Semantic Analysis
Semantic Analysis — James 1–5 (English → Assamese)
Curriculum: James Core passage: James 2:14–26 Doctrines in scope: Faith and Works; Trials and the Testing of Faith; Wisdom from Above; Favoritism and the Poor; Taming the Tongue; Worldliness versus Friendship with God; Prayer and Healing; Patience and the Lord’s Return; Confession and Restoration
Methodology
This analysis follows the same framework as the baseline Romans Language Package (translation_memory.json, bible_term_registry.json, doctrine_risk_registry.json). Where a term already carries an established Assamese rendering in the Romans baseline (e.g. faith, grace, law, sin, righteousness, salvation, God, Lord, Jesus, Father, church, glory, kingdom of God, peace), that rendering is reused exactly — it is marked “[BASELINE REUSE]” below. Where James introduces vocabulary not present in the Romans package, a new rendering is proposed using the same risk-tier methodology (Critical / High / Medium / Low), with explicit attention to collision risk against Assamese Hindu, Ekasarana Dharma (Sankardev Vaishnavite), and folk-religious vocabulary — the same class of risk the baseline documents.
James is written by “Ἰάκωβος” (Iakōbos), rendered in the established Assamese Bible tradition as যাকোব (Jakob), not a transliteration of the English name “James.” The book is এই পুস্তক = “যাকোবৰ পত্ৰ” (Letter of Jakob). This is a Low-risk but load-bearing naming decision, since curriculum documents refer to the book as “James.”
PART A — Core Passage: James 2:14–26 (verse-by-verse)
James 2:14
| Field | Content |
|---|---|
| Term | ὄφελος (ophelos) |
| Literal meaning | profit, benefit, use |
| Semantic range | advantage, gain, usefulness (rhetorical: “what good is it”) |
| English variants | ”what good,” “what profit,” “what use” |
| Contextual theological meaning | Opens a rhetorical diatribe: a claimed faith producing no visible action yields no benefit toward the very thing faith is for — a life rescued from death. |
| Assamese rendering / risk | কি লাভ (ki lav). Risk: Low. Straightforward rhetorical idiom. |
| Term | Content |
|---|---|
| πίστις (pistis) | faith |
| Literal meaning | trust, reliance, conviction |
| Semantic range | trust in a person; the body of belief; faithfulness |
| English variants | faith, belief, trust |
| Contextual theological meaning | James interrogates the nature of a faith-claim that produces no works — not faith’s role as the ground of justification (Paul’s concern in Romans), but whether the claimed faith is genuine at all. |
| Assamese rendering / risk | বিশ্বাস [BASELINE REUSE]. Risk: Critical in this passage specifically — not because the lexical rendering is uncertain (it is fixed) but because a careless reading could make Assamese James 2 appear to contradict Assamese Romans 3–4 on the very same page of the same Bible. See “Special Note: The δικαιόω Tension” below. |
| Term | Content |
|---|---|
| ἔργα (erga) | works |
| Literal meaning | deeds, actions, accomplishments |
| Semantic range | any wrought action; can denote works of law (Romans, negative), or works of obedient love (James, positive/evidentiary) |
| English variants | works, deeds, actions, good works |
| Contextual theological meaning | The visible, active fruit that necessarily accompanies genuine faith; James is not proposing works as a second, competing ground of salvation alongside faith. |
| Assamese rendering / risk | কৰ্ম (kormô). Risk: CRITICAL — highest-risk lexical item in the entire book. কৰ্ম is the unavoidable ordinary Assamese word for “deed/work,” but it is also the name of the pan-Hindu doctrine of karma: the moral cause-and-effect law that determines one’s status in the rebirth cycle (সংসাৰ) and is addressed through karma-mārga (the “path of works”) as one of the three classical margas alongside jñāna-mārga and bhakti-mārga. James’s repeated argument — “faith without কৰ্ম is dead,” “a person is justified by কৰ্ম” — read against this backdrop risks being heard as a direct endorsement of a karma-merit doctrine of salvation, precisely the works-merit framework Romans 3–4 (and the baseline package’s own grace/অনুগ্ৰহ notes on বৰ) explicitly reject. Every occurrence in 2:14–26, and at 1:22–25, requires a mandatory translator note: these কৰ্ম are the fruit and evidence of a faith already given by grace, not merit accumulated toward liberation or right standing. No single-word substitute removes this risk; “কাম” (more mundane, less doctrinally loaded) was considered but rejected as too weak/secular for the weight James places on the term across the whole passage. |
| Term | Content |
|---|---|
| σῴζω (sōsai, aor. inf.) | to save |
| Literal meaning | rescue, deliver, save |
| Semantic range | physical rescue, healing, eternal salvation (context-dependent throughout James, cf. 5:15, 5:20) |
| English variants | save, rescue, deliver |
| Contextual theological meaning | ”Can [that kind of dead] faith save him?” — a rhetorical negative, raising the question of authentic saving faith. |
| Assamese rendering / risk | verb: ৰক্ষা কৰা (rôkkha kôra); noun concept anchored to baseline পৰিত্ৰাণ [BASELINE REUSE, noun form]. Risk: High. Must never drift toward মুক্তি/মোক্ষ vocabulary (forbidden per baseline). |
James 2:15
| Term | Content |
|---|---|
| ἀδελφός / ἀδελφή (adelphos / adelphē) | brother / sister |
| Literal meaning | sibling |
| Semantic range | biological sibling; fellow believer (dominant NT epistolary sense) |
| English variants | brother, sister, fellow believer |
| Contextual theological meaning | A member of the believing community in physical need — the test case for “dead” faith. |
| Assamese rendering / risk | ভাই / ভনী (bhai / bhoni). Risk: Low. Recurs throughout James (1:2,16,19; 3:1,10; 4:11; 5:7,9,10,12,19) — render consistently. |
| Term | Content |
|---|---|
| γυμνός (gymnos) | naked |
| Literal meaning | unclothed, bare |
| Semantic range | literal nudity; hyperbolic for inadequately clothed/destitute (dominant sense here) |
| English variants | naked, ill-clad, without clothes |
| Contextual theological meaning | Concrete material destitution, paired with hunger, as the test case James chooses deliberately. |
| Assamese rendering / risk | কাপোৰ নথকা (kapor nôthôka, “without [adequate] clothing”). Risk: Medium — a literal single-word “উদাঙ” (bare) risks sounding like total nudity rather than destitution; the descriptive phrase preserves the intended sense. |
