Core Glossary
Core Glossary — Mark 1–16 (English → Gujarati)
This glossary consolidates every load-bearing theological term identified in 07_semantic_analysis.md, covering the entire book of Mark. Terms already established in the baseline Romans translation_memory.json are listed first and must be reused exactly — no re-negotiation of these renderings is permitted. New terms specific to Mark’s curriculum follow, organized by the eight curriculum doctrines, each with risk tier, key passages, and rejected alternatives.
Part 1 — Baseline Terms Reused Exactly from Romans
| English Term | Gujarati Rendering | Risk (baseline) | Key Mark Passages | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gospel | સુવાર્તા | High | 1:1, 1:14-15, 8:35, 10:29, 13:10, 14:9, 16:15 | Reuse exactly; do not substitute ખબર. |
| Grace | કૃપા | Critical | (implicit throughout; explicit doctrine less frequent than in Romans) | Reuse exactly. |
| Faith | વિશ્વાસ | High | 2:5, 4:40, 5:34, 6:6, 9:23-24, 10:52, 11:22-24 | Reuse exactly. |
| Sin | પાપ | High | 1:4-5, 2:5-10, 3:28-29, 14:24 | Reuse exactly. |
| Holy | પવિત્ર | High | 1:24, 6:20, 8:38 | Reuse exactly. |
| Holy Spirit | પવિત્ર આત્મા | Critical | 1:8, 1:10, 1:12, 3:29, 12:36, 13:11 | Reuse exactly; never પરમાત્મા/બ્રહ્મ. |
| Kingdom of God | પરમેશ્વરનું રાજ્ય | Medium | 1:15, 4:11, 4:26-32, 9:1, 9:47, 10:14-25, 12:34, 14:25, 15:43 | Reuse exactly; the single most frequent doctrinal phrase in Mark. |
| Lord | પ્રભુ | Critical | 1:3, 2:28, 5:19, 11:3, 11:9, 12:36-37, 13:35 | Reuse exactly; sharply distinguish from negative κατακυριεύω in 10:42. |
| Son of God | પરમેશ્વરનો પુત્ર | Critical | 1:1, 1:11, 3:11, 5:7, 9:7, 14:61, 15:39 | Reuse exactly. |
| Resurrection | પુનરુત્થાન | Critical | 6:14, 8:31, 9:9-10, 9:31, 10:34, 12:18-27, 16:6 | Reuse exactly; never પુનર્જન્મ. |
| God | પરમેશ્વર | Critical | throughout | Reuse exactly; never ભગવાન. |
| Jesus | ઈસુ | Critical | throughout | Reuse exactly. |
| Apostle | પ્રેરિત | Medium | 3:14, 6:7-13, 6:30 | Reuse exactly. |
| Prophet | ભવિષ્યવક્તા | Low | 1:2, 6:4, 6:15, 8:28, 11:32 | Reuse exactly. |
| Power (of God) | સામર્થ્ય | High | 4:39-41, 5:30, 6:2, 6:5, 9:1, 13:26 | Reuse exactly; never શક્તિ. |
| Covenant | કરાર | High | 14:24 | Extended to New Covenant institution; reuse exactly. |
| David | દાઉદ | Medium | 2:25, 10:47-48, 11:10, 12:35-37 | Reuse exactly. |
| Abba | અબ્બા | Medium | 14:36 | Reuse exactly, paired with પિતા. |
| Father | પિતા | Critical | 8:38, 11:25, 13:32, 14:36 | Reuse exactly. |
| Gentiles / nations | અન્ય પ્રજાઓ | Medium | 10:33, 10:42, 13:10, 11:17 | Reuse exactly. |
| Glory | મહિમા | High | 8:38, 10:37, 13:26 | Reuse exactly. |
| Mission | મિશન / સુવાર્તા પ્રચાર | Medium | 6:7-13, 13:10, 16:15 | Reuse exactly. |
| Church | મંડળી | Medium | (not in Mark directly; retained for teaching cross-reference to the disciple-community) | Reuse exactly; never confuse with મંદિર in 11:15-17 (literal Temple building). |
Part 2 — New Terms by Curriculum Doctrine
Doctrine: Jesus as the Suffering Servant and Son of God
| English Term | Original (translit.) | Gujarati Rendering | Risk | Key Passages | Notes / Rejected Alternatives |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Son of Man | ὁ υἱὸς τοῦ ἀνθρώπου (ho huios tou anthrōpou) | માનવપુત્ર (mānavputra) | Critical | 2:10, 2:28, 8:31, 9:9, 9:31, 10:33, 10:45, 13:26, 14:21, 14:41, 14:62 | Must retain Daniel 7 divine-authority-plus-humanity freight; never flattened to “a mere human.” Requires theologian review at every occurrence. |
| Suffer | πάσχω (paschō) | સહન કરવું (sahan karavũ) | High | 8:31, 9:12 | Distinguish from Jain tapa (self-imposed ascetic suffering for karmic purification); Christ’s suffering is imposed and vicarious, not self-generated austerity. |
| Christ / Messiah | Χριστός (Christos) | ખ્રિસ્ત (Khrist) | Critical | 1:1, 8:29, 9:41, 12:35, 13:21, 14:61, 15:32 | Established transliteration per system prompt; baseline મસીહા reserved for explicit Hebrew-Messiah glosses. Never one avatar/Tirthankara among many. |
| Compassion | σπλαγχνίζομαι (splanchnizomai) | કરુણા (karuṇā) | Medium-High | 1:41, 6:34, 8:2, 9:22 | Prefer over દયા, the central Jain ahiṃsā-virtue term, to keep compassion rooted in Christ’s unique identity and saving power, not a generic ethical stance. |
Doctrine: The Kingdom of God Breaking In
| English Term | Original (translit.) | Gujarati Rendering | Risk | Key Passages | Notes / Rejected Alternatives |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kingdom “at hand” | ἤγγικεν (ēngiken) | (contextual: પરમેશ્વરનું રાજ્ય પાસે આવ્યું છે) | High | 1:15 | Perfect-tense “already arrived, still unfolding” sense must be preserved; not a vague future hope, not a cyclical age (contrast Hindu yuga / Jain cosmological cycles). |
| Mystery (of the kingdom) | μυστήριον (mystērion) | રહસ્ય (rahasya) | Medium-High | 4:11 | Sovereignly given by God, not unlocked through esoteric ascetic/devotional progress or guru-granted dīkṣā. |
| Parable | παραβολή (parabolē) | દ્રષ્ટાંત (dṛṣṭānt) | Low-Medium | 3:23, 4:2-34, 12:1-12, 13:28 | Standard term; explain dual reveal/veil function. |
Doctrine: Faith and Discipleship amid Fear
| English Term | Original (translit.) | Gujarati Rendering | Risk | Key Passages | Notes / Rejected Alternatives |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Unbelief | ἀπιστία (apistia) | અવિશ્વાસ (aviśvās) | Low-Medium | 9:24 | Direct antonym of વિશ્વાસ. |
| Fear | φόβος (phobos) | ભય (bhay) | Low-Medium | 4:41, 5:15, 5:33, 5:36, 6:50, 9:32, 10:32, 16:8 | Contrast fear-before-power with faith-in-Christ; not to be resolved by ritual appeasement of a feared deity. |
