Semantic Analysis
Semantic Analysis — 1 Corinthians (English → German)
Methodology
This analysis follows the baseline Romans Language Package’s German conventions exactly. Where a term already carries an established rendering in translation_memory.json (e.g. Evangelium, Gnade, Glaube, Gemeinde, Auferstehung, Herr, Heilige, heilig, Heiligung, Gnadengaben, Fleisch, Gesetz, Sünde, Geheimnis, Weissagung, Haupt, Kraft Gottes, Berufung/berufen, Erwählung, Gemeinschaft), that rendering is reused without alteration and simply cross-referenced. Every genuinely new term introduced by 1 Corinthians receives full treatment (Greek original, transliteration, literal meaning, semantic range, English variants, contextual theological meaning, destination-language rendering risk) and a risk tier consistent with the baseline’s Critical/High/Medium/Low framework, with German-specific reasoning wherever the term collides with German ecclesial, cultural, political, or philosophical history.
The core passage, 1 Corinthians 15:1-11, receives full verse-by-verse treatment. Every other chapter (1-14, 15:12-58, 16) receives chapter-level treatment of its load-bearing theological vocabulary. Chapters contributing no new terms explicitly say so.
CORE PASSAGE: 1 Corinthians 15:1-11 — Verse by Verse
Verse 1 — “Now I would remind you, brothers, of the gospel I preached to you, which you received, in which you stand”
| Terms | Variants | Theological Meaning in Context | German Rendering & Risk |
|---|---|---|---|
| gospel εὐαγγέλιον / euangelion good news, glad tidings | authoritative royal/military announcement of victory; NT: the message of Christ’s saving work gospel, good news | Paul is about to restate the fixed, received core of the gospel message itself — the term anchors the entire chapter’s argument | Evangelium (baseline TM, reused exactly). Low risk per baseline; the accompanying content (vv.3-5) is what carries the real weight here. |
| received παρελάβετε / parelabete took over, accepted (a handed-down tradition) | technical term (with paradidōmi, v.3) for formal transmission of authoritative teaching, rabbinic/Hellenistic pattern received, accepted | Signals that the gospel content in vv.3-5 is fixed apostolic tradition, not Paul’s private opinion | empfangen/angenommen (übernommen). Medium risk: German readers may miss the technical transmission-formula pairing with v.3’s “delivered” (paredōka/überliefert) unless both are rendered with matching technical-transmission vocabulary. Flag for native speaker review to preserve the paired-verb structure. |
| stand ἑστήκατε / hestēkate to stand, stand firm | perfect tense: a settled, abiding position stand, stand firm, hold your ground | The Corinthians’ present standing rests on this received gospel | steht (fest steht). Low risk. |
Verse 2 — “and by which you are being saved, if you hold fast to the word I preached to you—unless you believed in vain”
| Terms | Variants | Theological Meaning in Context | German Rendering & Risk |
|---|---|---|---|
| being saved σῴζεσθε / sōzesthe are being saved | present passive; ongoing process with a settled beginning, not repeated re-salvation are saved, are being saved | Salvation is a present, continuing reality grounded in the gospel just named, not merely a past decision or a future hope only | werdet gerettet (reuse baseline Rettung root, salvation doctrine). High risk per baseline’s existing German-specific caution: “Heil” remains avoided per the Romans baseline rule; “Rettung” preferred here. The present-passive aspect (“werdet… gerettet”, ongoing) must not be flattened into a single past event (“wurdet gerettet”) nor into a this-worldly wellness reading. |
| hold fast κατέχετε / katechete hold down, hold firmly, retain | to keep possession of, retain against loss hold fast, hold firmly, retain | Perseverance in the received gospel content, not a new act of merit | festhaltet. Low risk. |
| believed in vain εἰκῇ ἐπιστεύσατε / eikē episteusate believed for nothing, believed to no purpose | eikē = without cause, purposelessly; qualifies the possibility (not certainty) of an empty faith believed in vain, believed for nothing | A conditional warning, not a statement that any Corinthian’s faith is in fact empty; ties to the chapter’s argument that a faith with no resurrection has no content | vergeblich geglaubt. Medium risk: must preserve the conditional, warning register rather than reading as a settled accusation. |
Verse 3 — “For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures”
| Terms | Variants | Theological Meaning in Context | German Rendering & Risk |
|---|---|---|---|
| delivered παρέδωκα / paredōka handed over, transmitted | technical term for passing on fixed authoritative tradition (paired with parelabon, “received”) delivered, handed down, passed on | Establishes that vv.3-5 is pre-Pauline, primitive Christian confessional material Paul himself received — among the earliest attested Christian creedal statements | überliefert (weitergegeben). High risk: must be rendered with technical-transmission force parallel to v.1’s parelabete, so German readers perceive the fixed-creed structure Paul is quoting, not Paul’s own improvisation. |
| of first importance ἐν πρώτοις / en prōtois among the first things, first in rank | primacy of importance, not necessarily chronological firstness of first importance, as of first importance, first of all | Marks vv.3-5 as the very core of the gospel, not one item among many | an erster Stelle / vor allem. Low risk. |
| Christ Χριστός / Christos Anointed One | title/name; the Messiah Christ | Reuses established Christological title | Christus (baseline TM, reused). Low risk. |
| died for our sins ἀπέθανεν ὑπὲρ τῶν ἁμαρτιῶν ἡμῶν / apethanen hyper tōn hamartiōn hēmōn died on behalf of/for our sins | hyper = “for the sake of, on behalf of, instead of” — substitutionary/vicarious force died for our sins | Vicarious, substitutionary atonement — Christ’s death addresses the guilt of sin directly | starb für unsere Sünden (reuse baseline Sünde, Medium risk term). Critical risk for the whole clause: the substitutionary force of hyper must not be flattened into a merely exemplary or sympathetic death (“starb wegen unserer Sünden” would weaken this); German “für” preserves the substitutionary sense adequately when paired with explicit exposition. |
| according to the Scriptures κατὰ τὰς γραφάς / kata tas graphas according to the writings | conformity to a body of authoritative written text (OT) according to the Scriptures, as the Scriptures said | Grounds the gospel in OT prophetic fulfillment (esp. Isaiah 53), continuing the Romans baseline’s fulfillment_of_prophecy doctrine | nach der Schrift. Medium risk: requires OT background exposition given low OT literacy across all German audience segments per the baseline’s standing note. |
Verse 4 — “that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures”
| Terms | Variants | Theological Meaning in Context | German Rendering & Risk |
|---|---|---|---|
| buried ἐτάφη / etaphē was buried, was entombed | concrete, historical burial act was buried | Confirms the real, physical death — no docetic escape clause | wurde begraben. Low risk. |
