Core Glossary
08 — Core Glossary: James
Part 1 — Reused Baseline Terms (appear in James; rendering locked by Romans translation_memory.json)
| Term (EN) | Greek | Kannada (baseline) | Transliteration | Risk | First James Occurrence | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| faith | πίστις | ನಂಬಿಕೆ | nambike | High | 1:3 | Core to Faith and Works doctrine throughout ch. 2. |
| grace | χάρις | ಕೃಪೆ | kṛpe | High | 4:6 | Citing Proverbs 3:34; grace-vs-merit contrast doctrine. |
| sin | ἁμαρτία | ಪಾಪ | pāpa | High | 1:15 | Recurs 1:15; 2:9; 4:17; 5:15-16, 20. |
| salvation (verb σῴζω) | σῴζω / σωτηρία | ರಕ್ಷಣೆ / ರಕ್ಷಿಸು | rakṣaṇe / rakṣisu | Critical | 1:21 | Recurs 2:14; 4:12; 5:15, 20. Never ಮೋಕ್ಷ/ಮುಕ್ತಿ/ಐಕ್ಯ. |
| righteousness | δικαιοσύνη | ನೀತಿವಂತಿಕೆ | nītivantike | Critical | 1:20 | Recurs 2:23; 3:18; 5:16. Never ಧರ್ಮ. |
| justification | δικαιόω/δικαίωσις | ನೀತಿವಂತರೆಂದು ನಿರ್ಣಯಿಸುವುದು | nītivantarendu nirṇayisuvudu | Critical | 2:21 | See 07_semantic_analysis.md v.21, v.24 for the James/Romans harmonization note — mandatory theologian review. |
| imputed righteousness | ἐλογίσθη εἰς δικαιοσύνην | ಆರೋಪಿತ ನೀತಿ | āropita nīti | Critical | 2:23 | Identical Genesis 15:6 citation as Romans 4:3. |
| law | νόμος | ನಿಯಮಶಾಸ್ತ್ರ | niyamaśāstra | High | 1:25 | Modified variously: “perfect law,” “law of liberty,” “royal law.” Never ಧರ್ಮ. |
| Lord | κύριος | ಕರ್ತ | karta | Critical | 1:1 | Recurs throughout; 5:7-8 parousia; 5:4 “Lord of hosts.” |
| God | θεός | ದೇವರು | Dēvaru | Critical | 1:1 | Recurs throughout. |
| Father | πατήρ | ತಂದೆ | Tande | Critical | 1:17 | ”Father of lights.” |
| Holy Spirit | πνεῦμα ἅγιον | ಪವಿತ್ರಾತ್ಮ | Pavitrātma | Critical | (4:5, disputed referent) | Only used if the disputed 4:5 clause is read as the Holy Spirit; see semantic analysis note. |
| holy/holiness | ἅγιος / ἁγνίζω | ಪವಿತ್ರ | pavitra | High | 4:8 | ”Purify your hearts” (ἁγνίσατε). |
| kingdom of God | βασιλεία τοῦ θεοῦ | ದೇವರ ರಾಜ್ಯ | Dēvara Rājya | Medium | 2:5 | ”Heirs of the kingdom.” |
| prophet | προφήτης | ಪ್ರವಾದಿ | pravādi | Low | 5:10 | Example of suffering and patience. |
| church | ἐκκλησία | ಸಭೆ | sabhe | Medium | 5:14 | ”Elders of the church.” |
| peace | εἰρήνη | ಶಾಂತಿ | śānti | Medium | 2:16; 3:18 | Both idiomatic (“go in peace”) and doctrinal (fruit of peacemaking) senses occur. |
| gentiles / nations | — | — | — | — | not present | James addresses “the twelve tribes in the Dispersion” (1:1); no direct Jew-Gentile unity passage as in Romans. |
| called | κλητός / καλέω | ಕರೆಯಲ್ಪಟ್ಟ | kareyalpaṭṭa | High | 2:7, 23 | 2:7 “the honorable name by which you were called”; 2:23 Abraham “was called” friend of God (weaker sense; flag distinction). |
Part 2 — New Terms Introduced by James (not present in Romans translation_memory.json)
| Term (EN) | Greek/Translit. | Kannada | Transliteration | Risk | Doctrine | Key Passage(s) | Alternatives Rejected | Rationale / Collision Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| servant/slave | δοῦλος / doulos | ದಾಸ | dāsa | Critical | Faith and Works (James’s self-identity as author) | 1:1 | ಸೇವಕ (too weak — implies hired service, not ownership) | Collides with the Haridasa bhakti tradition’s chosen dāsya bhāva servant-devotee identity toward Krishna. NT sense: total ownership under Christ’s lordship (ಕರ್ತ), not a devotional posture selected among several bhāva options. Mandatory teaching note. |
| works | ἔργα / erga | ಕ್ರಿಯೆಗಳು | kriyegaḷu | Critical | Faith and Works | 1:25; 2:14-26 (throughout) | ಕರ್ಮ (imports the entire karma-merit rebirth economy) | The single highest-risk term in the book. Must always denote the observable fruit/evidence of a living faith, never a meritorious cause of right standing before God. |
| dead (of faith) | νεκρά / nekra | ಸತ್ತದ್ದು | sattadu | High | Faith and Works | 2:17, 26 | ದುರ್ಬಲ (“weak” — blunts James’s rhetorical force) | Faith without works is not weaker faith but no faith; preserve the corpse-image starkness. |
| justified (demonstrative sense) | δικαιόω / dikaioutai | ನೀτಿ ವಂತರೆಂದು ನಿರ್ಣಯಿಸುವುದು (reuse) | nītivantarendu nirṇayisuvudu | Critical | Faith and Works | 2:21, 24, 25 | (none — must match Romans rendering exactly) | Same Greek verb as Romans’ forensic justification but here names the public vindication of an already-credited righteousness. Requires mandatory theologian-authored harmonizing note distinguishing “declared righteous before God” (Romans) from “shown/proven righteous before others” (James). |
| friend of God | φίλος θεοῦ / philos theou | ದೇವರ ಸ್ನೇಹಿತ | Dēvara Snēhita | High | Faith and Works | 2:23 | ದೇವರ ಭಕ್ತ (“God’s devotee” — imports bhakti devotional-attainment framing) | Collides with Haridasa sakhya bhāva (friendship-mode devotion), a chosen devotional discipline. Abraham’s title is God’s unilateral declaration flowing from credited righteousness, not a cultivated devotional posture. |
| faith alone/only | μόνον / monon | ಮಾತ್ರ | mātra | High | Faith and Works | 2:24 | — | Teaching note required distinguishing James’s target (bare mental-assent faith) from Paul’s sola fide (a faith that inherently produces works). |
| spirit/breath (of the body) | πνεῦμα / pneuma | ಪ್ರಾಣ | prāṇa | High | Faith and Works | 2:26 | ಆತ್ಮ (risks importing Vedantic ātman) | Ordinary life-breath/animating principle in a physical-death analogy, not the Holy Spirit and not the eternal metaphysical Self. |
| trial/testing | πειρασμός / peirasmos | ಪರೀಕ್ಷೆ (trial) / ಶೋಧನೆ (temptation sense) | parīkṣe / śōdhane | High | Trials and the Testing of Faith | 1:2-4, 12-15 | ಹಣೆಬರಹ-adjacent fatalistic phrasing (forbidden) | Purposive testing by a personal God, never impersonal fate; single Greek word covers both trial and temptation senses — context must disambiguate. |