| Follow (discipleship) | ἀκολουθέω (akoloutheō) | અનુસરવું (anusaravũ) | Medium | 1:18, 2:14, 8:34, 10:21, 10:28, 10:52 | Distinguish from guru-shishya “following a guru” pattern common in bhakti and Jain monastic culture; discipleship here is following the unique, divine-authoritative Son of Man, not attaching to a self-attained teacher. |
| Teacher | διδάσκαλος (didaskalos) | ઉપદેશક (upadeśak) | Medium | 4:38, 5:35, 9:17, 9:38, 10:17, 10:35, 12:14, 12:19, 12:32, 13:1, 14:14 | NEVER ગુરુ (self-attained spiritual authority in bhakti/Jain usage). |
Doctrine: The Necessity of the Cross
| English Term | Original (translit.) | Gujarati Rendering | Risk | Key Passages | Notes / Rejected Alternatives |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Must / it is necessary | δεῖ (dei) | જરૂરી છે (jarūrī chhe) | High | 8:31, 9:31, 13:7, 13:10 | Divine, Scripture-rooted necessity, not karmic inevitability or impersonal fate (નસીબ, નિયતિ, કર્મનો નિયમ — all rejected per baseline providence/election pattern). |
| Cross | σταυρός (stauros) | ક્રૂસ (krūs) | Critical | 8:34, 10:21 (implied), 15:21-32 | Distinguish disciple’s metaphorical cross-bearing (8:34) from Christ’s unique atoning cross (ch. 15). |
| Deny oneself | ἀπαρνέομαι (aparneomai) | પોતાને નકારવું (potāne nakāravũ) | Medium-High | 8:34, 14:30-31, 14:72 | Distinguish from Jain/Hindu ascetic self-mortification (tapa, sannyāsa) as a self-directed path to purification; this is trust-filled following of Christ. |
| Handed over / betrayed | παραδίδωμι (paradidōmi) | સોંપી દેવું (sõpī devũ) | High | 9:31, 10:33, 14:10-11, 14:18, 14:21, 14:41-42 | Preserve both human culpability (Judas) and divine redemptive purpose without collapsing either into the other. |
| Hell / Gehenna | γέεννα (geenna) | ગેહેન્ના (Gehennā) — transliteration with gloss | Critical | 9:43-48 | AVOID નરક as unqualified primary rendering — the standard Hindu/Jain term for a temporary karmic hell-realm within an impersonal cyclical cosmology, unlike Gehenna’s final, personal divine judgment. |
Doctrine: Servanthood versus Worldly Greatness
| English Term | Original (translit.) | Gujarati Rendering | Risk | Key Passages | Notes / Rejected Alternatives |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Servant | διάκονος (diakonos) | સેવક (sevak) | High | 9:35, 10:43 | Bhakti “sevak” (temple/guru devotee-service) implies merit-generating religious activity; biblical sense is voluntary self-giving modeled on Christ. |
| Slave / bondservant | δοῦλος (doulos) | દાસ (dās) | High | 10:44 | Bhakti dāsa-bhāva (devotee-servant mood, e.g., Narsinh Mehta’s “Hari no Dās”) implies devotional submission for favor/merit; biblical sense is total self-abnegation for others in imitation of Christ. |
| Lord it over (negative) | κατακυριεύω (katakyrieuō) | પ્રભુત્વ ચલાવવું (prabhutva chalāvavũ) | Medium-High | 10:42 | Same root as પ્રભુ (Lord, Christ’s title) — footnote required to mark this as the condemned worldly counter-example, not Christ’s own Lordship. |
| Exercise authority over (negative) | κατεξουσιάζω (katexousiazō) | અધિકાર ચલાવવો (adhikār chalāvavũ) | Medium | 10:42 | Negative, self-serving use of ἐξουσία; contrast with Jesus’ own never-self-serving authority. |
| Great / greatness | μέγας (megas), in the ironic sense of 9:35, 10:43-44 | મોટું / શ્રેષ્ઠ (moṭũ / śreṣṭh) | Low-Medium | 9:34-35, 10:43-44 | Redefined by Jesus as service, inverting conventional honor/status categories significant in Gujarati social life. |
Doctrine: The Messianic Secret
| English Term | Original (translit.) | Gujarati Rendering | Risk | Key Passages | Notes / Rejected Alternatives |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rebuke / silence (charge to tell no one) | ἐπιτιμάω (epitimaō) | મના કરવી / ધમકાવવું (manā karavī / dhamkāvavũ) | Low-Medium | 1:25, 1:34, 1:44, 3:12, 4:39, 8:30, 8:32-33, 9:9 | Jesus’ repeated silencing commands regarding his identity, distinguishing right-time public revelation from premature, misunderstood proclamation. |
| Christ (confessed then silenced) | Χριστός (Christos) | ખ્રિસ્ત | Critical | 8:29-30 | See above; the Messianic Secret’s central textual location. |
Doctrine: Jesus’ Authority over Sickness, Sin, and Nature
| English Term | Original (translit.) | Gujarati Rendering | Risk | Key Passages | Notes / Rejected Alternatives |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Authority | ἐξουσία (exousia) | અધિકાર (adhikār) | Medium | 1:22, 1:27, 2:10, 3:15, 6:7, 11:28-33, 13:34 | Inherent, divine right, not delegated bureaucratic permission. |
| Unclean spirit / demon | πνεῦμα ἀκάθαρτον / δαιμόνιον (pneuma akatharton / daimonion) | દુષ્ટાત્મા (duṣṭātmā) | High | 1:23-27, 34, 39; 3:11, 22-30; 5:1-20; 6:13; 7:25-30; 9:17-29 | Avoid ભૂત (Gujarati folk-belief household ghost); these are personal spiritual beings subject to Christ’s unique authority. |
| Heal | θεραπεύω (therapeuō) | સાજા કરવું (sājā karavũ) | Low | 1:34, 3:2-10, 6:5, 6:13 | Straightforward; keep tied to Christ’s authority, not a magical/occult technique. |
| Cast out | ἐκβάλλω (ekballō) | હાંકી કાઢવું (hāṅkī kāḍhavũ) | Low-Medium | 1:34, 1:39, 3:15, 3:22-23, 6:13, 9:18, 9:28, 9:38 | Authority is delegated by Christ (to apostles), not self-generated ascetic power. |
| Defiled / common | κοινός / κοινόω (koinos/koinoō) | અશુદ્ધ (aśuddha) | High | 7:2, 7:15-23 | Moral, heart-originating defilement, not external ritual/karmic impurity managed by ascetic practice. |
| Sabbath | σάββατον (sabbaton) | સાબ્બાથ (sābbāth) | Low | 1:21, 2:23-28, 3:1-6 | Established transliteration. |
| Forgiveness (of sins) | ἄφεσις (aphesis) | માફી (māfī) | Medium | 2:5-10, 3:29 (negatively) | Forensic divine pardon, not mere social apology. |
| Blasphemy (against the Holy Spirit) | βλασφημία (blasphēmia) | પરમેશ્વરની નિંદા (Parmeśvarnī nindā) | Critical | 2:7, 3:28-29, 14:64 | The unforgivable sin is specifically slander of the Spirit’s saving work; requires theologian review at every occurrence. |
