dogma denotes an issued ruling, whether from civic authority or within a law-and-commandments context.

The term most often occurs for rulings issued or observed under public authority: Caesar sends out an order in Luke 2:1, Caesar’s rulings are cited in Acts 17:7, and decisions from apostles and elders are delivered in Acts 16:4. In Ephesians 2:15 and Colossians 2:14, plural forms occur in clauses concerning commandments and a hostile certificate of debt, showing rulings or prescriptions in that setting.

1. Issued rulings or official orders · dominant

   In Luke 2:1, the nominative singular introduces an order that goes out from Caesar Augustus concerning registration. The plural forms refer to decisions handed on for observance in Acts 16:4 and to Caesar’s rulings that the group is said to act against in Acts 17:7; the APB renders these clauses with “decree” or “decrees.”

   Acts 16:4Acts 17:7Luke 2:1
2. Prescriptions in a law-related context · common

   The dative plural occurs in Ephesians 2:15 within the phrase the APB renders “the law of commandments in decrees.” In Colossians 2:14, the same form appears in a clause about a certificate of debt consisting of rulings that was against and hostile to those addressed.

   Colossians 2:14Ephesians 2:15

In the Anselm Project Bible: The APB presents the term as “decree” or “decrees” in the civic and apostolic-elder contexts, and also uses “decrees” in the clauses about commandments and the certificate of debt. These renderings confirm the clauses’ overall presentation rather than isolate each token’s English equivalent.