17; Simon’s attempted purchase (8:18-20) shows the danger of treating this as transactable power.
Lied To The Holy Spirit
Approved rendering: nói dối cùng Đức Thánh Linh
Transliteration: noi doi cung Duc Thanh Linh
Doctrine: Holy Spirit and Pentecost
Original: ψεύσασθαι τὸ Πνεῦμα τὸ Ἅγιον
Category: Holy Spirit and Pentecost
CRITICAL: Ananias’s and Sapphira’s sin (5:3-4,9), explicitly equated with lying to God himself, confirming the Spirit’s full personhood and deity. A direct moral offense against a personal, holy God, not a ritual offense against an easily-placated folk spirit (thần linh).
In The Name Of Jesus
Approved rendering: trong danh Đức Chúa Giê-xu
Transliteration: trong danh Duc Chua Gie-xu
Doctrine: Apostolic Authority and Miracles
Rejected alternatives: bùa, khấn vái (folk charm/spirit-invocation framing)
Original: ἐν/ἐπὶ τῷ ὀνόματι Ἰησοῦ (Χριστοῦ)
Category: Apostolic Authority and Miracles
CRITICAL: recurs constantly (2:38; 3:6,16; 4:10,12; 9:34; 16:18; 19:13); must consistently be taught as trusting reliance on Christ’s authority and person, never as an incantation-formula invoking impersonal power the way folk charms or spirit-invocations are used to summon supernatural aid.
Call On The Name Of The Lord
Approved rendering: kêu cầu danh Chúa
Transliteration: keu cau danh Chua
Doctrine: Salvation
Rejected alternatives: khấn, đọc chú (folk incantation formulas)
Original: ἐπικαλέσηται τὸ ὄνομα Κυρίου
Category: Salvation
CRITICAL: Joel 2:32’s promise, quoted at 2:21. Must render identically to any Romans 10:13 citation of the same OT text for curriculum-wide consistency. Trusting reliance on Christ’s person and finished work, never a ritual invocation summoning spirit-power by naming it.
No Other Name
Approved rendering: không có sự cứu rỗi trong danh nào khác
Transliteration: khong co su cuu roi trong danh nao khac
Doctrine: Salvation
Rejected alternatives: pluralist softenings implying multiple equally valid paths
Original: οὐδὲ ἐν ἄλλῳ οὐδενί … ὄνομα
Category: Salvation
CRITICAL: absolute exclusivity of salvation in Jesus’s name alone (4:12). Must resist any softening toward religious pluralism, given the Vietnamese context of multiple coexisting, often-regarded-as-equally-valid religious paths (Đạo Phật, Đạo Khổng, đạo ông bà).
Sorcery
Approved rendering: tà thuật
Transliteration: ta thuat
Doctrine: Sorcery and Counterfeit Spiritual Power
Rejected alternatives: presenting as a neutral alternative ‘spiritual technology’
Original: μαγεία / γοητεία
Category: Apostolic Authority and Miracles
CRITICAL: direct collision with living Vietnamese folk practice (thầy pháp, bùa chú, cầu cơ). Simon Magus (8:9-11), Elymas (13:6-11), and the Ephesian magic books (19:19) show Acts condemning this as counterfeit, false spiritual power opposed to God’s true power; never present as morally neutral or equivalent to apostolic miracle.
The Way
Approved rendering: Đạo (của Chúa)
Transliteration: Dao (cua Chua)
Doctrine: “The Way” as the Exclusive Path of Salvation
Rejected alternatives: bare Đạo (generic religious-path reading)
Original: ἡ ὁδός
Category: The Gospel to Jews and Gentiles
CRITICAL: bare ‘Đạo’ in Vietnamese names any religion or philosophical path (Đạo Phật, Đạo Khổng, Đạo Cao Đài, đạo ông bà). Must always be qualified (e.g. ‘Đạo của Chúa,’ ‘con đường theo Đấng Christ’) with an explicit teaching note distinguishing this as the one true way in Christ, never one path among many. Occurs 9:2; 19:9,23; 22:4; 24:14,22.
Spirit Of Divination
Approved rendering: tà linh bói toán
Transliteration: ta linh boi toan
Doctrine: Sorcery and Counterfeit Spiritual Power
Rejected alternatives: dismissing as mere superstition, treating as morally neutral entertainment, transliterating ‘Python spirit’ (theologically opaque)
Original: πνεῦμα Πύθωνος
Category: Apostolic Authority and Miracles
CRITICAL: the slave girl’s divining spirit Paul casts out (16:16-18). Direct collision with living Vietnamese fortune-telling practice (thầy bói, xin xăm, gọi hồn). Must be taught as a real, personal, deceptive spirit whose false power Christ’s authority overthrows — the text affirms both the spirit’s reality and its defeat in Jesus’s name.
High Risk Terms
Grace
Approved rendering: ân điển
Transliteration: an dien
Doctrine: Grace
Rejected alternatives: phước đức, công đức, ơn nghĩa
Original: χάρις
Category: Salvation
Never use phước đức or công đức (merit accumulated through good deeds in Buddhist practice) or ơn nghĩa (a favor that creates a Confucian-style reciprocal obligation to repay). Ân điển must be taught as a gift creating no debt to repay. Inherited from Romans package. Acts note: 15:11 grounds both Jewish and Gentile salvation in grace, settling the Jerusalem Council debate; Simon’s attempt to buy the Spirit’s gift with silver (8:18-20) sharply reinforces this rejection.
Righteousness
Approved rendering: sự công bình
Transliteration: su cong binh
Doctrine: Salvation
Rejected alternatives: đức hạnh
Original: δικαιοσύνη
Category: Salvation
Right standing before God received by faith. Đức hạnh (moral virtue cultivated through practice, a strongly Confucian concept) describes a quality built up over time, not a status granted. Inherited from Romans package. Acts note: applied to Christ in the unique title ‘the Holy and Righteous One’ (3:14) and in Felix’s unease at ‘righteousness, self-control, and judgment to come’ (24:25).
