1
Τὸν μὲν πρῶτον λόγον ἐποιησάμην περὶ πάντων, ὦ Θεόφιλε, ὧν ἤρξατο ⸀ὁ Ἰησοῦς ποιεῖν τε καὶ διδάσκειν
The first account I made, O Theophilus, concerning all that Jesus began both to do and to teach,
first here Theophilus Θεόφιλος Theophilos
first here Jesus Ἰησοῦς Iēsous
Why this rendering
Acts.1.1 Observation
Syntactic observation
The same hand as Luke 1:1-4 — the same addressee, Theophilus, the same formality, this time with the vocative ὦ. In Τὸν πρῶτον λόγον, the first account, λόγος is not the Word of John 1:1 but the word for a book, an account — one word doing different work in different places, visible right here. μέν is the particle that makes the reader wait for a matching δέ, and the δέ never comes: the sentence says the first account was... and the second is never announced; the story simply begins. ἤρξατο ποιεῖν τε καὶ διδάσκειν, began both to do and to teach — τε καὶ yokes doing and teaching into one pair, and makes the Gospel the beginning. SBLGNT marks a variant in this verse (⸀ὁ).
Rendering options · 2
Adopted “the first account”
Basis λόγος here names a written work. Word would collide with John 1:1 for no gain; book would collide with βίβλος (Acts 1:20, the book of Psalms). Account keeps the register of the Theophilus preface (Luke 1:3, to write for you).
“the former book”
Basis The traditional rendering (KJV: the former treatise).
Rejected βίβλος (1:20) already owns book. Where the base text divides words, this edition divides renderings — its first principle.
Lost in translation
μέν, the particle of anticipation, has no English body. The first account leans forward slightly, but the specific grammar of waiting for a δέ that never arrives cannot be carried by word order alone.
this edition — none of the nine carries it (measured)
2
ἄχρι ἧς ἡμέρας ἐντειλάμενος τοῖς ἀποστόλοις διὰ πνεύματος ἁγίου οὓς ἐξελέξατο ἀνελήμφθη·
until the day when, having given command through the Holy Spirit to the apostles whom he had chosen, he was taken up.
3
οἷς καὶ παρέστησεν ἑαυτὸν ζῶντα μετὰ τὸ παθεῖν αὐτὸν ἐν πολλοῖς τεκμηρίοις, δι’ ἡμερῶν τεσσεράκοντα ὀπτανόμενος αὐτοῖς καὶ λέγων τὰ περὶ τῆς βασιλείας τοῦ θεοῦ·
To them he also presented himself alive after his suffering, by many sure proofs, appearing to them through forty days and speaking the things concerning the kingdom of God.
4
καὶ συναλιζόμενος παρήγγειλεν αὐτοῖς ἀπὸ Ἱεροσολύμων μὴ χωρίζεσθαι, ἀλλὰ περιμένειν τὴν ἐπαγγελίαν τοῦ πατρὸς ἣν ἠκούσατέ μου·
And while gathered with them he charged them not to depart from Jerusalem, but to wait for the promise of the Father, “which you heard from me;
Why this rendering
Acts.1.4 Observation
Syntactic observation
τὴν ἐπαγγελίαν τοῦ πατρός, the promise of the Father, repeats Luke 24:49 (I am sending out the promise of my Father) word for word — the seam joining the two books is laid in vocabulary. And the sentence changes speech without notice: at ἣν ἠκούσατέ μου, which you heard from me, narration (he charged them) slides into first-person direct speech. In a base text without quotation marks the slide is unmarked — a translation is forced to decide where to open the quotes. συναλιζόμενος is unique in the New Testament.
Rendering options · 2
Adopted “while gathered with them”
Basis Reads συναλίζομαι as συν + ἁλίζω, to gather. It fits the context of giving a charge and joins συνελθόντες, having come together, at v.6.
“while eating with them”
Basis An old exegetical tradition took the word from ἅλς, salt — sharing salt, eating together — which would echo Luke 24:41-43, the risen one eating.
