Core Glossary
Core Glossary — Colossians (English → Czech)
How to use this glossary
This glossary lists every load-bearing theological term identified in 07_semantic_analysis.md, chapter by chapter, with its Greek original, proposed/required Czech rendering, risk tier, associated doctrine, status relative to the baseline Romans translation memory, and key passages. Terms marked REUSE must be rendered exactly as recorded in the baseline translation_memory.json — no deviation is permitted. Terms marked NEW are proposed for this curriculum and must be added to an updated translation_memory.json in Phase 2 with version increment, per the baseline’s enforcement instructions.
Risk tiers follow the baseline doctrine_risk_registry.json definitions exactly:
- Critical — mistranslation destroys essential doctrine; mandatory human theologian review, every occurrence.
- High — mistranslation creates significant theological confusion; mandatory human theologian review.
- Medium — mistranslation reduces clarity but preserves core meaning; native speaker review recommended.
- Low — minor risk; automated review sufficient.
Distinctive note for Colossians vs. the Romans baseline: several terms below (φιλοσοφία, στοιχεῖα τοῦ κόσμου, θρησκεία τῶν ἀγγέλων, ἐθελοθρησκία) are flagged with an unusual risk pattern: unlike Romans, where the dominant Czech risk was an absence of any competing framework, Colossians’ anti-syncretism material collides with a live contemporary Czech phenomenon — high engagement with astrology, esoteric “energy” practices, and New Age spirituality among an institutionally non-religious population. These terms are marked accordingly.
Chapter 1 (including core passage 1:15–20)
| English gloss | Greek | Czech rendering | Risk | Doctrine | Status | Key passages | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| saints | ἅγιοι | svatí | High | Sainthood | REUSE | 1:2 | Corporate, all-believers sense; not calendar name-day figures. |
| faith | πίστις | víra | High | Faith | REUSE | 1:4 | Object of faith (Christ Jesus) must stay explicit. |
| love | ἀγάπη | láska | Low-Medium | Christian Fellowship | NEW | 1:4, 1:8 | Distinguish from romantic-love register of casual Czech usage. |
| hope | ἐλπίς | naděje | Medium | Assurance/Union with Christ | NEW | 1:5, 1:23, 1:27 | Secular Czech “naděje” implies uncertain wish; theological hope is a certainty grounded in God’s promise. |
| gospel | εὐαγγέλιον | evangelium | High | Gospel | REUSE | 1:5, 1:23 | Must be actively defined, not merely translated. |
| wisdom / spiritual understanding | σοφία / σύνεσις πνευματική | moudrost / duchovní rozumnost | Medium | Warning against False Teaching | NEW | 1:9 | Distinguish from both secular shrewdness and the false teachers’ claimed esoteric “higher knowledge.” |
| power (of God) | δύναμις | moc | Medium | Supremacy of Christ | NEW (extends baseline “moc Boží” pattern) | 1:11 | Standard. |
| inheritance of the saints in light | κλῆρος τῶν ἁγίων ἐν τῷ φωτί | dědictví svatých ve světle | Medium | Adoption/Inheritance | NEW | 1:12 | Connects to baseline Adoption doctrine (Medium). |
| domain/authority of darkness | ἐξουσία τοῦ σκότους | moc temnoty | Medium | Supremacy of Christ | NEW | 1:13 | Must not read as an equal cosmic rival to God; Christ is supreme over this power too. |
| kingdom of his beloved Son | βασιλεία τοῦ υἱοῦ τῆς ἀγάπης αὐτοῦ | království milovaného Syna | Medium | Kingdom Mission / Sonship of Christ | NEW (extends baseline “království Boží”) | 1:13 | Avoid fairy-tale-kingdom association per baseline caution. |
| redemption | ἀπολύτρωσις | vykoupení | High | Reconciliation through the Cross | NEW | 1:14 | Commercial “buy-back” resonance is helpful but theological content still needs unpacking. |
| forgiveness of sins | ἄφεσις τῶν ἁμαρτιῶν | odpuštění hříchů | High | Universal Human Accountability | REUSE (hřích) | 1:14 | Reuses baseline High-risk “hřích.” |
| image (of the invisible God) | εἰκών | obraz | High | Supremacy and Sufficiency of Christ / Fullness of Deity | NEW | 1:15, 3:10 | Czech “obraz” = painting/picture; must be taught as personal ontological self-manifestation, not portrait/symbol. Consistent rendering required at 3:10 cross-reference. |
| invisible | ἀόρατος | neviditelný | Low | Supremacy of Christ | NEW | 1:15, 1:16 | Stable. |
| firstborn (of all creation / from the dead) | πρωτότοκος | prvorozený | Critical | Supremacy of Christ / Resurrection of Christ | NEW | 1:15, 1:18 | Live collision with Jehovah’s Witness (“created being”) reading circulating in Czech society; must teach rank/heir sense, exclude origin/sequence sense. Mandatory theologian review every occurrence. |
| creation | κτίσις / κτίζω | stvoření / stvořit | Low-Medium | Supremacy of Christ over Creation | NEW | 1:15, 1:16, 1:23 | Stable; keep noun/verb forms consistent. |
| thrones, dominions, rulers, authorities | θρόνοι, κυριότητες, ἀρχαί, ἐξουσίαι | trůny, panstva, vlády, mocnosti | High | Supremacy of Christ | NEW | 1:16 | Secular Czech default reading is political (“world powers,” “governments”); must be taught as angelic/spiritual powers. |
| in him / through him / for him | ἐν αὐτῷ / διʼ αὐτοῦ / εἰς αὐτόν | v něm / skrze něho / pro něho | Medium-High | Supremacy of Christ | NEW | 1:16 | Preserve all three prepositions distinctly; do not flatten into one for style. |
| before all things / holds together | πρὸ πάντων / συνίστημι | přede vším / [vše] spočívá | High | Supremacy and Sufficiency of Christ | NEW | 1:17 | New conceptual content (continuous divine sustaining of the cosmos) for a scientifically-secular reader; ties to False Teaching doctrine as rebuttal of rival cosmologies. |
| head (of the body, the church) | κεφαλή | hlava | High | Christ as Head of the Church | NEW | 1:18 | Also reused in household-code sense (ch. 3); keep the two applications doctrinally distinct. |
| body | σῶμα | tělo | High | Christ as Head of the Church | NEW | 1:18; also 2:17, 2:19, 2:23 | Homograph collision with σάρξ (“flesh,” also “tělo” in Czech, see ch. 2); requires standing translator’s note. |
| church | ἐκκλησία | církev | Medium | Church as God’s People | REUSE | 1:18, 1:24; ch.4 | Distinguish from “kostel” (building). |
| beginning (vs. “rulers” homograph in 1:16) | ἀρχή | počátek | Medium | Resurrection of Christ | NEW | 1:18 | Flag explicitly as a different sense of the same Greek root used for “rulers” in 1:16. |
| firstborn from the dead | πρωτότοκος ἐκ τῶν νεκρῶν | prvorozený z mrtvých | Critical | Resurrection of Christ | NEW | 1:18 | Compounds “firstborn” Critical risk with baseline’s Critical “vzkříšení” entry. |
| preeminence | πρωτεύω | prvenství (ve všem) | Medium | Supremacy of Christ | NEW | 1:18 | Abstract; needs concrete, non-competitive framing. |
| was pleased | εὐδοκέω | zalíbilo se [Bohu] | Low-Medium | Fullness of Deity in Christ | NEW | 1:19 | Make implicit subject (Father) explicit. |
| fullness | πλήρωμα | plnost | High | Fullness of Deity in Christ | NEW | 1:19; 2:9-10 | Bland, contentless Czech abstract word; also the false teachers’ own rhetorical term being reclaimed — requires the polemical backdrop to be taught, not just the dictionary sense. |
| dwell | κατοικέω | přebývat | Low-Medium | Fullness of Deity in Christ | NEW | 1:19; 2:9 | Preserve permanence nuance. |
| reconcile / reconciliation | ἀποκαταλλάσσω | smířit / smíření | Medium | Reconciliation through the Cross | NEW | 1:20, 1:21-22 | Unusually helpful Czech secular resonance (interpersonal/historical reconciliation); risk is failing to scale up to cosmic (“all things…in heaven”) scope. |
| made peace | εἰρηνοποιέω | nastolil pokoj | Medium | Reconciliation through the Cross | NEW | 1:20 | Reuses baseline “pokoj” (Medium; distinguish from mere quiet). |
