Core Glossary
Core Glossary — 2 Timothy — English → Japanese
Purpose
This glossary catalogs every load-bearing theological term identified in analysis/07_semantic_analysis.md, spanning all four chapters of 2 Timothy. Terms already established in the baseline Romans translation_memory.json are marked [BASELINE REUSE] and reproduced with their exact recorded rendering — these must never be altered. Terms new to this curriculum are marked [NEW] and are assigned a risk tier and rendering here for the first time, to be added to translation_memory.json in Phase 2 per the AI Translation Requirements’ term-discovery protocol.
Risk tiers follow the baseline definitions exactly:
- Critical: Mistranslation alters or destroys essential doctrine. Human theologian review required for every occurrence.
- High: Mistranslation creates significant theological confusion or syncretism risk. Human theologian review required.
- Medium: Mistranslation reduces clarity but preserves essential meaning. Native speaker review recommended.
- Low: Mistranslation causes minor misunderstanding or imprecision. Automated review sufficient.
Section 1: Baseline Terms Reused Exactly (2 Timothy occurrences)
| English term | Japanese (exact) | Transliteration | Risk (baseline) | Key 2 Timothy occurrences | Doctrine link |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| grace | 恵み | megumi | Critical | 1:2, 1:9, 2:1, 4:22 | Perseverance under Suffering (strength “in the grace”); non-transactional caution applies directly to 2:1’s charge to be strengthened |
| faith | 信仰 | shinkou | High | 1:5, 3:15, 4:7 | Faithful Transmission of the Gospel; Assurance of Reward (“kept the faith”) |
| righteousness | 義 | gi | Critical | 2:22, 3:16, 4:8 | Inspiration and Sufficiency of Scripture (3:16); Assurance of Reward (“crown of righteousness,” 4:8) — Bushido-virtue distinguishing note applies with special force to 4:8 |
| salvation | 救い | sukui | Critical | 2:10, 3:15 | Faithful Transmission of the Gospel; never 解脱 |
| apostle | 使徒 | shito | Low | 1:1, 1:11 | Apostolic authority grounding the whole letter |
| called / calling | 召された / 召し | mesareta / meshi | High | 1:9 | Faithful Transmission of the Gospel (God’s own purpose and grace, not works) |
| holy | 聖い | kiyoi | Medium | 1:9 (“holy calling”) | Sainthood/calling background |
| sanctification (adjacent: ἡγιασμένον, “sanctified”) | 聖化 (adj. form: 聖なるものとされた) | seika | High | 2:21 | Guarding Sound Doctrine — personal holiness as prerequisite for useful ministry |
| resurrection | 復活 | fukkatsu | High | 2:8, 2:18 | Faithful Transmission of the Gospel (2:8, correct); Apostasy and False Teachers (2:18, corrupted example) |
| lord | 主 | shu | Critical | 1:2, 1:8, 1:16, 1:18, 2:7, 2:19, 2:22, 2:24, 4:8, 4:14, 4:17, 4:18, 4:22 (very frequent throughout) | Christ’s Lordship undergirds every doctrine in this letter |
| glory | 栄光 | eikou | Medium | 2:10 | Assurance of Reward — “salvation… with eternal glory” |
| election | 選び (root; here as ἐκλεκτοί, “the elect”) | erabi | Medium-High | 2:10 | Perseverance under Suffering — endurance “for the sake of the elect” |
| exhort | 勧める | susumeru | Low | 4:2 (παρακάλεσον) | The Charge to Preach the Word |
| seed of David | ダビデの子孫 | Dabide no shison | High | 2:8 | Faithful Transmission of the Gospel — gospel content summary |
| god | 神 | Kami | Critical | 1:1–1:3, 4:1, 4:18, and throughout | All doctrines; qualifying language required at doctrinally weighty occurrences per baseline rule |
| holy_spirit | 聖霊 | Seirei | Critical | 1:14 | Guarding Sound Doctrine — the deposit is guarded “through the Holy Spirit who dwells in us” |
| father | 父 | chichi | Medium | 1:2 | Opening greeting |
| kingdom_of_god | 神の国 | Kami no Kuni | High | 4:1 (“his kingdom”), 4:18 (“his heavenly kingdom”) | The Charge to Preach the Word (4:1); Assurance of Reward (4:18) — Romans 14:17 anchoring note required at both occurrences |
| thanksgiving | 感謝 | kansha | Low | 1:3 | Opening thanksgiving |
| power_of_god | 神の力 (root δύναμις) | Kami no Chikara | Medium | 1:7, 1:8 | Perseverance under Suffering — Spirit-given power, not cowardice |
| covenant (background sense, “promise”) | 契約 (adjacent: 約束) | keiyaku | High | (background to 1:1’s “promise of life,” 2:8’s Davidic reference) | Faithful Transmission of the Gospel — commercial-contract dilution caution applies |
| david | ダビデ | Dabide | Low | 2:8 | Faithful Transmission of the Gospel |
| jesus | イエス | Iesu | Critical | throughout (1:1, 1:2, 1:9, 1:10, 1:13, 2:1, 2:3, 2:8, 2:10, 4:1, 4:22) | All doctrines |
| lordship of Christ / “Jesus is Lord”-type confession (background) | 主 | Shu | Critical | throughout | Cross-references Romans 10:9 consistency rule |
Section 2: New Terms Introduced by 2 Timothy — Full Glossary
| # | English term | Greek | Transliteration | Literal meaning | Japanese rendering | Risk | Doctrine(s) | Rejected alternatives | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | God-breathed / inspired | θεόπνευστος | theopneustos | ”God-breathed” (θεός + πνέω) | 神の霊感による（神が語られた） | Critical | Inspiration and Sufficiency of Scripture | 霊感 alone without qualification | The single highest-priority new term in this curriculum. 霊感 (reikan) is the standard Japanese Bible word but is also the everyday word for psychic intuition/spiritualist-medium ability, heavily present in Japanese pop culture (TV psychics, “reikan shoujo” anime/manga trope). MUST be paired with an explanatory gloss (“神が語られた,” “God spoke it forth,” “神の息によって書かれた”) at every doctrinally weighty occurrence, distinguishing divine verbal origin from occult/psychic channeling. This is a NT hapax legomenon (occurs only at 2 Tim 3:16 in the whole NT) — flag every occurrence for human theologian review without exception. |
| 2 | sound doctrine / sound teaching | ὑγιαίνουσα διδασκαλία | hygiainousa didaskalia | ”healthy teaching” | 健全な教え | High | Guarding Sound Doctrine; Faithful Transmission of the Gospel | 健康的な教え (overly literal “healthy” in a physical-fitness sense) | 健全 (kenzen) is a felicitous existing Japanese word also used for institutional/financial soundness (健全な経営), giving a natural, non-syncretistic bridge. Central letter-wide term (1:13, 4:3); render identically at every occurrence including the near-synonym διδαχή (4:2) and διδασκαλία generally (3:16) for consistency. |
| 3 | the deposit / that which is entrusted | παραθήκη | parathēkē | ”that deposited for safekeeping” (banking/trust term) | 委ねられたもの（託されたもの） | Critical | Faithful Transmission of the Gospel; Guarding Sound Doctrine | 遺産 (inheritance — wrong metaphor, implies passive receipt rather than active guardianship); 財産 (mere property) | Anchor term for two of the seven curriculum doctrines. MUST be distinguished from Japanese Buddhist (especially Zen) dharma-transmission concepts — 法灯継承 (hōtō keishō, “lamp transmission”) and 以心伝心 (ishin-denshin, “mind-to-mind transmission”) — in which a master confirms a disciple’s own attained realization, and in some lineages the content of realization can be understood to develop across generations. The apostolic παραθήκη is a fixed, complete, already-given content (the gospel) to be guarded unchanged and handed on intact — not a personally attained realization that varies or grows per transmitter. Flag every occurrence (1:12, 1:14, and the verb form in 2:2) for human theologian review. |
| 4 | last days | ἔσχαται ἡμέραι | eschatai hēmerai | ”final days” | 終わりの日々 | Critical | Apostasy and False Teachers in the Last Days | 末世 (masse); 末法 (mappō) — NEVER use either | 末法 (mappō) is the formal doctrinal name in Japanese Pure Land and Nichiren Buddhism for the age of Dharma decline, a historically influential eschatological framework in Japanese religious history. Using mappō-adjacent vocabulary would frame biblical apostasy through a specific, doctrinally loaded Buddhist cyclical decline-narrative incompatible with the linear, single-fulfillment biblical eschatology (one church age, moving toward one definitive return, 4:1). Flag every occurrence for human theologian review. |
