Core Glossary
Core Glossary: 1 Corinthians (English/Greek → Kurdish)
| # | Term (EN) | Greek / Origin | Kurdish Rendering | Risk | Doctrine | Chapter(s) | Status | Risk Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Gospel | εὐαγγέλιον (euangelion) | Mizgînî | Medium | Gospel | 1, 9, 15 | [BASELINE] | Reuse exactly; qualify as the specific apostolic proclamation given the isnad-adjacent risk in 15:1-3’s “received/delivered” chain language. |
| 2 | Grace | χάρις (charis) | Kerem | High | Grace | 1, 3, 15 | [BASELINE] | 15:10 is a prime grace-vs-merit teaching anchor against Sufi keramet elite-favor default. |
| 3 | Faith | πίστις (pistis) | Îman | High | Faith | 1, 2, 13, 15 | [BASELINE] | Anchor as personal trust in the risen Christ, not creedal assent. |
| 4 | Salvation | σωτηρία / σῴζω (sōtēria / sōzō) | Rizgarî | Critical | Salvation | 1, 15 | [BASELINE] | 15:2 “you are being saved” must be anchored to personal/spiritual deliverance from sin, never nationalist liberation. |
| 5 | Apostle | ἀπόστολος (apostolos) | Şandî | Medium | Apostleship | 1, 4, 9, 12, 15 | [BASELINE] | No new risk. |
| 6 | Called / Calling | κλητός / κλῆσις (klētos / klēsis) | Bangkirî / Vexwendin | High | Divine Calling | 1, 7, 15 | [BASELINE] | Context-sensitive: apostleship (15:9), salvation (1:2, 1:24), social station (7:17-24 — new sense requiring explicit non-fatalism teaching). |
| 7 | Holy | ἅγιος (hagios) | Pîroz | Medium/High | Sanctification | throughout | [BASELINE] | No new risk. |
| 8 | Saints | ἅγιοι (hagioi) | Pîrozan | High | Sainthood | 1, 6, 16 | [BASELINE] | No new risk. |
| 9 | Sanctification | ἁγιασμός / ἁγιάζω (hagiasmos / hagiazō) | Teqdîs | High | Sanctification | 1, 6, 7 | [BASELINE] | 7:14 (sanctified unbelieving spouse) needs care: does not mean automatic salvation of the spouse. |
| 10 | Resurrection | ἀνάστασις / ἐγείρω (anastasis / egeirō) | Rabûn | Critical | Resurrection of Christ and Believers | 15 (throughout) | [BASELINE] | The book’s central doctrine; ch.15 vv.12-58 extend the baseline risk into resurrection-body specifics — see rows 27-29 below. |
| 11 | Lord | κύριος (kyrios) | Xudan | Critical | Lordship of Christ | 1, 8, 10, 11, 12, 15, 16 | [BASELINE] | “One Lord, Jesus Christ” (8:6); “table/cup of the Lord” (10:21); “Lord’s Supper” (11:20) all require exclusive-supremacy sense retained. |
| 12 | Son of God | υἱὸς θεοῦ (huios theou) | Kurê Xwedê | Critical | Sonship of Christ | 15:28 | [BASELINE] | 15:28, the Son’s final subjection to the Father, must not be read as diminishing co-equal deity — flag for theologian review. |
| 13 | Peace | εἰρήνη (eirēnē) | Aştî | Medium | Peace with God | 1, 7, 14 | [BASELINE] | “God is not a God of confusion but of peace” (14:33). |
| 14 | Spiritual Gifts | χαρίσματα (charismata) | Diyariyên Giyanî | Medium | Spiritual Gifts | 1, 7, 12 | [BASELINE] | Central book theme; retain giyanî throughout ch.12 to avoid reading as ordinary talent. |
| 15 | Fellowship | κοινωνία (koinōnia) | Hevaltî | Low/Medium | Christian Fellowship | 1, 10 | [BASELINE] | See new row 34 below for the deeper sacramental sense in 10:16, which should NOT default to this general-fellowship rendering alone. |
| 16 | Church | ἐκκλησία (ekklēsia) | Dêr / Civata Mesîhî | High | Church as God’s People | throughout | [BASELINE] | Use Civata Mesîhî for the gathered-people sense (e.g., 15:9, “persecuted the church of God”), never Dêr (building) in narrative contexts. |
| 17 | Kingdom of God | βασιλεία τοῦ θεοῦ (basileia tou theou) | Padîşahiya Xwedê | Critical | Kingdom Mission | 4, 6, 15 | [BASELINE] | 4:20, 15:24-25 (Christ delivering the kingdom to the Father) — maintain anti-nationalist-statehood anchoring throughout. |
| 18 | Sin | ἁμαρτία (hamartia) | Guneh | High | Universal Human Accountability | 15 | [BASELINE] | 15:3, 15:17, 15:56 — Christ’s death “for our sins,” law giving sin its power. |
| 19 | Glory | δόξα (doxa) | Rûmet | Medium/High | Deity of Christ | 15 | [BASELINE] | 15:40-43, resurrection-body glory contrasts; anchor to Christ’s specific historical glory. |