| blood / cross | αἷμα / σταυρός | krev / kříž | High | Reconciliation through the Cross | NEW | 1:20 | Cross is a ubiquitous Czech visual/cultural artifact but doctrinally detached for secular readers, parallel to baseline’s “vzkříšení”/Easter finding; requires active unpacking. |
| alienated / estranged | ἀπαλλοτριόω | odcizený | Medium | Reconciliation through the Cross | NEW | 1:21 | Pairs with ἀποκαταλλάσσω above. |
| what is lacking in Christ’s afflictions | ὑστέρημα τῶν θλίψεων τοῦ Χριστοῦ | to, co ještě chybí z Kristových útrap | High | Sufficiency of Christ (guard doctrine) | NEW | 1:24 | Must not appear to contradict Christ’s sufficiency; refers to Paul’s/the church’s ongoing ministry suffering, never to atonement deficiency. Mandatory theologian review. |
| stewardship / commission | οἰκονομία | správcovství / úřad | Medium | Divine Calling | NEW | 1:25 | Distinguish from financial-management cognates. |
| mystery | μυστήριον | tajemství | High | Mystery of Christ / False Teaching contrast | NEW | 1:26, 1:27 (implicit); 2:2; 4:3 | Ordinary Czech sense = undisclosed secret; biblical sense = formerly hidden, NOW publicly revealed divine plan. Consistent gloss required across all occurrences. |
| Christ in you, the hope of glory | Χριστὸς ἐν ὑμῖν, ἡ ἐλπὶς τῆς δόξης | uses sláva (REUSE) + “in Christ” identity | Medium/High | Union with Christ / Glory | REUSE (sláva) | 1:27 | Distinguish sláva from worldly fame per baseline. |
| mature / complete | τέλειος | dokonalý | Medium-High | Putting On the New Self | NEW | 1:28 | Czech “dokonalý” connotes flawlessness; risks legalistic/perfectionist misreading rather than relational maturity. |
Chapter 2
| English gloss | Greek | Czech rendering | Risk | Doctrine | Status | Key passages | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| philosophy | φιλοσοφία | filozofie | High | Warning against False Teaching | NEW | 2:8 | Positive academic connotation in Czech risks inverting Paul’s meaning; must always co-occur with “and empty deceit, human tradition” qualifier. |
| tradition | παράδοσις | tradice / lidské podání | Medium-High | Warning against False Teaching | NEW | 2:8 | Inverse-valence risk: Czech “tradice” is warmly positive; retain “human” qualifier throughout. |
| elemental spirits/elements of the world | στοιχεῖα τοῦ κόσμου | základy/mocnosti světa | Critical | Warning against False Teaching and Syncretism | NEW | 2:8, 2:20 | Live collision with contemporary Czech astrology/esoteric/New Age practice — a genuine present-day rival framework, unlike most Romans-baseline terms. Mandatory theologian review, interpretive-range note required. |
| fullness of Deity | πλήρωμα τῆς θεότητος | plnost božství | Critical | Fullness of Deity in Christ Bodily | NEW | 2:9 | Combines High-risk πλήρωμα with Critical θεότης; the curriculum’s namesake doctrine. |
| deity/divine nature | θεότης | božství | Critical | Fullness of Deity in Christ Bodily / Deity of Christ | NEW | 2:9 | Distinguish from “Bůh” (God, the person); refutes docetism and any “lesser/created deity” reading (cf. πρωτότοκος note). |
| bodily | σωματικῶς | tělesně | High | Fullness of Deity in Christ Bodily / Incarnation | NEW | 2:9 | Strongest anti-docetic term in the letter; must not be diluted to “fully/completely.” |
| circumcision (spiritual) | περιτομή | obřízka | Medium | Covenant / Union with Christ | NEW | 2:11 | Requires OT covenant-sign background explanation for readers with no prior exposure. |
| not made with hands | ἀχειροποίητος | neučiněná rukama | Medium | Union with Christ | NEW | 2:11 | Rare compound; needs plain gloss. |
| buried with / raised with | συνθάπτω / συνεγείρω | spolu pochováni / spolu vzkříšeni | High/Critical | Union with Christ (Died and Raised With Him) | NEW (extends REUSE vzkříšení) | 2:12; 3:1 | Present, positional union — must be distinguished from both Christ’s own historical bodily resurrection and believers’ future bodily resurrection. |
| record of debt / bond with its decrees | χειρόγραφον τοῖς δόγμασιν | dlužní úpis | Medium | Reconciliation through the Cross | NEW | 2:14 | Debt-bond metaphor has helpful Czech commercial resonance; cancellation must be taught as decisive legal act. |
| disarmed / triumphed over | ἀπεκδύομαι / θριαμβεύω | odzbrojil / veřejně triumfoval | Medium-High | Supremacy of Christ | NEW | 2:15 | Roman-triumph cultural background foreign to Czech reader; needs explanation. |
| shadow (vs. substance) | σκιά (vs. σῶμα) | stín (vs. skutečnost/podstata) | Low-Medium | Fulfillment of Old Covenant Shadow-Types | NEW | 2:17 | Third distinct sense of σῶμα in the letter; flag homograph. |
| worship of angels | θρησκεία τῶν ἀγγέλων | uctívání andělů | Medium | Warning against False Teaching | NEW | 2:18 | Contemporary Czech “angel spirituality” (angel cards, guardian-angel practice) gives this unexpected present relevance, unlike baseline’s “no live competitor” finding. |
| (false) humility | ταπεινοφροσύνη | pokora | Medium-High | Warning against False Teaching / (positive use ch.3) | NEW | 2:18 (negative); 3:12 (positive) | Same Czech word must carry opposite valences by context; mandatory disambiguating note at 2:18. |
| self-devised religion | ἐθελοθρησκία | vlastní zbožnost / svévolné náboženství | High | Warning against False Teaching | NEW | 2:23 | No ready Czech equivalent; direct parallel to contemporary Czech DIY/eclectic spirituality. |
| flesh | σάρξ | tělo | High | Old Self / False Teaching | NEW | 2:11, 2:18, 2:23; 3:5 | Homograph collision with σῶμα (body); standing translator’s note required wherever both occur nearby. |
| feast, new moon, sabbath | ἑορτή, νεομηνία, σάββατον | svátek, novoluní, sobota | Medium | Fulfillment of Old Covenant | NEW | 2:16 | Requires OT ceremonial-calendar background. |
| severity to the body | ἀφειδία σώματος | tvrdost k tělu | Medium | Warning against False Teaching | NEW | 2:23 | Distinguish ineffective asceticism from legitimate Christian self-discipline generally. |
Chapter 3
| English gloss | Greek | Czech rendering | Risk | Doctrine | Status | Key passages | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| put off | ἀποτίθεμαι / ἀπεκδύομαι | odložte / svlékli jste | Medium | Putting Off the Old Self | NEW | 3:8-9 | Garment metaphor for a decisive, once-for-all break, not gradual improvement. |
| put on | ἐνδύω | oblečte se | Medium | Putting On the New Self | NEW | 3:10, 3:12 | Deliberate, active embrace of new identity. |
| the old self | ὁ παλαιὸς ἄνθρωπος | starý člověk | High | Putting Off the Old Self | NEW | 3:9 | Corporate “in Adam” identity, not mere individual moral effort. |
| the new self | ὁ νέος ἄνθρωπος | nový člověk | High | Putting On the New Self | NEW | 3:10 | Explicitly linked to εἰκών (image) — cross-reference consistency required with “obraz.” |
| being renewed | ἀνακαινούμενον | je obnovován | Medium | Putting On the New Self | NEW | 3:10 | Ongoing process, distinct from the once-for-all put off/on acts. |
| Greek, Jew, barbarian, Scythian, slave, free | Ἕλλην, Ἰουδαῖος, βάρβαρος, Σκύθης, δοῦλος, ἐλεύθερος | Řek, Žid, barbar, Skyta, otrok, svobodný | Medium-High | Unity of Jews and Gentiles (extended) | NEW | 3:11 | ”Barbar/Skyta” need historical gloss (no modern referent); rhetorical force is extremity of categories dissolved in Christ. |
| heartfelt compassion | σπλάγχνα οἰκτιρμοῦ | vroucí/upřímný soucit | Low-Medium | Putting On the New Self | NEW | 3:12 | Idiom-handling; literal “bowels” image does not transfer. |
| kindness, gentleness, patience | χρηστότης, πραΰτης, μακροθυμία | laskavost, mírnost/tichost, trpělivost | Low | Putting On the New Self | NEW | 3:12 | Standard virtue vocabulary. |
| bond of perfection/unity | σύνδεσμος τῆς τελειότητος | pouto/svazek dokonalosti | Medium | Putting On the New Self | NEW | 3:14 | Abstract; needs concrete unpacking (love as unifying virtue). |
