Core Glossary
Core Glossary — James
Per-Term Glossary with Translation Risk Ratings (Japanese Destination Package)
Usage note: Terms marked (baseline) are already recorded in the Romans translation_memory.json and MUST be reused with their exact recorded Japanese rendering — no deviation permitted. Terms marked (NEW) are introduced in this document for the James curriculum and require ratification into an extended translation memory before Phase 2 begins. Risk tiers follow the baseline’s four-tier definition (Critical / High / Medium / Low) and drive the same review-routing rules as doctrine_risk_registry.json.
Doctrine 1: Faith and Works (核心テーマ — Core Theme)
| Term (Eng.) | Greek | Translit. | Japanese | Translit. (romaji) | Risk | Status | Rationale |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| faith | πίστις | pistis | 信仰 | shinkou | High | (baseline) | Reuse exactly. Must remain personal trust, not generic religious sentiment; here specifically at risk of being read as validated by bare profession/assent alone (James 2:19). |
| works | ἔργα | erga | 行い | okonai | Critical | (NEW) | The book’s defining positive term. Risk of triggering a merit/effort framework (勤勉, ganbaru-culture) that appears to contradict grace; must always be taught alongside 恵み’s non-transactional framing. |
| justification/justified | δικαιόω / δικαίωσις | dikaioō / dikaiōsis | 義と認められること | gi to mitomerareru koto | Critical | (baseline) | Reuse exactly for lexical consistency with Romans, BUT James 2:21-24 uses δικαιόω in a vindication/demonstration sense distinct from Romans’ forensic-declaration sense. Mandatory theologian-authored doctrinal note required wherever this term appears in James to prevent a perceived Paul/James contradiction. |
| righteousness | δικαιοσύνη | dikaiosynē | 義 | gi | Critical | (baseline) | Reuse exactly. Flag Bushido-virtue collision risk (per baseline) especially strongly in James 2:23’s Abraham narrative, where a virtue-achievement misreading is a live risk given the story’s dramatic obedience-act framing. |
| dead (faith) | νεκρός/νεκρά | nekros/nekra | 死んだ | shinda | Critical | (NEW) | The passage’s defining verdict on faith without works (2:17, 20, 26). Must not be softened to “incomplete” or “immature” in commentary. |
| show/demonstrate | δείκνυμι | deiknymi | 示す | shimesu | Medium | (NEW) | Works as evidentiary demonstration of faith, not its legal ground; avoid 証明する (prove/legally establish), which overclaims. |
| perfected/completed (faith) | τελειόω | teleioō | 完成させられた | kansei saserareta | High | (NEW) | Faith reaching its mature, intended expression through works — not moral/sinless perfection. Must not be rendered as achieving flawlessness. |
| doer of the word / hearer only | ποιητὴς λόγου / ἀκροατὴς | poiētēs logou / akroatēs | 実行する者／聞くだけの者 | jikkou suru mono / kiku dake no mono | High | (NEW) | Programmatic contrast (1:22-25) for the whole book’s theme; must retain James’s implied rebuke of hearing-without-doing. |
| friend of God | φίλος θεοῦ | philos theou | 神の友 | kami no tomo | Medium | (NEW) | Relational, intimate status resulting from credited righteousness (2:23). Teach against Japan’s hierarchical relational defaults (senpai-kohai, 主君-vassal) that could flatten “friend” into deferential subordination. |
Doctrine 2: Trials and the Testing of Faith
| Term (Eng.) | Greek | Translit. | Japanese | Translit. (romaji) | Risk | Status | Rationale |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| trial/temptation | πειρασμός | peirasmos | 試練／誘惑 (context-dependent) | shiren / yuuwaku | High | (NEW) | Single Greek word spans both external testing (positive/growth) and internal sin-enticement (negative) senses within a few verses (1:2-14); Japanese requires two different words chosen by context, requiring an explanatory note on the underlying unity of the term. |