| 20 | Election | ἐκλογή-adjacent; “called” language | Hilbijartin (n/a directly; see “Called”) | High | Effectual Calling | 1:26-29 | [BASELINE] | “Not many wise… God chose” — reinforce as sovereign, not democratic, choice. |
| 21 | Wisdom | σοφία (sophia) | Hikmet | High | The Cross as Wisdom and Power | 1, 2, 3 | [NEW] | Sufi hikmet is elite, esoteric wisdom; Paul’s wisdom is public, cross-centered, available to all believers. Alternative considered: Zanebûn (native, rejected as primary — retained as optional gloss). |
| 22 | Cross | σταυρός (stauros) | Xaç | Critical | The Cross as Wisdom and Power | 1, 2 | [NEW] | Direct collision with Qur’anic crucifixion-denial (4:157); every occurrence needs historical-eyewitness anchoring per 15:3-8. |
| 23 | Foolishness | μωρία (mōria) | Bêaqilî | Medium | The Cross as Wisdom and Power | 1 | [NEW] | Preserve Paul’s deliberate irony; not mere negative “stupidity.” |
| 24 | Division/Schism | σχίσμα (schisma) | Dabeşbûn | High | Christian Unity versus Factionalism | 1, 3, 11, 12 | [NEW] | Risk of assimilation into Kurdish political/tribal factional-loyalty patterns (KDP/PUK, aşîret structures) rather than Paul’s specific rival-teacher allegiance concern. |
| 25 | Mystery | μυστήριον (mystērion) | Nihênî | High | Inspiration/Spiritual Gifts | 2, 4, 13, 14, 15 | [NEW] | Distinguish from Sufi sirr (exclusive esoteric knowledge for advanced initiates); biblical mystery is now openly proclaimed to all believers. |
| 26 | Natural man / Spiritual man | ψυχικός / πνευματικός (psychikos / pneumatikos) | Mirovê xwezayî / Mirovê giyanî | High | The Cross as Wisdom and Power | 2 | [NEW] | Spiritual receptivity distinction, not a claim of hierarchical human worth (avoid Sufi spiritual-rank overtones). |
| 27 | Natural body / Spiritual body | σῶμα ψυχικόν / σῶμα πνευματικόν (sōma psychikon / sōma pneumatikon) | Laşê xwezayî / Laşê giyanî | Critical | The Resurrection of Christ and Believers | 15 | [NEW] | Must not be assimilated into Yazidi “kiras guhertin” (reincarnation-adjacent garment-change belief); this is one transformed, continuous body, not a new vessel in a repeating cycle. |
| 28 | Firstfruits | ἀπαρχή (aparchē) | Fêkiyên Pêşîn | Critical | The Resurrection of Christ and Believers | 15 | [NEW] | Guarantee-logic of Christ’s resurrection for believers’ future resurrection must be retained, not reduced to decorative metaphor. |
| 29 | Last Adam | ὁ ἔσχατος Ἀδάμ (ho eschatos Adam) | Adema Dawî | High | The Resurrection of Christ and Believers | 15 | [NEW] | Requires explicit federal-headship teaching (Adam/Christ), against the region’s fitrah (innate-purity) default already flagged in the baseline. |
| 30 | Sexual Immorality | πορνεία (porneia) | Zîna | Critical | Church Discipline and Holiness | 5, 6, 7 | [NEW] | Collides with the Islamic hudud legal category and honor-killing (“namûs,” already Critical in baseline) framework; redemptive church discipline must be taught as categorically distinct in purpose and method from both. |
| 31 | Leaven | ζύμη (zymē) | Xemîr | Medium | Church Discipline and Holiness | 5 | [NEW] | Passover-echo metaphor needs brief cultural explanation; not a live regional Muslim custom, though the corrupting-influence image transfers well once explained. |
| 32 | Temple (of God / of the Spirit) | ναός (naos) | Perestgeh | High | Church Discipline and Holiness | 3, 6 | [NEW] | Distinct from Dêr (church building); the corporate church and the individual believer’s body as God’s dwelling — a claim needing explicit teaching. |
| 33 | Bought with a price (redemption) | ἀγοράζω (agorazō) | Hatin kirîn bi bihayekî | Critical | Church Discipline and Holiness | 6, 7 | [NEW] | Risk of distortion via bride-price (qelen) and historical slave-trade associations; must be taught as costly, liberating rescue into belonging to God, not commodification. |