| raised ἐγήγερται / egēgertai has been raised (perfect tense) | perfect tense: a completed past act with a continuing, present result — he remains risen was raised, rose, has risen | The heart of the confession: bodily, historical, once-for-all resurrection with abiding present force, continuing the Romans baseline’s resurrection_of_christ doctrine | ist auferstanden / ist auferweckt worden (baseline TM Auferstehung root, reused). Critical risk: the perfect tense’s abiding-result force must be preserved — German “ist auferstanden” (present-perfect construction) naturally carries this better than a simple past “auferstand,” and should be preferred throughout this passage for consistency with the resurrection-of-believers argument later in the chapter. |
| third day τῇ ἡμέρᾳ τῇ τρίτῃ / tē hēmera tē tritē on the third day | specific, historically-anchored time reference on the third day | Fulfills OT typology (e.g. Hosea 6:2, Jonah); anchors resurrection in real chronological history, not myth | am dritten Tag. Low risk. |
| according to the Scriptures κατὰ τὰς γραφάς (as above) | (as above) (as above) | Second occurrence in two verses — deliberate emphasis that both death and resurrection fulfill Scripture | nach der Schrift. Medium risk (see v.3). |
Verse 5 — “and that he appeared to Cephas, then to the twelve”
| Terms | Variants | Theological Meaning in Context | German Rendering & Risk |
|---|---|---|---|
| appeared ὤφθη / ōphthē was seen, appeared | passive of horaō; a technical term in the NT specifically for resurrection appearances (not ordinary sight) appeared, was seen | Marks a real, objective, verifiable post-resurrection encounter, not a subjective vision or inner experience | erschien (ist erschienen). High risk: must retain the sense of an objective, witnessed appearance; risk of collapsing into a subjective “he seemed to see” if rendered too loosely — German “erschien” carries adequate objective force when the eyewitness list (vv.5-8) is kept explicit. |
| Cephas Κηφᾷ / Kēpha Peter’s Aramaic name (“rock”) | proper name Cephas, Peter | Names the first individual eyewitness | Kephas (established German Bible form; cross-referenced as Petrus). Low risk. |
| the twelve τοῖς δώδεκα / tois dōdeka to the twelve | the twelve apostles as a fixed group/office, even though Judas was no longer among them at this point the twelve, the Twelve | Establishes a formal, corporate apostolic witness alongside the individual one | den Zwölfen. Low risk. |
Verse 6 — “Then he appeared to more than five hundred brothers at one time, most of whom are still alive, though some have fallen asleep”
| Terms | Variants | Theological Meaning in Context | German Rendering & Risk |
|---|---|---|---|
| five hundred brothers πεντακοσίοις ἀδελφοῖς / pentakosiois adelphois five hundred brothers | a large, specific, checkable number of witnesses five hundred brothers, five hundred people | Paul offers a verifiable mass eyewitness event, most still living at time of writing — an apologetic, historical claim | fünfhundert Brüdern. Low risk. |
| fallen asleep ἐκοιμήθησαν / ekoimēthēsan fell asleep, have fallen asleep | standard NT euphemism for the death of believers, carrying resurrection hope (sleep implies waking) fallen asleep, died | Death is reframed as sleep precisely because resurrection is certain — the euphemism itself is theologically loaded | sind entschlafen. Medium risk: “entschlafen” is the traditional German ecclesial euphemism (still used in obituaries/funeral liturgy) and should be preferred over a flat “gestorben,” which would lose the resurrection-hope connotation embedded in the euphemism. |
Verse 7 — “Then he appeared to James, then to all the apostles”
| Terms | Variants | Theological Meaning in Context | German Rendering & Risk |
|---|---|---|---|
| James Ἰακώβῳ / Iakōbō James | proper name — the Lord’s brother, later Jerusalem church leader James | A named, prominent, checkable witness distinct from the Twelve | Jakobus (established German Bible form). Low risk. |
| all the apostles τοῖς ἀποστόλοις πᾶσιν / tois apostolois pasin to all the apostles | a broader circle than “the Twelve” (v.5), including others recognized as apostles all the apostles | Widens the apostolic witness circle in preparation for Paul’s own inclusion in v.8-9 | allen Aposteln (baseline TM Apostel, reused). Low risk. |
Verse 8 — “Last of all, as to one untimely born, he appeared also to me”
| Terms | Variants | Theological Meaning in Context | German Rendering & Risk |
|---|---|---|---|
| last of all ἔσχατον δὲ πάντων / eschaton de pantōn last of all | final position in the sequence of appearances last of all, finally | Marks the closing and, chronologically, latest of the resurrection appearances | zuletzt von allen. Low risk. |
| untimely born / one untimely born τῷ ἐκτρώματι / tō ektrōmati miscarriage, stillbirth, abnormally/prematurely born one | a self-deprecating, even shocking image: one born abnormally, out of the normal course, unqualified by ordinary process one untimely born, a miscarriage, one abnormally born | Paul underlines the irregularity and undeservedness of his own apostolic calling — the encounter came to him “out of due order,” through no natural qualification | wie eine unzeitige Geburt (Luther’s own rendering, retained). High risk: this is a genuinely startling, crude image in the Greek that many modern translations soften; German should retain Luther’s traditional directness (“unzeitige Geburt”) rather than a genteel paraphrase, consistent with this pipeline’s established discipline (cf. rubbish/Dreck in Philippians 3:8) of preserving Paul’s deliberate rhetorical bluntness rather than smoothing it. |
Verse 9 — “For I am the least of the apostles, unworthy to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God”
| Terms | Variants | Theological Meaning in Context | German Rendering & Risk |
|---|---|---|---|
| least ἐλάχιστος / elachistos smallest, least | superlative of smallness/insignificance least, smallest | Paul’s self-assessment relative to the other apostles named above | der Geringste. Low risk. |
| unworthy οὐκ εἰμὶ ἱκανός / ouk eimi hikanos I am not sufficient/fit | adequacy, fitness, worthiness for a task unworthy, not fit, not sufficient | Frames apostleship as a gift of grace, not an earned status — sets up v.10 | nicht wert / nicht wert genug. Low risk. |
| persecuted ἐδίωξα / ediōxa pursued, persecuted | hostile pursuit, harassment, persecution persecuted | Refers to Paul’s documented pre-conversion persecution of the church (cf. Acts, Galatians 1:13) | verfolgte. Medium risk: teaching material should frame this, as the baseline’s Galatians package already establishes for parallel material, as specific first-century intra-Jewish religious conflict, never drawing a false equivalence with later European antisemitic violence. |
| church of God τὴν ἐκκλησίαν τοῦ θεοῦ / tēn ekklēsian tou theou the assembly/congregation of God | the corporate people of God, here specifically the early Christian community Paul persecuted church of God, the church of God | Continues the Romans baseline’s church_as_gods_people doctrine | die Gemeinde Gottes (baseline TM Gemeinde, reused per the baseline’s preference for the gathered-body sense over institutional Kirche). High risk per baseline (church term). |
