Core Glossary

Core Glossary — 2 Thessalonians (English → Greek)

This glossary compiles every load-bearing theological and doctrinal term identified in 07_semantic_analysis.md, drawn from all three chapters of 2 Thessalonians. Terms already present in the baseline Romans/Galatians translation_memory.json are marked [BASELINE REUSE] and MUST use the exact recorded Greek rendering; no alternative is permitted for these entries. New terms introduced by 2 Thessalonians are marked [NEW] and carry a proposed risk tier and rendering following the same methodology as the baseline package (secular-bleaching risk vs. patristic/liturgical-accretion risk, since Modern Greek is the direct descendant of the NT’s own Koine).

Legend

Risk: Critical / High / Medium / Low, per the baseline’s risk_definitions (Critical/High = human theologian review required; Medium = native speaker review; Low = automated review).
Status: BASELINE REUSE (exact rendering enforced) / NEW (proposed for this curriculum; pending addition to translation_memory.json in Phase 2 Step onboarding).
Ch.: primary chapter(s) of occurrence in 2 Thessalonians.

A. Baseline Reuse Terms Occurring in 2 Thessalonians

#	English term	Greek rendering	Transliteration	Risk (per baseline)	Ch.	2 Thessalonians-specific note
1	lord	Κύριος	Kýrios	Critical	1, 2, 3	The “Mister/Sir” bleaching risk is acute throughout, especially in “the Day of the Lord” (1:1, 2:2) and “the Lord of peace” (3:16).
2	jesus	Ιησούς	Iisoús	Critical	1, 2	Stable.
3	god	Θεός	Theós	Critical	1, 2	Stable.
4	father	Πατέρας	Patéras	Critical	1, 2	Standard epistolary greeting form.
5	grace	χάρη	chári	Critical	1, 2, 3	Standard greeting/benediction; also 2:16 (“δοὺς … ἐν χάριτι”).
6	church	εκκλησία	ekklisía	Medium	1	Address of the letter (1:1).
7	faith	πίστη	písti	High	1, 2, 3	1:3-4, 1:10-11, 2:13, 3:2.
8	gospel	ευαγγέλιο	evangélio	High	1, 2	1:8, 2:14.
9	calling	κλήση	klísi	Critical	1	1:11; “phone call” bleaching risk applies identically.
10	holy / saints	άγιος / άγιοι	ágios / ágioi	Critical	1	1:10; corporate all-believers sense, mandatory clarifying note.
11	sanctification	αγιασμός	agiasmós	High	2	2:13; Epiphany-rite association per baseline.
12	salvation	σωτηρία	sotiría	Critical	2	2:10, 2:13; theosis-collapse risk per baseline.
13	glory	δόξα	dóxa	Medium	1, 2	1:9, 1:10, 1:12, 2:14.
14	kingdom of god	βασιλεία του Θεού	vasileía tou Theoú	Medium	1	1:5.
15	revelation (root)	αποκάλυψη / αποκαλυφθῇ	apokálypsi	Medium	1, 2	1:7 (noun), 2:3, 2:6, 2:8 (verb forms); divine-unveiling register throughout.
16	traditions	παραδόσεις	paradóseis	Medium	2, 3	2:15, 3:6; wholly positive usage here, unlike some Galatians contexts — low-friction fit.
17	election (concept)	εκλογή (concept; verb εἵλατο at 2:13)	eklogí	High	2	2:13’s “chose” is doctrinally identical to baseline election entry; keep consistent.
18	peace	ειρήνη	eiríni	Medium	1, 3	1:2, 3:16; Hesychast-contemplative misreading caution applies, especially given 3:12’s ἡσυχία in the same chapter.
19	law (root, for ἀνομία contrast)	νόμος	nómos	High	2	Not directly occurring, but the baseline νόμος entry must be kept conceptually distinct from ἀνομία (lawlessness toward God generally, not Torah-specific).
20	thanksgiving	ευχαριστία (verb ευχαριστούμε)	efcharistía	Medium	1	1:3; general gratitude sense, per baseline caution against sacramental-only reading.
21	certainly not (idiom)	μη γένοιτο	mē genoito	Low	—	Not occurring in 2 Thessalonians but retained here for cross-curriculum consistency awareness.

