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Every doctrine and glossary term is labeled with how easily it could be misread or mistranslated in that language's own cultural and religious context:

Critical
A wrong word choice here risks distorting core theology — always reviewed by a theologian before use.
High
A real, well-documented risk of confusion with another tradition or belief system — needs theologian review.
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Worth a native speaker's second look, but not likely to distort the core meaning.
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Minor wording nuance — low risk of confusion either way.

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Core Glossary

Core Glossary — 2 Timothy — English → Greek

This glossary extends translation_memory.json (Romans/Galatians baseline) for the 2 Timothy curriculum. Terms already recorded in the baseline translation memory are reused exactly and are marked “Baseline reuse” below — they are listed for completeness of full-book coverage, not re-litigated. Only terms new to this curriculum receive new risk analysis. All Greek renderings below must be loaded into translation_memory.json as new entries before Phase 2 translation begins.


A. Baseline Terms Reused Exactly (2 Timothy occurrences)

English TermGreek RenderingRisk (baseline)Key 2 Timothy References
GraceχάρηCritical1:2, 1:9, 2:1, 4:22
FaithπίστηHigh1:5, 1:13, 2:18, 2:22, 3:8, 3:10, 3:15, 4:7
RighteousnessδικαιοσύνηCritical2:22, 3:16, 4:8
SalvationσωτηρίαCritical1:9, 2:10, 3:15
Called/Callingκλητός / κλήσηCritical1:9
HolyάγιοςCritical1:9, 3:15
SanctificationαγιασμόςHigh2:21
ResurrectionανάστασηCritical2:8, 2:18
LordΚύριοςCriticalthroughout (e.g. 1:2, 1:8, 1:16, 2:19, 2:24, 4:8, 4:14, 4:17, 4:22)
GloryδόξαMedium2:10, 4:18
Electionεκλογή (ἐκλεκτός)High2:10
Promiseυπόσχεση (επαγγελία)High1:1
Seed of Davidσπέρμα ΔαβίδMedium2:8
CreditedλογίζομαιCritical4:16
ExhortπροτρέπωLow4:2 (παρακάλεσον)
GodΘεόςCriticalthroughout
Jesus / ChristΙησούς / ΧριστόςCriticalthroughout
Holy SpiritΆγιο ΠνεύμαCritical1:14
FatherΠατέραςCritical1:2
Kingdom of Godβασιλεία του ΘεούMedium4:1, 4:18
SinαμαρτίαMedium3:6
GentilesέθνηMedium4:17
ThanksgivingευχαριστίαLow1:3
Spiritual Giftsπνευματικά χαρίσματαMedium1:6
ApostleαπόστολοςLow1:1, 1:11
DavidΔαβίδLow2:8
Certainly Not (formula)μη γένοιτοLownot present verbatim; register consistency note only

