Semantic Analysis — Galatians (Koine Greek → Czech)

Purpose and Method

This document analyzes every chapter of Galatians in the original Koine Greek, first to last, to identify every load-bearing theological term for the destination language (Czech). The core passage, Galatians 2:15–21 — Paul’s programmatic statement of justification by faith — receives full verse-by-verse treatment. Every other chapter receives a chapter-level term study covering its load-bearing vocabulary with the same analytical fields: original word, transliteration, literal meaning, semantic range, English variants, contextual theological meaning, and destination-language (Czech) rendering risk.

Governing rule: Any term already fixed in the baseline Romans Language Package (translation_memory.json / bible_term_registry.json) is reused exactly as recorded there. This document does not re-derive those renderings; it only notes where Galatians activates a different sense of an already-fixed term (e.g., σάρξ / “tělo” is used neutrally in Galatians 2:20 but carries the full “sinful nature” doctrinal weight in Galatians 5 — flagged as Critical precisely because Romans’ baseline register does not cover this sense).

Unique Czech consideration carried forward from the Romans baseline: the dominant risk for this Language Package is not a rival theological framework but the absence of any framework at all for a largely secular readership. Several Galatians-specific terms compound this risk further because their Czech surface form is a stable, everyday secular word (tělo = body, láska = romantic love, svoboda = political freedom, dozorce = prison guard, živly = weather/natural disaster forces) with zero inherited theological residue to reactivate. These are flagged Critical/High below with the specific grounded collision named.

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PART A — Core Passage Verse-by-Verse: Galatians 2:15–21

Galatians 2:15

Greek: Ἡμεῖς φύσει Ἰουδαῖοι καὶ οὐκ ἐξ ἐθνῶν ἁμαρτωλοί· English (ESV): “We ourselves are Jews by birth and not Gentile sinners.”

Terms	Variants	Contextual Theological Meaning	Czech Rendering & Risk
Jews Ἰουδαῖοι Ioudaioi those of Judah/Judea	ethnic-covenantal identity marker ”Jews,” “Judeans”	Paul identifies himself and Peter within the covenant people to set up the rhetorical concession of v.16	”Židé” — Low risk; stable ethnonym, no secular drift
Gentile sinners ἐξ ἐθνῶν ἁμαρτωλοί ex ethnōn hamartōloi ”sinners from the nations”	ἔθνη = nations/peoples (cf. baseline “gentiles”=pohané); ἁμαρτωλοί = sinners ”Gentile sinners,” “sinners of the Gentiles”	Reflects the Jewish assumption Paul is about to overturn — that Gentile status itself implied moral disqualification	ἔθνη reuses baseline pohané (Medium, per baseline notes); ἁμαρτωλοί builds on baseline hřích root → “hříšníci.” Medium risk: the rhetorical concession (Paul is quoting a shared assumption he is about to dismantle) can be lost if rendered flatly; needs a discourse-marking note

Galatians 2:16

Greek: εἰδότες δὲ ὅτι οὐ δικαιοῦται ἄνθρωπος ἐξ ἔργων νόμου ἐὰν μὴ διὰ πίστεως Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ, καὶ ἡμεῖς εἰς Χριστὸν Ἰησοῦν ἐπιστεύσαμεν, ἵνα δικαιωθῶμεν ἐκ πίστεως Χριστοῦ καὶ οὐκ ἐξ ἔργων νόμου, ὅτι ἐξ ἔργων νόμου οὐ δικαιωθήσεται πᾶσα σάρξ. English (ESV): “…yet we know that a person is not justified by works of the law but through faith in Jesus Christ, so we also have believed in Christ Jesus, in order to be justified by faith in Christ and not by works of the law, because by works of the law no one will be justified.”

Terms	Variants	Contextual Theological Meaning	Czech Rendering & Risk
is justified δικαιοῦται dikaioutai is declared righteous	forensic declaration, present passive ”is justified,” “is made righteous” (mistranslation to avoid)	The theological center of the letter: God’s forensic verdict, not moral transformation	Reuses baseline ospravedlnění (Critical). This verse is the single most load-bearing occurrence of the doctrine in Galatians and must match Romans’ rendering exactly
works of the law ἔργα νόμου erga nomou ”deeds/works of law”	Torah-observance as a basis for covenant standing (circumcision, food laws, Sabbath, etc.), not “good deeds” generally ”works of the law,” “legal works,” “observing the law”	The specific object Paul denies as a ground of justification — NOT good works generally, but Mosaic-law observance as boundary marker	NEW TERM — “skutky zákona.” Risk: Critical. This is a new compound not present in the Romans baseline (which uses “zákon” for law generally but has no fixed compound for “works of the law”). Grounded risk: a Czech reader could default to “skutky” as generic “good deeds/good works” (a live, positive-valence secular idiom — “dobré skutky,” used for scouting/charity), collapsing Paul’s specific critique of law-observance-as-boundary-marker into a generic works-vs-faith moralism. Must be taught, and consistently distinguished from “dobré skutky” of Galatians 6:9/10
faith in Jesus Christ πίστεως Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ / πίστεως Χριστοῦ pisteōs Iēsou Christou / pisteōs Christou ”faith of Jesus Christ”	genitive is grammatically ambiguous: objective genitive (“faith in Christ,” the believer’s trust) or subjective genitive (“the faith/faithfulness of Christ,” Christ’s own fidelity) “faith in Jesus Christ,” “faith of Jesus Christ,” “Christ’s faithfulness”	Historic Protestant translation tradition (and ČEP) renders this objectively — the believer’s trust directed at Christ — consistent with the surrounding verb ἐπιστεύσαμεν (“we believed in Christ Jesus”)	Reuses baseline víra with the object (“v Ježíše Krista”) made explicit per baseline’s rule that víra’s object must always be specified. High risk: translators must not render this ambiguously such that Czech readers default to víra as generic self-belief, the exact risk flagged for víra in the Romans baseline
we believed ἐπιστεύσαμεν episteusamen we put trust in, we believed	aorist “coming to faith" "we believed,” “we trusted,” “we came to faith”	Paul’s own conversion experience as a Jew, cited as evidence for the doctrine	Verb form of víra root, “uvěřili jsme (v Krista Jezíše).” Medium risk — object must remain explicit
all flesh πᾶσα σάρξ pasa sarx ”all flesh”	Hebraism (בָּשָׂר) meaning “every human being,” NOT the moral/ethical sense of σάρξ found later in Galatians 5 ”no human being,” “no one,” “all flesh” (literal but risks confusion)	Universal negative: no human being is justified by law-works — a rhetorical universalizing device, distinct from the “flesh vs. Spirit” moral-nature sense that dominates chapter 5	High risk. If rendered with the same Czech word (“tělo”) used later for the sinful-nature sense in ch.5, readers may (rightly, since it is the same lexeme) conflate the two senses without a note explaining that here σάρξ = “a human being” (Hebraic idiom), not “the sinful nature.” Recommend “žádný člověk” (no human being) with a translator’s note preserving the literal σάρξ for footnote purposes

