Core Glossary
Core Glossary: 2 John
This glossary consolidates every load-bearing theological and cultural term identified in 07_semantic_analysis.md, drawn from every verse of 2 John (the entire book, one chapter, thirteen verses). Terms already recorded in the baseline Romans/Galatians translation_memory.json are marked [BASELINE REUSE] and MUST be rendered exactly as recorded there; no alternative rendering is permitted for these. Terms new to this curriculum are marked [NEW TERM] and are proposed here for addition to translation memory, pending Phase 1 Step 8 confirmation.
Risk tiers follow the baseline’s four-tier convention: Critical (human theologian review, every occurrence) / High (human theologian review) / Medium (native speaker review) / Low (automated review sufficient).
Glossary Table
| # | English Term | Greek Rendering | Transliteration | Status | Risk | Doctrine(s) | Occurrences | Risk Rationale |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Elder | πρεσβύτερος | presbýteros | NEW TERM | High | Perseverance in the Teaching of Christ (authorial authority) | v.1 | Modern Greek πρεσβύτερος is the standing Orthodox ordination-rank term for “priest.” Readers will default to a sacramental-clerical reading not straightforwardly present in John’s own first-century usage. Mandatory translator note distinguishing NT-era apostolic eldership from the later fixed clerical rank. |
| 2 | Elect Lady | εκλεκτή κυρία | eklektḕ kyría | NEW TERM | High | Hospitality and Doctrinal Discernment; Election (cf. baseline) | v.1 | κυρία shares surface form with the baseline’s Critical Κύριος (Lord) entry, though carrying no divine-title sense here; also genuinely ambiguous between a real individual and a personification of a congregation. ἐκλεκτή shares root with baseline’s High-risk εκλογή (election) entry, risking a commercial “premium-grade” secular drift instead. Mandatory translator note on both fronts. |
| 3 | Children | τέκνα | tékna | [BASELINE REUSE] (cf. Romans τέκνα Θεού pattern) | Low | Christian Fellowship; Hospitality | vv.1, 4, 13 | Stable; must retain ambiguity between literal and spiritual/congregational children per context. |
| 4 | Love | αγάπη | agápē | NEW TERM | Medium | Walking in Truth and Love | vv.1, 3, 5, 6 | Zero lexical gap; asset via the ancient “Αγάπη” love-feast memory. Must not soften into sentiment/affection detached from obedience (v.6 explicitly defines it as such). |
| 5 | Truth | αλήθεια | alḗtheia | NEW TERM | Medium | Walking in Truth and Love | vv.1, 2, 3, 4 | Zero lexical gap but colloquial filler use (“Αλήθεια;” = “Really?”) and risk of collapsing to bare factual accuracy rather than the Johannine sense of lived, revealed reality in Christ. |
| 6 | Grace | χάρη | chári | [BASELINE REUSE] | Critical | Walking in Truth and Love (epistolary greeting) | v.3 | Per baseline: must not collapse into secular “charm” or “legal pardon” senses. |
| 7 | Mercy | έλεος | éleos | NEW TERM | Medium | (Epistolary greeting; broader mercy doctrine) | v.3 | Strong liturgical asset (“Κύριε, ελέησον”); ensure concrete referent (God’s compassion toward these recipients) is not lost to devotional-refrain flattening. |
| 8 | Peace | ειρήνη | eirḭni | [BASELINE REUSE] | Medium | Walking in Truth and Love (epistolary greeting) | v.3 | Per baseline: distinguish from Hesychast contemplative stillness (ἡσυχία). |
| 9 | God | Θεός | Theós | [BASELINE REUSE] | Critical | All four core doctrines | vv.3, 9 | Per baseline: standard, unambiguous. |
| 10 | Father | Πατέρας | Patéras | [BASELINE REUSE] | Critical | Walking in Truth and Love; Perseverance in the Teaching of Christ | vv.3, 4, 9 | Per baseline: personal, relational Father. |
| 11 | Son (of the Father) | Υιός | Yiós | [BASELINE REUSE] (cf. son_of_god) | Critical | Perseverance in the Teaching of Christ; Incarnation | vv.3, 9 | Per baseline: unique, eternal Sonship, not adoptive sonship language. |
| 12 | Jesus Christ | Ιησούς Χριστός | Iisoús Christós | [BASELINE REUSE] (jesus; messiah — Χριστός preferred) | Critical | Warning against Deceivers Denying the Incarnation | vv.3, 7 | Per baseline: standard NT/liturgical form; Χριστός preferred over Μεσσίας per baseline note. |
| 13 | Commandment | εντολή | entolí | NEW TERM | Medium | Walking in Truth and Love | vv.4, 5, 6 | Stable, zero-gap; must stay anchored to the specific love-command (vv.5-6), not generalized into Mosaic law-category or ecclesiastical regulation. |
| 14 | Walk (conduct of life) | περπατώ / περιπατώ | perpató / peripató | NEW TERM | Medium | Walking in Truth and Love; Perseverance in the Teaching of Christ | vv.4, 6 | Ordinary Modern Greek sense is literal ambulation; metaphorical “conduct of life” sense is a learned/biblical register requiring contextual reinforcement. |
