Core Glossary
Core Glossary — 1 John (English → Greek Destination Language Package)
This glossary consolidates every load-bearing term identified in 07_semantic_analysis.md across the whole of 1 John (chapters 1-5), citing chapter(s) of occurrence, assigned risk tier, associated curriculum doctrine, and the specific Greek-language translation risk. Terms marked (baseline) already exist in the Romans/Galatians translation memory and must be reused exactly — no new rendering is introduced for these. Terms marked (new) are introduced by this 1 John Language Package extension and should be added to translation_memory.json and bible_term_registry.json in the corresponding Phase 1 asset-generation step, following the same schema as the baseline.
Reused Baseline Terms (Exact Reuse Required)
| Term | Greek Rendering | Transliteration | Risk | Doctrine(s) | Chapters | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| God | Θεός | Theós | Critical | God is Light and God is Love | 1-5 | Baseline, reused exactly. |
| Father | Πατέρας | Patéras | Critical | Fellowship with God and One Another; Confession and Forgiveness of Sin | 1-4 | Baseline, reused exactly (2:1 Advocate “with the Father”; 4:14 “the Father sent the Son”). |
| Jesus | Ιησούς | Iisoús | Critical | The Incarnation and Antichrist | 1-5 | Baseline, reused exactly. |
| Son of God | Υιός του Θεού | Yiós tou Theoú | Critical | The Incarnation and Antichrist; Assurance of Salvation | 2, 3, 4, 5 | Baseline, reused exactly; the letter’s central confessional test (2:22-23; 4:2-3,15; 5:5,10-13). |
| Holy Spirit / Spirit | Άγιο Πνεύμα / Πνεύμα | Ágio Pnévma / Pnévma | Critical | Assurance of Salvation; Testing the Spirits | 3, 4, 5 | Baseline, reused exactly. |
| holy (title, “the Holy One”) | άγιος | ágios | Critical | The Incarnation and Antichrist | 2 | Baseline, reused exactly; note the distinct singular-titular use here (2:20) versus the baseline’s plural corporate “saints” sense — both share the identical word. |
| flesh | σάρκα | sárka | Critical | The Incarnation and Antichrist | 2, 4 | Baseline, reused exactly; here reaching its most doctrinally load-bearing NT occurrence — denial of Christ’s coming “in the flesh” (4:2-3) is named the mark of the antichrist-spirit. |
| righteousness / righteous | δικαιοσύνη / δίκαιος | dikaiosýni / díkaios | Critical | Love for the Brethren as Evidence of New Birth | 1, 2, 3 | Baseline, reused exactly (1:9 “cleanse from all unrighteousness”; 2:1 “Jesus Christ the righteous”; 2:29-3:10 “practices righteousness”). |
| sin | αμαρτία | amartía | High | Confession and Forgiveness of Sin | 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 | Baseline, reused exactly. |
| fellowship | κοινωνία | koinonía | Medium (High in this letter’s context) | Fellowship with God and One Another | 1 | Baseline, reused exactly; risk elevated here since ch.1 is structured entirely around this term — must be disambiguated from “society” and “Holy Communion.” |
| faith / believe | πίστη / πιστεύω | písti / pistévo | High | Assurance of Salvation and Eternal Life | 3, 4, 5 | Baseline, reused exactly. |
| incarnation (doctrine name) | ενανθρώπηση | enanthrópisi | High | The Incarnation and Antichrist | 4 | Baseline doctrine-name reused; 1 John’s own phrase is “come in the flesh” (ἐν σαρκὶ ἐληλυθότα), the letter’s explicit test of authentic confession (4:2). |
| lord | Κύριος | Kýrios | Critical | (background) | — | Baseline, reused exactly; rare in 1 John itself but relevant background for the Lordship of Christ across the curriculum. |
New Terms Introduced by This 1 John Language Package
| Term | Greek Rendering | Transliteration | Risk | Doctrine(s) | Chapters | Greek Translation Risk Summary |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| love (noun/verb) | αγάπη / αγαπώ | agápi / agapó | Critical | God is Light and God is Love; Love for the Brethren | 2, 3, 4, 5 | Zero lexical gap — the NT’s own word — but maximal secular load: Modern Greek αγάπη defaults to romantic/family affection (“σε αγαπάω”). Every occurrence must be anchored to 1 John’s own definition (God’s prior, self-giving, sin-atoning love, 4:10) rather than left to default affective readings. |
| God is love (statement) | Ο Θεός είναι αγάπη | O Theós eínai agápi | Critical | God is Light and God is Love | 4 | The letter’s most quoted line; risks sentimentalization into a vague, undemanding folk-piety deity if not paired inseparably with its concrete definition (4:9-10). |
| God is light (statement) | Ο Θεός είναι φως | O Theós eínai fos | Medium | God is Light and God is Love | 1 | Stable; distinguish from the technical Hesychast “Uncreated Light” theological category (legitimate resonance, not a substitution). |
| light / darkness | φως / σκοτία | fos / skotía | Medium | God is Light and God is Love | 1, 2 | Vivid ethical dualism; keep primary to 1 John’s moral sense (truthful vs. false walking) rather than displacing it with the mystical Uncreated Light category. |
| know (relational) | γινώσκω / γνωρίζω | ginósko / gnorízo | Critical | Testing the Spirits; Assurance of Salvation | 1-5 (pervasive) | 1 John redefines “knowing God” as ethically/love-verified against opponents’ claims to elite γνῶσις. Risk: Orthodox contemplative “knowing” (θεωρία) categories crowding out the letter’s insistently ethical test. |
| abide / remain | μένω | méno | Critical | Fellowship with God and One Another | 2, 3, 4 | The letter’s central relational metaphor; ordinary Modern Greek meaning is merely “to live/reside somewhere” — severe risk of registering as bureaucratically mundane rather than covenantal indwelling. Requires deliberate reactivation on every occurrence, structurally parallel to the baseline’s flagged κλήση. |
| born of God / new birth | γεννήθηκε από τον Θεό (γεννάω) | genníthike apó ton Theó | High | Love for the Brethren as Evidence of New Birth | 2, 3, 4, 5 | Distinct begetting/birth metaphor from the baseline’s legal-adoption υιοθεσία; preserve the perfect tense’s decisive, accomplished sense without collapsing into an exclusively gradual theosis-trajectory reading. |
| children of God | τέκνα Θεού | tékna Theoú | High | Love for the Brethren as Evidence of New Birth | 3 | Keep terminologically distinct from Christ’s unique μονογενής Sonship and from the baseline’s υιοθεσία vocabulary. |
| only Son / only-begotten | μονογενής (Υιός) | monoyenís (Yiós) | Critical | The Incarnation and Antichrist | 4 | Major liturgical asset (the word of the Nicene Creed); ensure it is kept distinct from τέκνα Θεού so Christ’s unique Sonship is never collapsed with believers’ adoptive/begotten sonship. |
| world | κόσμος | kósmos | High | Overcoming the World | 2, 4, 5 | Modern Greek’s dominant everyday sense (“people/crowd”) flattens the letter’s own internal tension between κόσμος as object of God’s saving love (4:9) and κόσμος as the Spirit-opposed system to be overcome (2:15-17; 5:4-5). |
