Core Glossary
Core Glossary — Hebrews (English → Cantonese)
This glossary consolidates every load-bearing theological term identified in analysis/07_semantic_analysis.md, drawn from the core passage (Hebrews 9:11–28) and every chapter of Hebrews (1–13). Terms already present in the Romans baseline translation_memory.json are marked [Baseline Reuse] and their recorded rendering is carried over unchanged. New terms proposed for this curriculum are marked [New] and are candidates for addition to translation memory in Phase 2, subject to theologian review per risk tier.
Risk tiers follow the baseline doctrine_risk_registry.json definitions: Critical and High require human theologian review; Medium requires native speaker review; Low requires automated review only.
Section A — Baseline Terms Reused from Romans (no change)
| Term (EN) | Cantonese | Transliteration | Risk | Doctrine | Chapters (Hebrews) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| God | 神 | san4 | Critical | Deity of Christ / God | 1–13 (throughout) |
| Jesus | 耶穌 | je4 sou1 | Critical | Lordship of Christ | 2, 3, 4, 6, 7, 10, 12, 13 |
| Christ / Messiah | 基督 | gei1 duk1 | Critical | Messianic Promise | 1–13 (throughout) |
| Lord | 主 | zyu2 | Critical | Lordship of Christ | 1, 2, 7, 13 |
| Son of God / the Son | 神嘅兒子 | san4 ge3 ji4 zi2 | Critical | Sonship of Christ | 1, 4, 5, 7 |
| Holy Spirit | 聖靈 | sing3 ling4 | Critical | Holy Spirit | 2, 3, 6, 9, 10 |
| Father | 父 | fu6 | High | Adoption / Fatherhood of God | 12 |
| Resurrection | 復活 | fuk6 wut6 | Critical | Resurrection of Christ | 6, 11, 13 |
| Grace | 恩典 | jan1 din2 | Critical | Grace | 2, 4, 10, 12, 13 |
| Faith | 信心 | seon3 sam1 | High | Faith of the OT Saints | 3, 4, 6, 10, 11, 13 |
| Righteousness | 義 | ji6 | Critical | (Melchizedek etymology; Perseverance) | 1, 5, 7, 11, 12 |
| Sin | 罪 | zeoi6 | High | Once-for-All Atoning Sacrifice | 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 8, 9, 10, 12, 13 |
| Law | 律法 | leot6 faat3 | High | New Covenant vs Old | 7, 8, 9, 10 |
| Covenant | 約 | joek3 | High | New Covenant vs Old | 7, 8, 9, 10, 12, 13 |
| Salvation | 救恩 | gau3 jan1 | Critical | Christ as Great High Priest | 1, 2, 5, 6, 9, 10 |
| Holy | 聖潔 | sing3 git3 | High | Separation unto God’s Service | 2, 3, 7, 9, 12, 13 |
| Sanctification | 成聖 | sing4 sing3 | High | Perseverance and Assurance | 2, 9, 10, 12, 13 |
| Saints (holy ones) | 聖徒 | sing3 tou4 | High | Faith of the OT Saints | 3, 6, 13 |
| Called / Calling | 蒙召嘅 / 呼召 | mung4 siu6 ge3 / fu1 siu6 | High | Divine Calling | 3, 5, 9 |
| Glory | 榮耀 | wing4 jiu6 | Medium | Deity of Christ | 1, 2, 3 |
| Apostle | 使徒 | si2 tou4 | Low | Christ as Apostle/High Priest | 3 |
| Church | 教會 | gaau3 wui2 | Medium | Church of the Firstborn | 12 |
| Fellowship | 團契 | tyun4 kai3 | Low | Christian Fellowship | 10, 13 |
| Kingdom of God | 神嘅國 | san4 ge3 gwok3 | Medium | Unshakeable Kingdom | 12 |
| Intercession | 代求 | doi6 kau4 | Medium | Christ’s Heavenly Intercession | 7, 9 |
| Prophet | 先知 | sin1 zi1 | Low | Inspiration of Scripture | 1 |
| Israel | 以色列 | ji5 sik1 lit6 | Medium | New Covenant vs Old | 8 |
| David | 大衛 | daai6 wai6 | Medium | (background reference) | — |
| Abba | 阿爸 | aa3 baa1 | High | Adoption | (conceptually behind ch.12 “sons”) |
| Peace | 平安 | ping4 on1 | Medium | (background reference) | 12, 13 |
| Thanksgiving | 感恩 | gam2 jan1 | Low | (background reference) | 13 |
Section B — New Terms for the Hebrews Curriculum
| Term (EN) | Cantonese | Transliteration | Risk | Doctrine | Chapters | Alternatives Rejected | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Angels | 天使 | tin1 si2 | High | Superiority of Christ over Angels | 1, 2, 12, 13 | 神仙, 天神 | 神仙 (Daoist immortal) and generic 天神 both risk importing folk-deity categories; 天使 must be taught as created, subordinate servant-spirits, inferior to the Son |
| High Priest | 大祭司 | daai6 zai3 si1 | Critical | Christ as the Great High Priest | 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10 | 大師, 法師, 道士 | Must not be conflated with Daoist ritual specialists (道士) or folk ritual masters (法師) who perform repeatable rites for a fee; Christ’s priesthood is unique, once-for-all, and permanent |
| Priest | 祭司 | zai3 si1 | High | Levitical Priesthood contrasted with Christ | 5, 7, 8, 9, 10 | 道士, 和尚 | Same collision class as High Priest, lower stakes |
| Priesthood | 祭司職任 | zai3 si1 zik1 jam6 | Medium | Christ as Great High Priest | 5, 7 | — | Abstract office-term; tie to 大祭司/祭司 |
| Melchizedek | 麥基洗德 | mak6 gei1 sai2 dak1 | Low (Medium comprehension) | Christ’s Priesthood (order of Melchizedek) | 5, 6, 7 | — | Requires explanatory footnote given low assumed OT narrative literacy; not a doctrinal collision risk itself |
| Tabernacle | 會幕 | wui6 mok6 | Medium | New Covenant vs Old / Access to God | 8, 9 | 廟, 帳篷 | Must be distinguished from 廟 (folk/Daoist/Buddhist temple) and from a generic secular tent (帳篷); 會幕 is the established Chinese Bible term |
| Holy Place / Holy of Holies | 聖所 / 至聖所 | sing3 so2 / zi3 sing3 so2 | Medium | Access to God through Christ’s Blood | 9 | — | Comprehension term; note restricted OT access contrasted with Christ’s opened access |
| Veil / Curtain | 幔子 | maan6 zi2 | High | Access to God through Christ’s Blood | 9, 10 | 布幕, 帷幕 | Established CUV term; must retain the “veil = Christ’s flesh, now torn/opened” typological force |
| Mercy Seat | 施恩座 | si1 jan1 zo6 | Critical | Once-for-All Atoning Sacrifice | 9 | 求福嘅座位, 賜福寶座 | Must not sound like a wish-granting seat analogous to Wong Tai Sin’s transactional “whatever you ask, you shall receive” (forbidden collision already flagged for Grace in baseline); it is the place where atoning blood satisfies God’s justice |
| Propitiation / Make Atonement | 贖罪 | suk6 zeoi6 | Critical | Once-for-All Atoning Sacrifice | 2, 9 | 還神還願式嘅贖罪, 消災 | Must not suggest appeasing a capricious deity through a vow-and-offering exchange, nor a folk “warding off calamity” (消災) ritual; God himself provides the satisfying sacrifice |