B. New Terms Introduced by 2 Timothy

#English TermGreek RenderingTransliterationRiskDoctrineReferencesAlternatives RejectedTranslation Notes
1The entrusted depositπαραθήκηparathekeCriticalGuarding Sound Doctrine; Faithful Transmission of the Gospel1:12, 1:14, 2:2 (verb παρατίθημι)“τραπεζική κατάθεση” (bank deposit, too narrow/financial)The letter’s controlling metaphor. Must be glossed at every occurrence as “the gospel message, entrusted for safekeeping and faithful transmission, not human property to alter.” The Modern Greek figurative sense of a treasured national/cultural “παρακαταθήκη” (legacy) is a usable asset if explicitly anchored to gospel content.
2God-breathedθεόπνευστοςtheopneustosCriticalInspiration and Sufficiency of Scripture3:16none — no viable alternative existsPaul’s own coinage; zero secular competing sense in Modern Greek, unlike most Critical terms in this glossary. The Critical rating reflects doctrinal centrality, not bleaching risk. Must be anchored to divine authorship of the text, not merely its inspiring effect on readers.
3Sound doctrine / sound teachingυγιαίνουσα διδασκαλία (also: υγιής διδασκαλία)hygiainousa didaskaliaCriticalGuarding Sound Doctrine4:3 (cf. 1:13 ὑποτύπωσις ὑγιαινόντων λόγων)none acceptable without glossModern Greek υγιής/υγιαίνω defaults to physical bodily health. FORBIDDEN unglossed use: must be explicitly explained as “doctrinally healthy teaching, opposed to corrupting error” at first occurrence in every document.
4Appearing (of Christ)επιφάνειαepiphaneiaCriticalAssurance of Reward; Charge to Preach the Word1:10 (first appearing/incarnation), 4:1, 4:8 (second appearing)none acceptable without glossFORBIDDEN unglossed use. Modern Greek defaults to physical “surface”; also collides with the fixed liturgical feast name Επιφάνεια/Θεοφάνεια (Christ’s baptism, Jan. 6). Must distinguish 1:10 (first appearing) from 4:1/4:8 (second appearing) explicitly, since the same word covers both referents.
5I solemnly chargeδιαμαρτύρομαιdiamartyromaiCriticalThe Charge to Preach the Word4:1”σου δίνω επίσημη εντολή” (preferred substitute phrase)FORBIDDEN unglossed use. Modern Greek διαμαρτύρομαι overwhelmingly means “I protest/lodge a complaint.” Unglossed rendering produces an inverted, near-comic reading (“I protest before God and Christ Jesus”). Use the substitute phrase or attach a mandatory note anchoring the archaic solemn-testimony sense.
6Form/appearance of godlinessμόρφωσις εὐσεβείας → render “σχήμα ευσέβειας”morphōsis eusebeiasCriticalApostasy and False Teachers in the Last Days3:5”μόρφωση ευσέβειας” (FORBIDDEN — reads as “education in godliness”)Mirrors the baseline’s Galatians 4:19 μορφωθῇ trap exactly. Modern μόρφωση = formal education/schooling. Never render with μόρφωση; use “σχήμα” (outward shape/form) with mandatory explanatory gloss distinguishing outward semblance from inward substance.
7Departure (euphemism for death)ανάλυσις → render “αναχώρηση”analysis / anachōrēsēCriticalAssurance of Reward4:6”ανάλυση” (FORBIDDEN — reads as “data/lab analysis”)FORBIDDEN unglossed use of “ανάλυση.” Modern Greek ανάλυση is the dominant word for data/financial/medical analysis. Use “αναχώρηση” (departure) as the primary rendering; ἀνάλυσις retained only in an explanatory footnote about the classical nautical/military background.
8The race/course (finished)δρόμος → render “αγώνας δρόμου”dromosCriticalAssurance of Reward4:7”τον δρόμο τετέλεκα” (FORBIDDEN unglossed — reads as “finished the street/road”)Modern Greek δρόμος defaults to “street/road.” Must render “τον αγώνα δρόμου τελείωσα” or equivalent to activate the athletic-race sense present in Modern Greek sport vocabulary but absent from the word in isolation.
9Equipped (for every good work)εξηρτισμένος → render “εξοπλισμένος” / “πλήρως καταρτισμένος”exērtismenosCriticalInspiration and Sufficiency of Scripture3:17”εξαρτημένος” (FORBIDDEN — reads as “dependent/addicted”)Near-homonym collision with Modern Greek εξαρτημένος (“dependent,” esp. substance addiction). Never use any ἐξαρτ- root form; use εξοπλισμένος (equipped, as with tools) instead.
10Testimonyμαρτυρία (NOT μαρτύριο)martyriaHighFaithful Transmission of the Gospel; Perseverance under Suffering1:8”μαρτύριο” (reads as “torment/ordeal” in Modern Greek)Use μαρτυρία consistently for “testimony/witness” to avoid collision with μαρτύριο’s dominant modern sense of torment.
11Last daysέσχατες ημέρεςeschatai hēmeraiHighApostasy and False Teachers in the Last Days3:1noneStable and culturally weighty (asset), but teach as an already-inaugurated present era exemplified in Timothy’s own generation, not exclusively a future countdown.
12Impostor / deceiverαπατεώνες / πλάνοι (NOT γόης unglossed)apateōnes / planoiHighApostasy and False Teachers in the Last Days3:13”γόης” (unglossed — now means “a charming/attractive man” in Modern Greek, a near-total connotation reversal)Never use γόης without a gloss; default to απατεώνες or πλάνοι.
13Crown (of righteousness)στέφανοςstephanosHighAssurance of Reward4:8none rejected outright, but requires clarifying noteModern Greek’s dominant association is the Orthodox wedding crown (στέφανα). Not corrupting, but requires a note distinguishing the athletic victor’s-wreath image (tied to 4:7’s finished race) from the nuptial image.
14Ministry / serviceδιακονίαdiakoniaHighThe Charge to Preach the Word; Faithful Transmission of the Gospel4:5, 4:11none — the word itself is correctModern ecclesiastical usage narrows διακονία toward the specific ordained deacon office. Must be glossed as Timothy’s whole pastoral-apostolic ministry, broader than the diaconate.
15RepentanceμετάνοιαmetanoiaHighApostasy and False Teachers in the Last Days2:25none — the word itself is correctModern Orthodox devotional usage narrows the plural “μετάνοιες” to physical prostrations in prayer. Gloss as inward reorientation toward truth, distinct from the liturgical prostration practice.
16Rightly handle (the word of truth)ορθοτομώ (τον λόγο της αλήθειας)orthotomeōHighGuarding Sound Doctrine2:15”σωστά χειρίζομαι” (too generic, loses the “cut straight” image)Rare technical compound, not everyday vocabulary. Requires brief explanatory framing (image of cutting a straight line/furrow) at first occurrence.
17Persecution / godly living provokes persecutionδιωγμός / εὐσεβῶς ζῆνdiōgmos / eusebōs zēnHighPerseverance under Suffering3:11-12nonePreserve as a universal claim (“all who desire to live godly… will be persecuted”), not a hedge or exception clause.
18Deny / he remains faithfulαρνούμαι / πιστὸς μένειarneomai / pistos meneiHighAssurance of Reward; Apostasy2:12-13nonePreserve both the warning (denial has real consequence) and the assurance (God’s own faithfulness is unshakeable) without collapsing either into the other.
19Turn away from the truthαποστρέφω (την ακοή) από την αλήθειαapostrephōHighApostasy and False Teachers in the Last Days4:4nonePreserve the moral force of deliberate rejection, not neutral “stopped listening.”
20Fulfill (one’s ministry) completelyεκπλήρωσε πλήρως (NOT πληροφόρησε)plērophoreōHighThe Charge to Preach the Word4:5”πληροφόρησε” (FORBIDDEN — reads as “informed/notified” in Modern Greek)Modern πληροφορώ = “to inform.” Use “εκπλήρωσε πλήρως” or “φέρε σε πέρας πλήρως” instead.
21Herald / preach / proclamationκήρυκας / κηρύσσω / κήρυγμαkēryx / kēryssō / kērygmaMedium-HighThe Charge to Preach the Word1:11, 4:2, 4:17noneStable, established Bible-translation vocabulary; watch for a faint secular-political “sloganeering” connotation in modern usage (κήρυγμα μίσους, “hate speech”) that should not attach to gospel proclamation.
22Reproof / exposeέλεγχος / ελέγχωelegchos / elenchōMediumInspiration and Sufficiency of Scripture; The Charge to Preach the Word3:16, 4:2noneModern Greek έλεγχος defaults to “inspection/audit” (tax audit, ID check); anchor to personal moral conviction, not bureaucratic inspection.
23Immortality / incorruptionαφθαρσίαaphtharsiaMedium-HighAssurance of Reward1:10noneZero lexical gap; sits near Orthodox theosis vocabulary (participation in divine incorruptibility). Preserve 2 Timothy’s own emphasis (a decisive gift “brought to light through the gospel”) without over-importing the full theosis framework.
24Abandon / forsakeεγκαταλείπωenkataleipōMedium-HighPerseverance under Suffering4:10, 4:16noneCarries appropriate weight (echoes Christ’s cry of dereliction in the Greek liturgical text); preserve gravity, do not soften.
25MercyέλεοςeleosMedium(greeting formula)1:2noneStrong liturgical asset (“Κύριε ελέησον”); watch for the casual exclamatory use (“Έλεος!” = “Give me a break!”) bleeding into lighter-register material.
26VesselσκεύοςskeuosMediumGuarding Sound Doctrine2:20-21noneCommon word for kitchen utensil/container in Modern Greek; keep the household-vessel metaphor (gold/silver/wood/clay) explicit in surrounding context to avoid trivialization.
27Approved / disqualifiedδόκιμος / αδόκιμοςdokimos / adokimosMediumGuarding Sound Doctrine; Apostasy2:15, 3:8noneModern Greek δόκιμος also names an institutional cadet/trainee (police, military); context should convey “tested and proven,” not “still on probation.”
28Endurance / endureυπομονή / υπομένωhypomonē / hypomenōMedium-HighPerseverance under Suffering2:10, 2:12, 3:10noneCommon everyday word for ordinary patience (e.g., waiting in line); reinforce the specifically theological weight — sustained faithfulness under real hardship, not mild inconvenience.
29Be sober-mindedνήφω (cf. ανανήφω)nēphōMediumThe Charge to Preach the Word; Apostasy4:5 (cf. 2:26)noneModern Greek νηφάλιος primarily denotes literal (non-alcohol) sobriety; the spiritual-alertness sense is present but secondary and needs contextual reinforcement.
30GodlinessευσέβειαeusebeiaMediumApostasy and False Teachers in the Last Days3:5, 3:12noneStable in formal/liturgical register; ensure it denotes genuine devoted living, not mere ceremonial religiosity — precisely the confusion 3:5 diagnoses.
31MythsμύθοιmythoiMediumApostasy and False Teachers in the Last Days4:4noneDo not let the term narrow to a dismissive reference to classical Greek mythology specifically; intends any fabricated substitute for revealed truth.
32Evangelist (do the work of)ευαγγελιστήςeuangelistēsMediumThe Charge to Preach the Word4:5noneShares the baseline gospel root exactly. Distinguish Timothy’s ongoing ministry function from the capitalized “Ευαγγελιστές” (the Four Gospel-writers) of Orthodox iconography/liturgy.
33SoldierστρατιώτηςstratiōtēsMediumPerseverance under Suffering2:3-4noneZero lexical gap; watch for imported national-military/patriotic overtones foreign to Paul’s point (devotion to Christ, not civic duty).
34Contest / fight (the good fight)αγώνας / αγωνίζομαιagōn / agōnizomaiMediumAssurance of Reward4:7 (cf. 2:5)noneDominant modern sense is a sports match or a political/social struggle; elevate register through context to retain “noble contest for the faith.”
35Faithful is the saying (formula)πιστός ο λόγοςpistos ho logosMediumFaithful Transmission of the Gospel2:11noneFixed formulaic marker introducing received creedal material; render so its quotation-marking function is clear, not read as a general aphorism.
36FoundationθεμέλιοthemeliosLowGuarding Sound Doctrine2:19noneFully stable; metaphor transfers naturally from literal construction.
37Judge the living and the deadκρίνω / κριτήςkrinō / kritēsMedium-HighAssurance of Reward; The Charge to Preach the Word4:1, 4:8noneFixed Nicene Creed formula (“κριτὴν ζώντων καὶ νεκρῶν”) — strong liturgical asset requiring no gloss; watch elsewhere for secular “contest judge/referee” drift.
38Deposit (verb: entrust)παρατίθημιparatithēmiHighFaithful Transmission of the Gospel2:2noneCognate verb of παραθήκη (#1); render to keep the root-family visible across 1:12–2:2 wherever feasible, preserving the letter’s controlling metaphor.
39Faithful men (trustworthy transmitters)πιστοί άνθρωποιpistoi anthrōpoiMediumFaithful Transmission of the Gospel2:2noneEmphasis on reliability as transmitters of teaching, not merely personal belief; shares baseline πίστη root.
40Itching ears (idiom)με φαγούρα στην ακοή / να τους γαργαλάει η ακοήknēthomenoi tēn akoēnMediumApostasy and False Teachers in the Last Days4:3literal word-for-word gloss without framing (reads as merely odd)No standing Modern Greek idiom matches this image exactly; requires brief explanatory framing to land as pointed rather than merely strange.