| 5 | myths / fables | μῦθοι | mythoi | ”invented tales” | 作り話（空想的な物語） | High | Apostasy and False Teachers in the Last Days | 神話 (shinwa) — avoid as primary rendering | 神話 is the same word used for Japan’s own national foundation mythology (Kojiki/Nihon Shoki), including the imperial divine-descent narrative already flagged Critical elsewhere in the baseline (Son of God / arahitogami). Rendering μῦθοι as 神話 risks implying an unintended critique of Japanese national mythology specifically; Paul’s referent is Jewish/Gnostic speculative tales (cf. 1 Tim 1:4, 4:7; Titus 1:14), not comparative mythology broadly. |
| 6 | appearing / manifestation | ἐπιφάνεια | epiphaneia | ”appearing” | 現れ（主の現れ） | High | Deity of Christ (baseline); Lordship of Christ (baseline); Assurance of Reward | 化身、権化 — NEVER use (already forbidden in baseline Incarnation entry) | Used of both Christ’s first coming (1:10) and second coming (4:1, 4:8). Must not be rendered in a way suggesting a repeatable, provisional manifestation of the kind ascribed to kami or bodhisattvas under honji suijaku theology. Christ’s ἐπιφάνεια is singular at each advent — one incarnation, one future return — not a periodic or recurring appearance. Render identically across all three occurrences. |
| 7 | crown of righteousness | στέφανος τῆς δικαιοσύνης | stephanos tēs dikaiosynēs | ”victor’s wreath of righteousness” (athletic-games imagery, not a royal diadem) | 義の栄冠 | Critical | Assurance of Reward | 義の王冠 (royal-crown image — wrong register; στέφανος is a victor’s garland, not διάδημα) | Combines two high-risk terms. 栄冠 (eikan) is an existing, felicitous Japanese word for a competition championship crown (優勝の栄冠), a genuine cultural bridge to Japan’s sports/martial-arts culture. Requires the same Bushido-virtue distinguishing note as baseline’s 義 entry: the crown is not the prize for having personally cultivated and displayed the Bushido virtue of moral courage, but the consummation of a righteousness already granted by grace, received by faith (baseline’s Critical righteousness/justification cautions apply in full here). Flag every occurrence for human theologian review. |
| 8 | godliness | εὐσέβεια | eusebeia | ”piety, reverence toward God expressed in right living” | 敬虔 | Medium-High | Apostasy and False Teachers in the Last Days (“form of godliness… denying its power,” 3:5) | 宗教心 (generic religious sentiment — already flagged in baseline under Faith) | Risk is that 敬虔 could be processed as generic ritual devotion/diligence (paralleling Japan’s ancestor-veneration and household butsudan devotional diligence) rather than a relationship with God empowered by his actual power (δύναμις, 3:5). Teaching must stress Paul’s critique targets the form without the power, not devotional form as such. |
| 9 | self-control / soundness of mind | σωφρονισμός | sōphronismos | ”sound-mindedness, self-mastery” | 自制の心（慎み） | High | Perseverance under Suffering | 克己 (kokki, “self-conquest”) — avoid as primary rendering; may be referenced only with a clear “Spirit-given, not self-achieved” qualifier | 克己 is a core Bushido and Zen self-discipline virtue (achieved through disciplined training). σωφρονισμός in 1:7 is explicitly a gift God gives (“God gave us a spirit… of self-control”), the opposite of a self-cultivated achievement. Any reference to 克己 as an explanatory bridge must be immediately qualified as describing a Spirit-given disposition, not a personally attained mastery. |
| 10 | preach (the word) | κηρύσσω (imperative κήρυξον) | kēryxon | ”proclaim as a herald” | 宣べ伝える | Medium | The Charge to Preach the Word | 説教する (avoid as primary verb — carries a mild colloquial “lecture/nag at someone” connotation in modern spoken Japanese) | Anchor verb for the doctrine’s namesake command (4:2). 宣べ伝える is the established, weighty Japanese Bible term for authoritative gospel proclamation, echoing the ancient herald’s role of announcing a king’s message with delegated authority, not personal opinion. |
| 11 | herald / preacher | κῆρυξ | kēryx | ”herald, town-crier” | 宣べ伝える者（使者） | Medium | Faithful Transmission of the Gospel; The Charge to Preach the Word | 説教者 (weaker, more generic “preacher/sermon-giver”) | Distinct from διδάσκαλος (teacher, 1:11); render consistently with the verb κηρύσσω (see #10) since they share the same root. |
| 12 | evangelist | εὐαγγελιστής | euangelistēs | ”one who proclaims the good news” | 伝道者 | Low-Medium | The Charge to Preach the Word | (none significant) | Standard, established Japanese Christian term with low collision risk; shares root with baseline’s 福音 (gospel). |
| 13 | ministry / service | διακονία | diakonia | ”service, ministry” | 奉仕（主に対する奉仕） | Medium | The Charge to Preach the Word | 奉仕 alone without qualifier | 奉仕 is standard but also used generically for secular volunteer work and even for Shinto shrine service (神社奉仕); always specify the object (God/Christ/the church) in doctrinal contexts to avoid ambiguity. |
| 14 | mercy | ἔλεος | eleos | ”compassion toward the afflicted/undeserving” | 憐れみ | Low-Medium | (background to Grace, baseline) | (none significant) | Distinct from 恵み (grace, baseline Critical): mercy responds to misery/need, grace to guilt/unworthiness. Both are non-transactional per the baseline’s on-giri caution; render distinctly from 恵み to preserve Paul’s triad (grace, mercy, peace, 1:2). |
| 15 | conscience | συνείδησις | syneidēsis | ”moral self-awareness, inner witness” | 良心 | Low-Medium | Faithful Transmission of the Gospel (Paul’s own integrity) | (none significant) | Standard secular-and-Christian Japanese term. Must be distinguished from Japan’s shame-oriented (恥, haji) public-face monitoring already flagged in the baseline sin entry: this is inward moral integrity before God, not concern for reputation. |
| 16 | sincere / unfeigned (faith) | ἀνυπόκριτος | anypokritos | ”without hypocrisy” (lit. “not play-acting,” from ὑποκριτής, “stage actor”) | 偽りのない（純粋な） | Low | Faithful Transmission of the Gospel | (none significant) | Modifies baseline 信仰 (faith); describes genuine, non-performative, generationally transmitted faith (Lois → Eunice → Timothy). |
| 17 | entrust (verb) | παρατίθημι (imperative παράθου) | parathou | ”deposit, commit for safekeeping” | 委ねる | High | Faithful Transmission of the Gospel | (none significant beyond the noun-form cautions above) | Verb-form cognate of παραθήκη (#3 above). Use the same Japanese root (委ねる/委ねられたもの) consistently across all noun and verb occurrences (1:12, 1:14, 2:2) to preserve the letter’s deliberate wordplay and its guardianship-chain logic. |
| 18 | rightly handling (the word of truth) | ὀρθοτομέω | orthotomeō | ”cut straight” (surveying/craft metaphor: cutting a straight path or furrow) | 真理の言葉を正しく解き明かす | High | Guarding Sound Doctrine | 言葉についての論争 (word-fighting — describes the opposite behavior, not this term) | The agricultural/surveying image (“cutting straight”) does not translate literally into a natural Japanese idiom; render functionally per idiom-handling convention while preserving the sense of skillful, precise doctrinal handling as opposed to personal cleverness or disputation. |
