Core Glossary
Core Glossary — Gospel of John (English → Gujarati)
This glossary consolidates every load-bearing theological term identified in 07_semantic_analysis.md, spanning the full book (John 1–21). Terms marked (baseline TM) are already fixed in the Romans translation_memory.json and are reused here exactly, with no deviation permitted. Terms marked (NEW — John) are proposed additions for the John curriculum’s translation memory and must be reviewed and version-incremented per the baseline’s Translation Memory Load and Enforcement Instructions before Phase 2 begins. Risk tiers follow the baseline’s Critical/High/Medium/Low framework.
| # | English Term | Greek (Transliteration) | Gujarati Rendering (Transliteration) | Status | Risk | Doctrine | Chapters | Rationale / Forbidden Alternatives |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | God | θεός (theos) | પરમેશ્વર (Parmeśvar) | baseline TM | Critical | Deity of Christ | all | Never ભગવાન. |
| 2 | Jesus | Ἰησοῦς (Iēsous) | ઈસુ (Īsu) | baseline TM | Critical | Lordship of Christ | all | Never ઈસા. |
| 3 | Lord | κύριος (kyrios) | પ્રભુ (prabhu) | baseline TM | Critical | Lordship of Christ | 6,9,11,13,20,21 | Never સ્વામી/તીર્થંકર. |
| 4 | Son of God | υἱὸς θεοῦ (huios theou) | પરમેશ્વરનો પુત્ર (Parmeśvarno Putra) | baseline TM | Critical | Sonship of Christ | 1,3,5,10,11,20 | Full phrase required. |
| 5 | Holy Spirit | πνεῦμα ἅγιον (pneuma hagion) | પવિત્ર આત્મા (Pavitra Ātmā) | baseline TM | Critical | Holy Spirit as Counselor | 1,3,7,14,15,16,20 | Never પરમાત્મા/બ્રહ્મ. |
| 6 | Father | πατήρ (patēr) | પિતા (Pitā) | baseline TM | Critical | Unity of Father and Son | 1,3,5,10,14,17,20 | Personal, relational Father. |
| 7 | Grace | χάρις (charis) | કૃપા (kṛpā) | baseline TM | Critical | Grace | 1 | Never નિર્જરા/પુણ્ય/કર્મફળ. |
| 8 | Faith / to believe | πίστις / πιστεύω (pistis / pisteuō) | વિશ્વાસ / વિશ્વાસ કરવો (viśvās / viśvās karavo) | baseline TM (verb form NEW) | Critical | Eternal Life through Faith | 3,6,8,9,11,12,14,20 | Object of belief must be recoverable; never શ્રદ્ધા/ભક્તિ alone. |
| 9 | Salvation / to save | σωτηρία / σῴζω (sōtēria / sōzō) | ઉદ્ધાર / ઉદ્ધાર પામવો (uddhār / uddhār pāmavo) | baseline TM (verb form NEW) | Critical | Eternal Life; Judgment | 3,4,12 | Never મોક્ષ, મુક્તિ, કેવલજ્ઞાન, સિદ્ધત્વ. |
| 10 | Savior | σωτήρ (sōtēr) | ઉદ્ધારક (uddhārak) | NEW — John | Critical | Eternal Life | 4 | Built on ઉદ્ધાર root; never રક્ષક/મોક્ષદાતા-style liberation-giver language. |
| 11 | Resurrection / to raise | ἀνάστασις / ἐγείρω (anastasis / egeirō) | પુનરુત્થાન (punarutthān) | baseline TM | Critical | Resurrection of Christ | 2,5,6,11,20 | Never પુનર્જન્મ; distinct from Jain karmic transmigration. |
| 12 | Messiah | Χριστός / Μεσσίας (Christos / Messias) | મસીહા (Masīhā) | baseline TM | Critical | Deity/Pre-existence of Christ | 1,4 | Transliterated; not one of many avatars. |
| 13 | Law (Torah) | νόμος (nomos) | નિયમશાસ્ત્ર (niyamśāstra) | baseline TM | High | — | 1,5,7 | Never ધર્મ. |
| 14 | Peace | εἰρήνη (eirēnē) | શાંતિ (śānti) | baseline TM | Medium | — | 14,20 | Relational peace, not ascetic/meditative tranquility. |
| 15 | Incarnation (“the Word became flesh”) | ὁ λόγος σὰρξ ἐγένετο | દેહધારણ (dehdhāraṇ) | baseline TM | Critical | Deity and Pre-existence of Christ | 1 | Never અવતાર. |
| 16 | Word | λόγος (logos) | શબ્દ (śabda) | NEW — John | Critical | Deity and Pre-existence of Christ | 1 | Established Gujarati Bible term; must be taught as a personal divine Agent, not the impersonal cosmic Shabda-Brahman/nāda concept of Gujarati bhakti/Sant devotional tradition. |
| 17 | Life | ζωή (zōē) | જીવન (jīvan) | NEW — John | High | Eternal Life through Faith | 1,3,5,6,10,11,14 | Root of eternal life; anchor term for whole book. |
| 18 | Eternal life | ζωὴ αἰώνιος (zōē aiōnios) | અનંત જીવન (anant jīvan) | NEW — John | Critical | Eternal Life through Faith | 3,4,5,6,10,17 | Never મોક્ષ/મુક્તિ/કેવલજ્ઞાન/સિદ્ધત્વ; relational life with God through Christ, not karmic-cycle escape. |
| 19 | Only begotten / one-of-a-kind Son | μονογενής (monogenēs) | એકમાત્ર પુત્ર (ekmātra putra) | NEW — John | Critical | Sonship of Christ | 1,3 | Unique, unparalleled Sonship; not one avatar/Tirthankara among many. |
| 20 | Born again / born from above | γεννηθῇ ἄνωθεν (gennēthē anōthen) | નવો જન્મ (navo janma) | NEW — John | Critical | The New Birth and Regeneration | 3 | Highest-risk term in curriculum: જન્મ shares its root with પુનર્જન્મ (forbidden reincarnation term); must be taught as one-time Spirit-wrought regeneration, never a rebirth cycle. |
| 21 | Son of Man | υἱὸς τοῦ ἀνθρώπου (huios tou anthrōpou) | માનવપુત્ર (mānav-putra) | NEW — John | High | Deity and Humanity of Christ | 3,5,9,12,13 | Distinct from પરમેશ્વરનો પુત્ર; combines humility and Danielic divine authority. |
| 22 | Lifted up / exalted | ὑψόω (hypsoō) | ઊંચે ચઢાવવો (ūñche caḍhāvavo) | NEW — John | High | Substitutionary Death and Resurrection | 3,8,12 | Double sense (crucifixion + glorification) must both be retained. |
| 23 | Light | φῶς (phōs) | પ્રકાશ (prakāś) | NEW — John | High | Judgment and Belief/Unbelief; I Am Statements | 1,3,8,9,12 | Unavoidable standard word for “light”; must anchor to Christ, not Jain kevala-jñāna/Hindu divine-light self-attainment. |
| 24 | Darkness | σκότος / σκοτία (skotos / skotia) | અંધકાર (andhakār) | NEW — John | Medium-High | Judgment and Belief/Unbelief | 1,3,12 | Moral/relational opposition to God, not mere epistemic ignorance removable by self-effort. |
| 25 | Truth | ἀλήθεια (alētheia) | સત્ય (satya) | NEW — John | Critical | I Am Statements; Holy Spirit | 1,3,4,8,14,16,17,18 | Must be embodied in the Person of Christ, not an abstract cosmic/ethical principle (Hindu Satya/Jain satya-vow). |
| 26 | To testify / testimony | μαρτυρέω / μαρτυρία (martyreō / martyria) | સાક્ષી આપવી / સાક્ષી (sākṣī āpavī / sākṣī) | NEW — John | Medium-High | Inspiration/Witness | 1,3,5,15,19,21 | Authoritative eyewitness attestation; not casual storytelling or bhakti-style personal testimonial. |
| 27 | World | κόσμος (kosmos) | જગત (jagat) | NEW — John | Critical | God’s Love for the World | 1,3,4,6,8,12,15,16,17,18 | Never સંસાર (cyclical/illusory-existence connotation). |
| 28 | To love (agape) / love | ἀγαπάω / ἀγάπη (agapaō / agapē) | પ્રેમ (prem) | NEW — John | High | God’s Love for the World | 3,13,14,15,17,21 | Directional, self-giving, unmerited love; distinguish from Vaishnav Krishna-bhakti prem-devotion (typically devotee-to-deity). |