| testing/proving | δοκίμιον | dokimion | 試練／試すこと | shiren / tamesu koto | Medium | (NEW) | The refining process producing steadfastness; connect to metallurgical-refining imagery in teaching, not punishment. |
| endurance/steadfastness | ὑπομονή | hypomonē | 忍耐 | nintai | High | (NEW) | Active perseverance under trial (1:3-4; 5:11, Job). Distinct from μακροθυμία (patience in waiting, Doctrine 8) though both commonly collapse to 忍耐 in standard Japanese; requires explicit disambiguation in teaching wherever both doctrines intersect (esp. ch.5). |
| perfect/mature | τέλειος | teleios | 完全な (glossed as “成熟した”) | kanzen na / seijuku shita | Medium | (NEW) | Wholeness/maturity as trial’s fruit (1:4), not sinless perfection. |
| sin | ἁμαρτία | hamartia | 罪 | tsumi | High | (baseline) | Reuse exactly. Root of temptation’s downward progression (1:15); retain guilt-before-God framing per baseline’s shame/guilt caution. |
| death | θάνατος | thanatos | 死 | shi | Medium | (NEW) | End-result of sin’s maturation (1:15); teach as more than biological death. |
Doctrine 3: Wisdom from Above
| Term (Eng.) | Greek | Translit. | Japanese | Translit. (romaji) | Risk | Status | Rationale |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| wisdom | σοφία | sophia | 知恵 (NEVER 智慧) | chie | Critical | (NEW) | 知恵 (grace-kanji 恵) is safe; 智慧 (Buddhist-kanji 智) denotes prajñā, the specific transcendent wisdom of the six pāramitā in Mahayana Buddhism, and must never be used for James’s God-given wisdom. Requires theologian/native-speaker verification at every occurrence (1:5; 3:13-17). |
| wisdom from above | σοφία ἄνωθεν | sophia anōthen | 上から来る知恵 | ue kara kuru chie | Critical | (NEW) | Same collision risk as above; spatial “from above” language reinforced to distinguish from earthly/natural/demonic wisdom triad. |
| earthly/unspiritual/demonic (wisdom) | ἐπίγειος, ψυχική, δαιμονιώδης | epigeios, psychikē, daimoniōdēs | 地に属する、この世的な、悪霊から出た | chi ni zoku suru / kono yo teki na / akuryou kara deta | High | (NEW) | ψυχική risks confusion with a positive “psychological” sense (心理的な) in Japanese; must convey “merely natural, unregenerate” rather than anything positively psyche-related. |
| double-minded | δίψυχος | dipsychos | 二心のある (with clarifying gloss) | nigokoro no aru | High | (NEW) | Literal rendering carries strong Japanese connotations of political/feudal disloyalty/treachery rather than spiritual wavering; pair with clarifying phrase (心が定まらず疑う者) to avoid a betrayal-register misreading. |
| gentle/meekness (of wisdom) | πραΰτης | prautēs | 柔和 | nyuuwa | Low | (NEW) | Standard term; low collision risk. |
| impartial, without hypocrisy | ἀδιάκριτος, ἀνυπόκριτος | adiakritos, anypokritos | 偏りがない、偽りのない | katayori ga nai / itsuwari no nai | Medium | (NEW) | Should echo Doctrine 4’s favoritism vocabulary for thematic consistency. |
Doctrine 4: Favoritism and the Poor
| Term (Eng.) | Greek | Translit. | Japanese | Translit. (romaji) | Risk | Status | Rationale |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| favoritism/partiality | προσωπολημψία | prosōpolēmpsia | 人を分け隔てすること | hito wo wakehedate suru koto | High | (NEW) | Prefer over 差別 (which primarily denotes systemic/categorical discrimination in modern usage). Additional risk: Japan’s status-consciousness culture (keigo, senpai-kohai) may make impartiality counter-intuitive without explicit teaching. |
| poor / rich | πτωχός / πλούσιος | ptōchos / plousios | 貧しい人／富む人 | mazushii hito / tomu hito | Medium | (NEW) | Standard; low ambiguity but central to the book’s repeated reversal theme (1:9-11; 2:1-7; 5:1-6). |
| Lord of glory | κύριος τῆς δόξης | kyrios tēs doxēs | 栄光の主 | eikou no shu | Critical | (baseline compound) | Combine baseline 主 + 栄光 exactly; asserts Christ’s deity in a compressed title — theologian review required. |
