Semantic Analysis — 1 Corinthians (Greek Destination Language Package)

0. Governing Principle

As with Romans and Galatians, Modern Greek is the direct linguistic descendant of the Koine Greek in which 1 Corinthians was written. For the great majority of load-bearing terms below, there is no cross-linguistic translation gap — the “translation” is the same word 1 Corinthians itself uses, spelled in contemporary monotonic orthography. The analytical task is therefore, as in the baseline package, to track two directions of two-thousand-year semantic drift:

1. Patristic/liturgical accretion — where Greek Orthodox sacramental and mystical theology, developed natively in Greek, has attached rich additional meaning to NT vocabulary (μυστήριο, εικόνα, Πάσχα, ανάμνηση) that a Modern Greek reader accesses directly, without translation.
2. Secular bleaching — where ordinary Modern Greek usage has worn a theologically loaded Koine word down into something administrative, political, psychological, or trivial (εξουσία as “the government,” ψυχικός as “emotional,” κέντρο in place of the archaic “sting,” δαιμόνιο as “genius”).

Every term already recorded in the baseline translation_memory.json (Romans/Galatians) is reused here exactly as recorded, with no re-derivation. New terms unique to 1 Corinthians are analyzed in full and proposed for addition to translation memory in Step 2.

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PART A — CORE PASSAGE: 1 Corinthians 15:1-11 (Verse-by-Verse)

This passage is the theological anchor of the whole curriculum: Paul’s own summary of the gospel he received and delivered, anchored in eyewitness resurrection testimony. Every load-bearing term is treated individually.

Verse 1 — “Γνωρίζω δὲ ὑμῖν, ἀδελφοί, τὸ εὐαγγέλιον ὃ εὐηγγελισάμην ὑμῖν, ὃ καὶ παρελάβετε, ἐν ᾧ καὶ ἑστήκατε”

Terms	Variants	Contextual theological meaning	Destination rendering & risk
γνωρίζω gnōrizō ”I make known” to cause to know, to remind	inform, remind, declare ”I would remind you,” “I make known”	Paul is not introducing new information but recalling foundational, already-received teaching — the gospel’s content is fixed, not evolving.	γνωστοποιώ / υπενθυμίζω — Low risk; stable, transparent in Modern Greek.
εὐαγγέλιον euangelion ”good news” the proclamation of God’s saving act	gospel, good news, glad tidings ”gospel,” “good news”	Reuse baseline gospel = ευαγγέλιο (High risk). Ch. 15 restates the gospel’s irreducible core (vv. 3-5); guard against the modern secular “good news” register displacing this specific, defined content.	ευαγγέλιο — per baseline, High.
παραλαμβάνω paralambanō ”I received” to receive/take over (a tradition)	receive, accept, take over ”you received”	Technical term (paired with παραδίδωμι in v.3) for the formal transmission of authoritative tradition — the gospel is a received deposit, not a personal opinion.	παραλαμβάνω/παρέλαβα — Medium risk: must not be flattened to a generic “you got/heard” without conveying formal, authoritative transmission.
ἑστήκατε hestēkate ”you stand/have stood” perfect tense: a settled, continuing state of standing	standing firm, being established ”you stand,” “in which you stand”	The gospel is the ground on which the church’s continuing existence rests — a settled, not provisional, foundation.	στέκεστε / έχετε σταθεί — Low risk; preserve perfect-tense continuing force where possible.

Verse 2 — “δι᾽ οὗ καὶ σῴζεσθε, τίνι λόγῳ εὐηγγελισάμην ὑμῖν εἰ κατέχετε, ἐκτὸς εἰ μὴ εἰκῆ ἐπιστεύσατε”

Terms	Variants	Contextual theological meaning	Destination rendering & risk
σῴζεσθε sōzesthe ”you are being saved” present passive: an ongoing process resting on a completed act	salvation as process and state ”you are saved,” “you are being saved”	Reuse baseline salvation = σωτηρία (Critical). The present tense here is pastorally significant: salvation is received once (aorist ἐπιστεύσατε, same verse) yet lived out continuously — this must not be read as contradicting Romans’ decisive reception by faith, nor collapsed entirely into an Orthodox theosis-only “ongoing becoming” reading without the anchor of a completed gospel event (vv. 3-4).	σώζεστε — per baseline σωτηρία root, Critical.
κατέχετε katechete ”you hold fast” to hold firmly, retain	retain, hold to, possess ”if you hold firmly,” “if you hold fast”	Continuing adherence to the received gospel content — not passive inheritance but active retention.	κατέχω / κρατάω σταθερά — Low risk.
εἰκῆ eikē ”in vain, without cause” without effect, groundlessly	vainly, for nothing, without purpose ”in vain,” “without effect”	CRITICAL PARALLEL to the baseline Galatians in_vain trap (δωρεάν forbidden substitution). εἰκῆ is a different Koine word from Galatians 2:21’s δωρεάν, but the same guard applies: never render with δωρεάν (“free of charge”), which would ironically suggest belief was cheaply/commercially acquired. εἰκῆ itself is archaic and largely absent from ordinary Modern Greek; render with χωρίς λόγο or άδικα, never δωρεάν.	χωρίς λόγο / άδικα — High risk, forbidden-substitution class: never δωρεάν.
ἐπιστεύσατε episteusate ”you believed” aorist: a completed act of belief	to believe, trust, put faith in ”you believed”	Reuse baseline faith = πίστη (High). The decisive, completed aorist act that grounds the ongoing present-tense σῴζεσθε above — the two tenses together carry Romans’ and Galatians’ faith-then-perseverance pattern.	πιστεύω/πίστεψα — per baseline, High.

Verse 3 — “παρέδωκα γὰρ ὑμῖν ἐν πρώτοις, ὃ καὶ παρέλαβον, ὅτι Χριστὸς ἀπέθανεν ὑπὲρ τῶν ἁμαρτιῶν ἡμῶν κατὰ τὰς γραφάς”

Terms	Variants	Contextual theological meaning	Destination rendering & risk
παρέδωκα paredōka ”I delivered/handed down” to hand over, transmit officially	deliver, hand down, entrust ”I delivered,” “I passed on”	Paired technical term with παρέλαβον (v.1); together they establish the gospel as a fixed apostolic deposit received from prior witnesses and passed on unaltered — the chain of custody of the resurrection testimony.	παρέδωσα — Medium risk: must convey formal transmission, not casual communication.
ἐν πρώτοις en prōtois ”among the first things, as of first importance” primary rank, foremost priority	”as of first importance,” “first of all”	Marks vv. 3-5 as the gospel’s irreducible creedal core — the earliest identifiable Christian confession, predating Paul’s own writing.	ως πρωταρχικό / μεταξύ των πρώτων — Low risk.
Χριστός Christos ”the Anointed One” title, Messiah	the Christ, Messiah, Anointed One ”Christ,” “the Messiah”	Reuse baseline messiah/Christ convention: Χριστός preferred over transliterated Μεσσίας per baseline note. Here used as Paul’s default proper reference, assuming the messianic identity already established.	Χριστός — Critical, per baseline messianic_promise doctrine.
ἀπέθανεν apethanen ”he died” aorist, historical death	died, perished ”died,” “he died”	A real, historical death — the concreteness of this verb resists any docetic or purely symbolic reading.	απέθανε — Low risk; historically concrete.
ὑπὲρ τῶν ἁμαρτιῶν ἡμῶν hyper tōn hamartiōn hēmōn ”for/on behalf of our sins” substitutionary/representative preposition + sin	for, because of, on behalf of + sin(s) “for our sins”	Substitutionary atonement language; ἁμαρτία reuses baseline sin (Medium/High doctrinally elevated here given the atonement context — treat as High in this passage).	αμαρτία reuse — baseline Medium, but flagged High in atonement context per 12_ai instructions (“atonement/propitiation language” escalation).
κατὰ τὰς γραφάς kata tas graphas ”according to the Scriptures” in accordance with, matching a pattern	as the Scriptures foretold ”according to the Scriptures”	Reuse baseline fulfillment_of_prophecy doctrine. A Greek reader can read the Septuagint (e.g., Isaiah 53) directly in the same language Paul invokes — a genuine, pipeline-unique advantage.	κατά τις Γραφές — Medium risk; leverage direct Septuagint accessibility with cross-reference.

