Semantic Analysis: Colossians (Koine Greek → French)

Scope and Method

This analysis covers the entire book of Colossians, all four chapters, first to last. The core passage, Colossians 1:15–20 (“the Christ Hymn”), receives verse-by-verse treatment of every load-bearing term. Every other chapter receives a section covering its load-bearing theological terms with the same analytic fields: Original (Greek), Transliteration, Literal Meaning, Semantic Range, English Variants, Contextual Theological Meaning, and Destination-Language (French) Rendering Risk.

Per the governing baseline (the Romans Language Package for French), any term already recorded in translation_memory.json or bible_term_registry.json MUST reuse the exact recorded French rendering. Such reuse is marked [REUSED FROM BASELINE] below. New terms proper to Colossians are marked [NEW TERM] and are carried into 08_core_glossary.md for registry extension in a later step.

Colossians’ occasion — a church at risk of syncretism, blending Christ with local philosophy, Jewish ritual observance, and angel-venerating asceticism (Col 2:8, 2:16-23) — makes precision in Christological and anti-syncretistic vocabulary the central translation concern of this book, parallel to how Romans’ central concern was justification.

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PART A — Core Passage Verse-by-Verse: Colossians 1:15–20

Colossians 1:15

Greek: ὅς ἐστιν εἰκὼν τοῦ θεοῦ τοῦ ἀοράτου, πρωτότοκος πάσης κτίσεως· English (representative): “He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation.”

εἰκών (image) — [NEW TERM]

• Transliteration: eikōn
• Literal meaning: a visible representation, likeness, or manifestation of a person or thing; the term used for a portrait or a coin’s stamped image.
• Semantic range: from a mere copy/reflection (weak sense) to an exact, essential manifestation of the archetype’s nature (strong sense, as used here and in 2 Cor 4:4).
• English variants: “image,” “likeness,” “exact representation.”
• Contextual theological meaning: Paul asserts that Christ is not merely a symbol pointing to God but the visible, perfect disclosure of the invisible God’s own being and nature — foundational to the Deity of Christ and the doctrine “Fullness of Deity in Christ Bodily.” Also recurs in 3:10 regarding humanity renewed “after the image of him that created him,” linking Christology to anthropology.
• French rendering: image (“il est l’image du Dieu invisible”)
• Risk Tier: Critical
• Rendering risk notes: “Image” is common vocabulary in French and carries no lexical ambiguity, but the doctrinal stakes are maximal: if catechesis lets “image” be read as a mere reflection or symbol (as an icon represents a saint) rather than essential, co-equal manifestation of God’s nature, Christ’s full deity is diminished. Must always be taught alongside 2:9 (“toute la plénitude de la divinité habite corporellement” — see below) to prevent an Arian-adjacent, “divinely-inspired-man” reading, the same drift the baseline flags for son_of_god and incarnation.

θεοῦ τοῦ ἀοράτου (of the invisible God)

• Transliteration: theou tou aoratou
• Literal meaning: “of the God, the unseen/not-visible one.”
• Semantic range: ἀόρατος = imperceptible to physical sight; used of God’s essential nature (cf. Rom 1:20, 1 Tim 1:17).
• English variants: “invisible,” “unseen.”
• Contextual theological meaning: Grounds the necessity of the Son as revelatory image — God’s invisibility is precisely why an “image” is needed for God to be known.
• French rendering: [REUSED FROM BASELINE] “Dieu” (Critical) + invisible (Low)
• Risk Tier: Critical (inherits god term’s Critical baseline rating); “invisible” itself Low.
• Rendering risk notes: No lexical risk for “invisible”; the risk is theological framing only, addressed above.

πρωτότοκος πάσης κτίσεως (firstborn of/over all creation) — [NEW TERM]

• Transliteration: prōtotokos pasēs ktiseōs
• Literal meaning: “firstborn of all creation” — πρωτότοκος = “first-born,” a term denoting a firstborn son’s legal status of rank, priority, and inheritance rights in a family, not necessarily birth order among siblings (cf. Psalm 89:27 LXX, where David, not chronologically first, is called God’s “firstborn” as a title of supremacy).
• Semantic range: (1) chronological first offspring; (2) title of preeminent rank/heirship regardless of birth order (the dominant OT/NT sense, esp. of the Davidic king and of Christ in 1:18 “firstborn from the dead,” where Christ is plainly not the first person historically to die).
• English variants: “firstborn,” “firstborn over,” “supreme heir.”
• Contextual theological meaning: Christ holds supreme rank and rightful inheritance over the entirety of creation, as its owner and heir — NOT that he is the first created being. Paul’s very next clause (1:16, “in him were all things created”) makes Christ creation’s agent, not its first product — grammatically and logically excluding a “created first” reading.
• French rendering: premier-né (“le premier-né de toute la création”), following the established Segond/TOB/BJ rendering.
• Risk Tier: Critical
• Rendering risk notes: This is the single highest-stakes rendering decision in the whole book. In French, as in English, “premier-né” (firstborn) can be misheard as ranking Christ chronologically within the class of created things — precisely the reading advanced by the Watchtower Society’s French-language “Traduction du monde nouveau,” used by France’s substantial Jehovah’s Witness (Témoins de Jéhovah) communities to argue Christ is a created being, not eternal God. This is not a hypothetical risk but an active, documented denominational dispute in francophone contexts. Any teaching material accompanying this verse must explicitly gloss “premier-né” as a title of supreme rank and inheritance (per the OT background), and must always be read together with v.16-17 (“il est avant toutes choses”/“tout a été créé par lui”) to foreclose a created-being reading. Flag for mandatory human theologian review, matching the baseline’s routing for son_of_god and deity_of_christ.

κτίσις (creation) — [NEW TERM]

• Transliteration: ktisis
• Literal meaning: the act of creating, or, by extension, the created thing/order itself.
• Semantic range: cosmic created order (Rom 8:19-22 sense); an individual creature; the act of creation.
• English variants: “creation,” “creature,” “all things created,” “the created universe.”
• Contextual theological meaning: Denotes the totality of the created cosmos, of which Christ is both source and, per the (mis)readings addressed above, wrongly imagined as a member.
• French rendering: création (“de toute la création”)
• Risk Tier: High
• Rendering risk notes: Inherits the firstborn/creation ambiguity above; “de toute la création” must not be softened to “de toute créature” (which could nudge toward “one creature among all creatures”) — keep the collective, cosmic-order sense.