| ”I am” (divine self-disclosure) | ἐγώ εἰμι (egō eimi) | હું છું (hũ chhũ) | Critical | 6:50, 13:6 (false claimants), 14:62 | Ties to Exodus 3:14 LXX; requires translator note distinguishing divine self-revelation from mundane self-identification at every occurrence. |
| Power / mighty work | δύναμις (dynamis) | સામર્થ્ય (sāmarthya) | High (baseline pattern) | 4:39-41, 5:30, 6:2, 6:5, 9:1, 13:26 | Never શક્તિ. |
| Sign | σημεῖον (sēmeion) | ચિહ્ન (chihna) | Low | 8:11-12, 13:4, 13:22, 16:17-20 | Confirming acts accompanying proclamation. |
Doctrine: The Ransom for Many
| English Term | Original (translit.) | Gujarati Rendering | Risk | Key Passages | Notes / Rejected Alternatives |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ransom | λύτρον (lytron) | ખંડણી (khaṇḍaṇī) | Critical | 10:45 | Never મુક્તિમૂલ્ય (contains forbidden મુક્તિ root) or દંડ (too narrowly punitive). Requires theologian review at every occurrence. |
| For many / in place of many | ἀντὶ πολλῶν (anti pollōn) | ઘણાંઓને બદલે (ghaṇāõne badle) | Critical | 10:45, 14:24 | Preserve substitutionary “in exchange for,” not softened to “for the benefit of” (માટે). |
| Life / soul (given as ransom) | ψυχή (psychē) | જીવ (jīv) | High | 10:45 | Collides with Jain jīva (karma-bound soul-substance seeking self-liberation); every occurrence in this doctrinal sense requires a clarifying note distinguishing Christ’s unique historical self-gift from self-attained karmic release. |
| Covenant (blood of the covenant) | διαθήκη (diathēkē) | કરાર (karār) | Critical (baseline extended) | 14:24 | Institutes the New Covenant in direct continuity with the ransom/“for many” logic of 10:45; render consistently across both passages. |
| Cup (appointed suffering) | ποτήριον (potērion) | પ્યાલો (pyālo) | Medium-High | 10:38-39, 14:23-24, 14:36 | Render identically across all three passages per the Theological Consistency Rule. |
| Give (his life) | δίδωμι (didōmi) | આપવું (āpavũ) | Medium | 10:45 | Emphasizes Christ’s own voluntary agency in the ransom-giving act — he gives, he is not merely taken. |
Risk Summary
| Risk Tier | Count (new Mark-specific terms) | Review Routing |
|---|---|---|
| Critical | 11 (Son of Man, Christ, Hell/Gehenna, Ransom, For Many, Cross, “I am”, Blasphemy against Holy Spirit, Eternal Life, Covenant [extended], Christ confession at Messianic Secret) | Human theologian |
| High | 14 (Suffer, Compassion, Servant, Slave, Handed Over, Defiled/Common, Life/Soul, Deny Oneself, Must/Necessary, Unclean Spirit/Demon, Kingdom-at-hand, Son of David, Power/mighty work, Mystery) | Human theologian |
| Medium | 13 (Teacher, Follow, Lord-it-over, Exercise-authority-over, Authority, Forgiveness, Cup, Image, Cornerstone, Tribulation, Temple Curtain, Baptism [metaphorical], Give) | Native speaker review |
| Low | 10 (Fear, Unbelief, Sabbath, Parable, Cast Out, Heal, Sign, Watch/Alert, Hosanna, Indignant, Prepared, Corban) | Automated / native speaker light-touch |
Note: this glossary extends, and never contradicts, the baseline Romans translation_memory.json and bible_term_registry.json. All new terms above are proposed for formal addition to translation memory in the subsequent Phase 1 step covering doctrine analysis and language package assembly.
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. Less frequent as an explicit noun in Mark than in Romans, but implicit in Jesus’ free forgiveness and calling of unworthy disciples (2:13-17) and central to ‘Eternal Life and the Kingdom Received by Grace, Not Attainment’ (10:17-31). Never read as merit-response (પુણ્ય) or ascetic karmic shedding (નિર્જરા).
Holy Spirit
Approved rendering: પવિત્ર આત્મા
Transliteration: Pavitra Ātmā
Doctrine: Sanctification
Rejected alternatives: પરમાત્મા, બ્રહ્મ
Original: πνεῦμα ἅγιον
Category: God
Inherited from Romans package. Descends visibly at Jesus’ baptism (1:10); load-bearing for ‘Divine Sonship Declared at Baptism and Transfiguration’ (1:9-11, 9:2-8) and ‘Blasphemy against the Holy Spirit’ (3:29). Never પરમાત્મા or બ્રહ્મ.
Lord
Approved rendering: પ્રભુ
Transliteration: prabhu
Doctrine: Lordship of Christ
Rejected alternatives: સ્વામી, તીર્થંકર
Original: κύριος
Category: Christology
Inherited from Romans package. Applied to Jesus throughout (1:3, 2:28, 5:19, 11:3, 11:9, 12:36-37, 13:35). Mark 10:42’s negative verb કટાકyrieuō (તેમના પર પ્રભુત્વ ચલાવે છે) shares this root; a footnote at first occurrence must make unmistakable that this negative usage names the opposite of Christ’s own saving Lordship.
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. Declared at baptism (1:11), confessed by demons (3:11, 5:7), affirmed at the Transfiguration (9:7), the trial charge (14:61), and the centurion’s climactic confession (15:39) — never metaphorical, adoptive, or honorary sonship, nor one Tirthankara-like figure among others.
Resurrection
Approved rendering: પુનરુત્થાન
Transliteration: punarutthān
Doctrine: Resurrection of Christ
Rejected alternatives: પુનર્જન્મ, ફરી અવતરવું
Original: ἀνάστασις
Category: Eschatology
Inherited from Romans package. The substance of Jesus’ repeated passion predictions (8:31; 9:9-10, 31; 10:34) and the empty-tomb announcement (16:6). NEVER પુનર્જન્મ; distinguish from the Jain soul’s mechanical, self-effort transmigration between bodies.
God
Approved rendering: પરમેશ્વર
Transliteration: Parmeśvar
Doctrine: Deity of Christ
Rejected alternatives: ઈશ્વર, ભગવાન
Original: θεός
Category: God
Inherited from Romans package. NEVER ભગવાન or ઈશ્વર throughout Mark. Mark’s fast-moving narrative prose creates far more third-person ‘God’ references than Romans’ epistolary style, increasing drift risk toward the more ‘natural-sounding’ ઈશ્વર used in circulating Gujarati Bible traditions — flagged as a High-risk consistency item for Phase 2 QA.