| testing/genuineness | δοκίμιον / dokimion | ಪ್ರಾಮಾಣಿಕತೆಯ ಪರೀಕ್ಷೆ | prāmāṇikateya parīkṣe | Medium | Trials and the Testing of Faith | 1:3 | — | The proving-quality/process, distinct from the trial-event itself (πειρασμός). |
| approved/stood the test | δόκιμος / dokimos | ಪರೀಕ್ಷಿತ | parīkṣita | Medium | Trials and the Testing of Faith | 1:12 | — | “Blessed is the one who remains steadfast… having stood the test.” |
| steadfastness/endurance | ὑπομονή / hypomonē | ಸಹನೆ | sahane | High | Trials and the Testing of Faith | 1:3-4, 12; 5:11 | ತಾಳ್ಮೆ (reserved for μακροθυμία, ch. 5) | Endurance under present trial; must be kept distinct from ತಾಳ್ಮೆ (patience in waiting). |
| perfect/mature | τέλειος / teleios | ಪರಿಪೂರ್ಣ / ಸಂಪೂರ್ಣ | paripūrṇa / sampūrṇa | High | Trials and the Testing of Faith; Faith and Works | 1:4, 17, 25; 2:22; 3:2 | ಸಿದ್ಧಿ-oriented “attainment” language | God-given maturity/completeness through trial, never a self-attained ascetic stage (contrast the Lingayat shatsthala progression). |
| wisdom | σοφία / sophia | ಜ್ಞಾನ | jñāna | Critical | Wisdom from Above | 1:5; 3:13-17 | ವಿವೇಕ (too specifically Advaitic-discriminative); ಬುದ್ಧಿ (mere cleverness) | Established Kannada Bible term (cf. Proverbs), but collides directly with the Hindu jñāna-mārga (path of knowledge) toward Ātman-Brahman non-dual realization. Biblical wisdom is a practical, moral, relationally-evidenced gift from a personal God, not liberating metaphysical insight. |
| doubt/wavering | διακρίνω / diakrinō | ಸಂಶಯಿಸು | saṁśayisu | Medium | Trials and the Testing of Faith | 1:6 | — | |
| double-minded | δίψυχος / dipsychos | ಎರಡು ಮನಸ್ಸುಳ್ಳ | eraḍu manassuḷḷa | High | Trials and the Testing of Faith; Worldliness | 1:8; 4:8 | ಚಂಚಲ ಮನಸ್ಸಿನ (too weak, loses compound force) | Rare Jacobean coinage; literal compound rendering preserves it. Not a Vedantic soul-dualism claim — a moral-relational instability. |
| desire | ἐπιθυμία / epithymia | ದುರಾಶೆ | durāśe | Medium | Trials and the Testing of Faith | 1:14-15 | — | |
| Father of lights | πατὴρ τῶν φώτων | ಬೆಳಕುಗಳ ತಂದೆ | Beḷakugaḷa Tande | High | Wisdom from Above (context: 1:5-17) | 1:17 | — | Must not be assimilated to divine-light/inner-illumination mysticism (cf. baseline caution on “glory”). |
| word of truth / implanted word | λόγος ἀληθείας / ἔμφυτος λόγος | ಸತ್ಯದ ವಾಕ್ಯ / ಅಂತರಂಗದಲ್ಲಿ ನೆಟ್ಟ ವಾಕ್ಯ | satyada vākya / antaraṅgadalli neṭṭa vākya | Medium | — | 1:18, 21 | — | |
| firstfruits | ἀπαρχή / aparchē | ಪ್ರಥಮಫಲ | prathamaphala | Low-Medium | — | 1:18 | — | Standard OT-background sacrificial term. |
| doer of the word | ποιητὴς λόγου / poiētēs logou | ವಾಕ್ಯದ ಪಾಲಕ / ಪಾಲಿಸುವವ | vākyada pālaka / pālisuvava | High | Faith and Works | 1:22-25 | ವಾಕ್ಯದ ಕರ್ತೃ (risks merit-performance overtone) | Anticipates ch. 2’s works-as-evidence argument; practiced obedience as fruit, not precondition, of a received word. |
| law of liberty / perfect law / royal law | νόμος τέλειος / τῆς ἐλευθερίας / βασιλικός | ಪರಿಪೂರ್ಣ ನಿಯಮಶಾಸ್ತ್ರ / ಸ್ವಾತಂತ್ರ್ಯದ ನಿಯಮಶಾಸ್ತ್ರ / ರಾಜನಿಯಮ | — | High | — | 1:25; 2:8 | ಧರ್ಮ (forbidden, per baseline) | Built on the locked ನಿಯಮಶಾಸ್ತ್ರ root; “of liberty” nuance (positive, freeing) distinct from Romans’ Torah-focused usage. |
| religion (external practice) | θρησκεία / thrēskeia | ಧರ್ಮಾಚರಣೆ | dharmācaraṇe | Critical | — | 1:26-27 | Bare ಧರ್ಮ (absolutely forbidden here as elsewhere) | The one place a ಧರ್ಮ-root compound is proposed at all; strict boundary — never substitutes for ನಿಯಮಶಾಸ್ತ್ರ (law) or ನೀತಿವಂತಿಕೆ (righteousness). Names outward religious observance/practice only. Mandatory teaching note every occurrence. |
| the world | κόσμος / kosmos | ಲೋಕ | lōka | High | Worldliness versus Friendship with God | 1:27; 2:5; 3:6; 4:4 | — | Established term, but loka also names the tiered cosmological realms of Hindu cosmology; biblical κόσμος is the single, unified fallen moral-social order, not a graded cosmic tier. |
| favoritism | προσωπολημψία / prosōpolēmpsia | ಪಕ್ಷಪಾತ | pakṣapāta | High | Favoritism and the Poor | 2:1, 9 | — | Genuine point of resonance with Lingayat historical rejection of caste hierarchy; James roots the ethic in God’s own impartial character. |
| poor | πτωχός / ptōchos | ಬಡವ | baḍava | Medium | Favoritism and the Poor | 2:2-6 | — | |
| rich | πλούσιος / plousios | ಶ್ರೀಮಂತ | śrīmanta | Medium | Favoritism and the Poor; Patience and the Lord’s Return | 2:2-6; 5:1 | — | |
| mercy | ἔλεος / eleos | ಕರುಣೆ | karuṇe | Medium | Favoritism and the Poor | 2:13 | — | “Mercy triumphs over judgment.” |
| teacher | διδάσκαλος / didaskalos | ಉಪದೇಶಕ | upadeśaka | Medium | Taming the Tongue | 3:1 | ಗುರು (self-attained teacher status); ಜಂಗಮ (Lingayat wandering-teacher office) | A recognized, accountable congregational office, not a self-attained spiritual-teacher status. |
| tongue | γλῶσσα / glōssa | ನಾಲಿಗೆ | nālige | Medium | Taming the Tongue | 3:2-10 | — | |
| hell/Gehenna | γέεννα / geenna | ನರಕ | naraka | Critical | Taming the Tongue | 3:6 | — (no better-established Kannada Christian alternative currently exists) | Established Kannada Christian rendering, but collides with the Puranic Naraka-realm cosmology of temporary, karma-purging punishment prior to rebirth. Biblical γέεννα is final and unending. Mandatory clarifying note, same risk class as ಪುನರ್ಜನ್ಮ/ಪುನರುತ್ಥಾನ in the baseline. |
| wisdom from above (vs. earthly/unspiritual/demonic) | σοφία ἄνωθεν / ἐπίγειος / ψυχική / δαιμονιώδης | ಮೇಲಣ ಜ್ಞಾನ / ಭೂಸಂಬಂಧವಾದ / ಆತ್ಮಸಂಬಂಧವಿಲ್ಲದ / ದೆವ್ವಸಂಬಂಧವಾದ | mēlaṇa jñāna / bhūsambandhavāda / ātmasambandhavillada / devvasambandhavāda | Critical | Wisdom from Above | 3:13-17 | — | The doctrinal core of “Wisdom from Above”; see ಜ್ಞಾನ entry above for the primary jñāna-mārga collision. |
