Core Glossary
Core Glossary — Gospel of John (English → Kannada)
This glossary consolidates every load-bearing theological term identified in analysis/07_semantic_analysis.md, drawn from every chapter of John (1–21), with proposed Kannada renderings, risk tiers, and translation risk notes. Terms already fixed in the baseline Romans translation_memory.json / bible_term_registry.json are marked (baseline reuse — enforce exactly) and must not be altered. New terms proper to John are marked (new — John-specific) and are provisional pending Phase 1 Steps 2–8 and Phase 2 theologian review.
Risk tiers: Critical / High / Medium / Low, per baseline definitions.
Section 1 — Baseline Terms Reused Exactly (from Romans translation_memory.json)
| English term | Greek | Kannada (reuse exactly) | Risk | Doctrine | Chapters occurring |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| God | θεός | ದೇವರು | Critical | Deity of Christ / God | 1,3,4,5,8,10,14,17,20 |
| Jesus | Ἰησοῦς | ಯೇಸು | Critical | Lordship of Christ | throughout |
| Lord | κύριος | ಕರ್ತ | Critical | Lordship of Christ | 6,9,11,13,20,21 |
| Son of God | υἱὸς θεοῦ | ದೇವರ ಮಗ | Critical | Sonship of Christ | 1,3,5,10,11,19,20 |
| Holy Spirit | πνεῦμα ἅγιον | ಪವಿತ್ರಾತ್ಮ | Critical | Holy Spirit / Sanctification | 1,3,7,14,15,16,20 |
| Father | πατήρ | ತಂದೆ | Critical | Unity of Father and Son | 1,3,5,10,14,17,20 |
| Incarnation (doctrine name) | ὁ λόγος σὰρξ ἐγένετο | ದೇಹಧಾರಣೆ | Critical | Incarnation | 1 |
| Resurrection | ἀνάστασις | ಪುನರುತ್ಥಾನ | Critical | Resurrection of Christ | 5,11,20 |
| Messiah | Χριστός / Μεσσίας | ಮೆಸ್ಸೀಯ | Critical | Messianic Promise | 1,4,7,11 |
| Grace | χάρις | ಕೃಪೆ | High | Grace | 1 |
| Faith / believe | πίστις / πιστεύω | ನಂಬಿಕೆ / ನಂಬುವುದು | High | Faith | 1,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,10,11,12,14,17,20 |
| Righteousness | δικαιοσύνη | ನೀತಿವಂತಿಕೆ | Critical | Judgment / Righteousness | 16 |
| Salvation / save | σωτηρία / σῴζω | ರಕ್ಷಣೆ | Critical | Salvation | 3,4,5,10,12 |
| Sin | ἁμαρτία | ಪಾಪ | High | Universal Accountability | 1,3,8,9,15,16,19,20 |
| Glory | δόξα | ಮಹಿಮೆ | High | Deity of Christ | 1,2,11,12,17,21 |
| Peace | εἰρήνη | ಶಾಂತಿ | Medium | Peace with God | 14,16,20 |
| Kingdom of God | βασιλεία τοῦ θεοῦ | ದೇವರ ರಾಜ್ಯ | Medium | Kingdom Mission | 3,18 |
| Law | νόμος | ನಿಯಮಶಾಸ್ತ್ರ | High | Fulfillment of Prophecy | 1,7,8 |
| Israel | Ἰσραήλ | ಇಸ್ರಾಯೇಲ್ | Medium | Covenant | 1,3 |
| Election | ἐκλογή / ἐκλέγομαι | ದೇವರ ಆಯ್ಕೆ | High | Effectual Calling | 6,15 |
| Apostle | ἀπόστολος | ಅಪೊಸ್ತಲ | Medium | Apostleship | (implied — ἀποστέλλω root, ch.20) |
| Gentiles | ἔθνη | ಅನ್ಯಜನಾಂಗದವರು | Medium | Unity of Jews/Gentiles | 7 (implied “other sheep,” ch.10) |
| Sanctification | ἁγιασμός | ಪವಿತ್ರೀಕರಣ | High | Sanctification | 17 (ἁγίασον) |
| Holy | ἅγιος | ಪವಿತ್ರ | High | Holy Spirit / Sanctification | throughout |
| Power of God | δύναμις θεοῦ | ದೇವರ ಸಾಮರ್ಥ್ಯ | High | (implied, signs as power) | 2,9,11 |
| Prophet | προφήτης | ಪ್ರವಾದಿ | Low | Fulfillment of Prophecy | 1,4,6,7,9 |
| Covenant | διαθήκη | ಒಡಂಬಡಿಕೆ | High | (background, Davidic/Mosaic) | background only |
| David | Δαυίδ | ದಾವೀದ | Low | Messianic Promise | 7 |
Note: baseline terms not listed above but present in translation_memory.json (e.g., adoption, saints, thanksgiving, fellowship, church, spiritual gifts, obedience of faith, intercession, providence, mission, seed of David, imputed righteousness, calling/called, abba, exhort) should also be enforced exactly wherever they recur in John, even though John’s own vocabulary for these concepts is sparse compared to Romans.
Section 2 — New John-Specific Terms (Provisional Renderings)
| English term | Greek / transliteration | Proposed Kannada | Risk | Doctrine | Key chapters | Critical risk note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Word (Logos) | λόγος / logos | ವಾಕ್ಯ (vākya) | Critical | Deity & Pre-existence of Christ | 1 | Risk of collision with Vāc/Śabda-Brahman (impersonal cosmic Word/Sound principle in Vedic/Kashmir Śaiva thought). Must be anchored as a distinct, personal divine Being throughout ch.1. |
| Eternal life | ζωὴ αἰώνιος / zōē aiōnios | ನಿತ್ಯಜೀವ (nitya jīva) | Critical | Eternal Life through Faith | 3,4,5,6,10,11,17,20 | ಜೀವ (jīva) is the Vedantic/Jain technical term for the individual embodied soul bound to samsara. Must be taught as relational, personal, present-possessed life through Christ (17:3), never moksha/mukti-style liberation of the jiva. |
| Born again / born from above | γεννηθῆναι ἄνωθεν / gennēthēnai anōthen | ಹೊಸದಾಗಿ ಹುಟ್ಟುವುದು / ಮೇಲಣಿಂದ ಹುಟ್ಟುವುದು | Critical | New Birth and Regeneration | 3 | NEVER ಪುನರ್ಜನ್ಮ (reincarnation). One-time Spirit-wrought regeneration, not a cycle of rebirths or incremental self-advancement. |
| World | κόσμος / kosmos | ಲೋಕ (lōka) | High | God’s Love for the World | throughout, esp. 1,3,4,15,17 | ಲೋಕ also names a cosmological “realm/plane” in Hindu cosmology and can carry māyā (illusion) associations. John’s κόσμος is the real, created, fallen-but-loved order, not an illusory realm to escape. |
| Light / Darkness | φῶς / σκότος(σκοτία) / phōs / skotos | ಬೆಳಕು / ಕತ್ತಲೆ | Medium-High | Judgment and Belief/Unbelief | 1,3,8,9,12 | Darkness = willed moral rejection of revelation, not mere avidya (ignorance) to be dispelled by gnosis; light = the person of Christ, not an impersonal illuminating principle. |
| Only begotten / one and only | μονογενής / monogenēs | ಒಬ್ಬನೇ ಮಗ (obbanē maga) | Critical | Sonship & Deity of Christ | 1,3 | Emphasizes unique, incomparable Sonship — not one avatar among many, not an elevated human teacher who “attained” divine status. |
| Lifted up | ὑψόω / hypsoō | ಮೇಲಕ್ಕೆ ಎತ್ತಲ್ಪಡುವುದು | Critical | Substitutionary Death & Glory | 3,8,12 | Preserve double sense: crucifixion IS exaltation. Must render identically at all three occurrences. |
| ”I am” (absolute) | ἐγώ εἰμι / egō eimi | ನಾನೇ ಇದ್ದೇನೆ | Critical | Deity & Pre-existence of Christ | 8 (8:58), cf. 6:20,18:5-6 | Echoes divine self-existence name revealed at the burning bush (Exodus 3:14 LXX). Must preserve tense contrast with Abraham’s past “was.” |
| I am the bread of life | ὁ ἄρτος τῆς ζωῆς | ಜೀವದ ರೊಟ್ಟಿ | High | Eternal Life through Faith | 6 | Requires OT manna background; not a literal-food-only miracle. |
| I am the light of the world | τὸ φῶς τοῦ κόσμου | ಲೋಕದ ಬೆಳಕು | High | Judgment / Deity of Christ | 8,9 | See Light/Darkness entry above. |
| I am the door | ἡ θύρα | ಬಾಗಿಲು | Medium | (Shepherd/Salvation imagery) | 10 | Exclusive access point; no additional risk beyond exclusivity emphasis. |
| I am the good shepherd | ὁ ποιμὴν ὁ καλός | ಒಳ್ಳೆಯ ಕುರುಬ | High | Substitutionary Death | 10 | Requires OT background (Ezekiel 34, Psalm 23); voluntary self-giving for the sheep. |
| I am the resurrection and the life | ἡ ἀνάστασις καὶ ἡ ζωή | ಪುನರುತ್ಥಾನವೂ ಜೀವವೂ | Critical | Resurrection / Eternal Life | 11 | Reuses baseline ಪುನರುತ್ಥಾನ exactly; never ಪುನರ್ಜನ್ಮ. |
| I am the way, the truth, and the life | ἡ ὁδὸς καὶ ἡ ἀλήθεια καὶ ἡ ζωή | ಮಾರ್ಗವೂ ಸತ್ಯವೂ ಜೀವವೂ | Critical | Eternal Life / Exclusivity of Christ | 14 | Preserve exclusivity clause (“no one comes to the Father except through me”) without softening, despite cultural sensitivity around multiple honored “mārga” (paths) in Kannada religious vocabulary. |