B. New Terms Introduced by 2 Thessalonians

#	English term	Greek rendering	Transliteration	Literal meaning	Risk	Ch.	Rendering risk summary
22	Day of the Lord	η ημέρα του Κυρίου	i iméra tou Kyríou	”the day of the Lord”	Critical	2	Must not collapse into “Κυριακή” (ordinary Sunday); κύριος’s honorific-flattening risk compounds. Mandatory gloss at first occurrence.
23	coming / appearing (parousia)	παρουσία	parousía	”presence, arrival”	Critical	2	Dominant Modern Greek sense is ordinary “attendance/presence.” Anchor to established Orthodox term Δευτέρα Παρουσία. Same word deliberately used of both Christ’s true coming and the lawless one’s counterfeit “coming” (2:9) — preserve, do not substitute.
24	apostasy / the rebellion	η αποστασία	i apostasía	”a standing away from, defection”	Critical	2	Unique Greek political-history collision (1965/1989 parliamentary “Apostasies”). Mandatory disambiguating note every occurrence.
25	man of lawlessness	ο άνθρωπος της ανομίας	o ánthropos tis anomías	”the man of no-law”	Critical	2	Central doctrinal title. Never abbreviate to bare “ο παράνομος” (loses eschatological weight, reads as ordinary “the illegal one”).
26	lawlessness	ανομία	anomía	”without-law-ness”	High	2	Defaults in Modern Greek to ordinary criminality/crime-report register; reinforce cosmic-rebellion sense against God, not mere illegality.
27	lawless one	ο άνομος	o ánomos	”the [one who is] without law”	High	2	Shorthand title; keep visibly linked to “ανομία” root for consistency.
28	son of destruction / perdition	ο υιός της απώλειας	o yiós tis apóleias	”the son of destruction”	Critical	2	Must never echo or be confused with baseline Υιός του Θεού (Son of God); deliberate ironic contrast, flag as intentional.
29	the restrainer (neuter: that which restrains)	το κατέχον	to katéchon	”the [neuter] holding-back thing”	Critical	2	Interpretively open (Roman state / gospel preaching / angelic power / Holy Spirit are all historically proposed). Render literally; do not silently resolve identity. Mandatory theologian review, every occurrence.
30	the restrainer (masculine: he who restrains)	ο κατέχων	o katéchon	”the [masculine] one who restrains”	Critical	2	Same caution as #29; the neuter→masculine shift (τὸ κατέχον v.6 → ὁ κατέχων v.7) is a genuine grammatical datum to preserve, not smooth over.
31	mystery of lawlessness	το μυστήριο της ανομίας	to mystírio tis anomías	”the secret/mystery of lawlessness”	Critical	2	Collides with Modern Greek Orthodox sacramental vocabulary (τα Ιερά Μυστήρια = the seven Sacraments). Mandatory note distinguishing NT “hidden divine purpose now disclosed” sense from the sacramental sense.
32	is at work / working (ἐνεργεῖται)	ενεργείται	energeítai	”is actively operating”	High	2	Same root flagged in baseline for Palamite “uncreated energies” (ενέργειες) doctrine; part of a three-fold verbal chain across 2:7, 2:9, 2:11.
33	working of Satan (ἐνέργειαν τοῦ σατανᶰ)	ενέργεια του σατανά	enérgeia tou Satanᶰ	”the activity/operation of Satan”	Critical	2	Second link in the ἐνέργεια chain; must not read as invoking the technical divine-energies doctrine, since here the subject is explicitly Satan.
34	working of delusion (ἐνέργειαν πλάνης)	ενέργεια πλάνης	enérgeia plánis	”an operation/activity of delusion”	Critical	2	Third and highest-stakes link: God himself is grammatical subject. Mandatory theologian-reviewed note distinguishing from Palamite energies doctrine. Πλάνη alone also risks weakening to “mere mistake” (Modern Greek “εκ παραδρομής” register) rather than damning delusion.
35	temple of God (in this context)	ο ναός του Θεού	o naós tou Theoú	”the temple/sanctuary of God”	High	2	Unusually concrete for Greek readers: ναός is the live, ordinary word for a functioning Orthodox parish church (“Ιερός Ναός [name]”). Requires framing note; do not substitute a vaguer term.
36	object of worship	σέβασμα	sévasma	”object of veneration”	High	2	Shares root with σεβασμός (ordinary “respect”) and with icon-veneration vocabulary; clarify Paul describes usurpation of any worship-object, not a comment on icon veneration’s legitimacy.
37	appearing / epiphany (ἐπιφάνεια)	επιφάνεια	epifáneia	”manifestation, appearing”	Critical	2	Named collision with the fixed Orthodox feast Επιφάνεια/Θεοφάνεια (January 6). Mandatory note distinguishing the future eschatological “appearing” from the fixed liturgical feast, every occurrence.
38	breath of his mouth	το πνεύμα του στόματός του (or: η πνοή του στόματός του)	to pnévma tou stomatós tou	”the breath/spirit of his mouth”	High	2	πνεύμα here = ordinary “breath,” not “Spirit”; must be actively disambiguated from Άγιο Πνεύμα (baseline Critical). Consider πνοή as a disambiguating near-synonym.
39	abolish / bring to nothing (καταργήσει)	καταργήσει	katargísei	”will render idle, nullify”	Medium	2	Consistent with baseline’s existing καταργώ flag; institutional-abolition sense fits reasonably well here (lower risk than the Galatians occurrence).
40	signs and wonders	σημεία και τέρατα	siméia kai térata	”signs and wonders”	Medium	2	Same fixed triad (with δύναμις) elsewhere describing genuine miracles, here applied to counterfeit ones — contextual, not lexical, risk.
41	deception (ἀπάτη)	απάτη	apáti	”deceit, fraud”	Medium	2	Dominant Modern Greek sense is financial/criminal “fraud/scam”; anchor to full cosmic-moral weight, not mere swindling.
42	unrighteousness (ἀδικία)	αδικία	adikía	”injustice, wrongdoing”	Medium	2	Dominant Modern Greek sense is everyday “unfairness”; anchor to settled moral wrongdoing before God.
43	love of the truth	η αγάπη της αληθείας	i agápi tis alítheias	”the love of the truth”	Medium	2	Ἀγάπη’s everyday ubiquity (all registers of “love”) must not dilute the specific sense of a decisive, saving embrace of gospel truth.
44	truth (ἀλήθεια)	αλήθεια	alítheia	”truth”	Medium	2	Anchor specifically to “gospel truth” in this passage, not truth-claims generally.
45	judged / condemned (κριθῶσιν)	κριθούν	krithoún	”be judged”	Critical	1, 2	Root of the doctrine of God’s Righteous Judgment; also root of Modern Greek’s dominant word for “economic crisis” (κρίση). Anchor to the established Orthodox liturgical term Ημέρα της Κρίσεως (Day of Judgment). Mandatory note every occurrence (1:5, 2:12).
46	took pleasure in (εὐδοκήσαντες)	ευδοκήσαντες	evdokísantes	”having taken delight in”	Medium	2	Ironic negative use of an otherwise positive liturgical root (cf. Christmas Doxology’s εὐδοκία); note the irony rather than smoothing it over.
47	love (ἀγάπη, general)	αγάπη	agápi	”love”	Medium	1, 2, 3	Not in baseline package; ubiquitous secular/romantic default sense must not crowd out the specifically ecclesial, self-giving sense (1:3, 2:10, 3:5).
48	endurance / perseverance	υπομονή	ypomoní	”steadfast endurance”	High	1	Central doctrinal term (“Perseverance under Persecution”). Risk of being read as passive stoic resignation rather than active, hope-fueled steadfastness; connect explicitly to ch. 2’s eschatological hope.
49	persecutions	διωγμοί	dioghmoí	”persecutions”	Medium	1	Stable; reinforced, not diluted, by Greek historical memory of organized persecutions.
50	afflictions	θλίψεις	thlípsis	”afflictions, tribulations”	Medium	1	Stable; also used of personal grief/bereavement in Modern Greek — accurate register.
51	the righteous judgment of God	η δίκαιη κρίση του Θεού	i díkei krísi tou Theoú	”the righteous judgment of God”	Critical	1	Central doctrinal term (“God’s Righteous Judgment”). Compounds δικαιοσύνη’s baseline civic-legal drift with κρίσις’s “economic crisis” bleaching. Mandatory theologian review.
52	repay (ἀνταποδοῦναι)	ανταποδώσει	antapodósei	”will repay, give back”	Low-Medium	1	Stable, transparent.
53	vengeance / retribution	εκδίκηση	ekdíkisi	”vengeance, retribution”	High	1	Dominant Modern Greek sense is personal “revenge/vendetta.” Must be distinguished from God’s own righteous judicial retribution; cross-reference Romans 12:19’s prohibition of personal revenge.
54	eternal destruction	όλεθρος αιώνιος	ólethros aiónios	”eternal ruin”	Medium	1	Elevated/literary register in Modern Greek; carries appropriate weight without much dilution.
55	our testimony	η μαρτυρία μας	i martyría mas	”our testimony”	Critical (FORBIDDEN SUBSTITUTION)	1	Never render as μαρτύριο (“torment/agony” in Modern Greek — a false-cognate trap). Always μαρτυρία.
56	good pleasure of goodness	ευδοκία αγαθωσύνης	evdokía agathosýnis	”goodwill of goodness”	Low-Medium	1	Positive, liturgically familiar (cf. Christmas Doxology, common given name Ευδοκία); low risk here, contrast with #46’s ironic negative use.
57	chose (εἵλατο)	εξελέξατο / εἵλατο	exeléxato	”chose, selected”	High	2	Doctrinally identical to baseline “election”; keep consistent with existing εκλογή treatment.
58	gathering/obtaining of glory	περιποίηση δόξης	peripoíisi dóxis	”obtaining of glory”	Low-Medium	2	Rare but transparent NT term.
59	stand firm (στήκετε)	στήκετε	stíkete	”stand firm”	Medium	2	Tie explicitly to “hold fast the traditions” in the same verse as a combined single command.
60	comfort / encouragement (παράκλησις)	παράκληση	paráklisi	”comfort, encouragement”	Medium	2	Shares root with “Παράκλητος” (a Johannine title for the Holy Spirit/Christ); clarify this is the gift of comfort, not a personal title, in this context.
61	good hope	ελπίδα αγαθή	elpída agathí	”good hope”	Low	2	Stable; also a common given name (Ελπίδα).
62	the word of the Lord	ο λόγος του Κυρίου	o lógos tou Kyríou	”the word of the Lord”	Low-Medium	3	Λόγος stable; κύριος carries the standing baseline Critical flag.
63	be delivered / rescued	ρυσθούμε	rysthoúme	”be rescued, delivered”	Low	3	Survives in elevated liturgical Modern Greek; good register match.
64	the evil one	ο πονηρός	o ponirós	”the evil one”	Medium	3	Liturgically anchored via the Lord’s Prayer (“ρύσαι ημάς από του πονηρού”) — a genuine asset for the personal-Satan reading.
65	walking disorderly / idly	περπατώντας άτακτα	perpatóntas átakta	”walking in a disorderly manner”	Medium	3	Aligns well with existing military/school-discipline register in Modern Greek — low-friction fit.
66	imitate	μιμούνται / μιμείσθαι	miméisthai	”imitate, follow as model”	Low	3	Stable, unambiguous.
67	a pattern / example	τύπος	týpos	”a pattern, model”	Low	3	Stable across many modern registers without confusion here.
68	busybodies	περιεργάζονται	periergázontai	”meddling, being a busybody”	Low-Medium	3	Preserve the ἐργαζομένους/περιεργαζομένους wordplay in teaching notes.
69	quietness (ἡσυχία)	ησυχία	isychía	”quietness, stillness”	High	3	Direct root of Hesychasm (ἡσυχασμός); here purely practical/ethical (quiet, orderly labor), not contemplative. Mandatory disambiguating note given baseline’s existing εἰρήνη/Hesychasm flag.
70	do not grow weary	μη αποκάμνετε / μη χάνετε το θάρρος σας	mi apokámnete	”do not grow weary/lose heart”	Low-Medium	3	Conceptually tied to ὑπομονή (ch. 1); stable compound.
71	take note of / mark	σημειώστε	simeióste	”take note of, mark”	Low-Medium	3	Ordinary “take notes” sense in Modern Greek; disciplinary sense needs contextual framing, no substitution risk.
72	do not associate with	μη συναναστρέφεστε	mi synanastréfeste	”do not keep close company with”	Low	3	Read together with the immediately following “do not treat as an enemy” to avoid overly harsh framing.
73	admonish	νουθετείτε	noutheteíte	”admonish, instruct”	Low	3	Consistent with baseline exhort/παρακαλέω pastoral-correction family.
74	the Lord of peace	ο Κύριος της ειρήνης	o Kýrios tis eirínis	”the Lord of peace”	Critical/Medium combination	3	Combines standing baseline κύριος (Critical) and ειρήνη (Medium) risks; same cautions apply.
75	the sign in every letter	το σημείο σε κάθε επιστολή	to simío se káthe epistolí	”the sign in every letter”	Low	3	Nice literary bookend with 2:2’s ἐπιστολή concern (authenticating mark against forged letters).

