Core Glossary
Romans — Core Glossary (Amharic Language Package, Baseline v1.0)
This glossary consolidates every load-bearing term identified in analysis/07_semantic_analysis.md, across the entire book of Romans (chapters 1–16). This is the first Amharic Language Package produced for this pipeline; every rendering below is now the mandatory baseline Translation Memory (TM) entry for amharic. All future Romans-related and cross-referencing NT curricula in amharic MUST reuse these renderings exactly unless a formal, documented revision to this baseline is executed.
Risk tiers: Critical | High | Medium | Low (see definitions in 07_semantic_analysis.md §0.5).
| Greek Term (Translit.) | Literal Meaning | Amharic Rendering | Chapters | Risk | Reasoning (grounded) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Παῦλος (Paulos) | proper name | ጳውሎስ | 1, 16 | Low | Established loan/proper noun, no variation across traditions. |
| δοῦλος (doulos) | slave, bondservant | ባርያ (barya) | 1, 6 | Medium | Carries real Ethiopian historical-slavery connotation; retained as honor-title per existing Amharic Bible convention; requires teaching gloss. |
| κλητός (klētos) | called | የተጠራ | 1, 8 | Low | Stable, no competing usage. |
| ἀπόστολος (apostolos) | sent one, envoy | ሐዋርያ (ḥawarya) | 1, 11, 16 | Low | Universally recognized loan-derived term across Ethiopian Christianity. |
| ἀφωρισμένος (aphōrismenos) | set apart | የተለየ | 1 | Low-Medium | Minor overlap with monastic “separation” concept; context disambiguates. |
| εὐαγγέλιον (euangelion) | good news | ወንጌል (wängel) | all | Low (lexical) / foundational | Fully assimilated Ge’ez-derived loanword; must never be periphrased. |
| θεός (theos) | God | እግዚአብሔር (Igziabiher) | all | Low (rendering) / High (doctrine) | Baseline decision: primary NT/OT term for the one true God per existing Amharic Bible tradition; doctrinal weight enormous (Sovereignty, Election). |
| κύριος (kyrios) | Lord | ጌታ (gäta) | all | Low | Standard for Christ; reserved distinct from እግዚአብሔር per baseline rule §0.3. |
| προεπαγγέλλομαι (proepangellomai) | promise beforehand | አስቀድሞ ተስፋ ቃል መስጠት | 1 | Medium | No single Amharic verb; periphrasis must recur consistently for OT-NT continuity (Future of Israel doctrine). |
| προφήτης (prophētēs) | prophet | ነቢይ / ነቢያት | 1, 3, 11, 16 | Low | Standard term. |
| γραφή ἁγία (graphē hagia) | holy scripture | ቅዱሳት መጻሕፍት | 1 | Low | Universally recognized. |
| υἱός (huios) | son | ልጅ | 1, 5, 8, 9 | Low (Christ) / High (believers) | Must be lexically distinguished from υἱοθεσία (adoption) for believers to preserve Christ’s unique Sonship. |
| σπέρμα (sperma) | seed, offspring | ዘር | 1, 4, 9 | Medium | Intersects Israel/ethnic-identity sensitivity (see Ἰσραήλ below). |
| σάρξ (sarx) | flesh | ሥጋ (śəga) | 1, 2, 3, 6, 7, 8, 13 | Medium-High | Dual sense (biological vs. fallen-nature) risks flattening; must gloss per context, especially chs. 6-8. |
| ὁρίζω (horizō) | declare, appoint | ተለይቶ ተወሰነ | 1 | Medium | Must be kept distinct from προορίζω (predestine) to preserve separate Greek concepts. |
| δύναμις (dynamis) | power | ኃይል (ḫayl) | 1, 8, 9, 15 | Low | Stable; anchors “Gospel as Power of God” doctrine. |
| πνεῦμα ἁγιωσύνης / ἅγιον πνεῦμα (pneuma) | spirit / Holy Spirit | መንፈስ (ቅዱስ) | 1, 2, 5, 7, 8, 9, 12, 14, 15 | High | Same lexeme used for zar/ancestral spirits in Ethiopian folk religion; Holy Spirit references must always carry ቅዱስ or explicit divine qualifier. |
| ἀνάστασις νεκρῶν (anastasis nekrōn) | resurrection of the dead | ከሙታን ትንሣኤ | 1, 4, 6, 8 | Low | Doctrinally stable, shared across traditions. |
| χάρις (charis) | grace, unmerited favor | ጸጋ (ṣägga) | 1, 3, 4, 5, 6, 11, 12, 15, 16 | Critical | Ethiopian Orthodox sacramental theology treats grace as infused/mediated through sacrament and merit (synergistic); Paul’s unilateral, unearned, faith-received grace is the epistle’s central doctrinal collision point. |
| ἀποστολή (apostolē) | apostleship | ሐዋርያነት | 1 | Low | Stable derivative of ἀπόστολος. |
| ὑπακοὴ πίστεως (hypakoē pisteōs) | obedience of faith | የእምነት ተገዢነት | 1, 16 | High | Genitive ambiguity; risk of legalistic misreading; fixed bracketing phrase (1:5/16:26) must render identically. |
| ἔθνη (ethnē) | nations, Gentiles | አህዛብ (aḫzab) | 1, 3, 9, 10, 11, 15, 16 | Low-Medium | Established but must be read as covenantal/ethnic category, not pejorative; central to Israel/Gentile doctrine. |
| ἀγαπητός (agapētos) | beloved | ተወዳጅ | 1, 11, 12, 16 | Low | Stable. |
| ἅγιος (hagios) | holy, saint | ቅዱስ / ቅዱሳን | 1, 5, 6, 7, 8, 11, 12, 15, 16 | Medium-High | Orthodox usage restricts “ቅዱስ” to a venerated canonized class; Paul’s address to all ordinary believers as ቅዱሳን risks over- or under-elevating status; requires explicit teaching note. |
| πατήρ (patēr) | Father | አባት | 1, 4, 6, 8, 15 | Low | Stable. |
| πίστις (pistis) | faith, trust, belief | እምነት (əmnät) | all | Critical | Most load-bearing term in the epistle; Amharic usage risks reduction to “religion/creed” or bare intellectual assent, collapsing relational-trust sense central to Justification/Grace doctrines. |
| κόσμος (kosmos) | world | ዓለም | 1, 3, 4, 5 | Low | Stable. |
| λατρεύω / λατρεία (latreuō/latreia) | cultic service, worship | አገልግሎት / አምልኮ | 1, 12 | Medium | Generic “service” sense risks losing cultic-worship nuance; must render consistently between 1:9 and 12:1. |
| θέλημα θεοῦ (thelēma theou) | will of God | የእግዚአብሔር ፈቃድ | 1, 2, 8, 9, 12, 15 | Low-Medium | Foundational for Sovereignty/Election doctrine; consistent rendering required. |
| χάρισμα (charisma) | grace-gift | (የጸጋ) ስጦታ | 1, 5, 6, 11, 12 | Medium | Must retain visible ጸጋ root to preserve charis-charisma word-family link. |
| ἀδελφός (adelphos) | brother (inclusive) | ወንድም/ወንድሞች | 1, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 14, 15, 16 | Medium | Gender-generic congregational address; needs inclusivity note. |
