Semantic Analysis
Semantic Analysis — 1 Corinthians (English → Cantonese)
Overview
This document analyzes every chapter of 1 Corinthians in the original Koine Greek, first to last, for the purpose of building the Cantonese-destination requirements layer for the 1 Corinthians curriculum. It extends — and does not contradict — the baseline Romans Language Package (translation_memory.json, bible_term_registry.json, doctrine_risk_registry.json). Wherever a term already carries a recorded Cantonese rendering from the Romans baseline, that rendering is reused exactly and marked [REUSED FROM ROMANS TM]. New terms required by 1 Corinthians vocabulary are marked [NEW] and given a proposed rendering, risk tier, and grounded justification, following the same methodology as the baseline.
1 Corinthians is written to a congregation embedded in the cosmopolitan, commercially and religiously plural port city of Corinth — a city of idol temples, temple-associated banqueting and prostitution, competing rhetorical “wisdom” teachers, and law courts. This maps unusually closely onto the Hong Kong/Guangdong/Macau destination context described in the baseline: a religiously plural, commercially driven society with active folk-temple practice (Wong Tai Sin, Man Mo Temple, Guanyin devotion), fortune-telling and mediumship (問米, 睇相算命, 求籤), ancestral-spirit and ghost culture (盂蘭節, 拜祖先), and a status-and-face-conscious commercial culture. Several NEW terms in this book — especially idol food (εἰδωλόθυτον), demons (δαιμόνιον), tongues (γλῶσσα), and resurrection appearance (ὤφθη) — surface fresh collision risk with this same cultural backdrop and are flagged accordingly.
PART 1 — Core Passage Verse-by-Verse: 1 Corinthians 15:1-11
“Now I would remind you, brothers, of the gospel I preached to you, which you received, in which you stand, and by which you are being saved, if you hold fast to the word I preached to you—unless you believed in vain. For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures, and that he appeared to Cephas, then to the twelve. Then he appeared to more than five hundred brothers at one time, most of whom are still alive, though some have fallen asleep. Then he appeared to James, then to all the apostles. Last of all, as to one untimely born, he appeared also to me. For I am the least of the apostles, unworthy to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God. But by the grace of God I am what I am, and his grace toward me was not in vain. On the contrary, I worked harder than any of them, though it was not I, but the grace of God that is with me. Whether then it was I or they, so we preach and so you believed.”
15:1 — τὸ εὐαγγέλιον ὃ εὐηγγελισάμην ὑμῖν, ὃ καὶ παρελάβετε, ἐν ᾧ καὶ ἑστήκατε
| Field | εὐαγγέλιον (gospel) | παραλαμβάνω (received) | ἵστημι (stand) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Transliteration | euangelion | parelabete | hestēkate |
| Literal meaning | ”good news,” an announcement of victory/accession | ”took in hand, received (a transmitted report)" | "stand, have stood firm” |
| Semantic range | authoritative proclamation, not generic news | receiving a fixed body of transmitted content (technical for oral/written tradition-transmission) | physical standing; metaphorical: to remain firmly established |
| English variants | gospel, good news | received, accepted | stand, stand firm |
| Contextual theological meaning | Paul recalls the fixed content of apostolic preaching that founded the church — same “gospel” as Romans 1:1,16 | Corinthians did not invent this content; they received a fixed apostolic deposit | Their present standing in the faith rests on that received gospel, not on rival “wisdom” teachers (cf. ch. 1-4) |
| Cantonese rendering | 福音 (fuk1 jam1) [REUSED FROM ROMANS TM] | 領受 (ling5 sau6) [NEW] | 站立穩 / 站得住 (zaam6 laap6 wan2) [NEW, Low risk] |
| Risk & note | Medium — same fuk1/fortune-culture caution as Romans TM applies; must not be reframed here as a “teaching among several wisdom-schools,” echoing the ch. 1-4 rival-teacher problem | Low-Medium — must not be softened toward “heard about” (輾轉聽聞); the verb signals a formal handed-down deposit, paralleling παρέδωκα in v.3 | Low |
15:2 — διʼ οὗ καὶ σῴζεσθε … ἐκτὸς εἰ μὴ κενῇ ἐπιστεύσατε
| Field | σῴζω (being saved) | κενός (in vain) | πιστεύω (believed) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Transliteration | sōzesthe | kenē | episteusate |
| Literal meaning | ”you are being kept safe/rescued” (present passive — ongoing) | “empty, without content or result" | "you believed, put trust in” |
| Semantic range | rescue from danger, deliverance, wholeness | empty, futile, without substance | intellectual assent + relational trust |
| English variants | are being saved, are saved | in vain, empty, worthless | believed, trusted |
| Contextual theological meaning | Present-tense salvation grounded in a past-event gospel; sets up the whole chapter’s argument that if the resurrection is false, saving faith has no content | Paul’s guarding qualifier: only an ungrounded, contentless “faith” fails to save — anticipates vv.14,17’s “your faith is in vain” if Christ is not raised | The faith-object is the specific gospel content of vv.3-5, not generic religious sentiment |
| Cantonese rendering | 得救 (dak1 gau3) — verbal form of 救恩 [REUSED FROM ROMANS TM concept] | 徒然 (tou4 jin4) [NEW, High risk] | 信 (seon3) — verbal form of 信心 [REUSED FROM ROMANS TM concept] |
| Risk & note | Critical — must never be rendered with 解脫/超度 vocabulary per baseline salvation entry | High — must not be rendered with a phrase implying “bad luck” or “unlucky outcome” (folk-fortune register); it names the emptiness of a faith with no factual referent, a purely logical/theological category | High — object of faith must remain the historical gospel content, not generic piety, per baseline faith entry |
15:3 — παρέδωκα γὰρ ὑμῖν … ὅτι Χριστὸς ἀπέθανεν ὑπὲρ τῶν ἁμαρτιῶν ἡμῶν κατὰ τὰς γραφάς
| Field | παραδίδωμι (delivered) | ἀποθνήσκω ὑπέρ (died for) | ἁμαρτία (sins) | γραφή (Scriptures) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Transliteration | paredōka | apethanen hyper | hamartiōn | graphas |
| Literal meaning | ”handed over, passed down" | "died on behalf of/for the sake of" | "misses of the mark" | "writings” |
| Semantic range | formal transmission of tradition/teaching (paired with παραλαμβάνω) | substitutionary or representative death | moral offense against God | the OT canon, God’s written revelation |
| English variants | delivered, handed down, passed on | died for | sins | Scriptures, the Scriptures |
| Contextual theological meaning | Paul is quoting a fixed, pre-formed creedal/confessional tradition, not composing spontaneously — this is the earliest datable summary of the gospel | The atoning, substitutionary nature of Christ’s death — the heart of the gospel content | Universal human guilt as in Romans; the specific sins Christ’s death addresses | Christ’s death fulfills specific OT prophecy (Isaiah 53 etc.), not a vague “destiny” |
| Cantonese rendering | 傳 (cyun4) [NEW, paired with 領受 v.1] | 為…而死 (wai6…ji4 sei2) [NEW] | 罪 (zeoi6) [REUSED FROM ROMANS TM] | 聖經 (sing3 ging1) [NEW, Low-Medium] |