| Redemption | 救贖 | gau3 suk6 | Critical | Once-for-All Atoning Sacrifice | 9, 11 | 解脫, 消業 | NEVER 解脫 (Buddhist liberation from samsara, already forbidden under Salvation in baseline) or 消業 (working off karmic debt) |
| Blood | 血 | hyut3 | High | Access to God through Christ’s Blood | 9, 10, 11, 12, 13 | 歃血為盟式嘅血 | Must not be read through the lens of blood-oath sworn-brotherhood ritual (歃血為盟), a Cantonese cinematic/cultural trope cognate to the already-flagged 結拜 custom |
| Sacrifice (noun/verb) | 祭物 / 獻祭 | zai3 mat6 / hin3 zai3 | High | Once-for-All Atoning Sacrifice | 5, 7, 8, 9, 10, 13 | 拜神式嘅祭品 | Must be distinguished from ongoing folk/ancestral offering practice (拜神, 祭祖, esp. at Ching Ming/Chung Yeung); Christ’s is a single, sufficient, unrepeatable sacrifice |
| Once for All | 一次(而)永遠(有效) | jat1 ci3 (ji4) wing5 jyun5 (jau5 haau6) | Critical | Once-for-All Atoning Sacrifice | 7, 9, 10 | 頭一次, 每年一次 | Structural keyword of the whole book; NEVER rendered as “the first of a series” or implying any repetition is expected or possible |
| Mediator | 中保 | zung1 bou2 | Critical | New Covenant vs Old / Access to God | 8, 9 | 問米式嘅靈媒, 風水師 | Established Chinese Christian term; must not be conflated with a spirit-medium (問米) or feng shui intermediary; Christ alone mediates, with no ongoing need for another go-between |
| New Covenant / Old Covenant | 新約 / 舊約 | san1 joek3 / gau6 joek3 | High / Medium | New Covenant vs Old | 8, 9, 12, 13 | 新合約, 舊合約 | Risk of being heard as a renegotiated business contract (合約, a live Hong Kong commercial-culture collision already flagged under Covenant in baseline); must be taught as a relational, blood-sealed covenant |
| Inheritance | 產業 | caan2 jip6 | High | New Covenant vs Old / Perseverance and Assurance | 9 | 祖屋, 家產 | Risk of collapsing into clan/ancestral real-property inheritance (祖屋, passed through the male line in Pearl River Delta village culture); this is a spiritual, eternal inheritance for all who are called |
| Heir | 承受產業嘅人 | sing4 sau6 caan2 jip6 ge3 jan4 | High | Superiority of Christ over Angels | 1, 9 | 過繼嘅後嗣 | Tied to Inheritance collision above; distinguish from clan-succession heir-designation (過繼) |
| Conscience | 良心 | loeng4 sam1 | Medium | Once-for-All Atoning Sacrifice | 9, 10 | 面子/唔衰得 | Must retain its God-relational guilt/innocence sense, not collapse into social face-preservation (cf. baseline’s warning under Sin) |
| Perfect / Made Perfect / Perfection | 完全 / 得以完全 | jyun4 cyun4 / dak1 ji5 jyun4 cyun4 | Critical | Christ as Great High Priest / Danger of Apostasy | 2, 5, 7, 9, 10, 11, 12 | 修煉, 修成正果 | NEVER framed as Confucian self-cultivation (修煉) or Buddhist attainment of enlightenment (修成正果, already forbidden under Justification); denotes vocational/experiential completion or sufficiency, not moral self-improvement |
| Mercy / Sprinkling | 灑 | saa2 | Medium | Access to God through Christ’s Blood | 9, 10, 12 | 灑聖水, 法師灑水驅邪 | Distinguish from Catholic holy-water aspersion and folk exorcism water-sprinkling rites; names OT ceremonial background pointing typologically to Christ |
| Forgiveness / Remission | 赦免 | se3 min5 | Medium | Once-for-All Atoning Sacrifice | 9, 10 | 消業, 還神還願式嘅豁免 | Distinguish from karmic debt-cancellation and from vow-fulfillment-based “clean slate” transactions |
| Judgment | 審判 | sam2 pun3 | Medium | Danger of Apostasy and Warning Passages | 9, 10 | 報應 | Distinguish from impersonal karmic retribution (報應, already flagged under Sin in baseline) |
| Appear (of Christ) | 顯現 | hin2 jin6 | High | Christ as Great High Priest / Second Coming | 9 | 顯靈 | NEVER 顯靈 (a deity “manifesting power” at a shrine, already forbidden under Incarnation in baseline) |
| Rest | 安息 | on1 sik1 | High | New Covenant vs Old (typological background) | 3, 4 | 解脫, 涅盤 | NEVER conflated with Buddhist/Daoist liberation-from-cycle rest (already forbidden under Salvation); this is covenantal rest in Christ’s finished work |
| Word of God | 神嘅話 | san4 ge3 waa2 | High | Inspiration of Scripture (background) | 4 | 神嘅道 (standalone) | Avoid standalone 道, which risks evoking the impersonal Daoist metaphysical “Dao” rather than God’s personal spoken word |
| Confidence / Boldness | 坦然無懼 | taan2 jin4 mou4 geoi6 | Medium | Access to God through Christ’s Blood | 3, 4, 10 | — | Established devotional phrase |
| Hope | 盼望 | pun3 mong6 | High | Perseverance and Assurance | 3, 6, 7, 10, 11 | 求好運式嘅希望 | Distinguish from vague fortune-seeking hopefulness (求好運); biblical hope is certainty grounded in God’s character and promise |
| Promise | 應許 | jing3 heoi2 | Medium | New Covenant vs Old / Faith of the OT Saints | 6, 7, 8, 9, 11 | 還神還願 | God’s own unconditional commitment, not a vow a worshipper must fulfill in exchange for a granted request |
| Oath / Swear | 誓 / 起誓 | sai6 / hei2 sai6 | Medium | New Covenant vs Old | 6, 7 | 許願 | Distinguish from a worshipper’s vow to a deity (許願) in exchange for favor; here God swears to guarantee his own promise |
| Falling Away / Apostasy | 背棄真道 | bui3 hei3 zan1 dou6 | Critical | Danger of Apostasy and Warning Passages | 6, 10, 12 | 轉換信仰, 唔再拜某神 | Must not be flattened into culturally familiar low-stakes temple-switching (轉拜另一個神); this is a definitive, willful rejection of the one true God after full revelation, with severe consequence |
| Endurance / Perseverance | 堅忍 | gin1 jan2 | High | Perseverance and Assurance | 10, 12 | 忍 (佛教修行式) | Distinguish from the Buddhist cardinal virtue of self-cultivated patience/forbearance (忍, one of the six pāramitā); biblical endurance flows from assurance already given, not merit accumulation |
| Reward | 賞賜 | soeng2 ci3 | Medium | Perseverance and Assurance | 10, 11 | 善有善報 | Distinguish from the folk saying “good deeds bring good karmic reward” (善有善報); reward here flows from grace, not a merit ledger |
| Assurance / Substance (of faith) | 實底 | sat6 dai2 | Medium | Faith of the Old Testament Saints | 11 | 算命嘅信心 | Distinguish from confidence placed in fortune-telling (already flagged under Faith in baseline) |
| Evidence / Conviction | 確據 | kok3 geoi3 | Medium | Faith of the Old Testament Saints | 11 | — | Established CUV rendering |
