Semantic Analysis: 1 Corinthians (Full Book) — English → Konkani
Methodology
This analysis covers 1 Corinthians in its entirety, chapter 1 through chapter 16, in the original Koine Greek. The core passage, 1 Corinthians 15:1-11 (Paul’s summary of the gospel and resurrection appearances), receives full verse-by-verse treatment. Every other chapter receives a chapter-level treatment of its load-bearing theological vocabulary using the same seven analytic fields: original word, transliteration, literal meaning, semantic range, English variants, contextual theological meaning, and destination-language (Konkani) rendering risk.
Baseline reuse rule: Any term already recorded in the Romans translation_memory.json / bible_term_registry.json is reused exactly as recorded there (e.g. गॉस्पेल→सुवार्ता, resurrection→पुनरुत्थान, church→मंडळी, grace→कृपा, saints→पवित्र जन, apostle→प्रेषित, holy→पवित्र, spiritual gifts→आत्मिक वरदान, called/calling→बोलावलेले/बोलावणें, faith→विश्वास, gentiles→परराष्ट्रीय, glory→गौरव, sin→पाप, law→नियमशास्त्र, power of God→देवाचें सामर्थ्य, fellowship→सहभागिता, lord→प्रभू). Where 1 Corinthians introduces genuinely new theological vocabulary not present in the Romans package, a new Konkani rendering is proposed here, risk-assessed against the same Goa-specific Hindu-background collision framework the baseline established (Shaiva/Shakta/Vaishnava temple devotionalism, karma-merit worldview, Jnana/Bhakti/Karma-yoga paths, reincarnation, avatar theology, and the region’s Portuguese-colonial/Inquisition-era Christian history).
New forbidden-substitution flags surfaced by this book (to be added to the AI translation requirements in a later step): NEVER माया for love (ch.13) — माया is the Advaita Vedantic term for cosmic illusion; NEVER दर्शन for the resurrection “appearances” (ch.15) — दर्शन is the specific devotional term for viewing/being seen by a temple deity; ज्ञान (wisdom/knowledge, chs. 1-2, 8) must always be qualified as “देवाचें ज्ञान” (God’s wisdom) versus “संसाराचें ज्ञान” (worldly wisdom) to avoid unmarked collision with the Jnana-marga (path of liberating self-knowledge); मंदिर (temple, chs. 3, 6) must always carry a distinguishing marker when used of believers/the church as God’s dwelling, since मंदिर is the everyday word for a Hindu temple (e.g. Shantadurga Mandir, Mangueshi Mandir); मूर्ती/मूर्तीपूजा (idol/idolatry, chs. 8, 10) must be handled with theological precision, not blanket cultural insult; अविनाशी (imperishable, ch.15) must always be paired with शरीर (body) language, since अविनाशी is the Bhagavad Gita’s own word for the eternal, imperishable soul (Atman) as distinct from the body — Paul’s point in ch.15 is the opposite emphasis: the body itself becomes imperishable.
PART 1 — Core Passage: 1 Corinthians 15:1-11 (Verse-by-Verse)
15:1
Greek: Γνωρίζω δὲ ὑμῖν, ἀδελφοί, τὸ εὐαγγέλιον ὃ εὐηγγελισάμην ὑμῖν, ὃ καὶ παρελάβετε, ἐν ᾧ καὶ ἑστήκατε
| Term | Transliteration | Literal Meaning | Semantic Range | English Variants | Contextual Theological Meaning | Konkani Rendering & Risk |
|---|
| εὐαγγέλιον | euangelion | good news/announcement | authoritative proclamation of victory or salvation | ”gospel,” “good news” | The specific saving message Paul preached and the Corinthians received; the anchor of the whole chapter’s argument. | सुवार्ता (baseline term, reused exactly). Risk: High (baseline). Must not be reduced to “some good news among others.” |
| παρελάβετε (παραλαμβάνω) | parelabete | to receive/take alongside | receiving a handed-down tradition; receiving a message, a person, a task | ”received,” “accepted” | Technical term (paired with παρέδωκα in v.3) for the fixed transmission of apostolic tradition — not personal opinion or private insight. | मेळ्ळें/स्वीकारलें (received). Risk: High — must be understood as receiving a fixed, guarded deposit of teaching, paralleling the παρέδωκα/παρέλαβον pair in v.3; flag together with v.3 for reviewer consistency. |
| ἑστήκατε (ἵστημι) | hestēkate | to have stood, to stand firm | firm, settled standing (perfect tense = abiding state) | “stand,” “hold your ground” | The Corinthians’ present, continuing position in the gospel already received. | थीर उरला आसात (have stood firm). Risk: Low. |
15:2
Greek: δι’ οὗ καὶ σῴζεσθε, τίνι λόγῳ εὐηγγελισάμην ὑμῖν εἰ κατέχετε, ἐκτὸς εἰ μὴ εἰκῇ ἐπιστεύσατε.
| Term | Transliteration | Literal Meaning | Semantic Range | English Variants | Contextual Theological Meaning | Konkani Rendering & Risk |
|---|
| σῴζεσθε (σῴζω) | sōzesthe | to be saved/rescued (present passive) | deliverance from danger, from sin, from judgment | ”you are being saved” | Ongoing, present-tense salvation grounded in a past-completed gospel event — a process with a settled basis, not an uncertain karmic outcome. | तारण जातां आसात (reuses baseline तारण, salvation). Risk: Critical (baseline). Never मुक्ती/मोक्ष. The present-passive tense should be marked in translator notes as “ongoing, grounded in a finished work,” not “still to be earned.” |
| κατέχετε (κατέχω) | katechete | to hold down/hold fast | firm retention; also “restrain” elsewhere in NT | ”hold fast,” “hold firmly” | Continuing to grip the gospel content as taught, the condition for the “being saved” of the clause before it. | घट्ट धरून दवरता (hold firmly). Risk: Low. |
| εἰκῇ | eikē | without cause, to no purpose | ”in vain,” “for nothing,” “recklessly" | "in vain” | Warns that belief could be empty if disconnected from the actual historical content that follows (vv.3-8). | वायां (in vain). Risk: Low. |
| ἐπιστεύσατε (πιστεύω) | episteusate | to believe/entrust | personal trust and reliance placed in a specific claim/person | ”believed” | Belief in the specific, historically anchored gospel content, not generic religious faith. | विश्वास दवरलो (reuses baseline विश्वास, faith). Risk: High (baseline). |
15:3
Greek: παρέδωκα γὰρ ὑμῖν ἐν πρώτοις, ὃ καὶ παρέλαβον, ὅτι Χριστὸς ἀπέθανεν ὑπὲρ τῶν ἁμαρτιῶν ἡμῶν κατὰ τὰς γραφάς
| Term | Transliteration | Literal Meaning | Semantic Range | English Variants | Contextual Theological Meaning | Konkani Rendering & Risk |
|---|
| παρέδωκα (παραδίδωμι) | paredōka | to hand over/deliver | delivering a tradition; also “betray,” “hand over to authorities” elsewhere | ”delivered,” “passed on” | Paul hands on a fixed, pre-existing creedal formula (likely older than the letter itself) — this is the doctrine of apostolic tradition/inspiration in miniature. | स्वाधीन केलें/सोंपवन दिलें (handed over/delivered). Risk: High. Must be rendered as formal transmission of a received deposit, not personal testimony alone — critical for the Inspiration of Scripture doctrine. |
| Χριστός | Christos | Anointed One | title/name for Jesus as the promised Messianic king-priest | ”Christ,” “Messiah” | Used here almost as a proper name fused with the title; assumes the Messianic identity established for readers. | ख्रिस्त (established transliteration, per baseline transliteration standard). Risk: Critical (shares Critical status with Messiah/Lord/Sonship doctrines). |