| Risk & note | High — this “delivered/received” pair is the technical vocabulary of a fixed apostolic deposit; must not be rendered with vocabulary suggesting an evolving oral tradition transmitted teacher-to-disciple (師傳) or a folk-ritual lineage transmission | Critical — substitutionary atonement must be clearly “on behalf of,” not merely “because of” or “alongside” | High — per baseline sin entry, distinguish from 報應 (karmic retribution) or 唔衰得 (face-loss idiom) | Medium — distinguish God-breathed Scripture from divination texts/almanacs (老黃曆), per baseline inspiration-of-Scripture doctrine note |
15:4 — καὶ ὅτι ἐτάφη, καὶ ὅτι ἐγήγερται τῇ τρίτῃ ἡμέρ�ᾳ κατὰ τὰς γραφάς
| Field | θάπτω (was buried) | ἐγείρω (has been raised) | τρίτῃ ἡμέρᾳ (third day) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Transliteration | etaphē | egēgertai | tritē hēmera |
| Literal meaning | ”was placed in a tomb" | "was raised up” (perfect tense — a completed act with continuing effect) | “on the third day” |
| Semantic range | burial rite confirming real, physical death | bodily resurrection, not merely spiritual survival | specific historical timing, fulfilling OT pattern (e.g., Hosea 6:2, Jonah typology) |
| English variants | buried | raised, was raised, rose | on the third day, the third day |
| Contextual theological meaning | Confirms the reality of Christ’s death (against docetic minimization) | The perfect tense stresses the resurrection’s abiding, present significance — foundational to the entire chapter’s argument | Fixes the resurrection as a datable historical event, not a timeless myth |
| Cantonese rendering | 埋葬 (maai4 zong3) [NEW, Low risk] | 復活 (fuk6 wut6) [REUSED FROM ROMANS TM] | 第三日 (dai6 saam1 jat6) [NEW, Low risk] |
| Risk & note | Low | Critical — per baseline resurrection entry, NEVER 投胎轉世 (rebirth cycle) or a 問米 spirit-medium framing; bodily, historical, once-for-all | Low — but pair with 復活 to keep the historical particularity clear against any cyclical reading |
15:5 — καὶ ὅτι ὤφθη Κηφᷣ, εἶτα τοῖς δώδεκα
| Field | ὤφθη (appeared) | Κηφᷣ (Cephas) | οἱ δώδεκα (the twelve) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Transliteration | ōphthē | Kēpha | hoi dōdeka |
| Literal meaning | ”was seen (by), appeared (to)” — passive of ὁράω | Aramaic “rock,” Peter’s other name | ”the twelve [apostles]“ |
| Semantic range | objective, visible, bodily appearance to a witness (not a private vision only) | proper name; = Peter (Πέτρος) | the inner circle of apostles commissioned by Christ |
| English variants | appeared, was seen, showed himself | Cephas, Peter | the twelve, the Twelve |
| Contextual theological meaning | First in a chain of concrete, nameable eyewitnesses — an evidentiary structure, not folklore | Establishes a specific, known, still-living named witness | Establishes the apostolic college as a body of witnesses |
| Cantonese rendering | 顯現 (hin2 jin6) [NEW, Critical risk] | 磯法 / 彼得 (gei1 faat3 / bei2 dak1) [NEW, Low risk — standard CUV form] | 十二使徒 (sap6 ji6 si2 tou4) [NEW, reuses 使徒 REUSED FROM ROMANS TM] |
| Risk & note | CRITICAL — must NEVER use 顯靈 (a deity “manifesting its power” at a shrine, extremely common Hong Kong temple-culture language, explicitly forbidden elsewhere in the baseline for the incarnation). 顯現 is the safe, standard Cantonese Christian term for a bodily resurrection appearance and must be used consistently across all 15:5-8 occurrences of ὤφθη. | Low — proper name; 磯法 is the transliterated form, 彼得 the more common name form; use consistently with whichever the base Bible text tradition selected already uses | Low |
15:6 — ἔπειτα ὤφθη ἐπάνω πεντακοσίοις ἀδελφοῖς ἐφάπαξ … τινὲς δὲ ἐκοιμήθησαν
| Field | ἐφάπαξ (at one time) | κοιμάομαι (fallen asleep) |
|---|---|---|
| Transliteration | ephapax | ekoimēthēsan |
| Literal meaning | ”once for all, on one occasion" | "have fallen asleep” (euphemism for death) |
| Semantic range | single, unrepeated, verifiable event | death viewed through resurrection hope — sleep implies a future waking |
| English variants | at one time, at once, all at once | fallen asleep, died |
| Contextual theological meaning | Emphasizes a single, dateable, multiply-witnessed mass appearance — an evidentiary claim inviting verification, since most witnesses were “still alive” at time of writing | Introduces the “sleep” euphemism that becomes doctrinally loaded later in the chapter (v.18, v.20 “firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep”) |
| Cantonese rendering | 一次過 (jat1 ci3 gwo3) [NEW, Low risk] | 睡了 (seoi6 liu5) [NEW, Medium risk] |
| Risk & note | Low | Medium — must retain the resurrection-hope-laden “sleep” sense (a temporary state awaiting bodily waking), not merely a generic death euphemism; avoid ancestral-rest imagery drawn from grave-sweeping festival vocabulary (清明/重陽) that could suggest ongoing ancestral existence tended by descendants rather than a future bodily resurrection |
15:7 — ἔπειτα ὤφθη Ἰακώβῳ, εἶτα τοῖς ἀποστόλοις πᾶσιν
| Field | Ἰάκωβος (James) | τοῖς ἀποστόλοις πᾶσιν (all the apostles) |
|---|---|---|
| Transliteration | Iakōbō | tois apostolois pasin |
| Literal meaning | proper name (= Jacob) | “to all the apostles” |
| Semantic range | James, the Lord’s brother, later Jerusalem church leader | the wider apostolic company beyond the Twelve |
| English variants | James | all the apostles |
| Contextual theological meaning | Another named, checkable witness; James’s transformation from skeptic (John 7:5) to leader is itself evidential | Widens the circle of witnesses further, building the case’s evidentiary weight |
| Cantonese rendering | 雅各 (ngaa5 gok3) [NEW, Low risk — standard CUV form] | 所有嘅使徒 (so2 jau5 ge3 si2 tou4) [NEW, reuses 使徒] |
| Risk & note | Low | Low |
15:8 — ἔσχατον δὲ πάντων ὡσπερεὶ τῷ ἐκτρώματι ὤφθη κἀμοί
| Field | ἔκτρωμα (untimely born) | ὤφθη κἀμοί (appeared also to me) |
|---|---|---|
| Transliteration | ektrōmati | ōphthē kamoi |
| Literal meaning | ”a miscarried/aborted fetus” — a rare, jarring, self-deprecating image | ”appeared to me also” |
| Semantic range | someone born abnormally, out of proper time/sequence, viewed as unfit or damaged | places Paul, chronologically last, inside the same evidentiary chain as vv.5-7 |
| English variants | one untimely born, abnormally born, as it were born out of due time | appeared also to me |
| Contextual theological meaning | Paul’s most extreme self-abasement in the letter — he was not a “normal” apostle prepared by walking with Jesus during his ministry, but violently and abnormally brought into apostleship by the risen Christ’s appearance to a persecutor | Grounds Paul’s own apostleship in the same objective resurrection appearance, not a subjective vision distinct in kind |
| Cantonese rendering | 未到產期而生嘅人 (mei6 dou3 caan2 kei4 ji4 sang1 ge3 jan4) [NEW, Medium risk] | 亦向我顯現 (jik6 hoeng3 ngo5 hin2 jin6) [NEW, reuses 顯現] |
| Risk & note | Medium — a rare and shocking image; a paraphrase-only rendering risks losing Paul’s self-abasement force, but a literal rendering must avoid clinical/medical bluntness that distracts a Cantonese reader; footnote strongly recommended | Critical — must reuse 顯現, never 顯靈, consistent with v.5-7 |
15:9 — Ἐγὼ γάρ εἰμι ὁ ἐλάχιστος τῶν ἀποστόλων … διότι ἐδίωξα τὴν ἐκκλησίαν τοῦ θεοῦ