| Cloud of Witnesses | 見證人如雲 | gin3 zing3 jan4 jyu4 wan4 | High | Faith of the Old Testament Saints / Perseverance | 12 | 祖先靈嘅見證 | Distinguish from ancestor-spirits watching over descendants (Ching Ming / Chung Yeung framework, already flagged under Father in baseline); these witnesses testify through recorded lives, not ongoing spiritual observation |
| Chastening / Discipline | 管教 | gun2 gaau3 | High | Perseverance and Assurance | 12 | 家教式嘅管教 | Distinguish from the Confucian family-discipline/filial-duty framework (家教); God’s discipline flows from the adoption relationship, motivated by fatherly love, not hierarchical duty-enforcement |
| Firstborn (assembly of) | 長子 | zoeng2 zi2 | Medium | Church as the Assembly of the Firstborn | 12 | — | Distinguish from Chinese clan primogeniture (長子繼承, eldest-son exclusive inheritance rights); the honor here is corporate, belonging to all the redeemed |
| Altar | 祭壇 | zai3 taan4 | High | Once-for-All Atoning Sacrifice | 13 | 香爐, 神主牌 | Sharp collision risk with temple incense altars (e.g. Wong Tai Sin) and ancestral-hall spirit tablets (神主牌); refers to Christ’s finished sacrifice, not a site for ongoing offerings |
| Serve / Worship (cultic) | 事奉 | si6 fung6 | High | Christ as Great High Priest / Access to God | 9, 10, 12 | 拜 | NEVER 拜 (the standard verb for bowing/offering to idols, ancestors, or temple deities — 拜神, 拜祖先); 事奉 preserves devoted service without idol-worship connotation |
| Draw Near | 親近 / 來到…面前 | can1 gan6 | High | Access to God through Christ’s Blood | 4, 7, 10, 11 | — | Reinforces direct, unmediated access for all believers, contrasted with restricted temple-sanctuary access requiring a ritual specialist |
| Radiance / Effulgence | 神榮耀嘅光輝 | san4 wing4 jiu6 ge3 gwong1 fai1 | Critical | Deity of Christ / Superiority over Angels | 1 | 化身 | Must not suggest a lesser or repeatable emanation (化身, already forbidden under Incarnation) |
| Exact Imprint | 神本體嘅真像 | san4 bun2 tai2 ge3 zan1 zoeng6 | Critical | Deity of Christ | 1 | — | Guards precision of the Deity-of-Christ claim |
| Uphold / Sustain | 支撐萬有 | zi1 caang1 maan6 jau5 | High | Superiority of Christ over Angels (Providence) | 1 | 天意, 運程 | Reinforces baseline’s 神嘅護理 (Providence); must not sound like an impersonal cosmic balancing force |
Section C — Cross-Reference Index by Curriculum Doctrine
| Curriculum Doctrine | Primary Glossary Terms |
|---|---|
| The Superiority of Christ over Angels, Moses, and the Levitical Priesthood | 天使, 神嘅兒子 [Baseline], 神榮耀嘅光輝, 神本體嘅真像, 忠心, 祭司, 大祭司, 麥基洗德, 更美 |
| Christ as the Great High Priest | 大祭司, 祭司職任, 麥基洗德, 中保, 得以完全, 事奉, 代求 [Baseline] |
| The New Covenant versus the Old | 約 [Baseline], 新約, 舊約, 中保, 樣式/影子, 律法 [Baseline], 產業 |
| The Once-for-All Atoning Sacrifice | 祭物, 獻祭, 血, 一次(而)永遠(有效), 施恩座, 贖罪, 救贖, 祭壇 |
| The Danger of Apostasy and Warning Passages | 背棄真道, 悔改, 審判, 堅忍, 賞賜, 報應 |
| Faith of the Old Testament Saints | 信心 [Baseline], 實底, 確據, 更美嘅復活, 有根基嘅城 |
| Perseverance and Assurance | 堅忍, 管教, 見證人如雲, 盼望, 十足確信嘅盼望 |
| Access to God through Christ’s Blood | 血, 幔子, 親近, 施恩座, 聖所/至聖所, 中保, 事奉 |
Section D — Chapters Reviewed with No New Theological Vocabulary
Every chapter of Hebrews contributes at least one load-bearing term to this glossary or an intensified/expanded use of a baseline term (see analysis/07_semantic_analysis.md for the full chapter-by-chapter breakdown). No chapter is silently omitted.
End of 08_core_glossary.md
Critical Risk Terms
God
Approved rendering: 神
Transliteration: san4
Doctrine: Deity of Christ / God
Rejected alternatives: 天主, 上帝, 老天爺
Original: θεός
Category: God
Inherited from Romans package. God is the ultimate speaker (Hebrews 1:1) and addressee throughout Hebrews; no new collision beyond the baseline’s Protestant-consistency rationale.
Jesus
Approved rendering: 耶穌
Transliteration: je4 sou1
Doctrine: Lordship of Christ
Original: Ἰησοῦς
Category: Christology
Inherited from Romans package. Standard Cantonese Bible transliteration unchanged.
Christ
Approved rendering: 基督
Transliteration: gei1 duk1
Doctrine: Messianic Promise
Rejected alternatives: 彌勒, 黃大仙式嘅救世主
Original: Χριστός
Category: Christology
Inherited from Romans package. Christ has entered heaven itself as High Priest (Hebrews 9:24).
Lord
Approved rendering: 主
Transliteration: zyu2
Doctrine: Lordship of Christ
Rejected alternatives: 事頭, 老爺
Original: κύριος
Category: Christology
Inherited from Romans package. Applied to Christ at Hebrews 1:10, 2:3, 7:14, 13:20.
Son Of God
Approved rendering: 神嘅兒子
Transliteration: san4 ge3 ji4 zi2
Doctrine: Sonship of Christ
Rejected alternatives: 天子, 神人
Original: υἱός
Category: Christology
Inherited from Romans package. Hebrews 1 intensifies this with radiance-of-glory and exact-imprint language; never abbreviate.
Holy Spirit
Approved rendering: 聖靈
Transliteration: sing3 ling4
Doctrine: Holy Spirit
Rejected alternatives: 問米嘅靈, 祖先靈
Original: πνεῦμα ἅγιον
Category: God
Inherited from Romans package. Hebrews 9:14’s ‘eternal Spirit’ must be tied to 聖靈 when the Holy Spirit reading is intended; never render with 靈 alone.
Resurrection
Approved rendering: 復活
Transliteration: fuk6 wut6
Doctrine: Resurrection of Christ
Rejected alternatives: 投胎轉世, 問米式嘅還魂
Original: ἀνάστασις
Category: Christology
Inherited from Romans package. Grounds Hebrews 13:20’s ‘great Shepherd… brought back from the dead’ and 11:35’s ‘better resurrection.‘
Grace
Approved rendering: 恩典
Transliteration: jan1 din2
Doctrine: Grace
Rejected alternatives: 福氣, 有求必應式嘅恩典, 功德
Original: χάρις
Category: Salvation
Inherited from Romans package. Hebrews 4:16’s ‘throne of grace’ and 12:15’s ‘falling short of grace’ both depend on this term retaining unearned-favor sense.
Righteousness
Approved rendering: 義
Transliteration: ji6
Doctrine: Melchizedekian Priesthood / Perseverance
Rejected alternatives: 道德, 善行
Original: δικαιοσύνη
Category: Salvation
Inherited from Romans package. Hebrews 7:2 embeds 義 in Melchizedek’s title (‘king of righteousness’), intensifying the 義氣 collision; flag every occurrence.