| propitiation / atoning sacrifice | ιλασμός | ilasmós | Critical | Confession and Forgiveness of Sin | 2, 4 | Rare/elevated in Modern Greek (opposite risk from most terms — under-familiarity, not bleaching); doctrinal tension with Orthodox therapeutic/ontological (vs. Western penal-forensic) atonement models must be navigated without erasing the text’s sacrificial-substitutionary force. Mandatory explanatory note. |
| advocate (Paraclete, of Christ) | παράκλητος | paráklitos | High | Confession and Forgiveness of Sin; Assurance of Salvation | 2 | Same title John’s Gospel gives the Holy Spirit; keep Christ’s advocacy (1 John 2:1) and the Spirit’s advocacy (John 14-16) distinct but complementary; distinct from baseline’s μεσιτεία (intercession). |
| confess | ομολογώ (ομολογέω) | omologó | High | Confession and Forgiveness of Sin; The Incarnation and Antichrist | 1, 2, 4 | Positive creedal-confession asset (Ομολογία Πίστεως) balanced against Modern Greek’s dominant criminal-confession register (“ομολόγησε το έγκλημα”); two distinct referents (confessing sin, 1:9; confessing Christ’s identity, 4:2,15) share the identical verb and must be disambiguated contextually. |
| forgive | συγχωρώ (αφίημι) | sygchoró | High | Confession and Forgiveness of Sin | 1 | Modern Greek’s extremely frequent low-stakes politeness usage (“με συγχωρείτε,” “excuse me”) risks flattening God’s judicial, costly forgiveness; anchor to “faithful and just” (1:9). |
| cleanse | καθαρίζω | katharízo | Medium | Confession and Forgiveness of Sin | 1 | Ordinary physical-cleaning sense dominant in Modern Greek; moral-purification sense requires contextual reinforcement. |
| blood (of Christ) | αίμα | aíma | High | Confession and Forgiveness of Sin | 1 | Strong, largely positive Eucharistic resonance (“Το Αίμα του Χριστού”); ensure the once-for-all historical atoning-death sense (1:7) is not silently narrowed to ongoing sacramental participation alone. |
| walk (conduct) | περπατώ (περιπατέω) | perpató | Medium | Fellowship with God and One Another | 1 | Literal-ambulation sense dominant; metaphorical “way of life” sense needs contextual reinforcement. |
| unrighteousness | αδικία | adikía | Medium | Confession and Forgiveness of Sin | 1 | Antonym of baseline δικαιοσύνη; Modern Greek’s strong “social/legal injustice” sense should not crowd out the comprehensive moral-defilement sense. |
| deceive / error (spirit of error) | πλανάω / πλάνη | planáo / pláni | Medium-High | Testing the Spirits | 1, 2, 4 | Consistent word-family across the letter (1:8 self-deception; 2:26 false teachers; 4:6 “spirit of error”); render consistently as the letter’s vocabulary for false teaching. |
| word of life | ο λόγος της ζωής | o lógos tis zoís | Medium | Assurance of Salvation and Eternal Life | 1 | λόγος carries Johannine Christological weight (cf. John 1:1); do not flatten to mere “information/message.” |
| manifested / made manifest | φανερώθηκε (φανερόω) | fanerόthike | Medium | The Incarnation and Antichrist | 1, 3, 4 | Distinguish from baseline’s ἀποκάλυψις (revelation, bleached toward journalistic exposé); φανερόω conveys visible, historical disclosure. |
| commandment | εντολή | entolí | Medium | Love for the Brethren as Evidence of New Birth | 2, 3, 4 | Anchored in “οι δέκα εντολές” tradition; preserve 1 John’s unifying, singular use (one love-commandment) rather than reading as one rule among many. |
| antichrist | αντίχριστος | antíchristos | High | The Incarnation and Antichrist | 2, 4 | Popular/media culture has mythologized “ο Αντίχριστος” as a singular end-times villain (reinforced by Revelation conflation); 1 John’s own usage (plural, present, a category/spirit of false teaching) must be explicitly distinguished on every occurrence. |
| anointing | χρίσμα | chrísma | CRITICAL | The Incarnation and Antichrist; Testing the Spirits | 2 | Identical to the technical name of the Orthodox sacrament of Chrismation; mandatory explanatory note distinguishing 1 John’s referent (the Spirit’s indwelling teaching ministry) from the sacramental rite of the same name. Theologian review required on every occurrence. |
| last hour | η έσχατη ώρα | i éschati óra | Medium | Assurance of Salvation and Eternal Life | 2 | Denotes an epoch, not a literal clock-hour. |
| coming / appearing (Parousia) | παρουσία | parousía | Medium | Assurance of Salvation and Eternal Life | 2 | Distinguish the technical eschatological sense from Modern Greek’s generic “presence/attendance” usage. |
| lawlessness | ανομία | anomía | Medium | Love for the Brethren as Evidence of New Birth | 3 | Distinct referent from the baseline’s Mosaic-Torah νόμος entries; here denotes general rebellion against God’s moral order, not Torah-observance specifically. |
| devil | διάβολος | diávolos | Low | The Incarnation and Antichrist | 3, 4 | Stable, unambiguous. |
| lay down one’s life/soul | δίνω τη ζωή μου (τίθημι την ψυχήν) | díno ti zoí mou | High | Love for the Brethren as Evidence of New Birth | 3 | Platonic body/soul dualism risk on ψυχή parallels the baseline’s flesh/σάρξ conceptual caution; a holistic “life” rendering may better preserve the Hebraic nephesh-background sense than a strict “soul” calque. |
| confidence / boldness | παρρησία | parrisía | Medium-High | Assurance of Salvation and Eternal Life | 2, 3, 4 | Stable but formal/literary register in Modern Greek; ensure relational warmth (childlike boldness before a Father) is not lost to legalistic tone. |
| heart (conscience) | καρδία | kardía | Low-Medium | Love for the Brethren as Evidence of New Birth | 3 | Modern Greek’s romantic/emotional gravitational pull should not crowd out the conscience/moral-self-awareness sense. |
| test the spirits | δοκιμάζετε τα πνεύματα | dokimázete ta pnévmata | Medium-High | Testing the Spirits | 4 | Ordinary “trying/testing” register (clothes, food) understates the seriousness of discernment intended; reinforce the “testing metal for purity” sense. |
| false prophet | ψευδοπροφήτης | psevdoprofítis | Low | Testing the Spirits | 4 | Transparent compound, stable. |
| Spirit of truth / spirit of error | το Πνεύμα της αλήθειας / το πνεύμα της πλάνης | to Pnévma tis alítheias / to pnévma tis pláni | High | Testing the Spirits | 4 | ἀλήθεια’s personal-relational Johannine sense (cf. John 14:6) should not flatten to mere factual accuracy; πλάνη recurs consistently with 1:8, 2:26. |
| overcome / victory | νικάω / νίκη | nikáo / níki | High | Overcoming the World | 4, 5 | Modern Greek’s dominant athletic/military “victory” register risks reducing a settled spiritual reality (5:4-5) to a metaphor of competitive triumph; anchor to the letter’s own definition — “the victory… is our faith.” |
| testimony / witness | μαρτυρία | martyría | Medium | Testing the Spirits; Assurance of Salvation | 4, 5 | Etymological link to μάρτυς (“martyr”) is a legitimate teaching asset; do not narrow 1 John’s evidentiary sense exclusively to the martyrdom sense. |
| Savior | Σωτήρ | Sotír | Medium-High | Assurance of Salvation and Eternal Life | 4 | Derived from the baseline’s Critical σωτηρία entry; guard against an exclusively theosis-trajectory reading — here applied to a decisive, accomplished sending. |