| Field | ἐλάχιστος (least) | ἱκανός (worthy/fit) | διώκω (persecuted) | ἐκκλησία τοῦ θεοῦ (church of God) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Transliteration | elachistos | hikanos | ediōxa | ekklēsia tou theou |
| Literal meaning | superlative of “small” — “smallest, least" | "sufficient, adequate, fit" | "pursued, hunted down, harassed" | "the assembly of God” |
| Semantic range | rank-lowest, self-comparative humility | qualification/fitness for a role | active hostile persecution | the corporate covenant community belonging to God |
| English variants | least, the very least | worthy, fit, sufficient | persecuted | church of God |
| Contextual theological meaning | Paul’s self-assessment among the apostles named in vv.5-7 | He denies personal fitness for the title “apostle” apart from grace | His pre-conversion violent opposition to the church (Acts 8-9) — the depth of the grace that overcame it | The church belongs to God, not to any human faction — anticipates the whole factionalism theme of ch.1-4 |
| Cantonese rendering | 最小嘅 (zeoi3 siu2 ge3) [NEW, Low risk] | 配 (pui3) [NEW, Low risk] | 迫害 (bik1 hoi6) [NEW, Low-Medium risk] | 神嘅教會 (san4 ge3 gaau3 wui2) [REUSED FROM ROMANS TM — 教會 + 神] |
| Risk & note | Low | Low | Medium — must not be softened toward mere “opposition” or “criticism”; the term names active, hostile pursuit | Medium — must be read as belonging to God (not to Paul, Apollos, or Cephas), directly relevant to the ch.1-4, ch.3 “whose are you?” factionalism argument |
15:10 — χάριτι δὲ θεοῦ εἰμι ὅ εἰμι· καὶ ἡ χάρις αὐτοῦ … οὐ κενὴ ἐγενήθη … περισσότερον αὐτῶν πάντων ἐκοπίασα … ἀλλὰ ἡ χάρις τοῦ θεοῦ ἡ σὺν ἐμοί
| Field | χάρις (grace) | κενός (in vain — reprise) | κοπιάω (labored) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Transliteration | charis | kenē | ekopiasa |
| Literal meaning | ”unearned favor, gift" | "empty, without result" | "I toiled, worked to exhaustion” |
| Semantic range | God’s free, unmerited action toward the undeserving | fruitless, without effect | strenuous, wearying labor |
| English variants | grace | in vain, without effect | I worked, I labored, I toiled |
| Contextual theological meaning | Paul’s entire identity and ministry — his transformation from persecutor (v.9) to apostle — is credited entirely to grace, not to his own merit or effort; this is the theological hinge of the whole passage | Grace given to Paul was not fruitless; it produced real, visible ministry fruit — but the fruit itself is still grace’s fruit, not Paul’s independent achievement | His hard labor is real, but immediately re-attributed to “the grace of God that is with me,” refusing to let the labor become a ground of self-merit |
| Cantonese rendering | 恩典 (jan1 din2) [REUSED FROM ROMANS TM] | 徒然 (tou4 jin4) [NEW, reuses v.2 rendering] | 勞苦 (lou4 fu2) [NEW, Medium risk] |
| Risk & note | CRITICAL — per baseline grace entry, must never be framed as reciprocal temple-vow favor (Wong Tai Sin’s “whatever you ask, you shall receive”). Paul’s language here (“not I, but the grace of God”) is in fact a strong biblical safeguard against exactly this transactional misreading — his labor did not purchase or earn the grace; the grace preceded and produced the labor. This verse is a strong teaching opportunity to reinforce the baseline’s grace/merit distinction. | High — same fatalism-adjacent caution as v.2 | Medium — must not be rendered in a way that implies Paul’s labor is what merited apostolic standing; keep it clearly subordinate to and dependent on 恩典 |
15:11 — εἴτε οὖν ἐγὼ εἴτε ἐκεῖνοι, οὕτως κηρύσσομεν καὶ οὕτως ἐπιστεύσατε
| Field | κηρύσσω (we preach) |
|---|---|
| Transliteration | kēryssomen |
| Literal meaning | ”we proclaim as a herald” |
| Semantic range | authoritative public proclamation of a fixed message, not private opinion-sharing |
| English variants | preach, proclaim |
| Contextual theological meaning | Whether Paul or the other apostolic witnesses, the gospel content (vv.3-5) proclaimed and believed is one and the same — unity of apostolic testimony despite ch.1-4’s factional rivalries around personalities |
| Cantonese rendering | 宣講 (syun1 gong2) [NEW, Low-Medium risk] |
| Risk & note | Medium — should be distinguished from 傳福音/宣教 (evangelistic sending, already established in Romans TM as 宣教) by keeping it verbally simple (“we preach/proclaim”) while still connecting conceptually to the same authoritative-announcement register as 福音 |
PART 2 — Chapter-by-Chapter Study of the Whole Book
Chapter 1 — Greeting, Factionalism, the Cross as Wisdom and Power
| Terms | Variants | Contextual theological meaning | Cantonese rendering | Risk |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ἐκκλησία τοῦ θεοῦ (church of God) ekklēsia tou theou assembly belonging to God | church of God | 1:2 — the church’s identity is God-owned, not faction-owned; sets the theme of the whole letter | 神嘅教會 [REUSED] | Medium |
| ἡγιασμένοις (sanctified) hēgiasmenois set apart, made holy | sanctified, made holy | 1:2 — believers’ identity as holy ones precedes their behavior; grounds “saints” | 聖潔 / 聖徒 [REUSED] | High |
| κλητοὶ ἅγιοι (called saints) klētoi hagioi called-ones, holy-ones | called to be saints | 1:2 — corporate designation for ordinary Corinthian believers, despite their immaturity — not an ascetic elite | 蒙召嘅聖徒 [REUSED] | High |
| κοινωνία τοῦ υἱοῦ (fellowship of the Son) koinōnia tou huiou shared participation | fellowship with his Son | 1:9 — believers called into shared life with Christ, the ground of the unity argument that follows | 團契 [REUSED] | Low |
| σχίσμα (divisions/factions) schisma a tear, split, faction | divisions, factions, quarrels | 1:10 — the presenting problem of the letter: rival allegiance to Paul/Apollos/Cephas/Christ | 分黨 (fan1 dong2) [NEW] | High — must be clearly named as sin against unity, not softened to “different styles” or “diversity of opinion”; avoid any term suggesting acceptable clan/faction loyalty (cf. baseline’s caution on loyalty-and-honor idiom under 義) |
| ἔρις (quarrels/contentions) eris strife, contention | quarrels, contentions | 1:11 — reported factional strife within house-groups | 紛爭 (fan1 zaang1) [NEW] | Medium |
| σοφία (wisdom) sophia skill, cleverness, insight; here esp. rhetorical/philosophical sophistication | wisdom | 1:17-30 — contrasted sharply with “the word of the cross”; worldly rhetorical wisdom vs. God’s wisdom revealed in a crucified Messiah | 智慧 (zi3 wai6) [NEW] | High — must be distinguished from Buddhist enlightenment-wisdom (般若智慧, prajñā) attained through spiritual cultivation, and from Confucian scholarly/practical wisdom; biblical σοφία in this passage is God’s redemptive plan centered on the cross, apprehended by faith, not by intellectual or spiritual attainment |
| μωρία (foolishness) mōria folly, absurdity | foolishness | 1:18-25 — “the word of the cross is folly to those who are perishing”; God’s saving plan looks foolish by worldly standards but is in fact wisdom and power | 愚拙 (jyu4 zyut3) [NEW] | Medium |
| σταυρός (cross) stauros execution stake | cross | 1:17-18 — the specific, scandalous instrument of Christ’s death, at the center of the gospel message | 十字架 (sap6 zi6 gaa3) [NEW] | Critical — must remain a specific historical execution instrument central to atonement, not merely decorative or vaguely “suffering” |