Galatians 2:17

Greek: εἰ δὲ ζητοῦντες δικαιωθῆναι ἐν Χριστῷ εὑρέθημεν καὶ αὐτοὶ ἁμαρτωλοί, ἆρα Χριστὸς ἁμαρτίας διάκονος; μὴ γένοιτο. English (ESV): “But if, in seeking to be justified in Christ, we too were found to be sinners, is Christ then a servant of sin? Certainly not!”

Terms	Variants	Contextual Theological Meaning	Czech Rendering & Risk
seeking to be justified ζητοῦντες δικαιωθῆναι zētountes dikaiōthēnai seeking to be declared righteous	ongoing pursuit of justification “in Christ" "seeking to be justified”	Ties justification concretely to being “in Christ” (ἐν Χριστῷ), not to law-observance	Reuses ospravedlnění; “in Christ” is the seed of the “Christian Identity in Christ” doctrine (already High risk in the Romans baseline; carried forward)
servant of sin ἁμαρτίας διάκονος hamartias diakonos ”a minister/servant of sin”	διάκονος = one who serves/ministers (cf. deacon); the phrase is a rhetorical absurdity Paul rejects ”servant of sin,” “agent of sin,” “minister of sin”	The absurd implication Paul refutes: that Christ, by associating with “sinners” (Gentiles) to justify them, becomes an accomplice to sin	NEW compound term. Medium risk: “služebník hříchu” is transparent using baseline hřích, but the rhetorical force (a hypothetical Paul immediately rejects) must be preserved by tone, not just lexical accuracy
Certainly not! μὴ γένοιτο mē genoito ”may it not become/happen”	idiomatic strong negation, lit. optative of γίνομαι ”God forbid!,” “By no means!,” “Certainly not!”	Paul’s strongest rhetorical denial, used repeatedly in Romans (e.g. 3:4, 6:1) and here	Established idiom; ČEP tradition renders “Naprosto ne!” or “Kéž se to nestane!” Low risk if idiom preserved as forceful, not softened to a mild “ne”

Galatians 2:18

Greek: εἰ γὰρ ἃ κατέλυσα ταῦτα πάλιν οἰκοδομῶ, παραβάτην ἐμαυτὸν συνιστάνω. English (ESV): “For if I rebuild what I tore down, I prove myself to be a transgressor.”

Terms	Variants	Contextual Theological Meaning	Czech Rendering & Risk
tore down / rebuild κατέλυσα / οἰκοδομῶ katelysa / oikodomō demolished / build again	architectural metaphor for abandoning, then reinstating, law-keeping as the basis of standing before God ”tore down / build up again”	Returning to law-observance after having renounced it as a basis of righteousness proves the person was wrong to abandon it in the first place — an absurd position Paul rejects	”zbořil / znovu staví” — Low-Medium risk; transparent building metaphor, minimal secular drift
transgressor παραβάτης parabatēs one who steps across/oversteps	a violator of a fixed standard, boundary-crosser ”transgressor,” “lawbreaker,” “offender”	Serious covenantal violation before God, not a minor infraction	NEW TERM. Risk: High. Established Czech “přestupník” (from “přestupek”) is the ordinary word for a minor administrative offense — a parking violation, a traffic ticket (“dopravní přestupek”). This is a strong parallel to the baseline’s flagged risk for “hřích” trivializing into “what a shame” — here the risk is that Paul’s serious covenantal transgression collapses into bureaucratic misdemeanor register. Recommend “provinilec” or “přestupník proti Božímu zákonu” with explicit qualifying phrase, never bare “přestupník”

Galatians 2:19

Greek: ἐγὼ γὰρ διὰ νόμου νόμῳ ἀπέθανον, ἵνα θεῷ ζήσω. Χριστῷ συνεσταύρωμαι· English (ESV): “For through the law I died to the law, so that I might live to God. I have been crucified with Christ.”

Terms	Variants	Contextual Theological Meaning	Czech Rendering & Risk
died to the law νόμῳ ἀπέθανον nomō apethanon I died to/with respect to the law	dative of reference; the law itself (rightly understood, e.g. by exposing sin, Gal 3:19–24) drove Paul to this death ”died to the law”	The law’s own verdict against sin led Paul to the death that ends the law’s claim over him — paradoxical, requires unpacking	Reuses baseline zákon. Medium-High risk: the paradox (“through the law…to the law”) is easily lost or flattened in translation; needs a discourse note, not just literal rendering
I might live to God θεῷ ζήσω theō zēsō I might live for/to God	dative of advantage; life reoriented wholly toward God ”live to God,” “live for God”	The positive purpose of the death-to-law: new life oriented to God, not mere liberation	Reuses baseline Bůh; low lexical risk, but conceptually depends entirely on the doctrine having already been built (per baseline’s scaffolding requirement)
crucified with Christ Χριστῷ συνεσταύρωμαι Christō synestaurōmai I have been co-crucified with Christ	συν- (with) + σταυρόω (crucify); perfect tense = a past event with continuing present result ”crucified with Christ,” “co-crucified”	Central doctrine of the core passage and of this curriculum (“Crucified with Christ”). Union with Christ specifically in his death — not imitation of Christ’s suffering, but real participatory identification, the ground of the “no longer I” of v.20	NEW TERM. Risk: Critical. Czech “kříž” (cross) is a stable, recognized word (see baseline note on resurrection/Easter), so “ukřižován” is recognizable, but the participatory compound sense — that the believer’s own identity was co-crucified with Christ — has zero pre-existing framework for a secular reader, exactly the pattern the baseline flags for “christian_identity_in_christ” (High in Romans). Given that Galatians makes this claim even more explicitly and personally (“I have been crucified”), grade as Critical here: render “byl jsem spolu s Kristem ukřižován” and require a mandatory plain-language gloss on first use in every document, per the baseline’s Critical/High scaffolding rule