| Term | Content |
|---|---|
| ἐφήμερος τροφή (ephēmeros trophē) | daily food |
| Literal meaning | food sufficient for the day |
| Semantic range | subsistence-level daily provision |
| English variants | daily food, daily bread |
| Contextual theological meaning | Basic subsistence, not luxury — heightens the force of the following empty blessing. |
| Assamese rendering / risk | প্ৰতিদিনৰ আহাৰ. Risk: Low. |
James 2:16
| Term | Content |
|---|---|
| εἰρήνη (eirēnē) | peace |
| Literal meaning | peace, well-being |
| Semantic range | forensic peace with God (Romans 5:1 sense); casual farewell greeting/blessing (this verse) |
| English variants | ”go in peace,” “peace be with you” |
| Contextual theological meaning | A conventional, socially acceptable farewell blessing offered instead of material help — its emptiness is precisely James’s point. |
| Assamese rendering / risk | শান্তিৰে যাওক [BASELINE REUSE of শান্তি]. Risk: Medium — must not be over-theologized here as the forensic “peace with God” of Romans 5:1; a translator note should mark this occurrence as the everyday relational-farewell sense, distinct from the baseline’s peace_with_god doctrine entry. |
| Term | Content |
|---|---|
| θερμαίνεσθε / χορτάζεσθε (thermainesthe / chortazesthe) | be warmed / be filled |
| Literal meaning | warm yourselves / be satisfied with food |
| Semantic range | ordinary physical comfort language |
| English variants | ”keep warm and well fed” |
| Contextual theological meaning | The specific content of the empty blessing — words with no matching provision. |
| Assamese rendering / risk | গা তপাওক আৰু পেট ভৰাওক. Risk: Low. |
James 2:17
| Term | Content |
|---|---|
| νεκρά (nekra) | dead |
| Literal meaning | dead, corpse-like, lifeless |
| Semantic range | physically dead; spiritually inert/ontologically inauthentic (this verse) |
| English variants | dead, lifeless, ineffective |
| Contextual theological meaning | James’s verdict is not “deficient” or “immature” faith but faith that is not real faith at all — as dead as a corpse. This stark force must not be softened. |
| Assamese rendering / risk | মৃত (mrito). Risk: High. Translators must resist any impulse to soften “dead” to “incomplete” or “weak,” which would blunt James’s rhetorical force and could accidentally suggest a doctrine of degrees of saving faith rather than the presence/absence of genuine faith. |
James 2:18
| Term | Content |
|---|---|
| δεῖξον (deixon) | show, demonstrate, prove |
| Literal meaning | show, display |
| Semantic range | visual demonstration; evidentiary proof |
| English variants | show, demonstrate, prove |
| Contextual theological meaning | Works function as the demonstrative evidence of faith’s reality, not as a supplementary ground of salvation alongside it. This is the interpretive key to the whole passage. |
| Assamese rendering / risk | দেখুওয়া (dekhuwa). Risk: Medium — the surrounding doctrinal framing (evidence, not additional merit) must be reinforced in any accompanying study notes. |
James 2:19
| Term | Content |
|---|---|
| εἷς ὁ θεός (heis ho theos) | God is one |
| Literal meaning | one is God / God is one |
| Semantic range | echo of the Shema (Deuteronomy 6:4); confession of exclusive monotheism |
| English variants | ”God is one,” “there is one God” |
| Contextual theological meaning | A correct doctrinal confession that, on its own, is theologically inert if it produces no transformed life — even demons hold it. |
| Assamese rendering / risk | ঈশ্বৰ এক [BASELINE REUSE of ঈশ্বৰ]. Risk: High. Must communicate the exclusive, singular true God, not a generic “my chosen one god” (iṣṭa-devatā) framing familiar from Ekasarana bhakti devotion to a single supreme deity within a wider devotional field — the biblical claim is not “I have settled on one deity among available options” but “there exists no other God.” |
| Term | Content |
|---|---|
| δαιμόνια (daimonia) | demons |
| Literal meaning | demons, evil spirits |
| Semantic range | malevolent, personal, fallen spiritual beings subordinate to Satan |
| English variants | demons, devils, evil spirits |
| Contextual theological meaning | Even the most malevolent spiritual beings hold correct theology and respond with dread — demonstrating that right belief alone, without transformed obedience, saves no one. |
| Assamese rendering / risk | ভূত (bhut). Risk: Medium-High. Assamese and wider Northeast Indian folk religion carries a rich bhūt-pret (ghost/malevolent-spirit) tradition of fear and ritual appeasement, including in tribal/animist-influenced practice found across Assam. A translator note should clarify these are personal, rebellious, fallen spiritual beings under God’s sovereign authority and Christ’s future judgment — not capricious nature-spirits to be placated by ritual. |
| Term | Content |
|---|---|
| φρίσσουσιν (phrissousin) | shudder |
| Literal meaning | bristle, shudder with dread |
| Semantic range | physical fear-response |
| English variants | shudder, tremble |
| Contextual theological meaning | Even demonic “faith” produces terror, not obedient love — the opposite of saving faith’s fruit. |
| Assamese rendering / risk | কঁপে (kampe). Risk: Low. |
James 2:20
| Term | Content |
|---|---|
| κενός (kenos) | empty, foolish |
| Literal meaning | empty, hollow |
| Semantic range | empty of content; foolish, senseless (vocative address) |
| English variants | ”you foolish person,” “O empty man” |
| Contextual theological meaning | A sharp diatribe-style rebuke of the interlocutor’s empty claim to faith. |
| Assamese rendering / risk | মূৰ্খ (murkhô). Risk: Medium. The rhetorical sharpness of the Greek diatribe style should not be softened into a gentler address; James is deliberately blunt here. |
James 2:21
| Term | Content |
|---|---|
| Ἀβραάμ (Abraam) | Abraham |
| — | proper name |
| — | — |
| — | — |
| Assamese rendering / risk | অব্ৰাহাম [established Assamese Bible form, per baseline 12_ai_translation_requirements.md transliteration table]. Risk: Low. |
| Term | Content |
|---|---|
| ἐδικαιώθη (edikaiōthē) | was justified |
| Literal meaning | was declared/shown righteous |
| Semantic range | forensic declaration (Pauline dominant sense) OR public vindication/demonstration that a person’s righteous standing is real (James’s sense here) |