| let the peace of Christ rule | ἡ εἰρήνη τοῦ Χριστοῦ βραβευέτω | ať vládne/rozhoduje pokoj Kristův | Medium | Peace with God (community application) | REUSE (pokoj) | 3:15 | Umpire background not transparent; render functionally. |
| word of Christ | ὁ λόγος τοῦ Χριστοῦ | slovo Kristovo | Medium | Inspiration of Scripture | NEW | 3:16 | Needs foundational explanation of Scripture’s authority for a low-literacy audience. |
| psalms, hymns, spiritual songs | ψαλμοί, ὕμνοι, ᾠδαὶ πνευματικαί | žalmy, hymny/chvalozpěvy, duchovní písně | Low-Medium | Christian Fellowship | NEW | 3:16 | Standard; note possible category overlap. |
| submit | ὑποτάσσεσθε | podřizovat se | High | Household Codes | NEW | 3:18 | Czech corporate/bureaucratic register risk; must be paired with husband’s sacrificial-love command and Christ’s own lordship-as-service model; native speaker AND theologian review recommended given live cultural friction with Czech egalitarian norms. |
| do not be embittered / do not provoke | μὴ πικραίνεσθε / μὴ ἐρεθίζετε | nechovejte se tvrdě / nedrážděte | Low | Household Codes | NEW | 3:19, 3:21 | Standard restraint commands balancing submission/obedience instructions. |
| Lord / master | κύριος | Pán (Christ, capitalized) / pán (human masters, lowercase) | Critical | Lordship of Christ / Household Codes | REUSE (Pán) + NEW (contextual lowercase use) | 3:22, 3:23, 3:24; 4:1 | Both senses occur within one passage; capitalization is a fragile signal; mandatory theologian review and explicit teaching note every occurrence. |
| slave/bondservant | δοῦλος | otrok | High | Household Codes | NEW | 3:22-4:1 | Deliberate choice against softening to “služebník” in this literal-slavery context; consistent glossary decision required across curriculum. |
| impartiality | προσωπολημψία | nestrannost | Medium | Universal Human Accountability | NEW | 3:25 | Connects to baseline’s Universal Human Accountability doctrine. |
| people-pleaser | ἀνθρωπάρεσκος | ten, kdo se chce zalíbit lidem | Low | Household Codes | NEW | 3:22 | Descriptive compound, low ambiguity. |
Chapter 4
| English gloss | Greek | Czech rendering | Risk | Doctrine | Status | Key passages | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| master / slave (continued) | κύριος / δοῦλος | pán/Pán / otrok | Critical / High | Household Codes | REUSE + NEW (carried from ch.3) | 4:1 | Same mandatory review as ch.3 entries. |
| continue in prayer, watchful | προσευχή…γρηγορέω | vytrvale se modlete a bděte | Medium | Prayer and Intercession | NEW | 4:2 | Standard, connects to baseline’s Medium-risk intercession doctrine. |
| mystery of Christ | μυστήριον τοῦ Χριστοῦ | tajemství Kristovo | High | Mystery of Christ | REUSE (from ch.1 tajemství) | 4:3 | Consistent gloss with 1:26/2:2 required. |
| conduct toward outsiders | περιπατεῖτε πρὸς τοὺς ἔξω | jednejte s moudrostí vůči těm, kdo jsou vně | Medium | Evangelism | NEW | 4:5 | ”Walk” idiom rendered functionally, not literally; Czech secular-culture sensitivity around perceived intrusiveness applies (per baseline evangelism note). |
| making the most of the time | τὸν καιρὸν ἐξαγοραζόμενοι | využívejte čas/příležitosti | Low-Medium | Evangelism | NEW | 4:5 | Standard idiom. |
| speech seasoned with salt | ὁ λόγος…ἅλατι ἠρτυμένος | řeč ať je laskavá/půvabná | Low-Medium | Christ-Centered Ministry | NEW | 4:6 | Idiom-handling; literal salt image does not transfer naturally to Czech. |
| fellow servant | σύνδουλος | spoluslužebník | Low | Christian Fellowship | NEW | 1:7, 4:7 | Standard compound. |
| minister/servant | διάκονος | služebník | Low-Medium | Christ-Centered Ministry | NEW | 1:7, 1:23, 1:25, 4:7 | Distinguish general-ministry sense from later formal ecclesial office. |
| church in her house | ἐκκλησία κατ’ οἶκον | domácí církev / církev v jejím domě | Low-Medium | Church as God’s People | NEW | 4:15 | Correct against baseline’s noted “kostel” (building) default association. |
| my chains | τὰ δεσμά μου | má pouta/mé okovy | Low-Medium | Christ-Centered Ministry (Paul’s suffering) | NEW | 4:18 | Concrete, standard term. |
Cross-cutting risk observations for Phase 2 planning
- Critical-tier terms requiring mandatory theologian review, every occurrence: πρωτότοκος (prvorozený), θεότης/πλήρωμα τῆς θεότητος (božství/plnost božství), στοιχεῖα τοῦ κόσμου (základy/mocnosti světa), κύριος in the household-code sections (pán/Pán), πρωτότοκος ἐκ τῶν νεκρῶν (prvorozený z mrtvých), συνθάπτω/συνεγείρω (spolu pochováni/vzkříšeni).
- Terms with an inverse-valence risk (positive Czech secular connotation vs. negative Pauline usage): φιλοσοφία (filozofie), παράδοσις (tradice). These require the qualifying phrase (“human,” “empty deceit”) to be retained on every occurrence, not paraphrased away for style.
- Homograph collisions requiring standing translator notes: σῶμα vs. σάρξ (both commonly “tělo”); ἀρχή used in two distinct senses within the core passage itself (1:16 “rulers” vs. 1:18 “beginning”).
- The single acute cultural-sensitivity term: ὑποτάσσω (podřizovat se) in the household codes, given contemporary Czech society’s secular, comparatively egalitarian gender-role norms — flagged for combined native-speaker and theologian review rather than either alone.
- The distinctive Colossians risk pattern absent from the Romans baseline: unlike Romans’ general finding of “no live rival framework,” Colossians 2’s anti-syncretism vocabulary (φιλοσοφία, στοιχεῖα τοῦ κόσμου, θρησκεία τῶν ἀγγέλων, ἐθελοθρησκία) collides with a documented, active contemporary Czech phenomenon — astrology, esoteric/“energy” practice, and DIY spirituality filling the space left by institutional religious decline. Phase 2 materials on these terms should include a note connecting the ancient polemic to this present-day parallel, without overstating a one-to-one equivalence.
Critical Risk Terms
God
Approved rendering: Bůh
Transliteration: theos / Elohim / YHWH
Doctrine: Deity of Christ
Original: θεός
Category: God
Inherited from Romans package exactly. Standard and unambiguous; Colossians introduces no new risk beyond the baseline’s existing Critical designation.
Jesus
Approved rendering: Ježíš
Transliteration: Iēsous / Yeshua
Doctrine: Lordship of Christ
Inherited from Romans package exactly. Standard and stable, though ‘Ježíš’/‘Ježíšmarjá’ also functions as a common secular interjection in colloquial Czech; ensure formal Colossians teaching material never echoes this casual exclamatory register.
Holy Spirit
Approved rendering: Duch svatý
Transliteration: pneuma hagion
Doctrine: Sanctification
Original: πνεῦμα
Category: God
Inherited from Romans package exactly. Colossians’ references (1:8-9) presuppose the same Trinitarian framework the baseline flags as needing accompanying explanation for a low-literacy audience.
Resurrection
Approved rendering: vzkříšení
Transliteration: anastasis
Doctrine: Resurrection of Christ
Inherited from Romans package exactly. Recognized from Easter (Velikonoce) but substantially detached from doctrinal content by secular folk-custom observance; Colossians compounds this by also using resurrection language positionally of believers (2:12) — the historical/bodily sense (1:18) and the positional/spiritual sense (2:12; 3:1) must be kept distinct.
Lord
Approved rendering: Pán
Transliteration: kyrios
Doctrine: Lordship of Christ
Rejected alternatives: pán s malým ‘p’ jako běžné zdvořilostní oslovení
Inherited from Romans package exactly. Colossians’ household code (3:22-4:1) compounds this baseline Critical risk by using κύριος for BOTH the human slave-owner (lowercase ‘pán’) AND Christ (‘Pán’) within the same short passage — see new entry ‘lord_master_kyrios’ below for the household-code-specific handling.