| 15 | From the beginning | απ’ αρχής | ap’ archís | NEW TERM | Medium | Perseverance in the Teaching of Christ | vv.5, 6 | Risk of confusion with John 1:1/Genesis cosmological “beginning”; scope to the beginning of apostolic gospel proclamation to this readership. |
| 16 | New commandment | καινή εντολή | kainí entolí | NEW TERM | Low-Medium | Walking in Truth and Love | v.5 | καινός = “new in kind,” zero-gap (cf. baseline καινή κτίση); ensure “new” is not read as “recently invented,” inverting John’s continuity point. |
| 17 | Deceivers | πλάνοι | plánoi | NEW TERM | High | Warning against Deceivers Denying the Incarnation | v.7 | Must not be softened to “merely mistaken teachers”; John’s charge is active, disqualifying doctrinal corruption. |
| 18 | World | κόσμος | kósmos | NEW TERM | Medium | Warning against Deceivers Denying the Incarnation | v.7 | Everyday secular usage (“people/society”) risks flattening the Johannine dualistic sense (world estranged from God). |
| 19 | Confess | ομολογώ / ομολογούντες | omologó / omologoúntes | NEW TERM | High | Warning against Deceivers Denying the Incarnation | v.7 | Asset: shares root with “Ομολογία Πίστεως” (creedal confession). Must convey substantive doctrinal assent to the specific claim of v.7, not mere reciting of the historic creed in the abstract. |
| 20 | Incarnation (Christ coming in the flesh) | ενανθρώπηση / ερχόμενος εν σαρκί | enanthrópisi / erchómenos en sarkí | [BASELINE REUSE] (incarnation) elevated for this curriculum | Critical | Warning against Deceivers Denying the Incarnation | v.7 | Baseline flags patristic theosis-framing risk; here the more urgent risk is a docetic-style denial being trivialized or under-explained. This verse is the letter’s doctrinal crux. |
| 21 | Flesh (of Christ’s incarnation, positive sense) | σάρκα | sárka | [BASELINE REUSE] with mandatory disambiguation | Critical | Warning against Deceivers Denying the Incarnation | v.7 | CRITICAL COLLISION: identical word is Critical-flagged in the Galatians baseline for the opposite moral valence (sin-oriented self vs. Spirit). Here σάρξ is neutral/positive — Christ’s real human nature. Mandatory disambiguating note every occurrence. |
| 22 | Antichrist | αντίχριστος | antíchristos | NEW TERM | Critical | Warning against Deceivers Denying the Incarnation | v.7 | Zero lexical gap but maximal popular-culture loading (apocalyptic folklore, 666, Revelation-derived imagery). Must be scoped to John’s present, recurring “spirit of antichrist” sense, not the singular end-times figure of popular imagination. |
| 23 | Watch yourselves | βλέπετε εαυτούς | vlépete eaftoús | NEW TERM | Low | Hospitality and Doctrinal Discernment | v.8 | Stable, transparent phrase. |
| 24 | Full reward | μισθός πλήρης | misthós plíris | NEW TERM | Medium | Perseverance in the Teaching of Christ | v.8 | Must be taught alongside baseline grace/justification entries so reward-for-perseverance is not confused with meriting salvation; conversely should not be flattened to erase legitimate NT reward-vocabulary. |
| 25 | Abide / Remain | μένω | méno | NEW TERM | High | Perseverance in the Teaching of Christ | vv.2, 9 | Central Johannine perseverance verb; the letter’s each-way test (v.9) hinges on preserving this single repeated verb with parallel, unvaried structure. |
| 26 | Teaching of Christ | διδαχή του Χριστού | didachí tou Christoú | NEW TERM | High | Perseverance in the Teaching of Christ; Warning against Deceivers | vv.9, 10 | Must be scoped specifically to apostolic teaching about Christ’s person (v.7), not broadened into the whole of subsequent Ιερά Παράδοση (Holy Tradition) at large. |
| 27 | Goes on ahead (departs from teaching while claiming progress) | προχωρεί χωρίς να μένει (στη διδαχή) | prochoreí chorís na méni | NEW TERM | High | Warning against Deceivers Denying the Incarnation | v.9 | FORBIDDEN INVERSION RISK: avoid “προοδευτικός” (“progressive,” strongly positive in Modern Greek) — the very self-flattering label the false teacher would claim, inverting John’s point that this “progress” is actually abandonment of truth. |
| 28 | Receive into the house (formal, resourcing hospitality) | δέχομαι στο σπίτι / φιλοξενώ | déchomai sto spíti / filoxenó | NEW TERM | Critical | Hospitality and Doctrinal Discernment | v.10 | Direct collision with φιλοξενία, one of the most deeply held positive cultural-religious values in Greek tradition (ancient ξενία; Hebrews 13:2; Romans 12:13). Mandatory scoping note: refusal applies only to formal, ministry-resourcing, endorsement-hospitality toward incarnation-deniers, not to ordinary kindness or hospitality to strangers/those in need generally. |
