Core Glossary
08 Core Glossary — 2 Peter (English → Arabic)
This glossary consolidates every load-bearing theological term identified in 07_semantic_analysis.md, covering all three chapters of 2 Peter. Terms already established in the baseline Romans translation_memory.json are marked (baseline — reuse exactly); terms newly identified for 2 Peter are marked (new) and must be added to translation memory before Phase 2 processing begins, per the Translation Memory Load and Enforcement Instructions in 12_ai_translation_requirements.md.
Section A — Baseline Terms Reused from Romans (Exact Reuse Required)
| English Term | Arabic Rendering | Transliteration | Risk (baseline) | 2 Peter Occurrences | 2 Peter-Specific Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| faith | الإيمان | al-īmān | High | 1:1, 1:5 | 1:1’s “faith of equal standing” (ἰσότιμος) reinforces baseline universal_scope_of_gospel. |
| grace | النعمة | al-ni’mah | High | 1:2, 3:18 | Frames the letter’s opening and closing; must retain unmerited-favor sense. |
| righteousness | البر | al-birr | Critical | 1:1, 2:5, 2:21, 3:13 | Applied to God/Christ (1:1), to Noah’s preaching (2:5), to “the way” abandoned by apostates (2:21), and to the renewed cosmos (3:13) — every instance must resist the works-checklist collision. |
| salvation | الخلاص | al-khalāṣ | Critical | 3:15 | ”The patience of our Lord” is to be understood as salvation — reinforces once-for-all, assured sense. |
| lord | الرب | al-Rabb | Critical | throughout (e.g. 1:2, 1:8, 1:11, 1:14, 1:16, 2:1, 2:9, 2:11, 2:20, 3:2, 3:8-10, 3:15, 3:18) | Consistently paired with “Savior” (new term) reinforcing deity; also the head noun of “Day of the Lord” (new term, 3:10). |
| son_of_god | ابن الله | Ibn Allāh | Critical | 1:17 | The Father’s direct voice at the Transfiguration: “This is my beloved Son.” Do not soften to a relational title. |
| glory | المجد | al-majd | High | 1:3, 1:17, 3:18 | Climaxes in the closing doxology (3:18) addressed directly to Christ — reinforces deity_of_christ. |
| holy | مقدس | muqaddas | Medium | 1:18 (holy mountain), 2:21 (holy commandment), 3:11 (holy conduct) | Retain moral/relational set-apartness sense, not ritual purity. |
| holy_spirit | الروح القدس | al-Rūḥ al-Qudus | Critical | 1:21 | The agent of inspiration; extends baseline note on the Islamic waḥy/dictation collision — see Section B, “carried along by the Holy Spirit.” |
| father | الآب | al-Āb | Critical | 1:17 | Paired-risk with son_of_god; the voice “from God the Father.” |
| god | الله | Allāh | Critical | 1:1, 1:2, 1:17, 1:21, 2:4, 3:5, 3:12 | 1:1’s construction directly identifies Jesus as θεός — see Section B, “God and Savior.” |
| jesus | يسوع | Yasū’ | Critical | throughout | Never render as عيسى; retain Yasū’ consistently, per baseline rule. |
| calling / called | الدعوة / المدعوون | al-da’wah / al-mad’uwwūn | High | 1:10 | ”Confirm your calling and election” — reuse both baseline terms together. |
| election | اختيار الله | ikhtiyār Allāh | High | 1:10 | Must not collapse into folk qadar fatalism, per baseline caution. |
| kingdom_of_god | ملكوت الله | malakūt Allāh | Medium | 1:11 | ”Eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior” — avoid political/khilāfah resonance. |
| prophet | نبي | nabī | High/Low | 1:19, 1:20, 1:21, 2:16, 3:2 | Both the positive category (OT prophets, apostles) and its negation (false prophets, 2:1) appear; pair with fuller titles per baseline caution against “seal of the prophets” collision. |
| prophecy | نبوءة | nubū’ah | Low/High (context-elevated here) | 1:19, 1:20, 1:21, 3:2 | Elevated risk in 2 Peter because it is the direct subject of the inspiration argument in 1:20-21. |
| apostle | الرسول | al-rasūl | High | 1:1, 3:2 | Peter’s own self-designation; same Muhammad-title caution as baseline. |
| covenant (concept, “promises”) | العهد (concept parallel) | al-‘ahd | Medium | 1:4 (ἐπαγγέλματα) | See new term “promises” below; conceptually adjacent to covenant. |
| gentiles | — (not directly occurring) | — | — | — | Not a load-bearing term in 2 Peter; noted for completeness. |
Section B — New Terms Introduced in 2 Peter (Require New Translation Memory Entries)
| English Term | Arabic Rendering | Transliteration | Doctrine Risk | Greek Original | Key Occurrences | Alternatives Rejected | Risk Rationale |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| savior (paired with God/Lord) | المخلّص | al-mukhalliṣ | Critical | σωτήρ (sōtēr) | 1:1, 1:11, 2:20, 3:2, 3:18 | — | 1:1’s “our God and Savior Jesus Christ” is a single grammatical construction identifying Jesus as both θεός and σωτήρ — among the strongest deity-of-Christ texts in the NT. Islamic soteriology has no substitutionary-rescue mediator figure; every occurrence reinforces exclusivity and sufficiency. |
| divine nature (partakers of) | الطبيعة الإلهية (شركاء في الطبيعة الإلهية) | al-ṭabī’ah al-ilāhiyyah | Critical | θεία φύσις (theia physis) | 1:4 | ”الانصهار في اللاهوت” (fusion into the Godhead) — explicitly rejected as it implies essence-merging | Islamic tawḥīd holds Allah’s essence (dhāt) categorically unshareable; this is a paradigm shirk claim from an Islamic standpoint. Must be taught as moral/relational transformation (holiness, incorruption, love) through union with Christ — not ontological fusion, not Sufi fana’ (mystical self-dissolution), not the forbidden baseline ḥulūl framework. |
| divine power | القوة الإلهية | al-quwwah al-ilāhiyyah | High | θεία δύναμις (theia dynamis) | 1:3 | — | Pairs with divine nature; ensure “divine” is not read as diffusing God’s power generically into creation. |
| the Master who bought [them] (redemption-ownership) | السيد الذي اشتراهم / افتداهم | al-sayyid alladhī ishtarāhum | Critical | δεσπότης … ἀγοράσαντα (despotēs … agorasanta) | 2:1 | — | Substitutionary purchase/ownership of persons through Christ’s death has no parallel in Islamic soteriology (Quran 6:164 denies bearing another’s burden); must be taught deliberately, tied to baseline salvation doctrine. |