Son Of God
Approved rendering: Syn Boží
Transliteration: huios theou
Doctrine: Sonship of Christ
Inherited from Romans package exactly. Colossians expresses the same eternal-Sonship doctrine through ‘Syn jeho milovaný’ (1:13) and ‘obraz’ (1:15) rather than the full baseline phrase in every instance; translators must recognize these as the same doctrine, not license to weaken the claim.
Messiah
Approved rendering: Mesiáš
Transliteration: Christos / Mashiach
Doctrine: Messianic Promise
Inherited from Romans package exactly. Reserve for contexts foregrounding the specific Old Testament messianic-expectation background; Colossians overwhelmingly uses Χριστός as a virtual proper name (see new entry ‘christ’ below), for which ‘Kristus,’ not ‘Mesiáš,’ is the correct default rendering.
Christ
Approved rendering: Kristus
Transliteration: Christos
Doctrine: Deity of Christ
Original: Χριστός
Category: Christology
NEW for Colossians (extends baseline ‘messiah’ entry). Render Χριστός with the established Czech Bible form ‘Kristus’ throughout, functioning in Colossians almost as a proper noun interchangeable with ‘Jesus,’ and as the central subject of the cosmic hymn (1:15-20). Distinct from ‘Mesiáš,’ which is reserved for contexts emphasizing the specific Jewish messianic-expectation background.
Firstborn Of All Creation
Approved rendering: prvorozený
Transliteration: prōtotokos pasēs ktiseōs
Doctrine: Supremacy of Christ over Creation
Rejected alternatives: prvorozený ve smyslu první stvořená bytost
Original: πρωτότοκος πάσης κτίσεως
Category: Christology
CRITICAL. NEW for Colossians. This verse is a standard proof-text used by Svědkové Jehovovi (Jehovah’s Witnesses), an active minority movement with continuing door-to-door presence in the Czech Republic, to argue Christ is a created being. This is a LIVE doctrinal collision with an identifiable rival reading circulating in Czech society today. Every occurrence requires an explanatory note establishing the rank/heir sense (excluded by 1:16) and mandatory human theologian review, without exception. NEVER insert a Czech equivalent of ‘ostatní’ (other) before ‘creation’/‘things’ in 1:16, a distortion characteristic of the Watchtower Society’s Czech New World Translation.
Firstborn From The Dead
Approved rendering: prvorozený z mrtvých
Transliteration: prōtotokos ek tōn nekrōn
Doctrine: Resurrection of Christ
Original: πρωτότοκος ἐκ τῶν νεκρῶν
Category: Christology
CRITICAL. NEW for Colossians. Compounds the ‘firstborn’ rank/heir-vs-origin risk with the baseline’s already-Critical ‘vzkříšení’ entry (1:18); must clearly teach this as Christ’s own historical, bodily resurrection as the first instance of a category others will share.
Elemental Spirits Of The World
Approved rendering: základy/mocnosti světa
Transliteration: stoicheia tou kosmou
Doctrine: Warning against False Teaching and Syncretism
Original: στοιχεῖα τοῦ κόσμου
Category: False Teaching
CRITICAL. NEW for Colossians. A disputed phrase (angelic/demonic powers / physical elements / elementary regulations); UNLIKE the Romans baseline’s finding of no live rival framework, this collides with a well-documented contemporary Czech phenomenon: astrology, esoteric ‘energie,’ numerology, and New Age/DIY spirituality (2:8, 2:20). Mandatory human theologian review every occurrence, with an interpretive-range note and a bounded modern-parallel note that does not overstate a one-to-one equivalence.
Fullness Of Deity Bodily
Approved rendering: plnost božství tělesně
Transliteration: plērōma tēs theotētos sōmatikōs
Doctrine: Fullness of Deity in Christ Bodily
Rejected alternatives: plnost božské kvality/vlastnosti (zeslabená formulace)
Original: πλήρωμα τῆς θεότητος σωματικῶς
Category: Christology
CRITICAL. NEW for Colossians. The curriculum’s namesake doctrine (2:9); combines the High-risk ‘plnost’ with the Critical ‘božství.’ NEVER soften toward a diminished ‘divine quality’ formula, a pattern characteristic of Watchtower/Jehovah’s Witness literature; must affirm undiminished, full deity. Mandatory theologian review.
Deity Theotes
Approved rendering: božství
Transliteration: theotēs
Doctrine: Fullness of Deity in Christ Bodily
Rejected alternatives: božství zaměněné za ‘Bůh’ (osoba)
Original: θεότης
Category: Christology
CRITICAL. NEW for Colossians. The quality/nature of deity itself, distinguished from θεός/‘Bůh’ (God, the person) (2:9); must be distinguished from ‘Bůh’ with a plain-language gloss on EVERY occurrence, and must rebut the same ‘lesser/created deity’ misreading the ‘prvorozený’/Jehovah’s Witness collision produces.
Buried And Raised With Christ
Approved rendering: spolu pochováni / spolu vzkříšeni
Transliteration: synthaptō / synegeirō
Doctrine: Union with Christ (Died and Raised With Him)
Original: συνθάπτω / συνεγείρω
Category: Salvation
CRITICAL. NEW for Colossians. Extends baseline Critical ‘vzkříšení’ to a present, positional sense (2:12; 3:1); must be kept distinct from BOTH Christ’s own historical bodily resurrection (1:18) AND believers’ future bodily resurrection hope — a three-way distinction Czech vocabulary does not mark automatically. Mandatory theologian review.
Lord Master Kyrios
Approved rendering: pán (lidští páni) / Pán (Kristus)
Transliteration: kyrios
Doctrine: Household Codes
Rejected alternatives: pán a Pán nerozlišené pouze velkým počátečním písmenem bez doprovodné poznámky
Original: κύριος
Category: Christology
CRITICAL. NEW for Colossians, extending baseline ‘lord’ entry. Within 3:22-4:1, κύριος names BOTH the human slave-owner (lowercase ‘pán’) AND Christ himself (‘Pán’) within the same eight verses about the same social relationship — the single most acute translation risk in the book. Capitalization alone is a fragile signal, especially in audio/low-formatting contexts. Mandatory human theologian review at every occurrence; requires an explicit note teaching that human ‘páni’ are themselves subject to the one true ‘Pán.‘
High Risk Terms
Father
Approved rendering: Otec
Transliteration: patēr
Doctrine: Adoption into God’s Family
Original: πατήρ
Category: God
Inherited from Romans package exactly. God as personal Father, addressed in Colossians’ opening thanksgiving (1:2-3) and named as the one who qualified believers for their inheritance (1:12).
Gospel
Approved rendering: evangelium
Transliteration: euangelion
Doctrine: Gospel
Original: εὐαγγέλιον
Category: Salvation
Inherited from Romans package exactly. Must still be actively defined at first use per the baseline’s low-biblical-literacy finding; Colossians additionally stresses the gospel’s worldwide fruitfulness (1:5-6, 1:23), which should be taught as historical claim, not mere doctrinal assertion.
Grace
Approved rendering: milost
Transliteration: charis
Doctrine: Grace
Inherited from Romans package exactly. Appears at Colossians 1:6, 3:16, 4:6, 4:18; must not be flattened to the everyday judicial-clemency sense without also conveying unmerited divine favor, per baseline forbidden-substitution rule.
Faith
Approved rendering: víra
Transliteration: pistis
Doctrine: Faith
Rejected alternatives: víra v obecném slova smyslu
Original: πίστις
Category: Faith
Inherited from Romans package exactly. Colossians ties faith’s stability directly to resistance against syncretism (2:5-7), reinforcing the baseline’s requirement that the object of faith (Christ Jesus) remain explicit.
Saints
Approved rendering: svatí
Transliteration: hagioi
Doctrine: Sainthood and Holiness
Rejected alternatives: svatí výhradně jako historické, kanonizované osobnosti
Original: ἅγιοι
Category: Church
Inherited from Romans package exactly. Corporate address to all believers at Colossae (1:2, 1:4, 1:12, 1:26); the Czech calendar’s continued marking of saints’ name days functions as folk custom detached from live theological content and must be actively corrected.
Sanctification
Approved rendering: posvěcení
Transliteration: hagiasmos
Doctrine: Sanctification and Renewal
Rejected alternatives: posvěcení výhradně jako rituální/symbolický akt
Inherited from Romans package exactly. Otherwise mainly known in Czech as the ceremonial blessing of a building; Colossians’ ‘old self/new self’ garment imagery and ‘dokonalý’ (mature) language add a further legalistic-misreading risk.