Jesus
Approved rendering: ઈસુ
Transliteration: Īsu
Doctrine: Lordship of Christ
Rejected alternatives: ઈસા
Original: Ἰησοῦς
Category: Christology
Inherited from Romans package. Used throughout Mark; ઈસુ is the established Gujarati Christian Bible-translation form, never ઈસા (Muslim/Urdu usage).
Covenant
Approved rendering: કરાર
Transliteration: karār
Doctrine: The New Covenant Instituted in Christ’s Blood
Rejected alternatives: સમજૂતી
Original: διαθήκη
Category: Covenant
Inherited from Romans package; risk tier elevated from the baseline’s High to Critical within Mark specifically, per assets/bible_term_registry.json and assets/doctrine_risk_registry.json, because 14:24 institutes the New Covenant in unbroken continuity with the ransom/‘for many’ logic of 10:45. No structural parallel exists in Hindu or Jain tradition.
Father
Approved rendering: પિતા
Transliteration: Pitā
Doctrine: Adoption into God’s Family
Rejected alternatives: સૃષ્ટિકર્તા
Original: πατήρ
Category: God
Inherited from Romans package. Named by Jesus in teaching on forgiveness (11:25), his own limits of knowledge (13:32), and Gethsemane (14:36); load-bearing for ‘Divine Sonship Declared at Baptism and Transfiguration.‘
Incarnation
Approved rendering: દેહધારણ
Transliteration: dehdhāraṇ
Doctrine: Jesus as the Suffering Servant and Son of God
Rejected alternatives: અવતાર
Inherited from Romans package. Directly relevant to Mark’s Christology (1:3-parallel material and the whole Suffering-Servant/Son-of-God doctrine). NEVER અવતાર — especially salient given Dwarka’s location in Gujarat; Jain hearers require first-principles teaching since Jainism admits no creator God.
Messiah
Approved rendering: મસીહા
Transliteration: Masīhā
Doctrine: The Messianic Secret
Rejected alternatives: અવતારી પુરુષ
Inherited from Romans package. In Mark, ખ્રિસ્ત (see christ_messiah) is the primary running-text rendering; મસીહા is reserved specifically for explicit Hebrew/OT-background teaching notes, never used interchangeably with ખ્રિસ્ત in the same document to avoid implying two different figures.
Salvation
Approved rendering: ઉદ્ધાર
Transliteration: uddhār
Doctrine: Eternal Life and the Kingdom Received by Grace, Not Attainment
Rejected alternatives: મોક્ષ, મુક્તિ, કેવલજ્ઞાન, સિદ્ધત્વ
Inherited from Romans package. Underlies Mark’s eternal-life teaching (10:17-31) even where અનંત જીવન is the primary surface rendering; NEVER મોક્ષ, મુક્તિ, કેવલજ્ઞાન, or સિદ્ધત્વ.
Son Of Man
Approved rendering: માનવપુત્ર
Transliteration: mānavputra
Doctrine: Jesus as the Suffering Servant and Son of God
Original: ὁ υἱὸς τοῦ ἀνθρώπου
Category: Christology
Coined compound; no native Gujarati vocabulary carries the Daniel 7:13-14 fusion of genuine humanity with transcendent, divinely-given dominion. Occurs 11 times (2:10, 2:28, 8:31, 9:9, 9:31, 10:33, 10:45, 13:26, 14:21, 14:41, 14:62). Must never be flattened to ‘a mere human,’ especially for Jain hearers for whom a perfected human teacher (Tirthankara) is the highest available category. Mandatory theologian review and footnote at every occurrence.
Christ Messiah
Approved rendering: ખ્રિસ્ત
Transliteration: Khrist
Doctrine: Jesus as the Suffering Servant and Son of God
Original: Χριστός
Category: Christology
Established transliteration; fixed as Mark’s primary running-text rendering (1:1, 8:29, 9:41, 12:35, 13:21, 14:61, 15:32), distinct from baseline મસીહા reserved for OT-background glosses only. Peter’s confession (8:29) is the Gospel’s hinge, bound immediately to the first passion prediction. Never one of Krishna’s many avatar-descents (Dwarka is in Gujarat) or one of the Jain lineage of twenty-four Tirthankaras.
Cross
Approved rendering: ક્રૂસ
Transliteration: krūs
Doctrine: The Necessity of the Cross
Original: σταυρός
Category: Passion and Atonement
8:34, ch. 15. The two senses — Christ’s unique, unrepeatable atoning cross and the disciple’s metaphorical daily cross-bearing — use the same word but carry different theological weight; footnote required to distinguish.
Hell Gehenna
Approved rendering: ગેહેન્ના
Transliteration: Gehennā
Doctrine: Final Judgment (Gehenna)
Rejected alternatives: નરક (as unqualified primary rendering)
Original: γέεννα
Category: Eschatology
9:43-48. AVOID નરક unqualified — the standard Hindu/Jain term for a temporary hell-realm within a self-regulating cyclical cosmology from which a soul is eventually reborn. Transliterate with mandatory explanatory footnote naming God’s own final, personal judgment, never a way-station.
Blasphemy Holy Spirit
Approved rendering: પરમેશ્વરની નિંદા
Transliteration: Parmeśvarnī nindā
Doctrine: Blasphemy against the Holy Spirit
Original: βλασφημία
Category: Sin and Purity
2:7, 3:28-29, 14:64. Must be pinned specifically to willful attribution of the Holy Spirit’s saving work to the demonic, not general irreverence or ordinary doubt. Mandatory theologian review at every occurrence.
I Am
Approved rendering: હું છું
Transliteration: hũ chhũ
Doctrine: Jesus’ Authority over Nature
Original: ἐγώ εἰμι
Category: Christology
6:50, 14:62. Echoes Exodus 3:14 LXX divine self-disclosure; Gujarati grammar cannot morphologically distinguish this from ordinary self-identification. Mandatory translator note at every occurrence.
Ransom
Approved rendering: ખંડણી
Transliteration: khaṇḍaṇī
Doctrine: The Ransom for Many
Rejected alternatives: મુક્તિમૂલ્ય, દંડ
Original: λύτρον
Category: Salvation
10:45. Core passage term. Stable, low-syncretism secular word for a captive’s ransom, but must not be misheard as a bribe/tribute paid to appease an angry deity — a familiar Gujarati folk votive-offering pattern. Mandatory theologian review, mandatory footnote clarifying God himself provides this ransom through the Son’s willing self-gift.
For Many
Approved rendering: ઘણાંઓને બદલે
Transliteration: ghaṇāõne badle
Doctrine: The Ransom for Many
Rejected alternatives: માટે (softened ‘for the benefit of’)
Original: ἀντὶ πολλῶν
Category: Salvation
10:45, echoed 14:24. Preserves ἀντὶ’s substitutionary ‘in exchange for’ force; never soften to માટે, which would lose the one-for-many exchange logic essential to this doctrine. Mandatory theologian review.