| elect/choose | ἐκλέγομαι | eklegomai | 選ぶ (選び family) | erabu | High | (baseline logic) | Reuse baseline’s election (選び) sovereign-unmerited-choice framing; must not be read through Japan’s competitive exam-selection culture (受験, 選抜). |
| heir | κληρονόμος | klēronomos | 相続人 | souzokunin | Medium | (NEW) | Standard legal/inheritance term; can draw on the same 養子縁組 cultural-bridge logic as the baseline’s adoption entry. |
| royal law | νόμος βασιλικός | nomos basilikos | 王の律法 | ou no ritsuhou | Medium | (baseline+modifier) | Combine with baseline 律法; “royal” = belonging to the King (God/Christ), not an earthly-monarchy metaphor. |
| mercy | ἔλεος | eleos | 憐れみ | awaremi | High | (NEW) | Distinct from generic 思いやり (empathetic consideration); biblical mercy specifically means withholding deserved judgment. Recurs across chs. 2, 3, 5. |
Doctrine 5: Taming the Tongue
| Term (Eng.) | Greek | Translit. | Japanese | Translit. (romaji) | Risk | Status | Rationale |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| tongue | γλῶσσα | glōssa | 舌 | shita | Medium | (NEW) | Standard body-part term; cultural bridge available via Japanese proverb 口は災いの元, but must not replace James’s own extended metaphors (bit, rudder, fire, spring). |
| Gehenna/hell | γέεννα | geenna | ゲヘナ (transliteration + gloss) | Gehena | Critical | (NEW) | Avoid unqualified 地獄 given its embedded Buddhist multi-level hell-cosmology (Enma Daiō judgment system) distinct from James’s single reference. Theologian review required. |
| bridle/tame | χαλιναγωγέω / δαμάζω | chalinagōgeō / damazō | 制御する／従わせる | seigyo suru / shitagawaseru | Medium | (NEW) | Horse-bridle and taming-of-animals imagery (3:2-8); low collision, standard vocabulary available. |
| blessing and cursing | εὐλογία / κατάρα | eulogia / katara | 祝福／のろい | shukufuku / noroi | Medium | (NEW) | Contrast at the heart of 3:9-10 (blessing God, cursing people made in his likeness); 呪い (curse) carries some folk-magic association in Japanese but is the necessary standard biblical term. |
| likeness of God | ὁμοίωσις θεοῦ | homoiōsis theou | 神の似姿 | kami no nisugata | High | (NEW) | Image/likeness-of-God doctrine underlying the tongue’s misuse against fellow humans (3:9); connects to but is distinct from son_of_god’s unique-Sonship sense — must not be conflated with Christ’s unique divine Sonship. |
| fruit of righteousness | καρπὸς δικαιοσύνης | karpos dikaiosynēs | 義の実 | gi no mi | High | (baseline component) | Combine baseline 義; sown in peace (社会的 sense — see below) by peacemakers (3:18). |
| peace (social/communal) | εἰρήνη | eirēnē | 平和 | heiwa | High | (baseline-adjacent, DIFFERENT rendering) | NOT 平安 (baseline’s reserved peace-with-God sense). Standard convention for horizontal, interpersonal peacemaking. Must be explicitly documented as a second, distinct rendering of εἰρήνη alongside baseline 平安. |
Doctrine 6: Worldliness versus Friendship with God
| Term (Eng.) | Greek | Translit. | Japanese | Translit. (romaji) | Risk | Status | Rationale |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| the world (moral/systemic) | κόσμος | kosmos | 世 (NOT 世界) | yo | Critical | (NEW) | Must use 世 for the moral-systemic sense, not 世界 (literal globe), or the doctrine collapses into anti-globalism/anti-materialism rather than spiritual allegiance. |
| friendship with the world | φιλία τοῦ κόσμου | philia tou kosmou | 世との友情 | yo to no yuujou | High | (NEW) | 友情’s warm connotation may soften James’s stark either/or framing (4:4); teach as a covenantal-allegiance term paralleling the positive 神の友 (2:23). |
| enmity with God | ἔχθρα τοῦ θεοῦ | echthra tou theou | 神への敵意 | kami he no tekii | High | (NEW) | The severe consequence of worldly friendship; must retain full force, not soften to mere “distance from God.” |