Justification
Approved rendering: sự xưng công bình
Transliteration: su xung cong binh
Doctrine: Salvation
Original: δικαίωσις / δικαιόω
Category: Salvation
The forensic declaration of right standing. Compound phrase required; conveys being declared, not made, righteous. Inherited from Romans package. Acts note: 13:38-39 is the book’s clearest single justification-apart-from-law statement and must match this Romans rendering verbatim.
Saints
Approved rendering: các thánh đồ
Transliteration: cac thanh do
Doctrine: Sainthood
Rejected alternatives: các thánh
Original: ἅγιοι
Category: Church
Never shorten to bare các thánh, which in Vietnamese folk religion names deified historical heroes (such as Thánh Trần) worshipped at temples (đền). Các thánh đồ must be taught as every believer set apart in Christ, not a class of deified figures. Inherited from Romans package. Acts note: occurs at 9:13,32,41; 26:10.
Adoption
Approved rendering: sự làm con nuôi
Transliteration: su lam con nuoi
Doctrine: Adoption into God’s Family
Original: υἱοθεσία
Category: Salvation
Full legal son-status with inheritance rights. Because Vietnamese family relationships are strongly shaped by Confucian filial duty (hiếu), this doctrine needs explicit teaching that sonship here is grounded in grace and intimacy, not primarily a hierarchy of obligation. Inherited from Romans package. Acts note: not a distinct lexeme in Acts, but the inheritance/κλῆρος language of 20:32 and 26:18 draws on this framework.
Lord
Approved rendering: Chúa
Transliteration: Chua
Doctrine: Lordship of Christ
Original: κύριος
Category: Christology
In Romans 10:9 the confession ‘Jesus is Lord’ = Đức Chúa Giê-xu là Chúa. Established term; must convey exclusive, supreme Lordship, distinguished from generic lord/master usage in Vietnamese address. Inherited from Romans package. Acts note: 2:36’s climax ‘God has made this Jesus… both Lord and Christ’ must carry the same rigor as Romans 10:9.
Obedience Of Faith
Approved rendering: sự vâng phục của đức tin
Transliteration: su vang phuc cua duc tin
Doctrine: Obedience of Faith
Rejected alternatives: đạo hiếu
Original: ὑπακοὴ πίστεως
Category: Faith
Obedience that flows from faith, not đạo hiếu (Confucian filial duty). Inherited from Romans package. Acts note: underlies the immediate repentance-baptism-obedience pattern following every gospel sermon (2:41; 16:33-34).
Messiah
Approved rendering: Đấng Mê-si-a
Transliteration: Dang Me-si-a
Doctrine: Messianic Promise
Original: Χριστός / מָשִׁיחַ
Category: Christology
Transliterated term; the unique, exclusively fulfilled OT promise. Inherited from Romans package. Acts note: use only where the text argues the explicit OT-fulfillment claim (17:3; 18:5,28); elsewhere use the ordinary running title Đấng Christ (see new term christ_title).
God
Approved rendering: Đức Chúa Trời
Transliteration: Duc Chua Troi
Doctrine: Deity of Christ
Rejected alternatives: Ông Trời
Original: θεός
Category: God
The established 1926 Protestant Bible term. Inherited from Romans package. Acts note: every occurrence, especially contexts contrasting the true God with idols (14:15; 17:24-29; 19:26), should carry enough context that Đức Chúa Trời is understood as personal and covenant-making, not the impersonal Ông Trời of folk speech.
Father
Approved rendering: Cha
Transliteration: Cha
Doctrine: Adoption into God’s Family
Original: πατήρ
Category: God
God as personal, relational Father. Inherited from Romans package. Acts note: also used for Israel’s covenant ancestors (3:13,25; 7:2; 13:17; 22:14; 28:25) alongside the divine Fatherhood sense; keep the two senses distinguishable in context.
Pour Out The Spirit
Approved rendering: đổ … ra
Transliteration: do … ra
Doctrine: Holy Spirit and Pentecost
Original: ἐκχέω
Category: Holy Spirit and Pentecost
God himself, a personal agent, is the one who pours out (2:17-18,33; 10:45); must not be phrased so as to sound like an impersonal force or ambient spiritual energy being released.
Last Days
Approved rendering: những ngày sau rốt
Transliteration: nhung ngay sau rot
Doctrine: Fulfillment of Prophecy
Original: ἐν ταῖς ἐσχάταις ἡμέραις
Category: Fulfillment of Prophecy
Frames Pentecost as the beginning of the inaugurated eschatological age (2:17). Must retain linear, one-directional eschatology; avoid phrasing suggesting a repeating cosmic cycle (luân hồi, kiếp).
Repentance
Approved rendering: sự ăn năn
Transliteration: su an nan
Doctrine: Repentance and Baptism
Rejected alternatives: sám hối (Buddhist karma-clearing self-effort confession)
Original: μετάνοια / μετανοέω
Category: Repentance and Baptism
A Spirit-enabled reorientation of the whole person toward a personal, forgiving God, not self-powered karma-clearing. Recurs 2:38; 3:19; 8:22; 11:18; 13:24; 17:30; 19:4; 20:21; 26:20.
Baptism
Approved rendering: báp-têm
Transliteration: bap-tem
Doctrine: Repentance and Baptism
Rejected alternatives: phép rửa (Catholic-coded ritual-washing paraphrase)
Original: βαπτίζω / βάπτισμα
Category: Repentance and Baptism
Established Vietnamese Protestant transliteration; retained rather than a semantically transparent native coinage, which would likely borrow purification-ritual vocabulary from folk or Buddhist practice. Must not be treated as itself causing salvation apart from repentance/faith. Acts 19:1-5 explicitly distinguishes ‘báp-têm của Giăng’ from ‘báp-têm trong danh Chúa Giê-xu’ — this distinction must be carried by modifying phrases, since Vietnamese has only one lexeme.
Signs And Wonders
Approved rendering: dấu lạ và phép lạ
Transliteration: dau la va phep la
Doctrine: Apostolic Authority and Miracles
Rejected alternatives: tà thuật treated as an equivalent category
Original: σημεῖα καὶ τέρατα / δυνάμεις
Category: Apostolic Authority and Miracles
God’s own attesting, authenticating miracles (2:22,43; 4:30; 5:12; 6:8; 8:6,13; 14:3; 15:12). Must be sharply and consistently distinguished from tà thuật (sorcery) — true divine attestation versus counterfeit wonder-working.