Verse 10 — “But by the grace of God I am what I am, and his grace toward me was not in vain. On the contrary, I worked harder than all of them, though it was not I, but the grace of God that is with me”
| Terms | Variants | Theological Meaning in Context | German Rendering & Risk |
|---|---|---|---|
| grace χάρις / charis favor, kindness, unmerited gift | unmerited divine favor grace, favor | Repeated three times in one verse — grace alone explains Paul’s transformation and ministry, not merit or effort | Gnade (baseline TM, reused exactly). High risk per baseline: must reinforce grace as unmerited and apart from human cooperation, guarding directly against a Werkgerechtigkeit misreading of the following clause about Paul’s hard work. |
| not in vain οὐ κενὴ ἐγενήθη / ou kenē egenēthē did not become empty/without effect | effectiveness versus futility was not without effect, was not in vain | Grace produced real, verifiable fruit (Paul’s ministry), without becoming the ground of merit | nicht vergeblich / nicht ohne Wirkung. Medium risk (parallel to v.2’s “in vain”). |
| worked harder περισσότερον … ἐκοπίασα / perissoteron ekopiasa I labored more abundantly | strenuous, exhausting labor, exceeding others’ effort worked harder, labored more abundantly | Must be read as the fruit of grace, not its cause — the following clause (“not I, but the grace of God”) immediately corrects any merit-based misreading | habe ich mich mehr angestrengt/mehr gearbeitet. Critical risk: this clause is a classic Werkgerechtigkeit trap. Teaching material must keep this clause bound to its immediate self-correction (“nicht ich, sondern die Gnade Gottes”) in the same unit, exactly as the baseline requires for Philippians 2:12-13 and the Ephesians 2:9-10 works/grace pairing. |
Verse 11 — “Whether then it was I or they, so we preach and so you believed”
| Terms | Variants | Theological Meaning in Context | German Rendering & Risk |
|---|---|---|---|
| we preach κηρύσσομεν / kēryssomen we proclaim, herald | authoritative public proclamation (herald’s announcement) we preach, we proclaim | The unified apostolic message (Paul and the other apostles alike) is what matters, not personal rivalry — directly recalls the factionalism the letter opened with (ch.1-4) | predigen wir / verkünden wir. Low risk. |
| believed ἐπιστεύσατε / episteusate you believed, you came to trust | personal trust and reliance, not mere intellectual assent believed | Closes the inclusio begun in v.1-2 — the Corinthians’ faith rests on this one, shared, apostolic gospel | habt ihr geglaubt (reuse baseline Glaube/glauben root). Medium risk per baseline faith doctrine (personal trust, not generic worldview). |
Chapter-by-Chapter Study — The Whole Book
Chapter 1 — Factionalism, the Cross as Foolishness and Power
| Terms | Variants | Theological Meaning | German Rendering & Risk |
|---|---|---|---|
| divisions / factions σχίσματα / schismata tears, splits | schisms, quarrels, party-strife divisions, quarrels, dissensions | The Corinthian church is fractured along personality-cult lines (Paul/Apollos/Cephas/Christ) | Spaltungen. High risk, German-specific: avoid “Parteien” (political parties) for the related term eris/rivalry-groups, since “Partei” imports contemporary party-political connotations foreign to the text; “Spaltungen/Zwistigkeiten” is safer. |
| Christ crucified Χριστὸν ἐσταυρωμένον / Christon estaurōmenon Christ having been crucified | perfect passive participle: a completed, abiding crucified status proclaimed as the center of the message Christ crucified, the crucified Christ | The scandalous center of apostolic preaching, foolish to Greeks, a stumbling block to Jews | den gekreuzigten Christus. Critical risk: must retain the scandal (a crucified Messiah was culturally shameful, not merely tragic) rather than smoothing into a generic “Christ’s death.” |
| wisdom (of the world / of God) σοφία / sophia wisdom, skill, expertise | human philosophical sophistication vs. God’s saving wisdom revealed in the cross wisdom | Sets up a sustained contrast (ch.1-3) between worldly wisdom and the cross’s paradoxical wisdom | Weisheit. Medium risk, German-specific: Germany’s high cultural regard for philosophical wisdom (Kant, Hegel, German Idealism) parallels the Colossians package’s philosophy_and_empty_deceit caution — teaching material must keep Paul’s target as human wisdom’s inadequacy for salvation, not a blanket anti-intellectualism. |
| foolishness μωρία / mōria folly, foolishness | that which appears absurd/irrational by worldly standards foolishness | The cross appears foolish to the perishing but is in fact God’s wisdom and power to those being saved | Torheit. Medium risk; pair explicitly with “Weisheit Gottes” so the paradox (foolish-yet-wise) is not lost. |
| power of God δύναμις θεοῦ / dynamis theou might, power, capability of God | sovereign, saving capability, distinct from the Romans 1:16 occurrence but the same phrase power of God | The cross itself, not merely the resurrection, is identified as God’s saving power | Kraft Gottes (baseline TM, reused exactly from Romans 1:16). Medium risk per baseline. |
| calling κλῆσις / κλητός / klēsis / klētos calling | God’s summons of the “not many wise, not many powerful” calling, called | Echoes the Romans baseline’s effectual_calling doctrine; God’s electing initiative bypasses worldly status categories | Berufung / berufen (baseline TM, reused exactly). High risk per baseline (career/legal-appeal homonym collision). |
| boasting καυχάομαι / kauchaomai to boast, glory in | pride in one’s own achievement or status boast, take pride in | ”Let no one boast” (1:29) directly undercuts any merit-based self-congratulation, continuing the grace/works discipline established across this pipeline | sich rühmen. Low/Medium risk. |
Chapter 2 — The Spirit and Human Wisdom
| Terms | Variants | Theological Meaning | German Rendering & Risk |
|---|---|---|---|
| spiritual person / natural person πνευματικός / ψυχικός / pneumatikos / psychikos Spirit-possessing / soul-ish (unregenerate) | contrast between one indwelt by God’s Spirit and one relying only on natural human faculties spiritual man, natural man, unspiritual person | Only the Spirit-indwelt person can properly discern spiritual truth; not an intelligence contrast but a regeneration contrast | geistlicher Mensch / natürlicher Mensch. High risk: “natürlich” risks a merely intellectual-capacity reading (as if the unregenerate person is simply less clever); teaching material must clarify this is a Spirit-versus-no-Spirit contrast, not an IQ contrast. |
| mind of Christ νοῦς Χριστοῦ / nous Christou the mind/understanding of Christ | shared perspective, disposition, and discernment granted to believers mind of Christ | Climactic claim of ch.2 — believers, through the Spirit, share in Christ’s own understanding | der Sinn Christi. Medium risk. |
| Spirit searches/reveals τὸ πνεῦμα ἐρευνᾷ/ἀπεκάλυψεν / to pneuma ereuna/apekalypsen the Spirit searches/revealed | the Spirit as the agent of revealing previously hidden divine truth the Spirit reveals, the Spirit searches | Continues the baseline’s mystery_of_christ revelation pattern (Ephesians 3) | der Geist erforscht/offenbart (reuse Heiliger Geist). Medium risk. |