| I am the true vine | ἡ ἄμπελος ἡ ἀληθινή | ನಿಜವಾದ ದ್ರಾಕ್ಷಾಲತೆ | High | Union with Christ | 15 | Requires OT background (Israel-as-vine, Psalm 80, Isaiah 5). |
| Abide / remain | μένω / menō | ನೆಲೆಗೊಳ್ಳುವುದು / ನೆಲೆಸುವುದು | Critical | Union with Christ | 14,15 | Ongoing personal relational union with identity retained — NEVER Aikya-style merger/dissolution of identity. Direct extension of the baseline’s already-established Aikya caution. |
| Counselor / Advocate / Helper | ὁ Παράκλητος / ho Paraklētos | ಸಹಾಯಕನಾದ ಪವಿತ್ರಾತ್ಮ | Critical | The Holy Spirit as Counselor | 14,15,16 | Must be paired with ಪವಿತ್ರಾತ್ಮ to avoid (a) reduction to a guru-like advisor, and (b) resonance with Tulunadu Bhuta Kola folk-spirit intermediary theology. Fully divine, personal third Trinity member. |
| Spirit of truth | τὸ Πνεῦμα τῆς ἀληθείας | ಸತ್ಯದ ಆತ್ಮ (ಪವಿತ್ರಾತ್ಮ) | High | Holy Spirit as Counselor | 14 | Pair with ಪವಿತ್ರಾತ್ಮ for referent clarity. |
| Truth | ἀλήθεια / alētheia | ಸತ್ಯ (satya) | High | Eternal Life / Deity of Christ | 1,3,4,8,14,16,18 | Risk of assimilation to Vedantic Sat/Satya as an impersonal metaphysical absolute (Sat-Chit-Ananda); must be anchored as truth personally embodied in and revealed exclusively by Christ (14:6). |
| Grace and truth | χάρις καὶ ἀλήθεια | ಕೃಪೆಯೂ ಸತ್ಯವೂ | High | Grace / Incarnation | 1 | Pairs baseline ಕೃಪೆ exactly with ಸತ್ಯ. |
| I and the Father are one | ἐγὼ καὶ ὁ πατὴρ ἕν ἐσμεν | ನಾನೂ ತಂದೆಯೂ ಒಂದೇ | Critical | Unity of the Father and the Son | 10 | Eternal, essential unity of two distinct Persons — NEVER Aikya-style merger where individual identity dissolves. Primary proof-text for this doctrine. |
| Whoever has seen me has seen the Father | ὁ ἑωρακὼς ἐμὲ ἑώρακεν τὸν πατέρα | ನನ್ನನ್ನು ನೋಡಿದವನು ತಂದೆಯನ್ನೇ ನೋಡಿದ್ದಾನೆ | Critical | Unity of the Father and the Son | 14 | Full, personal revelation of the Father’s being in the Son, not mere resemblance/analogy. |
| That they may be one, as we are one | ἵνα ὦσιν ἓν καθὼς ἡμεῖς | ಅವರು ಒಂದಾಗಿರಬೇಕು, ನಾವು ಒಂದಾಗಿರುವಂತೆಯೇ | High | Unity of Father & Son (extended to believers) | 17 | Believers’ unity is relational/moral/Spirit-given, modeled on but categorically distinct from the Father-Son’s essential unity; never Aikya-style identity-dissolution. |
| Making himself equal with God | ἴσον ἑαυτὸν ποιῶν τῷ θεῷ | ತನ್ನನ್ನು ದೇವರಿಗೆ ಸಮಾನ ಮಾಡಿಕೊಂಡನು | Critical | Deity of Christ | 5 | Claim to shared divine nature/authority, not mere close fellowship with God. |
| Son of Man | ὁ υἱὸς τοῦ ἀνθρώπου | ಮನುಷ್ಯಕುಮಾರ (Manuṣyakumāra) | Critical | Deity & Pre-existence / Judgment | 1,3,5,9,12,13 | Draws on Daniel 7’s exalted heavenly figure; must not flatten to “a mere human being” nor collapse indistinguishably into “Son of God.” |
| Lamb of God | Ἀμνὸς τοῦ Θεοῦ / Amnos tou Theou | ದೇವರ ಕುರಿಮರಿ | High | Substitutionary Death | 1 | Requires Passover/Exodus 12 and Isaiah 53 background; sacrificial, sin-bearing category, not mere gentleness metaphor. |
| It is finished | τετέλεσται / tetelestai | ಪೂರ್ತಿಯಾಯಿತು (pūrtiyāyitu) | Critical | Substitutionary Death | 19 | Completed, once-for-all atoning work — not an ongoing/repeatable ritual process nor an incremental, stage-by-stage self-achieved standing. |
| My Lord and my God | Ὁ κύριός μου καὶ ὁ θεός μου | ನನ್ನ ಕರ್ತನೂ ನನ್ನ ದೇವರೂ | Critical | Deity of Christ | 20 | Reuses baseline ಕರ್ತ + ದೇವರು exactly; the Gospel’s climactic deity confession. |
| Servants / Friends | δοῦλοι / φίλοι | ದಾಸ(ರು) / ಸ್ನೇಹಿತ(ರು) | High | Union with Christ / Discipleship | 15 | ದಾಸ is the celebrated Haridasa bhakti self-designation (Purandara Dasa tradition); must not be read as Christ devaluing devoted service, only as a relational deepening he grants (disclosure of his purposes). |
| Judge / Judgment / Condemn | κρίνω / κρίσις / κατακρίνω | ನ್ಯಾಯತೀರ್ಪು ಮಾಡುವುದು / ತೀರ್ಪು / ಖಂಡಿಸುವುದು | High | Judgment and Belief/Unbelief | 3,5,8,9,12,16 | Personal divine verdict grounded in relationship to Christ — not impersonal, automatic karmic retribution. |
| Convict/expose | ἐλέγχω / elenchō | ಬಯಲಿಗೆ ತರುವುದು / ಮನದಟ್ಟು ಮಾಡುವುದು | High | Holy Spirit as Counselor | 3,16 | Render consistently at 3:20 and 16:8 so the Spirit’s convicting ministry is perceived as continuous with Christ’s light-exposing ministry. |
| Perish | ἀπόλλυμι / apollymi | ನಾಶವಾಗುವುದು | Medium-High | Eternal Life / Judgment | 3,10,17 | Real, personal, negative destiny — not a neutral “release” or positive dissolution. |
| Wrath of God | ὀργὴ τοῦ θεοῦ | ದೇವರ ಕೋಪ | High | Judgment and Belief/Unbelief | 3 | Personal, righteous divine anger — not impersonal karmic law. |
| Wind / Spirit (wordplay) | πνεῦμα / pneuma (unmarked) | ಗಾಳಿ (wind) / ಆತ್ಮ,ಪವಿತ್ರಾತ್ಮ (Spirit) | Critical | New Birth and Regeneration | 3 | Greek pun untranslatable directly into Kannada; requires explanatory note. Never render bare πνεῦμα (in context = Holy Spirit) as ಪರಮಾತ್ಮ. |
| Flesh | σάρξ / sarx | ಶರೀರ / ಮಾಂಸ | Medium-High | New Birth / Incarnation | 1,3,6 | Creaturely, merely-human origin/limitation — not inherently evil matter (Gnostic misreading) nor ritual-food substance alone. |
| Water (living water) | ὕδωρ (ζῶν) / hydōr (zōn) | ನೀರು / ಜೀವಜಲ | Medium-High | New Birth / Eternal Life | 3,4,7 | Preserve genuine OT/baptismal interpretive ambiguity (Ezekiel 36); do not silently resolve. Not ritual-bathing purification alone. |
| Serpent (bronze) | ὄφις / ophis | ಸರ್ಪ | Medium | Substitutionary Death (typology) | 3 | Requires Numbers 21 background; must not be conflated with regional serpent-veneration (Nagaradhane) traditions. |
| Kingdom is not of this world | ἡ βασιλεία … οὐκ ἔστιν ἐκ τοῦ κόσμου τούτου | ನನ್ನ ರಾಜ್ಯವು ಈ ಲೋಕದ್ದಲ್ಲ | Medium | Kingdom Mission | 18 | Reuses ದೇವರ ರಾಜ್ಯ concept; not a political/territorial rival kingdom. |
| Rabbi | Ῥαββί / Rhabbi | ರಬ್ಬಿ (transliterated) | Medium-High | Apostleship / Teaching authority | 1,3,20 | Avoid ಗುರುವೇ to prevent collapse into a generic guru-honorific; retain transliteration. |
| Testimony / witness | μαρτυρέω / μαρτυρία | ಸಾಕ್ಷಿ ಹೇಳುವುದು / ಸಾಕ್ಷಿ | Low-Medium | Gospel proclamation | 1,3,5,8,15,21 | Standard; ensure consistency across all Johannine witness passages. |
| Sign | σημεῖον / sēmeion | ಸೂಚಕಕಾರ್ಯ | Medium | Deity of Christ (revelatory miracles) | 2,4,6,9,11,20 | A miracle that reveals identity — not a mere power-display or yogic siddhi. |
| The hour | ἡ ὥρα / hē hōra | ಗಳಿಗೆ / ಸಮಯ | Medium-High | Substitutionary Death (divine timing) | 2,7,8,12,13,17 | Not an astrologically-calculated auspicious moment (muhurta); God’s own sovereign appointment. |
| Temple (of his body) | ναός / naos | ದೇವಾಲಯ | Medium-High | Incarnation | 2 | Guard against idol-housing/consecrated-image temple theology; Christ’s body is God’s unique dwelling, not an image receiving a deity’s presence. |
| Savior of the world | σωτὴρ τοῦ κόσμου | ಲೋಕದ ರಕ್ಷಕ | High | God’s Love for the World | 4 | Pairs baseline ರಕ್ಷಣೆ-root with ಲೋಕ; universal, not ethnically limited, scope. |
| Equal honor to Son as Father | τιμᾶν τὸν υἱὸν καθὼς τιμῶσιν τὸν πατέρα | ತಂದೆಯನ್ನು ಸನ್ಮಾನಿಸುವಂತೆ ಮಗನನ್ನೂ ಸನ್ಮಾನಿಸಬೇಕು | Critical | Unity of the Father and the Son | 5 | Preserve exact “just as” equivalence of honor due. |
| Grain of wheat (dying to bear fruit) | ὁ κόκκος τοῦ σίτου | ಗೋಧಿಯ ಕಾಳು | Medium | Substitutionary Death | 12 | Death-yields-life paradox illustrating Christ’s atoning death and discipleship pattern. |