| pride / humility | ὑπερήφανος / ταπεινός | hyperēphanos / tapeinos | 高慢な／謙遜な | kouman na / kenson na | Medium | (NEW) | 謙遜 (kenson) is an existing Japanese social virtue (modest self-presentation for harmony); must clarify biblical humility is before God specifically, not merely social protocol. |
| submit / resist the devil | ὑποτάγητε / ἀντίστητε τῷ διαβόλῳ | hypotagēte / antistēte tō diabolō | 神に服従し／悪魔に立ち向かう | kami ni fukujuu shi / akuma ni tachimukau | Medium | (NEW) | Submission unambiguously to God, not generic hierarchical compliance (cf. baseline’s obedience_of_faith hierarchy-culture caution). |
| devil | διάβολος | diabolos | 悪魔 | akuma | Medium | (NEW) | Standard Japanese Christian term; distinct from folk-yōkai categories. |
| double-minded | δίψυχος | dipsychos | 二心のある | nigokoro no aru | High | (NEW, cross-ref Doctrine 3) | Same collision/gloss requirement as Doctrine 3 entry; appears again at 4:8. |
| grace | χάρις | charis | 恵み | megumi | Critical | (baseline) | Reuse exactly (4:6, quoting Proverbs 3:34). Note risk that “grace to the humble” could be misread through Japan’s kenson social-humility performance rather than genuine submission before God. |
Doctrine 7: Prayer and Healing
| Term (Eng.) | Greek | Translit. | Japanese | Translit. (romaji) | Risk | Status | Rationale |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| sick/weak | ἀσθενέω | astheneō | 病気である／弱っている | byouki de aru / yowatte iru | Medium | (NEW) | Standard; low collision on its own. |
| elders (church office) | πρεσβύτερος | presbyteros | 長老 | chourou | Medium | (NEW) | Established Christian church-office term; secular “village elder” sense is a helpful non-competing cultural bridge. |
| anointing with oil | ἀλείψαντες ἐλαίῳ | aleipsantes elaiō | 油を塗って | abura wo nutte | Medium | (NEW) | No strong competing Japanese ritual tradition; teach as a symbolic act of faith/consecration accompanying prayer, avoiding both magical-guarantee and merely-symbolic-only misreadings. |
| prayer of faith will save/heal | ἡ εὐχὴ τῆς πίστεως σώσει | hē euchē tēs pisteōs sōsei | 信仰による祈りは…救う | shinkou ni yoru inori wa… sukuu | Critical | (NEW, baseline-extension) | σῴζω here means physical healing. NEVER use 癒し (iyashi) — per baseline’s own note on peace, this term is saturated with modern wellness/spa-industry connotations that would flatten a promise of miraculous divine healing into generic therapeutic self-care marketing. Reuse baseline 救う family with contextual gloss instead. |
| forgive | ἀφίημι | aphiēmi | 赦される | yurusareru | Medium | (NEW) | Standard forgiveness vocabulary; must not imply all illness is caused by personal sin (James’s own conditional κἂν resists this). |
| confess (to one another) | ἐξομολογέω | exomologeō | 互いに罪を告白し合う | tagai ni tsumi wo kokuhaku shiau | Critical | (NEW) | Must avoid both 告白 alone (romantic-declaration association in casual Japanese) and 告解 (Roman Catholic priest-mediated sacramental confession, a meaningfully different structure). The reciprocal 互いに…し合う construction is required to convey James’s mutual, peer-level, non-sacramental practice. |
| pray for one another / be healed | εὔχεσθε ὑπὲρ ἀλλήλων / ἰαθῆτε | euchesthe hyper allēlōn / iathēte | 互いのために祈り合う／いやされる (glossed, not 癒し alone) | tagai no tame ni inoriau / iyasareru | Critical | (NEW, cross-ref above) | Same σῴζω/ἰάομαι disambiguation risk as above; apply consistently across 5:15-16. |
| prayer of a righteous person is powerful | δέησις δικαίου … ἐνεργουμένη … ἰσχύει | deēsis dikaiou energoumenē ischyei | 義人の祈りは…強い力がある | gijin no inori wa… tsuyoi chikara ga aru | High | (baseline component) | δικαίου must not be read through the Bushido-virtue lens of 義 as personally-cultivated moral courage earning prayer-power; this is right standing before God, echoing (not identical to) 義と認められること. |