| 19 | impostors / deceivers | γόητες | goētes | ”enchanters, charlatans” (root: sorcery/wailing incantation, by NT times metaphorical for smooth-talking deceivers) | 欺く者（ペテン師） | Medium | Apostasy and False Teachers in the Last Days | 魔術師 (avoid as primary rendering) | Rendering literally as a sorcery-related term risks unintended connection to occult vocabulary already carefully managed elsewhere in the baseline (spiritual gifts, holy spirit); render the NT’s metaphorical sense (deceiver/impostor) as primary, with etymology explained only in teaching notes if needed. |
| 20 | itching ears (idiom) | κνηθόμενοι τὴν ἀκοήν | knēthomenoi tēn akoēn | ”having itching as to hearing” | 自分に心地よいことだけを聞きたがる | Medium | Apostasy and False Teachers in the Last Days | 耳がかゆい (literal — not a natural Japanese idiom, likely to confuse) | Idiom-handling rule applies: render the functional meaning (“wanting to hear only what is personally pleasing”) rather than translating the English/Greek idiom word-for-word. |
| 21 | gangrene (metaphor for spreading false teaching) | γάγγραινα | gangraina | ”gangrene” (medical term) | 壊疽（えそ）のように広がる | Low-Medium | Apostasy and False Teachers in the Last Days | (none significant) | Direct, low-collision translation; a vivid, teachable image for how false doctrine spreads destructively through the body of the church. |
| 22 | poured out as a libation | σπένδομαι | spendomai | ”poured out as a drink-offering” (cultic sacrificial term) | 献酒として注ぎ出されている | Medium-High | Assurance of Reward; Perseverance under Suffering | (none directly rejected, but avoid drawing equivalence to Shinto sake-offerings, o-miki) | The image is not part of ordinary Japanese cultural vocabulary; a brief explanatory gloss is warranted, and teaching must NOT draw an equivalence to Shinto ritual sake-offerings (o-miki), since the referent is the OT/Jewish sacrificial system specifically, not a generic offering concept. |
| 23 | departure (euphemism for death) | ἀνάλυσις | analysis | ”a loosing” (ship’s mooring lines, or breaking camp) | 旅立ちの時 | Low-Medium | Assurance of Reward | (none significant) | Renders naturally and warmly in Japanese as “the time of departure/journey,” preserving the purposeful, non-defeatist framing Paul intends. |
| 24 | fought the good fight / finished the course / kept the faith | τὸν καλὸν ἀγῶνα ἠγώνισμαι / τὸν δρόμον τετέλεκα / τὴν πίστιν τετήρηκα | ēgōnismai / teteleka / tetērēka | athletic-contest completion formula | 良い戦いを戦い抜いた／競走を走り終えた／信仰を守り抜いた | High | Assurance of Reward | (none significant, but flag framing) | Good natural bridge to Japan’s sports/martial-arts culture, but flag for theologian review: must be taught alongside grace so this triumphant self-summary is not read as merit earning the crown by unaided personal effort — the crown is granted by grace to one preserved by God in faith (cf. 2:13, “he remains faithful”). |
| 25 | the elect (background to baseline election) | ἐκλεκτοί | eklektoi | ”the chosen ones” | 選ばれた者たち | Medium-High | Perseverance under Suffering | (uses baseline 選び root) | Reuses baseline root exactly; render with the existing 選び (erabi) family rather than any new coinage. |
| 26 | faithful is the saying (creedal formula) | πιστὸς ὁ λόγος | pistos ho logos | ”faithful is the word” | これは真実な言葉です | Medium | Faithful Transmission of the Gospel | (none significant) | Fixed liturgical/catechetical formula recurring across the Pastoral Epistles (1 Tim 1:15, 3:1, 4:9; Titus 3:8); must be rendered identically at every occurrence across the whole Pastoral Epistles corpus for consistency, not only within 2 Timothy. |
| 27 | complete / fully equipped | ἄρτιος / ἐξηρτισμένος | artios / exērtismenos | ”complete, fit for purpose” / “fully furnished” | 完全に整えられて | Medium-High | Inspiration and Sufficiency of Scripture | 完全 alone without qualification (risks sounding like self-achieved perfection) | Anchor term for Scripture’s Sufficiency. Must be kept as a state Scripture produces in the person via its four functions (3:16), not an achievement of ascetic self-cultivation (cf. baseline’s forbidden 修行/悟り for sanctification-adjacent contexts). |
| 28 | devil’s snare | διάβολος (with παγίς) | diabolos, pagis | ”the devil, the trap” | 悪魔の罠 | Medium | Apostasy and False Teachers in the Last Days | 鬼 (oni, folk-demon imagery) — avoid | Use the established Japanese Christian term 悪魔; do not substitute Japan’s folk-demon/oni imagery, which carries different (mischievous or punitive folk-tale) cultural connotations distinct from the biblical tempter. |
Section 3: Cross-Curriculum Consistency Notes
- Terms shared with the Romans baseline (Section 1 above) must use the exact recorded Japanese rendering with no deviation, per the Language Package’s absolute enforcement rule for Critical/High terms.
- παραθήκη (#3) and ἐπιφάνεια (#6) are the two new terms most likely to recur in future Pastoral Epistles curricula (1 Timothy, Titus) and should be proposed for promotion into a shared cross-curriculum translation memory once 1 Timothy/Titus packages are developed.
- θεόπνευστος (#1) occurs only once in the entire New Testament (2 Tim 3:16) but anchors a doctrine (Inspiration and Sufficiency of Scripture) foundational to the whole Bible study enterprise; its glossary entry and explanatory gloss should be treated as a template for any future curriculum touching bibliology.
- ἔσχαται ἡμέραι (#4) and μῦθοι (#5) together constitute the highest-density Shinto/Buddhist collision risk cluster in this glossary and should be prioritized for human theologian review ahead of Phase 2 translation of Chapter 3 and the 4:1-5 charge.
- Athletic/military/agricultural metaphor cluster (soldier, athlete, farmer, ch. 2; fought/finished/kept, ch. 4; crown, ch. 4) should be translated with an eye to consistent register across the letter, since Paul deliberately builds this metaphor field cumulatively from chapter 2 to its climax in chapter 4.
Critical Risk Terms
Grace
Approved rendering: 恵み
Transliteration: megumi
Doctrine: Grace
Rejected alternatives: 恩返しが要る恵み, 功徳
Original: χάρις
Category: Salvation
Inherited from Romans package. CRITICAL: on-giri (恩・義理) reciprocal-obligation risk. In 2 Timothy this is sharpened by 1:9 (‘not because of our works, but because of his own purpose and grace’) and 2:1 (‘be strengthened in the grace’) — strength for enduring hardship must not be read as a favor now owed back through faithful suffering. Also appears in the closing benediction (4:22) and the greeting triad grace/mercy/peace (1:2), where it must be kept distinct from 憐れみ (mercy, see mercy entry).
Righteousness
Approved rendering: 義
Transliteration: gi
Doctrine: Assurance of Reward
Rejected alternatives: 道徳, 正義感
Original: δικαιοσύνη
Category: Salvation
Inherited from Romans package. Bushido-virtue distinguishing note applies with special force at 4:8 (crown of righteousness) and 2:22 (pursue righteousness): 義 as personally displayed moral courage must not be confused with the forensic righteousness that grounds both pursuit and reward. See crown_of_righteousness entry.
Salvation
Approved rendering: 救い
Transliteration: sukui
Doctrine: Faithful Transmission of the Gospel
Rejected alternatives: 解脱, 極楽往生
Original: σωτηρία
Category: Salvation
Inherited from Romans package. NEVER 解脱. Appears in 2:10 (‘salvation… with eternal glory’) and 3:15 (Scripture’s wisdom leads to salvation through faith in Christ Jesus).
Lord
Approved rendering: 主
Transliteration: shu
Doctrine: Lordship of Christ
Rejected alternatives: 主君, ご主人様
Original: κύριος
Category: Christology
Inherited from Romans package. Highest-frequency title in 2 Timothy (1:2, 1:8, 1:16, 1:18, 2:7, 2:19, 2:22, 2:24, 4:1, 4:8, 4:14, 4:17, 4:18, 4:22). Feudal-lord bridge language (主君) should generally be avoided given 4:1’s judicial and 4:8’s salvific authority, which exceeds feudal political fealty. Absolute rendering consistency required across every occurrence.