| water and blood (and Spirit) | το ύδωρ και το αίμα (και το Πνεύμα) | to ýdor kai to aíma | High | Assurance of Salvation and Eternal Life; The Incarnation and Antichrist | 5 | Strong, legitimate Orthodox baptismal/Eucharistic resonance; keep the text’s own evidentiary argument (witness to Jesus’s identity) primary rather than developing this as a free-standing sacramental proof-text. Theologian review required. |
| eternal life | ζωή αιώνιος | zoí aiónios | CRITICAL | Assurance of Salvation and Eternal Life | 5 (also implied 1-4) | The letter’s explicitly stated purpose (5:13); ζωή’s extreme ordinariness in Modern Greek risks reducing αἰώνιος to a mere quantitative intensifier (“very long life”) rather than the qualitative resurrection-age life 1 John intends. Always render as the fixed phrase; never bare ζωή in this technical sense. Mandatory theologian review, parallel to the baseline’s σωτηρία treatment. |
| sin unto death | αμαρτία προς θάνατον | amartía pros thánaton | High | Confession and Forgiveness of Sin | 5 | Primarily an interpretive risk; avoid importing the distinct Roman Catholic “mortal sin” casuistic framework. Theologian review required given long-standing scholarly disagreement on referent. |
| idols | είδωλα | eídola | High | Overcoming the World; The Incarnation and Antichrist | 5 | Lexically and doctrinally distinct from εἰκόνα (icon); must not be taught in a way that implicitly indicts the Orthodox category of venerated icons, given the historical weight of the Iconoclast Controversy and its settlement at Nicaea II (787 AD). Theologian review required. |
| the evil one | ο πονηρός | o ponerós | Medium | Overcoming the World | 5 | Titular/capitalized use (Satan) is a folk-liturgical asset; guard against the milder everyday adjectival sense (“sly/mischievous”). |
| true / genuine (of God) | αληθινός | alithinós | High | The Incarnation and Antichrist | 5 | Distinct nuance from ἀλήθεια/ἀληθής (truthful speech); here denotes genuineness/authenticity as opposed to counterfeit (idols, 5:21) — ties to the baseline’s Critical deity_of_christ doctrine. |
| commandment (love command, one) | η εντολή (η αγάπη) | i entolí (i agápi) | Medium | Love for the Brethren as Evidence of New Birth | 2, 3, 4 | See entolí entry above; the letter collapses all commandments into the single love-command (3:23; 4:21). |
| brother | αδελφός | adelfós | Medium | Love for the Brethren as Evidence of New Birth | 2, 3, 4 | Literal-family sense stable; the ecclesial “household of faith” sense needs contextual reinforcement against secular fraternal-association usage. |
| liar | ψεύστης | pséftis | Low-Medium | Confession and Forgiveness of Sin; Testing the Spirits | 1, 2, 4 | Stable NT term applied with equal severity to both doctrinal error and ethical failure (hating the brother) — a rhetorical pattern worth making explicit. |
| fear (of punishment) | φόβος | fóvos | Medium | Assurance of Salvation and Eternal Life | 4 | Clarify the specific referent (dread of condemnation) versus reverence for God generally, to avoid an antinomian misreading. |
| perfect / perfected (love) | τέλειος / τελειόω | téleios / teleióo | High | God is Light and God is Love; Love for the Brethren | 4 | Modern Greek slang “τέλειο!” (“awesome!”) risks flattening “perfect love” into an emotional intensifier; anchor to the “reaching its designed, mature goal” sense (cf. Matthew 5:48). |
| punishment | κόλαση (κόλασις) | kólasi | High | Assurance of Salvation and Eternal Life | 4 | Modern Greek κόλαση functions as a specific proper-noun-like term for Hell; consider a broader “τιμωρία” rendering or a clarifying note to avoid over-narrowing the verse’s sense. Flag for theologian review either way. |
| day of judgment | η ημέρα της κρίσεως | i iméra tis kríseos | CRITICAL | Assurance of Salvation and Eternal Life | 4 | Contemporary Modern Greek “η κρίση” is dominated by association with the recent Greek economic/sovereign-debt crisis — a uniquely acute, culturally specific risk for this audience. Retain the established Bible-translation rendering but mandate explicit glossing to the forensic, eschatological sense on every occurrence. Mandatory human theologian and native-speaker review. |
| ought (moral obligation) | οφείλω | ofílo | Low | Love for the Brethren as Evidence of New Birth | 4 | Transparent debt-metaphor, stable. |
| hate | μισώ (μισέω) | misó | Low-Medium | Love for the Brethren as Evidence of New Birth | 2, 3, 4 | Direct, stable antonym of αγαπώ within the letter’s binary ethical framework. |
| desire of the flesh / eyes; pride of life | η επιθυμία της σάρκας / των ματιών, η αλαζονεία της ζωής | i epithymía tis sárkas / ton matión | Medium-High | Overcoming the World | 2 | σάρξ here reuses the baseline’s Critical flesh entry and its conceptual dualism caution; the desire in view is sinful orientation, not embodiment itself. |
| Cain / murder | Κάιν / φόνος | Káin / fónos | Low | Love for the Brethren as Evidence of New Birth | 3 | Genesis reference, directly accessible; no special Greek-specific handling required beyond drawing the moral contrast with 3:16. |
Risk Summary (New Terms Introduced by This Package)
| Risk Tier | Count | Review Routing |
|---|---|---|
| Critical | 6 (love/God-is-love statement counted once; propitiation; anointing; eternal life; day of judgment; only Son — see full table for combined entries) | Human theologian, every occurrence |
| High | 17 | Human theologian |
| Medium-High | 5 | Native speaker + theologian spot-check |
| Medium | 15 | Native speaker review |
| Low-Medium | 4 | Native speaker review |
| Low | 6 | Automated review |
Note: several terms above carry compound risk designations (e.g. “Medium-High”) reflecting genuine intermediate judgment calls between the baseline’s four-tier framework; final tier assignment for doctrine_risk_registry.json should round up to the nearer standard tier (Critical/High/Medium/Low) at the discretion of the reviewing theologian, consistent with baseline convention.
This glossary must be loaded alongside the baseline translation_memory.json and bible_term_registry.json for all Phase 2 translation work on the 1 John curriculum. New terms above should be formally added to those files, following their exact JSON schema, before Phase 2 segment translation begins.
Critical Risk Terms
God
Approved rendering: Θεός
Transliteration: Theós
Doctrine: God is Light and God is Love
Original: θεός
Category: God
Inherited from Romans package, reused exactly. No new risk introduced by 1 John.
Father
Approved rendering: Πατέρας
Transliteration: Patéras
Doctrine: Fellowship with God and One Another
Original: πατήρ
Category: God
Inherited from Romans package, reused exactly. In 1 John, God as personal Father is the object of Christ’s advocacy (2:1) and the source of the believer’s adoptive love (3:1).
Jesus
Approved rendering: Ιησούς
Transliteration: Iisoús
Doctrine: The Incarnation and Antichrist
Original: Ἰησοῦς
Category: Christology
Inherited from Romans package, reused exactly.