| intercession/prayer | προσευχή / δέησις | proseuchē / deēsis | 祈り／とりなし | inori / torinashi | Medium | (baseline for とりなし) | Reuse baseline とりなし where intercessory sense is in view; general prayer vocabulary (祈り) otherwise standard. |
Doctrine 8: Patience and the Lord’s Return
| Term (Eng.) | Greek | Translit. | Japanese | Translit. (romaji) | Risk | Status | Rationale |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| patience (in waiting) | μακροθυμία | makrothymia | 忍耐 | nintai | High | (NEW) | Distinct from ὑπομονή (Doctrine 2/endurance-under-trial) though both commonly render as 忍耐 in standard Japanese; requires explicit disambiguation, especially since both words appear within James 5:7-11 itself. |
| coming/parousia of the Lord | παρουσία τοῦ κυρίου | parousia tou kyriou | 主の来臨 | shu no rairin | High | (NEW) | Formal theological term for Christ’s second coming; avoid casual 到着 (mundane “arrival”), which would deflate the eschatological weight (parallel risk to baseline’s 復活 pop-culture-deflation caution). |
| Lord of Sabaoth/hosts | κύριος Σαβαώθ | kyrios Sabaōth | 万軍の主 | bangun no shu | Medium | (NEW) | Established OT divine-title convention; combine with baseline 主. |
| establish/strengthen (hearts) | στηρίζω | stērizō | 心を強くする | kokoro wo tsuyoku suru | Low | (NEW) | Standard, low risk. |
| Job’s endurance | ὑπομονὴ Ἰώβ | hypomonē Iōb | ヨブの忍耐 | Yobu no nintai | Medium | (NEW) | Cross-refs Doctrine 2’s ὑπομονή entry; proper name ヨブ standard. |
| compassionate and merciful (God’s character) | πολύσπλαγχνος καὶ οἰκτίρμων | polysplagchnos kai oiktirmōn | 慈愛に富み、あわれみに満ちた | jiai ni tomi, awaremi ni michita | Medium | (NEW) | Connects to Doctrine 4’s 憐れみ vocabulary for consistency; grounds patience in God’s character, not stoic resignation. |
| oath/swear | ὀμνύω | omnyō | 誓う | chikau | Low | (NEW) | Standard; low cultural collision given Japan’s lack of an equivalent God-invoking courtroom oath tradition. |
Doctrine 9: Confession and Restoration
| Term (Eng.) | Greek | Translit. | Japanese | Translit. (romaji) | Risk | Status | Rationale |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| confess (to one another) | ἐξομολογέω | exomologeō | 互いに罪を告白し合う | tagai ni tsumi wo kokuhaku shiau | Critical | (NEW, cross-ref Doctrine 7) | See full rationale under Doctrine 7; avoid both 告白’s romantic-declaration association and 告解’s Catholic-sacramental association. |
| wander/stray from the truth | πλανηθῇ ἀπὸ τῆς ἀληθείας | planēthē apo tēs alētheias | 真理から迷い出る | shinri kara mayoi deru | Medium | (NEW) | Drifting from sound doctrine/practice; should not be overtranslated as permanent, irrecoverable apostasy. |
| turn back/restore | ἐπιστρέφω | epistrephō | 立ち返らせる | tachikaeraseru | High | (NEW) | Distinct from 悔い改めさせる (repentance-vocabulary, μετάνοια — a word James does not actually use here); this term is relational/restorative, emphasizing the community’s active role in bringing a straying member back. |
| sin | ἁμαρτία | hamartia | 罪 | tsumi | High | (baseline) | Reuse exactly. |
| cover a multitude of sins | καλύψει πλῆθος ἁμαρτιῶν | kalypsei plēthos hamartiōn | 多くの罪をおおう | ooku no tsumi wo oou | Medium | (NEW) | Echoes OT atonement-covering imagery (Psalm 32:1); teach as pastoral-communal restoration language, not a competing soteriology to Christ’s finished atoning work. |
| forgive | ἀφίημι | aphiēmi | 赦される | yurusareru | Medium | (NEW, cross-ref Doctrine 7) | See Doctrine 7 entry. |
| save a soul from death | σώσει ψυχὴν ἐκ θανάτου | sōsei psychēn ek thanatou | 死からその魂を救う | shi kara sono tamashii wo sukuu | High | (baseline component) | Reuse baseline 救う; ψυχή (soul) — new term 魂 (tamashii), standard, low additional risk; closing promise of the whole book (5:20). |
