Core Glossary
Core Glossary — Hebrews (Greek Destination Language)
This glossary consolidates every load-bearing term identified in 07_semantic_analysis.md, across all 13 chapters of Hebrews plus the core passage (9:11–28). Terms already fixed by the baseline Romans/Galatians translation_memory.json are marked [BASELINE — REUSE EXACTLY] and must not be re-derived or altered. New terms specific to Hebrews are marked [NEW] and require entry into translation memory before Phase 2 begins, per the escalation rules in 12_ai_translation_requirements.md.
Legend
- Risk: Critical / High / Medium / Low (per baseline risk_definitions)
- Status: [BASELINE — REUSE EXACTLY] or [NEW]
- FS = Forbidden Substitution (never render this way)
A. Christology and Priesthood Terms
| English | Greek rendering | Transliteration | Risk | Status | Key chapters | Notes / Forbidden Substitutions |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Son of God / the Son | Υιός του Θεού | Yiós tou Theoú | Critical | [BASELINE — REUSE EXACTLY] | 1, 3, 4, 5, 7 | Christ’s unique, eternal Sonship; distinct from believers’ adoptive sonship (baseline note) |
| Lord | Κύριος | Kýrios | Critical | [BASELINE — REUSE EXACTLY] | 1, 7, 13 | Never let it register as the everyday “Mister/Sir” honorific |
| Jesus | Ιησούς | Iisoús | Critical | [BASELINE — REUSE EXACTLY] | throughout | Standard NT form |
| God | Θεός | Theós | Critical | [BASELINE — REUSE EXACTLY] | throughout | Standard, unambiguous |
| Holy Spirit | Άγιο Πνεύμα | Ágio Pnévma | Critical | [BASELINE — REUSE EXACTLY] | 2, 3, 6, 9, 10 | Neuter grammatical gender per baseline note |
| Father | Πατέρας | Patéras | Critical | [BASELINE — REUSE EXACTLY] | 1, 12 | God as personal Father; also earthly fathers (12:9) — disambiguate by context |
| High priest | αρχιερέας | archiereas | Critical | [NEW] | 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10 | FS: never let Christ’s unique high priesthood register as one bishop among the living Orthodox episcopate (αρχιερέας is the standing title for a bishop); mandatory theologian note at every occurrence |
| Priest | ιερέας | hiereas | Critical | [NEW] | 5, 7, 8, 10 | FS: never let critique of the Levitical priesthood generalize into a claim against the ordained Christian priesthood, a question Hebrews does not directly settle |
| Priesthood | ιερωσύνη | hierōsynē | High | [NEW] | 7 | Shares risk-family with ιερέας above |
| Order (of Melchizedek) | τάξη | taxē | Low-Medium | [NEW] | 5, 7 | Disambiguate from “classroom/grade” |
| Melchizedek | Μελχισεδέκ | Melchisedék | Low | [NEW] | 5, 6, 7 | Stable proper name |
| Mediator | μεσίτης | mesítēs | Critical | [NEW] | 8, 9, 12 | FS: never let this register as a real-estate/insurance broker (μεσίτης ακινήτων); distinct from but related to baseline’s μεσιτεία (intercession) risk |
| Intercede / intercession | εντυγχάνω / μεσιτεύω | entynchánō / mesitévō | Critical | [BASELINE — REUSE EXACTLY, extended] | 7 (7:25) | Reuses baseline μεσιτεία (Critical); never default to saintly/Marian mediation as the necessary model — Hebrews describes Christ’s own direct, ongoing intercession |
| Guarantee / surety | εγγυητής | engyitís | High | [NEW] | 7 | FS: never let this register as a commercial product warranty (εγγύηση) |
| Pioneer / author / founder | αρχηγός | archēgós | Medium-High | [NEW] | 2, 12 | Modern Greek default: political/gang “leader/boss” — requires gloss |
| Make perfect / perfect | τελειώνω / τελειοποιώ | teleiónō | High | [NEW] | 2, 5, 7, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13 | FS: never let this collapse into the mundane “finish/get done” sense; one of the highest-frequency risk terms in the book |
| Forerunner | πρόδρομος | pródromos | High | [NEW] | 6 | Standing Orthodox epithet of St. John the Baptist (“ο Πρόδρομος”); requires note when applied to Christ |
| Propitiation / to make propitiation | ιλάσκομαι (εξιλεώνω) | hilaskomai | High | [NEW] | 2 | Root of ιλαστήριον; rare verb requiring definition |
| Mercy seat / atonement cover | ιλαστήριο | hilastērion | High | [NEW] | 9 | Rare, non-mundane term; needs explicit definition |
| Sanctify / sanctification | αγιάζω / αγιασμός | hagiázō / hagiasmós | High | [BASELINE — REUSE EXACTLY] | 2, 9, 10, 13 | See baseline sanctification entry (Epiphany water-blessing ritual-narrowing risk) |
| Unblemished | άμωμος | ámōmos | Low | [NEW] | 7, 9 | Stable |
B. Covenant, Sacrifice, and Cultic Terms
| English | Greek rendering | Transliteration | Risk | Status | Key chapters | Notes / Forbidden Substitutions |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Covenant / testament / will | διαθήκη | diathíki | Critical | [BASELINE — REUSE EXACTLY] | 7, 8, 9, 10, 12, 13 | Special Hebrews note: at 9:16–17 the everyday “last will” sense is the intended meaning (unique exception to the baseline’s general caution) |
| New covenant | καινή διαθήκη | kainí diathíki | Critical | [BASELINE — REUSE EXACTLY] | 8, 9, 12 | Quoting Jeremiah 31 |
| Promise | υπόσχεση (επαγγελία) | ypóschesi (epangelía) | High | [BASELINE — REUSE EXACTLY] | 4, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11 | Anchor with υπόσχεση; retain επαγγελία liturgically |
| Heir / inheritance | κληρονόμος / κληρονομία | klēronómos / klēronomía | Low | [BASELINE — REUSE EXACTLY] | 1, 6, 9, 11 | Stable |
| Redemption / redeem | λύτρωση / απολύτρωση | lýtrōsi / apolýtrōsi | Critical | [BASELINE — REUSE EXACTLY] | 9 | FS: never εξαγοράζω (bribery/corporate buyout) |
| Sacrifice | θυσία | thysía | Critical | [NEW] | 5, 7, 9, 10, 11, 13 | Living Orthodox liturgical term for the Eucharist’s “unbloody sacrifice”; Hebrews’ once-for-all claim must be taught without staging a direct polemic against current sacramental language |
| Offer / offering (verb) | προσφέρω | prosphérō | Medium | [NEW] | 5, 7, 8, 9, 10 | Hold together with εφάπαξ so “offering” is not read as repeatable |
| Blood | αίμα | aíma | Medium | [NEW] | 9, 10, 12, 13 | Theological weight carried by context; asset via living Eucharistic “Blood of Christ” language |
| Sprinkle / sprinkling | ραντίζω / ράντισμα | rantízō / rántisma | Medium | [NEW] | 9, 10, 12 | Asset: connects to Orthodox Great Blessing of Water (αγιασμός) |
| Cleanse / purify | καθαρίζω | katharízō | High | [NEW] | 9, 10 | Modern Greek dominant sense: everyday “cleaning” (καθαριστήριο, “dry cleaner’s”); requires theological anchoring |
| Washings (ceremonial) | βαπτισμοί | baptismoí | Critical | [NEW] | 9 (9:10) | FS: never leave unglossed — root-identical to “Baptism” (Βάπτισμα); must be clarified as obsolete Levitical washings, not a critique of Christian Baptism |
| Once for all / once | εφάπαξ / άπαξ | ephápax / hápax | High | [NEW] | 6, 7, 9, 10 | Doctrinal capstone adverb; theologian review at every occurrence |
| Conscience | συνείδηση | synéidēsi | Medium | [NEW] | 9, 10, 13 | Casual usage (“clear conscience”) can flatten the forensic sense |
| Dead works | νεκρά έργα | nekrá érga | Medium | [NEW] | 6, 9 | Do NOT merge with baseline’s έργα του νόμου (works of the law) — distinct referent |