Son Of God
Approved rendering: Υιός του Θεού
Transliteration: Yiós tou Theoú
Doctrine: The Incarnation and Antichrist / Assurance of Salvation and Eternal Life
Original: υἱὸς τοῦ θεοῦ
Category: Christology
Inherited from Romans package, reused exactly. In 1 John this functions as an active doctrinal test (2:22-23; 4:2-3,15; 5:5,10-13), not merely a devotional title. Must be kept distinct from τέκνα Θεού (believers’ adoptive/begotten sonship) and from μονογενής (Christ’s own unique Sonship).
Holy Spirit
Approved rendering: Άγιο Πνεύμα / Πνεύμα
Transliteration: Ágio Pnévma / Pnévma
Doctrine: Assurance of Salvation and Eternal Life / Testing the Spirits
Original: πνεῦμα
Category: God
Inherited from Romans package, reused exactly. 1 John frequently says simply ‘his Spirit’ (ἐκ τοῦ Πνεύματος αὐτοῦ, 4:13) without the adjective ‘holy’; the referent is doctrinally identical.
Holy One Title
Approved rendering: ο Άγιος
Transliteration: ho Ágios
Doctrine: The Incarnation and Antichrist
Original: ὁ ἅγιος
Category: God
Inherited from the baseline’s ἅγιος entry, reused exactly. In 1 John 2:20 this is a singular title for God/Christ (‘you have an anointing from the Holy One’), distinct from the baseline’s plural corporate ‘saints’ sense (Romans 1:7); the identical Greek word requires context to signal which sense is active.
Lord
Approved rendering: Κύριος
Transliteration: Kýrios
Doctrine: (background Christology)
Rejected alternatives: Κύριος με την καθημερινή έννοια της ευγενικής προσφώνησης ‘κύριε’ (αντίστοιχο του ‘Mr.’)
Original: κύριος
Category: Christology
Inherited from Romans package, reused exactly. Rare as a direct title in 1 John itself but essential background for the letter’s overall Christology and its confession of the Son of God.
Righteousness
Approved rendering: δικαιοσύνη / δίκαιος
Transliteration: dikaiosýni / díkaios
Doctrine: Love for the Brethren as Evidence of New Birth
Rejected alternatives: δικαιοσύνη αποκλειστικά με τη σύγχρονη έννοια της νομικής ή κοινωνικής δικαιοσύνης
Original: δικαιοσύνη / δίκαιος
Category: Salvation
Inherited from Romans package, reused exactly. Applied to Christ himself as Advocate (‘Jesus Christ the righteous,’ 2:1) and to the practice of righteousness as a mark of new birth (2:29-3:10).
Flesh
Approved rendering: σάρκα
Transliteration: sárka
Doctrine: The Incarnation and Confession of Christ Come in the Flesh
Rejected alternatives: σάρκα αποκλειστικά με τη φιλοσοφική δυϊστική έννοια σώματος εναντίον ψυχής
Original: σάρξ
Category: Sin
Inherited from Romans package, reused exactly. Reaches its single most doctrinally load-bearing NT occurrence here: denial of Christ’s coming ‘ἐν σαρκί’ (4:2-3) is named explicitly as the mark of the antichrist-spirit. Any docetic instinct treating σάρκα as unworthy of the divine is precisely what this verse rules out.
Love
Approved rendering: αγάπη / αγαπώ
Transliteration: agápi / agapó
Doctrine: God is Light and God is Love; Love for the Brethren as Evidence of New Birth
Rejected alternatives: αγάπη με την καθημερινή έννοια του ρομαντικού έρωτα (‘σε αγαπάω’), αγάπη με την έννοια της οικογενειακής στοργής ή του πατριωτικού συναισθήματος
Original: ἀγάπη / ἀγαπάω
Category: Love
NEW. Zero lexical gap — the NT’s own word, alive and universal in Modern Greek — but maximal secular load; ~30 occurrences in the core passage 4:7-21 alone. Every occurrence must be anchored to the letter’s own definition (4:10: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son) rather than left to default romantic/affective associations.
God Is Love Statement
Approved rendering: Ο Θεός είναι αγάπη
Transliteration: O Theós eínai agápi
Doctrine: God is Light and God is Love
Rejected alternatives: παράθεση ως αποσπασματικό σλόγκαν χωρίς σύνδεση με τον ορισμό των 4:9-10
Original: ὁ θεὸς ἀγάπη ἐστίν
Category: Love
NEW. One of the most quoted lines in all of Scripture; maximal risk of sentimentalization into a vague, undemanding folk-piety deity. Must never be taught or quoted as a freestanding statement — always paired inseparably with its own concrete definition in 4:9-10.
Know Relational
Approved rendering: γινώσκει / γνωρίζει
Transliteration: ginóskei / gnorízei
Doctrine: Relational Knowledge of God (Testing Claims to Know God); Testing the Spirits
Rejected alternatives: γνώση αποκλειστικά με τη μυστικιστική/θεωρητική ησυχαστική έννοια (θεωρία), αποκομμένη από την ηθική απόδειξη της αγάπης
Original: γινώσκω
Category: Faith
NEW. 1 John systematically redefines ‘knowing God’ as ethically verified by love and obedience, against opponents claiming elite γνῶσις detached from ethical transformation (2:3-5; 4:7-8). Greek Orthodox apophatic/hesychast theology gives ‘knowing God’ a rich contemplative register directly accessible without translation; anchor every occurrence to the letter’s own love-based test.
Abide Remain
Approved rendering: μένει
Transliteration: ménei
Doctrine: Fellowship with God and One Another
Rejected alternatives: μένω με την καθημερινή έννοια του ‘κατοικώ/διαμένω σε μια διεύθυνση’ (‘μένω στην Αθήνα’)
Original: μένω
Category: Church
NEW. The letter’s central relational metaphor (~24 occurrences: 2:6,10,14,17,24,27,28; 3:6,9,14-15,17,24; 4:12-13,15-16), structurally parallel to the baseline’s flagged κλήση: a genuinely correct, theologically rich term at severe risk of registering as bureaucratically mundane housing/residence rather than covenantal, mutual indwelling. Requires deliberate reactivation on every occurrence.
Only Son
Approved rendering: μονογενής (Υιός)
Transliteration: monoyenís (Yiós)
Doctrine: The Incarnation and Confession of Christ Come in the Flesh
Rejected alternatives: μονογενής αποδιδόμενος γενικά ως απλά ‘ο μοναδικός γιος’ χωρίς ρητή σύνδεση με το Σύμβολο της Πίστεως, σύγχυση/ταύτιση με τα τέκνα Θεού
Original: μονογενής
Category: Christology
NEW. Major liturgical asset: the exact word of the Nicene Creed (‘τὸν Υἱὸν τοῦ Θεοῦ τὸν μονογενῆ’), recited at every Divine Liturgy. Risk is under-explanation, not mistranslation — must be kept terminologically distinct from τέκνα Θεού at every occurrence so Christ’s unique Sonship is never collapsed with believers’ adoptive/begotten sonship.