Cross-Cutting / Structural Terms (appear across multiple doctrines)
| Term (Eng.) | Greek | Translit. | Japanese | Translit. (romaji) | Risk | Status | Rationale |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| God | θεός | theos | 神 | Kami | Critical | (baseline) | Reuse exactly, with baseline’s mandatory qualifier (唯一のまことの神) at doctrinally weighty statements — esp. James 2:19’s “God is one” and James 4:6’s grace-giving God. |
| Lord | κύριος | kyrios | 主 | shu | Critical | (baseline) | Reuse exactly for all christological/divine referents; note κύριος also appears in the mundane “master” sense nowhere in James, so no downgrade risk within this book specifically. |
| Jesus Christ | Ἰησοῦς Χριστός | Iēsous Christos | イエス・キリスト | Iesu Kirisuto | Critical | (baseline) | Reuse exactly (James 1:1; 2:1). |
| church | ἐκκλησία | ekklēsia | 教会 | kyoukai | Medium | (baseline) | Reuse exactly (5:14, “elders of the church”). |
| Scripture | γραφή | graphē | 聖書 | seisho | Medium | (baseline convention) | Reuse established citation-formula convention (2:8, 2:23). |
| Abraham | Ἀβραάμ | Abraam | アブラハム | Aburahamu | Low | (established transliteration standard) | Per Requirements doc transliteration table; reuse exactly. |
| Isaac | Ἰσαάκ | Isaak | イサク | Isaku | Low | (NEW, standard form) | Standard Japanese Bible proper-name form. |
| Rahab | Ῥαάβ | Rhaab | ラハブ | Rahabu | Low | (NEW, standard form) | Standard Japanese Bible proper-name form. |
| Elijah | Ἠλίας | Ēlias | エリヤ | Eriya | Low | (NEW, standard form) | Standard Japanese Bible proper-name form. |
| Job | Ἰώβ | Iōb | ヨブ | Yobu | Low | (NEW, standard form) | Standard Japanese Bible proper-name form. |
| soul | ψυχή | psychē | 魂 | tamashii | Medium | (NEW) | Appears at 1:21 (save the soul), 5:20 (save a soul from death); standard rendering, low collision though should be distinguished from ψυχική’s “soulish/natural” adjectival sense in Doctrine 3 (3:15), which is negative in that context. |
| body | σῶμα | sōma | 体／身体 | karada / shintai | Low | (NEW) | Standard (2:16, 2:26, 3:2-6). |
| breath/spirit (anthropological, NOT Holy Spirit) | πνεῦμα | pneuma | 息／命の息 | iki / inochi no iki | Critical | (NEW, DISAMBIGUATION) | James 2:26 uses πνεῦμα for the life-breath animating the body, NOT the Holy Spirit. Must not render as 聖霊 (baseline’s reserved Critical term for the Third Person of the Trinity) — that would be a doctrinal error importing Trinitarian language into a general anthropological illustration. Bare 霊 risks folk-spirit-world associations per baseline caution; recommend 息 or 命の息 with clarifying gloss. |
Summary Statistics
| Risk Tier | Count of NEW Terms | Count of Reused Baseline Terms | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Critical | 9 | 5 | 14 |
| High | 13 | 3 | 16 |
| Medium | 21 | 2 | 23 |
| Low | 9 | 0 | 9 |
| Total | 52 | 10 | 62 |
All 62 terms are drawn from every chapter of James (1–5); no chapter contributed zero new load-bearing vocabulary. Chapter 1 introduces the largest single set of new terms, consistent with its role as the book’s thematic overture.
Critical Risk Terms
Grace
Approved rendering: 恵み
Transliteration: megumi
Doctrine: Faith and Works / Worldliness versus Friendship with God
Rejected alternatives: 恩返しが要る恵み, 功徳
Original: χάρις
Category: Salvation
Inherited from Romans package. Reuse exactly at James 4:6 (‘God gives grace to the humble,’ quoting Proverbs 3:34). Additional James-specific risk: grace given ‘to the humble’ could be misread through Japan’s kenson (謙遜) social-humility performance rather than genuine submission before God, compounding (not replacing) the baseline’s on-giri caution. Also required wherever James 2:14-26 (行い/works) risks appearing to contradict non-transactional grace.
