Core Glossary
Core Glossary: Philemon (English–Korean)
A. Baseline Terms Reused Exactly (from Romans translation_memory.json)
| English term | Greek (translit.) | Korean rendering | Risk (baseline) | Doctrine | Philemon occurrence(s) | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| grace | χάρις (charis) | 은혜 (eunhye) | Critical | Grace-Motivated Obedience | v3, v25; root of χαρισθήσομαι v22 | Must reinforce unearned, non-transactional favor; connects directly to this curriculum’s “Grace-Motivated Obedience” doctrine — Philemon’s obedience (v21) must flow from grace, not 기복신앙-style obligation. |
| faith | πίστις (pistis) | 믿음 (mideum) | High | Faith | v5, v6 | Personal trust in Christ; distinguish from folk-astrological confidence per baseline note. |
| gospel | εὐαγγέλιον (euangelion) | 복음 (bogeum) | Medium | Gospel | v13 (“bonds of the gospel”) | Standard baseline caution re: 복 root and 기복신앙 applies. |
| holy / saints | ἅγιος / ἅγιοι (hagios/hagioi) | 거룩한 / 성도 (georokan / seongdo) | High | Sanctification / Sainthood | v5 (“all the saints”), v7 (“hearts of the saints”) | Corporate designation for ordinary believers, not an ascetic elite; see baseline notes. |
| lord | κύριος (kyrios) | 주님 (junim) | Critical | Lordship of Christ | v3, v5, v16, v20, v25 | v16’s “in the flesh and in the Lord” wordplay (Philemon as earthly κύριος vs. the one true Κύριος) requires theologian review. |
| christ / jesus | Χριστός / Ἰησοῦς | 그리스도 / 예수 | Critical / Medium | Christology | v1, v3, v6, v8-9, v20, v23, v25 | Standard KRV transliterations per baseline. |
| church | ἐκκλησία (ekklēsia) | 교회 (gyohoe) | Medium | Church as God’s People | v2 | House-church sense; clarify assembly, not building. |
| fellowship | κοινωνία (koinōnia) | 교제 (gyoje) | Low | Christian Fellowship | v6 | Root shared with κοινωνός (v17); see New Terms table. |
| thanksgiving | εὐχαριστία-related (εὐχαριστῶ) | 감사 (gamsa) | Low | Thanksgiving | v4 | Standard term. |
| exhort (related) | παρακαλέω (parakaleō) | 권면하다 (root); rendered contextually 간청하다 in Philemon | Low (baseline); Medium in this context | Mutual Edification / Intercession | v9, v10 | See New Terms table for the context-specific rendering rationale. |
| imputed righteousness (typological echo) | λογίζομαι-family (cf. ἐλλογέω v18) | 의로 여기심 (doctrinal term); ἐλλογέω rendered 내 앞으로 계산하라 | Critical (baseline term) / High (this echo) | Justification by Faith (typological parallel) | v18 | Distinct Greek root from the baseline term; valuable teaching parallel, not to be conflated as the same technical term. |
| righteousness (root echo) | δικ- root (cf. ἀδικέω v18) | 의 (root); ἀδικέω rendered 불의를 행하다 | Critical (baseline term) / Medium (this echo) | Universal Human Accountability (adjacent) | v18 | Interpersonal wrongdoing, not the forensic standing-before-God sense; flag distinction. |
| holy spirit (disambiguation anchor) | πνεῦμα ἅγιον (contrast term for v25’s πνεῦμα) | 성령 (baseline) vs. 너희 영 (this verse) | Critical (baseline) / High (disambiguation risk) | God | v25 | v25’s πνεῦμα is the human spirit, not the Holy Spirit; mandatory disambiguation. |
B. New Terms Proposed for the Philemon Curriculum
| English term | Greek (translit.) | Korean rendering (translit.) | Risk | Doctrine | Occurrence(s) | Translation risk notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| slave / bondservant | δοῦλος (doulos) | 종 (jong) | Critical | Slavery and the Gospel’s Transforming Power | v16 | Korea’s own hereditary 노비 slavery system (formally abolished 1894–1897) creates a specific, grounded collision risk: softening 종 toward generic “servant” erases the real social stakes; failing to show genuine transformation risks reading as hollow verbal politeness over unchanged status. Mandatory theologian review every occurrence. |
| beloved brother | ἀδελφὸς ἀγαπητός (adelphos agapētos) | 사랑받는 형제 (sarangbatneun hyeongje) | High | Christian Brotherhood across Social Status | v16 | Must retain full relational/status-equalizing force; avoid collapsing into the loosely honorific “형/형제” address common in casual modern Korean speech. Grounded in Korea’s historic yangban/commoner and 노비-class status consciousness. |
| in the flesh / in the Lord | ἐν σαρκὶ καὶ ἐν κυρίῳ | 육신으로도 주 안에서도 | High | Christian Brotherhood across Social Status; Lordship of Christ | v16 | Preserve both halves of the double-register wordplay (earthly master-relation vs. shared Lordship of Christ); omitting either half breaks the letter’s central theological move. |
| voluntary (vs. compulsion) | ἑκούσιον / ἀνάγκη (hekousion / anankē) | 자원하는 마음으로 / 억지로 | High | Grace-Motivated Obedience | v14 | Doctrinal center of this curriculum’s “Grace-Motivated Obedience”; distinguish from both 기복신앙-style obligatory religious performance and Confucian duty-compulsion (도리/의무). Requires theologian review. |
| obedience (contextual) | ὑπακοή (hypakoē) | 순종 (sunjong) | High | Grace-Motivated Obedience | v21 | Distinct from, but conceptually continuous with, the baseline doctrinal compound 믿음의 순종 (obedience of faith); here obedience to a personal apostolic appeal grounded in love, not hierarchical household/status compliance. Inherits baseline’s Confucian “three obediences” caution. |
| my very heart (splanchna) | σπλάγχνα (splanchna) | 내 마음 (nae maeum); cf. traditional 심복 (simbok) | High | Forgiveness and Reconciliation; Intercession and Appeal | v7 (saints), v12, v20 | 심복 (KRV-tradition rendering) carries Confucian loyal-retainer connotations echoing the baseline’s 의리 collision; prefer 내 마음 or footnote 심복’s connotation risk. |