| 29 | Say “Greetings” (formal welcome/endorsement formula) | χαιρετίζω επισήμως / καλωσορίζω | chairetízo episímos / kalosorízo | NEW TERM | High | Hospitality and Doctrinal Discernment | vv.10, 11 | χαίρετε is the actual living Modern Greek daily formal greeting. Unglossed, the command risks reading as an instruction toward personal rudeness rather than withholding formal doctrinal endorsement. Mandatory explanatory note on the Hellenistic letter/itinerant-teacher convention behind χαίρειν. |
| 30 | Shares in / Partners with | κοινωνεί | koinoneí | [BASELINE REUSE] (fellowship, κοινωνία) with mandatory disambiguation | Critical | Hospitality and Doctrinal Discernment | v.11 | CRITICAL COLLISION: same root as baseline’s Medium-risk positive “fellowship” term and as the ordinary Modern Greek word for receiving Holy Communion (Θεία Κοινωνία). Here used for complicity in EVIL works — the inverse moral valence. Mandatory disambiguating note every occurrence. |
| 31 | Evil works | έργα πονηρά | érga poniró | NEW TERM | Medium | Hospitality and Doctrinal Discernment | v.11 | Stable, transparent idiom; anchor specifically to propagation of false doctrine about Christ (v.7), not generic misconduct. |
| 32 | Joy | χαρά | charó | NEW TERM | Low | Walking in Truth and Love (epistolary frame) | vv.4, 12 | Zero-gap; part of a deliberate χαίρω/χαίρειν/χαρά wordplay unifying the letter, recoverable directly in Modern Greek. |
| 33 | Face to face (“mouth to mouth”) | στόμα με στόμα / πρόσωπο με πρόσωπο | stóma me stóma / prósopo me prósopo | NEW TERM | Low | (Epistolary closing; pastoral relationality) | v.12 | Vivid biblical idiom; “πρόσωπο με πρόσωπο” is the more natural Modern Greek equivalent, retain “στόμα με στόμα” only with gloss if used. |
| 34 | Sister | αδελφή | adelfí | NEW TERM | Low | Christian Fellowship (church family language) | v.13 | Stable, zero-gap; positive counterpart to baseline’s ψευδάδελφοι (false brothers) entry. |
| 35 | Elect / Chosen | εκλεκτός / εκλεκτή | eklektós / eklektí | NEW TERM (shares root with baseline εκλογή, election) | High | Election (cross-reference); Hospitality and Doctrinal Discernment | vv.1, 13 | Adjectival form risks a different secular drift than the baseline’s political “election” risk: commercial “premium/select-grade” usage (e.g. “εκλεκτή ποιότητα”). Must register as “chosen by God,” not product-grade quality. |
Risk Summary
| Risk Tier | Count | Review Routing |
|---|---|---|
| Critical | 6 | Human theologian (every occurrence) |
| High | 9 | Human theologian |
| Medium | 12 | Native speaker |
| Low | 8 | Automated review |
| Total terms | 35 |
Critical-risk terms requiring human theologian review on every occurrence: Grace (χάρη), God (Θεός), Father (Πατέρας), Son (Υιός), Jesus Christ (Ιησούς Χριστός), Incarnation/flesh-in-incarnation-sense (ενανθρώπηση/σάρκα), Antichrist (αντίχριστος), Receive into the house/hospitality (φιλοξενία context), Shares in/κοινωνεί (complicity sense).
Notable cross-curriculum collision terms (identical Greek word, opposite or divergent theological valence from its baseline Romans/Galatians entry — mandatory disambiguation required in all Phase 2 output):
- σάρκα (flesh) — Critical in Galatians baseline as sin-nature opposed to Spirit; here (2 John 1:7) neutral/positive as Christ’s genuine human nature in the incarnation.
- κοινωνεί (shares in / fellowship) — Medium in Romans baseline as positive Christian fellowship / adjacent to Holy Communion; here (2 John 1:11) negative complicity in evil works.
- κυρία / εκλεκτή — share roots with the baseline’s Critical Κύριος (Lord) and High-risk εκλογή (election) entries respectively, but surface in 2 John with substantially different referents and secular-drift directions (ordinary honorific; commercial “premium-grade” sense) requiring their own distinct risk notes rather than simple inheritance from the baseline entries.
New doctrine-defining terms proposed for translation memory addition: πρεσβύτερος (elder), αλήθεια (truth), αγάπη (love), αντίχριστος (antichrist), πλάνοι (deceivers), διδαχή του Χριστού (teaching of Christ), μένω (abide), φιλοξενία/receive into the house (hospitality), χαίρειν-as-formal-greeting (endorsement formula), έλεος (mercy), εντολή (commandment).
This glossary extends, and in no place contradicts, the baseline Romans/Galatians translation_memory.json and bible_term_registry.json. All baseline-reused terms above are recorded exactly as they appear in those files.
Critical Risk Terms
Grace
Approved rendering: χάρη
Transliteration: chári
Doctrine: Grace, Mercy, and Peace (Epistolary Greeting)
Rejected alternatives: χάρη με την καθημερινή έννοια της γοητείας ή ομορφιάς, χάρη ως νομική/προεδρική χάρη (απονομή χάριτος)
Original: χάρις
Category: Salvation
Inherited from Romans package, unchanged. In 2 John 1:3 χάρη opens the letter’s grace-mercy-peace triad (unusual among NT epistolary greetings for adding έλεος). Must be anchored to unmerited divine favor, not secular charm or legal pardon.