Eternal Life
Approved rendering: અનંત જીવન
Transliteration: anant jīvan
Doctrine: Eternal Life and the Kingdom Received by Grace, Not Attainment
Rejected alternatives: મોક્ષ, મુક્તિ, કેવલજ્ઞાન, સિદ્ધત્વ
Original: ζωὴ αἰώνιος
Category: Salvation
10:17, 10:30. Relational, Christ-given life entered by grace (‘impossible for man, possible for God,’ 10:27), sharply distinguished from mokṣa/mukti achieved by the soul’s own effort, karma-exhaustion, or ascetic attainment.
High Risk Terms
Gospel
Approved rendering: સુવાર્તા
Transliteration: suvārtā
Doctrine: Gospel
Rejected alternatives: ખબર, શુભ સંદેશ
Original: εὐαγγέλιον
Category: Salvation
Inherited from Romans package. Mark application: 1:1 opens the entire book with this word, framing the whole Gospel as this one proclamation; also 1:14-15, 8:35, 10:29, 13:10, 14:9, 16:15. Must be distinguished from any of the multiple liberation-paths on offer in Gujarat’s religious marketplace.
Faith
Approved rendering: વિશ્વાસ
Transliteration: viśvāsa
Doctrine: Faith and Discipleship amid Fear
Rejected alternatives: શ્રદ્ધા, ભક્તિ
Original: πίστις
Category: Faith
Inherited from Romans package. Central to Mark’s healing narratives (2:5, 4:40, 5:34, 6:6, 9:23-24, 10:52, 11:22-24) and the disciples’ repeated lack of it. The object of faith (Jesus specifically) must remain recoverable, distinct from bhakti devotional reverence toward any chosen deity.
Sin
Approved rendering: પાપ
Transliteration: pāp
Doctrine: Universal Human Accountability
Rejected alternatives: અધર્મ
Original: ἁμαρτία
Category: Sin
Inherited from Romans package. Mark 1:4-5’s baptism of repentance and 2:5-10’s paralytic both require sin to be understood as an offense against a personal God who forgives, not impersonal karmic matter removed by self-effort.
Holy
Approved rendering: પવિત્ર
Transliteration: pavitra
Doctrine: Sanctification
Rejected alternatives: શુદ્ધ
Original: ἅγιος
Category: Sanctification
Inherited from Romans package. Mark 1:24: an unclean spirit itself names Jesus ‘the Holy One of God’ — relational/moral set-apartness, not the ritual purity (શુદ્ધ) associated with Jain ascetic practice.
Power Of God
Approved rendering: પરમેશ્વરનું સામર્થ્ય
Transliteration: Parmeśvarnũ Sāmarthya
Doctrine: Power of God for Salvation
Rejected alternatives: શક્તિ
Original: δύναμις
Category: God
Inherited from Romans package. Exercised through Jesus over nature, disease, and evil spirits (4:39-41; 5:30; 6:2, 5; 9:1; 13:26). NEVER શક્તિ, which in Gujarat’s active Shakti/mother-goddess devotional tradition (e.g. Ambaji) names a distinct divine-feminine power.
Abba
Approved rendering: અબ્બા
Transliteration: Abbā
Doctrine: Adoption into God’s Family
Original: Ἀββά
Category: God
Inherited from Romans package. Used by Jesus in Gethsemane (14:36); retained as transliteration alongside પિતા to preserve the intimacy of Jesus’ own prayer language at the moment he faces the cup of suffering.
Glory
Approved rendering: મહિમા
Transliteration: mahimā
Doctrine: Deity of Christ
Rejected alternatives: તેજ, પ્રકાશ
Original: δόξα
Category: God
Inherited from Romans package. The future, visible splendor of Christ’s coming reign (8:38, 10:37, 13:26). Avoid light-only imagery merging with Hindu divine-radiance or Jain kevala-jñāna associations.
Law
Approved rendering: નિયમશાસ્ત્ર
Transliteration: niyamśāstra
Doctrine: Jesus’ Authority over Sickness, Sin, and Nature
Rejected alternatives: ધર્મ, શરિયત
Inherited from Romans package. Background for Sabbath controversy (2:23-28, 3:1-6) and tradition-versus-heart teaching (ch. 7). NEVER ધર્મ — in Jain cosmology ધર્મ is a technical metaphysical substance, an entirely different prior meaning.
Providence
Approved rendering: પરમેશ્વરનું વિધાન
Transliteration: Parmeśvarnũ Vidhān
Doctrine: Providence
Rejected alternatives: નસીબ, કર્મનો નિયમ
Inherited from Romans package. Background doctrine for Mark 10:40’s ‘prepared’ (તૈયાર કરેલું) and the necessity statements (δεῖ, 8:31, 9:31); God’s personal, purposive governance, never impersonal karmic mechanism.
Called
Approved rendering: તેડાયેલા
Transliteration: tedāyelā
Doctrine: Faith and Discipleship amid Fear
Rejected alternatives: આમંત્રિત
Inherited from Romans package. Background for Mark’s calling narratives (1:16-20 Simon and Andrew; 2:14 Levi; 3:13-19 the Twelve) where Jesus himself initiates the call to often-reluctant, fearful disciples.
Calling
Approved rendering: તેડું
Transliteration: teḍũ
Doctrine: Faith and Discipleship amid Fear
Rejected alternatives: આહ્વાન
Inherited from Romans package. Noun form paired with તેડાયેલા; conveys a sovereign summons, not human-initiated seeking or guru-shishya petition.
Suffer
Approved rendering: સહન કરવું
Transliteration: sahan karavũ
Doctrine: Jesus as the Suffering Servant and Son of God
Rejected alternatives: તપ, તપસ્યા
Original: πάσχω
Category: Christology
8:31, 9:12. Christ’s suffering is imposed by human injustice and taken up willingly for others, never self-generated ascetic austerity (tapa) undertaken for one’s own karmic purification.
Compassion
Approved rendering: કરુણા
Transliteration: karuṇā
Doctrine: Jesus as the Suffering Servant and Son of God
Rejected alternatives: દયા
Original: σπλαγχνίζομαι
Category: Miracles and Authority
1:41, 6:34, 8:2, 9:22. Prefer over દયા, the central Jain ahiṃsā-virtue term describing a generalized ethical stance any practitioner can cultivate; this compassion must remain rooted in Christ’s unique identity and power to act.
Kingdom At Hand
Approved rendering: પરમેશ્વરનું રાજ્ય પાસે આવ્યું છે
Transliteration: Parmeśvarnũ Rājya pāse āvyũ chhe
Doctrine: The Kingdom of God Breaking In
Original: ἤγγικεν (ἐγγίζω)
Category: Kingdom
1:15. Renders ἤγγικεν’s perfect-tense ‘has drawn near, continues in effect’ aspect, which Gujarati verb morphology cannot supply in a single word. Fixed clause required; footnote at first occurrence rather than attempting a single-verb solution. Not a vague future hope, not a cyclical repetition of ages.