| destruction / perdition | الهلاك | al-halāk | High | ἀπώλεια (apōleia) | 2:1, 2:3, 3:7, 3:16 | ”الخسارة” (mere loss) — rejected as too weak | Must retain full, final eschatological weight; ties to “Day of the Lord and Final Judgment.” |
| judgment / condemnation | الدينونة | al-daynūnah | High | κρίσις / κρίμα / κατάκρισις | 2:3, 2:4, 2:9, 3:7 | — | Forensic, certain verdict — not probabilistic; parallel caution to baseline salvation. |
| diligence (make every effort) | بذل كل الجهد (الاجتهاد) | badhl kull al-juhd (al-ijtihād) | High | σπουδή (spoudē) | 1:5, 1:10, 1:15, 3:14 | bare noun الاجتهاد as first choice — flagged, not fully rejected, but periphrasis preferred | Shares triliteral root ج-ه-د with jihād (struggle) and ijtihād (Islamic legal reasoning). Prefer a periphrastic verb phrase over the bare noun in Critical/High contexts; always frame as fruit, never ground, of standing already secured by grace. |
| self-control | ضبط النفس | ḍabṭ al-nafs | Low-Medium | ἐγκράτεια (egkrateia) | 1:6 | — | Broadly compatible with Islamic self-discipline vocabulary. |
| steadfastness / endurance | الصبر | al-ṣabr | High | ὑπομονή (hypomonē) | 1:6 | — | Ṣabr is a central, reward-earning Islamic virtue (paired with shukr, weighed on the mīzān). Must be taught as fruit of assured hope already secured in Christ, not merit toward an uncertain outcome. |
| godliness | التقوى | al-taqwā | High | εὐσέβεια (eusebeia) | 1:3, 1:6, 1:7, 3:11 | — | Central Quranic salvific-ethical category (Q2:197 etc.); established Arabic Bible-tradition rendering retained, but must be reinforced each time as fruit of grace/knowledge (1:3), not a merit-accumulating practice. |
| brotherly kindness / affection | المحبة الأخوية | al-maḥabbah al-akhawiyyah | Low-Medium | φιλαδελφία (philadelphia) | 1:7 | — | Standard, compatible. |
| love | المحبة | al-maḥabbah | Low | ἀγάπη (agapē) | 1:7 | — | Standard. |
| virtue / excellence | الفضيلة | al-faḍīlah | Medium-High | ἀρετή (aretē) | 1:3, 1:5 | — | Compatible ethical vocabulary; must be anchored as flowing from faith/grace, not independent philosophical achievement. Root doctrine: “Growing in Christian Virtue.” |
| knowledge (virtue-list sense) | المعرفة | al-ma’rifah | High | γνῶσις (gnōsis) | 1:5, 1:6 | العلم (al-‘ilm, more propositional/textual) — considered but not adopted as primary, due to established Arabic Bible tradition preferring معرفة; retain awareness of the distinction | Same Arabic word used for ἐπίγνωσις below; requires contextual qualifiers to preserve Peter’s two distinct senses. |
| full/personal knowledge (relational) | المعرفة (الكاملة/الحقيقية) | al-ma’rifah [al-kāmilah] | High | ἐπίγνωσις (epignōsis) | 1:2, 1:3, 1:8, 2:20, 3:18 | العلم (al-‘ilm) — rejected as primary due to established tradition, though noted as a lower-risk alternative worth reconsidering in Phase 2 pilot testing | Ma’rifah is Sufi Islam’s technical term for mystical/experiential gnosis attained through graduated spiritual stages. Must be qualified every occurrence as relational knowledge of God through Christ received by faith, not esoteric mystical attainment. Anchors “The Reliability and Inspiration of Scripture” companion doctrine of relational knowing. |
| corruption | الفساد | al-fasād | Medium | φθορά (phthora) | 1:4, 2:12, 2:19 | — | Quranic fasād (corruption/mischief “on the earth”) has social-political overtones in contemporary usage; must be contextually anchored as personal moral-spiritual decay tied to sinful desire. Anchors “Divine Nature and Escaping Corruption.” |
| desire / lust | الشهوة | al-shahwah | Low-Medium | ἐπιθυμία (epithymia) | 1:4, 2:10, 2:18, 3:3 | — | Standard, compatible with Islamic self-discipline ethics. |
| promises | الوعود | al-wu’ūd | Medium | ἐπάγγελμα / ἐπαγγελία | 1:4, 3:4, 3:9, 3:13 | — | Conceptually adjacent to baseline covenant (العهد); God’s guaranteed future gifts. |
| cleansing (from past sins) | التطهير من الخطايا الماضية | al-taṭhīr min al-khaṭāyā al-māḍiyah | Medium-High | καθαρισμός (katharismos) | 1:9 | طهارة alone (ritual-purity-only sense) — rejected as insufficiently qualified | Must not collapse into ritual ablution (wuḍū’/ghusl) connotation; forgiveness-based, once-for-all, tied to faith. |
| false teachers | المعلّمون الكذبة | al-mu’allimūn al-kadhabah | High | ψευδοδιδάσκαλοι (pseudodidaskaloi) | 2:1 | — | Anchors “False Teachers and Their Judgment”; must be defined by the text’s own doctrinal/moral criteria, not left as a generic “heretic” label applicable to any theological outsider. |
| destructive heresies | بدع مُهلِكة | bida’ muhlikah | High | αἱρέσεις ἀπωλείας (haireseis apōleias) | 2:1 | — | Bid’ah is a precise, loaded Islamic category (forbidden innovation from communal precedent); usable as a bridge but must be qualified by 2 Peter’s own criteria (denial of Christ, immorality). |
| myths / fables | الخرافات / الأساطير | al-khurāfāt / al-asāṭīr | Medium-High | μῦθος (mythos) | 1:16 | — | Apologetic scaffolding term: must actively assert historical eyewitness reliability of the gospel account against any framing of it as embellished legend. |
| eyewitness | شهود عيان | shuhūd ‘iyān | Medium | ἐπόπτης (epoptēs) | 1:16 | — | Reinforces “The Reliability and Inspiration of Scripture.” |
| majesty | العظمة / الجلال | al-‘aẕamah / al-jalāl | Critical | μεγαλειότης (megaleiotēs) | 1:16 | مجرد “العظمة” بدون “الجلال” — considered insufficient alone in Critical contexts | الجلال directly echoes Dhū l-Jalāl wa-l-Ikrām, a core Quranic divine attribute; ascribing it to Christ reinforces deity_of_christ. |
| the second coming / parousia | المجيء (الثاني) | al-maji’ (al-thānī) | CRITICAL | παρουσία (parousia) | 1:16, 3:4 | استخدام “نزول عيسى” (using the Islamic nuzūl ‘Isā framing) — explicitly rejected | Islamic hadith affirms a nuzūl ‘Isā with an incompatible narrative (returns as a follower of Islam, breaks crosses, dies naturally, buried in Medina — not as divine judge-king). Anchors “The Certainty of Christ’s Return”; every occurrence requires apologetic scaffolding distinguishing the two narratives. |