Chapter 3 — Carnal Christians, the Church as God’s Building/Temple
| Terms | Variants | Theological Meaning | German Rendering & Risk |
|---|---|---|---|
| carnal / fleshly σαρκικός / sarkikos fleshly, of the flesh | governed by the sinful nature rather than the Spirit, applied here to believers still behaving immaturely carnal, fleshly, worldly | Corinthian factionalism (ch.1-4) is diagnosed as evidence of immature, flesh-governed conduct among genuine believers, not unbelief | fleischlich (adj. form of baseline TM Fleisch, reused). Critical risk per baseline’s flesh_versus_spirit doctrine: must be disambiguated from a neutral bodily sense on first occurrence, exactly as required for Galatians. |
| temple of God ναὸς θεοῦ / naos theou sanctuary/inner shrine of God | the church corporately as God’s dwelling place (distinct from the individual-body sense in ch.6) temple of God, God’s temple | The corporate church, not any building, is where God’s Spirit dwells | Tempel Gottes. Medium/High risk: must be clearly disambiguated from ch.6’s individual-body “temple,” and from any implication that a physical church building is meant. |
| foundation θεμέλιος / themelios foundation, base | the fixed, singular starting point (Christ) upon which ministry is built foundation | Christ alone is the foundation; different ministries build upon it with varying quality of materials | Fundament/Grundlage. Low risk. |
| fire will test / reward πῦρ δοκιμάσει / pyr dokimasei fire will test/prove | eschatological testing of ministry quality, not personal salvation fire will test, judged by fire | Ministers’ works, not their salvation, are tested; salvation itself is secure (“he himself will be saved”) | das Feuer wird prüfen. High risk: must be kept distinct from a works-based salvation reading (Catholic purgatorial resonance is a live, though not primary, German-specific association to flag for reviewer awareness) — the passage concerns reward for ministry, not the ground of salvation. |
Chapter 4 — Stewards of the Mysteries, Apostolic Suffering
| Terms | Variants | Theological Meaning | German Rendering & Risk |
|---|---|---|---|
| stewards of the mysteries οἰκονόμους μυστηρίων θεοῦ / oikonomous mystēriōn theou household managers of God’s mysteries | entrusted administrators of previously-hidden, now-revealed divine truth stewards of the mysteries of God | Reuses the Ephesians/Colossians baseline’s mystery_of_christ doctrine, applied to apostolic office | Verwalter der Geheimnisse Gottes (reuse baseline TM Geheimnis). High risk per baseline. |
| judged by the Lord ὁ … ἀνακρίνων με κύριός ἐστιν / ho anakrinōn me kyrios estin the one examining/judging me is the Lord | final accountability belongs to Christ alone, not human courts of opinion it is the Lord who judges me | Undercuts factional judgment of ministers (continues ch.1-3 theme) | der Herr ist es, der mich richtet (reuse baseline TM Herr). Critical risk per baseline (lordship_of_christ). |
Chapter 5 — Church Discipline and Holiness
| Terms | Variants | Theological Meaning | German Rendering & Risk |
|---|---|---|---|
| sexual immorality πορνεία / porneia fornication, sexual immorality | unlawful sexual activity broadly (not limited to a single act) sexual immorality, fornication | The specific offense (a man with his father’s wife) prompting the discipline case | Unzucht (register note: Luther’s traditional “Hurerei” is now perceived as crude/archaic in contemporary German; “Unzucht” or “sexuelle Unmoral” is preferred in this curriculum’s register). Medium risk, register-sensitive rather than doctrinally contested. |
| hand over to Satan / leaven παραδοῦναι τῷ Σατανᾷ / ζύμη / paradounai tō Satana / zymē to hand over to Satan / leaven | excommunicative church discipline for restoration, and the Passover-leaven purity metaphor deliver to Satan, leaven, unleavened | Discipline is corrective/restorative (aimed at the offender’s ultimate salvation), and the whole church’s purity is at stake (“a little leaven leavens the whole lump”) | dem Satan übergeben / Sauerteig. High risk: teaching material must frame this as restorative church discipline, not vindictive punishment, and must not be read as a claim about eternal loss of salvation. |
| judge those inside / not those outside τοὺς ἔσω / τοὺς ἔξω κρίνειν / tous esō / tous exō krinein those inside / those outside | the church’s disciplinary authority is limited to its own members, not society at large judge insiders, not outsiders | Clarifies the proper scope of church discipline against a moralistic overreach into the wider world | die drinnen / die draußen richten. Medium risk. |
Chapter 6 — The Body as Temple, Lawsuits, Bought with a Price
| Terms | Variants | Theological Meaning | German Rendering & Risk |
|---|---|---|---|
| body is a temple of the Holy Spirit τὸ σῶμα ναὸς τοῦ ἁγίου πνεύματός / to sōma naos tou hagiou pneumatos the body is a sanctuary of the Holy Spirit | the individual believer’s physical body as the Spirit’s dwelling place (distinct from ch.3’s corporate temple) your body is a temple | Grounds sexual ethics in the Spirit’s indwelling presence, not mere rule-keeping | euer Leib ist ein Tempel des Heiligen Geistes (reuse Heiliger Geist, Tempel). High risk: must be distinguished explicitly from ch.3’s corporate-temple sense to avoid confusing readers. |
| joined to the Lord κολλώμενος τῷ κυρίῳ / kollōmenos tō kyriō glued/joined to the Lord | intimate spiritual union, contrasted with sexual union with a prostitute (“one flesh”) joined to the Lord, united to the Lord | Union with Christ (baseline christian_identity_in_christ) has bodily as well as spiritual implications | mit dem Herrn verbunden. Medium/High risk (reuse Herr, Critical baseline term). |
| bought with a price ἠγοράσθητε τιμῆς / ēgorasthēte timēs you were bought for a price | commercial redemption/purchase metaphor bought with a price, purchased | Believers do not own themselves; Christ’s atoning death is the “price” — ties to the Colossians certificate_of_debt commercial-metaphor discipline | um einen Preis erkauft. Medium/High risk: keep the metaphor concrete (a real transaction), consistent with the Colossians package’s discipline for the Schuldschein/certificate-of-debt image. |
| lawsuits among believers κρίνεσθαι ἐπὶ τῶν ἀδίκων / krinesthai epi tōn adikōn to be judged before the unrighteous | believers taking internal disputes to secular/pagan courts rather than resolving them within the church lawsuits before unbelievers | Undermines the church’s witness and its own competence to judge “the world” eschatologically | Rechtsstreitigkeiten vor Ungläubigen. Low/Medium risk. |
| washed, sanctified, justified ἀπελούσασθε, ἡγιάσθητε, ἐδικαιώθητε / apelousasthe, hēgiasthēte, edikaiōthēte washed, sanctified, justified | three-fold description of conversion: cleansing, Spirit-set-apartness, forensic right standing washed, sanctified, justified | Ties directly to the Romans baseline’s Critical justification and Medium sanctification doctrines, here compressed into one triad describing believers’ new identity | gewaschen, geheiligt, gerecht gemacht (reuse baseline TM Heiligung, Rechtfertigung). Critical risk per baseline. |