| English variants | was justified, was declared righteous, was shown righteous, was vindicated |
| Contextual theological meaning | James asks whether Abraham “was justified” by his act of offering Isaac — answering with the demonstrative aspect of justification: Abraham’s already-existing righteous standing (established in Genesis 15, quoted in v.23) was publicly vindicated and matured through obedient action in Genesis 22. |
| Assamese rendering / risk | ধাৰ্মিক বুলি গণ্য কৰা [BASELINE REUSE — same phrase used for Romans’ forensic δικαίωσις]. Risk: CRITICAL. See full discussion in the Special Note below. The lexical phrase must be reused for cross-document consistency (per the baseline’s own Theological Consistency Rules), but every occurrence in James 2:14–26 requires a mandatory accompanying translator note distinguishing the demonstrative/vindicating sense here from the forensic, initial-declaration sense in Romans 3–4. |
| Term | Content |
|---|---|
| ἀνενέγκας (anenegkas) | having offered up |
| Literal meaning | carried up, offered (sacrificially) |
| Semantic range | cultic/sacrificial offering |
| English variants | offered up, sacrificed |
| Contextual theological meaning | Refers to Abraham’s willingness to sacrifice Isaac (Genesis 22) — a unique, unrepeatable redemptive-historical event, not a repeatable ritual practice. |
| Assamese rendering / risk | উছৰ্গা কৰি (utxôrga kôri). Risk: Medium. উছৰ্গা/উৎসৰ্গ carries a general Hindu ritual-offering register too (yajña/pūjā offerings); a note should anchor this to the specific, once-only Genesis 22 event. |
| Term | Content |
|---|---|
| θυσιαστήριον (thysiastērion) | altar |
| Literal meaning | place of sacrifice |
| Semantic range | OT sacrificial altar |
| English variants | altar |
| Contextual theological meaning | The site of Abraham’s test of obedient faith. |
| Assamese rendering / risk | বেদী (bedi). Risk: Medium. Avoid the compound “যজ্ঞবেদী” (yajña-vedi), which imports the specifically Vedic fire-sacrifice ritual system; plain বেদী (altar) keeps the OT sacrificial-system sense without that overlay. |
James 2:22
| Term | Content |
|---|---|
| συνήργει (synērgei) | worked together, cooperated |
| Literal meaning | worked with, cooperated with |
| Semantic range | joint operation/cooperation |
| English variants | ”worked together with,” “worked alongside” |
| Contextual theological meaning | Faith and works operate jointly in the believer’s life — but not as two equally meritorious causes of justification; faith is the root, works its living expression. |
| Assamese rendering / risk | একেলগে কাম কৰিছিল. Risk: Medium-High. Must not be read as implying that works contribute independent merit alongside faith toward earning right standing. |
| Term | Content |
|---|---|
| ἐτελειώθη (eteleiōthē) | was perfected, was brought to completion/maturity |
| Literal meaning | was made complete, was matured |
| Semantic range | brought to its full, intended expression (not “made flawless”) |
| English variants | was made complete, was perfected, was matured |
| Contextual theological meaning | Abraham’s faith reached its full, mature expression through obedient action — a maturation, not an addition of a missing ingredient. |
| Assamese rendering / risk | সম্পূৰ্ণ হৈছিল (sompurnô hôisilô). Risk: High. Must never be rendered সিদ্ধ হৈছিল — সিদ্ধ (siddha) carries the specific Hindu/yogic sense of a “perfected being” who has attained spiritual power/liberation through ascetic or yogic practice (siddha-puruṣa, siddhi), a self-attainment framework James’s argument does not intend. |
James 2:23
| Term | Content |
|---|---|
| ἐπληρώθη ἡ γραφή (eplērōthē hē graphē) | the Scripture was fulfilled |
| Literal meaning | the writing was filled up/fulfilled |
| Semantic range | prophetic/typological fulfillment |
| English variants | ”the Scripture was fulfilled” |
| Contextual theological meaning | Abraham’s obedience confirms and fills out the earlier scriptural declaration of his righteousness — same fulfillment logic as Romans’ handling of OT promise. |
| Assamese rendering / risk | শাস্ত্ৰ পূৰ্ণ হ’ল. Risk: Medium, standard. |
| Term | Content |
|---|---|
| ἐλογίσθη αὐτῷ εἰς δικαιοσύνην (elogisthē autō eis dikaiosynēn) | it was credited to him as righteousness |
| Literal meaning | it was counted/reckoned to him unto righteousness |
| Semantic range | forensic imputation |
| English variants | ”counted to him as righteousness,” “credited to him as righteousness” |
| Contextual theological meaning | Direct quotation of Genesis 15:6 — the SAME text Paul quotes in Romans 4:3. This is the forensic ground James assumes and builds on, not what he is arguing against. |
| Assamese rendering / risk | আৰোপিত ধাৰ্মিকতা [BASELINE REUSE — must be rendered textually identical to Romans 4:3’s rendering of this same Genesis 15:6 citation]. Risk: Critical. This is a key cross-document consistency checkpoint: if Romans 4:3 and James 2:23 render this identical OT quotation differently, the curriculum will visibly contradict its own consistency rule and could suggest two different doctrines of imputation. |
| Term | Content |
|---|---|
| φίλος θεοῦ (philos theou) | friend of God |
| Literal meaning | friend of God |
| Semantic range | covenant intimacy, relational nearness |
| English variants | ”friend of God” |
| Contextual theological meaning | A unique OT relational designation for Abraham (also echoed of Moses), naming covenantal intimacy with God — the positive counterpart to James 4:4’s “friendship with the world.” |
| Assamese rendering / risk | ঈশ্বৰৰ বন্ধু (Iswôror bôndhu). Risk: Medium. Use বন্ধু (not মিত্ৰ) consistently here and at 4:4’s “friendship with the world” (φιλία τοῦ κόσμου) to preserve James’s deliberate literary antithesis between the two “friendships.” Distinguish from a guru–disciple devotional relationship structure; this is covenantal intimacy without hierarchy. |
James 2:24
| Term | Content |
|---|---|
| δικαιοῦται (dikaioutai) | is justified |
| — | same term family as 2:21, present tense, generalizing conclusion |
| Assamese rendering / risk | ধাৰ্মিক বুলি গণ্য কৰা [BASELINE REUSE]. Risk: Critical — see Special Note. |
| Term | Content |
|---|---|
| οὐκ ἐκ πίστεως μόνον (ouk ek pisteōs monon) | not by faith alone |
| Literal meaning | not from faith only |
| Semantic range | the most theologically contested clause in the epistle |