Witness
Approved rendering: chứng nhân
Transliteration: chung nhan
Doctrine: Persecution and Bold Witness
Rejected alternatives: tử đạo (Catholic-coded martyr term, not in this translation memory)
Original: μάρτυς
Category: Persecution and Bold Witness
Authorized eyewitness testimony to Christ’s historical, bodily resurrection (1:8,22; 2:32; 3:15; 4:33; 5:32; 10:39-41; 13:31; 22:15; 26:16). Semantically bridges toward ‘martyr’ beginning with Stephen’s death (Ch. 7); do not introduce tử đạo as a substitute — retain chứng nhân uniformly.
Ascension
Approved rendering: sự thăng thiên
Transliteration: su thang thien
Doctrine: Ascension of Christ
Rejected alternatives: shamanic soul-journey or temporary heavenly-visit framing
Original: ἀνελήμφθη
Category: Christology
Christ’s bodily, historical, and permanent ascension into heaven, to return the same way (1:9-11; cf. 2:33-35). Not a temporary visit or shamanic journey found in some folk traditions.
To The End Of The Earth
Approved rendering: cho đến cùng đất
Transliteration: cho den cung dat
Doctrine: The Great Commission Fulfilled
Original: ἕως ἐσχάτου τῆς γῆς
Category: The Great Commission Fulfilled
The Great Commission’s geographic scope, structurally organizing the whole book (1:8, echoed at the book’s close 28:31). Must retain unqualified universal geographic scope with no ethnic or regional limitation; lock rendering identically at both bookends.
Holy And Righteous One
Approved rendering: Đấng Thánh và Công Bình
Transliteration: Dang Thanh va Cong Binh
Doctrine: Deity of Christ
Original: ὅσιος καὶ δίκαιος
Category: Christology
Unique Christological title (3:14) reusing baseline thánh and sự công bình; applied to Christ alone, never a category shared with deified folk figures venerated at folk temples.
Author Of Life
Approved rendering: Đấng Khởi Nguyên của Sự Sống
Transliteration: Dang Khoi Nguyen cua Su Song
Doctrine: Lordship of Christ
Original: ἀρχηγὸς τῆς ζωῆς
Category: Christology
Christ as the originating source and ruler of life itself (3:15). Must not read as merely one life-source among several possible sources of vitality, as in folk views positing multiple life-giving or protective spirits.
Gods Servant
Approved rendering: Đầy Tôi (của) Đức Chúa Trời
Transliteration: Day Toi (cua) Duc Chua Troi
Doctrine: Messianic Promise
Original: παῖς (Θεοῦ)
Category: Messianic Promise
Christ as God’s Servant, drawing on Isaiah’s Suffering Servant Songs (3:13,26; 4:27,30). Requires explicit Isaiah background teaching; must not flatten to ordinary ‘child’ (sonship risk) nor ordinary hired ‘servant’ without messianic weight.
Held All Things In Common
Approved rendering: có mọi sự làm của chung
Transliteration: co moi su lam cua chung
Doctrine: The Church as Community
Rejected alternatives: forced communal-ownership / collectivization framing
Original: εἶχον ἅπαντα κοινά / ἅπαντα κοινά
Category: The Church as Community
RISK ESCALATED from Medium to High per analysis/06_linguistic_gap_analysis.md Section E.4: the early church’s voluntary material sharing (2:44-45; 4:32-35) risks a modern Vietnam-specific misreading as an echo of 20th-century agricultural collectivization (hợp tác xã) rather than voluntary, grace-motivated generosity. Every occurrence requires an explicit teaching note distinguishing the two.
Laying On Of Hands
Approved rendering: sự đặt tay
Transliteration: su dat tay
Doctrine: Apostolic Authority and Miracles
Rejected alternatives: thầy pháp truyền năng lượng (folk power-transfer touch)
Original: ἐπίθεσις (τῶν) χειρῶν
Category: Apostolic Authority and Miracles
A prayerful act of commissioning/blessing under the Spirit’s own sovereign initiative (6:6; 8:17-19; 9:17; 13:3; 19:6), not a technique that transfers impersonal power mechanically.
Son Of Man
Approved rendering: Con Người
Transliteration: Con Nguoi
Doctrine: Deity of Christ
Original: υἱὸς τοῦ ἀνθρώπου
Category: Christology
Divine self-designation echoing Daniel 7, seen by Stephen in his vision of Christ (7:56). Ties to Deity/Sonship of Christ doctrines; must not be diminished to a merely human honorific.
Buying Gods Gift With Money
Approved rendering: mua ân tứ Đức Chúa Trời bằng tiền
Transliteration: mua an tu Duc Chua Troi bang tien
Doctrine: Grace
Original: ἀργύριον (κτᾶσθαι τὴν δωρεὰν τοῦ Θεοῦ)
Category: Grace
Simon’s attempt to buy spiritual power with money (8:18-20), the root of ‘simony.’ Reinforces that God’s gift cannot be bought or earned, directly extending the grace-versus-merit distinction from the Romans baseline.
Turn Convert
Approved rendering: trở lại / quay về
Transliteration: tro lai / quay ve
Doctrine: Conversion of Paul
Rejected alternatives: đổi đạo (mere institutional/social religious-affiliation switch)
Original: ἐπιστρέφω
Category: Conversion of Paul
A Spirit-wrought reorientation of the whole person toward God through Christ (9:35 pattern; formally developed 26:18-20), not a change of religious affiliation as a social/institutional switch.
Common Or Unclean
Approved rendering: chung hay không sạch
Transliteration: chung hay khong sach
Doctrine: The Gospel to Jews and Gentiles
Original: κοινὸν ἢ ἀκάθαρτον
Category: The Gospel to Jews and Gentiles
Peter’s vision (10:14-15) abolishing OT dietary ritual-purity distinctions as a sign the gospel is open to Gentiles. Must be distinguished from Vietnamese ancestor food-offering purity concerns (cúng); the point is removal of a specific Mosaic ceremonial barrier, not a general statement about ritual cleanliness.