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Colossians 1:16

Greek: ὅτι ἐν αὐτῷ ἐκτίσθη τὰ πάντα, τὰ ἐν τοῖς οὐρανοῖς καὶ τὰ ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς, τὰ ὁρατὰ καὶ τὰ ἀόρατα, εἴτε θρόνοι εἴτε κυριότητες εἴτε ἀρχαὶ εἴτε ἐξουσίαι· τὰ πάντα διʼ αὐτοῦ καὶ εἰς αὐτὸν ἔκτισται. English: “For by him were all things created… whether thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by him and for him.”

ἐκτίσθη / ἔκτισται (were created)

• Transliteration: ektisthē / ektistai
• Literal meaning: aorist and perfect passive of κτίζω, “to create, found, establish.”
• Semantic range: divine creative activity (never used of ordinary human “making”).
• English variants: “were created,” “have been created,” “were made.”
• Contextual theological meaning: The double use of the passive (aorist “were created” bracketing the list, perfect “have been created” closing it) frames Christ as the single, comprehensive agent of all creation, past and continuing in its created state — a claim of full deity, since only God creates ex nihilo in biblical thought.
• French rendering: ont été créées / a été créé (“tout a été créé par lui”)
• Risk Tier: Critical
• Rendering risk notes: Must retain the passive voice with Christ as the explicit agent (“par lui”); do not paraphrase into an active construction that could obscure Christ’s direct agency in creation.

ἐν αὐτῷ / διʼ αὐτοῦ / εἰς αὐτὸν (in him / through him / for him)

• Transliteration: en autō / di’ autou / eis auton
• Literal meaning: three distinct prepositional relations — “in him,” “through him,” “unto/for him.”
• Semantic range: ἐν = the sphere/instrumental ground of creation; διά = the mediating agent; εἰς = the goal/purpose.
• English variants: “in him… through him… for him,” “by means of him… unto him.”
• Contextual theological meaning: A tightly constructed triad asserting Christ as creation’s sphere, agent, AND goal — the same totalizing formula Paul elsewhere reserves for God alone (cf. Rom 11:36, “ἐξ αὐτοῦ καὶ διʼ αὐτοῦ καὶ εἰς αὐτὸν τὰ πάντα,” of God the Father). Applying the identical triadic formula to Christ here is one of the strongest implicit deity-of-Christ statements in the NT.
• French rendering: en lui / par lui / pour lui
• Risk Tier: Critical
• Rendering risk notes: Preserve all three distinct prepositions exactly; do not collapse them into a single “par lui” for stylistic smoothing, as this would erase the deliberate structural echo of the Romans 11:36 doxology to God the Father, weakening the deity-of-Christ argument for readers cross-referencing Romans (this curriculum’s anchor book).

θρόνοι, κυριότητες, ἀρχαί, ἐξουσίαι (thrones, dominions, principalities, powers) — [NEW TERM]

• Transliteration: thronoi, kyriotētes, archai, exousiai
• Literal meaning: “thrones” (seats of rule), “lordships,” “rulers/first-ones,” “authorities.”
• Semantic range: a fourfold, likely exhaustive-sounding list of ranked angelic/spiritual powers, known from contemporary Jewish apocalyptic and mystical literature as categories of heavenly and cosmic authority (cf. Eph 1:21, 3:10, 6:12).
• English variants: “thrones, dominions, rulers, authorities,” “principalities and powers,” “rank, authority, might, and dominion.”
• Contextual theological meaning: Whatever hierarchy of spiritual powers the Colossian false teachers venerated (cf. 2:18’s “worship of angels”), Paul subordinates the entire category to Christ as created by and for him — directly undercutting any teaching that these powers require separate appeasement, ritual observance, or worship alongside Christ.
• French rendering: trônes, seigneuries (or dominations), principautés, autorités — following the established Segond/TOB pattern.
• Risk Tier: Medium
• Rendering risk notes: French Catholic angelology (the traditional “neuf chœurs des anges,” including “Trônes” and “Dominations” as named choirs) uses cognate vocabulary; this can actually help catechesis (readers may already have categories for ranked heavenly powers) but must be steered to Paul’s point — total subordination to Christ, not veneration of the ranks themselves. Coordinate directly with the High-risk worship_of_angels note at 2:18 below.

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Colossians 1:17

Greek: καὶ αὐτός ἐστιν πρὸ πάντων καὶ τὰ πάντα ἐν αὐτῷ συνέστηκεν. English: “And he is before all things, and in him all things hold together.”

πρὸ πάντων (before all things)

• Transliteration: pro pantōn
• Literal meaning: “before all things” — πρό can be temporal (“prior to”) or, combined with the following clause, ontological/rank-based priority.
• Semantic range: temporal precedence (existed before creation, i.e., eternal preexistence) and/or rank-priority (supreme over all things).
• English variants: “before all things,” “he is prior to all things,” “supreme over all.”
• Contextual theological meaning: Asserts Christ’s eternal preexistence prior to the created order he authored — the direct grammatical rebuttal to any “firstborn = first-created” misreading of v.15, since one cannot be “before” the very things one is supposedly a chronological part of.
• French rendering: il est avant toutes choses
• Risk Tier: Critical
• Rendering risk notes: Must be taught in explicit connection with v.15’s “premier-né” to prevent the created-being misreading; this verse is the corrective the false reading of v.15 depends on suppressing.

συνέστηκεν (hold together / consist)

• Transliteration: synestēken
• Literal meaning: perfect of συνίστημι, “to stand together, cohere, be sustained as a unified whole.”
• Semantic range: physical cohesion (holding together a structure); ongoing sustaining/upholding causation.
• English variants: “hold together,” “consist,” “are sustained,” “cohere.”
• Contextual theological meaning: Christ is not only creation’s originating cause but its ongoing sustaining cause — cosmic coherence itself depends continuously on him (cf. Heb 1:3), grounding “the Supremacy and Sufficiency of Christ over Creation.”
• French rendering: subsistent / se maintiennent en lui (“tout subsiste en lui”)
• Risk Tier: High
• Rendering risk notes: Avoid a purely static translation (“existent en lui”) that loses the sense of active, ongoing sustaining causation; “subsister” in French properly retains a durative sense but should be reinforced pedagogically as continuous divine sustaining, not passive existence.

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Colossians 1:18

Greek: καὶ αὐτός ἐστιν ἡ κεφαλὴ τοῦ σώματος, τῆς ἐκκλησίας· ὅς ἐστιν ἀρχή, πρωτότοκος ἐκ τῶν νεκρῶν, ἵνα γένηται ἐν πᾶσιν αὐτὸς πρωτεύων, English: “And he is the head of the body, the church; he is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, so that in everything he might have the supremacy.”