Mystery
Approved rendering: રહસ્ય
Transliteration: rahasya
Doctrine: The Mystery of the Kingdom Given, Not Earned
Original: μυστήριον
Category: Kingdom
4:11. Risk of assimilation to Hindu/Jain esoteric-initiation frameworks (guru-granted dīkṣā, ascetic-attainment) in which secret teaching is unlocked by the aspirant’s own progress. Biblical mystērion is sovereignly given, not earned; mandatory footnote.
Must Necessary
Approved rendering: જરૂરી છે
Transliteration: jarūrī chhe
Doctrine: The Necessity of the Cross
Rejected alternatives: નસીબ, નિયતિ, કર્મનો નિયમ
Original: δεῖ
Category: Passion and Atonement
8:31, 9:31, 13:7, 13:10. Divine, Scripture-rooted necessity, not the impersonal, self-executing inevitability of karma — a serious risk given how naturally Gujarati religious idiom reads ‘what must happen’ through karmic-inevitability.
Deny Oneself
Approved rendering: પોતાને નકારવું
Transliteration: potāne nakāravũ
Doctrine: The Necessity of the Cross
Rejected alternatives: તપ, સંન્યાસ
Original: ἀπαρνέομαι
Category: Discipleship
8:34, 14:30-31, 14:72. Distinguish from Jain/Hindu ascetic self-mortification undertaken as a self-directed path to purification or liberation; this is trust-filled following of Christ.
Handed Over
Approved rendering: સોંપી દેવું
Transliteration: sõpī devũ
Doctrine: Divine Plan and Genuine Human Responsibility in the Betrayal
Original: παραδίδωμι
Category: Passion and Atonement
9:31, 10:33, 14:10-11, 14:18, 14:21, 14:41-42. Must preserve both genuine human moral culpability (Judas) and God’s sovereign redemptive purpose, without collapsing either into fatalism or removing divine purpose.
Servant
Approved rendering: સેવક
Transliteration: sevak
Doctrine: Servanthood versus Worldly Greatness
Original: διάκονος
Category: Servanthood
9:35, 10:43. No native substitute exists; in Gujarat’s Vaishnav/Swaminarayan bhakti culture સેવક routinely names merit-generating temple/guru devotional service that raises the devotee’s standing — the near-opposite of Jesus’ point. Mandatory doctrinal footnote at every occurrence.
Slave
Approved rendering: દાસ
Transliteration: dās
Doctrine: Servanthood versus Worldly Greatness
Original: δοῦλος
Category: Servanthood
10:44. No native substitute exists; Gujarat’s bhakti poetic tradition (Narsinh Mehta’s ‘Hari no Dās’) makes દાસ a devotional-honor term for a deity’s devotee-servant seeking favor. Here it must be taught as total self-giving for others’ benefit in imitation of Christ, never devotional submission for divine favor.
Lord It Over
Approved rendering: તેમના પર પ્રભુત્વ ચલાવે છે
Transliteration: temanā par prabhutva chalāve chhe
Doctrine: Servanthood versus Worldly Greatness
Original: κατακυριεύω
Category: Servanthood
10:42. Built on the same root as પ્રભુ, the Critical term for Christ’s own Lordship. Mandatory footnote at first occurrence marking this as the condemned worldly counter-example, never a synonym for Christ’s reign.
Unclean Spirit
Approved rendering: દુષ્ટાત્મા
Transliteration: duṣṭātmā
Doctrine: Jesus’ Authority over Sickness, Sin, and Nature
Rejected alternatives: ભૂત
Original: πνεῦμα ἀκάθαρτον / δαιμόνιον
Category: Miracles and Authority
1:23-27, 34, 39; 3:11, 22-30; 5:1-20; 6:13; 7:25-30; 9:17-29. Avoid ભૂત, the common Gujarati folk-religious word for a household ghost, which would flatten biblical demonic reality into local folk-belief categories.
Defiled Common
Approved rendering: અશુદ્ધ
Transliteration: aśuddha
Doctrine: True Defilement Originates in the Heart, Not Ritual Impurity
Original: κοινός / κοινόω
Category: Sin and Purity
7:2, 7:15-23. Jain purity practice locates defilement in external karmic accretion managed by ascetic discipline; Mark 7 teaches the opposite causal direction — heart to act, not substance to soul.
Life Soul
Approved rendering: જીવ
Transliteration: jīv
Doctrine: The Ransom for Many
Original: ψυχή
Category: Salvation
10:45. No substitute exists; જીવ is the exact Jain metaphysical term for jīva, the karma-bound soul-substance seeking self-liberation through ascetic effort. Mandatory clarifying note at every occurrence in this doctrinal sense distinguishing Christ’s unique, unrepeatable self-gift from self-attained karmic release.
Cup
Approved rendering: પ્યાલો
Transliteration: pyālo
Doctrine: The Ransom for Many
Original: ποτήριον
Category: Passion and Atonement
10:38-39, 14:23-24, 14:36. Metaphor for appointed suffering; must render identically across all three passages per the Theological Consistency Rule, with the metaphorical (non-literal) sense footnoted at first occurrence.
Son Of David
Approved rendering: દાઉદનો પુત્ર
Transliteration: Dāūdno Putra
Doctrine: Davidic Covenant
Original: υἱὸς Δαυίδ
Category: Covenant
10:47-48. Bartimaeus’s cry, the first public messianic acclamation of Jesus by an ordinary person in Mark. Requires OT covenant background teaching; no structural parallel exists in Hindu or Jain tradition.
Love Agape
Approved rendering: પ્રેમ
Transliteration: prem
Doctrine: The Great Commandment: Willed Love for God and Neighbor
Original: ἀγάπη / ἀγαπάω
Category: Discipleship
12:29-31. No substitute exists; Gujarat’s Vaishnav bhakti culture (centered on Dwarka) gives પ્રેમ a strong romantic-mystical devotional coloring (Krishna-gopī prem-līlā). This ἀγάπη is willed, covenantal, ethical love, not romantic-mystical union — distinction must be explicit wherever taught.
Temple Curtain
Approved rendering: મંદિરનો પડદો
Transliteration: mandirno paḍdo
Doctrine: Access to God Opened through Christ’s Death
Original: καταπέτασμα
Category: Passion and Atonement
15:38. A significant teaching opportunity given Gujarat’s historical caste/community-restricted temple access; must be framed as barrier-removal accomplished specifically by Christ’s death.
Repentance
Approved rendering: પસ્તાવો
Transliteration: pastāvo
Doctrine: Repentance as Spirit-Wrought Turning, Not Ritual Penance
Rejected alternatives: પ્રાયશ્ચિત્ત
Original: μετάνοια
Category: Salvation
1:4-5, 1:15, 6:12. NEVER પ્રાયશ્ચિત્ત — the specific Jain technical term for formal monastic confession-and-penance ritual, a self-administered ascetic duty, structurally opposite to Spirit-wrought heart change.