Verse 4 — “καὶ ὅτι ἐτάφη, καὶ ὅτι ἐγήγερται τῇ τρίτῃ ἡμέρᾳ κατὰ τὰς γραφάς”

Terms	Variants	Contextual theological meaning	Destination rendering & risk
ἐτάφη etaphē ”he was buried” aorist passive, entombment	was buried, was entombed ”was buried”	Confirms the reality and finality of the death — burial is the ancient world’s proof of death, closing off any “swoon theory” reading.	τάφηκε — Low risk.
ἐγήγερται egēgertai ”he has been raised” perfect tense: a past event with continuing, present effect	has been raised, is risen ”he is risen,” “he has been raised”	Reuse baseline resurrection/resurrection_of_christ = ανάσταση (Critical). The perfect tense (not aorist) is exegetically vital: Christ’s resurrection is not a past event that simply happened and receded, but one whose effect continues into the present — precisely the register in which ανάσταση is already experienced by a Greek reader every Πάσχα (“Χριστός Ανέστη,” itself a perfect-tense-flavored aorist proclamation). The task is doctrinal precision (bodily, historical, once-for-all, continuingly effective) layered onto an already maximally resonant word.	ανέστη / έχει αναστηθεί — Critical; preserve perfect-tense force in teaching notes even where translated prose uses the traditional aorist “ανέστη” for liturgical familiarity.
τῇ τρίτῃ ἡμέρᾳ tē tritē hēmera ”on the third day” specific, concrete temporal marker	the third day ”on the third day”	Concrete historical claim, fulfilling OT patterns (e.g., Hosea 6:2, Jonah’s sign); guards against a vague, mythologized resurrection.	την τρίτη ημέρα — Low risk.

Verse 5 — “καὶ ὅτι ὤφθη Κηφᾷ, εἶτα τοῖς δώδεκα”

Terms	Variants	Contextual theological meaning	Destination rendering & risk
ὤφθη ōphthē ”he was seen / he appeared” aorist passive of ὁράω, “to see”	appeared, was seen, showed himself ”he appeared,” “he was seen by”	The technical resurrection-appearance verb, repeated five times in vv. 5-8 — the passage’s structural backbone, establishing multiple, named, checkable eyewitnesses. Must be rendered consistently across all five occurrences.	εμφανίστηκε / οφθεί — High risk: consistency across all five occurrences in the passage is a required teaching point; do not vary the rendering verse to verse.
Κηφᾷ Kēpha ”to Cephas” proper name (Aramaic “rock,” = Peter)	Cephas, Peter ”Cephas,” “Peter”	Proper name; retain established Greek Bible form.	Κηφάς — Low risk, standard NT form.
τοῖς δώδεκα tois dōdeka ”to the Twelve” the specific apostolic college	the Twelve (apostles) “the Twelve,” “the twelve apostles”	Establishes the corporate, official apostolic witness, distinct from unnamed crowds. Reuse baseline apostle = απόστολος (Low).	στους Δώδεκα — Low risk.

Verse 6 — “ἔπειτα ὤφθη ἐπάνω πεντακοσίοις ἀδελφοῖς ἐφάπαξ, ἐξ ὧν οἱ πλείονες μένουσιν ἕως ἄρτι, τινὲς δὲ ἐκοιμήθησαν”

Terms	Variants	Contextual theological meaning	Destination rendering & risk
πεντακοσίοις ἀδελφοῖς pentakosiois adelphois ”five hundred brothers” large-scale, plural eyewitness group	500 brothers/believers ”500 brothers”	The scale of the witness pool is itself apologetic — Paul explicitly invites verification (“most of whom are still alive”). ἀδελφός reuses fellowship/church vocabulary.	πεντακόσιοι αδελφοί — Low risk.
ἐφάπαξ ephapax ”at one time, once for all” single, simultaneous occurrence	at once, on one occasion ”at the same time,” “at once”	A single, datable, collective sighting — not a private vision repeated variably.	εφάπαξ / μονομιάς — Low risk.
ἐκοιμήθησαν ekoimēthēsan ”they fell asleep” euphemism for death, from κοιμάομαι “to sleep”	died, fell asleep ”have fallen asleep,” “have died”	The “sleep” euphemism for a believer’s death is itself a resurrection-hope-laden idiom (implying waking) — living and stable in Modern Greek (“εκοιμήθη” is still the standard Orthodox obituary/liturgical term for a believer’s death). A genuine asset: the euphemism the NT coined is the one still in devotional use today.	εκοιμήθησαν — Low risk; asset — reinforces the resurrection-hope framing already present in Greek funeral liturgy.

Verse 7 — “ἔπειτα ὤφθη Ἰακώβῳ, εἶτα τοῖς ἀποστόλοις πᾶσιν”

Terms	Variants	Contextual theological meaning	Destination rendering & risk
Ἰακώβῳ Iakōbō ”to James” proper name (the Lord’s brother)	James ”James”	Distinguishes James the Lord’s brother from James son of Zebedee — a note-worthy but Low-risk clarification.	Ιάκωβος — Low risk.
τοῖς ἀποστόλοις πᾶσιν tois apostolois pasin ”to all the apostles” the wider apostolic circle beyond the Twelve	all the apostles ”all the apostles”	Broadens the witness circle beyond the Twelve, preparing for Paul’s own inclusion in v.8-9 despite his irregular entry into apostleship.	σε όλους τους αποστόλους — Low risk.

Verse 8 — “ἔσχατον δὲ πάντων ὡσπερεὶ τῷ ἐκτρώματι ὤφθη κἀμοί”

Terms	Variants	Contextual theological meaning	Destination rendering & risk
ἔσχατον eschaton ”last” final in a sequence	last of all, at the end ”last of all”	Paul situates himself as the final, chronologically last resurrection witness — closing, not opening, the list.	τελευταία — Low risk.
ἔκτρωμα ektrōma ”one untimely born / a miscarried/aborted one” a violently, prematurely expelled fetus	untimely birth, abortion/miscarriage (concrete), by extension: something abnormal, unfit, unworthy of the name it bears ”as one born out of due time,” “as to a miscarriage”	Paul’s harsh, self-deprecating self-designation — abnormal entry into apostleship (conversion by a violent, late, unexpected encounter rather than by following Jesus in his earthly ministry). RENDERING-SENSITIVITY FLAG (register, not doctrinal distortion): Modern Greek “έκτρωμα” is a harsh, near-taboo word, used literally for miscarriage/abortion and idiomatically as a term of contempt for a monstrous or grotesque failure (“τι έκτρωμα!”). A flat rendering risks either (a) sounding shockingly crude/clinical in a formal teaching text, or (b) losing Paul’s deliberately self-abasing force if softened. Requires a translator’s note explaining Paul’s rhetorical self-humiliation; do not silently soften to a neutral term like “unworthy one” without flagging the loss.	έκτρωμα (with mandatory explanatory note) — High risk, register-sensitivity class; human theologian/native-speaker review required for tone calibration.

Verse 9 — “οὐ γάρ εἰμι ἱκανὸς καλεῖσθαι ἀπόστολος, διότι ἐδίωξα τὴν ἐκκλησίαν τοῦ θεοῦ”

Terms	Variants	Contextual theological meaning	Destination rendering & risk
ἱκανός hikanos ”sufficient, worthy, fit” adequate, competent	fit, worthy, adequate ”fit to be called,” “worthy”	Paul’s own estimate of unworthiness for the apostolic title, grounded in his persecuting past — sets up the grace-not-merit argument of v.10.	ικανός / άξιος — Low risk.
ἐλάχιστος (v.9 wider context, cf. same verse family) elachistos ”least” superlative of “small”	least, smallest, most insignificant ”the least”	Reuse baseline calling/apostleship framework. Paul’s self-designation as least of the apostles frames grace, not merit, as the ground of his ministry — directly reinforcing baseline Critical grace guard.	ελάχιστος — Low risk (word itself), but connects to Critical grace doctrine below.
ἐδίωξα ediōxa ”I persecuted” aorist, active hostile pursuit	persecuted, pursued to harm ”I persecuted”	Concrete historical reference to Paul’s pre-conversion persecution of the church — grounds the magnitude of grace in v.10.	δίωξα — Low risk.
ἐκκλησία τοῦ θεοῦ ekklēsia tou theou ”the church/assembly of God” the gathered covenant community	church, assembly, congregation ”the church of God”	Reuse baseline church = εκκλησία (Medium). Here the specific object of Paul’s former hostility — grounding, not diminishing, its identity as God’s own possession.	εκκλησία — per baseline, Medium.