Salvation
Approved rendering: 救恩
Transliteration: gau3 jan1
Doctrine: Christ as the Great High Priest
Rejected alternatives: 解脫, 超度, 大慈大悲救苦救難
Original: σωτηρία
Category: Salvation
Inherited from Romans package. Hebrews’ sacrificial-priestly frame makes the 解脫/超度 collision especially live throughout the book.
High Priest
Approved rendering: 大祭司
Transliteration: daai6 zai3 si1
Doctrine: Christ as the Great High Priest
Rejected alternatives: 大師, 法師, 道士
Original: ἀρχιερεύς
Category: Priesthood
NEW. CRITICAL: must never be conflated with Hong Kong’s living ritual specialists (道士, 法師) who perform repeatable, fee-based mediating rites. Christ’s priesthood is unique, once-for-all, and permanent. Highest-frequency Critical collision in the book.
Permanent Priesthood
Approved rendering: 長存不變嘅祭司職任
Transliteration: coeng4 cyun4 bat1 bin3 ge3 zai3 si1 zik1 jam6
Doctrine: The Permanent, Unchangeable Priesthood of Christ
NEW. CRITICAL: must retain ‘no successor could ever occupy this office,’ not merely ‘long-tenured’; grounds assurance of Christ’s continual intercession (Hebrews 7:16, 23-25).
Mediator
Approved rendering: 中保
Transliteration: zung1 bou2
Doctrine: The New Covenant versus the Old
Rejected alternatives: 問米式嘅靈媒, 風水師, 橋樑
Original: μεσίτης
Category: Covenant
NEW. CRITICAL: must not be conflated with a spirit-medium (問米) or feng shui intermediary, nor loosened to a neutral ‘bridge’ (橋樑) as some dynamic-equivalence editions render it. Christ alone mediates the New Covenant; no ongoing need for another go-between.
Mercy Seat
Approved rendering: 施恩座
Transliteration: si1 jan1 zo6
Doctrine: Propitiation and Atonement
Rejected alternatives: 求福嘅座位, 賜福寶座
Original: ἱλαστήριον
Category: Sanctuary
NEW. CRITICAL: must not sound like a wish-granting seat analogous to Wong Tai Sin’s ‘whatever you ask, you shall receive’ (already forbidden under Grace in the baseline). Names specifically the place where atoning blood satisfies God’s justice.
Propitiation
Approved rendering: 贖罪
Transliteration: suk6 zeoi6
Doctrine: Propitiation and Atonement
Rejected alternatives: 還神還願式嘅贖罪, 消災
Original: ἱλάσκομαι
Category: Salvation
NEW. CRITICAL: must not suggest bribing/appeasing a capricious deity via vow-and-offering exchange, nor a folk calamity-warding rite (消災); God himself provides the satisfying sacrifice.
Redemption
Approved rendering: 救贖
Transliteration: gau3 suk6
Doctrine: The Once-for-All Atoning Sacrifice
Rejected alternatives: 解脫, 消業
Original: λύτρωσις
Category: Salvation
NEW. CRITICAL: NEVER 解脫 (Buddhist liberation from samsara, already forbidden under Salvation in baseline) or 消業 (working off karmic debt); the price is Christ’s own blood, paid once.
Once For All
Approved rendering: 一次(而)永遠(有效)
Transliteration: jat1 ci3 (ji4) wing5 jyun5 (jau5 haau6)
Doctrine: The Once-for-All Atoning Sacrifice
Rejected alternatives: 頭一次, 每年一次
Original: ἐφάπαξ
Category: Salvation
NEW. CRITICAL: structural keyword of the entire book (Hebrews 7:27, 9:12, 9:26, 9:28, 10:10); must NEVER be softened toward ‘one time among many’ or ‘the first of a series,’ which directly contradicts Hong Kong’s recurring ritual-offering culture.
Perfect
Approved rendering: 得以完全
Transliteration: dak1 ji5 jyun4 cyun4
Doctrine: Christ’s Qualification as High Priest
Rejected alternatives: 修煉, 修成正果
Original: τελειόω / τέλειος
Category: Christology
NEW. CRITICAL: must never suggest Confucian self-cultivation (修煉) or Buddhist enlightenment-attainment (修成正果, already forbidden under Justification). Denotes vocational/experiential completion, not moral self-improvement; Christ’s sinlessness is non-negotiable.
Radiance
Approved rendering: 神榮耀嘅光輝
Transliteration: san4 wing4 jiu6 ge3 gwong1 fai1
Doctrine: Deity of Christ
Rejected alternatives: 化身
Original: ἀπαύγασμα
Category: Christology
NEW. CRITICAL: must not suggest a lesser emanation or repeatable manifestation, echoing 化身 (already forbidden under Incarnation, popularly attributed to Guanyin). Christ shares, not merely reflects, God’s glory (Hebrews 1:3).
Exact Imprint
Approved rendering: 神本體嘅真像
Transliteration: san4 bun2 tai2 ge3 zan1 zoeng6
Doctrine: Deity of Christ
Original: χαρακτήρ
Category: Christology
NEW. CRITICAL: guards the precision of the Deity-of-Christ claim; must not be softened into a merely approximate, representational, or reflective likeness (Hebrews 1:3), a known Watchtower/NWT softening pattern.
Willful Sin
Approved rendering: 故意犯罪
Transliteration: gu3 ji3 faan6 zeoi6
Doctrine: The Danger of Apostasy and Warning Passages
Original: ἁμαρτάνειν ἑκουσίως
Category: Sin
NEW. CRITICAL: must retain full warning-passage force; connects directly to 背棄真道 and must never be softened into ordinary, forgivable moral failure (Hebrews 10:26).
Apostasy
Approved rendering: 背棄真道
Transliteration: bui3 hei3 zan1 dou6
Doctrine: The Danger of Apostasy and Warning Passages
Rejected alternatives: 轉換信仰, 唔再拜某神, 轉拜另一個神
Original: παραπίπτω
Category: Sin
NEW. CRITICAL: must not be flattened into the culturally familiar, low-stakes practice of switching allegiance between interchangeable folk deities/temples (轉拜另一個神). This is a definitive, willful rejection of the one true God after full revelation, with severe consequence (Hebrews 6:4-8, 10:26-31, 12:15-17).
High Risk Terms
Father
Approved rendering: 父
Transliteration: fu6
Doctrine: Divine Discipline as Sons
Rejected alternatives: 祖先, 老竇式嘅父
Original: πατήρ
Category: God
Inherited from Romans package. Underlies Hebrews 12:5-11’s discipline doctrine; distinguish from ancestor veneration’s reversed care-direction (descendants caring for the dead).
Faith
Approved rendering: 信心
Transliteration: seon3 sam1
Doctrine: Faith of the Old Testament Saints
Rejected alternatives: 虔誠, 睇相算命式嘅相信
Original: πίστις
Category: Faith
Inherited from Romans package. Central refrain of Hebrews 11 (‘by faith…’).
Sin
Approved rendering: 罪
Transliteration: zeoi6
Doctrine: Once-for-All Atoning Sacrifice
Rejected alternatives: 報應, 唔衰得
Original: ἁμαρτία
Category: Sin
Inherited from Romans package. Constantly adjacent to Hebrews’ Critical-risk sacrificial vocabulary (血, 祭物, 贖罪).
Law
Approved rendering: 律法
Transliteration: leot6 faat3
Doctrine: New Covenant versus the Old
Rejected alternatives: 禮, 規矩, 法律
Original: νόμος
Category: Covenant
Inherited from Romans package. Hebrews argues the law ‘made nothing perfect’ (7:19); must not soften into generic 規矩.