C. Risk Summary

Risk tier	Count (new terms, section B)	Count (baseline reuse, section A)	Review routing
Critical	15	8	Human theologian
High	10	4	Human theologian
Medium	22	8	Native speaker
Low	13	1	Automated
Total	60	21	—

Highest-priority Critical items requiring theologian review on every occurrence, in order of introduction:

Day of the Lord (η ημέρα του Κυρίου) — 2:2
Coming/parousia (παρουσία) — 2:1, 8, 9
Apostasy (αποστασία) — 2:3
Man of lawlessness / son of destruction — 2:3
The restrainer, neuter and masculine (το κατέχον / ο κατέχων) — 2:6-7
Mystery of lawlessness (μυστήριο της ανομίας) — 2:7
Working of Satan / working of delusion (ἐνέργεια, three occurrences) — 2:7, 9, 11
Epiphany/appearing (επιφάνεια) — 2:8
Judged/condemned, righteous judgment (κρίση/κριθούν) — 1:5, 2:12
Our testimony (forbidden substitution: μαρτυρία, never μαρτύριο) — 1:10

Cross-reference: see 07_semantic_analysis.md for full verse-by-verse justification of each entry, and the baseline translation_memory.json / bible_term_registry.json / doctrine_risk_registry.json for all Section A terms’ original risk documentation.

Critical Risk Terms

Lord

Approved rendering: Κύριος
Transliteration: Kýrios
Doctrine: Christ’s Lordship and Glory
Rejected alternatives: Κύριος με την καθημερινή έννοια της ευγενικής προσφώνησης ‘κύριε’ (αντίστοιχο του ‘Mr.’)
Original: κύριος
Category: Christology

Inherited from Romans package. In 2 Thessalonians this term governs the technical title ‘η ημέρα του Κυρίου’ (the Day of the Lord), ‘ο Κύριος Ιησούς,’ and ‘ο Κύριος της ειρήνης’ (3:16); anchor to the Septuagint/YHWH background at every occurrence throughout the letter, not only the single most obvious verse.

Jesus

Approved rendering: Ιησούς
Transliteration: Iisoús
Doctrine: Christ’s Lordship and Glory
Original: Ἰησοῦς
Category: Christology

Inherited from Romans package. Standard NT and liturgical form, unchanged for two millennia; no substitution risk.

God

Approved rendering: Θεός
Transliteration: Theós
Doctrine: God’s Righteous Judgment
Original: θεός
Category: God

Inherited from Romans package. Subject of righteous judgment, election, sanctification, and the sending of judicial delusion (2:11) in this letter.

Salvation

Approved rendering: σωτηρία
Transliteration: sotiría
Doctrine: Love of the Truth and Salvation
Original: σωτηρία
Category: Salvation

Inherited from Romans package. Occurs at 2:10, 2:13: deliverance through belief in the truth, contrasted with the condemnation of those who reject it. Must not collapse entirely into the Orthodox theosis framework without also preserving 2 Thessalonians’ own decisive either/or framing (believe and be saved / reject and be condemned).

Day Of The Lord

Approved rendering: η ημέρα του Κυρίου
Transliteration: i iméra tou Kyríou
Doctrine: The Day of the Lord
Rejected alternatives: η Κυριακή (ερμηνευμένη ως η καθημερινή έννοια της Κυριακής, ημέρας της εβδομάδας)
Original: ἡ ἡμέρα τοῦ κυρίου
Category: Eschatology

The OT-rooted technical eschatological day of Christ’s return, universal judgment, and the church’s vindication (2:2); also seeded at 1:10 (‘εν τη ημέρα εκείνη’). Must never be confused with ‘Κυριακή’ (ordinary Modern Greek for Sunday, literally ‘the Lord’s day’); compounds κύριος’s honorific-flattening risk. Anchor to the established Orthodox liturgical compound ‘Δευτέρα Παρουσία’ / ‘Ημέρα της Κρίσεως’ and gloss at first occurrence.

Parousia

Approved rendering: παρουσία
Transliteration: parousía
Doctrine: The Day of the Lord
Rejected alternatives: παρουσία με τη σύγχρονη έννοια της απλής παρουσίας/συμμετοχής (σχολικό ή υπηρεσιακό πρεζάνς), απόδοση της παρουσίας ως συνεχής, αόρατη κατάσταση (αποφευκτέα ερμηνεία σεχταριστικής προέλευσης)
Original: παρουσία
Category: Eschatology

Christ’s visible, personal, glorious return (2:1, 2:8); also used, in deliberate Pauline parody, of the lawless one’s counterfeit ‘coming’ (2:9). Modern Greek’s dominant sense is ordinary attendance/presence (school register, meeting minutes). Anchor to the established Orthodox compound ‘Δευτέρα Παρουσία.’ Preserve the IDENTICAL word for both Christ’s true parousia and the lawless one’s parody parousia — never substitute a different word for the counterfeit occurrence; the shared vocabulary is Paul’s own deliberate irony. Never render or gloss in a way that could support an ongoing/invisible-presence doctrine.

Apostasy

Approved rendering: η αποστασία
Transliteration: i apostasía
Doctrine: The Man of Lawlessness
Rejected alternatives: αποστασία με την αποκλειστική αναφορά στα ιστορικά πολιτικά γεγονότα του 1965 ή του 1989, αποστασία με την Παλαιοημερολογίτικη πολεμική έννοια της ημερολογιακής μεταρρύθμισης του 1924
Original: ἡ ἀποστασία
Category: Eschatology

A definite, expected end-time falling-away/rebellion against God preceding the man of lawlessness’s unveiling (2:3). Unique Greek collision: ‘Αποστασία’ is a fixed term in Modern Greek national memory for two infamous 20th-century political events (the 1965 royal ‘Αποστασία’ and the 1989 parliamentary defections), AND is separately used by Greek Old Calendarist (Παλαιοημερολογίτες) groups as a polemical label for the Church of Greece’s 1924 calendar reform. Mandatory disambiguating note at every occurrence addressing BOTH collisions and distinguishing the theological end-time falling-away from the gospel from either historical/political referent.