| English variants | ”not by faith alone,” “not faith alone” |
| Contextual theological meaning | James’s actual claim: genuine, justifying faith is never found alone/unaccompanied by works — not that works add merit to an insufficient faith. |
| Assamese rendering / risk | কেৱল বিশ্বাসৰেই নহয় (kewôl biswaxôrei nôhôy). Risk: CRITICAL. This clause must be rendered precisely, preserving James’s actual wording, without either softening it to avoid apparent tension with Romans/Ephesians (“faith alone”) or over-correcting it into a synergistic-merit statement. This is the single most theologically sensitive clause in the book and requires mandatory human theologian review at every occurrence (translation, back-translation, and any accompanying study note). |
James 2:25
| Term | Content |
|---|---|
| Ῥαὰβ ἡ πόρνη (Rhaab hē pornē) | Rahab the prostitute |
| Literal meaning | Rahab, the prostitute |
| Semantic range | proper name + disreputable-status descriptor |
| English variants | ”Rahab the prostitute,” “Rahab the harlot” |
| Contextual theological meaning | James’s second example deliberately pairs a patriarch (Abraham) with a disreputable Gentile woman — the rhetorical force depends on her unmistakably low social status being retained, illustrating that this pattern of living faith is not restricted to the spiritually elite. |
| Assamese rendering / risk | ৰাহাব, বেশ্যা গৈনী (Rahab, bexya). Risk: Medium. Do not euphemize (e.g., “innkeeper”/“hostess”), which would blunt the deliberate rhetorical force. |
| Term | Content |
|---|---|
| ἀγγέλους (angelous) | messengers |
| Literal meaning | messengers, envoys |
| Semantic range | human messengers/spies (this verse, referring to the Israelite scouts of Joshua 2) OR heavenly angels (elsewhere in the NT) |
| English variants | ”messengers,” “spies” |
| Contextual theological meaning | Refers to the human Israelite scouts Rahab sheltered, not celestial beings. |
| Assamese rendering / risk | গুপ্তচৰ (guptôcôr, “spy/scout”) or বাৰ্তাবাহক (messenger). Risk: Medium — context-sensitive term, since the identical Greek word elsewhere denotes heavenly angels; the human-messenger sense must be made unambiguous here to avoid a comically mistaken reading (“Rahab hid the angels”). |
James 2:26
| Term | Content |
|---|---|
| σῶμα (sōma) | body |
| — | standard, literal |
| Assamese rendering / risk | শৰীৰ (xôrir). Risk: Low. |
| Term | Content |
|---|---|
| πνεῦμα (pneuma) | spirit / breath |
| Literal meaning | breath, wind, spirit |
| Semantic range | here: the animating human life-breath/spirit (NOT the Holy Spirit) |
| English variants | ”spirit,” “breath” |
| Contextual theological meaning | The analogy is anatomical: a body without its animating breath is a corpse, just as a faith without works is a corpse. |
| Assamese rendering / risk | আত্মা (used generically here for the human vital spirit). Risk: Medium. This occurrence must be clearly distinguished from পবিত্ৰ আত্মা [BASELINE], the divine third Person of the Trinity — the modifier পবিত্ৰ (holy) is reserved exclusively for the Spirit of God; unmodified আত্মা here refers only to the human life-breath. A brief clarifying note is recommended at this verse. |
| Term | Content |
|---|---|
| νεκρόν (nekron) | dead |
| — | same as v.17 |
| Assamese rendering / risk | মৃত [reuse from v.17]. Risk: High, per v.17 discussion. |
Special Note: The δικαιόω Tension (Critical — Priority Flag for Phase 2)
James 2:21, 2:24, and 2:25 use the same Greek verb family (δικαιόω) that Paul uses in Romans 3:28 and 4:2–5, where the baseline package fixes the Assamese rendering ধাৰ্মিক বুলি গণ্য কৰা for the forensic sense: God’s one-time, legal declaration that a believer is righteous on the basis of Christ’s work, received by faith apart from works.
James uses the same verb, but in a different aspect: the public vindication or demonstration that a person’s faith — and the righteous standing it received — is real and alive, verified by its fruit. This is the historic, standard evangelical harmonization (root vs. fruit; unseen legal verdict vs. its visible demonstration), not a contradiction between Paul and James.
Translation requirement: Retain ধাৰ্মিক বুলি গণ্য কৰা as the lexical rendering in James 2:21, 24, 25 for cross-document terminological consistency with the Romans package (per the baseline’s own “Theological Consistency Rules Across Documents”). However, every occurrence in James 2:14–26 must carry a mandatory translator/study note clarifying that James is describing the evidence that verifies justifying faith, not a second, works-based ground of justification competing with Romans’ forensic declaration. This is modeled directly on the baseline’s own handling of “called” (κλητός/κλῆσις), which is explicitly marked context-sensitive across senses.
This is the single highest-priority Critical-risk item in the James curriculum and must route to mandatory human theologian review at every Phase 2 occurrence, alongside the κρμ/কৰ্ম (works) risk noted at 2:14 above and the “not by faith alone” clause at 2:24.
PART B — Chapter-by-Chapter Survey of the Whole Book
Chapter 1 (James 1:1–27)
| Term (Greek/translit) | Literal meaning | Semantic range | English variants | Contextual theological meaning | Assamese rendering & risk |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| πειρασμός (peirasmos), 1:2,12 | trial, test | external testing that proves/refines; distinct from the “temptation” sense below | trial, testing | Trials from outside, which God permits to produce endurance and maturity — a positive, faith-strengthening category | পৰীক্ষা (porikhā). Risk: High. James deliberately plays on two senses of the same Greek root (πειρασμός/πειράζω): the external trial that tests and refines faith (1:2–3,12) versus the inner temptation that entices toward sin (1:13–14, “God tempts no one”). Assamese MUST use two distinct words — পৰীক্ষা for trial, প্ৰলোভন for temptation — or the reader will wrongly read 1:13 as contradicting 1:2. Mandatory translator note at first occurrence. |
| πειράζω (peirazō) / πειρασμός, 1:13–14 | tempt / temptation | enticement toward sin, arising from inner desire, not from God | temptation | God is never the source of temptation to sin; temptation arises from human ἐπιθυμία | প্ৰলোভন (prôlobhôn). Risk: High — see note above. |