| 34 | Sacramental Participation | κοινωνία (koinōnia, sacramental sense) | Beşdarî | High | The Lord’s Supper | 10 | [NEW] | Distinct sub-sense from general hevaltî fellowship; “participation in the body/blood of Christ” (10:16) needs its own term to avoid the political “comrade” resonance already noted for hevaltî. |
| 35 | Table of the Lord / Table of demons | τράπεζα κυρίου / δαιμονίων (trapeza kyriou / daimoniōn) | Sifreya Xudan / Sifreya cinan | High | The Lord’s Supper | 10 | [NEW] | Real cultic ritual meals with spiritual allegiance implications, not merely dinner tables. |
| 36 | Idol Meat | εἰδωλόθυτον (eidōlothyton) | Goştê ji bo Pûtan Qurban kirî | Critical | Christian Liberty and Idol Meat | 8, 10 | [NEW] | Maps onto regional halal/haram dietary law; Paul’s liberty-of-conscience argument must not collapse into a fixed ritual-purity ruling. |
| 37 | Idolatry | εἰδωλολατρία (eidōlolatria) | Pûtperestî | Medium/High | Christian Liberty and Idol Meat | 10 | [NEW] | Extend beyond literal statue-worship to any rival ultimate allegiance; sensitivity to minority-religion mischaracterization. |
| 38 | Knowledge | γνῶσις (gnōsis) | Zanîn | High | Christian Liberty and Idol Meat | 8, 13 | [NEW] | Parallels the hikmet/wisdom risk; avoid Sufi ma’rifa-style elite-knowledge overtones. |
| 39 | Conscience | συνείδησις (syneidēsis) | Wîjdan | Medium | Christian Liberty and Idol Meat | 8, 10 | [NEW] | Internal moral faculty that can be weak or defiled, not an infallible guide. |
| 40 | Right / Liberty (personal prerogative) | ἐξουσία (exousia) | Maf | High | Christian Liberty and Idol Meat | 8, 9 | [NEW] | Prefer “maf” (right) over “azadî” (freedom) to avoid the nationalist-liberation resonance already flagged for rizgarî/azadî in the baseline. |
| 41 | Marriage | γάμος (gamos) | Zewac | Medium | Marriage and Singleness | 7 | [NEW] | Avoid importing Islamic nikah-contract distinctives (polygamy allowance, divorce procedure) into Paul’s monogamous-marriage assumptions. |
| 42 | Virgin | παρθένος (parthenos) | Bakîre | High | Marriage and Singleness | 7 | [NEW] | Distinguish Paul’s voluntary-devotion framing from the culture’s honor/namûs-based purity framework. |
| 43 | Singleness / Unmarried | ἄγαμος (agamos) | Bêzewac | High | Marriage and Singleness | 7 | [NEW] | Runs against the tribal (aşîret) cultural default that full social personhood requires marriage; must be taught deliberately as a valid, honored calling. |
| 44 | Slave / Free | δοῦλος / ἐλεύθερος (doulos / eleutheros) | Xulam / Azad | High | Marriage and Singleness (social station) | 7 | [NEW] | See row 40’s caution on azad/azadî’s political resonance; contextual anchoring required. |
| 45 | Headship / Head | κεφαλή (kephalē) | Ser | High | Order in Worship | 11 | [NEW] | Kurdish tribal “serok” hierarchy concept risks both over-importing harsh domination and under-teaching relational order; requires explicit theological framing either direction. |
| 46 | Head Covering | κατακαλύπτω (katakalyptō) | Serpoşî | High | Order in Worship | 11 | [NEW] | Distinct rationale from Islamic hijab (creation-order/cultural-propriety argument, not religious-law modesty requirement); avoid conflation. |
| 47 | Lord’s Supper | κυριακὸν δεῖπνον (kyriakon deipnon) | Şîva Xudan | Critical | The Lord’s Supper | 11 | [NEW] | New sacramental term; teach against both bare memorialism and ritual-magic readings; Assyrian/Chaldean liturgical heritage may be a resource. |
| 48 | Body / Blood (of Christ, sacramental) | σῶμα / αἷμα (sōma / haima) | Laş / Xwîn | Medium/High | The Lord’s Supper | 11 | [NEW] | Disambiguate clearly from the metaphorical “body of Christ” (church) sense in ch.12. |
| 49 | Remembrance | ἀνάμνησις (anamnēsis) | Bîranîn | Low/Medium | The Lord’s Supper | 11 | [NEW] | Standard term; low independent risk. |
| 50 | Unworthy Manner | ἀναξίως (anaxiōs) | Bi awayekî neguncan | Medium | The Lord’s Supper | 11 | [NEW] | Convey self-examination of spiritual state and regard for the community, not liturgical etiquette alone. |
| 51 | Body of Christ (corporate/metaphorical) | σῶμα Χριστοῦ (sōma Christou) | Laşê Mesîh | High | Spiritual Gifts and the Body of Christ | 12 | [NEW] | Use clear metaphor-signaling in context to distinguish from the literal Supper referent (row 48). |