| friendship with the world | φιλία τοῦ κόσμου / philia tou kosmou | ಲೋಕದ ಸ್ನೇಹ | lōkada snēha | High | Worldliness versus Friendship with God | 4:4 | — | Deliberate literary/theological contrast with ದೇವರ ಸ್ನೇಹಿತ (2:23); shared ಸ್ನೇಹ root must be preserved. |
| adulterous people (figurative) | μοιχαλίδες / moichalides | ವ್ಯಭಿಚಾರಿಣಿಯರು | vyabhicāriṇiyaru | Medium | Worldliness versus Friendship with God | 4:4 | — | Figurative covenant-unfaithfulness image (OT prophetic marriage metaphor), not a literal charge. |
| proud / humble | ὑπερήφανος / ταπεινός | ಅಹಂಕಾರಿ / ದೀನ | ahaṅkāri / dīna | Medium-High | Worldliness versus Friendship with God | 4:6, 10 | — | ಅಹಂಕಾರಿ derives from ahaṅkāra (the Sāṃkhya/Vedāntic ego-principle); ordinary usage is unremarkable, but philosophically-trained readers may hear an echo. Biblical sense is straightforwardly moral. |
| spirit that dwells in us (disputed referent) | τὸ πνεῦμα ὃ κατῴκισεν ἐν ἡμῖν | (see baseline ಪವಿತ್ರಾತ್ಮ if Holy-Spirit reading adopted) | — | High | Worldliness versus Friendship with God | 4:5 | — | Genuinely ambiguous clause; mandatory translator note on the interpretive choice made. |
| patience (forward-looking) | μακροθυμία / makrothymia | ತಾಳ್ಮೆ | tāḷme | High | Patience and the Lord’s Return | 5:7-8, 10 | ಸಹನೆ (reserved for ὑπομονή) | Patient waiting for a future event/person; distinct from ಸಹನೆ (endurance under present trial), though James uses both within ch. 5. |
| coming of the Lord / parousia | παρουσία τοῦ κυρίου / parousia | ಕರ್ತನ ಪುನರಾಗಮನ | Kartana punarāgamana | Critical | Patience and the Lord’s Return | 5:7-8 | ಅವತಾರ (forbidden — repeatable-descent theology) | The singular, promised, visible RETURN of the same eternal Son who once took on flesh — not a new incarnation-event or fresh avatāra-cycle. |
| elders (church office) | πρεσβύτεροι / presbyteroi | ಹಿರಿಯರು | hiriyaru | Medium | Prayer and Healing | 5:14 | — | Context-sensitive: can mean simply “elderly persons” generically; here names the recognized congregational leadership office. |
| anoint with oil | ἀλείψαντες ἐλαίῳ / aleiphō elaiō | ಎಣ್ಣೆ ಹಚ್ಚುವುದು | eṇṇe haccuvudu | High | Prayer and Healing | 5:14 | — | Risk of conflation with Hindu ritual oil-application practices (temple abhisheka, folk-healing oil rites) understood as themselves efficacious; the text credits the prayer of faith, not the oil, with the healing. |
| prayer of faith / save (heal) the sick | ἡ εὐχὴ τῆς πίστεως … σώσει τὸν κάμνοντα | ನಂಬಿಕೆಯ ಪ್ರಾರ್ಥನೆ / ಗುಣಪಡಿಸುವನು-ರಕ್ಷಿಸುವನು | nambikeya prārthane / guṇapaḍisuvanu-rakṣisuvanu | High | Prayer and Healing | 5:15 | — | σῴζω’s dual healing-and-forgiving sense must be preserved, not collapsed to only one. |
| confess sins to one another | ἐξομολογεῖσθε ἀλλήλοις τὰς ἁμαρτίας / exomologeō | ಒಬ್ಬರಿಗೊಬ್ಬರು ಪಾಪಗಳನ್ನು ಅರಿಕೆಮಾಡಿರಿ | obbarigobbaru pāpagaḷannu arikemāḍiri | Medium-High | Confession and Restoration | 5:16 | — | Mutual, congregational confession among believers, not a priestly-mediated sacramental rite. |
| righteous person’s prayer | δέησις δικαίου | ನೀತಿವಂತನ ಬಿನ್ನಹ | nītivantana binnaha | High | Prayer and Healing | 5:16 | — | Built on locked ನೀತಿವಂತಿಕೆ root. |
| turn back a sinner / error of his way | ἐπιστρέψῃ ἁμαρτωλὸν ἐκ πλάνης ὁδοῦ αὐτοῦ | ಪಾಪಿಯನ್ನು ಅವನ ತಪ್ಪು ದಾರಿಯಿಂದ ಹಿಂದಿರುಗಿಸುವುದು | — | Low-Medium | Confession and Restoration | 5:19-20 | — | |
| save a soul from death / cover a multitude of sins | σώσει ψυχὴν ἐκ θανάτου καὶ καλύψει πλῆθος ἁμαρτιῶν | ಆತ್ಮವನ್ನು ಮರಣದಿಂದ ರಕ್ಷಿಸುವನು, ಬಹಳ ಪಾಪಗಳನ್ನು ಮುಚ್ಚುವನು | ātmavannu maraṇadinda rakṣisuvanu | High | Confession and Restoration | 5:20 | — | ψυχή/ಆತ್ಮ requires the same caution as 2:26’s πνεῦμα/ಪ್ರಾಣ: the person’s own life/inner being, not the Vedantic ātman destined for merger with Brahman. |
Part 3 — Risk Summary (James-specific new terms)
| Risk Tier | Count | Review Routing |
|---|---|---|
| Critical | 9 (ದಾಸ, ಕ್ರಿಯೆಗಳು, ನೀತಿ…ನಿರ್ಣಯಿಸುವುದು [James usage note], ಆರೋಪಿತ ನೀತಿ [reuse], ಜ್ಞಾನ, ಧರ್ಮಾಚರಣೆ, ನರಕ, ಸೋಫಿಯಾ ಆನೊಥೆನ್ wisdom-cluster, ಕರ್ತನ ಪುನರಾಗಮನ) | Human theologian, mandatory |
| High | 20 | Human theologian |
| Medium | 12 | Native speaker review |
| Low | 8 | Automated review |
Note: this table counts only terms newly introduced by James; Part 1’s reused baseline terms retain their original baseline risk tiers and routing per doctrine_risk_registry.json.
Part 4 — Cross-Reference to Doctrine Clusters
| Doctrine | Primary Terms (this glossary) |
|---|---|
| Faith and Works | ಕ್ರಿಯೆಗಳು, ಸತ್ತದ್ದು, ದೇವರ ಸ್ನೇಹಿತ, ಮಾತ್ರ, ಪ್ರಾಣ, ದಾಸ, ವಾಕ್ಯದ ಪಾಲಕ, ನೀತಿ…ನಿರ್ಣಯಿಸುವುದು, ಆರೋಪಿತ ನೀತಿ |
| Trials and the Testing of Faith | ಪರೀಕ್ಷೆ, ಶೋಧನೆ, ಪ್ರಾಮಾಣಿಕತೆಯ ಪರೀಕ್ಷೆ, ಸಹನೆ, ಪರಿಪೂರ್ಣ, ಎರಡು ಮನಸ್ಸುಳ್ಳ, ದುರಾಶೆ |
| Wisdom from Above | ಜ್ಞಾನ, ಮೇಲಣ ಜ್ಞಾನ, ಭೂಸಂಬಂಧವಾದ, ಆತ್ಮಸಂಬಂಧವಿಲ್ಲದ, ದೆವ್ವಸಂಬಂಧವಾದ, ಬೆಳಕುಗಳ ತಂದೆ |
| Favoritism and the Poor | ಪಕ್ಷಪಾತ, ಬಡವ, ಶ್ರೀಮಂತ, ಕರುಣೆ, ರಾಜನಿಯಮ |
| Taming the Tongue | ನಾಲಿಗೆ, ಕಡಿವಾಣ, ನರಕ, ವಿಷ |
| Worldliness versus Friendship with God | ಲೋಕ, ಲೋಕದ ಸ್ನೇಹ, ವ್ಯಭಿಚಾರಿಣಿಯರು, ಅಹಂಕಾರಿ, ದೀನ, ಎರಡು ಮನಸ್ಸುಳ್ಳ |
| Prayer and Healing | ಹಿರಿಯರು, ಎಣ್ಣೆ ಹಚ್ಚುವುದು, ನಂಬಿಕೆಯ ಪ್ರಾರ್ಥನೆ, ನೀತಿವಂತನ ಬಿನ್ನಹ |
| Patience and the Lord’s Return | ತಾಳ್ಮೆ, ಸಹನೆ, ಕರ್ತನ ಪುನರಾಗಮನ, ಮುಂಗಾರು/ಹಿಂಗಾರು ಮಳೆ |
| Confession and Restoration | ಒಬ್ಬರಿಗೊಬ್ಬರು ಪಾಪಗಳನ್ನು ಅರಿಕೆಮಾಡಿರಿ, ತಪ್ಪು ದಾರಿ, ಆತ್ಮ |
Critical Risk Terms
Salvation
Approved rendering: ರಕ್ಷಣೆ
Transliteration: rakṣaṇe
Doctrine: Faith and Works
Rejected alternatives: ಮೋಕ್ಷ, ಮುಕ್ತಿ, ಐಕ್ಯ
Original: σωτηρία / σῴζω
Category: Salvation
Inherited from Romans package. James usage: the verb form ರಕ್ಷಿಸು/ರಕ್ಷಿಸುವನು is used at 1:21 (the implanted word ‘able to save your souls’), 2:14 (James’s rhetorical question, ‘can that faith save him?’), 4:12, and 5:15, 20 (prayer of faith and restoration of a wanderer). NEVER ಮೋಕ್ಷ/ಮುಕ್ತಿ/ಐಕ್ಯ in any occurrence.