| δοκίμιον (dokimion), 1:3 | testing, proven genuineness | the tested/proven quality that results from trial | ”the testing of your faith,” “proven genuineness” | The process by which trials authenticate genuine faith | পৰীক্ষাৰ প্ৰকৃততা (the genuineness produced by testing). Risk: Medium. |
| ὑπομονή (hypomonē), 1:3–4 (also 5:11) | endurance, steadfastness | patient perseverance under pressure, distinct from μακροθυμία (patient waiting, ch.5) | endurance, patience, perseverance | The fruit trials are meant to produce; distinguish from the waiting-patience of 5:7–11 | সহিষ্ণুতা (xohishnutā). Risk: Medium — keep distinct from ধৈৰ্য্য (ch.5) so the two Greek terms are not flattened into one Assamese word. |
| τέλειος (teleios), 1:4 (also 1:17,25; 3:2) | perfect, complete, mature | wholeness/maturity reaching its intended goal, not moral flawlessness or ascetic spiritual attainment | perfect, complete, mature, full-grown | Spiritual maturity that is the fruit of endurance under trial | সম্পূৰ্ণ (sompurnô). Risk: High. Must NOT be rendered সিদ্ধ (siddha), the Hindu/yogic term for a self-attained “perfected being” (siddha-puruṣa) through ascetic/yogic practice — exactly the self-attainment framework this doctrine excludes. |
| σοφία (sophia), 1:5 (also 3:13–17) | wisdom | practical, God-given discernment for living, requested in prayer and freely given | wisdom | A freely-given divine gift for facing trials rightly, obtained by asking God, not achieved through spiritual technique | প্ৰজ্ঞা (prôgya). Risk: High. Collision risk with jñāna (knowledge/gnosis) as a self-attained path (jñāna-mārga) to liberation in Hindu Vedantic thought. Every occurrence should carry the qualifier “ঈশ্বৰৰ পৰা” (from God) to anchor it as a freely-given gift, on the same pattern as the baseline’s “spiritual_gifts” (আত্মিক বৰ) entry. |
| δίψυχος (dipsychos), 1:8 | double-souled, double-minded | inward instability, wavering between two loyalties | double-minded, wavering | The unstable person who prays without settled trust | দ্বিমনা (dwimôna). Risk: Low-Medium. |
| πτωχός / πλούσιος (ptōchos / plousios), 1:9–11 | poor / rich | economic status, with theological reversal (the poor’s exaltation, the rich’s transience) | poor / rich | Introduces the favoritism-and-the-poor theme fully developed in ch.2 | দৰিদ্ৰ / ধনী. Risk: Medium at the lexical level; High at the doctrinal level (see ch.2 προσωπολημψία entry). |
| ἐπιθυμία (epithymia), 1:14–15 | desire, craving | disordered, sin-producing desire (not desire generally) | desire, lust, craving | The internal source of temptation and, ultimately, sin and death — contrasted with God, who gives only good gifts (1:17) | কামনা (kamona), with modifying context marking it as illicit desire. Risk: Medium. Requires framing (e.g., “মন্দ কামনা”) since কামনা alone can carry neutral or even devotional-longing connotations in some registers. |
| ἁμαρτία / θάνατος (hamartia / thanatos), 1:15 | sin / death | the deadly outcome-chain from desire to sin to death | sin / death | Traces a causal chain, echoing Romans 6:23 | পাপ [BASELINE REUSE] / মৃত্যু. Risk: High (পাপ), Low (মৃত্যু). |
| πατὴρ τῶν φώτων (patēr tōn phōtōn), 1:17 | Father of lights | God as source of all good, unchanging gifts, contrasted with the shifting heavenly lights | ”Father of lights” | God’s unchanging generosity | জ্যোতিৰ পিতা, reusing পিতা [BASELINE REUSE]. Risk: Medium. Light-imagery for God should avoid resonance with Puranic descriptions of a deity’s radiant luster (tej/prabhā), per the baseline’s caution on “glory” (মহিমা). |
| λόγος (logos), 1:18,21–23 | word | the gospel message (“word of truth”); the implanted, saving word | ”the word of truth,” “the implanted word,” “the word” | The saving message that is to be received, retained, and obeyed — connecting directly to the faith/works theme of ch.2 | বাক্য (bakyô). Risk: Medium. Distinguish from generic speech; this is the authoritative gospel message. |
| ποιητὴς λόγου / ἀκροατής (poiētēs logou / akroatēs), 1:22–25 | doer of the word / hearer only | one who acts on the word vs. one who merely listens | ”doer of the word,” “hearer only” | Structurally anticipates the faith-and-works argument of ch.2 | বাক্যৰ পালনকৰ্তা (doer/keeper of the word) / কেৱল শুনাই থাকা লোক (mere hearer). Risk: High — cross-reference the ἔργα/কৰ্ম caution above; “doer” language must not slide into legalistic law-merit rendering. |
| νόμος τέλειος τῆς ἐλευθερίας (nomos teleios tēs eleutherias), 1:25 | perfect law of liberty | the law that liberates rather than binds, fulfilled in Christ | ”perfect law of liberty,” “law of freedom” | A distinctly Christian paradox — must not be flattened into either Torah-legalism or dharma-as-cosmic-duty | স্বাধীনতাৰ সম্পূৰ্ণ বিধান, reusing বিধান [BASELINE REUSE] and সম্পূৰ্ণ (see above). Risk: High. |
| θρησκεία (thrēskeia), 1:26–27 | religion, religious observance | cultic/practical religious observance, here defined by ethical care for the vulnerable | ”religion,” “religious observance” | James redefines “pure religion” ethically (care for orphans/widows, moral purity), not ritually | উপাসনা (upasona). Risk: Critical. Although this Greek word ≠ the baseline’s righteousness/law vocabulary, English “religion” naturally suggests Assamese “ধৰ্ম” — the single most heavily flagged term in the entire baseline package (banned for righteousness AND law, and carrying institutional Ekasarana-Dharma identity weight). Using ধৰ্ম here, even in this more general sense, risks importing that entire collision profile and could read as “true Ekasarana-style practice is X.” Recommend উপাসনা throughout; avoid ধৰ্ম even in this softer context. |
| ὀρφανός / χήρα (orphanos / chēra), 1:27 | orphan / widow | vulnerable dependents, classic OT ethical categories | orphans / widows | The concrete content of “pure religion” | পিতৃহীন শিশু / বিধৱা. Risk: Low. |
| ἄσπιλος (aspilos), 1:27 | unspotted, unstained | moral purity, kept free from corrupting influence | ”unstained,” “unspotted” | Keeping oneself morally unstained by the world | নিষ্কলঙ্ক (nishkôlôngko). Risk: Low-Medium. |
| κόσμος (kosmos), 1:27 (also 4:4) | world | the created order (neutral) or the sinful, God-opposing social-moral system (dominant NT ethical sense) | “the world” | The morally corrupting social order believers must not be stained by, and must not befriend (4:4) | পৃথিৱী (prithivi). Risk: Medium. Must NOT use জগত (which carries Vedantic māyā/manifest-world connotations) or সংসাৰ (already reserved by baseline for the Hindu rebirth cycle). |