Righteousness
Approved rendering: 義
Transliteration: gi
Doctrine: Faith and Works
Rejected alternatives: 道徳, 正義感
Original: δικαιοσύνη
Category: Salvation
Inherited from Romans package. James 2:21-23’s Abraham/Isaac narrative uniquely intensifies the Bushido moral-courage collision risk (Nitobe’s code) beyond Romans, since the dramatic obedience-act could reinforce a virtue-achievement misreading of credited righteousness. Mandatory distinguishing gloss required at every James ch.2 occurrence.
Justification
Approved rendering: 義と認められること
Transliteration: gi to mitomerareru koto
Doctrine: Faith and Works
Rejected alternatives: 悟りを開くこと, 解脱
Original: δικαιόω / δικαίωσις
Category: Salvation
Inherited from Romans package. James 2:21/24 use δικαιόω in a vindication/demonstration sense distinct from Romans’ forensic-declaration sense. MUST reuse this exact rendering for lexical consistency, but every occurrence in James ch.2 requires a theologian-authored doctrinal note distinguishing James’s sense from Paul’s, to prevent readers perceiving a direct scriptural contradiction.
Imputed Righteousness
Approved rendering: 義と認められること
Transliteration: gi to mitomerareru koto
Doctrine: Faith and Works
Rejected alternatives: 修行によって得た義, 自己義認
Inherited from Romans package. James 2:23 quotes the IDENTICAL Genesis 15:6 clause (ἐλογίσθη αὐτῷ εἰς δικαιοσύνην) already fixed in the Romans translation memory. Zero deviation permitted — this is a direct verbatim-source overlap between the two curricula; any divergence would create a visible, indefensible inconsistency.
Salvation
Approved rendering: 救い
Transliteration: sukui
Doctrine: Salvation / Prayer and Healing
Rejected alternatives: 解脱, 極楽往生
Inherited from Romans package. Reuse the 救う (verb) family for James 2:14’s soteriological σῴζω. Also extended in this package for James 5:15-16’s physical-healing sense of σῴζω/ἰάομαι, specifically to AVOID 癒し (iyashi)‘s wellness-industry dilution — see prayer_of_faith_heal below.
God
Approved rendering: 神
Transliteration: Kami
Doctrine: God
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. Mandatory qualifier 唯一のまことの神 required at James 2:19’s monotheistic confession (echoing the Shema) and James 4:6’s grace-giving God statement, per the baseline’s Critical-risk caution on unqualified 神 risking a generic-kami reading.
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. Reuse for all christological/divine referents in James (2:1; 5:7-8, 14-15). Combines with 栄光 in James 2:1’s 栄光の主 title. James does not use κύριος in any mundane ‘master’ sense.
Jesus
Approved rendering: イエス
Transliteration: Iesu
Doctrine: Lordship of Christ
Rejected alternatives: ゼズス
Inherited from Romans package. Combines with キリスト in James 1:1/2:1’s イエス・キリスト — see jesus_christ entry.
Holy Spirit
Approved rendering: 聖霊
Transliteration: Seirei
Doctrine: Sanctification
Rejected alternatives: 霊, 幽霊
Inherited from Romans package. CRITICAL disambiguation boundary for James 2:26: NEVER apply 聖霊 to James 2:26’s πνεῦμα, which is the anthropological breath/life-principle animating a corpse, not the Holy Spirit — see breath_spirit_anthropological entry.
High Risk Terms
Faith
Approved rendering: 信仰
Transliteration: shinkou
Doctrine: Faith and Works
Rejected alternatives: 信心, 宗教心
Original: πίστις
Category: Faith
Inherited from Romans package. In James 2:14-19 specifically at risk of being read as validated by bare verbal profession or intellectual assent alone (2:19, ‘even demons believe’), reinforcing the baseline’s caution against a generic ‘religious sentiment’ reading.
Sin
Approved rendering: 罪
Transliteration: tsumi
Doctrine: Trials and the Testing of Faith / Confession and Restoration
Rejected alternatives: 恥, 迷惑をかけること
Original: ἁμαρτία
Category: Sin
Inherited from Romans package. Root of unchecked desire’s downward progression (James 1:15) and the condition addressed by confession/restoration (5:15-16, 19-20). Retain guilt-before-a-personal-God framing against Japan’s shame-oriented (恥) cultural default.