| ἀπέθανεν (ἀποθνῄσκω) | apethanen | died | ordinary verb of death | ”died” | Real, historical, bodily death — foundational for the anti-docetic emphasis of the whole chapter. | मरण पावलो. Risk: Medium — must read as a real, historical death, not a symbolic or temporary appearance of death (as sometimes narrated of temple-deity figures). |
| ὑπὲρ τῶν ἁμαρτιῶν ἡμῶν | hyper tōn hamartiōn hēmōn | on behalf of/for our sins | substitutionary or representative benefit; “for the sake of,” “because of" | "for our sins,” “because of our sins” | Christ’s death as a vicarious, substitutionary payment for sin — a claim in direct tension with a karma-worldview in which each person must bear the consequences of their own deeds. | आमच्या पापांखातीर (reuses baseline पाप, sin). Risk: Critical. This is the sharpest doctrinal collision point in the verse: karma doctrine (widely held in the Goan Hindu milieu) denies that one person’s deeds/consequences can be transferred to or borne by another; the gospel claims exactly this transfer. Must be flagged for theologian review with an explanatory translator note distinguishing substitutionary atonement from karma-transfer impossibility. |
| κατὰ τὰς γραφάς | kata tas graphas | according to the scriptures | conformity with a fixed, authoritative written text | ”according to the Scriptures,” “as the Scriptures said” | Christ’s death was the fulfillment of specific Old Testament prophetic pattern (e.g. Isaiah 53), not a spontaneous or freely-invented claim. | शास्त्रांप्रमाण (reuses fulfillment_of_prophecy framework from baseline). Risk: High. |
15:4
Greek: καὶ ὅτι ἐτάφη, καὶ ὅτι ἐγήγερται τῇ ἡμέρᾳ τῇ τρίτῃ κατὰ τὰς γραφάς
| Term | Transliteration | Literal Meaning | Semantic Range | English Variants | Contextual Theological Meaning | Konkani Rendering & Risk |
|---|
| ἐτάφη (θάπτω) | etaphē | was buried | ordinary burial | ”was buried” | Confirms the reality and finality of his death before the reversal in the next clause. | पुरो केलो. Risk: Low, but doctrinally load-bearing as anti-docetic evidence — note this alongside resurrection for theologian review. |
| ἐγήγερται (ἐγείρω) | egēgertai | has been raised (perfect tense) | to raise up, wake, cause to stand; perfect tense = abiding, settled result | ”was raised,” “has risen” | The perfect tense signals a completed act with a continuing state — he remains risen. This is the theological center of the whole chapter. | पुनरुत्थान जालां/उठलो (reuses baseline पुनरुत्थान). Risk: Critical (baseline). NEVER पुनर्जन्म. Translator note should mark the perfect tense: not merely “he rose” (single past event) but “he was raised and remains risen.” |
| τῇ ἡμέρᾳ τῇ τρίτῃ | tē hēmera tē tritē | on the third day | specific, historically anchored timeframe | ”on the third day” | Anchors the resurrection as a datable historical event, not a mythic or cyclical recurrence. | तिसऱ्या दिसा. Risk: Low. |
| κατὰ τὰς γραφάς | kata tas graphas | according to the scriptures | (as above) | “according to the Scriptures” | Repeats the fulfillment claim specifically for the resurrection. | शास्त्रांप्रमाण. Risk: High (as above). |
15:5
Greek: καὶ ὅτι ὤφθη Κηφᾷ, εἶτα τοῖς δώδεκα
| Term | Transliteration | Literal Meaning | Semantic Range | English Variants | Contextual Theological Meaning | Konkani Rendering & Risk |
|---|
| ὤφθη (ὁράω, passive) | ōphthē | was seen/appeared | objective visual perception of a real object; passive voice implies the risen Christ made himself visible | ”appeared,” “was seen,” “showed himself” | Denotes a real, bodily, externally verifiable appearance to named, nameable witnesses — not an inner vision, dream, or devotional experience. | दिसून आयलो (appeared/became visible). Risk: Critical. MUST NOT be rendered with दर्शन, the standard Konkani/Hindu devotional term for a deity becoming visible to a devotee (temple darshan, or a chosen deity’s vision-appearance to a devotee) — using दर्शन would assimilate Christ’s bodily post-resurrection appearances to a category of devotional theophany rather than verifiable historical eyewitness testimony. Use a plain perception-verb only. |
| Κηφᾶς | Kēphas | Cephas (Aramaic “rock”) | proper name, Peter’s Aramaic name | ”Cephas,” “Peter” | Names the first individual witness, establishing the historical, checkable chain of testimony. | केफा (transliteration). Risk: Low. |
| οἱ δώδεκα | hoi dōdeka | the Twelve | fixed title for the twelve apostles as a body | ”the Twelve” | The corporate apostolic witness, distinct from private disciples. | बारा जण (the Twelve). Risk: Low. |
15:6
Greek: ἔπειτα ὤφθη ἐπάνω πεντακοσίοις ἀδελφοῖς ἐφάπαξ, ἐξ ὧν οἱ πλείονες μένουσιν ἕως ἄρτι, τινὲς δὲ ἐκοιμήθησαν
| Term | Transliteration | Literal Meaning | Semantic Range | English Variants | Contextual Theological Meaning | Konkani Rendering & Risk |
|---|
| πεντακόσιοι ἀδελφοί | pentakosioi adelphoi | five hundred brothers | a large, specific, nameable body of eyewitnesses | ”500 brothers” | Paul explicitly invites verification — most are still alive to be asked. This is deliberate historical apologetic, unusual for a devotional narrative. | पाचशे बंधू. Risk: Low. |
| ἐφάπαξ | ephapax | at one time, simultaneously | a single, simultaneous occasion (elsewhere in NT can mean “once for all”) | “at one time,” “at once” | Here specifically “on a single occasion,” reinforcing the historical, datable, group-verifiable nature of the appearance. | एकाच वेळार. Risk: Low. |
| ἐκοιμήθησαν (κοιμάομαι) | ekoimēthēsan | fell asleep | euphemism for the death of believers | ”fell asleep,” “died” | Standard NT euphemism expressing death as temporary, pending bodily resurrection — not a statement about an intermediate reincarnation-adjacent state. | निद्रिस्त जाले (fell asleep — reuses standard Bible-tradition death euphemism). Risk: Medium. Translator note: this euphemism must not be read through a folk framework of the soul “sleeping” before rebirth; it points forward to bodily resurrection (v.4 पुनरुत्थान), not to reincarnation. |
15:7
Greek: ἔπειτα ὤφθη Ἰακώβῳ, εἶτα τοῖς ἀποστόλοις πᾶσιν
| Term | Transliteration | Literal Meaning | Semantic Range | English Variants | Contextual Theological Meaning | Konkani Rendering & Risk |
|---|
| ὤφθη | ōphthē | appeared | (as v.5) | “appeared” | Repeats the objective appearance verb for James, the Lord’s brother (a former skeptic, per Gospel tradition). | दिसून आयलो. Risk: Critical (as v.5 — never दर्शन). |
| Ἰάκωβος | Iakōbos | James | proper name | ”James” | Names a specific, known individual, again anchoring the claim historically. | याकोब (established Bible name form). Risk: Low. |
| οἱ ἀπόστολοι πάντες | hoi apostoloi pantes | all the apostles | the wider apostolic circle beyond the Twelve | ”all the apostles” | Broadens the witness base beyond the Twelve named in v.5. | सगळे प्रेषित (reuses baseline प्रेषित, apostle). Risk: Medium (baseline). |
15:8
Greek: ἔσχατον δὲ πάντων ὡσπερεὶ τῷ ἐκτρώματι ὤφθη κἀμοί.