Propitiation
Approved rendering: ιλασμός
Transliteration: ilasmós
Doctrine: Confession and Forgiveness of Sin; Propitiation and Atoning Sacrifice
Rejected alternatives: θυσία (ασαφής μόνη της, χάνει τη συγκεκριμένη έννοια της εξιλέωσης/άρσης του εμποδίου), ιλασμός ερμηνευμένος αποκλειστικά μέσα στο θεραπευτικό-οντολογικό μοντέλο σωτηρίας, χωρίς τη θυσιαστική-αντικαταστατική διάσταση του κειμένου
Original: ἱλασμός
Category: Salvation
NEW, opposite risk direction from most terms in this pipeline: nearly extinct in everyday Modern Greek, surviving almost exclusively in elevated liturgical register (under-familiarity, not bleaching). Mainstream Greek Orthodox soteriology favors a therapeutic/ontological atonement model that can resist penal-forensic language; render with a MANDATORY explanatory note preserving the verse’s own sacrificial-substitutionary force (2:2; 4:10) without imposing a foreign penal gloss or dissolving it into a therapeutic-only reading.
Anointing
Approved rendering: χρίσμα
Transliteration: chrísma
Doctrine: The Anointing and the Spirit’s Teaching Ministry
Rejected alternatives: χρίσμα αποδιδόμενο/κατανοούμενο αποκλειστικά ως αναφορά στο Μυστήριο του Χρίσματος, χωρίς αναφορά στη γενική διδακτική διακονία του Πνεύματος προς κάθε πιστό
Original: χρίσμα
Category: Discernment
NEW, single most acute sacramental-collision term in this book: identical to the technical name of the Greek Orthodox sacrament of Chrismation (Το Μυστήριο του Χρίσματος). MANDATORY explanatory note required on every occurrence (2:20,27) distinguishing 1 John’s referent (the Spirit’s indwelling teaching ministry given to ‘all of you,’ 2:20) from the sacramental rite of the same name. Theologian review required every time.
Eternal Life
Approved rendering: ζωή αιώνιος
Transliteration: zoí aiónios
Doctrine: Assurance of Salvation and Eternal Life
Rejected alternatives: ζωή αιώνιος αποδιδόμενη ως απλή ποσοτική επέκταση της διάρκειας της ζωής (‘πολύ μεγάλη ζωή’)
Original: ζωὴ αἰώνιος
Category: Salvation
NEW. The letter’s explicitly stated purpose (5:13). ζωή is one of the most ordinary words in Modern Greek, risking αἰώνιος being heard as a mere quantitative intensifier rather than the qualitative, already-possessed resurrection-age life 1 John intends. ALWAYS render as this fixed phrase; never bare ζωή in this technical sense — parallel to the baseline’s σωτηρία treatment.
Day Of Judgment
Approved rendering: η ημέρα της κρίσεως
Transliteration: i iméra tis kríseos
Doctrine: The Day of Judgment
Rejected alternatives: κρίση αποδιδόμενη/ακουσμένη με τη σύγχρονη έννοια της ελληνικής οικονομικής/δημοσιονομικής κρίσης
Original: ἡμέρα τῆς κρίσεως
Category: Eschatology
NEW, uniquely acute for this audience: contemporary Modern Greek ‘η κρίση’ is overwhelmingly associated with the recent Greek economic and sovereign-debt crisis, a term of intense collective national trauma, not primarily a legal/forensic term in ordinary usage. Retain the established Bible-translation phrase (4:17) but MANDATE explicit glossing to the forensic, eschatological sense on every occurrence.
High Risk Terms
Sin
Approved rendering: αμαρτία
Transliteration: amartía
Doctrine: Confession and Forgiveness of Sin
Rejected alternatives: αμαρτία με την καθημερινή, εξασθενημένη έννοια του ‘κρίμα’ (π.χ. ‘τι αμαρτία’)
Original: ἁμαρτία
Category: Sin
Inherited from Romans package, reused exactly. Guard against the colloquial weakened idiom bleeding into teaching prose, given 1 John’s unusually dense, repeated treatment (1:8-10; 2:1-2; 3:4-9; 5:16-18).
Fellowship
Approved rendering: κοινωνία
Transliteration: koinonía
Doctrine: Fellowship with God and One Another
Rejected alternatives: κοινωνία αποκλειστικά ως λήψη της Θείας Κοινωνίας (Ευχαριστίας), κοινωνία με τη σύγχρονη έννοια της κοινωνίας/κοινωνικού συνόλου
Original: κοινωνία
Category: Church
Inherited from Romans package (there rated Medium), risk ELEVATED to High for this book because 1 John chapter 1 structures an entire argument around this single term (1:3,6-7), unlike its lighter load in Romans. Must be actively disambiguated from ‘society’ and ‘Holy Communion’ at every occurrence.
Faith
Approved rendering: πίστη / πιστεύω
Transliteration: písti / pistévo
Doctrine: Assurance of Salvation and Eternal Life
Rejected alternatives: πίστη με τη γενική έννοια της αφοσίωσης σε οποιαδήποτε ιδέα ή πρόσωπο
Inherited from Romans package, reused exactly. Personal trust in Jesus as the Christ, directly linked to new birth (5:1) and overcoming the world (5:4-5); consistent rendering required through the dense concentration of πιστεύω occurrences in 5:1-13.
Incarnation
Approved rendering: ενανθρώπηση
Transliteration: enanthrópisi
Doctrine: The Incarnation and Confession of Christ Come in the Flesh
Original: ἐν σαρκὶ ἐληλυθότα
Category: Christology
Inherited from Romans package as the doctrine-name; 1 John’s own operative phrase is ‘come in the flesh’ (ἐν σαρκὶ ἐληλυθότα, 4:2), the letter’s explicit confessional test against the antichrist-spirit rather than an abstract theological label.
Born Of God
Approved rendering: γεννήθηκε από τον Θεό
Transliteration: genníthike apó ton Theó
Doctrine: New Birth and Children of God; Love for the Brethren as Evidence of New Birth
Rejected alternatives: γέννηση ερμηνευμένη αποκλειστικά ως αφετηρία σταδιακής, ανοιχτής θεοποιητικής πορείας, χωρίς αποφασιστικό χαρακτήρα
Original: γεγέννηται ἐκ τοῦ θεοῦ
Category: Salvation
NEW. Grammatically and theologically distinct from the baseline’s Pauline υιοθεσία (adoption/legal placement); the perfect tense (γεγέννηται) must be preserved to convey a decisive, already-accomplished new birth with ongoing, observable fruit (love, righteousness), not read exclusively as an open-ended theosis trajectory.
Children Of God
Approved rendering: τέκνα Θεού
Transliteration: tékna Theoú
Doctrine: New Birth and Children of God
Rejected alternatives: σύγχυση της υιότητας των πιστών με τη μοναδική, αιώνια υιότητα του Χριστού (μονογενής)
Original: τέκνα θεοῦ
Category: Salvation
NEW. Believers’ present, family-resemblance identity (3:1-2), with future glory not yet fully revealed. Must be kept terminologically distinct from Christ’s μονογενής Sonship (4:9) and from the baseline’s υιοθεσία vocabulary — a related but distinct NT family-metaphor.