God
Approved rendering: 神
Transliteration: Kami
Doctrine: Lordship of Christ
Rejected alternatives: 八百万の神の一柱としての神, 神様
Original: θεός
Category: God
Inherited from Romans package. CRITICAL: requires the baseline’s qualifying language (唯一のまことの神) at doctrinally weighty occurrences, especially 4:1’s solemn charge ‘before God and Christ Jesus.‘
Holy Spirit
Approved rendering: 聖霊
Transliteration: Seirei
Doctrine: Guarding Sound Doctrine
Rejected alternatives: 霊, 幽霊
Original: πνεῦμα ἅγιον
Category: God
Inherited from Romans package. NEVER 霊 alone. 1:14: ‘guard the good deposit through the Holy Spirit who dwells in us’ directly links pneumatology to Guarding Sound Doctrine — the Spirit, not unaided human willpower or memory, empowers the guarding of the deposit.
Jesus
Approved rendering: イエス
Transliteration: Iesu
Doctrine: Lordship of Christ
Rejected alternatives: ゼズス
Original: Ἰησοῦς
Category: Christology
Inherited from Romans package. Appears throughout 2 Timothy (1:1, 1:2, 1:9-10, 1:13, 2:1, 2:3, 2:8, 2:10, 4:1, 4:22).
God Breathed
Approved rendering: 神の霊感による（神が語られた）
Transliteration: Kami no reikan ni yoru (Kami ga katarareta)
Doctrine: Inspiration and Sufficiency of Scripture
Rejected alternatives: 霊感（単独での使用）
Original: θεόπνευστος
Category: Scripture
NEW. Renders θεόπνευστος (3:16), a NT hapax legomenon. 霊感 (reikan) is the standard Japanese Bible word but is also the everyday word for psychic intuition, a sixth sense, or a spiritualist medium’s channeling ability — the exact word used of TV psychics and the ‘reikan shoujo’ (psychic girl) trope in Japanese pop culture. MUST NEVER stand alone; always pair with the explanatory gloss 神が語られた (‘spoken forth by God himself’) or 神の息によって書かれた (‘written by the breath of God’). Flag every occurrence (3:16 only) for mandatory human theologian review without exception.
The Deposit
Approved rendering: 委ねられたもの（託されたもの）
Transliteration: yudanerareta mono (takusareta mono)
Doctrine: Guarding Sound Doctrine
Rejected alternatives: 遺産, 財産, 法灯継承, 以心伝心
Original: παραθήκη
Category: Transmission
NEW. Renders παραθήκη (1:12, 1:14; verb form in 2:2 — see entrust entry), a banking/trust term for ‘that deposited for safekeeping.’ Anchor term for two curriculum doctrines simultaneously (Guarding Sound Doctrine, Faithful Transmission of the Gospel). MUST NEVER be explained or illustrated using 法灯継承 (hōtō keishō, Zen ‘lamp transmission’) or 以心伝心 (ishin-denshin, ‘mind-to-mind transmission’), in which a master confirms a disciple’s own attained/evolving realization. The apostolic παραθήκη is fixed, complete, already-given content to be guarded unchanged and handed on intact — not a personally attained realization that varies or grows per transmitter. Flag every occurrence for mandatory human theologian review without exception.
Last Days
Approved rendering: 終わりの日々
Transliteration: owari no hibi
Doctrine: Apostasy and False Teachers in the Last Days
Rejected alternatives: 末世, 末法
Original: ἔσχαται ἡμέραι
Category: Apostasy
NEW. Renders ἔσχαται ἡμέραι (3:1), the present church-age period leading to Christ’s return. NEVER use 末世 (masse) or especially 末法 (mappō) — 末法 is the formal doctrinal name in Japanese Pure Land and Nichiren Buddhism for the age of Dharma decline within a cyclical cosmology, a historically influential Japanese eschatological framework. Using mappō-adjacent vocabulary would frame biblical apostasy through this incompatible cyclical decline-narrative rather than the linear, single-fulfillment biblical eschatology (one church age, one definitive return, 4:1). Compounded by modern sensitivity: apocalyptic rhetoric carries Aum Shinrikyo associations in contemporary Japan. Flag every occurrence for mandatory human theologian review without exception.
Crown Of Righteousness
Approved rendering: 義の栄冠
Transliteration: gi no eikan
Doctrine: Assurance of Reward
Rejected alternatives: 義の王冠, 功徳による栄冠, 御利益としての栄冠
Original: ὁ τῆς δικαιοσύνης στέφανος
Category: Eschatology
NEW. Renders ὁ τῆς δικαιοσύνης στέφανος (4:8), the victor’s wreath (not a royal diadem — στέφανος, not διάδημα) awarded by the righteous Judge to all who have loved Christ’s appearing. Combines two of the highest-risk terms in the whole language package: 義 (Bushido-virtue distinguishing note applies) and 栄冠 (eikan — a felicitous existing Japanese word for a competition championship crown, e.g. 優勝の栄冠, a genuine cultural bridge, but must never be taught via 功徳 merit-accumulation logic or 御利益 transactional-favor logic). The crown is the consummation of a righteousness already granted by grace, received by faith — not a merit prize for personally cultivated moral courage or unaided athletic-style achievement. Flag every occurrence for mandatory human theologian review without exception.
High Risk Terms
Faith
Approved rendering: 信仰
Transliteration: shinkou
Doctrine: Faith
Rejected alternatives: 信心, 宗教心
Original: πίστις
Category: Faith
Inherited from Romans package. In 2 Timothy the additional risk is that faith transmitted generationally (1:5, Lois→Eunice→Timothy) be read as inherited household religious custom (cf. Japan’s butsudan devotional continuity) rather than personal trust each generation exercised genuinely. Also names the body of apostolic teaching in some occurrences (3:8, ‘concerning the faith’) and is ‘kept’ to the end (4:7).
Called
Approved rendering: 召された
Transliteration: mesareta
Doctrine: Divine Calling
Rejected alternatives: 運命づけられた, 天職
Original: κλητός / κέκληκεν
Category: Salvation
Inherited from Romans package. 1:9’s ‘holy calling… not because of our works’ is a key text for teaching the non-merit nature of calling; must not collapse into 天職 (secular vocational passion) or 運命 (impersonal fate).
Calling
Approved rendering: 召し
Transliteration: meshi
Doctrine: Divine Calling
Rejected alternatives: 運命, 天職
Original: κλῆσις
Category: Salvation
Inherited from Romans package. NEVER 運命 alone. Modifies ‘holy’ in 1:9’s ‘holy calling.‘
Sanctification
Approved rendering: 聖化
Transliteration: seika
Doctrine: Sanctification
Rejected alternatives: 修行, 悟り
Original: ἁγιάζω (ἡγιασμένον, 2:21)
Category: Sanctification
Inherited from Romans package. Adjectival form 聖なるものとされた used at 2:21 (a vessel ‘sanctified, useful to the master’). Must not be read as ascetic self-training (修行); the cleansing in 2:21 is preparatory usefulness for ministry, not self-attained purity.
Resurrection
Approved rendering: 復活
Transliteration: fukkatsu
Doctrine: Resurrection of Christ
Rejected alternatives: 輪廻転生, カムバック
Original: ἀνάστασις
Category: Eschatology
Inherited from Romans package. NEVER 輪廻転生. 2 Timothy uniquely pairs a correct use (2:8, ‘raised from the dead’) with a corrupted false-teaching use (2:18, Hymenaeus and Philetus claiming the resurrection ‘already happened’). BOTH occurrences MUST render with this identical Japanese term so the contrast between sound and false teaching remains visible; do not paraphrase one occurrence differently from the other. 復活’s ordinary pop-culture ‘comeback’ usage compounds the need for active doctrinal restoration in teaching at both occurrences.