| Term | Transliteration | Literal Meaning | Semantic Range | English Variants | Contextual Theological Meaning | Konkani Rendering & Risk |
|---|
| ἔσχατον πάντων | eschaton pantōn | last of all | final item in a sequence | ”last of all” | Paul places himself at the very end of the resurrection-witness chain — a real, historically located claim, not a separate mystical revelation category. | सगल्यांपरस निमाणो. Risk: Low. |
| τὸ ἔκτρωμα | to ektrōma | one born out of due time, an untimely/miscarried birth | a stillbirth or premature, non-viable birth; strongly self-deprecating | ”one untimely born,” “abnormally born,” “a miscarriage” | Paul’s shockingly self-lowering description of his own unworthy, out-of-sequence apostolic birth via the Damascus-road encounter. | अवेळेर जल्मल्लो (untimely-born one). Risk: Medium — an unusual, deliberately humbling image; translators must not soften or normalize it into a neutral phrase like “the least of these,” which loses Paul’s shock-value self-abasement. |
| ὤφθη κἀμοί | ōphthē kamoi | appeared even to me | (as vv.5,7) + “even to me" | "appeared even to me” | Paul insists his own encounter belongs to the same class of objective, bodily resurrection appearances as the others listed — foundational to his claim to authentic apostleship. | म्हाका लेगीत दिसून आयलो. Risk: Critical (never दर्शन, as above). |
15:9
Greek: Ἐγὼ γάρ εἰμι ὁ ἐλάχιστος τῶν ἀποστόλων, ὃς οὐκ εἰμὶ ἱκανὸς καλεῖσθαι ἀπόστολος, διότι ἐδίωξα τὴν ἐκκλησίαν τοῦ θεοῦ
| Term | Transliteration | Literal Meaning | Semantic Range | English Variants | Contextual Theological Meaning | Konkani Rendering & Risk |
|---|
| ἐλάχιστος | elachistos | least, smallest | superlative of “small”; “the very least" | "least” | Paul’s self-assessment among the apostles, grounding his authority in grace rather than merit. | सगल्यांत ल्हान. Risk: Low. |
| ἱκανός | hikanos | sufficient, worthy, adequate | competence or worthiness for a role | ”worthy,” “fit,” “adequate” | Paul denies personal worthiness for the title “apostle” apart from grace. | लायक (worthy/fit). Risk: Low. |
| καλεῖσθαι (καλέω) | kaleisthai | to be called | to be named/summoned | ”to be called” | Echoes the baseline calling vocabulary (κλητός/κλῆσις) — here of the title “apostle” itself. | बोलावप (reuses baseline बोलावलेले/बोलावणें root). Risk: High (baseline). |
| ἐδίωξα (διώκω) | ediōxa | persecuted | to pursue with hostile intent | ”persecuted,” “pursued” | Paul’s pre-conversion persecution of the church — heightens the grace-not-merit argument of v.10. | छळ केलो. Risk: Low. |
| ἡ ἐκκλησία τοῦ θεοῦ | hē ekklēsia tou theou | the church of God | the covenant assembly belonging to God | ”the church of God” | The concrete, historical body of believers Paul once persecuted — reuses the baseline church term with the possessive “of God” clarifying whose assembly it is. | देवाची मंडळी (reuses baseline मंडळी). Risk: Medium (baseline). |
15:10
Greek: χάριτι δὲ θεοῦ εἰμι ὅ εἰμι, καὶ ἡ χάρις αὐτοῦ ἡ εἰς ἐμὲ οὐ κενὴ ἐγενήθη, ἀλλὰ περισσότερον αὐτῶν πάντων ἐκοπίασα, οὐκ ἐγὼ δὲ ἀλλὰ ἡ χάρις τοῦ θεοῦ [ἡ] σὺν ἐμοί.
| Term | Transliteration | Literal Meaning | Semantic Range | English Variants | Contextual Theological Meaning | Konkani Rendering & Risk |
|---|
| χάριτι θεοῦ (χάρις) | chariti theou | by the grace of God | unmerited divine favor as the causal ground of Paul’s identity | ”by the grace of God” | Paul’s entire apostolic identity is attributed to unearned favor, not accumulated merit or spiritual achievement — the sharpest grace-vs-merit statement in the passage. | देवाच्या कृपेन (reuses baseline कृपा exactly). Risk: Critical/High (baseline). Must be flagged: this is a direct grace-vs-merit contrast passage per the AI requirements escalation rule. |
| κενή (κενός) | kenē | empty | without effect, fruitless, void of content | ”in vain,” “empty,” “without effect” | God’s grace toward Paul was not fruitless/inert — it produced real, observable labor. | वांझ्/वायां (empty/without effect). Risk: Low. |
| ἐκοπίασα (κοπιάω) | ekopiasa | I labored/toiled | hard, wearying work | ”labored,” “worked hard,” “toiled” | Grace does not eliminate effort; it produces and empowers labor — effort as grace’s fruit, not grace’s precondition. | मेहनत केली (labored hard). Risk: Medium — must be framed carefully so labor is read as grace’s fruit, never as the cause or earning of grace, consistent with the baseline’s grace-vs-merit rule. |
| ἡ χάρις τοῦ θεοῦ σὺν ἐμοί | hē charis tou theou syn emoi | the grace of God with me | grace as active, ongoing accompanying power | ”the grace of God that is with me” | Paul redirects credit away from himself entirely to God’s accompanying grace — a second, reinforcing grace-not-merit statement in the same verse. | म्हजे वांगडा आशिल्ली देवाची कृपा (reuses कृपा). Risk: Critical/High (baseline). |
15:11
Greek: εἴτε οὖν ἐγὼ εἴτε ἐκεῖνοι, οὕτως κηρύσσομεν καὶ οὕτως ἐπιστεύσατε.
| Term | Transliteration | Literal Meaning | Semantic Range | English Variants | Contextual Theological Meaning | Konkani Rendering & Risk |
|---|
| κηρύσσομεν (κηρύσσω) | kēryssomen | we proclaim/herald | public, authoritative announcement (as a herald announces a king’s decree) | “we preach,” “we proclaim” | Regardless of which apostle preaches, the content proclaimed is identical and unified — direct rebuttal of the factionalism theme running through the whole letter (chs. 1, 3). | आमी प्रचार करतात (proclaim). Risk: Low-Medium — should be framed as public heralding of a fixed message, distinct from a guru’s individually branded private teaching. |
| ἐπιστεύσατε (πιστεύω) | episteusate | you believed | (as v.2) | “you believed” | The Corinthians’ shared faith-response to the one unified gospel, regardless of preacher. | विश्वास दवरलो (reuses baseline विश्वास). Risk: High (baseline). |
PART 2 — Chapter-by-Chapter Survey of the Whole Book
Chapter 1 — Divisions, the Cross, and Wisdom vs. Folly
| Term | Greek | Translit. | Literal Meaning | Semantic Range | English Variants | Contextual Theological Meaning | Konkani Rendering & Risk |
|---|
| calling/called | κλητός/κλῆσις | klētos/klēsis | summoned | God’s summons (to apostleship, sainthood, salvation) | “called” | Paul “called to be an apostle” (1:1); believers “called into fellowship” (1:9). | बोलावलेले/बोलावणें (reuses baseline exactly). Risk: High (baseline). |
| church | ἐκκλησία | ekklēsia | assembly | covenant community | ”church" | "the church of God that is in Corinth” — local congregation, not a building. | मंडळी (reuses baseline). Risk: Medium (baseline). |
| saints | ἅγιοι | hagioi | holy ones | corporate designation for all believers | ”saints,” “those sanctified" | "called to be saints” (1:2), corporate not elite-ascetic. | पवित्र जन (reuses baseline). Risk: High (baseline). |
| fellowship | κοινωνία | koinōnia | shared participation | participation in Christ, in the Spirit, in suffering | ”fellowship,” “participation" | "called into the fellowship of his Son” (1:9). | सहभागिता (reuses baseline). Risk: Low (baseline). |
| divisions/schisms | σχίσματα | schismata | tears, splits | factional splits within one body | ”divisions,” “schisms" | "that there be no divisions among you” (1:10) — the letter’s central pastoral problem. | फूट (phūṭ, split/division). Risk: Medium — new term; doctrine: Christian Unity versus Factionalism. Reused in chs. 3, 11, 12. |
| quarreling/strife | ἔρις | eris | strife, contention | rivalry, contentiousness | ”quarreling,” “strife" | "there is quarreling among you” (1:11), grounding the party-slogans problem. | भांडण/वाद (quarrel/dispute). Risk: Medium — new term. |