Galatians 2:20

Greek: ζῶ δὲ οὐκέτι ἐγώ, ζῇ δὲ ἐν ἐμοὶ Χριστός· ὃ δὲ νῦν ζῶ ἐν σαρκί, ἐν πίστει ζῶ τῇ τοῦ υἱοῦ τοῦ θεοῦ τοῦ ἀγαπήσαντός με καὶ παραδόντος ἑαυτὸν ὑπὲρ ἐμοῦ. English (ESV): “It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.”

Terms	Variants	Contextual Theological Meaning	Czech Rendering & Risk
no longer I … Christ … in me ζῶ … οὐκέτι ἐγώ, ζῇ … ἐν ἐμοὶ Χριστός zō … ouketi egō, zē … en emoi Christos ”I live no longer, Christ lives in me”	mystical union language; not loss of personal identity but reoriented center of life ”no longer I but Christ,” “Christ lives in me”	The direct outworking of “crucified with Christ” — the old self-as-ultimate-authority has died; Christ is now the animating center	Depends on the “crucified with Christ” scaffolding above; Critical by extension. Must not be rendered in a way suggesting the loss of personal identity/personhood (a risk with any literal “I no longer live” phrasing)
in the flesh ἐν σαρκί en sarki in the body, in this present bodily/earthly existence	HERE: neutral, physical, “in this present mortal life” — NOT the moral/sinful-nature sense of Galatians 5 ”in the flesh,” “in this body,” “in my mortal life”	Paul’s ordinary bodily existence is now lived by faith, in contrast to the moral σάρξ of ch.5	High risk, same lexeme-disambiguation issue as v.16’s πᾶσα σάρξ: Czech “tělo” is completely neutral (no inherited moral valence in secular use), so this occurrence is actually the easier one to translate correctly, but it must be explicitly distinguished by note from ch.5’s morally loaded use of the identical Czech word, or readers will import ch.5’s meaning backward or fail to see the shift forward
faith in the Son of God πίστει τῇ τοῦ υἱοῦ τοῦ θεοῦ pistei tē tou huiou tou theou faith [that is] of/in the Son of God	objective genitive, parallel to v.16 ”faith in the Son of God”	Faith’s object is not abstract but a specific person — the eternal Son	Reuses baseline víra + Syn Boží (Critical, per baseline). No deviation permitted; this is a flagship Critical-term collocation
who loved me τοῦ ἀγαπήσαντός με tou agapēsantos me the one having loved me	aorist participle, ἀγαπάω (root of ἀγάπη, the noun central to Gal 5:22 and 5:6) “who loved me”	Christ’s self-giving love is the ground of the believer’s new identity — first appearance in the letter of the ἀγάπη root that becomes the fruit of the Spirit in ch.5	NEW root term (verb form). See ἀγάπη treatment under Chapter 5 below for full risk analysis (High); here, flag as the passage’s first occurrence and anchor point for consistency
gave himself for me παραδόντος ἑαυτὸν ὑπὲρ ἐμοῦ paradontos heauton hyper emou having handed himself over on behalf of me	substitutionary self-giving; ὑπὲρ = “on behalf of / in place of" "gave himself for me,” “delivered himself up for me”	Substitutionary atonement language — Christ’s voluntary self-surrender for the individual believer	”vydal sebe sama za mne” — Medium-High risk: must preserve substitutionary force (ὑπέρ), not soften to a generic “helped me” or “was there for me”

Galatians 2:21

Greek: οὐκ ἀθετῶ τὴν χάριν τοῦ θεοῦ· εἰ γὰρ διὰ νόμου δικαιοσύνη, ἄρα Χριστὸς δωρεὰν ἀπέθανεν. English (ESV): “I do not nullify the grace of God, for if righteousness were through the law, then Christ died for no purpose.”

Terms	Variants	Contextual Theological Meaning	Czech Rendering & Risk
do not nullify οὐκ ἀθετῶ ouk athetō I do not set aside / annul / reject	ἀθετέω = to render void, treat as nothing, refuse to accept ”nullify,” “set aside,” “reject,” “make void”	Paul’s positive commitment: his gospel of justification by faith does not cancel or empty God’s grace; law-based righteousness would	NEW TERM. Risk: Medium. “Nezavrhuji” or “neznevažuji” are viable; no strong secular-drift competitor, but the term is doctrinally load-bearing since it sets up the “if…then” logic of the verse — must be rendered as a decisive legal/relational act of rejection, not a mild “disagree with”
grace of God χάριν τοῦ θεοῦ charin tou theou the grace/favor of God	unmerited divine favor ”grace of God”	The gift Paul insists his gospel protects rather than empties	Reuses baseline milost (High). No deviation permitted
righteousness δικαιοσύνη dikaiosynē right standing	forensic right-standing before God, not moral achievement ”righteousness”	The counterfactual hinge of the verse: if law produced righteousness, Christ’s death would be pointless	Reuses baseline spravedlnost (Critical per registry). No deviation permitted
for no purpose δωρεὰν dōrean freely, for nothing, in vain	contextual ambiguity flag: the same Greek word elsewhere (e.g. Romans 3:24) means “freely, as a gift,” but here means “to no purpose / in vain" "for no purpose,” “in vain,” “needlessly”	If law-righteousness were possible, Christ’s death would have accomplished nothing	High translation-choice risk (not a glossary term per se, but a false-friend risk within Paul’s own vocabulary): must render as “nadarmo/zbytečně” (in vain) here, NOT with the same word used for “freely given” grace elsewhere, or the verse’s logic collapses into nonsense. Flag for native speaker review at every occurrence

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PART B — Chapter-by-Chapter Study of the Whole Book

Chapter 1 (Galatians 1:1–24)

Establishes Paul’s apostleship as divinely, not humanly, sourced, and introduces the letter’s central crisis: a rival, false gospel.