Verse 10 — “χάριτι δὲ θεοῦ εἰμι ὅ εἰμι, καὶ ἡ χάρις αὐτοῦ ἡ εἰς ἐμὲ οὐ κενὴ ἐγενήθη, ἀλλὰ περισσότερον αὐτῶν πάντων ἐκοπίασα, οὐκ ἐγὼ δὲ ἀλλὰ ἡ χάρις τοῦ θεοῦ ἡ σὺν ἐμοί”

Terms	Variants	Contextual theological meaning	Destination rendering & risk
χάριτι θεοῦ chariti theou ”by the grace of God” dative of means/cause	by God’s grace, through God’s favor ”by the grace of God”	Reuse baseline grace = χάρη (CRITICAL). This verse is the passage’s grace-crescendo: χάρις occurs three times in one verse, the density itself teaching that Paul’s entire identity and ministry rest on unmerited favor, not achievement — directly resisting Modern Greek χάρη’s secular drift toward “charm” or “pardon.”	χάρη — per baseline, Critical; triple repetition in this verse should be preserved and flagged for review per the escalation rule (“grace contrasted with works/merit”).
οὐ κενὴ ἐγενήθη ou kenē egenēthē ”did not become empty/void” not without effect, not fruitless	not in vain, not without result ”was not without effect,” “was not in vain”	Grace produced real, observable fruit (Paul’s labors) — a safeguard against grace being read as a merely notional or passive status with no consequence.	δεν αποδείχθηκε κενή / δεν πήγε χαμένη — Medium risk; distinguish from the εἰκῆ/δωρεάν “in vain” guard above — here the point is grace’s effectiveness, not its cost.
ἐκοπίασα ekopiasa ”I labored/toiled” hard, wearying work	labored, worked hard, toiled ”I worked/labored”	Paul’s strenuous ministry labor, itself a fruit and evidence of grace at work, not a ground of merit competing with it — the two must not be set in tension.	κοπίασα — Low risk.
ἡ χάρις τοῦ θεοῦ ἡ σὺν ἐμοί hē charis tou theou hē syn emoi ”the grace of God that is with me” grace as an active, accompanying, ongoing divine presence	grace at work in/with me ”the grace of God that was with me”	Grace as continuing divine empowerment, not a one-time transaction only — coheres with, but must not collapse into, the Orthodox theosis emphasis on grace as ongoing divine energy; retains Paul’s own agency-preserving “not I, but grace” framing.	η χάρη του Θεού που ήταν μαζί μου — Critical, per grace doctrine.

Verse 11 — “εἴτε οὖν ἐγὼ εἴτε ἐκεῖνοι, οὕτω κηρύσσομεν καὶ οὕτως ἐπιστεύσατε”

Terms	Variants	Contextual theological meaning	Destination rendering & risk
κηρύσσομεν kēryssomen ”we proclaim/preach” to herald, publicly announce	preach, proclaim, herald ”we preach,” “we proclaim”	The unity of apostolic proclamation — Paul and the other apostles preach the identical gospel content of vv. 3-5; no rival apostolic gospels exist, echoing Galatians’ “different gospel” (ἕτερον εὐαγγέλιον) polemic.	κηρύσσουμε — Medium risk; connects to baseline gospel/different_gospel doctrine.
ἐπιστεύσατε episteusate ”you believed” aorist, completed belief	believed, came to faith ”you believed”	Bookends the passage (cf. v.2) — the Corinthians’ faith rests on this single, apostolically unanimous gospel content.	πιστέψατε — per baseline faith, High.

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PART B — WHOLE-BOOK CHAPTER-BY-CHAPTER ANALYSIS (1 Corinthians 1–16)

Chapter 1 — Christian Unity versus Factionalism; The Cross as Wisdom and Power

Terms	Variants	Contextual meaning	Rendering & risk
κλητός / κλῆσις klētos / klēsis ”called (one)” / “calling” summoned	called, calling ”called,” “calling”	Reuse baseline called/calling (Critical). Ch.1:1-2, 1:9, 1:24, 1:26 — Paul’s own apostleship, the Corinthians’ sainthood, and their salvation are all grounded in God’s sovereign summons, guarding against κλήση’s secular “phone call/summons” drift.	κλητός/κλήση — per baseline, Critical.
ἅγιοι hagioi ”saints, holy ones” set-apart people	saints, holy ones ”saints,” “those sanctified”	Reuse baseline saints (Critical). 1:2. Same name-day-collision risk as Romans 1:7.	άγιοι — per baseline, Critical.
σχίσμα schisma ”tear, split, division” a rip in cloth, by extension: faction	schism, division, split, faction ”division,” “schism,” “quarrels”	New term. 1:10-13. The Corinthian factions (“I follow Paul… Apollos… Cephas… Christ”). Modern Greek σχίσμα retains the “split” sense clearly (e.g., “το Σχίσμα του 1054,” the Great Schism between East and West) — a genuine advantage: the reader’s own church-historical vocabulary directly names the sin Paul condemns.	σχίσμα — Medium risk; leverage the historical-schism association as a teaching asset while keeping the referent congregational, not the East-West Schism specifically.
σοφία / μωρία sophia / mōria ”wisdom” / “folly” intellectual excellence / foolishness	wisdom, cleverness / foolishness, absurdity ”wisdom,” “foolishness”	1:18-25. Paul’s central paradox: what the world calls σοφία, God calls μωρία, and vice versa, centered on the cross. High risk in Greek specifically: σοφία carries maximal positive cultural freight (the philosophical heritage of Socrates, Plato, Aristotle) risking either (a) Paul’s critique being heard as an attack on Greek intellectual heritage itself rather than autonomous human wisdom that excludes God, or (b) the scandal of the cross being domesticated because σοφία is already so culturally exalted that “God’s wisdom” reads as simply “the best philosophy” rather than a paradox-breaking category.	σοφία/μωρία — High risk; requires explanatory framing distinguishing worldly autonomous σοφία from God’s cross-centered σοφία.
σταυρός stauros ”cross, stake” instrument of crucifixion	cross ”cross,” “the cross”	1:17-18, 1:23. New CRITICAL entry. Ironically, 1:22-23 names precisely “Ἕλληνες” (Greeks) as those to whom the cross is μωρία (foolishness) — the very readers of this Greek-language curriculum are historically the addressees of that verse. σταυρός is maximally alive in Modern Greek: the sign of the cross (σταυροκόπημα), crucifix jewelry, and the idiom “ο σταυρός μου” (“my cross to bear,” meaning a personal burden) are all in constant daily use — a cultural asset for recognition but a risk that the ritual/cultic and idiomatic-burden senses crowd out the ch.1 argument that the cross is God’s paradoxical wisdom and power, not primarily a devotional object or metaphor for suffering-in-general.	σταυρός — Critical; requires explanatory note distinguishing Paul’s specific argument (cross as God’s wisdom/power, contra worldly wisdom) from devotional-object and burden-idiom associations.
κήρυγμα kērygma ”proclamation, that which is preached” the content/act of heralding	preaching, proclamation, message ”preaching,” “what is preached”	1:21, 1:23. The specific content proclaimed (Christ crucified), the vehicle through which God saves those who believe.	κήρυγμα — Medium risk; ensure it retains “authoritative proclamation” register, not generic “sermon” or secular “propaganda/slogan” bleaching.
δύναμις Θεοῦ dynamis theou ”power of God” God’s effective might	power, strength, ability ”power of God”	1:18, 1:24. Reuse baseline power_of_god (Medium). Paired with σοφία as the twin content of “Christ crucified” for believers.	δύναμη Θεού — per baseline, Medium.
δικαιοσύνη, ἁγιασμός, ἀπολύτρωσις dikaiosynē, hagiasmos, apolytrōsis ”righteousness, sanctification, redemption"	"righteousness, sanctification, redemption”	1:30 — Christ made to be our wisdom, righteousness, sanctification, and redemption. Reuse baseline righteousness (Critical), sanctification (High), redeem/in_vain redemption vocabulary (Critical, λύτρωση/απολύτρωση).	Per baseline entries; all Critical/High.
καύχημα kauchēma / kauchaomai ”boasting” to take pride in	boast, glory in ”boast,” “let him boast in the Lord”	1:29, 1:31. Reuse baseline boast_in_the_cross = καυχώμαι (Low). “Let the one who boasts, boast in the Lord” — same root as the Galatians boasting-in-the-cross doctrine.	καυχώμαι — per baseline, Low.