| wisdom | σοφία | sophia | skill, cleverness, insight | practical skill; philosophical wisdom; here esp. “wisdom of the world/of this age” vs. God’s wisdom in the cross | ”wisdom” | Central polemic of chs. 1-2: God’s wisdom (the cross) confounds and shames human/worldly wisdom. | ज्ञान, always qualified as देवाचें ज्ञान (God’s wisdom) vs. संसाराचें ज्ञान (worldly wisdom). Risk: High/Critical — new, book-specific forbidden-substitution flag. ज्ञान is the term for the liberating self-knowledge sought in Jnana-marga (one of Hindu tradition’s classic three/four spiritual paths, alongside karma and bhakti yoga). Unqualified ज्ञान risks readers hearing “the wisdom of the cross” as one more path to self-realization. MUST always be paired with a qualifying phrase distinguishing it from Jnana-marga’s self-attained insight — this is revealed, cross-centered wisdom, not achieved gnosis. |
| foolishness/folly | μωρία | mōria | foolishness, absurdity | that which appears foolish/absurd to a given audience | ”folly,” “foolishness" | "the word of the cross is folly to those who are perishing” (1:18) — the cross as scandal to worldly wisdom. | मूर्खपण (mūrkhapaṇ). Risk: Medium. |
| the cross | σταυρός | stauros | execution stake | instrument of Roman capital punishment; by metonymy, Christ’s atoning death | ”cross,” “the message of the cross” | The content and instrument of the gospel itself — the central theme of the doctrine “The Cross as Wisdom and Power.” | क्रूस (established Marathi/Konkani Devanagari Christian-tradition loanword, distinct from Romi Konkani’s “Khuris”). Risk: Critical — this term carries the entire doctrinal weight of the atonement; must never be softened to a generic “suffering” or “sacrifice” term. |
| power of God | δύναμις θεοῦ | dynamis theou | God’s might/capability | God’s effective saving power, as opposed to human strength or rhetorical persuasiveness | ”power of God" | "the word of the cross is… the power of God” (1:18); “Christ the power of God” (1:24). | देवाचें सामर्थ्य (reuses baseline power_of_god term exactly). Risk: High (baseline). NEVER शक्ती (Shakta-goddess associations). |
| boasting | καυχάομαι | kauchaomai | to boast, glory in | pride in an achievement or possession | ”boast,” “glory in" | "let the one who boasts, boast in the Lord” (1:31) — redirects all merit-based pride toward God alone. | फुशारकी मारप. Risk: Medium — reinforces the grace-not-merit theme; ties to karma-merit worldview cautions already established in the Romans baseline for grace/righteousness. |
Chapter 2 — The Spirit-Revealed Wisdom of God
| Term | Greek | Translit. | Literal Meaning | Semantic Range | English Variants | Contextual Theological Meaning | Konkani Rendering & Risk |
|---|
| mystery | μυστήριον | mystērion | hidden thing now disclosed | a divine secret formerly hidden, now revealed in the gospel | ”mystery,” “secret" | "we impart a secret and hidden wisdom of God” (2:7) — revealed, not esoterically discovered. | रहस्य (rahasya). Risk: Medium — new term; must be marked as revealed by God to all who believe, not an initiate-only esoteric secret reserved for a spiritual elite (as in some Tantric or guru-lineage “secret knowledge” traditions). |
| natural/soulish person | ψυχικὸς ἄνθρωπος | psychikos anthrōpos | person of the ψυχή (soul/natural life) | the unregenerate person, perceiving by natural faculties alone | ”natural person,” “unspiritual person" | "the natural person does not accept the things of the Spirit of God” (2:14). | प्राणिक मनीस (soul-level/natural person). Risk: Medium — new term; contrasts with the Spirit-indwelt person below. |
| spiritual (person) | πνευματικός | pneumatikos | of the πνεῦμα (Spirit) | Spirit-indwelt, Spirit-discerning | ”spiritual person" | "the spiritual person discerns all things” (2:15). | आत्मिक मनीस, using आत्मिक consistent with baseline’s आत्मिक वरदान (spiritual gifts). Risk: Medium. |
| mind of Christ | νοῦς Χριστοῦ | nous Christou | Christ’s mind/thinking | Christ’s own perspective and purposes, given to believers via the Spirit | ”the mind of Christ" | "we have the mind of Christ” (2:16) — climactic claim of Spirit-given understanding. | ख्रिस्ताचें मन. Risk: Medium. |
| Spirit of God | πνεῦμα τοῦ θεοῦ | pneuma tou theou | God’s Spirit | the Holy Spirit, personal and divine | ”Spirit of God,” “Holy Spirit” | Reuses the Holy Spirit doctrine throughout ch.2. | पवित्र आत्मा (reuses baseline exactly). Risk: Critical (baseline). NEVER ब्रह्म/परमात्मा. |
Chapter 3 — Foundation, Field, and Temple
| Term | Greek | Translit. | Literal Meaning | Semantic Range | English Variants | Contextual Theological Meaning | Konkani Rendering & Risk |
|---|
| divisions/quarreling | σχίσματα/ἔρις | (as ch.1) | | | | “jealousy and strife” (3:3) as evidence of worldly immaturity. | फूट/भांडण (reused from ch.1). Risk: Medium (as ch.1). |
| foundation | θεμέλιος | themelios | base, footing | the founding element on which a structure is built | ”foundation" | "I laid a foundation… Jesus Christ” (3:10-11) — Christ as the sole valid foundation. | पाया (foundation). Risk: Low. |
| fellow worker | συνεργός | synergos | co-worker | one who labors alongside another toward a shared goal | ”fellow worker,” “co-laborer" | "we are God’s fellow workers” (3:9) — ministers serve under God, not as rival gurus. | सहकारी (co-worker). Risk: Low. |
| temple of God | ναός θεοῦ | naos theou | God’s dwelling-shrine | the inner sanctuary where deity is believed to dwell (as opposed to ἱερόν, the wider temple precinct) | “temple of God,” “God’s sanctuary" | "you are God’s temple and God’s Spirit dwells in you” (3:16-17) — corporate believers as the place of God’s own indwelling presence. | देवाचें मंदिर. Risk: Critical — मंदिर is the everyday Konkani word for a Hindu temple (Shantadurga Mandir, Mangueshi Mandir, Mahalasa Mandir). Every occurrence must carry a translator note: this is the unique, exclusive indwelling of the one true God’s Spirit in his people, not a shrine housing one deity-image among many, and must never be read as validating temple-image devotion. |
| wisdom of the world | σοφία τοῦ κόσμου | sophia tou kosmou | worldly wisdom | (as ch.1) | “the wisdom of this world" | "the wisdom of this world is folly with God” (3:19). | संसाराचें ज्ञान (reused qualifier from ch.1). Risk: High (as ch.1). |
Chapter 4 — Stewards of the Mysteries, Apostolic Fatherhood
| Term | Greek | Translit. | Literal Meaning | Semantic Range | English Variants | Contextual Theological Meaning | Konkani Rendering & Risk |
|---|
| steward | οἰκονόμος | oikonomos | household manager | a trusted manager of another’s estate/resources, accountable to the owner | ”steward,” “manager" | "stewards of the mysteries of God” (4:1) — ministers as accountable trustees, not owners or independent gurus. | कारभारी (kārbhārī, steward/manager). Risk: Medium — new term; note the distinction from a household servant with no authority: a steward has delegated, accountable authority. |
| mysteries of God | μυστήρια θεοῦ | mystēria theou | God’s hidden things | (as ch.2) applied specifically to gospel content entrusted to ministers | ”mysteries of God” | Reuses ch.2’s mystery term. | देवाचीं रहस्यां (reuses रहस्य). Risk: Medium (as ch.2). |
| father (spiritual) | πατήρ | patēr | father | Paul’s spiritual, not biological, fatherhood of the Corinthian church | ”father,” “spiritual father" | "I became your father through the gospel” (4:15) — metaphorical extension of the baseline Father term. | पिता (reuses baseline, applied metaphorically to Paul). Risk: Medium — must be clearly marked as metaphorical spiritual fatherhood through gospel proclamation, distinct from the baseline’s Critical use of पिता for God the Father; do not conflate Paul’s fatherhood with divine Fatherhood. |