Chapter 7 — Marriage and Singleness
| Terms | Variants | Theological Meaning | German Rendering & Risk |
|---|---|---|---|
| marriage γάμος / gamos marriage, wedding | the marital union and institution marriage | Paul addresses marriage as good but not obligatory | Ehe. Low risk. |
| gift (of celibacy) χάρισμα / charisma grace-gift | a Spirit-given capacity, here applied specifically to singleness/self-control gift, special gift | Singleness, like marriage, is framed as a charisma — a grace-given calling, not a lesser default state | Gabe / Gnadengabe (reuse baseline TM Gnadengaben root). Medium risk: must not imply singleness is a spiritual deficiency; equally, must not imply marriage lacks the same grace-gift character. |
| conjugal duty / one flesh authority over the body ὀφειλή / ἐξουσιάζειν τοῦ σώματος / opheilē / exousiazein tou sōmatos debt owed / to have authority over the body | mutual marital obligation and mutual (not one-sided) bodily authority within marriage conjugal rights, marital duty | Establishes a strikingly mutual, reciprocal framing of marital intimacy for its first-century context | eheliche Pflicht / Verfügungsrecht über den Leib. Medium/High risk: teaching material should note the mutuality (both husband and wife are described identically) as intentional and significant, paralleling the mutual-submission framing required for Ephesians 5:21. |
| better to marry than to burn κρεῖττον γαμῆσαι ἢ πυροῦσθαι / kreitton gamēsai ē pyrousthai better to marry than to be inflamed (with desire) | pragmatic pastoral counsel for those who cannot remain single without overwhelming temptation better to marry than to burn with passion | Marriage is presented as a legitimate, non-shameful provision, not a spiritually inferior concession | es ist besser zu heiraten als in Begierde zu brennen. Low/Medium risk. |
| present form of this world is passing away παράγει τὸ σχῆμα τοῦ κόσμου τούτου / paragei to schēma tou kosmou toutou the outward form/shape of this world is passing away | the temporary, provisional nature of present worldly arrangements, in light of the imminent eschaton the present form of this world is passing away | Grounds Paul’s counsel about marriage/singleness in eschatological urgency, not asceticism for its own sake | die Gestalt dieser Welt vergeht. Medium risk. |
Chapter 8 — Christian Liberty and Idol Meat (I)
| Terms | Variants | Theological Meaning | German Rendering & Risk |
|---|---|---|---|
| idol / idol has no real existence εἴδωλον / eidōlon image, likeness; an idol | a manufactured cult image; theologically, “nothing” in itself idol, false god | An idol has no independent divine reality, though the demonic reality behind idol worship is affirmed later (ch.10) | Götze / Götzenbild. High risk, German-specific: avoid the loanword “Idol,” whose dominant contemporary German usage is secular celebrity-worship (“Idol” = pop star/celebrity), which would trivialize the theological force; “Götze/Götzenbild” is the established, doctrinally weighted Luther-tradition term. |
| idol meat εἰδωλόθυτον / eidōlothyton that which has been sacrificed to idols | meat from animals ritually offered to pagan gods, later sold in the marketplace food sacrificed to idols, idol meat | The central case study for the whole liberty-versus-love argument (ch.8-10) | Götzenopferfleisch (established Luther-tradition compound). Medium risk. |
| knowledge puffs up / love builds up ἡ γνῶσις φυσιοῖ, ἡ ἀγάπη οἰκοδομεῖ / hē gnōsis physioi, hē agapē oikodomei knowledge inflates, love builds | contrast between prideful intellectual assertion and other-centered, constructive love knowledge puffs up, love builds up | Anticipates ch.13; correct theology exercised without love harms weaker believers | die Erkenntnis bläst auf, die Liebe baut auf (reuse Erbauung/aufbauen, anticipates new term Liebe, ch.13). High risk: sets up the whole love-versus-knowledge tension resolved climactically in ch.13. |
| weak conscience / stumbling block ἡ συνείδησις ἀσθενής / πρόσκομμα / hē syneidēsis asthenēs / proskomma weak conscience / a stumbling-stone | a fellow believer’s morally sensitive but under-informed conscience, at risk of being harmed by another’s “liberty” weak conscience, stumbling block, offense | Christian liberty must be voluntarily limited out of love for a weaker brother’s conscience — a core ethical principle for the whole liberty section (ch.8-10) | schwaches Gewissen / Anstoß, Ärgernis. High risk, German-specific: “Gewissen” carries strong resonance in German ethical-philosophical tradition (Kant’s Gewissensbegriff); teaching material must keep the biblical sense (a fellow believer’s conscience, formed or unformed by faith) distinct from a purely autonomous rational-moral faculty. |
Chapter 9 — Apostolic Rights and Self-Discipline
| Terms | Variants | Theological Meaning | German Rendering & Risk |
|---|---|---|---|
| right / authority ἐξουσία / exousia authority, right, permission | here specifically Paul’s apostolic right to material support, which he voluntarily forgoes right, authority, freedom (imprecisely) | Distinct from eleutheria (Freiheit, Critical baseline term from Galatians); this is a legitimate entitlement voluntarily set aside for the gospel’s sake | Recht / Vollmacht. High risk, German-specific: must not be conflated with or rendered as Freiheit, which the baseline reserves for eleutheria’s Christ-given liberation sense; conflating the two terms would blur a real semantic distinction Paul is making (a right one may waive vs. a freedom constitutive of Christian identity). |
| become all things to all people πάντα πᾶσιν γεγονα / panta pasin gegona I have become all things to all | missionary adaptability without compromise of the gospel’s content all things to all people | Models flexible, sacrificial, culturally-adapted evangelism, continuing the Romans baseline’s evangelism doctrine | allen alles geworden. Medium risk. |
| imperishable wreath ἄφθαρτος στέφανος / aphthartos stephanos unfading/incorruptible crown | contrast between the perishable athletic laurel crown and the eternal reward for gospel labor imperishable crown, incorruptible wreath | Anticipates ch.15’s aphtharsia (imperishability) vocabulary for the resurrection body | unverweslicher Kranz. Medium risk; note forward link to ch.15. |
| disqualified ἀδόκιμος / adokimos unapproved, disqualified, failing the test | athletic disqualification metaphor applied to ministry integrity disqualified, castaway, rejected | Paul’s self-discipline is motivated by a real concern for his own ministerial integrity, not a doubt about final salvation’s security | verwerflich / untauglich. High risk: must not be read as contradicting assurance of salvation (a doctrine this pipeline’s Romans baseline treats as High risk); the concern is disqualification from the race/reward, not loss of salvation itself — flag for theologian review. |
Chapter 10 — Warning from Israel’s History, the Lord’s Table
| Terms | Variants | Theological Meaning | German Rendering & Risk |
|---|---|---|---|