| δύναμις θεοῦ (power of God) dynamis theou might, power | power of God | 1:18,24 — the cross itself, though appearing weak, is God’s saving power | 神嘅大能 [REUSED FROM ROMANS TM] | High — per baseline, never 法力 or feng shui-attributed power |
| καυχάομαι (boast) kauchaomai to glory in, take pride in | boast | 1:29,31 — “so that no human being might boast in the presence of God”; grace excludes self-congratulation, directly reinforcing the grace/merit distinction | 誇口 (kwaa1 hau2) [NEW] | Medium — connect to the baseline’s grace-versus-merit caution; a culture attentive to “face” (面子) and “flashy success” (威水, already flagged under 榮耀 in the baseline) needs this contrast made explicit |
| κλῆσις (calling) klēsis summons | calling | 1:26 — “consider your calling”; God’s sovereign choice of the socially unimpressive | 呼召 [REUSED] | High |
Chapter 2 — The Spirit-Revealed Wisdom of the Cross
| Terms | Variants | Contextual theological meaning | Cantonese rendering | Risk |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| πνεῦμα (Spirit) pneuma breath, spirit | Spirit, the Spirit | 2:10-14 — the Spirit alone reveals God’s hidden wisdom | 聖靈 [REUSED] | Critical |
| ἀνακρίνω (spiritually discerned) anakrinō examine, judge, discern | discerned, judged, examined | 2:14-15 — spiritual truths are “spiritually discerned,” not accessible to unaided human reasoning | 分辨 (fan1 bin6) [NEW] | Medium |
| ψυχικὸς ἄνθρωπος (natural man) psychikos anthrōpos soul-ish, unspiritual person | natural man, unspiritual person | 2:14 — the person without the Spirit cannot receive/understand spiritual truth; not a statement about intelligence but about spiritual capacity | 血氣嘅人 (hyut3 hei3 ge3 jan4) [NEW] | High — must not be read as an insult to intellect or as a caste/class marker; it is a Spirit/no-Spirit distinction. This vocabulary recurs at 15:44 (“natural body”) and must stay consistent |
| πνευματικός (spiritual [person]) pneumatikos Spirit-indwelt, Spirit-discerning | spiritual person | 2:15 — contrasted with the natural man; one who has and is taught by the Spirit | 屬靈嘅人 (suk6 ling4 ge3 jan4) [NEW] | High |
| μυστήριον (mystery) mystērion a hidden thing now revealed | mystery, secret | 2:1,7 — God’s redemptive plan, hidden in ages past, now disclosed in Christ | 奧秘 (ou3 bei3) [NEW] | Medium — distinguish from folk-occult “secret knowledge” or fortune-telling’s hidden fate; this is revealed truth, not esoteric or divinatory secret knowledge accessible only to initiates |
| νοῦς Χριστοῦ (mind of Christ) nous Christou Christ’s mind/thinking | mind of Christ | 2:16 — believers, taught by the Spirit, share Christ’s perspective | 基督嘅心意 (gei1 duk1 ge3 sam1 ji3) [NEW] | Low |
Chapter 3 — God’s Field, God’s Building, God’s Temple
| Terms | Variants | Contextual theological meaning | Cantonese rendering | Risk |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| σαρκικός (fleshly/carnal) sarkikos belonging to the flesh, immature | carnal, fleshly, worldly | 3:1,3 — the Corinthians’ factionalism is evidence of spiritual immaturity, not spiritual maturity | 屬肉體嘅 (suk6 juk6 tai2 ge3) [NEW] | Medium |
| οἰκοδομή / οἰκοδομέω (building/build) oikodomē / oikodomeō building, construction; to build | building, build up | 3:9-14 — ministers are “fellow workers” building on the one foundation, Christ; work will be tested by fire | 建造 / 建立 (gin3 zou6 / gin3 laap6) [NEW] | Medium |
| θεμέλιος (foundation) themelios foundation | foundation | 3:10-11 — Christ alone is the one foundation; no other foundation may be laid | 根基 (gan1 gei1) [NEW] | High — must remain exclusively Christ; not one option among several possible foundations |
| ναὸς θεοῦ (temple of God) naos theou God’s temple/sanctuary | temple of God | 3:16-17 — the corporate church (not an individual) is God’s dwelling place, indwelt by the Spirit | 神嘅殿 (san4 ge3 din6) [NEW] | Critical — must be sharply distinguished from a folk/Daoist/Buddhist temple building (廟, already forbidden for “church” in the baseline); this is a metaphor for the Spirit-indwelt community, not a physical shrine housing an image |
| σοφία τοῦ κόσμου (wisdom of this world) sophia tou kosmou worldly wisdom | wisdom of this world/age | 3:19 — reprises ch.1-2’s wisdom/foolishness contrast; worldly wisdom is folly before God | 世上嘅智慧 [REUSES ch.1 智慧] | High |
Chapter 4 — Apostolic Stewardship and Suffering
| Terms | Variants | Contextual theological meaning | Cantonese rendering | Risk |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ὑπηρέτης (servants) hypēretēs attendant, servant, assistant | servants | 4:1 — apostles as Christ’s servants, not independent celebrities to be ranked against each other | 仆人 (buk6 jan4) [NEW] | Low |
| οἰκονόμος (steward) oikonomos household manager entrusted with another’s property | steward | 4:1-2 — apostles are stewards of God’s mysteries, accountable to their master, not to popular opinion polls comparing teachers | 管家 (gun2 gaa1) [NEW] | Medium — must not be conflated with a temple caretaker role; this is fiduciary accountability to God for entrusted truth |
| κρίνω / κρίμα (judge/judgment) krinō / krima to judge, evaluate; judgment | judge, judgment | 4:3-5 — human judgment (including Corinthian ranking of teachers) is provisional; only the Lord’s judgment at his coming is final | 審判 (sam2 pun3) [NEW] | High — must convey final divine adjudication, not casual opinion or social-status ranking |
| βασιλεία τοῦ θεοῦ (kingdom of God) basileia tou theou God’s reign | kingdom of God | 4:20 — “the kingdom of God does not consist in talk but in power”; a caution against merely eloquent, powerless religion | 神嘅國 [REUSED] | Medium |
Chapter 5 — Church Discipline and Holiness
| Terms | Variants | Contextual theological meaning | Cantonese rendering | Risk |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| πορνεία (sexual immorality) porneia illicit sexual activity | sexual immorality, fornication | 5:1 — the specific case of a man in an incestuous relationship, tolerated by the church | 淫亂 (jam4 lyun6) [NEW] | High — must retain moral seriousness as sin against a holy God, not merely a private lifestyle matter or a matter of social scandal/face (面子) |
| παραδοῦναι τῷ Σατανᷣ (hand over to Satan) paradounai tō Satana to deliver over to Satan | deliver/hand over to Satan | 5:5 — formal church discipline: temporary exclusion from the community for the offender’s ultimate restoration | 交給撒但 (gaau1 kap6 saat3 daan2) [NEW] | High — must be read as a redemptive disciplinary act aimed at repentance, not a curse or vengeful excommunication ritual; distinguish from folk exorcism/curse practices |
| ζύμη / ἄζυμος (leaven / unleavened) zymē / azymos yeast; without yeast | leaven, leavened; unleavened | 5:6-8 — “a little leaven leavens the whole lump”; tolerated sin corrupts the whole community; calls the church to be “unleavened,” i.e., sincere and true | 酵 / 無酵 (haau1 / mou4 haau1) [NEW] | Medium — requires OT Passover background explanation for a low-OT-literacy Cantonese audience |
| πάσχα (Passover) pascha Passover [lamb/feast] | Passover | 5:7 — “Christ our Passover lamb has been sacrificed”; Christ fulfills Passover typology | 逾越節 (jyu4 jyut6 zit3) [NEW] | Medium — requires OT narrative background |
Chapter 6 — Lawsuits, Sexual Purity, and the Body as Temple