| One man die for the people | ἀποθάνῃ εἷς ἄνθρωπος ὑπὲρ τοῦ λαοῦ | ಒಬ್ಬನು ಜನರಿಗೋಸ್ಕರ ಸಾಯುವುದು | High | Substitutionary Death | 11 | Preserve substitutionary force of ὑπέρ (“on behalf of / in place of”), not mere general benefit. |
| Lay down [one’s] life | τίθημι τὴν ψυχήν | ಪ್ರಾಣವನ್ನು ಕೊಡುವುದು | High | Substitutionary Death | 10 | Voluntary, substitutionary self-giving — not accidental death or generic martyrdom. |
| New commandment (love one another) | ἐντολὴ καινή | ಹೊಸ ಆಜ್ಞೆ | Medium | Mutual Love / Discipleship | 13 | Christ’s self-giving love is the pattern and source, not independent human capacity. |
| Overcome the world | νενίκηκα τὸν κόσμον | ಲೋಕವನ್ನು ಜಯಿಸಿದ್ದೇನೆ | Medium-High | Assurance / Victory in Christ | 16 | Preserve perfect-tense (already-accomplished) force. |
| Before the foundation of the world | πρὸ καταβολῆς κόσμου | ಲೋಕದ ಸೃಷ್ಟಿಗೆ ಮುಂಚೆ | Critical | Pre-existence of Christ | 17 | Absolute, linear temporal priority to creation — not merely priority within a cyclical cosmology (kalpas). |
| Devil | διάβολος / diabolos | ಸೈತಾನ | Medium | (background — opposition to Christ) | 8,13 | Standard established Kannada Christian term. |
| Freedom | ἐλευθερία / eleutheria | ಸ್ವಾತಂತ್ರ್ಯ | High | Sin & Freedom in Christ | 8 | Distinguish from moksha/mukti (liberation from rebirth-cycle) and from self-attained spiritual liberation; granted through/by the Son. |
| Blood and water | αἷμα καὶ ὕδωρ | ರಕ್ತ ಮತ್ತು ನೀರು | Medium | Substitutionary Death | 19 | Real physical death; possible cleansing/Spirit symbolism per teaching note. |
| Forgiveness of sins (authority) | ἄφεσις ἁμαρτιῶν | ಪಾಪಕ್ಷಮೆ | Medium-High | Holy Spirit / Church authority | 20 | Authority to proclaim forgiveness grounded in Christ’s finished work — not independent human power to absolve. |
| Feed/shepherd my sheep | ποίμαινε τὰ πρόβατά μου | ನನ್ನ ಕುರಿಗಳನ್ನು ಮೇಯಿಸು | Medium | Ministry / Discipleship | 21 | Derivative, accountable under-shepherd role — not independent guru-like authority. |
Section 3 — Terms Requiring Mandatory Translator Notes at First Occurrence
Per the AI Translation Requirements’ footnote convention, the following MUST receive a [TRANSLATOR NOTE...] flag at first occurrence in Phase 2 processing, given their Critical risk and non-obvious doctrinal choice:
- λόγος (ವಾಕ್ಯ) — 1:1, re: Śabda-Brahman/Vac collision
- ζωὴ αἰώνιος (ನಿತ್ಯಜೀವ) — 3:15, re: jiva/moksha collision
- γεννηθῆναι ἄνωθεν (ಹೊಸದಾಗಿ/ಮೇಲಣಿಂದ ಹುಟ್ಟುವುದು) — 3:3, re: ಪುನರ್ಜನ್ಮ prohibition
- πνεῦμα unmarked (ಗಾಳಿ/ಆತ್ಮ wordplay) — 3:8, re: untranslatable pun
- ὑψόω (ಮೇಲಕ್ಕೆ ಎತ್ತಲ್ಪಡುವುದು) — 3:14, re: crucifixion-exaltation double meaning
- μονογενής (ಒಬ್ಬನೇ ಮಗ) — 3:16, re: uniqueness vs. avatar/Sharana framing
- ἐγώ εἰμι absolute (ನಾನೇ ಇದ್ದೇನೆ) — 8:58, re: divine self-existence claim
- ἐγὼ καὶ ὁ πατὴρ ἕν ἐσμεν (ನಾನೂ ತಂದೆಯೂ ಒಂದೇ) — 10:30, re: Aikya-merger distinction
- μένω (ನೆಲೆಗೊಳ್ಳುವುದು) — 14:20/15:4, re: Aikya-merger distinction
- Παράκλητος (ಸಹಾಯಕನಾದ ಪವಿತ್ರಾತ್ಮ) — 14:16, re: guru/Bhuta-Kola collision
- ἡ ὁδὸς καὶ ἡ ἀλήθεια καὶ ἡ ζωή (ಮಾರ್ಗವೂ ಸತ್ಯವೂ ಜೀವವೂ) — 14:6, re: exclusivity vs. mārga pluralism
- δοῦλοι/φίλοι (ದಾಸ/ಸ್ನೇಹಿತ) — 15:15, re: Haridasa dasa-identity collision
- τετέλεσται (ಪೂರ್ತಿಯಾಯಿತು) — 19:30, re: finality vs. incremental self-achieved standing
- Ὁ κύριός μου καὶ ὁ θεός μου (ನನ್ನ ಕರ್ತನೂ ನನ್ನ ದೇವರೂ) — 20:28, re: full deity confession
- πρὸ καταβολῆς κόσμου (ಲೋಕದ ಸೃಷ್ಟಿಗೆ ಮುಂಚೆ) — 17:5,24, re: linear vs. cyclical cosmology
This glossary is a Phase 1, Step 1 deliverable. It must be cross-checked against and merged into an updated translation_memory.json and bible_term_registry.json in subsequent Phase 1 steps, and every new term above assigned a formal entry (with alternatives_rejected and notes fields matching the baseline schema) before Phase 2 translation begins.
Critical Risk Terms
Righteousness
Approved rendering: ನೀತಿವಂತಿಕೆ
Transliteration: nītivantike
Doctrine: Salvation
Rejected alternatives: ಧರ್ಮ, ಪುಣ್ಯ
Original: δικαιοσύνη
Category: Salvation
Inherited from Romans package. NEVER ಧರ್ಮ. In John 16:8-10, one of three realities the Spirit convicts the world concerning; must be read as forensic right standing, not cosmic duty.
Justification
Approved rendering: ನೀತಿವಂತರೆಂದು ನಿರ್ಣಯಿಸುವುದು
Transliteration: nītivantarendu nirṇayisuvudu
Doctrine: Salvation
Rejected alternatives: ಕ್ಷಮೆ ಪಡೆಯುವುದು, ಪುಣ್ಯ ಗಳಿಸುವುದು
Inherited from Romans package. Retained for cross-curriculum consistency; John’s own vocabulary does not use this precise forensic term but the underlying doctrine of a right-standing declaration undergirds John 3:18’s ‘not judged/already judged’ contrast.
Salvation
Approved rendering: ರಕ್ಷಣೆ
Transliteration: rakṣaṇe
Doctrine: Salvation
Rejected alternatives: ಮೋಕ್ಷ, ಮುಕ್ತಿ, ಐಕ್ಯ
Original: σωτηρία / σῴζω
Category: Salvation
Inherited from Romans package. CRITICAL: NEVER ಮೋಕ್ಷ, ಮುಕ್ತಿ, or ಐಕ್ಯ. In John, the verb form σῴζω/save occurs at 3:17, 4:42, 5:34, 10:9, 12:47; the believer remains a distinct person reconciled to a personal God, never dissolved into the divine.
Resurrection
Approved rendering: ಪುನರುತ್ಥಾನ
Transliteration: punarutthāna
Doctrine: Resurrection of Christ
Rejected alternatives: ಪುನರ್ಜನ್ಮ
Original: ἀνάστασις
Category: Eschatology
Inherited from Romans package. CRITICAL: NEVER ಪುನರ್ಜನ್ಮ. Central to John 5:29; 11:24-25 (‘I am the resurrection and the life’); 20:1-29. A one-time, bodily, historical event ending death, never a further turn of a rebirth cycle.
Lord
Approved rendering: ಕರ್ತ
Transliteration: karta
Doctrine: Lordship of Christ
Rejected alternatives: ಸ್ವಾಮಿ
Original: κύριος
Category: Christology
Inherited from Romans package. CRITICAL: never ಸ್ವಾಮಿ. Climactically confessed at John 20:28, ‘My Lord and my God’ — a living, exclusive, presently-reigning sovereign, never a lord whose devotee’s destiny is eventual Aikya-merger.
Son Of God
Approved rendering: ದೇವರ ಮಗ
Transliteration: Dēvara Maga
Doctrine: Sonship of Christ
Rejected alternatives: ದೇವಮಾನವ
Original: υἱὸς θεοῦ
Category: Christology
Inherited from Romans package. Confessed throughout John (1:34,49; 3:16,18; 20:31); must always pair with ಒಬ್ಬನೇ ಮಗ (only_begotten) at 1:14,18; 3:16,18 to preserve uniqueness.
Incarnation
Approved rendering: ದೇಹಧಾರಣೆ
Transliteration: dēhadhāraṇe
Doctrine: Incarnation
Rejected alternatives: ಅವತಾರ
Original: ὁ λόγος σὰρξ ἐγένετο
Category: Christology
Inherited from Romans package. CRITICAL: NEVER ಅವತಾರ. The precise textual event of John 1:14 (‘the Word became flesh’), the doctrinal name for ὁ λόγος σὰρξ ἐγένετο. Especially salient given coastal Karnataka’s Haridasa Krishna-bhakti tradition (Udupi) and the Lingayat ‘exceptionally realized human Sharana’ misreading risk.
Messiah
Approved rendering: ಮೆಸ್ಸೀಯ
Transliteration: Messīya
Doctrine: Messianic Promise
Rejected alternatives: ಅವತಾರಪುರುಷ
Original: Χριστός / Μεσσίας
Category: Christology
Inherited from Romans package. Confessed throughout John (1:41; 4:25-26,29,42; 11:27; 20:31); readers formed by Haridasa Krishna-avatara expectation may wrongly receive this as one arrival among many divine descents rather than the single, unrepeatable OT fulfillment.
Jesus
Approved rendering: ಯೇಸು
Transliteration: Yēsu
Doctrine: Lordship of Christ
Rejected alternatives: ಈಸಾ
Original: Ἰησοῦς
Category: Christology
Inherited from Romans package. ಯೇಸು is the Kannada Christian standard throughout John; never ಈಸಾ (Muslim/Urdu usage).