World
Approved rendering: κόσμος
Transliteration: kósmos
Doctrine: Overcoming the World
Rejected alternatives: κόσμος αποκλειστικά με την καθημερινή έννοια του πλήθους/των ανθρώπων (‘μαζεύτηκε πολύς κόσμος’)
Original: κόσμος
Category: Sin
NEW. 1 John uses the identical word in two near-opposite senses: object of God’s saving love (4:9,14) and the Spirit-opposed system to be overcome (2:15-17; 4:4-5; 5:4-5,19). Modern Greek’s dominant secular ‘people/crowd’ sense flattens this internal tension if unglossed; flag which sense is active at each occurrence.
Advocate
Approved rendering: παράκλητος
Transliteration: paráklitos
Doctrine: Christ as Advocate
Rejected alternatives: συνήγορος (καθαρά κοσμικός/νομικός όρος, χάνει τη θεολογική βαρύτητα), ταύτιση χωρίς διάκριση με τον Παράκλητο του Ευαγγελίου Ιωάννη (το Άγιο Πνεύμα) ως το ίδιο πρόσωπο, διάχυση σε γενική κατηγορία μεσιτών/αγίων αντί για τη μοναδική, επαρκή δικηγορία του Χριστού
Original: παράκλητος
Category: Salvation
NEW. Identical title to the one John’s Gospel gives the Holy Spirit (John 14:16,26; 15:26; 16:7); here applied to the risen Christ’s advocacy before the Father (2:1). Must be kept anchored to Christ’s own unique, sufficient advocacy rather than diffused into a general intercessor-category alongside other mediators, echoing the baseline’s caution on μεσιτεία against saintly/Marian mediation defaulting as the necessary model.
Confess
Approved rendering: ομολογεί / ομολογούμε
Transliteration: omologeí / omologoúme
Doctrine: Confession and Forgiveness of Sin; The Incarnation and Confession of Christ Come in the Flesh
Rejected alternatives: ομολογία αποδιδόμενη αποκλειστικά με τον ποινικό χαρακτήρα της εγκληματικής ομολογίας (‘ομολόγησε το έγκλημα’)
Original: ὁμολογέω
Category: Sin
NEW. Two distinct referents share the identical verb: confessing personal sin before God (1:9) and confessing Christ’s identity/incarnation (4:2,15). ‘Ομολογία Πίστεως’ is standard positive Orthodox liturgical vocabulary — an asset — but the dominant secular criminal-confession register must not color 1:9’s joyful, restorative sense with a guilt-admission tone.
Forgive
Approved rendering: συγχωρέσει
Transliteration: sygchorései
Doctrine: Confession and Forgiveness of Sin
Rejected alternatives: συγχωρώ με την καθημερινή, χαμηλού διακυβεύματος έννοια της κοινωνικής ευγένειας (‘με συγχωρείτε’)
Original: ἀφίημι
Category: Sin
NEW. Modern Greek συγχωρώ is in extremely frequent, low-stakes secular use as a politeness formula, risking the flattening of God’s judicial, costly forgiveness of confessed sin into casual social pardon. Anchor explicitly to ‘πιστός και δίκαιος’ (faithful and just, 1:9) every time.
Deceive Error
Approved rendering: πλανάω / πλάνη
Transliteration: planáo / pláni
Doctrine: Testing the Spirits
Original: πλανάω / πλάνη
Category: Discernment
NEW. A consistent word-family across the letter forming its vocabulary for false teaching: self-deception (1:8), false teachers (2:26), ‘spirit of error’ (4:6). Render consistently across all three occurrences.
Antichrist
Approved rendering: αντίχριστος
Transliteration: antíchristos
Doctrine: Antichrist and False Teaching
Rejected alternatives: αντίχριστος αποκλειστικά ως μελλοντική, ενιαία, μυθολογημένη απειλητική φιγούρα (λαϊκή/κινηματογραφική παράδοση, σύγχυση με το ‘θηρίο’ της Αποκάλυψης)
Original: ἀντίχριστος
Category: Discernment
NEW. Contemporary Greek popular/media culture has mythologized ‘ο Αντίχριστος’ as a singular future villain. 1 John’s own usage is plural, present-tense, a category/spirit of false teaching (2:18-23; 4:3) — must be explicitly distinguished on every occurrence.
Lay Down Life
Approved rendering: δίνω τη ζωή μου
Transliteration: díno ti zoí mou
Doctrine: Sacrificial Love (Laying Down One’s Life)
Rejected alternatives: τίθημι την ψυχήν αποδιδόμενο με στενή έννοια ‘ψυχή’ που φέρει πλατωνική, δυϊστική χροιά (αθάνατη ψυχή διακριτή από το σώμα)
Original: τίθημι τὴν ψυχήν
Category: Love
NEW. Christ’s self-sacrificial death as both definition and pattern for costly love within the community (3:16). A ζωή (life)-based rendering, not a strict ψυχή (soul) calque, better preserves the holistic Hebraic nephesh-background sense.
Confidence Boldness
Approved rendering: παρρησία
Transliteration: parrisía
Doctrine: Confidence Before God (Parrhesia)
Original: παρρησία
Category: Assurance
NEW. Stable but formal/literary Modern Greek register (2:28; 3:21; 4:17; 5:14); ensure relational warmth (childlike boldness before a Father) is not lost to a merely legalistic tone.
Blood Of Christ
Approved rendering: αίμα
Transliteration: aíma
Doctrine: Confession and Forgiveness of Sin
Rejected alternatives: αίμα ερμηνευμένο αποκλειστικά ως αναφορά στη διαρκή ευχαριστιακή συμμετοχή, χωρίς την ιστορική, άπαξ γενομένη εξιλαστική θυσία
Original: αἷμα
Category: Salvation
NEW. Strong, largely positive weekly Eucharistic resonance (‘Το Αίμα του Χριστού’); ensure the once-for-all historical atoning-death sense of 1:7 is not silently narrowed to ongoing sacramental participation alone.
Savior
Approved rendering: Σωτήρ
Transliteration: Sotír
Doctrine: Assurance of Salvation and Eternal Life
Original: σωτήρ
Category: Salvation
NEW, derived directly from the baseline’s Critical σωτηρία entry. Applied concretely to the historical, sent Son (4:14); guard against an exclusively theosis-trajectory reading — reinforce a decisive, accomplished saving act.
Sin Unto Death
Approved rendering: αμαρτία προς θάνατον
Transliteration: amartía pros thánaton
Doctrine: The Sin unto Death
Rejected alternatives: εισαγωγή του καθολικού πλαισίου ‘θανάσιμου αμαρτήματος’ έναντι ‘συγγνωστού αμαρτήματος’ (ξένο τόσο στην ορθόδοξη ηθική θεολογία όσο και στο ίδιο το κείμενο)
Original: ἁμαρτία πρὸς θάνατον
Category: Sin
NEW. Primarily an interpretive risk (5:16-17): avoid importing the distinct Roman Catholic mortal/venial-sin casuistic framework; present with interpretive humility given long-standing scholarly disagreement on the precise referent.
Idols
Approved rendering: είδωλα
Transliteration: eídola
Doctrine: Idols and the Letter’s Final Exhortation
Rejected alternatives: σύγχυση των ειδώλων (εἴδωλα) με τις τιμώμενες ορθόδοξες εικόνες (εἰκόνες)
Original: εἴδωλα
Category: Sin
NEW. Lexically and doctrinally distinct from εἰκόνα (icon), settled at Nicaea II (787 AD). This letter’s blanket final warning (5:21) must not be taught as implicitly indicting the distinct Orthodox category of venerated icons.