| Terms | Variants | Contextual theological meaning | Cantonese rendering | Risk |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| κριτήριον (lawsuit/court) kritērion tribunal, court case | lawsuit, court, tribunal | 6:1-6 — believers taking each other to secular courts, when the saints will one day judge the world | 訴訟 (sou3 zung6) [NEW] | Medium |
| μέλος (member) melos body part, limb | member | 6:15 — “your bodies are members of Christ” — union with Christ has bodily implications | 肢體 (zi1 tai2) [NEW] | Medium — connects forward to the body-of-Christ imagery of ch.12 |
| μία σάρξ (one flesh) mia sarx one flesh | one flesh | 6:16 — quoting Genesis 2:24; sexual union creates a real, God-designed bodily unity | 一體 (jat1 tai2) [NEW] | High — must retain the Genesis marital-union background, not reduce to casual physical contact |
| ναὸς τοῦ ἁγίου πνεύματος (temple of the Holy Spirit) naos tou hagiou pneumatos Holy Spirit’s temple | temple of the Holy Spirit | 6:19 — the individual believer’s body is Spirit-indwelt, grounding the call to sexual purity | 聖靈嘅殿 (sing3 ling4 ge3 din6) [NEW] | Critical — same forbidden-substitution caution as 3:16’s 神嘅殿; never a folk/Daoist/Buddhist temple (廟) |
| ἀγοράζω (bought) agorazō to purchase in the marketplace | bought | 6:20 — “you were bought with a price”; redemption imagery grounding bodily holiness | 用重價買咗 (jung6 cung5 gaa3 maai5 zo2) [NEW] | High — connects to redemption/salvation doctrine; must not sound like a commercial transaction devoid of costly self-giving love |
| δοξάζω τὸν θεόν (glorify God) doxazō ton theon to glorify God | glorify God | 6:20 — “glorify God in your body” | 榮耀神 [REUSES 榮耀] | Medium |
Chapter 7 — Marriage and Singleness
| Terms | Variants | Contextual theological meaning | Cantonese rendering | Risk |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| γάμος (marriage) gamos wedding, marriage | marriage | 7:1-9 — Paul’s teaching on the goodness of marriage and its mutual obligations | 婚姻 (fan1 jan1) [NEW] | Low-Medium |
| παρθένος (virgin) parthenos unmarried woman, virgin | virgin, betrothed woman | 7:25-38 — Paul’s specific counsel to the unmarried/betrothed in Corinth’s “present distress” | 處女 (cyu3 neoi5) [NEW] | Medium — some occurrences (e.g., 7:36-38) may refer to a betrothed woman rather than strictly virginity status; translators must check referent per verse |
| χωρίζω (separate/divorce) chōrizō to separate, divide | separate, divorce | 7:10-15 — instruction against divorce, with a specific allowance regarding an unbelieving spouse who separates | 分開 / 離婚 (fan1 hoi1 / lei4 fan1) [NEW] | High — must preserve Paul’s careful distinctions (command vs. permission; believer-initiated vs. unbeliever-initiated) rather than flattening into one blanket term |
| χάρισμα (gift) charisma gift, grace-gift | gift | 7:7 — Paul describes both marriage and celibacy as a χάρισμα from God, distinct calling/capacities | 屬靈恩賜 [REUSED FROM ROMANS TM — compound required] | Medium — same Greek word as ch.12’s ministry gifts, but here applied to a life-station capacity (celibacy/marriage) rather than a ministry function; footnote should clarify this broader semantic range while keeping the compound term per baseline rule |
| ἄγαμος (unmarried) agamos unmarried person | unmarried, single | 7:8,32-34 — singleness as a legitimate, even advantageous, calling for undivided devotion to the Lord | 未婚嘅人 (mei6 fan1 ge3 jan4) [NEW] | Low |
Chapter 8 — Christian Liberty and Idol Meat (I)
| Terms | Variants | Contextual theological meaning | Cantonese rendering | Risk |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| εἴδωλον (idol) eidōlon image, idol | idol | 8:4,7 — “an idol has no real existence”; yet believers must handle idol-associated practice pastorally | 偶像 (ngau5 zoeng6) [NEW] | Critical — theologically an idol is nothing, but the practice of idol worship is spiritually dangerous (see ch.10’s δαιμόνιον); must not be flattened to mere superstition dismissively, given how present idol veneration (Wong Tai Sin, Guanyin, ancestral tablets) is in the destination culture |
| εἰδωλόθυτον (food offered to idols) eidōlothyton meat sacrificed to idols | food offered to idols, idol meat | 8:1,4,7,10 — the letter’s central pastoral case study: may believers eat meat previously offered in pagan temple worship? | 祭偶像之物 (zai3 ngau5 zoeng6 zi1 mat6) [NEW] | Critical — the closest real-world Hong Kong analogue is food offered at temple altars (Wong Tai Sin, Tin Hau, ancestral offerings) then later distributed/eaten, and food from ancestor-veneration rites during Ching Ming/Chung Yeung; teaching materials must handle this pastorally and precisely, since the concrete cultural situation is genuinely analogous, not merely illustrative |
| γνῶσις (knowledge) gnōsis knowledge, understanding | knowledge | 8:1 — “knowledge puffs up, but love builds up”; theological correctness without love is destructive | 知識 (zi1 sik1) [NEW] | Medium |
| συνείδησις (conscience) syneidēsis moral awareness, conscience | conscience | 8:7,10,12 — a weaker believer’s conscience can be wounded by another’s “liberty” | 良心 (loeng4 sam1) [NEW] | High — must be personal moral awareness answerable to God, not merely social conformity or “face” |
| ἐξουσία (right/liberty) exousia authority, right, freedom to act | right, liberty, freedom | 8:9 — “take care that this right of yours does not become a stumbling block”; Christian liberty is real but must be governed by love | 自由 (zi6 jau4) [NEW] | High — must be distinguished elsewhere in the corpus from ἐξουσία as governmental “authority” (a different sense not covered by Romans TM); here it names a liberty that must be voluntarily limited for love’s sake, the opposite of libertine license |
| πρόσκομμα / σκάνδαλον (stumbling block) proskomma / skandalon obstacle causing a fall | stumbling block | 8:9,13 — the controlling pastoral concern of the whole liberty discussion | 絆腳石 (bun6 goek3 sek6) [NEW] | High |
Chapter 9 — Paul’s Apostolic Example: Rights Surrendered
| Terms | Variants | Contextual theological meaning | Cantonese rendering | Risk |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| εὐαγγέλιον (gospel) euangelion gospel | gospel | 9:12,16-18,23 — Paul’s driving motivation for surrendering personal rights | 福音 [REUSED] | Medium |
| μισθός (reward) misthos wages, reward | reward | 9:17-18 — Paul’s reward is preaching free of charge, not payment | 賞賜 (soeng2 ci3) [NEW] | Medium — must not be confused with merit earning salvation; this is ministry reward, distinct from justification |
| ἐγκράτεια (self-control) egkrateia self-mastery | self-control | 9:25 — athletic self-discipline as a picture of disciplined Christian living | 節制 (zit3 zai3) [NEW] | Low |
| στέφανος (crown) stephanos victor’s wreath | crown, prize | 9:24-25 — an imperishable crown contrasted with the perishable athletic prize | 冠冕 (gun3 min5) [NEW] | Medium |
| ἀδόκιμος (disqualified) adokimos failing the test, rejected | disqualified | 9:27 — Paul disciplines himself so as not to be disqualified from the race he preaches | 被棄絕 (bei6 hei3 zyut6) [NEW] | High — must not be read as loss of salvation-security in a way that contradicts assurance doctrine (cf. Romans 8), but as forfeiting ministry usefulness/reward through undisciplined living; requires careful theological framing |