| καρπός (karpos) | fruit | ፍሬ | 1, 6, 7, 15 | Low | Stable metaphor. |
| ὀφειλέτης / ὀφειλή (opheiletēs/opheilē) | debtor / debt | ባለዕዳ / ዕዳ | 1, 4, 8, 13, 15 | Low-Medium | Recurring obligation-motif; must stay lexically consistent across chs. 1, 13. |
| εὐαγγελίζομαι (euangelizomai) | to preach the gospel | ወንጌልን ማወጅ/መስበክ | 1, 10, 15 | Low | Transparent derivative of ወንጌል. |
| ἐπαισχύνομαι (epaischynomai) | to be ashamed | አፍርበት | 1 | Low | Stable. |
| σωτηρία (sōtēria) | salvation, deliverance | ድኅነት (dəḫnät) | 1, 10, 11, 13 | Low | Long-established, doctrinally stable across all Ethiopian Christian traditions. |
| πιστεύω (pisteuō) | to believe, trust | አመነ | 1, 3, 4, 6, 9, 10, 14, 15 | Critical | Verbal cognate of πίστις; identical collision risk (assent vs. relational trust). |
| Ἰουδαῖος (Ioudaios) | Jew | አይሁድ (ayhud) | 1, 2, 3, 9, 10 | High | Ethiopia’s Beta Israel community and Solomonic/Kebra Nagast national-identity legend create risk of Ethiopian over-identification with “Israel,” blurring Paul’s Jew/Gentile categories. |
| Ἕλλην (Hellēn) | Greek | ግሪካዊ / ግሪክ | 1, 2, 10 | Low | Stable ethnographic term. |
| δικαιοσύνη θεοῦ / δίκαιος (dikaiosynē theou / dikaios) | righteousness of God / righteous one | የእግዚአብሔር ጽድቅ / ጻድቅ | 1, 3, 4, 5, 6, 9, 10 | Critical | Single highest-stakes term in the book: Ethiopian Orthodox usage treats ጽድቅ/ጻድቅ as merit-based ethical achievement or ascetic-sainthood title, risking collapse of Paul’s forensic imputed-righteousness doctrine into moralism. |
| ἀποκαλύπτω (apokalyptō) | to reveal | ተገለጠ | 1, 2, 3, 8, 16 | Low | Stable. |
| γέγραπται (gegraptai) | it is written | እንደተጻፈው | 1, 3, 4, 9, 10, 11, 15 | Low | Fixed citation formula. |
| ζάω / ζωή (zaō/zōē) | to live / life | ኖረ / ሕይወት | 1, 5, 6, 7, 8 | Low | Stable. |
| ὀργὴ θεοῦ (orgē theou) | wrath of God | የእግዚአብሔር ቁጣ | 1, 2, 5, 9, 12, 13 | High | Colloquial ቁጣ connotes impulsive emotion; must be taught as judicial, not capricious, to avoid pagan-deity caprice associations. |
| ἀλήθεια (alētheia) | truth | እውነት | 1, 2, 3, 9 | Low | Stable. |
| ἀσέβεια / ἀδικία (asebeia/adikia) | ungodliness / unrighteousness | አምላክ የለሽነት / ዓመፃ | 1, 2, 3 | Medium | Requires context to distinguish from generic “wrongdoing.” |
| φύσις (physis) | nature | ተፈጥሮ | 1, 2, 11 | Medium | Requires doctrinal/pastoral precision in application contexts. |
| νόμος (nomos) | law | ሕግ (ḥəgg) | 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 13 | High | Shared with civil law and Sharia terminology in interfaith Ethiopian usage; Paul’s multivalent usage (Torah/principle/civil law) needs per-context disambiguation. |
| περιτομή (peritomē) | circumcision | ግዝረት (gəzrät) | 2, 3, 4, 15 | Critical | Near-universal Ethiopian cultural-religious practice across faiths; Paul’s “circumcision of the heart” argument risks direct collision with entrenched cultural/covenantal value placed on the physical rite. |
| συνείδησις (syneidēsis) | conscience | ሕሊና | 2, 9, 13, 14 | Low | Stable. |
| κρίμα / κρίσις / κρίνω (krima/krisis/krinō) | judgment / to judge | ፍርድ / ፈረደ | 2, 3, 14 | Low | Stable. |
| ἁμαρτία (hamartia) | sin | ኃጢአት (ḫaṭi’at) | 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 14 | Medium | Parallel folk concept of inherited curses/zar affliction may conflate with, or usefully illustrate, Paul’s forensic Adamic sin doctrine; needs careful distinction. |
| ἔργα νόμου (erga nomou) | works of the law | የሕግ ሥራዎች | 3, 4, 9, 11 | Medium | Must be distinguished from good works generally (chs. 2, 6, 12-14). |
| δωρεάν (dōrean) | freely, as a gift | በስጦታ | 3 | Low-Medium | Secondary Amharic sense “in vain” risks confusion; context required. |
| ἱλαστήριον (hilastērion) | propitiation, mercy seat | ማስተስረያ (mastäsräya) | 3 | Critical | Must not be rendered/associated with ታቦት (the venerated Ark-replica central to Ethiopian Orthodox worship); deliberately chosen to denote function only. |
| αἷμα (haima) | blood | ደም | 3, 5 | Low | Stable. |
| καύχησις (kauchēsis) | boasting | ትምክሕት | 3, 4, 5, 15 | Low | Stable. |
| λογίζομαι (logizomai) | to reckon, impute | ቆጠረ (qoṭṭärä) | 4 | Critical | Forensic-accounting metaphor foreign to Orthodox theosis/synergism framework; must be explicitly taught as deliberate legal metaphor, not softened. |
| ἐπαγγελία (epangelia) | promise | ተስፋ ቃል | 4, 9, 15 | Low | Stable, recurring. |
| δικαιόω (dikaioō) | to justify, declare righteous | አጸደቀ / ጸደቀ (built on ጽድቅ root) | 3, 4, 5, 8 | Critical | Same collision cluster as δικαιοσύνη; verb must transparently share the ጽድቅ root across all occurrences. |
| καταλλαγή / καταλλάσσω (katallagē/katallassō) | reconciliation | ማስታረቅ / ዕርቅ | 5, 11 | Medium | Must be distinguished from ordinary interpersonal peacemaking (chs. 12-14). |
| παράπτωμα (paraptōma) | trespass | ጥፋት | 5 | Low | Stable. |
| παράβασις (parabasis) | transgression | መተላለፍ | 5 | Low | Stable. |
| Adam/Christ typology (“the one/the many”) | representative headship | (periphrastic; no single term) | 5 | High | No cultural parallel for federal headship concept in Ethiopian thought-categories; doctrinal (not lexical) teaching required. |
| κατάκριμα (katakrima) | condemnation | ኩነኔ (kunnene) | 5, 8 | Medium-High | Overlaps with Orthodox ecclesiastical excommunication (ውግዘት); must be distinguished as God’s judicial verdict. |
| βαπτίζω / βάπτισμα (baptizō/baptisma) | baptize / baptism | አጠመቀ / ጥምቀት | 6 | High | Ethiopian Orthodox Timket sacramental-regenerative theology risks absorbing Paul’s symbolic-union argument into pure water-regeneration reading. |
| ἐλευθερόω (eleutheroō) | to set free | ነጻ አወጣ | 6, 8 | Low | Stable. |
| ἁγιασμός (hagiasmos) | sanctification | ቅድስና (qədsənna) | 6 | Medium | Must be kept lexically distinct from δικαιοσύνη/ጽድቅ despite English overlap, to preserve one-time-verdict vs. ongoing-process distinction. |