God
Approved rendering: ದೇವರು
Transliteration: Dēvaru
Doctrine: Deity of Christ
Rejected alternatives: ಭಗವಂತ, ಪರಶಿವ
Original: θεός
Category: God
Inherited from Romans package. CRITICAL: never ಪರಶಿವ. Foundational to John 1:1 (‘the Word was God’) and John 20:28 (‘my Lord and my God’).
Holy Spirit
Approved rendering: ಪವಿತ್ರಾತ್ಮ
Transliteration: Pavitrātma
Doctrine: Sanctification
Rejected alternatives: ಪರಮಾತ್ಮ
Original: πνεῦμα ἅγιον
Category: God
Inherited from Romans package. CRITICAL: never ಪರಮಾತ್ಮ. Given at John 1:33; 14:26; 20:22. Bare, unmarked πνεῦμα at John 3:5-8 refers to this same personal referent and must never be rendered ಪರಮಾತ್ಮ; see wind_spirit_wordplay entry below.
Father
Approved rendering: ತಂದೆ
Transliteration: Tande
Doctrine: Adoption into God’s Family
Rejected alternatives: ಸೃಷ್ಟಿಕರ್ತ
Original: πατήρ
Category: God
Inherited from Romans package. Uniquely known through the Son throughout John (1:14,18; 14:6-11; 17); never the distant ಸೃಷ್ಟಿಕರ್ತ.
Imputed Righteousness
Approved rendering: ಆರೋಪಿತ ನೀತಿ
Transliteration: āropita nīti
Doctrine: Justification by Faith
Rejected alternatives: ಸ್ವಂತ ಸಾಧನೆಯ ನೀತಿ
Inherited from Romans package. Retained for cross-curriculum consistency; the underlying grace-not-merit logic is directly relevant to John 3:21’s ‘wrought in God’ clause (works are fruit of grace, not its cause).
Word Logos
Approved rendering: ವಾಕ್ಯ
Transliteration: vākya
Doctrine: The Deity and Pre-existence of Christ (the Word)
Rejected alternatives: ಶಬ್ದ, ವಾಕ್
Original: λόγος
Category: Christology
New term for John. Kannada religious vocabulary has its own rich Vāc/Śabda-Brahman tradition (the eternal cosmic Word/Sound as an impersonal ultimate ground of reality in Vedic and Kashmir Śaiva thought). ವಾಕ್ಯ must be anchored by its personal-pronoun context in every occurrence in John 1 (‘he was with God,’ ‘he became flesh’) so the Logos is never received as an impersonal metaphysical principle. Mandatory translator note at 1:1.
Eternal Life
Approved rendering: ನಿತ್ಯಜೀವ
Transliteration: nitya jīva
Doctrine: Eternal Life through Faith in Christ
Rejected alternatives: ಮೋಕ್ಷ, ಮುಕ್ತಿ, ಐಕ್ಯ
Original: ζωὴ αἰώνιος
Category: Salvation
New term for John. ಜೀವ (jīva) is the standard Vedantic/Jain technical term for the individual embodied soul bound within samsara awaiting moksha through absorption into Brahman. Must be taught as relational, personal, present-possessed life, decisively defined at John 17:3 (‘this is eternal life, that they know you’). Mandatory translator note at first major occurrence, John 3:15-16.
Born Again
Approved rendering: ಹೊಸದಾಗಿ ಹುಟ್ಟುವುದು / ಮೇಲಣಿಂದ ಹುಟ್ಟುವುದು
Transliteration: hosadāgi huṭṭuvudu / mēlaṇinda huṭṭuvudu
Doctrine: The New Birth and Regeneration by the Spirit
Rejected alternatives: ಪುನರ್ಜನ್ಮ
Original: γεννηθῇ ἄνωθεν
Category: Regeneration
New term for John. CRITICAL: NEVER ಪುನರ್ಜನ್ಮ, Kannada’s standard word for samsaric reincarnation — the single most dangerous default-reach word in this curriculum. Use ಹುಟ್ಟು (a neutral verb, ‘be born’), never ಜನ್ಮ (a noun saturated with karmic-rebirth associations). Core passage term (John 3:3,5,7-8). Mandatory translator note at first occurrence.
Wind Spirit Wordplay
Approved rendering: ಗಾಳಿ / ಆತ್ಮ
Transliteration: gāḷi / ātma
Doctrine: The New Birth and Regeneration by the Spirit
Rejected alternatives: ಪರಮಾತ್ಮ
Original: πνεῦμα / πνεῖ
Category: Regeneration
New term for John. John 3:8’s deliberate Greek pun (πνεῦμα/πνεῖ = both ‘wind blows’ and ‘Spirit acts’) has no Kannada cognate pair. Render the wind clause plainly (ಗಾಳಿ ತನಗೆ ಇಷ್ಟವಾದಲ್ಲಿ ಬೀಸುತ್ತದೆ) with an explanatory clause/footnote; never render the unmarked Spirit referent as ಪರಮಾತ್ಮ. Do not let the ‘whence/whither’ mystery be rendered with fatalistic ಹಣೆಬರಹ vocabulary. Mandatory translator note at 3:8.
Only Begotten
Approved rendering: ಒಬ್ಬನೇ ಮಗ
Transliteration: obbanē maga
Doctrine: Sonship of Christ
Rejected alternatives: ಅವತಾರ, ಶರಣ
Original: μονογενής
Category: Christology
New term for John. Always pair with baseline ದೇವರ ಮಗ. Emphasizes unique, incomparable Sonship (John 1:14,18; 3:16,18) — never one avatar among Vishnu’s many descents, nor an elevated Sharana-status human teacher who ‘attained’ divine standing. Mandatory translator note at 3:16.
Lifted Up
Approved rendering: ಮೇಲಕ್ಕೆ ಎತ್ತಲ್ಪಡುವುದು
Transliteration: mēlakke ettalpaḍuvudu
Doctrine: Christ’s Substitutionary Death and Resurrection
Original: ὑψόω / ὑψωθῆναι
Category: Christology
New term for John. Preserve the deliberate double sense (crucifixion IS exaltation) identically at all three occurrences: John 3:14, 8:28, 12:32-34. An inconsistent rendering at any one instance breaks the Johannine motif. Mandatory translator note at first occurrence, John 3:14 (core passage).
I Am Absolute
Approved rendering: ನಾನೇ ಇದ್ದೇನೆ
Transliteration: nānē iddēne
Doctrine: The Deity and Pre-existence of Christ (the Word)
Rejected alternatives: ನಾನಿದ್ದೆ
Original: ἐγώ εἰμι
Category: Christology
New term for John. John 8:58, echoing Exodus 3:14 LXX. Must preserve the tense clash (Abraham’s past ‘was’ vs. Christ’s timeless present ‘I am’); a simple-past rendering (‘I existed’) would erase the claim to ongoing self-existence. Mandatory translator note.
Resurrection And Life
Approved rendering: ಪುನರುತ್ಥಾನವೂ ಜೀವವೂ
Transliteration: punarutthānavū jīvavū
Doctrine: The Seven “I Am” Statements
Rejected alternatives: ಪುನರ್ಜನ್ಮ
Original: ἡ ἀνάστασις καὶ ἡ ζωή
Category: Christology
New term for John. Fifth ‘I am’ statement (John 11:25). Reuses baseline ಪುನರುತ್ಥಾನ exactly; never ಪುನರ್ಜನ್ಮ. Apply the same ನಿತ್ಯಜೀವ cautions to the ζωή clause.
Way Truth Life
Approved rendering: ಮಾರ್ಗವೂ ಸತ್ಯವೂ ಜೀವವೂ
Transliteration: mārgavū satyavū jīvavū
Doctrine: The Seven “I Am” Statements
Original: ἡ ὁδὸς καὶ ἡ ἀλήθεια καὶ ἡ ζωή
Category: Christology
New term for John. Sixth ‘I am’ statement (John 14:6). ಮಾರ್ಗ collides with Karnataka’s genuinely respected plural-mārga religious vocabulary (bhakti-mārga, jñāna-mārga, karma-mārga). The exclusivity clause (‘no one comes to the Father except through me’) must be rendered without softening. Mandatory translator note.
Abide
Approved rendering: ನೆಲೆಗೊಳ್ಳುವುದು / ನೆಲೆಸುವುದು
Transliteration: nelegoḷḷuvudu / nelesuvudu
Doctrine: Unity of the Father and the Son
Rejected alternatives: ಐಕ್ಯವಾಗುವುದು
Original: μένω
Category: Discipleship
New term for John. μένω (John 14:10,17,23; 15:4-10). Ongoing, mutual, personal indwelling union of two distinct persons (the believer remains a believer; Christ remains Christ) — must NEVER be assimilated to the Veerashaiva Aikya state, where the devotee’s identity ultimately dissolves into Shiva. Mandatory translator note at first occurrence, John 14:20/15:4.
Counselor Paraclete
Approved rendering: ಸಹಾಯಕನಾದ ಪವಿತ್ರಾತ್ಮ
Transliteration: sahāyakanāda Pavitrātma
Doctrine: The Holy Spirit as Counselor
Rejected alternatives: ಸಹಾಯಕ (unpaired), ಭೂತ
Original: ὁ Παράκλητος
Category: Pneumatology
New term for John. ὁ Παράκλητος (John 14:16,26; 15:26; 16:7). Must always pair with baseline ಪವಿತ್ರಾತ್ಮ. Two distinct collision risks: (1) unpaired ಸಹಾಯಕ alone risks a guru-like advisor reading; (2) unqualified ‘spirit-helper’ framing risks resonance with coastal-Karnataka Tulunadu Bhuta Kola folk religion, where ಭೂತ spirits are propitiated as subordinate intermediary helper-beings. Mandatory translator note at 14:16.
Father Son One
Approved rendering: ನಾನೂ ತಂದೆಯೂ ಒಂದೇ
Transliteration: nānū tandeyū ondē
Doctrine: Unity of the Father and the Son
Rejected alternatives: ಐಕ್ಯ
Original: ἐγὼ καὶ ὁ πατὴρ ἕν ἐσμεν
Category: Christology
New term for John. John 10:30, the single highest-stakes syncretism risk in the whole book. Must be distinguished, via mandatory translator note, from the Veerashaiva Aikya state (devotee’s identity dissolving into Shiva). This is an eternal, already-existing unity of essence between two eternally distinct Persons, not a culminating spiritual achievement.