Terms	Variants	Contextual Theological Meaning	Czech Rendering & Risk
apostle ἀπόστολος apostolos one sent	delegated, authorized emissary ”apostle”	Paul’s apostleship is “not from men nor through man, but through Jesus Christ and God the Father” (1:1) — direct divine commissioning is the emphasis unique to Galatians’ framing	Reuses baseline apoštol (Low). Note: Galatians’ emphasis on direct divine origin (as opposed to human appointment) is new contextual content for the “Paul’s Apostleship” doctrine and should be flagged even though the term itself is stable
grace / peace χάρις / εἰρήνη charis / eirēnē grace / peace	standard epistolary greeting-pair ”grace and peace”	Same greeting formula as Romans 1:7	Reuses baseline milost / pokoj exactly
gospel εὐαγγέλιον euangelion good news	authoritative proclamation ”gospel,” “good news”	The letter’s central concern: the one true gospel vs. a rival distortion	Reuses baseline evangelium (High). Galatians activates this term more polemically than Romans does — see next entry
a different gospel ἕτερον εὐαγγέλιον heteron euangelion ”another/different gospel”	ἕτερος implies a gospel of a different kind, not simply “one more version" "a different gospel,” “another gospel”	The false teachers’ message is not a variant flavor of the same gospel but a categorically different, false one — central to the doctrine “The True Gospel versus False Gospels”	NEW TERM. Risk: Critical. Grounded risk specific to this Language Package: a secular Czech reader with no prior framework for religious exclusivity claims may default to a pluralistic “different denominations/versions, all roughly valid” reading (a live cultural pattern in a society with low religious practice but general tolerance-of-diversity instincts). Render “jiné evangelium” but require an explicit accompanying note that Paul denies this is a legitimate variant at all — it is a false substitute
perverting/distorting μεταστρέψαι metastrepsai to turn/twist around	corrupting or reversing the true content ”pervert,” “distort,” “twist”	What the false teachers are doing to “the gospel of Christ” (1:7)	“překroutit/zvrátit” — Medium risk; must convey active corruption, not neutral “change”
accursed ἀνάθεμα anathema a thing devoted to destruction, cursed	a formal curse of exclusion/condemnation, repeated twice for emphasis (1:8–9) “accursed,” “cursed,” “anathema”	Paul’s strongest possible condemnation of anyone preaching a false gospel — including himself hypothetically, or an angel	NEW TERM. Risk: Critical. The severity of this pronouncement must not be softened. Czech “buď proklet” (let him be cursed/accursed) is the established ČEP-tradition rendering; risk is that without explanation a secular reader treats this as hyperbolic rhetorical flourish rather than Paul’s considered, repeated, formal judgment — requires a plain-language gloss on first use per the Critical-term scaffolding rule
revelation ἀποκάλυψις apokalypsis an unveiling, uncovering	God’s direct disclosure of truth, here specifically of the gospel to Paul (1:12) “revelation”	Paul’s gospel came not from human tradition but by direct divine revelation, grounding his apostolic authority	NEW TERM. Risk: High. Czech “zjevení” is the correct theological term (also the title of the biblical book “Zjevení Janovo,” Revelation), but the loanword “apokalypsa” is common in secular Czech for catastrophic/end-of-world scenarios (disaster films, colloquial “to je apokalypsa”). Must use “zjevení,” never “apokalypsa,” and note the distinction explicitly since the two words are etymologically identical and readers may conflate them
called καλέσαντος kalesantos the one who called	God’s sovereign summons of Paul (1:15), from the womb, echoing OT prophetic call narratives ”called”	Paul’s calling to apostleship parallels Israel’s prophets, grounding his authority in divine initiative	Reuses baseline povolání/povolaný (High). Baseline’s warning that “povolání” defaults to “profession/job” in ordinary Czech applies with full force here — Paul’s call is emphatically not a career choice
Judaism Ἰουδαϊσμός Ioudaismos the way/practice of the Jews	Paul’s former life within Second Temple Jewish religious practice, prior to his conversion ”Judaism”	Contrasts Paul’s former zeal for Judaism with his new commission to preach Christ among the Gentiles	”judaismus” — Low risk; transliterated proper-system noun
zealous ζηλωτής zēlōtēs zealot, one who is zealous	ardent devotion, here to ancestral traditions ”zealous,” “zealot”	Paul’s pre-conversion zeal for the traditions, later redirected	”velmi horlivý (pro otcovské tradice)” — Low-Medium risk; avoid unintended association with the 1st-century political “Zealot” party unless context requires it

Chapter 2 (Galatians 2:1–14; see Part A above for 2:15–21)

Covers the Jerusalem council visit and the Antioch confrontation with Peter — establishing that the truth of the gospel cannot be compromised even for the sake of unity.