Righteousness
Approved rendering: ನೀತಿವಂತಿಕೆ
Transliteration: nītivantike
Doctrine: Faith and Works
Rejected alternatives: ಧರ್ಮ, ಪುಣ್ಯ
Original: δικαιοσύνη
Category: Salvation
Inherited from Romans package. James usage: ‘fruit of righteousness’ (3:18) and ‘the prayer of a righteous person’ (ನೀತಿವಂತನ ಬಿನ್ನಹ, 5:16). NEVER ಧರ್ಮ under any circumstance.
Justification
Approved rendering: ನೀತಿವಂತರೆಂದು ನಿರ್ಣಯಿಸುವುದು
Transliteration: nītivantarendu nirṇayisuvudu
Doctrine: Justification: Harmonizing James and Paul
Rejected alternatives: ಕ್ಷಮೆ ಪಡೆಯುವುದು, ಪುಣ್ಯ ಗಳಿಸುವುದು
Original: δικαιόω / δικαίωσις
Category: Salvation
Inherited from Romans package. CRITICAL James-specific harmonization: James 2:21, 24, 25 use the identical Greek verb δικαιόω and MUST use this identical locked Kannada phrase, but here it names the public, historical vindication/demonstration of an already-credited righteousness (Genesis 15:6, cited again at James 2:23), not the forensic ground of that righteousness. Every occurrence in James 2:14-26 requires a mandatory theologian-authored harmonizing note distinguishing ‘declared righteous before God, apart from works’ (Romans) from ‘shown/proven righteous before others, by works’ (James). Never invent a different Kannada phrase for James’s usage; the distinction is carried by context and teaching notes only.
Imputed Righteousness
Approved rendering: ಆರೋಪಿತ ನೀತಿ
Transliteration: āropita nīti
Doctrine: Justification: Harmonizing James and Paul
Rejected alternatives: ಸ್ವಂತ ಸಾಧನೆಯ ನೀತಿ
Original: ἐλογίσθη αὐτῷ εἰς δικαιοσύνην
Category: Salvation
Inherited from Romans package. James usage: James 2:23 cites the identical Genesis 15:6 text as Romans 4:3 — ‘Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness.’ This verse is the theological anchor proving James and Paul rely on the same doctrine of credited, not self-attained, righteousness.
Lord
Approved rendering: ಕರ್ತ
Transliteration: karta
Doctrine: Servanthood and the Lordship of Christ
Rejected alternatives: ಸ್ವಾಮಿ
Original: κύριος
Category: Christology
Inherited from Romans package. James usage: recurs throughout, including 5:4 ‘Lord of hosts/Sabaoth’ (see lord_of_hosts entry) and 5:7-8 the parousia, ‘the coming of the Lord’ (see parousia entry). NEVER ಸ್ವಾಮಿ.
God
Approved rendering: ದೇವರು
Transliteration: Dēvaru
Doctrine: Faith and Works
Rejected alternatives: ಭಗವಂತ, ಪರಶಿವ
Original: θεός
Category: God
Inherited from Romans package. James usage: James 2:19’s ‘you believe that God is one; even the demons believe — and shudder’ uses bare monotheistic confession as an example of correct-but-insufficient assent. Doctrinally significant for readers from Advaita-influenced backgrounds who may already affirm a philosophically monistic ‘one ultimate reality’ without personal trust in Christ; bare monotheism is explicitly declared insufficient in this very passage.
Jesus
Approved rendering: ಯೇಸು
Transliteration: Yēsu
Doctrine: Servanthood and the Lordship of Christ
Rejected alternatives: ಈಸಾ
Original: Ἰησοῦς
Category: Christology
Inherited from Romans package. James usage: 1:1 and 2:1, both times paired with ಕ್ರಿಸ್ತ in the full title ‘ಕರ್ತನಾದ ಯೇಸು ಕ್ರಿಸ್ತ’.
Holy Spirit
Approved rendering: ಪವಿತ್ರಾತ್ಮ
Transliteration: Pavitrātma
Doctrine: Worldliness versus Friendship with God
Rejected alternatives: ಪರಮಾತ್ಮ
Original: πνεῦμα ἅγιον
Category: God
Inherited from Romans package. James usage: only possibly present at James 4:5, a genuinely disputed Greek clause (‘the spirit God caused to dwell in us’) that may refer either to the Holy Spirit’s jealous indwelling or to the human spirit’s natural inclination to envy. If the Holy-Spirit reading is adopted, this locked term applies; a mandatory translator note must flag the interpretive choice regardless of which reading is followed. NEVER ಪರಮಾತ್ಮ.
Christ
Approved rendering: ಕ್ರಿಸ್ತ
Transliteration: Krista
Doctrine: Servanthood and the Lordship of Christ
Original: Χριστός
Category: Christology
New term for the James package (not a separate baseline key in Romans, though implicit throughout). Established transliterated Kannada Christian form, always paired with ಯೇಸು in the full title ‘ಕರ್ತನಾದ ಯೇಸು ಕ್ರಿಸ್ತ’ (James 1:1; 2:1). Never substitute avatar-adjacent or guru-honorific language.
Servant Of God
Approved rendering: ದಾಸ
Transliteration: dāsa
Doctrine: Servanthood and the Lordship of Christ
Rejected alternatives: ಸೇವಕ
Original: δοῦλος
Category: Servanthood and Lordship
James 1:1, James’s self-designation (δοῦλος), paralleling Romans 1:1. ದಾಸ is the very self-designation at the heart of Karnataka’s Haridasa (‘servants of Hari’) Krishna-bhakti tradition (e.g., Purandara Dāsa, Kanaka Dāsa) — a devotional identity (dāsya bhāva) a devotee chooses and cultivates toward a personal deity. NT δοῦλος names a status conferred by Christ’s ownership and lordship (ಕರ್ತ) through redemption, received rather than selected among devotional postures. ಸೇವಕ is rejected as too weak (implies hired service, not ownership). Mandatory teaching note required at every occurrence.
Works
Approved rendering: ಕ್ರಿಯೆಗಳು
Transliteration: kriyegaḷu
Doctrine: Faith and Works
Rejected alternatives: ಕರ್ಮ
Original: ἔργα
Category: Faith and Works
James 1:25; 2:14-26 (throughout). The single highest-risk term in the book. ಕ್ರಿಯೆಗಳು is chosen specifically to avoid ಕರ್ಮ, which would import the entire karma-merit rebirth economy (an accumulated moral ledger determining future rebirth-status). Must always denote the observable, active outworking that inevitably accompanies a genuine, already-granted faith — evidence, not cause, of right standing with God. Never allow this term to stand alone in James 2 without an anchoring phrase tying it to faith as source (e.g., ನಂಬಿಕೆಯಿಂದ ಹುಟ್ಟುವ ಕ್ರಿಯೆಗಳು).
Justified Demonstrative Sense
Approved rendering: ನೀತಿವಂತರೆಂದು ನಿರ್ಣಯಿಸುವುದು
Transliteration: nītivantarendu nirṇayisuvudu
Doctrine: Justification: Harmonizing James and Paul
Same locked Kannada phrase as the justification entry above (no alternative rendering permitted). Recorded as its own entry to flag that James 2:21, 24, 25 use it in the DEMONSTRATIVE sense (public vindication of an already-credited righteousness through Abraham’s and Rahab’s historical acts), not the FORENSIC-INITIAL sense of Romans 3-4. Mandatory theologian review and harmonizing note at every occurrence.
Wisdom
Approved rendering: ಜ್ಞಾನ
Transliteration: jñāna
Doctrine: Wisdom from Above
Rejected alternatives: ವಿವೇಕ, ಬುದ್ಧಿ
Original: σοφία
Category: Wisdom from Above
James 1:5; 3:13-17 (σοφία). ಜ್ಞಾನ is the established Kannada Bible term for wisdom (cf. Proverbs), but is also the central technical term of the Hindu jñāna-mārga (‘path of knowledge’), one of the three classical margas to liberation in Vedantic thought, referring to a liberating, intuitive, non-dual insight into the identity of Ātman and Brahman attained through disciplined philosophical inquiry. James’s σοφία is categorically different: a practical, moral, relational gift from a personal God, sought by prayer (1:5) and evidenced by observable ethical fruit (3:17), not metaphysical insight. Mandatory teaching note at every occurrence — the single highest jñāna-mārga collision risk in this book.