| charge to my account (impute a debt) | ἐλλογέω (ellogeō) | 내 앞으로 계산하라 (nae apeuro gyesanhara) | High | Intercession and Appeal on Behalf of Another (typological link to Justification) | v18 | Rich substitutionary-imputation teaching parallel to 의로 여기심; flag as illustrative echo, not the technical doctrinal term (different Greek root than λογίζομαι). |
| I will be graciously restored/granted | χαρισθήσομαι (charisthēsomai) | 은혜로 너희에게 허락되다 | High | Grace-Motivated Obedience; Forgiveness and Reconciliation | v22 | Shares root with 은혜 (Critical baseline term); preserve the visible grace-root connection in the Korean clause wherever possible. |
| your spirit (human, not divine) | πνεῦμα (pneuma) | 너희 영 / 너희 심령 | High | (Disambiguation from Holy Spirit doctrine) | v25 | Must be unambiguously distinguished from 성령 (Holy Spirit, Critical baseline term); recommend explicit possessive phrasing. |
| child (spiritual fatherhood) | τέκνον (teknon) | 내 아들 (nae adeul) | Medium-High | Forgiveness and Reconciliation (conversion) | v10 | Distinguish from the baseline “adoption” doctrine (양자) and from Korean lineage-continuity concepts (대를 잇다); this is a spiritual-birth metaphor, not formal adoption or ancestral succession. |
| I have begotten (spiritual) | ἐγέννησα (egennēsa, γεννάω) | 낳다 (nota) | Medium-High | Forgiveness and Reconciliation (conversion) | v10 | Avoid conflating spiritual new-birth metaphor with Confucian family-lineage continuation emphasis. |
| Onesimus (name/wordplay) | Ὀνήσιμος (Onēsimos) | 오네시모 (Onesimo) | Medium | Slavery and the Gospel’s Transforming Power | v10 | Transliteration loses the name’s “useful/profitable” meaning; wordplay recurs at vv11, 20 and requires translator footnotes. |
| useless / useful | ἄχρηστος / εὔχρηστος (achrēstos / euchrēstos) | 쓸모없는 자 / 유익한 자 | Medium | Slavery and the Gospel’s Transforming Power | v11 | Wordplay with Onesimus’s name; illustrates the gospel’s transformation of actual character/value, not merely legal status. |
| partner (koinōnos) | κοινωνός (koinōnos) | 동역자 (dongyeokja) | Medium | Christian Brotherhood across Social Status | v17 | Overlaps in Korean gloss with συνεργός (“fellow worker”); distinct Greek root (κοινων- vs. συν-εργ-) worth flagging for nuance, though same target gloss may be used. |
| receive/welcome fully | προσλαμβάνω (proslambanō) | 영접하다 (yeongjeophada) | Medium | Christian Brotherhood across Social Status; Forgiveness and Reconciliation | v17 | Same verb used elsewhere of receiving fellow believers (cf. Romans 14-15 usage pattern); must carry full relational acceptance, not mere hospitality. |
| owe/be indebted / owe besides | ὀφείλω / προσοφείλω | 빚지다 / 그 위에 빚지다 | Low-Medium | Intercession and Appeal | v18-19 | Financial-debt metaphor for both Onesimus’s wrong and Philemon’s own spiritual debt to Paul. |
| repay in full | ἀποτίνω (apotinō) | 갚다 (gapda) | Low | Intercession and Appeal | v19 | Standard repayment verb. |
| boldness/confidence | παρρησία (parrēsia) | 담대함 (damdaeham) | Medium | Intercession and Appeal on Behalf of Another | v8 | Must retain the “in Christ” qualifier to avoid a merely secular self-confidence reading. |
| command | ἐπιτάσσειν (epitassein) | 명하다 (myeonghada) | Low | Intercession and Appeal | v8 | The authority Paul deliberately sets aside. |
| fitting/proper duty | ἀνῆκον (anēkon) | 마땅한 일 (ttattanghan il) | Low | Grace-Motivated Obedience | v8 | Sets up the obligation-vs-voluntary contrast completed at v14. |
| appeal/urge (contextual) | παρακαλῶ (parakalō) | 간청하다 (gancheonghada) | Medium | Intercession and Appeal on Behalf of Another | v9, v10 | Personal pleading register, distinct from the baseline’s general “exhort” (권면하다); do not conflate. |
| old man / ambassador (textual variant) | πρεσβύτης / πρεσβευτής | 나이 많은 자 / (variant) 사신·대사 | Medium | Intercession and Appeal | v9 | Genuine textual variant; requires a translator footnote regardless of which reading is chosen. |
| prisoner (of Christ) | δέσμιος (desmios) | 갇힌 자 (gachin ja) | Medium | Intercession and Appeal; Slavery and the Gospel’s Transforming Power | v1, v9, v10, v13, v23 (cf. συναιχμάλωτος) | Consistent rendering required across all occurrences; always paired with “of Christ Jesus” to avoid an ordinary-criminal reading. |
| fellow prisoner / fellow captive | συναιχμάλωτος (synaichmalōtos) | 나와 함께 사로잡힌 자 | Medium | Christian Brotherhood across Social Status | v23 | Distinct from δέσμιος; evokes a war-captive image specifically. |
| send back | ἀναπέμπω (anapempō) | 돌려보내다 (dollyeobonaeda) | Low | Forgiveness and Reconciliation | v12 | Paul’s costly, integrity-preserving return of Onesimus. |
| retain/keep for oneself | κατέχειν (katechein) | 붙들어 두다 (butdeureo duda) | Low | Intercession and Appeal | v13 | — |
| serve/minister (general) | διακονέω (diakoneō) | 섬기다 (seomgida) | Medium | Slavery and the Gospel’s Transforming Power | v13 | Distinguish from the technical “deacon” office (διάκονος) used elsewhere in this curriculum’s other books; here a general service verb. |
| consent/opinion | γνώμη (gnōmē) | 동의 (dong-ui) | Low | Grace-Motivated Obedience | v14 | — |
| good (deed) | ἀγαθόν (agathon) | 선한 일 (seonhan il) | Low | Grace-Motivated Obedience | v6, v14 | — |
| separate/part | χωρίζω (chōrizō) | 떠나다 / 헤어지다 (tteonada) | Low | Forgiveness and Reconciliation | v15 | — |