Rejected The etymology is contested, and a translation is not built on a contest. Gathered stands on the context by itself; the echo of eating is recorded as a loss.
Lost in translation
The unmarkedness of the slide into direct speech — English must open quotation marks, so a threshold stands in the translation that the base text does not have.
this edition — none of the nine carries it (measured)
5
ὅτι Ἰωάννης μὲν ἐβάπτισεν ὕδατι, ὑμεῖς δὲ ⸂ἐν πνεύματι βαπτισθήσεσθε⸃ ἁγίῳ οὐ μετὰ πολλὰς ταύτας ἡμέρας.
for John baptized with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now.”
first here John Ἰωάννης Iōannēs
6
Οἱ μὲν οὖν συνελθόντες ⸀ἠρώτων αὐτὸν λέγοντες· Κύριε, εἰ ἐν τῷ χρόνῳ τούτῳ ἀποκαθιστάνεις τὴν βασιλείαν τῷ Ἰσραήλ;
So those who had come together asked him, saying, “Lord, are you at this time restoring the kingdom to Israel?”
first here Israel Ἰσραήλ Israēl
7
εἶπεν ⸀δὲ πρὸς αὐτούς· Οὐχ ὑμῶν ἐστιν γνῶναι χρόνους ἢ καιροὺς οὓς ὁ πατὴρ ἔθετο ἐν τῇ ἰδίᾳ ἐξουσίᾳ,
And he said to them, “It is not for you to know times or seasons which the Father has set by his own authority;
8
ἀλλὰ λήμψεσθε δύναμιν ἐπελθόντος τοῦ ἁγίου πνεύματος ἐφ’ ὑμᾶς, καὶ ἔσεσθέ ⸀μου μάρτυρες ἔν τε Ἰερουσαλὴμ καὶ ἐν πάσῃ τῇ Ἰουδαίᾳ καὶ Σαμαρείᾳ καὶ ἕως ἐσχάτου τῆς γῆς.
but you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses both in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and as far as the end of the earth.”
first here Jerusalem Ἰερουσαλήμ Ierousalēm
first here Judea Ἰουδαία Ioudaia
first here Samaria Σαμάρεια Samareia
9
καὶ ταῦτα εἰπὼν βλεπόντων αὐτῶν ἐπήρθη καὶ νεφέλη ὑπέλαβεν αὐτὸν ἀπὸ τῶν ὀφθαλμῶν αὐτῶν.
And having said these things, while they were looking on, he was lifted up, and a cloud took him up from their eyes.
10
καὶ ὡς ἀτενίζοντες ἦσαν εἰς τὸν οὐρανὸν πορευομένου αὐτοῦ, καὶ ἰδοὺ ἄνδρες δύο παρειστήκεισαν αὐτοῖς ἐν ⸂ἐσθήσεσι λευκαῖς⸃,
And as they were gazing fixedly into heaven while he was going, behold, two men had stood by them in white clothing,
11
οἳ καὶ εἶπαν· Ἄνδρες Γαλιλαῖοι, τί ἑστήκατε ⸀βλέποντες εἰς τὸν οὐρανόν; οὗτος ὁ Ἰησοῦς ὁ ἀναλημφθεὶς ἀφ’ ὑμῶν εἰς τὸν οὐρανὸν οὕτως ἐλεύσεται ὃν τρόπον ἐθεάσασθε αὐτὸν πορευόμενον εἰς τὸν οὐρανόν.
who also said, “Men of Galilee, why do you stand looking into heaven? This Jesus, who was taken up from you into heaven, will come in the same way you beheld him going into heaven.”