Chapter 2 — The Cross as Wisdom and Power (continued); the Spirit-taught mind

Terms	Variants	Contextual meaning	Rendering & risk
μυστήριον mystērion ”mystery” a hidden truth now disclosed	mystery, secret, hidden truth ”mystery,” “God’s secret wisdom”	2:1, 2:7. NEW CRITICAL entry. Paul speaks of “God’s wisdom in a mystery” — a truth once hidden, now revealed in Christ. In Modern Greek, “Μυστήριο” is the standing technical name for the seven Sacraments of the Orthodox Church (Τα Ιερά Μυστήρια: Baptism, Chrismation, Eucharist, Confession, Marriage, Ordination, Unction). A Modern Greek reader will default to this sacramental sense before Paul’s own sense of “a previously hidden divine plan now disclosed in the gospel.” Neither sense is wrong in itself, but they are different referents; the sacramental sense must not silently displace Paul’s revelation-of-a-hidden-plan sense here.	μυστήριο — Critical; mandatory explanatory note distinguishing “hidden divine plan now revealed in the gospel” from “the seven Sacraments.”
ψυχικός ἄνθρωπος psychikos anthrōpos ”the natural/soulish person” one governed by the ψυχή (natural life-principle) alone, without the Spirit	the unspiritual, natural, “soulish” person ”the natural person,” “the person without the Spirit”	2:14. NEW CRITICAL entry, forbidden-inversion class. Paul’s ψυχικός ἄνθρωπος is negative: one who does not accept the things of the Spirit, because they are spiritually discerned. Modern Greek ψυχικός/ψυχολογικός overwhelmingly means “emotional/psychological,” and “καλή ψυχή” (“good soul”) is a warm compliment — a Modern Greek reader’s first instinct will be nearly the opposite valence Paul intends (a rich inner/emotional life, rather than a Spirit-less natural state).	ψυχικός άνθρωπος (with mandatory note) — Critical, forbidden-inversion risk; never render or gloss as “a person with rich emotional/psychological depth.”
πνευματικός pneumatikos ”spiritual” belonging to / governed by the Spirit	spiritual, Spirit-given, Spirit-discerning ”spiritual,” “the spiritual person”	2:13, 2:15; contrasted directly with ψυχικός above. Reuses the pneuma/Spirit root already Critical in baseline (Holy Spirit).	πνευματικός — High risk; must be actively held in contrastive tension with ψυχικός.
ἀποκαλύπτω / ἀποκάλυψις apokalyptō / apokalypsis ”reveal / revelation” to unveil	reveal, disclose, uncover ”revealed,” “revelation”	2:10. Reuse baseline revelation = αποκάλυψη (Medium). The Spirit reveals God’s mystery (μυστήριον, above) to believers — restore the divine-unveiling register against journalistic “exposé” bleaching.	αποκάλυψη — per baseline, Medium.

Chapter 3 — Christian Unity versus Factionalism (continued); the church as God’s field and temple

Terms	Variants	Contextual meaning	Rendering & risk
ναός naos ”temple, sanctuary” (inner shrine, not the whole precinct) the dwelling place of deity	temple, sanctuary, shrine ”temple,” “sanctuary”	3:16-17. “You are God’s ναός.” NEW Medium-risk entry. Modern Greek “ναός” remains the standard word for a church building (ο Ναός του Αγίου Γεωργίου, etc.) — a live, concrete referent that could cause “you are God’s temple” to be read as a claim about ecclesiastical architecture rather than the corporate (and, in ch.6, individual) indwelling of the Spirit.	ναός — Medium risk; explanatory note needed distinguishing the metaphorical “living temple” (the gathered church / the individual believer) from the literal church-building referent the same word carries today.
θεμέλιος themelios ”foundation” the base on which a building rests	foundation, footing, groundwork ”foundation”	3:10-11. Christ alone as the only legitimate foundation for church-building ministry — directly supports the anti-factionalism argument.	θεμέλιο — Low risk; stable.
οἰκοδομέω / οἰκοδομή oikodomeō / oikodomē ”to build up / building up” construction, edification	build up, edify, construct ”build up,” “edification”	3:9-14. Reuse baseline mutual_edification (Low).	οικοδομή — per baseline, Low.
σοφία τοῦ κόσμου τούτου sophia tou kosmou toutou ”the wisdom of this world/age” autonomous human wisdom	worldly wisdom ”the wisdom of this world”	3:19. Reuses ch.1’s σοφία analysis; here explicitly “foolishness with God,” reinforcing the same High-risk cultural dynamic noted in ch.1.	σοφία (as ch.1) — High.
ζῆλος / ἔρις zēlos / eris ”jealousy / strife” rivalry, envy, quarreling	jealousy, envy / strife, quarreling ”jealousy and strife”	3:3. Evidence of the Corinthians’ continuing “fleshly” (σαρκικοί) factionalism. Reuses flesh (σάρκα) baseline Critical entry in this chapter’s argument.	ζήλος/έρις — Low-Medium; σάρκα reuse remains Critical per baseline.

Chapter 4 — Christian Unity versus Factionalism (continued); apostolic stewardship

Terms	Variants	Contextual meaning	Rendering & risk
οἰκονόμος oikonomos ”household manager, steward” a slave/servant entrusted with managing an estate	steward, manager, administrator ”steward,” “manager”	4:1-2. NEW Medium-risk entry. Paul describes apostles as “servants of Christ and stewards of God’s mysteries” (μυστηρίων — reuse ch.2 entry). Modern Greek οικονόμος/οικονομία gravitates strongly toward “economy/economics/financial management” (η εθνική οικονομία, “the national economy”), risking a reading of ministry as financial administration rather than trustworthy custodianship of revealed truth.	οικονόμος — Medium risk; explanatory note distinguishing “faithful custodian of gospel truth” from “financial manager.”
ὑπηρέτης hypēretēs ”servant, assistant” one who serves under another’s direction	servant, assistant, helper ”servant,” “assistant”	4:1. Reuses the generic-agent sense established in the baseline servant_of_sin entry (υπηρέτης, not διάκονος, to avoid an ordained-deacon misreading) — same principle applies here to ministry generally.	υπηρέτης — Low-Medium, per baseline pattern.
κρίνω krinō ”I judge” to evaluate, pass judgment	judge, evaluate, discern ”judge,” “pass judgment”	4:3-5. Paul’s refusal to be judged by human courts of opinion, reserving final judgment to the Lord — introduces the judgment vocabulary developed further in ch.6.	κρίνω — Low risk.

Chapter 5 — Church Discipline and Holiness

Terms	Variants	Contextual meaning	Rendering & risk
πορνεία porneia ”sexual immorality” unlawful/illicit sexual activity, broadly defined	sexual immorality, fornication ”sexual immorality,” “fornication”	5:1. NEW Medium-risk entry. Modern Greek πορνεία has narrowed somewhat toward “prostitution” specifically in casual usage; Paul’s NT sense is broader (any sexual immorality). Must not narrow the doctrine to only commercial sexual sin.	πορνεία — Medium risk; retain the broad NT sense via context/notes.
ζύμη zymē ”leaven, yeast” fermenting agent	leaven, yeast ”leaven,” “yeast”	5:6-8. Reuse baseline leaven (Low). “A little leaven leavens the whole lump” — same proverb as Galatians 5:9, applied here to unaddressed sin corrupting the whole congregation.	ζύμη — per baseline, Low.
Πάσχα Pascha ”Passover” the Jewish exodus-commemoration feast and its sacrificial lamb	Passover (feast and/or lamb) “Passover,” “our Passover lamb”	5:7. NEW CRITICAL entry — major Greek-specific collision. “Χριστὸς τὸ πάσχα ἡμῶν ἐτύθη” (“Christ our Passover has been sacrificed”). In Modern Greek, “Πάσχα” is overwhelmingly and almost exclusively the name of Greek Orthodox Easter, the paramount feast of the resurrection (cf. baseline resurrection_of_christ doctrine notes on Πάσχα’s cultural centrality). Paul’s argument here, however, is about the Passover lamb’s sacrificial slaughter (Exodus 12) as a type of Christ’s atoning death — a somber, substitutionary-sacrifice image, essentially the opposite emotional register from the joyful resurrection feast a Modern Greek reader will instinctively associate with the same word. Unglossed, “Χριστός το Πάσχα ημών ετύθη” risks being heard through the lens of the Resurrection celebration rather than the Passover lamb’s slaughter it is actually invoking.	Πάσχα (with mandatory explanatory note anchoring the Exodus 12 Passover-lamb background) — Critical; human theologian review required every occurrence.
παραδίδωμι Σατανᾷ paradidōmi Satana ”hand over to Satan” formal expulsion from covenant protection	deliver over to Satan ”hand this man over to Satan”	5:5. Church discipline formula — removal from the protective fellowship of the church, for the ultimate restorative goal of the person’s salvation (“that his spirit may be saved”).	παραδίδω στον Σατανά — Medium risk; must preserve the disciplinary-yet-restorative, not merely punitive, intent.