| types / examples τύποι / typoi patterns, models, types | OT Israel’s wilderness history functions typologically, prefiguring and warning the church examples, types, warnings | Establishes a typological hermeneutic connecting Israel’s wilderness generation to the Corinthian church’s temptations | Vorbilder / Beispiele. Medium risk; requires OT narrative background exposition, per the baseline’s standing low-OT-literacy caution. |
| the Rock was Christ ἡ πέτρα … ἦν ὁ Χριστός / hē petra ēn ho Christos the rock was Christ | retrospective typological identification of Christ with the wilderness rock (Exodus 17/Numbers 20) the Rock was Christ | A striking pre-existence and typological claim, continuing the baseline’s deity_and_preexistence_of_christ doctrine | der Fels aber war Christus. Critical risk: affirms Christ’s real pre-existent activity in OT history; must not be read as merely symbolic/retroactive naming with no ontological claim. |
| table of the Lord / table of demons τράπεζα κυρίου / τράπεζα δαιμονίων / trapeza kyriou / trapeza daimoniōn the Lord’s table / the table of demons | exclusive, incompatible cultic participation: one cannot share fellowship at both the Lord’s table, table of demons | Idol-temple meals involve real (if illegitimate) spiritual participation with demonic powers, incompatible with participation in Christ | der Tisch des Herrn / der Tisch der Dämonen. Critical risk: must retain the real spiritual stakes (not merely a social-etiquette concern) — the passage affirms objective demonic reality behind idolatry, a claim modern secularized German readers may be tempted to psychologize away. |
| participation / communion κοινωνία / koinōnia participation, sharing, fellowship | shared participation in the body and blood of Christ through the cup and bread communion, participation, fellowship | Reuses the baseline’s fellowship term (Gemeinschaft) but in its most theologically concentrated sacramental sense | Gemeinschaft (baseline TM, reused). High risk in this specific context (elevated beyond the baseline’s Low-risk general usage) because it directly engages the German confessional Real Presence divide (Lutheran/Reformed/Catholic differences on the nature of sacramental participation) — flag for theologian review alongside ch.11’s Lord’s Supper material. |
Chapter 11 — Head Covering, Order in Worship, the Lord’s Supper
| Terms | Variants | Theological Meaning | German Rendering & Risk |
|---|---|---|---|
| head κεφαλή / kephalē head | headship/source relationship: “the head of a wife is her husband, the head of Christ is God” head | Reuses the Ephesians baseline’s christs_supremacy_and_headship term exactly, extended here to a Christ-God relationship and a husband-wife relationship in the same breath | Haupt (baseline TM, reused exactly). Critical risk per baseline: carries the full mandatory theologian AND native-speaker review discipline already established for Ephesians 5:22-24 and the household codes, given Germany’s constitutional marital-equality commitment (Grundgesetz Art. 3). The Christ-God “head” relationship must also be handled so as not to suggest ontological subordination within the Trinity (a distinct Critical concern from the marital application). |
| head covering / veil κατακαλύπτεσθαι / περιβόλαιον / katakalyptesthai / peribolaion to be covered / a covering, wrap | first-century cultural practice of head-covering in worship, of contested contemporary application head covering, veil | One of the most culturally-bound, contested passages in the letter regarding its contemporary applicability | Kopfbedeckung / Schleier. High risk, German-specific: contemporary German public discourse around religious head-covering (particularly regarding Islamic veiling, Kopftuchdebatte) makes this vocabulary unusually live and potentially distracting; teaching material must keep the passage anchored in its first-century Corinthian cultural context and clearly distinguish it from unrelated contemporary religious-dress debates. Mandatory theologian review. |
| Lord’s Supper (institution) κυριακὸν δεῖπνον / τοῦτο … ἐστιν τὸ σῶμά μου / kyriakon deipnon / touto estin to sōma mou the Lord’s supper / this is my body | Paul’s own received tradition of the words of institution, textually independent of but materially parallel to the Synoptic accounts the Lord’s Supper, “This is my body…do this in remembrance of me” | A second, Pauline-attested version of the words_of_institution doctrine already flagged Critical for Matthew 26:26-28; among the most confessionally contested texts in German Christian tradition (Realpräsenz / memorialism / transubstantiation) | das Abendmahl / das Herrenmahl; institution words: “Das ist mein Leib… dies tut zu meinem Gedächtnis.” Critical risk, rendered exactly per source text, flagged rather than adjudicated, per the existing Matthew-package discipline. Mandatory theologian review. |
| examine yourself / discern the body δοκιμάζειν ἑαυτόν / διακρίνων τὸ σῶμα / dokimazein heauton / diakrinōn to sōma to test/examine oneself / to discern/distinguish the body | self-examination before participation, and rightly perceiving the significance of “the body” (Christ’s body, and/or the gathered church as his body) in the meal examine yourself, discerning the body | Warns against careless or divisive participation; a genuinely disputed exegetical question (Christ’s sacramental body vs. the church community) that intersects directly with the Real Presence divide | sich selbst prüfen / den Leib unterscheiden. Critical risk: flag the underlying exegetical ambiguity for theologian review without adjudicating it in the translated text, consistent with this pipeline’s “flagged, not adjudicated” discipline for confessionally contested passages. |
Chapter 12 — Spiritual Gifts and the Body of Christ
| Terms | Variants | Theological Meaning | German Rendering & Risk |
|---|---|---|---|
| spiritual gifts χαρίσματα / charismata grace-gifts | Spirit-given enablements distributed diversely among believers for the church’s common good spiritual gifts, gifts | Foundational term for the whole ch.12-14 unit | Gnadengaben (baseline TM, reused exactly). Medium risk per baseline: charismatic/cessationist divide in German Protestantism noted in the baseline applies with full force here, since this chapter is the doctrine’s fullest NT treatment. |
| body of Christ (ecclesial) σῶμα Χριστοῦ / sōma Christou the body of Christ | the church as a single, interdependent organism with Christ its head, each believer a functioning member body of Christ, the church as a body | The chapter’s central ecclesiological metaphor, distinct from but related to the Ephesians baseline’s headship material | der Leib Christi. Critical risk: this is the fullest NT development of the body metaphor; must preserve both genuine diversity (many members, many functions) and genuine unity (one body) without collapsing into either uniformity or fragmentation. |
| members μέλη / melē limbs, body parts | individual believers as functioning, interdependent parts of the one body members, parts of the body | ”If one member suffers, all suffer together” — mutual, embodied interdependence within the church | Glieder. Medium risk. |