God
Approved rendering: Θεός
Transliteration: Theós
Doctrine: Possession of the Father and the Son
Original: θεός
Category: God
Inherited from Romans package, unchanged. In 2 John 1:9 the construction ‘has/does not have God’ (Θεὸν ἔχει / οὐκ ἔχει) must be rendered with a verb of possession/relationship (έχει), never softened into ‘knows about’ or ‘believes in.‘
Father
Approved rendering: Πατέρας
Transliteration: Patéras
Doctrine: Possession of the Father and the Son
Original: πατήρ
Category: God
Inherited from Romans package, unchanged. Source and authorizer of the love-commandment (2 John 1:4) and named alongside the Son as the one ‘had’ only through fidelity to Christ’s teaching (1:9).
Son Of God
Approved rendering: Υιός του Θεού
Transliteration: Yiós tou Theoú
Doctrine: Possession of the Father and the Son
Rejected alternatives: Υιός του Θεού με τη γενική έννοια που αποδίδεται σε κάθε πιστό
Original: υἱὸς τοῦ πατρός
Category: Christology
Inherited from Romans package, unchanged. In 2 John 1:3 and 1:9 the shorter form ‘ο Υιός’ / ‘τον Υιόν του Πατρός’ occurs in context; render as the same unique, eternal Sonship the full baseline phrase protects, never as adoptive or metaphorical sonship. Must be kept distinct from the τέκνα (‘children’) language applied to believers elsewhere in the letter.
Jesus
Approved rendering: Ιησούς
Transliteration: Iisoús
Doctrine: Warning against Deceivers Denying the Incarnation
Original: Ἰησοῦς
Category: Christology
Inherited from Romans package, unchanged. Confessed in 2 John 1:7 as ‘coming in the flesh’ — the letter’s doctrinal center.
Messiah
Approved rendering: Χριστός
Transliteration: Christós
Doctrine: Warning against Deceivers Denying the Incarnation
Rejected alternatives: Μεσσίας ως προτιμώμενη μορφή στο κείμενο της Β’ Ιωάννου
Original: Χριστός
Category: Christology
Inherited from Romans package, with baseline’s own stated preference applied: 2 John 1:7’s confession formula uses Χριστός directly (‘Ἰησοῦν Χριστὸν ἐρχόμενον ἐν σαρκί’), so Χριστός (not the transliterated Μεσσίας) is the required rendering in this curriculum’s core passage.
Incarnation
Approved rendering: ενανθρώπηση
Transliteration: enanthrópisi
Doctrine: Warning against Deceivers Denying the Incarnation
Original: Ἰησοῦν Χριστὸν ἐρχόμενον ἐν σαρκί
Category: Christology
Inherited from Romans package (baseline risk High) but ELEVATED TO CRITICAL for this curriculum: 2 John 1:7 is the direct scriptural ground of this doctrine, targeted at a docetic/proto-gnostic denial. The baseline’s theosis-accretion risk is secondary here; the more urgent risk is that a docetic-style denial of genuine physical incarnation is trivialized or under-explained as theological preference rather than a disqualifying denial (v.7’s ‘this is the deceiver and the antichrist’).
Flesh
Approved rendering: σάρκα
Transliteration: sarx
Doctrine: Warning against Deceivers Denying the Incarnation
Rejected alternatives: σάρκα αποκλειστικά με τη φιλοσοφική δυϊστική έννοια σώματος εναντίον ψυχής, σάρκα ερμηνευμένη με την αρνητική ηθική χροιά της προς Γαλάτας 5
Original: σάρξ
Category: Christology
MANDATORY SIGN-REVERSAL COLLISION WITH BASELINE: the identical Greek word σάρξ/σάρκα is Critical-flagged in the Galatians baseline for the OPPOSITE moral valence (the sin-oriented self opposed to the Spirit, Galatians 5:13-24). In 2 John 1:7, σάρκα is neutral-to-positive: real, genuine human physical nature, the necessary vehicle of the genuine incarnation. Every occurrence in this curriculum MUST carry an explicit note stating this is NOT the Galatians ‘flesh vs. Spirit’ sense. Failure to disambiguate risks implying Christ took on a morally compromised human nature.
Antichrist
Approved rendering: αντίχριστος
Transliteration: antíchristos
Doctrine: Warning against Deceivers Denying the Incarnation
Rejected alternatives: αντίχριστος ερμηνευμένος αποκλειστικά ως το μοναδικό, μελλοντικό εσχατολογικό πρόσωπο της λαϊκής αποκαλυπτικής παράδοσης (666, φανταστική εικονογραφία)
Original: ὁ ἀντίχριστος
Category: Christology
NEW TERM. Zero lexical gap, but Greek popular religious culture carries an unusually heavy, vivid eschatological loading around ‘ο Αντίχριστος’ (apocalyptic folklore, the number 666, Revelation-derived imagery). Without a firm anchoring note, readers will default to the singular cosmic end-times figure and either sensationalize 2 John 1:7 into esoteric speculation or dismiss the warning as not-yet-relevant. Must be scoped to a present, recurring pattern manifested in specific false teachers denying the incarnation, already active ‘in the world.‘
Receive Into House
Approved rendering: μη τον δέχεστε στο σπίτι / μη τον φιλοξενείτε
Transliteration: mē lambánete auton eis oikían
Doctrine: Hospitality and Doctrinal Discernment
Rejected alternatives: η εντολή ερμηνευμένη ως γενική απαγόρευση φιλοξενίας προς ξένους ή ανάγκη έχοντες (αντιστρέφει το πνεύμα Εβραίους 13:2, Ρωμαίους 12:13)
Original: μὴ λαμβάνετε αὐτὸν εἰς οἰκίαν
Category: Hospitality
NEW TERM. CRITICAL CULTURAL COLLISION: φιλοξενία (from ξένος, ‘stranger/guest’) is one of the most deeply and positively held values in both ancient and Modern Greek culture and Orthodox ethics (ancient ξενία; Hebrews 13:2; Romans 12:13). Unglossed, 2 John 1:10 risks reading as an assault on this core virtue or being quietly softened away. MANDATORY note scoping the command precisely to formal, ministry-resourcing, endorsement-hospitality toward a confirmed incarnation-denier (v.7) — never to ordinary kindness or hospitality to strangers/those in need generally.