| Tabernacle / tent | σκηνή | skiní | High | [NEW] | 8, 9, 13 | Modern Greek dominant sense: theatrical/film “scene, stage” |
| Holy Place / Holy of Holies | Άγια / Άγια των Αγίων | Ágia / Ágia tōn Agíōn | Medium | [NEW] | 9 | Shares ἅγιος risk-family with Saints (baseline) |
| Veil / curtain | καταπέτασμα | katapétasma | Medium | [NEW] | 6, 9, 10 | Asset (liturgical curtain use); distinguish from the iconostasis/τέμπλο |
| Altar | θυσιαστήριο | thysiastírio | Medium-High | [NEW] | 13 | Standing term for the altar area in an Orthodox church; frame carefully |
| Copy / antitype | αντίτυπο / αντίγραφο | antítypo / antígrafo | Medium | [NEW] | 9 | Modern Greek default: “photocopy of a document” — needs typological gloss |
| Shadow | σκιά | skiá | Low-Medium | [NEW] | 8, 10 | Needs typological (“foreshadowing”) gloss |
| Obsolete / growing old | παλαιώνω | palaiónō | Low-Medium | [NEW] | 8 | Frame as supersession, not disparagement |
| Ministering / ministry (vessels of) | λειτουργία | leitourgía | Critical | [NEW] | 1 (λειτουργικά πνεύματα), 8, 9 | FS: never let old-covenant “vessels of ministry” or angelic “ministering spirits” register as a reference to the ongoing Divine Liturgy |
C. Faith, Perseverance, and Warning Terms
| English | Greek rendering | Transliteration | Risk | Status | Key chapters | Notes / Forbidden Substitutions |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Faith | πίστη | písti | High | [BASELINE — REUSE EXACTLY] | 4, 6, 10, 11, 12, 13 | Personal trust, not generic belief |
| Assurance / substance (11:1) | υπόσταση | ypóstasi | Critical | [NEW] | 11 | FS: never let this collapse into the technical trinitarian “Person/Hypostasis” category, nor into the secular “legal standing” sense |
| Evidence / conviction (11:1) | (paraphrase) βεβαιότητα / έλεγχος (with gloss) | élenchos | Critical | [NEW] | 11 | FS: never leave έλεγχος unglossed — dominant modern sense is “audit/inspection/school report” |
| Full assurance | βεβαιότητα (πληροφορία with mandatory gloss) | plērophoría | Critical | [NEW] | 6, 10 | FS: never leave πληροφορία unglossed — dominant modern sense is “information” |
| Confession (of faith/hope) | ομολογία | homología | Medium | [NEW] | 3, 4, 10 | Modern Greek also = criminal-legal “confession/guilty plea” |
| Boldness / confidence | παρρησία | parrēsía | Medium-High | [NEW] | 3, 4, 10 | Modern Greek retains civic “freedom of speech” connotation |
| Draw near / approach | προσέρχομαι | prosérchomai | Low | [NEW] | 4, 7, 10, 11, 12 | Stable, unifying access-to-God verb |
| Hope | ελπίδα | elpída | Low-Medium | [NEW] | 3, 6, 7, 10, 11 | Always object-specific in Hebrews (Christ/promise), not generic optimism |
| Rest (eschatological) | κατάπαυση | katápafsi | High | [NEW] | 3, 4 | Distinguish from funeral-liturgy ανάπαυσις (“eternal repose of the dead”) |
| Sabbath-rest | σαββατισμός | savvatismós | Medium-High | [NEW] | 4 | Risk of narrowing to literal Saturday observance |
| Harden (the heart) | σκληρύνω | sklērýnō | Low-Medium | [NEW] | 3 | Stable |
| Unbelief | απιστία | apistía | Medium | [NEW] | 3 | Modern Greek dominant sense: marital infidelity |
| Apostasy / fall away | αποστασία / παραπίπτω | apostasía / parapíptō | High | [BASELINE — REUSE EXACTLY, extended] | 3, 6, 10, 12 | Reuses baseline’s political/national-defection risk profile (per Galatians package caution) |
| Enlightenment / illumination | φωτισμός | fōtismós | High | [NEW] | 6 | Standing alternate Orthodox name for Baptism itself — asset and risk |
| Repentance | μετάνοια | metánoia | Medium | [BASELINE-adjacent; NEW entry] | 6, 12 | Living Orthodox sacramental term (Confession); Hebrews’ sense is broader than the specific rite |
| Endurance / perseverance | υπομονή | ypomoní | Low | [NEW] | 10, 12 | Strong positive cultural virtue-term; asset |
| Shrink back | οπισθοχώρηση / υποστολή | hypostolí | Low-Medium | [NEW] | 10 | Transparent |
| Judgment | κρίση (θεϊκή κρίση) | krísi | Medium | [NEW] | 9, 10 | Modern Greek dominant sense: “economic crisis” — must anchor as divine judgment |
| Race / contest | αγώνας | agṑnas | Low | [NEW] | 12 | Living, positive athletic-heritage asset |
| Discipline / training | παιδεία | paideía | Medium | [NEW] | 12 | Modern Greek dominant sense: formal schooling/education |
| Cloud of witnesses | νέφος μαρτύρων | néfos martýrōn | Medium | [NEW] | 12 | Asset: μάρτυρας’s later “martyr” sense enriches the OT witness-list of ch. 11 |
| Homeland (heavenly) | πατρίδα | patrída | High | [NEW] | 11 | Deeply loaded nationalistic word; must transcend, not endorse, ethnic-national framing |
| Stranger and sojourner | ξένοι και παρεπίδημοι | xénoi kai parepídēmoi | Medium | [NEW] | 11 | Asset: resonates with lived Greek diaspora (ξενιτεία) experience |
| Shaking (eschatological) | σεισμός | seismós | Medium | [NEW] | 12 | Dominant modern sense: literal earthquake (earthquake-prone Greece) |
| Leaders (church) | ηγούμενοι | hēgoúmenoi | High | [NEW] | 13 | Standing Orthodox title for a monastery abbot (singular ηγούμενος); requires clarifying note for general church-leadership sense |
D. Other Reused Baseline Terms Occurring in Hebrews
| English | Greek rendering | Risk | Status | Key chapters |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Grace | χάρη | Critical | [BASELINE — REUSE EXACTLY] | 2, 4, 10, 12, 13 |
| Salvation | σωτηρία | Critical | [BASELINE — REUSE EXACTLY] | 1, 2, 5, 6, 9, 11 |
| Glory | δόξα | Medium | [BASELINE — REUSE EXACTLY] | 1, 2, 3, 13 |
| Holy / Saints | άγιος / άγιοι | Critical | [BASELINE — REUSE EXACTLY] | 3, 6, 9, 10, 13 |
| Sin | αμαρτία | Medium | [BASELINE — REUSE EXACTLY] | 2–4, 9–12 |
| Law | νόμος | High | [BASELINE — REUSE EXACTLY] | 7, 8, 9, 10 |
| Flesh | σάρκα | Critical | [BASELINE — REUSE EXACTLY] | 2, 5, 7, 9, 12 |
| Curse | κατάρα | Medium | [BASELINE — REUSE EXACTLY] | 6 |
| Church / assembly | εκκλησία | Medium | [BASELINE — REUSE EXACTLY] | 2, 12 |
| Called / calling | κλητός / κλήση | Critical | [BASELINE — REUSE EXACTLY] | 3, 9, 11 |
| Fellowship | κοινωνία | Low | [BASELINE — REUSE EXACTLY] | 13 |
| Apostle | απόστολος | Low | [BASELINE — REUSE EXACTLY] | 3 |
| Israel | Ισραήλ | Low | [BASELINE — REUSE EXACTLY] | 8 |
| Moses | Μωυσής | Low | [BASELINE — REUSE EXACTLY] | 3, 7, 8, 9, 11, 12 |
| Prophet | προφήτης | Low | [BASELINE — REUSE EXACTLY] | 1 |
| Gospel (good news) | ευαγγέλιο / ευαγγελίζομαι | High | [BASELINE — REUSE EXACTLY] | 4 |
| Christ / Messiah | Χριστός (preferred) / Μεσσίας | Critical | [BASELINE — REUSE EXACTLY] | throughout |
| Certainly not (μη γένοιτο) | — not attested verbatim in Hebrews — | — | — | (baseline retained for cross-curriculum consistency only) |
E. Escalation Summary for Phase 2 Routing
Automatic Human Theologian Review required (Critical, plus doctrinally sensitive Levitical/Orthodox-collision terms): ἀρχιερεύς, ἱερεύς/ἱερωσύνη, θυσία, λειτουργία, μεσίτης, βαπτισμοί (9:10), διαθήκη (esp. 9:16–17), τελειόω, πληροφορία, ὑπόστασις (11:1), ἔλεγχος (11:1), σωτηρία, χάρη, πίστη (in justification-adjacent contexts), άγιοι, κλήση/κλητός, εντυγχάνω/μεσιτεία (7:25), ηγούμενοι, πρόδρομος, αίμα τῆς διαθήκης quotation (9:20).