Incarnation
Approved rendering: vtělení
Transliteration: ho logos sarx egeneto
Doctrine: Incarnation
Inherited from Romans package exactly. Colossians’ ‘σωματικῶς’ (tělesně, 2:9) is the letter’s strongest anti-docetic statement and must not be diluted to a vaguer ‘fully/completely.‘
Sin
Approved rendering: hřích
Transliteration: hamartia
Doctrine: Redemption and Forgiveness of Sins
Rejected alternatives: hřích s oslabeným, žertovným významem
Inherited from Romans package exactly. Underlies Colossians 1:14’s ‘odpuštění hříchů’ (forgiveness of sins); guard against colloquially weakened, idiomatic Czech use of ‘hřích’ as a mild expression for ‘a shame/pity.‘
Covenant
Approved rendering: smlouva
Transliteration: diathēkē
Doctrine: Unity of Diverse Peoples in Christ
Rejected alternatives: smlouva výhradně jako běžná obchodní nebo právní smlouva
Inherited from Romans package exactly. Relevant background for Colossians 2:11’s circumcision material, requiring explicit Old Testament covenant-sign explanation (Genesis 17) since a secular reader will bring no prior association.
Redemption
Approved rendering: vykoupení
Transliteration: apolytrōsis
Doctrine: Redemption and Forgiveness of Sins
Original: ἀπολύτρωσις
Category: Salvation
NEW for Colossians. Deliverance secured at a cost (1:14); Czech commercial ‘buy-back’ resonance is helpful but the theological content (deliverance from sin’s bondage) still needs unpacking.
Forgiveness Of Sins
Approved rendering: odpuštění hříchů
Transliteration: aphesis tōn hamartiōn
Doctrine: Redemption and Forgiveness of Sins
Original: ἄφεσις τῶν ἁμαρτιῶν
Category: Sin
NEW compound for Colossians, built from baseline High-risk ‘hřích’ (1:14).
Image Of The Invisible God
Approved rendering: obraz
Transliteration: eikōn tou theou tou aoratou
Doctrine: Supremacy of Christ over Creation
Original: εἰκὼν τοῦ θεοῦ τοῦ ἀοράτου
Category: Christology
NEW for Colossians. Christ as the perfect, personal, visible manifestation of the invisible God’s own nature (1:15), a status the ‘new self’ is renewed after (3:10). Czech ‘obraz’ primarily denotes a hanging picture; requires explanatory gloss and must be rendered IDENTICALLY at both 1:15 and 3:10 for the cross-reference to register.
Thrones Dominions Rulers Authorities
Approved rendering: trůny, panstva, vlády, mocnosti
Transliteration: thronoi, kyriotētes, archai, exousiai
Doctrine: Spiritual Powers and Authorities
Original: θρόνοι, κυριότητες, ἀρχαί, ἐξουσίαι
Category: Christology
NEW for Colossians. In ordinary secular Czech, ‘mocnosti’/‘vlády’ default to political great-power/government readings; requires an explanatory note distinguishing this from earthly politics (1:16) — readers must grasp Christ’s supremacy over spiritual/angelic powers specifically.
In Through For Him
Approved rendering: v něm / skrze něho / pro něho
Transliteration: en autō / dia autou / eis auton
Doctrine: Supremacy of Christ over Creation
Rejected alternatives: sloučení všech tří předložek do jedné pro stylistickou hladkost
Original: ἐν αὐτῷ / διʼ αὐτοῦ / εἰς αὐτόν
Category: Christology
NEW for Colossians. Preserve all three Czech prepositions distinctly (1:16); collapsing them for stylistic smoothness erases the theological point that creation has no purpose independent of Christ.
Supremacy Before All Things
Approved rendering: přede vším
Transliteration: pro pantōn
Doctrine: Supremacy of Christ over Creation
Rejected alternatives: přede vším pouze ve smyslu hodnostním (‘nade vším’)
Original: πρὸ πάντων
Category: Christology
NEW for Colossians. Must retain both the temporal (pre-existence) and rank (supremacy) senses together (1:17); a rank-only reading silently drops the pre-existence claim.
Christ Sustains All Things
Approved rendering: vše v něm spočívá
Transliteration: synistēmi
Doctrine: Supremacy of Christ over Creation
Original: συνίστημι
Category: Christology
NEW for Colossians. Christ’s continuous, active sustaining of creation (1:17), not merely its origin — a genuinely new conceptual claim for a reader in a secular scientific ‘self-sustaining universe’ framework; functions as direct rebuttal of the Colossian error’s impersonal ‘elemental’ cosmology.
Head Of The Church
Approved rendering: hlava
Transliteration: kephalē
Doctrine: Christ as Head of the Church
Original: κεφαλή
Category: Church
NEW for Colossians. Christ’s organic, authoritative headship over the church (1:18), reprised over ‘every ruler and authority’ (2:10); must be kept conceptually distinct from the same Czech word’s later household-code application (3:18-4:1).
Body Of Christ
Approved rendering: tělo
Transliteration: sōma
Doctrine: Christ as Head of the Church
Original: σῶμα
Category: Church
NEW for Colossians. The church as Christ’s organic corporate body (1:18, 1:24). Czech ‘tělo’ is a HOMOGRAPH shared with σάρξ (‘flesh’, see ‘flesh’ entry below) and with the third, unrelated ‘substance/reality’ sense at 2:17; a standing translator’s note distinguishing these is required wherever they occur in proximity.
Fullness
Approved rendering: plnost
Transliteration: plērōma
Doctrine: Fullness of Deity in Christ Bodily
Original: πλήρωμα
Category: Christology
NEW for Colossians. Ordinary Czech ‘plnost’ is a bland abstract word carrying no inherited theological content; ALSO the false teachers’ own rhetorical term, reclaimed by Paul (2:9-10) — the polemical backdrop must be taught alongside the dictionary sense.
Blood Of The Cross
Approved rendering: krev kříže
Transliteration: haima tou staurou
Doctrine: Reconciliation through the Cross
Original: αἷμα τοῦ σταυροῦ
Category: Salvation
NEW for Colossians. The cross (kříž) is a ubiquitous Czech visual/architectural artifact but, parallel to the baseline’s ‘vzkříšení’/Easter finding, largely detached from doctrinal content for a secular population; requires active unpacking (1:20).
Lacking In Christs Afflictions
Approved rendering: to, co ještě chybí z Kristových útrap
Transliteration: hysterēma tōn thlipseōn tou Christou
Doctrine: Sufficiency of Christ
Rejected alternatives: výklad naznačující nedostatečnost Kristova vykupitelského díla
Original: ὑστέρημα τῶν θλίψεων τοῦ Χριστοῦ
Category: Ministry
NEW for Colossians. Refers to Paul’s/the church’s ongoing ministry suffering (1:24), NEVER to any deficiency in Christ’s finished atoning work; a careless rendering could appear to contradict 1:15-20’s sufficiency claim. This is also the primary Catholic/Protestant doctrinal-bias fault line in the letter (see 05_translation_landscape.md); this curriculum follows the Protestant-tradition reading exclusively. Mandatory theologian review.
Mystery
Approved rendering: tajemství
Transliteration: mystērion
Doctrine: Mystery of Christ Revealed
Rejected alternatives: tajemství jako stále nevyjevené, utajované sdělení
Original: μυστήριον
Category: Revelation
NEW for Colossians. Ordinary Czech ‘tajemství’ means an interpersonal secret still being concealed — the REVERSE of Paul’s point that this divine plan is now publicly revealed (1:26-27; 2:2; 4:3). Requires active teaching at first occurrence and a consistent gloss across all four occurrences in the letter.
Mature Complete
Approved rendering: dokonalý
Transliteration: teleios
Doctrine: Sanctification and Renewal
Rejected alternatives: dokonalý ve smyslu bezchybného výkonu
Original: τέλειος
Category: Sanctification
NEW for Colossians. Czech ‘dokonalý’ strongly connotes flawlessness/perfectionism, risking a legalistic misreading of Paul’s goal (1:28) — relational, developmental Christian maturity, not flawless performance — especially given chapter 2’s adjacent anti-legalism polemic.
Philosophy
Approved rendering: filozofie
Transliteration: philosophia
Doctrine: Warning against False Teaching and Syncretism
Rejected alternatives: filozofie jako obecné odsouzení akademické disciplíny
Original: φιλοσοφία
Category: False Teaching
NEW for Colossians. In Czech, ‘filozofie’ is a respected academic discipline with strongly positive connotations, an INVERSE-VALENCE risk versus Paul’s negative referent (2:8); the qualifying phrase ‘and empty deceit, according to human tradition’ must always accompany the term, never dropped for style.