| 29 | To perish | ἀπόλλυμι (apollymi) | નાશ પામવો (nāś pāmavo) | NEW — John | Medium-High | Judgment and Belief/Unbelief | 3 | Real personal/eternal loss, not neutral dissolution or a form of release. |
| 30 | Judgment / to judge, condemn | κρίσις / κρίνω (krisis / krinō) | ન્યાય / ન્યાય કરવો / દોષિત ઠરાવવું (nyāya / doṣit ṭharāvavũ) | NEW — John | Critical | Judgment and Belief/Unbelief | 3,5,16 | Personal, relational verdict tied to response to Christ; never impersonal, automatic karma-accounting. |
| 31 | Worship | προσκυνέω (proskyneō) | આરાધના (ārādhanā) | NEW — John | Medium-High | Unity; Deity of Christ | 4,9 | Preferred over ભજવું (bhajan/bhakti-devotional-singing association); worship directed at Jesus himself signals deity. |
| 32 | Counselor / Comforter / Advocate (Paraclete) | παράκλητος (paraklētos) | સહાયક (sahāyak) | NEW — John | Critical | Holy Spirit as Counselor | 14,15,16 | Full divine Person of the Trinity, not a subordinate helper-spirit (contra folk kul-devta/bhuvo intermediary-spirit categories). |
| 33 | To abide / remain | μένω (menō) | રહેવું (rahevũ) | NEW — John | High | Christian identity/union with Christ | 6,8,14,15 | Continuous, dependent, organic relational union, not static dwelling or self-sufficient isolation. |
| 34 | One (unity) | ἓν (hen) | એક (ek) | NEW — John | Critical | Unity of the Father and the Son | 10,11,17 | Must preserve real personal distinction alongside essential unity; guard against Advaita-style non-dual collapse (modalism risk). |
| 35 | To crucify / cross | σταυρόω / σταυρός (stauroō / stauros) | ક્રૂસે જડવું / ક્રૂસ (krūse jaḍavũ / krūs) | NEW — John | Critical | Substitutionary Death | 19 | Vicarious, substitutionary death for others’ sin; distinct from Jain sallekhana (self-chosen ascetic death for one’s own purification). |
| 36 | It is finished | τετέλεσται (tetelestai) | પૂરું થયું છે (pūrũ thayũ chhe) | NEW — John | High | Substitutionary Death | 19 | Once-for-all completed atonement; contrast with gradual multi-life self-effort liberation frameworks. |
| 37 | Lamb of God | ἀμνὸς τοῦ θεοῦ (amnos tou theou) | પરમેશ્વરનું હલવાન (Parmeśvarnũ halvān) | NEW — John | High | Substitutionary Death | 1 | Requires Passover/OT sacrificial background; sensitive given Gujarat’s vegetarian/ahimsa culture. |
| 38 | Sign (miracle) | σημεῖον (sēmeion) | ચિહ્ન (chihna) | NEW — John | Medium | Deity of Christ | 2,3,4,6,9,11,20 | Points to Christ’s identity; not a predictive omen/astrological sign. |
| 39 | To glorify / glory | δοξάζω / δόξα (doxazō / doxa) | મહિમા આપવો / મહિમા (mahimā āpavo / mahimā) | baseline TM (verb NEW) | High | Deity of Christ; Unity | 1,2,11,12,13,17 | Reciprocal Father-Son glorification; paradox of glory through death. |
| 40 | To sanctify | ἁγιάζω (hagiazō) | પવિત્ર કરવું (pavitra karavũ) | NEW — John (baseline-consistent) | High | Sanctification | 17 | Spirit/truth-worked, not self-imposed ascetic purification (tapa). |
| 41 | To keep / guard (commandments/word) | τηρέω (tēreō) | પાળવું / જાળવી રાખવું (pāḷavũ) | NEW — John | Medium | Obedience flowing from love | 14,15,17 | Relational, love-flowing observance, not merit-earning vrata-keeping. |
| 42 | New commandment | ἐντολὴ καινή (entolē kainē) | નવી આજ્ઞા (navī āgnā) | NEW — John | Medium | Love command | 13 | — |
| 43 | Jews (the Jews) | Ἰουδαῖοι (Ioudaioi) | યહૂદીઓ (Yahūdīo) | NEW — John | Medium-High | — | throughout | Referent (ethnic group vs. hostile leadership faction) must be disambiguated per occurrence; sensitivity parallel to baseline’s “israel” note. |
| 44 | Pharisee | Φαρισαῖος (Pharisaios) | ફરોશી (Faroshī) | NEW — John | Low-Medium | — | 1,3,7,8,9,11,12,18 | Specific Second-Temple party; not generic “religious leader.” |
| 45 | Samaritan | Σαμαρίτης (Samaritēs) | સમરૂની (Samarūnī) | NEW — John | Medium | Unity across social boundaries | 4 | Despised social group; boundary-crossing narrative parallel to caste dynamics. |
| 46 | Rabbi / Teacher | Ῥαββί (Rabbi) | રબ્બી (Rabbī) | NEW — John | Low | — | 1,3,20 | Never substitute ગુરુ as a standing equivalent. |
| 47 | Synagogue | συναγωγή (synagōgē) | સભાસ્થાન (sabhāsthān) | NEW — John | Low | — | 6,9,18 | — |
| 48 | Sabbath | σάββατον (sabbaton) | વિશ્રામવાર (viśrāmvār) | NEW — John | Medium | — | 5,9,19,20 | Requires Jewish-practice background. |
| 49 | Passover | Πάσχα (Pascha) | પાસ્ખાપર્વ (Pāskhāparv) | NEW — John | Low-Medium | Substitutionary Death typology | 2,6,11,12,13,18,19 | Requires Exodus background. |
| 50 | Scripture(s) | γραφή (graphē) | પવિત્રશાસ્ત્ર (pavitraśāstra) | NEW — John (matches baseline doctrine-name) | High | Inspiration of Scripture | 5,20 | Distinct from Hindu shruti / Jain Agamas; God-inspired testimony to Christ. |
| 51 | Living water | ὕδωρ ζῶν (hydōr zōn) | જીવતું પાણી (jīvatũ pāṇī) | NEW — John | High | Holy Spirit; Eternal Life | 4,7 | Tied to Spirit and eternal life, not ritual bathing/purification practice. |
| 52 | Bread of life | ἄρτος τῆς ζωῆς (artos tēs zōēs) | જીવનની રોટલી (jīvannī roṭlī) | NEW — John | High | I Am Statements | 6 | First “I Am” statement. |
| 53 | ”I am” (absolute self-declaration) | ἐγώ εἰμι (egō eimi) | હું છું (hũ chhũ) | NEW — John | Critical | The Seven “I Am” Statements; Deity of Christ | 6,8,10,11,14,15,18 | Gujarati copula lacks Exodus 3:14/Isaiah 43:10 resonance; mandatory translator/theologian note at every absolute (unpredicated) occurrence. |
| 54 | Door / gate | θύρα (thyra) | બારણું / દ્વાર (dvār) | NEW — John | High | I Am Statements | 10 | Third I Am statement. |
| 55 | Good shepherd / shepherd | ποιμὴν (καλός) (poimēn) | ઘેટાંપાળક (gheṭāṅpāḷak) | NEW — John | High | Substitutionary Death; I Am Statements | 10,21 | Lays down life for the sheep — substitutionary self-giving. |
| 56 | Sheep | πρόβατα (probata) | ઘેટાં (gheṭāṅ) | NEW — John | Low | — | 10,21 | — |
| 57 | Way | ὁδός (hodos) | માર્ગ (mārg) | NEW — John | Critical | I Am Statements | 14 | Christ is the singular way, not one mārg among many (bhakti/jñāna/karma-mārg parallels in Gujarati religious vocabulary). |
| 58 | True vine / vine | ἄμπελος (ἀληθινή) (ampelos) | દ્રાક્ષાવેલો (drākṣāvelo) | NEW — John | High | I Am Statements; abiding | 15 | Seventh I Am statement. |
| 59 | Branch | κλῆμα (klēma) | શાખા (śākhā) | NEW — John | Low | — | 15 | — |
| 60 | Fruit | καρπός (karpos) | ફળ (phal) | NEW — John | Low-Medium | — | 15 | Organic result of abiding, not accumulated merit (avoid કર્મફળ-echo). |