| ἐντολή (entolē) | commandment | ትእዛዝ | 7, 13 | Low | Stable. |
| ἐπιθυμία (epithymia) | (disordered) desire, covetousness | ምቀኝነት | 7 | Medium | Must be distinguished from neutral “desire” (ፍላጎት). |
| ὁ ἔσω ἄνθρωπος (ho esō anthrōpos) | the inner man | የውስጥ ሰው | 7 | Low | Stable. |
| σῶμα τοῦ θανάτου (sōma tou thanatou) | body of death | የሞት አካል | 7 | Low-Medium | Metaphor requires minimal glossing. |
| υἱοθεσία (huiothesia) | adoption as sons | ልጅነት (ləǧənnät) | 8 | Medium | Must be distinguished from Christ’s unique υἱός Sonship. |
| κληρονόμος (klēronomos) | heir | ወራሽ | 8 | Low | Stable. |
| δόξα / δοξάζω (doxa/doxazō) | glory / to glorify | ክብር / አከበረ | 8, 9, 11, 15, 16 | Low | Stable. |
| πρόγνωσις (prognōsis) | foreknowledge | አስቀድሞ ማወቅ | 8 | High | Interpretive tension (mere foreknowledge vs. effectual foreordination) tied to Election doctrine; flagged not resolved by lexical choice. |
| προορίζω (proorizō) | to predestine | አስቀድሞ ወሰነ | 8, 9 | Critical | Collides with Orthodox synergism, free-will emphasis, and Ethiopian folk fatalism (ዕድል); highest-stakes term for Election/Sovereignty doctrine. |
| κτίσις (ktisis) | creation | ፍጥረት | 8 | Low | Stable. |
| ἀπολύτρωσις (apolytrōsis) | redemption (ransom-release) | ቤዛነት (from ቤዛ, “ransom”) | 3, 8 | Medium | Well-established liturgical/hymnodic term; kept distinct from ማስተስረያ. |
| ἐκλογή / ἐκλέγομαι (eklogē/eklegomai) | election, to choose | ምርጫ / መረጠ | 9, 11 | Critical | Same word used for political voting/elections in modern Amharic; risk of confusing divine sovereign choice with electoral process; compounds Election-doctrine collision with ch. 8 term. |
| ἔλεος (eleos) | mercy | ምሕረት | 9, 11, 12, 15 | Low | Stable. |
| σκληρύνω (sklērynō) | to harden | አደነደነ | 9 | Low-Medium | Tied to Election/hardening doctrinal sensitivity. |
| ὑπόλειμμα (hypoleimma) | remnant | ቅሬታ | 9, 11 | Low | Stable. |
| Ἰσραήλ (Israēl) | Israel | እስራኤል | 9, 10, 11 | Critical | Ethiopia’s Solomonic/Kebra Nagata national legend and Beta Israel heritage create unique strong self-identification with “Israel”; highest doctrinal-cultural collision risk in chs. 9-11 for the Future-of-Israel doctrine. |
| μυστήριον (mystērion) | mystery (revealed secret) | ምስጢር (məsṭir) | 11, 16 | Medium | Colloquial sense = “hidden secret”; must be taught as “now-revealed,” not still-hidden. |
| ἀγριέλαιος / καλλιέλαιος (agrielaios/kallielaios) | wild olive / cultivated olive | የበረሃ ወይራ / የሠለጠነ ወይራ | 11 | Low-Medium | Positive case: native Ethiopian olive tree gives strong natural metaphor resonance; precision needed for the grafting argument. |
| πλήρωμα (plērōma) | fullness | ሙላት / ፍጻሜ | 11, 15 | Medium | Eschatologically loaded (Future of Israel); must be distinguished per-context from 15:29 usage. |
| ἀποβολή / πώρωσις (apobolē/pōrōsis) | rejection / hardening | መጣል / ድንዛዜ | 11 | High | Must be qualified as partial/temporary to prevent supersessionist misreading. |
| ἀμεταμέλητα (ametamelēta) | irrevocable | የማይመለስ | 11 | Low-Medium | Stable with minor emphasis needed. |
| θυσία ζῶσα (thysia zōsa) | living sacrifice | ሕያው መስዋዕት | 12 | Medium | Risk of absorption into literal Orthodox sacrificial/Eucharistic vocabulary; metaphor must be flagged. |
| μεταμορφόω (metamorphoō) | to be transformed | ተለወጠ | 12 | Low | Stable. |
| σῶμα Χριστοῦ / μέλη (sōma Christou/melē) | body of Christ / members | የክርስቶስ አካል / ብልቶች | 12 | Low | Foundational, stable for Unity doctrine. |
| ἀγάπη (agapē) | love | ፍቅር (fəqər) | 12, 13, 14, 15 | Medium | Single broad Amharic term flattens Greek’s distinct love-vocabulary; risk of romantic-love misapplication without teaching. |
| ἐξουσία (exousia) | authority | ሥልጣን | 13 | Low-Medium | Politically sensitive application context, not lexical ambiguity. |
| ὑποτάσσω (hypotassō) | to submit | ተገዛ | 13 | Medium | Same root family as ὑπακοή (1:5); rendering must preserve conceptual link without conflating absolute gospel-obedience with civil submission. |
| νόμου πλήρωμα (nomou plērōma) | fulfillment of the law | የሕግ ፍጻሜ | 13 | Medium | Must not be read as reinstating law-keeping as ground of righteousness. |
| ἀσθενῶν τῇ πίστει (asthenōn tē pistei) | weak in faith | በእምነት የደከመ | 14, 15 | Low-Medium | Stable. |
| σκάνδαλον (skandalon) | stumbling block | መሰናከያ | 9, 14 | Low | Stable, reused. |
| βασιλεία θεοῦ (basileia theou) | kingdom of God | የእግዚአብሔር መንግስት | 14 | Low | Well-established phrase. |
| βρῶμα (brōma) | food | ምግብ | 14 | Low (lexical) / flagged for teaching | Intersects Ethiopian Orthodox fasting (ጾም) practice; contextual-application note required, not translation risk. |
| ὑπομονή / παράκλησις (hypomonē/paraklēsis) | endurance / encouragement | ጽናት / ማጽናናት | 12, 15 | Low | Stable. |
| λειτουργός / ἱερουργέω (leitourgos/hierourgeō) | minister / perform priestly service | አገልጋይ / የካህን አገልግሎት | 15 | Medium-High | Metaphorical priestly language applied to Paul’s preaching risks literal conflation with Ethiopian Orthodox ordained priesthood (ካህን) and liturgy (ቅዳሴ). |
| προσφορά (prosphora) | offering | መባ (mäba) | 15 | Medium | Deliberately not rendered ቁርባን, to avoid conflating with the Eucharist. |
| διάκονος (diakonos) | servant, deacon | አገልጋይ (not ዲያቆን) | 16 | Medium | ዲያቆን denotes a specific ordained male clerical office in Ethiopian usage; baseline recommends broader አገልጋይ with translator’s footnote for Phoebe (16:1) pending fuller doctrinal-office study. |
| συνεργός (synergos) | fellow worker | ተባባሪ | 16 | Low | Stable. |
| ἀσπάζομαι (aspazomai) | to greet | ሰላምታ አቀረበ | 16 | Low | Stable. |
Glossary Notes and Governance
- Root-family consistency requirement: δικαιοσύνη / δικαιόω / δίκαιος must always share the ጽድቅ root in Amharic (ጽድቅ / አጸደቀ / ጻድቅ) so that readers can track Paul’s central word-family argument across chs. 1, 3, 4, 5, 6, 8, 9, 10. This is the single most important cross-chapter consistency rule established by this baseline.