| Day of the Lord | يوم الرب | yawm al-Rabb | High | ἡμέρα Κυρίου (hēmera Kyriou) | 3:10 | يوم القيامة alone without “الرب” qualifier — rejected as insufficiently Christ-specific | Surface-similar to the safe, shared Yawm al-Qiyāmah concept, but must retain its specific, exclusive tie to Christ’s return as judge (see baseline lord). Anchors “The Day of the Lord and Final Judgment.” |
| God’s patience / longsuffering | طول أناة الرب / صبر الله | ṭūl anāt al-Rabb / ṣabr Allāh | High | μακροθυμία (makrothymia) | 3:9, 3:15 | — | Positive bridge via Al-Ḥalīm (one of Allah’s 99 Names), but must be tied explicitly to its stated redemptive purpose (v.9) so as not to read as arbitrary delay or fatalistic forbearance. Anchors “Patience of God’s Timing.” |
| repentance | التوبة | al-tawbah | High | μετάνοια (metanoia) | 3:9 | — | Tawbah is the defining, formula-structured Islamic category (remorse + cessation + resolve + restitution). NT metanoia must be taught as a Spirit-enabled heart-turning flowing from God’s kindness, not a self-generated merit-transaction of uncertain acceptance. |
| Master (sovereign owner) | السيد المتسلط / السيد الحق | al-sayyid al-mutasalliṭ | High | δεσπότης (despotēs) | 2:1 | — | See “the Master who bought them” above; distinct from κύριος (الرب) though closely related — denotes absolute ownership. |
| new heavens and new earth | سماوات جديدة وأرض جديدة | samāwāt jadīdah wa arḍ jadīdah | Medium | καινοὺς οὐρανοὺς καὶ γῆν καινήν | 3:13 | — | Real, historical re-creation, not a cyclical world-age doctrine; parallel caution to baseline resurrection’s anti-cyclical note. |
| Scripture(s) / the Scriptures | الكتب المقدسة / الأسفار المقدسة | al-kutub al-muqaddasah | High | γραφή / γραφαί (graphē / graphai) | 1:20, 3:16 | — | 3:16’s inclusion of Paul’s letters as γραφή is valuable early-canon evidence against the taḥrīf claim; verb choice for “twist/distort” (يُحرّف) shares its root with taḥrīf itself — word carefully to avoid implying the text itself, rather than individual misreaders, is corrupted. |
| private interpretation / own origination (of prophecy) | لم تنشأ عن رأي خاص من النبي | lam tansha’ ‘an ra’y khāṣṣ min al-nabī | CRITICAL | ἰδία ἐπίλυσις (idia epilysis) | 1:20 | التأويل الخاص (al-ta’wīl al-khāṣṣ) — explicitly rejected | Ta’wīl is a loaded Islamic hermeneutical term (esoteric/allegorical reading; per Quran 3:7, its full meaning is “known only to Allah”). Peter’s point concerns the origin of prophecy (not from human initiative), not a restriction on later readers’ interpretation; avoid a single ta’wīl-adjacent noun and prefer an origin-focused paraphrase. |
| carried along by the Holy Spirit | مُنقادون / محمولون بالروح القدس | munqādūn / maḥmūlūn bi-l-Rūḥ al-Qudus | CRITICAL | φερόμενοι ὑπὸ Πνεύματος Ἁγίου (pheromenoi hypo Pneumatos Hagiou) | 1:21 | — | Extends baseline inspiration_of_scripture note: Islamic waḥy is typically understood as verbatim dictation via Gabriel/Jibrīl (tafsīr identifies “Holy Spirit” with Gabriel — see baseline holy_spirit entry); 2 Peter’s model retains the human author’s own voice while under Spirit-guidance — a third way between dictation and mere human opinion, and must be explained as such. |
| servant / slave (of Christ) | عبد (المسيح) | ‘abd (al-Masīḥ) | Medium (positive bridge) | δοῦλος (doulos) | 1:1 | — | Shares root ع-ب-د with Islam’s foundational ‘ibādah/‘abd Allāh self-identity vocabulary — a genuine bridge, but note the object of devotion here is Christ specifically. |
| slaves of corruption | عبيد للفساد | ’abīd li-l-fasād | Medium | δοῦλοι τῆς φθορᾶς | 2:19 | — | Ironic reversal of the positive “servant of Christ” sense above; false teachers promise freedom while being enslaved. |
Section C — Doctrine-to-Term Cross-Reference (2 Peter Curriculum Doctrines)
| Curriculum Doctrine | Arabic Doctrine Name | Primary Key Terms | Highest Risk Tier |
|---|---|---|---|
| The Reliability and Inspiration of Scripture | وحي الكتاب المقدس وموثوقيته | myths, eyewitness, prophetic word confirmed, private interpretation/origination, carried along by the Holy Spirit, Scripture(s) | Critical |
| Growing in Christian Virtue | النمو في الفضيلة المسيحية | divine power, virtue, knowledge (γνῶσις), self-control, steadfastness, godliness, brotherly kindness, love, diligence | High |
| False Teachers and Their Judgment | المعلمون الكذبة ودينونتهم | false teachers, destructive heresies, the Master who bought them, destruction/perdition, judgment/condemnation | Critical |
| The Certainty of Christ’s Return | يقين مجيء المسيح الثاني | the second coming/parousia, majesty, eyewitness | Critical |
| The Day of the Lord and Final Judgment | يوم الرب والدينونة الأخيرة | Day of the Lord, elements dissolved, new heavens and new earth, judgment/condemnation | Critical |
| Patience of God’s Timing | صبر الله في توقيته | God’s patience/longsuffering, repentance, salvation (baseline) | High |
| Divine Nature and Escaping Corruption | الطبيعة الإلهية والهروب من الفساد | divine nature, divine power, corruption, desire/lust | Critical |
Section D — Terms Requiring Phase 2 Escalation
Per the escalation rules established in 12_ai_translation_requirements.md, the following new 2 Peter terms must be added to the “Automatically flag for human theologian review” list, alongside the existing baseline categories:
- Divine nature / partakers of the divine nature (1:4)
- Savior, especially paired with God/Lord (1:1, 1:11, 2:20, 3:2, 3:18)
- The Master who bought them / redemption-purchase language (2:1)
- The second coming / parousia (1:16, 3:4) and Day of the Lord (3:10)
- Private interpretation / origination of prophecy (1:20) and carried along by the Holy Spirit (1:21)
- Any segment where diligence (σπουδή) is rendered with the bare noun الاجتهاد rather than a periphrasis
- Any segment where godliness (εὐσέβεια → التقوى) or repentance (μετάνοια → التوبة) appears without an accompanying grace/gift-framing qualifier
This glossary must be merged into an updated translation_memory.json (version increment required) before Phase 2 segment translation of 2 Peter begins.