| 61 | Friend | φίλος (philos) | મિત્ર (mitra) | NEW — John | Medium | Relationship with Christ | 15 | Intimacy upgrade; does not diminish Christ’s lordship. |
| 62 | Slave / servant / bondservant | δοῦλος (doulos) | દાસ (dās) | NEW — John | Medium | Bondage to sin / servanthood | 8,13,15,18 | Context-sensitive: bondage-to-sin sense vs. positive servant-identity sense. |
| 63 | Devil | διάβολος (diabolos) | શેતાન (śetān) | NEW — John | Medium | — | 8,13 | Personal opposing being, not impersonal evil-principle or folk spirit-affliction category. |
| 64 | Blasphemy | βλασφημία (blasphēmia) | ઈશ્વરનિંદા (īśvarnindā) | NEW — John | Medium | Deity of Christ | 10 | Evidence hearers understood Jesus’s deity-claim. |
| 65 | Soul / life (self) | ψυχή (psychē) | જીવ (jīv) | NEW — John | Medium | — | 12 | Not the Hindu/Jain ātman/jīva as eternal transmigrating substance. |
| 66 | Wind (Spirit-wordplay) | πνεῦμα (as wind) (pneuma) | પવન (pavan) | NEW — John | High (wordplay loss) | Regeneration by the Spirit | 3 | Greek pun (wind/Spirit same word) untranslatable; mandatory explanatory note. |
| 67 | To forgive / forgiveness | ἀφίημι / ἄφεσις (aphiēmi / aphesis) | ક્ષમા / માફી (kṣamā / māfī) | NEW — John | High | Substitutionary Death | 20 | Divine judicial act through Christ’s atonement, not the Jain Paryushan/Samvatsari annual mutual-forgiveness ritual exchange. |
| 68 | Wrath of God | ὀργὴ τοῦ θεοῦ (orgē tou theou) | પરમેશ્વરનો કોપ (Parmeśvarno kop) | NEW — John | High | Judgment and Belief/Unbelief | 3 | Real, personal, holy response to unbelief; not softened to impersonal consequence. |
| 69 | Kingdom (of Christ/God) | βασιλεία (basileia) | રાજ્ય (rājya) [cf. baseline TM પરમેશ્વરનું રાજ્ય] | baseline TM | Medium-High | Kingdom Mission | 3,18 | Non-political, non-territorial, transcendent-source kingdom. |
| 70 | High priest | ἀρχιερεύς (archiereus) | પ્રમુખ યાજક (pramukh yājak) | NEW — John | Low | — | 11,18 | — |
| 71 | Council / Sanhedrin | συνέδριον (synedrion) | મહાસભા (mahāsabhā) | NEW — John | Low | — | 11 | — |
| 72 | Tomb | μνημεῖον / τάφος (mnēmeion / taphos) | કબર (kabar) | NEW — John | Low | Resurrection | 11,19,20 | — |
| 73 | Blood | αἷμα (haima) | લોહી (lohī) | NEW — John | Medium | Substitutionary Death | 6,19 | Sacrificial/self-giving imagery; culturally sensitive given vegetarian-majority context. |
| 74 | Serpent | ὄφις (ophis) | સર્પ (sarp) | NEW — John | Low-Medium | Substitutionary Death (typology) | 3 | Bronze-serpent typology, not an object of independent veneration. |
| 75 | Wilderness | ἔρημος (erēmos) | અરણ્ય (araṇya) | NEW — John | Low | — | 3 | — |
| 76 | Sin | ἁμαρτία (hamartia) | પાપ (pāp) | baseline TM | High | Judgment and Belief/Unbelief | 1,8,9,16,20 | Moral transgression before a personal God; not impersonal karmic residue. |
| 77 | Sinner | ἁμαρτωλός (hamartōlos) | પાપી (pāpī) | NEW — John (baseline-consistent) | Medium | — | 9 | — |
| 78 | To convict / expose | ἐλέγχω (elenchō) | દોષિત સાબિત કરવું (doṣit sābit karavũ) | NEW — John | Medium-High | Holy Spirit as Counselor | 3,16 | Personal, gracious exposure by the Spirit leading to repentance. |
| 79 | Bridegroom / friend of the bridegroom | νυμφίος (nymphios) | વર (var) | NEW — John | Low-Medium | — | 3 | Self-effacing metaphor of John the Baptist. |
| 80 | King of the Jews / King of Israel | βασιλεὺς τῶν Ἰουδαίων (basileus tōn Ioudaiōn) | યહૂદીઓનો રાજા (Yahūdīonõ rājā) | NEW — John | Medium | Davidic/Messianic kingship | 1,19 | Ironic title revealed as true; requires Davidic-covenant background per baseline. |
Notes on Glossary Use
- All baseline TM entries above must be reused verbatim in Phase 2 segment translation; do not re-derive or paraphrase.
- All entries marked “NEW — John” must be formally added to an updated
translation_memory.json(version increment) before Phase 2 begins, per the baseline’s Translation Memory Load and Enforcement Instructions. - Highest-priority Critical terms for mandatory theologian review in this glossary, given the named curriculum doctrines: શબ્દ (Word), નવો જન્મ (born again), અનંત જીવન (eternal life), એકમાત્ર પુત્ર (only begotten Son), જગત (world, in “God so loved the world”), સત્ય (truth), માર્ગ (way), એક (one/unity), હું છું (I am, absolute uses), ક્રૂસે જડવું (crucify), સહાયક/પવિત્ર આત્મા (Paraclete/Holy Spirit), ન્યાય/દોષિત ઠરાવવું (judgment/condemn).
- Two of the highest cross-cultural collision risks unique to John (beyond those already flagged in the Romans baseline) are: (a) નવો જન્મ sharing its જન્મ-root with the forbidden પુનર્જન્મ (reincarnation), and (b) માર્ગ’s common use across Gujarati Hindu/Jain vocabulary for “path to liberation” (bhakti-mārg, jñāna-mārg, karma-mārg) colliding with Christ’s exclusive claim in John 14:6. Both require mandatory explanatory translator notes at every occurrence, not merely at first use.
Critical Risk Terms
Grace
Approved rendering: કૃપા
Transliteration: kṛpā
Doctrine: Grace
Rejected alternatives: મહેરબાની, કર્મફળ, પુણ્ય, નિર્જરા
Original: χάρις
Category: Salvation
Inherited from Romans package, unchanged. John 1:14,16-17 pairs grace explicitly with truth (‘full of grace and truth,’ ‘grace upon grace’); every occurrence must make explicit that grace is unearned and comes through Christ alone. Never નિર્જરા or પુણ્ય.
Faith
Approved rendering: વિશ્વાસ
Transliteration: viśvāsa
Doctrine: Faith in Christ
Rejected alternatives: શ્રદ્ધા, ભક્તિ
Original: πίστις
Category: Faith
Inherited from Romans package (baseline risk: High); RISK ELEVATED TO CRITICAL for John because faith in the specific person of Christ is the Gospel’s own stated purpose (20:31, ‘that you may believe… and have life’). Never શ્રદ્ધા/ભક્તિ alone; object of belief must always be recoverable.
Salvation
Approved rendering: ઉદ્ધાર
Transliteration: uddhār
Doctrine: Eternal Life through Faith in Christ
Rejected alternatives: મોક્ષ, મુક્તિ, કેવલજ્ઞાન, સિદ્ધત્વ
Original: σωτηρία
Category: Salvation
Inherited from Romans package, unchanged. Named explicitly at John 4:22, 4:42 (Savior of the world). NEVER મોક્ષ, મુક્તિ, કેવલજ્ઞાન, or સિદ્ધત્વ.
Resurrection
Approved rendering: પુનરુત્થાન
Transliteration: punarutthān
Doctrine: Christ’s Substitutionary Death and Resurrection
Rejected alternatives: પુનર્જન્મ, ફરી અવતરવું
Original: ἀνάστασις
Category: Eschatology
Inherited from Romans package, unchanged. Governs John 2:19-22 (temple/body), 5:28-29, 6:39-40,44,54, 11:24-25, and the ch.20 resurrection narrative. NEVER પુનર્જન્મ; distinct from Jain karmic transmigration.