first here Galileans Γαλιλαῖος Galilaios
Why this rendering
Acts.1.11 Observation
Syntactic observation
εἰς τὸν οὐρανόν, into heaven, comes three times in one verse — the heaven they stare into, the heaven he was taken up into, the heaven they beheld him going into. Reduce the three and the verse loses its drumbeat. The verbs of ascent divide too: vv.2, 11, 22 use ἀναλαμβάνω, to be taken up — the word Mark 16:19 and the ἀνάλημψις of Luke 9:51 already used — v.9 has ἐπαίρω, to be lifted up, and the going of vv.10-11 is πορεύομαι. And ἄνδρες δύο, two men in white clothing, repeats the two men beside the tomb in Luke 24:4 — at the tomb and at the ascension the same author posts the same pair. The verbs of seeing divide three ways as well: ἀτενίζω, to gaze fixedly (v.10), βλέπω, to look (v.11), θεάομαι, to behold (v.11).
Rendering options · 1
Adopted “heaven” all three times
Basis Repetition inside one verse is the author's device; smoothing it away would make it a different verse.
Lost in translation
The split between ἀναλαμβάνω and ἐπαίρω stands in English with room to spare — taken up against lifted up, two different verbs in plain sight.
Survives in · this edition — 2 of the nine carry it (this language among them)
12
Τότε ὑπέστρεψαν εἰς Ἰερουσαλὴμ ἀπὸ ὄρους τοῦ καλουμένου Ἐλαιῶνος, ὅ ἐστιν ἐγγὺς Ἰερουσαλὴμ σαββάτου ἔχον ὁδόν.
Then they returned to Jerusalem from the mount called Olive Grove, which is near Jerusalem, a sabbath day’s journey away.
Why this rendering
Acts.1.12 Observation
Syntactic observation
ὄρους τοῦ καλουμένου Ἐλαιῶνος — here the mount's name is the genitive of the noun Ἐλαιών, Olive Grove. At Luke 19:29, τὸ ὄρος τὸ καλούμενον Ἐλαιῶν could be read, depending on accentuation, as this same noun or as of olives, a genitive plural — and this verse of Acts gives Luke's own answer to that question. σαββάτου ἔχον ὁδόν, a sabbath day's journey away, measures distance by the Jewish unit of what may be walked on a sabbath, about two thousand cubits — Luke measures the road with the synagogue's ruler, not Rome's.
Rendering options · 2
Adopted “the mount called Olive Grove”
Basis The base text's form is the genitive of the noun Ἐλαιών, so the name is rendered as a noun. The root joins the Olives of Luke 19:29 and 22:39.
“Olivet”
Basis The traditional name — English tradition uses Olivet, through Latin olivetum.
Rejected Olivet inserts a Latin layer between reader and text; and the Korean 감람 names a different tree altogether. This edition follows its own fixed Olive of Luke 19:29.
13
καὶ ὅτε εἰσῆλθον, ⸂εἰς τὸ ὑπερῷον ἀνέβησαν⸃ οὗ ἦσαν καταμένοντες, ὅ τε Πέτρος καὶ ⸂Ἰωάννης καὶ Ἰάκωβος⸃ καὶ Ἀνδρέας, Φίλιππος καὶ Θωμᾶς, Βαρθολομαῖος καὶ Μαθθαῖος, Ἰάκωβος Ἁλφαίου καὶ Σίμων ὁ ζηλωτὴς καὶ Ἰούδας Ἰακώβου.
And when they had entered, they went up into the upper room where they were staying — Peter and John and James and Andrew, Philip and Thomas, Bartholomew and Matthew, James son of Alphaeus and Simon the Zealot and Judas son of James.
first here Peter Πέτρος Petros
first here James Ἰάκωβος Iakōbos
first here Andrew Ἀνδρέας Andreas
first here Philippi Φίλιππος Philippos
first here Thomas Θωμᾶς Thōmas
first here Bartholomew Βαρθολομαῖος Bartholomaios
first here Matthew Μαθθαῖος Maththaios
first here Alphaeus Ἁλφαῖος Halphaios
first here Simon Σίμων Simōn
first here Judas Ἰούδας Ioudas
14
οὗτοι πάντες ἦσαν προσκαρτεροῦντες ὁμοθυμαδὸν τῇ ⸀προσευχῇ σὺν γυναιξὶν καὶ ⸀Μαριὰμ τῇ μητρὶ τοῦ Ἰησοῦ καὶ ⸀σὺν τοῖς ἀδελφοῖς αὐτοῦ.