C. Proper Names (Low Risk — Standard Transliteration)

NameGreek RenderingReferences
TimothyΤιμόθεοςthroughout
PaulΠαύλος1:1
LoisΛωΐς1:5
EuniceΕὐνίκη1:5
OnesiphorusΟνησιφόρος1:16, 4:19
HymenaeusΥμέναιος2:17
PhiletusΦίλητος2:17
JannesΙάννης3:8
JambresΙαμβρής3:8
DemasΔημάς4:10
CrescensΚρήσκης4:10
TitusΤίτος4:10
LukeΛουκάς4:11
MarkΜάρκος4:11
TychicusΤυχικός4:12
CarpusΚάρπος4:13
AlexanderΑλέξανδρος4:14
Priscilla (Prisca)Πρίσκα4:19
AquilaΑκύλας4:19
ErastusΈραστος4:20
TrophimusΤρόφιμος4:20
EubulusΕὔβουλος4:21
PudensΠούδης4:21
LinusΛίνος4:21
ClaudiaΚλαυδία4:21
AntiochΑντιόχεια3:11
IconiumΙκόνιο3:11
LystraΛύστρα3:11
EphesusΈφεσος4:12
Israel/David/etc.(baseline forms)2:8

D. Risk Summary for 2 Timothy New Terms

Risk TierCountReview Routing
Critical9Human theologian (every occurrence)
High11Human theologian
Medium-High5Human theologian
Medium13Native speaker review
Low2Automated review

Note on the Forbidden Substitution List for 2 Timothy (to be merged into the AI Translation Requirements document, Phase 1 Step 8-equivalent for this curriculum):

  • ἐπιφάνεια → never leave unglossed as “surface”
  • διαμαρτύρομαι → never leave unglossed as “protest”
  • μόρφωσις εὐσεβείας → never render with “μόρφωση” (education)
  • ἀνάλυσις (4:6) → never render with “ανάλυση” (data analysis); use “αναχώρηση”
  • δρόμος (4:7) → never render as bare “δρόμος” (street); use “αγώνας δρόμου”
  • ἐξηρτισμένος (3:17) → never render with “εξαρτημένος” (dependent/addicted)
  • γόης (3:13) → never render unglossed (now means “charming man”); use “απατεώνες”
  • πληροφορέω (4:5) → never render with modern “πληροφορώ” (inform); use “εκπλήρωσε πλήρως”
  • μαρτύριον (1:8) → prefer “μαρτυρία” over “μαρτύριο” (torment) to avoid collision

Critical Risk Terms

Grace

Approved rendering: χάρη
Transliteration: chári
Doctrine: Grace
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, reused exactly. 2 Timothy note: appears in the epistolary greeting (1:2) and at 1:9, 2:1 (‘be strengthened in the grace that is in Christ Jesus’); guard against the everyday senses of personal charm or legal pardon per the baseline.


Righteousness

Approved rendering: δικαιοσύνη
Transliteration: dikaiosýni
Doctrine: Salvation
Rejected alternatives: δικαιοσύνη αποκλειστικά με τη σύγχρονη έννοια της νομικής ή κοινωνικής δικαιοσύνης
Original: δικαιοσύνη
Category: Salvation

Inherited from Romans package, reused exactly. 2 Timothy note: at 2:22 and 3:16 denotes righteous living/character; at 4:8 (‘the crown of righteousness’) denotes final reward from Christ the righteous Judge. Guard against the dominant modern civic/legal sense (Υπουργείο Δικαιοσύνης) crowding out both senses simultaneously present in the letter.


Salvation

Approved rendering: σωτηρία
Transliteration: sotiría
Doctrine: Salvation
Original: σωτηρία
Category: Salvation

Inherited from Romans package, reused exactly. 2 Timothy note: 1:9 and 3:15 tie salvation to Scripture’s stated purpose and to God’s own prior calling ‘not because of our works’ — reinforce the decisive, faith-received sense against the theosis-accretion risk documented in the baseline, since 3:15’s ‘able to make you wise for salvation’ could otherwise be absorbed into an open-ended formation process.


Calling

Approved rendering: κλήση
Transliteration: klísi
Doctrine: Divine Calling
Rejected alternatives: κλήση με την καθημερινή έννοια μιας τηλεφωνικής κλήσης ή δικαστικής κλήσης/κλήσης τροχαίας

Inherited from Romans package, reused exactly. 2 Timothy note: 1:9 (‘called us to a holy calling’) ties calling directly to salvation and holiness in a single clause; the baseline’s CRITICAL caution against κλήση collapsing into ‘phone call/traffic summons’ applies with full force, since the verse’s entire theological weight depends on the word carrying sovereign, gracious summons.


Holy

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

Inherited from Romans package, reused exactly. 2 Timothy note: 1:9 (‘holy calling’), 3:15 (‘sacred/holy writings’). Guard against the name-day/canonized-saint association crowding out the general set-apart sense applied here to the calling itself and to Scripture, not to a person’s title.


Resurrection

Approved rendering: ανάσταση
Transliteration: anástasi
Doctrine: Resurrection of Christ
Original: ἀνάστασις
Category: Eschatology

Inherited from Romans package, reused exactly. 2 Timothy note: 2:8 affirms Christ ‘raised from the dead’ as core gospel content; 2:18 records Hymenaeus and Philetus teaching the resurrection ‘already happened’ — a named, condemned heresy using the identical word. Every occurrence at 2:18 requires explicit editorial framing distinguishing it from the true confession at 2:8.


Lord

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

Inherited from Romans package, reused exactly. 2 Timothy note: used throughout (1:2, 1:8, 1:16, 2:19, 2:24, 4:8, 4:14, 4:17, 4:22), including at 4:8 as ‘the righteous Judge’ who awards the crown — the everyday ‘Mister/Sir’ bleaching risk is amplified by the sheer frequency of the title across this short letter; every occurrence needs its full theological weight actively maintained. Never adjust to obscure Christ’s identity with God.


Credited

Approved rendering: λογίζομαι
Transliteration: logizomai
Doctrine: Salvation
Original: λογίζομαι
Category: Salvation

Inherited from Romans/Galatians package. 2 Timothy note: 4:16 uses the identical forensic-accounting verb from Romans 4 in a gracious, negative application — ‘may it not be counted against them’ (those who deserted Paul). Use the identical verb form to preserve this intertextual link; do not flatten to casual forgiveness language.


God

Approved rendering: Θεός
Transliteration: Theós
Doctrine: Deity of Christ
Original: θεός
Category: God

Inherited from Romans package, reused exactly. Used throughout 2 Timothy without new risk beyond the baseline entry.


Jesus

Approved rendering: Ιησούς
Transliteration: Iisoús
Doctrine: Lordship of Christ
Original: Ἰησοῦς / Χριστός
Category: Christology

Inherited from Romans package, reused exactly. Also used with ‘Χριστός’ throughout 2 Timothy without new risk beyond the baseline entry.