Seen Me Seen Father
Approved rendering: ನನ್ನನ್ನು ನೋಡಿದವನು ತಂದೆಯನ್ನೇ ನೋಡಿದ್ದಾನೆ
Transliteration: nannannu nōḍidavanu tandeyannē nōḍiddāne
Doctrine: Unity of the Father and the Son
Original: ὁ ἑωρακὼς ἐμὲ ἑώρακεν τὸν πατέρα
Category: Christology
New term for John. John 14:9. Must not be softened to ‘has seen what the Father is like’ by mere analogy; the force is full, personal revelation of the Father’s very being in the Son.
Equal With God
Approved rendering: ತನ್ನನ್ನು ದೇವರಿಗೆ ಸಮಾನ ಮಾಡಿಕೊಂಡನು
Transliteration: tannannu dēvarige samāna māḍikoṇḍanu
Doctrine: The Deity and Pre-existence of Christ (the Word)
Original: ἴσον ἑαυτὸν ποιῶν τῷ θεῷ
Category: Christology
New term for John. John 5:18. Must not be softened to suggest merely close fellowship with God (a status many bhakti traditions also claim for great devotees); this is a claim to shared divine nature and authority.
Equal Honor Son Father
Approved rendering: ತಂದೆಯನ್ನು ಸನ್ಮಾನಿಸುವಂತೆ ಮಗನನ್ನೂ ಸನ್ಮಾನಿಸಬೇಕು
Transliteration: tandeyannu sanmānisuvante magananū sanmānisabēku
Doctrine: Unity of the Father and the Son
Original: τιμᾶν τὸν υἱὸν καθὼς τιμῶσιν τὸν πατέρα
Category: Christology
New term for John. John 5:23. Must preserve the exact ‘just as’ (καθώς) equivalence; any softening to ‘similar honor’ undercuts full co-equal deity.
Son Of Man
Approved rendering: ಮನುಷ್ಯಕುಮಾರ
Transliteration: Manuṣyakumāra
Doctrine: Son of Man Title
Original: ὁ υἱὸς τοῦ ἀνθρώπου
Category: Christology
New term for John. Draws on Daniel 7:13-14’s exalted heavenly figure (John 1:51; 3:13-14; 5:27; 9:35; 12:23; 13:31). Must not be flattened to ‘a mere human being’ (losing the Judgment doctrine’s background) nor collapsed indistinguishably into ‘Son of God.‘
It Is Finished
Approved rendering: ಪೂರ್ತಿಯಾಯಿತು
Transliteration: pūrtiyāyitu
Doctrine: Christ’s Substitutionary Death and Resurrection
Rejected alternatives: ಸಮಾಪ್ತಿಯಾಯಿತು
Original: τετέλεσται
Category: Salvation
New term for John. John 19:30. Must convey completed, once-for-all atoning finality — not an ongoing/repeatable ritual process nor the incremental, stage-by-stage self-effort of the Lingayat shatsthala path toward Aikya. Mandatory translator note.
My Lord My God
Approved rendering: ನನ್ನ ಕರ್ತನೂ ನನ್ನ ದೇವರೂ
Transliteration: nanna kartanū nanna dēvarū
Doctrine: The Deity and Pre-existence of Christ (the Word)
Rejected alternatives: ಸ್ವಾಮಿ
Original: Ὁ κύριός μου καὶ ὁ θεός μου
Category: Christology
New term for John. Thomas’s climactic confession, John 20:28. Reuses baseline ಕರ್ತ (never ಸ್ವಾಮಿ) and ದೇವರು exactly. The Gospel’s climactic deity confession. Mandatory translator note.
Before Foundation World
Approved rendering: ಲೋಕದ ಸೃಷ್ಟಿಗೆ ಮುಂಚೆ
Transliteration: lōkada sṛṣṭige mun̄ce
Doctrine: The Deity and Pre-existence of Christ (the Word)
Original: πρὸ καταβολῆς κόσμου
Category: Christology
New term for John. John 17:5,24. Must be unambiguous absolute temporal priority to creation itself, echoing Genesis 1:1/John 1:1; avoid any resonance with cyclical-time cosmologies (kalpas) in which ‘before this world’ could imply merely a prior cosmic cycle.
High Risk Terms
Gospel
Approved rendering: ಸುವಾರ್ತೆ
Transliteration: suvārte
Doctrine: Gospel
Rejected alternatives: ಸುದ್ದಿ
Inherited from Romans package. Established Kannada Christian term (su- ‘good’ + vārte ‘news’). Avoid generic ಸುದ್ದಿ. In John this is the proclaimed message culminating in the purpose statement of John 20:30-31 (‘these are written so that you may believe’).
Grace
Approved rendering: ಕೃಪೆ
Transliteration: kṛpe
Doctrine: Grace
Rejected alternatives: ಕರ್ಮಫಲ, ಪುಣ್ಯ
Original: χάρις
Category: Salvation
Inherited from Romans package. Unmerited favor apart from human merit. In John, occurs in the ‘grace and truth’ pairing (1:14,16-17); distinguish from the Haridasa bhakti devotional-exchange pattern and Lingayat kayaka-dasoha ethics.
Faith
Approved rendering: ನಂಬಿಕೆ
Transliteration: nambike
Doctrine: Faith
Rejected alternatives: ಭಕ್ತಿ
Original: πίστις / πιστεύω
Category: Faith
Inherited from Romans package. Personal trust in Christ specifically. John’s Gospel uses the cognate verb (ನಂಬು/ನಂಬುವುದು) constantly as the condition for eternal life (3:15-18,36; 20:31); never ಭಕ್ತಿ, which carries devotional-surrender associations directed at any chosen deity.
Called
Approved rendering: ಕರೆಯಲ್ಪಟ್ಟ
Transliteration: kareyalpaṭṭa
Doctrine: Divine Calling
Rejected alternatives: ಆಮಂತ್ರಿತ
Inherited from Romans package. Retained for cross-curriculum consistency; John’s parallel concept is expressed through ἐκλέγομαι (‘choose,’ 15:16,19) and κλῆσις-adjacent calling/choosing language rather than this exact term, but the same sovereign-summons sense must be preserved wherever it recurs.
Calling
Approved rendering: ಕರೆ
Transliteration: kare
Doctrine: Divine Calling
Rejected alternatives: ಆಹ್ವಾನ
Inherited from Romans package. Retained for cross-curriculum consistency alongside ಕರೆಯಲ್ಪಟ್ಟ.
Holy
Approved rendering: ಪವಿತ್ರ
Transliteration: pavitra
Doctrine: Sanctification
Rejected alternatives: ಶುದ್ಧ
Original: ἅγιος
Category: Sanctification
Inherited from Romans package. Used of the Holy Spirit (ಪವಿತ್ರಾತ್ಮ) throughout John and of the Father’s own name (17:11, ‘Holy Father’).
Saints
Approved rendering: ಪವಿತ್ರ ಜನರು
Transliteration: pavitra janaru
Doctrine: Sainthood
Rejected alternatives: ಶರಣರು, ಸಂತರು
Inherited from Romans package. Retained for cross-curriculum consistency though John does not use this exact term; ಶರಣರು remains forbidden throughout given its Veerashaiva Sharana poet-saint associations.
Sanctification
Approved rendering: ಪವಿತ್ರೀಕರಣ
Transliteration: pavitrīkaraṇa
Doctrine: Sanctification
Rejected alternatives: ಶುದ್ಧೀಕರಣ
Original: ἁγιάζω
Category: Sanctification
Inherited from Romans package. Direct textual anchor at John 17:17,19 (‘Sanctify them in the truth… I sanctify myself’); distinct from ritual purification and from the disciplined self-directed ascent through the Lingayat shatsthala stages.
Adoption
Approved rendering: ದತ್ತು ಪುತ್ರತ್ವ
Transliteration: dattu putratva
Doctrine: Adoption into God’s Family
Rejected alternatives: ದತ್ತು ತೆಗೆದುಕೊಳ್ಳುವುದು
Inherited from Romans package. John’s parallel concept is τέκνα θεοῦ (‘children of God,’ 1:12-13); see the children_of_god entry below for this book’s own primary term.
Law
Approved rendering: ನಿಯಮಶಾಸ್ತ್ರ
Transliteration: niyamaśāstra
Doctrine: Fulfillment of Prophecy
Rejected alternatives: ಧರ್ಮ
Original: νόμος
Category: Covenant
Inherited from Romans package. NEVER ಧರ್ಮ. In John, contrasted with grace and truth given through Christ (1:17); also occurs at 7:19,23; 8:5.
Sin
Approved rendering: ಪಾಪ
Transliteration: pāpa
Doctrine: Universal Human Accountability
Rejected alternatives: ಅಧರ್ಮ
Original: ἁμαρτία
Category: Sin
Inherited from Romans package. The Spirit’s convicting object in John 16:8-9; also 1:29 (Lamb of God who takes away sin), 8:34,46, 9:41, 20:23. Moral transgression before a personal Judge, not impersonal karmic ledger.
Glory
Approved rendering: ಮಹಿಮೆ
Transliteration: mahime
Doctrine: Deity of Christ
Rejected alternatives: ತೇಜಸ್ಸು
Original: δόξα
Category: God
Inherited from Romans package. Uniquely displayed in the Son throughout John (1:14; 2:11; 11:4,40; 12:41; 17:5,24); avoid light-only imagery that could merge with devotional divine-light (jyoti) associations.
Obedience Of Faith
Approved rendering: ನಂಬಿಕೆಯ ವಿಧೇಯತ್ವ
Transliteration: nambikeya vidhēyatva
Doctrine: Obedience of Faith
Rejected alternatives: ಧಾರ್ಮಿಕ ಕರ್ತವ್ಯ
Inherited from Romans package. Relevant background for John 3:36’s pairing of faith and obedience as functionally identical (see disobey entry below).