Covenant
Approved rendering: 約
Transliteration: joek3
Doctrine: New Covenant versus the Old
Rejected alternatives: 合約, 還神還願嘅承諾
Original: διαθήκη
Category: Covenant
Inherited from Romans package. Hebrews 9:16-17 exploits διαθήκη’s dual covenant/testament sense, which 約 cannot fully carry; requires an explanatory translator note rather than a forced pun.
Holy
Approved rendering: 聖潔
Transliteration: sing3 git3
Doctrine: Separation unto God’s Service
Rejected alternatives: 清淨, 戒口修行式嘅潔淨
Original: ἅγιος
Category: Sanctification
Inherited from Romans package. Keep clearly distinct in Cantonese from 聖所/至聖所 (sanctuary location) despite the shared root.
Sanctification
Approved rendering: 成聖
Transliteration: sing4 sing3
Doctrine: Perseverance and Assurance
Rejected alternatives: 修煉, 戒除惡習
Original: ἁγιασμός
Category: Sanctification
Inherited from Romans package. Hebrews 10:10, 10:14, 13:12 apply this to the finished, once-for-all effect of Christ’s sacrifice.
Saints
Approved rendering: 聖徒
Transliteration: sing3 tou4
Doctrine: Faith of the Old Testament Saints
Rejected alternatives: 神仙, 得道高人
Original: ἅγιοι
Category: Church
Inherited from Romans package. Applies corporately (Hebrews 6:10, 13:24).
Called
Approved rendering: 蒙召嘅
Transliteration: mung4 siu6 ge3
Doctrine: New Covenant versus the Old
Rejected alternatives: 天生註定, 命中注定
Original: κλητός / κεκλημένοι
Category: Salvation
Inherited from Romans package. The ‘called’ in Hebrews 9:15 receive the eternal inheritance secured by the mediator’s death; must not read as birth-chart fate.
Calling
Approved rendering: 呼召
Transliteration: fu1 siu6
Doctrine: Superiority of Christ over Moses
Rejected alternatives: 命運, 緣分
Original: κλῆσις
Category: Salvation
Inherited from Romans package. Underlies the ‘heavenly calling’ shared by believers (Hebrews 3:1).
Abba
Approved rendering: 阿爸
Transliteration: aa3 baa1
Doctrine: Divine Discipline as Sons
Original: אַבָּא
Category: God
Inherited from Romans package. Retained for conceptual cross-reference to Hebrews 12’s sonship/discipline doctrine, though the Aramaic transliteration does not itself recur in Hebrews’ Greek text.
Angels
Approved rendering: 天使
Transliteration: tin1 si2
Doctrine: Superiority of Christ over Angels
Rejected alternatives: 神仙, 天神
Original: ἄγγελος
Category: Christology
NEW. Must be taught as created, subordinate servant-spirits, categorically inferior to the Son; risk of conflation with Daoist immortals (神仙) or venerated household/guardian spirits actively petitioned in Hong Kong folk practice.
Priest
Approved rendering: 祭司
Transliteration: zai3 si1
Doctrine: Superiority of Christ over the Levitical Priesthood
Rejected alternatives: 道士, 和尚
Original: ἱερεύς
Category: Priesthood
NEW. Same collision class as high_priest at lower stakes; names the OT office Christ fulfills and surpasses.
Veil
Approved rendering: 幔子
Transliteration: maan6 zi2
Doctrine: Access to God through Christ’s Blood
Rejected alternatives: 布幕, 帷幕
Original: καταπέτασμα
Category: Sanctuary
NEW. Established CUV term; must retain the typological force that the veil = Christ’s own crucified flesh, now torn/opened (Hebrews 9:3, 10:20).
Altar
Approved rendering: 祭壇
Transliteration: zai3 taan4
Doctrine: The Altar and the Sacrifice of Praise
Rejected alternatives: 香爐, 神主牌
Original: θυσιαστήριον
Category: Sanctuary
NEW. Sharp collision risk with temple incense altars (e.g. Wong Tai Sin) and ancestral-hall spirit tablets/offering altars (神主牌); refers to Christ’s finished sacrifice, never a site for ongoing offerings.
Blood
Approved rendering: 血
Transliteration: hyut3
Doctrine: Access to God through Christ’s Blood
Rejected alternatives: 歃血為盟式嘅血
Original: αἷμα
Category: Salvation
NEW. Must not be read through the lens of blood-oath sworn-brotherhood ritual (歃血為盟, cognate to the baseline’s fenced 結拜); Christ’s blood is a once-for-all atoning payment from an unequal party, not a bond between equals.
Sacrifice
Approved rendering: 祭物 / 獻祭
Transliteration: zai3 mat6 / hin3 zai3
Doctrine: The Once-for-All Atoning Sacrifice
Rejected alternatives: 拜神式嘅祭品
Original: θυσία
Category: Salvation
NEW. Must be distinguished from ongoing folk/ancestral offering practice (拜神, 祭祖, esp. Ching Ming/Chung Yeung); Christ’s sacrifice is single, sufficient, unrepeatable.
New Covenant
Approved rendering: 新約
Transliteration: san1 joek3
Doctrine: The New Covenant versus the Old
Rejected alternatives: 新合約
Original: καινὴ διαθήκη
Category: Covenant
NEW. Aids recognition as the standard Chinese Bible name for the New Testament collection, but risks being heard as a renegotiated business contract (合約), a live Hong Kong commercial-culture collision. Must be taught as a relational, blood-sealed covenant.
Inheritance
Approved rendering: 產業
Transliteration: caan2 jip6
Doctrine: The New Covenant versus the Old
Rejected alternatives: 祖屋, 家產
Original: κληρονομία
Category: Covenant
NEW. Risk of collapsing into clan/ancestral real-property inheritance (祖屋, passed through the male line in Pearl River Delta village culture); this is a spiritual, eternal inheritance for all who are called (Hebrews 9:15).
Heir
Approved rendering: 承受產業嘅人
Transliteration: sing4 sau6 caan2 jip6 ge3 jan4
Doctrine: Superiority of Christ over Angels
Rejected alternatives: 過繼嘅後嗣
Original: κληρονόμος
Category: Christology
NEW. Tied to the inheritance collision above; distinguish from clan-succession heir-designation (過繼), which is instrumental rather than relational (Hebrews 1:2, 1:14).
Rest
Approved rendering: 安息
Transliteration: on1 sik1
Doctrine: Covenantal Rest
Rejected alternatives: 解脫, 涅盤
Original: κατάπαυσις / σαββατισμός
Category: Covenant
NEW. Must be sharply distinguished from Buddhist/Daoist liberation-from-cycle rest (already forbidden under Salvation) and from ordinary weekend leisure; this is covenantal rest secured by Christ’s finished work, entered by faith (Hebrews 3-4).
Word Of God
Approved rendering: 神嘅話
Transliteration: san4 ge3 waa2
Doctrine: Inspiration and the Living Word of God
Rejected alternatives: 神嘅道 (standalone)
Original: λόγος τοῦ θεοῦ
Category: Covenant
NEW. Avoid standalone 道 in this context, which risks evoking the impersonal Daoist metaphysical ‘Dao’ rather than God’s personal spoken word (Hebrews 4:12-13); contrast the fixed, idiomatically safe compound 道成肉身.
Draw Near
Approved rendering: 親近
Transliteration: can1 gan6
Doctrine: Access to God through Christ’s Blood
Original: προσέρχομαι
Category: Faith
NEW. Reinforces direct, unmediated access for all believers, contrasted with restricted OT/temple-sanctuary access requiring a ritual specialist (Hebrews 4:16, 7:25, 10:1, 10:22, 11:6, 12:18, 12:22).