- πνεῦμα discipline: every reference to the Holy Spirit must carry an explicit divine qualifier (ቅዱስ / የእግዚአብሔር) in Amharic text and teaching material to distinguish from folk “spirit” (zar) usage.
- Critical-tier terms requiring mandatory teacher/translator notes at every occurrence: χάρις, πίστις/πιστεύω, δικαιοσύνη/δικαιόω/δίκαιος, λογίζομαι, ἱλαστήριον, προορίζω, ἐκλογή, περιτομή, Ἰσραήλ/Ἰουδαῖος. These nine terms represent the highest-stakes doctrinal-cultural collision points in the Amharic Romans curriculum and anchor the doctrines of Justification by Faith, Grace and Salvation by Faith Alone, Election and the Sovereignty of God, and The Future of Israel.
- Baseline finality: This glossary is the first and controlling TM for amharic. All subsequent Phase 2+ artifacts and all future curricula in amharic must cite and reuse these exact renderings; any proposed change requires an explicit, documented revision note referencing this file.
Critical Risk Terms
Hilasterion
Approved rendering: ማስተስረያ
Transliteration: hilastērion
Doctrine: Grace and Salvation by Faith Alone; Justification by Faith
Rejected alternatives: ታቦት (the venerated Ark-replica tablet central to Ethiopian Orthodox liturgical worship — explicitly rejected; would catastrophically conflate Christ’s atonement with a liturgical object of intense veneration)
Deliberately coined to denote the atoning FUNCTION only, never the sacred object. Highest single-occurrence collision risk in the book. Inherited from Romans package.
Charis
Approved rendering: ጸጋ
Transliteration: charis
Doctrine: Grace and Salvation by Faith Alone; Justification by Faith
Ethiopian Orthodox sacramental theology understands ጸጋ as infused substance via sacrament/merit (synergistic); Paul’s unilateral, unmerited, faith-received favor is the central doctrinal collision of the entire epistle. Requires explicit clarification at every occurrence. Inherited from Romans package.
Pistis
Approved rendering: እምነት
Transliteration: pistis
Doctrine: Justification by Faith; The Gospel as the Power of God for Salvation
Single most theologically load-bearing term in Romans; colloquial Amharic ‘əmnät can mean mere belief/opinion or ‘religion/creed’ as an institutional label; must be repeatedly clarified as relational, justifying trust. Inherited from Romans package.
Pisteuo
Approved rendering: አመነ / ማመን
Transliteration: pisteuō
Doctrine: Justification by Faith; The Gospel as the Power of God for Salvation
Verbal cognate of pistis; carries the identical collision risk and must track the pistis rendering exactly. Inherited from Romans package.
Dikaiosyne Theou Dikaios
Approved rendering: የእግዚአብሔር ጽድቅ / ጻድቅ
Transliteration: dikaiosynē theou / dikaios
Doctrine: Justification by Faith
Rejected alternatives: Softer/simpler ‘good person’ paraphrase — rejected; erases the forensic/imputed sense entirely
Single highest-stakes rendering in the book. Orthodox usage: ethical merit-achievement / ascetic-saint honorific (ጻድቅ). Without sustained glossing collapses into moralism. Inherited from Romans package.
Dikaioo
Approved rendering: አጸደቀ / ጸደቀ (from ጽድቅ root)
Transliteration: dikaioō
Doctrine: Justification by Faith
Rejected alternatives: Any verb not transparently sharing the ጽድቅ root — rejected; would sever the word-family link readers must track across chs. 3-5, 8
Must transparently share the ጽድቅ root at every occurrence (root-family consistency rule — the single most important cross-chapter rule in this baseline). Inherited from Romans package.
Logizomai
Approved rendering: ቆጠረ / ተቆጠረ
Transliteration: logizomai
Doctrine: Justification by Faith
Rejected alternatives: Softened ‘considered him righteous’ phrasing — rejected; quietly erases the doctrine of imputation
Forensic-accounting metaphor foreign to Orthodox theosis-participatory framework; must be taught explicitly as a deliberate legal/accounting metaphor. Inherited from Romans package.
Peritome
Approved rendering: ግዝረት
Transliteration: peritomē
Doctrine: The Law and Its Purpose; Justification by Faith
Near-universal Ethiopian cultural-religious practice across faiths carrying purity/identity significance; Paul’s heart-circumcision argument directly confronts entrenched cultural value. Inherited from Romans package.
Eklogē Eklegomai
Approved rendering: ምርጫ / መረጠ
Transliteration: eklogē / eklegomai
Doctrine: Election and the Sovereignty of God
Rejected alternatives: Bare unqualified ምርጫ — rejected; identical to modern Amharic political ‘election/voting’ vocabulary and must always be qualified as የእግዚአብሔር ምርጫ
Collides with Ethiopian Orthodox synergism and folk fatalism (ዕድል) in addition to the civic-electoral homonymy. Inherited from Romans package.
Proorizo
Approved rendering: አስቀድሞ ወሰነ
Transliteration: proorizō
Doctrine: Election and the Sovereignty of God
Highest-stakes term for the Election doctrine; collides with Orthodox free-will synergism and folk fatalism (‘የተጻፈ ነው’). Inherited from Romans package.
Israel
Approved rendering: እስራኤል
Transliteration: Israēl
Doctrine: The Future of Israel
Ethiopia’s Kebra Nagast Solomonic-descent legend and Beta Israel heritage create unique Ethiopian self-identification with ‘Israel’; single highest doctrinal-cultural collision risk in chs. 9-11. Inherited from Romans package.
High Risk Terms
Theos
Approved rendering: እግዚአብሔር
Transliteration: theos
Doctrine: Election and the Sovereignty of God; undergirds all ten doctrines
Rejected alternatives: አምላክ (reserved only for generic/comparative deity references, never primary)
Rendering itself stable/Low; doctrinal weight High because this term anchors Election, Wrath, and Righteousness material across the book. Inherited from Romans package.