Shares In
Approved rendering: κοινωνεί
Transliteration: koinōneî
Doctrine: Hospitality and Doctrinal Discernment
Rejected alternatives: κοινωνεί ερμηνευμένο με τη θετική έννοια της χριστιανικής κοινωνίας ή της Θείας Κοινωνίας (αντιστρέφει την πολικότητα του εδαφίου)
Original: κοινωνεῖ
Category: Sin
MANDATORY SIGN-REVERSAL COLLISION WITH BASELINE: the same root κοινωνία/κοινωνέω is recorded in the baseline as the Medium-risk positive term for Christian ‘fellowship’ (see ‘fellowship’ entry above) and is the ordinary Modern Greek word for receiving Holy Communion (η Θεία Κοινωνία). In 2 John 1:11 the verb carries the OPPOSITE moral valence — partnership in EVIL works. Every occurrence must carry an explicit note: welcoming/endorsing false teaching is a form of negative κοινωνία, not the sacred κοινωνία of the Eucharist or of genuine Christian fellowship.
High Risk Terms
Election
Approved rendering: εκλογή
Transliteration: eklogí
Doctrine: Election of the Church (Corporate Calling)
Rejected alternatives: εκλογή με τη σύγχρονη κυρίαρχη πολιτική έννοια (πολιτικές εκλογές, ψηφοφορία)
Inherited from Romans package, unchanged, as the abstract-noun root underlying ‘elect’ (ἐκλεκτή/ἐκλεκτός) in 2 John 1:1, 1:13. The baseline’s flagged risk (political elections/voting) applies to this noun form; see the separate ‘elect’ entry below for the DIFFERENT secular-drift risk (commercial ‘premium-grade’) that affects the adjectival form actually used in 2 John’s text.
Elder
Approved rendering: πρεσβύτερος
Transliteration: presbýteros
Doctrine: Apostolic Authority and Pastoral Office
Rejected alternatives: πρεσβύτερος αποκλειστικά με τη σύγχρονη έννοια του χειροτονημένου ιερέα (ανάγνωση αναχρονιστική)
Original: πρεσβύτερος
Category: Church
NEW TERM. Modern Greek πρεσβύτερος is the standing Orthodox ordination-rank term for ‘priest’ (χειροτονία εις πρεσβύτερον). A Modern Greek reader will readily hear ‘ο πρεσβύτερος’ as ‘the priest,’ importing the later fixed three-tier clerical structure the letter’s first-century usage (most likely the Apostle John in his old age) does not straightforwardly carry. Mandatory translator note required at 2 John 1:1 distinguishing the apostolic-era functional sense from the later sacramental rank.
Elect Lady
Approved rendering: εκλεκτή κυρία
Transliteration: eklektí kyría
Doctrine: Election of the Church (Corporate Calling)
Rejected alternatives: κυρία ερμηνευμένη με θεϊκή/κυριαρχική χροιά, κατ’ αναλογία προς το Κύριος, εκλεκτή ερμηνευμένη αποκλειστικά με την εμπορική έννοια της ‘επιλεγμένης, ανώτερης ποιότητας’
Original: ἐκλεκτῇ κυρίᾳ
Category: Church
NEW TERM. κυρία shares surface form with the baseline’s Critical Κύριος (Lord) but carries NO divine-title content here — it is the ordinary honorific ‘Mrs./Madam,’ or (many commentators) a personification of a local congregation paired with ‘her children.’ ἐκλεκτή shares its root with the baseline’s High-risk εκλογή but risks a DIFFERENT secular drift here — commercial ‘select/premium-grade’ (e.g. ‘εκλεκτή ποιότητα’) rather than political. Mandatory translator note required addressing both (a) the individual-vs-congregation interpretive question and (b) the ‘chosen by God’ vs. ‘premium-grade’ distinction.
Deceivers
Approved rendering: πλάνοι
Transliteration: plánoi
Doctrine: Warning against Deceivers Denying the Incarnation
Rejected alternatives: πλάνοι υποτιμημένοι ως απλώς ‘άνθρωποι που κάνουν λάθος’
Original: πλάνοι
Category: Sin
NEW TERM. Zero lexical gap and stable in formal/church register, but doctrinal weight is high: must not be softened into ‘people who are simply wrong’ when John’s charge (2 John 1:7) is that these teachers actively corrupt others’ faith and ‘do not have God’ (1:9).