κεφαλή (head) — [NEW TERM]

• Transliteration: kephalē
• Literal meaning: the physical human/animal head.
• Semantic range: literal anatomical head; metaphorical “source/origin”; metaphorical “authority/ruler over.”
• English variants: “head,” “head over,” “source,” “ruler.”
• Contextual theological meaning: Christ is both the church’s ruling authority and its life-source, as a head governs and gives sensory/coordinating life to a body (cf. 2:19’s organic “joints and ligaments” imagery). This underlies the curriculum doctrine “Christ as Head of the Church.”
• French rendering: tête (“il est la tête du corps, l’Église”)
• Risk Tier: High
• Rendering risk notes: French “tête” is the standard, established Bible rendering (retained here per Segond/TOB pattern) and correctly preserves the organic head-body image; the alternative “chef” (leader/boss) would strip the vital, life-giving-source dimension and reduce the metaphor to bare organizational authority. Do not substitute “chef” even though it may feel more natural for “authority” in casual French. Note for reviewers: κεφαλή recurs in the household code tradition (elsewhere in the NT, e.g. Ephesians) for husband-wife relations; that specific application does not occur in Colossians itself, but the term’s authority-plus-life-source sense should remain consistent if cross-referenced.

σῶμα (body) — [NEW TERM]

• Transliteration: sōma
• Literal meaning: the physical human body.
• Semantic range: literal body; the church as Christ’s corporate body (ecclesial sense, here and 1:24, 2:19, 3:15); “the substance/reality” as opposed to a shadow (2:17, distinct sense); the “body of the flesh” put off in circumcision imagery (2:11).
• English variants: “body,” “the church as his body,” “physical body,” “substance.”
• Contextual theological meaning: The church is Christ’s own organic body, inseparably joined to him as its head — corporate, not merely institutional, identity.
• French rendering: corps (“le corps, l’Église”)
• Risk Tier: High
• Rendering risk notes: In French Catholic liturgical practice, “le Corps du Christ” is the fixed formula spoken at the distribution of Communion (“Le Corps du Christ” / response: “Amen”), referring to the Eucharistic host. Readers steeped in this liturgical register may reflexively hear a Eucharistic reference rather than Paul’s ecclesial-body metaphor. Teaching material must explicitly distinguish Paul’s “corps” (the gathered community of believers, corporately united to Christ) from the sacramental “Corps du Christ” of the Mass, without denying the latter’s own legitimacy in Catholic theology — the distinction is one of referent, not of doctrinal correctness.

ἐκκλησία (church) — [REUSED FROM BASELINE]

• French rendering: Église (per baseline church entry, High risk)
• Rendering risk notes: Per baseline: must clarify body-of-Christ sense distinct from the institutional/building sense that “l’Église” primarily evokes in ordinary French usage.

ἀρχή (the beginning) — [NEW TERM]

• Transliteration: archē
• Literal meaning: “beginning, origin, first cause”; can also mean “ruler” (same root as ἀρχαί in v.16, but here a distinct title applied to Christ himself, not a class of powers).
• Semantic range: temporal starting point; originating source/first cause; ruling authority.
• English variants: “the beginning,” “the origin,” “the first.”
• Contextual theological meaning: Parallel title to “firstborn from the dead” — Christ is the originating source and founder of the new resurrection order, the first of a new humanity, not merely first in a sequence.
• French rendering: le commencement
• Risk Tier: Medium
• Rendering risk notes: Distinguish clearly in teaching from ἀρχαί (“principautés,” v.16) — same Greek root, different referent (Christ’s own title of primacy vs. a class of subordinate spiritual powers); a careless reader could conflate the two.

πρωτότοκος ἐκ τῶν νεκρῶν (firstborn from the dead) — reuses [NEW TERM] πρωτότοκος (see v.15)

• Contextual theological meaning: Here the “rank/priority,” not “chronological first,” sense is unmistakable and self-evidently correct even in translation, since others (e.g., Lazarus) were raised before Christ chronologically; Christ is “firstborn from the dead” as the first to rise in the resurrection-to-glory sense that guarantees all others’ future resurrection (cf. 1 Cor 15:20 “firstfruits”).
• French rendering: le premier-né d’entre les morts
• Risk Tier: High
• Rendering risk notes: This occurrence of “premier-né” is pedagogically valuable — its plainly non-chronological sense here can and should be used to teach the correct rank/priority sense back onto v.15, reinforcing the Critical-risk correction noted above.

πρωτεύων (preeminence, supremacy) — [NEW TERM]

• Transliteration: prōteuōn
• Literal meaning: present participle of πρωτεύω, “to be first, to hold first place.”
• Semantic range: rank-priority; supremacy; preeminence in a list or class.
• English variants: “preeminence,” “supremacy,” “first place.”
• Contextual theological meaning: The purpose clause (“so that… he might have supremacy”) states the goal of Christ’s resurrection-primacy: undisputed first rank in every category — creation, church, and resurrection alike.
• French rendering: la primauté (“qu’il ait en tout la primauté”)
• Risk Tier: Low
• Rendering risk notes: Stable, unambiguous term; no significant collision risk in French.

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Colossians 1:19

Greek: ὅτι ἐν αὐτῷ εὐδόκησεν πᾶν τὸ πλήρωμα κατοικῆσαι English: “For in him all the fullness [of God] was pleased to dwell.”

εὐδόκησεν (was pleased)

• Transliteration: eudokēsen
• Literal meaning: “was well-pleased, resolved with good pleasure.”
• Semantic range: God’s sovereign, gracious good pleasure/deliberate will (cf. Luke 2:14, Eph 1:5).
• English variants: “was pleased,” “was God’s good pleasure,” “God determined.”
• Contextual theological meaning: The Father’s deliberate, gracious decision that full deity should permanently reside in the Son — not an accident or a lesser emanation, but the Father’s own will.
• French rendering: il a plu (à Dieu) (“Dieu a jugé bon”/“il a plu à Dieu”)
• Risk Tier: Medium
• Rendering risk notes: Ensure the subject (God the Father’s good pleasure) remains clear even though the Greek leaves “God” implicit; French translations typically supply “Dieu” as subject (per TOB/Segond) — retain this clarifying addition.