| kingdom of God | βασιλεία θεοῦ | basileia theou | God’s reign | (as Romans baseline) | “kingdom of God" | "the kingdom of God does not consist in talk but in power” (4:20). | देवाचें राज्य (reuses baseline exactly). Risk: Medium (baseline). |
Chapter 5 — Church Discipline and Holiness
| Term | Greek | Translit. | Literal Meaning | Semantic Range | English Variants | Contextual Theological Meaning | Konkani Rendering & Risk |
|---|
| sexual immorality | πορνεία | porneia | fornication, sexual sin broadly | any sexual relationship outside biblical marriage; here specifically incest (“a man has his father’s wife”) | “sexual immorality,” “fornication” | Case study opening the church-discipline theme; “a kind not tolerated even among the pagans” (5:1). | व्यभिचार (vyabhicār, sexual immorality). Risk: High — new term; must retain full moral seriousness without reducing to a private/victimless matter, and must be distinguished in this specific case from adultery alone (this instance is incest). |
| hand over to Satan | παραδοῦναι τῷ Σατανᾷ | paradounai tō Satana | to deliver to Satan | formal act of church discipline removing a person from the community’s protective fellowship | ”deliver to Satan,” “hand over to Satan" | "deliver this man to Satan for the destruction of the flesh, so that his spirit may be saved” (5:5) — corrective, restorative discipline, not vindictive punishment. | सैतानाच्या हवाल्यान करप. Risk: High — new term (सैतान, established transliteration for “Satan,” reused). Must be framed as severe but restorative church discipline aimed at ultimate salvation, not a curse or magical malediction. |
| leaven/unleavened | ζύμη/ἄζυμος | zymē/azymos | yeast / without yeast | Passover imagery: sin as a small corrupting agent that spreads through the whole community | ”leaven,” “unleavened,” “old/new leaven" | "cleanse out the old leaven… Christ our Passover lamb has been sacrificed” (5:6-8). | खमीर / बेखमिरी. Risk: Medium — requires an explanatory note on the Passover background, since this agricultural/festival metaphor and its OT background are not native to Konkani cultural memory. |
| purge/cleanse | ἐκκαθαίρω | ekkathairō | to cleanse out thoroughly | removal of a corrupting element from a community | ”cleanse out,” “purge" | "cleanse out the old leaven” (5:7). | साफ करप (cleanse). Risk: Low. |
Chapter 6 — The Body as God’s Temple, Lawsuits, Sexual Purity
| Term | Greek | Translit. | Literal Meaning | Semantic Range | English Variants | Contextual Theological Meaning | Konkani Rendering & Risk |
|---|
| body | σῶμα | sōma | physical body | the whole embodied person; also (elsewhere) the body of Christ corporately | ”body" | "the body is… for the Lord” (6:13); “your bodies are members of Christ” (6:15) — bodily existence matters to God, against any view that treats the body as spiritually irrelevant or merely a temporary shell to be discarded. | शरीर (śarīra). Risk: Medium-High — new term, but doctrinally load-bearing across chs. 6, 11, 12, 15; must not be diminished as unimportant compared to the soul (a risk given some popular devotional frameworks that treat the body as illusory/disposable). |
| temple of the Holy Spirit | ναὸς τοῦ ἁγίου πνεύματος | naos tou hagiou pneumatos | shrine of the Holy Spirit | individual believer’s body as the Spirit’s dwelling | ”temple of the Holy Spirit" | "your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you” (6:19) — grounds sexual ethics in the Spirit’s indwelling presence. | पवित्र आत्म्याचें मंदिर. Risk: Critical (as ch.3’s देवाचें मंदिर) — same मंदिर collision risk, now applied to the individual body; requires the same distinguishing translator note. |
| bought with a price | ἠγοράσθητε τιμῆς | ēgorasthēte timēs | purchased at a cost | redemption imagery — believers belong to God, having been bought | ”bought with a price" | "you were bought with a price; so glorify God in your body” (6:20) — grounds holy living in the cost of redemption, not self-effort. | मोल दिवन विकत घेतलां. Risk: High — redemption/purchase imagery not yet in the Romans baseline; flag for consistency with any future “redemption” glossary entry; must not read as a commercial transaction devoid of grace. |
| join/unite | κολλᾶσθαι | kollasthai | to be glued/joined | intimate union, here of sexual union “one flesh" | "joined,” “united,” “one flesh" | "he who is joined to a prostitute becomes one body with her” (6:16) — sexual union as a real, not merely symbolic, joining. | एकठाय जावप (become joined/one). Risk: Medium. |
Chapter 7 — Marriage, Singleness, and Calling in One’s Station
| Term | Greek | Translit. | Literal Meaning | Semantic Range | English Variants | Contextual Theological Meaning | Konkani Rendering & Risk |
|---|
| marriage | γάμος | gamos | wedding, marriage | the marriage relationship/institution | ”marriage” | Governs the whole chapter’s teaching on marriage and singleness. | लग्न (lagna). Risk: Medium — must be presented as a good, God-ordained state (not inferior to singleness) while singleness is presented as an equally valid, gifted calling — avoiding both an over-sacralized ritual reading of लग्न (given Goa’s elaborate Hindu wedding-ritual associations) and a devaluing of marriage. |
| virgin | παρθένος | parthenos | virgin, unmarried person | an unmarried person, sometimes gender-neutral in Koine usage | ”virgin,” “betrothed,” “unmarried" | "concerning the betrothed… it is good for him to remain as he is” (7:25-38). | कुमारी (kumārī). Risk: Medium. |
| divorce/separate | χωρίζω | chōrizō | to separate | marital separation/divorce | ”separate,” “divorce" | "let not the wife separate from her husband” (7:10) — Paul addresses divorce directly, an area of significant pastoral sensitivity. | वेगळे जावप/घटस्फोट. Risk: Medium — pastoral sensitivity flag; should be routed for native speaker review given social weight of divorce in Konkani/Goan family structures. |
| bondservant/slave | δοῦλος | doulos | slave, bondservant | one owned by and obligated to a master; also spiritual metaphor “slave of Christ" | "slave,” “bondservant,” “servant" | "were you a slave when called? … you are a slave of Christ” (7:21-22) — social status is relativized by one’s deeper identity in Christ. | गुलाम (gulām). Risk: Medium — new term; when used metaphorically of Christ (“slave of Christ”), must be clearly marked as willing, honored belonging to Christ, not degrading bondage, and handled sensitively given regional histories of servitude. |
| calling (to one’s station) | κλῆσις | klēsis | calling | here extended beyond salvation-calling to one’s social/marital station at conversion | ”calling,” “condition,” “state" | "let each person lead the life… in which God has called him” (7:17-24) — an extended, non-soteriological use of the baseline calling term. | बोलावणें (reuses baseline exactly, extended sense). Risk: High (baseline) — flag the extended non-salvific usage for reviewer awareness so it is not confused with effectual calling to salvation. |
| self-control | ἐγκράτεια | enkrateia | self-mastery | restraint of desire/appetite | ”self-control" | "if they cannot exercise self-control, they should marry” (7:9). | आत्मसंयम (ātmasanyam, self-restraint). Risk: Medium — must be distinguished from ascetic sense-mastery (indriya-nigraha) pursued as a spiritual discipline/merit-earning practice in yogic traditions; here it is a practical, non-meritorious virtue. |
Chapter 8 — Idol Meat, Knowledge, and the Weaker Brother
| Term | Greek | Translit. | Literal Meaning | Semantic Range | English Variants | Contextual Theological Meaning | Konkani Rendering & Risk |
|---|