Critical Risk Terms
Carried Along By Spirit
Approved rendering: مُنقادون / محمولون بالروح القدس
Transliteration: munqādūn / maḥmūlūn bi-l-Rūḥ al-Qudus
Doctrine: The Reliability and Inspiration of Scripture
Original: φερόμενοι ὑπὸ Πνεύματος Ἁγίου
Category: Scripture
New term. φερόμενοι ὑπὸ Πνεύματος Ἁγίου, 1:21. Extends the baseline inspiration-of-Scripture note: Islamic wahy is typically understood as verbatim dictation via Gabriel/Jibril (mainstream tafsir identifies ‘Holy Spirit’ with Gabriel). This model - divine origination retaining human authorship and voice - must be actively distinguished from both the dictation model and a merely-human-opinion model.
Divine Nature
Approved rendering: الطبيعة الإلهية (شركاء في الطبيعة الإلهية)
Transliteration: al-ṭabī’ah al-ilāhiyyah
Doctrine: Divine Nature and Escaping Corruption
Rejected alternatives: الانصهار في اللاهوت
Original: θεία φύσις
Category: Divine Nature
New term. θεία φύσις (theia physis), 2 Peter 1:4. Islamic tawhid holds Allah’s essence (dhat) categorically unshareable with any creature; ‘sharing the divine nature’ is a paradigm shirk claim, on par with the baseline’s deity-of-Christ/incarnation risk tier. Must be taught as moral/relational transformation (holiness, incorruption, love) through union with Christ - never ontological essence-fusion, never the baseline-forbidden hulul framework, never Sufi fana’ (mystical self-dissolution).
Father
Approved rendering: الآب
Transliteration: al-Āb
Doctrine: Adoption into God’s Family
Original: Πατήρ
Category: God
Inherited from Romans package. In 2 Peter 1:17, God the Father’s voice from ‘the Majestic Glory’ publicly identifies Jesus as his beloved Son - the historical, audible, eyewitnessed nature of this declaration should be foregrounded as apologetic strength, not softened.
God
Approved rendering: الله
Transliteration: Allāh
Doctrine: Deity of Christ
Original: Θεός
Category: God
Inherited from Romans package. 2 Peter 1:1’s single grammatical construction (‘our God and Savior Jesus Christ’) is among the strongest single-verse deity-of-Christ texts in the NT canon; must never be rendered with a comma or break implying two separate figures.
Holy Spirit
Approved rendering: الروح القدس
Transliteration: al-Rūḥ al-Qudus
Doctrine: Sanctification
Original: Πνεῦμα Ἅγιον
Category: God
Inherited from Romans package. 2 Peter 1:21 makes the Holy Spirit the agent who ‘carried along’ the human authors of Scripture - see new term ‘carried_along_by_spirit’ for the extended inspiration-model distinction from Islamic wahy/Jibril identification.
Jesus
Approved rendering: يسوع
Transliteration: Yasū’
Doctrine: Lordship of Christ
Rejected alternatives: عيسى
Original: Ἰησοῦς
Category: Christology
Inherited from Romans package. Never render as عيسى. Occurs throughout 2 Peter in its most theologically loaded constructions (1:1, 1:11, 1:16, 2:20, 3:18); consistency is essential to identity-marker integrity across the curriculum.
Lord
Approved rendering: الرب
Transliteration: al-Rabb
Doctrine: Lordship of Christ
Rejected alternatives: السيد, المولى
Original: κύριος
Category: Christology
Inherited from Romans package. Occurs constantly throughout 2 Peter (1:2, 1:8, 1:11, 1:14, 1:16, 2:1, 2:9, 2:11, 2:20, 3:2, 3:8-10, 3:15, 3:18) and forms the head noun of the new term ‘day_of_the_lord’ (3:10), tying the letter’s entire eschatology to Christ’s exclusive authority. Never softened to ‘master’ or ‘teacher.‘
Majesty
Approved rendering: العظمة / الجلال
Transliteration: al-‘aẕamah / al-jalāl
Doctrine: Deity of Christ
Rejected alternatives: العظمة alone
Original: μεγαλειότης
Category: Christology
New term. μεγαλειότης (megaleiotēs), 1:16. Al-jalal directly echoes Dhu l-Jalal wa-l-Ikram (‘Possessor of Majesty and Honor’), a core Quranic divine attribute. Ascribing jalal to Jesus reinforces the deity-of-Christ doctrine and registers as maximally confrontational; do not soften to al-‘azamah alone.
Messiah
Approved rendering: المسيح
Transliteration: al-Masīh
Doctrine: Messianic Promise
Original: Χριστός
Category: Christology
Inherited from Romans package. Paired with ‘Jesus’ in nearly every major theological statement of 2 Peter, including the God-and-Savior construction of 1:1. Every occurrence must actively correct the Quranic ‘Isa al-Masih narrative (honored prophet, not divine, not crucified, not risen).
Parousia
Approved rendering: المجيء (الثاني)
Transliteration: al-maji’ (al-thānī)
Doctrine: The Certainty of Christ’s Return
Rejected alternatives: نزول عيسى (nuzūl ‘Isā framing)
Original: παρουσία
Category: Eschatology
New term. παρουσία (parousia), 1:16, 3:4. Islamic hadith affirms a nuzul ‘Isa (descent of Jesus) with an incompatible narrative (returns as a follower of Islam, breaks crosses, dies naturally, buried in Medina - not as divine judge-king). Every occurrence requires apologetic scaffolding distinguishing the two narratives; never render using nuzul ‘Isa framing.
Private Interpretation
Approved rendering: لم تنشأ عن رأي خاص من النبي
Transliteration: lam tansha’ ‘an ra’y khāṣṣ min al-nabī
Doctrine: The Reliability and Inspiration of Scripture
Rejected alternatives: التأويل الخاص
Original: ἰδία ἐπίλυσις
Category: Scripture
New term. ἰδία ἐπίλυσις (idia epilysis), 1:20. Ta’wil is a loaded Islamic hermeneutical term (esoteric/allegorical reading whose full meaning, per Quran 3:7, is ‘known only to Allah’); using it would import a specific Islamic doctrine of reserved, hidden meaning foreign to Peter’s actual point about the origin of prophecy, not a restriction on later readers’ interpretation. Use only the origin-focused paraphrase; never a single ta’wil-adjacent noun.
Redemption Purchase
Approved rendering: السيد الذي اشتراهم / افتداهم
Transliteration: al-sayyid alladhī ishtarāhum / iftadāhum
Doctrine: Redemption through Christ’s Substitutionary Purchase
Original: ἀγοράσαντα αὐτοὺς
Category: Salvation
New term. δεσπότην … ἀγοράσαντα αὐτούς, 2 Peter 2:1. The Quran explicitly denies that one soul can bear or discharge another’s burden or debt (6:164); a substitutionary purchase of persons by another’s death has no parallel in Islamic soteriology and must be taught deliberately as the doctrinal core false teachers are denying, not softened into a generic denial of authority.