Native Speaker Review recommended: κατάπαυσις/σαββατισμός, αρχηγός, καθαρίζω, ἔγγυος, παρρησία, ομολογία, μετάνοια, φωτισμός, πατρίς, σεισμός, παιδεία, κρίσις, σκηνή, αντίτυπο, θυσιαστήριο.
Automated Review sufficient: ἄγκυρα, ὅρκος, ἀμετάθετος, δεκάτη, φιλαδελφία, φιλοξενία, ὑπομονή, ἀγών, ῥίζα πικρίας, πρωτοτόκια, ἄμωμος.
This glossary must be loaded alongside translation_memory.json and bible_term_registry.json before Phase 2 segment translation of Hebrews begins. New entries marked [NEW] above must be written into translation_memory.json (incrementing its version number) prior to first use, per the escalation procedure in 12_ai_translation_requirements.md.
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 exactly. Hebrews 4:16 (‘throne of grace’) and 12:15 (‘falling short of the grace of God’) require the same anchoring against Modern Greek’s secular senses of personal charm and legal pardon.
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 exactly. In Hebrews the term appears more often as moral quality/character (1:9; 7:2; 12:11) than as forensic justification-language; do not force Romans’ forensic emphasis onto every occurrence, but do not lose it at 11:7 (‘heir of the righteousness that comes by faith’).
Salvation
Approved rendering: σωτηρία
Transliteration: sotiría
Doctrine: Salvation
Original: σωτηρία
Category: Salvation
Inherited from Romans package exactly. Hebrews 2:3 (‘so great a salvation’) and 9:28 (salvation at Christ’s second appearing) carry the same theosis-accretion caution as the baseline notes.
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 exactly. Hebrews 3:1 (‘heavenly calling’) and 9:15 (‘those who are called’) require the same active reactivation against the Modern Greek ‘phone call/traffic summons’ secular-bleaching risk.
Saints
Approved rendering: άγιοι
Transliteration: ágioi
Doctrine: Sainthood
Rejected alternatives: Άγιοι αποκλειστικά ως αγιοποιημένα, τιμώμενα πρόσωπα με ονομαστική εορτή
Inherited from Romans package exactly. Same corporate-versus-canonized disambiguation requirement applies wherever Hebrews uses the term of believers generally.
Resurrection
Approved rendering: ανάσταση
Transliteration: anástasi
Doctrine: Resurrection of Christ
Original: ἀνάστασις
Category: Eschatology
Inherited from Romans package exactly. Hebrews 13:20 (‘brought back from the dead’) presupposes but does not use the noun directly in the core passage; retain baseline rendering wherever the concept appears (6:2, 11:35).
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 exactly. Hebrews’ extensive direct Septuagint quotation (e.g. 1:10, citing Psalm 102) gives the Greek reader unusually direct access to Κύριος’s YHWH background; never let it register as the everyday ‘Mister/Sir’ honorific. See 05_translation_landscape.md §4.1 for the New World Translation’s manipulation of exactly this verse — never echo it.
Son Of God
Approved rendering: Υιός του Θεού
Transliteration: Yiós tou Theoú
Doctrine: Sonship of Christ
Rejected alternatives: Υιός του Θεού με τη γενική έννοια που αποδίδεται σε κάθε πιστό
Original: υἱὸς θεοῦ / ὁ υἱός
Category: Christology
Inherited from Romans package exactly. Hebrews 1 is among the strongest deity-of-Christ texts in the NT (1:3, 1:5, 1:8); must not read as adoptive or honorary sonship, nor as one exalted figure among the created ministering spirits (1:14).
Flesh
Approved rendering: σάρκα
Transliteration: sarx
Doctrine: Sin
Rejected alternatives: σάρκα αποκλειστικά με τη φιλοσοφική δυϊστική έννοια σώματος εναντίον ψυχής
Original: σάρξ
Category: Sin
Inherited from Romans package exactly, but flag the DISTINCT sense-range explicitly for Hebrews: 9:13 (‘purity of the σάρκα’) and 2:14 (Christ sharing ‘flesh and blood’) use σάρκα in the neutral bodily sense, NOT the Critical sin-oriented-self sense the baseline documents for Galatians 5. Translator notes must distinguish these two senses so they are not flattened into one.
Messiah
Approved rendering: Μεσσίας
Transliteration: Messías
Doctrine: Messianic Promise
Inherited from Romans package exactly. ‘Χριστός’ is Hebrews’ own overwhelmingly preferred title throughout; reserve Μεσσίας for contexts specifically invoking the Hebrew messianic-promise background, per baseline guidance.
Covenant
Approved rendering: διαθήκη
Transliteration: diathíki
Doctrine: Davidic Covenant / New Covenant versus Old
Rejected alternatives: διαθήκη με τη σύγχρονη κυρίαρχη έννοια της κληρονομικής διαθήκης (legal will) — ΕΚΤΟΣ από Εβραίους 9:16-17
Original: διαθήκη
Category: Covenant
Inherited from Romans package exactly, but risk ELEVATED for this curriculum given the term’s saturation (chapters 7-9, 12-13) and its unique double role. Elsewhere in Hebrews the everyday Modern Greek ‘last will’ sense must be actively fenced off toward the relational-covenant sense. MANDATORY EXCEPTION: at Hebrews 9:16-17 the author deliberately exploits the ordinary legal ‘will’ sense as the argument itself (a will/testament takes effect only at the testator’s death) — this single reversal must be flagged explicitly in teaching notes so learners are not confused when the ‘wrong’ secular meaning becomes, for two verses only, the intended one. Do not generalize this exception elsewhere.
Intercession
Approved rendering: μεσιτεία / εντυγχάνω / μεσιτεύω
Transliteration: mesiteía / entynchánō
Doctrine: Christ’s Eternal Intercession
Rejected alternatives: μεσιτεία αποκλειστικά των αγίων και της Παναγίας ως απαραίτητων μεσαζόντων
Original: ἐντυγχάνω
Category: Priesthood
Inherited and EXTENDED from Romans package. Hebrews 7:25 (‘he always lives to make intercession for them’) and 9:24 describe Christ’s own direct, ongoing intercession. Greek Orthodox piety gives the saints’ and especially the Παναγία’s intercession a constant, central liturgical role (paraklesis services, pilgrimage sites such as Tinos); this must not default to saintly or Marian mediation as the necessary model, though the curriculum should not argue against requesting others’ prayers.
Jesus
Approved rendering: Ιησούς
Transliteration: Iisoús
Doctrine: Lordship of Christ
Original: Ἰησοῦς
Category: Christology
Inherited from Romans package exactly. Hebrews uses the bare name ‘Ιησούς’ (without ‘Χριστός’) with unusual frequency in its priestly argument (e.g. 2:9; 3:1; 4:14; 6:20; 7:22; 12:2, 24); retain the standard form throughout.
God
Approved rendering: Θεός
Transliteration: Theós
Doctrine: Deity of Christ
Original: θεός
Category: God
Inherited from Romans package exactly. Hebrews 1:8 (‘ο θρόνος σου ο Θεός’) is the single most contested verse in the heterodox-translation landscape (see 05_translation_landscape.md §4.1); never adopt the New World Translation’s relocated-clause reading.
Holy Spirit
Approved rendering: Άγιο Πνεύμα
Transliteration: Ágio Pnévma
Doctrine: Sanctification
Original: πνεῦμα ἅγιον
Category: God
Inherited from Romans package exactly. Testifies through Scripture and offers warning in Hebrews (3:7; 10:15). Neuter grammatical gender per baseline note.
Father
Approved rendering: Πατέρας
Transliteration: Patéras
Doctrine: Adoption into God’s Family / Divine Discipline
Original: πατήρ
Category: God
Inherited from Romans package exactly. Hebrews 12:7-9 uses both the divine and earthly-father senses in close proximity (‘God disciplines us… we had earthly fathers’); disambiguate by context.
Redeem
Approved rendering: λύτρωση / απολύτρωση
Transliteration: lýtrosi / apolýtrosi
Doctrine: Access to God through Christ’s Blood
Rejected alternatives: εξαγοράζω με τη σύγχρονη έννοια της δωροδοκίας ή εταιρικής εξαγοράς
Inherited from Romans package exactly. FORBIDDEN SUBSTITUTION preserved: never εξαγοράζω (bribery/corporate buyout). Hebrews 9:12, 15 applies this to the once-for-all, permanently effective purchase of freedom from sin’s penalty secured by Christ’s own blood.