Power Of God
Approved rendering: ದೇವರ ಸಾಮರ್ಥ್ಯ
Transliteration: Dēvara Sāmarthya
Doctrine: Power of God for Salvation
Rejected alternatives: ಶಕ್ತಿ
Original: δύναμις
Category: God
Inherited from Romans package. Use ಸಾಮರ್ಥ್ಯ; never ಶಕ್ತಿ. Relevant to John’s sign narratives (2:11; 9:3; 11:40) where δύναμις-type power displays reveal, rather than merely demonstrate, divine identity.
Covenant
Approved rendering: ಒಡಂಬಡಿಕೆ
Transliteration: oḍambaḍike
Doctrine: Davidic Covenant
Rejected alternatives: ಒಪ್ಪಂದ
Original: διαθήκη (background concept)
Category: Covenant
Inherited from Romans package. Background concept presupposed by the Davidic/Messianic material at John 7:42; requires OT literacy the target audience may lack.
Election
Approved rendering: ದೇವರ ಆಯ್ಕೆ
Transliteration: Dēvara Āyke
Doctrine: Effectual Calling
Rejected alternatives: ಹಣೆಬರಹ, ವಿಧಿ
Original: ἐκλέγομαι / ἐκλογή
Category: Salvation
Inherited from Romans package. Direct textual anchor at John 6:70; 13:18; 15:16,19 (‘you did not choose me, but I chose you’); never ಹಣೆಬರಹ (fatalism) or ವಿಧಿ (impersonal destiny).
Providence
Approved rendering: ದೇವರ ಪರಿಪಾಲನೆ
Transliteration: Dēvara Paripālane
Doctrine: Providence
Rejected alternatives: ಹಣೆಬರಹ, ಕರ್ಮದ ನಿಯಮ
Inherited from Romans package. Retained for cross-curriculum consistency; relevant to how John’s Judgment doctrine must resist assimilation to impersonal karma (see judge_judgment entry below).
Abba
Approved rendering: ಅಬ್ಬಾ
Transliteration: Abbā
Doctrine: Adoption into God’s Family
Inherited from Romans package. Not used directly in John’s own text but retained for cross-curriculum consistency and any comparative teaching material.
Seed Of David
Approved rendering: ದಾವೀದನ ವಂಶದಿಂದ
Transliteration: Dāvīdana vaṃśadinda
Doctrine: Davidic Covenant
Inherited from Romans package. Background for John 7:42’s Davidic-descent expectation of the Messiah.
Flesh
Approved rendering: ಶರೀರ / ಮಾಂಸ
Transliteration: śarīra / māṃsa
Doctrine: The New Birth and Regeneration by the Spirit
Original: σάρξ
Category: Regeneration
New term for John. ಶರೀರ for creaturely/bodily origin and limitation (John 1:14; 3:6); ಮಾಂಸ reserved for the more visceral flesh-and-blood contexts of John 6:53-56. Guard against a Gnostic-adjacent misreading of flesh as inherently evil matter, since 1:14 shows the Word himself took on flesh.
World Kosmos
Approved rendering: ಲೋಕ
Transliteration: lōka
Doctrine: God’s Love for the World
Original: κόσμος
Category: World
New term for John. ಲೋಕ also names one cosmological ‘world’/realm among several in Hindu cosmology (bhūloka, devaloka) and can carry māyā (illusion-to-be-transcended) associations. John’s κόσμος is the real, God-created, God-loved (though fallen) object of God’s redemptive action (1:10; 3:16-17; 15:18-19; 17:14), never an illusory realm to escape.
Light Darkness
Approved rendering: ಬೆಳಕು / ಕತ್ತಲೆ
Transliteration: beḷaku / kattale
Doctrine: Judgment and Belief/Unbelief
Original: φῶς / σκότος (σκοτία)
Category: Judgment
New term for John. Darkness (John 3:19; 8:12; 9:5; 12:35-36,46) is a morally culpable, willed preference (‘their deeds were evil’), not the intellectual/spiritual ignorance (avidya) dispelled by gnosis in Advaitic frameworks. Light is the person of Christ confronting the world, not an impersonal illuminating principle or generic devotional jyoti imagery.
Bread Of Life
Approved rendering: ಜೀವದ ರೊಟ್ಟಿ
Transliteration: jīvada roṭṭi
Doctrine: The Seven “I Am” Statements
Original: ὁ ἄρτος τῆς ζωῆς
Category: Christology
New term for John. First of the seven ‘I am’ statements (John 6:35,47-51). Requires OT manna background note (Exodus 16); must not be reduced to a literal-food-only miracle re-enactment.
Light Of World
Approved rendering: ಲೋಕದ ಬೆಳಕು
Transliteration: Lōkada beḷaku
Doctrine: The Seven “I Am” Statements
Original: τὸ φῶς τοῦ κόσμου
Category: Christology
New term for John. Second ‘I am’ statement (John 8:12; 9:5). See light_darkness and world_kosmos entries for cultural collision cautions.
Good Shepherd
Approved rendering: ಒಳ್ಳೆಯ ಕುರುಬ
Transliteration: oḷḷeya kuruba
Doctrine: The Seven “I Am” Statements
Original: ὁ ποιμὴν ὁ καλός
Category: Christology
New term for John. Fourth ‘I am’ statement (John 10:11,14). Requires OT background note (Ezekiel 34; Psalm 23); emphasize voluntary, substitutionary self-giving, not accidental death.
True Vine
Approved rendering: ನಿಜವಾದ ದ್ರಾಕ್ಷಾಲತೆ
Transliteration: nijavāda drākṣālate
Doctrine: The Seven “I Am” Statements
Original: ἡ ἄμπελος ἡ ἀληθινή
Category: Christology
New term for John. Seventh ‘I am’ statement (John 15:1,5). Requires OT background note (Israel-as-vine, Psalm 80, Isaiah 5, Jeremiah 2).
Spirit Of Truth
Approved rendering: ಸತ್ಯದ ಆತ್ಮ
Transliteration: satyada ātma
Doctrine: The Holy Spirit as Counselor
Original: τὸ Πνεῦμα τῆς ἀληθείας
Category: Pneumatology
New term for John. John 14:17; 15:26; 16:13. Always pair with ಪವಿತ್ರಾತ್ಮ for referent clarity.
Truth Aletheia
Approved rendering: ಸತ್ಯ
Transliteration: satya
Doctrine: Eternal Life through Faith in Christ
Original: ἀλήθεια
Category: Revelation
New term for John. ἀλήθεια (John 1:14,17; 8:32; 14:6; 16:13; 18:38). Risk of assimilation to Vedantic Sat/Satya as an abstract, impersonal metaphysical absolute (Sat-Chit-Ananda); must be anchored as truth personally embodied in and exclusively revealed by Christ (14:6).
Grace And Truth
Approved rendering: ಕೃಪೆಯೂ ಸತ್ಯವೂ
Transliteration: kṛpeyū satyavū
Doctrine: The Deity and Pre-existence of Christ (the Word)
Original: χάρις καὶ ἀλήθεια
Category: Christology
New term for John. John 1:14,17, echoing Exodus 34:6’s covenant self-disclosure. Pairs baseline ಕೃಪೆ exactly with ಸತ್ಯ.
Believers One As We One
Approved rendering: ಅವರು ಒಂದಾಗಿರಬೇಕು, ನಾವು ಒಂದಾಗಿರುವಂತೆಯೇ
Transliteration: avaru ondāgirabēku, nāvu ondāgiruvanteyē
Doctrine: Unity of the Father and the Son
Rejected alternatives: ಐಕ್ಯ
Original: ἵνα ὦσιν ἓν καθὼς ἡμεῖς ἕν
Category: Church
New term for John. John 17:11,21-23. Believers’ unity is relational, moral, Spirit-given, modeled on but categorically distinct from the Father-Son’s essential unity, and even more distinct from Aikya-style dissolution of individual identity; each believer remains personally, eternally distinct.
Lamb Of God
Approved rendering: ದೇವರ ಕುರಿಮರಿ
Transliteration: Dēvara kurimari
Doctrine: Christ’s Substitutionary Death and Resurrection
Original: Ἀμνὸς τοῦ Θεοῦ
Category: Salvation
New term for John. John 1:29,36, John the Baptist’s title drawing on the Passover lamb and/or Isaiah 53’s suffering servant. Requires Passover/Exodus 12 and Isaiah 53 teaching background; not a mere gentleness metaphor.
Servants Friends
Approved rendering: ದಾಸ(ರು) / ಸ್ನೇಹಿತ(ರು)
Transliteration: dāsa(ru) / snēhita(ru)
Doctrine: Discipleship and the Love Command
Original: δοῦλοι / φίλοι
Category: Discipleship
New term for John. δοῦλοι/φίλοι, John 15:14-15. ದಾಸ is the celebrated Haridasa bhakti self-designation (Purandara Dasa, Kanaka Dasa). Must not be read as Christ devaluing devoted service as such; the contrast is specifically about disclosure of the master’s purposes, a relational deepening Christ grants. Mandatory translator note at 15:15.
Judge Judgment
Approved rendering: ನ್ಯಾಯತೀರ್ಪು ಮಾಡುವುದು / ತೀರ್ಪು
Transliteration: nyāyatīrpu māḍuvudu / tīrpu
Doctrine: Judgment and Belief/Unbelief
Original: κρίνω / κρίσις
Category: Judgment
New term for John. κρίνω/κρίσις (John 3:17-19; 5:22,24,27,29-30; 9:39; 12:31,47-48). Must convey a personal divine verdict grounded in relationship to Christ, not an impersonal, automatic working-out of karma.
Convict Expose
Approved rendering: ಬಯಲಿಗೆ ತರುವುದು / ಮನದಟ್ಟು ಮಾಡುವುದು
Transliteration: bayalige taruvudu / manadaṭṭu māḍuvudu
Doctrine: The Holy Spirit as Counselor
Original: ἐλέγχω
Category: Pneumatology
New term for John. ἐλέγχω, used of light exposing evil deeds (John 3:20) and the Spirit’s convicting ministry (16:8). Render identically at both occurrences so the Spirit’s work is perceived as continuous with Christ’s own light-exposing ministry.
Perish
Approved rendering: ನಾಶವಾಗುವುದು
Transliteration: nāśavāguvudu
Doctrine: Judgment and Belief/Unbelief
Original: ἀπόλλυμι
Category: Judgment
New term for John. ἀπόλλυμι (John 3:16; 10:28; 17:12). Must read as a real, personal, negative destiny, never a neutral ‘release’ or positive dissolution confusable with moksha-style liberation-from-samsara.