| one Spirit / one baptism into one body ἓν πνεῦμα / εἰς ἓν σῶμα ἐβαπτίσθημεν / hen pneuma / eis hen sōma ebaptisthēmen one Spirit / we were baptized into one body | the Spirit’s work in uniting believers of diverse background into a single body one Spirit, baptized into one body | Directly echoes and reinforces the Ephesians baseline’s sevenfold_unity doctrine (4:4-6) and Colossians’ christ_is_all_in_all (3:11) discipline | ein Geist / in einen Leib getauft (reuse Heiliger Geist). Critical risk per the established sevenfold-unity discipline: retain unqualified unity language without softening. |
| tongues, interpretation, discerning of spirits, word of wisdom, word of knowledge γλῶσσαι, ἑρμηνεία γλωσσῶν, διάκρισις πνευμάτων, λόγος σοφίας, λόγος γνώσεως tongues, interpretation of tongues, distinguishing of spirits, word of wisdom, word of knowledge | the specific gift list (12:8-10, 28-30) tongues, interpretation of tongues, distinguishing spirits, word of wisdom, word of knowledge | Establishes the concrete gift-vocabulary developed further in ch.13-14 | Zungenrede, Auslegung der Zungenrede, Unterscheidung der Geister, Wort der Weisheit, Wort der Erkenntnis. High risk, German-specific: the charismatic/cessationist divide noted under spiritual_gifts is at its most concrete here; “Zungenrede” is preferred over a literal “Zungen” (tongues, the body part) to avoid a jarring literalism, while still preserving the term’s distinctness from ordinary “Sprachen” (languages). |
Chapter 13 — Love as the Greater Way
| Terms | Variants | Theological Meaning | German Rendering & Risk |
|---|---|---|---|
| love ἀγάπη / agapē love | self-giving, other-centered, willed love, distinct from erōs (romantic/desiring love) and philia (friendship affection) love, charity (archaic) | The chapter’s — and arguably the letter’s — central term: without this love, all spiritual gifts, knowledge, and even sacrificial acts are worthless | Liebe. CRITICAL, NEW ENTRY — highest-priority new term in this package. German “Liebe” is the single generic word covering romantic love (Liebesbeziehung), familial love, friendship, and even casual enthusiasm (“ich liebe dieses Restaurant”), with no separate lexical marker distinguishing agapē the way English sometimes gestures toward with “charity” (archaic) or explanatory glosses. Every occurrence in this chapter requires enough context (the specific behavioral description in vv.4-7: patient, kind, not envious, not boastful, etc.) that the self-giving, willed, non-romantic sense is unmistakable and not silently assimilated to Romantik-era or pop-cultural German notions of Liebe as feeling/passion. Mandatory theologian review for every occurrence in this chapter. |
| the greater way καθ᾽ ὑπερβολὴν ὁδόν / kath’ hyperbolēn hodon a way according to excess/surpassing degree | a path or manner surpassing all the previously discussed spiritual gifts in importance a still more excellent way, the greater way | Sets up love as the necessary framework within which all gifts (ch.12, 14) must operate | der weit bessere/größere Weg. Medium risk. |
| through a mirror, in a riddle δι᾽ ἐσόπτρου ἐν αἰνίγματι / di’ esoptrou en ainigmati through a mirror, in a riddle/enigma | present, partial, indirect knowledge contrasted with future, direct, face-to-face knowledge through a glass, darkly; as in a mirror, dimly | Famous epistemological statement about the incompleteness of present spiritual knowledge this side of eternity | wir sehen jetzt durch einen Spiegel in einem dunklen Wort (Luther’s traditional and widely known rendering, retained verbatim per this curriculum’s established discipline for widely-known liturgical/devotional phrasing, e.g. Philippians 4:7, 4:13). High risk: must match the traditional Lutherbibel phrasing exactly given its status as one of the best-known phrases from this letter in German devotional and literary culture. |
| faith, hope, love; the greatest is love πίστις, ἐλπίς, ἀγάπη· … μείζων … ἡ ἀγάπη / pistis, elpis, agapē… meizōn… hē agapē faith, hope, love; greater… love | the three enduring theological virtues, with love identified as supreme and permanent even beyond the present age faith, hope, and love; the greatest of these is love | Reuses Glaube (baseline) and introduces Hoffnung (hope, new but low-risk term) alongside the new Critical Liebe term | Glaube, Hoffnung, Liebe; die größte aber ist die Liebe. Critical risk (via Liebe); Glaube reused per baseline (Medium risk); Hoffnung itself carries Low/Medium risk as a stable, uncontested German biblical term. |
Chapter 14 — Tongues, Prophecy, Order in Worship
| Terms | Variants | Theological Meaning | German Rendering & Risk |
|---|---|---|---|
| edification / building up οἰκοδομή / oikodomē building, construction | the goal of all exercised spiritual gifts in corporate worship: strengthening the church, not self-display edification, building up | The chapter’s controlling principle: prophecy is preferred over uninterpreted tongues precisely because it edifies the whole gathered church | Erbauung / Aufbau (reuse the baseline’s mutual_edification term). Low/Medium risk per baseline. |
| tongues vs. prophecy γλῶσσαι / προφητεία / glōssai / prophēteia tongues / prophecy | continued development of the ch.12 gift-list, here compared for their relative edificatory value in public worship tongues, prophecy | Reuses Weissagung (baseline TM for prophecy) and the ch.12 Zungenrede term established above | Zungenrede / Weissagung (baseline TM Weissagung reused for prophecy). High risk per the charismatic/cessationist note under ch.12. |
| God is not a God of confusion but of peace οὐ … ἀκαταστασίας … ἀλλὰ εἰρήνης / ou akatastasias alla eirēnēs not of disorder but of peace | orderly, non-chaotic worship reflects God’s own character God is not a God of confusion but of peace | Establishes the chapter’s practical rule (14:40, “all things should be done decently and in order”) | Gott ist nicht ein Gott der Unordnung, sondern des Friedens (reuse baseline TM Friede). Low/Medium risk. |
| women should be silent in the churches αἱ γυναῖκες … σιγάτωσαν / hai gynaikes sigatōsan let the women be silent | a contested instruction (14:34-35), whose scope, occasion, and even textual placement are genuinely disputed among manuscripts and scholars let the women keep silent | Directly parallel in sensitivity to the Ephesians household-code and 1 Corinthians 11 head-covering material; some manuscripts relocate these verses, a genuine textual-critical question | die Frauen sollen in der Gemeinde schweigen. Critical risk, mandatory theologian AND native-speaker review, per the same discipline established for Ephesians 5:22-33 and the household codes, given Germany’s constitutional marital/gender-equality commitment (Grundgesetz Art. 3) and the passage’s genuine textual-critical complexity (manuscript placement variation), which must be transparently noted rather than silently smoothed over. |
Chapter 15:12-58 — The Resurrection of Believers (continuing the Core Passage)
| Terms | Variants | Theological Meaning | German Rendering & Risk |
|---|---|---|---|