Man Of Lawlessness

Approved rendering: ο άνθρωπος της ανομίας
Transliteration: o ánthropos tis anomías
Doctrine: The Man of Lawlessness
Rejected alternatives: ο παράνομος (ως μοναδική, συντομευμένη απόδοση), ταύτιση με θεσμική οντότητα (π.χ. ‘αποστατημένος Χριστιανισμός’)
Original: ὁ ἄνθρωπος τῆς ἀνομίας
Category: Eschatology

The eschatological human agent of ultimate rebellion against God, opposed to and parodying Christ (2:3-4). Never abbreviate to bare ‘ο παράνομος,’ which reads as an ordinary news-register ‘lawbreaker’ with no eschatological weight. Do not adopt any institutional-polemical identification (e.g. Watchtower-style ‘apostate Christendom’ framing). Keep the full title and its visible link to ‘ανομία’ and to the parallel title ‘ο υιός της απώλειας.‘

Son Of Destruction

Approved rendering: ο υιός της απώλειας
Transliteration: o yiós tis apóleias
Doctrine: The Man of Lawlessness
Rejected alternatives: απόδοση που θα μπορούσε να ηχήσει ως παραλλαγή του ‘Υιός του Θεού’
Original: ὁ υἱὸς τῆς ἀπωλείας
Category: Eschatology

A Semitic idiom marking the man of lawlessness as wholly characterized by, and destined for, final ruin (2:3). Must never echo or be confused with baseline-Critical ‘Υιός του Θεού’ (Son of God); Paul’s parallel ‘son of ___’ construction is a deliberate ironic mirror, not incidental repetition — flag as intentional contrast, not accidental resemblance.

Restrainer Neuter

Approved rendering: το κατέχον
Transliteration: to katéchon
Doctrine: The Restrainer
Rejected alternatives: παράφραση που ταυτίζει οριστικά το κατέχον με συγκεκριμένο φορέα (π.χ. αποκλειστικά το Ρωμαϊκό κράτος, ή αποκλειστικά το Άγιο Πνεύμα, ή αποκλειστικά έναν άγγελο)
Original: τὸ κατέχον
Category: Eschatology

The unidentified neuter restraining power delaying the lawless one’s unveiling (2:6; candidates historically proposed include the Roman state, gospel preaching, an angelic power, or the Holy Spirit). Modern Greek κατέχω retains both ‘to hold/occupy’ and ‘to restrain’ senses, mirroring the Koine ambiguity — a genuine asset, not a translation problem. Render literally; do NOT silently resolve the restrainer’s identity. Mandatory theologian review every occurrence.

Restrainer Masculine

Approved rendering: ο κατέχων
Transliteration: o katéchon
Doctrine: The Restrainer
Rejected alternatives: εξομάλυνση της αλλαγής γένους (ουδέτερο → αρσενικό) σε ένα ενιαίο, αμετάβλητο τύπο
Original: ὁ κατέχων
Category: Eschatology

The masculine personal counterpart naming the restrainer as (or as having the character of) a personal agent (2:7). The neuter (v.6) to masculine (v.7) shift is a genuine grammatical datum of Paul’s own Greek, frequently cited in identifying the restrainer as personal; Modern Greek preserves the το/ο article distinction without loss — preserve visibly, do not smooth over. Mandatory theologian review every occurrence.

Mystery Of Lawlessness

Approved rendering: το μυστήριο της ανομίας
Transliteration: to mystírio tis anomías
Doctrine: The Mystery of Lawlessness
Rejected alternatives: μυστήριο χωρίς επεξηγηματική σημείωση, αφημένο να ηχήσει ως αναφορά στα Ιερά Μυστήρια
Original: τὸ μυστήριον τῆς ἀνομίας
Category: Eschatology

The already-active, hidden operative principle of end-time rebellion, in contrast to its future public unveiling (2:7). Μυστήριον is literally the standard Modern Greek Orthodox word for the seven Sacraments (‘τα Ιερά Μυστήρια’). Applying the identical unqualified word to a satanic ‘mystery’ risks jarring resonance with sacred sacramental vocabulary; mandatory note distinguishing Paul’s ‘hidden divine-historical purpose now being disclosed’ sense from the sacramental sense at every occurrence.

Working Of Satan

Approved rendering: ενέργεια του σατανά
Transliteration: enérgeia tou Sataná
Doctrine: Satan’s Counterfeit Power and Deceptive Signs
Rejected alternatives: απόδοση με διαφορετική ρίζα από τα άλλα δύο σημεία της αλυσίδας (2:7, 2:11), π.χ. ‘δύναμη’ αντί για ‘ενέργεια’
Original: κατ’ ἐνέργειαν τοῦ σατανᶰ
Category: Sin

Satan’s own operative power energizing the lawless one’s counterfeit signs (2:9). Second link in the ἐνέργεια chain (2:7, 9, 11); must not read as invoking the technical divine-energies doctrine, since the explicit grammatical subject here is Satan, not God. Mandatory theologian-reviewed note.

Working Of Delusion

Approved rendering: ενέργεια πλάνης
Transliteration: enérgeia plánis
Doctrine: God’s Judicial Sending of Delusion
Rejected alternatives: πλάνη αποδιδόμενη ως απλό λάθος ή παραδρομή, αποδυναμώνοντας τον δικανικό χαρακτήρα της κρίσης
Original: ἐνέργειαν πλάνης
Category: God

God’s own judicial sending of a powerful delusion in response to the rejection of truth (2:11). Highest-stakes occurrence of the ἐνέργεια chain: God himself is grammatical subject. Must be crystal clear this is NOT an invocation of the Palamite ‘uncreated energies’ doctrine, but Paul’s ordinary use of ἐνέργεια for a judicial, judgment-oriented operation. Πλάνη risks weakening to Modern Greek’s ‘mere mistake’ sense; reinforce as willful, damning delusion. Mandatory theologian-reviewed note required on every occurrence.

Epiphaneia

Approved rendering: επιφάνεια
Transliteration: epifáneia
Doctrine: Christ’s Lordship and Glory
Rejected alternatives: επιφάνεια χωρίς σημείωση, αφημένη να ταυτιστεί με την εορτή Επιφάνεια/Θεοφάνεια (6 Ιανουαρίου)
Original: ἡ ἐπιφάνεια τῆς παρουσίας αὐτοῦ
Category: Eschatology

Christ’s visible, glorious, public Second Coming, paired with παρουσία for maximal emphasis (2:8). Επιφάνεια/Θεοφάνεια (January 6) is one of Greek Orthodoxy’s principal fixed feast days, marked nationally by the Great Blessing of the Waters — a major public, televised civic-religious event. Mandatory disambiguating note at every occurrence distinguishing the future eschatological Second Coming from the fixed liturgical feast.

Judged Condemned

Approved rendering: κριθούν
Transliteration: krithoún
Doctrine: God’s Righteous Judgment
Rejected alternatives: απόδοση χωρίς σημείωση, αφημένη να ηχήσει ως αναφορά στην ‘οικονομική κρίση’
Original: κριθῶσιν
Category: Eschatology

The final condemnation of those who chose the lie over the truth (2:12); also the root of the doctrine of God’s Righteous Judgment (1:5). Root of Modern Greek’s dominant word for ‘(economic) crisis’ (η οικονομική κρίση), saturating Greek public discourse since 2009. Anchor to the established Orthodox liturgical term ‘η Ημέρα της Κρίσεως.’ Mandatory note at EVERY occurrence (1:5 and 2:12), not only the first.