Wrath Of God
Approved rendering: ದೇವರ ಕೋಪ
Transliteration: Dēvara kōpa
Doctrine: Judgment and Belief/Unbelief
Original: ὀργὴ τοῦ θεοῦ
Category: Judgment
New term for John. John 3:36 (core passage extension). Must be read as the righteous, personal anger of the same God who loves (3:16), not the impersonal, automatic operation of karma.
Disobey
Approved rendering: ಅವಿಧೇಯನಾಗಿರುವವನು
Transliteration: avidhēyanāgiruvavanu
Doctrine: Judgment and Belief/Unbelief
Original: ἀπειθέω
Category: Judgment
New term for John. ἀπειθέω, John 3:36. John treats ‘disobeying the Son’ and ‘not believing in the Son’ as functionally identical — unbelief itself is the decisive act of disobedience.
The Hour
Approved rendering: ಗಳಿಗೆ / ಸಮಯ
Transliteration: gaḷige / samaya
Doctrine: Christ’s Substitutionary Death and Resurrection
Rejected alternatives: ಶುಭಗಳಿಗೆ
Original: ἡ ὥρα
Category: Christology
New term for John. ἡ ὥρα, John’s recurring designation for the divinely appointed climactic time (2:4; 7:30; 8:20; 12:23,27; 13:1; 17:1). Must not be rendered with astrological ‘auspicious moment’ vocabulary (muhurta), culturally prominent in Kannada religious life; this is God’s own sovereign appointment.
Temple Of His Body
Approved rendering: ದೇವಾಲಯ
Transliteration: dēvālaya
Doctrine: Incarnation of the Word
Rejected alternatives: ಗುಡಿ
Original: ναός
Category: Christology
New term for John. ναός, John 2:19-21 (Jesus’s body as the true temple). Must not be read as implying Jesus’s body ‘houses’ a deity the way a consecrated image houses a deity’s presence in South Indian temple worship.
Savior Of World
Approved rendering: ಲೋಕದ ರಕ್ಷಕ
Transliteration: Lōkada rakṣaka
Doctrine: God’s Love for the World
Original: ὁ σωτὴρ τοῦ κόσμου
Category: Salvation
New term for John. σωτὴρ τοῦ κόσμου, John 4:42, confessed by Samaritan villagers, universalizing salvation beyond ethnic Israel. Pairs baseline ರಕ್ಷಣೆ-root with ಲೋಕ.
One Man Die For People
Approved rendering: ಒಬ್ಬನು ಜನರಿಗೋಸ್ಕರ ಸಾಯುವುದು
Transliteration: obbanu janarigōskara sāyuvudu
Doctrine: Christ’s Substitutionary Death and Resurrection
Original: ἀποθάνῃ εἷς ἄνθρωπος ὑπὲρ τοῦ λαοῦ
Category: Salvation
New term for John. Caiaphas’s unwitting prophecy, John 11:49-52. Must preserve the substitutionary force of ὑπέρ (‘on behalf of, in place of’) via -ಗೋಸ್ಕರ/-ಪರವಾಗಿ constructions, not mere general benefit.
Lay Down Life
Approved rendering: ಪ್ರಾಣವನ್ನು ಕೊಡುವುದು
Transliteration: prāṇavannu koḍuvudu
Doctrine: Christ’s Substitutionary Death and Resurrection
Original: τίθημι τὴν ψυχήν
Category: Salvation
New term for John. τίθημι τὴν ψυχήν, John 10:11,15,17-18. Emphasize voluntary, substitutionary self-giving (‘of my own accord,’ 10:18), not accidental death or generic martyrdom.
Freedom
Approved rendering: ಸ್ವಾತಂತ್ರ್ಯ
Transliteration: svātantrya
Doctrine: Freedom in Christ
Rejected alternatives: ಮೋಕ್ಷ, ಮುಕ್ತಿ
Original: ἐλευθερία
Category: Salvation
New term for John. ἐλευθερία, John 8:31-36. Must be distinguished from ಮೋಕ್ಷ/ಮುಕ್ತಿ (liberation from the rebirth cycle) and from self-effort spiritual liberation models; this freedom is granted through the Son, received by abiding in his word, not self-attained.
Children Of God
Approved rendering: ದೇವರ ಮಕ್ಕಳು
Transliteration: Dēvara makkaḷu
Doctrine: Sonship of Christ
Original: τέκνα θεοῦ
Category: Salvation
New term for John. τέκνα θεοῦ, John 1:12-13. Preserve the ‘not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God’ contrast, guarding against a merit- or lineage-based reading of divine sonship (caste or birth-based spiritual status).
Agape Love
Approved rendering: ಪ್ರೀತಿಸಿದನು / ಪ್ರೀತಿ
Transliteration: prītisidanu / prīti
Doctrine: God’s Love for the World
Rejected alternatives: ಭಕ್ತಿ, ಪ್ರೇಮ
Original: ἀγαπάω
Category: God
New term for John. ἀγαπάω, the core passage’s thesis verb (John 3:16); also 13:34; 15:9,13; 17:23-26. Must be distinguished from the devotee-initiated, exchange-structured prema/bhakti of Haridasa Krishna devotion; this is unilateral, initiating divine love, the opposite direction of causation.
Medium Risk Terms
Apostle
Approved rendering: ಅಪೊಸ್ತಲ
Transliteration: apostala
Doctrine: Apostleship
Rejected alternatives: ಗುರು, ಜಂಗಮ
Original: ἀπόστολος (root ἀποστέλλω)
Category: Church
Inherited from Romans package. John’s own vocabulary emphasizes the ἀποστέλλω (‘send’) root throughout the Father-Son and Son-disciple sending motif (17:18; 20:21) underlying this office; never ಗುರು or ಜಂಗಮ.
Peace
Approved rendering: ಶಾಂತಿ
Transliteration: śānti
Doctrine: Peace with God
Rejected alternatives: ಮನಶ್ಶಾಂತಿ
Original: εἰρήνη
Category: Salvation
Inherited from Romans package. In John, Christ’s own gift given amid tribulation (14:27; 16:33; 20:19,21,26); distinct from ಮನಶ್ಶಾಂತಿ, inner tranquility sought through bhakti devotion or Lingayat meditative discipline.
Spiritual Gifts
Approved rendering: ಆತ್ಮಿಕ ವರಗಳು
Transliteration: ātmika varagaḷu
Doctrine: Spiritual Gifts
Rejected alternatives: ವರ, ಸಿದ್ಧಿ
Inherited from Romans package. Retained for cross-curriculum consistency; John’s own vocabulary does not develop this concept extensively, but the ಸಿದ್ಧಿ prohibition (yogic attained power) is directly relevant to how σημεῖον (sign) must NOT be read.
Church
Approved rendering: ಸಭೆ
Transliteration: sabhe
Doctrine: Church as God’s People
Rejected alternatives: ದೇವಸ್ಥಾನ, ಗುಡಿ
Inherited from Romans package. Never ದೇವಸ್ಥಾನ/ಗುಡಿ. Relevant background for John 10’s ‘one flock’ (10:16) and 17’s believer-unity prayer.
Kingdom Of God
Approved rendering: ದೇವರ ರಾಜ್ಯ
Transliteration: Dēvara Rājya
Doctrine: Kingdom Mission
Original: βασιλεία τοῦ θεοῦ
Category: Kingdom
Inherited from Romans package. Entered only through new birth in John (3:3,5); embodied in Christ’s non-political kingship (18:36, ‘my kingdom is not of this world’).
Gentiles
Approved rendering: ಅನ್ಯಜನಾಂಗದವರು
Transliteration: anyajanāṅgadavaru
Doctrine: Unity of Jews and Gentiles
Rejected alternatives: ವಿದೇಶಿಯರು
Original: ἔθνη
Category: Church
Inherited from Romans package. Implicit in John 7:35’s dispersion and 12:20’s Greeks seeking Jesus; also background for the ‘other sheep’ of 10:16.
Intercession
Approved rendering: ಮಧ್ಯಸ್ಥಿಕೆ
Transliteration: madhyasthike
Doctrine: Prayer and Intercession
Inherited from Romans package. Background for John 17’s high priestly prayer of intercession for believers.
Mission
Approved rendering: ಮಿಷನ್ / ಸುವಾರ್ತಾ ಪ್ರಸಾರ
Transliteration: miṣan / suvārtā prasāra
Doctrine: Mission to the Nations
Inherited from Romans package. Relevant background for John’s sending (ἀποστέλλω/πέμπω) motif, e.g. John 17:18, 20:21.
David
Approved rendering: ದಾವೀದ
Transliteration: Dāvīda
Doctrine: Davidic Covenant
Original: Δαυίδ
Category: Covenant
Inherited from Romans package. Occurs at John 7:42, where some expect the Messiah to come from David’s line and town.
Israel
Approved rendering: ಇಸ್ರಾಯೇಲ್
Transliteration: Isrāyēl
Doctrine: Unity of Jews and Gentiles
Original: Ἰσραήλ
Category: Covenant
Inherited from Romans package. Occurs at John 1:31,49; 3:10 (‘the teacher of Israel’); 12:13.
Water Living Water
Approved rendering: ನೀರು / ಜೀವಜಲ
Transliteration: nīru / jīvajala
Doctrine: The New Birth and Regeneration by the Spirit
Original: ὕδωρ (ζῶν)
Category: Regeneration
New term for John. Physical water paired with Spirit at John 3:5; Spirit-given inner life at 4:10-14, 7:37-39. Preserve genuine OT/baptismal interpretive ambiguity (Ezekiel 36) rather than silently resolving it; must not be assimilated to sacred-river or ritual-bathing purification practices in regional religious life.
Door Gate
Approved rendering: ಬಾಗಿಲು
Transliteration: bāgilu
Doctrine: The Seven “I Am” Statements
Original: ἡ θύρα
Category: Christology
New term for John. Third ‘I am’ statement (John 10:7,9); exclusivity of access must be preserved without qualification.