Hope
Approved rendering: 盼望
Transliteration: pun3 mong6
Doctrine: Faith of the Old Testament Saints
Rejected alternatives: 求好運式嘅希望
Original: ἐλπίς
Category: Faith
NEW. Must not be confused with vague fortune-seeking hopefulness (求好運), a habitual Hong Kong New Year/temple-visit posture; biblical hope is certainty grounded in God’s unchanging character (Hebrews 3:6, 6:11, 6:18-19, 7:19, 10:23, 11:1).
Learned Obedience
Approved rendering: 從苦難中學到順服
Transliteration: cung4 fu2 naan6 zung1 hok6 dou3 seon6 fuk6
Doctrine: Humanity of Christ
Original: ἔμαθεν ὑπακοήν
Category: Christology
NEW. Must guard true Humanity of Christ without suggesting Christ was ever disobedient or morally deficient before ‘learning’ (Hebrews 5:8) — experiential acquisition through real suffering, not moral correction.
Uphold Sustain
Approved rendering: 支撐萬有
Transliteration: zi1 caang1 maan6 jau5
Doctrine: Superiority of Christ over Angels
Rejected alternatives: 天意, 運程
Original: φέρω
Category: God
NEW. Reinforces the baseline’s 神嘅護理 (Providence); must not sound like an impersonal cosmic balancing force analogous to feng shui’s claimed influence over fortune (運程).
Sat Down Enthronement
Approved rendering: 坐咗落嚟
Transliteration: co5 zo2 lok6 lai4
Doctrine: The Once-for-All Atoning Sacrifice
Original: ἐκάθισεν
Category: Christology
NEW. The posture itself carries doctrinal weight (finished work), contrasted with priests who stood because their work was never finished; must not be flattened to an incidental narrative detail (Hebrews 1:3, 8:1, 10:12, 12:2).
New And Living Way
Approved rendering: 一條新而活嘅路
Transliteration: jat1 tiu4 san1 ji4 wut6 ge3 lou6
Doctrine: Access to God through Christ’s Blood
Original: πρόσφατος καὶ ζῶσα ὁδός
Category: Faith
NEW. Must retain both the ‘newness’ (previously unavailable access) and ‘living’ (life-giving, not merely ceremonial) senses together (Hebrews 10:20).
Endurance
Approved rendering: 堅忍
Transliteration: gin1 jan2
Doctrine: The Cloud of Witnesses and Perseverance
Rejected alternatives: 忍 (佛教修行式)
Original: ὑπομονή
Category: Perseverance
NEW. Must be distinguished from the Buddhist cardinal virtue of self-cultivated patience/forbearance (忍, one of the six pāramitā); biblical endurance flows from assurance already given, not merit accumulation (Hebrews 10:36, 12:1).
Cloud Of Witnesses
Approved rendering: 見證人如雲
Transliteration: gin3 zing3 jan4 jyu4 wan4
Doctrine: The Cloud of Witnesses and Perseverance
Rejected alternatives: 祖先靈嘅見證
Original: νέφος μαρτύρων
Category: Faith
NEW. Strong risk of conflation with ancestor-spirits watching over descendants (Ching Ming/Chung Yeung framework, already flagged under Father in the baseline); these witnesses testify through recorded past lives, not ongoing spiritual observation (Hebrews 12:1).
Chastening
Approved rendering: 管教
Transliteration: gun2 gaau3
Doctrine: Divine Discipline as Sons
Rejected alternatives: 家教式嘅管教
Original: παιδεία
Category: Perseverance
NEW. Must be distinguished from the Confucian family-discipline/filial-duty framework (家教); flows from the adoption relationship, motivated by fatherly love, not hierarchical duty-enforcement (Hebrews 12:5-11).
Serve Worship
Approved rendering: 事奉
Transliteration: si6 fung6
Doctrine: The Altar and the Sacrifice of Praise
Rejected alternatives: 拜
Original: λατρεύω
Category: Priesthood
NEW. NEVER 拜, the standard Cantonese verb for bowing/offering worship to idols, ancestors, or temple deities (拜神, 拜祖先). 事奉 preserves devoted service without idol-worship connotation (Hebrews 9:14, 12:28, 13:10).
Appear
Approved rendering: 顯現
Transliteration: hin2 jin6
Doctrine: Christ’s Heavenly Intercession / Second Coming of Christ
Rejected alternatives: 顯靈
NEW. NEVER 顯靈 (a deity ‘manifesting power’ at a shrine, already forbidden under Incarnation in the baseline). Used consistently across Hebrews 9:24 (priestly representation), 9:26, and 9:28 (Second Coming).
Write On Hearts
Approved rendering: 寫在心裡
Transliteration: se2 zoi6 sam1 leoi5
Doctrine: The New Covenant versus the Old
NEW. New Covenant internal transformation, contrasted with mere external law-keeping (Hebrews 8:10); must retain the Spirit-wrought internal-transformation sense central to the Sanctification doctrine.
Medium Risk Terms
Glory
Approved rendering: 榮耀
Transliteration: wing4 jiu6
Doctrine: Deity of Christ
Rejected alternatives: 面子, 威水
Original: δόξα
Category: God
Inherited from Romans package. Foundational to Hebrews 1:3’s radiance imagery.
Church
Approved rendering: 教會
Transliteration: gaau3 wui2
Doctrine: Church of the Firstborn
Rejected alternatives: 廟, 祠堂
Original: ἐκκλησία
Category: Church
Inherited from Romans package. Hebrews 12:23 pairs this with 長子 (firstborn); NEVER 廟 or 祠堂.
Kingdom Of God
Approved rendering: 神嘅國
Transliteration: san4 ge3 gwok3
Doctrine: The Unshakeable Kingdom of God
Rejected alternatives: 天下, 王朝
Original: βασιλεία
Category: Kingdom
Inherited from Romans package. Hebrews 12:28’s ‘unshakeable kingdom’ intensifies the political-sensitivity caution given Hong Kong’s context.
Intercession
Approved rendering: 代求
Transliteration: doi6 kau4
Doctrine: Christ’s Heavenly Intercession
Rejected alternatives: 求籤代辦, 問米
Original: ἐντυγχάνω
Category: Faith
Inherited from Romans package. Hebrews 7:25: Christ ‘always lives to make intercession’ for believers.
Israel
Approved rendering: 以色列
Transliteration: ji5 sik1 lit6
Doctrine: New Covenant versus the Old
Original: Ἰσραήλ
Category: Covenant
Inherited from Romans package. Named in Hebrews 8:8-10’s Jeremiah 31 citation.
David
Approved rendering: 大衛
Transliteration: daai6 wai6
Doctrine: Melchizedekian Priesthood (background)
Original: Δαυίδ
Category: Covenant
Inherited from Romans package. Background figure behind Hebrews’ royal/priestly typology (not directly named but presupposed).
Peace
Approved rendering: 平安
Transliteration: ping4 on1
Doctrine: Christian Ethics and Holy Living
Rejected alternatives: 平安符式嘅平安, 老黃曆話嘅好日子
Original: εἰρήνη
Category: Salvation
Inherited from Romans package. Cf. Hebrews 12:11’s ‘peaceful fruit of righteousness’ and 13:20’s ‘God of peace.‘
Priesthood
Approved rendering: 祭司職任
Transliteration: zai3 si1 zik1 jam6
Doctrine: Christ as the Great High Priest
Original: ἱερωσύνη / ἀρχιερωσύνη
Category: Priesthood
NEW. Abstract office-term; contrasts the changeable Levitical succession with Christ’s single, permanent tenure (Hebrews 7:11-12, 24).