Holy Spirit

Approved rendering: Άγιο Πνεύμα
Transliteration: Ágio Pnévma
Doctrine: Sanctification
Original: πνεῦμα ἅγιον
Category: God

Inherited from Romans package, reused exactly. 2 Timothy note: 1:14 (‘through the Holy Spirit who dwells in us’) directly ties the Spirit’s personal indwelling to the doctrine of guarding sound doctrine.


Father

Approved rendering: Πατέρας
Transliteration: Patéras
Doctrine: Adoption into God’s Family
Original: πατήρ
Category: God

Inherited from Romans package, reused exactly. 2 Timothy note: appears in the 1:2 greeting triad (grace, mercy, peace from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Lord).


Entrusted Deposit

Approved rendering: παραθήκη
Transliteration: paratheke
Doctrine: Guarding Sound Doctrine
Rejected alternatives: τραπεζική κατάθεση/παραθήκη (bank deposit — too narrow, trivializes the gospel into a financial-custody image), παρακαταθήκη ως αφηρημένη ‘εθνική κληρονομιά’ χωρίς αναφορά στο περιεχόμενο του ευαγγελίου
Original: παραθήκη
Category: Sound Doctrine

The letter’s controlling metaphor (1:12, 1:14, conceptually 2:2). Modern Greek ‘παραθήκη/παρακαταθήκη’ pulls toward either a narrow banking sense or a positive but unanchored ‘national/cultural legacy’ sense. Every occurrence requires a gloss: ‘the gospel entrusted by God, to be guarded and passed on intact — not our own possession to alter.’ Also note the Orthodox Ιερά Παράδοση resonance: do not let an institutional-succession-only reading silently replace 2 Timothy’s own Scripture-tested, person-to-person transmission emphasis (3:14-17; 2:2).


God Breathed

Approved rendering: θεόπνευστος
Transliteration: theopneustos
Doctrine: Inspiration and Sufficiency of Scripture
Original: θεόπνευστος
Category: Scripture

Paul’s own coinage (3:16); no viable alternative exists and no competing secular sense in Modern Greek — the sole Critical term in this package whose Critical rating reflects doctrinal centrality rather than bleaching risk. Anchor every occurrence to divine authorship of the text itself, avoiding the English-language trap where ‘inspired’ can mean merely ‘moving/inspiring’, a trap this Greek word does not share.


Equipped For Every Good Work

Approved rendering: εξοπλισμένος / πλήρως καταρτισμένος
Transliteration: exērtismenos (source); artios
Doctrine: Inspiration and Sufficiency of Scripture
Rejected alternatives: εξαρτημένος (FORBIDDEN — Modern Greek’s standard clinical/social word for dependency/addiction, ‘εξάρτηση από ουσίες’)
Original: ἄρτιος / ἐξηρτισμένος
Category: Scripture

3:17, the letter’s culminating sufficiency-claim. FORBIDDEN: any form built on the ἐξαρτ- root. Use ‘εξοπλισμένος’ (equipped, as with tools/instruments) or ‘πλήρως καταρτισμένος’ instead — an unglossed ἐξαρτ- form nearly inverts Paul’s claim into a statement of dependency/deficiency.


Sound Doctrine

Approved rendering: η υγιαίνουσα διδασκαλία
Transliteration: hygiainousa didaskalia
Doctrine: Guarding Sound Doctrine
Rejected alternatives: υγιής διδασκαλία χωρίς επεξηγηματική σημείωση (χωρίς γλωσσάρι κινδυνεύει να εννοηθεί ως σωματική υγεία)
Original: ὑγιαίνουσα διδασκαλία
Category: Sound Doctrine

4:3, cf. 1:13. FORBIDDEN unglossed use: Modern Greek ‘υγιής/υγιαίνω’ defaults overwhelmingly to physical bodily health. Must be glossed at first occurrence in every document as ‘teaching that keeps the body of believers spiritually whole, opposed to teaching that corrupts like disease’ (cf. 2:17’s gangrene image). The single most important term for the letter’s central doctrine.


Appearing Of Christ

Approved rendering: επιφάνεια
Transliteration: epiphaneia
Doctrine: Assurance of Reward
Original: ἐπιφάνεια
Category: Reward/Eschatology

1:10 (first appearing/incarnation), 4:1 and 4:8 (second appearing/return in glory). FORBIDDEN unglossed use: Modern Greek defaults to a physical ‘surface’, and collides with the fixed liturgical feast name Επιφάνεια/Θεοφάνεια (Christ’s baptism, January 6) — the wrong event. Mandatory explanatory note at every occurrence distinguishing which appearing is meant. Must be rendered and glossed as a visible, bodily, publicly-manifest event — never as an invisible presence, per the Jehovah’s Witness παρουσία doctrine flagged in the translation landscape analysis.


Solemn Charge

Approved rendering: σου δίνω επίσημη εντολή ενώπιον του Θεού
Transliteration: diamartyromai (source)
Doctrine: The Charge to Preach the Word
Rejected alternatives: διαμαρτύρομαι χωρίς επεξήγηση (FORBIDDEN — Modern Greek reads this overwhelmingly as ‘I protest/lodge a complaint’)
Original: διαμαρτύρομαι
Category: Ministry

4:1, the verb launching Timothy’s commissioning. FORBIDDEN unglossed use of ‘διαμαρτύρομαι’. Use the substitute phrase ‘σου δίνω επίσημη εντολή ενώπιον του Θεού’ (‘I give you a solemn charge before God’), or retain ‘διαμαρτύρομαι’ only with a mandatory note anchoring its archaic solemn-testimony/oath sense.


Form Of Godliness

Approved rendering: σχήμα ευσέβειας
Transliteration: morphōsis eusebeias (source)
Doctrine: Apostasy and False Teachers in the Last Days
Rejected alternatives: μόρφωση ευσέβειας (FORBIDDEN — Modern Greek’s dominant word for formal education/schooling; reads as ‘an education in godliness’, inverting Paul’s point)
Original: μόρφωσις εὐσεβείας, ἀρνούμενοι τὴν δύναμιν αὐτῆς
Category: Apostasy

3:5. Mirrors the baseline’s Galatians 4:19 μορφωθῇ trap exactly. Never render with ‘μόρφωση’; use ‘σχήμα’ (outward shape/form) or ‘εξωτερική εμφάνιση ευσέβειας’, always with a mandatory explanatory gloss distinguishing outward semblance from inward reality.


Departure

Approved rendering: αναχώρηση
Transliteration: analysis (source, rendered anachōrēsē)
Doctrine: Assurance of Reward
Rejected alternatives: ανάλυση χωρίς επεξήγηση (FORBIDDEN — dominant Modern Greek word for data/financial/medical analysis)
Original: ἀνάλυσις
Category: Assurance of Reward

4:6. FORBIDDEN unglossed use of ‘ανάλυση’, which produces the nonsensical reading ‘the time of my analysis has arrived’. Use ‘αναχώρηση’ (departure); retain ‘ανάλυσις’ only in an explanatory footnote citing the classical nautical/military background (casting off moorings, breaking camp).


Finished The Race

Approved rendering: τον αγώνα δρόμου τελείωσα
Transliteration: ton dromon teteleka (source)
Doctrine: Assurance of Reward
Rejected alternatives: τον δρόμο τετέλεκα χωρίς επεξήγηση (FORBIDDEN — bare ‘δρόμος’ defaults to ‘street/road’ in Modern Greek)
Original: τὸν δρόμον τετέλεκα
Category: Assurance of Reward

4:7, part of the letter’s most celebrated summary statement. FORBIDDEN bare rendering. Use ‘τον αγώνα δρόμου τελείωσα’ or ‘το τέρμα του δρόμου έφτασα’ to activate the athletic sense present in Modern Greek sport vocabulary (‘αγώνας δρόμου’, ‘δρομέας’) but absent from the bare noun.