Desire Flesh Eyes Pride
Approved rendering: η επιθυμία της σάρκας / των ματιών, η αλαζονεία της ζωής
Transliteration: i epithymía tis sárkas / ton matión, i alazoneía tis zoís
Doctrine: Overcoming the World
Original: ἐπιθυμία τῆς σαρκός / τῶν ὀφθαλμῶν / ἀλαζονεία τοῦ βίου
Category: Sin
NEW. Reuses the baseline’s Critical σάρξ conceptual-dualism caution (2:16); the desire in view is sinful orientation, not embodiment itself — consistent with the anti-docetic point of the Incarnation doctrine elsewhere in this same letter.
Test The Spirits
Approved rendering: δοκιμάζετε τα πνεύματα
Transliteration: dokimázete ta pnévmata
Doctrine: Testing the Spirits
Rejected alternatives: δοκιμάζω με την καθημερινή, ελαφριά έννοια της απλής δοκιμής (ρούχα, φαγητό, οδηγική εξέταση)
Original: δοκιμάζετε τὰ πνεύματα
Category: Discernment
NEW. The explicit charge to actively evaluate spiritual claims (4:1); reinforce the deliberate, metallurgical ‘testing for purity’ sense rather than the casual everyday register.
Spirit Of Truth Error
Approved rendering: το Πνεύμα της αλήθειας / το πνεύμα της πλάνης
Transliteration: to Pnévma tis alítheias / to pnévma tis pláni
Doctrine: Testing the Spirits
Original: πνεῦμα τῆς ἀληθείας / πνεῦμα τῆς πλάνης
Category: Discernment
NEW. The two ultimate spiritual sources behind competing religious claims (4:6); ἀλήθεια’s personal-relational Johannine sense (cf. John 14:6) should not flatten to mere factual accuracy. πλάνη recurs consistently with 1:8, 2:26.
Overcome Victory
Approved rendering: νικά / νίκη
Transliteration: niká / níki
Doctrine: Overcoming the World
Rejected alternatives: νίκη αποκλειστικά με την αθλητική ή στρατιωτική έννοια (αγωνιστικός θρίαμβος)
Original: νικάω / νίκη
Category: Assurance
NEW. Modern Greek νίκη/νικώ is dominated by athletic/military usage, risking the reduction of a settled, already-accomplished spiritual reality (4:4; 5:4-5) to competitive effort-based triumph. Anchor explicitly to the letter’s own definition: ‘the victory… is our faith’ (5:4).
Perfect Love
Approved rendering: τέλεια αγάπη / έχει τελειοποιηθεί
Transliteration: téleia agápi / échei teleiopoiithí
Doctrine: God is Light and God is Love; Love for the Brethren as Evidence of New Birth
Rejected alternatives: τέλειος με τη σύγχρονη αργκό έννοια του ‘τέλειο!’ (υπέροχο, φανταστικό, απλή επιδοκιμασία)
Original: τελεία ἀγάπη / τετελειωμένος (τέλειος / τελειόω)
Category: Love
NEW. Modern Greek τέλειος/τέλειο is extremely common colloquial slang (‘awesome!’), risking flattening of 4:12,17-18’s precise sense — love reaching its designed, mature, fear-expelling completeness (cf. Matthew 5:48) — into a mere emotional intensifier.
Punishment Hell
Approved rendering: κόλαση
Transliteration: kólasi
Doctrine: The Day of Judgment
Rejected alternatives: κόλαση αποδιδόμενη ως αποκλειστική, στενή αναφορά στην Κόλαση/Άδη, στενεύοντας το ευρύτερο νόημα της τιμωρίας/καταδίκης του εδαφίου
Original: κόλασις
Category: Eschatology
NEW. Unlike English ‘punishment,’ Modern Greek κόλαση functions overwhelmingly as the specific proper-noun-like term for Hell. Consider ‘τιμωρία’ as the primary rendering at 4:18, or retain κόλαση only with a clarifying scope-note. Theologian review required either way.
True God
Approved rendering: αληθινός Θεός
Transliteration: alithinós Theós
Doctrine: Idols and the Letter’s Final Exhortation
Original: ἀληθινὸς θεός
Category: Christology
NEW. ἀληθινός (genuine/real, contrasted with counterfeit) is a distinct nuance from ἀλήθεια/ἀληθής (truthful, contrasted with false speech); the letter’s climactic affirmation (5:20) is specifically about genuineness versus the counterfeit alternative named in the very next verse (5:21). Ties directly to the baseline’s Critical deity_of_christ doctrine.
Water And Blood
Approved rendering: το ύδωρ και το αίμα (και το Πνεύμα)
Transliteration: to ýdor kai to aíma (kai to Pnévma)
Doctrine: The Water, the Blood, and the Spirit’s Testimony
Original: τὸ ὕδωρ καὶ τὸ αἷμα (καὶ τὸ Πνεῦμα)
Category: Christology
NEW. A threefold, converging testimony to Jesus’s identity (5:6-9). A Greek Orthodox reader will naturally hear strong baptismal/Eucharistic echoes; this legitimate resonance must not displace the text’s own primary evidentiary argument — restating the incarnation-test of 4:2 — into a free-standing sacramental proof-text.
Medium Risk Terms
God Is Light Statement
Approved rendering: Ο Θεός είναι φως
Transliteration: O Theós eínai fos
Doctrine: God is Light and God is Love
Rejected alternatives: φως αποκλειστικά με την τεχνική ησυχαστική έννοια του Άκτιστου Φωτός
Original: ὁ θεὸς φῶς ἐστιν
Category: God
NEW. Stable; distinguish from the Hesychast ‘Uncreated Light’ (Άκτιστον Φως, Gregory Palamas, the Transfiguration) technical mystical category — a legitimate but distinct resonance a Greek reader accesses without translation. Keep 1:5’s own ethical light/darkness dualism (truthful vs. sinful walking, 1:6-7) primary.
Light Darkness
Approved rendering: φως / σκοτία
Transliteration: fos / skotía
Doctrine: God is Light and God is Love
Original: φῶς / σκοτία
Category: God
NEW. Comprehensive moral-spiritual dualism (1:5-7; 2:8-11), not merely visual illumination or its absence. Permit but do not let the Uncreated Light tradition displace this ethical, walking-focused sense.
Cleanse
Approved rendering: καθαρίζει
Transliteration: katharízei
Doctrine: Confession and Forgiveness of Sin
Original: καθαρίζω
Category: Sanctification
NEW. Ordinary physical-cleaning sense dominant in Modern Greek (housecleaning, dishes); the moral-purification sense (1:7,9) requires contextual reinforcement and should not narrow to ceremonial/ritual cleansing alone.
Walk Conduct
Approved rendering: περπατώ
Transliteration: perpató
Doctrine: Fellowship with God and One Another
Original: περιπατέω
Category: Sanctification
NEW. Literal-ambulation sense dominant in ordinary Modern Greek; the metaphorical ‘way of life’ sense (1:6-7) needs contextual reinforcement, consistent with how the same metaphor is handled elsewhere in this pipeline’s epistles.