Righteousness
Approved rendering: البر
Transliteration: al-birr
Doctrine: Salvation
Rejected alternatives: الصلاح, العدل
Original: δικαιοσύνη
Category: Salvation
Inherited from Romans package. CRITICAL: al-birr’s Quranic works-checklist sense (2:177) risks collapsing 2 Peter’s uses into performance righteousness. Applied to God/Christ (1:1), Noah’s preaching (2:5), ‘the way’ abandoned by apostates (2:21, where it must read as a lapsed relationship with Christ, not a lapsed program of deeds), and the renewed cosmos (3:13).
Salvation
Approved rendering: الخلاص
Transliteration: al-khalāṣ
Doctrine: Salvation
Rejected alternatives: النجاة, الفوز بالجنة
Original: σωτηρία
Category: Salvation
Inherited from Romans package. CRITICAL: mainstream Islamic soteriology has no assured salvation apart from the deeds-scale (mizan). 2 Peter 3:15 directly equates God’s patience with salvation itself, reinforcing the once-for-all, present-tense assurance the baseline documents.
Savior
Approved rendering: المخلّص
Transliteration: al-mukhalliṣ
Doctrine: Deity of Christ
Original: σωτήρ
Category: Christology
New term. σωτήρ (sōtēr), occurring 1:1, 1:11, 2:20, 3:2, 3:18. 1:1’s ‘our God and Savior Jesus Christ’ is a single grammatical construction identifying Jesus as both θεός and σωτήρ - among the strongest deity-of-Christ texts in the NT. Islamic soteriology has no mediating Savior figure comparable to Christ (deeds weighed directly by Allah; intercession, where affirmed, is not substitutionary rescue). Every occurrence should reinforce, not soften, this title’s exclusivity and sufficiency.
Son Of God
Approved rendering: ابن الله
Transliteration: Ibn Allāh
Doctrine: Sonship of Christ
Rejected alternatives: الحبيب من الله, الكلمة من الله (بدون ‘ابن’)
Original: υἱὸς
Category: Christology
Inherited from Romans package. 2 Peter 1:17 records the Father’s own audible, eyewitnessed voice (‘This is my Son, my beloved’) at the Transfiguration - a real historical event directly contradicting Quran 112:3 and 19:35, not merely a later doctrinal formula. Do not soften to a relational title.
High Risk Terms
Apostle
Approved rendering: الرسول
Transliteration: al-rasūl
Doctrine: Apostleship
Rejected alternatives: المبعوث, التلميذ المرسل
Original: ἀπόστολος
Category: Scripture
Inherited from Romans package. Al-rasul is Muhammad’s own defining title (Rasul Allah). Peter’s self-designation (1:1) and appeal to apostolic authority (3:2) require the same distinction from the Islamic prophetic-finality office (khatam an-nabiyyin) documented in the baseline.
Called
Approved rendering: المدعوون
Transliteration: al-mad’uwwūn
Doctrine: Divine Calling
Rejected alternatives: المُنتخَبون
Inherited from Romans package. In 2 Peter 1:10, paired with ‘election’ as something to be confirmed through visible growth in virtue - evidence of, not a condition creating, a prior secure divine choice.
Calling
Approved rendering: الدعوة
Transliteration: al-da’wah
Doctrine: Divine Calling
Inherited from Romans package. Direction (God summoning believers) must remain distinct from da’wah as human invitation to Islam. 2 Peter 1:10 uses this alongside ‘election’ as the exhortation’s ground.
Cleansing From Sin
Approved rendering: التطهير من الخطايا الماضية
Transliteration: al-taṭhīr min al-khaṭāyā al-māḍiyah
Doctrine: Sanctification and Holy Living in View of Judgment
Rejected alternatives: طهارة (alone, ritual-purity-only sense)
Original: καθαρισμός τῶν πάλαι … ἁμαρτιῶν
Category: Sanctification
New term. καθαρισμός τῶν πάλαι … ἁμαρτιῶν, 1:9. Forgiveness/cleansing received at conversion, forgotten by those lacking Christian virtue. Must not collapse into ritual ablution (wudu/ghusl-style washing) connotation; forgiveness-based, once-for-all, tied to faith in Christ.
Day Of The Lord
Approved rendering: يوم الرب
Transliteration: yawm al-Rabb
Doctrine: The Day of the Lord and Final Judgment
Rejected alternatives: يوم القيامة (alone, without الرب qualifier)
Original: ἡμέρα Κυρίου
Category: Eschatology
New term. ἡμέρα Κυρίου, 3:10. Surface-similar to the safe, shared Yawm al-Qiyamah concept, but must retain its specific, exclusive tie to Christ’s return as judge (reuse baseline lord, الرب); must not be diluted into a generic, religiously-neutral end-times reference.
Destruction
Approved rendering: الهلاك
Transliteration: al-halāk
Doctrine: The Day of the Lord and Final Judgment
Rejected alternatives: الخسارة
Original: ἀπώλεια
Category: Eschatology
New term. ἀπώλεια (apōleia), 2:1, 2:3, 3:7, 3:16. Final, ruinous judgment - the certain, self-incurred end of false teachers and the outcome of misreading Scripture and cosmic dissolution. Must retain full eschatological weight; do not soften to a merely this-worldly ‘downfall’ or ‘loss.‘
Destructive Heresies
Approved rendering: بدع مُهلِكة
Transliteration: bida’ muhlikah
Doctrine: False Teachers and Their Judgment
Original: αἱρέσεις ἀπωλείας
Category: False Teaching
New term. αἱρέσεις ἀπωλείας, 2:1. Bid’ah is a major, precisely defined Islamic category (forbidden innovation deviating from the Prophet’s/companions’ precedent); usable as a bridge but must be qualified by 2 Peter’s own criteria (denial of Christ, immorality), not a generic ‘departure from precedent’ charge.
Diligence
Approved rendering: بذل كل الجهد
Transliteration: badhl kull al-juhd
Doctrine: Growing in Christian Virtue
Rejected alternatives: الاجتهاد (bare noun)
Original: σπουδή
Category: Christian Virtue
New term. σπουδή (spoudē), 1:5, 1:10, 1:15, 3:14. Shares its triliteral root ج-ه-د with jihad (struggle) and ijtihad (Islamic legal-hermeneutical reasoning). Prefer a periphrastic verb phrase over the bare noun الاجتهاد in Critical/High contexts; always frame as fruit, never ground, of grace already received.
Divine Power
Approved rendering: القوة الإلهية
Transliteration: al-quwwah al-ilāhiyyah
Doctrine: Divine Nature and Escaping Corruption
Original: θεία δύναμις
Category: Divine Nature
New term. θεία δύναμις (theia dynamis), 2 Peter 1:3. God’s own inherent supernatural power, granted (not achieved) as the source of everything needed for life and godliness. Distinct from baseline قوة الله (Romans 1:16); ensure the rendering is not read as diffusing God’s power generically into creation.