Election
Approved rendering: 選び
Transliteration: erabi
Doctrine: Election and Effectual Calling
Rejected alternatives: 合格, 選抜
Original: ἐκλογή / ἐκλεκτός
Category: Salvation
Inherited from Romans package (risk elevated to High for this curriculum, consistent with assets/bible_term_registry.json and doctrine_risk_registry.json for 2 Timothy). 2:10: endurance undertaken ‘for the sake of the elect.’ Avoid Japan’s competitive-exam selection culture (受験、選抜) — inclusion among the elect is not earned by qualifying performance.
Seed Of David
Approved rendering: ダビデの子孫
Transliteration: Dabide no shison
Doctrine: Faithful Transmission of the Gospel
Original: σπέρμα Δαυίδ
Category: Covenant
Inherited from Romans package. 2:8: part of Paul’s compact gospel summary (‘remember Jesus Christ, raised from the dead, of the seed of David’).
Kingdom Of God
Approved rendering: 神の国
Transliteration: Kami no Kuni
Doctrine: The Charge to Preach the Word
Rejected alternatives: 神国日本
Original: βασιλεία (αὐτοῦ / τὴν ἐπουράνιον)
Category: Kingdom
Inherited from Romans package. Occurs at 4:1 (‘his kingdom,’ anchored to the solemn charge and coming judgment) and 4:18 (‘his heavenly kingdom,’ the consummated destination). Requires the baseline’s Romans 14:17 anchoring note at both occurrences, given the phrase’s pre-1945 State Shinto ultranationalist (神国日本) resonance. At 4:18, render as 天にある御国 to mark the consummated heavenly sense distinct from 4:1’s more general reign reference.
Covenant
Approved rendering: 契約
Transliteration: keiyaku
Doctrine: Faithful Transmission of the Gospel
Original: διαθήκη (background; cf. ἐπαγγελία, 1:1)
Category: Covenant
Inherited from Romans package. Background vocabulary for ‘promise of life’ (ἐπαγγελία, 1:1) and the Davidic covenant background of 2:8. The baseline’s commercial-contract dilution caution applies equally to ‘promise’ language in 1:1.
Complete Fully Equipped
Approved rendering: 完全に整えられて
Transliteration: kanzen ni totonoerarete
Doctrine: Inspiration and Sufficiency of Scripture
Rejected alternatives: 完全（単独修飾なし）
Original: ἄρτιος / ἐξηρτισμένος
Category: Scripture
NEW. Renders ἄρτιος / ἐξηρτισμένος (3:17), the direct textual anchor for Scripture’s Sufficiency: no supplementary revelation or practice is needed to complete the man of God. 完全 alone risks sounding like personally attained moral/spiritual perfection (echoing the baseline’s caution against 修行/悟り framing); must be kept as a state Scripture produces in a person via its four functions (3:16), never a self-cultivation achievement.
Pattern Of Sound Words
Approved rendering: 健全な言葉の模範
Transliteration: kenzen na kotoba no mohan
Doctrine: Guarding Sound Doctrine
Original: ὑποτύπωσις ὑγιαινόντων λόγων
Category: Doctrine
NEW. Renders ὑποτύπωσις ὑγιαινόντων λόγων (1:13). Must use the same 健全 root as sound_doctrine below to preserve the letter-wide ὑγιαίνω (‘healthy’) word-group across 1:13 and 4:3.
Sound Doctrine
Approved rendering: 健全な教え
Transliteration: kenzen na oshie
Doctrine: Guarding Sound Doctrine
Rejected alternatives: 健康的な教え
Original: ὑγιαίνουσα διδασκαλία / διδαχή
Category: Doctrine
NEW. Renders ὑγιαίνουσα διδασκαλία / διδαχή (1:13, 4:2, 4:3; cf. general διδασκαλία, 3:16). 健全 (kenzen) is a felicitous existing Japanese word also used for institutional/financial soundness (健全な経営), giving a natural, non-syncretistic bridge. Central letter-wide standard term; MUST be applied identically at every occurrence, not varied stylistically.
Entrust
Approved rendering: 委ねる
Transliteration: yudaneru
Doctrine: Faithful Transmission of the Gospel
Original: παρατίθημι (imperative παράθου, 2:2)
Category: Transmission
NEW. Verb-form cognate of the_deposit; renders παρατίθημι (imperative παράθου, 2:2), Paul’s command to Timothy establishing the multi-generational transmission chain (Paul → Timothy → faithful men → others). Use the same Japanese root as the_deposit’s 委ねられたもの to preserve the letter’s deliberate wordplay across 1:12, 1:14, and 2:2.
Rightly Handling The Word
Approved rendering: 真理の言葉を正しく解き明かす
Transliteration: shinri no kotoba wo tadashiku tokiakasu
Doctrine: Guarding Sound Doctrine
Rejected alternatives: 言葉についての論争
Original: ὀρθοτομέω (ὀρθοτομοῦντα τὸν λόγον τῆς ἀληθείας, 2:15)
Category: Doctrine
NEW. Renders ὀρθοτομέω (2:15), a surveying/craft metaphor (‘cut straight’) for skillful, accurate doctrinal handling, contrasted with pointless verbal disputation (λογομαχεῖν). The literal agricultural/surveying image has no natural Japanese idiom; render functionally per idiom-handling convention, preserving the sense of skillful precision rather than personal cleverness or disputation.
Creedal Saying Covenant Loyalty
Approved rendering: 共に死ぬ／共に生きる／耐え忍ぶ／共に治める、否む／不忠実／忠実であり続ける
Transliteration: tomo ni shinu / tomo ni ikiru / taeshinobu / tomo ni osameru, inamu / fuchuujitsu / chuujitsu de ari tsuzukeru
Doctrine: Assurance of Reward
Original: συναποθνήσκω, συζάω, ὑπομένω, συμβασιλεύω· ἀρνέομαι, ἀπιστέω, πιστὸς μένει (2:11-13)
Category: Transmission
NEW. Renders the creedal chiasm of 2:11-13. Doctrinal core of Assurance of Reward: God’s faithfulness to his own character, not the intensity of human effort, grounds assurance. The clause ‘if we are faithless, he remains faithful’ must not be softened into a general truism, and must not be confused with a reciprocal on-giri obligation — God’s faithfulness here is unilateral and self-grounded (‘he cannot deny himself’), the mirror image of the baseline’s grace/on-giri caution applied to God’s own character rather than the believer’s. Flag for mandatory theologian review.
Godliness
Approved rendering: 敬虔
Transliteration: keiken
Doctrine: Apostasy and False Teachers in the Last Days
Rejected alternatives: 宗教心
Original: εὐσέβεια
Category: Sanctification
NEW. Renders εὐσέβεια (3:5, ‘a form of godliness… denying its power’). Risk is that 敬虔 could be processed as generic ritual devotion/diligence — paralleling Japan’s ancestor-veneration and household butsudan devotional diligence — rather than a relationship with God empowered by his actual power (δύναμις). Teaching must stress that Paul condemns the outward form without the power, not devotional form as such.
Self Control
Approved rendering: 自制の心（慎み）
Transliteration: jisei no kokoro (tsutsushimi)
Doctrine: Perseverance under Suffering
Rejected alternatives: 克己（単独修飾なしでの使用）
Original: σωφρονισμός
Category: Sanctification
NEW. Renders σωφρονισμός (1:7), one of the Spirit’s gifts alongside power and love, explicitly stated as something ‘God gave us,’ contrasted with a ‘spirit of fear/cowardice.’ Japan’s Bushido/Zen 克己 (kokki, ‘self-conquest,’ a core samurai and Zen self-discipline virtue achieved through disciplined training) risks reframing this as a personally cultivated achievement rather than a Spirit-given gift. 克己 may be referenced only as an explanatory bridge with an immediate, explicit ‘Spirit-given, not self-achieved’ qualifier — never as the unqualified primary rendering.