Unrighteousness
Approved rendering: αδικία
Transliteration: adikía
Doctrine: Confession and Forgiveness of Sin
Original: ἀδικία
Category: Sin
NEW. Direct antonym of the baseline’s δικαιοσύνη; Modern Greek’s strong everyday ‘social/legal injustice’ sense should not crowd out the comprehensive moral-defilement sense of 1:9.
Word Of Life
Approved rendering: ο λόγος της ζωής
Transliteration: o lógos tis zoís
Doctrine: The Incarnation and Confession of Christ Come in the Flesh
Original: ὁ λόγος τῆς ζωῆς
Category: Christology
NEW. λόγος carries Johannine Christological weight (cf. John 1:1) and must not be flattened to a merely informational ‘message’ (1:1-3).
Manifested
Approved rendering: φανερώθηκε
Transliteration: fanerόthike
Doctrine: The Incarnation and Confession of Christ Come in the Flesh
Original: φανερόω (ἐφανερώθη)
Category: Christology
NEW. Distinguish from the baseline’s ἀποκάλυψις (revelation), bleached toward journalistic ‘exposé’; φανερόω conveys visible, historical disclosure (1:2; 3:5,8; 4:9).
Commandment
Approved rendering: εντολή
Transliteration: entolí
Doctrine: The Commandment of Love
Original: ἐντολή
Category: Sanctification
NEW. Stable, well anchored via ‘οι δέκα εντολές’ (Ten Commandments); ensure the letter’s unifying, singular use (2:7-11; 3:23; 4:21 — one love-commandment with two inseparable objects) is preserved rather than read as one item among many discrete rules.
Last Hour
Approved rendering: η έσχατη ώρα
Transliteration: i éschati óra
Doctrine: Antichrist and False Teaching
Original: ἐσχάτη ὥρα
Category: Eschatology
NEW. Denotes an epoch/period, not a literal 60-minute clock-hour (2:18).
Parousia
Approved rendering: παρουσία
Transliteration: parousía
Doctrine: Assurance of Salvation and Eternal Life
Rejected alternatives: παρουσία με τη γενική έννοια της απλής φυσικής παρουσίας/παρακολούθησης
Original: παρουσία
Category: Eschatology
NEW. Stable, well-established eschatological term (2:28); Modern Greek also uses παρουσία generically for mere ‘presence/attendance,’ so the specific eschatological sense should be contextually reinforced.
Lawlessness
Approved rendering: ανομία
Transliteration: anomía
Doctrine: Lawlessness and the Nature of Sin
Original: ἀνομία
Category: Sin
NEW. 1 John’s own definition of sin (3:4): general rebellion against God’s moral order, distinct in referent from the baseline’s Mosaic-Torah νόμος entries — must not be conflated with the Galatians law controversy.
Heart
Approved rendering: καρδία
Transliteration: kardía
Doctrine: Love for the Brethren as Evidence of New Birth
Original: καρδία
Category: Sanctification
NEW. Modern Greek καρδιά gravitates toward romantic/emotional connotations; the specific conscience/moral-self-awareness sense of 3:19-21 should be contextually clarified.
Evil One
Approved rendering: ο πονηρός
Transliteration: o ponerós
Doctrine: Overcoming the World
Original: ὁ πονηρός
Category: Sin
NEW. Titular/capitalized use (Satan, 5:18-19) is a folk-liturgical asset (exorcism prayers, popular idiom); guard against the milder everyday adjectival sense of πονηρός (‘sly, mischievous’) softening the cosmic seriousness of the title.
Liar
Approved rendering: ψεύστης
Transliteration: pséftis
Doctrine: Confession and Forgiveness of Sin; Love for the Brethren as Evidence of New Birth
Original: ψεύστης
Category: Sin
NEW. Stable NT term applied with equal severity to doctrinal error (2:22) and ethical failure (4:20, hating the brother) — this rhetorical equivalence should be made explicit in teaching material, not softened.
Hate
Approved rendering: μισεί
Transliteration: miseí
Doctrine: Love for the Brethren as Evidence of New Birth
Original: μισέω
Category: Sin
NEW. Direct, stable antonym of αγαπάω in Johannine ethical dualism (2:9-11; 3:15; 4:20), correctly conveying the letter’s binary framework with no neutral middle ground.
Testimony Witness
Approved rendering: μαρτυρία
Transliteration: martyría
Doctrine: Testing the Spirits; Assurance of Salvation and Eternal Life
Original: μαρτυρέω / μαρτυρία
Category: Discernment
NEW. Apostolic eyewitness and God’s own testimony concerning the Son (1:1-3; 4:14; 5:6-11). μάρτυς’s etymological link to ‘martyr’ is a legitimate teaching asset; do not narrow the evidentiary sense exclusively to the martyrdom association.
Fear Punishment
Approved rendering: φόβος
Transliteration: fóvos
Doctrine: Confidence Before God (Parrhesia)
Original: φόβος
Category: Assurance
NEW. Clarify the specific referent — dread of condemnation, cast out by perfected love (4:18) — versus reverence for God generally, to avoid an antinomian misreading.
Brother
Approved rendering: αδελφός
Transliteration: adelfós
Doctrine: Love for the Brethren as Evidence of New Birth
Original: ἀδελφός
Category: Church
NEW. Stable for literal biological brother; the ecclesial ‘household of faith’ sense (4:20-21) requires contextual reinforcement against secular fraternal-association usage (unions, clubs, ‘αδελφότητα’).
Seen God
Approved rendering: έχει δει
Transliteration: échei deí
Doctrine: Fellowship with God and One Another
Original: τεθέαται (θεάομαι)
Category: Christology
NEW. God’s ordinary invisibility to unaided human sight (4:12; cf. John 1:18), resolved through observable, ethical love, not mystical vision. Care should be taken not to conflate with the technical Orthodox hesychast category of θεωρία.
Low Risk Terms
Devil
Approved rendering: διάβολος
Transliteration: diávolos
Doctrine: The Incarnation and Antichrist
Original: διάβολος
Category: Sin
NEW. Stable, unambiguous (3:8,12).
Beloved Address
Approved rendering: αγαπητοί
Transliteration: agapití
Doctrine: Love for the Brethren as Evidence of New Birth
Original: ἀγαπητοί
Category: Love
NEW. John’s characteristic pastoral address (used 5x in this letter); stable, warm, still in active liturgical/pastoral use.
Ought Obligation
Approved rendering: οφείλουμε
Transliteration: ofíloume
Doctrine: Love for the Brethren as Evidence of New Birth
Original: ὀφείλομεν (ὀφείλω)
Category: Love
NEW. Transparent debt-metaphor, stable in Modern Greek (‘οφειλή’); love for one another as a debt owed, not optional spiritual enrichment (4:11).
Cain Murder
Approved rendering: Κάιν / φόνος
Transliteration: Káin / fónos
Doctrine: Love for the Brethren as Evidence of New Birth
Original: Κάϊν … ἔσφαξεν
Category: Sin
NEW. Directly accessible Genesis 4 reference (3:12), 1 John’s paradigm case of ‘hating the brother’; no special Greek-specific handling required beyond drawing the moral contrast with 3:16.
False Prophet
Approved rendering: ψευδοπροφήτης
Transliteration: psevdoprofítis
Doctrine: Testing the Spirits
Original: ψευδοπροφήτης
Category: Discernment
NEW. Transparent compound, stable in Modern Greek (4:1).
Referenced passages