High Risk Terms

Gospel

Approved rendering: ευαγγέλιο
Transliteration: evangélio
Doctrine: Faithful Transmission of the Gospel
Original: εὐαγγέλιον
Category: Salvation

Inherited from Romans package, reused exactly. 2 Timothy note: at 1:8, 1:10, 2:8 the gospel is bound up with Paul’s imprisonment and Christ’s resurrection — must read as an authoritative, historically anchored message, not generic good tidings.


Faith

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

Inherited from Romans package, reused exactly. 2 Timothy note: also used of Timothy’s family-transmitted faith (1:5), of false teachers overturning ‘the faith’ as a body of belief (2:18), and of Paul having ‘kept the faith’ (4:7) — the same word covers personal trust and transmitted content of belief; context must disambiguate.


Called

Approved rendering: κλητός
Transliteration: klitós
Doctrine: Divine Calling
Original: κλητός / κλῆσις
Category: Salvation

Inherited from Romans package, reused exactly. See ‘calling’ for the Modern Greek secular-bleaching risk affecting the related noun; same caution applies at 1:9.


Sanctification

Approved rendering: αγιασμός
Transliteration: agiasmós
Doctrine: Sanctification
Original: ἁγιασμός
Category: Sanctification

Inherited from Romans package, reused exactly. 2 Timothy note: 2:21 (the vessel that ‘cleanses himself’ becomes ‘set apart, useful to the master’) — keep the Epiphany water-blessing ritual association from narrowing this to a liturgical rite rather than ongoing moral purification tied to guarding sound doctrine.


Election

Approved rendering: εκλογή
Transliteration: eklogí
Doctrine: Effectual Calling
Rejected alternatives: εκλογή με τη σύγχρονη κυρίαρχη πολιτική έννοια (πολιτικές εκλογές, ψηφοφορία)
Original: ἐκλεκτός / ἐκλογή
Category: Salvation

Inherited from Romans package. 2 Timothy note: 2:10 (‘for the sake of the elect’, εκλεκτοί) grounds Paul’s endurance in suffering; guard against the political ballot-box association, especially since this term appears in a passage about hardship rather than a passage explicitly about doctrine, where the political drift is less likely to be caught by context alone.


Promise

Approved rendering: υπόσχεση (επαγγελία)
Transliteration: epangelia
Doctrine: Covenant
Rejected alternatives: επαγγελία συγχεόμενη με το σύγχρονο ‘επάγγελμα’ (profession)
Original: ἐπαγγελία
Category: Covenant

Inherited from Romans package. 2 Timothy note: 1:1 (‘the promise of life that is in Christ Jesus’) — the mis-derivation risk toward ‘επάγγελμα’ applies identically here.


Entrust To Faithful Men

Approved rendering: παρατίθημι / πιστοί άνθρωποι
Transliteration: paratithēmi / pistoi anthrōpoi
Doctrine: Faithful Transmission of the Gospel
Original: παρατίθημι / πιστοὶ ἄνθρωποι
Category: Faithful Transmission

Render ‘εμπιστεύσου/παράδωσε… σε αξιόπιστους ανθρώπους’, keeping the παραθήκη root-family visible where feasible (2:2) to preserve the letter’s controlling metaphor across 1:12–2:2. ‘Πιστοί’ must convey reliability as transmitters, not merely ‘believing’ — Paul’s point is a chain of custody, not merely a chain of belief.


All Scripture

Approved rendering: πᾶσα Γραφή / όλη η Γραφή
Transliteration: pasa graphē
Doctrine: Inspiration and Sufficiency of Scripture
Original: πᾶσα γραφή
Category: Scripture

3:16. Modern Greek ‘γραφή’ also means ordinary handwriting/written composition; the fixed pairing with θεόπνευστος immediately following anchors the canonical sense, but the term should not stand entirely unsupported by that co-text.


Judge Living And Dead

Approved rendering: κριτής ζώντων και νεκρών
Transliteration: krinein zōntas kai nekrous
Doctrine: The Judgment of Christ
Original: κρίνειν ζῶντας καὶ νεκρούς / δίκαιος κριτής
Category: Reward/Eschatology

4:1, cf. 4:8 ‘δίκαιος κριτής’. Strong asset: a fixed formula from the Greek Nicene Creed, recited in every Divine Liturgy — requires no gloss. Elsewhere in the curriculum, watch that ‘κριτής’ does not casually slip toward its secular sense of a contest/talent-show judge.


Preach The Word

Approved rendering: κήρυξε τον λόγο
Transliteration: kēryxon ton logon
Doctrine: The Charge to Preach the Word
Original: κήρυξον τὸν λόγον
Category: Ministry

4:2, the central imperative of the ministry charge. Stable, dignified, established Bible-translation vocabulary, but Modern Greek also applies κήρυγμα to secular political sloganeering (‘κήρυγμα μίσους’, hate speech); keep the gospel-proclamation sense clear through context.


Turn Away From Truth

Approved rendering: θα αποστρέψουν την ακοή τους από την αλήθεια
Transliteration: apostrephō apo tēs alētheias
Doctrine: Apostasy and False Teachers in the Last Days
Original: ἀπὸ τῆς ἀληθείας τὴν ἀκοὴν ἀποστρέψουσιν
Category: Apostasy

4:4. Preserve the moral force of deliberate rejection; do not soften into a neutral ‘will stop listening’.


Fulfill Your Ministry

Approved rendering: εκπλήρωσε πλήρως τη διακονία σου
Transliteration: tēn diakonian sou plērophorēson
Doctrine: The Charge to Preach the Word
Rejected alternatives: πληροφόρησε τη διακονία σου (FORBIDDEN — modern ‘πληροφορώ’ means ‘to inform/notify’)
Original: τὴν διακονίαν σου πληροφόρησον
Category: Ministry

4:5, the concluding summary imperative of the whole charge. FORBIDDEN: modern verb ‘πληροφορώ’ means simply ‘to inform/notify’; using it here reads as ‘notify your ministry’. Use ‘εκπλήρωσε πλήρως’ or ‘φέρε σε πέρας πλήρως’ instead.


Testimony

Approved rendering: μαρτυρία
Transliteration: martyrion (source, rendered martyria)
Doctrine: Faithful Transmission of the Gospel
Rejected alternatives: μαρτύριο (Modern Greek ‘torment/ordeal’ — collides with, but is not, Paul’s intended sense at 1:8)
Original: μαρτύριον
Category: Faithful Transmission

1:8. Use ‘μαρτυρία’ (testimony/witness), NOT ‘μαρτύριο’, to avoid the collision with Modern Greek’s dominant ‘torment’ sense — a real risk given the letter’s genuine suffering theme makes the wrong reading thematically plausible.


United With Christ In Suffering And Reign

Approved rendering: συναποθνήσκω / συζώ / υπομένω / συμβασιλεύω
Transliteration: synapothnēskō / syzōmen / hypomenomen / symbasileusomen
Doctrine: Assurance of Reward
Original: συναποθνήσκω / συζῶμεν / ὑπομένομεν / συμβασιλεύσομεν
Category: Assurance of Reward

2:11-12, a creedal couplet building assurance of future reward on present union with Christ. All are transparent, fully productive συν- compounds in Modern Greek. ‘Υπομένω’ risks flattening into everyday queue-line patience; reinforce the specifically theological weight of sustained faithfulness under real hardship.


Deny And Gods Faithfulness

Approved rendering: αρνούμαι / παραμένει πιστός
Transliteration: arneomai / pistos menei
Doctrine: Divine Faithfulness amid Human Unfaithfulness
Original: ἀρνέομαι … πιστὸς μένει
Category: Assurance of Reward

2:12-13. The passage moves within one breath from a severe warning (denial has real consequence) to an assurance grounded in God’s unshakeable character (‘he cannot deny himself’). Preserve both halves without collapsing either into the other.