Without Genealogy
Approved rendering: 無族譜
Transliteration: mou4 zuk6 pou2
Doctrine: The Melchizedekian Priesthood
Original: ἀγενεαλόγητος
Category: Priesthood
NEW. Deliberately creates cultural friction with Pearl River Delta clan culture, where documented ancestry (族譜) is the customary basis of legitimacy; must be flagged as a positive (divinely appointed legitimacy), not a deficiency.
Tithes
Approved rendering: 十分之一
Transliteration: sap6 fan6 zi1 jat1
Doctrine: The Melchizedekian Priesthood
Rejected alternatives: 香油錢
Original: δεκάτη
Category: Priesthood
NEW. Must be distinguished from a transactional temple donation made to secure favor (香油錢); Abraham’s tithe is worshipful acknowledgment of superior status, not payment for a service.
Tabernacle
Approved rendering: 會幕
Transliteration: wui6 mok6
Doctrine: The Heavenly Sanctuary and Its Earthly Copy
Rejected alternatives: 廟, 帳篷
Original: σκηνή
Category: Sanctuary
NEW. Established Chinese Bible term for God’s own tent-sanctuary; must be kept distinct from a folk/Daoist/Buddhist temple (廟) or a generic secular tent (帳篷).
Holy Place
Approved rendering: 聖所 / 至聖所
Transliteration: sing3 so2 / zi3 sing3 so2
Doctrine: The Heavenly Sanctuary and Its Earthly Copy
Rejected alternatives: 內殿
Original: τὰ ἅγια / ἅγια ἁγίων
Category: Sanctuary
NEW. Must be kept distinct from a temple’s inner shrine room (內殿), which any worshipper may approach with an offering; the OT’s restricted access heightens the contrast with Christ’s opened access.
Gifts And Sacrifices
Approved rendering: 禮物同祭物
Transliteration: lai5 mat6 tung4 zai3 mat6
Doctrine: Superiority of Christ over the Levitical Priesthood
Original: δῶρά τε καὶ θυσίας
Category: Priesthood
NEW. Names the OT high priest’s basic job description (Hebrews 5:1, 8:3-4); care needed so the phrase does not endorse an ongoing gift-to-deity model for New Covenant worship.
Conscience
Approved rendering: 良心
Transliteration: loeng4 sam1
Doctrine: The Once-for-All Atoning Sacrifice
Rejected alternatives: 面子, 唔衰得
Original: συνείδησις
Category: Salvation
NEW. Must retain God-relational guilt/innocence sense; must not collapse into social face-preservation (cf. baseline’s warning under Sin).
Old Covenant
Approved rendering: 舊約
Transliteration: gau6 joek3
Doctrine: The New Covenant versus the Old
Rejected alternatives: 舊合約
Original: πρώτη διαθήκη
Category: Covenant
NEW. Must not be taught as false or worthless, only as fulfilled and superseded in its covenantal administration.
Obsolete
Approved rendering: 過時
Transliteration: gwo3 si4
Doctrine: The New Covenant versus the Old
Original: πεπαλαίωται
Category: Covenant
NEW. Care needed so this is not read as the Old Testament itself being untrue, only as a covenantal administration now fulfilled and surpassed (Hebrews 8:13).
Oath
Approved rendering: 誓 / 起誓
Transliteration: sai6 / hei2 sai6
Doctrine: God’s Unchanging Promise and Oath
Rejected alternatives: 許願
Original: ὅρκος / ὄμνυμι
Category: Covenant
NEW. Must be distinguished from a worshipper’s vow to a temple deity (許願) made in exchange for a favor; God himself swears to guarantee his own unilateral promise, the reverse direction of temple vow-making.
Promise
Approved rendering: 應許
Transliteration: jing3 heoi2
Doctrine: God’s Unchanging Promise and Oath
Rejected alternatives: 還神還願
Original: ἐπαγγελία
Category: Covenant
NEW. Must not be confused with 還神還願 (a vow fulfilled only after a request is granted, already forbidden under Justification/Covenant in the baseline); here God is the one who promises.
House Household
Approved rendering: 家
Transliteration: gaa1
Doctrine: Superiority of Christ over Moses
Rejected alternatives: 家族
Original: οἶκος
Category: Covenant
NEW. In the phrase 神嘅家 (God’s household), must be distinguished from clan household (家族) inheritance-succession framing; membership is by faith, not bloodline (Hebrews 3:2-6).
Confidence
Approved rendering: 坦然無懼
Transliteration: taan2 jin4 mou4 geoi6
Doctrine: Access to God through Christ’s Blood
Original: παρρησία
Category: Faith
NEW. Established devotional phrase; recurring exhortation-marker (Hebrews 3:6, 4:16, 10:19, 10:35) — keep consistent across all occurrences.
Assurance Substance
Approved rendering: 實底
Transliteration: sat6 dai2
Doctrine: Faith of the Old Testament Saints
Rejected alternatives: 算命嘅信心
Original: ὑπόστασις
Category: Faith
NEW. Established CUV rendering (Hebrews 11:1); must be distinguished from confidence placed in fortune-telling/palm-reading, already flagged under Faith in the baseline.
Evidence Conviction
Approved rendering: 確據
Transliteration: kok3 geoi3
Doctrine: Faith of the Old Testament Saints
Original: ἔλεγχος
Category: Faith
NEW. Established CUV rendering; pairs with 實底 in Hebrews 11:1’s definition of faith.
Taste Death
Approved rendering: 親身經歷死亡
Transliteration: can1 san1 ging1 lik6 sei2 mong4
Doctrine: Humanity of Christ
Original: γεύομαι θανάτου
Category: Christology
NEW. Guards a real, not merely apparent, death (Hebrews 2:9), feeding directly into Resurrection and Incarnation doctrines.
Pioneer Founder
Approved rendering: 創始者
Transliteration: cong3 ci2 ze2
Doctrine: The Cloud of Witnesses and Perseverance
Original: ἀρχηγός
Category: Christology
NEW. Recurs at Hebrews 12:2 as ‘author and finisher (of faith)’; keep rendering consistent with its first occurrence at Hebrews 2:10.
Judgment
Approved rendering: 審判
Transliteration: sam2 pun3
Doctrine: Final Judgment and Accountability
Rejected alternatives: 報應
Original: κρίσις
Category: Sin
NEW. Must be a personal divine verdict, never impersonal karmic retribution (報應, already flagged under Sin in the baseline), nor a fortune-teller’s forecast (Hebrews 9:27, 10:27).
Reward
Approved rendering: 賞賜
Transliteration: soeng2 ci3
Doctrine: Perseverance and Assurance
Rejected alternatives: 善有善報
Original: μισθαποδοσία
Category: Perseverance
NEW. Must be distinguished from the folk saying ‘善有善報’ (good deeds bring good karmic reward); reward flows from a grace relationship, not a merit ledger (Hebrews 10:35, 11:6, 11:26).
Firstborn
Approved rendering: 長子
Transliteration: zoeng2 zi2
Doctrine: Church of the Firstborn
Rejected alternatives: 長子繼承
Original: πρωτότοκος
Category: Church
NEW. Must be distinguished from Chinese clan primogeniture (長子繼承, eldest-son-exclusive inheritance rights); the honor in Hebrews 12:23 is corporate, belonging to all the redeemed.