These all were persisting with one mind in prayer, together with women and Mary the mother of Jesus and his brothers.
first here Mariam Μαριάμ Mariam
15
Καὶ ἐν ταῖς ἡμέραις ταύταις ἀναστὰς Πέτρος ἐν μέσῳ τῶν ⸀ἀδελφῶν εἶπεν (ἦν τε ὄχλος ὀνομάτων ἐπὶ τὸ αὐτὸ ⸀ὡς ἑκατὸν εἴκοσι)·
And in these days Peter, standing up in the midst of the brothers, said — and there was a crowd of names together, about a hundred and twenty —
16
Ἄνδρες ἀδελφοί, ἔδει πληρωθῆναι τὴν ⸀γραφὴν ἣν προεῖπε τὸ πνεῦμα τὸ ἅγιον διὰ στόματος Δαυὶδ περὶ Ἰούδα τοῦ γενομένου ὁδηγοῦ τοῖς συλλαβοῦσιν ⸀Ἰησοῦν,
“Men, brothers, the scripture had to be fulfilled which the Holy Spirit spoke beforehand through the mouth of David concerning Judas, who became guide to those who seized Jesus,
first here daughter Δαυίδ Dauid
17
ὅτι κατηριθμημένος ἦν ⸀ἐν ἡμῖν καὶ ἔλαχεν τὸν κλῆρον τῆς διακονίας ταύτης.—
for he was numbered among us and received the share of this service. —
18
Οὗτος μὲν οὖν ἐκτήσατο χωρίον ἐκ μισθοῦ τῆς ἀδικίας, καὶ πρηνὴς γενόμενος ἐλάκησεν μέσος, καὶ ἐξεχύθη πάντα τὰ σπλάγχνα αὐτοῦ.
— This man, then, acquired a field with the wages of his unrighteousness, and falling headlong he burst open in the middle, and all his bowels poured out.
Why this rendering
Acts.1.18 Observation
Syntactic observation
Verses 18-19 are not Peter's speech but the narrator's aside — the base text prints dashes at the end of v.17 and v.19 and lifts the two verses out. Judas's death and the field's name need no explaining to the people of Jerusalem (v.19: known to all those dwelling in Jerusalem); they need explaining to Theophilus. In this edition's English the threshold rides on the dashes — punctuation does alone the work a speech-level shift could share. τῇ ἰδίᾳ διαλέκτῳ αὐτῶν Ἁκελδαμάχ, τοῦτ’ ἔστιν Χωρίον Αἵματος — the device that writes the sound and then gives the sense stands here too: the decision repeated eighteen times in the Gospels (the sound is not erased) stands again in the first chapter of the fifth book. πρηνής, headlong, is unique in the New Testament. And σπλάγχνα, bowels — in the Gospels always the seat of compassion — is here anatomy, plainly: the two farthest uses of one word inside one author.
Rendering options · 1
Adopted the aside kept inside the base text's dashes — and the sound Hakeldamach kept beside its sense
Basis What the base text lifts out with dashes, a translation must not glue back — the speech would lose its audience. Keeping the sound follows the fixed rule of the eighteen Gospel sites: the sound is not erased.
Lost in translation
English carries the aside's threshold by the dash alone — its speech levels do not grammaticalize the shift.