| eternal / forever | αἰώνιος (aiōnios) | 영원히 (yeongwonhi) | Medium | Forgiveness and Reconciliation | v15 | Ensure future consistency with fuller eschatological “eternal life” usage elsewhere in the curriculum. |
| have fully / possess back | ἀπέχω (apechō) | 온전히 얻다 (onjeonhi eotda) | Low | Forgiveness and Reconciliation | v15 | — |
| profit/benefit from (wordplay) | ὀνίναμαι (oninamai) | 내가 너로 인해 유익을 얻게 하라 | Medium | Forgiveness and Reconciliation | v20 | Direct wordplay with Onesimus’s name; requires footnote. |
| refresh/give rest | ἀναπαύω (anapauō) | 마음을 시원하게 하다 | Medium | Forgiveness and Reconciliation | v7, v20 | Same root across both occurrences; ties to σπλάγχνα risk. |
| confidence/trust (settled) | πεποιθώς (πείθω) | 확신하다 (hwaksinhada) | Low | Grace-Motivated Obedience | v21 | — |
| effective/active (faith) | ἐνεργής (energēs) | 효력이 있는 (hyoryeogi inneun) | Low | Christian Fellowship | v6 | — |
| full knowledge | ἐπίγνωσις (epignōsis) | 알게 됨 / 온전한 지식 | Medium | (adjacent to Inspiration/Faith doctrines) | v6 | Distinguish from esoteric “special revelation” claims of some Korean heterodox groups. |
| joy / comfort-encouragement | χαρά / παράκλησις | 기쁨 / 위로 | Low-Medium | Forgiveness and Reconciliation | v7 | παράκλησις shares a root with the baseline’s “exhort.” |
| lodging/guest room | ξενία (xenia) | 처소 (cheoso) | Low | Christian Fellowship | v22 | — |
| fellow soldier | συστρατιώτης (systratiōtēs) | 함께 병사 된 자 / 전우 | Medium | Christian Brotherhood across Social Status | v2 | Korea’s conscription culture makes this a vivid, largely positive resonance; avoid nationalistic over-reading. |
| house church | κατ’ οἶκόν ἐκκλησία | 네 집에 있는 교회 | Medium | Church as God’s People (adjacent) | v2 | Clarify as gathered assembly, not a building, given modern Korean association of 교회 with a physical structure. |
C. Proper Names (Established Transliteration Forms)
| English | Greek (translit.) | Korean | Risk | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Paul | Παῦλος (Paulos) | 바울 (Baul) | Low | Per baseline transliteration standard. |
| Timothy | Τιμόθεος (Timotheos) | 디모데 (Dimode) | Low | Established KRV form. |
| Philemon | Φιλήμων (Philēmōn) | 빌레몬 (Billemon) | Low | Established KRV form. |
| Apphia | Ἀπφία (Apphia) | 압비아 (Apbia) | Low | Established KRV form. |
| Archippus | Ἄρχιππος (Archippos) | 아킵보 (Akipbo) | Low | Established KRV form. |
| Onesimus | Ὀνήσιμος (Onēsimos) | 오네시모 (Onesimo) | Medium | See wordplay note above (New Terms table). |
| Epaphras | Ἐπαφρᾶς (Epaphras) | 에바브라 (Ebabeura) | Low | Established KRV form (cf. Colossians). |
| Mark | Μᾶρκος (Markos) | 마가 (Maga) | Low | Established KRV form. |
| Aristarchus | Ἀρίσταρχος (Aristarchos) | 아리스다고 (Aristadago) | Low | Established KRV form. |
| Demas | Δημᾶς (Dēmas) | 데마 (Dema) | Low | Established KRV form. |
| Luke | Λουκᾶς (Loukas) | 누가 (Nuga) | Low | Established KRV form. |
Risk Summary for Philemon Curriculum
| Risk tier | Count (new + baseline-reuse terms cited) | Requires |
|---|---|---|
| Critical | 2 (δοῦλος/종; grace 은혜 baseline reuse) | Mandatory human theologian review, every occurrence |
| High | 12 | Human theologian review |
| Medium | 20 | Native speaker review |
| Low | 15 | Automated review sufficient |
This glossary extends, and must never contradict, the baseline Romans translation_memory.json and bible_term_registry.json. All baseline terms cited above are reused with their exact recorded Korean rendering and risk tier. New terms proposed here are pending formal registration into an updated translation memory in a subsequent Phase 1 step.
Critical Risk Terms
Grace
Approved rendering: 은혜
Transliteration: eunhye
Doctrine: Grace
Rejected alternatives: 복, 은덕, 기복신앙식 은혜
Original: χάρις
Category: Salvation
Inherited from Romans package. CRITICAL in Philemon: opens (v3) and closes (v25) the letter, and underlies χαρισθήσομαι (v22, see new term charisthesomai_graciously_restored). Philemon’s entire appeal (vv8-21) depends on grace being non-transactional; if 은혜 drifts toward a 기복신앙-style reciprocal exchange, Paul’s whole rhetorical strategy (appeal instead of command) collapses into a disguised demand. NEVER use 복 alone or 은덕.
Lord
Approved rendering: 주님
Transliteration: junim
Doctrine: Lordship of Christ
Rejected alternatives: 주인님
Original: κύριος
Category: Christology
Inherited from Romans package. Occurs at Philemon 1:3, 5, 16, 20, 25. Verse 16’s double-register wordplay (‘in the flesh and in the Lord’) requires the 님 honorific to apply exclusively and correctly to Christ’s Lordship, never conflated with an ordinary household-master title (주인님), even though Philemon remains Onesimus’s earthly master ‘in the flesh.‘
Christ
Approved rendering: 그리스도
Transliteration: Geuriseudo
Doctrine: Christology
Rejected alternatives: 미륵
Original: Χριστός
Category: Christology
Inherited from Romans package (registered there as ‘messiah’). Standard KRV transliteration; occurs throughout Philemon (vv1, 3, 6, 8-9, 20, 23, 25).
Jesus
Approved rendering: 예수
Transliteration: Yesu
Doctrine: Lordship of Christ
Original: Ἰησοῦς
Category: Christology
Inherited from Romans package. Standard KRV transliteration; paired with 그리스도 throughout the letter.
God
Approved rendering: 하나님
Transliteration: Hananim
Doctrine: Deity of Christ
Rejected alternatives: 하느님, 천주, 산신령
Original: θεός
Category: God
Inherited from Romans package. Occurs at Philemon 1:3-4. NEVER substitute 하느님, 천주, or 산신령, for Protestant curriculum consistency and explicit monotheism.