Election
Approved rendering: 選び
Transliteration: erabi
Doctrine: Favoritism and the Poor
Rejected alternatives: 合格, 選抜
Original: ἐκλέγομαι
Category: Salvation
Inherited from Romans package. James 2:5’s ἐκλέγομαι (verb form, rendered 選ぶ — see elect_choose below) reuses this same sovereign, unmerited-choice logic; must resist Japan’s competitive exam/hiring ‘selection’ culture (受験, 選抜).
Called
Approved rendering: 召された
Transliteration: mesareta
Doctrine: Divine Calling
Rejected alternatives: 運命づけられた, 天職
Inherited from Romans package. NOT used for James 2:23’s naming of Abraham as ‘friend of God’ (ἐκλήθη) — that is a distinct naming/designation sense rendered 呼ばれた (yobareta), not this technical effectual-calling sense. Retained here only to document the boundary and prevent conflation.
Calling
Approved rendering: 召し
Transliteration: meshi
Doctrine: Divine Calling
Rejected alternatives: 運命, 天職
Inherited from Romans package. Not directly used in James; retained for cross-book consistency awareness alongside the ‘called’ entry above.
Messiah
Approved rendering: キリスト
Transliteration: Kirisuto
Doctrine: Messianic Promise
Rejected alternatives: 救世主
Inherited from Romans package. Component of James’s イエス・キリスト (1:1; 2:1) — see jesus_christ entry.
Kingdom Of God
Approved rendering: 神の国
Transliteration: Kami no Kuni
Doctrine: Kingdom Mission
Rejected alternatives: 神国日本
Inherited from Romans package. James 2:5’s βασιλεία (‘the kingdom promised to those who love him’) is conceptually related but not the identical Romans 14:17 phrase; if rendered 神の国, carry forward the full pre-1945 State Shinto ultranationalism caution — see kingdom_promised entry.
Medium Risk Terms
Gospel
Approved rendering: 福音
Transliteration: fukuin
Doctrine: Gospel
Rejected alternatives: いい知らせ, グッドニュース
Inherited from Romans package. Conceptually connects to James’s ‘word of truth’ (真理の言葉／植えつけられたみことば, 1:18, 1:21) — teaching must avoid a generic ‘teaching/philosophy’ register that would flatten James’s gospel-rooted ‘implanted word’ into one wisdom-teaching among others.
Glory
Approved rendering: 栄光
Transliteration: eikou
Doctrine: Favoritism and the Poor
Rejected alternatives: 名誉
Inherited from Romans package. Combines with 主 in James 2:1’s compressed christological title 栄光の主 (Lord of glory) — see lord_of_glory entry.
Church
Approved rendering: 教会
Transliteration: kyoukai
Doctrine: Church
Rejected alternatives: 寺, 神社
Original: ἐκκλησία
Category: Church
Inherited from Romans package. James 5:14, ‘elders of the church.‘
Peace
Approved rendering: 平安
Transliteration: heian
Doctrine: Peace with God
Rejected alternatives: 安心, 癒し
Inherited from Romans package. RESERVED for vertical peace-with-God through justification (Romans 5:1/8:6). James does NOT use this sense; James’s own εἰρήνη occurrences require the DIFFERENT renderings 平和 (peace_social, James 3:18) or an idiomatic farewell phrase (James 2:16). This entry is retained specifically so translators do not misapply 平安 where James means something else — see peace_social entry.
Law
Approved rendering: 律法
Transliteration: ritsuhou
Doctrine: Favoritism and the Poor / Faith and Works
Rejected alternatives: 空気を読むこと, 法律
Inherited from Romans package. James extends this term positively as the ‘royal law’ (王の律法, 2:8) and the ‘perfect law of liberty’ (自由をもたらす完全な律法, 1:25; 2:12) — a liberating, not merely condemning, use of the same Mosaic-Law root concept. Teaching must reconcile this with Romans’s law/grace-contrast framing as complementary, not contradictory.
Low Risk Terms
Abraham
Approved rendering: アブラハム
Transliteration: Aburahamu
Doctrine: Covenant
Original: Ἀβραάμ
Category: Covenant
Inherited from Romans package. James 2:21-23’s primary positive faith-and-works example.
Referenced passages