God Shows No Partiality
Approved rendering: Đức Chúa Trời chẳng tây vị ai
Transliteration: Duc Chua Troi chang tay vi ai
Doctrine: The Gospel to Jews and Gentiles
Original: οὐκ ἔστιν προσωπολήπτης ὁ Θεός
Category: The Gospel to Jews and Gentiles
Foundational statement (10:34) legitimizing Gentile inclusion. Must retain unqualified impartiality; central to both Gospel to Jews/Gentiles and Unity of Jews/Gentiles doctrines.
Set Apart For Ministry
Approved rendering: biệt riêng ra
Transliteration: biet rieng ra
Doctrine: Apostolic Authority and Miracles
Rejected alternatives: xuất gia (Buddhist monastic withdrawal)
Original: ἀφορίζω
Category: Apostolic Authority and Miracles
The Antioch church setting apart Barnabas and Saul for mission (13:2-3). Not modeled on monastic withdrawal from the world; a commissioning for active gospel mission within ordinary life and travel.
Appointed To Eternal Life
Approved rendering: được định cho sự sống đời đời
Transliteration: duoc dinh cho su song doi doi
Doctrine: Justification apart from the Law
Rejected alternatives: số mệnh, nghiệp (fate/karma)
Original: τεταγμένοι εἰς ζωὴν αἰώνιον
Category: Justification apart from the Law
Election language describing the Gentile believers at Pisidian Antioch (13:48). God’s sovereign, personal appointment unto life, not impersonal fate or karma.
Things Sacrificed To Idols
Approved rendering: của cúng hình tượng
Transliteration: cua cung hinh tuong
Doctrine: Justification apart from the Law
Original: εἰδωλόθυτα
Category: Justification apart from the Law
Part of the Jerusalem Council’s minimal requirement list (15:20,29; cf. Ch. 19’s idol economy). Direct cultural resonance with Vietnamese ancestor/spirit-offering practices (cúng); requires mandatory pastoral teaching notes distinguishing the first-century idol-market situation from ordinary ancestor-food practice, without dismissing the underlying principle against idol-worship.
The Unknown God
Approved rendering: Thần Không Biết
Transliteration: Than Khong Biet
Doctrine: The Gospel to Jews and Gentiles
Rejected alternatives: validating Ông Trời/Ngọc Hoàng as already sufficient knowledge of God
Original: ἀγνώστῳ Θεῷ
Category: The Gospel to Jews and Gentiles
The Athenian altar inscription Paul uses as a rhetorical bridge (17:23). Must be used strictly as Paul used it — a missiological bridge toward the true God revealed in Christ — never as validation that the Vietnamese folk pantheon’s supreme-heaven figure already constitutes adequate knowledge of God.
Judgment To Come
Approved rendering: sự phán xét hầu đến
Transliteration: su phan xet hau den
Doctrine: Divine Judgment and Universal Human Accountability
Rejected alternatives: nghiệp (impersonal karmic reckoning)
Original: τὸ κρίμα τὸ μέλλον
Category: Universal Human Accountability
Future divine judgment before a personal God (24:25); must not be rendered or taught as an impersonal karmic ledger that distributes consequences automatically without a personal judge.
Heavenly Vision
Approved rendering: sự hiện thấy từ trời
Transliteration: su hien thay tu troi
Doctrine: Conversion of Paul
Rejected alternatives: folk ancestor/spirit-contact visionary framing
Original: οὐράνιος ὀπτασία
Category: Conversion of Paul
Paul’s own description of the Damascus-road appearance (26:19). Must be distinguished from folk visionary/trance experiences attributed to ancestor or spirit contact; the vision’s authority is Christ’s own self-revelation, verified by radical life-change and apostolic commissioning.
Turn From Darkness To Light
Approved rendering: trở lại từ sự tối tăm qua sự sáng láng
Transliteration: tro lai tu su toi tam qua su sang lang
Doctrine: Conversion of Paul
Rejected alternatives: yin-yang duality framing
Original: ἐπιστρέφειν ἀπὸ τοῦ σκότους εἰς φῶς
Category: Conversion of Paul
Christ’s formal statement of the conversion commission given to Paul (26:18). Darkness/light here is moral-spiritual (‘from the power of Satan to God’), not a folk yin-yang duality framework; a decisive, God-initiated moral transfer of allegiance.
Without Hindrance
Approved rendering: không ai ngăn cấm
Transliteration: khong ai ngan cam
Doctrine: The Great Commission Fulfilled
Original: ἀκωλύτως
Category: The Great Commission Fulfilled
The book’s final word (28:31): the kingdom of God and the Lord Jesus Christ proclaimed with all boldness, without hindrance. The triumphant closing note; must preserve unstoppable gospel advance despite ongoing persecution and imprisonment, not triumphalist political-conquest overtones.
Christ Title
Approved rendering: Đấng Christ
Transliteration: Dang Christ
Doctrine: Messianic Promise
Rejected alternatives: collapsing every occurrence into Đấng Mê-si-a
Original: Χριστός
Category: Christology
The ordinary running title/name for Jesus throughout Acts narrative and sermon material (2:31,36; 3:18,20; 4:26; 5:42; 8:5; 9:22; 24:24; 26:23), distinct from Đấng Mê-si-a, which is reserved for explicit OT-fulfillment-argument passages (17:3; 18:5,28). Ambiguous cases must be flagged for human theologian review per the Messianic Promise escalation rule.
Medium Risk Terms
Gospel
Approved rendering: Tin Lành
Transliteration: tin lanh
Doctrine: Gospel
Rejected alternatives: tin tức tốt lành
Original: εὐαγγέλιον
Category: Salvation
Established Vietnamese Protestant Bible term (‘good news’); so established that ‘Tin Lành’ is itself the common Vietnamese name for Protestantism generally. Must still be anchored to the specific proclamation of salvation through Christ. Inherited from Romans package. Acts note: the content proclaimed from Jerusalem to Rome (1:8; 8:4,25,40; 10:36; 13:32; 14:7,21; 15:7; 16:10; 20:24); must not be flattened into one teaching among many in a pluralistic setting such as Athens (Ch. 17).