Father
Approved rendering: 아버지
Transliteration: abeoji
Doctrine: Adoption into God’s Family
Rejected alternatives: 제사를 받는 조상
Original: πατήρ
Category: God
Inherited from Romans package. Occurs at Philemon 1:3 (‘God our Father’). This concern intensifies in Philemon because Paul separately claims spiritual fatherhood over Onesimus (v10, see new term teknon_spiritual_child / egennesa_begotten); teachers must keep the two ‘father’ senses distinct so God’s unique Fatherhood is not diluted by the human spiritual-mentor image, and must not be read through the jesa (제사) ancestor-rite lens.
Imputed Righteousness
Approved rendering: 의로 여기심
Transliteration: uiro yeogisim
Doctrine: Justification by Faith
Rejected alternatives: 의리로 얻은 의, 도를 닦아 얻은 의
Inherited from Romans package. Cited in Philemon only as a teaching parallel to ἐλλογέω (v18, see new term ellogeo_charge_account) — Paul’s offer to have Onesimus’s debt charged to his own account vividly illustrates the substitutionary principle behind this doctrine, though ἐλλογέω is a distinct Greek root from λογίζομαι (Romans 4). Do not conflate the two technical terms when teaching.
Holy Spirit
Approved rendering: 성령
Transliteration: seongnyeong
Doctrine: Sanctification
Rejected alternatives: 신령, 귀신, 무당이 부르는 영
Inherited from Romans package. Cited in Philemon only as the mandatory disambiguation anchor for πνεῦμα at v25 (see new term pneuma_human_spirit), which refers to the human spirit, NOT the Holy Spirit. NEVER use 성령 to render v25’s πνεῦμα.
Slave Doulos
Approved rendering: 종
Transliteration: jong
Doctrine: Slavery and the Gospel’s Transforming Power
Rejected alternatives: 노비 (본문 대체 불가, 배경설명 전용), 하인 (사회적 위상 약화 위험), 종업원
Original: δοῦλος
Category: Slavery and Social Status
NEW TERM, CRITICAL. Philemon 1:16, δοῦλος. Korea maintained its own hereditary chattel-slavery system, 노비 (nobi), formally abolished only in 1894-1897 — a documented, comparatively recent national memory structurally analogous to Roman δουλεία. Two opposite risks must be guarded against: (1) softening 종 toward generic ‘servant/employee,’ erasing the real social-status stakes; (2) treating the gospel’s transformation as hollow verbal relabeling over an unchanged hierarchy. ADDITIONAL RISK specific to Korean: 종 is also the root of the extremely common devotional self-designation ‘주의 종’ (‘the Lord’s servant’), a believer’s voluntary self-humbling before God — this devotional sense must NEVER be allowed to soften v16’s actual social-legal bondage sense. Mandatory theologian review every occurrence. 노비 may be used only in background teaching notes, never as an in-text substitute.
High Risk Terms
Faith
Approved rendering: 믿음
Transliteration: mideum
Doctrine: Faith
Rejected alternatives: 미신적 믿음, 사주팔자를 믿는 것
Original: πίστις
Category: Faith
Inherited from Romans package. Occurs at Philemon 1:5-6, describing Philemon’s own faith. Personal trust in Christ specifically, not generic piety or confidence placed in fortune-telling/astrology.
Holy
Approved rendering: 거룩한
Transliteration: georokan
Doctrine: Sanctification
Rejected alternatives: 부정을 씻은, 정결한 (무속 의미)
Original: ἅγιος
Category: Sanctification
Inherited from Romans package. Underlies ‘the saints’ (성도) at vv5, 7. Avoid any shamanistic ritual-purity reading (부정을 씻음).
Saints
Approved rendering: 성도
Transliteration: seongdo
Doctrine: Sainthood
Rejected alternatives: 신선, 도인
Original: ἅγιοι
Category: Church
Inherited from Romans package. Occurs at Philemon 1:5 (‘all the saints’) and 1:7 (‘hearts of the saints’). Corporate designation for all ordinary believers, never an elevated ascetic class (avoid 신선, 도인).
Righteousness
Approved rendering: 의
Transliteration: ui
Doctrine: Salvation
Rejected alternatives: 의리, 도덕
Inherited from Romans package. Cited in Philemon only as the root shared with ἀδικέω (‘wronged,’ v18, see new term adikeo_wrongdoing); flag the connection for teaching purposes (interpersonal wrongdoing vs. forensic unrighteousness before God) without conflating the two doctrinal registers.
Teknon Spiritual Child
Approved rendering: 내 아들
Transliteration: nae adeul
Doctrine: Spiritual Fatherhood and New Birth
Rejected alternatives: 양자 (baseline adoption doctrine, 혼동 금지)
Original: τέκνον
Category: Reconciliation
NEW TERM. Philemon 1:10, τέκνον, Paul’s claim of spiritual fatherhood over Onesimus through conversion. Must be clearly distinguished from the baseline formal doctrine of ‘adoption’ (양자, Romans 8) and from Korea’s Confucian blood-lineage/ancestral-continuity consciousness (대를 잇다). This is a spiritual-birth metaphor of conversion, not lineage continuation or formal adoption.
Egennesa Begotten
Approved rendering: 낳다
Transliteration: nota
Doctrine: Spiritual Fatherhood and New Birth
Original: ἐγέννησα
Category: Reconciliation
NEW TERM. Philemon 1:10, ἐγέννησα (‘I have begotten’), Onesimus’s conversion under Paul’s imprisonment ministry. Given Korea’s intense cultural emphasis on family lineage (echoing the baseline’s jesa/제사 cautions under ‘Father’), must be taught as a spiritual new-birth image, not conflated with continuing an ancestral line or family name.
Beloved Brother
Approved rendering: 사랑받는 형제
Transliteration: sarangbatneun hyeongje
Doctrine: Christian Brotherhood across Social Status
Rejected alternatives: 형제 (단독 사용 금지), 형 (캐주얼한 호칭)
Original: ἀδελφὸς ἀγαπητός
Category: Christian Brotherhood
NEW TERM. Philemon 1:16, ἀδελφὸς ἀγαπητός, the status Onesimus now holds, replacing δοῦλος. NEVER render as bare 형제 alone at this verse; the full phrase is mandatory. Korea’s historic yangban/commoner and 노비-class status consciousness means brotherhood language crossing a master-slave boundary is genuinely countercultural, and must not be softened into the loosely honorific ‘형/형제’ address common in casual modern Korean speech.