Serpent Bronze
Approved rendering: ಸರ್ಪ
Transliteration: sarpa
Doctrine: Christ’s Substitutionary Death and Resurrection
Original: ὄφις
Category: Salvation
New term for John. John 3:14 (core passage), referencing Numbers 21’s bronze serpent. Requires a teaching/footnote supplying this background; must not be conflated with regional Nagaradhane (serpent-worship) folk-religious traditions — this serpent is a historical OT sign-object, not an object of veneration.
Kingdom Not Of World
Approved rendering: ನನ್ನ ರಾಜ್ಯವು ಈ ಲೋಕದ್ದಲ್ಲ
Transliteration: nanna rājyavu ī lōkaddalla
Doctrine: Kingdom of God / Kingship of Christ
Original: ἡ βασιλεία ἡ ἐμὴ οὐκ ἔστιν ἐκ τοῦ κόσμου τούτου
Category: Kingdom
New term for John. John 18:36. Reuses ದೇವರ ರಾಜ್ಯ concept vocabulary; a real but non-political, non-territorial reign, not a merely inward realm detached from any historical or bodily claim.
Rabbi
Approved rendering: ರಬ್ಬಿ
Transliteration: Rabbi
Doctrine: Testimony and Witness to Christ
Rejected alternatives: ಗುರುವೇ
Original: Ῥαββί
Category: Discipleship
New term for John. Ῥαββί (John 1:38,49; 3:2; 20:16). Retain transliteration ರಬ್ಬಿ; never ಗುರುವೇ, which imports a self-attained teaching-guru status. The address is respectful but reveals an inadequate category for who Jesus is.
Testimony Witness
Approved rendering: ಸಾಕ್ಷಿ ಹೇಳುವುದು / ಸಾಕ್ಷಿ
Transliteration: sākṣi hēḷuvudu / sākṣi
Doctrine: Testimony and Witness to Christ
Original: μαρτυρέω / μαρτυρία
Category: Revelation
New term for John. μαρτυρέω/μαρτυρία, structuring John’s Gospel (1:7-8,15,32,34; 5:31-39; 8:13-18; 15:26-27; 21:24). Ensure consistency across all Johannine witness passages.
Sign Semeion
Approved rendering: ಸೂಚಕಕಾರ್ಯ
Transliteration: sūcaka kārya
Doctrine: Signs Revealing Christ’s Identity
Rejected alternatives: ಪವಾಡ, ಸಿದ್ಧಿ
Original: σημεῖον
Category: Revelation
New term for John. σημεῖον (John 2:11; 4:54; 6:2,14; 9:16; 20:30-31). Preferred over a bare word for ‘miracle’ to preserve John’s point that these deeds reveal identity; avoid confusion with ಸಿದ್ಧಿ (yogic attainment).
Grain Of Wheat
Approved rendering: ಗೋಧಿಯ ಕಾಳು
Transliteration: gōdhiya kāḷu
Doctrine: Christ’s Substitutionary Death and Resurrection
Original: ὁ κόκκος τοῦ σίτου
Category: Salvation
New term for John. John 12:24, a death-yields-life paradox illustrating both Christ’s own atoning death and the pattern of discipleship.
New Commandment
Approved rendering: ಹೊಸ ಆಜ್ಞೆ
Transliteration: hosa ājñe
Doctrine: Discipleship and the Love Command
Original: ἐντολὴ καινή
Category: Discipleship
New term for John. John 13:34-35. Christ’s self-giving love is the pattern and source, not an independently achievable ethical discipline.
Overcome World
Approved rendering: ಲೋಕವನ್ನು ಜಯಿಸಿದ್ದೇನೆ
Transliteration: lōkavannu jayisiddēne
Doctrine: Assurance and Victory in Christ
Original: νενίκηκα τὸν κόσμον
Category: Salvation
New term for John. John 16:33. Preserve the perfect-tense (already-accomplished) force, grounding assurance prior to and independent of the disciples’ own struggles.
Devil
Approved rendering: ಸೈತಾನ
Transliteration: Saitāna
Doctrine: Judgment and Belief/Unbelief
Rejected alternatives: ಪಿಶಾಚ
Original: διάβολος
Category: Sin
New term for John. διάβολος, John 8:44; 13:2. Standard established Kannada Christian term; low collision risk.
Blood And Water
Approved rendering: ರಕ್ತ ಮತ್ತು ನೀರು
Transliteration: rakta mattu nīru
Doctrine: Christ’s Substitutionary Death and Resurrection
Original: αἷμα καὶ ὕδωρ
Category: Salvation
New term for John. John 19:34. Requires a teaching note on theological significance: real physical death, with possible cleansing/Spirit echoes from chs. 3-7.
Forgiveness Of Sins
Approved rendering: ಪಾಪಕ್ಷಮೆ
Transliteration: pāpakṣame
Doctrine: Forgiveness of Sins through Christ’s Authority
Original: ἄφεσις ἁμαρτιῶν
Category: Salvation
New term for John. ἄφεσις ἁμαρτιῶν, John 20:23. Must be understood as authority to proclaim/declare forgiveness grounded in Christ’s finished work (19:30), not an independent human power to absolve sin by ritual or merit.
Feed Shepherd Sheep
Approved rendering: ನನ್ನ ಕುರಿಗಳನ್ನು ಮೇಯಿಸು
Transliteration: nanna kurigaḷannu mēyisu
Doctrine: Shepherding Ministry and the Church
Original: ποίμαινε τὰ πρόβατά μου
Category: Church
New term for John. John 21:15-17, Peter’s commissioning. Ensure this shepherding role is clearly derivative and accountable to Christ the Chief Shepherd, not an independent guru-like authority.
Friend Of Bridegroom
Approved rendering: ವಧೂವರನ ಸ್ನೇಹಿತ
Transliteration: vadhūvarana snēhita
Doctrine: Testimony and Witness to Christ
Original: ὁ φίλος τοῦ νυμφίου
Category: Discipleship
New term for John. John 3:29 (core passage extension). John the Baptist’s self-description of his subordinate, joy-filled role relative to Christ.
Worship In Spirit Truth
Approved rendering: ಆತ್ಮದಲ್ಲಿಯೂ ಸತ್ಯದಲ್ಲಿಯೂ ಆರಾಧಿಸು
Transliteration: ātmadalliyū satyadalliyū ārādhisu
Doctrine: Worship in Spirit and Truth
Original: προσκυνέω ἐν πνεύματι καὶ ἀληθείᾳ
Category: Church
New term for John. John 4:23-24. Must not be read as endorsing generic, place-independent inward devotion compatible with any path; ἐν ἀληθείᾳ ties true worship specifically to the truth revealed in Christ (14:6).
Samaritans
Approved rendering: ಸಮಾರ್ಯದವರು
Transliteration: Samāryadavaru
Doctrine: Universal Scope of the Gospel in John
Original: Σαμαρῖται
Category: Church
New term for John. John 4. Requires background note on Jewish-Samaritan history for readers unfamiliar with it; models but is distinct from the Unity of Jews and Gentiles doctrine.
Foot Washing
Approved rendering: ಪಾದಗಳನ್ನು ತೊಳೆಯುವುದು
Transliteration: pādagaḷannu toḷeyuvudu
Doctrine: Discipleship and the Love Command
Original: νίπτω τοὺς πόδας
Category: Discipleship
New term for John. John 13:1-17. Connects to, but is distinct from, the Lingayat kayaka (sacred labor) ethic — humble service here flows from Christ’s self-giving love and models relational imitation, not a separate merit-generating discipline.
Name Onoma
Approved rendering: ಹೆಸರು
Transliteration: hesaru
Doctrine: Eternal Life through Faith in Christ
Original: ὄνομα
Category: Revelation
New term for John. ὄνομα, John 1:12; 20:31. In Semitic/Johannine usage, a person’s whole identity and authority, not merely a verbal label; translator notes should explain this idiom so ‘believing in the name’ is not reduced to invoking a formula.
Low Risk Terms
Thanksgiving
Approved rendering: ಕೃತಜ್ಞತಾಸ್ತುತಿ
Transliteration: kṛtajñatāstuti
Doctrine: Thanksgiving
Inherited from Romans package. Standard term; no significant risk in John.
Fellowship
Approved rendering: ಅನ್ಯೋನ್ಯತೆ
Transliteration: anyōnyate
Doctrine: Christian Fellowship
Rejected alternatives: ಸ್ನೇಹ
Inherited from Romans package. Relevant to John 15’s friendship/abiding themes but distinct from mere social ಸ್ನೇಹ.
Prophet
Approved rendering: ಪ್ರವಾದಿ
Transliteration: pravādi
Doctrine: Inspiration of Scripture
Rejected alternatives: ಜ್ಯೋತಿಷಿ
Original: προφήτης
Category: Covenant
Inherited from Romans package. A title debated of Jesus and John the Baptist in John (1:21,25; 4:19,44; 6:14; 7:40; 9:17); never ಜ್ಯೋತಿಷಿ (astrologer).
Prophecy
Approved rendering: ಪ್ರವಾದನೆ
Transliteration: pravādane
Doctrine: Fulfillment of Prophecy
Rejected alternatives: ಭವಿಷ್ಯಫಲ
Inherited from Romans package. Background for John’s OT-fulfillment typology (e.g. the bronze serpent, the manna, the Passover lamb).
Exhort
Approved rendering: ಪ್ರೋತ್ಸಾಹಿಸುವುದು
Transliteration: prōtsāhisuvudu
Doctrine: Mutual Edification
Inherited from Romans package. Retained for cross-curriculum consistency.
Increase Decrease
Approved rendering: ಅವನು ವೃದ್ಧಿಯಾಗಬೇಕು, ನಾನು ಕುಂದಬೇಕು
Transliteration: avanu vṛddhiyāgabēku, nānu kundabēku
Doctrine: Testimony and Witness to Christ
Original: ἐκεῖνον δεῖ αὐξάνειν, ἐμὲ δὲ ἐλαττοῦσθαι
Category: Discipleship
New term for John. John 3:30 (core passage extension). Models right posture toward Christ’s unique supremacy; guards against elevating any human teacher/apostle figure.
Dwelling Places
Approved rendering: ನಿವಾಸಗಳು
Transliteration: nivāsagaḷu
Doctrine: Eternal Life through Faith in Christ
Original: μοναί
Category: Eschatology
New term for John. μοναί, John 14:2. Avoid ‘mansions’-style imagery suggesting acquired merit-based reward tiers.
Referenced passages