πλήρωμα (fullness) — [NEW TERM]

• Transliteration: plērōma
• Literal meaning: “that which fills, the full complement, the totality/completeness of something.”
• Semantic range: ordinary “fullness/completion”; in Colossians specifically, the complete totality of God’s own being and attributes (echoed and clarified at 2:9, “the fullness of deity/Godhead”).
• English variants: “fullness,” “the full measure,” “the totality of God’s being.”
• Contextual theological meaning: This is Paul’s deliberate, corrective use of a term that the incipient Colossian syncretism (later fully developed in 2nd-century Gnosticism) used technically for the “Pleroma” — the sum-total of divine emanations/aeons thought to exist in a hierarchy between the unreachable supreme God and the material world. Paul insists the entire divine fullness — not one emanation among many — resides in Christ alone. This is the linguistic and theological hinge of the curriculum doctrine “Fullness of Deity in Christ Bodily.”
• French rendering: plénitude (“toute la plénitude”)
• Risk Tier: Critical
• Rendering risk notes: “Plénitude” is the correct, established French rendering (Segond/TOB), with no lexical alternative recommended. The risk is entirely catechetical, not lexical: teaching material MUST explain the term’s anti-Gnostic, anti-syncretistic polemical background so French readers grasp that Paul is not using vague devotional language (“la plénitude de Dieu” sounds pious but generic) but making a precise, exclusive claim — ALL of God’s being, not a fraction or an emanation, is in Christ. Flag for mandatory human theologian review; this term recurs at the doctrinally decisive 2:9 (see Chapter 2 below) and anchors the book’s central Christological polemic.

κατοικῆσαι (to dwell)

• Transliteration: katoikēsai
• Literal meaning: “to dwell down, to settle permanently, to take up permanent residence” (as opposed to a temporary sojourn, παροικέω).
• Semantic range: permanent, settled indwelling, as of a household residence — echoes OT temple/tabernacle “dwelling” (κατασκηνόω/κατοικέω) language for God’s presence.
• English variants: “dwell,” “reside,” “make his permanent home.”
• Contextual theological meaning: God’s fullness does not merely visit or temporarily inspire Christ but permanently, essentially indwells him — Christ as the true temple where God’s presence permanently resides, replacing the Jerusalem Temple.
• French rendering: habiter (“habiter en lui”)
• Risk Tier: Medium
• Rendering risk notes: Ensure the durative/permanent sense is taught explicitly; “habiter” alone (like its English counterpart “dwell”) can be read as either permanent or temporary residence without added emphasis.

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Colossians 1:20

Greek: καὶ διʼ αὐτοῦ ἀποκαταλλάξαι τὰ πάντα εἰς αὐτόν, εἰρηνοποιήσας διὰ τοῦ αἵματος τοῦ σταυροῦ αὐτοῦ, [δι᾽ αὐτοῦ] εἴτε τὰ ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς εἴτε τὰ ἐν τοῖς οὐρανοῖς. English: “And through him to reconcile all things to himself, whether things on earth or things in heaven, having made peace through the blood of his cross.”

ἀποκαταλλάξαι (to reconcile) — [NEW TERM]

• Transliteration: apokatallaxai
• Literal meaning: intensive compound of καταλλάσσω (“to exchange, to reconcile”) with the prefix ἀπο- and κατα- doubling the force — “to reconcile fully/completely, to restore to a former state of harmony.”
• Semantic range: restoring a broken relationship to harmony; specifically, in Pauline usage, God’s own initiative to restore sinners (and, uniquely in Colossians, “all things”) to right relationship with himself.
• English variants: “reconcile,” “restore to favor,” “bring back into harmony.”
• Contextual theological meaning: The cosmic scope (“all things… whether on earth or in heaven”) is unique to Colossians among Paul’s reconciliation statements (contrast Rom 5:10-11, 2 Cor 5:18-20, which speak of reconciling persons); here the entire disordered cosmos, including the spiritual “powers” of v.16 now subdued rather than propitiated, is in view. This is the linguistic core of the curriculum doctrine “Reconciliation through the Cross.”
• French rendering: réconcilier (“réconcilier avec lui-même toutes choses”)
• Risk Tier: Critical
• Rendering risk notes: Must preserve the totalizing scope (“toutes choses,” not merely “les hommes” or “les croyants”) — a narrowing paraphrase to only human reconciliation would strip Colossians’ distinctive cosmic Christology. Flag for mandatory human theologian review whenever this verb occurs (also at 1:21-22 of believers specifically); confirm the French does not imply automatic universal salvation (universalism) merely because “toutes choses” is retained — the scope is cosmic pacification/subjugation of hostile powers and reconciliation of believers, not indiscriminate salvation of all persons regardless of faith, a distinction to be made explicit in accompanying teaching notes given the doctrine’s proximity to universalist misreading.

εἰρηνοποιήσας (having made peace) — related to [REUSED FROM BASELINE] εἰρήνη

• Transliteration: eirēnopoiēsas
• Literal meaning: “having made peace” — a rare compound verb (only here in the NT), “peace” + “to make/do.”
• Semantic range: the achievement of a settled, restored peace, specifically through decisive action (here, the cross), not a mere feeling of calm.
• English variants: “having made peace,” “having achieved peace,” “making peace.”
• Contextual theological meaning: Peace is not a byproduct but the direct achievement of the cross-event itself.
• French rendering: ayant fait la paix (root noun paix per baseline peace entry, Low risk)
• Risk Tier: Medium (elevated slightly above baseline’s Low for peace alone, because here it denotes a cosmic pacification of hostile powers, not only relational peace with God as in Romans 5:1)
• Rendering risk notes: Ensure “la paix” here is not read merely psychologically; the achievement is objective and cosmic.

αἷμα τοῦ σταυροῦ (blood of the cross) — [NEW TERM]

• Transliteration: haima tou staurou
• Literal meaning: “blood of the cross” — αἷμα, “blood” (sacrificial life poured out); σταυρός, “cross” (the Roman instrument of execution, a vertical stake/beam).
• Semantic range: αἷμα ranges from literal bloodshed to a technical term for sacrificial, atoning death (OT sacrificial system background); σταυρός ranges from the literal wooden instrument to a byword for the shameful, criminal manner of Christ’s death, now transformed into the means of cosmic victory (cf. 2:14-15 below).
• English variants: “blood of his cross,” “his sacrificial death,” “the shed blood of the cross.”
• Contextual theological meaning: The reconciliation of all things is achieved specifically and only through Christ’s sacrificial, bloody death — not through a general cosmic principle, moral example, or philosophical enlightenment (the very things the Colossian false teachers may have offered as alternative paths).
• French rendering: sang de sa croix (“par le sang de sa croix”)
• Risk Tier: High
• Rendering risk notes: “Sang” and “croix” are both stable, well-established French Bible terms with no lexical ambiguity; the risk is exclusively that a modern secular or philosophically-minded reader (echoing the very syncretism Paul opposed) might mentally substitute a non-bloody, purely symbolic, or “moral influence” account of the cross’s significance. Teaching material should reinforce the substitutionary, sacrificial specificity of “par le sang,” not merely “par la croix” as a bare historical event.