Chapter 6 — Church Discipline and Holiness (continued); the body as temple; lawsuits

Terms	Variants	Contextual meaning	Rendering & risk
σῶμα sōma ”body” the physical body; by extension, corporate body	body (physical, corporate, resurrection) “body”	6:13, 6:15, 6:19-20. NEW High-risk entry (foundational for chs. 6, 11, 12, 15 as well). Paul: “the body is not for πορνεία but for the Lord… your body is a ναός of the Holy Spirit.” The single Greek word σῶμα must carry (a) the ordinary physical body, (b) the corporate “body of Christ” (ch.12), and (c) the future resurrection body (ch.15) — each context must be tracked so a reader does not flatten all three into one undifferentiated sense, nor read σῶμα through Greek philosophical body/soul dualism (matter as inferior to spirit) that would undercut Paul’s very point that what one does bodily matters eternally.	σώμα — High risk; track contextual sense per occurrence; explicit note guarding against body-soul dualism (parallel to baseline flesh/σάρκα caution).
δικαστήριον / κρίνομαι dikastērion / krinomai ”lawsuit / to go to court” civil legal action	lawsuit, litigation ”lawsuit,” “take to court”	6:1-8. NEW Low-risk entry. Paul’s rebuke of believers suing each other before secular courts rather than resolving disputes within the church — stable, transparent modern legal vocabulary.	δικαστήριο — Low risk.
ἀγοράζω (τιμῆς) agorazō ”I purchase, buy” commercial acquisition	buy, purchase, acquire ”you were bought at a price”	6:20; cf. 7:23. Reuse baseline redeem root (λυτρώνω/απολύτρωση, Critical) — Paul’s “you were bought with a price” grounds bodily holiness in the reality of having been redeemed; guard against ἀγοράζω’s plain commercial sense flattening the theological point into a mere transaction devoid of grace.	αγοράστηκες (με τίμημα) — Critical, connects to redeem doctrine.

Chapter 7 — Marriage and Singleness

Terms	Variants	Contextual meaning	Rendering & risk
γάμος gamos ”marriage, wedding” the marital union/institution	marriage, wedding ”marriage”	7:2, 7:9, 7:38-39. NEW Low-risk entry. Stable, everyday Modern Greek word; no significant secular drift.	γάμος — Low risk.
παρθένος parthenos ”virgin” an unmarried, sexually chaste person	virgin, unmarried person ”virgin,” “the unmarried”	7:25-38. NEW Medium-risk entry. Modern Greek “παρθένος” is stable literally, but the constant liturgical title “Η Παναγία η Παρθένος” (the All-Holy Virgin, Mary) is one of the most frequently invoked titles in Orthodox devotional life. Applying “παρθένος” to ordinary unmarried Corinthian believers (both women and, contextually, men) risks an unintended Marian resonance that could either elevate virginity to a status it does not carry in Paul’s practical, non-mystical argument, or feel jarringly informal when applied to ordinary believers.	παρθένος — Medium risk; note distinguishing Paul’s practical pastoral advice for unmarried believers from the unique Marian title.
ἐγκράτεια egkrateia ”self-control” mastery over one’s desires	self-control, self-mastery, continence ”self-control”	7:5, 7:9. NEW Medium-risk entry (also relevant to ch.9’s athletic imagery). Modern Greek εγκράτεια carries some ascetic/monastic coloring (fasting discipline, “άσκηση εγκράτειας”), which could narrow Paul’s general self-mastery point toward a specifically monastic virtue rather than an expectation for all believers, married or single.	εγκράτεια — Medium risk; broaden beyond monastic-ascetic connotation via context.
χωρίζω / χωρισμός chōrizō / chōrismos ”I separate / separation” marital separation/divorce	separate, divorce ”separate,” “divorce”	7:10-15. Stable, transparent modern legal-relational vocabulary; low lexical risk, though pastorally sensitive content (the “Pauline privilege,” mixed marriages) requires careful framing.	χωρίζω — Low-Medium (pastoral sensitivity, not lexical risk).
δοῦλος doulos ”slave, bondservant” one in servitude, owned by a master	slave, servant, bondservant ”slave,” “servant,” “bondservant”	7:21-23. NEW Medium-risk entry. Refers to literal first-century slavery as well as (metaphorically, elsewhere in Paul) being a “slave of Christ.” Modern Greek δούλος is largely a historical/literary term (colloquial Modern Greek prefers “σκλάβος” for literal slavery); care is needed so the literal socio-economic referent in 7:21-23 is not confused with the positive theological metaphor “slave of Christ” used elsewhere (e.g., Romans 1:1, “δοῦλος Χριστοῦ,” already present in the baseline package’s underlying corpus though not a separate memory entry).	δούλος — Medium risk; distinguish literal first-century social referent from theological “slave of Christ” metaphor.
κλῆσις klēsis ”calling”		7:17-24 (“as God has called each one” — repeated as a refrain). Reuse baseline calling (Critical). Paul’s calling-in-one’s-station theology (marriage, singleness, social status) is a direct application of the Critical κλήση guard — every occurrence must resist the secular “phone call/summons” bleaching.	κλήση — per baseline, Critical.

Chapter 8 — Christian Liberty and Idol Meat

Terms	Variants	Contextual meaning	Rendering & risk
εἴδωλον / εἰδωλόθυτον eidōlon / eidōlothyton ”idol / meat sacrificed to idols” a false-god image / food offered to it	idol / idol-offered food ”idol,” “food sacrificed to idols”	8:1, 8:4, 8:7, 8:10. NEW Medium-risk entry. Lexically stable, but pastorally distant: active idol-worship is not a live threat in contemporary Greek experience the way it was in Corinth, so the doctrine’s contemporary application (Christian liberty exercised in love toward weaker consciences, applied to modern analogues) requires deliberate curricular framing rather than lexical correction.	είδωλο / ειδωλόθυτο — Medium risk (mainly an application-bridging risk, not a lexical one).
συνείδησις syneidēsis ”conscience” inward moral awareness/judgment	conscience, moral awareness ”conscience”	8:7, 8:10, 8:12. NEW High-risk entry. Same Greek word functions identically today in ordinary ethical Modern Greek (“η συνείδησή μου,” “my conscience”), but risks being flattened to a generically secular, autonomous, individualist “follow your own conscience” concept, whereas Paul’s concern is specifically the “weak” believer’s God-oriented conscience being wounded by another’s liberty — a relational and theological category, not a purely private ethical faculty.	συνείδηση — High risk; must be anchored to the God-oriented, communally-responsible sense Paul intends, not generic secular personal ethics.
ἐξουσία exousia ”right, authority, freedom to act” delegated power or permission	right, authority, power, liberty ”right,” “authority,” “liberty”	8:9 (“take care that this ἐξουσία of yours does not become a stumbling block”); developed further in ch.9. NEW High-risk entry, distinct from baseline freedom/ελευθερία (Critical). Modern Greek εξουσία is dominated by its political sense (“η εξουσία” = “those in power,” “the government/the authorities” — a term of frequent, often adversarial, political discourse). Paul’s sense here is a personal right/permission to act freely in a matter of Christian liberty, not political power — the two concepts (ἐξουσία as personal right vs. ἐλευθερία as freedom) must be kept lexically and conceptually distinct in translation, since Paul himself uses both words with different nuances across chs. 8-10.	εξουσία — High risk; must not default to the political “the authorities/the government” sense; keep distinct from ελευθερία.
γνῶσις gnōsis ”knowledge” intellectual apprehension	knowledge, understanding ”knowledge”	8:1-2, 8:7, 8:10-11. NEW Medium-risk entry. “Knowledge puffs up, but love builds up” (8:1) — sets up ch.13’s love-versus-knowledge argument. Stable modern word; the risk is mainly doctrinal-application (avoiding an anti-intellectualist misreading) rather than lexical.	γνώση — Medium risk.