Lord
Approved rendering: પ્રભુ
Transliteration: prabhu
Doctrine: Lordship of Christ
Rejected alternatives: સ્વામી, તીર્થંકર
Original: κύριος
Category: Christology
Inherited from Romans package, unchanged. Climactic use at John 20:28, Thomas’s confession ‘My Lord and my God.’ Must convey a living, presently active Lord, contrasted with a Jain siddha permanently withdrawn in non-interaction.
Son Of God
Approved rendering: પરમેશ્વરનો પુત્ર
Transliteration: Parmeśvarno Putra
Doctrine: Sonship of Christ
Rejected alternatives: દેવપુરુષ, અવતારી પુરુષ
Original: υἱὸς θεοῦ
Category: Christology
Inherited from Romans package, unchanged. Full phrase required; central to John’s own purpose statement (20:31) and to 1:14,18; 3:16-18; 5:19-23.
Incarnation
Approved rendering: દેહધારણ
Transliteration: dehdhāraṇ
Doctrine: Incarnation
Rejected alternatives: અવતાર
Original: ὁ λόγος σὰρξ ἐγένετο
Category: Christology
Inherited from Romans package, unchanged. The founding text is John 1:14 (‘the Word became flesh’). NEVER અવતાર, especially given Gujarat’s Dwarka-centered Vaishnav avatar theology; Jain hearers require first-principles construction since Jainism has no creator God.
Messiah
Approved rendering: મસીહા
Transliteration: Masīhā
Doctrine: Messianic Promise
Rejected alternatives: અવતારી પુરુષ
Original: Μεσσίας / Χριστός
Category: Christology
Inherited from Romans package, unchanged. Identified with Jesus by Andrew (1:41) and the Samaritan woman (4:25-26,29); confirmed in the Gospel’s purpose statement (20:31). Not one of many avatar-descents or Tirthankaras.
Jesus
Approved rendering: ઈસુ
Transliteration: Īsu
Doctrine: Lordship of Christ
Rejected alternatives: ઈસા
Original: Ἰησοῦς
Category: Christology
Inherited from Romans package, unchanged. Gujarati Christian standard throughout John. Never ઈસા.
God
Approved rendering: પરમેશ્વર
Transliteration: Parmeśvar
Doctrine: Deity of Christ
Rejected alternatives: ઈશ્વર, ભગવાન
Original: θεός
Category: God
Inherited from Romans package, unchanged. John opens by identifying θεός with the λόγος (1:1), making this term’s precision foundational to the entire book. NEVER ભગવાન.
Holy Spirit
Approved rendering: પવિત્ર આત્મા
Transliteration: Pavitra Ātmā
Doctrine: The Holy Spirit as Counselor
Rejected alternatives: પરમાત્મા, બ્રહ્મ
Original: πνεῦμα ἅγιον
Category: God
Inherited from Romans package, unchanged. Developed extensively as the Paraclete (chs.14-16) and given at 20:22. NEVER પરમાત્મા or બ્રહ્મ.
Father
Approved rendering: પિતા
Transliteration: Pitā
Doctrine: Unity of the Father and the Son
Rejected alternatives: સૃષ્ટિકર્તા
Original: πατήρ
Category: God
Inherited from Romans package, unchanged. Central to 5:17-23; 10:30; 14:9-11; 17:11,21-22. Avoid abstract creator-titles lacking relational warmth.
Christ
Approved rendering: ખ્રિસ્ત
Transliteration: Khrist
Doctrine: Messianic Promise / Sonship of Christ
Original: Χριστός
Category: Christology
NEW — John. Established Gujarati Bible transliteration; used as a title functioning as a proper name (1:41, 20:31), synonymous in referent with Messiah. Retains titular, messianic force; not a mere surname.
Believe
Approved rendering: વિશ્વાસ કરવો
Transliteration: viśvās karavo
Doctrine: Faith in Christ
Rejected alternatives: શ્રદ્ધા રાખવી, ભક્તિ કરવી
Original: πιστεύω
Category: Faith
NEW — John. Verb form of વિશ્વાસ, John’s most frequent theological verb (98 occurrences), often with ‘in him.’ Object of belief must always be specified where the Greek does; never a bare devotional-assent reading.
Save
Approved rendering: ઉદ્ધાર પામવો
Transliteration: uddhār pāmavo
Doctrine: Eternal Life through Faith in Christ
Rejected alternatives: મુક્ત થવું, મોક્ષ પામવો
Original: σῴζω
Category: Salvation
NEW — John. Verb built on baseline ઉદ્ધાર root, used at 3:17 (‘that the world might be saved through him’). Never મુક્ત/મોક્ષ-family verbs.
Savior
Approved rendering: ઉદ્ધારક
Transliteration: uddhārak
Doctrine: Eternal Life through Faith in Christ
Rejected alternatives: રક્ષક, મોક્ષદાતા
Original: σωτήρ
Category: Salvation
NEW — John. Used once, at 4:42 (‘Savior of the world’). Built on ઉદ્ધાર root; never રક્ષક alone (too generic, ‘protector’) and never framed with Hindu devotional liberation-giver language.
Word
Approved rendering: શબ્દ
Transliteration: śabda
Doctrine: The Deity and Pre-existence of Christ (the Word)
Rejected alternatives: લોગોસ (bare transliteration), નાદ
Original: λόγος
Category: Christology
NEW — John. Established Gujarati Bible term for John 1:1,14; anchor text for the doctrine. શબ્દ/નાદ carries independent weight in Gujarati Sant/bhakti tradition (Shabda-Brahman, mystical cosmic sound) as an impersonal principle; every occurrence requires exposition establishing a personal, self-conscious divine Agent, not an impersonal cosmic-sound principle.
Eternal Life
Approved rendering: અનંત જીવન
Transliteration: anant jīvan
Doctrine: Eternal Life through Faith in Christ
Rejected alternatives: મોક્ષ, મુક્તિ, કેવલજ્ઞાન, સિદ્ધત્વ
Original: ζωὴ αἰώνιος
Category: Salvation
NEW — John. Full, relational, resurrection-quality life entered now by faith (3:15-16,36; 5:24; 6:47; 10:28; 17:3). NEVER મોક્ષ/મુક્તિ/કેવલજ્ઞાન/સિદ્ધત્વ; a personal, relational gift (‘knowing the Father and Son,’ 17:3), not self-attained liberation from a cycle.
Only Begotten Son
Approved rendering: એકમાત્ર પુત્ર
Transliteration: ekmātra putra
Doctrine: Sonship of Christ
Rejected alternatives: અદ્વિતીય પુત્ર (unfixed variant)
Original: μονογενής
Category: Christology
NEW — John. μονογενής (1:14,18; 3:16,18), used only of Christ. Must never suggest Christ is one redeemer among many avatars or one Tirthankara among the Jain twenty-four. Pair with પરમેશ્વરનો પુત્ર where the fuller title is needed.
Born Again
Approved rendering: નવો જન્મ
Transliteration: navo janma
Doctrine: The New Birth and Regeneration by the Spirit
Rejected alternatives: પુનર્જન્મ, ફરીથી જન્મ
Original: γεννηθῇ ἄνωθεν
Category: Salvation
NEW — John. THE SINGLE HIGHEST-RISK TERM IN THE CURRICULUM. જન્મ shares its root with the strictly forbidden પુનર્જન્મ (reincarnation). NEVER ફરીથી જન્મ either (one linguistic step from પુનર્જન્મ; known bridge-term risk in Hindu-contextualized tract literature). Every occurrence (3:3,5,7) must be paired with ઉપરથી (‘from above’) and પવિત્ર આત્માથી, and carry a mandatory translator note: one-time, Spirit-wrought regeneration, never a rebirth cycle.
Truth
Approved rendering: સત્ય
Transliteration: satya
Doctrine: The Seven ‘I Am’ Statements; The Holy Spirit as Counselor
Original: ἀλήθεια
Category: Christology
NEW — John. Embodied personally in Christ (14:6); ‘doing the truth’ (3:21) is practiced truthfulness. સત્ય is heavily loaded across Hindu philosophy (Satyagraha) and Jain ethics (satya-vrata); must be anchored to the Person of Christ, never an abstract cosmic/ethical principle attainable by self-effort.