Confess
Approved rendering: ομολογώ / ομολογούντες
Transliteration: omologó / omologoúntes
Doctrine: Warning against Deceivers Denying the Incarnation
Rejected alternatives: ομολογώ ερμηνευμένο ως αποκλειστικά τυπική απαγγελία δόγματος/Συμβόλου Πίστεως, χωρίς ουσιαστική συγκατάθεση στο συγκεκριμένο περιεχόμενο
Original: ὁμολογέω
Category: Christology
NEW TERM. Genuine asset: ὁμολογία survives in Modern Greek as the term for formal creedal confession (‘Ομολογία Πίστεως,’ used of the Nicene Creed), supporting the weightiness John intends at 2 John 1:7. Must convey substantive doctrinal assent to the specific claim that follows (the reality of the incarnation), not mere recitation.
Abide
Approved rendering: μένω
Transliteration: méno
Doctrine: Perseverance in the Teaching of Christ
Rejected alternatives: μένω αποδιδόμενο με ποικίλα, εναλλασσόμενα ρήματα για υφολογικούς λόγους (καταστρέφει τη δομή του εδαφίου 9)
Original: μένω
Category: Perseverance
NEW TERM. Zero lexical gap; central Johannine perseverance verb. The hinge of 2 John 1:9’s each-way test (‘does not have God’ / ‘has the Father and the Son’): MUST be rendered with the identical, repeated verb on both sides of the verse. Vocabulary variation for stylistic elegance would silently destroy the doctrine the repetition encodes. Also used of truth ‘abiding in us’ at 1:2, linking the letter’s truth and perseverance themes verbally from its opening line.
Teaching Of Christ
Approved rendering: διδαχή του Χριστού
Transliteration: didachí tou Christoú
Doctrine: Perseverance in the Teaching of Christ
Rejected alternatives: διδαχή του Χριστού διευρυμένη ώστε να καλύπτει το σύνολο της μεταγενέστερης Ιεράς Παραδόσεως
Original: ἡ διδαχὴ τοῦ Χριστοῦ
Category: Perseverance
NEW TERM. διδαχή is a stable, zero-gap NT word, less common than διδασκαλία in ordinary Modern Greek, giving it an appropriately elevated biblical register. Doctrinal risk is scope: must be anchored specifically to the apostolic gospel content about Christ’s person as defined in 2 John 1:7, not broadened into the whole of subsequent ecclesiastical tradition-formation (Ιερά Παράδοση).
Goes On Ahead
Approved rendering: προχωρεί χωρίς να μένει (στη διδαχή)
Transliteration: prochoreí chorís na méni (sti didachí)
Doctrine: Warning against Deceivers Denying the Incarnation
Rejected alternatives: προοδευτικός (FORBIDDEN — carries a strongly positive ‘forward-thinking’ connotation in Modern Greek, precisely the flattering self-description the false teacher would claim, inverting John’s point)
Original: ὁ προάγων
Category: Sin
NEW TERM. FORBIDDEN INVERSION RISK, structurally comparable to the baseline’s παιδαγωγός entry: no single Modern Greek word preserves John’s irony (claiming spiritual ‘progress’ while actually abandoning apostolic teaching, 2 John 1:9). Never render with προοδευτικός. Periphrastic rendering with mandatory explanatory note required.
Say Greetings
Approved rendering: χαιρετίζω επισήμως / καλωσορίζω
Transliteration: chairein autō mē legete
Doctrine: Hospitality and Doctrinal Discernment
Rejected alternatives: η εντολή ερμηνευμένη ως προτροπή σε προσωπική αγένεια/άρνηση στοιχειώδους καθημερινής ευγένειας
Original: χαίρειν αὐτῷ μὴ λέγετε
Category: Hospitality
NEW TERM. χαίρετε survives as the actual, ordinary, standard formal daily greeting in Modern Greek (‘Χαίρετε!’=‘Hello’). Unglossed, 2 John 1:10-11 risks reading as an instruction toward personal rudeness rather than withholding a specific act of formal doctrinal endorsement/missionary sponsorship. MANDATORY note explaining the Hellenistic letter-writing/itinerant-teacher convention behind χαίρειν as a formal welcome-and-endorsement formula, distinct from ordinary daily courtesy.
Elect
Approved rendering: εκλεκτός / εκλεκτή
Transliteration: eklektós / eklektí
Doctrine: Election of the Church (Corporate Calling)
Rejected alternatives: εκλεκτή ερμηνευμένη με την εμπορική έννοια ‘επιλεγμένης, ανώτερης ποιότητας’ (π.χ. ‘εκλεκτή ποιότητα’)
Original: ἐκλεκτός / ἐκλεκτή
Category: Salvation
NEW TERM, sharing root with the baseline’s High-risk ‘election’ (εκλογή) entry but exhibiting a DIFFERENT secular-drift direction for this adjectival form: commercial ‘premium/select-grade,’ not the baseline’s political-ballot sense. Applied to ‘the lady’ (2 John 1:1) and ‘your sister’ (1:13); must register as ‘chosen by God,’ not product-grade quality.
Medium Risk Terms
Peace
Approved rendering: ειρήνη
Transliteration: eiríni
Doctrine: Grace, Mercy, and Peace (Epistolary Greeting)
Rejected alternatives: ειρήνη με την ησυχαστική έννοια της εσωτερικής ή νοερής ησυχίας (μυστικιστική παράδοση)
Original: εἰρήνη
Category: Salvation
Inherited from Romans package, unchanged. Distinguish from the Hesychast contemplative sense of ἡσυχία in 2 John 1:3’s greeting.