Righteous Judgment Of God

Approved rendering: η δίκαιη κρίση του Θεού
Transliteration: i díkei krísi tou Theoú
Doctrine: God’s Righteous Judgment
Rejected alternatives: ‘δίκαιη κρίση’ αποδιδόμενη ως γενική αναφορά σε δικαστική ή οικονομική διαδικασία
Original: ἡ δικαία κρίσις τοῦ θεοῦ
Category: God

God’s just, forensic evaluation and verdict, vindicating the persecuted and condemning persecutors (1:5). Compounds δίκαιος/δικαιοσύνη’s baseline-Critical civic-legal drift plus κρίσις’s ‘economic crisis’ bleaching. The full phrase needs careful anchoring so it registers as the weighty forensic-eschatological doctrine intended.

Our Testimony

Approved rendering: η μαρτυρία μας
Transliteration: i martyría mas
Doctrine: Gospel Obedience
Rejected alternatives: μαρτύριο (ΑΠΑΓΟΡΕΥΜΕΝΗ ΑΝΤΙΚΑΤΑΣΤΑΣΗ — σημαίνει ‘βασανιστήριο/μαρτύριο’ στα σύγχρονα ελληνικά)
Original: τὸ μαρτύριον ἡμῶν
Category: Faith

FORBIDDEN SUBSTITUTION. The apostolic gospel testimony delivered to and believed by the Thessalonians (1:10). The Koine noun μαρτύριον has drifted in Modern Greek into μαρτύριο (‘torment, agony, ordeal’ — a very common everyday word), while the distinct but related μαρτυρία retains the intended ‘testimony, witness’ sense. ALWAYS render as μαρτυρία; μαρτύριο would falsely read ‘our torment was believed among you’ — a trap made especially plausible here given the letter’s persecution context.

Lord Of Peace

Approved rendering: ο Κύριος της ειρήνης
Transliteration: o Kýrios tis eirínis
Doctrine: Christ’s Lordship and Glory
Original: ὁ κύριος τῆς εἰρήνης
Category: Christology

A closing benediction title identifying Christ as the source and giver of peace (3:16). Combines the standing baseline-Critical κύριος flattening risk with ειρήνη’s Hesychast-contemplative misreading risk, compounded here since 3:12’s ησυχία occurs in the very same chapter.

High Risk Terms

Father

Approved rendering: Πατέρας
Transliteration: Patéras
Doctrine: Divine Election and Calling
Original: πατήρ
Category: God

Inherited from Romans package. Standard epistolary greeting and closing benediction form (1:1-2; 2:16).

Grace

Approved rendering: χάρη
Transliteration: chári
Doctrine: Divine Election and Calling
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. Opening greeting (1:2) and closing benediction (2:16; 3:18); must not be read through χάρη’s secular senses of personal charm or legal pardon.

Faith

Approved rendering: πίστη
Transliteration: písti
Doctrine: Perseverance under Persecution
Rejected alternatives: πίστη με τη γενική έννοια της αφοσίωσης σε οποιαδήποτε ιδέα ή πρόσωπο
Original: πίστις
Category: Faith

Inherited from Romans package. The Thessalonians’ trust in Christ, described as growing abundantly under persecution (1:3-4) and paired with love and endurance; also 2:13, 3:2.

Gospel

Approved rendering: ευαγγέλιο
Transliteration: evangélio
Doctrine: Gospel Obedience
Original: εὐαγγέλιον
Category: Salvation

Inherited from Romans package. Obedience or disobedience to the gospel (1:8) is presented as the dividing line at Christ’s coming; also 2:14.

Calling

Approved rendering: κλήση
Transliteration: klísi
Doctrine: Divine Election and Calling
Rejected alternatives: κλήση με την καθημερινή έννοια μιας τηλεφωνικής κλήσης ή δικαστικής κλήσης/κλήσης τροχαίας
Original: κλῆσις
Category: Salvation

Inherited from Romans package. Baseline is Critical-tier; retained High here per this curriculum’s registry to reflect that the doctrine (Divine Election and Calling) is High while the underlying lexical bleaching risk remains identical to baseline. Occurs at 1:11 (‘ώστε να θεωρηθείτε άξιοι της κλήσεώς’). The ‘phone call/traffic summons’ bleaching risk applies identically; mandatory theologian review on every occurrence.

Holy

Approved rendering: άγιος
Transliteration: ágios
Doctrine: Gospel Obedience
Original: ἅγιος
Category: Sanctification

Inherited from Romans package. Identical word to ‘saints’ below; see that entry for the full risk discussion.

Saints

Approved rendering: άγιοι
Transliteration: ágioi
Doctrine: Gospel Obedience
Rejected alternatives: Άγιοι αποκλειστικά ως αγιοποιημένα, τιμώμενα πρόσωπα με ονομαστική εορτή
Original: ἅγιοι
Category: Church

Inherited from Romans package. Occurs at 1:10: those among whom Christ will be glorified at his coming — corporate, all-believers sense, not an ascetic/canonized elite. Mandatory clarifying note every occurrence, per baseline.

Sanctification

Approved rendering: αγιασμός
Transliteration: agiasmós
Doctrine: Sanctification by the Spirit
Original: ἁγιασμός
Category: Sanctification

Inherited from Romans package. Occurs at 2:13, the Spirit’s sanctifying work as an instrument, alongside faith, of the believers’ election unto salvation. Occurs in the same chapter as επιφάνεια (2:8); two independently loaded liturgical-feast-adjacent terms sit close together — do not narrow to the specific Epiphany water-blessing rite of the same name.

Glory

Approved rendering: δόξα
Transliteration: dóxa
Doctrine: Christ’s Lordship and Glory
Rejected alternatives: δόξα με τη σύγχρονη έννοια της φήμης ή επιτυχίας (π.χ. αθλητική δόξα)
Original: δόξα
Category: God

Inherited from Romans package. Occurs at 1:9, 1:10, 1:12, 2:14; God’s and Christ’s radiant honor and presence, from which the wicked are excluded and in which believers will share.

Election

Approved rendering: εκλογή
Transliteration: eklogí
Doctrine: Divine Election and Calling
Rejected alternatives: εκλογή με τη σύγχρονη κυρίαρχη πολιτική έννοια (πολιτικές εκλογές, ψηφοφορία)
Original: ἐκλογή (concept; cf. εἵλατο, 2:13)
Category: Salvation

Inherited from Romans package. Conceptually identical to the ‘chose’ verb (εἵλατο) at 2:13; must not be rendered or read with the dominant Modern Greek political sense of εκλογή/εκλογές (elections, voting).

Law

Approved rendering: νόμος
Transliteration: nómos
Doctrine: The Man of Lawlessness

Inherited from Romans package. Not directly occurring in 2 Thessalonians, but the baseline νόμος entry (Mosaic Law) must be kept conceptually distinct from ανομία (lawlessness toward God generally, not Torah-specific) throughout this letter’s core passage.

Lawlessness

Approved rendering: ανομία
Transliteration: anomía
Doctrine: The Man of Lawlessness
Original: ἀνομία
Category: Sin

Comprehensive rebellion against God’s moral order, not mere legal infraction (2:3, 2:7-8). Modern Greek ανομία defaults to ordinary criminality (crime-report register, e.g. ‘πράξη ανομίας’). Must be actively reinforced as cosmic rebellion against God, distinct from baseline’s Mosaic-law-specific νόμος entry.