Myths Fables
Approved rendering: 作り話（空想的な物語）
Transliteration: tsukuribanashi (kuusouteki na monogatari)
Doctrine: Apostasy and False Teachers in the Last Days
Rejected alternatives: 神話
Original: μῦθοι
Category: Apostasy
NEW. Renders μῦθοι (4:4), invented tales/speculative religious fictions. NEVER use 神話 (shinwa) as the primary rendering — 神話 is the same word used for Japan’s own national foundation mythology (Kojiki/Nihon Shoki), including the imperial divine-descent narrative already flagged Critical elsewhere in the baseline (Son of God/arahitogami). Paul’s referent is Jewish/Gnostic speculative tales (cf. 1 Tim 1:4, 4:7; Titus 1:14), not comparative mythology broadly.
Righteous Judge
Approved rendering: 義なる審判者
Transliteration: gi naru shinpansha
Doctrine: Assurance of Reward
Rejected alternatives: 正しい審判者（義との連結を欠く単独使用）
Original: ὁ δίκαιος κριτής
Category: Christology
NEW. Renders ὁ δίκαιος κριτής (4:8), the title given to Christ as the one who awards the crown of righteousness; also implicit in 4:1’s ‘judge the living and the dead.’ Reuses baseline 義 with its Bushido-virtue caution and connects to baseline 主 for Κύριος. Must convey judicial authority grounded in Christ’s own righteous character, not merely a fair arbiter in the generic secular sense.
Appearing
Approved rendering: 現れ（主の現れ）
Transliteration: araware (Shu no araware)
Doctrine: Lordship of Christ
Rejected alternatives: 化身, 権化
Original: ἐπιφάνεια
Category: Christology
NEW. Renders ἐπιφάνεια, used of both Christ’s first coming (1:10) and future return (4:1, 4:8). NEVER use 化身 or 権化 (already forbidden in the baseline Incarnation entry) — Christ’s ἐπιφάνεια is singular at each advent (one incarnation, one future return), never a repeatable, provisional manifestation of the kind ascribed to kami or bodhisattvas under honji suijaku theology. Render identically across all three occurrences (1:10, 4:1, 4:8).
Finished The Race
Approved rendering: 良い戦いを戦い抜いた／競走を走り終えた／信仰を守り抜いた
Transliteration: yoi tatakai wo tatakainuita / kyousou wo hashiriowatta / shinkou wo mamorinuita
Doctrine: Assurance of Reward
Original: τὸν καλὸν ἀγῶνα ἠγώνισμαι, τὸν δρόμον τετέλεκα, τὴν πίστιν τετήρηκα
Category: Eschatology
NEW. Renders Paul’s athletic-contest completion formula (4:7). A good natural bridge to Japan’s sports/martial-arts culture, but MUST be taught alongside 2:13’s ‘he remains faithful’ so this triumphant self-summary is not read as merit earning the crown by unaided personal effort — the crown is granted by grace to one preserved by God in faith. Flag for mandatory theologian review.
Poured Out As Libation
Approved rendering: 献酒として注ぎ出されている
Transliteration: kenshu toshite tsugidasarete iru
Doctrine: Assurance of Reward
Rejected alternatives: 御神酒として捧げられている
Original: σπένδομαι
Category: Suffering
NEW. Renders σπένδομαι (4:6), a cultic sacrificial image for Paul’s approaching martyrdom. Requires a brief explanatory gloss, since the drink-offering image is not part of ordinary Japanese cultural vocabulary. Teaching must NOT draw an equivalence to Shinto ritual sake-offerings (御神酒, o-miki); the referent is the OT/Jewish sacrificial system specifically.
The Elect
Approved rendering: 選ばれた者たち
Transliteration: erabareta mono-tachi
Doctrine: Election and Effectual Calling
Original: ἐκλεκτοί
Category: Salvation
NEW. Renders ἐκλεκτοί (2:10), those sovereignly chosen by God, for whose sake Paul endures suffering. Render using the existing baseline 選び (erabi) family: 選ばれた者たち. Do not coin a new term separate from the baseline election vocabulary.
Medium Risk Terms
Holy
Approved rendering: 聖い
Transliteration: kiyoi
Doctrine: Divine Calling
Rejected alternatives: 清らか, 穢れがない
Original: ἅγιος
Category: Sanctification
Inherited from Romans package. Modifies ‘calling’ in 1:9. Distinguish from Shinto ritual purity (清らか) per baseline.
Glory
Approved rendering: 栄光
Transliteration: eikou
Doctrine: Assurance of Reward
Rejected alternatives: 名誉
Original: δόξα
Category: God
Inherited from Romans package. 2:10: salvation ‘with eternal glory.’ Avoid collapsing into 名誉 (secular honor).
Father
Approved rendering: 父
Transliteration: chichi
Doctrine: Lordship of Christ
Rejected alternatives: 家長
Original: πατήρ
Category: God
Inherited from Romans package. Opening greeting, 1:2.
Power Of God
Approved rendering: 神の力
Transliteration: Kami no Chikara
Doctrine: Perseverance under Suffering
Rejected alternatives: 気, パワー
Original: δύναμις θεοῦ
Category: God
Inherited from Romans package. 1:7-8: God’s power specifically enabling courage and endurance. 1:7’s pairing with a ‘spirit… of power’ makes this a key verse for teaching Spirit-given (not self-generated) strength; avoid 気 and パワー per baseline caution.
Gospel
Approved rendering: 福音
Transliteration: fukuin
Doctrine: Faithful Transmission of the Gospel
Rejected alternatives: いい知らせ, グッドニュース
Inherited from Romans package. Occurs at 1:8 (‘the gospel’), 1:10 (Christ ‘brought life and immortality to light through the gospel’), 2:8 (‘my gospel’). As in Romans, the primary risk is biblical-illiteracy blankness rather than a competing wrong meaning, though 2 Timothy’s usage is more personal/testimonial (‘my gospel’) than doctrinal-expository.
Peace
Approved rendering: 平安
Transliteration: heian
Doctrine: Mercy and Compassion
Rejected alternatives: 安心, 癒し
Inherited from Romans package. Part of the opening greeting triad ‘grace, mercy, peace’ (1:2); must remain distinct from both 恵み (grace) and 憐れみ (mercy) so Paul’s threefold structure is preserved, and from the generic wellness sense of 安心/癒し.
Scriptures Sacred Writings
Approved rendering: 聖なる書物 / 聖書
Transliteration: seinaru shomotsu / seisho
Doctrine: Inspiration and Sufficiency of Scripture
Original: ἱερὰ γράμματα / γραφή
Category: Scripture
NEW. Renders ἱερὰ γράμματα (3:15, the Hebrew Scriptures known to Timothy from infancy) and πᾶσα γραφή (3:16, ‘all Scripture,’ the general-canon claim). Distinguish the two senses in teaching notes even where the Japanese rendering is similar; avoid flattening both into an undifferentiated reference to ‘the Bible as object,’ which would lose 3:15’s generational-transmission point.
Profitable For Teaching Reproof Correction Training
Approved rendering: 教え・戒め・矯正・訓練
Transliteration: oshie, imashime, kyousei, kunren
Doctrine: Inspiration and Sufficiency of Scripture
Original: ὠφέλιμος πρὸς διδασκαλίαν, ἐλεγμόν, ἐπανόρθωσιν, παιδείαν
Category: Scripture
NEW. Scripture’s four stated functions in 3:16 (διδασκαλία, ἐλεγμός, ἐπανόρθωσις, παιδεία). Avoid a shame-based public-correction connotation (cf. baseline’s 恥/haji caution) and avoid collision with Buddhist ascetic training 修行 (already forbidden in the baseline for sanctification-adjacent contexts) for 訓練/παιδεία specifically. These four functions ground both Guarding Sound Doctrine and Inspiration/Sufficiency of Scripture.
Faithful Saying
Approved rendering: これは真実な言葉です
Transliteration: kore wa shinjitsu na kotoba desu
Doctrine: Faithful Transmission of the Gospel
Original: πιστὸς ὁ λόγος
Category: Doctrine
NEW. Renders πιστὸς ὁ λόγος (2:11), a formulaic introduction marking a trustworthy, quotable creedal statement. This fixed formula recurs across the Pastoral Epistles (1 Tim 1:15, 3:1, 4:9; Titus 3:8) and must be rendered identically at every occurrence across that whole corpus, not only within 2 Timothy.