Orge Theou
Approved rendering: የእግዚአብሔር ቁጣ
Transliteration: orgē theou
Doctrine: Original Sin and Universal Guilt; The Gospel as the Power of God for Salvation (contrast)
ቁጣ colloquially connotes impulsive emotion; must be taught as judicial/settled, not capricious mood, to avoid pagan-deity caprice associations. Inherited from Romans package.
Huios
Approved rendering: ልጅ (የእግዚአብሔር ልጅ)
Transliteration: huios
Doctrine: Union with Christ; Justification by Faith
Rejected alternatives: ልጅነት (reserved exclusively for believers’ adoption, not Christ’s unique Sonship)
Must be lexically distinguished from huiothesia (ልጅነት) so Christ’s unique eternal Sonship is never flattened into believers’ adoptive category. Inherited from Romans package.
Pneuma
Approved rendering: መንፈስ (ቅዱስ / የእግዚአብሔር መንፈስ when divine)
Transliteration: pneuma
Doctrine: Sanctification and Life in the Spirit
Rejected alternatives: Bare unqualified መንፈስ for the Holy Spirit — rejected; always require ቅዱስ or የእግዚአብሔር qualifier
Identical lexeme to territorial/ancestral zar-spirit terminology in Ethiopian folk religion still active alongside formal Christianity. Mandatory divine qualifier at every occurrence, no exceptions. Inherited from Romans package.
Katakrima
Approved rendering: ኩነኔ
Transliteration: katakrima
Doctrine: Original Sin and Universal Guilt; Justification by Faith (contrast)
Overlaps with Orthodox ecclesiastical excommunication (ውግዘት); must be understood as God’s judicial verdict on sin, not church discipline. Inherited from Romans package.
Hypakoe Pisteos
Approved rendering: የእምነት ተገዢነት
Transliteration: hypakoē pisteōs
Doctrine: Justification by Faith; The Gospel as the Power of God for Salvation; Christian Living and Unity in the Church
Fixed bracketing phrase (1:5/16:26) that must recur identically; risk of legalistic misreading if not glossed. Inherited from Romans package.
Sarx
Approved rendering: ሥጋ
Transliteration: sarx
Doctrine: Sanctification and Life in the Spirit; The Law and Its Purpose
Risks a merely biological reading, missing Paul’s moral-theological sense (fallen nature) used extensively chs. 6-8; must be glossed per context. Inherited from Romans package.
Ho Heis Hoi Polloi
Approved rendering: በአንዱ ሰው… / በአንዱ ብዙዎች… (periphrastic; no single fixed term)
Transliteration: ho heis / hoi polloi
Doctrine: Original Sin and Universal Guilt
Rejected alternatives: A single frozen technical noun — rejected; the concept resists fixed-phrase treatment and must be taught doctrinally each time
No cultural parallel for federal/representative headship in Ethiopian thought-categories; a genuine conceptual (not merely lexical) gap. Inherited from Romans package.
Nomos
Approved rendering: ሕግ
Transliteration: nomos
Doctrine: The Law and Its Purpose
Shared with Ethiopian civil/state law and Islamic Sharia (ሸሪዓ ሕግ) vocabulary; Paul’s multivalent usage requires per-context disambiguation tags. Inherited from Romans package.
Prognosis
Approved rendering: አስቀድሞ ማወቅ
Transliteration: prognōsis
Doctrine: Election and the Sovereignty of God
Ambiguous between mere foreknowledge and effectual foreordination; this exegetical tension is flagged, not resolved, by the lexical choice. Inherited from Romans package.
Ioudaios
Approved rendering: አይሁድ
Transliteration: Ioudaios
Doctrine: The Future of Israel; Justification by Faith
Ethiopia’s Beta Israel community and national-identity legend risk blurring Paul’s Jew/Gentile categories. Inherited from Romans package.
Apobole Porosis
Approved rendering: መጣል / ድንዛዜ
Transliteration: apobolē / pōrōsis
Doctrine: The Future of Israel
Must be qualified as partial and temporary (11:1) to prevent a supersessionist misreading. Inherited from Romans package.
Hagios
Approved rendering: ቅዱስ / ቅዱሳን
Transliteration: hagios
Doctrine: Christian Living and Unity in the Church; Sanctification and Life in the Spirit
Orthodox usage restricts ‘saint’ to a canonized venerated class; Paul’s address to ordinary believers as ቅዱሳን risks over/under-elevation without explicit framing. Inherited from Romans package.
Leitourgos Hierourgeo
Approved rendering: አገልጋይ / የካህን አገልግሎት
Transliteration: leitourgos / hierourgeō
Doctrine: Christian Living and Unity in the Church; The Gospel as the Power of God for Salvation
Rejected alternatives: Bare unqualified ካህን (‘priest’) alone — rejected; would claim literal sacramental priestly office for Paul
Metaphorical priestly-sacrificial language applied to Paul’s preaching risks literal conflation with the ordained Ethiopian Orthodox priesthood and liturgy. Inherited from Romans package.
Medium Risk Terms
Thelema Theou
Approved rendering: የእግዚአብሔር ፈቃድ
Transliteration: thelēma theou
Doctrine: Election and the Sovereignty of God
Foundational for Sovereignty doctrine; must render consistently from 1:10 through ch. 9-12. Inherited from Romans package.
Doulos
Approved rendering: ባርያ
Transliteration: doulos
Doctrine: General Apostolic identity; Sanctification and Life in the Spirit (ch. 6)
Rejected alternatives: አገልጋይ (softer ‘servant/minister’ rejected as it loses Paul’s total-ownership self-abasement point and breaks consistency with existing Amharic Bible tradition)
Real historical-slavery connotation in Ethiopian social memory; retained as honor-title per existing Amharic Bible convention with mandatory teaching gloss on the honor-paradox. Inherited from Romans package.
Apolytrosis
Approved rendering: ቤዛነት
Transliteration: apolytrōsis
Doctrine: Grace and Salvation by Faith Alone; Union with Christ
Built on ቤዛ (‘ransom’); established hymnodic term; kept lexically distinct from ማስተስረያ (propitiation). Inherited from Romans package.
Katallage Katallasso
Approved rendering: ማስታረቅ / ዕርቅ
Transliteration: katallagē / katallassō
Doctrine: Grace and Salvation by Faith Alone; Union with Christ
Must be distinguished from ordinary human interpersonal peacemaking (chs. 12-14). Inherited from Romans package.
Charisma
Approved rendering: የጸጋ ስጦታ
Transliteration: charisma
Doctrine: Grace and Salvation by Faith Alone; Christian Living and Unity in the Church (ch. 12)
Rejected alternatives: Bare ስጦታ (‘gift’) alone — rejected; severs the charis-charisma word-family link
Must retain visible ጸጋ root at every occurrence. Inherited from Romans package.
Dorean
Approved rendering: በስጦታ
Transliteration: dōrean
Doctrine: Grace and Salvation by Faith Alone
Secondary Amharic sense ‘in vain/worthless’ (ከንቱ) risks confusion; anchor with ‘ያለ ዋጋ’ (without cost) collocation. Inherited from Romans package.