High Priest
Approved rendering: αρχιερέας
Transliteration: archiereas
Doctrine: Christ as the Great High Priest
Rejected alternatives: αρχιερέας με την τρέχουσα εκκλησιαστική έννοια ενός εν ζωή Ορθόδοξου Αρχιερέα/Επισκόπου, χωρίς διασαφήνιση
Original: ἀρχιερεύς
Category: Priesthood
NEW. αρχιερέας is the living, standard title for a Greek Orthodox bishop (‘Σεβασμιώτατος Αρχιερεύς’). Unglossed reference to Christ as ‘our αρχιερέας’ risks placing him within a class of many living bishops, exactly inverting Hebrews’ point that his priesthood is singular and unrepeatable. Mandatory theologian note at every occurrence (2:17; 3:1; 4:14-15; 5:1, 5, 10; 6:20; 7:26; 8:1, 3; 9:11, 25).
Priest
Approved rendering: ιερέας
Transliteration: hiereas
Doctrine: Superiority of Christ over the Levitical Priesthood
Rejected alternatives: ιερέας ερμηνευμένο ως πολεμική κατά της τρέχουσας χειροτονημένης χριστιανικής ιεροσύνης
Original: ἱερεύς
Category: Priesthood
NEW. ιερέας is the ordinary living title of an active Greek Orthodox parish priest. Hebrews’ critique that the Levitical priesthood is ‘weak and useless’ (7:18) must stay scoped to the Levitical/Aaronic order specifically; this curriculum must not resolve, in either direction, the separate question of the ordained Christian priesthood’s legitimacy, a question Hebrews itself does not directly address.
Mediator
Approved rendering: μεσίτης
Transliteration: mesítēs
Doctrine: New Covenant versus the Old
Rejected alternatives: μεσίτης με τη σύγχρονη εμπορική έννοια του μεσίτη ακινήτων/ασφαλιστικού πράκτορα
Original: μεσίτης
Category: Priesthood
NEW. FORBIDDEN SUBSTITUTION: Modern Greek μεσίτης overwhelmingly denotes a commercial property/insurance broker (‘μεσίτης ακινήτων’). Unglossed, ‘Christ, the μεσίτης of a new covenant’ risks landing as a real-estate agent of a new deal. Distinct from but related to μεσιτεία (intercession); mandatory explanatory note at every occurrence (8:6; 9:15; 12:24).
New Covenant
Approved rendering: καινή διαθήκη
Transliteration: kainí diathíki
Doctrine: New Covenant versus the Old
Original: διαθήκη καινή
Category: Covenant
Inherited from baseline exactly. Hebrews 8:8-12’s extended Septuagint quotation of Jeremiah 31:31-34 gives a Greek reader direct access to the prophecy’s own original wording — a genuine asset. Reused again at 10:16-18; render identically both places per cross-document consistency rules.
Sacrifice
Approved rendering: θυσία
Transliteration: thysía
Doctrine: Once-for-All Atoning Sacrifice
Original: θυσία
Category: Priesthood
NEW. Orthodox liturgical theology speaks of the Eucharist itself as ‘the Sacrifice’ (η Θυσία / η αναίμακτος θυσία), understood as a real participation in Christ’s one sacrifice, not its repetition. Hebrews’ whole argument is that Christ’s θυσία is singular and unrepeatable (7:27; 9:26, 28; 10:10, 12, 14); teach this once-for-all claim with full doctrinal force without staging it as a direct polemic against current Orthodox Eucharistic language.
Washings
Approved rendering: βαπτισμοί (με υποχρεωτική επεξήγηση: τελετουργικοί καθαρισμοί)
Transliteration: vaptismoí
Doctrine: The Cleansing of the Conscience
Rejected alternatives: βαπτισμοί ερμηνευμένο ως πολεμική κατά του Χριστιανικού Βαπτίσματος
Original: βαπτισμοί
Category: Priesthood
NEW. FORBIDDEN SUBSTITUTION: the plural βαπτισμοί (9:10) is lexically identical to the root of ‘Βάπτισμα’ (Christian Baptism). Unglossed, this risks sounding like a critique of the sacrament of Baptism itself rather than obsolete Levitical washings. Mandatory gloss required at every occurrence: ‘τελετουργικοί καθαρισμοί.‘
Ministry Vessels
Approved rendering: λειτουργία
Transliteration: leitourgía
Doctrine: The Heavenly Sanctuary and Its Earthly Copy
Rejected alternatives: λειτουργία ερμηνευμένο ως αναφορά στη τρέχουσα Θεία Λειτουργία
Original: λειτουργία
Category: Priesthood
NEW. In Modern Greek, ‘λειτουργία’ without further qualification is heard first as ‘the Divine Liturgy.’ ‘Vessels of the λειτουργία’ (9:21) risks being heard as sacred vessels currently in liturgical use rather than the Levitical tabernacle’s now-obsolete implements. Requires an explicit note anchoring the reference to the old covenant’s ministry, distinct from the ongoing Christian λειτουργία.
Assurance Substance
Approved rendering: υπόσταση (με υποχρεωτική επεξήγηση)
Transliteration: ypóstasi
Doctrine: Faith of the Old Testament Saints
Rejected alternatives: υπόσταση ερμηνευμένη ως η τεχνική τριαδολογική έννοια του ‘προσώπου’ (Πατέρας, Υιός, Άγιο Πνεύμα), υπόσταση με τη σύγχρονη νομική έννοια της ‘νομικής υπόστασης’
Original: ὑπόστασις
Category: Faith
NEW. FORBIDDEN SUBSTITUTION risk: a catechized Greek reader will default to the technical Cappadocian trinitarian sense (the three ὑποστάσεις/Persons, ‘μία ουσία, τρεις υποστάσεις’) or the secular ‘legal/social standing’ sense; neither conveys Hebrews 11:1’s intended meaning (the substantial ground faith gives to what is hoped for). Requires a mandatory explanatory note distinguishing this everyday-epistle usage from the trinitarian technical term. Note also the distinct sense at 1:3 (χαρακτήρ τῆς ὑποστάσεως αὐτοῦ, ‘essential nature/being’) — a third, separate technical use requiring its own anchoring.
Evidence Conviction
Approved rendering: παράφραση προτιμητέα: ‘η βεβαιότητα για πράγματα που δεν βλέπουμε’ (έλεγχος μόνο σε υποσημείωση)
Transliteration: élenchos
Doctrine: Faith of the Old Testament Saints
Rejected alternatives: έλεγχος αποδοσμένο κατά λέξη, χωρίς παράφραση
Original: ἔλεγχος
Category: Faith
NEW. FORBIDDEN SUBSTITUTION risk: Modern Greek έλεγχος is the completely ordinary word for an audit, inspection, or even a school report card (‘ο έλεγχος’ a child brings home). A bare literal rendering of Hebrews 11:1 risks a jarring, near-comic misreading (‘faith is the audit of things unseen’). A paraphrastic rendering is strongly recommended over a literal one; retain έλεγχος only in a footnote for readers checking against the Greek text.
Full Assurance
Approved rendering: βεβαιότητα (πληροφορία μόνο με υποχρεωτική επεξήγηση)
Transliteration: vevaiótita (plirophoría)
Doctrine: Perseverance and Assurance
Rejected alternatives: πληροφορία αποδοσμένο ως πρωτεύουσα απόδοση, χωρίς επεξήγηση
Original: πληροφορία
Category: Faith
NEW. FORBIDDEN SUBSTITUTION risk: Modern Greek πληροφορία is the everyday word for ‘information’ (an information desk, directory assistance). ‘Full πληροφορία of faith’ unglossed risks a bureaucratic misreading (‘complete information about the faith’) rather than settled inward certainty. Anchor with βεβαιότητα as the primary rendering (6:11; 10:22); retain πληροφορία only parenthetically with a mandatory clarifying note.
High Risk Terms
Gospel
Approved rendering: ευαγγέλιο
Transliteration: evangélio
Doctrine: Gospel
Original: εὐαγγέλιον
Category: Salvation
Inherited from Romans package exactly. Hebrews 4:2, 6 applies the underlying good-news concept to the wilderness generation’s failure to respond in faith; keep distinguished from generic modern ‘good news.‘
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 exactly. Hebrews 11 is the book’s programmatic treatment; the object of faith (God’s specific promise) must remain recoverable from context, not generalized piety.
Called
Approved rendering: κλητός
Transliteration: klitós
Doctrine: Divine Calling
Inherited from Romans package exactly. Occurs in Hebrews 9:15 and 11 in the same sovereign-summons sense as the baseline.
Holy
Approved rendering: άγιος
Transliteration: ágios
Doctrine: Sanctification
Original: ἅγιος
Category: Sanctification
Inherited from Romans package exactly. In Hebrews 9, ἅγια/ἅγια ἁγίων applies the same root to physical sanctuary spaces (Holy Place/Holy of Holies), a distinct architectural sense that must be kept clear from the personal-holiness sense used elsewhere (e.g. 12:14). See holy_place_holy_of_holies entry below.