Election
Approved rendering: اختيار الله
Transliteration: ikhtiyār Allāh
Doctrine: Effectual Calling
Rejected alternatives: القدر
Original: ἐκλογή
Category: Salvation
Inherited from Romans package. 2 Peter 1:10’s call to ‘confirm’ calling and election through active virtue growth must be preserved as assurance-seeking evidence of a prior secure divine choice, not passive folk-qadar fatalism nor a self-generated qualification process.
Epignosis
Approved rendering: المعرفة (الكاملة/الحقيقية)
Transliteration: al-ma’rifah al-kāmilah
Doctrine: The Reliability and Inspiration of Scripture
Rejected alternatives: العلم (al-‘ilm)
Original: ἐπίγνωσις
Category: Scripture
New term. ἐπίγνωσις (epignōsis), 1:2, 1:3, 1:8, 2:20, 3:18 - the letter’s central epistemic term, grounding grace, peace, virtue, and escape from corruption. Ma’rifah is Sufi Islam’s technical term for mystical/experiential gnosis attained through graduated spiritual stages (maqamat). Must be qualified every occurrence as relational knowledge of God secured through Christ and received by faith, not attained through mystical technique.
Faith
Approved rendering: الإيمان
Transliteration: al-īmān
Doctrine: Faith
Rejected alternatives: الاعتقاد, الثقة
Original: πίστις
Category: Faith
Inherited from Romans package. Iman is one of Islam’s six articles of belief - primarily creedal assent paired with practice, not primarily personal trust. 2 Peter 1:1’s ‘faith of equal standing’ (ἰσότιμος) reinforces the universal, non-hierarchical access to saving faith and must not be read as graded by spiritual rank, a live concern given Sufi tariqa notions of tiered spiritual attainment.
False Teachers
Approved rendering: المعلّمون الكذبة
Transliteration: al-mu’allimūn al-kadhabah
Doctrine: False Teachers and Their Judgment
Original: ψευδοδιδάσκαλοι / ψευδοπροφῆται
Category: False Teaching
New term. ψευδοδιδάσκαλοι / ψευδοπροφῆται, 2:1. Must be defined by the text’s own doctrinal criteria (denying Christ’s redeeming ownership, greed, immorality) rather than left as a vague label that could be redirected at any theological outsider, including orthodox Christians, in a majority-Muslim setting.
Glory
Approved rendering: المجد
Transliteration: al-majd
Doctrine: Deity of Christ
Rejected alternatives: النور الإلهي
Original: δόξα
Category: God
Inherited from Romans package. Bestowed on the Son by the Father (1:17) and ascribed directly to Christ in the closing doxology (3:18) - doxological worship-language addressed to Jesus specifically, functionally equivalent to worship Islamic theology reserves for Allah alone. Must not be flattened into praise of a great teacher.
Godliness
Approved rendering: التقوى
Transliteration: al-taqwā
Doctrine: Growing in Christian Virtue
Original: εὐσέβεια
Category: Christian Virtue
New term. εὐσέβεια (eusebeia), 1:3, 1:6, 1:7, 3:11. Taqwa is the single most central ethical-spiritual category in the Quran, explicitly tied to divine favor and reward (e.g., Q2:197). The established Van Dyck/NAV rendering is retained, but every occurrence needs contextual reinforcement that this godliness is fruit of grace/knowledge already given (1:3), not a merit-accumulating practice securing God’s favor.
Gods Patience
Approved rendering: طول أناة الرب / صبر الله
Transliteration: ṭūl anāt al-Rabb / ṣabr Allāh
Doctrine: Patience of God’s Timing
Original: μακροθυμία
Category: Patience of God
New term. μακροθυμία (makrothymia), 3:9, 3:15. Al-Halim (‘The Most Forbearing’) is one of the 99 Names of Allah, a genuinely positive bridge concept - but must be explicitly tied to verse 9’s stated redemptive purpose so it is not read as arbitrary delay, divine unconcern, or generic fatalistic forbearance detached from any redemptive aim.
Grace
Approved rendering: النعمة
Transliteration: al-ni’mah
Doctrine: Grace
Rejected alternatives: الفضل, الرحمة
Original: χάρις
Category: Salvation
Inherited from Romans package. Must always be qualified as unearned. In 2 Peter frames the letter’s opening (1:2-4) and closing (3:18); the virtue chain of 1:5-7 that immediately follows must be read as fruit flowing from this prior grace-gift, never as its ground or merit-accumulation toward it.
Judgment Condemnation
Approved rendering: الدينونة
Transliteration: al-daynūnah
Doctrine: The Day of the Lord and Final Judgment
Original: κρίσις / κρίμα / κατάκρισις
Category: Eschatology
New term. κρίσις / κρίμα / κατάκρισις, 2:3, 2:4, 2:9, 3:7. God’s forensic verdict, already executed against fallen angels and reserved for the unrighteous. Must be forensic and certain, not probabilistic, mirroring the baseline caution on salvation’s certainty.
Knowledge Gnosis
Approved rendering: المعرفة
Transliteration: al-ma’rifah
Doctrine: Growing in Christian Virtue
Rejected alternatives: العلم (al-‘ilm)
Original: γνῶσις
Category: Christian Virtue
New term. γνῶσις (gnōsis), 1:5-6. Moral discernment cultivated as a character trait, distinct from the relational epignōsis below. Uses the same Arabic word (المعرفة) as epignōsis; translators must supply a contextual qualifier (e.g., ‘معرفة تُضاف إلى الإيمان’) so the two distinct Greek senses are not collapsed into one.
Master Despotes
Approved rendering: السيد المتسلط
Transliteration: al-sayyid al-mutasalliṭ
Doctrine: False Teachers and Their Judgment
Original: δεσπότης
Category: Christology
New term. δεσπότης (despotēs), 2 Peter 2:1. Absolute owner-ruler, denied by the false teachers. Distinct from κύριος/الرب though closely related; denotes absolute ownership rather than general lordship - should not be softened to a merely respectful ‘patron’ sense.
Myths
Approved rendering: الخرافات / الأساطير
Transliteration: al-khurāfāt / al-asāṭīr
Doctrine: The Reliability and Inspiration of Scripture
Original: μῦθος
Category: Scripture
New term. μῦθος (mythos), 1:16. Apologetic scaffolding term: must actively assert historical eyewitness reliability of the gospel account against any framing of it as embellished legend, not read as a defensive concession that such doubts are reasonable.
Prophecy
Approved rendering: نبوءة
Transliteration: nubū’ah
Doctrine: Fulfillment of Prophecy
Original: προφητεία
Category: Scripture
Inherited from Romans package (baseline risk tier: Low). RISK ELEVATED to High for this curriculum: in 2 Peter, prophecy is not incidental vocabulary but the direct subject of the inspiration argument of 1:19-21 (and 3:2), the core-passage climax of the entire curriculum. Translation and transliteration remain unchanged from baseline; only the applied risk tier is elevated, consistent with assets/doctrine_risk_registry.json and analysis/08_core_glossary.md.