In Flesh In Lord
Approved rendering: 육신으로도 주 안에서도
Transliteration: yuksin-euro-do ju an-eseo-do
Doctrine: Lordship of Christ as Unifying Reality Across Social Status
Rejected alternatives: 육신적으로나 영적으로나 (원문의 이중구조 약화)
Original: ἐν σαρκὶ καὶ ἐν κυρίῳ
Category: Christian Brotherhood
NEW TERM. Philemon 1:16, ἐν σαρκὶ καὶ ἐν κυρίῳ. The letter’s central theological move: Philemon remains Onesimus’s earthly master ‘in the flesh,’ yet both stand as equals under the one true Lord. Preserve both halves literally; no natural Korean idiom captures this double register, so literalness is required over idiomatic paraphrase. Omitting either half breaks the doctrine.
Voluntary Hekousion
Approved rendering: 자원하는 마음으로
Transliteration: jawonhaneun maeumeuro
Doctrine: Grace-Motivated Obedience
Original: ἑκούσιον
Category: Grace-Motivated Obedience
NEW TERM. Philemon 1:14, ἑκούσιον, the positive pole of the v14 contrast — Philemon’s good deed must arise from free, Spirit-produced willingness. Doctrinal center of Grace-Motivated Obedience; requires theologian review, always paired with compulsion_anankē.
Compulsion Anankē
Approved rendering: 억지로
Transliteration: eokjiro
Doctrine: Grace-Motivated Obedience
Original: ἀνάγκη
Category: Grace-Motivated Obedience
NEW TERM. Philemon 1:14, ἀνάγκη, the negative pole Paul explicitly refuses. Must be distinguished from BOTH (1) 기복신앙-style transactional/obligatory religious performance (the baseline’s central grace-collision risk) AND (2) Confucian duty-compulsion (도리, 의무) that performs correct action regardless of inner willingness. Teaching notes must name both patterns explicitly, not only the more obvious Confucian one.
Splanchna Heart
Approved rendering: 내 마음
Transliteration: nae maeum
Doctrine: Forgiveness and Reconciliation
Rejected alternatives: 심복 (유교적 충성 함의 위험, 각주 없이 사용 금지)
Original: σπλάγχνα
Category: Reconciliation
NEW TERM. Philemon 1:7 (saints’ hearts), 1:12 (Onesimus), 1:20 (Paul’s own heart), σπλάγχνα. The KRV-tradition-adjacent rendering 심복 (simbok, ‘trusted confidant’) carries strong Confucian hierarchical-loyalty connotations, echoing the baseline’s 의리 (loyalty-ethics) collision; if 심복 is ever used, a mandatory footnote distinguishing it from Confucian loyal-retainer connotations is required. 내 마음 is the safer default, conveying intimate familial affection rather than hierarchical loyalty-service.
Ellogeo Charge Account
Approved rendering: 내 앞으로 계산하라
Transliteration: nae apeuro gyesanhara
Doctrine: Substitutionary Imputation (Typological Parallel)
Original: ἐλλογέω
Category: Intercession
NEW TERM. Philemon 1:18, ἐλλογέω, a legal-financial ‘charge to my account’ metaphor. A theologically rich teaching parallel to the baseline’s Critical ‘imputed righteousness’ (의로 여기심), though ἐλλογέω is a distinct Greek root from λογίζομαι (Romans 4). Teachers must draw the connection explicitly while keeping the vocabulary distinct so learners do not mistake ἐλλογέω for the technical justification term itself.
Charisthesomai Graciously Restored
Approved rendering: 은혜로 너희에게 허락되다
Transliteration: eunhyero neohuiege heollakdoeda
Doctrine: Grace and Peace as the Foundation of Christian Greeting
Rejected alternatives: 허락되다 (은혜 어근 소실 위험)
Original: χαρισθήσομαι
Category: Grace-Motivated Obedience
NEW TERM. Philemon 1:22, χαρισθήσομαι, sharing its root directly with 은혜 (charis). Paul’s hoped-for release, framed as an act of grace obtained through the church’s prayers. NEVER render with a bare 허락되다 that severs the visible grace-root connection; preserve it explicitly. Flag for native-speaker/theologian review given the direct root-link to the Critical grace doctrine.
Obedience Hypakoe Contextual
Approved rendering: 순종
Transliteration: sunjong
Doctrine: Grace-Motivated Obedience
Original: ὑπακοή
Category: Grace-Motivated Obedience
NEW TERM. Philemon 1:21, ὑπακοή, the letter’s climactic term — Paul expects Philemon to do even ‘more than I say,’ an obedience flowing from love and grace, not compulsion. Shares the root of the baseline’s doctrinal compound 믿음의 순종 (‘obedience of faith’) but here refers specifically to Philemon’s expected compliance with Paul’s personal appeal. Korea’s historically rigorous Confucian hierarchical-obedience ethics (including the rejected ‘three obediences’ doctrine) risk reducing this to hierarchical social-status compliance rather than a free, grace-produced response. Notably, this verse reverses the expected Confucian direction of obedience (the socially superior party, Philemon, is asked to ‘obey’ Paul’s appeal) — a valuable teaching point, not merely a risk.
Pneuma Human Spirit
Approved rendering: 너희 영
Transliteration: neohui yeong
Doctrine: (Disambiguation from Holy Spirit doctrine)
Rejected alternatives: 성령 (혼동 금지), 너희 신령
Original: πνεῦμα
Category: God
NEW TERM. Philemon 1:25, πνεῦμα, the recipients’ own human spirit (inner being) in the closing benediction, NOT the divine Person. Must be clearly disambiguated from 성령 (Holy Spirit, Critical baseline term); a confused rendering could echo the baseline’s shamanistic spirit-world caution (신령/신). Use explicit possessive phrasing (‘너희의 영,’ ‘your own spirit’) to keep the referent unambiguous. This is a mandatory disambiguation, not a stylistic option.