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

Chapter 1 (outside the core passage: 1:1–14, 1:21–29)

Terms	Variants	Contextual Theological Meaning	French Rendering	Risk
apostle ἀπόστολος apostolos one sent with authority	delegated messenger vs. generic missionary ”apostle”	Paul’s authoritative commissioning, grounding the letter’s authority	apôtre [REUSED]	Low
saints ἅγιοι hagioi set-apart, holy ones	corporate believer-designation vs. venerated elite ”saints,” “God’s holy people”	all believers at Colossae, not a canonized few	saints [REUSED, gloss “tous les croyants” required]	High
faithful brothers πιστοῖς ἀδελφοῖς pistois adelphois trustworthy brothers	family/kinship metaphor for the church ”faithful brothers,” “believing brothers and sisters”	familial bond among believers	frères fidèles	Low
faith πίστις pistis trust, reliance	personal trust vs. generic belief/religion ”faith,” “faith in Christ Jesus”	trust specifically in Christ Jesus (1:4)	foi [REUSED]	Medium
love ἀγάπη agapē selfless, others-directed love	divine/covenantal love vs. mere affection ”love,” “love for all the saints”	love flowing from and evidencing genuine faith	amour (charité in some traditions)	Low
hope ἐλπίς elpis confident expectation	secure future certainty vs. wishful “espoir" "hope,” “hope laid up in heaven”	the certain, Christ-secured future inheritance, not a mere wish	espérance [NEW TERM]	Medium
gospel εὐαγγέλιον euangelion good news	authoritative proclamation vs. generic good news ”gospel,” “word of truth,” “the gospel”	the message that has come to and is bearing fruit among the Colossians	Évangile [REUSED]	Low
grace χάρις charis unmerited favor	Reformed sola gratia vs. Catholic sacramental grace ”grace,” “grace of God”	God’s unearned favor as the ground of Colossian faith (1:6)	grâce [REUSED]	High
minister διάκονος diakonos servant, one who serves/waits at table	office of deacon vs. general servant/minister ”minister,” “servant,” “deacon”	Epaphras’s (1:7) and Paul’s (1:23,1:25) role as gospel-servant	ministre [NEW TERM]	Medium
Spirit πνεῦμα pneuma breath, spirit	Holy Spirit vs. human spirit/disposition ”Spirit,” “love in the Spirit”	likely the Holy Spirit as the sphere/source of their love (1:8)	Esprit — context-dependent; capitalize as Esprit when Holy Spirit is meant, per [REUSED] holy_spirit (Esprit Saint)	Medium
wisdom / understanding / knowledge σοφία / σύνεσις / ἐπίγνωσις sophia / synesis / epignōsis wisdom / insight / full knowledge	Christ-centered discernment vs. Gnostic “special knowledge” or secular academic “science" "wisdom,” “understanding,” “knowledge”	prayer request that the church grasp God’s will fully (1:9), set against the false “knowledge” claims of 2:8, 2:18	sagesse / intelligence (or discernement) / pleine connaissance	Medium–High (see ch.2 γνῶσις note)
power / might δύναμις / κράτος dynamis / kratos power / strength, dominion	sovereign divine capability vs. generic physical force ”power,” “might,” “strengthened with all power”	supernatural empowerment for endurance and joy (1:11), echoing baseline power_of_god	puissance / force souveraine [REUSED root: puissance de Dieu]	Medium
inheritance κληρονομία klēronomia inherited portion, allotted possession	legal inheritance vs. spiritual metaphor ”inheritance,” “portion,” “share”	believers’ certain share in the saints’ inheritance “in light” (1:12)	héritage [NEW TERM]	Medium
light / darkness φῶς / σκότος phōs / skotos light / darkness	moral-spiritual dualism (biblical) vs. Gnostic light-dark cosmology or secular “positive thinking” motif ”light,” “darkness,” “power of darkness”	the decisive transfer from Satan’s domain to Christ’s kingdom (1:12-13)	lumière / ténèbres [NEW TERM]	Medium
kingdom of his beloved Son βασιλεία τοῦ υἱοῦ τῆς ἀγάπης αὐτοῦ basileia tou huiou tēs agapēs autou kingdom of the son of his love	reuses kingdom_of_god concept, but titled to “his beloved Son" "kingdom of his beloved Son,” “kingdom of the Son he loves”	present reality, not only future hope — believers already reside in Christ’s kingdom	Royaume de son Fils bien-aimé [REUSED root: Royaume de Dieu]	Medium
redemption ἀπολύτρωσις apolytrōsis release by payment of a ransom	full, once-for-all liberation vs. an ongoing debt requiring further payment/penance ”redemption”	complete liberation already accomplished, paired with forgiveness of sins (1:14)	rédemption [NEW TERM]	High
forgiveness of sins ἄφεσις τῶν ἁμαρτιῶν aphesis tōn hamartiōn sending away/release of sins	complete remission vs. partial/gradual absolution ”forgiveness of sins,” “remission of sins”	full, immediate remission grounded in Christ’s redemption, reusing baseline sin	pardon des péchés [REUSED root: péché]	Medium
holy, blameless, irreproachable ἅγιος, ἄμωμος, ἀνέγκλητος hagios, amōmos, anenklētos holy, without blemish, beyond reproach	future presentation status (positional) vs. present sinless-perfection expectation ”holy and blameless and above reproach”	the goal of reconciliation (1:22) presented before God, echoing baseline holy/assurance_of_salvation	saint, irréprochable, sans reproche [REUSED root: saint]	Medium
what is lacking in Christ’s afflictions τὰ ὑστερήματα τῶν θλίψεων τοῦ Χριστοῦ ta hysterēmata tōn thlipseōn tou Christou the deficiencies/what remains of Christ’s afflictions	Paul’s own apostolic sufferings for the church’s sake vs. a “completing” of Christ’s atoning work ”filling up what is lacking in Christ’s afflictions”	Paul’s suffering advances gospel proclamation to the church; does NOT add atoning merit to Christ’s finished cross-work	ce qui manque aux souffrances du Christ [NEW TERM]	High
mystery μυστήριον mystērion that which was hidden, now disclosed	previously-hidden-now-revealed divine plan vs. Gnostic secret esoteric knowledge or Catholic devotional “mystère" "mystery,” “the mystery hidden for ages,” “Christ in you”	God’s plan, formerly concealed, now openly proclaimed to all — the opposite of an exclusive secret	mystère [NEW TERM]	High
perfect / mature τέλειος teleios complete, full-grown, mature	moral flawlessness (secular “parfait”) vs. Pauline maturity/completeness in Christ ”perfect,” “mature,” “complete”	the goal of Paul’s teaching ministry (1:28) — maturity in Christ, not sinless perfection	parfait / accompli (en Christ) [NEW TERM]	Medium

Chapter 2

Chapter 2 is the letter’s doctrinal core against syncretism and carries the highest concentration of new load-bearing terms in the book.