Chapter 2 (James 2:1–13; vv.14–26 treated above as the core passage)
| Term (Greek/translit) | Literal meaning | Semantic range | English variants | Contextual theological meaning | Assamese rendering & risk |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| προσωπολημψία (prosōpolēmpsia), 2:1,9 | face-receiving, favoritism | judging/valuing a person by external appearance, wealth, or status | favoritism, partiality | The specific sin the doctrine “Favoritism and the Poor” names: discriminating within the assembly by social/economic status | পক্ষপাতিত্ব (pôkkhôpatitwô). Risk: High. Must be understood broadly — including caste, ethnic, and tribal social hierarchy present in Assamese society, not merely “personal bias” in a weak sense (parallel to the baseline’s own caste-sensitivity note under unity_of_jews_and_gentiles). |
| δόξα (doxa), 2:1 (“the Lord Jesus Christ of glory”) | glory | God’s radiant honor and presence, applied here directly to Christ | ”the Lord of glory” | A strong divine title for Christ (echoing 1 Cor 2:8) | মহিমা [BASELINE REUSE]. Risk: High, deity_of_christ doctrine. |
| συναγωγή (synagōgē), 2:2 | gathering, synagogue | the meeting/gathering of believers (early Jewish-Christian usage), distinct from ἐκκλησία | ”assembly,” “meeting,” “synagogue” | The gathered-believers meeting where favoritism was occurring | সভা (xôva, “assembly/gathering”). Risk: Medium. Distinct Greek word from ἐκκλησία (মণ্ডলী, BASELINE); do NOT render as নামঘৰ (banned, Ekasarana-specific) or as মণ্ডলী itself (reserved for ἐκκλησία) — use a non-technical “gathering” term. |
| κληρονόμοι (klēronomoi), 2:5 | heirs | inheritance-recipients | heirs | The poor as heirs of the kingdom — echoes the baseline’s adoption/inheritance theology | উত্তৰাধিকাৰী. Risk: Medium; cross-reference baseline adoption entry (পোহাপুত্ৰ স্বৰূপে গ্ৰহণ). |
| βασιλεία (basileia), 2:5 | kingdom | God’s sovereign reign, promised to those who love him | ”the kingdom” | Continuity with kingdom_of_god doctrine | ঈশ্বৰৰ ৰাজ্য [BASELINE REUSE]. Risk: Medium, per baseline’s Ahom-kingdom political-sensitivity note. |
| νόμος βασιλικός (nomos basilikos), 2:8 | royal law | the law of love for neighbor, described as supreme/royal | ”royal law” | The whole law summarized in neighbor-love | ৰাজকীয় বিধান, reusing বিধান [BASELINE REUSE]. Risk: Medium-High. |
| παραβάτης (parabatēs), 2:9,11 | transgressor | law-breaker | transgressor, law-breaker | One who violates even a single point of the law is a transgressor | বিধান লঙ্ঘনকাৰী (law-violator), reusing বিধান. Risk: Medium. |
| ἔλεος (eleos), 2:13 | mercy | compassion shown to the needy or guilty | mercy | Mercy shown/withheld shapes how one will be judged | দয়া (doya). Risk: Low-Medium — per baseline’s own carve-out, কৃপা/দয়া are acceptable for ordinary, non-salvific mercy contexts. |
| κρίσις (krisis), 2:13 | judgment | judicial verdict | judgment | Coming divine judgment | বিচাৰ (bichar). Risk: Low. |
Chapter 3 (James 3:1–18)
| Term (Greek/translit) | Literal meaning | Semantic range | English variants | Contextual theological meaning | Assamese rendering & risk |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| διδάσκαλος (didaskalos), 3:1 | teacher | one who instructs, held to stricter judgment | teacher | Warns against seeking teaching status lightly | শিক্ষক (xikkhôk). Risk: Medium — avoid গুৰু, which (per the baseline’s apostle entry) carries Ekasarana Satradhikar guru-lineage authority structures not equivalent to this NT teaching role. |
| γλῶσσα (glōssa), 3:5,6,8 (also 1:26; 3:9–10) | tongue | the organ of speech; metaphor for the speech-faculty and its power | ”the tongue” | The central image of the “Taming the Tongue” doctrine: a small member with vast destructive/constructive power | জিভা (jiva). Risk: Medium. Use consistently across all occurrences in the epistle for doctrinal cross-reference. |
| χαλιναγωγέω (chalinagōgeō), 3:2 (also 1:26) | to bridle, to lead with a bit | equestrian control metaphor applied to self-control of speech | ”bridle,” “control” | Self-mastery of speech as evidence of overall self-mastery | নিয়ন্ত্ৰণ কৰা (control) / descriptive “লেকমেৰে বন্ধ কৰা” (bridle-restrain) where the equestrian image is retained. Risk: Low, minor cultural-adaptation note only. |
| πῦρ (pyr), 3:5–6 | fire | destructive power, small spark to great conflagration | fire | The tongue’s capacity for vast, uncontrolled damage | জুই (jui). Risk: Low. |
| γέεννα (geenna), 3:6 | Gehenna, hell | the place/source of ultimate destructive evil; final judgment | ”hell,” “Gehenna” | The tongue is said to be “set on fire by hell” — sourced in ultimate evil | নৰক (nôrôk). Risk: High. Hindu cosmology’s Naraka is a temporary, purgatorial punishment-realm preceding the next rebirth within সংসাৰ; biblical Gehenna/hell denotes final, unending judgment with no subsequent rebirth. Mandatory distinguishing note at first use, on the same pattern as the baseline’s resurrection/reincarnation distinction. |
| εἰκὼν θεοῦ (eikōn theou), 3:9 | image of God | humanity’s created likeness/representation of God | ”the image of God,” “God’s likeness” | Grounds the wrongness of cursing fellow humans, who bear God’s image | ঈশ্বৰৰ সাদৃশ্য (Iswôror xadrisyô, “likeness of God”). Risk: Critical. Must NOT use প্ৰতিমূৰ্তি or মূৰ্তি, the standard Assamese/Hindu term for a worshiped deity-image or idol (mūrti-pūjā, central to image-based Hindu devotional practice). Rendering “image of God” with মূৰ্তি vocabulary would suggest humans are literal cult-images of God, or at minimum import an idol-veneration register entirely foreign to the intended meaning (representative likeness of God’s character and authority). Use সাদৃশ্য throughout. |
| σοφία ἄνωθεν (sophia anōthen), 3:13–17 | wisdom from above | God-given wisdom, contrasted with earthly/demonic wisdom | ”wisdom from above” | Reinforces 1:5’s freely-given divine wisdom with an explicit contrast against self-generated or demonically-inspired “wisdom” | ওপৰৰ পৰা অহা প্ৰজ্ঞা, reusing প্ৰজ্ঞা. Risk: High — see 1:5 note; “from above” language could also resonate with Hindu notions of transcendent knowledge (para-vidyā) attained through yogic ascent; must be framed as a freely-given gift, not an attained state. |