Medium Risk Terms
Kingdom Of God
Approved rendering: પરમેશ્વરનું રાજ્ય
Transliteration: Parmeśvarnũ Rājya
Doctrine: Kingdom Mission
Rejected alternatives: ઈશ્વરનું રાષ્ટ્ર
Original: βασιλεία τοῦ θεοῦ
Category: Kingdom
Inherited from Romans package. Mark’s single most frequent doctrinal phrase (1:15, 4:11, 4:26-32, 9:1, 9:47, 10:14-25, 12:34, 14:25, 15:43); anchors ‘The Kingdom of God Breaking In.’ God’s active reign, not a territorial kingdom, and not a repeating phase of a cyclical cosmic age.
Apostle
Approved rendering: પ્રેરિત
Transliteration: prerit
Doctrine: Apostleship
Rejected alternatives: ગુરુ, સંદેશવાહક
Original: ἀπόστολος
Category: Church
Inherited from Romans package. The Twelve named and commissioned (3:14) and sent out (6:7-13, 6:30). Avoid ગુરુ, which implies self-attained spiritual authority rather than a delegated, sent commission.
David
Approved rendering: દાઉદ
Transliteration: Dāūd
Doctrine: Davidic Covenant
Original: Δαυίδ
Category: Covenant
Inherited from Romans package. Invoked regarding Sabbath precedent (2:25), Bartimaeus’s messianic cry (10:47-48), the triumphal entry (11:10), and Jesus’ own question about the Christ’s Davidic identity (12:35-37).
Gentiles
Approved rendering: અન્ય પ્રજાઓ
Transliteration: anya prajāo
Doctrine: Unity of Jews and Gentiles
Rejected alternatives: વિદેશીઓ
Original: ἔθνη
Category: Church
Inherited from Romans package. The object of both worldly domination (10:33, 42) and the coming universal gospel proclamation (13:10); ties to ‘Universal Mission of the Gospel to All Nations.‘
Mission
Approved rendering: મિશન / સુવાર્તા પ્રચાર
Transliteration: miśan / suvārtā prachār
Doctrine: Mission to the Nations
Original: ἀποστέλλω / πέμπω
Category: Church
Inherited from Romans package. સુવાર્તા પ્રચાર preferred throughout Mark (6:7-13, 13:10, 16:15) given ‘મિશન’s colonial-era connotation in India.
Church
Approved rendering: મંડળી
Transliteration: maṇḍaḷī
Doctrine: Church as God’s People
Rejected alternatives: મંદિર, દેરાસર
Original: ἐκκλησία
Category: Church
Inherited from Romans package. Not present as an explicit noun in Mark; retained for cross-reference teaching about the disciple-community Jesus forms. Never confuse with મંદિર, the literal Jerusalem Temple building of 11:15-17.
Follow
Approved rendering: અનુસરવું
Transliteration: anusaravũ
Doctrine: Faith and Discipleship amid Fear
Original: ἀκολουθέω
Category: Discipleship
1:18, 2:14, 8:34, 10:21, 10:28, 10:52. Must be distinguished from the guru-shishya ‘following a self-attained teacher’ pattern common in bhakti and Jain monastic culture, where the disciple seeks out and approaches the master; in Mark, Jesus himself initiates the call.
Teacher
Approved rendering: ઉપદેશક
Transliteration: upadeśak
Doctrine: Faith and Discipleship amid Fear
Rejected alternatives: ગુરુ
Original: διδάσκαλος
Category: Discipleship
4:38, 5:35, 9:17, 9:38, 10:17, 10:35, 12:14, 12:19, 12:32, 13:1, 14:14. NEVER ગુરુ. Flag 10:35 specifically — James and John’s address opens the ransom pericope and must not import guru-seeking overtones.
Exercise Authority Over
Approved rendering: તેમના પર અધિકાર ચલાવે છે
Transliteration: temanā par adhikār chalāve chhe
Doctrine: Servanthood versus Worldly Greatness
Original: κατεξουσιάζω
Category: Servanthood
10:42. Negative, self-serving use of ἐξουσία, contrasted with Jesus’ own never-self-serving authority (અધિકાર).
Rebuke Silence
Approved rendering: મના કરવી / ધમકાવવું
Transliteration: manā karavī / dhamkāvavũ
Doctrine: The Messianic Secret
Original: ἐπιτιμάω
Category: Messianic Secret
1:25, 1:34, 1:44, 3:12, 4:39, 8:30, 8:32-33, 9:9. Right-time public revelation tied to the cross, not elite esoteric gatekeeping graded by merit or ascetic advancement.
Authority
Approved rendering: અધિકાર
Transliteration: adhikār
Doctrine: Jesus’ Authority over Sickness, Sin, and Nature
Original: ἐξουσία
Category: Miracles and Authority
1:22, 1:27, 2:10, 3:15, 6:7, 11:28-33, 13:34. Must convey inherent, divine sovereign right, not bureaucratic permission; sharply contrasted with the negative અધિકાર ચલાવવો of 10:42.
Forgiveness
Approved rendering: માફી
Transliteration: māfī
Doctrine: Jesus’ Authority to Forgive Sins
Original: ἄφεσις
Category: Sin and Purity
2:5-10, 3:29 (negatively). Common secular usage risks flattening this into ordinary apology; must retain God’s own forensic pardon granted by Christ’s authority — the scribes’ ‘who can forgive sins but God alone’ (2:7) is the interpretive key.
Give Life
Approved rendering: આપવું
Transliteration: āpavũ
Doctrine: The Ransom for Many
Original: δίδωμι
Category: Salvation
10:45. Emphasizes Christ’s own voluntary agency in the ransom-giving act; he gives, he is not merely taken. Christ must remain grammatical subject/agent in translation.
Image
Approved rendering: પ્રતિમા
Transliteration: pratimā
Doctrine: Ultimate Allegiance to God (Render to Caesar)
Original: εἰκών
Category: Culture and Setting
12:17. Refers concretely to a coin’s stamped image, not an idol; પ્રતિમા is also the standard Gujarati word for a devotional idol-image (Hindu mūrti), so surrounding context must prevent unintended idol-association.
Cornerstone
Approved rendering: ખૂણાનો પથ્થર
Transliteration: khūṇāno pathdhar
Doctrine: Christ’s Rejection and Vindication (Cornerstone)
Original: κεφαλὴ γωνίας
Category: Christology
12:10, citing Psalm 118:22. Requires OT background to carry its full rejection/vindication force; low independent syncretism risk.
Tribulation
Approved rendering: સંકટ
Transliteration: saṅkaṭ
Doctrine: The Son of Man’s Future Coming and Watchful Readiness
Original: θλῖψις
Category: Eschatology
13:19, 13:24. Must retain a linear, historically-bounded eschatological sense, not a repeating phase within a cyclical cosmic age-scheme.