Medium Risk Terms
Gospel
Approved rendering: 복음
Transliteration: bogeum
Doctrine: Gospel
Rejected alternatives: 좋은 소식, 굿뉴스
Original: εὐαγγέλιον
Category: Salvation
Inherited from Romans package. Occurs at Philemon 1:13, ‘bonds of the gospel’ (복음을 위해 갇힘). Retains the baseline’s 기복신앙 (fortune-seeking faith) root-collision caution: Paul’s imprisonment ‘for the gospel’ must not be read as suffering that earns fortune or favor.
Peace
Approved rendering: 화평
Transliteration: hwapyeong
Doctrine: Peace with God
Rejected alternatives: 평안 (일반적 안녕)
Original: εἰρήνη
Category: Salvation
Inherited from Romans package. Occurs at Philemon 1:3, paired with 은혜 in the opening greeting. Distinct from the general well-being greeting sense of 평안.
Church
Approved rendering: 교회
Transliteration: gyohoe
Doctrine: Church as God’s People
Rejected alternatives: 당집, 절
Original: ἐκκλησία
Category: Church
Inherited from Romans package. Occurs at Philemon 1:2, ‘the church in your house’ (see new term house_church_phrase). NEVER use 당집 or 절. Clarify a gathered assembly of believers, not a building, given modern Korean Christianity’s strong default association of 교회 with a dedicated church building.
House Church Phrase
Approved rendering: 네 집에 있는 교회
Transliteration: ne jibe inneun gyohoe
Doctrine: Church as Gathered Community (House Church)
Rejected alternatives: 교회 건물
Original: κατ’ οἶκόν… ἐκκλησία
Category: Church
NEW TERM. Philemon 1:2, ‘the church in your house’ (κατ’ οἶκόν… ἐκκλησία). Must be read as a home-gathered assembly of believers, not a physical church building or institution.
Koinonos Partner
Approved rendering: 동역자
Transliteration: dongyeokja
Doctrine: Christian Brotherhood across Social Status
Original: κοινωνός
Category: Christian Brotherhood
NEW TERM. Philemon 1:17, κοινωνός. Paul asks Philemon to receive Onesimus exactly as he would receive Paul himself. Overlaps in Korean gloss with synergos_fellow_worker (below); the Greek roots differ (κοινων- ‘shared participation’ vs. συν-εργ- ‘co-labor’). Footnote required at v17 distinguishing κοινωνός’s fuller ‘shared-partner/sharer’ sense from the more generic co-laborer sense.
Synergos Fellow Worker
Approved rendering: 동역자
Transliteration: dongyeokja
Doctrine: Christian Fellowship
Original: συνεργός
Category: Church
NEW TERM. Philemon 1:1 (Philemon), 1:24 (Mark, Aristarchus, Demas, Luke), συνεργός. Same Korean gloss as koinonos_partner; flag the distinct Greek root (συν-εργ-, ‘co-labor’) for translators working across both terms in this short letter.
Parakalo Contextual
Approved rendering: 간청하다
Transliteration: gancheonghada
Doctrine: Intercession and Appeal on Behalf of Another
Rejected alternatives: 권면하다 (일반적 용법과 혼동 금지)
Original: παρακαλῶ
Category: Intercession
NEW TERM. Philemon 1:9-10, παρακαλῶ, Paul’s personal, urgent appeal on behalf of Onesimus, deliberately chosen over command. Distinguish from exhort_baseline_root (권면하다, general mutual encouragement among believers); this is a personal, pleading register on behalf of a third party. Do not conflate the two registers.
Parrhesia
Approved rendering: 담대함
Transliteration: damdaeham
Doctrine: Intercession and Appeal on Behalf of Another
Original: παρρησία
Category: Intercession
NEW TERM. Philemon 1:8, παρρησία, the boldness/confidence in Christ that would justify a direct command, deliberately set aside. Must always retain the ‘in Christ’ (그리스도 안에서) qualifier in the same clause to avoid a merely secular self-confidence reading.
Presbytes
Approved rendering: 나이 많은 자
Transliteration: nai maneun ja
Doctrine: Intercession and Appeal on Behalf of Another
Original: πρεσβύτης
Category: Apostolic Ministry
NEW TERM. Philemon 1:9, πρεσβύτης (‘aged man’) or textual variant πρεσβευτής (‘ambassador’). Genuine manuscript ambiguity with real rhetorical stakes. Requires a mandatory translator footnote naming both readings (사신/대사 for the ambassador variant), regardless of which is adopted.
Desmios
Approved rendering: 갇힌 자
Transliteration: gachin ja
Doctrine: Intercession and Appeal on Behalf of Another
Original: δέσμιος
Category: Apostolic Ministry
NEW TERM. Philemon 1:1, 9, 10, 13, 23, δέσμιος, Paul’s repeated self-designation, always paired with ‘of Christ Jesus’ (그리스도 예수의) so it is never misread as ordinary criminal imprisonment. Render consistently across every occurrence.
Synaichmalotos
Approved rendering: 나와 함께 사로잡힌 자
Transliteration: nawa hamkke sarojabin ja
Doctrine: Christian Brotherhood across Social Status
Original: συναιχμάλωτος
Category: Christian Brotherhood
NEW TERM. Philemon 1:23, συναιχμάλωτος (‘fellow prisoner-of-war’), of Epaphras. Distinct image from desmios (general ‘one who is bound’); specifically evokes a war-captive. Keep distinct from desmios for consistency.
Systratiotes
Approved rendering: 함께 병사 된 자
Transliteration: hamkke byeongsa doen ja
Doctrine: Christian Brotherhood across Social Status
Rejected alternatives: 전우 (군사문화적 과잉해석 위험)
Original: συστρατιώτης
Category: Christian Brotherhood
NEW TERM. Philemon 1:2, συστρατιώτης (‘fellow soldier’), of Archippus. Korea’s near-universal male conscription culture makes this vivid but risks nationalistic/militaristic over-reading; use the more literal 함께 병사 된 자 rather than the colloquial 전우 to keep distance from contemporary military-service connotations.
Onesimus Name
Approved rendering: 오네시모
Transliteration: Onesimo
Doctrine: Slavery and the Gospel’s Transforming Power
Original: Ὀνήσιμος
Category: Slavery and Social Status
NEW TERM (proper name). Philemon 1:10-11, 20, Ὀνήσιμος, meaning ‘useful/profitable’ in Greek — a common slave name. The wordplay is entirely lost in bare transliteration; a translator footnote explaining the name’s meaning is required at every recurrence (vv10, 11, 20).