Fellowship
Approved rendering: κοινωνία
Transliteration: koinonía
Doctrine: Christian Fellowship and Family Language
Rejected alternatives: κοινωνία αποκλειστικά ως λήψη της Θείας Κοινωνίας (Ευχαριστίας), κοινωνία με τη σύγχρονη έννοια της κοινωνίας/κοινωνικού συνόλου
Inherited from Romans package, unchanged, for the letter’s positive relational sense (implied in vv.1, 4, 12-13). Must be kept distinct both from its narrow Eucharistic sense AND from the letter’s own inverted, negative sense at v.11 (see ‘shares_in’ below) — the same root carries three competing senses within this one short letter.
Love
Approved rendering: αγάπη
Transliteration: agápi
Doctrine: Walking in Truth and Love
Rejected alternatives: αγάπη με την καθημερινή έννοια του συναισθηματικού δεσμού, αποκομμένη από την υπακοή
Original: ἀγάπη
Category: Love
NEW TERM. Zero lexical gap; ἀγάπη survives as the ordinary Modern Greek word for love and as the name of the ancient ‘love feast’ (Αγάπη) remembered in Orthodox liturgical tradition — a genuine asset. Risk is doctrinal: 2 John 1:6 explicitly DEFINES love as obedient conformity to Christ’s commandments, not sentiment; must not be softened into affection detached from that definition.
Truth
Approved rendering: αλήθεια
Transliteration: alítheia
Doctrine: Walking in Truth and Love
Rejected alternatives: αλήθεια με την καθημερινή, φλύαρη έννοια του μορίου ‘Αλήθεια;’ (‘Really?’), αλήθεια αποκλειστικά ως τυπική/πραγματολογική ορθότητα
Original: ἀλήθεια
Category: Truth
NEW TERM. Zero lexical gap, but two risks: (1) colloquial filler use (‘Αλήθεια;’=‘Really?’) can bleed register; (2) the term can default to bare factual-correctness rather than the Johannine sense of a lived reality received from and consistent with God’s revelation in Christ. Requires contextual anchoring, especially given the doctrine’s centrality.
Mercy
Approved rendering: έλεος
Transliteration: éleos
Doctrine: Grace, Mercy, and Peace (Epistolary Greeting)
Rejected alternatives: έλεος αποκλειστικά ως άδειο λειτουργικό επιφώνημα, χωρίς συγκεκριμένο αναφορικό περιεχόμενο
Original: ἔλεος
Category: God
NEW TERM. Major Orthodox liturgical asset — second word of ‘Κύριε, ελέησον’ (‘Lord, have mercy’), among the most frequently repeated phrases in Orthodox worship. Risk is that this devotional-refrain familiarity flattens the concrete referent — God’s compassion toward these specific recipients (2 John 1:3) — into an emptied liturgical reflex rather than substantive greeting content. Note also that ἔλεος is unusual: 2 John adds it to the more standard χάρις/εἰρήνη pair found in most NT epistolary greetings.
Commandment
Approved rendering: εντολή
Transliteration: entolí
Doctrine: Walking in Truth and Love
Rejected alternatives: εντολή γενικευμένη ως ολόκληρη η κατηγορία του Μωσαϊκού Νόμου, εντολή ερμηνευμένη ως εκκλησιαστικός κανονισμός
Original: ἐντολή
Category: Love
NEW TERM. Stable, zero-gap NT word (cf. baseline νόμος entry for the risk of over-broadening). Must stay anchored to the specific love-commandment Christ gave (2 John 1:4-6), not generalized into the Mosaic law-category or ecclesiastical regulation.
Walk
Approved rendering: περπατώ / περιπατώ
Transliteration: perpató / peripató
Doctrine: Walking in Truth and Love
Rejected alternatives: περπατώ με αποκλειστικά κυριολεκτική/σωματική έννοια βάδισης
Original: περιπατέω
Category: Sanctification
NEW TERM. Modern Greek περπατώ is the ordinary verb for literal walking; the metaphorical ‘conduct of life’ sense is a learned/biblical register surviving mainly in church usage. Must be reinforced contextually so ‘walking in truth’ (2 John 1:4, 1:6) is not read as literal ambulation.
From The Beginning
Approved rendering: απ’ αρχής
Transliteration: ap’ archís
Doctrine: Perseverance in the Teaching of Christ
Rejected alternatives: απ’ αρχής ερμηνευμένο ως το κοσμολογικό ‘Ἐν ἀρχῇ’ (Γένεσις/Ιωάννης 1:1)
Original: ἀπ’ ἀρχῆς
Category: Covenant
NEW TERM. Stable phrase, but risk lies in scope-confusion with John 1:1’s ‘Ἐν ἀρχῇ’ (creation/eternal beginning) or Genesis. Clarify that ‘the beginning’ in 2 John 1:5-6 means the start of the apostolic gospel proclamation to this readership, not cosmological origin.