Terms	Variants	Contextual Theological Meaning	French Rendering	Risk
mystery of God/Christ μυστήριον τοῦ Θεοῦ / Χριστοῦ mystērion tou Theou/Christou see above	see above ”mystery of God,” “mystery of Christ”	Christ himself is the content of the revealed mystery (2:2), reusing 1:26-27 sense	mystère (de Dieu/du Christ) [NEW TERM]	High
treasures of wisdom and knowledge θησαυροὶ τῆς σοφίας καὶ γνώσεως thēsauroi tēs sophias kai gnōseōs treasures of wisdom and knowledge	all true wisdom located in Christ vs. rival esoteric wisdom-systems ”treasures of wisdom and knowledge,” “all the riches of wisdom”	Christ, not the false teachers’ system, is the exhaustive source of true wisdom (2:3)	trésors de la sagesse et de la connaissance	Medium
knowledge (γνῶσις) γνῶσις gnōsis knowledge	Gnostic elite “special knowledge” vs. everyday French “science” (empirical science) vs. ordinary knowledge ”knowledge,” “science” (archaic Segond usage)	contested term at the root of the “Gnosticism” heresy-family name itself	connaissance (NOT “science”) [NEW TERM]	High
philosophy φιλοσοφία philosophia love of wisdom; a system of thought	this specific syncretistic system at Colossae vs. philosophy as a general academic discipline ”philosophy,” “philosophy and empty deceit”	Paul does not condemn rational inquiry generally but this specific deceptive syncretistic system (2:8)	philosophie [NEW TERM]	Medium
tradition of men παράδοσις τῶν ἀνθρώπων paradosis tōn anthrōpōn handed-down teaching of human origin	merely-human, Christ-displacing teaching vs. capital-T Sacred Tradition in Catholic theology (alongside Scripture as a source of revelation) “human tradition,” “tradition of men”	teaching that supplants, rather than transmits, apostolic truth about Christ	tradition des hommes / tradition humaine [NEW TERM]	High
elemental spirits / basic principles στοιχεῖα τοῦ κόσμου stoicheia tou kosmou elements/basics of the world	rudimentary religious/cosmic principles, possibly astral spiritual powers vs. simple “elements” (chemistry) “elemental spirits,” “elemental spiritual forces,” “basic principles of this world”	the rudimentary, now-obsolete religious system(s) (Jewish ritual calendar and/or pagan cosmic powers) the false teachers still submit to	éléments du monde [NEW TERM]	Medium
fullness of deity bodily πλήρωμα τῆς θεότητος σωματικῶς plērōma tēs theotētos sōmatikōs fullness of deity/divine-ness, bodily/in bodily form	the complete divine nature permanently embodied in the historical, physical Jesus vs. a partial or temporary divine indwelling ”fullness of the Godhead bodily,” “all the fullness of deity dwells in him in bodily form”	the single most explicit incarnational statement in Colossians; the direct doctrinal payoff of 1:19’s πλήρωμα	toute la plénitude de la divinité, corporellement [NEW TERM]	Critical
complete in him πεπληρωμένοι ἐν αὐτῷ peplērōmenoi en autō having been filled/completed in him	believers share derivatively in Christ’s fullness vs. needing additional angelic/ritual supplementation ”you have been made complete in him”	direct application of 2:9’s Critical claim: since Christ has all fullness, believers need nothing added (2:10)	vous avez tout pleinement en lui / vous êtes rendus parfaits en lui	High
circumcision (of Christ) περιτομή (τοῦ Χριστοῦ) peritomē (tou Christou) circumcision	physical Jewish covenant sign vs. spiritual “circumcision” = union with Christ’s death, “not made with hands" "circumcision,” “circumcision of Christ,” “circumcision made without hands”	Paul reapplies circumcision typologically to Christ’s death/burial rather than the physical rite (2:11)	circoncision (du Christ) [NEW TERM]	Medium
baptism βάπτισμα / βαπτισμός baptisma / baptismos immersion, dipping	sacramental infant baptismal regeneration (Catholic) vs. baptism as sign/seal of prior faith-union with Christ (Reformed/Baptist) “baptism,” “buried with him in baptism”	union with Christ’s death and resurrection is the reality baptism signifies (2:12)	baptême [NEW TERM]	High
forgave / cancelled ἐχαρίσατο echarisato graciously granted, forgave	free legal cancellation vs. gradual sacramental absolution ”forgave,” “cancelled,” “graciously forgave”	God’s free legal act, tied etymologically to χάρις/grace	il nous a pardonné / accordé le pardon [REUSED root: grâce]	Medium
handwriting / certificate of debt χειρόγραφον (τῶν δογμάτων) cheirographon (tōn dogmatōn) handwritten note (of debt/obligations)	a legal IOU-document of accumulated obligations, now cancelled vs. an abstract “record of sins" "handwriting of requirements,” “certificate of debt,” “written code”	the legal record of our debt/obligation, nailed to the cross and thereby cancelled (2:14)	acte (qui était contre nous) [NEW TERM]	Medium
ordinances / decrees δόγματα dogmata decrees, official rulings	legalistic/ritual requirements now cancelled vs. French “dogme” = official binding Church doctrine ”requirements,” “decrees,” “regulations”	the legalistic requirements cancelled at the cross — NOT synonymous with “dogma” in the Catholic doctrinal sense	prescriptions / règles (avoid “dogmes”) [NEW TERM]	High
triumphing over θριαμβεύσας thriambeusas leading in a triumphal procession	public humiliation of defeated powers, echoing a Roman military triumph ”triumphing over them,” “made a public spectacle of them”	Christ publicly defeats and disarms the “rulers and authorities” of 1:16 (2:15)	triompher (d’eux) [NEW TERM]	Low
worship of angels θρησκεία τῶν ἀγγέλων thrēskeia tōn angelōn religious cult/worship directed to angels	angel-veneration displacing Christ vs. general Catholic devotional veneration of angels and saints (distinct in kind, per Catholic theology, from worship reserved to God) “worship of angels,” “angel worship”	the false teachers’ practice, condemned as displacing sole allegiance to Christ (2:18)	culte des anges [NEW TERM]	High
voluntary humility (false) ταπεινοφροσύνη (negative sense) tapeinophrosynē humility, lowliness of mind	virtuous humility (positive, 3:12) vs. false ascetic self-abasement used as a badge of spiritual superiority (negative, 2:18,2:23) “false humility,” “self-abasement”	context-sensitive term: condemned here as a performance for status, commended later as a genuine Christian virtue	humilité (affectée / feinte) [NEW TERM, context-sensitive like called]	Medium
self-made religion / will-worship ἐθελοθρησκία ethelothrēskia self-chosen/self-willed religious observance	human-invented ascetic religiosity vs. God-instituted worship ”self-made religion,” “self-imposed worship”	ascetic rules of human invention with no genuine power over sinful impulses (2:23)	culte volontaire / religion à sa propre mesure [NEW TERM]	Low
shadow / substance σκιά / σῶμα skia / sōma shadow / body	a prefiguring outline vs. the solid reality it points to ”a shadow of things to come,” “the reality/substance is Christ”	OT ritual observances (sabbaths, festivals, dietary rules) were provisional foreshadowings now fulfilled in Christ (2:17)	ombre / réalité (or corps) [NEW TERM]	Medium