Spirit Of Truth
Approved rendering: સત્યનો આત્મા
Transliteration: satyano ātmā
Doctrine: The Holy Spirit as Counselor
Original: τὸ πνεῦμα τῆς ἀληθείας
Category: God
NEW — John. Title for the Paraclete (14:17; 15:26; 16:13); compounds the risks of પવિત્ર આત્મા and સત્ય. Must be taught as the fully divine, personal third Trinitarian Person, not a generic spirit of insight.
World
Approved rendering: જગત
Transliteration: jagat
Doctrine: God’s Love for the World
Rejected alternatives: સંસાર
Original: κόσμος
Category: Salvation
NEW — John. Full scope of humanity, both loved (3:16) and under judgment when rebellious (3:19; 12:31; 16:33). NEVER સંસાર, which names the illusory/karma-bound cycle of existence one seeks release from in both Hindu and Jain usage.
Judgment
Approved rendering: ન્યાય / દોષિત ઠરાવવું
Transliteration: nyāya / doṣit ṭharāvavũ
Doctrine: Judgment and Belief/Unbelief
Original: κρίσις / κρίνω
Category: Judgment
NEW — John. God’s personal verdict on response to Christ, already rendered in the present for unbelief (3:18-19) and finally at the resurrection (5:29). Must be a personal, relational verdict, sharply distinguished from impersonal, automatic karma-accounting.
Counselor
Approved rendering: સહાયક
Transliteration: sahāyak
Doctrine: The Holy Spirit as Counselor
Rejected alternatives: દિલાસો આપનાર (contextual only), મધ્યસ્થ (contextual only)
Original: παράκλητος
Category: God
NEW — John. παράκλητος (14:16,26; 15:26; 16:7). Must always be identity-anchored to પવિત્ર આત્મા (‘પવિત્ર આત્મા, જે સહાયક છે’), never left standing alone, to prevent assimilation to Gujarat’s folk intermediary/helper-spirit categories (kul-devta, bhuvo).
One Unity
Approved rendering: એક
Transliteration: ek
Doctrine: Unity of the Father and the Son
Original: ἕν
Category: God
NEW — John. ‘I and the Father are one’ (10:30); extended to believers’ unity (17:11,21-22). Greatest risk is over-collapse: given Gujarat’s Advaita Vedanta influence, એક risks being misread as teaching a single undifferentiated reality with no real personal distinction (modalism). Every occurrence needs exposition preserving both distinction and unity.
Crucify
Approved rendering: ક્રૂસે જડવું / ક્રૂસ
Transliteration: krūse jaḍavũ / krūs
Doctrine: Christ’s Substitutionary Death and Resurrection
Rejected alternatives: સ્તંભ, ખીલા મારેલ સ્તંભ
Original: σταυρόω / σταυρός
Category: Salvation
NEW — John. Historical means of Christ’s substitutionary death (ch.19). NEVER સ્તંભ (‘stake/pole’) — a known Jehovah’s Witness/Watchtower-literature substitution that must be actively screened against. Must be taught as vicarious, decisively distinct from Jain sallekhana (self-directed ascetic death for one’s own purification).
I Am
Approved rendering: હું છું
Transliteration: hũ chhũ
Doctrine: The Seven ‘I Am’ Statements; Deity and Pre-existence of Christ
Original: ἐγώ εἰμι
Category: Christology
NEW — John. Both predicated (6:35 etc.) and absolute/unpredicated (8:58; 18:5-6) self-declarations. Gujarati’s ordinary copula lacks the Exodus 3:14/Isaiah 43:10 theophanic resonance; every absolute occurrence requires a MANDATORY theologian note without exception, evidenced in-text by the hearers’ reactions (attempted stoning at 8:59; soldiers falling back at 18:6).
Way
Approved rendering: માર્ગ
Transliteration: mārg
Doctrine: The Seven ‘I Am’ Statements
Original: ὁδός
Category: Christology
NEW — John. Sixth ‘I Am’ statement (14:6): ‘no one comes to the Father except through me.’ માર્ગ is also standard Gujarati vocabulary for a spiritual path (bhakti-mārg, jñāna-mārg, karma-mārg); every occurrence requires exposition that Christ is the singular way, not one mārg among several, and that he does not merely show the way but personally is it.
High Risk Terms
Gospel
Approved rendering: સુવાર્તા
Transliteration: suvārtā
Doctrine: Gospel
Rejected alternatives: ખબર, શુભ સંદેશ
Inherited from Romans package. Reused exactly. Relevant to John’s own purpose statement (20:30-31) and the book’s proclamation vocabulary, even though John does not use euangelion as frequently as Paul.
Called
Approved rendering: તેડાયેલા
Transliteration: tedāyelā
Doctrine: Divine Calling / Election
Rejected alternatives: આમંત્રિત
Inherited from Romans package. Relevant by extension to John’s teaching that the Good Shepherd’s sheep are personally known and chosen (10:3-5,14-16,27-29), not self-initiated seekers.
Calling
Approved rendering: તેડું
Transliteration: teḍũ
Doctrine: Divine Calling / Election
Rejected alternatives: આહ્વાન
Inherited from Romans package. Applies to the sovereign, personal summons underlying John 10 and 15:16 (‘you did not choose me, but I chose you’).
Holy
Approved rendering: પવિત્ર
Transliteration: pavitra
Doctrine: Sanctification
Rejected alternatives: શુદ્ધ
Inherited from Romans package. Root of પવિત્ર આત્મા (Holy Spirit) and પવિત્ર કરવું (to sanctify, John 17:17,19). Never શુદ્ધ, which leans toward ritual/ascetic purity.
Sanctification
Approved rendering: પવિત્રીકરણ
Transliteration: pavitrikaraṇ
Doctrine: Sanctification
Rejected alternatives: શુદ્ધિકરણ, તપ દ્વારા શુદ્ધિ
Inherited from Romans package. Noun form underlying the verb પવિત્ર કરવું used at John 17:17,19 (‘sanctify them in the truth’). Distinct from tapa (self-imposed ascetic austerity).
Law
Approved rendering: નિયમશાસ્ત્ર
Transliteration: niyamśāstra
Doctrine: Law and Fulfillment
Rejected alternatives: ધર્મ, શરિયત
Original: νόμος
Category: Covenant
Inherited from Romans package, unchanged. John repeatedly presents the Law as testifying to Christ (1:17,45; 5:45-46; 7:19-23). NEVER ધર્મ.
Sin
Approved rendering: પાપ
Transliteration: pāp
Doctrine: Sin and Human Accountability
Rejected alternatives: અધર્મ
Original: ἁμαρτία
Category: Sin
Inherited from Romans package, unchanged. Named by the Lamb of God (1:29), exposed by the Spirit (16:8-9), explicitly de-linked from personal/parental fault at 9:2-3,41. Distinct from impersonal karma-pudgala.
Glory
Approved rendering: મહિમા
Transliteration: mahimā
Doctrine: Deity and Pre-existence of Christ
Rejected alternatives: તેજ, પ્રકાશ
Original: δόξα
Category: God
Inherited from Romans package, unchanged. Manifested at 1:14; 2:11; reciprocal Father-Son glorification in ch. 17. Avoid light-only imagery merging with Hindu divine-light or Jain kevala-jñāna associations.
Covenant
Approved rendering: કરાર
Transliteration: karār
Doctrine: Davidic Covenant / Law and Fulfillment
Rejected alternatives: સમજૂતી
Inherited from Romans package. Provides OT covenant background required to make sense of Davidic/Messianic references (John 7:42) and John’s fulfillment theology generally.
Election
Approved rendering: પરમેશ્વરની પસંદગી
Transliteration: Parmeśvarnī Pasandagī
Doctrine: Election and the Good Shepherd’s Sheep
Rejected alternatives: નસીબ, નિયતિ, કર્મ-ફળ
Inherited from Romans package. Governs ‘you did not choose me, but I chose you’ (15:16) and the Shepherd’s sheep who are personally known (10:14,27-29) — sovereign, personal choice, never impersonal karma cause-and-effect.
Providence
Approved rendering: પરમેશ્વરનું વિધાન
Transliteration: Parmeśvarnũ Vidhān
Doctrine: Providence / Assurance of Salvation
Rejected alternatives: નસીબ, કર્મનો નિયમ
Inherited from Romans package. Underlies John’s assurance texts (6:37-39; 10:28-29) — God’s personal, purposive governance, not impersonal karmic law.