Faith
Approved rendering: đức tin
Transliteration: duc tin
Doctrine: Faith
Original: πίστις
Category: Faith
Object of faith must always be specified as Christ; standard, well-established term. Inherited from Romans package. Acts note: object consistently Christ (3:16; 14:27; 16:31; 20:21; 26:18); the lame man’s healing (3:16) shows faith operating specifically ‘in his name.‘
Apostle
Approved rendering: sứ đồ
Transliteration: su do
Doctrine: Apostleship
Original: ἀπόστολος
Category: Church
Established Vietnamese Bible term; conveys a directly commissioned, authoritative sent-one. Inherited from Romans package. Acts note: the reconstitution of the Twelve (1:15-26) and extension of the title to Paul and Barnabas (14:4,14).
Called
Approved rendering: được kêu gọi
Transliteration: duoc keu goi
Doctrine: Divine Calling
Original: κλητός / καλέω
Category: Salvation
Context-sensitive: in 1:1 = called to apostleship; in 1:7 = called to be saints; in 8:28-30 = effectual calling to salvation. Inherited from Romans package. Acts note: 2:39 ‘as many as the Lord our God calls to himself’ extends this sense; never số phận.
Calling
Approved rendering: sự kêu gọi
Transliteration: su keu goi
Doctrine: Divine Calling
Rejected alternatives: số phận
Original: κλῆσις
Category: Salvation
Never conflate with số phận (fixed fate/destiny), a common folk framing for a person’s life path. Inherited from Romans package. Acts note: conceptually present at 2:39 and 13:2-3 (Barnabas and Saul’s setting-apart).
Holy
Approved rendering: thánh
Transliteration: thanh
Doctrine: Sanctification
Original: ἅγιος
Category: Sanctification
Set apart for God and morally pure; standard, well-established term. Inherited from Romans package. Acts note: applied to the Spirit throughout and uniquely to Christ as ‘the Holy and Righteous One’ (3:14).
Sanctification
Approved rendering: sự nên thánh
Transliteration: su nen thanh
Doctrine: Sanctification
Original: ἁγιασμός / ἁγιάζω
Category: Sanctification
The Spirit’s ongoing work of making believers holy; standard, well-established term. Inherited from Romans package. Acts note: 20:32 and 26:18 speak of an ‘inheritance among those who are sanctified.‘
Peace
Approved rendering: sự bình an
Transliteration: su binh an
Doctrine: Peace with God
Original: εἰρήνη
Category: Salvation
In Romans 5:1, relational peace with God through justification, not merely the inner calm sought through Buddhist meditation practice. Inherited from Romans package. Acts note: 10:36 ‘preaching peace by Jesus Christ’ and 9:31 ‘the church… had peace’ apply this both individually and corporately.
Spiritual Gifts
Approved rendering: ân tứ thuộc linh
Transliteration: an tu thuoc linh
Doctrine: Spiritual Gifts
Original: χαρίσματα
Category: Church
Spirit-given enablements for service; standard, well-established term. Inherited from Romans package. Acts note: must be kept distinct from ‘the gift of the Holy Spirit’ (the Person himself, 2:38; 8:20; 10:45; 11:17) — see new term the_gift_of_the_holy_spirit.
Church
Approved rendering: Hội Thánh
Transliteration: Hoi Thanh
Doctrine: Church as God’s People
Rejected alternatives: đền, chùa
Original: ἐκκλησία
Category: Church
The gathered people of God (‘holy assembly’). Never use đền (a temple to a deified hero or spirit) or chùa (a Buddhist temple). Inherited from Romans package. Acts note: recurs throughout (5:11; 8:1,3; 9:31; 11:22,26; 12:1,5; 13:1; 14:23,27; 15:3-4,22,41; 16:5; 20:17,28).
Kingdom Of God
Approved rendering: Nước Đức Chúa Trời
Transliteration: Nuoc Duc Chua Troi
Doctrine: Kingdom Mission
Original: βασιλεία τοῦ θεοῦ
Category: Kingdom
God’s sovereign reign; standard, well-established term. Distinguish from an earthly political nước (nation/country). Inherited from Romans package. Acts note: brackets the whole book, opening (1:3,6) and closing (28:23,31).
Law
Approved rendering: luật pháp
Transliteration: luat phap
Doctrine: Fulfillment of Prophecy
Original: νόμος
Category: Covenant
Mosaic Law; standard, well-established term with no significant unwanted folk-religious connotation. Inherited from Romans package. Acts note: central to the Jerusalem Council (Ch. 15) and Paul’s justification sermon (13:38-39); must not read as a general cosmic dharma-like order.
Sin
Approved rendering: tội lỗi
Transliteration: toi loi
Doctrine: Universal Human Accountability
Rejected alternatives: nghiệp xấu
Original: ἁμαρτία
Category: Sin
Moral transgression against a personal God, not nghiệp xấu (bad karma, an impersonal cause-and-effect concept). Inherited from Romans package. Acts note: central to 2:38 ‘for the forgiveness of your sins.‘
Gentiles
Approved rendering: dân ngoại
Transliteration: dan ngoai
Doctrine: Unity of Jews and Gentiles
Original: ἔθνη
Category: Church
Non-Jews; established Bible term for the theological category of other nations. Inherited from Romans package. Acts note: the central theological category from Ch. 10 (Cornelius) through Ch. 28 (Rome); pair Gentile-inclusion passages with a note that the category is being dissolved in Christ, not reinforced, given dân ngoại’s residual ‘outsider’ connotation.
Glory
Approved rendering: sự vinh hiển
Transliteration: su vinh hien
Doctrine: Deity of Christ
Original: δόξα
Category: God
God’s radiant honor and majesty; standard, well-established term. Inherited from Romans package. Acts note: central to Stephen’s speech and vision (7:2,55) and to God’s rebuke of Herod’s self-glorification (12:23).