Approved Worker Vs Disapproved
Approved rendering: 認められた者 ／ 見せかけの信仰しかない者
Transliteration: mitomerareta mono / misekake no shinkou shika nai mono
Doctrine: Guarding Sound Doctrine
Original: δόκιμος (2:15) / ἀδόκιμος (3:8)
Category: Doctrine
NEW. Renders the deliberate rhetorical pairing δόκιμος (2:15, ‘approved worker’) / ἀδόκιμος (3:8, ‘disapproved/counterfeit concerning the faith’). Render as consistent positive/negative counterparts so the contrast Paul builds across the letter remains visible in Japanese.
Vessels For Honor Dishonor
Approved rendering: 器
Transliteration: utsuwa
Doctrine: Sanctification
Original: σκεύη εἰς τιμήν / εἰς ἀτιμίαν
Category: Church
NEW. Renders σκεύη εἰς τιμήν / εἰς ἀτιμίαν (2:20-21), a household-vessel metaphor for varied roles within the church, calling for self-cleansing toward honorable use. Standard vessel metaphor, low collision, natural in Japanese. Connects Guarding Sound Doctrine to personal integrity, not doctrinal content alone.
Mercy
Approved rendering: 憐れみ
Transliteration: awaremi
Doctrine: Mercy and Compassion
Original: ἔλεος
Category: God
NEW. Renders ἔλεος, part of the greeting triad ‘grace, mercy, peace’ (1:2) and prayed for Onesiphorus’s household (1:16, 1:18). Must remain distinct from 恵み (grace, Critical): mercy responds to misery/need, grace to guilt/unworthiness. Both are non-transactional per the baseline’s on-giri caution; render distinctly from 恵み to preserve Paul’s threefold greeting.
Conscience
Approved rendering: 良心
Transliteration: ryoushin
Doctrine: Faithful Transmission of the Gospel
Original: συνείδησις
Category: Faith
NEW. Renders συνείδησις (1:3, serving God ‘with a clear conscience’), modeling Paul’s own integrity in ministry. Standard secular-and-Christian Japanese term; must be distinguished from Japan’s shame-oriented (恥, haji) public-face monitoring flagged in the baseline sin entry — this is inward moral integrity before God, not concern for reputation.
Impostors Deceivers
Approved rendering: 欺く者（ペテン師）
Transliteration: azamuku mono (peten-shi)
Doctrine: Apostasy and False Teachers in the Last Days
Rejected alternatives: 魔術師
Original: γόητες
Category: Apostasy
NEW. Renders γόητες (3:13), smooth-talking deceivers; the word’s root originally denoted a sorcerer/incantation practitioner, extended metaphorically by NT times. Render the NT’s metaphorical sense as primary, not a literal sorcery-related term (魔術師), which risks unintended connection to occult vocabulary already carefully managed elsewhere in the baseline (spiritual gifts, Holy Spirit). Sorcery etymology may be explained in teaching notes only, never imported into the main text.
Itching Ears
Approved rendering: 自分に心地よいことだけを聞きたがる
Transliteration: jibun ni kokochiyoi koto dake wo kikitagaru
Doctrine: Apostasy and False Teachers in the Last Days
Rejected alternatives: 耳がかゆい
Original: κνηθόμενοι τὴν ἀκοήν
Category: Apostasy
NEW. Renders κνηθόμενοι τὴν ἀκοήν (4:3), a vivid idiom for hearers seeking teachers who tell them what they already want to hear. A literal 耳がかゆい (‘ears are itchy’) is not a natural Japanese idiom and would likely confuse rather than illuminate. Render functionally per the idiom-handling convention.
Gangrene
Approved rendering: 壊疽（えそ）のように広がる
Transliteration: eso no you ni hirogaru
Doctrine: Apostasy and False Teachers in the Last Days
Original: γάγγραινα
Category: Apostasy
NEW. Renders γάγγραινα (2:17), a medical metaphor for how false teaching spreads destructively through the body of the church. Direct, low-collision translation; a vivid, teachable image.
Devils Snare
Approved rendering: 悪魔の罠
Transliteration: akuma no wana
Doctrine: Apostasy and False Teachers in the Last Days
Rejected alternatives: 鬼の罠
Original: τοῦ διαβόλου παγίς
Category: Apostasy
NEW. Renders τοῦ διαβόλου παγίς (2:26), a hunter’s-trap image naming a personal, hostile spiritual agent behind entrapment in error. Use the established Japanese Christian term 悪魔; do not substitute Japan’s folk-demon/oni (鬼) imagery, which carries different (mischievous or punitive folk-tale) cultural connotations distinct from the biblical tempter.
Targeted Deception Of Vulnerable
Approved rendering: 弱い立場の女性たち
Transliteration: yowai tachiba no josei-tachi
Doctrine: Apostasy and False Teachers in the Last Days
Original: ἐνδύνοντες… γυναικάρια σεσωρευμένα ἁμαρτίαις
Category: Apostasy
NEW. Renders γυναικάρια σεσωρευμένα ἁμαρτίαις (3:6), a concrete case study of how false teachers exploit spiritually unstable individuals rather than confronting error openly. Translate with care to avoid either sounding broadly misogynistic (describes specific exploited individuals, not women as a category) or losing the pejorative force entirely; use with a clarifying teaching note.
Preach
Approved rendering: 宣べ伝える
Transliteration: nobetsutaeru
Doctrine: The Charge to Preach the Word
Rejected alternatives: 説教する
Original: κηρύσσω (imperative κήρυξον, 4:2)
Category: Ministry
NEW. Renders κηρύσσω (imperative κήρυξον, 4:2), the anchor verb for the doctrine’s namesake command. Established, weighty Japanese Bible term for authoritative gospel proclamation. Avoid 説教する (sekkyou suru) as the primary verb — in modern colloquial Japanese it carries a mild ‘lecture/nag at someone’ connotation (‘説教するな’ = ‘don’t lecture me’), which would deflate the herald-authority sense of the imperative.
Herald
Approved rendering: 宣べ伝える者（使者）
Transliteration: nobetsutaeru mono (shisha)
Doctrine: The Charge to Preach the Word
Rejected alternatives: 説教者
Original: κῆρυξ
Category: Ministry
NEW. Renders κῆρυξ (1:11), part of Paul’s threefold office (herald, apostle, teacher). Distinct from διδάσκαλος (teacher). Avoid the weaker, more generic 説教者. Render consistently with the verb κηρύσσω since they share the same root.
Evangelist
Approved rendering: 伝道者
Transliteration: dendousha
Doctrine: The Charge to Preach the Word
Original: εὐαγγελιστής
Category: Ministry
NEW. Renders εὐαγγελιστής (4:5), naming Timothy’s specific task in the closing charge. Standard, established Japanese Christian term with low collision risk, sharing its root with baseline 福音 (gospel).
Ministry Service
Approved rendering: 奉仕（主に対する奉仕）
Transliteration: houshi (Shu ni tai suru houshi)
Doctrine: The Charge to Preach the Word
Rejected alternatives: 奉仕（対象を明示しない単独使用）
Original: διακονία
Category: Ministry
NEW. Renders διακονία (4:5), the general term for Christian service. 奉仕 alone is standard but also used generically for secular volunteer work and even for Shinto shrine service (神社奉仕); always specify the object (God/Christ/the church) in doctrinal contexts to keep the referent unambiguous.
Solemn Charge
Approved rendering: 厳かに命じる
Transliteration: ogosokani meijiru
Doctrine: The Charge to Preach the Word
Original: διαμαρτύρομαι
Category: Ministry
NEW. Renders διαμαρτύρομαι (4:1), a formal, weighty command given as if under oath, invoking God and Christ as witnesses. Avoid a term that reads as a casual request or suggestion.
Knowledge Of Truth
Approved rendering: 真理の知識
Transliteration: shinri no chishiki
Doctrine: Apostasy and False Teachers in the Last Days
Original: ἐπίγνωσις ἀληθείας
Category: Salvation
NEW. Renders ἐπίγνωσις ἀληθείας (2:25), the full knowledge God may grant to those in error. Avoid framing as an attainment reached through effort or ascetic practice (echoing the baseline’s caution against 悟り framing).