| ἐπίγειος / ψυχική / δαιμονιώδης (epigeios / psychikē / daimoniōdēs), 3:15 | earthly / soulish (natural, unaided by the Spirit) / demonic | three negative sources of false “wisdom" | "earthly, unspiritual, demonic” | The false alternative to God-given wisdom | পৃথিৱীৰ (earthly) / মানুহৰ স্বভাৱৰ (of mere human nature, descriptive rather than a single-word “soul” term, to avoid confusion with আত্মা) / ভূতৰ (demonic, reuse from 2:19). Risk: Medium-High, especially ψυχική, which requires a descriptive phrase rather than a literal “soul-ish” coinage. |
| ζῆλος / ἐριθεία (zēlos / eritheia), 3:14,16 | jealousy / selfish ambition | rivalry, self-seeking strife | jealousy / selfish ambition | The root of “earthly” wisdom’s disorder | ঈৰ্ষা / স্বাৰ্থপৰতা. Risk: Low. |
| ἀκατάστατος (akatastatos), 3:16 | unstable, disordered | chaotic social disorder | disorder, confusion | The fruit of jealousy and selfish ambition | অস্থিৰতা. Risk: Low. |
| καρπὸς δικαιοσύνης (karpos dikaiosynēs), 3:18 | fruit of righteousness | the peaceable outcome sown by peacemakers | ”fruit of righteousness,” “harvest of righteousness” | Ties righteousness-fruit language directly to the works/fruit theme of the core passage | ধাৰ্মিকতাৰ ফল, reusing ধাৰ্মিকতা [BASELINE REUSE]. Risk: High — consistent reuse required. |
Chapter 4 (James 4:1–17)
| Term (Greek/translit) | Literal meaning | Semantic range | English variants | Contextual theological meaning | Assamese rendering & risk |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| φιλία τοῦ κόσμου (philia tou kosmou), 4:4 | friendship with the world | an alliance/loyalty to the world’s values, opposed to God | ”friendship with the world” | The direct antithesis of φίλος θεοῦ (“friend of God,” 2:23) — central to the “Worldliness versus Friendship with God” doctrine | পৃথিৱীৰ সৈতে বন্ধুত্ব, reusing পৃথিৱী (see ch.1) and বন্ধুত্ব (matching the বন্ধু root used at 2:23 for consistency of the literary antithesis). Risk: High — doctrinal antithesis with 2:23 must be preserved through consistent root vocabulary. |
| ἔχθρα τοῦ θεοῦ (echthra tou theou), 4:4 | enmity with God | active hostility toward God | ”enmity with God” | The severity of worldliness must not be softened | ঈশ্বৰৰ সৈতে শত্ৰুতা. Risk: Medium. |
| χάρις (charis), 4:6 | grace | unmerited favor | grace | Direct quotation of Proverbs 3:34: God opposes the proud, gives grace to the humble | অনুগ্ৰহ [BASELINE REUSE]. Risk: High — reinforce the grace-not-merit contrast per baseline notes (against বৰ, boon-for-devotion). |
| διάβολος (diabolos), 4:7 | devil | Satan, the personal adversary | devil, Satan | A real, personal, defeatable spiritual enemy | শয়তান (Xoitan, established Assamese Bible transliteration). Risk: Medium — must remain a personal being, not an abstract evil-principle. |
| ταπεινός / ὑπερήφανος (tapeinos / hyperēphanos), 4:6,10 | humble / proud | humility / arrogance | humble / proud | The posture God favors versus opposes | নম্ৰ / অহংকাৰী. Risk: Low. |
| ἀτμίς (atmis), 4:14 | vapor, mist | brief, insubstantial life-image | ”mist,” “vapor” | Human life’s brevity and fragility | ভাপ / কুঁৱলী. Risk: Low — positive cultural resonance with Brahmaputra valley morning mist imagery. |
| θέλημα τοῦ κυρίου (thelēma tou kyriou), 4:15 | the will of the Lord | God’s sovereign purpose over human plans | ”if the Lord wills” | Genuine submission to God’s sovereign lordship over the future | প্ৰভুৰ ইচ্ছা, reusing প্ৰভু [BASELINE REUSE]. Risk: Medium — must retain exclusive-Lordship force; avoid collapsing into the common Indic folk-fatalistic idiom “যদি ভগৱানৰ ইচ্ছা” (which uses ভগৱান, explicitly rejected by the baseline’s god entry). |
Chapter 5 (James 5:1–20)
| Term (Greek/translit) | Literal meaning | Semantic range | English variants | Contextual theological meaning | Assamese rendering & risk |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| μισθός (misthos), 5:4 | wages | laborers’ pay, withheld unjustly | wages | Social-justice indictment of exploiting the poor — echoes the favoritism doctrine | মজুৰি (môjuri). Risk: Low. |
| κύριος Σαβαώθ (kyrios Sabaōth), 5:4 | Lord of Sabaoth / of hosts | a divine military/sovereign title (Isaiah, Psalms) | “Lord of hosts,” “Lord Almighty” | God’s sovereign power on behalf of the exploited poor | বাহিনীগণৰ প্ৰভু, reusing প্ৰভু [BASELINE REUSE]. Risk: Medium — standard established OT divine title. |
| δίκαιος (dikaios), 5:6 | righteous (one) | a righteous person, here the exploited innocent | ”the righteous person,” “the just” | Connects to the righteousness word-cluster | ধাৰ্মিক, reusing the ধাৰ্মিকতা root [BASELINE REUSE]. Risk: Critical — consistency required. |
| παρουσία τοῦ κυρίου (parousia tou kyriou), 5:7–8 | the coming/arrival of the Lord | Christ’s promised, singular, final, historical return to judge and consummate history | ”the coming of the Lord” | The anchor of the “Patience and the Lord’s Return” doctrine: patient waiting for a fixed, imminent, once-for-all event | প্ৰভুৰ আগমন, reusing প্ৰভু [BASELINE REUSE]. Risk: CRITICAL — new registry item required. Assamese Vaishnavite/Puranic eschatology (shared cultural background with Ekasarana Dharma) anticipates Kalki, a final/future avatar of Vishnu appearing at the close of the current corrupted age (Kali Yuga) to destroy evil and restore dharma, initiating a new cosmic cycle. If Christ’s parousia — linear, unique, final, ending history rather than cycling it — is assimilated to this cyclical Yuga-avatar framework, readers risk hearing “the coming of the Lord” as merely another awaited avatar-descent within an endlessly repeating cosmic pattern. This requires the SAME kind of mandatory distinguishing translator note the baseline mandates for দেহধাৰণ vs. অৱতাৰ (incarnation vs. avatar), applied here to Christ’s return. Recommend a new doctrine_risk_registry entry (“lords_return”/parousia) parallel to “incarnation.” |
| μακροθυμία / μακροθυμέω (makrothymia / makrothymeō), 5:7,8,10 | patience, long-suffering | patient waiting, distinct from ὑπομονή’s endurance-under-pressure | patience, longsuffering | The waiting-patience appropriate to the imminent parousia | ধৈৰ্য্য (dhoirjyô). Risk: Medium — keep distinct from সহিষ্ণুতা (ch.1) so the two Greek terms are not flattened together. |