Religion
Approved rendering: ಧರ್ಮಾಚರಣೆ
Transliteration: dharmācaraṇe
Doctrine: True Religion and Practical Devotion
Rejected alternatives: bare ಧರ್ಮ (absolutely forbidden)
Original: θρησκεία
Category: True Religion and Practical Devotion
James 1:26-27, θρησκεία, ‘pure and undefiled religion.’ The ONLY place in this curriculum a ಧರ್ಮ-root word is proposed at all. The baseline’s absolute prohibition of bare ಧರ್ಮ for νόμος (law) and δικαιοσύνη (righteousness) is NOT relaxed. Every occurrence requires a mandatory clarifying translator note: (1) never a substitute for ನಿಯಮಶಾಸ್ತ್ರ or ನೀತಿವಂತಿಕೆ; (2) ‘pure religion’ names the outward, compassionate shape of a gospel-renewed life, never itself the ground of righteousness or salvation.
Hell Gehenna
Approved rendering: ನರಕ
Transliteration: naraka
Doctrine: Taming the Tongue
Original: γέεννα
Category: Taming the Tongue
James 3:6, γέεννα, only occurrence in James. ನರಕ is the established Kannada Christian rendering, but is also the standard Sanskritic/Puranic term for the Naraka realms of Hindu cosmology — a graded system of TEMPORARY, karma-purging punishments endured between births, ultimately still subject to the cycle of rebirth. Biblical γέεννα names a FINAL, UNENDING judgment. No better-established Kannada Christian alternative exists; retain ನರಕ but require a mandatory clarifying note, same risk class as ಪುನರ್ಜನ್ಮ versus ಪುನರುತ್ಥಾನ in the baseline.
Wisdom From Above Cluster
Approved rendering: ಮೇಲಣ ಜ್ಞಾನ / ಭೂಸಂಬಂಧವಾದ / ಆತ್ಮಸಂಬಂಧವಿಲ್ಲದ / ದೆವ್ವಸಂಬಂಧವಾದ
Transliteration: mēlaṇa jñāna / bhūsambandhavāda / ātmasambandhavillada / devvasambandhavāda
Doctrine: Wisdom from Above
Original: σοφία ἄνωθεν / ἐπίγειος / ψυχική / δαιμονιώδης
Category: Wisdom from Above
James 3:13-17, σοφία ἄνωθεν contrasted with ἐπίγειος (earthly)/ψυχική (unspiritual/natural)/δαιμονιώδης (demonic). ψυχική must not be rendered using ಆತ್ಮ in a way implying positive Vedantic ātman-based wisdom; it names wisdom operating on mere natural human instinct, without the Spirit’s renewing influence. Shares the primary jñāna-mārga collision risk documented under the wisdom entry above.
Satan Devil
Approved rendering: ಸೈತಾನ
Transliteration: saitāna
Doctrine: Worldliness versus Friendship with God
Rejected alternatives: ದೆವ್ವ (rejected as primary rendering)
James 4:7, ‘resist the devil (διάβολος) and he will flee from you.’ NEWLY SURFACED collision risk: ದೆವ್ವ is the standard Kannada/Tulu word for a malevolent spirit or ghost, and in coastal Karnataka specifically names the spirit-beings venerated and propitiated in the Bhūta Kōla spirit-worship tradition (ritual spirit-possession and appeasement). Using ದೆವ್ವ as the primary term risks readers picturing an appeasable local spirit-being rather than a singular, defeated cosmic adversary. MANDATORY: use the transliteration ಸೈತಾನ as the primary rendering, following the same logic as the baseline’s ಈಸಾ-avoidance for Jesus and ಅವತಾರ-avoidance for incarnation. ದೆವ್ವ may appear only as a secondary explanatory gloss under a mandatory teaching note, never as the primary term.
Parousia
Approved rendering: ಕರ್ತನ ಪುನರಾಗಮನ
Transliteration: Kartana punarāgamana
Doctrine: Patience and the Lord’s Return
Rejected alternatives: ಅವತಾರ
Original: παρουσία τοῦ κυρίου
Category: Patience and the Lord’s Return
James 5:7-8, παρουσία τοῦ κυρίου, Christ’s future, visible, bodily return. Must be clearly distinguished from repeatable avatar-descent theology (the baseline forbids ಅವತಾರ for Christ’s first coming, rendered ದೇಹಧಾರಣೆ). This is the singular, promised RETURN of the same eternal Son who already, once, took on flesh — not a new incarnation-event or fresh avatāra-cycle, but a completed, unrepeatable historical event moving toward one future consummation.
High Risk Terms
Faith
Approved rendering: ನಂಬಿಕೆ
Transliteration: nambike
Doctrine: Faith and Works
Rejected alternatives: ಭಕ್ತಿ
Original: πίστις
Category: Faith and Works
Inherited from Romans package. James usage: James 2:14-26 tests whether professed ನಂಬಿಕೆ is genuine, living trust (producing works) versus a bare, workless verbal claim — a genuineness question, not a devotional-intensity question. Do not import a bhakti ‘degree of devotion’ reading.
Grace
Approved rendering: ಕೃಪೆ
Transliteration: kṛpe
Doctrine: Grace
Rejected alternatives: ಕರ್ಮಫಲ, ಪುಣ್ಯ
Original: χάρις
Category: Grace
Inherited from Romans package. James usage: James 4:6 cites Proverbs 3:34, ‘God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble’ — must preserve the contrast against self-exaltation (ಅಹಂಕಾರ), not merit- or karma-based reward, and against the Lingayat kayaka-dasoha ethic of disciplined sacred work and sharing.
Sin
Approved rendering: ಪಾಪ
Transliteration: pāpa
Doctrine: Universal Human Accountability
Rejected alternatives: ಅಧರ್ಮ
Original: ἁμαρτία
Category: Sin
Inherited from Romans package. James usage: recurs at 1:15 (desire conceives sin, sin brings death), 2:9 (favoritism as sin), 4:17 (sin of omission), 5:15-16, 20 (confession and restoration).
Law
Approved rendering: ನಿಯಮಶಾಸ್ತ್ರ
Transliteration: niyamaśāstra
Doctrine: Favoritism and the Poor
Rejected alternatives: ಧರ್ಮ
Original: νόμος
Category: Covenant
Inherited from Romans package. James usage: modified as ‘the perfect law, the law of liberty’ (1:25) and ‘the royal law’ (2:8), and referenced again at 4:11-12 (‘one lawgiver and judge’). NEVER ಧರ್ಮ. See also law_of_liberty entry below for the modifier compounds.
Father
Approved rendering: ತಂದೆ
Transliteration: Tande
Doctrine: Wisdom from Above
Rejected alternatives: ಸೃಷ್ಟಿಕರ್ತ
Original: πατήρ
Category: God
Inherited from Romans package. James usage: 1:17 ‘Father of lights’ (ಬೆಳಕುಗಳ ತಂದೆ) — see the dedicated father_of_lights entry below.
Holy
Approved rendering: ಪವಿತ್ರ
Transliteration: pavitra
Doctrine: Worldliness versus Friendship with God
Rejected alternatives: ಶುದ್ಧ
Original: ἅγιος / ἁγνίζω
Category: Sanctification
Inherited from Romans package. James usage: 4:8 ‘purify your hearts’ (ಹೃದಯಗಳನ್ನು ಪವಿತ್ರಗೊಳಿಸಿರಿ), addressed to the double-minded — moral/relational purification, not ritual purity.
Called
Approved rendering: ಕರೆಯಲ್ಪಟ್ಟ
Transliteration: kareyalpaṭṭa
Doctrine: Faith and Works
Rejected alternatives: ಆಮಂತ್ರಿತ
Original: κλητός / καλέω
Category: Salvation
Inherited from Romans package. James usage: 2:7 ‘the honorable name by which you were called’ and 2:23 Abraham ‘was called’ (ಎಂದು ಕರೆಯಲ್ಪಟ್ಟನು) God’s friend — this second instance is the weaker ‘named/designated’ sense, not the effectual-calling sense; distinguish by context.
Dead Faith
Approved rendering: ಸತ್ತದ್ದು
Transliteration: sattadu
Doctrine: Faith and Works
Rejected alternatives: ದುರ್ಬಲ
Original: νεκρά
Category: Faith and Works
James 2:17, 26: ‘faith without works is dead.’ Preserves established Kannada Bible corpse-idiom starkness. Must not be softened to ‘weak’ or ‘incomplete’ (ದುರ್ಬಲ), which would blunt James’s claim that workless faith is not inferior faith but no faith at all. Kept distinct from ಪುನರುತ್ಥಾನ/ಪುನರ್ಜನ್ಮ associations; this is a vitality/inertness claim, not a resurrection or rebirth claim.