Terms	Variants	Contextual Theological Meaning	Czech Rendering & Risk
circumcision περιτομή peritomē cutting around	the Jewish covenant sign (Genesis 17), here contested as a requirement for Gentile believers ”circumcision”	The specific practice at the center of the Galatian crisis: must Gentile believers be circumcised to belong fully to God’s people? First occurrence of a doctrine (“Circumcision and the New Creation”) that recurs through ch.5–6	NEW TERM. Risk: High. The word itself (“obřízka”) is lexically unambiguous in Czech with no competing secular meaning, but the doctrinal stakes are severe: a secular reader has zero inherited framework for why this ritual practice became a first-century church-dividing issue, and without narrative background (Genesis 17, Acts 15) the entire argument of the letter may appear as an obscure ritual dispute rather than a gospel-defining crisis
truth of the gospel ἀλήθεια τοῦ εὐαγγελίου alētheia tou euangeliou truth of the good news	the gospel’s essential, non-negotiable content ”truth of the gospel”	What Paul refused to compromise, even under social/apostolic pressure (2:5, 2:14)	Compound of established terms — reuses evangelium; “pravda evangelia.” Medium risk: must not be read as merely “the accurate facts” but as the gospel’s saving content itself
false brothers ψευδάδελφος pseudadelphos false brother	professing believers who in fact undermine the gospel ”false brothers,” “false believers”	Infiltrators at the Jerusalem council seeking to compromise Gentile freedom (2:4)	“falešní bratři” — Low-Medium risk; transparent compound
freedom / liberty ἐλευθερία eleutheria freedom, liberty	freedom from the law’s binding claim over the believer’s standing before God ”freedom,” “liberty”	The specific freedom the false brothers sought to spy out and undo (2:4); becomes the named doctrine “Freedom in Christ” fully developed in ch.5	NEW TERM. Risk: High. Czech “svoboda” is one of the most politically and historically charged words in modern Czech vocabulary — inseparably tied to 1989 (“Sametová revoluce,” the fall of communism) and civic/political liberty generally. A secular reader will overwhelmingly default to this political-civic association. Paul’s freedom from the law’s condemning claim must be actively distinguished from political liberty, or the doctrine risks being read as a generic “freedom of conscience” civic value rather than a specific theological status
enslave καταδουλόω katadoulōsousin to enslave, bring into bondage	metaphorical return to bondage under the law ”enslave,” “bring into slavery”	What the false brothers sought to do by re-imposing law-observance (2:4)	“zotročit” — Medium risk; needs to be clearly metaphorical (spiritual bondage under law), not read as literal historical slavery discourse
hypocrisy ὑπόκρισις hypokrisis play-acting, pretense	inconsistency between profession and practice ”hypocrisy”	Peter’s withdrawal from table fellowship with Gentiles under pressure from the circumcision party (2:13)	“pokrytectví” — Low risk; transparent, well-understood secular moral term that transfers accurately
not walking uprightly οὐκ ὀρθοποδοῦσιν ouk orthopodousin not walking straight-footed	conduct inconsistent with professed truth ”not in step with,” “not walking uprightly according to”	Paul’s charge against Peter and Barnabas’s compromised behavior (2:14)	“nejednali podle pravdy evangelia” — Low-Medium risk; idiomatic rendering needed since the literal “straight-footed” image does not transfer

Chapter 3 (Galatians 3:1–29)

The theological core of the letter’s argument: Abraham was justified by faith apart from the law; the law brings a curse the promise reverses; Christ is the singular seed of Abraham; all who believe are heirs of the promise.

Terms	Variants	Contextual Theological Meaning	Czech Rendering & Risk
promise ἐπαγγελία epangelia announcement, promise	God’s covenant pledge to Abraham, received by faith rather than earned by law-keeping ”promise”	The doctrinal counterpart to “law” throughout ch.3; the entire chapter’s argument turns on promise preceding and outranking law (3:17–18)	NEW TERM. Risk: High. Established Czech Bible-tradition rendering is “zaslíbení” (distinct from ordinary “slib,” a common secular word for any promise/pledge). Grounded risk: “zaslíbení” carries a somewhat literary/archaic register in contemporary Czech (parallel to baseline’s concern about “spasení”) and may fail to register as a live category for readers who have never encountered biblical covenant-promise language; must be paired with explanatory context tying it concretely to the Abraham narrative, exactly as the baseline requires for “přičtená spravedlnost”
seed / offspring σπέρμα sperma seed	collective descendants OR (Paul’s specific argument in 3:16) a single individual — Christ ”seed,” “offspring,” “descendant”	Paul’s argument depends on the grammatical singularity of “seed” pointing to one person, Christ, not merely “descendants” plural	NEW TERM. Risk: High. Czech “potomstvo” (posterity/descendants) reads naturally as a collective plural noun, which could obscure Paul’s deliberate singular argument (3:16, “it does not say ‘seeds,’ as referring to many, but ‘seed,’ referring to one person, who is Christ”). Recommend “potomek” (singular: descendant) with a translator’s note explicitly flagging the singular/plural argument, since the grammatical point is invisible unless flagged
curse κατάρα katara curse, cursedness	the covenant penalty for failing to keep the whole law (3:10, 13) “curse”	Everyone relying on law-keeping is under this curse, since no one keeps the whole law; Christ redeems believers from it	NEW TERM. Risk: Medium. Czech “kletba” risks activating folk/fairy-tale associations (witches’ curses, cursed objects in Czech folklore and children’s literature) rather than the specific covenantal-legal sense of Deuteronomy 27–28 that Paul has in view. Needs contextual anchoring to the Mosaic covenant, not a generic supernatural-doom reading
redeemed ἐξηγόρασεν exēgorasen bought out, purchased out of	slave-market redemption metaphor; Christ purchasing believers out from under the law’s curse (3:13; also 4:5) “redeemed,” “bought out”	Christ became a curse himself to redeem those under the law’s curse — substitutionary, transactional imagery	NEW TERM. Risk: High. Czech “vykoupit” is the correct theological term, but the related everyday noun “výkup” carries a strongly commercial secular register (pawnshop/recycling buy-back services — “výkup papíru,” “výkup zlata,” common storefront signage). This risks trivializing Christ’s redemptive self-substitution into an ordinary commercial transaction; needs the same kind of active unpacking the baseline requires for “milost” against its judicial-clemency drift
guardian / tutor παιδαγωγός paidagōgos child-escort, guardian-slave	in Greco-Roman households, a slave charged with escorting and disciplining a child until adulthood — NOT a teacher in the modern sense ”guardian,” “tutor,” “disciplinarian”	Central image for the doctrine “The Law’s Purpose” (3:24–25): the law functioned as a temporary guardian until Christ (faith) came, after which its guardianship role ends	NEW TERM. Risk: High. This is one of the most translation-sensitive terms in the letter. Czech “dozorce” (the nearest single-word equivalent used in some Czech Bible traditions) overwhelmingly means “prison guard/warden” in contemporary usage (“vězeňský dozorce”), which recasts the law from a temporary, protective childhood guide into a punitive incarceration figure — a serious distortion of Paul’s actually more benign “guardian until maturity” image. Recommend a descriptive phrase (“dozorce/vychovatel, který nás do příchodu Kristova vedl jako děti”) with a mandatory explanatory gloss rather than a bare single word
justified / righteousness δικαιοῦσθε / δικαιοσύνη dikaiousthe / dikaiosynē justified / righteousness	as in ch.2 ”justified/righteousness”	Reiterated throughout ch.3 (3:6, 8, 11, 21, 24) as the doctrine at stake	Reuses baseline ospravedlnění / spravedlnost exactly (Critical)
sons of God / heirs υἱοὶ θεοῦ / κληρονόμοι huioi theou / klēronomoi sons of God / heirs	full covenant status and inheritance rights through faith, not law-observance (3:26, 29) “sons of God,” “heirs”	Anticipates the full “Adoption and Sonship” doctrine developed in ch.4	κληρονόμος is a NEW TERM here (first occurrence). Risk: Medium. Czech “dědic” is the ordinary civil/legal word for an inheritor (a will, an estate) — this secular legal sense actually supports the theological metaphor reasonably well (paralleling baseline’s note on “adopce” being a helpful modern legal analogy), but the specific content of the inheritance (full sonship in God’s family, not a literal estate) still needs explicit unpacking
baptized into Christ εἰς Χριστὸν ἐβαπτίσθητε eis Christon ebaptisthēte baptized into Christ	ritual and theological union with Christ (3:27) “baptized into Christ”	Union-with-Christ language, connecting back to “crucified with Christ” (2:20)	“pokřtěni v Krista” — Medium risk; “křest/pokřtěn” is a recognizable Czech term even in secular usage (infant christening remains a sociological custom for some non-practicing families), but the specific Pauline sense of union-with-Christ (not merely ritual initiation) needs to be taught
neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free οὐκ ἔνι Ἰουδαῖος οὐδὲ Ἕλλην, οὐκ ἔνι δοῦλος οὐδὲ ἐλεύθερος ouk eni Ioudaios oude Hellēn, ouk eni doulos oude eleutheros there is neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free	radical equality of standing before God among all who are “in Christ” (3:28) “neither Jew nor Greek…”	The universal-scope-of-the-gospel doctrine (already High risk in the Romans baseline) restated even more sharply here across ethnic and social-status lines	Reuses baseline concepts (pohané/Ἕλλην as a specific ethnic category here, not the broader “gentiles” sense); “Žid ani Řek, otrok ani svobodný.” High risk of softening: retain the full, unqualified universal claim without hedging