Erga Nomou
Approved rendering: የሕግ ሥራዎች
Transliteration: erga nomou
Doctrine: Grace and Salvation by Faith Alone; The Law and Its Purpose
Must be distinguished from good works generally (chs. 2, 6, 12-14). Inherited from Romans package.
Hamartia
Approved rendering: ኃጢአት
Transliteration: hamartia
Doctrine: Original Sin and Universal Guilt
Parallel folk concept of inherited curse/zar affliction can conflate with Paul’s forensic Adamic sin doctrine; requires careful distinction. Inherited from Romans package.
Epithymia
Approved rendering: ምቀኝነት
Transliteration: epithymia
Doctrine: The Law and Its Purpose; Original Sin and Universal Guilt
Rejected alternatives: ፍላጎት (neutral ‘desire’) — rejected as the primary rendering; must be distinguished as disordered/covetous desire
Distinguished from neutral desire; Paul’s usage is specifically disordered desire exposed by the Law. Inherited from Romans package.
Soma Tou Thanatou
Approved rendering: የሞት አካል
Transliteration: sōma tou thanatou
Doctrine: Original Sin and Universal Guilt; Sanctification and Life in the Spirit
Metaphor requires minimal glossing to avoid purely physical/medical reading. Inherited from Romans package.
Asebeia Adikia
Approved rendering: አምላክ የለሽነት / ዓመፃ
Transliteration: asebeia / adikia
Doctrine: Original Sin and Universal Guilt
Requires context to distinguish God-directed (asebeia) versus other-directed (adikia) dimensions from generic ‘wrongdoing.’ Inherited from Romans package.
Physis
Approved rendering: ተፈጥሮ
Transliteration: physis
Doctrine: Original Sin and Universal Guilt; The Law and Its Purpose
Requires doctrinal/pastoral precision, particularly at 1:26 and 2:14. Inherited from Romans package.
Nous Adokimos
Approved rendering: የተጣለ አእምሮ
Transliteration: nous adokimos
Doctrine: Original Sin and Universal Guilt
Requires context to convey the judicial ‘handed over’ sense rather than mere foolishness. Inherited from Romans package.
Nomou Pleroma
Approved rendering: የሕግ ፍጻሜ
Transliteration: nomou plērōma
Doctrine: The Law and Its Purpose; Christian Living and Unity in the Church
Must not be read as reinstating law-keeping as the ground of righteousness. Inherited from Romans package.
Gramma
Approved rendering: ጽሑፍ
Transliteration: gramma
Doctrine: The Law and Its Purpose
Paired contrastively with መንፈስ; requires context so ‘letter’ is not heard as mere ‘literacy.’ Inherited from Romans package.
Horizo
Approved rendering: ተለይቶ ተወሰነ
Transliteration: horizō / horisthentos
Doctrine: Election and the Sovereignty of God; The Gospel as the Power of God for Salvation
Rejected alternatives: Same verb as προορίζω — rejected; must use a distinct Amharic verb to preserve the separate Greek concepts of public declaration vs. eternal foreordination
Public vindication/installation (1:4), distinct from eternal predestination. Inherited from Romans package.
Skleryno
Approved rendering: አደነደነ
Transliteration: sklērynō
Doctrine: Election and the Sovereignty of God
Tied to the Election/hardening doctrinal sensitivity cluster. Inherited from Romans package.
Ethne
Approved rendering: አህዛብ
Transliteration: ethnē
Doctrine: The Future of Israel; The Gospel as the Power of God for Salvation
Must be read as ethnic/covenantal category, not pejorative, especially in chs. 9-11 and 15. Inherited from Romans package.
Sperma
Approved rendering: ዘር
Transliteration: sperma
Doctrine: The Future of Israel; Justification by Faith
Theological ‘seed of Abraham’ intersects the Israel-identity sensitivity cluster. Inherited from Romans package.
Agrielaios Kallielaios
Approved rendering: የበረሃ ወይራ / የሠለጠነ ወይራ
Transliteration: agrielaios / kallielaios
Doctrine: The Future of Israel
Horticultural precision required so the grafting metaphor of Gentile inclusion is not lost. Inherited from Romans package.
Pleroma
Approved rendering: ሙላት
Transliteration: plērōma
Doctrine: The Future of Israel
Eschatologically loaded; must be distinguished per-context from its 15:29 sense. Inherited from Romans package.
Ametameleta
Approved rendering: የማይመለስ
Transliteration: ametamelēta
Doctrine: The Future of Israel
Requires emphasis to ground the argument against supersessionism. Inherited from Romans package.
Mysterion
Approved rendering: ምስጢር
Transliteration: mystērion
Doctrine: The Future of Israel
Colloquial sense = still-hidden secret; must be taught as ‘now revealed,’ not ongoing puzzle. Inherited from Romans package.
Hagiasmos
Approved rendering: ቅድስና
Transliteration: hagiasmos
Doctrine: Sanctification and Life in the Spirit
Must be kept lexically distinct from ጽድቅ (justification) despite English surface overlap, preserving one-time-verdict vs. ongoing-process distinction. Inherited from Romans package.
Huiothesia
Approved rendering: ልጅነት
Transliteration: huiothesia
Doctrine: Sanctification and Life in the Spirit; Union with Christ
Rejected alternatives: Bare ልጅ without the -ənnät suffix — rejected for believers; reserved exclusively for Christ’s unique Sonship
Must be distinguished from Christ’s unique υἱός Sonship. Inherited from Romans package.
Adelphos
Approved rendering: ወንድም / ወንድሞች
Transliteration: adelphos
Doctrine: Christian Living and Unity in the Church
Gender-generic congregational address; requires an inclusivity note. Inherited from Romans package.
Agape
Approved rendering: ፍቅር
Transliteration: agapē
Doctrine: Christian Living and Unity in the Church
Single broad Amharic term flattens Greek’s distinct love-vocabulary; must be taught as the selfless/covenantal sense, not romantic love. Inherited from Romans package.
Thysia Zosa
Approved rendering: ሕያው መስዋዕት
Transliteration: thysia zōsa
Doctrine: Christian Living and Unity in the Church; Sanctification and Life in the Spirit
Risks absorption into Ethiopian Orthodox liturgical/Eucharistic sacrificial vocabulary; requires explicit metaphor-flagging. Inherited from Romans package.
Exousia
Approved rendering: ሥልጣን
Transliteration: exousia
Doctrine: Christian Living and Unity in the Church
Politically sensitive application context, not lexical ambiguity. Inherited from Romans package.
Hypotasso
Approved rendering: ተገዛ
Transliteration: hypotassō
Doctrine: Christian Living and Unity in the Church; The Gospel as the Power of God for Salvation (root link)
Shares a root family with hypakoē (1:5); must preserve the conceptual link without conflating gospel-obedience with civil submission. Inherited from Romans package.
Ho Asthenon Te Pistei
Approved rendering: በእምነት የደከመ
Transliteration: ho asthenōn tē pistei
Doctrine: Christian Living and Unity in the Church
Must not imply spiritual inferiority so as to license contempt. Inherited from Romans package.