| idol | εἴδωλον | eidōlon | image, likeness | a manufactured cult image believed by worshippers to house or represent a deity | ”idol" | "an idol has no real existence” (8:4) — the theological premise underlying the whole liberty discussion. | मूर्ती (mūrtī). Risk: Critical — मूर्ती is the exact standard word for a Hindu deity-image (murti puja is central to Goan Hindu temple worship: Shantadurga, Mangueshi, Mahalasa). Must be handled with theological precision (idols “are nothing” in themselves, 8:4, yet real spiritual danger attaches to idol-worship per ch.10) rather than blanket cultural insult; route for theologian review every occurrence. |
| food offered to idols | εἰδωλόθυτον | eidōlothyton | idol-sacrificed thing | meat from animals ritually offered to a deity, later sold in the marketplace | ”food offered to idols,” “idol meat” | The central practical case of the doctrine “Christian Liberty and Idol Meat.” | मूर्तींक अर्पिल्लें अन्न. Risk: High — must retain the specific ritual background (temple-sacrificed food re-entering the general market) so readers understand why this is a live pastoral issue and not an abstract dietary rule. |
| conscience | συνείδησις | syneidēsis | co-knowledge, moral awareness | inner moral faculty judging right/wrong | ”conscience" | "his conscience, being weak, is defiled” (8:7) — central pastoral concern of liberty limited by love for weaker believers. | विवेकबुद्धी (vivekabuddhī). Risk: Medium. |
| knowledge | γνῶσις | gnōsis | knowing, knowledge | intellectual/theological understanding; near-synonym of σοφία in this letter | ”knowledge" | "knowledge puffs up, but love builds up” (8:1) — knowledge without love is dangerous. | ज्ञान (same rendering as σοφία; Greek treats these as near-synonyms in this letter — see ch.1 note). Risk: High — same Jnana-marga collision risk as σοφία; must always be paired with love (13:2, “if I have all knowledge… but have not love, I am nothing”) to avoid it standing as an independent path to spiritual attainment. |
| weak brother | ἀδελφὸς ἀσθενής | adelphos asthenēs | weak/sick brother | a fellow believer whose conscience is not yet fully free regarding a disputable matter | ”weak brother,” “one with a weak conscience" | "by your knowledge this weak person is destroyed” (8:11) — love limits liberty. | कमजोर भाव (weak brother). Risk: Low-Medium. |
Chapter 9 — Apostolic Rights Foregone for the Gospel
| Term | Greek | Translit. | Literal Meaning | Semantic Range | English Variants | Contextual Theological Meaning | Konkani Rendering & Risk |
|---|
| right/authority | ἐξουσία | exousia | authority, right | a legitimate entitlement or freedom of action | ”right,” “authority" | "do we not have the right to eat and drink…?” (9:4) — Paul voluntarily forgoes a legitimate right for the gospel’s sake. | हक्क (hakka, right). Risk: Low-Medium. |
| gospel | εὐαγγέλιον | euangelion | (as core passage) | | | “so as to obstruct the gospel of Christ” (9:12), “I do it all for the sake of the gospel” (9:23). | सुवार्ता (reuses baseline exactly). Risk: High (baseline). |
| crown | στέφανος | stephanos | wreath, garland | a victor’s prize (athletic or honorary), here contrasted with a perishable prize | ”crown,” “wreath" | "they do it to receive a perishable wreath, but we an imperishable” (9:25). | मुगुट (mugutt, crown/wreath). Risk: Low, but pairs with ch.15’s अविनाशी (imperishable) — flag for consistency. |
| race/contest | ἀγών/τρέχω | agōn/trechō | contest, race | athletic competition metaphor for disciplined ministry | ”race,” “run" | "run in such a way as to obtain it” (9:24) — disciplined effort as grace’s fruit, not merit’s cause (consistent with ch.15:10’s labor theme). | शर्यत (śaryat, race/contest). Risk: Low. |
| bring the body into subjection | δουλαγωγέω | doulagōgeō | to lead as a slave, bring under control | rigorous self-discipline of the body | ”discipline my body,” “bring it into subjection" | "I discipline my body and keep it under control” (9:27). | आपल्या शरिराक शिस्तींत हाडप. Risk: Medium — must be framed as disciplined stewardship of the body for gospel effectiveness, not ascetic self-mortification aimed at earning merit or liberation (avoid conflating with tapasya/austerity practices). |
Chapter 10 — Idolatry Warned Against, the Lord’s Table
| Term | Greek | Translit. | Literal Meaning | Semantic Range | English Variants | Contextual Theological Meaning | Konkani Rendering & Risk |
|---|
| idolatry | εἰδωλολατρία | eidōlolatria | idol-worship | the act/practice of worshipping images | ”idolatry" | "flee from idolatry” (10:14) — direct exhortation building on ch.8’s premise. | मूर्तीपूजा (mūrtīpūjā). Risk: Critical — this is the precise, everyday term for the worship practice at Goan Hindu temples; must be handled with theological clarity (why idolatry is spiritually dangerous per 10:20, “what pagans sacrifice, they offer to demons”) without becoming a blanket insult toward Hindu neighbors; route every occurrence for theologian review. |
| temptation | πειρασμός | peirasmos | trial, testing | testing that may lead to sin, or a trial of faith | ”temptation,” “testing" | "no temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man… God will provide a way of escape” (10:13). | मोह/परीक्षा. Risk: Low. |
| fellowship (of Christ’s body/blood) | κοινωνία | koinōnia | (as ch.1) | applied specifically to Lord’s Supper participation | ”participation,” “communion" | "the cup… is it not a participation in the blood of Christ? The bread… a participation in the body of Christ?” (10:16) — foundational Lord’s Supper text. | सहभागिता (reuses baseline exactly, extended to Lord’s Supper context). Risk: Medium-High — flag for consistency with ch.11’s Lord’s Supper vocabulary. |
| table of the Lord | τράπεζα κυρίου | trapeza kyriou | the Lord’s table | the Lord’s Supper as covenant meal, contrasted with pagan sacrificial banquets | ”the Lord’s table,” “the table of demons" | "you cannot partake of the table of the Lord and the table of demons” (10:21). | प्रभूचो मेज (reuses baseline प्रभू). Risk: High. |
| demons | δαιμόνια | daimonia | lesser spiritual beings | fallen spiritual beings hostile to God, behind pagan sacrifice | ”demons" | "what pagans sacrifice, they offer to demons and not to God” (10:20). | भूत-पिशाच. Risk: Medium-High — new term; must be distinguished from Konkani folk-belief bhoot-pisach (restless human ghosts) and from mythological asura/rakshasa beings; biblical demons are fallen spiritual beings under God’s judgment, opposed to the one true God specifically, not generic malevolent folklore spirits. Route for native speaker review. |
Chapter 11 — Head Coverings and the Lord’s Supper
| Term | Greek | Translit. | Literal Meaning | Semantic Range | English Variants | Contextual Theological Meaning | Konkani Rendering & Risk |
|---|
| head (headship) | κεφαλή | kephalē | head (body part); metaphor of authority/source | literal head; metaphorically, authority-relationship or “source" | "head,” “headship" | "the head of every man is Christ, the head of a wife is her husband, the head of Christ is God” (11:3) — a contested, sensitivity-flagged passage. | Literal: डोकें; metaphorical headship: मुखेलपण. Risk: High — significant contemporary gender-role sensitivity; flag for native speaker/theologian review to ensure the metaphorical “headship” sense is not read as denying the co-equal dignity affirmed elsewhere in the letter (e.g. 11:11-12). |
| head covering | κατακαλύπτω | katakalyptō | to cover down/over | the practice of veiling the head in worship | ”cover the head,” “veil" | "any wife who prays or prophesies with her head unveiled dishonors her head” (11:5). | डोकें झांकप. Risk: Medium — cultural-practice flag; note that head-covering customs already exist in regional dress norms (e.g. the pallu/sari veil) and can be explained with reference to first-century honor/shame customs rather than treated as a timeless universal rule without qualification. |