Chapter 4 (Galatians 4:1–31)

Develops the adoption/sonship doctrine through the metaphor of a minor heir coming of age, warns against returning to bondage under “the elements of the world,” and closes with the Hagar/Sarah allegory.

Terms	Variants	Contextual Theological Meaning	Czech Rendering & Risk
adoption / sonship υἱοθεσία huiothesia placement as a son	full legal sonship with inheritance rights (4:5) “adoption”	The purpose of Christ’s coming and the law’s redemption: to receive full sonship, not remain a minor heir under guardianship	Reuses baseline přijetí za syna exactly (Medium per baseline). Galatians ties this even more concretely than Romans to the “coming of age” household-law metaphor of 4:1-7, worth an added contextual note
Abba, Father Ἀββά ὁ Πατήρ Abba ho Patēr Abba, the Father	Aramaic term of filial intimacy, paired with the Greek translation ”Abba, Father”	The Spirit’s witness that believers are truly, intimately, sons — same construction as Romans 8:15	Reuses baseline Abba + Otec exactly (Medium). Must remain consistent with the Romans rendering verbatim per the baseline’s cross-document consistency rule
elements of the world στοιχεῖα τοῦ κόσμου stoicheia tou kosmou elemental things of the world	disputed referent: basic/elementary religious principles, cosmic powers, or elemental spirits governing pre-Christian existence (both Jewish law-observance and pagan idolatry are described this way, 4:3, 4:9) “elemental spirits,” “elementary principles,” “basic principles of the world”	The state of spiritual minority/bondage — whether under Torah or paganism — that Christ’s coming ends	NEW TERM. Risk: High. Czech “živly” (the natural candidate, meaning “elements” as in fire/earth/water/air) is dominated in everyday usage by meteorological/disaster contexts (“rozbouřené živly,” “boj se živly” — battling the elements/forces of nature, storm coverage). This risks either a nonsensical or a superstition-adjacent reading rather than Paul’s sense of elementary, now-superseded religious principles. Requires a descriptive rendering (“základní / elementární mocnosti tohoto světa”) with explanatory gloss rather than the bare word “živly”
slave δοῦλος doulos slave, bondservant	legal non-freedom, contrasted with heir/son status (4:1, 4:7) “slave,” “bondservant”	The minor heir’s functional status resembles a slave’s until the appointed time of inheritance	”otrok” — Medium risk; historically resonant enough as a concept in Czech (through general historical/educational awareness) but needs to stay tied to the household-legal metaphor, not drift into unrelated modern social-justice discourse
child / infant νήπιος nēpios infant, small child	a legal minor, not yet come into inheritance ”child,” “infant,” “minor”	Describes believers’ pre-maturity spiritual status under the law (4:1, 3)	“dítě/nedospělý dědic” — Low risk; transparent within the household-law metaphor
allegory ἀλληγορούμενα allēgoroumena spoken allegorically	Paul’s explicit statement that the Hagar/Sarah narrative functions as a theological allegory (4:24) “allegorically speaking,” “this may be interpreted allegorically”	Signals a deliberate reading strategy Paul applies to Genesis, contrasting slavery (law, Hagar) with freedom (promise, Sarah)	“alegorie/v přeneseném smyslu” — Low-Medium risk; established literary loanword, well understood by educated Czech readers
slave woman / free woman παιδίσκη / ἐλευθέρα paidiskē / eleuthera slave girl / free woman	Hagar (slave woman, representing law/bondage) vs. Sarah (free woman, representing promise/freedom), 4:22–31 ”slave woman,” “free woman”	Concrete narrative embodiment of the law-vs-promise, bondage-vs-freedom contrast running through the whole letter	παιδίσκη is a NEW TERM distinct from δοῦλος (male slave); “otrokyně” — Medium risk, minor distinct term; ἐλευθέρα reuses the ἐλευθερία root (High, per ch.2 above)

Chapter 5 (Galatians 5:1–26)

The letter’s central ethical turn: freedom in Christ must not be used as license for the flesh but is to be exercised through Spirit-empowered love, in contrast to a catalog of “works of the flesh” versus the “fruit of the Spirit.”