Life
Approved rendering: જીવન
Transliteration: jīvan
Doctrine: Eternal Life through Faith in Christ
Original: ζωή
Category: Salvation
NEW — John. Introduced 1:4 (‘in him was life’); root of ζωὴ αἰώνιος and anchor term for the whole book’s life/death, light/darkness metaphor structure.
Son Of Man
Approved rendering: માનવપુત્ર
Transliteration: mānav-putra
Doctrine: Sonship of Christ / Humanity of Christ
Original: υἱὸς τοῦ ἀνθρώπου
Category: Christology
NEW — John. Draws on Daniel 7:13-14 (3:13-14; 5:27; 9:35; 12:23; 13:31). Must not be flattened to ‘a human being’ nor collapsed into પરમેશ્વરનો પુત્ર — related but distinct titles.
Lifted Up
Approved rendering: ઊંચે ચઢાવવો
Transliteration: ūñche caḍhāvavo
Doctrine: Christ’s Substitutionary Death and Resurrection
Original: ὑψόω
Category: Christology
NEW — John. Deliberate double sense: crucifixion and exaltation/glorification (3:14; 8:28; 12:32-34). Both senses must be retained at every occurrence; never diluted to only ‘raised up’ without the cross reference.
Light
Approved rendering: પ્રકાશ
Transliteration: prakāś
Doctrine: Judgment and Belief/Unbelief; The Seven ‘I Am’ Statements
Original: φῶς
Category: Christology
NEW — John. Standard, unavoidable Gujarati word for ‘light’ (1:4-9; 3:19-21; 8:12; 9:5; 12:46). Must anchor to Christ as the unique, given source of moral/spiritual light, never self-attained inner illumination (Jain kevala-jñāna) or Hindu divine-light imagery.
Love
Approved rendering: પ્રેમ
Transliteration: prem
Doctrine: God’s Love for the World
Original: ἀγαπάω / ἀγάπη
Category: Salvation
NEW — John. Deliberate, self-giving, initiating love (3:16; 13:34-35; 15:9-13). પ્રેમ is deeply tied to Vaishnav Krishna-bhakti prem-devotion (typically devotee-to-deity); John’s usage reverses this direction — exposition must make the directionality (God/Christ toward the world/disciples) explicit every time.
Abide
Approved rendering: રહેવું
Transliteration: rahevũ
Doctrine: Abiding in Christ
Original: μένω
Category: Salvation
NEW — John. Ongoing, dependent, vital relational connection (15:4-10, used 11 times). Not static or ascetic ‘dwelling apart’; not the Jain soul’s self-sufficient, non-interactive existence once liberated (siddha-loka).
It Is Finished
Approved rendering: પૂરું થયું છે
Transliteration: pūrũ thayũ chhe
Doctrine: Christ’s Substitutionary Death and Resurrection
Original: τετέλεσται
Category: Salvation
NEW — John. Perfect-tense declaration (19:30) of a fully, once-for-all accomplished atoning work. Retain the forensic/completed-transaction sense alongside the emotional ‘his suffering is over’ reading, not instead of it; contrast with Jain gradual, multi-life self-effort liberation.
Lamb Of God
Approved rendering: પરમેશ્વરનું હલવાન
Transliteration: Parmeśvarnũ halvān
Doctrine: Christ’s Substitutionary Death and Resurrection
Original: ἀμνὸς τοῦ θεοῦ
Category: Salvation
NEW — John. Baptist’s title for Jesus (1:29,36), drawing on Passover/Isaiah 53. Requires explicit OT sacrificial-substitution background; sensitive given Gujarat’s vegetarian/ahimsa-majority culture — must read as vicarious atonement, not endorsement of ongoing ritual sacrifice.
Glorify
Approved rendering: મહિમા આપવો / મહિમાવાન કરવો
Transliteration: mahimā āpavo
Doctrine: Deity and Pre-existence of Christ; Unity of the Father and the Son
Original: δοξάζω
Category: God
NEW — John (verb form of baseline મહિમા). Reciprocal Father-Son glorification (17:1,4,5,10,22,24); names Christ’s death-resurrection-ascension together as a single glorious act (12:23,28; 13:31-32) — a paradox requiring exposition, not a lexical-substitution risk.
Sanctify
Approved rendering: પવિત્ર કરવું
Transliteration: pavitra karavũ
Doctrine: Sanctification
Original: ἁγιάζω
Category: Sanctification
NEW — John (verb-cognate of baseline પવિત્રીકરણ). ‘Sanctify them in the truth’ (17:17,19) — Spirit/truth-worked holiness, not self-imposed ascetic purification (tapa).
Scripture
Approved rendering: પવિત્રશાસ્ત્ર
Transliteration: pavitraśāstra
Doctrine: Inspiration of Scripture
Original: γραφή
Category: Covenant
NEW — John. ‘They testify about me’ (5:39); repeatedly said to be fulfilled (19:24,28,36-37). Distinct from Hindu shruti or Jain Agamas as timeless-wisdom repositories; God-inspired testimony to Christ specifically.
Living Water
Approved rendering: જીવતું પાણી
Transliteration: jīvatũ pāṇī
Doctrine: The Holy Spirit as Counselor / Eternal Life
Original: ὕδωρ ζῶν
Category: God
NEW — John. Offered at 4:10-14, explicitly identified with the Spirit at 7:37-39. Must be tied to the Spirit and eternal life, not read as merely refreshing or parallel to holy-river ritual bathing traditions.
Bread Of Life
Approved rendering: જીવનની રોટલી
Transliteration: jīvannī roṭlī
Doctrine: The Seven ‘I Am’ Statements
Original: ἄρτος τῆς ζωῆς
Category: Christology
NEW — John. First of the seven ‘I Am’ statements (6:35,48). Christ as the sole sustaining source of eternal life.
Door
Approved rendering: બારણું / દ્વાર
Transliteration: bāraṇũ / dvār
Doctrine: The Seven ‘I Am’ Statements
Original: θύρα
Category: Christology
NEW — John. Third ‘I Am’ statement (10:7,9): Christ as sole legitimate entry point. Must not be softened to ‘a door’ among several.
Good Shepherd
Approved rendering: ઘેટાંપાળક
Transliteration: gheṭāṅpāḷak
Doctrine: The Seven ‘I Am’ Statements; Substitutionary Death
Original: ὁ ποιμὴν ὁ καλός
Category: Christology
NEW — John. Fourth ‘I Am’ statement (10:11,14); lays down his life for the sheep (10:11,15,17-18) — directly grounds the substitutionary death doctrine.
True Vine
Approved rendering: દ્રાક્ષાવેલો
Transliteration: drākṣāvelo
Doctrine: The Seven ‘I Am’ Statements; Abiding in Christ
Original: ἡ ἄμπελος ἡ ἀληθινή
Category: Christology
NEW — John. Seventh and final ‘I Am’ statement (15:1,5), echoing Israel-as-vine OT imagery (Isaiah 5; Psalm 80) fulfilled in Christ.
Wind Spirit Wordplay
Approved rendering: પવન
Transliteration: pavan
Doctrine: The New Birth and Regeneration by the Spirit
Original: πνεῦμα (as wind)
Category: God
NEW — John. 3:8’s Greek pneuma pun (‘wind’/‘Spirit’) is structurally untranslatable in Gujarati (પવન vs. પવિત્ર આત્મા share no root); a MANDATORY translator note explaining the lost wordplay is required at every occurrence, drawing the parallel explicitly in exposition.
Forgive
Approved rendering: ક્ષમા / માફી
Transliteration: kṣamā / māfī
Doctrine: Forgiveness of Sins
Original: ἀφίημι / ἄφεσις
Category: Salvation
NEW — John. Commissioned authority to forgive/retain sins (20:23), grounded in Christ’s atonement. Must be a divine judicial act, not the Jain Paryushan/Samvatsari annual mutual human-forgiveness ritual exchange (‘Micchami Dukkadam’).