Prophet
Approved rendering: نبي
Transliteration: nabī
Doctrine: Inspiration of Scripture
Original: προφήτης
Category: Scripture
Inherited from Romans package. 2 Peter uses this both positively (OT prophets and apostles, 1:19-21, 3:2) and negatively (false prophets, 2:1). Must be paired with fuller titles (Scripture, apostle) so the term is not read through Islam’s khatam an-nabiyyin (seal of the prophets) doctrine, which would suggest OT/NT prophecy is superseded rather than confirmed and fulfilled.
Repentance
Approved rendering: التوبة
Transliteration: al-tawbah
Doctrine: Patience of God’s Timing
Original: μετάνοια
Category: Salvation
New term. μετάνοια (metanoia), 3:9. Tawbah is the defining, formula-structured Islamic category (remorse + cessation + resolve + restitution) whose acceptance is not assured. NT metanoia must be taught as a Spirit-enabled heart-turning flowing from God’s kindness, not a self-generated, formula-based transaction of uncertain acceptance.
Scripture
Approved rendering: الكتب المقدسة / الأسفار المقدسة
Transliteration: al-kutub al-muqaddasah / al-asfār al-muqaddasah
Doctrine: The Reliability and Inspiration of Scripture
Original: γραφή / γραφαί
Category: Scripture
New term. γραφή / γραφαί, 1:20, 3:16. 3:16’s inclusion of Paul’s letters as graphē is valuable early-canon evidence against the tahrif claim and should be taught as such. The verb for ‘twist/distort’ in the same verse (يُحرّف) shares its root with taḥrīf itself and must target individual misreaders, never the text’s own integrity.
Sin
Approved rendering: الخطية
Transliteration: al-khaṭīyah
Doctrine: Universal Human Accountability
Rejected alternatives: الذنب, الإثم
Original: ἁμαρτία
Category: Sin
Inherited from Romans package. 2 Peter 1:9’s ‘cleansing from past sins’ presupposes real, personal guilt requiring atonement, running against Islamic fitrah (innate purity) doctrine; must be taught, not assumed, as shared ground.
Steadfastness
Approved rendering: الصبر
Transliteration: al-ṣabr
Doctrine: Growing in Christian Virtue
Original: ὑπομονή
Category: Christian Virtue
New term. ὑπομονή (hypomonē), 1:6. Sabr is one of the most central Islamic virtues, explicitly reward-earning within Islamic soteriology (deeds weighed on the mizan). Must be taught as fruit flowing from assured hope already secured in Christ, not merit toward an uncertain final outcome.
Virtue
Approved rendering: الفضيلة
Transliteration: al-faḍīlah
Doctrine: Growing in Christian Virtue
Original: ἀρετή
Category: Christian Virtue
New term. ἀρετή (aretē), 1:3 (of God), 1:5 (of believers). Compatible ethical vocabulary but must be explicitly anchored as flowing from faith and grace already given (v.5’s ‘add to your faith virtue’), not an independent philosophical achievement earning divine favor.
Medium Risk Terms
Brotherly Kindness
Approved rendering: المحبة الأخوية
Transliteration: al-maḥabbah al-akhawiyyah
Doctrine: Growing in Christian Virtue
Original: φιλαδελφία
Category: Christian Virtue
New term. φιλαδελφία (philadelphia), 1:7. Love among fellow believers specifically. Standard, low-collision vocabulary; adjacent to but distinct from baseline fellowship (الشركة), avoiding that term’s shirk-root resonance.
Corruption
Approved rendering: الفساد
Transliteration: al-fasād
Doctrine: Divine Nature and Escaping Corruption
Original: φθορά
Category: Divine Nature
New term. φθορά (phthora), 1:4, 2:12, 2:19. Quranic fasad (corruption/mischief ‘on the earth’) carries social-political overtones in contemporary media usage; must be contextually anchored as personal moral-spiritual decay tied to sinful desire (1:4b).
Covenant
Approved rendering: العهد
Transliteration: al-‘ahd
Doctrine: Davidic Covenant
Rejected alternatives: الميثاق
Inherited from Romans package. 2 Peter does not use ‘covenant’ directly but the new term ‘promises’ (ἐπάγγελμα/ἐπαγγελία, 1:4, 3:4, 3:9, 3:13) is conceptually adjacent - a unilaterally-guaranteed divine pledge, not a mutual contractual arrangement. Retained here as the conceptual anchor for that new entry.
Desire
Approved rendering: الشهوة
Transliteration: al-shahwah
Doctrine: Divine Nature and Escaping Corruption
Original: ἐπιθυμία
Category: Sin
New term. ἐπιθυμία (epithymia), 1:4, 2:10, 2:18, 3:3. Disordered, sin-driving craving, the engine of the world’s corruption from which believers are delivered. Standard, broadly compatible with Islamic ethical vocabulary of disciplining desire.
Elements Dissolved
Approved rendering: العناصر… تنحل بالنار
Transliteration: al-‘anāṣir… tanḥall bi-l-nār
Doctrine: The Day of the Lord and Final Judgment
Original: στοιχεῖα … λυθήσονται
Category: Eschatology
New term. στοιχεῖα … λυθήσονται, 3:10, 3:12. A literal, cosmic, historical event, not merely symbolic language for moral renewal; do not let phrasing suggest an ongoing cyclical process of cosmic destruction-and-recreation.
Eyewitness
Approved rendering: شهود عيان
Transliteration: shuhūd ‘iyān
Doctrine: The Reliability and Inspiration of Scripture
Original: ἐπόπτης
Category: Scripture
New term. ἐπόπτης (epoptēs), 1:16, 1:18. Grounds apostolic authority in direct, personal, historical observation rather than private vision or secondhand report - reinforces the reliability-of-Scripture doctrine.
Holy
Approved rendering: مقدس
Transliteration: muqaddas
Doctrine: Sanctification
Rejected alternatives: طاهر
Original: ἅγιος
Category: Sanctification
Inherited from Romans package. Applies in 2 Peter to the mountain of Transfiguration (1:18), the ‘holy commandment’ abandoned by apostates (2:21), and expected conduct while awaiting the Day (3:11). Retain moral/relational set-apartness in every instance; avoid wudu/ghusl ritual-purity resonance.
Kingdom Of God
Approved rendering: ملكوت الله
Transliteration: malakūt Allāh
Doctrine: Kingdom Mission
Rejected alternatives: مملكة الله
Original: βασιλεία
Category: Kingdom
Inherited from Romans package. 2 Peter 1:11 describes ‘the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ’ as the secure destination believers are richly granted entrance into; avoid political/khilafah resonance.