Terms	Variants	Contextual Theological Meaning	Czech Rendering & Risk
freedom ἐλευθερία eleutheria freedom	as in ch.2, now the letter’s central positive doctrine (“Freedom in Christ,” 5:1, 5:13) “freedom,” “liberty"	"For freedom Christ has set us free” (5:1) — the doctrinal climax of the letter’s argument	See ch.2 above; High risk carried forward and intensified — this is the doctrine’s headline verse
yoke of slavery ζυγῷ δουλείας zygō douleias yoke of slavery	agricultural yoke-image for a return to law-bondage (5:1) “yoke of slavery,” “yoke of bondage”	The alternative to freedom that circumcision-party teaching threatens to re-impose	”jho otroctví” — Medium risk; “jho” (yoke) is a somewhat literary word in modern Czech (low everyday use) and may need brief unpacking of the image itself, not just the doctrine
circumcision περιτομή peritomē circumcision	as in ch.2, now framed as spiritually worthless if trusted as a means of standing before God (5:2–6, 5:11) “circumcision”	Reliance on circumcision for righteousness “cuts off” the benefit of Christ (5:4, wordplay in Greek)	See ch.2 above; High risk carried forward
faith working through love πίστις δι᾿ ἀγάπης ἐνεργουμένη pistis di’ agapēs energoumenē faith working through/by means of love	faith’s active expression, not faith alone in isolation nor law-observance ”faith working through love,” “faith expressing itself through love”	Named doctrine of this curriculum: what matters is neither circumcision nor its absence, but this (5:6)	NEW COMPOUND TERM, structurally parallel to the baseline’s “obedience_of_faith” (High risk in Romans, for the same reason — neither component word alone carries the compound’s full weight). Risk: High. Render “víra působící skrze lásku”; must be taught as a single theological unit, not decomposed into “faith” plus “love” as separate, disconnected ideas
love ἀγάπη agapē love	self-giving, others-oriented love; the root that governs the whole ethical section and heads the fruit-of-the-Spirit list (5:6, 5:13-14, 5:22) “love”	The law is “fulfilled” in loving one’s neighbor (5:14); love is the Spirit’s primary fruit and the medium through which freedom is to be exercised	NEW TERM. Risk: High. Czech “láska” is an ordinary, heavily used word saturated with romantic-erotic cultural connotation (popular music, greeting cards, Valentine’s Day marketing, “líbánky/láska” idiom clusters) — a live secular register with no inherent self-giving or covenantal content. This closely parallels the baseline’s concern for “milost” and “víra”: the word itself is stable and recognizable, but its dominant everyday sense actively competes with, rather than merely under-supplying, the theological sense. Requires explicit disambiguation on first substantive use in every document, distinguishing ἀγάπη from romantic “láska v běžném slova smyslu”
flesh σάρξ sarx flesh, body	HERE: the moral-theological sense — fallen human nature in opposition to the Spirit (distinct from the neutral “body” sense of 2:20 and the Hebraic “all flesh = all people” sense of 2:16) “flesh,” “sinful nature,” “sinful desires”	The controlling opposition of the chapter: flesh vs. Spirit (5:16-17), with “works of the flesh” (5:19-21) as a vice catalog	Risk: Critical. This is the single most consequential lexical-ambiguity risk in the entire letter for Czech. “Tělo” is the ordinary, completely neutral Czech word for the physical body (used in fitness, medicine, anatomy — zero inherited moral valence in secular speech, unlike some languages where “flesh” retains an archaic moral undertone). A Czech reader encountering “tělo” here has no linguistic signal at all that a moral/spiritual category, not an anatomical one, is intended. This is structurally identical to the baseline’s “spasení” problem (a stable word failing to activate any conceptual content) but arguably more severe, since “tělo” actively activates the wrong (physical/neutral) content rather than no content. Must be accompanied on every occurrence in this doctrinal sense with an explicit gloss (“tělesnost/hříšná přirozenost”) distinguishing it from the neutral bodily sense used elsewhere in the letter (e.g. 2:20)
works of the flesh ἔργα τῆς σαρκός erga tēs sarkos works/deeds of the flesh	the vice catalog of 5:19-21 (sexual immorality, idolatry, enmity, etc.), produced by fallen human nature ”works of the flesh”	Direct structural parallel and contrast to “works of the law” (2:16) and “fruit of the Spirit” (5:22) — NOT the same “works” critiqued in the justification doctrine, but a distinct list of vices	”skutky těla” — Medium-High risk: must be kept structurally distinct in the reader’s mind from “skutky zákona” (works of the law, ch.2-3) despite the shared word “skutky,” since conflating the two collapses two entirely different Pauline arguments (law-observance vs. moral vice)
fruit of the Spirit καρπὸς τοῦ πνεύματος karpos tou pneumatos fruit of the Spirit	the singular (note: καρπός is singular, not plural “fruits”) organic outworking of the Spirit’s presence: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control (5:22-23) “fruit of the Spirit”	Named doctrine of this curriculum; contrasted structurally with the “works of the flesh” catalog immediately preceding	NEW TERM. Risk: Medium. Czech “ovoce” transfers the agricultural metaphor well (the idiom “ovoce práce,” fruits of one’s labor, is common), and unlike “flesh,” carries no competing secular drift. The main risk is doctrinal, not lexical: readers may default to reading this as a list of virtues to be achieved by effort (a “self-improvement” reading) rather than as the Spirit’s own organic produce in a yielded life — the same Spirit-gift framework already flagged Medium in the Romans baseline’s “spiritual_gifts” entry. Note also the grammatical singularity (“fruit,” not “fruits”) signaling these as one integrated character, not a checklist
the flesh crucified τὴν σάρκα ἐσταύρωσαν tēn sarka estaurōsan they crucified the flesh	believers, by virtue of belonging to Christ, have crucified/put to death the flesh with its passions (5:24) “crucified the flesh”	Echoes 2:20’s “crucified with Christ,” now applied to ongoing sanctified living	Depends on the σάρξ (Critical, above) and συνεσταύρωμαι (Critical, from 2:19) scaffolding already established; treat consistently

Chapter 6 (Galatians 6:1–18)

Closes the letter with practical exhortations to mutual burden-bearing, sowing and reaping, and a final polemic against boasting in circumcision rather than the cross, climaxing in the “new creation” declaration.