Wrath Of God
Approved rendering: પરમેશ્વરનો કોપ
Transliteration: Parmeśvarno kop
Doctrine: Wrath and Judgment of God
Original: ἡ ὀργὴ τοῦ θεοῦ
Category: Judgment
NEW — John. God’s holy response to persistent unbelief (3:36), which ‘remains on’ the rejecter — real, personal, not softened to impersonal consequence or karmic mechanism.
Flesh
Approved rendering: દેહ
Transliteration: deh
Doctrine: Incarnation / The New Birth and Regeneration
Rejected alternatives: માંસ (contextual only)
Original: σάρξ
Category: Christology
NEW — John. Ordinary human nature/generation (3:6) and Christ’s own real human nature (1:14; 6:51-56). Distinct from the Jain-adjacent notion of the body as karmic residue to be shed through austerity.
Authority
Approved rendering: અધિકાર
Transliteration: adhikār
Doctrine: Unity of the Father and the Son / Judgment
Original: ἐξουσία
Category: Christology
NEW — John. Delegated yet fully divine authority to judge (5:27) and to lay down/take up his own life (10:18); must not be read as a lesser, derivative competence.
Honor
Approved rendering: માન આપવું
Transliteration: mān āpavũ
Doctrine: Unity of the Father and the Son
Original: τιμάω
Category: Christology
NEW — John. ‘That all may honor the Son just as they honor the Father’ (5:23) — a direct assertion of the Son’s deity/unity with the Father; must not be softened to imply lesser, derivative honor.
Medium Risk Terms
Apostle
Approved rendering: પ્રેરિત
Transliteration: prerit
Doctrine: Apostleship / Mission and Sending
Rejected alternatives: ગુરુ, સંદેશવાહક
Inherited from Romans package. Underlies the sending (ἀποστέλλω) pattern John develops explicitly at 20:21 (‘as the Father has sent me, I also send you’), the archetype for the apostolic office. Never ગુરુ.
Peace
Approved rendering: શાંતિ
Transliteration: śānti
Doctrine: Peace with God
Rejected alternatives: મનની શાંતિ
Original: εἰρήνη
Category: Salvation
Inherited from Romans package. In John: ‘My peace I give you’ (14:27) and the risen Christ’s greeting (20:19,21,26) — relational, Christ-secured peace, not ahimsa-based meditative tranquility.
Intercession
Approved rendering: મધ્યસ્થતા
Transliteration: madhyasthatā
Doctrine: Prayer in Jesus’s Name
Inherited from Romans package. Relevant to Christ’s High Priestly Prayer (ch.17) and to the descriptive-role vocabulary available for the Paraclete (મધ્યસ્થ), though સહાયક remains the primary gloss.
Mission
Approved rendering: મિશન / સુવાર્તા પ્રચાર
Transliteration: miśan / suvārtā prachār
Doctrine: Mission and Sending
Inherited from Romans package. Governs the Father-sends-Son / Son-sends-disciples pattern (3:17; 17:18; 20:21-22).
David
Approved rendering: દાઉદ
Transliteration: Dāūd
Doctrine: Davidic Covenant
Inherited from Romans package. Referenced at John 7:42 (Messiah as David’s descendant, from Bethlehem).
Israel
Approved rendering: ઇઝરાયલ
Transliteration: Izrāyal
Doctrine: Covenant / Inspiration of Scripture
Inherited from Romans package. Used at John 1:47,49; 3:10 (‘teacher of Israel’); 12:13.
Sign
Approved rendering: ચિહ્ન
Transliteration: chihna
Doctrine: Signs Revealing Christ’s Glory
Original: σημεῖον
Category: Christology
NEW — John. John’s distinctive category for Jesus’s miracles (2:11; 4:54; 20:30-31), always evidentiary. Must not be confused with a predictive omen or astrological sign (જ્યોતિષી).
Keep Guard
Approved rendering: પાળવું / જાળવી રાખવું
Transliteration: pāḷavũ
Doctrine: Abiding in Christ / Obedience Flowing from Love
Original: τηρέω
Category: Faith
NEW — John. Keeping God’s word/commandments (14:15,21; 15:10) and God’s own guarding of believers (17:11-12) — relational, love-flowing observance, not merit-earning vrata-keeping.
New Commandment
Approved rendering: નવી આજ્ઞા
Transliteration: navī āgnā
Doctrine: The Love Command and Christian Community
Original: ἐντολὴ καινή
Category: Faith
NEW — John. ‘Love one another as I have loved you’ (13:34) — the ἀγάπη-standard must not be softened to generic goodwill.
Samaritan
Approved rendering: સમરૂની
Transliteration: Samarūnī
Doctrine: Samaritan and Social Boundary Crossing
Original: Σαμαρίτης / Σαμαρῖτις
Category: Church
NEW — John. Despised, religiously mixed group central to ch.4’s boundary-crossing narrative; pastorally resonant with Gujarat’s own caste/community boundary dynamics.
Sabbath
Approved rendering: વિશ્રામવાર
Transliteration: viśrāmvār
Doctrine: Law and Fulfillment
Original: σάββατον
Category: Covenant
NEW — John. Occasion of several controversies (5:9-18; 9:14-16; 19:31; 20:1,19); requires OT/Jewish-practice background.
Water
Approved rendering: પાણી
Transliteration: pāṇī
Doctrine: The New Birth and Regeneration by the Spirit
Original: ὕδωρ
Category: Salvation
NEW — John. Part of the ‘born of water and Spirit’ formula (3:5), evoking cleansing/renewal (Ezek 36:25-27). Must not be taught as water itself producing regeneration (ritual-efficacy reading).
Friend
Approved rendering: મિત્ર
Transliteration: mitra
Doctrine: Abiding in Christ / Christian Community
Original: φίλος
Category: Church
NEW — John. ‘No longer servants but friends’ (15:14-15) — an intimacy upgrade that must not be read as demoting Christ’s continuing Lordship (પ્રભુ).
Slave Servant
Approved rendering: દાસ
Transliteration: dās
Doctrine: Sin and Human Accountability / Christian Community
Original: δοῦλος
Category: Church
NEW — John. Bondage-to-sin sense (8:34-35) contrasted with positive servant-identity sense (13:16; 15:15; 18:10); context-sensitive.
Devil
Approved rendering: શેતાન
Transliteration: śetān
Doctrine: Sin and Human Accountability
Original: διάβολος
Category: Sin
NEW — John. A personal, opposing spiritual being (8:44; 13:2) — not an impersonal principle of evil nor confused with folk malevolent-spirit categories (bhuvo/spirit-affliction).
Blasphemy
Approved rendering: ઈશ્વરનિંદા
Transliteration: īśvarnindā
Doctrine: Unity of the Father and the Son
Original: βλασφημία
Category: Christology
NEW — John. The hearers’ charge against Jesus for claiming unity with the Father (10:33) — evidence they correctly understood a deity claim; this implication must not be lost.
Soul
Approved rendering: જીવ
Transliteration: jīv
Doctrine: —
Original: ψυχή
Category: Salvation
NEW — John. One’s present, this-life self (12:25); must not be conflated with the Hindu/Jain ātman/jīva as an eternal, self-existing transmigrating substance.
Blood
Approved rendering: લોહી
Transliteration: lohī
Doctrine: Christ’s Substitutionary Death and Resurrection / Humanity of Christ
Original: αἷμα
Category: Salvation
NEW — John. Eating/drinking imagery (6:53-56) and confirmation of real death (19:34); sensitive given Gujarat’s vegetarian-majority context — requires figurative/sacramental framing to avoid literal or cannibalistic misreading.
King Of The Jews
Approved rendering: યહૂદીઓનો રાજા
Transliteration: Yahūdīonõ rājā
Doctrine: Davidic Covenant / Messianic Promise
Original: βασιλεὺς τῶν Ἰουδαίων
Category: Covenant
NEW — John. The mocking titulus on the cross (19:19-22), presented by the Gospel as unwittingly true; requires Davidic-covenant background.
Amen Amen
Approved rendering: નિશ્ચે નિશ્ચે
Transliteration: nishche nishche
Doctrine: —
Rejected alternatives: આમીન આમીન
Original: ἀμὴν ἀμὴν λέγω σοι/ὑμῖν
Category: Covenant
NEW — John. John’s solemn double-amen formula (25 occurrences), marking an authoritative pronouncement. Must retain the doubling; never collapse to a single ‘truly.’ Not rendered as the liturgical આમીન, which functions as a response, not a speech-marker.