Friend Of God
Approved rendering: ದೇವರ ಸ್ನೇಹಿತ
Transliteration: Dēvara Snēhita
Doctrine: Faith and Works
Rejected alternatives: ದೇವರ ಭಕ್ತ
Original: φίλος θεοῦ
Category: Faith and Works
James 2:23, echoing 2 Chronicles 20:7 and Isaiah 41:8. Collision risk: Karnataka’s Haridasa Krishna-bhakti tradition recognizes sakhya bhāva (‘friendship-mode’ devotion) as one of several devotional relationship-modes a devotee deliberately cultivates toward a chosen personal deity, alongside dāsya (servant-mode) and vātsalya (parental-mode). Abraham’s title must be taught as God’s own unilateral declaration flowing from his credited righteousness and demonstrated faith, not a devotional stance the believer selects among alternatives. Shares its ಸ್ನೇಹ root deliberately with 4:4’s ಲೋಕದ ಸ್ನೇಹ (friendship with the world) — preserve the root across both occurrences.
Faith Alone
Approved rendering: ಮಾತ್ರ
Transliteration: mātra
Doctrine: Justification: Harmonizing James and Paul
Original: μόνον
Category: Faith and Works
James 2:24, ‘not by faith alone’ (οὐκ ἐκ πίστεως μόνον). Frequently set, wrongly, against Reformation sola fide language. Mandatory teaching note: James rebuts a counterfeit, workless definition of faith reduced to bare mental assent (2:19), not Paul’s faith-that-inherently-produces-works doctrine of justification before God.
Human Spirit Breath
Approved rendering: ಪ್ರಾಣ
Transliteration: prāṇa
Doctrine: Faith and Works
Rejected alternatives: ಆತ್ಮ
Original: πνεῦμα
Category: Faith and Works
James 2:26, ‘the body without the spirit is dead.’ Ordinary human life-breath/animating principle, NOT the Holy Spirit and NOT the eternal metaphysical Self. ಆತ್ಮ rejected because it risks triggering the Vedantic ātman framework; ಪ್ರಾಣ itself carries yogic/Ayurvedic vital-energy connotations in popular usage and must be anchored contextually to ordinary physical death, matching the parallel with ಶರೀರ (body).
Trial
Approved rendering: ಪರೀಕ್ಷೆ / ಶೋಧನೆ
Transliteration: parīkṣe / śōdhane
Doctrine: Trials and the Testing of Faith
Rejected alternatives: ಹಣೆಬರಹ-adjacent fatalistic phrasing
Original: πειρασμός
Category: Trials and Testing of Faith
James 1:2-4, 12 (ಪರೀಕ್ಷೆ, external trial) and 1:13-15 (ಶೋಧನೆ, internal temptation toward sin, which God does not send) render the single Greek word πειρασμός in its two senses. Must not be flattened toward ಹಣೆಬರಹ-style fatalism or the impersonal law of karma; trials are purposive under a personal God’s care.
Endurance
Approved rendering: ಸಹನೆ
Transliteration: sahane
Doctrine: Trials and the Testing of Faith
Rejected alternatives: ತಾಳ್ಮೆ (reserved for μακροθυμία)
Original: ὑπομονή
Category: Trials and Testing of Faith
James 1:3-4, 12; 5:11 (Job). Endurance under present trial/pressure, the God-intended fruit of trials. Must be kept distinct from ತಾಳ್ಮೆ (forward-looking patience in ch. 5). Must not be rendered with stoic-resignation or ಹಣೆಬರಹ-adjacent fatalistic language; this is active, purposive perseverance under a personal God.
Perfect Mature
Approved rendering: ಪರಿಪೂರ್ಣ / ಸಂಪೂರ್ಣ
Transliteration: paripūrṇa / sampūrṇa
Doctrine: Perseverance and Christian Maturity
Rejected alternatives: ಸಿದ್ಧಿ-oriented attainment language
Original: τέλειος
Category: Trials and Testing of Faith; Faith and Works
James 1:4, 17, 25; 2:22; 3:2 (τέλειος), recurring five times and requiring consistent rendering across all occurrences. Complete, mature, having reached its intended goal — NOT sinless perfection. Must not be assimilated to the progressive, self-attained stage-by-stage ascent of the Lingayat shatsthala path toward Aikya; this maturity is God-given through trial, not self-cultivated through ascetic discipline.
Double Minded
Approved rendering: ಎರಡು ಮನಸ್ಸುಳ್ಳ
Transliteration: eraḍu manassuḷḷa
Doctrine: Double-Mindedness and Undivided Devotion
Rejected alternatives: ಚಂಚಲ ಮನಸ್ಸಿನ
Original: δίψυχος
Category: Trials and Testing of Faith; Worldliness
James 1:8; 4:8, δίψυχος, a rare, likely Jacobean-coined word (‘two-souled/two-spirited’). No natural single Kannada word exists; the literal compound is preferred over a single abstract synonym to preserve James’s vivid coinage and must be rendered identically at both occurrences. Must not be confused with the philosophical mind/ātman-jīva dualisms of Vedantic psychology; this names a moral-relational instability of trust between God and worldly attachment, not a metaphysical claim about two souls.
Father Of Lights
Approved rendering: ಬೆಳಕುಗಳ ತಂದೆ
Transliteration: Beḷakugaḷa Tande
Doctrine: Wisdom from Above
Original: πατὴρ τῶν φώτων
Category: Wisdom from Above; God
James 1:17, πατὴρ τῶν φώτων, built on the locked ತಂದೆ. God’s unchanging, generous character as Creator/source of all heavenly light and every good gift. Must not be assimilated to divine-light mysticism or the mystical-illumination imagery associated with the Aikya path’s culminating spiritual-light experience (cf. baseline caution on ‘glory’).
Doer Of The Word
Approved rendering: ವಾಕ್ಯದ ಪಾಲಕ / ಪಾಲಿಸುವವ
Transliteration: vākyada pālaka / pālisuvava
Doctrine: Faith and Works
Rejected alternatives: ವಾಕ್ಯದ ಕರ್ತೃ
Original: ποιητὴς λόγου
Category: Faith and Works
James 1:22-25, ποιητὴς λόγου, contrasted with ἀκροατής (ಕೇಳುವವ ಮಾತ್ರ, hearer only). Chosen over a word suggesting meritorious performance, to keep this consistent with the ch. 2 doctrinal boundary: practiced obedience is the fruit and evidence of a received word, not its precondition. Directly anticipates the ch. 2 faith-and-works argument.
Law Of Liberty
Approved rendering: ಪರಿಪೂರ್ಣ ನಿಯಮಶಾಸ್ತ್ರ / ಸ್ವಾತಂತ್ರ್ಯದ ನಿಯಮಶಾಸ್ತ್ರ / ರಾಜನಿಯಮ
Transliteration: paripūrṇa niyamaśāstra / svātantryada niyamaśāstra / rājaniyama
Doctrine: Favoritism and the Poor
Rejected alternatives: ಧರ್ಮ
Original: νόμος τέλειος ὁ τῆς ἐλευθερίας / νόμος βασιλικός
Category: Covenant; Favoritism and the Poor
James 1:25 (‘the perfect law, the law of liberty’) and 2:8 (‘the royal law’), both built on the locked ನಿಯಮಶಾಸ್ತ್ರ root. NEVER ಧರ್ಮ. Note the positive, liberating nuance (‘of liberty’), absent from Romans’ Torah-focused usage — worth flagging for teaching clarity.
World
Approved rendering: ಲೋಕ
Transliteration: lōka
Doctrine: Worldliness versus Friendship with God
Original: κόσμος
Category: Worldliness versus Friendship with God
James 1:27; 2:5; 3:6; 4:4 (κόσμος). Established Kannada Bible term, but ‘loka’ is also the standard term for the tiered cosmological realms of Hindu cosmology (Bhūloka, Devaloka, Brahmaloka, the seven lokas). Teaching note required: biblical κόσμος names the present fallen moral-social order in rebellion against God, a single unified reality, not one tier among a graded set of cosmic realms.
Favoritism
Approved rendering: ಪಕ್ಷಪಾತ
Transliteration: pakṣapāta
Doctrine: Favoritism and the Poor
Original: προσωπολημψία
Category: Favoritism and the Poor
James 2:1, 9, προσωπολημψία, lit. ‘receiving/lifting up the face.’ Genuine positive resonance with the Lingayat reform movement’s historic rejection of caste hierarchy — a point of convergence worth teaching, while still rooting the prohibition in the impartial character of the Lord Jesus Christ himself, not merely a social-reform ethic.