Chapter 9 — Christian Liberty and Idol Meat (continued); apostolic rights and self-discipline

Terms	Variants	Contextual meaning	Rendering & risk
ἐξουσία exousia (as ch.8)		9:4-6, 9:12, 9:18. Paul’s apostolic “right” to material support, voluntarily forgone for the gospel’s sake — reinforces the ch.8 disambiguation from political power and from ἐλευθερία.	εξουσία — High, as ch.8.
στέφανος stephanos ”crown, wreath” victor’s garland	crown, wreath (of victory) “crown,” “wreath”	9:24-25. NEW Medium-risk entry. The imperishable crown of the Christian race, contrasted with the athlete’s perishable wreath. Notably, Modern Greek weddings feature ceremonial crowns (στέφανα) placed on the bride and groom — a strong, positive cultural resonance, but one that could unintentionally import a marriage association into this athletic-competition metaphor.	στέφανος — Medium risk; note distinguishing the athletic-victory sense here from the wedding-crown (στέφανα) association.
ἀγωνίζομαι / ἀγών agōnizomai / agōn ”I compete, strive / a contest” athletic competition	strive, compete, contend ”run the race,” “compete”	9:24-27. Living, transparent athletic vocabulary (cf. modern “αγώνας,” a match/game) — a genuine asset for teaching disciplined Christian living.	αγωνίζομαι — Low risk; asset.
εὐαγγελίζομαι euangelizomai ”I preach the gospel” to announce good news	preach the gospel, evangelize ”preach the gospel”	9:16-18, 9:23. Reuse baseline gospel/mission roots (High/Medium). “Woe to me if I do not preach the gospel” — grounds Paul’s entire ministry compulsion.	ευαγγελίζομαι — per baseline root, High.

Chapter 10 — Christian Liberty and Idol Meat (continued); OT warnings and the Lord’s Table

Terms	Variants	Contextual meaning	Rendering & risk
τύπος typos ”type, pattern, example” a stamped model/impression	type, pattern, example, model ”example,” “type,” “warning”	10:6, 10:11. NEW Medium-risk entry. “These things happened to them as τύποι (examples/types) for us.” Modern Greek “τύπος” has enormous everyday polysemy (a “guy/character” colloquially, a “type” of thing, a printed form/document, a printing press). The specific typological-theological sense (an OT event prefiguring or warning for the church) can be lost amid these much more frequent secular senses without a clear contextual anchor.	τύπος — Medium risk; anchor explicitly to “typological example/warning,” not the casual “kind of person” sense.
δαιμόνιον daimonion ”demon” a malevolent spiritual being	demon, evil spirit ”demon”	10:20-21 (“the table of demons”). NEW Medium-risk entry. Modern Greek δαιμόνιο, in addition to its stable demonic sense, has a common secular idiom meaning “genius/brilliant talent” (“τι δαιμόνιο!” — “what a genius!”), parallel to the χάρισμα secular-drift pattern already flagged in baseline. Context in 1 Cor 10 (idol feasts) is unambiguous, but the idiom is worth flagging to avoid inadvertent double meaning in surrounding teaching prose.	δαιμόνιο — Medium risk.
τράπεζα Κυρίου trapeza Kyriou ”table of the Lord"	"the Lord’s table”	10:21. Contrasted with “the table of demons” — anticipates ch.11’s Lord’s Supper doctrine; τράπεζα (table) is a stable, everyday word.	τράπεζα Κυρίου — Low risk (lexically); doctrinally connects forward to ch.11’s Critical Lord’s Supper entries.
πειρασμός peirasmos ”temptation, trial” a testing situation	temptation, trial, testing ”temptation”	10:13. Familiar from the Lord’s Prayer (“μη μας εισφέρεις εις πειρασμόν”) — a strong liturgical asset, low risk.	πειρασμός — Low risk; asset.

Chapter 11 — The Lord’s Supper; order in worship (head coverings)

Terms	Variants	Contextual meaning	Rendering & risk
κεφαλή kephalē ”head” the physical head; by extension, source/authority/leader	head, source, leader, authority ”head”	11:3. NEW CRITICAL entry. “The head of every man is Christ, the head of a wife is her husband, and the head of Christ is God.” Modern Greek κεφαλή/κεφάλι is the ordinary word for the physical head, but in metaphorical/organizational use, “κεφαλή” today defaults readily to “leader/chief” in a hierarchical-political sense (head of state, head of a company), which risks importing an authoritarian-command connotation into a relationship Paul frames within a passage explicitly qualified by mutual interdependence (11:11-12, “in the Lord woman is not independent of man nor man of woman”). This is a doctrinally contested, gender-sensitive passage; the translation of κεφαλή itself does not resolve the interpretive debate (headship as loving, self-giving source versus headship as hierarchical authority), and both major interpretive traditions must be represented fairly in accompanying teaching notes rather than resolved silently by word choice.	κεφαλή — Critical; human theologian review mandatory for every occurrence; teaching notes must not silently settle the complementarian/egalitarian interpretive question through translation choice alone.
κάλυμμα kalymma ”covering, veil” a cloth covering	covering, veil ”covering,” “veil”	11:4-15. NEW Medium-risk entry. The practice of head-covering in worship has substantially declined in contemporary Greek church practice outside specific traditional/monastic contexts (headscarves for women still customary in some village and monastic settings, e.g. Mount Athos-adjacent practice, but not general urban norm). Risk is primarily one of contemporary application/relevance rather than lexical ambiguity — teaching should distinguish Paul’s underlying honor/order argument from the specific first-century cultural sign (head covering) that expressed it.	κάλυμμα — Medium risk (application-bridging, not lexical).
Κυριακὸν δεῖπνον Kyriakon deipnon ”the Lord’s supper” the shared covenant meal	the Lord’s Supper ”the Lord’s Supper”	11:20. NEW CRITICAL entry — major sacramental collision. This is among the highest-stakes terms in the entire curriculum for a Greek destination audience: Orthodox theology has an elaborately developed doctrine of the Holy Eucharist (Θεία Ευχαριστία) as the Church’s central sacramental mystery, with real presence and priestly consecration understood as central and non-negotiable. Paul’s own institution narrative in 11:23-25 (“Λάβετε, φάγετε, τοῦτο μού ἐστι τὸ σῶμα… τοῦτο ποιεῖτε εἰς τὴν ἐμὴν ἀνάμνησιν”) is quoted nearly verbatim in the anaphora of the Divine Liturgy of St. John Chrysostom, meaning Greek readers already know this exact wording by heart from weekly worship — an extraordinary asset for recognition and memorization, but also a risk that the curriculum’s teaching point (Paul’s actual argument in context: unity, self-examination, discerning the body, and rebuke of the wealthy excluding the poor at the shared meal, 11:17-22, 11:27-34) is read exclusively through the lens of sacramental theology proper, displacing Paul’s socio-ethical argument about the Corinthian church’s factionalism and neglect of the poor at their common meal.	Κυριακό Δείπνο / Δείπνο του Κυρίου — Critical; human theologian review mandatory; teaching notes must preserve Paul’s own unity/self-examination emphasis alongside (not replaced by) the sacramental resonance.
σῶμα καὶ αἷμα sōma kai haima ”body and blood"	"body and blood”	11:24-27. Directly Eucharistic language; reuse σῶμα (High, ch.6 entry) plus new αἷμα (blood) term — stable lexically, maximal doctrinal weight given Orthodox sacramental theology.	σώμα και αίμα — Critical, connects to Lord’s Supper doctrine above.
ἀνάμνησις anamnēsis ”remembrance, memorial” an act of calling to mind	remembrance, memorial ”remembrance,” “in remembrance of me”	11:24-25. NEW High-risk entry. “εἰς τὴν ἐμὴν ἀνάμνησιν” — again, this exact phrase (“εις ανάμνησίν μου”) is spoken verbatim in every Divine Liturgy. A major liturgical asset (instant recognition), but the theological content of ἀνάμνησις (a rich covenantal remembering/re-presencing, closer to the OT Passover’s זכר/memorial than a bare psychological recollection) needs unpacking so it is understood as more than “just remembering,” without importing later sacrificial-repetition controversies foreign to Paul’s own text.	ανάμνηση — High risk; unpack the rich covenantal-memorial sense; avoid both a thin “just remembering” reading and an unwarranted extension into later eucharistic-sacrifice debates not addressed by Paul’s own words here.
ἀνάξιος anaxios ”unworthy” not fitting, inappropriate	unworthy ”in an unworthy manner”	11:27, 11:29. “Whoever eats… in an unworthy manner” — the ground of Paul’s call to self-examination (11:28), not a blanket disqualification of imperfect believers from participation.	ανάξιος — Medium risk; ensure “unworthy manner of participation” (irreverence, factionalism, disregard for the poor) is not confused with “unworthy person” in a way that induces scrupulous anxiety contrary to Paul’s pastoral intent.