Human Tradition
Approved rendering: lidské podání
Transliteration: paradosis
Doctrine: Warning against False Teaching and Syncretism
Rejected alternatives: tradice bez kvalifikátoru ‘lidská’
Original: παράδοσις
Category: False Teaching
NEW for Colossians. INVERSE-VALENCE risk: Czech ‘tradice’ is unusually warm and positively loaded (folk customs, national heritage) — the opposite of Paul’s negative sense (2:8); the qualifier ‘human’ (lidská) must be retained and emphasized every time.
Bodily Somatikos
Approved rendering: tělesně
Transliteration: sōmatikōs
Doctrine: Incarnation
Rejected alternatives: tělesně zeslabené na ‘plně’ nebo ‘úplně’
Original: σωματικῶς
Category: Christology
NEW for Colossians. The letter’s single strongest anti-docetic word (2:9); must NEVER be softened to a vaguer ‘fully/completely,’ which would lose the specifically bodily/physical emphasis.
Disarmed And Triumphed Over
Approved rendering: odzbrojil / veřejně triumfoval
Transliteration: apekdyomai / thriambeuō
Doctrine: Spiritual Powers and Authorities
Original: ἀπεκδύομαι / θριαμβεύω
Category: Christology
NEW for Colossians. Roman-triumph image (2:15) foreign to a modern Czech reader; needs brief explanation for the metaphor’s force to land.
False Humility
Approved rendering: pokora
Transliteration: tapeinophrosynē
Doctrine: Warning against False Teaching and Syncretism
Original: ταπεινοφροσύνη
Category: False Teaching
NEW for Colossians. Same Czech word carries OPPOSITE valences: showy, self-imposed asceticism condemned at 2:18 vs. genuine Christian virtue commended at 3:12. Mandatory disambiguating note at 2:18 to prevent the term being read as uniformly positive.
Self Devised Religion
Approved rendering: vlastní zbožnost
Transliteration: ethelothrēskia
Doctrine: Warning against False Teaching and Syncretism
Rejected alternatives: svévolné náboženství (acceptable secondary paraphrase)
Original: ἐθελοθρησκία
Category: False Teaching
NEW for Colossians. Rare compound (2:23) with no ready Czech equivalent; given contemporary Czech DIY/eclectic spirituality, this term names something with an unusually direct present-day parallel.
Flesh
Approved rendering: tělo
Transliteration: sarx
Doctrine: Putting Off the Old Self and Putting On the New
Original: σάρξ
Category: Sin
NEW for Colossians. The morally negative ‘flesh’ (2:11, 2:18, 2:23; 3:5). Czech ‘tělo’ is a HOMOGRAPH shared with σῶμα (‘body,’ see ‘body_of_christ’ entry above); a standing translator’s note distinguishing the two is required wherever both occur in proximity.
Old Self
Approved rendering: starý člověk
Transliteration: ho palaios anthrōpos
Doctrine: Putting Off the Old Self and Putting On the New
Rejected alternatives: starý člověk jako pouhé individuální morální zlepšení
Original: ὁ παλαιὸς ἄνθρωπος
Category: Sanctification
NEW for Colossians. The former identity in Adam (3:9); needs the corporate-representative sense explained, not read as mere individual moral improvement.
New Self
Approved rendering: nový člověk
Transliteration: ho neos anthrōpos
Doctrine: Putting Off the Old Self and Putting On the New
Original: ὁ νέος ἄνθρωπος
Category: Sanctification
NEW for Colossians. The new identity in Christ (3:10), explicitly linked to ‘obraz’ — MUST be rendered with the same term ‘obraz’ as 1:15 for cross-reference consistency.
Dissolved Social Categories
Approved rendering: Řek, Žid, obřízka, neobřízka, barbar, Skyta, otrok, svobodný
Transliteration: Hellēn, Ioudaios, peritomē, akrobystia, barbaros, Skythēs, doulos, eleutheros
Doctrine: Unity of Diverse Peoples in Christ
Original: Ἕλλην, Ἰουδαῖος, περιτομή, ἀκροβυστία, βάρβαρος, Σκύθης, δοῦλος, ἐλεύθερος
Category: Church
NEW for Colossians. Extends beyond the baseline’s Jew/Greek pairing (3:11); ‘barbar’/‘Skyta’ name ancient ethnic categories with no live modern Czech referent, requiring a historical gloss so the rhetorical force (the most extreme, socially charged categories, not a mild diversity statement) is not lost.
Submit
Approved rendering: podřizovat se
Transliteration: hypotassesthe
Doctrine: Household Codes
Rejected alternatives: podřizovat se jako jednosměrná, neosobní hierarchie bez vzájemnosti
Original: ὑποτάσσεσθε
Category: Household
NEW for Colossians. Contemporary Czech society is markedly secular and comparatively egalitarian on gender roles; ‘podřizovat se’ carries a strong secular-workplace/bureaucratic register (3:18) risking an impersonal, hierarchical tone. Must be paired inseparably, in the same teaching unit, with the husband’s costlier command to sacrificial love (3:19) and with Christ’s own self-giving lordship model. No published Czech Bible translation softens this text — the risk is in this curriculum’s own explanatory prose, not the base text. Combined native-speaker AND theologian review required.
Slave Bondservant
Approved rendering: otrok
Transliteration: doulos
Doctrine: Household Codes
Rejected alternatives: služebník (nevhodné zeslabení v tomto kontextu)
Original: δοῦλος
Category: Household
NEW for Colossians. First-century chattel slavery, a real social institution (3:22-4:1); deliberately retained as ‘otrok’ rather than softened to ‘služebník,’ which would obscure the moral weight of Paul’s countercultural instruction to masters (4:1). Consistent glossary decision required across the whole curriculum.
Medium Risk Terms
Holy
Approved rendering: svatý
Transliteration: hagios
Doctrine: Separation unto God’s Service
Inherited from Romans package exactly.
Peace
Approved rendering: pokoj
Transliteration: eirēnē
Doctrine: Reconciliation through the Cross
Rejected alternatives: pokoj ve smyslu pouhého klidu či nepřítomnosti hluku
Inherited from Romans package exactly. Appears at Colossians 1:2, 1:20, 3:15; must not register as mere quiet or absence of disturbance per baseline forbidden-substitution rule.
Church
Approved rendering: církev
Transliteration: ekklēsia
Doctrine: Church as God’s People
Rejected alternatives: kostel (budova) namísto společenství věřících
Original: ἐκκλησία
Category: Church
Inherited from Romans package exactly. Distinguish from ‘kostel’ (building), with particular force at Colossians 4:15’s ‘church in her house,’ which presumes an absence of dedicated buildings that heritage-site church tourism primes secular Czech readers not to expect.
Kingdom Of God
Approved rendering: království Boží
Transliteration: basileia tou theou
Doctrine: Kingdom of Christ
Inherited from Romans package exactly. Extended in Colossians 1:13 to the Son-specific formulation ‘království milovaného Syna’ (see new entry below); guard against the fairy-tale-kingdom association ‘království’ carries in general Czech usage.
Gentiles
Approved rendering: pohané
Transliteration: ethnē
Doctrine: Unity of Diverse Peoples in Christ
Inherited from Romans package exactly. Appears at Colossians 1:27 (‘mystery… among the Gentiles’); use ‘národy’ where a more neutral sense is intended, per baseline guidance.
Glory
Approved rendering: sláva
Transliteration: doxa
Doctrine: Deity of Christ
Rejected alternatives: sláva ve smyslu světské slávy či úspěchu
Inherited from Romans package exactly. Appears in Colossians 1:27’s ‘Christ in you, the hope of glory’; must be distinguished from worldly fame per baseline.
Power Of God
Approved rendering: moc
Transliteration: dynamis theou
Doctrine: Spiritual Powers and Authorities
Original: δύναμις / κράτος
Category: God
Inherited from Romans package exactly, extended to Colossians 1:11 (God’s strengthening power) and as the base term for ‘moc temnoty’ (domain of darkness) and ‘mocnosti’ (rulers/authorities) below.
Intercession
Approved rendering: přímluva
Transliteration: hyperentynchanei / enteuxis
Doctrine: Prayer and Intercession
Inherited from Romans package exactly. As in the baseline, no strong live cultural competitor exists in secular Czech society; the task remains teaching what sustained intercessory prayer means at all (Colossians 4:2-4, 4:12).
Mission
Approved rendering: misie
Transliteration: apostolē / pempō
Doctrine: Evangelism and Conduct toward Outsiders
Inherited from Romans package exactly. Relevant to Colossians 4:5-6’s instruction on wise, gracious speech toward outsiders; may carry a mild historical/NGO-humanitarian connotation rather than gospel-proclamation sense.