Chapter 10 — Israel’s Warning, Idolatry, and the Lord’s Table
| Terms | Variants | Contextual theological meaning | Cantonese rendering | Risk |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| βαπτίζω (baptized) ebaptisthēsan to baptize, immerse | baptized | 10:2 — Israel “baptized into Moses” in the sea, a typological forerunner of Christian baptism | 洗禮 (sai2 lai5) [NEW] | High — distinguish sacramental baptism, which unites to Christ/his covenant community, from generic ritual water-cleansing found across many traditions |
| πνευματικὸν βρῶμα/πόμα (spiritual food/drink) pneumatikon brōma/poma Spirit-provided food/drink | spiritual food, spiritual drink | 10:3-4 — manna and water-from-the-rock as types pointing to Christ | 屬靈嘅食物/飲品 (suk6 ling4 ge3 sik6 mat6 / jam2 ban2) [NEW] | Medium |
| πέτρα (the Rock) petra rock | the Rock | 10:4 — “the Rock was Christ” — a christological reading of Israel’s wilderness provision | 磐石 (pun4 sek6) [NEW] | Medium — requires OT narrative background; must be understood as a typological identification with Christ, not a literal claim that a stone was itself divine |
| πειρασμός (temptation) peirasmos test, trial, temptation | temptation | 10:13 — God provides a way of escape from every temptation | 試探 (si3 taam3) [NEW] | Medium |
| εἰδωλολατρία (idolatry) eidōlolatria idol-worship | idolatry | 10:14 — “flee from idolatry,” the letter’s most direct command on the topic | 拜偶像 (baai3 ngau5 zoeng6) [NEW] | Critical — direct, urgent command against practices with live cultural analogues (temple offerings, ancestral veneration, incense worship) in the destination culture; must not be softened into a purely ancient-historical warning |
| κοινωνία (participation/communion) koinōnia shared participation | participation, communion, fellowship | 10:16-20 — “the cup… is it not a participation in the blood of Christ?”; contrasted with “participation with demons” at pagan sacrificial meals | 團契 / 有份於 [REUSES 團契 from Romans TM; alt. “有份於” for the participatory nuance] | High — the same Greek word links Lord’s Supper communion (positive) and idol-feast participation (negative); Cantonese rendering must make clear these are structurally parallel but spiritually opposite realities |
| δαιμόνιον (demon) daimonion evil spiritual being | demon, demons | 10:20-21 — “what pagans sacrifice, they sacrifice to demons, not to God”; idols are empty, but the spiritual reality behind organized idol worship is real and hostile | 鬼魔 (gwai2 mo4) [NEW] | Critical — must be sharply distinguished from Cantonese folk-ghost vocabulary (鬼, associated with the Hungry Ghost Festival 盂蘭節, ancestral spirits, and 問米 spirit-mediumship, all deeply embedded in Hong Kong folk practice). Biblical δαιμόνιον names hostile, personal, fallen spiritual beings opposed to God and associated with idol worship — not wandering ancestral ghosts requiring appeasement through offerings. A clarifying note is essential to prevent syncretistic conflation with ghost-festival theology |
| τράπεζα κυρίου / δαιμονίων (table of the Lord / of demons) trapeza kyriou / daimoniōn table, banqueting table | the Lord’s table / the table of demons | 10:21 — “you cannot partake of the table of the Lord and the table of demons” — exclusive loyalty required | 主嘅筵席 / 鬼魔嘅筵席 (zyu2 ge3 jin4 zik6 / gwai2 mo4 ge3 jin4 zik6) [NEW] | High |
Chapter 11 — Head Coverings and the Lord’s Supper
| Terms | Variants | Contextual theological meaning | Cantonese rendering | Risk |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| κεφαλή (head) kephalē head; source, authority-figure (metaphorical) | head | 11:3 — “the head of Christ is God… the head of the woman is the man”; a contested headship/order metaphor | 頭 (tau4) [NEW] | High — genuinely disputed among interpreters (source vs. authority sense); translation requirements should preserve the ambiguity/semantic range rather than resolve it unilaterally, and flag for theologian review given contemporary sensitivity around gender-role language |
| κατακαλύπτω (cover the head) katakalyptō to cover over | cover the head, veil | 11:5-6,13 — a first-century cultural practice with a theological rationale; requires careful cultural-distance framing for a Hong Kong audience with no equivalent head-covering custom | 蒙頭 (mung4 tau4) [NEW] | Medium — requires cultural/historical framing notes; risk is reader confusion rather than doctrinal collision |
| παράδοσις (tradition) paradosis that which is handed down | traditions | 11:2 — “the traditions… just as I delivered them to you,” echoing 15:3’s παρέδωκα/παρέλαβον technical vocabulary | 傳統 (cyun4 tung2) [NEW] | Medium — must retain the fixed-apostolic-deposit sense (paired with 15:1-3), not a generic “customs” sense that would suggest optional cultural preference |
| κυριακὸν δεῖπνον (the Lord’s Supper) kyriakon deipnon the Lord’s dinner | the Lord’s Supper | 11:20 — the sacramental meal, being abused through factional, unequal eating at Corinth | 聖餐 (sing3 caan1) [NEW — established HK church sacramental term] | Critical — must be kept doctrinally distinct from a common potluck meal (the Corinthian problem) and from any folk-ritual communal-offering meal (e.g., temple banquet food, ancestral-rite shared meals); this is the letter’s core Lord’s Supper doctrine passage |
| ἀνάμνησις (remembrance) anamnēsis memorial, remembrance | remembrance, in remembrance | 11:24-25 — “do this in remembrance of me” | 記念 (gei3 nim6) [NEW] | Medium |
| καινὴ διαθήκη (new covenant) kainē diathēkē new covenant | new covenant | 11:25 — “this cup is the new covenant in my blood” | 新約 (san1 joek3) [REUSES 約 from Romans TM + 新] | High |
| ἀναξίως (in an unworthy manner) anaxiōs unworthily | unworthily, in an unworthy manner | 11:27,29 — warning against careless, self-examination-less participation in the Supper | 唔配 (m4 pui3) [NEW] | High |
| διακρίνων τὸ σῶμα (discerning the body) diakrinōn to sōma distinguishing/discerning the body | discerning the body | 11:29 — failure to recognize the church/Christ’s body rightly in the Supper brings judgment | 分辨主嘅身體 (fan1 bin6 zyu2 ge3 san1 tai2) [NEW] | High |
| κοιμάομαι (fallen asleep) kekoimēntai have fallen asleep | fallen asleep, died | 11:30 — some have died as a disciplinary consequence | 睡了 [REUSES 15:6 rendering] | Medium |
Chapter 12 — Spiritual Gifts and the Body of Christ
| Terms | Variants | Contextual theological meaning | Cantonese rendering | Risk |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| πνευματικά (spiritual gifts/things) pneumatika spiritual matters | spiritual gifts, spiritual things | 12:1 — the topic heading for the whole spiritual-gifts discussion (ch.12-14) | 屬靈嘅事 (suk6 ling4 ge3 si6) [NEW] | Medium — distinct from, though related to, 屬靈恩賜 (charismata); this word is broader (“spiritual matters” generally) |
| χάρισμα / χαρίσματα (gift[s]) charisma / charismata grace-gift(s) | spiritual gift(s) | 12:4,9,28,30-31 — Spirit-given enablements distributed for the church’s common good | 屬靈恩賜 [REUSED FROM ROMANS TM] | Medium |
| κύριος Ἰησοῦς (Jesus is Lord) kyrios Iēsous Jesus is Lord | Jesus is Lord | 12:3 — “no one can say ‘Jesus is Lord’ except by the Holy Spirit” — the same confession as Romans 10:9 | 耶穌是主 [REUSED FROM ROMANS TM — must render verbatim identical to Romans 10:9] | Critical |