Achrestos Euchrestos
Approved rendering: 쓸모없는 자 / 유익한 자
Transliteration: sseulmoeomneun ja / yuikhan ja
Doctrine: Slavery and the Gospel’s Transforming Power
Original: ἄχρηστος / εὔχρηστος
Category: Slavery and Social Status
NEW TERM. Philemon 1:11, ἄχρηστος/εὔχρηστος (‘useless’/‘useful’), carrying the wordplay with Onesimus’s name. Illustrates the gospel’s transformation of actual character and relational value, not merely legal status; requires a footnote alongside onesimus_name.
Proslambano Receive
Approved rendering: 영접하다
Transliteration: yeongjeophada
Doctrine: Christian Brotherhood across Social Status
Original: προσλαμβάνω
Category: Christian Brotherhood
NEW TERM. Philemon 1:17, προσλαμβάνω, ‘receive/welcome fully.’ Same verb used elsewhere of receiving fellow believers (cf. Romans 14:1, 3; 15:7 usage pattern); must carry full relational acceptance, not merely polite hospitality toward a guest.
Diakoneo Serve
Approved rendering: 섬기다
Transliteration: seomgida
Doctrine: Slavery and the Gospel’s Transforming Power
Original: διακονέω
Category: Slavery and Social Status
NEW TERM. Philemon 1:13, διακονέω, general ‘to serve/minister to,’ describing Onesimus’s potential gospel-service to Paul. Distinguish from the technical ‘deacon’ office (διάκονος) used elsewhere in this curriculum’s other NT books; here service is reframed from slavery to willing ministry.
Aionios Forever
Approved rendering: 영원히
Transliteration: yeongwonhi
Doctrine: Providence in Onesimus’s Separation and Reunion
Original: αἰώνιος
Category: Reconciliation
NEW TERM. Philemon 1:15, αἰώνιος. Here the referent is the permanence of a restored relationship ‘in the Lord,’ not primarily the fuller eschatological ‘eternal life’ sense used elsewhere in the curriculum; ensure future consistency between the two senses.
Adikeo Wrongdoing
Approved rendering: 불의를 행하다
Transliteration: buruireul haenghada
Doctrine: Forgiveness and Reconciliation
Original: ἀδικέω
Category: Reconciliation
NEW TERM. Philemon 1:18, ἀδικέω, acknowledges Onesimus’s real wrongdoing. Shares the δικ- root with the baseline’s Critical ‘righteousness’ (의); flag for teaching purposes (interpersonal wrongdoing vs. forensic unrighteousness before God) without conflating the two registers. Forgiveness here does not pretend no wrong occurred.
Opheilo Owe
Approved rendering: 빚지다
Transliteration: bitjida
Doctrine: Intercession and Appeal on Behalf of Another
Original: ὀφείλω / προσοφείλω
Category: Intercession
NEW TERM. Philemon 1:18 (Onesimus’s debt) and 1:19 (Philemon’s greater debt, προσοφείλω, ‘owe besides’). Keep the two occurrences distinguishable in teaching.
Oninamai Profit Wordplay
Approved rendering: 내가 너로 인해 유익을 얻게 하라
Transliteration: naega neoro inhae yuigeul eotge hara
Doctrine: Forgiveness and Reconciliation
Original: ὀνίναμαι
Category: Reconciliation
NEW TERM. Philemon 1:20, ὀνίναμαι, a direct wordplay on Ὀνήσιμος (‘useful/profitable’). Requires a footnote alongside the onesimus_name and achrestos_euchrestos entries.
Anapauo Refresh
Approved rendering: 내 마음을 시원하게 하다
Transliteration: nae maeumeul siwonhage hada
Doctrine: Forgiveness and Reconciliation
Original: ἀναπαύω
Category: Reconciliation
NEW TERM. Philemon 1:7 (saints’ hearts refreshed) and 1:20 (Paul’s own request), ἀναπαύω. Same root across both occurrences; ties directly to the splanchna_heart risk.
Epignosis Full Knowledge
Approved rendering: 온전한 지식
Transliteration: onjeonhan jisik
Doctrine: Christian Fellowship
Original: ἐπίγνωσις
Category: Faith
NEW TERM. Philemon 1:6, ἐπίγνωσις. Distinguish from esoteric ‘special knowledge’ claims made by some heterodox Korean new-religious groups; here it is ordinary maturing Christian understanding of the good God has given, not privileged secret revelation.
Paraklesis Comfort
Approved rendering: 위로
Transliteration: wiro
Doctrine: Forgiveness and Reconciliation
Original: παράκλησις
Category: Reconciliation
NEW TERM. Philemon 1:7, παράκλησις, comfort/encouragement Paul receives from Philemon’s love. Shares its root with the baseline’s ‘exhort’ (권면하다); note the connection without conflating the noun’s comfort-sense here with the general encouragement-verb sense used elsewhere.
Adelphos Adelphe
Approved rendering: 형제 / 자매
Transliteration: hyeongje / jamae
Doctrine: Church as God’s People
Original: ἀδελφός / ἀδελφή
Category: Church
NEW TERM. Philemon 1:1 (Timothy, ‘brother’), 1:2 (Apphia, ‘sister’), ἀδελφός/ἀδελφή. Establishes the familial-in-Christ register used throughout the letter, reaching its doctrinal climax at v16 (see beloved_brother, which requires the fuller phrase and carries much greater doctrinal weight than this ordinary greeting usage).
Love General
Approved rendering: 사랑
Transliteration: sarang
Doctrine: Grace-Motivated Obedience
Rejected alternatives: 정 (jeong, 관계적 애착에 머무름)
Original: ἀγάπη
Category: Grace-Motivated Obedience
NEW TERM. Philemon 1:5, 7 (Philemon’s love) and 1:9 (the ground of Paul’s appeal), ἀγάπη. Korean 사랑 is broad; translators must ensure the self-giving, others-oriented sense of ἀγάπη is retained, not softened into 정 (jeong, accumulated relational attachment/warmth), which lacks the deliberate, willing character of ἀγάπη.