Chapter 12 — Spiritual Gifts and the Body of Christ

Terms	Variants	Contextual meaning	Rendering & risk
χάρισμα / χαρίσματα charisma / charismata ”gift(s) of grace” Spirit-given enablement	spiritual gift(s), grace-gift(s) “spiritual gift,” “gift”	12:4, 12:9, 12:28-31. Reuse baseline spiritual_gifts = πνευματικά χαρίσματα (Medium). Central chapter for this doctrine; guard against the secular “χάρισμα” = natural talent/personal charisma drift already flagged in baseline.	πνευματικά χαρίσματα — per baseline, Medium.
σῶμα Χριστοῦ sōma Christou ”body of Christ” the corporate, organic unity of believers	the body of Christ, the church as one body ”the body of Christ”	12:12-27. Reuse baseline church_as_gods_people doctrine (Medium) + σῶμα entry (High, ch.6). The chapter’s central metaphor: diverse members, one body, mutual necessity and honor — directly counters the factionalism of chs. 1-4 and anticipates ch.13’s love-argument.	σώμα Χριστού — High, connects to church doctrine.
μέλος melos ”member, body part” a limb or organ of a body	member, body part, limb ”member,” “part of the body”	12:12-27 (repeated extensively). NEW Medium-risk entry. Modern Greek μέλος is the standard word for “member of an organization” (μέλος συλλόγου, “member of a club/association”) — a secular-organizational sense that risks flattening Paul’s vivid organic-body metaphor (an eye, a foot, an ear) into a merely administrative “membership” concept, losing the interdependent-organism force of the argument.	μέλος — Medium risk; reinforce the organic-body sense in surrounding prose against the administrative “club membership” default.
διαίρεσις diairesis ”division, distinction, apportionment” distinct allocation	division, distinctions, varieties ”there are varieties of gifts”	12:4-6 (διαιρέσεις χαρισμάτων). Distinct from the negative σχίσμα of ch.1 — here a positive, Spirit-ordered diversity, not factional rupture; the two words should be kept lexically distinct in teaching.	διαίρεση — Low-Medium; distinguish clearly from σχίσμα (ch.1).
βάπτισμα / βαπτίζω baptisma / baptizō ”baptism / I baptize” ritual immersion	baptism, to baptize ”baptized,” “baptism”	12:13 (“by one Spirit we were all baptized into one body”); cf. 1:13-17. NEW CRITICAL entry. Orthodox sacramental theology holds a strong doctrine of baptismal regeneration (typically administered to infants); Paul’s argument in 12:13 emphasizes Spirit-baptism producing corporate unity, and in 1:13-17 explicitly de-centers baptism from personal allegiance/factionalism (“I am thankful I baptized none of you except… lest anyone should say I baptized in my own name”). The curriculum must present Paul’s own argument (unity, not personality-cult allegiance) without either contradicting or being silently absorbed into the fuller sacramental doctrine the audience already holds.	βάπτισμα — Critical; human theologian review required; preserve Paul’s specific unity/anti-factionalism argument (1:13-17) alongside standard sacramental teaching, without collapsing one into the other.

Chapter 13 — Love as the Greater Way

Terms	Variants	Contextual meaning	Rendering & risk
ἀγάπη agapē ”love” selfless, giving, covenantal love	love (in its highest, most self-giving form) “love,” “charity” (older English)	13:1-13 (the chapter’s entire subject). NEW CRITICAL entry — one of the most consequential in the whole book. Modern Greek ἀγάπη survives as the single, all-purpose everyday word for “love” in every register, including explicitly romantic and erotic contexts (“σ’ αγαπώ” = “I love you,” said between spouses or lovers with full romantic force). This is the reverse problem from English, which retains distinct words (“love” is broad, but “charity” historically marked the specifically selfless sense); Greek’s own classical vocabulary actually offers ἔρως (romantic/desiring love), φιλία (friendship-love), and στοργή (familial affection) as available contrastive terms — and the chapter’s power partly depends on Paul’s deliberate, marked choice of ἀγάπη over the erotically-loaded ἔρως, a distinction a Modern Greek reader can be shown directly from the vocabulary of their own language, but which requires active teaching, since everyday ἀγάπη usage does not preserve that contrast on its own. The risk is bidirectional: (a) romantic overtones bleeding into the doctrine from ἀγάπη’s ordinary usage, and (b) the term being read as generically warm sentiment rather than the specific, active, self-giving, patient, non-self-seeking love Paul enumerates (13:4-7).	αγάπη — Critical; mandatory explanatory note contrasting Paul’s ἀγάπη with ἔρως/φιλία/στοργή, anchored to the specific behavioral description of 13:4-7, not a generic warm feeling nor romantic love.
γλῶσσαι / προφητεία / γνῶσις glōssai / prophēteia / gnōsis ”tongues / prophecy / knowledge"	"tongues, prophecy, knowledge”	13:1-2, 13:8-9. All three reuse entries developed elsewhere (γλῶσσα ch.14 below; προφητεία baseline Low; γνῶσις ch.8 Medium) — here relativized as passing/partial without ἀγάπη, which alone “never fails” (13:8).	Per respective entries above/below.
φιλέω phileō ”I love (as a friend), I am fond of” affectionate/friendship love	to love, be fond of (contrast term, not used in ch.13 itself but relevant to the ἀγάπη discussion; cf. 16:22 below)	Distinct word-family from ἀγαπάω; worth naming explicitly in teaching notes as the “friendship-love” Greek readers already possess as a contrast term to ἀγάπη.	φιλέω — Low risk (reference term for contrast only).

Chapter 14 — Order in Worship (tongues, prophecy, and intelligibility)

Terms	Variants	Contextual meaning	Rendering & risk
γλῶσσα / γλῶσσαι glōssa / glōssai ”tongue(s), language(s)“ the physical organ; by extension, a language	tongue, language; (technical) ecstatic/Spirit-given utterance ”tongues,” “speaking in tongues”	14:2-28 (extensive). NEW High-risk entry. γλῶσσα is the completely ordinary Modern Greek word for both the body part “tongue” and “language” (μιλάει τρεις γλώσσες, “she speaks three languages”). The specific NT phenomenon of “speaking in tongues” is therefore not marked by any special vocabulary in Greek the way it might be in a language that must coin or borrow a term — the reader must rely entirely on context to recognize the technical charismatic-gift sense rather than defaulting to “foreign language” or the literal body part. Additionally, the interpretive debate itself (whether tongues denotes known human languages, as at Pentecost, or ecstatic Spirit-given utterance requiring interpretation, as ch.14 seems to describe) is a live, contested question independent of any Greek-specific translation issue, and should be flagged for theological review on that basis as well.	γλώσσα/γλώσσες — High risk; requires explicit contextual framing to activate the technical charismatic sense over the default “language/tongue” reading; theological review required given the underlying interpretive debate about the gift’s nature.
ἑρμηνεία / διερμηνεύω hermēneia / diermēneuō ”interpretation / to interpret” translation/explanation of meaning	interpretation, to interpret ”interpretation,” “interpret”	14:5, 14:13, 14:26-28. Stable, transparent modern term (also the root of “hermeneutics”). Paired necessarily with tongues in Paul’s order-in-worship instructions.	ερμηνεία — Low risk.
τάξις taxis ”order, arrangement, sequence” orderly disposition	order, sequence, arrangement ”order,” “in order”	14:40 (“let all things be done decently and in order”). NEW Low-Medium-risk entry. Stable word; note that Modern Greek “τάξη” also commonly means “(school) classroom” or “social class/order,” neither of which is likely to cause confusion in this liturgical context but is worth noting for completeness.	τάξη — Low-Medium risk.
οἰκοδομή oikodomē ”building up, edification"	"edification”	14:3-5, 14:12, 14:26. Reuse baseline mutual_edification (Low). The chapter’s controlling standard: all worship practices are to be evaluated by whether they build up the church.	οικοδομή — per baseline, Low.