Rightly Handle The Word

Approved rendering: ορθοτομώντας τον λόγο της αλήθειας
Transliteration: orthotomounta ton logon tēs alētheias
Doctrine: Guarding Sound Doctrine
Rejected alternatives: σωστά χειρίζομαι (too generic, loses the ‘cut straight’ image)
Original: ὀρθοτομοῦντα τὸν λόγον τῆς ἀληθείας
Category: Sound Doctrine

2:15. A defining image for guarding sound doctrine — cutting a straight line/furrow. Rare, technical compound absent from everyday Modern Greek vocabulary; requires brief explanatory framing at first occurrence rather than being left as opaque jargon.


Repentance

Approved rendering: μετάνοια
Transliteration: metanoia
Doctrine: Repentance and Restoration of the Erring
Original: μετάνοια
Category: Apostasy

2:25, God-granted change of mind/heart leading opponents to a knowledge of the truth. Modern Greek Orthodox devotional practice uses the plural ‘μετάνοιες’ as the technical term for physical prostrations in prayer, especially during Great Lent — a ritual-physical narrowing that could crowd out the inward, cognitive/moral sense intended. Gloss at first occurrence.


Last Days

Approved rendering: έσχατες ημέρες
Transliteration: eschatai hēmerai
Doctrine: Apostasy and False Teachers in the Last Days
Original: ἔσχαται ἡμέραι
Category: Apostasy

3:1. Stable and theologically weighty in Greek Orthodox eschatology (an asset), but must be taught as an already-present reality exemplified in Timothy’s own contemporaries, not exclusively a future countdown — a common popular-eschatology misreading this curriculum should proactively correct.


Persecution For Godliness

Approved rendering: διωγμοί / όσοι θέλουν να ζήσουν ευσεβώς εν Χριστώ… θα διωχθούν
Transliteration: diōgmoi, pathēmata / eusebōs zēn en Christō … diōchthēsontai
Doctrine: Perseverance under Suffering
Original: διωγμοί, παθήματα / εὐσεβῶς ζῆν ἐν Χριστῷ … διωχθήσονται
Category: Perseverance

3:11-12, Paul’s general-rule claim grounded in named experiences (Antioch, Iconium, Lystra). ‘Διωγμός’ is stable and weighty in Greek historical/Orthodox memory (an asset); ensure the universal causal claim is not softened into a merely possible outcome.


Impostor Deceiver

Approved rendering: απατεώνες / πλάνοι
Transliteration: goētes (source, rendered apateōnes)
Doctrine: Apostasy and False Teachers in the Last Days
Rejected alternatives: γόης χωρίς επεξήγηση (FORBIDDEN — has drifted in Modern Greek to mean ‘a charming, attractive man’)
Original: πονηροὶ ἄνθρωποι καὶ γόητες
Category: Apostasy

3:13. FORBIDDEN unglossed use of ‘γόης’, a near-total connotation reversal from Paul’s pejorative sense. Use ‘απατεώνες’ or ‘πλάνοι’ to avoid an accidental compliment where Paul intends a warning.


Crown Of Righteousness

Approved rendering: ο στέφανος της δικαιοσύνης
Transliteration: ho tēs dikaiosynēs stephanos
Doctrine: Assurance of Reward
Original: ὁ τῆς δικαιοσύνης στέφανος
Category: Assurance of Reward

4:8, the eschatological reward, an athlete’s victor’s-wreath image continuing from 4:7’s finished race. ‘Στέφανος’ is fully alive, but its single most common present-day cultural association is the Orthodox wedding crown (τα στέφανα). Requires a brief clarifying note distinguishing the athletic victor’s-wreath image from the nuptial image.


Abandon Forsake

Approved rendering: εγκαταλείπω
Transliteration: enkataleipō
Doctrine: Perseverance under Suffering
Original: ἐγκαταλείπω
Category: Perseverance

4:10, 4:16, used twice of human abandonment of Paul (Demas, and ‘all’ at his defense), echoing Christ’s own cry of dereliction. Stable and carries appropriate emotional/theological weight — precisely the verb used in the Greek liturgical reading of Christ’s cry of dereliction, a genuine asset. Preserve gravity; do not soften.


Ministry Service

Approved rendering: διακονία
Transliteration: diakonia
Doctrine: The Charge to Preach the Word
Original: διακονία
Category: Ministry

4:5, 4:11. Timothy’s whole pastoral-apostolic ministry, considerably broader than any single ordained office. Modern ecclesiastical usage narrows ‘διακονία’ toward the specific ordained deacon office (διάκονος); always accompany with a note anchoring the general ministry sense.


Medium Risk Terms

Glory

Approved rendering: δόξα
Transliteration: dóxa
Doctrine: Deity of Christ
Rejected alternatives: δόξα με τη σύγχρονη έννοια της φήμης ή επιτυχίας (π.χ. αθλητική δόξα)
Original: δόξα
Category: God

Inherited from Romans package, reused exactly. 2 Timothy note: 2:10 (‘salvation… with eternal glory’) and 4:18 (closing doxology) — guard against the secular sense of fame/acclaim.


Seed Of David

Approved rendering: σπέρμα Δαβίδ
Transliteration: spérma Davíd
Doctrine: Davidic Covenant
Original: σπέρμα Δαυίδ
Category: Covenant

Inherited from Romans package, reused exactly. 2 Timothy note: 2:8 (‘Jesus Christ, risen from the dead, the seed of David’) pairs this directly with resurrection as summary gospel content Timothy must remember and guard.


Kingdom Of God

Approved rendering: βασιλεία του Θεού
Transliteration: vasileía tou Theoú
Doctrine: Kingdom Mission
Original: βασιλεία
Category: Kingdom

Inherited from Romans package. 2 Timothy note: rendered ‘η βασιλεία αὐτοῦ’ at 4:1 (Christ’s kingdom, paired with his judgment and appearing) and 4:18 (final heavenly deliverance) — distinguish from a political or national-cultural kingdom.


Sin

Approved rendering: αμαρτία
Transliteration: amartía
Doctrine: Universal Human Accountability
Rejected alternatives: αμαρτία με την καθημερινή, εξασθενημένη έννοια του ‘κρίμα’
Original: ἁμαρτία
Category: Sin

Inherited from Romans package. 2 Timothy note: 3:6 (women ‘laden with sins’, deceived by false teachers infiltrating households).


Gentiles

Approved rendering: έθνη
Transliteration: éthni
Doctrine: Unity of Jews and Gentiles
Rejected alternatives: εθνικοί με σύγχρονη εθνικιστική χροιά
Original: ἔθνη
Category: Church

Inherited from Romans package. 2 Timothy note: 4:17 (‘so that… all the Gentiles might hear’) ties the term to the universal scope of gospel proclamation amid Paul’s personal rescue narrative.


Spiritual Gifts

Approved rendering: πνευματικά χαρίσματα
Transliteration: pnevmatiká charísmata
Doctrine: Spiritual Gifts
Original: χαρίσματα
Category: Church

Inherited from Romans package. 2 Timothy note: 1:6 refers to a singular, personal, ordination-specific ‘χάρισμα’ given to Timothy — see the dedicated ‘spiritual_gift_personal’ entry below for the nuance not present in the baseline’s plural, congregational sense.


Peace

Approved rendering: ειρήνη
Transliteration: eiríni
Doctrine: Peace with God
Rejected alternatives: ειρήνη με την ησυχαστική έννοια της εσωτερικής ή νοερής ησυχίας (μυστικιστική παράδοση)
Original: εἰρήνη
Category: Salvation

Inherited from Romans package. 2 Timothy note: 1:2 (greeting) and 2:22 (‘pursue righteousness, faith, love, and peace’ — a relational virtue among believers rather than the forensic peace-with-God sense). Distinguish from the Hesychast mystical-contemplative sense per the baseline.