Friendship With World
Approved rendering: ಲೋಕದ ಸ್ನೇಹ
Transliteration: lōkada snēha
Doctrine: Worldliness versus Friendship with God
Original: φιλία τοῦ κόσμου
Category: Worldliness versus Friendship with God
James 4:4, φιλία τοῦ κόσμου, ‘friendship with the world is enmity with God,’ deliberately echoing and inverting 2:23’s ದೇವರ ಸ್ನೇಹಿತ. Must share the ಸ್ನೇಹ root with that entry so Kannada readers perceive James’s deliberate literary/theological contrast between two exclusive, opposed relational allegiances.
Proud Humble
Approved rendering: ಅಹಂಕಾರಿ / ದೀನ
Transliteration: ahaṅkāri / dīna
Doctrine: Worldliness versus Friendship with God
Original: ὑπερήφανος / ταπεινός
Category: Worldliness versus Friendship with God
James 4:6, 10, ὑπερήφανος/ταπεινός. ಅಹಂಕಾರಿ derives from ahaṅkāra, a technical term in Sāṃkhya/Vedāntic psychology naming the ‘I-maker’ faculty, the root ego-principle in the classical tattva system. Ordinary contemporary usage is unremarkable (‘a proud/arrogant person’), but philosophically-trained readers may hear an echo; the biblical sense is straightforwardly moral self-exaltation against God, not a metaphysical faculty.
Patience Makrothymia
Approved rendering: ತಾಳ್ಮೆ
Transliteration: tāḷme
Doctrine: Patience and the Lord’s Return
Rejected alternatives: ಸಹನೆ (reserved for ὑπομονή)
Original: μακροθυμία
Category: Patience and the Lord’s Return
James 5:7-8, 10, μακροθυμία. Patient, forward-looking waiting for a future event/person (the Lord’s coming), like a farmer awaiting the harvest. Distinct from ಸಹನೆ (endurance under present affliction, used again at 5:11 for Job), though James himself moves fluidly between the two within ch. 5.
Anoint With Oil
Approved rendering: ಎಣ್ಣೆ ಹಚ್ಚುವುದು
Transliteration: eṇṇe haccuvudu
Doctrine: Prayer and Healing
Original: ἀλείψαντες ἐλαίῳ
Category: Prayer and Healing
James 5:14, ἀλείψαντες ἐλαίῳ. Risk of conflation with Hindu ritual oil-application practices (temple abhisheka, oil-lamp devotion, folk-healing oil rites performed by traditional healers/exorcists) understood as themselves ritually efficacious. Mandatory teaching note: the text credits the prayer of faith (v.15), not the oil itself, with the healing outcome — name the specific misreading being guarded against.
Prayer Of Faith
Approved rendering: ನಂಬಿಕೆಯ ಪ್ರಾರ್ಥನೆ
Transliteration: nambikeya prārthane
Doctrine: Prayer and Healing
Original: ἡ εὐχὴ τῆς πίστεως … σώσει τὸν κάμνοντα
Category: Prayer and Healing
James 5:15, ἡ εὐχὴ τῆς πίστεως… σώσει τὸν κάμνοντα, ‘the prayer of faith will save/heal the one who is sick.’ σῴζω’s dual healing-and-forgiving sense must be preserved, not collapsed into only physical healing (risking a prosperity/health-guarantee misreading) nor only spiritual forgiveness.
Righteous Prayer
Approved rendering: ನೀತಿವಂತನ ಬಿನ್ನಹ
Transliteration: nītivantana binnaha
Doctrine: Prayer and Healing
Original: δέησις δικαίου
Category: Prayer and Healing
James 5:16, δέησις δικαίου, ‘the prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working,’ built on the locked ನೀತಿವಂತಿಕೆ root, illustrated by Elijah.
Confess Sins
Approved rendering: ಒಬ್ಬರಿಗೊಬ್ಬರು ಪಾಪಗಳನ್ನು ಅರಿಕೆಮಾಡಿರಿ
Transliteration: obbarigobbaru pāpagaḷannu arikemāḍiri
Doctrine: Confession and Restoration
Original: ἐξομολογεῖσθε ἀλλήλοις τὰς ἁμαρτίας
Category: Confession and Restoration
James 5:16, ἐξομολογεῖσθε ἀλλήλοις τὰς ἁμαρτίας. Mutual, congregational, relational confession among believers, paired with mutual intercessory prayer. Risk of assimilation to a formal, priest-mediated sacramental confession rite by readers from hierarchical religious backgrounds; teaching note required distinguishing James’s horizontal practice from an exclusively priest-channeled rite.
Save Soul Cover Sins
Approved rendering: ಆತ್ಮವನ್ನು ಮರಣದಿಂದ ರಕ್ಷಿಸುವನು, ಬಹಳ ಪಾಪಗಳನ್ನು ಮುಚ್ಚುವನು
Transliteration: ātmavannu maraṇadinda rakṣisuvanu, bahaḷa pāpagaḷannu muccuvanu
Doctrine: Confession and Restoration
Original: σώσει ψυχὴν ἐκ θανάτου καὶ καλύψει πλῆθος ἁμαρτιῶν
Category: Confession and Restoration
James 5:20, σώσει ψυχὴν ἐκ θανάτου καὶ καλύψει πλῆθος ἁμαρτιῶν, the letter’s closing pastoral promise. ψυχή/ಆತ್ಮ requires the same caution as 2:26’s πνεῦμα/ಪ್ರಾಣ: this names the person’s own life/inner self facing death, not the Vedantic ātman destined for eventual identity with Brahman or merger into the divine (Aikya). As the letter’s culminating verse, this occurrence should carry maximal doctrinal clarity, ideally pre-flagged when the letter’s outline is first introduced, not only when this verse is reached.
Medium Risk Terms
Kingdom Of God
Approved rendering: ದೇವರ ರಾಜ್ಯ
Transliteration: Dēvara Rājya
Doctrine: Favoritism and the Poor
Original: βασιλεία τοῦ θεοῦ
Category: Kingdom
Inherited from Romans package. James usage: 2:5, ‘heirs of the kingdom’ (ರಾಜ್ಯದ ಬಾಧ್ಯರು) — the poor, chosen by God, inherit his reign, not a territorial or political kingdom.
Church
Approved rendering: ಸಭೆ
Transliteration: sabhe
Doctrine: Prayer and Healing
Rejected alternatives: ದೇವಸ್ಥಾನ, ಗುಡಿ
Original: ἐκκλησία
Category: Church
Inherited from Romans package. James usage: 5:14, ‘call for the elders of the church.’ Never ದೇವಸ್ಥಾನ/ಗುಡಿ.
Peace
Approved rendering: ಶಾಂತಿ
Transliteration: śānti
Doctrine: Wisdom from Above
Rejected alternatives: ಮನಶ್ಶಾಂತಿ
Original: εἰρήνη
Category: Salvation
Inherited from Romans package. James usage: 2:16 is an everyday farewell formula (‘go in peace’) and should not be over-theologized; 3:18 (‘sown in peace by peacemakers’) is closer to the doctrinal, relational sense. Both occurrences use the same locked term; context, not lexical choice, distinguishes them.
Testing Genuineness
Approved rendering: ಪ್ರಾಮಾಣಿಕತೆಯ ಪರೀಕ್ಷೆ
Transliteration: prāmāṇikateya parīkṣe
Doctrine: Trials and the Testing of Faith
Original: δοκίμιον
Category: Trials and Testing of Faith
James 1:3, δοκίμιον, the testing/proving process or the proven quality of faith. Distinct from ಪರೀಕ್ಷೆ (the trial-event itself) — this is the proving-process/quality.
Approved
Approved rendering: ಪರೀಕ್ಷಿತ
Transliteration: parīkṣita
Doctrine: Trials and the Testing of Faith
Original: δόκιμος
Category: Trials and Testing of Faith
James 1:12, δόκιμος, ‘blessed is the one who remains steadfast under trial… having stood the test.‘
Doubt
Approved rendering: ಸಂಶಯಿಸು
Transliteration: saṁśayisu
Doctrine: Trials and the Testing of Faith
Original: διακρίνω
Category: Trials and Testing of Faith
James 1:6, διακρίνω, to be divided in judgment, to doubt or waver, contrasted with the ‘wave of the sea’ image.
Desire
Approved rendering: ದುರಾಶೆ
Transliteration: durāśe
Doctrine: Trials and the Testing of Faith
Original: ἐπιθυμία
Category: Trials and Testing of Faith
James 1:14-15, ἐπιθυμία, the internal lure that conceives and gives birth to sin.