Prosphora
Approved rendering: መባ
Transliteration: prosphora
Doctrine: Christian Living and Unity in the Church; The Future of Israel
Rejected alternatives: ቁርባን (‘the Eucharist’) — deliberately rejected to avoid conflating Paul’s ‘Gentiles as offering’ metaphor with the Eucharistic sacrament
Deliberately not rendered ቁርባን. Inherited from Romans package.
Diakonos
Approved rendering: አገልጋይ
Transliteration: diakonos
Doctrine: Christian Living and Unity in the Church
Rejected alternatives: ዲያቆን (the specific ordained male clerical office in Ethiopian church usage) — rejected as the default for Phoebe pending fuller doctrinal-office study; a translator’s footnote is required instead
Baseline recommends broader አገልጋይ with a footnote rather than the loaded ዲያቆን, for Phoebe (16:1). Inherited from Romans package.
Aphorismenos
Approved rendering: የተለየ
Transliteration: aphōrismenos
Doctrine: Election and the Sovereignty of God; The Gospel as the Power of God for Salvation
Minor overlap with monastic ‘separation’ concepts in Ethiopian Orthodox context; context ‘for the gospel’ disambiguates. Inherited from Romans package.
Proepangellomai
Approved rendering: አስቀድሞ ተስፋ ቃል መስጠት
Transliteration: proepangellomai
Doctrine: The Future of Israel; The Gospel as the Power of God for Salvation
Rejected alternatives: Single-verb coinage — rejected; no single Amharic verb captures ‘pre-promise’
Fixed periphrasis must recur consistently for OT-NT continuity tracking. Inherited from Romans package.
Latreuo Latreia
Approved rendering: አገልግሎት / አምልኮ
Transliteration: latreuō / latreia
Doctrine: Christian Living and Unity in the Church; The Gospel as the Power of God for Salvation
Generic ‘service’ sense risks losing cultic-worship nuance; must render consistently between 1:9 and 12:1. Inherited from Romans package.
Opheiletes Opheile
Approved rendering: ባለዕዳ / ዕዳ
Transliteration: opheiletēs / opheilē
Doctrine: The Gospel as the Power of God for Salvation; Christian Living and Unity in the Church
Recurring obligation-motif; must stay lexically consistent between 1:14 and 13:8. Inherited from Romans package.
Zelos
Approved rendering: ቅናት
Transliteration: zēlos
Doctrine: The Future of Israel
ቅናት can also mean jealousy/envy in modern Amharic; context must disambiguate misdirected religious zeal. Inherited from Romans package.
Homologeo
Approved rendering: አመነ / መመስከር
Transliteration: homologeō
Doctrine: Justification by Faith; The Gospel as the Power of God for Salvation
Rendered contextually alongside አፍ (‘mouth’) at 10:9 to preserve outward confession distinct from inward believing. Inherited from Romans package.
Low Risk Terms
Kyrios
Approved rendering: ጌታ
Transliteration: kyrios
Doctrine: Union with Christ; General Christology
Reserved for Christ; when Paul quotes OT kyrios=YHWH, substitute እግዚአብሔር to preserve OT continuity. Inherited from Romans package.
Pater
Approved rendering: አባት
Transliteration: patēr
Doctrine: General; Union with Christ
Stable familial-theological term. Inherited from Romans package.
Doxa Doxazo
Approved rendering: ክብር / አከበረ
Transliteration: doxa / doxazō
Doctrine: Sanctification and Life in the Spirit; Election and the Sovereignty of God (8:30)
Stable, well-established term. Inherited from Romans package.
Christos
Approved rendering: ክርስቶስ
Transliteration: Christos
Doctrine: General Christology; Union with Christ
Established, centuries-old loanword; immovable baseline term. Inherited from Romans package.
Iesous
Approved rendering: ኢየሱስ
Transliteration: Iēsous
Doctrine: General
Established loan/proper noun. Inherited from Romans package.
Anastasis Nekron
Approved rendering: ከሙታን ትንሣኤ
Transliteration: anastasis nekrōn
Doctrine: Union with Christ; The Gospel as the Power of God for Salvation
Doctrinally stable, shared across all Ethiopian Christian traditions. Inherited from Romans package.
Haima
Approved rendering: ደም
Transliteration: haima
Doctrine: Grace and Salvation by Faith Alone
Stable, well-integrated liturgical/hymnodic term. Inherited from Romans package.
Soteria
Approved rendering: ድኅነት
Transliteration: sōtēria
Doctrine: The Gospel as the Power of God for Salvation
Long-established, doctrinally stable across all Ethiopian Christian traditions. Inherited from Romans package.
Kauchesis
Approved rendering: ትምክሕት
Transliteration: kauchēsis
Doctrine: Justification by Faith (exclusion of boasting)
Stable term. Inherited from Romans package.
Ho Eso Anthropos
Approved rendering: የውስጥ ሰው
Transliteration: ho esō anthrōpos
Doctrine: Sanctification and Life in the Spirit
Stable, transparent rendering. Inherited from Romans package.
Akatharsia
Approved rendering: ርኩሰት
Transliteration: akatharsia
Doctrine: Original Sin and Universal Guilt
Stable, no significant ambiguity. Inherited from Romans package.
Paraptoma
Approved rendering: ጥፋት
Transliteration: paraptōma
Doctrine: Original Sin and Universal Guilt
Stable term. Inherited from Romans package.
Parabasis
Approved rendering: መተላለፍ
Transliteration: parabasis
Doctrine: Original Sin and Universal Guilt; The Law and Its Purpose
Stable term. Inherited from Romans package.
Syneidesis
Approved rendering: ሕሊና
Transliteration: syneidēsis
Doctrine: The Law and Its Purpose
Stable term, recurs chs. 9, 13, 14. Inherited from Romans package.
Entole
Approved rendering: ትእዛዝ
Transliteration: entolē
Doctrine: The Law and Its Purpose
Stable term. Inherited from Romans package.
Epangelia
Approved rendering: ተስፋ ቃል
Transliteration: epangelia
Doctrine: The Future of Israel; Justification by Faith
Stable, recurring across chs. 4, 9, 15. Inherited from Romans package.
Eleos
Approved rendering: ምሕረት
Transliteration: eleos
Doctrine: Election and the Sovereignty of God
Stable, well-established term. Inherited from Romans package.
Hellen
Approved rendering: ግሪካዊ / ግሪክ
Transliteration: Hellēn
Doctrine: The Future of Israel; The Gospel as the Power of God for Salvation
Stable ethnographic term. Inherited from Romans package.
Hypoleimma
Approved rendering: ቅሬታ
Transliteration: hypoleimma
Doctrine: The Future of Israel
Stable term, recurs chs. 9 and 11. Inherited from Romans package.
Rhiza Klados
Approved rendering: ሥር / ቅርንጫፍ
Transliteration: rhiza / klados
Doctrine: The Future of Israel
Positive case: the native Ethiopian olive tree (ወይራ) gives strong natural resonance. Inherited from Romans package.