Survives in · this edition — 1 of the nine carry it (not this language)
19
καὶ γνωστὸν ἐγένετο πᾶσι τοῖς κατοικοῦσιν Ἰερουσαλήμ, ὥστε κληθῆναι τὸ χωρίον ἐκεῖνο τῇ ⸀ἰδίᾳ διαλέκτῳ αὐτῶν Ἁκελδαμάχ, τοῦτ’ ἔστιν Χωρίον Αἵματος.—
And it became known to all those dwelling in Jerusalem, so that that field was called in their own language Hakeldamach — that is, Field of Blood. —
20
γέγραπται γὰρ ἐν βίβλῳ ψαλμῶν· Γενηθήτω ἡ ἔπαυλις αὐτοῦ ἔρημος καὶ μὴ ἔστω ὁ κατοικῶν ἐν αὐτῇ, καί· Τὴν ἐπισκοπὴν αὐτοῦ ⸀λαβέτω ἕτερος.
“For it is written in the book of Psalms: ‘Let his homestead become desolate, and let there be no one dwelling in it,’ and: ‘Let another take his office.’
21
δεῖ οὖν τῶν συνελθόντων ἡμῖν ἀνδρῶν ἐν παντὶ χρόνῳ ⸀ᾧ εἰσῆλθεν καὶ ἐξῆλθεν ἐφ’ ἡμᾶς ὁ κύριος Ἰησοῦς,
Therefore, of the men who went with us during all the time in which the Lord Jesus went in and went out among us,
22
ἀρξάμενος ἀπὸ τοῦ βαπτίσματος Ἰωάννου ἕως τῆς ἡμέρας ἧς ἀνελήμφθη ἀφ’ ἡμῶν, μάρτυρα τῆς ἀναστάσεως αὐτοῦ ⸂σὺν ἡμῖν γενέσθαι⸃ ἕνα τούτων.
beginning from the baptism of John until the day when he was taken up from us — one of these must become with us a witness of his resurrection.”
23
καὶ ἔστησαν δύο, Ἰωσὴφ τὸν καλούμενον Βαρσαββᾶν, ὃς ἐπεκλήθη Ἰοῦστος, καὶ Μαθθίαν.
And they set forward two: Joseph called Barsabbas, who was surnamed Justus, and Matthias.
first here Joseph Ἰωσήφ Iōsēph
24
καὶ προσευξάμενοι εἶπαν Σὺ κύριε καρδιογνῶστα πάντων, ἀνάδειξον ὃν ἐξελέξω, ἐκ τούτων τῶν δύο ἕνα,
And praying they said, “You, Lord, knower of the hearts of all, appoint the one you have chosen of these two
Why this rendering
Acts.1.24 Observation
Syntactic observation
ἀνάδειξον, appoint — show forth — is the verb of Luke 10:1, where the Lord appointed the seventy-two: a word only Luke uses in the four Gospels returns at once in Acts. That Luke-Acts is one work with one vocabulary is visible in its words from the first chapter. καρδιογνῶστα, knower of hearts, occurs in the New Testament only here and at 15:8 — both times in Acts, both times as a vocative addressed to God. And κλῆρος comes with two faces in this chapter: at v.17 the share (he received the share of this service), at v.26 the lot (the lot fell on Matthias). Between the two uses of the one word lies Judas's empty place; and the lot is the word of Luke 23:34, where they cast lots over his garments.
Rendering options · 1
Adopted v.17 “share”, v.26 “lot” — one word divided by place
Basis κλῆρος means both the lot that is cast and the allotted share. V.17 is an office received, v.26 an act performed; one rendering would break one of the two. The division is recorded here — an unrecorded division is indistinguishable from an error.
25
λαβεῖν τὸν ⸀τόπον τῆς διακονίας ταύτης καὶ ἀποστολῆς, ⸀ἀφ’ ἧς παρέβη Ἰούδας πορευθῆναι εἰς τὸν τόπον τὸν ἴδιον.
to take the place of this service and apostleship, from which Judas turned aside to go to his own place.”
26
καὶ ἔδωκαν κλήρους ⸀αὐτοῖς, καὶ ἔπεσεν ὁ κλῆρος ἐπὶ Μαθθίαν, καὶ συγκατεψηφίσθη μετὰ τῶν ἕνδεκα ἀποστόλων.
And they gave lots for them, and the lot fell on Matthias, and he was counted together with the eleven apostles.