World
Approved rendering: κόσμος
Transliteration: kósmos
Doctrine: Warning against Deceivers Denying the Incarnation
Rejected alternatives: κόσμος με την ουδέτερη σύγχρονη έννοια του πλανήτη ή της ανθρωπότητας γενικά
Original: κόσμος
Category: Sin
NEW TERM. Zero-gap NT word, but everyday Modern Greek usage is heavily secular (‘ο κόσμος’ = people/society generally); the Johannine dualistic sense — the created order in its estrangement from God, receptive to error (2 John 1:7) — must be reinforced by context, not assumed automatic.
Full Reward
Approved rendering: μισθός πλήρης
Transliteration: misthós plíris
Doctrine: Reward for Faithful Perseverance
Rejected alternatives: μισθός πλήρης ερμηνευμένος ως βάση σωτηρίας ή ως αυτόματος καρμικός μηχανισμός ανταπόδοσης
Original: μισθὸς πλήρης
Category: Perseverance
NEW TERM. μισθός is a stable, zero-gap NT word (2 John 1:8). Must be taught alongside the baseline’s grace/justification entries so this reward-for-perseverance theme is not confused with meriting salvation itself; conversely, in a culture whose theology emphasizes synergistic cooperation with grace, must not be flattened to erase the NT’s own legitimate reward-vocabulary.
Evil Works
Approved rendering: έργα πονηρά
Transliteration: érga poniró
Doctrine: Hospitality and Doctrinal Discernment
Rejected alternatives: έργα πονηρά γενικευμένα ως τυχαία κακή συμπεριφορά, αποσυνδεδεμένη από τη διάδοση ψευδούς διδασκαλίας
Original: τὰ ἔργα αὐτοῦ τὰ πονηρά
Category: Sin
NEW TERM. Stable, transparent NT idiom (2 John 1:11); low lexical risk, but must reinforce that the ‘evil work’ in view is specifically the propagation of a false confession about Christ (v.7), not generic bad behavior.
Low Risk Terms
False Brothers
Approved rendering: ψευδάδελφοι
Transliteration: pseudadelphoi
Doctrine: Christian Fellowship and Family Language
Inherited from Romans package, unchanged. Cited here as the positive counterpart’s foil: 2 John 1:13’s genuine ‘αδελφή’ (sister) and ‘εκλεκτή’ (elect) family language stands in deliberate contrast to the Galatians baseline’s ψευδάδελφοι, reinforcing that 2 John’s whole concern is distinguishing genuine from false spiritual family.
Children
Approved rendering: τέκνα
Transliteration: tékna
Doctrine: Christian Fellowship and Family Language
Original: τέκνα
Category: Church
NEW TERM (parallels the Romans baseline’s τέκνα Θεού adoption pattern without being a direct baseline entry). Members of the addressee’s household/congregation, spiritually (and possibly literally) hers. Must not be flattened to mean only biological children, since the letter maintains this ambiguity deliberately at vv.1, 4, and 13.
New Commandment
Approved rendering: καινή εντολή
Transliteration: kainí entolí
Doctrine: Walking in Truth and Love
Rejected alternatives: καινή εντολή ερμηνευμένη ως ‘πρόσφατα επινοημένη’ (αντιστρέφει το επιχείρημα του Ιωάννη)
Original: ἐντολὴ καινή
Category: Love
NEW TERM. καινός/καινή is a zero-gap, living Modern Greek word (cf. baseline’s καινή δημιουργία/καινή κτίση entry, ‘new in kind’ not ‘new in time’). Minor risk: ensure ‘new’ is not read as ‘recently invented,’ which would invert John’s continuity point at 2 John 1:5.
Watch Yourselves
Approved rendering: βλέπετε εαυτούς
Transliteration: vlépete eaftoús
Doctrine: Hospitality and Doctrinal Discernment
Original: βλέπετε ἑαυτούς
Category: Sanctification
NEW TERM. Stable, transparent phrase (2 John 1:8); a call to vigilant personal and communal self-examination against the specific danger just named in v.7.
Joy
Approved rendering: χαρά
Transliteration: charó
Doctrine: Christian Fellowship and Family Language
Original: χαρά
Category: Love
NEW TERM. Zero-gap, stable, warm term; part of a deliberate χαίρω (2 John 1:4) / χαίρειν (1:10-11) / χαρά (1:12) wordplay unifying the whole letter — an asset directly recoverable for a Modern Greek-reading audience, since all three forms remain living words from the same root. Do not vary vocabulary across these occurrences if the wordplay can be preserved.
Face To Face
Approved rendering: πρόσωπο με πρόσωπο / στόμα με στόμα
Transliteration: stóma pros stóma
Doctrine: Christian Fellowship and Family Language
Original: στόμα πρὸς στόμα
Category: Church
NEW TERM. Vivid biblical idiom (2 John 1:12; cf. Numbers 12:8 LXX). ‘πρόσωπο με πρόσωπο’ is the more natural Modern Greek equivalent; ‘στόμα με στόμα’ may be retained for vivid biblical color with a brief gloss.
Sister
Approved rendering: αδελφή
Transliteration: adelfí
Doctrine: Christian Fellowship and Family Language
Original: ἡ ἀδελφή
Category: Church
NEW TERM. Stable, zero-gap term (2 John 1:13); positive counterpart to the baseline’s ψευδάδελφοι (false brothers) entry — genuine spiritual family versus false family.
Referenced passages