Sanctification
Approved rendering: αγιασμός / αγιάζω
Transliteration: agiasmós / agiázo
Doctrine: Sanctification
Original: ἁγιασμός / ἁγιάζω
Category: Sanctification
Inherited from Romans package exactly. Hebrews 2:11 and 10:10, 14 use ἁγιάζω to describe a completed, once-for-all sanctifying act tied to the ἐφάπαξ sacrifice — a distinct emphasis from Romans’ more process-oriented sanctification passages; note the difference in teaching material. Also shares the Epiphany water-blessing ritual-narrowing risk documented in the baseline.
Incarnation
Approved rendering: ενανθρώπηση
Transliteration: enanthrópisi
Doctrine: Incarnation
Original: μετέχω αἵματος καὶ σαρκός (2:14) / ὁ λόγος σὰρξ ἐγένετο
Category: Christology
Inherited from Romans package exactly. Hebrews 2:14, 17-18 grounds the incarnation specifically in priestly qualification and solidarity with sufferers (‘shared in flesh and blood’); keep this emphasis distinct from, though compatible with, the theosis framing a Greek reader accesses via Athanasius’s own Greek formula.
Glory
Approved rendering: δόξα
Transliteration: dóxa
Doctrine: Deity of Christ
Rejected alternatives: δόξα με τη σύγχρονη έννοια της φήμης ή επιτυχίας
Original: δόξα
Category: God
Inherited from Romans package exactly (baseline risk Medium; elevated to High for this curriculum). Hebrews 1:3 pairs δόξα directly with απαύγασμα (‘radiance of glory’) in one of the highest Christological statements in the NT.
Law
Approved rendering: νόμος
Transliteration: nómos
Doctrine: Fulfillment of Prophecy
Original: νόμος
Category: Covenant
Inherited from Romans package exactly. Hebrews’ argument (7:11-19; 10:1) concerns the law’s ceremonial/priestly provisions specifically, not law-in-general; keep this referent precise.
Promise
Approved rendering: υπόσχεση (επαγγελία)
Transliteration: ypóschesi (epangelía)
Doctrine: Abrahamic Promise and Divine Oath
Rejected alternatives: επαγγελία συγχεόμενη με το σύγχρονο ‘επάγγελμα’ (profession)
Original: ἐπαγγελία
Category: Covenant
Inherited from Romans package exactly. One of Hebrews’ most frequent terms (4:1; 6:12-17; 7:6; 8:6; 9:15; 10:36; 11:9, 13, 17, 33, 39); anchor with υπόσχεση, retain επαγγελία liturgically.
Priesthood
Approved rendering: ιερωσύνη
Transliteration: hierōsynē
Doctrine: The Priesthood According to the Order of Melchizedek
Original: ἱερωσύνη
Category: Priesthood
NEW. Shares the risk-family of ιερέας above; the priesthood as an office is a living Orthodox institution, requiring the same careful scoping (Hebrews 7).
Guarantee Surety
Approved rendering: εγγυητής
Transliteration: engyitís
Doctrine: Christ as the Great High Priest
Rejected alternatives: εγγυητής με τη σύγχρονη εμπορική έννοια της εγγύησης προϊόντος (product warranty)
Original: ἔγγυος
Category: Priesthood
NEW. FORBIDDEN SUBSTITUTION risk: Modern Greek εγγύηση is the ordinary word for a product/commercial warranty (‘εγγύηση δύο ετών’). Unglossed, ‘Christ the εγγυητής of a better covenant’ (7:22) risks a consumer-warranty register rather than a solemn covenantal guarantee.
Pioneer Founder
Approved rendering: αρχηγός
Transliteration: archēgós
Doctrine: Christ the Sympathetic High Priest
Rejected alternatives: αρχηγός με τη σύγχρονη πολιτική/στρατιωτική/εγκληματική έννοια του ‘αρχηγού’
Original: ἀρχηγός
Category: Christology
NEW. Modern Greek αρχηγός is the ordinary word for a political party leader, army chief, or gang boss (‘ο αρχηγός της συμμορίας’); unglossed, risks a merely political/organizational leadership register rather than the pioneering, suffering-founder sense (2:10; 12:2).
Make Perfect
Approved rendering: τελειώνω / τελειοποιώ
Transliteration: teleiónō
Doctrine: Christ as the Great High Priest / Perseverance
Rejected alternatives: τελειώνω με τη σύγχρονη καθημερινή έννοια του ‘τελειώνω/ολοκληρώνω μια εργασία’
Original: τελειόω
Category: Christology
NEW. FORBIDDEN SUBSTITUTION risk: Modern Greek τελειώνω is the completely ordinary verb for ‘to finish’ a task or meal (‘τελείωσα τη δουλειά’). Unglossed, ‘Christ was τελειωμένος through suffering’ risks sounding like ‘Christ finished up/got done.’ One of the highest-frequency, highest-risk terms in the book (2:10; 5:9; 7:19, 28; 9:9; 10:1, 14; 11:40; 12:23; 13:21); requires consistent theological anchoring at every occurrence.
Forerunner
Approved rendering: πρόδρομος
Transliteration: pródromos
Doctrine: The Priesthood According to the Order of Melchizedek
Original: πρόδρομος
Category: Christology
NEW. In Greek Orthodox tradition ‘ο Πρόδρομος’ is the standing, near-exclusive epithet of St. John the Baptist. Applying this title to Jesus (6:20) risks momentary category-confusion; requires an explanatory note clarifying Hebrews’ distinct sense (one who goes ahead into the heavenly sanctuary on our behalf).
Propitiation
Approved rendering: ιλάσκομαι (εξιλεώνω)
Transliteration: hilaskomai
Doctrine: Christ as the Great High Priest
Original: ἱλάσκομαι
Category: Priesthood
NEW. Rare verb with no significant secular competitor but for that reason unfamiliar; requires definition alongside ιλαστήριο (Hebrews 2:17).
Mercy Seat
Approved rendering: ιλαστήριο
Transliteration: hilastērion
Doctrine: Once-for-All Atoning Sacrifice
Original: ἱλαστήριον
Category: Priesthood
NEW. Rare, non-mundane Modern Greek word with no living secular sense to compete with, but also no living theological familiarity to draw on; needs explicit definition at first occurrence (9:5): ‘the golden covering of the Ark, where atonement was made.‘
Ministering Spirits
Approved rendering: λειτουργικά πνεύματα
Transliteration: leitourgika pnevmata
Doctrine: Superiority of Christ over Angels
Original: λειτουργικὰ πνεύματα
Category: Angelology
NEW. Shares the λειτουργία risk-family with ministry_vessels below; here applied to angels’ service to God and believers (1:14), NOT the Church’s ongoing Divine Liturgy — clarify the distinction explicitly.
Cleanse Purify
Approved rendering: καθαρίζω
Transliteration: katharízo
Doctrine: The Cleansing of the Conscience
Original: καθαρίζω
Category: Priesthood
NEW. Modern Greek καθαρίζω/καθαρισμός is the completely ordinary word for everyday cleaning (‘καθαριστήριο,’ dry-cleaner’s). Without theological anchoring, ‘cleansed by blood’ risks a mundane, even faintly comic, register; requires consistent theological framing across occurrences (9:13, 14, 22, 23; 10:2).
Once For All
Approved rendering: εφάπαξ / άπαξ
Transliteration: ephápax / hápax
Doctrine: Once-for-All Atoning Sacrifice
Original: ἐφάπαξ / ἅπαξ
Category: Priesthood
NEW. The word itself is stable and unambiguous, but its doctrinal payload (no repetition needed, ever) is the single most sensitive point of contact with an ongoing sacramental tradition; flag every occurrence for theologian review (6:4; 7:27; 9:7, 12, 26, 27, 28; 10:2, 10).
Tabernacle
Approved rendering: σκηνή
Transliteration: skēnē
Doctrine: The Heavenly Sanctuary and Its Earthly Copy
Original: σκηνή
Category: Priesthood
NEW. Modern Greek σκηνή dominantly means a theatrical/film ‘scene’ or ‘stage’; unglossed, ‘the greater σκηνή’ risks reading as ‘the greater stage-set’ (8, 9, 13).
Altar
Approved rendering: θυσιαστήριο
Transliteration: thysiastírio
Doctrine: Once-for-All Atoning Sacrifice
Original: θυσιαστήριον
Category: Priesthood
NEW. θυσιαστήριο is the standing word for the altar/Sanctuary area within an Orthodox church building. Hebrews’ point at 13:10 (‘we have an altar’) — Christians’ ‘altar’ transcends any physical location — needs careful framing so it is not misread as either affirming or negating the physical altar space in a modern church, which the text does not directly address.