Low Risk Terms
Prophet
Approved rendering: ભવિષ્યવક્તા
Transliteration: bhaviṣyavaktā
Doctrine: Inspiration of Scripture
Rejected alternatives: જ્યોતિષી
Inherited from Romans package. Applies to popular identifications of Jesus as ‘the Prophet’ (John 6:14; 7:40).
Prophecy
Approved rendering: ભવિષ્યવાણી
Transliteration: bhaviṣyavāṇī
Doctrine: Fulfillment of Prophecy
Rejected alternatives: ભવિષ્યફળ
Inherited from Romans package. Governs John’s repeated fulfillment-citation formula (e.g., 12:38-41; 19:24,28,36-37).
Rabbi
Approved rendering: રબ્બી
Transliteration: Rabbī
Doctrine: —
Rejected alternatives: ગુરુ
Original: Ῥαββί
Category: Covenant
NEW — John. Honorific address to Jesus (1:38,49; 3:2; 20:16). Never substitute ગુરુ, which implies self-attained spiritual authority, per the baseline’s existing ‘apostle’ note.
Synagogue
Approved rendering: સભાસ્થાન
Transliteration: sabhāsthān
Doctrine: —
Original: συναγωγή
Category: Covenant
NEW — John. Standard descriptive term (6:59; 9:22; 18:20).
Sheep
Approved rendering: ઘેટાં
Transliteration: gheṭāṅ
Doctrine: Election and the Good Shepherd’s Sheep
Original: πρόβατα
Category: Christology
NEW — John. The flock (ch.10) and Peter’s commissioned charge (21:15-17).
Branch
Approved rendering: શાખા
Transliteration: śākhā
Doctrine: Abiding in Christ
Original: κλῆμα
Category: Christology
NEW — John. The believer’s dependent relationship to the vine (15:4-6).
High Priest
Approved rendering: પ્રમુખ યાજક
Transliteration: pramukh yājak
Doctrine: —
Original: ἀρχιερεύς
Category: Covenant
NEW — John. Caiaphas/Annas office, active in the arrest and trial (11:49; 18:13-24).
Council
Approved rendering: મહાસભા
Transliteration: mahāsabhā
Doctrine: —
Original: συνέδριον
Category: Covenant
NEW — John. The Sanhedrin (11:47).
Tomb
Approved rendering: કબર
Transliteration: kabar
Doctrine: Physical Evidentiary Details
Original: μνημεῖον
Category: Eschatology
NEW — John. Lazarus’s tomb (11:17,38) and Jesus’s own, found empty (20:1-9).
Wilderness
Approved rendering: અરણ્ય
Transliteration: araṇya
Doctrine: —
Original: ἔρημος
Category: Covenant
NEW — John. Setting of the bronze-serpent typology (3:14).
Medium-High Risk Terms
Kingdom Of God
Approved rendering: પરમેશ્વરનું રાજ્ય
Transliteration: Parmeśvarnũ Rājya
Doctrine: Kingdom of God and Christ
Rejected alternatives: ઈશ્વરનું રાષ્ટ્ર
Original: βασιλεία τοῦ θεοῦ / ἡ βασιλεία ἡ ἐμή
Category: Kingdom
Inherited from Romans package (baseline risk: Medium; ELEVATED to Medium-High for John). Entered only by new birth (3:3,5); Christ’s own kingdom is ‘not of this world’ (18:36) — non-political, non-territorial, must not sound like abdication of real authority.
Darkness
Approved rendering: અંધકાર
Transliteration: andhakār
Doctrine: Judgment and Belief/Unbelief
Original: σκότος / σκοτία
Category: Christology
NEW — John. Moral and spiritual opposition to God (1:5; 3:19; 12:35,46) — not merely epistemic ignorance (avidyā) removable by self-effort at insight.
Testimony
Approved rendering: સાક્ષી આપવી / સાક્ષી
Transliteration: sākṣī āpavī / sākṣī
Doctrine: Testimony and Witness
Original: μαρτυρέω / μαρτυρία
Category: Covenant
NEW — John. One of John’s defining structural categories (chs.1,3,5,15,19,21). સાક્ષી’s forensic register is appropriate; must not be flattened into casual storytelling or a bhakti-style personal testimonial.
Perish
Approved rendering: નાશ પામવો
Transliteration: nāś pāmavo
Doctrine: God’s Love for the World / Judgment and Belief-Unbelief
Original: ἀπόλλυμι
Category: Salvation
NEW — John. Negative counterpart to eternal life (3:16). Real, personal, eternal loss — not neutral dissolution or any Jain/Hindu notion of the soul’s dissolution as a form of release.
Worship
Approved rendering: આરાધના
Transliteration: ārādhanā
Doctrine: Worship of Christ
Rejected alternatives: ભજવું
Original: προσκυνέω
Category: God
NEW — John. Reverent homage ‘in spirit and truth’ (4:20-24) and directed at Jesus himself (9:38; 20:28). Preferred over ભજવું (Hindu bhajan devotional-singing association). Worship directed at Jesus is a direct deity-of-Christ marker.
Jews
Approved rendering: યહૂદીઓ
Transliteration: Yahūdīo
Doctrine: Testimony and Witness / Sin and Human Accountability (context-dependent)
Original: Ἰουδαῖοι
Category: Covenant
NEW — John. Referent (whole ethnic-religious people vs. a narrower hostile-leadership faction) must be disambiguated per occurrence; mistranslating narrower uses as blanket ethnic reference risks reading anti-Jewish sentiment into the text, paralleling the baseline’s ‘israel’ sensitivity note.
Convict
Approved rendering: દોષિત સાબિત કરવું
Transliteration: doṣit sābit karavũ
Doctrine: The Holy Spirit as Counselor
Original: ἐλέγχω
Category: God
NEW — John. Exposing evil works (3:20) and the Spirit’s convicting work concerning sin (16:8). Must be a personal, gracious act leading toward repentance, not an impersonal exposure mechanism.
Temple Body
Approved rendering: મંદિર / શરીર
Transliteration: mandir / śarīr
Doctrine: Christ’s Substitutionary Death and Resurrection (anticipatory)
Original: ναός / σῶμα
Category: Christology
NEW — John. Jesus reinterprets the Jerusalem temple typologically as his own body, to be ‘raised’ (2:19-21). મંદિર is correctly used here for the literal Jerusalem temple (contrast the baseline’s rule that મંદિર must never be used for ‘church’); exposition must clarify the metaphor points to Christ’s own body as the true, greater temple.
Low-Medium Risk Terms
Pharisee
Approved rendering: ફરોશી
Transliteration: Faroshī
Doctrine: —
Original: Φαρισαῖος
Category: Covenant
NEW — John. Specific Second-Temple religious-political party (1:24; 3:1; 7:32; 8:3; 9:13; 11:46; 12:19; 18:3). Must not be under-translated to generic ‘religious leader.‘
Passover
Approved rendering: પાસ્ખાપર્વ
Transliteration: Pāskhāparv
Doctrine: OT Festival Typology
Original: Πάσχα
Category: Covenant
NEW — John. Structures John’s chronology and typology (2:13,23; 6:4; 11:55; 12:1; 13:1; 18:28,39; 19:14). Requires supplied Exodus background.
Fruit
Approved rendering: ફળ
Transliteration: phal
Doctrine: Abiding in Christ
Original: καρπός
Category: Sanctification
NEW — John. Spiritual fruitfulness flowing from abiding (15:2,4-5,8,16); organic result, not accumulated merit — avoid any કર્મફળ (karma-fruit) echo, already forbidden in the baseline for ‘grace.‘
Serpent
Approved rendering: સર્પ
Transliteration: sarp
Doctrine: Christ’s Substitutionary Death and Resurrection (typology)
Original: ὄφις
Category: Christology
NEW — John. The bronze serpent (Numbers 21), typologically prefiguring the crucifixion (3:14). Snakes carry ambivalent reverence in Gujarati folk-Hindu practice (Nag Panchami); must be taught as historical OT sign, not an object of independent veneration.
Bridegroom
Approved rendering: વર
Transliteration: var
Doctrine: —
Original: νυμφίος
Category: Church
NEW — John. John the Baptist’s self-effacing metaphor, subordinate to Christ the bridegroom (3:29); distinct from later φίλος ‘friend’ language of ch.15.
Referenced passages