Power Of God
Approved rendering: quyền năng của Đức Chúa Trời
Transliteration: quyen nang cua Duc Chua Troi
Doctrine: Power of God for Salvation
Original: δύναμις θεοῦ
Category: God
God’s own power to save; standard, well-established term. Inherited from Romans package. Acts note: distinguished from Simon Magus’s counterfeit claim to ‘great power’ (8:10); recurs 1:8; 3:12; 4:33; 6:8; 10:38; 19:11.
Covenant
Approved rendering: giao ước
Transliteration: giao uoc
Doctrine: Davidic Covenant
Original: διαθήκη
Category: Covenant
A relational, binding bond initiated by God. Inherited from Romans package. Acts note: underlies the Davidic oath cited at 2:30 and the Abrahamic covenant at 7:8.
Election
Approved rendering: sự lựa chọn
Transliteration: su lua chon
Doctrine: Effectual Calling
Rejected alternatives: số mệnh
Original: ἐκλογή
Category: Salvation
God’s sovereign personal choice, not số mệnh (fixed fate/destiny). Inherited from Romans package. Acts note: underlies Saul the ‘chosen instrument’ (9:15) and Gentiles ‘appointed to eternal life’ (13:48).
Providence
Approved rendering: sự quan phòng của Đức Chúa Trời
Transliteration: su quan phong cua Duc Chua Troi
Doctrine: Providence
Rejected alternatives: số trời, nghiệp
Original: βουλή / πρόνοια (cf. Acts 2:23; 17:26-28)
Category: God
God’s personal, purposive care; never số trời or nghiệp. Inherited from Romans package. Acts note: explicit at 2:23 (Christ’s death by God’s ‘determined plan and foreknowledge’), 17:26-28 (God’s ordering of nations), and 27:22-25 (the voyage).
Mission
Approved rendering: công cuộc truyền giáo
Transliteration: cong cuoc truyen giao
Doctrine: Mission to the Nations
Original: ἀποστολή / πέμπω
Category: Church
Proclamation-focused rendering; kept descriptive rather than borrowing institutional religious-propagation language. Inherited from Romans package. Acts note: structures Paul’s three missionary journeys (Ch. 13-14, 15-18, 18-21); audit for silent drift given the 1:8/28:31 inclusio.
David
Approved rendering: Đa-vít
Transliteration: Da-vit
Doctrine: Davidic Covenant
Original: Δαυίδ
Category: Covenant
Established Vietnamese Bible proper-name form. Inherited from Romans package. Acts note: central to 2:25-31; 4:25; 13:22,34-36; 15:16.
Israel
Approved rendering: Y-sơ-ra-ên
Transliteration: Y-so-ra-en
Doctrine: Unity of Jews and Gentiles
Original: Ἰσραήλ
Category: Covenant
Proper name; established Vietnamese Bible form. Inherited from Romans package. Acts note: recurs as the theological subject of promise and fulfillment, including 1:6’s restoration question and Paul’s historical appeals (Ch. 7, 13).
Abba
Approved rendering: Áp-ba
Transliteration: Ap-ba
Doctrine: Adoption into God’s Family
Original: אַבָּא
Category: God
Aramaic term of intimacy preserved in Romans 8:15. Inherited from Romans package. Acts note: no direct occurrence in Acts; retained for cross-curriculum consistency.
Seed Of David
Approved rendering: dòng dõi Đa-vít
Transliteration: dong doi Da-vit
Doctrine: Davidic Covenant
Original: σπέρμα Δαυίδ
Category: Covenant
Romans 1:3; conveys physical lineage and fulfillment of the Davidic covenant promise. Inherited from Romans package. Acts note: explicit at 2:30 and 13:23.
Pentecost
Approved rendering: Lễ Ngũ Tuần
Transliteration: Le Ngu Tuan
Doctrine: Holy Spirit and Pentecost
Rejected alternatives: Pen-tê-cốt (bare phonetic loan)
Original: Πεντηκοστή
Category: Holy Spirit and Pentecost
Anchors the church’s birth in the OT covenant calendar (the Feast of Weeks/Shavuot). Using the existing Vietnamese OT feast name (rather than a phonetic loan) preserves the OT-fulfillment argument. Audience needs explicit Shavuot/harvest-typology background; risk is unfamiliarity, not syncretism.
Tongues Of Fire
Approved rendering: hình lưỡi như lửa
Transliteration: hinh luoi nhu lua
Doctrine: Holy Spirit and Pentecost
Original: γλῶσσαι ὡσεὶ πυρός
Category: Holy Spirit and Pentecost
Visible flame-shapes signaling the Spirit’s presence resting on each believer (2:3). Must not be illustrated in a way resembling Vietnamese folk fire-omen or ritual-candle divination imagery; keep tied strictly to divine presence/empowerment, not omen-reading.
Boldness
Approved rendering: sự dạn dĩ
Transliteration: su dan di
Doctrine: Persecution and Bold Witness
Original: παρρησία
Category: Persecution and Bold Witness
Spirit-given fearless, open proclamation under threat (4:13,29,31; 9:27-29; 28:31). Must not be reduced to a social-honor contest (giữ thể diện / mất mặt dynamics); this is confidence before a personal God.
Casting Lots
Approved rendering: rút thăm / bắt thăm
Transliteration: rut tham / bat tham
Doctrine: Apostolic Authority and Miracles
Rejected alternatives: xin xăm, bói toán (folk fortune-telling)
Original: κλῆρος
Category: Apostolic Authority and Miracles
God’s sovereign selection of Matthias for apostolic office (1:26) through a providential means, not divination for personal fortune. Distinguish from folk fortune-telling practices seeking personal guidance for ordinary decisions.
Times Of Refreshing
Approved rendering: kỳ yên nghỉ
Transliteration: ky yen nghi
Doctrine: Fulfillment of Prophecy
Original: ἀνάψυξις
Category: Fulfillment of Prophecy
An eschatological relief accompanying repentance, tied to Christ’s return (3:20). Must be framed as future/eschatological hope, not present-tense stress relief.