Terms	Variants	Contextual Theological Meaning	Czech Rendering & Risk
bear one another’s burdens ἀλλήλων τὰ βάρη βαστάζετε allēlōn ta barē bastazete carry the burdens of one another	mutual, practical care within the Spirit-led community (6:2) “bear one another’s burdens”	Named doctrine of this curriculum; concrete communal outworking of “faith working through love” and “fruit of the Spirit”	NEW TERM (compound). Risk: Medium. The Czech idiom “nést břemeno” (bear a burden) is transparent and commonly understood, so the lexical risk is low; the doctrinal risk is that it be read as generic humanistic mutual-support advice rather than as Spirit-empowered, gospel-shaped community life specifically among believers “restoring [one another] in a spirit of gentleness” (6:1)
law of Christ νόμος τοῦ Χριστοῦ nomos tou Christou the law of Christ	the governing ethical principle of Christ’s own self-giving love, fulfilled by bearing one another’s burdens (6:2) “law of Christ”	Deliberately paradoxical after the letter’s sustained critique of “the law” (Torah) — this is a different sense of νόμος, describing Christ’s own pattern of love as a governing norm	NEW COMPOUND TERM. Risk: Medium-High. “Zákon Kristův” reuses baseline zákon, but readers who have just absorbed the letter’s negative critique of law-as-a-basis-for-righteousness risk importing that entirely negative sense here, where νόμος is used positively and differently (an ethical pattern, not a covenant-boundary marker). Requires an explicit note distinguishing this use of “zákon” from all its earlier occurrences in the letter
sow / reap σπείρῃ / θερίσει speirē / therisei sow / reap	agricultural cause-and-effect metaphor for moral/spiritual consequence (6:7-9) “sow / reap”	Whoever sows to the flesh reaps corruption; whoever sows to the Spirit reaps eternal life	”rozsévat / sklízet” — Risk: Low. Well-preserved by a close Czech proverbial equivalent (“Co zaseješ, to sklidíš” — “as you sow, so you reap” — is itself a common Czech proverb), among the most naturally transferable metaphors in the letter
new creation καινὴ κτίσις kainē ktisis new creation	a radically new order of existence inaugurated by the cross, in which the circumcision/non-circumcision distinction is rendered irrelevant (6:15) “new creation”	Named doctrine of this curriculum, the letter’s climactic theological claim: what matters is neither circumcision nor uncircumcision but this	NEW TERM. Risk: Critical. “Stvoření” (creation) is a live, recognizable Czech word (via general cultural literacy about Genesis, even among secular readers), which is an advantage — but the specific Pauline claim that a person becomes “a new creation” in Christ has no existing framework for a secular reader, structurally identical to the “salvation” problem flagged Critical in the Romans baseline: the correct words are recognizable, but the conceptual content they are meant to carry is entirely new and must be built narratively, not merely named. This term anchors the entire “Circumcision and the New Creation” doctrine and should receive the fullest available scaffolding
cross σταυρός stauros cross	the specific instrument and event of Christ’s death, now the sole ground of Paul’s boasting (6:14) “cross”	Contrasted directly with circumcision as the only legitimate object of boasting	”kříž” — established, stable term (cf. baseline’s note on resurrection/Easter familiarity). Medium risk: recognizable as a religious symbol, but the specific boasting-in-the-cross-rather-than-in-the-law argument is new content requiring explanation
boast καυχάομαι kauchaomai to boast, glory in	exultant confidence and identity-defining pride, here directed properly at the cross rather than improperly at circumcision/law-keeping ”boast,” “glory in”	Paul’s own identity and confidence rest entirely in the cross, not in any personal religious achievement	NEW TERM. Risk: Medium. Czech “chlubit se” carries a mildly negative everyday connotation (bragging, showing off — socially frowned upon in ordinary Czech usage), whereas Paul’s use is unambiguously positive (exultant, identity-defining confidence). Needs a rendering or explanatory note conveying “glorying in” rather than petty boastfulness — consider “spoléhat se na / nacházet svou chválu v” as a supplementary gloss alongside “chlubit se”
marks στίγματα stigmata marks, brands	scars/brands marking Paul as Christ’s slave/possession, from his sufferings for the gospel (6:17) “marks,” “scars,” “brand-marks”	Physical evidence of Paul’s suffering for Christ, likened to a slave’s ownership brand	NEW TERM. Risk: High. This is a notable false-friend risk: the English/international loanword “stigmata” carries a strong specific association in broader European culture (including historically Catholic-influenced Czech culture) with the miraculous appearance of Christ’s wounds on the bodies of mystics (e.g., St. Francis of Assisi) — a supernatural phenomenon entirely different from Paul’s plain sense of ordinary physical scars marking him as Christ’s possession, akin to a slave’s brand. Must render with a plain descriptive Czech phrase (“jizvy/znamení [Kristova otroka]”) and explicitly avoid the loanword “stigmata,” which would import the wrong (miraculous/mystical) association

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Summary of Chapter Coverage

• Galatians 1 — reviewed; new terms: gospel-exclusivity (“jiné evangelium”), ἀνάθεμα, ἀποκάλυψις; reuses gospel, grace, peace, calling from baseline.
• Galatians 2 (1–14) — reviewed; new terms: circumcision, freedom, enslave, false brothers, hypocrisy.
• Galatians 2 (15–21) — CORE PASSAGE; full verse-by-verse treatment above.
• Galatians 3 — reviewed; new terms: promise, seed/offspring, curse, redeemed, guardian/παιδαγωγός, heir.
• Galatians 4 — reviewed; new terms: elements of the world, slave-woman/free-woman allegory, allegory; reuses adoption/Abba from baseline.
• Galatians 5 — reviewed; new terms: faith working through love, love (ἀγάπη), flesh (moral sense), works of the flesh, fruit of the Spirit; reuses freedom, circumcision.
• Galatians 6 — reviewed; new terms: bear one another’s burdens, law of Christ, sow/reap, new creation, boast, marks/stigmata; reuses cross-adjacent resurrection framework from baseline.

No chapter of Galatians introduces zero new theological vocabulary; every chapter contributes load-bearing terms to this curriculum’s doctrine set.