| if Christ has not been raised, your faith is in vain εἰ δὲ Χριστὸς οὐκ ἐγήγερται … κενὸν … τὸ κήρυγμα ἡμῶν / ei de Christos ouk egēgertai… kenon… to kērygma hēmōn if Christ has not been raised… empty is our preaching | Paul’s own hypothetical reductio, establishing the resurrection as the non-negotiable center of the gospel content already stated in vv.3-5 if Christ is not risen, our preaching is in vain | Directly continues the core passage’s argument; the resurrection is not one doctrine among many but the load-bearing pillar of the whole gospel | Ist aber Christus nicht auferstanden, so ist unsere Predigt vergeblich (reuse baseline TM Auferstehung). Critical risk per baseline. |
| firstfruits ἀπαρχή / aparchē first portion, firstfruits (of a harvest) | the initial portion of a harvest that guarantees and represents the whole crop to come firstfruits, first fruits | Christ’s resurrection is not an isolated event but the guarantee and pattern of believers’ own future resurrection | Erstling / Erstlingsfrucht. Critical risk: the guarantee-relationship (Christ’s resurrection causally secures believers’ resurrection, not merely precedes it chronologically) must be preserved explicitly. |
| last Adam / first Adam ὁ ἔσχατος Ἀδάμ / ὁ πρῶτος Ἀδάμ / ho eschatos Adam / ho prōtos Adam the last Adam / the first Adam | typological contrast between humanity’s fall in Adam and humanity’s resurrection life in Christ the last Adam, the first man Adam | Foundational Adam-Christ typology paralleling Romans 5:12-21; Christ as the head of a new, resurrected humanity | der letzte Adam / der erste Adam. Critical risk: must retain the typological, representative-headship logic (as in Christ’s “one new humanity,” already established Ephesians 2:15) rather than reading merely as a biographical comparison. |
| natural body / spiritual body σῶμα ψυχικόν / σῶμα πνευματικόν / sōma psychikon / sōma pneumatikon soul-ish body / spirit-ish body | the present, mortal, Adam-patterned body versus the future, immortal, Spirit-empowered resurrection body — not “physical vs. non-physical” but two modes of embodiment natural body, spiritual body | Affirms genuine bodily resurrection (against a purely “spiritual”/non-bodily misreading) while affirming radical transformation | natürlicher Leib / geistlicher Leib. Critical risk: “geistlich” must not be misread as “non-physical” or “immaterial” — this is a transformed, Spirit-empowered body, continuing genuine physicality, not an escape from embodiment. |
| perishable / imperishable φθαρτόν / ἄφθαρτον / phtharton / aphtharton subject to decay / not subject to decay | mortality and decay versus permanent, undecaying resurrection existence perishable, imperishable, corruption, incorruption | The qualitative transformation the resurrection body undergoes | verweslich / unverweslich. Critical risk (ties to ch.9’s imperishable-wreath imagery, now applied to the body itself). |
| sting of death / victory τὸ κέντρον τοῦ θανάτου / νῖκος / to kentron tou thanatou / nikos the sting/goad of death / victory | death personified as a defeated, now-harmless enemy; triumphant, climactic language O death, where is your sting? / victory | The chapter’s climactic doxological celebration of Christ’s decisive victory over death, quoting Hosea 13:14/Isaiah 25:8 | der Stachel des Todes / der Sieg. Critical risk: retain the triumphant, direct-address rhetorical force (“Tod, wo ist dein Stachel?“). |
| we shall be changed πάντες δὲ ἀλλαγησόμεθα / pantes de allagēsometha we will all be changed | instantaneous, universal transformation of believers (living and dead) at the resurrection we shall all be changed | Ties to the already-established baseline mystery term (Geheimnis, “Behold, I tell you a mystery”) | wir werden verwandelt werden (reuse baseline TM Geheimnis for the preceding “mystery” clause). High risk per baseline mystery discipline. |
| baptism for/on behalf of the dead βαπτιζόμενοι ὑπὲρ τῶν νεκρῶν / baptizomenoi hyper tōn nekrōn those being baptized for the dead | an obscure Corinthian practice Paul references without endorsing or fully explaining (15:29) baptism for the dead | A genuinely disputed, unclear reference; historically misused by some groups (e.g. proxy baptism practices) as warrant for unrelated later doctrines | die Taufe für die Toten. High risk: teaching material must transparently note the verse’s genuine exegetical obscurity and must explicitly disclaim any warrant it might seem to lend to later, unrelated proxy-baptism practices — a clarification, not an adjudication, is required. |
Chapter 16 — Collection, Closing Exhortations, Maranatha
| Terms | Variants | Theological Meaning | German Rendering & Risk |
|---|---|---|---|
| collection for the saints λογεία εἰς τοὺς ἁγίους / logeia eis tous hagious a collection for the holy ones | organized material relief gathered from Gentile churches for the Jerusalem church the collection for the saints | Reuses baseline TM Heilige (saints); concrete expression of unity_of_jews_and_gentiles and cross-congregational fellowship | die Sammlung für die Heiligen (reuse Heilige). High risk per baseline (saints doctrine). |
| holy kiss φίλημα ἅγιον / philēma hagion a holy kiss | a first-century greeting custom expressing genuine familial affection among believers holy kiss, kiss of peace | Reuses baseline TM heilig; a concrete, embodied expression of Christian fellowship | der heilige Kuss. Medium risk: teaching material should note this as a culturally-bound first-century greeting custom rather than a literal contemporary liturgical prescription. |
| Marana tha Μαρανα θά / marana tha ”Our Lord, come!” (Aramaic) | an early, spontaneous Aramaic liturgical acclamation preserved untranslated, expressing urgent eschatological hope Come, Lord! Marana tha | Parallel in kind to the baseline’s treatment of Abba — a preserved Aramaic prayer-word carrying an intimacy/urgency the Greek translation alone would not fully capture | Marana tha (retain the Aramaic transliteration, glossed as “unser Herr, komm!”, per the baseline’s established Abba-preservation precedent). High risk: retain untranslated per this pipeline’s precedent, with explicit German gloss attached at first occurrence. |
| let him be anathema ἤτω ἀνάθεμα / ētō anathema let him be a curse-offering / accursed | the same solemn curse-formula already established Critical in the Galatians package let him be accursed, anathema | Directs the same severe warning-formula (already applied to false-gospel preachers in Galatians 1:8-9) against anyone lacking love for the Lord | verflucht (baseline TM, reused exactly). Critical risk per baseline: never softened to “im Unrecht” (merely mistaken). |
| grace of the Lord Jesus be with you ἡ χάρις τοῦ κυρίου Ἰησοῦ μεθ᾽ ὑμῶν / hē charis tou kyriou Iēsou meth’ hymōn the grace of the Lord Jesus be with you | standard Pauline epistolary benediction the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ be with you | Reuses baseline TM Gnade and Herr in the closing benediction | die Gnade des Herrn Jesus sei mit euch (reuse baseline TM). High/Critical risk per baseline (grace and lordship doctrines). |
End of semantic analysis. See analysis/08_core_glossary.md for the consolidated per-term glossary table covering all terms introduced above, cross-referenced against the baseline Romans translation memory.