Boldness Confidence
Approved rendering: παρρησία
Transliteration: parrēsía
Doctrine: Access to God through Christ’s Blood
Original: παρρησία
Category: Faith
NEW. Modern Greek παρρησία retains strong civic/political ‘freedom of speech’ connotations (a live concept from classical Athenian democracy); risks reading as a claim about free political expression rather than confident approach to God in prayer (4:16; 10:19, 35).
Rest Eschatological
Approved rendering: κατάπαυση (με επεξηγηματική σημείωση, διακριτή από την ανάπαυση)
Transliteration: katápafsi
Doctrine: God’s Promised Rest
Rejected alternatives: ανάπαυση, το οποίο θα μετέφερε την έννοια προς την Ορθόδοξη νεκρώσιμη λειτουργική φράση ‘αιωνία η ανάπαυσις’
Original: κατάπαυσις
Category: Eschatology
NEW. A rare, formal word in living Modern Greek; the more familiar synonym ανάπαυσις is fixed in Orthodox funeral liturgy (‘αιωνία η ανάπαυσις,’ the eternal repose of the dead). Substituting it would pull Hebrews’ future, promised, enterable rest toward the funeral-liturgy sense of death-repose. Retain κατάπαυση with an explanatory note (3:11, 18; 4:1, 3, 5, 10, 11).
Sabbath Rest
Approved rendering: σαββατισμός
Transliteration: savvatismós
Doctrine: God’s Promised Rest
Original: σαββατισμός
Category: Eschatology
NEW. Risk of narrowing the eschatological promise (4:9) to literal Saturday Sabbath-day observance; needs a note that this is a typological/eschatological rest, not a prescription for Sabbath practice.
Apostasy Fall Away
Approved rendering: παραπίπτω / αποστασία
Transliteration: parapíptō / apostasía
Doctrine: Danger of Apostasy and Warning Passages
Original: παραπίπτω / ἀφίστημι
Category: Sin
NEW. αποστασία carries live political/national-defection connotations in Modern Greek historical memory (used of political crises and coups, e.g. ‘η Αποστασία του 1965’), risking a civic rather than spiritual register; anchor explicitly to falling away from God (3, 6, 10, 12).
Enlightenment
Approved rendering: φωτισμός
Transliteration: fōtismós
Doctrine: Danger of Apostasy and Warning Passages
Original: φωτίζω / φωτισμός
Category: Sin
NEW. In Orthodox tradition φωτισμός/‘Άγιο Φώτισμα’ (Holy Illumination) is a standing alternate name for Baptism itself. Hebrews 6:4’s ‘once enlightened’ is read by many scholars as referring to baptized believers — a genuine theological asset that sharpens rather than dulls the warning’s pastoral force, but requires careful, non-generic framing so it is not read as mere intellectual enlightenment.
Homeland Heavenly
Approved rendering: πατρίδα
Transliteration: patrída
Doctrine: Pilgrim Identity and the Heavenly Homeland
Original: πατρίς
Category: Faith
NEW. πατρίδα is a deeply loaded nationalistic word in Modern Greek; ‘seeking a heavenly πατρίδα’ (11:14-16; 13:14) must be anchored so it reads as transcending, not endorsing, an earthly national-patriotic framework, given the historic fusion of Greek ethnic and Orthodox religious identity.
Leaders Church
Approved rendering: ηγούμενοι
Transliteration: hēgoúmenoi
Doctrine: Church Leadership and Submission
Original: ἡγούμενοι
Category: Church
NEW. In Greek Orthodox usage, ‘ηγούμενος’ (singular) is the specific, standing title for a monastery abbot. Applying the plural to general church/congregational leadership, as Hebrews intends (13:7, 17, 24), risks a reader defaulting to a monastic-authority association rather than the broader pastoral-leadership sense; requires a clarifying note.
Medium Risk Terms
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 exactly. Hebrews’ distinctive emphasis (9:26, 28; 10:2-4, 12, 17) is sin’s decisive removal (αθέτηση) through one sacrifice, contrasted with the Levitical system’s perpetual, ineffective repetition.
Curse
Approved rendering: κατάρα
Transliteration: katara / epikataratos
Doctrine: Sin
Original: κατάρα
Category: Sin
Inherited from Romans package exactly. Hebrews 6:8 applies κατάρα agriculturally (ground bearing thorns) as a warning image for apostasy — distinct application from Galatians 3:13’s substitutionary sense, same lexical stability.
Church
Approved rendering: εκκλησία
Transliteration: ekklisía
Doctrine: Church as God’s People
Rejected alternatives: Εκκλησία αποκλειστικά ως ο θεσμός/η ιεραρχική Ορθόδοξη Εκκλησία, ή αποκλειστικά το κτίριο
Original: ἐκκλησία
Category: Church
Inherited from Romans package exactly. Hebrews 12:23’s ‘εκκλησία πρωτοτόκων’ (assembly of the firstborn) is a distinct, corporate-eschatological usage requiring the additional ‘firstborn’ qualifier to be kept clear from Christ’s own unique eternal Sonship.
Kingdom Of God
Approved rendering: βασιλεία του Θεού
Transliteration: vasileía tou Theoú
Doctrine: Kingdom Mission
Inherited from Romans package exactly. Hebrews 12:28’s ‘ασάλευτη βασιλεία’ (unshakeable kingdom) reuses this risk-family; distinguish from any political/national conception of an unshakeable state.
Transgressor
Approved rendering: παραβάτης / παράβαση
Transliteration: parabátis / parábasi
Doctrine: Sin
Inherited from Romans package exactly. Hebrews 9:15 uses παράβασις (‘transgressions committed under the first covenant’); Modern Greek παραβάτης is primarily a traffic/regulatory offender — reactivate the covenantal weight, as with the Galatians usage.
Order Melchizedek
Approved rendering: τάξη
Transliteration: taxē
Doctrine: The Priesthood According to the Order of Melchizedek
Original: τάξις
Category: Priesthood
NEW. τάξη commonly means ‘school classroom/grade level’ in Modern Greek; context largely disambiguates but a light gloss helps at first occurrence (5:6, 10; 6:20; 7:11, 17).
Exact Imprint
Approved rendering: χαρακτήρας
Transliteration: charaktēras
Doctrine: Deity of Christ
Original: χαρακτήρ
Category: Christology
NEW. Modern Greek χαρακτήρας ordinarily means ‘personality/character’ (‘έχει καλό χαρακτήρα’); unglossed, risks sounding like a claim about God’s personality rather than the Son’s exact ontological representation of the Father’s being (Hebrews 1:3).
Worship Homage
Approved rendering: προσκυνώ
Transliteration: proskynó
Doctrine: Superiority of Christ over Angels
Rejected alternatives: προσκυνώ αποδιδόμενο στον Χριστό με το χαμηλότερο βαθμό της τιμητικής προσκύνησης εικόνων/αγίων
Original: προσκυνέω
Category: Angelology
NEW. Orthodox theology draws a technical distinction between λατρεία (worship due to God alone) and τιμητική προσκύνησις (honorific veneration given to icons/saints/the cross). Hebrews 1:6 uses προσκυνέω of the angels’ homage to the Son at the λατρεία-level, full-deity sense, not mere honorific veneration; requires an explanatory note. Never render as ‘do obeisance to’ in the manner of the New World Translation (see 05_translation_landscape.md §4.1).
Sympathize
Approved rendering: συμπονώ / συμπαθώ
Transliteration: symponó / sympathó
Doctrine: Christ the Sympathetic High Priest
Rejected alternatives: συμπαθώ με την καθημερινή έννοια του ‘μου αρέσει κάποιος’
Original: συμπαθέω
Category: Priesthood
NEW. Modern Greek συμπαθώ colloquially means simply ‘to like [a person]’ (‘τον συμπαθώ’); the deeper compassionate co-suffering sense (4:15) must be reactivated via context or preference for συμπονώ.
Offer Offering
Approved rendering: προσφέρω
Transliteration: prosphérō
Doctrine: Once-for-All Atoning Sacrifice
Original: προσφέρω
Category: Priesthood
NEW. The central verb of Hebrews’ sacrificial argument (5, 7, 8, 9, 10). Must be held together contextually with εφάπαξ/άπαξ so ‘offering’ is never read as a template for repeatable liturgical offering when applied to Christ.
Blood
Approved rendering: αίμα
Transliteration: aíma
Doctrine: Access to God through Christ’s Blood
Original: αἷμα
Category: Priesthood
NEW. Ordinary biological word; theological weight is carried by context and repetition, not the word itself. Positive asset: Orthodox Eucharistic theology already speaks constantly of ‘το Αίμα του Χριστού’ (9, 10, 12, 13).