Lawless One

Approved rendering: ο άνομος
Transliteration: o ánomos
Doctrine: The Man of Lawlessness
Original: ὁ ἄνομος
Category: Eschatology

Shorthand title for the man of lawlessness (2:8). Same considerations as ανομία; keep visibly linked in rendering to ‘ο άνθρωπος της ανομίας’ for terminological consistency across the passage.

Energeitai

Approved rendering: ενεργείται
Transliteration: energeítai
Doctrine: The Mystery of Lawlessness
Original: ἐνεργεῖται
Category: Sin

The present, ongoing, hidden operation of lawlessness in the world (2:7). Shares its root with the technical Palamite doctrine of God’s uncreated ‘energies’ (ενέργειες). Distinguish Paul’s ordinary ‘is actively operating’ sense from any technical energies-doctrine; first link in a three-fold verbal chain continuing at 2:9 (Satan) and 2:11 (God) — keep the rendering of the root identical across all three occurrences.

Temple Of God

Approved rendering: ο ναός του Θεού
Transliteration: o naós tou Theoú
Doctrine: The Man of Lawlessness
Rejected alternatives: αντικατάσταση του ναός με πιο αόριστο όρο (π.χ. ‘ιερό κατοικητήριο’) για αποφυγή της σύγχρονης εικόνας ενορίας
Original: ὁ ναὸς τοῦ θεοῦ
Category: Eschatology

The lawless one’s self-enthronement in God’s own dwelling-place, the ultimate act of self-deification (2:4). Unusually concrete for Greek readers: ναός is the live, ordinary word for a functioning Orthodox parish church (‘Ιερός Ναός [name]’). Requires a framing note so readers do not literalize the image into a claim about a specific contemporary church building; do NOT substitute a vaguer term, since ναός is Paul’s own word and carries real interpretive weight (literal future Temple / church-as-temple / typological).

Object Of Worship

Approved rendering: σέβασμα
Transliteration: sévasma
Doctrine: The Man of Lawlessness
Original: σέβασμα
Category: Sin

Any deity or venerated object, true or false, that the lawless one sets himself above (2:4). Shares its root with σεβασμός (‘respect,’ an ordinary secular word) and with icon-veneration vocabulary (προσκύνηση, σεβασμός των εικόνων). Clarify that Paul describes the lawless one’s usurpation of any object of worship, not a comment on the legitimacy of Orthodox icon veneration.

Breath Of His Mouth

Approved rendering: το πνεύμα του στόματός του / η πνοή του στόματός του
Transliteration: to pnévma tou stomatós tou
Doctrine: Christ’s Lordship and Glory
Rejected alternatives: απόδοση που αφήνει το πνεύμα να ηχήσει ως αναφορά στο Άγιο Πνεύμα
Original: τὸ πνεῦμα τοῦ στόματος αὐτοῦ
Category: Christology

The mere breath/word of Christ, sufficient without a weapon to destroy the lawless one (2:8; echoing Isaiah 11:4 LXX). πνεύμα here means plain ‘breath,’ not ‘Spirit,’ but shares the identical noun with baseline-Critical Άγιο Πνεύμα. Must be actively disambiguated; prefer the near-synonym πνοή where natural to avoid the identical-noun collision, or retain πνεύμα with a mandatory explanatory note.

Endurance Perseverance

Approved rendering: υπομονή
Transliteration: ypomoní
Doctrine: Perseverance under Persecution
Original: ὑπομονή
Category: Faith

The Thessalonians’ active, faith-rooted steadfastness under persecution and affliction (1:4); central term for the doctrine of Perseverance under Persecution; also 3:13. Remains a fully alive, dignified Modern Greek word for patience/endurance generally, which risks being read as passive stoic resignation rather than the NT’s active, hope-fueled steadfastness. Connect explicitly to chapter 2’s eschatological hope.

Vengeance Retribution

Approved rendering: εκδίκηση
Transliteration: ekdíkisi
Doctrine: God’s Righteous Judgment
Rejected alternatives: εκδίκηση αποδιδόμενη ως πρότυπο ή δικαιολόγηση προσωπικής εκδίκησης/βεντέτας
Original: ἐκδίκησις
Category: God

God’s own righteous, judicial retribution against those who reject the gospel (1:8). Modern Greek εκδίκηση is the standard, culturally resonant word for personal ‘revenge/vendetta.’ Must be distinguished from personal revenge; cross-reference the NT’s own prohibition of the latter (Romans 12:19, already in the baseline package).

Chose Election Verb

Approved rendering: εξελέξατο / εἵλατο
Transliteration: exeléxato
Doctrine: Divine Election and Calling
Original: εἵλατο
Category: Salvation

God’s sovereign, gracious election of the Thessalonians for salvation ‘from the beginning’ (2:13). Different lexical root from ἐκλογή itself but the identical doctrine; keep consistent with the baseline’s existing caution against the modern political ‘voting’ association attaching to the noun εκλογή.

Quietness Hesychia

Approved rendering: ησυχία
Transliteration: isychía
Doctrine: Quiet and Orderly Conduct
Rejected alternatives: ησυχία ερμηνευμένη με το τεχνικό, ησυχαστικό-μυστικιστικό περιεχόμενο του Ησυχασμού
Original: μετὰ ἡσυχίας
Category: Sanctification

Calm, orderly, self-supporting daily labor — a wholly practical/ethical term with no contemplative content (3:12). Direct root of Hesychasm (ἡσυχασμός), the major Greek Orthodox mystical-contemplative tradition (Mount Athos, Gregory Palamas), already flagged in the baseline’s ‘peace’ entry. A mandatory note distinguishing this everyday ethical sense from the technical Hesychast tradition is required, especially since baseline material on ειρήνη already primes the audience toward a contemplative reading.

Gathering Together

Approved rendering: επισυναγωγή
Transliteration: episynagogí
Doctrine: The Day of the Lord
Rejected alternatives: απόδοση που τονίζει υπερβολικά τη ρίζα ‘συναγωγή’ με αναφορά σε εβραϊκή συναγωγή
Original: ἐπισυναγωγή
Category: Eschatology

Believers’ final gathering to Christ at his parousia, paired with the parousia itself as one unified end-time event (2:1). Shares a visible root with Modern Greek συναγωγή, the standard word for a Jewish ‘synagogue’ (building and congregation). Render only with a clarifying note, or prefer a periphrasis such as ‘η συνάθροισή μας κοντά του,’ to avoid an unintended pull toward synagogue imagery.

False Spirit Claim

Approved rendering: διά πνεύματος (ψευδές)
Transliteration: dia pnévmatos
Doctrine: Authenticity of Apostolic Teaching
Rejected alternatives: απόδοση που αφήνει το ‘πνεύμα’ εδώ να ταυτιστεί με το Άγιο Πνεύμα
Original: διὰ πνεύματος
Category: Sin

A claimed prophetic/spiritual utterance — explicitly a false one — cited as one illegitimate channel of the report that the Day of the Lord had already come (2:2). Because Άγιο Πνεύμα is baseline-Critical, the identical bare noun πνεύμα used here of a counterfeit spiritual claim risks being misheard as implicating the Holy Spirit himself. A translator note must clarify this is a claimed, false prophetic utterance under scrutiny, not the Spirit’s own testimony.

Medium Risk Terms

Church

Approved rendering: εκκλησία
Transliteration: ekklisía
Doctrine: Church Discipline and Ecclesial Order
Rejected alternatives: Εκκλησία αποκλειστικά ως ο θεσμός/η ιεραρχική Ορθόδοξη Εκκλησία, ή αποκλειστικά το κτίριο
Original: ἐκκλησία
Category: Church

Inherited from Romans package. Address of the letter (1:1) to the local congregation at Thessalonica.