Forgiveness
Approved rendering: 赦免
Transliteration: se3 min5
Doctrine: The Once-for-All Atoning Sacrifice
Rejected alternatives: 消業, 還神還願式嘅豁免
Original: ἄφεσις
Category: Salvation
NEW. Must be distinguished from karmic debt-cancellation and from the vow-fulfillment ‘clean slate’ transaction sense; flows only from the one mediator’s shed blood (Hebrews 9:22, 10:18).
Inaugurated
Approved rendering: 立定
Transliteration: laap6 ding6
Doctrine: The New Covenant versus the Old
Rejected alternatives: 開始生效
NEW. Must retain the sense of a solemn, blood-sealed inauguration ceremony (Hebrews 9:18), not a mere administrative start-date.
Sprinkling
Approved rendering: 灑
Transliteration: saa2
Doctrine: The Heavenly Sanctuary and Its Earthly Copy
Rejected alternatives: 灑聖水, 法師灑水驅邪
NEW. Distinguish from Catholic holy-water aspersion and folk exorcism water-sprinkling rites; names OT ceremonial background typologically anticipating Christ’s blood (Hebrews 9:13, 9:19-21).
Vessels Of Ministry
Approved rendering: 事奉用嘅器具
Transliteration: si6 fung6 jung6 ge3 hei3 geoi6
Doctrine: The Heavenly Sanctuary and Its Earthly Copy
NEW. Reuses 事奉 root established for cultic service; low-comprehension narrative detail from Hebrews 9:21.
Copy And Shadow
Approved rendering: 樣式 / 影子
Transliteration: joeng6 sik1 / jing2 zi2
Doctrine: The Heavenly Sanctuary and Its Earthly Copy
NEW. Must not suggest the OT system was false or worthless — a true, God-given pattern pointing to the heavenly reality (Hebrews 8:5, 9:23-24), not a counterfeit.
Remember No More
Approved rendering: 唔再記念
Transliteration: m4 zoi3 gei3 nim6
Doctrine: The New Covenant versus the Old
NEW. Full and final forgiveness under the New Covenant (Hebrews 8:12, 10:17); reuse 罪/赦免 vocabulary.
Surety Guarantee
Approved rendering: 保證人
Transliteration: bou2 zing3 jan4
Doctrine: The Permanent, Unchangeable Priesthood of Christ
NEW. Christ personally guarantees the New Covenant’s permanence (Hebrews 7:22).
Separated From Sinners
Approved rendering: 從罪人中分別出嚟
Transliteration: cung4 zeoi6 jan4 zung1 fan6 bit6 ceot1 lai4
Doctrine: Christ’s Qualification as High Priest
NEW. Describes Christ’s unique sinless status among humanity (Hebrews 7:26); reuse 罪 baseline root.
Mercy
Approved rendering: 憐憫
Transliteration: lyun4 man5
Doctrine: The Sympathetic High Priest
NEW. Paired with 恩典 at Hebrews 4:16’s ‘throne of grace’ passage; low-to-medium risk, standard vocabulary.
Obey Leaders
Approved rendering: 順服帶領你哋嘅人
Transliteration: seon6 fuk6 daai3 ling5 nei5 dei6 ge3 jan4
Doctrine: Christian Ethics and Holy Living
NEW. Church governance and mutual accountability (Hebrews 13:17); reuse 順服 vocabulary.
Sacrifice Of Praise
Approved rendering: 讚美嘅祭
Transliteration: zaan3 mei5 ge3 zai3
Doctrine: The Altar and the Sacrifice of Praise
NEW. Must be clearly marked as figurative/verbal thanksgiving, not confused with literal incense or food offerings common in Hong Kong temple and ancestral-rite practice (Hebrews 13:15).
Low Risk Terms
Apostle
Approved rendering: 使徒
Transliteration: si2 tou4
Doctrine: Christ’s Qualification as High Priest
Rejected alternatives: 風水師, 大師
Original: ἀπόστολος
Category: Church
Inherited from Romans package. Hebrews 3:1 uniquely applies this title to Christ himself as ‘the Apostle and High Priest of our confession.‘
Fellowship
Approved rendering: 團契
Transliteration: tyun4 kai3
Doctrine: Brotherly Love and Hospitality
Rejected alternatives: 同鄉會, 結拜
Original: κοινωνία
Category: Church
Inherited from Romans package. Applied conceptually to Hebrews 13:16’s ‘doing good and sharing.‘
Prophet
Approved rendering: 先知
Transliteration: sin1 zi1
Doctrine: Inspiration and the Living Word of God
Rejected alternatives: 風水師, 算命佬
Original: προφήτης
Category: Covenant
Inherited from Romans package. Hebrews 1:1: God ‘spoke to our fathers… through the prophets.‘
Thanksgiving
Approved rendering: 感恩
Transliteration: gam2 jan1
Doctrine: Thanksgiving and Praise to God
Original: εὐχαριστία (conceptual; cf. θυσία αἰνέσεως)
Category: Faith
Inherited from Romans package. Applied to Hebrews 13:15’s figurative ‘sacrifice of praise.‘
Melchizedek
Approved rendering: 麥基洗德
Transliteration: mak6 gei1 sai2 dak1
Doctrine: The Melchizedekian Priesthood
Original: Μελχισέδεκ
Category: Priesthood
NEW. Low doctrinal collision risk as a proper name; Medium comprehension risk given assumed low OT narrative literacy — requires explanatory footnote on first occurrence.
Consuming Fire
Approved rendering: 吞滅嘅火
Transliteration: tan1 mit6 ge3 fo2
Doctrine: The Unshakeable Kingdom of God
Original: πῦρ καταναλίσκον
Category: God
NEW. God’s holy, purifying/judging presence, motivating reverent worship (Hebrews 12:29); low collision risk beyond standard reverent-fear framing.
Great Shepherd
Approved rendering: 大牧人
Transliteration: daai6 muk6 jan4
Doctrine: The Eternal, Unchanging Christ
Original: ὁ ποιμὴν ὁ μέγας
Category: Christology
NEW. Christ’s ongoing pastoral care, secured through his resurrection (Hebrews 13:20); pastoral/agrarian imagery less native to urban Hong Kong daily experience, primarily a comprehension note.
Milk Solid Food
Approved rendering: 奶 / 乾糧
Transliteration: naai5 / gon1 loeng4
Doctrine: Faith of the Old Testament Saints (comprehension background)
NEW. Spiritual immaturity vs. maturity metaphor (Hebrews 5:12-14); low doctrinal collision, mainly comprehension.
Reverent Fear
Approved rendering: 敬畏
Transliteration: ging3 wai3
Doctrine: Humanity of Christ
NEW. Christ’s own reverent submission in prayer to the Father (Hebrews 5:7); low doctrinal collision risk.
Brotherly Love Hospitality
Approved rendering: 弟兄相愛 / 接待客旅
Transliteration: dai6 hing1 soeng1 oi3 / zip3 doi6 haak3 leoi5
Doctrine: Brotherly Love and Hospitality
NEW. Practical outworking of Christian fellowship (Hebrews 13:1-3); reuse 團契 concept, low collision risk.
Outside The Camp
Approved rendering: 營外 / 城門外
Transliteration: jing4 ngoi6 / sing4 mun4 ngoi6
Doctrine: The Altar and the Sacrifice of Praise
NEW. Narrative-historical detail (Hebrews 13:11-13); requires brief context given low assumed OT literacy, but no doctrinal collision risk.
Referenced passages