Sprinkle
Approved rendering: ραντίζω
Transliteration: rantízo
Doctrine: Access to God through Christ’s Blood
Original: ῥαντίζω
Category: Priesthood
NEW. Asset: ράντισμα is the living term for the Orthodox Great Blessing of Water (Epiphany, house-blessings); risk lies in narrowing Hebrews’ broader Old Testament sacrificial argument (9, 10, 12) to that one specific modern rite.
Conscience
Approved rendering: συνείδηση
Transliteration: syneídisi
Doctrine: The Cleansing of the Conscience
Original: συνείδησις
Category: Priesthood
NEW. Modern Greek συνείδηση is standard and mostly stable, but casual/psychological usage (‘έχω καθαρή συνείδηση’) can flatten Hebrews’ specific claim that only Christ’s blood — not self-effort — cleanses it (9, 10, 13).
Dead Works
Approved rendering: νεκρά έργα
Transliteration: nekrá érga
Doctrine: Danger of Apostasy and Warning Passages
Original: νεκρὰ ἔργα
Category: Sin
NEW. Must NOT be silently merged with the baseline’s ‘έργα του νόμου’ (works of the law) entry; distinct referent (6:1; 9:14), requires its own gloss to avoid flattening two different arguments into one.
Holy Place Holy Of Holies
Approved rendering: Άγια / Άγια των Αγίων
Transliteration: Ágia / Ágia ton Agíon
Doctrine: The Heavenly Sanctuary and Its Earthly Copy
Original: ἅγια / ἅγια ἁγίων
Category: Priesthood
NEW. Shares the ἅγιος root risk-family with holy/saints; needs a note that this is architectural, not personal, sanctity (Hebrews 9).
Veil
Approved rendering: καταπέτασμα
Transliteration: katapétasma
Doctrine: Access to God through Christ’s Blood
Original: καταπέτασμα
Category: Priesthood
NEW. An asset (a liturgical curtain before the Holy Doors is still used in Orthodox practice) but must not be conflated with the τέμπλο/iconostasis screen (6, 9, 10:20).
Copy Antitype
Approved rendering: αντίτυπο / αντίγραφο
Transliteration: antítypo / antígrafo
Doctrine: The Heavenly Sanctuary and Its Earthly Copy
Original: ὑπόδειγμα / ἀντίτυπον
Category: Priesthood
NEW. Modern Greek αντίτυπο commonly means a photocopy of a book/document (‘τρία αντίτυπα του βιβλίου’); risk of an overly literal, bureaucratic register rather than theological type/foreshadowing (9:24).
Shadow
Approved rendering: σκιά
Transliteration: skiá
Doctrine: The Heavenly Sanctuary and Its Earthly Copy
Original: σκιά
Category: Priesthood
NEW. Stable everyday word; needs the typological gloss (‘foreshadowing,’ not literal darkness) at 8:5 and 10:1.
Confession
Approved rendering: ομολογία
Transliteration: omología
Doctrine: Perseverance and Assurance
Original: ὁμολογία
Category: Faith
NEW. Modern Greek ομολογία is common in criminal-legal contexts (‘ομολογία ενοχής,’ a guilty plea); context should clarify this is a confession of hope/faith (3:1; 4:14; 10:23), not an admission of wrongdoing.
Hope
Approved rendering: ελπίδα
Transliteration: elpída
Doctrine: The Anchor of Hope and Assurance of the Promise
Original: ἐλπίς
Category: Faith
NEW. Always object-specific in Hebrews (Christ, the promise), not generic optimism (6:11, 18-19; 7:19; 10:23; 11:1).
Unbelief
Approved rendering: απιστία
Transliteration: apistía
Doctrine: Warning Against Unbelief
Original: ἀπιστία
Category: Sin
NEW. Modern Greek απιστία is used at least as often for spousal infidelity as for religious unbelief; in this doctrinal warning passage (3:12, 19) the collocation risks an unintended marital-betrayal undertone unless disambiguated by context.
Repentance
Approved rendering: μετάνοια
Transliteration: metánoia
Doctrine: Danger of Apostasy and Warning Passages
Original: μετάνοια
Category: Sin
NEW. A major living Orthodox term (the standard word for the sacrament/practice of Confession-Repentance); asset for connecting to lived devotional practice (6:1, 6), but risk of narrowing Hebrews’ broader sense to the specific sacramental rite.
Judgment
Approved rendering: κρίση (η Κρίση του Θεού)
Transliteration: krísi
Doctrine: Danger of Apostasy and Warning Passages
Original: κρίσις
Category: Eschatology
NEW. Modern Greek κρίση is dominantly ‘(economic) crisis’ in everyday usage; the specific sense ‘divine judgment’ (9:27; 10:27) must be anchored, e.g. ‘η Κρίση του Θεού,’ to avoid an economic/political misreading, an especially live association in contemporary Greek public life.
Discipline Training
Approved rendering: παιδεία
Transliteration: paideía
Doctrine: Divine Discipline and Sonship
Original: παιδεία
Category: Sanctification
NEW. Modern Greek παιδεία primarily means formal education/schooling (‘Υπουργείο Παιδείας,’ Ministry of Education); risk of narrowing God’s relational, formative fatherly discipline (12:5-11) to institutional classroom instruction.
Cloud Of Witnesses
Approved rendering: νέφος μαρτύρων
Transliteration: néfos martýron
Doctrine: Perseverance and Assurance
Original: νέφος μαρτύρων
Category: Faith
NEW. The gathered Old Testament witnesses of chapter 11, spurring believers on (12:1). μάρτυρας’s later ecclesiastical sense (‘martyr’) naturally enriches, rather than distorts, this portrait of faithful witnesses, several of whom (11:35-38) suffered and died for their faith — a genuine asset.
Stranger Sojourner
Approved rendering: ξένοι και παρεπίδημοι
Transliteration: xénoi kai parepídimoi
Doctrine: Pilgrim Identity and the Heavenly Homeland
Original: ξένος καὶ παρεπίδημος
Category: Faith
NEW. The patriarchs’ self-description as pilgrims and temporary residents on earth (11:13); a positive asset, resonating with the long lived Greek historical experience of ξενιτεία (diaspora, emigration).
Shaking Eschatological
Approved rendering: σεισμός
Transliteration: seismós
Doctrine: The Heavenly Assembly and the Unshakeable Kingdom
Original: σεισμός
Category: Eschatology
NEW. In earthquake-prone Greece, σεισμός is overwhelmingly the ordinary word for a literal, often traumatic earthquake; the eschatological/figurative shaking of 12:26-27 (quoting Haggai 2) must be actively signposted so the verse is not read as a prediction of literal seismic events alone.
Unshakeable Kingdom
Approved rendering: ασάλευτη βασιλεία
Transliteration: asáleftī vasileía
Doctrine: The Heavenly Assembly and the Unshakeable Kingdom
Original: βασιλεία ἀσάλευτος
Category: Eschatology
NEW. The permanent kingdom believers receive, contrasted with all that will be shaken (12:28); reuses baseline βασιλεία του Θεού risk-family, distinguish from any political/national conception.
Sacrifice Of Praise
Approved rendering: θυσία αίνεσης
Transliteration: thysía aínesis
Doctrine: Once-for-All Atoning Sacrifice
Original: θυσία αἰνέσεως
Category: Priesthood
NEW. Praise offered continually to God, replacing animal sacrifice (13:15); reuses θυσία risk-family but is safely repurposed here since praise is explicitly not itself atoning.
Word Of God Living Active
Approved rendering: λόγος του Θεού
Transliteration: lógos tou Theoú
Doctrine: The Living and Active Word of God
Rejected alternatives: λόγος αποδοσμένο ώστε να ταυτίζεται άμεσα με τον ‘Λόγο’ ως Χριστολογικό τίτλο (Ιωάννης 1:1)
NEW finding from linguistic gap analysis. Hebrews 4:12’s λόγος (‘the word of God is living and active’) must be glossed explicitly as God’s spoken message/Scripture, not a direct reference to the second Person of the Trinity by the title ‘ο Λόγος’ (a title deeply embedded in Orthodox theology and iconography via John 1:1), to prevent readers from conflating this verse with a Christological statement it does not itself make. Also note λόγος’s broader Modern Greek range (speech, reason, mathematical ratio).
Low Risk Terms
Apostle
Approved rendering: απόστολος
Transliteration: apóstolos
Doctrine: Apostleship
Original: ἀπόστολος
Category: Church
Inherited from Romans package exactly. Flag the unusual Christological application at Hebrews 3:1 (‘the apostle and high priest of our confession’), which may surprise readers accustomed to the term for the Twelve or Paul.