Restoration Of All Things
Approved rendering: sự phục hồi mọi sự
Transliteration: su phuc hoi moi su
Doctrine: Fulfillment of Prophecy
Rejected alternatives: cyclical cosmic renewal framing
Original: ἀποκατάστασις πάντων
Category: Fulfillment of Prophecy
Final cosmic restoration at Christ’s return (3:21). Must be framed as a once-for-all future consummation, not a recurring cosmic cycle, given Vietnamese Buddhist cyclical cosmology.
Sanhedrin
Approved rendering: Tòa Công Luận
Transliteration: Toa Cong Luan
Doctrine: Persecution and Bold Witness
Rejected alternatives: Xan-hê-đrin (opaque phonetic loan)
Original: Συνέδριον
Category: Persecution and Bold Witness
The Jewish ruling religious-judicial council (Ch. 4-7, 22-23). A functional-institutional description was chosen over an opaque transliteration; not equivalent to a modern secular court or any Vietnamese folk-religious tribunal.
Deacons Ministry
Approved rendering: sự phục vụ (chức vụ)
Transliteration: su phuc vu (chuc vu)
Doctrine: The Church as Community
Original: διακονία
Category: The Church as Community
The daily distribution ministry (6:1), giving rise to the later office of deacon (chấp sự). Do not confuse with generic social charity detached from the church’s spiritual mission; Spirit-qualified service (6:3).
Chosen Instrument
Approved rendering: khí cụ được chọn
Transliteration: khi cu duoc chon
Doctrine: Conversion of Paul
Original: σκεῦος ἐκλογῆς
Category: Conversion of Paul
God’s description of Saul’s calling (9:15). Reuses baseline election (sự lựa chọn); ties Paul’s calling to sovereign divine choice, not human merit.
God Fearer
Approved rendering: kính sợ Đức Chúa Trời
Transliteration: kinh so Duc Chua Troi
Doctrine: The Gospel to Jews and Gentiles
Original: φοβούμενος τὸν Θεόν
Category: The Gospel to Jews and Gentiles
Cornelius, a devout Gentile not yet a full convert, a bridge figure for Gentile inclusion (10:2,22). Devout reverence for the personal God of Israel, not the impersonal Ông Trời of folk speech.
Christian
Approved rendering: Cơ Đốc nhân
Transliteration: Co Doc nhan
Doctrine: The Church as Community
Rejected alternatives: Cri-xi-an (phonetic loan)
Original: Χριστιανός
Category: The Church as Community
First applied at Antioch (11:26); established modern Vietnamese compound term, tied to Đấng Christ (not Đấng Mê-si-a) per the transliteration standard.
Angel
Approved rendering: thiên sứ
Transliteration: thien su
Doctrine: Apostolic Authority and Miracles
Rejected alternatives: thần linh (folk spirit/local-deity category)
Original: ἄγγελος
Category: Apostolic Authority and Miracles
A created, personal servant of the one true God (5:19; 8:26; 10:3-7; 12:7-11,23; 27:23), distinct from the broad Vietnamese folk category of spirits and ancestor-spirits with independent agendas.
Elders
Approved rendering: các trưởng lão
Transliteration: cac truong lao
Doctrine: The Church as Community
Rejected alternatives: hội đồng kỳ mục (Confucian clan/village-elder council)
Original: πρεσβύτεροι
Category: The Church as Community
Formal church office first appointed by the apostles (14:23). Must be distinguished from a Confucian clan-elder council whose authority rests on age/lineage hierarchy rather than spiritual gifting and calling.
Gods In Human Form
Approved rendering: các thần lấy hình người
Transliteration: cac than lay hinh nguoi
Doctrine: The Gospel to Jews and Gentiles
Original: θεοὶ ἐν ἀνθρωπίνῃ μορφῇ
Category: The Gospel to Jews and Gentiles
The Lystra crowd’s pagan misidentification of Paul and Barnabas as Hermes/Zeus (14:11-12); a cautionary example of pagan polytheism the gospel explicitly corrects (14:15), never validated.
Circumcision
Approved rendering: phép cắt bì
Transliteration: phep cat bi
Doctrine: Justification apart from the Law
Original: περιτομή
Category: Justification apart from the Law
The Jerusalem Council’s central controversy (15:1,5). The Council’s negative answer must be preserved without softening or reintroducing a works-requirement.
Yoke Of The Law
Approved rendering: gánh nặng
Transliteration: ganh nang
Doctrine: Justification apart from the Law
Original: ζυγός
Category: Justification apart from the Law
Peter’s description of the law as a yoke the fathers could not bear (15:10); must not read as a light, manageable burden — the text’s point is that law-keeping cannot save.
Blood Dietary Prohibition
Approved rendering: huyết
Transliteration: huyet
Doctrine: Justification apart from the Law
Original: αἷμα
Category: Justification apart from the Law
The Jerusalem Council’s requirement to abstain from blood (15:20,29). Notable living cultural tension: Vietnamese cuisine commonly includes blood-based dishes (huyết, tiết canh); requires explicit pastoral/cultural teaching notes rather than silent translation.
Examining The Scriptures
Approved rendering: tra xem Kinh Thánh
Transliteration: tra xem Kinh Thanh
Doctrine: Inspiration of Scripture
Original: ἀνακρίνοντες τὰς γραφάς
Category: Inspiration of Scripture
The Berean commendation for testing apostolic preaching against Scripture (17:11); models healthy Scripture-testing over blind deference to any teacher’s authority.
Overseer
Approved rendering: người coi sóc (Hội Thánh)
Transliteration: nguoi coi soc (Hoi Thanh)
Doctrine: The Church as Community
Rejected alternatives: clan/civil-official hierarchical framing
Original: ἐπίσκοπος
Category: The Church as Community
A synonym for elder describing the oversight function of church leadership (20:28); spiritual shepherding under Christ, not a hierarchical clan or civil role.
Whole Counsel Of God
Approved rendering: trọn ý muốn của Đức Chúa Trời
Transliteration: tron y muon cua Duc Chua Troi
Doctrine: Providence
Original: πᾶσαν τὴν βουλὴν τοῦ Θεοῦ
Category: Providence
Paul’s claim to have withheld nothing of God’s full revealed plan (20:27); reuses the providence register, emphasizing full, undiminished doctrinal proclamation.