Love
Approved rendering: láska
Transliteration: agapē
Doctrine: Putting Off the Old Self and Putting On the New
Original: ἀγάπη
Category: Faith
NEW for Colossians. Selfless love for all the saints (1:4, 1:8) and the culminating virtue binding the ‘new self’s’ other qualities into unity (3:14); stable, warm Czech word, but distinguish from its dominant romantic-love register in casual usage.
Hope
Approved rendering: naděje
Transliteration: elpis
Doctrine: Christian Hope
Rejected alternatives: naděje ve smyslu nejisté přání nebo vyhlídky (např. ‘naděje na výhru’)
Original: ἐλπίς
Category: Faith
NEW for Colossians. Ordinary Czech ‘naděje’ denotes a hopeful but uncertain wish; Paul’s certainty-grounded-in-God’s-character sense (1:5, 1:23, 1:27) must be actively distinguished from this probabilistic secular default at first occurrence.
Wisdom And Spiritual Understanding
Approved rendering: moudrost a duchovní rozumnost
Transliteration: sophia kai synesis pneumatikē
Doctrine: Warning against False Teaching and Syncretism
Rejected alternatives: moudrost jako pouhá životní zkušenost či praktická chytrost
Original: σοφία καὶ σύνεσις πνευματική
Category: Faith
NEW for Colossians. Spirit-given practical discernment (1:9), deliberately contrasted with the false teachers’ claim to a superior, esoteric ‘wisdom’ (2:23); must be distinguished both from mere shrewdness and from claimed higher gnosis.
Inheritance In Light
Approved rendering: dědictví svatých ve světle
Transliteration: klēros tōn hagiōn en tō phōti
Doctrine: Sainthood and Holiness
Original: κλῆρος τῶν ἁγίων ἐν τῷ φωτί
Category: Salvation
NEW for Colossians. Believers’ guaranteed share in God’s kingdom under the light/darkness image (1:12); connects to baseline’s Medium-risk Adoption doctrine; light/darkness cosmology needs brief explanation.
Domain Of Darkness
Approved rendering: moc temnoty
Transliteration: exousia tou skotous
Doctrine: Kingdom of Christ
Original: ἐξουσία τοῦ σκότους
Category: Kingdom
NEW for Colossians. The realm of hostile spiritual authority believers are rescued from (1:13); must not be presented as a roughly equal cosmic rival to God — Christ is supreme over this power too.
Kingdom Of The Beloved Son
Approved rendering: království milovaného Syna
Transliteration: basileia tou huiou tēs agapēs autou
Doctrine: Kingdom of Christ
Original: βασιλεία τοῦ υἱοῦ τῆς ἀγάπης αὐτοῦ
Category: Kingdom
NEW for Colossians, extending baseline ‘království Boží.’ The reign into which believers are transferred (1:13); retain the baseline’s caution against the fairy-tale-kingdom association.
Creation
Approved rendering: stvoření
Transliteration: ktisis / ktizō
Doctrine: Supremacy of Christ over Creation
Original: κτίσις / κτίζω
Category: Christology
NEW for Colossians. Noun and verb forms (‘stvoření’/‘stvořit’) must be kept consistent across occurrences (1:15, 1:16, 1:23) to preserve the hymn’s structural argument.
Beginning Arche
Approved rendering: počátek
Transliteration: archē
Doctrine: Resurrection of Christ
Original: ἀρχή
Category: Christology
NEW for Colossians. Christ as source/originating point of the new resurrection order (1:18); requires an explicit note flagging that this is NOT the same sense as ‘vlády’ (rulers) from the same Greek root (ἀρχαί) four verses earlier at 1:16, within the core passage itself.
Preeminence
Approved rendering: prvenství
Transliteration: prōteuō
Doctrine: Supremacy of Christ over Creation
Original: πρωτεύω
Category: Christology
NEW for Colossians. The purpose of the whole hymn (1:18): Christ’s unrivaled preeminence ‘in all things’; needs concrete framing as unique, categorical supremacy, not competitive achievement.
Gods Good Pleasure
Approved rendering: zalíbilo se [Bohu]
Transliteration: eudokeō
Doctrine: Fullness of Deity in Christ Bodily
Original: εὐδοκέω
Category: God
NEW for Colossians. God the Father’s free, joyful, sovereign decision (1:19); make the implicit subject (the Father) explicit.
Dwell Permanently
Approved rendering: přebývat
Transliteration: katoikeō
Doctrine: Fullness of Deity in Christ Bodily
Original: κατοικέω
Category: Christology
NEW for Colossians. Preserve the permanence nuance (1:19; 2:9) against a merely temporary or partial indwelling.
Reconciliation
Approved rendering: smíření
Transliteration: apokatallassō
Doctrine: Reconciliation through the Cross
Original: ἀποκαταλλάσσω
Category: Salvation
NEW for Colossians. Unusually, ‘smíření’ carries strong positive Czech secular resonance (personal, family, national historical reconciliation); risk runs opposite most Colossians terms — readers may grasp the personal sense but fail to scale it to the passage’s cosmic scope (‘things… in heaven’, 1:20-22).
Made Peace
Approved rendering: nastolil pokoj
Transliteration: eirēnopoieō
Doctrine: Reconciliation through the Cross
Original: εἰρηνοποιέω
Category: Salvation
NEW for Colossians. Reuses baseline ‘pokoj’ (1:20); must resist Czech’s ordinary sense of mere quiet.
Alienated
Approved rendering: odcizený
Transliteration: apallotrioō
Doctrine: Reconciliation through the Cross
Original: ἀπαλλοτριόω
Category: Salvation
NEW for Colossians. The former state of estrangement prior to reconciliation (1:21); pairs directly with ‘smíření’ above.
Stewardship
Approved rendering: správcovství
Transliteration: oikonomia
Doctrine: Christian Ministry and Suffering
Original: οἰκονομία
Category: Ministry
NEW for Colossians. Paul’s divinely-given assignment (1:25); secular Czech ‘ekonomie/hospodářství’ cognates could mislead toward a financial-management reading.
Circumcision
Approved rendering: obřízka
Transliteration: peritomē
Doctrine: Union with Christ (Died and Raised With Him)
Original: περιτομή
Category: Covenant
NEW for Colossians. The spiritual ‘circumcision of Christ’ (2:11); most secular Czech readers will have essentially no cultural association at all, requiring full Old Testament covenant-sign background (Genesis 17) built from scratch.
Not Made With Hands
Approved rendering: neučiněná rukama
Transliteration: acheiropoiētos
Doctrine: Union with Christ (Died and Raised With Him)
Original: ἀχειροποίητος
Category: Salvation
NEW for Colossians. Rare compound (2:11); needs a plain gloss since no everyday Czech equivalent exists.
Record Of Debt
Approved rendering: dlužní úpis
Transliteration: cheirographon tois dogmasin
Doctrine: Redemption and Forgiveness of Sins
Original: χειρόγραφον τοῖς δόγμασιν
Category: Salvation
NEW for Colossians. Legal/financial metaphor (2:14); helpful Czech commercial resonance, but the cancellation must be taught as a decisive legal act, not informal forgiveness.
Shadow Vs Substance
Approved rendering: stín (vs. skutečnost)
Transliteration: skia
Doctrine: Unity of Diverse Peoples in Christ
Original: σκιά
Category: Covenant
NEW for Colossians. Old covenant ceremonial practices as ‘shadow’ of the reality in Christ (2:17); flag as a third, distinct sense of σῶμα alongside ‘body_of_christ’ and ‘flesh’ entries.
Worship Of Angels
Approved rendering: uctívání andělů
Transliteration: thrēskeia tōn angelōn
Doctrine: Warning against False Teaching and Syncretism
Original: θρησκεία τῶν ἀγγέλων
Category: False Teaching
NEW for Colossians. Unlike the baseline’s finding of no live saint/Marian-veneration competitor, contemporary Czech esoteric culture includes recognizable ‘angel spirituality’ (angel cards, guardian-angel practice), giving this warning (2:18) unexpected present-day relevance.
Feast New Moon Sabbath
Approved rendering: svátek, novoluní, sobota
Transliteration: heortē, neomēnia, sabbaton
Doctrine: Unity of Diverse Peoples in Christ
Original: ἑορτή, νεομηνία, σάββατον
Category: Covenant
NEW for Colossians. Old covenant ceremonial calendar observances (2:16); requires Old Testament ceremonial-calendar background explanation.