Chapter 3

Terms	Variants	Contextual Theological Meaning	French Rendering	Risk
raised with Christ συνηγέρθητε synēgerthēte you were raised together with	shared, already-accomplished resurrection-union with Christ vs. a merely future/metaphorical renewal ”raised with Christ,” “you have been raised with him”	the positional, already-true basis for the ethical imperatives that follow — foundational to “Union with Christ” doctrine	ressuscités avec le Christ [NEW TERM]	Critical
hidden with Christ in God ἡ ζωὴ ὑμῶν κέκρυπται σὺν τῷ Χριστῷ ἐν τῷ Θεῷ hē zōē hymōn kekryptai syn tō Christō en tō Theō your life has been hidden together with Christ in God	secure, safeguarded present reality vs. mere future hope ”your life is hidden with Christ in God”	present security of believers’ identity, awaiting future manifestation “in glory” (3:3-4)	votre vie est cachée avec le Christ en Dieu	High
mortify / put to death νεκρώσατε nekrōsate put to death, treat as dead	decisive, active putting-to-death of sinful practices vs. passive resignation or gradual moral self-improvement ”put to death,” “mortify,” “kill off”	active, decisive rejection of specific named vices as already-dead-in-status believers (3:5)	faites mourir [NEW TERM]	Medium
put off / put on ἀποθέσθε / ἐνδύσασθε apothesthe / endysasthe take off (clothing) / put on (clothing)	clothing metaphor for decisive character-change vs. gradual, effortful self-improvement ”put off… put on,” “take off… clothe yourselves with”	decisive, once-for-all-yet-repeated act of exchanging the old life’s practices for new ones consistent with the “new self”	dépouillez-vous… revêtez-vous [NEW TERM]	Medium
old self / new self ὁ παλαιὸς ἄνθρωπος / ὁ νέος (καινός) ἄνθρωπος ho palaios anthrōpos / ho neos (kainos) anthrōpos the old man/humanity / the new man/humanity	the former unregenerate identity, decisively put off vs. an ongoing struggle against an equally-weighted “old nature" "old self,” “new self,” “old man,” “new man”	direct linguistic core of the curriculum doctrine “Putting Off the Old Self and Putting On the New”	le vieil homme / l’homme nouveau [NEW TERM]	High
renewed after the image of the Creator ἀνακαινούμενον εἰς ἐπίγνωσιν κατ᾽ εἰκόνα τοῦ κτίσαντος αὐτόν anakainoumenon eis epignōsin kat’ eikona tou ktisantos auton being renewed unto knowledge according to the image of the one who created it	restoration of humanity’s original creational purpose, reusing 1:15’s εἰκών ”renewed in knowledge after the image of its Creator”	ties anthropology directly back to Christ’s own status as “the image” (1:15) — humanity is remade after the very image Christ himself is	image [REUSED root: image]	High
elect / chosen ἐκλεκτοί eklektoi chosen ones	God’s sovereign, gracious choice vs. French “élus” as a term for elected political officials ”elect,” “God’s chosen ones”	believers’ identity as God’s sovereignly chosen people (3:12), reusing the baseline election concept	élus [REUSED root: élection]	High
bowels of mercies / compassion σπλάγχνα οἰκτιρμοῦ splagchna oiktirmou inward parts (viscera) of compassion	deep, gut-level compassion (Semitic idiom) vs. a flattened, merely polite “kindness" "compassion,” “tender mercy,” “heartfelt compassion”	the depth of relational virtue believers are to “put on” (3:12)	compassion profonde / tendre bonté	Low
forbearing / forgiving ἀνεχόμενοι… χαριζόμενοι anechomenoi… charizomenoi bearing with… graciously forgiving	mutual patience and grace among believers, echoing χάρις/grace ”bearing with one another… forgiving each other”	mutual forgiveness modeled directly on Christ’s own forgiveness of believers (3:13)	se supporter… se pardonner [REUSED root: grâce]	Medium
love, the bond of perfection ἀγάπη, σύνδεσμος τῆς τελειότητος agapē, syndesmos tēs teleiotētos love, the binding-together of completeness	love as the unifying, completing virtue holding all others together ”love, which binds everything together in perfect unity”	love perfects and unites all the other listed virtues (3:14)	l’amour, lien de la perfection (or de l’unité parfaite)	Low
peace of Christ εἰρήνη τοῦ Χριστοῦ eirēnē tou Christou peace of Christ	reuses baseline peace but now as an internal, communal ruling principle, not only relational status before God ”let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts”	Christ’s peace as the practical arbiter of communal decisions and unity (3:15)	paix (du Christ) [REUSED]	Low
psalms, hymns, spiritual songs ψαλμοῖς καὶ ὕμνοις καὶ ᾠδαῖς πνευματικαῖς psalmois kai hymnois kai ōdais pneumatikais psalms and hymns and spiritual songs	a threefold description of corporate sung worship, of debated precise distinctions ”psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs”	corporate, Spirit-filled musical worship as a vehicle of mutual teaching (3:16)	psaumes, hymnes et cantiques spirituels [NEW TERM]	Low
household code: submit ὑποτάσσεσθε hypotassesthe be subordinated, arrange oneself under	willing, Christ-modeled relational ordering vs. coerced subjugation/domestic subjection ”submit,” “be subject to”	wives’ relational posture within the “Household Codes” doctrine (3:18)	soyez soumises [NEW TERM]	High
household code: obey ὑπακούετε hypakouete listen under, obey	children’s and servants’ relational posture vs. baseline obedience_of_faith’s distinct sense (obedience flowing from faith, not command-compliance) “obey,” “obey in everything”	children (3:20) and servants/slaves (3:22) obeying within their household roles “as to the Lord”	obéissez [NEW TERM]	Medium
masters / servants (slaves) κύριοι / δοῦλοι kyrioi / douloi lords/masters / slaves, bondservants	first-century household bondservice, historically and legally distinct from and yet historically entangled with the chattel slavery of the transatlantic slave trade (France’s own history: “l’esclavage,” the Code Noir, abolition 1848) “masters,” “slaves,” “bondservants,” “servants”	Paul addresses an existing first-century social structure pastorally without either endorsing chattel slavery as an institution or issuing a call to immediate abolition; must not be read as biblical endorsement of, still less used to justify, France’s own colonial slave trade history	maîtres / esclaves (or serviteurs, with explanatory note) [NEW TERM]	High
no respect of persons οὐκ ἔστιν προσωπολημψία ouk estin prosōpolēmpsia there is no receiving-of-face (favoritism)	impartial divine judgment regardless of social rank (master or slave alike answer to Christ) “there is no partiality,” “God shows no favoritism”	God’s impartial judgment relativizes and ultimately undermines the very social hierarchy just described (3:25)	il n’y a pas de favoritisme (pas d’acception de personnes)	Medium