Low Risk Terms
Fellowship
Approved rendering: 교제
Transliteration: gyoje
Doctrine: Christian Fellowship
Original: κοινωνία
Category: Church
Inherited from Romans package. Occurs at Philemon 1:6, ‘the fellowship of your faith.’ Shares the κοινων- root with κοινωνός (v17, see new term koinonos_partner); note the root connection for teaching purposes without flattening the distinction.
Thanksgiving
Approved rendering: 감사
Transliteration: gamsa
Doctrine: Thanksgiving
Original: εὐχαριστῶ
Category: Faith
Inherited from Romans package. Occurs at Philemon 1:4. Standard term; minor risk of generic secular gratitude without reference to God specifically.
Exhort Baseline Root
Approved rendering: 권면하다
Transliteration: gwonmyeonhada
Doctrine: Mutual Edification
Original: παρακαλέω
Category: Faith
Inherited from Romans package as the general root gloss of παρακαλέω. Reserved for general mutual-encouragement contexts; in Philemon’s specific personal-appeal contexts (vv9-10) use the contextual term parakalo_contextual instead — do not conflate the two registers.
Epitassein Command
Approved rendering: 명하다
Transliteration: myeonghada
Doctrine: Apostolic Authority Set Aside for Love
Original: ἐπιτάσσειν
Category: Apostolic Ministry
NEW TERM. Philemon 1:8, ἐπιτάσσειν, the authority Paul deliberately chooses not to exercise. Standard command-verb; preserve the rhetorical function (authority set aside for love) in teaching notes.
Anekon Duty
Approved rendering: 마땅한 일
Transliteration: ttattanghan il
Doctrine: Grace-Motivated Obedience
Original: ἀνῆκον
Category: Grace-Motivated Obedience
NEW TERM. Philemon 1:8, ἀνῆκον, what is proper/one’s due; sets up the obligation-vs-voluntary contrast completed at v14. Keep the obligation-vs-willingness contrast visible across v8 and v14 in translation.
Gnome Consent
Approved rendering: 동의
Transliteration: dong-ui
Doctrine: Grace-Motivated Obedience
Original: γνώμη
Category: Grace-Motivated Obedience
NEW TERM. Philemon 1:14, γνώμη (‘mind, opinion, consent’). Reinforces the letter’s insistence on voluntary participation rather than imposed command.
Agathon Good Deed
Approved rendering: 선한 일
Transliteration: seonhan il
Doctrine: Grace-Motivated Obedience
Original: ἀγαθόν
Category: Grace-Motivated Obedience
NEW TERM. Philemon 1:6 (‘every good thing’) and 1:14 (‘your good deed’), ἀγαθόν. Its pairing with voluntary_hekousion/compulsion_anankē at v14 carries the doctrinal weight.
Anapempo Send Back
Approved rendering: 돌려보내다
Transliteration: dollyeobonaeda
Doctrine: Forgiveness and Reconciliation
Original: ἀναπέμπω
Category: Reconciliation
NEW TERM. Philemon 1:12, ἀναπέμπω, Paul’s costly, integrity-preserving return of Onesimus to Philemon.
Katechein Retain
Approved rendering: 붙들어 두다
Transliteration: butdeureo duda
Doctrine: Intercession and Appeal on Behalf of Another
Original: κατέχειν
Category: Intercession
NEW TERM. Philemon 1:13, κατέχειν, Paul’s stated wish to keep Onesimus with him.
Chorizo Separate
Approved rendering: 떠나다
Transliteration: tteonada
Doctrine: Forgiveness and Reconciliation
Original: χωρίζω
Category: Reconciliation
NEW TERM. Philemon 1:15, χωρίζω, describes Onesimus’s departure; sets up the temporary-vs-permanent contrast with αἰώνιος.
Apecho Have Fully
Approved rendering: 온전히 얻다
Transliteration: onjeonhi eotda
Doctrine: Forgiveness and Reconciliation
Original: ἀπέχω
Category: Reconciliation
NEW TERM. Philemon 1:15, ἀπέχω, Philemon receiving Onesimus back permanently.
Apotino Repay
Approved rendering: 갚다
Transliteration: gapda
Doctrine: Intercession and Appeal on Behalf of Another
Original: ἀποτίνω
Category: Intercession
NEW TERM. Philemon 1:19, ἀποτίνω, Paul’s pledge to personally repay Onesimus’s debt.
Pepoithos Confidence
Approved rendering: 확신하다
Transliteration: hwaksinhada
Doctrine: Grace-Motivated Obedience
Original: πεποιθώς
Category: Grace-Motivated Obedience
NEW TERM. Philemon 1:21, πεποιθώς, Paul’s settled confidence that Philemon will comply.
Energes Effective
Approved rendering: 효력이 있는
Transliteration: hyoryeogi inneun
Doctrine: Christian Fellowship
Original: ἐνεργής
Category: Faith
NEW TERM. Philemon 1:6, ἐνεργής, describing the fellowship of Philemon’s faith becoming effective.
Chara Joy
Approved rendering: 기쁨
Transliteration: gippeum
Doctrine: Forgiveness and Reconciliation
Original: χαρά
Category: Reconciliation
NEW TERM. Philemon 1:7, χαρά, joy Paul experiences because of Philemon’s love.
Xenia Lodging
Approved rendering: 처소
Transliteration: cheoso
Doctrine: Prayer and Hoped-for Reunion
Original: ξενία
Category: Church
NEW TERM. Philemon 1:22, ξενία, guest room/lodging Paul requests Philemon prepare.
Mneia Remembrance
Approved rendering: 기억함
Transliteration: gieokham
Doctrine: Thanksgiving and Prayer for Others
Original: μνεία
Category: Faith
NEW TERM. Philemon 1:4, μνεία, mention/remembrance of Philemon in Paul’s prayers.
Proseuche Prayer
Approved rendering: 기도
Transliteration: gido
Doctrine: Prayer and Hoped-for Reunion
Original: προσευχή
Category: Church
NEW TERM. Philemon 1:4, 1:22, προσευχή, both Paul’s prayer for Philemon and the prayers Paul hopes will secure his release. Ordinary intercessory prayer directed to God, not ritual mediation.
Agapetos Beloved
Approved rendering: 사랑하는
Transliteration: saranghaneun
Doctrine: Christian Fellowship
Original: ἀγαπητός
Category: Church
NEW TERM. Philemon 1:1, ἀγαπητός, ‘beloved,’ describing Philemon and others. Standard affectionate address.
Referenced passages