Departure
Approved rendering: 旅立ちの時
Transliteration: tabidachi no toki
Doctrine: Assurance of Reward
Original: ἀνάλυσις
Category: Suffering
NEW. Renders ἀνάλυσις (4:6), a euphemism for death as a ship’s mooring lines being loosed or a soldier breaking camp. Renders naturally and warmly in Japanese, preserving the purposeful, non-defeatist framing Paul intends.
Divine Repayment
Approved rendering: 主が彼にその行いに応じて報いてくださる
Transliteration: Shu ga kare ni sono okonai ni oujite mukuite kudasaru
Doctrine: Assurance of Reward
Original: ἀποδώσει αὐτῷ ὁ Κύριος κατὰ τὰ ἔργα αὐτοῦ
Category: Eschatology
NEW. Renders ἀποδώσει αὐτῷ ὁ Κύριος κατὰ τὰ ἔργα αὐτοῦ (4:14, regarding Alexander the coppersmith) — judicial recompense left to God rather than personal vengeance. Note the deliberate echo with the positive reward language of 4:8, reinforcing that the same righteous Judge administers both.
Rescued By The Lord
Approved rendering: 主が私と共に立ち、私を強くしてくださった
Transliteration: Shu ga watashi to tomo ni tachi, watashi wo tsuyoku shite kudasatta
Doctrine: Perseverance under Suffering
Original: ὁ Κύριος μοι παρέστη καὶ ἐνεδυνάμωσέν με, ἐρρύσθην ἐκ στόματος λέοντος
Category: Suffering
NEW. Renders ὁ Κύριος μοι παρέστη καὶ ἐνεδυνάμωσέν με, ἐρρύσθην ἐκ στόματος λέοντος (4:17), personal testimony of Christ’s presence and deliverance in crisis, feeding directly into the closing doxology (4:18). Warm, relational; reuses baseline 主. The idiom ‘lion’s mouth’ (獅子の口) can be rendered fairly literally, as it is comprehensible figuratively in Japanese with low risk.
Low Risk Terms
Apostle
Approved rendering: 使徒
Transliteration: shito
Doctrine: Faithful Transmission of the Gospel
Rejected alternatives: 教祖
Original: ἀπόστολος
Category: Church
Inherited from Romans package. Paul’s self-identification (1:1, 1:11) grounds the whole letter’s authority. Avoid 教祖 per baseline caution.
Exhort
Approved rendering: 勧める
Transliteration: susumeru
Doctrine: The Charge to Preach the Word
Original: παρακαλέω (imperative παράκαλεσον, 4:2)
Category: Faith
Inherited from Romans package. One of the four modes of the charge in 4:2 (παρακάλεσον).
Thanksgiving
Approved rendering: 感謝
Transliteration: kansha
Doctrine: Thanksgiving
Original: χάριν ἔχω (background sense of εὐχαριστία)
Category: Faith
Inherited from Romans package. Opens the letter, 1:3.
David
Approved rendering: ダビデ
Transliteration: Dabide
Doctrine: Faithful Transmission of the Gospel
Original: Δαυίδ
Category: Covenant
Inherited from Romans package. Referenced in the gospel summary of 2:8.
Man Of God
Approved rendering: 神の人
Transliteration: Kami no hito
Doctrine: Inspiration and Sufficiency of Scripture
Original: ὁ τοῦ θεοῦ ἄνθρωπος
Category: Scripture
NEW. Renders ὁ τοῦ θεοῦ ἄνθρωπος (3:17); a title used of OT prophets (Elijah, Moses) applied to any believer/minister shaped by Scripture. Standard, low-risk rendering.
Sincere Faith
Approved rendering: 偽りのない（純粋な）
Transliteration: itsuwari no nai (junsui na)
Doctrine: Faithful Transmission of the Gospel
Original: ἀνυπόκριτος (πίστις)
Category: Faith
NEW. Renders ἀνυπόκριτος (1:5, lit. ‘not play-acting,’ from ὑποκριτής, ‘stage actor’), modifying baseline 信仰. Describes genuine, non-performative, generationally transmitted faith (Lois → Eunice → Timothy).
Difficult Times
Approved rendering: 困難な時代
Transliteration: konnan na jidai
Doctrine: Apostasy and False Teachers in the Last Days
Original: καιροὶ χαλεποί
Category: Apostasy
NEW. Renders καιροὶ χαλεποί (3:1), naming the character of the last days before the vice list. Standard, no major collision.
Vice Catalogue
Approved rendering: 快楽を愛する者であって、神を愛する者ではない
Transliteration: kairaku wo ai suru mono de atte, Kami wo ai suru mono de wa nai
Doctrine: Apostasy and False Teachers in the Last Days
Original: φίλαυτοι, φιλάργυροι, ἀλαζόνες… φιλήδονοι μᾶλλον ἢ φιλόθεοι (3:2-4)
Category: Apostasy
NEW. Renders the climactic summary phrase φιλήδονοι μᾶλλον ἢ φιλόθεοι of the 18-item vice catalogue (3:2-4). Individual list items are standard secular-moral Japanese vocabulary (自己中心的、金銭を愛する、高慢、冒涜的、etc.) with minimal doctrinal collision risk; this summarizing contrast deserves emphasis.
Word Of God Not Bound
Approved rendering: 神の言葉は鎖でつながれてはいない
Transliteration: Kami no kotoba wa kusari de tsunagarete wa inai
Doctrine: Faithful Transmission of the Gospel
Original: ὁ λόγος τοῦ θεοῦ οὐ δέδεται
Category: Transmission
NEW. Renders ὁ λόγος τοῦ θεοῦ οὐ δέδεται (2:9); even Paul’s imprisonment cannot imprison the message. Standard, vivid, low collision.
Ministry Metaphors Soldier Athlete Farmer
Approved rendering: 兵士／競技者／農夫
Transliteration: heishi / kyougisha / noufu
Doctrine: Perseverance under Suffering
Original: στρατιώτης, ἀθλῶν, γεωργός
Category: Suffering
NEW. Renders στρατιώτης, ἀθλῶν, γεωργός (2:3-6), three vocational images for focused, disciplined, hard-working faithfulness. Genuinely helpful bridge to Japan’s sports/martial-arts/agricultural-diligence culture; render consistently with the crown imagery of 4:8 to maintain the letter’s cumulative athletic-imagery thread.
Pastoral Character
Approved rendering: 柔和／教える力のある／悪を耐え忍ぶ
Transliteration: nyuuwa / oshieru chikara no aru / aku wo taeshinobu
Doctrine: Guarding Sound Doctrine
Original: δοῦλος Κυρίου, ἤπιος, διδακτικός, ἀνεξίκακος (2:24)
Category: Ministry
NEW. Renders ἤπιος, διδακτικός, ἀνεξίκακος (2:24), a leadership-character list contrasting with the false teachers’ traits. Standard vocabulary, low collision. Guarding Sound Doctrine requires this pastoral gentleness toward opponents, hoping for their repentance rather than mere combativeness.
Repentance
Approved rendering: 悔い改め
Transliteration: kuiaratame
Doctrine: Apostasy and False Teachers in the Last Days
Original: μετάνοια
Category: Salvation
NEW. Renders μετάνοια (2:25), a change of mind/heart God grants to those ensnared in error. Standard established Christian term.
Love Of This Present Age
Approved rendering: 今の世を愛した
Transliteration: ima no yo wo ai shita
Doctrine: Apostasy and False Teachers in the Last Days
Original: ἠγάπησεν τὸν νῦν αἰῶνα
Category: Apostasy
NEW. Renders ἠγάπησεν τὸν νῦν αἰῶνα (4:10, Demas’s desertion), the direct negative contrast to 4:8’s ‘loved his appearing.’ Use the same verb 愛した used for 4:8’s rendering (主の現れを愛した者たち) to preserve the deliberate rhetorical contrast between the two clauses.
Referenced passages