| ἴαμα (healing[s]) iamata healings | gifts of healing | 12:9,28,30 | 醫病嘅恩賜 (ji1 beng6 ge3 jan1 ci3) [NEW] | Medium — must not be confused with folk-healer or medium-based healing ritual power (法力) |
| δύναμις (miracles/works of power) dynameis powerful deeds | miracles, works of power | 12:10,28-29 | 異能 (ji6 nang4) [NEW] | High — same forbidden-substitution caution as baseline’s power_of_god entry: never 法力 or feng shui-attributed power |
| γλῶσσα / γλῶσσαι (tongue[s]) glōssa / glōssai tongue(s), language(s) | tongues, speaking in tongues | 12:10,28,30 — a Spirit-given gift of speech, whether known human languages or Spirit-given utterance requiring interpretation | 方言 (fong1 jin4) [NEW] | High — must be clearly Spirit-given, intelligible-through-interpretation speech serving the church, not a trance/possession phenomenon associated with folk-spirit-mediumship (問米) or ecstatic folk ritual utterance; requires a clarifying note given active mediumship practice in the destination culture |
| ἑρμηνεία γλωσσῶν (interpretation of tongues) hermēneia glōssōn interpretation of tongues | interpretation of tongues | 12:10,30 | 繙譯方言 (faan1 jik6 fong1 jin4) [NEW] | Medium |
| διάκρισις πνευμάτων (distinguishing/discerning of spirits) diakrisis pneumatōn discernment of spirits | discerning of spirits | 12:10 — a Spirit-given ability to correctly identify the source (divine, human, or demonic) of a spiritual manifestation | 辨別諸靈 (bin6 bit6 zyu3 ling4) [NEW] | Critical — must be clearly distinguished from folk spirit-medium “detection” practices (問米) that claim to identify or contact spirits through ritual technique; this gift operates by the Holy Spirit’s enabling, not ritual technique |
| σῶμα Χριστοῦ (body of Christ) sōma Christou Christ’s body | body of Christ | 12:12-27 — the church’s unity-in-diversity, each member indispensable | 基督嘅身體 (gei1 duk1 ge3 san1 tai2) [NEW] | High |
| μέλος (member) melē body parts | members | 12:12-27 | 肢體 [REUSES ch.6 rendering] | Medium |
| βαπτίζω εἰς ἓν σῶμα (baptized into one body) ebaptisthēmen baptized into | baptized into one body | 12:13 — Spirit-baptism creates the one body, transcending Jew/Greek, slave/free distinctions | 受洗歸入一個身體 (sau6 sin2 gwai1 jap6 jat1 go3 san1 tai2) [NEW, reuses 洗禮 root] | High — reinforces unity-versus-factionalism and the universal-scope-of-gospel doctrine already flagged Critical/High in the Romans baseline |
Chapter 13 — Love as the Greater Way
| Terms | Variants | Contextual theological meaning | Cantonese rendering | Risk |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ἀγάπη (love) agapē self-giving, covenantal love | love | 13:1-13 — the “greater way” than any spiritual gift; the defining Christian virtue, love without which every gift is worthless | 愛 (oi3) [NEW] | High — must be distinguished from romantic love (愛情), casual affection (鍾意), and Confucian benevolence/relational duty (仁, and the loyalty-ethic already flagged under 義 in the Romans baseline); agapē is unconditional, self-giving, active goodwill, not primarily an emotion or a social-duty code |
| καυχάομαι / περπερεύεται / φυσιοῦται (boastful/arrogant) kauchaomai / perpereuetai / physioutai to boast, brag, be puffed up | boastful, arrogant | 13:4 — love’s negative definition; connects to ch.1’s boasting theme and ch.8’s “knowledge puffs up” | 誇口 / 自高自大 [REUSES 誇口 from ch.1] | Medium |
| οὐ λογίζεται τὸ κακόν (keeps no record of wrongs) ou logizetai to kakon does not reckon/count evil | keeps no record of wrongs | 13:5 — λογίζομαι, the same “reckoning” verb family used of imputed righteousness in Romans 4; here love refuses to “reckon” or credit wrongs against another — a striking intertextual echo | 唔計算人嘅惡 (m4 gai3 syun3 jan4 ge3 ok3) [NEW] | Medium — worth a translator note on the λογίζομαι/算為義 connection for teaching purposes, though the everyday rendering here need not use 算為義 itself |
| ἐλπίς (hope) elpis confident expectation | hope | 13:13 — “faith, hope, and love”; the triad of abiding Christian virtues | 盼望 (paan3 mong6) [NEW] | Medium — must be distinguished from wish-fulfillment fortune/luck hope (好運, 心願) reinforced by folk-temple wish-granting culture (cf. baseline’s grace entry on Wong Tai Sin); biblical hope is confident expectation grounded in God’s character and promises, not a wish offered up for possible fulfillment |
| τέλειος (perfect/complete) teleios complete, mature, whole | perfect, complete, mature | 13:10 — “when the perfect comes, the partial will pass away” — eschatological completeness | 完全 (jyun4 cyun4) [NEW] | Low-Medium |
| ἐν αἰνίγματι (in a mirror dimly) en ainigmati in a riddle/enigma | dimly, in a mirror, in a riddle | 13:12 — present partial knowledge contrasted with future face-to-face knowledge of God | 好似隔住一塊霧氣朦朧嘅鏡 (hou2 ci5 gaak3 zyu6 jat1 faai3 mou6 hei3 mung4 lung4 ge3 geng3) [NEW, descriptive paraphrase] | Low |
Chapter 14 — Prophecy, Tongues, and Order in Worship
| Terms | Variants | Contextual theological meaning | Cantonese rendering | Risk |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| προφητεία (prophecy) prophēteia inspired declaration | prophecy | 14:1-5,22-25,39 — Paul prefers intelligible prophecy over uninterpreted tongues for corporate edification | 預言 [REUSED FROM ROMANS TM] | Medium |
| οἰκοδομέω τὴν ἐκκλησίαν (build up the church) oikodomein tēn ekklēsian to build up the church | build up, edify the church | 14:4-5,12,26 — the controlling criterion for all public worship activity: does it build up the gathered church? | 建立教會 [REUSES ch.3 建立] | Medium |
| γλῶσσαι (tongues, corporate use) glōssai tongues | tongues, speaking in tongues | 14:2-19,27-28 — must be accompanied by interpretation in corporate worship or remain silent | 方言 [REUSES ch.12 rendering] | High |
| ἄπιστος (unbeliever) apistos unbeliever, one without faith | unbeliever, outsider | 14:22-25 — disorderly tongues may confuse an unbeliever visiting the gathering; ordered prophecy can instead convict and draw them in | 唔信嘅人 (m4 seon3 ge3 jan4) [NEW] | Medium |
| τάξις / εὐσχημόνως (order / decently) taxis / euschēmonōs order, arrangement; becomingly, decently | order; decently and in order | 14:33,40 — “God is not a God of confusion but of peace… let all things be done decently and in order” — the governing principle for the whole worship-order discussion | 次序 / 得體 (ci3 zeoi6 / dak1 tai2) [NEW] | Medium |
| γυναῖκες σιγάτωσαν (let women be silent) gynaikes sigatōsan let women be silent | let women keep silent | 14:34-35 — a specific, historically and interpretively debated instruction regarding women’s participation in the Corinthian congregational setting | 女人應該保持安靜 (neoi5 jan4 jing1 goi1 bou2 ci4 on1 zing6) [NEW] | High — a genuinely contested passage across interpretive traditions (scope, referent, and application debated among evangelical scholars); translation requirements must render the text faithfully and literally without either overriding softening or unwarranted expansion, and flag for human theologian review with contextual teaching notes rather than resolving the interpretive debate unilaterally in the translation itself |
Chapter 15 (verses 12-58) — The Resurrection of Christ and Believers, continued
(Verses 1-11 receive full verse-by-verse treatment in Part 1 above. This section covers the remainder of the chapter’s load-bearing vocabulary.)