Lot Sodom Gomorrah
Approved rendering: سدوم وعمورة / لوط الصدّيق
Transliteration: Sadūm wa ‘Amūrah / Lūṭ al-ṣiddīq
Doctrine: Judgment and Deliverance Precedents (Noah, Lot, Balaam, Fallen Angels)
Original: Σόδομα καὶ Γόμορρα / Λώτ
Category: Judgment and Deliverance
New term. Σόδομα καὶ Γόμορρα / Λώτ, 2:6-8. Lut is a Quranic prophet and the cities’ judgment a shared narrative, but the Quran does not typically name Gomorrah separately; the intended lesson - God rescues the righteous even while judging the wicked, previewing Christ’s return - should be drawn out explicitly.
Morning Star
Approved rendering: كوكب الصبح
Transliteration: kawkab al-ṣubḥ
Doctrine: The Reliability and Inspiration of Scripture
Original: φωσφόρος
Category: Scripture
New term. φωσφόρος (phōsphoros), 1:19. Imagery of the dawning of full eschatological light at Christ’s return, illustrating the present partial illumination given by prophecy and eyewitness testimony. Also a messianic self-title in Revelation 22:16; worth a cross-reference footnote, not a translation change.
New Heavens New Earth
Approved rendering: سماوات جديدة وأرض جديدة
Transliteration: samāwāt jadīdah wa arḍ jadīdah
Doctrine: The Day of the Lord and Final Judgment
Original: καινοὺς οὐρανοὺς καὶ γῆν καινήν
Category: Eschatology
New term. καινοὺς οὐρανοὺς καὶ γῆν καινήν, 3:13. Real, historical re-creation in which righteousness dwells permanently, not a cyclical world-age doctrine; parallel caution to the baseline resurrection entry’s anti-cyclical note.
Noah Flood
Approved rendering: نوح / الطوفان
Transliteration: Nūḥ / al-Ṭūfān
Doctrine: Judgment and Deliverance Precedents (Noah, Lot, Balaam, Fallen Angels)
Original: κατακλυσμός / Νῶε
Category: Judgment and Deliverance
New term. κατακλυσμός / Νῶε, 2:5. Nuh is a shared, positively-regarded Quranic prophet, but the Quranic account emphasizes his son’s refusal and near-universal disbelief and does not carry Peter’s specific typological point (a preview of the final judgment/salvation pattern, 3:6-7), which must be supplied explicitly.
Peace
Approved rendering: السلام
Transliteration: al-salām
Doctrine: Peace with God
Rejected alternatives: الأمان, الطمأنينة
Original: εἰρήνη
Category: Salvation
Inherited from Romans package. Part of the apostolic greeting in 2 Peter 1:2; retain the relational/legal sense, not the greeting-word or Sufi tuma’ninah (heart-tranquility) sense.
Promises
Approved rendering: الوعود
Transliteration: al-wu’ūd
Doctrine: Divine Nature and Escaping Corruption
Original: ἐπάγγελμα / ἐπαγγελία
Category: Covenant
New term. ἐπάγγελμα / ἐπαγγελία, 1:4, 3:4, 3:9, 3:13. God’s declared, guaranteed future gifts; the ground for escaping corruption/partaking of the divine nature (1:4), and the object of the scoffers’ challenge (3:4). Conceptually adjacent to baseline covenant (العهد); retain a unilaterally-guaranteed divine pledge sense, not a mutual contract.
Self Control
Approved rendering: ضبط النفس
Transliteration: ḍabṭ al-nafs
Doctrine: Growing in Christian Virtue
Original: ἐγκράτεια
Category: Christian Virtue
New term. ἐγκράτεια (egkrateia), 1:6. Mastery over one’s own desires and impulses, part of the virtue chain. Broadly compatible with Islamic ethical vocabulary of self-discipline (e.g., fasting); low-medium collision risk but must remain tied to the chain’s grace-rooted framing.
Servant Of Christ
Approved rendering: عبد (المسيح)
Transliteration: ‘abd (al-Masīḥ)
Doctrine: Apostolic and Scriptural Authority
Original: δοῦλος
Category: Church
New term. δοῦλος (doulos), 1:1. Shares the root ع-ب-د with Islam’s foundational self-identity vocabulary (ibadah, worship; humanity as ‘ibad Allah) - a genuine positive bridge, but the object of devotion here is Christ specifically, a claim of exclusive devotion the Islamic framework would redirect to Allah alone.
Slaves Of Corruption
Approved rendering: عبيد للفساد
Transliteration: ‘abīd li-l-fasād
Doctrine: False Teachers and Their Judgment
Original: δοῦλοι τῆς φθορᾶς
Category: False Teaching
New term. δοῦλοι τῆς φθορᾶς, 2:19. Ironic bondage of false teachers who promise freedom while being themselves enslaved to moral decay; sharpens the freedom/slavery contrast with the positive servant_of_christ entry above.
Voice From Heaven
Approved rendering: صوت من السماء
Transliteration: ṣawt min al-samā’
Doctrine: Sonship of Christ
Original: φωνὴ ἐξ οὐρανοῦ
Category: Scripture
New term. φωνὴ ἐξ οὐρανοῦ, 1:18. Confirms the eyewitness claim of 1:16-17: a shared, audible, historical event heard by multiple named witnesses, not a private vision - reinforcing both the sonship and reliability-of-Scripture doctrines.
Low Risk Terms
Balaam
Approved rendering: بلعام
Transliteration: Bal’ām
Doctrine: Judgment and Deliverance Precedents (Noah, Lot, Balaam, Fallen Angels)
Original: Βαλαάμ
Category: False Teaching
New term. Βαλαάμ, 2:15-16. Not a Quranic figure and will be unfamiliar to readers from a Muslim background - a brief explanatory note (not a doctrinal caution) is needed rather than a theological correction.
Love
Approved rendering: المحبة
Transliteration: al-maḥabbah
Doctrine: Growing in Christian Virtue
Original: ἀγάπη
Category: Christian Virtue
New term. ἀγάπη (agapē), 1:7. Self-giving, unconditional love, the capstone virtue of the chain. Standard vocabulary, minimal ambiguity risk.
Scoffers
Approved rendering: المستهزئون
Transliteration: al-mustahzi’ūn
Doctrine: The Certainty of Christ’s Return
Original: ἐμπαῖκται
Category: Eschatology
New term. ἐμπαῖκται (empaiktai), 3:3-4. Those who deride the promise of Christ’s return as sinful desire dictates; introduces the chapter 3 argument that mockery does not disprove the promise.
Tent Departure
Approved rendering: الخِباء / الرحيل
Transliteration: al-khibā’ / al-raḥīl
Doctrine: Christian Life (Peter’s Approaching Death)
Original: σκήνωμα / ἔξοδος
Category: Christian Life
New term. σκήνωμα / ἔξοδος, 1:13-15. Peter’s body as a temporary tent; his approaching death as a dignified, purposeful departure. Standard metaphor, low collision risk, transfers naturally into Arabic figurative usage.
Referenced passages