| Lord’s Supper | κυριακὸν δεῖπνον | kyriakon deipnon | the Lord’s dinner/meal | the sacramental covenant meal instituted by Christ | ”Lord’s Supper" | "when you come together, it is not the Lord’s Supper that you eat” (11:20) — Paul rebukes its abuse via factional, exclusionary eating. | प्रभू भोजन (reuses baseline प्रभू). Risk: High — new compound term central to the doctrine “The Lord’s Supper”; must be kept consistent across chs. 10-11. |
| bread | ἄρτος | artos | bread | the loaf used in the Supper, and Christ’s body | ”bread" | "This is my body, which is for you” (11:24). | भाकर (established Marathi/Konkani Bible-tradition word for bread). Risk: Medium. |
| cup | ποτήριον | potērion | cup | the cup used in the Supper, representing the new covenant in Christ’s blood | ”cup" | "This cup is the new covenant in my blood” (11:25) — reuses baseline करार (covenant). | प्यालो. Risk: Medium. |
| remembrance | ἀνάμνησις | anamnēsis | recollection, memorial | commemorative re-presentation, not mere recollection | ”remembrance,” “memorial" | "do this in remembrance of me” (11:24-25). | आठवण (āṭhavaṇ). Risk: Low-Medium. |
| unworthily | ἀναξίως | anaxiōs | not worthily | partaking of the Supper in a manner inconsistent with its meaning (e.g. factional exclusion) | “in an unworthy manner" | "whoever eats… in an unworthy manner will be guilty” (11:27). | अयोग्य रितीन. Risk: Medium — must be framed as a warning against factional/careless participation (the letter’s own context), not as a general worthiness-by-merit test contradicting grace. |
| discern (the body) | διακρίνω | diakrinō | to judge through, distinguish | perceiving/recognizing the true significance of something | ”discern,” “judge rightly,” “recognize" | "not discerning the body, eats and drinks judgment” (11:29) — failing to recognize the church/Christ’s body in the shared meal. | वळखप/परखप (recognize/discern). Risk: Medium-High. |
Chapter 12 — Spiritual Gifts and One Body
| Term | Greek | Translit. | Literal Meaning | Semantic Range | English Variants | Contextual Theological Meaning | Konkani Rendering & Risk |
|---|
| spiritual gifts | χαρίσματα | charismata | grace-gifts | Spirit-given enablements for building up the church | ”spiritual gifts,” “gifts” | (as Romans baseline) “there are varieties of gifts, but the same Spirit” (12:4). | आत्मिक वरदान (reuses baseline exactly). Risk: Medium (baseline). |
| spiritual things | πνευματικά | pneumatika | Spirit-things | broader term for Spirit-related matters/manifestations, overlapping with χαρίσματα | ”spiritual gifts,” “spiritual matters" | "concerning spiritual gifts, brothers, I do not want you to be uninformed” (12:1). | आत्मिक गजाली (spiritual matters). Risk: Medium — new term, closely related to आत्मिक वरदान; keep distinguishable in glossary but interchangeable pastorally. |
| body of Christ | σῶμα Χριστοῦ | sōma Christou | Christ’s body | the church as a single organic, interdependent body with Christ as head | ”body of Christ" | "you are the body of Christ and individually members of it” (12:27) — the doctrinal heart of “Spiritual Gifts and the Body of Christ.” | ख्रिस्ताचें शरीर (reuses शरीर from ch.6). Risk: High. |
| members | μέλη | melē | limbs, body parts | individual believers as interdependent parts of the one body | ”members" | "the body does not consist of one member but of many” (12:14). | अवयव (avayav, body parts/members). Risk: Low-Medium. |
| tongues | γλῶσσαι | glōssai | tongues, languages | Spirit-given utterance, whether known human languages or ecstatic prayer-speech | ”tongues,” “languages" | "to another various kinds of tongues” (12:10) — a spiritual gift requiring interpretation for corporate benefit (developed further in ch.14). | भाशा (bhāṣā, tongues/languages). Risk: Medium — flag for native speaker review; ensure it is read as a Spirit-given gift for edification (ch.14), not conflated with trance/ecstatic utterance practices found in some regional folk-religious or spirit-possession contexts. |
| interpretation (of tongues) | ἑρμηνεία γλωσσῶν | hermēneia glōssōn | translation of tongues | the accompanying gift making tongues-speech intelligible to the congregation | ”interpretation of tongues" | "to another the interpretation of tongues” (12:10). | भाशेचो अर्थ सांगपाचें वरदान. Risk: Medium. |
| gifts of healing | ἰάματα | iamata | healings | Spirit-given power to heal | ”gifts of healing" | "to another gifts of healing” (12:9). | बरें करपाचें वरदान. Risk: Low-Medium. |
| workings of miracles | ἐνεργήματα δυνάμεων | energēmata dynameōn | workings of powers | Spirit-given miraculous acts | ”workings of miracles,” “miraculous powers" | "to another the working of miracles” (12:10). | चमत्कारांचें सामर्थ्य (reuses सामर्थ्य, never शक्ती). Risk: Medium (baseline power-of-God caution applies). |
Chapter 13 — Love as the Greater Way
| Term | Greek | Translit. | Literal Meaning | Semantic Range | English Variants | Contextual Theological Meaning | Konkani Rendering & Risk |
|---|
| love | ἀγάπη | agapē | self-giving love | selfless, willed love, seeking the good of the other regardless of merit or feeling; distinct from erotic desire (ἔρως) or mere affection (φιλία) | “love,” “charity” (KJV) | The “more excellent way” (12:31) superior even to prophecy, tongues, and knowledge (13:1-3); “the greatest of these is love” (13:13) — anchors the doctrine “Love as the Greater Way.” | प्रीती (prītī). Risk: Critical — book-defining forbidden-substitution flag. NEVER माया (māyā) — in Advaita Vedantic philosophy माया names the cosmic illusion obscuring true reality, the opposite of a term meant to name the deepest, most real thing in existence; using it for ἀγάπη would be doctrinally catastrophic. Also avoid unqualified भक्ती (devotional worship-love directed at a chosen deity, per the baseline’s faith entry) since ἀγάπη here is interpersonal, self-giving love between believers modeled on God’s own character, not devotional worship. |
| patient/long-suffering | μακροθυμία / μακροθυμεῖ | makrothymia | long-tempered | patient endurance without retaliation | ”patient,” “long-suffering" | "love is patient” (13:4). | सहनशीलता. Risk: Low. |
| envy | ζηλόω | zēloō | to be jealous/zealous | envious rivalry (negative sense here) | “envy,” “is jealous" | "love does not envy” (13:4) — directly rebukes the party-rivalry (ζῆλος/ἔρις) of chs. 1, 3. | मत्सर/हेवा. Risk: Low. |
| the perfect/complete | τὸ τέλειον | to teleion | the complete/mature thing | fullness/completeness, contrasted with the “partial” (ἐκ μέρους) present gifts | ”the perfect,” “the complete,” “maturity" | "when the perfect comes, the partial will pass away” (13:10) — eschatological completeness. | पूर्णता (pūrṇatā, completeness). Risk: Medium — note a loose surface resemblance to the Hindu philosophical concept of pūrṇa/pūrṇatva (wholeness/completeness of Brahman) exists; ensure this is understood here as the eschatological fullness Christ brings at his return, not an abstract metaphysical totality achieved through contemplation. |
Chapter 14 — Order in Worship: Prophecy and Tongues
| Term | Greek | Translit. | Literal Meaning | Semantic Range | English Variants | Contextual Theological Meaning | Konkani Rendering & Risk |
|---|
| prophecy | προφητεία | prophēteia | (as Romans baseline) | | | “earnestly desire the spiritual gifts, especially that you may prophesy” (14:1) — prioritized over tongues for corporate edification. | भविष्यवाणी (reuses baseline exactly). Risk: Low (baseline). |
| tongues | γλῶσσαι | (as ch.12) | | | | Regulated for corporate worship: requires interpretation, limited number of speakers. | भाशा (reuses ch.12). Risk: Medium (as ch.12). |