| Terms | Variants | Contextual theological meaning | Cantonese rendering | Risk |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| κενός (in vain, reprise) kenon / kenē empty | in vain, empty, void | 15:14,17,58 — if Christ is not raised, both preaching and faith are empty; but because he is raised, labor “is not in vain” | 徒然 [REUSES 15:2,10 rendering] | High |
| ἀπαρχή (firstfruits) aparchē the first portion of a harvest | firstfruits | 15:20,23 — Christ’s resurrection guarantees and previews believers’ future resurrection, as the firstfruits guarantees the full harvest | 初熟嘅果子 (co1 suk6 ge3 gwo2 zi2) [NEW] | High — requires agricultural/OT-offering background explanation for a low-OT-literacy urban audience |
| ὁ ἔσχατος Ἀδάμ (the last Adam) ho eschatos Adam the last/final Adam | last Adam | 15:22,45 — Christ as the second/last Adam, reversing the first Adam’s death-bringing act with life | 末後嘅亞當 (mut6 hau6 ge3 aa3 dong1) [NEW] | High — requires Genesis Adam background; central to the doctrine of resurrection and the doctrine of Christ’s representative headship |
| καταργέω (destroy/abolish) katargēthē to render inoperative, abolish | destroyed, abolished, done away | 15:24,26 — Christ’s reign progressively abolishes every hostile power, culminating in death’s destruction | 消滅 (siu1 mit6) [NEW] | Medium |
| ὁ ἔσχατος ἐχθρὸς… ὁ θάνατος (the last enemy… death) ho eschatos echthros… ho thanatos the last enemy is death | death, the last enemy | 15:26 — death itself, not a metaphor, is finally defeated | 死 [NEW, Low] | Low-Medium |
| σῶμα πνευματικόν (spiritual body) sōma pneumatikon Spirit-empowered/spiritual body | spiritual body | 15:44,46 — the resurrection body, real and physical, yet fully Spirit-empowered and freed from decay | 屬靈嘅身體 (suk6 ling4 ge3 san1 tai2) [NEW] | Critical — must be clearly a real, physical, transformed body (continuous with the “natural body”), not a disembodied spirit-existence; avoid any suggestion of the soul escaping the body permanently (a common folk-religious afterlife concept) |
| σῶμα ψυχικόν (natural body) sōma psychikon natural/“soul-ish” body | natural body | 15:44,46 — the present mortal body, sown in weakness | 血氣嘅身體 (hyut3 hei3 ge3 san1 tai2) [NEW, pairs with ch.2’s 血氣嘅人] | Medium |
| ἄφθαρτος (imperishable) aphtharton incapable of decay | imperishable, incorruptible | 15:42,52-54 — the resurrection body’s permanent freedom from decay | 不朽壞 (bat1 nau5 waai6) [NEW] | Medium |
| ἀθανασία (immortality) athanasian deathlessness | immortality | 15:53-54 — “this mortal [body] must put on immortality” | 不死 (bat1 sei2) [NEW] | Medium |
| νῖκος (victory) nikos victory | victory | 15:54-57 — “death is swallowed up in victory” | 勝利 (sing3 lei6) [NEW] | Low |
| κέντρον τοῦ θανάτου (sting of death) kentron tou thanatou death’s sting/goad | sting of death | 15:55-56 — death’s power to harm is decisively removed by Christ’s resurrection | 死嘅毒鉤 (sei2 ge3 duk6 ngau1) [NEW] | Medium |
| ἐν ῥιπῇ ὀφθαλμοῦ (in the twinkling of an eye) en ripē ophthalmou in the blink of an eye | in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye | 15:52 — the instantaneous nature of the final resurrection transformation | 一霎眼 (jat1 saap3 ngaan5) [NEW] | Low |
| σάλπιγξ (trumpet) salpigx trumpet | trumpet | 15:52 — the last trumpet signals the resurrection/transformation event | 號筒 (hou6 tung2) [NEW] | Low |
| κόπος (labor) kopos toil, labor | labor, work | 15:58 — “your labor is not in vain in the Lord,” the chapter’s closing pastoral application, echoing 15:10’s κοπιάω | 勞苦 [REUSES 15:10 rendering] | Medium |
Chapter 16 — The Collection, Final Instructions, and Greetings
| Terms | Variants | Contextual theological meaning | Cantonese rendering | Risk |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| λογία (collection) logia a collection [of money] | collection, offering | 16:1-2 — a practical instruction for the Jerusalem relief collection, an expression of cross-congregational unity | 捐款 (gyun1 fun2) [NEW] | Low |
| στήκετε ἐν τῇ πίστει (stand firm in the faith) stēkete en tē pistei stand in the faith | stand firm in the faith | 16:13 — a closing exhortation echoing 15:1’s ἑστήκατε | 在信心裏面站立穩 [REUSES 15:1 rendering + 信心] | Medium |
| Μαρανα θα (Maranatha) Marana tha ”Our Lord, come!” (Aramaic) | Maranatha, “Our Lord, come” | 16:22 — an Aramaic liturgical prayer/watchword preserved untranslated, expressing urgent longing for Christ’s return | 馬拉納他 (transliteration) — meaning: 主啊，求你來 (zyu2 aa3, kau4 nei5 loi4) [NEW] | Medium — recommend preserving the transliteration alongside the meaning, following the same approach as Abba in the Romans baseline, to retain the earliest church’s liturgical flavor |
| ἀνάθεμα (accursed) anathema given over to divine judgment/curse | accursed, cursed | 16:22 — “if anyone has no love for the Lord, let him be accursed”; a strong closing warning | 咒詛 (zau3 zou2) [NEW] | High — must be understood as a solemn formal pronouncement of exclusion from blessing, not casual cursing or folk-curse (詛咒/放符) practice |
| ἡ χάρις τοῦ κυρίου Ἰησοῦ (the grace of the Lord Jesus) hē charis tou kyriou Iēsou the grace of the Lord Jesus | grace of the Lord Jesus | 16:23 — closing benediction | 主耶穌嘅恩典 [REUSES 恩典 from Romans TM] | Critical |
| ἡ ἀγάπη μου μετὰ πάντων ὑμῶν (my love be with you all) hē agapē mou meta pantōn hymōn my love be with you all | my love be with you all | 16:24 — closing affection, echoing ch.13’s ἀγάπη | 我嘅愛 [REUSES ch.13 愛] | Low |
Summary of New Doctrinal-Risk Clusters Introduced by 1 Corinthians
Beyond reused Romans-baseline risk clusters (grace/temple-vow exchange, righteousness/義氣, resurrection/rebirth-cycle, incarnation/化身-顯靈, calling/astrology, etc.), 1 Corinthians introduces the following NEW high-value collision clusters for the Cantonese destination context, each requiring dedicated doctrine-risk entries in Step 2:
- Demons vs. Cantonese ghost/ancestral-spirit culture (δαιμόνιον, ch. 10) — Critical.
- Idol meat vs. temple-offering and ancestral-rite food practice (εἰδωλόθυτον, ch. 8, 10) — Critical.
- Tongues/discerning of spirits vs. spirit-mediumship (問米) (γλῶσσα, διάκρισις πνευμάτων, ch. 12, 14) — Critical/High.
- Resurrection appearance (顯現) vs. forbidden temple-manifestation language (顯靈) (ὤφθη, ch. 15) — Critical.
- Wisdom (智慧) vs. Buddhist prajñā-wisdom and Confucian sagehood (σοφία, ch. 1-3) — High.
- Hope (盼望) vs. wish-granting temple-fortune culture (ἐλπίς, ch. 13) — Medium-High.
- Love (愛) vs. romantic/Confucian-relational love registers (ἀγάπη, ch. 13) — High.
- Temple metaphor (神嘅殿/聖靈嘅殿) vs. literal folk temple buildings (廟) (ναός, ch. 3, 6) — Critical.
- Lord’s Supper (聖餐) vs. communal temple/ancestral-rite banqueting (κυριακὸν δεῖπνον, ch. 11) — Critical.
- Church factionalism (分黨) vs. socially normalized loyalty/faction language (σχίσμα, ch. 1) — High.
These clusters should be carried forward into the doctrine risk registry and glossary artifacts.