Chapter 15 — The Resurrection of Christ and Believers

Verses 1-11 receive full verse-by-verse treatment in Part A above. The remainder of the chapter (vv. 12-58) develops the doctrine further and introduces additional load-bearing terms:

Terms	Variants	Contextual meaning	Rendering & risk
ἀνάστασις anastasis ”resurrection”		15:12-13, 15:21, 15:42. Reuse baseline resurrection/resurrection_of_christ (Critical). The chapter’s central term, extended from Christ’s own resurrection (vv.1-11) to the general resurrection of believers — the two must be argued as inseparable (v.13: if there is no resurrection of the dead, Christ has not been raised either).	ανάσταση — per baseline, Critical.
σῶμα πνευματικόν sōma pneumatikon ”spiritual body” a Spirit-suited resurrection body	spiritual body ”spiritual body”	15:44-46. NEW High-risk entry. Paul’s resurrection body is not a disembodied “ghost” nor identical to the present physical body, but a Spirit-suited, transformed, yet still bodily, mode of existence. The risk is the same conceptual one flagged for σῶμα/σάρξ throughout: Greek philosophical dualism (soul as the “real,” superior self; body as inferior matter) could read “spiritual body” as a contradiction resolved by dropping the “body” (favoring a disembodied spiritual afterlife), exactly the docetic-adjacent error Paul’s own careful phrase is constructed to prevent. Compatible with, but distinct from, Orthodox theosis language of the “glorified body,” which should be presented as consonant with, not a replacement for, Paul’s own argument.	πνευματικό σώμα — High risk; explanatory note required guarding against a disembodied-spirit misreading.
φθαρτός / ἄφθαρτος phthartos / aphthartos ”perishable / imperishable” subject to decay / not subject to decay	corruptible, perishable / incorruptible, imperishable ”perishable,” “imperishable”	15:42, 15:50-54. Stable philosophical-theological vocabulary; low secular drift.	φθαρτό / άφθαρτο — Low-Medium risk.
εἰκών eikōn ”image, likeness” a visual representation or likeness	image, likeness, representation ”image,” “likeness”	15:49 (“we shall also bear the image of the heavenly man”). NEW High-risk entry. Modern Greek “εικόνα” is the standing technical term for a religious icon — the painted representations of Christ, the Theotokos, and the saints that are venerated (not worshipped, per Orthodox theology’s own careful distinction) in every Orthodox church and home. This is an extremely live, visually and devotionally central word. Paul’s sense (believers will bear the moral/ontological likeness of the risen/heavenly Christ) risks being heard through the icon-veneration association rather than as a claim about transformed nature and destiny.	εικόνα — High risk; note distinguishing “bearing Christ’s resurrection likeness/nature” from “a venerated icon-image.”
νίκη nikē ”victory” triumph over an opponent	victory, triumph ”victory”	15:54-57 (“death is swallowed up in victory… thanks be to God, who gives us the victory”). Stable, also a common sports term (e.g., a football team’s “νίκη”) — a mild secular-sports association that, if anything, adds vividness rather than distorting the sense.	νίκη — Low-Medium risk.
κέντρον kentron ”sting, goad” (archaic/Koine sense) a sharp point (of a scorpion, goad, or similar)	sting, goad, point ”sting”	15:55 (“Ποῦ σου, θάνατε, τὸ κέντρον;” — “O death, where is your sting?”). NEW CRITICAL entry — major Greek-specific finding. In Modern Greek, “κέντρο” overwhelmingly and near-exclusively means “center” (city center, a nightclub/entertainment venue — “κέντρο διασκέδασης” — or the mathematical/geometric center of a shape), not “sting.” A flat, unglossed rendering of this verse in ordinary contemporary Greek risks nonsense (“Where is your center, O death?”) or unintended humor. This exact clause, however, is also a direct quotation from the Paschal Canon of St. John of Damascus, sung every year at the Greek Orthodox midnight Resurrection service — meaning the “obsolete” Koine sense is preserved perfectly, and is instantly recognizable, in the one moment of the year when nearly the entire culture hears it: Easter midnight. This is simultaneously the single greatest liturgical asset and the single greatest secular-bleaching trap in the whole book: correct in the archaic/liturgical register the audience already possesses by heart, but actively misleading if read with the dominant contemporary meaning of the same spelled word.	κέντρον/κέντρο (retain the traditional liturgical wording, with a mandatory explanatory note flagging the “sting,” not “center,” meaning) — Critical; forbidden-substitution class: never allow “κέντρο” to be read/glossed as “center” in this verse.

Chapter 16 — Closing instructions; the collection; final greetings

Terms	Variants	Contextual meaning	Rendering & risk
λογία logia ”collection” a gathered sum of money	collection, contribution ”the collection”	16:1-2. NEW Low-risk entry. An administrative/practical term (the collection for the Jerusalem church); archaic in Modern Greek, where “συλλογή” or “έρανος” would be the natural contemporary equivalent, but low doctrinal weight.	συλλογή / έρανος — Low risk.
φιλέω phileō ”I love (as a friend)“		16:22 (“if anyone does not love [φιλεῖ] the Lord, let him be ἀνάθεμα”) — note Paul’s choice of φιλέω rather than ἀγαπάω here; worth flagging alongside the ch.13 ἀγάπη discussion as the same word-family distinction, now applied to devotion to the Lord himself.	φιλώ — Low risk (reference term).
ἀνάθεμα anathema ”accursed, devoted to destruction”		16:22. Reuse baseline anathema (High). Guards against both trivialization (casual imprecation) and institutionalization (formal conciliar excommunication) — same principle as the Galatians occurrence.	ανάθεμα — per baseline, High.
Μαρὰν ἀθά Maran atha ”Our Lord, come!” Aramaic invocation	”Come, Lord!" "Maranatha,” “Our Lord, come”	16:22. NEW Low-Medium-risk entry, structurally parallel to the baseline abba treatment: an Aramaic phrase preserved untranslated in the NT’s own Greek text because it was foreign even to the original Greek-speaking audience. Retain the transliteration paired with a gloss, exactly as Αββά is retained per baseline convention.	Μαράν αθά (retain transliteration with gloss) — Low-Medium risk; asset, parallel to Αββά.
χάρις τοῦ Κυρίου charis tou Kyriou ”the grace of the Lord"	"the grace of the Lord Jesus be with you”	16:23. Reuse baseline grace (Critical). The letter’s closing benediction — same Critical guard applies at the letter’s very last theological word as at its first (1:3-4).	χάρη — per baseline, Critical.

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Summary of New Critical/High-Risk Terms Introduced by 1 Corinthians (for Step 2 Translation Memory Update)

Critical: μυστήριο, ψυχικός άνθρωπος, σταυρός, Πάσχα (5:7), κεφαλή, Κυριακό Δείπνο / σώμα και αίμα, βάπτισμα (12:13 sense), αγάπη, κέντρον (15:55).

High: σοφία/μωρία, ναός, σώμα (general), εξουσία, συνείδηση, γλώσσα(ι) (14), πνευματικό σώμα, εικόνα (15:49), ανάμνηση, ανάθεμα (reused).

Medium: σχίσμα, κήρυγμα, οικονόμος, πορνεία, παρθένος, εγκράτεια, δούλος, είδωλο/ειδωλόθυτο, γνώση, τύπος, δαιμόνιο, κάλυμμα, στέφανος, μέλος, ανάξιος, τάξη.

Low: θεμέλιο, δικαστήριο, γάμος, ζύμη, πειρασμός, ερμηνεία, φθαρτό/άφθαρτο, νίκη, λογία, φιλέω, Μαράν αθά, and all reused baseline terms already carrying Low risk.