Inheritance Kleros
Approved rendering: cơ nghiệp
Transliteration: co nghiep
Doctrine: Adoption into God’s Family and Inheritance
Rejected alternatives: ancestral inheritance secured through filial merit or ritual duty
Original: κλῆρος
Category: Adoption into God’s Family
The share/inheritance among God’s sanctified people (26:18; 20:32). Reuses baseline adoption’s inheritance-rights framing; this is a grace-given inheritance, not an ancestral inheritance secured through filial merit.
Low Risk Terms
Thanksgiving
Approved rendering: sự cảm tạ
Transliteration: su cam ta
Doctrine: Thanksgiving
Original: εὐχαριστία
Category: Faith
Standard term; no significant doctrinal risk. Inherited from Romans package. Acts note: implicit in the shared-meal thanksgiving pattern of 27:35.
Fellowship
Approved rendering: sự thông công
Transliteration: su thong cong
Doctrine: Christian Fellowship
Original: κοινωνία
Category: Church
Shared participation in Christ; standard, well-established term. Inherited from Romans package. Acts note: named at 2:42 as one of the four steadfast community practices.
Prophet
Approved rendering: tiên tri
Transliteration: tien tri
Doctrine: Inspiration of Scripture
Rejected alternatives: thầy bói
Original: προφήτης
Category: Covenant
God’s spokesperson; do not confuse with thầy bói (a fortune-teller). Inherited from Romans package. Acts note: applied to Joel (2:16), Moses (3:22; 7:37), and Agabus (11:28; 21:10).
Prophecy
Approved rendering: lời tiên tri
Transliteration: loi tien tri
Doctrine: Fulfillment of Prophecy
Original: προφητεία / προφητεύω
Category: Covenant
God-inspired declaration; standard, well-established term. Inherited from Romans package. Acts note: Joel’s citation (2:17-18) universalizes prophetic gifting; Agabus’s prophecies (11:28; 21:11) are historically fulfilled.
Exhort
Approved rendering: khích lệ
Transliteration: khich le
Doctrine: Mutual Edification
Original: παρακαλέω
Category: Faith
Context-sensitive: use khuyên nài for entreaty and khích lệ for building up in encouragement. Inherited from Romans package. Acts note: Peter’s exhortation at Pentecost (2:40) and repeated apostolic exhortation (11:23; 14:22; 15:32; 16:40; 20:1-2; 27:33-34) use the entreaty/khuyên nài sense.
Stoning
Approved rendering: ném đá
Transliteration: nem da
Doctrine: Persecution and Bold Witness
Original: λιθοβολέω
Category: Persecution and Bold Witness
Judicial mob execution by stoning (7:58-59; 14:19); narrative/historical detail, minimal independent doctrinal risk.
Fasting
Approved rendering: sự kiêng ăn
Transliteration: su kieng an
Doctrine: The Church as Community
Original: νηστεία
Category: The Church as Community
Standard spiritual discipline term accompanying prayer in commissioning and church life (13:2-3; 14:23); minimal syncretism risk, though distinct from Buddhist merit-generating fasting.
Roman Citizen
Approved rendering: công dân Rô-ma
Transliteration: cong dan Ro-ma
Doctrine: Persecution and Bold Witness
Original: πολίτης Ῥωμαῖος
Category: Persecution and Bold Witness
Paul and Silas’s legal status invoked for protection (16:37-38; 22:25-29); historical/legal term with minimal independent doctrinal risk.
Synagogue
Approved rendering: nhà hội
Transliteration: nha hoi
Doctrine: The Church as Community
Rejected alternatives: Hội Thánh (distinct institution), đền/chùa (folk/Buddhist temple)
Original: συναγωγή
Category: The Church as Community
Established historical-institutional term (first at 9:20, recurring Ch. 13-19), distinct from Hội Thánh and from đền/chùa.
Shepherd And Flock
Approved rendering: người chăn / bầy (đàn chiên)
Transliteration: nguoi chan / bay (dan chien)
Doctrine: The Church as Community
Original: ποιμήν / ποίμνιον
Category: The Church as Community
Paul’s pastoral charge to the Ephesian elders (20:28); standard pastoral metaphor, minimal independent doctrinal risk.
Wolves
Approved rendering: muông sói
Transliteration: muong soi
Doctrine: The Church as Community
Original: λύκοι
Category: The Church as Community
Warning image for false teachers arising from within the church (20:29); minimal independent doctrinal risk.
Nazirite Vow
Approved rendering: lời thề Na-xi-rê
Transliteration: loi the Na-xi-re
Doctrine: The Church as Community
Original: εὐχή (Ναζιραίου)
Category: The Church as Community
Paul’s participation in a Jewish purification vow (21:23-26) as a cultural accommodation demonstrating respect for Jewish custom, not a return to law-keeping as a basis for righteousness (cf. Ch. 15’s settled doctrine).
Self Control
Approved rendering: tiết độ
Transliteration: tiet do
Doctrine: Universal Human Accountability
Original: ἐγκράτεια
Category: Universal Human Accountability
Part of Paul’s message to Felix (24:25); presented as a fruit of the gospel message, not self-generated Confucian or Buddhist moral cultivation, though surface vocabulary may overlap.
Appeal To Caesar
Approved rendering: chống án lên Sê-sa
Transliteration: chong an len Se-sa
Doctrine: Persecution and Bold Witness
Original: Καίσαρα ἐπικαλοῦμαι
Category: Persecution and Bold Witness
Paul’s legal appeal to the highest Roman court (25:11); legal/proper-noun term with minimal independent doctrinal risk.
Viper
Approved rendering: rắn độc
Transliteration: ran doc
Doctrine: Providence
Original: ἔχιδνα
Category: Providence
The snake bite at Malta (28:3-6), survived without harm; theological weight lies entirely in the providence doctrine (God’s protective care over Paul’s mission to Rome).
Referenced passages