| γεωργός / πρόϊμος / ὄψιμος (georgos / proimos / opsimos), 5:7 | farmer / early rain / late rain | agricultural patience metaphor | ”farmer… early and late rains” | A positive cultural bridge: Assam’s rice-farming, monsoon-dependent agrarian culture resonates naturally with this image | কৃষক / প্ৰথম আৰু চেষ বৰষুণ. Risk: Low — cultural resonance is a helpful bridge, not a collision. |
| ὑπόδειγμα / ὑπομονή Ἰώβ (hypodeigma / hypomonē Iōb), 5:10–11 | example / patience of Job | Job as the model of endurance under undeserved suffering | ”example,” “patience of Job” | Reinforces ὑπομονή from ch.1 | উদাহৰণ / reuse সহিষ্ণুতা; Job = ইয়োব (established Assamese OT proper name). Risk: Low. |
| ὀμνύω (omnyō), 5:12 | swear an oath | oath-taking, prohibited in favor of simple truthful speech | ”swear an oath” | Continues the tongue-taming ethic into truthful, oath-free speech | শপত খাই কথা কওক (নালাগে). Risk: Low. |
| ἀσθενέω (astheneō), 5:14 | be sick, be weak | physical illness | ”is sick,” “is weak” | The occasion for elder-led prayer, the anchor of the “Prayer and Healing” doctrine | অসুস্থ হয়. Risk: Low. |
| πρεσβύτεροι τῆς ἐκκλησίας (presbyteroi tēs ekklēsias), 5:14 | elders of the church | recognized congregational leaders/overseers | ”elders of the church” | The proper, ordered context for the prayer of healing | মণ্ডলীৰ পৰিচালক-বৃন্দ (church leaders/overseers), reusing মণ্ডলী [BASELINE REUSE]. Risk: Medium — avoid any গুৰু-title framing, per the baseline’s apostle-entry caution against collapsing church office into the Satradhikar guru-succession role. |
| ἀλείψαντες ἐλαίῳ (aleipsantes elaiō), 5:14 | having anointed with oil | applying oil, accompanying prayer for healing | ”anointing with oil” | A simple, practical act of care accompanying faith-filled prayer | তেল সানি (applying/smearing oil). Risk: Medium-High. Avoid অভিষেক, the standard Assamese/Hindu term for ritual consecration — used for the ceremonial anointing of deity images (mūrti abhiṣeka) and royal coronation. অভিষেক would risk framing this simple act of caring prayer as a quasi-sacramental ritual-power ceremony parallel to Hindu temple or royal ritual. A plain descriptive phrase avoids this. |
| ἐν τῷ ὀνόματι τοῦ κυρίου (en tō onomati tou kyriou), 5:14 | in the name of the Lord | invocation of Christ’s authority | ”in the name of the Lord” | Standard invocation formula, reusing the baseline’s Critical Lordship term | প্ৰভুৰ নামত, reusing প্ৰভু [BASELINE REUSE]. Risk: High. |
| εὐχὴ τῆς πίστεως (euchē tēs pisteōs), 5:15 | prayer of faith | prayer offered in trust | ”the prayer of faith” | Continuity with the faith doctrine cluster | বিশ্বাসৰ প্ৰাৰ্থনা, reusing বিশ্বাস [BASELINE REUSE]. Risk: High. |
| σῴζω / ἐγείρω (sōzō / egeirō), 5:15 | will save/heal / will raise up | physical healing and restoration from a sickbed (NOT Christ’s unique resurrection) | “will save the sick,” “will raise him up” | A mundane, physical-recovery sense | সুস্থ কৰিব (heal) / তুলিব (raise up, from a sickbed). Risk: Critical caution — MUST NOT use পুনৰুত্থান here. That term is reserved exclusively, per the baseline, for Christ’s unique bodily resurrection; using it for a sick person’s ordinary physical recovery would blur and dilute that term’s doctrinal force everywhere else in the curriculum. |
| ἐξομολογέω (exomologeō), 5:16 | confess | mutual, horizontal acknowledgment of sin among believers | ”confess your sins to one another” | The anchor of the “Confession and Restoration” doctrine — mutual confession, not confession mediated through a religious specialist | স্বীকাৰ কৰা (swikar kôra). Risk: Medium. Clarify this is mutual confession among believers, not a formal act requiring a ritual specialist or intermediary — relevant given both broader sacramental traditions and Hindu practices of atonement/purification (e.g., pilgrimage, ritual expiation) often channeled through a specialist or holy site. |
| δέησις δικαίου (deēsis dikaiou), 5:16 | prayer of a righteous person | the effective prayer of a righteous believer | ”the prayer of a righteous person” | Reinforces the righteousness word-cluster and prayer/intercession doctrine | ধাৰ্মিক লোকৰ প্ৰাৰ্থনা, reusing ধাৰ্মিক. Risk: High. |
| Ἠλίας (Ēlias), 5:17 | Elijah | proper name, OT prophet | Elijah | Model of powerful, effective prayer | এলিয়া (established Assamese OT proper name). Risk: Low. |
| ἐπιστρέφω (epistrephō), 5:19–20 | turn back, bring back | restoring a straying believer through gospel truth | ”brings him back,” “turns him back” | The anchor of the restoration half of the “Confession and Restoration” doctrine | ঘূৰাই আনা (ghurai ana). Risk: Medium. Clarify this is the spiritual restoration of a straying believer through gospel truth, not a ritual re-purification/re-initiation ceremony (compare Hindu śuddhi-style ritual reintegration practices). |
| πλανάω (planaō), 5:19 | wander, go astray | departure from the truth | ”wanders from the truth” | The condition being restored from | ভুল পথে যায় (goes astray). Risk: Low. |
| σώσει ψυχὴν ἐκ θανάτου (sōsei psychēn ek thanatou), 5:20 | will save a soul from death | eternal rescue from spiritual death | ”will save his soul from death” | Continuity with the salvation doctrine cluster | reuse ৰক্ষা কৰা / প্ৰাণ (soul/life). Risk: High. |
| καλύψει πλῆθος ἁμαρτιῶν (kalypsei plēthos hamartiōn), 5:20 | will cover a multitude of sins | the restorative effect of bringing a straying believer back | ”will cover a multitude of sins” | Restoration’s far-reaching redemptive effect | পাপৰ সমষ্টি ঢাকিব, reusing পাপ [BASELINE REUSE]. Risk: Medium. |
Summary Cross-Reference to Curriculum Doctrines
| Doctrine | Primary chapters | Highest-risk terms |
|---|---|---|
| Faith and Works | 2:14–26 (core), 1:22–25 | ἔργα/কৰ্ম (Critical), δικαιόω/ধাৰ্মিক বুলি গণ্য কৰা (Critical), “not by faith alone” (Critical) |
| Trials and the Testing of Faith | 1:1–18 | πειρασμός/πৰীক্ষা vs. প্ৰলোভন (High) |
| Wisdom from Above | 1:5, 3:13–18 | σοφία/প্ৰজ্ঞা (High) |
| Favoritism and the Poor | 1:9–11, 2:1–13 | προσωπολημψία/পক্ষপাতিত্ব (High) |
| Taming the Tongue | 3:1–12 | γέεννα/নৰক (High), εἰκὼν θεοῦ/সাদৃশ্য (Critical) |
| Worldliness versus Friendship with God | 4:1–10 | φιλία τοῦ κόσμου/পৃথিৱীৰ সৈতে বন্ধুত্ব (High) |
| Prayer and Healing | 5:13–18 | ἀλείφω ἐλαίῳ/তেল সানি (Medium-High), σῴζω/ἐγείρω (Critical caution re: পুনৰুত্থান) |
| Patience and the Lord’s Return | 5:7–11 | παρουσία/প্ৰভুৰ আগমন (Critical — new) |
| Confession and Restoration | 5:16, 5:19–20 | ἐξομολογέω/স্বীকাৰ কৰা (Medium), ἐπιστρέφω/ঘূৰাই আনা (Medium) |