| edification/build up | οἰκοδομή | oikodomē | building, construction | strengthening and growth of the church community | ”build up,” “edification" | "let all things be done for building up” (14:26) — the governing principle of the whole chapter. | वाड (reuses the Romans-baseline mutual_edification doctrine term “एकामेकांची वाड”). Risk: Low (baseline). |
| order | τάξις | taxis | arrangement, sequence | orderliness as opposed to chaos | ”order,” “in an orderly way" | "let all things be done decently and in order” (14:40) — governing principle for the doctrine “Order in Worship.” | सुवेव्यवस्था/क्रम. Risk: Low-Medium. |
| silence | ἡσυχία / σιγάω | hēsychia/sigaō | quietness, silence | keeping silent in a specific regulated setting | ”keep silent,” “be silent" | "the women should keep silent in the churches” (14:34) — a passage requiring significant pastoral and cultural-context sensitivity in application. | मौन/गप्प रावप. Risk: Medium-High — flag for native speaker and theologian review together; requires careful contextual framing (addressing a specific disorderly situation in Corinth) rather than an unqualified universal rule, consistent with the letter’s own stated goal of orderly, edifying worship for all. |
Chapter 15 — The Resurrection (vv. 1-11 treated fully above; additional terms in vv. 12-58)
Verses 1-11 are treated in full in Part 1. The remainder of the chapter (15:12-58) develops the doctrine further with the following additional load-bearing terms:
| Term | Greek | Translit. | Literal Meaning | Semantic Range | English Variants | Contextual Theological Meaning | Konkani Rendering & Risk |
|---|
| firstfruits | ἀπαρχή | aparchē | first portion of a harvest | the initial harvest offering guaranteeing/representing the full harvest to come | ”firstfruits" | "Christ the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep” (15:20) — Christ’s resurrection guarantees believers’ future bodily resurrection. | पयलें फळ (first fruit). Risk: Medium — requires brief explanatory note on the OT firstfruits-offering background; must be framed strictly as guaranteeing future bodily resurrection, not as a harvest-festival ritual parallel to regional Hindu harvest observances. |
| imperishable | ἄφθαρτος | aphthartos | not subject to decay | incapable of corruption or decay; of the resurrection body | ”imperishable,” “incorruptible" | "raised imperishable” (15:42, 52) — describes the transformed resurrection body. | अविनाशी (avwināśī). Risk: Critical — new, book-specific forbidden-substitution-adjacent flag. अविनाशी is the very term the Bhagavad Gita (2:17) uses for the eternal, imperishable soul (Atman), explicitly as distinct from the perishable body. Paul’s point is the reverse emphasis: the body itself is transformed and made imperishable — not that an immaterial soul alone survives while the body is discarded. MUST always be paired with शरीर (body) — e.g. अविनाशी शरीर — never left to stand alone, to prevent readers hearing a soul-only immortality claim. |
| corruption/decay | φθορά | phthora | ruin, decay | perishability, subject to decay | ”corruption,” “decay,” “perishable" | "sown in corruption, raised in incorruption” (15:42). | नाश/क्षय. Risk: Low. |
| natural body / spiritual body | σῶμα ψυχικόν / σῶμα πνευματικόν | sōma psychikon / sōma pneumatikon | soul-body / spirit-body | present, mortal, ψυχή-animated body vs. future, Spirit-empowered resurrection body | ”natural body,” “spiritual body" | "it is sown a natural body, it is raised a spiritual body” (15:44) — reuses ch.2’s ψυχικός/πνευματικός distinction, now applied to bodily existence. | प्राणिक शरीर / आत्मिक शरीर (consistent with ch.2 terms). Risk: High — must be clear that “spiritual body” (आत्मिक शरीर) is still a real, physical body transformed by the Spirit, not a disembodied spirit-state, and not reincarnation into a new physical body. |
| last Adam | ἔσχατος Ἀδάμ | eschatos Adam | final/last Adam | Christ as the second representative head of humanity, reversing the first Adam’s death | ”last Adam,” “second Adam" | "the last Adam became a life-giving spirit” (15:45). | निमाणो आदाम (using established name आदाम). Risk: Medium. |
| victory | νῖκος | nikos | victory, triumph | conquest over an enemy, here death itself | ”victory" | "Death is swallowed up in victory… thanks be to God, who gives us the victory” (15:54-57). | जैत/विजय. Risk: Low. |
| sting | κέντρον | kentron | goad, sting | that which inflicts a fatal or painful wound (of a scorpion, goad, or, metaphorically, death) | “sting" | "the sting of death is sin” (15:56). | डंख (ḍaṅkh). Risk: Low. |
| changed | ἀλλαγησόμεθα (ἀλλάσσω) | allagēsometha | we shall be changed | transformation of the living at Christ’s return, without passing through death | ”we shall be changed" | "we shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed” (15:51) — a single, final, glorifying transformation, not a repeated cycle. | बदलतले (will be changed). Risk: High — must not be read as one more cycle of rebirth/transformation (punarjanma); this is a final, once-for-all glorification of the same body, consistent with पुनरुत्थान (resurrection) rather than reincarnation. |
Chapter 16 — The Collection, Closing Greetings, and Maranatha
| Term | Greek | Translit. | Literal Meaning | Semantic Range | English Variants | Contextual Theological Meaning | Konkani Rendering & Risk |
|---|
| the collection | λογεία | logeia | a collection (of money) | a gathered monetary gift for the relief of the Jerusalem church | ”the collection,” “the offering" | "concerning the collection for the saints” (16:1) — reuses baseline पवित्र जन (saints). | वर्गणी (vargaṇī, collection/contribution). Risk: Low. |
| Maranatha | μαράνα θά | marana tha | ”Our Lord, come!” (Aramaic) | an early liturgical invocation of Christ’s return | ”Maranatha,” “Our Lord, come" | "If anyone has no love for the Lord, let him be accursed. Maranatha.” (16:22) — an Aramaic liturgical formula preserved untranslated, paralleling the baseline’s treatment of “Abba.” | मारान-अथा (transliteration retained, as with baseline’s अब्बा). Risk: Medium — retain the transliteration with a translator note giving the meaning (“Our Lord, come!”), rather than fully translating it away. |
| accursed | ἀνάθεμα | anathema | a thing devoted to destruction, cursed | formal exclusion from God’s blessing/the community, on grounds of rejecting the Lord | ”accursed,” “anathema,” “let him be cursed" | "if anyone has no love for the Lord… let him be accursed” (16:22) — solemn covenant-community exclusion formula. | शापित. Risk: Medium-High — must be framed as God’s own judgment of exclusion (a formal covenantal pronouncement), not equated with a sage’s or deity’s magical curse (शाप) common in regional Puranic narrative, even though both cultures share a grounded concept of a spoken curse; route for theologian review. |
| holy kiss | φίλημα ἅγιον | philēma hagion | holy kiss | a customary first-century greeting of familial affection among believers | ”holy kiss,” “kiss of peace" | "Greet one another with a holy kiss” (16:20). | पवित्र चुंबन, with a cultural-adaptation note recommending an equivalent warm, respectful greeting gesture customary in Konkani Christian practice (e.g. a warm embrace or greeting of peace) rather than a literal kiss, which is not a customary public greeting in this culture. Risk: Medium (practice-adaptation, not doctrinal collision). |
This document, together with 08_core_glossary.md, extends the Romans-anchored translation_memory.json and bible_term_registry.json to the full 1 Corinthians curriculum. All reused baseline terms retain their original risk tier and forbidden-substitution rules; new terms introduced here should be added to translation memory following the Phase 2 update procedure in 12_ai_translation_requirements.md.