Sacred Writings

Approved rendering: τα ιερά γράμματα
Transliteration: hiera grammata
Doctrine: Inspiration and Sufficiency of Scripture
Original: ἱερὰ γράμματα
Category: Scripture

3:15 — the body of authoritative religious writings Timothy has known ‘from infancy’. Stable and dignified; must not be flattened into generic ‘religious literature’ — emphasis is on divinely authoritative texts, reinforced by v.16’s θεόπνευστος.


Scripture Fourfold Purpose

Approved rendering: διδασκαλία, έλεγχος, επανόρθωση, παιδεία
Transliteration: didaskalia, elegchos, epanorthōsis, paideia
Doctrine: Inspiration and Sufficiency of Scripture
Original: διδασκαλία, ἔλεγχος, ἐπανόρθωσις, παιδεία ἐν δικαιοσύνῃ
Category: Scripture

3:16. ‘Έλεγχος’ risks flattening into the bureaucratic ‘audit/inspection’ sense (tax audit, ID check); anchor to personal moral conviction. ‘Παιδεία’ risks narrowing into formal schooling (Υπουργείο Παιδείας); anchor to character formation, adding ‘διαπαιδαγώγηση’/‘διαμόρφωση χαρακτήρα’ if ambiguity persists.


Reprove Rebuke Exhort

Approved rendering: έλεγξε, επιτίμησε, παρακάλεσε
Transliteration: elegxon, epitimēson, parakaleson
Doctrine: Guarding Sound Doctrine
Original: ἔλεγξον, ἐπιτίμησον, παρακάλεσον
Category: Ministry

4:2, the full pastoral toolkit. ‘Έλεγχος’ inherits the audit/inspection bleaching risk. ‘Επιτίμηση’ retains its NT force in liturgical memory. ‘Παρακάλεσε’ needs elevated context to avoid the casual ‘please’ register.


Itching Ears

Approved rendering: με φαγούρα στην ακοή
Transliteration: knēthomenoi tēn akoēn
Doctrine: Apostasy and False Teachers in the Last Days
Rejected alternatives: λέξη-προς-λέξη απόδοση χωρίς επεξηγηματικό πλαίσιο (κινδυνεύει να ακουστεί απλά παράξενη)
Original: κνηθόμενοι τὴν ἀκοήν
Category: Apostasy

4:3. No standing Modern Greek idiom matches this image; render literally but always with brief explanatory framing (‘an insatiable appetite for novel, flattering teaching’) so the image lands as pointed diagnosis rather than merely odd.


Myths

Approved rendering: μύθοι
Transliteration: mythoi
Doctrine: Apostasy and False Teachers in the Last Days
Original: μῦθοι
Category: Apostasy

4:4. Stable and intelligible, but Modern Greek also uses ‘μύθος’ for classical Greek mythology (national pride) or loosely for any false popular belief. Ensure the term is read as any fabricated substitute for revealed truth generally, not a dismissive nod to Greek mythological heritage specifically (relevant to contemporary Hellenic-revivalist reclamation of the term).


Be Sober Minded

Approved rendering: νήφε / να είσαι νηφάλιος
Transliteration: nēphe
Doctrine: The Charge to Preach the Word
Original: νῆφε
Category: Ministry

4:5 (cf. 2:26 ἀνανήφω). Modern Greek ‘νηφάλιος’ primarily denotes literal (non-alcohol) sobriety; the metaphorical spiritual-alertness sense is present but secondary and needs contextual reinforcement.


Endure Hardship

Approved rendering: κακοπάθησε
Transliteration: kakopathēson
Doctrine: Perseverance under Suffering
Original: κακοπάθησον
Category: Perseverance

4:5, cf. 2:9. Stable literary/biblical verb, not in everyday casual use, which helps preserve its weight; ensure it is not softened into mere ‘inconvenience’.


Work Of An Evangelist

Approved rendering: κάνε το έργο του ευαγγελιστή
Transliteration: ergon poiēson euangelistou
Doctrine: The Charge to Preach the Word
Original: ἔργον ποίησον εὐαγγελιστοῦ
Category: Ministry

4:5. Shares the baseline ‘ευαγγέλιο’ root exactly. In Greek Orthodox usage the capitalized ‘Ευαγγελιστές’ refers specifically to the Four Gospel-writers; a brief clarifying note that Timothy is charged with the ongoing ministry function of proclamation (not Scripture-authorship) is advisable at first occurrence.


Mercy

Approved rendering: έλεος
Transliteration: eleos
Doctrine: God
Original: ἔλεος
Category: God

1:2, unique to this greeting among Paul’s letters (absent from Romans’ greeting). Strong liturgical asset (‘Κύριε ελέησον’, ‘Lord, have mercy’), but watch for the casual exclamatory use (‘Έλεος!’ ≈ ‘Give me a break!’) bleeding into lighter-register material.


Spiritual Gift Personal

Approved rendering: το χάρισμα
Transliteration: charisma
Doctrine: Ordination and Stewardship of Spiritual Gifts
Original: χάρισμα
Category: Church

1:6, Timothy’s own singular ordination gift, given through the laying on of Paul’s hands, to be ‘fanned into flame’ (αναζωπυρέω) — a vivid, fully alive Modern Greek image requiring no gloss. Guard against the secular sense of natural talent/personal charisma (‘έχει χάρισμα στην ομιλία’).


Spirit Of Power Love Selfcontrol

Approved rendering: πνεύμα δειλίας… δύναμη, αγάπη και εγκράτεια
Transliteration: pneuma deilias… dynamis kai agapē kai sōphronismos
Doctrine: Perseverance under Suffering
Rejected alternatives: σωφρονισμός (avoid — Modern Greek ‘σωφρονιστικό σύστημα’ is the standard term for the penal/correctional prison system)
Original: πνεῦμα δειλίας … δύναμις καὶ ἀγάπη καὶ σωφρονισμός
Category: Perseverance

1:7. Prefer ‘εγκράτεια’ or ‘σωφροσύνη’ over ‘σωφρονισμός’ to sidestep the prison-system association.


Guard The Deposit

Approved rendering: φυλάσσω / τηρώ
Transliteration: tēreō / phylassō
Doctrine: Guarding Sound Doctrine
Original: τηρέω / φυλάσσω
Category: Sound Doctrine

1:14, cf. 4:7. Both fully alive in Modern Greek; ensure the guarding is understood as doctrinal fidelity to the παραθήκη, not merely ritual observance.


Soldier Of Christ

Approved rendering: στρατιώτης
Transliteration: stratiōtēs
Doctrine: Perseverance under Suffering
Original: στρατιώτης
Category: Perseverance

2:3-4, the first of three vocational metaphors (soldier, athlete, farmer). Zero-gap and vivid, but Greece’s strong national-military historical identity risks importing patriotic overtones foreign to Paul’s point; keep the referent explicitly Christ (‘who enlisted him’), not civic duty.


Faithful Is The Saying

Approved rendering: πιστός ο λόγος
Transliteration: pistos ho logos
Doctrine: Faithful Transmission of the Gospel
Original: πιστὸς ὁ λόγος
Category: Faithful Transmission

2:11, a fixed formula marking a received, creed-like fragment as reliable. Ensure its quotation-marking, formulaic function is clear (through punctuation/framing) rather than read as a general aphorism about faithfulness in the abstract.


Approved Worker

Approved rendering: δόκιμος / αδόκιμος
Transliteration: dokimos / adokimos
Doctrine: Guarding Sound Doctrine
Original: δόκιμος / ἀδόκιμος
Category: Sound Doctrine

2:15 (positive); 3:8 (negative, of false teachers). Modern Greek ‘δόκιμος’ has acquired a specific institutional sense of ‘cadet/probationary trainee’ (police, military); context must convey ‘tested and proven’, not ‘still under evaluation’.