Metamorphoo
Approved rendering: ተለወጠ
Transliteration: metamorphoō
Doctrine: Sanctification and Life in the Spirit; Christian Living and Unity in the Church
Stable, transparent rendering. Inherited from Romans package.
Kleronomos
Approved rendering: ወራሽ
Transliteration: klēronomos
Doctrine: Sanctification and Life in the Spirit; Union with Christ
Stable term. Inherited from Romans package.
Ktisis
Approved rendering: ፍጥረት
Transliteration: ktisis
Doctrine: Sanctification and Life in the Spirit
Stable term. Inherited from Romans package.
Eleutheroo
Approved rendering: ነጻ አወጣ
Transliteration: eleutheroō
Doctrine: Sanctification and Life in the Spirit; Union with Christ
Stable term. Inherited from Romans package.
Agapetos
Approved rendering: ተወዳጅ
Transliteration: agapētos
Doctrine: Christian Living and Unity in the Church
Stable term. Inherited from Romans package.
Soma Christou Mele
Approved rendering: የክርስቶስ አካል / ብልቶች
Transliteration: sōma Christou / melē
Doctrine: Christian Living and Unity in the Church
Stable, foundational metaphor for the Unity doctrine. Inherited from Romans package.
Hypomone Paraklesis
Approved rendering: ጽናት / ማጽናናት
Transliteration: hypomonē / paraklēsis
Doctrine: Christian Living and Unity in the Church
Stable terms. Inherited from Romans package.
Skandalon
Approved rendering: መሰናከያ
Transliteration: skandalon
Doctrine: Christian Living and Unity in the Church; The Future of Israel (ch. 9 stumbling-stone image)
Stable term, reused from ch. 9. Inherited from Romans package.
Basileia Theou
Approved rendering: የእግዚአብሔር መንግስት
Transliteration: basileia theou
Doctrine: Christian Living and Unity in the Church
Well-established, universally recognized phrase. Inherited from Romans package.
Broma
Approved rendering: ምግብ
Transliteration: brōma
Doctrine: Christian Living and Unity in the Church
Lexically stable; flagged for teaching due to intersection with Ethiopian Orthodox fasting discipline (ጾም) — a contextual-application note, not a translation risk. Inherited from Romans package.
Synergos
Approved rendering: ተባባሪ
Transliteration: synergos
Doctrine: Christian Living and Unity in the Church
Stable term. Inherited from Romans package.
Aspazomai
Approved rendering: ሰላምታ አቀረበ
Transliteration: aspazomai
Doctrine: Christian Living and Unity in the Church
Stable term. Inherited from Romans package.
Karpos
Approved rendering: ፍሬ
Transliteration: karpos
Doctrine: Christian Living and Unity in the Church; The Gospel as the Power of God for Salvation
Stable metaphor. Inherited from Romans package.
Paulos
Approved rendering: ጳውሎስ
Transliteration: Paulos
Doctrine: General / Apostolic identity
Established loan/proper noun, no variation across traditions. Inherited from Romans package.
Kletos
Approved rendering: የተጠራ
Transliteration: klētos
Doctrine: Election and the Sovereignty of God; The Gospel as the Power of God for Salvation
Stable verbal-adjective construction, no competing tradition. Inherited from Romans package.
Apostolos
Approved rendering: ሐዋርያ
Transliteration: apostolos
Doctrine: The Gospel as the Power of God for Salvation; General
Universally recognized loan-derived term across Ethiopian Christianity. Inherited from Romans package.
Apostole
Approved rendering: ሐዋርያነት
Transliteration: apostolē
Doctrine: The Gospel as the Power of God for Salvation; General
Stable derivative of apostolos. Inherited from Romans package.
Euangelion
Approved rendering: ወንጌል
Transliteration: euangelion
Doctrine: The Gospel as the Power of God for Salvation
Rejected alternatives: Any periphrastic ‘good news’ expansion — rejected; the assimilated loanword must never be periphrased
Fully assimilated, foundational Ge’ez-derived loanword universal across Ethiopian Christianity. Inherited from Romans package.
Euangelizomai
Approved rendering: ወንጌልን ማወጅ / መስበክ
Transliteration: euangelizomai
Doctrine: The Gospel as the Power of God for Salvation
Transparent derivative built on the fixed ወንጌል root. Inherited from Romans package.
Prophetes
Approved rendering: ነቢይ / ነቢያት
Transliteration: prophētēs
Doctrine: The Future of Israel; The Gospel as the Power of God for Salvation
Standard term across Ethiopian Christian and cultural usage. Inherited from Romans package.
Graphe Hagia
Approved rendering: ቅዱሳት መጻሕፍት
Transliteration: graphē hagia
Doctrine: The Gospel as the Power of God for Salvation; The Future of Israel
Universally recognized phrase. Inherited from Romans package.
Dynamis
Approved rendering: ኃይል
Transliteration: dynamis
Doctrine: The Gospel as the Power of God for Salvation
Stable; anchors the core doctrine of Romans 1:16. Inherited from Romans package.
Aletheia
Approved rendering: እውነት
Transliteration: alētheia
Doctrine: Original Sin and Universal Guilt; The Gospel as the Power of God for Salvation
Stable term. Inherited from Romans package.
Kosmos
Approved rendering: ዓለም
Transliteration: kosmos
Doctrine: The Gospel as the Power of God for Salvation; Justification by Faith
Stable term. Inherited from Romans package.
Zao Zoe
Approved rendering: ኖረ / ሕይወት
Transliteration: zaō / zōē
Doctrine: Justification by Faith; Sanctification and Life in the Spirit
Stable term. Inherited from Romans package.
Krima Krisis Krino
Approved rendering: ፍርድ / ፈረደ
Transliteration: krima / krisis / krinō
Doctrine: Original Sin and Universal Guilt; Christian Living and Unity in the Church
Stable term family, reused chs. 2, 3, 14. Inherited from Romans package.
Apokalypto
Approved rendering: ተገለጠ
Transliteration: apokalyptō
Doctrine: Justification by Faith; Original Sin and Universal Guilt
Stable term. Inherited from Romans package.
Gegraptai
Approved rendering: እንደተጻፈው
Transliteration: gegraptai
Doctrine: General citation formula (supports multiple doctrines)
Fixed citation formula, recurs throughout chs. 3, 4, 9-11, 15. Inherited from Romans package.
Epaischynomai
Approved rendering: አፍርበት
Transliteration: epaischynomai
Doctrine: The Gospel as the Power of God for Salvation
Stable term. Inherited from Romans package.
Rhema
Approved rendering: ቃል
Transliteration: rhēma
Doctrine: The Gospel as the Power of God for Salvation
Distinguished contextually from logos; minor flattening risk noted, low-impact. Inherited from Romans package.
Akoe
Approved rendering: መስማት
Transliteration: akoē
Doctrine: The Gospel as the Power of God for Salvation
Stable term. Inherited from Romans package.
Kerysso
Approved rendering: ሰበከ / ማወጅ
Transliteration: kēryssō
Doctrine: The Gospel as the Power of God for Salvation
Stable term. Inherited from Romans package.