Chapter 4

Chapter 4 continues and concludes the household code (masters/servants, already tabled under Chapter 3 above) and closes with personal greetings.

Terms	Variants	Contextual Theological Meaning	French Rendering	Risk
continue in prayer προσευχῇ προσκαρτερεῖτε proseuchē proskartereite persevere/be devoted to prayer	sustained, watchful discipline vs. sporadic/casual prayer ”continue steadfastly in prayer,” “devote yourselves to prayer”	reuses intercession/prayer concepts; corporate perseverance in prayer, watchfully and with thanksgiving (4:2)	persévérer dans la prière	Low
mystery of Christ / door for the word μυστήριον τοῦ Χριστοῦ / θύραν τοῦ λόγου mystērion tou Christou / thyran tou logou mystery of Christ / a door for the word	reuses 1:26-27, 2:2 mystery sense; “door” = opportunity for gospel proclamation ”mystery of Christ,” “open door for the word,” “opportunity to speak”	Paul’s prison request for continued gospel-proclamation opportunity (4:3)	mystère du Christ / une porte pour la Parole [NEW TERM, reuses mystère]	Medium
walk in wisdom toward outsiders περιπατεῖτε πρὸς τοὺς ἔξω peripateite pros tous exō walk toward those outside	conduct commending the gospel to non-believers vs. inward-focused piety ”conduct yourselves wisely toward outsiders”	evangelistic wisdom in daily public conduct (4:5), reusing baseline mission concept with its France-specific colonial-history caution	marcher avec sagesse envers ceux du dehors	Medium
redeeming the time ἐξαγοραζόμενοι τὸν καιρόν exagorazomenoi ton kairon buying up/making the most of the opportune time	seizing strategic opportunity vs. generic “saving time” (efficiency) “making the most of every opportunity,” “redeeming the time”	wise, strategic use of gospel opportunity, not a general time-management principle	rachetez le temps (saisissez l’occasion favorable)	Low
speech with grace, seasoned with salt ὁ λόγος ὑμῶν ἐν χάριτι, ἁλατι ἠρτυμένος ho logos hymōn en chariti, halati ērtymenos your word in grace, seasoned with salt	gracious, discerning, winsome speech vs. bland politeness or harsh confrontation ”let your speech always be gracious, seasoned with salt”	practical outworking of grace (χάρις) in everyday conversation (4:6)	parole… pleine de grâce, assaisonnée de sel [REUSED root: grâce]	Low
minister / fellow-servant / fellow-prisoner διάκονος / σύνδουλος / συναιχμάλωτος diakonos / syndoulos / synaichmalōtos servant / fellow-slave / fellow-captive	ministry-team relational vocabulary, reusing minister (1:7) sense ”faithful minister,” “fellow servant,” “fellow prisoner”	Tychicus’s, Onesimus’s, Epaphras’s, and Aristarchus’s ministry-partnership roles (4:7-14)	ministre / compagnon de service / compagnon de captivité [REUSED root: ministre]	Low
church in the house ἡ κατ᾽ οἶκον αὐτοῦ ἐκκλησία hē kat’ oikon autou ekklēsia the according-to-house church (of him)	a local house-church gathering vs. the institutional Church building ”the church in her/his house”	reuses baseline church term’s High-risk institution/building-vs-body ambiguity, now at the concrete local level (4:15)	l’Église qui se réunit dans sa maison [REUSED]	Medium

Proper names in Chapter 4 (Tychicus, Onesimus, Aristarchus, Mark, Justus, Epaphras, Luke, Demas, Nympha, Archippus, Laodicea): standard proper nouns, transliterated per established French Bible convention (Tychique, Onésime, Aristarque, Marc, Justus, Épaphras, Luc, Démas, Nympha, Archippe, Laodicée). No theological rendering risk; reviewed and noted for completeness.

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Summary of Highest-Priority Terms for Phase 2

The following terms carry Critical risk and require mandatory human theologian review wherever they occur in Colossians: image (εἰκών), premier-né (πρωτότοκος), plénitude / plénitude de la divinité (πλήρωμα), réconcilier (ἀποκαταλλάσσω), ressuscités avec le Christ (συνηγέρθητε), and all occurrences of the baseline Critical terms Dieu, Seigneur, Fils de Dieu-equivalent Sonship language, and justification-adjacent redemption/forgiveness language where applicable. See 08_core_glossary.md for the consolidated registry extension.