Fellowship
Approved rendering: κοινωνία
Transliteration: koinonía
Doctrine: Christian Fellowship
Rejected alternatives: κοινωνία αποκλειστικά ως λήψη της Θείας Κοινωνίας (Ευχαριστίας), κοινωνία με τη σύγχρονη έννοια της κοινωνίας/κοινωνικού συνόλου
Original: κοινωνία / κοινωνέω
Category: Church
Inherited from Romans package exactly. Hebrews 13:16’s ‘doing good and κοινωνία’ (practical sharing/generosity) sense must be distinguished from the sacramental Holy Communion sense per the baseline caution.
Prophet
Approved rendering: προφήτης
Transliteration: profítis
Doctrine: Inspiration of Scripture
Original: προφήτης
Category: Covenant
Inherited from Romans package exactly. Hebrews 1:1’s ‘in many and various ways’ contrast requires no special caution beyond the baseline’s stable rendering.
Prophecy
Approved rendering: προφητεία
Transliteration: profiteía
Doctrine: Fulfillment of Prophecy
Inherited from Romans package exactly. Stable and unambiguous wherever Hebrews’ argument depends on fulfilled Old Testament prophecy.
David
Approved rendering: Δαβίδ
Transliteration: Davíd
Doctrine: Davidic Covenant
Inherited from Romans package exactly. Referenced at Hebrews 4:7 (‘through David’) as the human voice of Psalm 95’s warning.
Israel
Approved rendering: Ισραήλ
Transliteration: Israíl
Doctrine: Unity of Jews and Gentiles / New Covenant
Original: Ἰσραήλ
Category: Covenant
Inherited from Romans package exactly. Hebrews 8:8-10 addressee of the new covenant promise quoted from Jeremiah 31; retain baseline caution about contemporary political sensitivity around the proper name.
Exhort
Approved rendering: προτρέπω / παρακαλώ
Transliteration: protrépo / parakaló
Doctrine: Mutual Edification
Inherited from Romans package exactly. Hebrews 3:13 (‘exhort one another daily’) and 10:25 both use this urgent, communal, ongoing sense.
Heir
Approved rendering: κληρονόμος / κληρονομία
Transliteration: klēronómos / klēronomía
Doctrine: Covenant
Inherited from Romans package exactly. Christ as heir of all things (1:2); believers as heirs of the eternal inheritance (9:15; 11:7). Fully alive in inheritance-law vocabulary; pairs naturally with the διαθήκη wordplay.
Melchizedek
Approved rendering: Μελχισεδέκ
Transliteration: Melchisedek
Doctrine: The Priesthood According to the Order of Melchizedek
Original: Μελχισεδέκ
Category: Priesthood
NEW. Stable established proper name (Hebrews 5:6, 10; 6:20; 7:1-17).
Radiance Of Glory
Approved rendering: απαύγασμα
Transliteration: apaugasma
Doctrine: Deity of Christ
Original: ἀπαύγασμα
Category: Christology
NEW. Rare, poetic, stable term with no significant secular competitor (Hebrews 1:3).
Throne
Approved rendering: θρόνος
Transliteration: thrónos
Doctrine: Deity of Christ / Access to God
Original: θρόνος
Category: Christology
NEW. The Son’s eternal, divine throne (1:8) and the throne of grace believers approach (4:16); stable, transparent term.
Angel
Approved rendering: άγγελος
Transliteration: angelos
Doctrine: Superiority of Christ over Angels
Original: ἄγγελος
Category: Angelology
NEW. Stable; the book’s argument for Christ’s superiority to angels (chs. 1-2) does not depend on the word itself carrying any special risk.
Unblemished
Approved rendering: άμωμος
Transliteration: ámomos
Doctrine: Once-for-All Atoning Sacrifice
Original: ἄμωμος
Category: Priesthood
NEW. Christ as the perfect, faultless sacrificial victim (7:26; 9:14). Stable, transparent moral-purity term.
Obsolete
Approved rendering: παλαιώνω
Transliteration: palaiónō
Doctrine: New Covenant versus the Old
Original: παλαιόω
Category: Covenant
NEW. The first covenant described as growing old, obsolete, and about to vanish (8:13); theological weight (supersession, not disparagement) needs contextual framing.
Forgiveness Remission
Approved rendering: άφεση
Transliteration: áfesi
Doctrine: Once-for-All Atoning Sacrifice
Original: ἄφεσις
Category: Salvation
NEW. Stable, standard Orthodox liturgical term (‘άφεσις αμαρτιών’ recited constantly) — an asset (9:22; 10:18).
Draw Near
Approved rendering: προσέρχομαι
Transliteration: proserchomai
Doctrine: Access to God through Christ’s Blood
Original: προσέρχομαι
Category: Faith
NEW. Stable, unifying access-to-God verb across the book’s central theme (4:16; 7:25; 10:22; 11:6; 12:22) — a genuine consistency asset; render identically at every occurrence.
Harden Heart
Approved rendering: σκληρύνω
Transliteration: sklērýno
Doctrine: Warning Against Unbelief
Original: σκληρύνω
Category: Sin
NEW. The recurring exhortation ‘do not harden your hearts’ (3:8, 13, 15; 4:7); stable, transparent term.
Endurance
Approved rendering: υπομονή
Transliteration: ypomoní
Doctrine: Perseverance and Assurance
Original: ὑπομονή
Category: Faith
NEW. A strongly positive, living Modern Greek virtue-term; asset (10:36; 12:1).
Shrink Back
Approved rendering: οπισθοχώρηση / υποστολή
Transliteration: opisthochórisi / ypostolí
Doctrine: Perseverance and Assurance
Original: ὑποστολή / ὑποστέλλομαι
Category: Faith
NEW. The opposite of the perseverance Hebrews commends (10:38-39); transparent.
Race Contest
Approved rendering: αγώνας
Transliteration: agṑnas
Doctrine: Perseverance and Assurance
Original: ἀγών
Category: Faith
NEW. The Christian life as an athletic contest to be run with endurance (12:1); a strong, living, positive Greek cultural asset (agonistic/athletic heritage, the Olympic legacy).
Brotherly Love
Approved rendering: φιλαδελφία
Transliteration: philadelphía
Doctrine: Christian Ethics and Hospitality
Original: φιλαδελφία
Category: Church
NEW. Continued mutual love among believers (13:1); stable, positive.
Hospitality
Approved rendering: φιλοξενία
Transliteration: philoxenía
Doctrine: Christian Ethics and Hospitality
Original: φιλοξενία
Category: Church
NEW. A major, deeply positive Greek cultural value and point of national pride (13:2); strong asset, no significant translation risk.
Great Shepherd
Approved rendering: ο μέγας ποιμένας των προβάτων
Transliteration: ho mégas poiménas ton probáton
Doctrine: Christ as the Great High Priest
Original: ὁ ποιμὴν τῶν προβάτων ὁ μέγας
Category: Christology
NEW. Christ as shepherd, brought back from the dead by the blood of the eternal covenant (13:20); a strong, living asset — shepherd/Good-Shepherd imagery is deeply embedded in Orthodox iconography and hymnography.
Living God
Approved rendering: ζωντανός Θεός
Transliteration: zontanós Theós
Doctrine: Deity of Christ
Original: θεὸς ζῶν
Category: God
NEW. God as living, in contrast to lifeless idols; a recurring Hebrews polemical phrase (3:12; 9:14; 10:31; 12:22); stable and transparent.
Moses
Approved rendering: Μωυσής
Transliteration: Mōysēs
Doctrine: Superiority of Christ over Moses
Original: Μωϋσῆς
Category: Covenant
NEW (distinct entry from baseline, which does not include Moses). Standard established Bible-translation proper name form; Hebrews 3 and 11:23-28 both honor Moses highly even while asserting Christ’s superiority, so translation must not diminish Moses inappropriately.
Comparative Better
Approved rendering: κρείττων / καλύτερος
Transliteration: kreítton / kalýteros
Doctrine: Superiority of Christ over Angels, Moses, and the Levitical Priesthood
NEW structural entry (identified in 06_linguistic_gap_analysis.md). No lexical weakness — fully stable, living word — but a recurring rhetorical device (Christ better than angels 1:4; a better hope 7:19; a better covenant 7:22, 8:6; better promises 8:6; better sacrifices 9:23; a better country 11:16; a better resurrection 11:35) that must be rendered consistently across all ~13 occurrences so the comparative argument is visible as a unifying structural thread, not a series of unrelated comparisons.
Referenced passages