Kingdom Of God

Approved rendering: βασιλεία του Θεού
Transliteration: vasileía tou Theoú
Doctrine: God’s Righteous Judgment
Original: βασιλεία τοῦ θεοῦ
Category: Kingdom

Inherited from Romans package. Occurs at 1:5: the eschatological reward for which the Thessalonians’ present suffering counts them worthy.

Revelation

Approved rendering: αποκάλυψη
Transliteration: apokálypsi
Doctrine: The Man of Lawlessness
Original: ἀποκάλυψις / ἀποκαλύπτω
Category: God

Inherited from Romans package. The same root (verb forms αποκαλυφθεί) is used both of Christ’s own glorious revealing (1:7) and, by deliberate ironic parallel, of the man of lawlessness’s future unmasking (2:3, 2:6, 2:8). Restore the divine-unveiling register throughout; the parallel is intentional contrast, not confusion of referents.

Traditions

Approved rendering: παραδόσεις
Transliteration: paradóseis
Doctrine: Standing Firm in the Traditions
Original: παραδόσεις
Category: Church

Inherited from Romans package. Occurs at 2:15 and 3:6. Unlike some Galatians occurrences, this usage is wholly positive — Paul commands adherence to his own apostolic tradition specifically (oral or written, per 2:15’s own distinction), not tradition as a rival to the gospel. Given παράδοση’s maximally positive cultural resonance in Greek Orthodox and national contexts, this is a low-friction fit; still requires a note narrowing the referent to apostolic teaching from Paul.

Peace

Approved rendering: ειρήνη
Transliteration: eiríni
Doctrine: Christ’s Lordship and Glory
Rejected alternatives: ειρήνη με την ησυχαστική έννοια της εσωτερικής ή νοερής ησυχίας (μυστικιστική παράδοση)
Original: εἰρήνη
Category: Salvation

Inherited from Romans package. Occurs at 1:2 and in the title ‘ο Κύριος της ειρήνης’ (3:16). Distinguish from the Hesychast mystical-contemplative sense of inner stillness (ἡσυχία); risk compounded in this letter since 3:12’s ησυχία occurs in the very same chapter.

Abolish

Approved rendering: καταργήσει
Transliteration: katargísei
Doctrine: The Man of Lawlessness
Original: καταργήσει
Category: Eschatology

Christ’s total and final nullification of the lawless one at his appearing (2:8). Consistent with the baseline’s existing καταργώ flag (Galatians 5:4); Modern Greek’s institutional-abolition sense fits reasonably well here, so risk is lower than the Galatians occurrence, but rendering consistency across the curriculum should still be checked.

Signs And Wonders

Approved rendering: σημεία και τέρατα
Transliteration: siméia kai térata
Doctrine: Satan’s Counterfeit Power and Deceptive Signs
Original: σημεῖα καὶ τέρατα
Category: Sin

A fixed triad (with δύναμις) elsewhere describing genuine miraculous, attesting acts, here deliberately applied to Satanic counterfeit deception (2:9). Individually stable words; the passage’s force depends on recognizing this is the same triad used positively elsewhere (e.g. Acts 2:22) now turned to deceptive ends — a contextual teaching point, not a lexical risk. Do not import a general cessationist argument against post-apostolic miraculous claims; Paul’s point is the deceiver’s imitation, not a theory of miracles generally.

Deception

Approved rendering: απάτη
Transliteration: apáti
Doctrine: Satan’s Counterfeit Power and Deceptive Signs
Original: ἀπάτη
Category: Sin

The comprehensive, morally corrupting deceptiveness accompanying the lawless one’s counterfeit signs (2:10). Modern Greek απάτη is the standard legal/criminal term for financial fraud/scam. Risks flattening Paul’s cosmic-scale deception into a mundane fraud register; anchor to its full moral-spiritual, eternal-ruin weight.

Unrighteousness

Approved rendering: αδικία
Transliteration: adikía
Doctrine: God’s Judicial Sending of Delusion
Original: ἀδικία
Category: Sin

Settled moral wrongdoing before God, the root and product of the deception (2:10, 2:12). Modern Greek αδικία defaults to everyday ‘unfairness’ (‘τι αδικία!’ of trivial disappointments). Must be anchored to weighty, judgment-deserving wrongdoing before God, not mere unfairness.

Love Of The Truth

Approved rendering: η αγάπη της αλήθειας
Transliteration: i agápi tis alítheias
Doctrine: Love of the Truth and Salvation
Original: τὴν ἀγάπην τῆς ἀληθείας
Category: Salvation

The saving, wholehearted embrace of gospel truth that those who perish specifically refused (2:10). Ἀγάπη’s everyday ubiquity as the ordinary word for love in every register must not dilute the specific NT sense of a decisive, saving embrace of revealed truth over mere intellectual assent. Note: while this term’s lexical risk is Medium, the doctrine it grounds (Love of the Truth and Salvation) is Critical-tier — theologian review required for the surrounding passage.

Truth

Approved rendering: αλήθεια
Transliteration: alítheia
Doctrine: Love of the Truth and Salvation
Original: ἀλήθεια
Category: Faith

The gospel truth specifically, as opposed to ‘the lie’ (2:10, 2:12, 2:13). Ubiquitous, stable word, but must be anchored to ‘gospel truth’ specifically in this passage, not truth-claims generally.

Took Pleasure In

Approved rendering: ευδοκήσαντες
Transliteration: evdokísantes
Doctrine: God’s Judicial Sending of Delusion
Original: εὐδοκήσαντες
Category: Sin

Actively delighting in, not merely failing to resist, unrighteousness (2:12). Shares its root with εὐδοκία (‘good pleasure/goodwill,’ familiar from the Christmas Doxology), here used ironically of wicked pleasure. A note contrasting this negative use with the term’s normally positive liturgical association helps the irony register.

Love

Approved rendering: αγάπη
Transliteration: agápi
Doctrine: Perseverance under Persecution
Original: ἀγάπη
Category: Faith

Not in the baseline package. The believers’ mutual, sacrificial love for one another, growing alongside their faith under persecution (1:3, 3:5). Ubiquitous, stable word for love in every register in Modern Greek; its everyday ubiquity must not crowd out the specifically ecclesial, self-giving sense intended here.

Persecutions

Approved rendering: διωγμοί
Transliteration: dioghmoí
Doctrine: Perseverance under Persecution
Original: διωγμοί
Category: Sin

Organized hostile pressure against believers for their faith (1:4). Modern διωγμός retains the sense of organized persecution, reinforced (not diluted) by Greek historical memory of religious/ethnic persecutions.

Afflictions

Approved rendering: θλίψεις
Transliteration: thlípsis
Doctrine: Perseverance under Persecution
Original: θλίψεις
Category: Faith

Suffering endured for the faith, alongside targeted persecution (1:4). θλίψη remains fully alive for distress/grief generally, including personal bereavement — an accurate register match, though context should keep the persecution-specific sense clear.

Eternal Destruction

Approved rendering: όλεθρος αιώνιος
Transliteration: ólethros aiónios
Doctrine: God’s Righteous Judgment
Original: ὄλεθρος αἰώνιος
Category: Eschatology

The final, permanent penalty for rejecting the gospel (1:9). Ὄλεθρος survives in Modern Greek chiefly in elevated/literary register, carrying appropriate weight without much secular dilution.

Stand Firm

Approved rendering: στήκετε
Transliteration: stíkete
Doctrine: Standing Firm in the Traditions
Original: στήκετε
Category: Church

Command to remain doctrinally and morally steadfast in light of the preceding teaching (2:15). Στέκομαι remains fully alive in ordinary Modern Greek; the moral/doctrinal imperative sense should be explicitly tied to ‘κρατείτε τις παραδόσεις’ in the same verse, since standing firm and holding the traditions form one combined command.