Vessel For Honor

Approved rendering: σκεύος
Transliteration: skeuos
Doctrine: Guarding Sound Doctrine
Original: σκεῦος εἰς τιμήν / εἰς ἀτιμίαν
Category: Sound Doctrine

2:20-21, the household-vessel metaphor for the church’s mixed composition. ‘Σκεύος’ is a common everyday word for kitchen utensils, which risks trivializing the image unless the metaphorical framing (gold, silver, wood, clay vessels) is kept explicit in surrounding context.


Godliness

Approved rendering: ευσέβεια
Transliteration: eusebeia
Doctrine: Apostasy and False Teachers in the Last Days
Original: εὐσέβεια
Category: Apostasy

3:5, 3:12. Stable in formal/liturgical Modern Greek, not everyday casual speech; ensure it denotes genuine devoted living, not mere ceremonial religiosity — precisely the confusion 3:5 diagnoses.


Fought The Good Fight

Approved rendering: τον καλό αγώνα αγωνίστηκα
Transliteration: ton kalon agōna ēgōnismai
Doctrine: Assurance of Reward
Original: τὸν καλὸν ἀγῶνα ἠγώνισμαι
Category: Assurance of Reward

4:7. ‘Αγώνας’ is fully alive but dominantly means a sports match or a political/social struggle in everyday usage; elevate register through surrounding context to retain the sense of a noble contest for the faith.


Rescued By The Lord

Approved rendering: ρύομαι
Transliteration: errysthēn ek stomatos leontos / rhysetai
Doctrine: Perseverance under Suffering
Original: ἐρρύσθην ἐκ στόματος λέοντος / ῥύσεται
Category: Perseverance

4:17-18. ‘Ρύομαι’ is stable and vivid; the ‘lion’s mouth’ image is likely figurative for mortal danger generally (possibly the imperial court) rather than a literal arena account — a brief historical note is advisable in teaching material.


Libation Offering

Approved rendering: σπονδή (σπένδομαι)
Transliteration: spendomai
Doctrine: The Believer’s Death as a Completed Offering
Original: σπένδομαι
Category: Perseverance

4:6. Rare, literary/sacrificial term absent from everyday Modern Greek usage; render with brief explanatory framing (‘σαν σπονδή’, ‘like a libation/drink-offering’) so the co-opted pagan-ritual image is recognized as a dignified, positive theological figure rather than lost on a contemporary reader.


Not Ashamed

Approved rendering: επαισχύνομαι / ντρέπομαι
Transliteration: epaischynomai
Doctrine: Shame and Bold Witness

1:8, 1:12, 1:16, a refrain across chapter 1. Stable and clear in Modern Greek; risk is only secondary, via the adjacent μαρτυρία/μαρτύριο collision noted under ‘testimony’.


Herald Kerygma

Approved rendering: κήρυκας / κήρυγμα
Transliteration: kēryx / kērygma
Doctrine: The Charge to Preach the Word

1:11, 4:17. Paul’s own ministry self-description (‘herald, apostle, teacher’), anticipating the κήρυξον charge at 4:2. κήρυγμα is a positive Greek Orthodox liturgical asset (homilies are themselves called κηρύγματα) but also used in secular political sloganeering (‘κήρυγμα μίσους’); keep the gospel-proclamation sense clear through context.


Servant Of The Lord

Approved rendering: δούλος Κυρίου
Transliteration: doulos kyriou
Doctrine: Guarding Sound Doctrine

2:24. Modern Greek ‘δούλος’ retains its historical ‘slave/bondservant’ meaning strongly (reinforced by Greece’s own national-historical memory of δουλεία under Ottoman rule) — largely an asset for conveying total submission to Christ; should not be softened into the diminished sense of a lowly employee.


Low Risk Terms

Exhort

Approved rendering: προτρέπω
Transliteration: protrépo
Doctrine: Mutual Edification
Original: παρακαλέω
Category: Faith

Inherited from Romans package. 2 Timothy note: imperative form at 4:2 rendered ‘παρακάλεσε’; keep register elevated and pastoral, not the casual ‘please/you’re welcome’ sense, especially standing alongside sharper words (‘reprove, rebuke’) in the same list.


Thanksgiving

Approved rendering: ευχαριστία
Transliteration: efcharistía
Doctrine: Thanksgiving
Rejected alternatives: Θεία Ευχαριστία αποκλειστικά (η Ευχαριστία ως Μυστήριο)
Original: εὐχαριστία / εὐχαριστῶ
Category: Faith

Inherited from Romans package. 2 Timothy note: 1:3 (‘I thank God’) — general gratitude, not the sacramental sense; distinguish per the baseline.


Apostle

Approved rendering: απόστολος
Transliteration: apóstolos
Doctrine: Apostleship
Original: ἀπόστολος
Category: Church

Inherited from Romans package, reused exactly. 2 Timothy note: 1:1, 1:11 — Paul’s self-identification grounding his authority to charge Timothy.


David

Approved rendering: Δαβίδ
Transliteration: Davíd
Doctrine: Davidic Covenant
Original: Δαυίδ
Category: Covenant

Inherited from Romans package, reused exactly. 2 Timothy note: 2:8, within the ‘seed of David’ phrase.


In Season Out Of Season

Approved rendering: σε κατάλληλο και ακατάλληλο καιρό
Transliteration: eukairōs akairōs
Doctrine: The Charge to Preach the Word
Original: εὐκαίρως ἀκαίρως
Category: Ministry

4:2. The καιρός root remains fully alive and unambiguous in Modern Greek; no gloss required.


Patience Longsuffering

Approved rendering: μακροθυμία
Transliteration: makrothymia
Doctrine: Guarding Sound Doctrine
Original: μακροθυμία
Category: Ministry

4:2. Stable, dignified liturgical/biblical term, not used casually in Modern Greek; retains its theological weight without secular competition.


Rekindle The Gift

Approved rendering: αναζωπυρώνω
Transliteration: anazōpyreō
Doctrine: Ordination and Stewardship of Spiritual Gifts

1:6. Fully alive and vivid in Modern Greek (used of rekindling fires literally and enthusiasm figuratively) — a genuine asset requiring no gloss.


Firm Foundation

Approved rendering: θεμέλιο
Transliteration: themelios
Doctrine: Guarding Sound Doctrine
Original: θεμέλιος
Category: Sound Doctrine

2:19. Fully stable, common also in literal construction contexts; the metaphor transfers naturally with no gloss required.


Love Agape

Approved rendering: αγάπη
Transliteration: agapē
Doctrine: Faith
Original: ἀγάπη
Category: Faith

2:22, listed among the virtues Timothy is to pursue alongside righteousness, faith, and peace. The standard NT/Modern Greek word for self-giving love, with no significant secular competition in formal register.


Sincere Faith

Approved rendering: ανυπόκριτη πίστη
Transliteration: anypokritos pistis
Doctrine: Generational and Family Discipleship

1:5, Timothy’s faith traced through Lois and Eunice. Transparent compound of two fully stable words (baseline ‘πίστη’ + the baseline-adjacent ‘υποκρισία’).


Gangrene

Approved rendering: γάγγραινα
Transliteration: gangraina
Doctrine: Guarding Sound Doctrine

2:17. A stable medical term in Modern Greek with no competing sense — a strong, visceral asset for conveying how false teaching corrupts a body of believers, requiring no gloss.


Medium-High Risk Terms

Immortality

Approved rendering: αφθαρσία
Transliteration: aphtharsia
Doctrine: Assurance of Reward
Original: ἀφθαρσία
Category: Reward/Eschatology

1:10. Zero lexical gap, but sits near Greek Orthodox theosis vocabulary (participation in God’s own incorruptibility, 2 Peter 1:4). Preserve 2 Timothy’s own emphasis — a decisive gift already ‘brought to light through the gospel’ — without either flattening it or importing the full theosis framework uncritically.

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