Sleeping Death Euphemism
Approved rendering: ઊંઘે છે
Transliteration: ũṅghe chhe
Doctrine: The Bodily Resurrection of Christ
Original: καθεύδει
Category: Miracles and Authority
5:39-42. Euphemism for death signaling death is not final in Jesus’ presence; must not be flattened into a claim she was never truly dead, nor confused with sleep-as-death imagery in reincarnation frameworks. Requires translator note clarifying literal death is intended.
Baptize Baptism
Approved rendering: બાપ્તિસ્મા
Transliteration: bāptismā
Doctrine: Repentance as Spirit-Wrought Turning, Not Ritual Penance
Original: βαπτίζω / βάπτισμα
Category: Salvation
1:4-11 (literal); 10:38-39, 14:36 (metaphorical, ‘overwhelmed by suffering’). Distinguish from Hindu ritual river-bathing (snān) for purification. Translator note required wherever the metaphorical, non-literal sense is used.
Prepared
Approved rendering: તૈયાર કરેલું
Transliteration: taiyār karelũ
Doctrine: Providence
Rejected alternatives: નસીબ, કર્મનો નિયમ
Original: ἑτοιμάζω (ἡτοίμασται)
Category: God
10:40. The Father’s places ‘have been prepared’ by sovereign, purposive will, not impersonal fate or karmic pre-determination.
Low Risk Terms
Prophet
Approved rendering: ભવિષ્યવક્તા
Transliteration: bhaviṣyavaktā
Doctrine: Inspiration of Scripture
Rejected alternatives: જ્યોતિષી
Original: προφήτης
Category: Covenant
Inherited from Romans package. Applied to John the Baptist (11:32) and invoked in popular speculation about Jesus (6:4, 6:15, 8:28). Not a fortune-teller/astrologer (જ્યોતિષી).
Parable
Approved rendering: દ્રષ્ટાંત
Transliteration: dṛṣṭānt
Doctrine: The Kingdom of God Breaking In
Original: παραβολή
Category: Kingdom
3:23, 4:2-34, 12:1-12, 13:28. Standard term; the risk is under-explaining the dual reveal/veil function distinctive to Mark 4, a teaching-note issue rather than a translation-term issue.
Unbelief
Approved rendering: અવિશ્વાસ
Transliteration: aviśvās
Doctrine: Faith and Discipleship amid Fear
Original: ἀπιστία
Category: Faith
9:24, ‘help my unbelief’ — faith portrayed as a struggle sustained by grace, not a fixed personal attainment. Direct antonym of વિશ્વાસ.
Fear
Approved rendering: ભય
Transliteration: bhay
Doctrine: Faith and Discipleship amid Fear
Original: φόβος
Category: Discipleship
4:41, 5:15, 33, 36, 6:50, 9:32, 10:32, 16:8. Contrast fear-before-power with faith-in-Christ; not resolved by ritual appeasement of a feared deity.
Greatness
Approved rendering: મોટું / શ્રેષ્ઠ
Transliteration: moṭũ / śreṣṭh
Doctrine: Servanthood versus Worldly Greatness
Original: μέγας
Category: Servanthood
9:34-35, 10:43-44. Redefined by Jesus as service, inverting Gujarati social honor categories.
Heal
Approved rendering: સાજા કરવું
Transliteration: sājā karavũ
Doctrine: Jesus’ Authority over Sickness, Sin, and Nature
Original: θεραπεύω
Category: Miracles and Authority
1:34, 3:2-10, 6:5, 6:13. Keep tied to Christ’s authority, not a magical or occult technique.
Cast Out
Approved rendering: હાંકી કાઢવું
Transliteration: hāṅkī kāḍhavũ
Doctrine: Jesus’ Authority over Sickness, Sin, and Nature
Original: ἐκβάλλω
Category: Miracles and Authority
1:34, 1:39, 3:15, 3:22-23, 6:13, 9:18, 9:28, 9:38. Authority delegated by Christ to the apostles, not self-generated ascetic power.
Sabbath
Approved rendering: સાબ્બાથ
Transliteration: sābbāth
Doctrine: Jesus’ Authority over Sickness, Sin, and Nature
Original: σάββατον
Category: Covenant
1:21, 2:23-28, 3:1-6. Established transliteration; minor risk of confusion with a generic ‘day off’ if under-explained.
Sign
Approved rendering: ચિહ્ન
Transliteration: chihna
Doctrine: Jesus’ Authority over Sickness, Sin, and Nature
Original: σημεῖον
Category: Miracles and Authority
8:11-12, 13:4, 13:22, 16:17-20. Confirming acts accompanying gospel proclamation; note the well-known textual-critical status of the longer ending (16:9-20) for teaching purposes.
Watch Alert
Approved rendering: જાગૃત રહેવું
Transliteration: jāgṛt rahevũ
Doctrine: The Son of Man’s Future Coming and Watchful Readiness
Original: γρηγορέω
Category: Eschatology
13:33-37. Straightforward vigilance vocabulary grounded in the certainty of Christ’s personal return.
Temple
Approved rendering: મંદિર
Transliteration: mandir
Doctrine: Access to God Opened through Christ’s Death
Original: ἱερόν
Category: Culture and Setting
11:15-17. Accurate literal designation for the historical Jerusalem Temple building; not to be confused with મંડળી (church), which names the covenant community, not a structure.
Hosanna
Approved rendering: હોસાન્ના
Transliteration: Hosānnā
Doctrine: The Kingdom of God Breaking In
Original: Ὡσαννά
Category: Culture and Setting
11:9-10. Liturgical acclamation from Psalm 118; established transliteration retains its liturgical force without translation.
Corban
Approved rendering: કર્બાન
Transliteration: karbān
Doctrine: True Defilement Originates in the Heart, Not Ritual Impurity
Original: κορβάν
Category: Culture and Setting
7:11-13. Culturally and historically distant technical term; transliterate with a brief explanatory gloss.
Legion
Approved rendering: લેગિયોન
Transliteration: Legiyon
Doctrine: Jesus’ Authority over Sickness, Sin, and Nature
Original: Λεγιών
Category: Miracles and Authority
5:9-13. Proper noun (Roman military unit); no rendering ambiguity, shows the scale of Jesus’ authority over even a vast hostile host.
Indignant
Approved rendering: ગુસ્સે થયા
Transliteration: gusse thayā
Doctrine: Servanthood versus Worldly Greatness
Original: ἀγανακτέω
Category: Servanthood
10:41. The other ten disciples’ reaction to James and John’s request, setting up Jesus’ corrective servanthood teaching. Ordinary emotional vocabulary; no doctrinal collision.
Bridegroom
Approved rendering: વરરાજા
Transliteration: vararājā
Doctrine: The Kingdom of God Breaking In
Original: νυμφίος
Category: Kingdom
2:19-20. Wedding imagery for messianic joy and presence; minor metaphor, may be worth distinguishing from Krishna-gopī bridegroom-devotional imagery if raised by learners.
Referenced passages