Comfort Encouragement

Approved rendering: παράκληση
Transliteration: paráklisi
Doctrine: Standing Firm in the Traditions
Original: παράκλησις
Category: Faith

God the Father’s and Christ’s eternal comfort given to believers (2:16). Shares its root with ‘Παράκλητος,’ a Johannine title for the Holy Spirit/Christ. Clarify this noun form denotes the gift of comfort here, not a title for a divine Person, to avoid unintended personification.

Word Of The Lord

Approved rendering: ο λόγος του Κυρίου
Transliteration: o lógos tou Kyríou
Doctrine: Authenticity of Apostolic Teaching
Original: ὁ λόγος τοῦ κυρίου
Category: God

The gospel message, considered as a living, advancing force, whose spread Paul requests prayer for (3:1). Λόγος is stable; κύριος carries the standing baseline-Critical flag throughout.

The Evil One

Approved rendering: ο πονηρός
Transliteration: o ponirós
Doctrine: Divine Protection from the Evil One
Original: ὁ πονηρός
Category: Sin

Satan, actively opposing believers, from whom the Lord protects (3:3). Πονηρός is alive both as an ordinary adjective (‘cunning, sly’) and, with the article, in the specific liturgical sense familiar from the Lord’s Prayer (‘ρύσαι ημάς από του πονηρού’) — a genuine asset anchoring the personal-Satan reading.

Walking Disorderly

Approved rendering: περπατώντας άτακτα
Transliteration: perpatóntas átakta
Doctrine: Church Discipline and Ecclesial Order
Original: ἀτάκτως περιπατοῦντες
Category: Church

Living an undisciplined, work-avoidant lifestyle within the community (3:6, 3:11). Ἄτακτος remains alive chiefly in a military/organizational-discipline register and school-report register (‘άτακτος μαθητής’) — a low-friction, accurate register match.

Busybodies

Approved rendering: περιεργάζονται
Transliteration: periergázontai
Doctrine: Church Discipline and Ecclesial Order
Original: περιεργαζόμενοι
Category: Sin

Idle meddling in others’ affairs rather than productive work (3:11). Vivid wordplay in the Greek original (ἐργαζομένους/περιεργαζομένους) survives reasonably into Modern Greek and is worth preserving in teaching notes as an intentional pun.

Do Not Grow Weary

Approved rendering: μη αποκάμνετε
Transliteration: mi apokámnete
Doctrine: Perseverance under Persecution
Original: μὴ ἐκκακήσητε
Category: Faith

Encouragement to persevere in doing good despite the burden of church discipline (3:13). Conceptually tied to ὑπομονή (ch.1) and the letter’s broader perseverance theme; stable, transparent compound.

Take Note Of

Approved rendering: σημειώστε
Transliteration: simeióste
Doctrine: Church Discipline and Ecclesial Order
Original: σημειοῦσθε
Category: Church

Corrective church discipline: publicly identifying a persistently disobedient member for restorative purposes (3:14). Modern Greek σημειώνω = ordinary ‘to note/write down’; the NT’s disciplinary sense requires contextual framing but carries no lexical substitution risk.

Low Risk Terms

Thanksgiving

Approved rendering: ευχαριστία
Transliteration: efcharistía
Doctrine: Perseverance under Persecution
Rejected alternatives: Θεία Ευχαριστία αποκλειστικά (η Ευχαριστία ως Μυστήριο)
Original: εὐχαριστία / εὐχαριστοῦμεν
Category: Faith

Inherited from Romans package. Occurs at 1:3: Paul’s grateful acknowledgment of God’s work in the Thessalonians’ growing faith and love; general relational gratitude, not the sacramental Eucharist sense.

Certainly Not

Approved rendering: μη γένοιτο
Transliteration: mē genoito
Doctrine: Faith

Inherited from Romans package. Does not occur in 2 Thessalonians; retained here only for cross-curriculum consistency awareness, per the core glossary’s note.

Repay

Approved rendering: ανταποδώσει
Transliteration: antapodósei
Doctrine: God’s Righteous Judgment
Original: ἀνταποδοῦναι
Category: God

God’s reciprocal recompense: affliction to persecutors, relief to the persecuted (1:6). Stable, transparent compound.

Good Pleasure Of Goodness

Approved rendering: ευδοκία αγαθωσύνης
Transliteration: evdokía agathosýnis
Doctrine: Divine Election and Calling
Original: εὐδοκία ἀγαθωσύνης
Category: Sanctification

God’s work fulfilling every good resolve and act of goodness in the believers (1:11). Positive, stable, and liturgically familiar (cf. Christmas Doxology; the common given name Ευδοκία); contrast with the ironic negative use of the same root at 2:12 (took_pleasure_in).

Gathering Of Glory

Approved rendering: περιποίηση δόξης
Transliteration: peripoíisi dóxis
Doctrine: Divine Election and Calling
Original: περιποίησις δόξης
Category: Salvation

The believers’ destined participation in Christ’s glory (2:14). Rare NT term but transparent; δόξα itself carries the standing baseline flag.

Good Hope

Approved rendering: ελπίδα αγαθή
Transliteration: elpída agathí
Doctrine: Standing Firm in the Traditions
Original: ἐλπὶς ἀγαθή
Category: Faith

Confident hope grounded in grace, given alongside comfort (2:16). Ἐλπίδα (also a common Modern Greek given name) remains fully alive and stable.

Be Delivered

Approved rendering: ρυσθούμε
Transliteration: rysthoúme
Doctrine: Divine Protection from the Evil One
Original: ῥυσθῶμεν
Category: Faith

Paul’s request for deliverance from wicked and evil men opposing his mission (3:2). Ρύομαι survives in elevated/liturgical Modern Greek (‘ρύσαι ημάς’ in liturgical prayer language) — a genuine asset for register-matching.

Imitate

Approved rendering: μιμείσθαι
Transliteration: mimeísthai
Doctrine: Church Discipline and Ecclesial Order
Original: μιμεῖσθαι
Category: Church

Conscious modeling of one’s behavior on Paul’s own example of diligent labor (3:7, 3:9). Stable; root of Modern Greek ‘μίμηση,’ unambiguous.

Pattern Example

Approved rendering: τύπος
Transliteration: týpos
Doctrine: Church Discipline and Ecclesial Order
Original: τύπος
Category: Church

Paul’s self-description as a deliberate model of disciplined labor for the church to follow (3:9). Stable across many Modern Greek registers without confusion in this context.

Do Not Associate With

Approved rendering: μη συναναστρέφεστε
Transliteration: mi synanastréfeste
Doctrine: Church Discipline and Ecclesial Order
Original: μὴ συναναμίγνυσθαι
Category: Church

Withdrawing close fellowship from a persistently disobedient member, for corrective purposes (3:14). Must be read together with 3:15’s immediate clarification (‘do not treat him as an enemy’) to avoid a harsher-than-intended reading.

Admonish

Approved rendering: νουθετείτε
Transliteration: noutheteíte
Doctrine: Church Discipline and Ecclesial Order
Original: νουθετεῖτε
Category: Church

The proper spirit of church discipline: brotherly correction, not enmity (3:15). Consistent with the baseline’s existing exhort/παρακαλέω pastoral-correction family.

Approved rendering: το σημείο σε κάθε επιστολή
Transliteration: to simío se káthe epistolí
Doctrine: Authenticity of Apostolic Teaching
Original: τὸ σημεῖον ἐν πάσῃ ἐπιστολῇ
Category: Church

Paul’s handwritten authentication mark against forged letters, directly recalling the false-letter concern of 2:2 (3:17). Transparent; a literary bookend with 2:2’s ἐπιστολή concern.

Library content is free and openly licensed under CC BY-NC-SA 4.0 — share and adapt it for non-commercial use, with attribution to tri-bible.ai.