Severity To The Body
Approved rendering: tvrdost k tělu
Transliteration: apheidia sōmatos
Doctrine: Warning against False Teaching and Syncretism
Original: ἀφειδία σώματος
Category: False Teaching
NEW for Colossians. Ascetic self-punishment (2:23); distinguish from legitimate Christian self-discipline — the point is that such asceticism is ineffective against sin, not that discipline itself is wrong.
Put Off
Approved rendering: odložte
Transliteration: apotithemai / apekdyomai
Doctrine: Putting Off the Old Self and Putting On the New
Original: ἀποτίθεμαι / ἀπεκδύομαι
Category: Sanctification
NEW for Colossians. Decisive, once-for-all discarding of sinful patterns (3:8-9); garment metaphor transparent, doctrinal weight (definitive break, not gradual improvement) needs teaching.
Put On
Approved rendering: oblečte se
Transliteration: endyō
Doctrine: Putting Off the Old Self and Putting On the New
Original: ἐνδύω
Category: Sanctification
NEW for Colossians. Deliberate, active embrace of the new identity and its virtues (3:10, 3:12).
Being Renewed
Approved rendering: je obnovován
Transliteration: anakainoumenon
Doctrine: Putting Off the Old Self and Putting On the New
Original: ἀνακαινούμενον
Category: Sanctification
NEW for Colossians. An ongoing, progressive process (3:10), distinct from the once-for-all put off/on acts; tense nuance should be preserved.
Heartfelt Compassion
Approved rendering: vroucí soucit
Transliteration: splanchna oiktirmou
Doctrine: Putting Off the Old Self and Putting On the New
Original: σπλάγχνα οἰκτιρμοῦ
Category: Sanctification
NEW for Colossians. Idiom locating compassion in the viscera (3:12); the literal ‘bowels’ image does not transfer to Czech.
Bond Of Perfection
Approved rendering: pouto dokonalosti
Transliteration: syndesmos tēs teleiotētos
Doctrine: Putting Off the Old Self and Putting On the New
Original: σύνδεσμος τῆς τελειότητος
Category: Sanctification
NEW for Colossians. Love as the unifying bond of the virtue list (3:14); abstract, needs concrete unpacking.
Peace Of Christ Ruling
Approved rendering: ať vládne pokoj Kristův
Transliteration: hē eirēnē tou Christou brabeuetō
Doctrine: Church as God’s People
Original: ἡ εἰρήνη τοῦ Χριστοῦ βραβευέτω
Category: Church
NEW for Colossians. Athletic-umpire image (3:15) not transparent in Czech; render functionally. Reuses baseline ‘pokoj.‘
Word Of Christ
Approved rendering: slovo Kristovo
Transliteration: ho logos tou Christou
Doctrine: Mystery of Christ Revealed
Original: ὁ λόγος τοῦ Χριστοῦ
Category: Revelation
NEW for Colossians. Christ’s teaching dwelling richly among the community (3:16); connects to baseline’s Inspiration of Scripture doctrine.
Psalms Hymns Spiritual Songs
Approved rendering: žalmy, hymny, duchovní písně
Transliteration: psalmoi, hymnoi, ōdai pneumatikai
Doctrine: Church as God’s People
Original: ψαλμοί, ὕμνοι, ᾠδαὶ πνευματικαί
Category: Church
NEW for Colossians. Three, possibly overlapping, categories of congregational song (3:16); standard vocabulary.
Impartiality
Approved rendering: nestrannost
Transliteration: prosōpolēmpsia
Doctrine: Household Codes
Original: προσωπολημψία
Category: Sin
NEW for Colossians. God’s impartial justice, applying equally to master and slave (3:25); connects to the baseline’s Universal Human Accountability doctrine.
Continue In Prayer
Approved rendering: vytrvale se modlete a bděte
Transliteration: tē proseuchē proskartereite, grēgorountes
Doctrine: Prayer and Intercession
Original: τῇ προσευχῇ προσκαρτερεῖτε, γρηγοροῦντες
Category: Faith
NEW for Colossians. Sustained, alert prayer (4:2).
Conduct Toward Outsiders
Approved rendering: jednejte s moudrostí vůči těm, kdo jsou vně
Transliteration: peripateite pros tous exō
Doctrine: Evangelism and Conduct toward Outsiders
Rejected alternatives: choďte k těm, kdo jsou vně (příliš literální překlad idiomu)
Original: περιπατεῖτε πρὸς τοὺς ἔξω
Category: Church
NEW for Colossians. Render the ‘walk’ metaphor functionally, not literally (4:5); baseline’s Czech-context sensitivity around perceived cultural intrusiveness in evangelism applies directly.
Minister Servant
Approved rendering: služebník
Transliteration: diakonos
Doctrine: Christian Ministry and Suffering
Original: διάκονος
Category: Church
NEW for Colossians. General term for gospel service (1:7, 1:23, 1:25, 4:7); context must clarify general-ministry sense versus any later formal-office sense.
House Church
Approved rendering: domácí církev
Transliteration: ekklēsia kat’ oikon
Doctrine: Church as God’s People
Original: ἐκκλησία κατ’ οἶκον
Category: Church
NEW for Colossians. A local congregation meeting in a household (4:15); needs brief explanation correcting the baseline’s noted ‘kostel’ (building) default association.
Low Risk Terms
Apostle
Approved rendering: apoštol
Transliteration: apostolos
Doctrine: Apostleship
Inherited from Romans package exactly. Paul identifies himself as apostle in Colossians 1:1; concept of a specially authorized emissary of Christ may need brief explanation.
Thanksgiving
Approved rendering: díkůvzdání
Transliteration: eucharistia
Doctrine: Thanksgiving
Inherited from Romans package exactly. Frequent throughout Colossians’ opening and closing sections (1:3, 1:12, 3:15, 3:17, 4:2).
Fellowship
Approved rendering: společenství
Transliteration: koinōnia
Doctrine: Christian Fellowship
Inherited from Romans package exactly.
Exhort
Approved rendering: povzbuzovat
Transliteration: parakaleō
Doctrine: Christian Ministry and Suffering
Inherited from Romans package exactly. Relevant to Colossians 4:8’s report of Tychicus ‘encouraging your hearts.‘
Invisible
Approved rendering: neviditelný
Transliteration: aoratos
Doctrine: Supremacy of Christ over Creation
Original: ἀόρατος
Category: Christology
NEW for Colossians. Stable, transparent term (1:15, 1:16).
Core New Self Virtues
Approved rendering: laskavost, mírnost, trpělivost
Transliteration: chrēstotēs, prautēs, makrothymia
Doctrine: Putting Off the Old Self and Putting On the New
Original: χρηστότης, πραΰτης, μακροθυμία
Category: Sanctification
NEW for Colossians. Stable virtue vocabulary (3:12); minimal risk.
Household Restraint Commands
Approved rendering: nechovejte se tvrdě / nedrážděte
Transliteration: mē pikrainesthe / mē erethizete
Doctrine: Household Codes
Original: μὴ πικραίνεσθε / μὴ ἐρεθίζετε
Category: Household
NEW for Colossians. Complementary restraints on husbands and fathers (3:19, 3:21); standard, low-ambiguity.
People Pleaser
Approved rendering: ten, kdo se chce zalíbit lidem
Transliteration: anthrōparestos
Doctrine: Household Codes
Original: ἀνθρωπάρεσκος
Category: Household
NEW for Colossians. Descriptive compound (3:22); low ambiguity.
Fellow Servant
Approved rendering: spoluslužebník
Transliteration: syndoulos
Doctrine: Christian Fellowship
Original: σύνδουλος
Category: Church
NEW for Colossians. Honorific term for a co-worker in gospel ministry (1:7; 4:7).
Making The Most Of Time
Approved rendering: využívejte čas/příležitosti
Transliteration: ton kairon exagorazomenoi
Doctrine: Evangelism and Conduct toward Outsiders
NEW for Colossians. Wise use of limited opportunity for gospel-shaped conduct (4:5); standard idiom.
Speech Seasoned With Salt
Approved rendering: řeč ať je vždy laskavá a půvabná
Transliteration: ho logos…halati ērtymenos
Doctrine: Christ-Centered Ministry
Rejected alternatives: osolená solí (literal salt image, does not transfer idiomatically to Czech)
NEW for Colossians. The literal salt image does not carry the same ‘wit/charm’ connotation in Czech (4:6); render the meaning functionally.
Chains Of Imprisonment
Approved rendering: má pouta
Transliteration: ta desma mou
Doctrine: Christian Ministry and Suffering
NEW for Colossians. Paul’s closing reminder of his imprisonment (4:18), tying his suffering to the letter’s authority and pathos.
Referenced passages