Word Of Truth
Approved rendering: ಸತ್ಯದ ವಾಕ್ಯ / ಅಂತರಂಗದಲ್ಲಿ ನೆಟ್ಟ ವಾಕ್ಯ
Transliteration: satyada vākya / antaraṅgadalli neṭṭa vākya
Doctrine: Faith and Works
Original: λόγος ἀληθείας / ἔμφυτος λόγος
Category: Faith and Works
James 1:18 (λόγος ἀληθείας, the gospel by which believers are given new birth) and 1:21 (ἔμφυτος λόγος, ‘the implanted word… able to save your souls’).
Poor
Approved rendering: ಬಡವ
Transliteration: baḍava
Doctrine: Favoritism and the Poor
Original: πτωχός
Category: Favoritism and the Poor
James 2:2-6, πτωχός.
Rich
Approved rendering: ಶ್ರೀಮಂತ
Transliteration: śrīmanta
Doctrine: Favoritism and the Poor
Original: πλούσιος
Category: Favoritism and the Poor; Patience and the Lord’s Return
James 2:2-6; 5:1, πλούσιος.
Mercy
Approved rendering: ಕರುಣೆ
Transliteration: karuṇe
Doctrine: Favoritism and the Poor
Original: ἔλεος
Category: Favoritism and the Poor
James 2:13, ἔλεος, ‘mercy triumphs over judgment.‘
Judgment
Approved rendering: ತೀರ್ಪು
Transliteration: tīrpu
Doctrine: Favoritism and the Poor
Original: κρίσις
Category: Favoritism and the Poor
James 2:13; 5:9 (‘the judge is standing at the door’), κρίσις.
Teacher
Approved rendering: ಉಪದೇಶಕ
Transliteration: upadeśaka
Doctrine: Congregational Leadership and Accountability
Rejected alternatives: ಗುರು, ಜಂಗಮ
Original: διδάσκαλος
Category: Taming the Tongue
James 3:1, διδάσκαλος. A recognized, accountable congregational office, not a self-attained spiritual-teacher status (ಗುರು) or the wandering Lingayat teacher-office (ಜಂಗಮ).
Tongue
Approved rendering: ನಾಲಿಗೆ
Transliteration: nālige
Doctrine: Taming the Tongue
Original: γλῶσσα
Category: Taming the Tongue
James 3:2-10, γλῶσσα, the organ of speech standing for speech itself.
Adulterous People
Approved rendering: ವ್ಯಭಿಚಾರಿಣಿಯರು
Transliteration: vyabhicāriṇiyaru
Doctrine: Worldliness versus Friendship with God
Original: μοιχαλίδες
Category: Worldliness versus Friendship with God
James 4:4, μοιχαλίδες, a figurative OT prophetic marriage-covenant image for spiritual unfaithfulness, not a literal charge. Teaching note required to prevent a literal (mis)reading.
Lord Of Hosts
Approved rendering: ಸೇನಾಧೀಶ್ವರನಾದ ಕರ್ತ
Transliteration: sēnādhīśvaranāda Karta
Doctrine: Economic Justice and the Cry of the Oppressed
Original: κύριος Σαβαώθ
Category: Favoritism and the Poor; Patience and the Lord’s Return
James 5:4, κύριος Σαβαώθ, transliterated Hebrew military-royal title, ‘LORD of armies,’ built on the locked ಕರ್ತ root. Emphasizes God’s sovereign, avenging power on behalf of the oppressed — personal justice, not impersonal karmic balancing.
Elders
Approved rendering: ಹಿರಿಯರು
Transliteration: hiriyaru
Doctrine: Congregational Leadership and Accountability
Original: πρεσβύτεροι
Category: Prayer and Healing
James 5:14, πρεσβύτεροι, called for by the sick to pray over them. Context-sensitive: can mean simply ‘elderly persons’ generically; here names the recognized congregational leadership office and must be taught as such.
Low Risk Terms
Prophet
Approved rendering: ಪ್ರವಾದಿ
Transliteration: pravādi
Doctrine: Patience and the Lord’s Return
Rejected alternatives: ಜ್ಯೋತಿಷಿ
Original: προφήτης
Category: Covenant
Inherited from Romans package. James usage: 5:10, ‘the prophets who spoke in the name of the Lord’ as an example of suffering and patience (ಸಹನೆ).
Firstfruits
Approved rendering: ಪ್ರಥಮಫಲ
Transliteration: prathamaphala
Doctrine: Faith and Works
Original: ἀπαρχή
Category: General
James 1:18, ἀπαρχή. Standard established OT sacrificial-offering background term; believers as God’s firstfruits among his creatures.
Bridle
Approved rendering: ಕಡಿವಾಣ
Transliteration: kaḍivāṇa
Doctrine: Taming the Tongue
James 3:2-3, χαλινός. Natural, unambiguous Kannada equestrian term; no doctrinal collision, a pure vocabulary-completeness addition.
Rudder
Approved rendering: ಚುಕ್ಕಾಣಿ
Transliteration: cukkāṇi
Doctrine: Taming the Tongue
James 3:4, πηδάλιον (ship’s rudder/helm). Natural, unambiguous maritime term; pure vocabulary-completeness addition.
Poison
Approved rendering: ವಿಷ
Transliteration: viṣa
Doctrine: Taming the Tongue
James 3:8, ἰός. ‘The tongue… is full of deadly poison.’ No fencing required beyond ordinary context; ವಿಷ also carries folk/Ayurvedic toxin-remedy connotations but James’s usage is unambiguous.
Blessing Cursing
Approved rendering: ಆಶೀರ್ವಾದ / ಶಾಪ
Transliteration: āśīrvāda / śāpa
Doctrine: Taming the Tongue
James 3:9-10, εὐλογοῦμεν/καταρώμεθα, the same mouth blessing God and cursing people made in his likeness. ಶಾಪ carries folk-ritual associations (curse-formulas, evil eye) but James’s usage is unambiguous in context; no special fencing needed.
Early Late Rains
Approved rendering: ಮುಂಗಾರು ಮಳೆ / ಹಿಂಗಾರು ಮಳೆ
Transliteration: muṅgāru maḷe / hiṅgāru maḷe
Doctrine: Patience and the Lord’s Return
James 5:7, πρόϊμον καὶ ὄψιμον (early and latter rain), reflecting Palestine’s agricultural calendar. Established Kannada monsoon-season terms; risk is a cultural-mapping mismatch (Karnataka’s own monsoon pattern differs from Palestine’s autumn/spring rains), not a doctrinal collision. Teaching note: the illustrative point is patient waiting for a process with its own God-given timing, not calendrical correspondence.
Oaths
Approved rendering: ಪ್ರಮಾಣ ಮಾಡುವುದು / ಆಣೆ ಇಡುವುದು
Transliteration: pramāṇa māḍuvudu / āṇe iḍuvudu
Doctrine: Taming the Tongue
James 5:12, μὴ ὀμνύετε, ‘do not swear… let your yes be yes and your no be no.’ Standard term, no inherent collision; pure vocabulary-completeness addition.
Sick Person
Approved rendering: ಅಸ್ವಸ್ಥ
Transliteration: asvastha
Doctrine: Prayer and Healing
James 5:14-15, ἀσθενέω/κάμνω (the sick, the one who is ill). Standard descriptive term; pure vocabulary-completeness addition alongside the healing-vocabulary cluster.
Abraham
Approved rendering: ಅಬ್ರಹಾಮ
Transliteration: Abrahāma
Doctrine: Faith and Works
James 2:21-23, established Kannada Bible proper name form, per the AI translation requirements transliteration table.
Rahab
Approved rendering: ರಾಹಾಬ್
Transliteration: Rāhāb
Doctrine: Faith and Works
James 2:25, a deliberately provocative second example of a person justified by works, chosen for maximal contrast with the patriarch Abraham. Pastoral sensitivity recommended in teaching contexts given her identification as πόρνη (ವೇಶ್ಯೆ, prostitute) in the same verse.
Job Patriarch
Approved rendering: ಯೋಬ
Transliteration: Yōba
Doctrine: Trials and the Testing of Faith
James 5:11, ‘the endurance (ಸಹನೆ) of Job,’ the proverbial patient-sufferer, illustrating the purpose of the Lord’s compassion and mercy.
Elijah
Approved rendering: ಎಲೀಯ
Transliteration: Elīya
Doctrine: Prayer and Healing
James 5:17-18, illustrating the power of a righteous person’s prayer (drought and rain), ‘a man with a nature like ours.’
Referenced passages