| 52 | Members | μέλη (melē) | Endam | Medium | Spiritual Gifts and the Body of Christ | 12 | [NEW] | Standard organizational-body term; low-medium risk beyond consistency. |
| 53 | Baptism | βαπτίζω / βάπτισμα (baptizō / baptisma) | Imad | Critical | Spiritual Gifts and the Body of Christ | 12 | [NEW] | Distinguish sharply from Islamic ritual ablution (wudu/ghusl); teach as once-for-all identification with Christ’s death/resurrection and incorporation into his body. Recommend formal addition to translation memory given cross-book (Romans 6) relevance. |
| 54 | Tongues | γλῶσσα / γένη γλωσσῶν (glōssa / genē glōssōn) | Ziman(ên nenas) | Critical | Spiritual Gifts and the Body of Christ | 12, 13, 14 | [NEW] | Risk of assimilation into Kurdish Sufi dhikr ecstatic-utterance tradition; must be taught as a specific, Spirit-given, order-governed gift (ch.14), not generic ecstatic trance speech. |
| 55 | Interpretation (of tongues) | ἑρμηνεία (hermēneia) | Şirovekirin | Medium | Spiritual Gifts and the Body of Christ | 12, 14 | [NEW] | Paired with row 54; standard interpretive vocabulary otherwise. |
| 56 | Healing | ἴαμα (iama) | Şifa | Medium | Spiritual Gifts and the Body of Christ | 12 | [NEW] | Distinguish from folk-Islamic ruqyah/formulaic healing practice; a sovereign Spirit-given enablement, not incantation. |
| 57 | Discerning of Spirits | διάκρισις πνευμάτων (diakrisis pneumatōn) | Cihêrengiya Giyanan | Medium | Spiritual Gifts and the Body of Christ | 12 | [NEW] | Anchor as Spirit-given gospel-testing gift, not folk exorcism/jinn-discernment technique. |
| 58 | Love | ἀγάπη (agapē) | Evîn | Critical | Love as the Greater Way | 13 (thematic throughout) | [NEW] | Highest-stakes term in the book: Evîn is the central word of Kurdish romantic/mystical literature (Mem û Zîn, Melayê Cizîrî); must be filled with self-giving, active, patient content per 13:4-7, not passionate romantic or mystical-absorption longing. |
| 59 | Keeps No Record of Wrongs | οὐ λογίζεται τὸ κακόν (ou logizetai to kakon) | Xerabiyan tomar nake | High | Love as the Greater Way | 13 | [NEW] | Directly confronts Kurdish tribal blood-feud (heyf/tolhildan) culture; a significant, culturally pointed teaching opportunity. |
| 60 | Hope | ἐλπίς (elpis) | Hêvî | Low | Love as the Greater Way | 13, 15 | [NEW] | Standard native term; low independent risk. |
| 61 | Edification / Build Up | οἰκοδομή (oikodomē) | Avakirin | Low | Order in Worship | 14 | [NEW] | Reuses the baseline’s “Avakirina Hevpar” (Mutual Edification) root; no new risk. |
| 62 | Order / Decently | τάξις / εὐσχημόνως (taxis / euschēmonōs) | Rêz û Rêk | Low | Order in Worship | 14 | [NEW] | Standard vocabulary; low risk. |
| 63 | Women Keep Silent | σιγάτω (sigatō) | Bila bêdeng bimîne | Critical | Order in Worship | 14 | [NEW] | Mandatory theologian review; Kurdish political-movement gender-equality rhetoric (e.g., YPJ, Rojava) creates a distinctive reception context requiring careful, non-reactionary pastoral framing in either interpretive direction. |
| 64 | Victory | νῖκος (nikos) | Serkeftin | Medium | The Resurrection of Christ and Believers | 15 | [NEW] | Prominent in Kurdish political-liberation rhetoric (parallel to rizgarî/azadî caution); keep spiritual victory over sin/death distinct from national-political victory. |
| 65 | Imperishability / Immortality | ἀφθαρσία / ἀθανασία (aphtharsia / athanasia) | Nemirbûn | Medium | The Resurrection of Christ and Believers | 15 | [NEW] | Covers both senses; standard resurrection-hope vocabulary. |
| 66 | Sting of Death | τὸ κέντρον τοῦ θανάτου (to kentron tou thanatou) | Derziya Mirinê | Low/Medium | The Resurrection of Christ and Believers | 15 | [NEW] | Vivid image, transfers without major cultural adjustment. |
| 67 | Collection (for the saints) | λογεία (logeia) | Berhevkirina Diyariyan | Low | Church as God’s People | 16 | [NEW] | Standard descriptive phrase; low risk. |
| 68 | Maranatha | Μαρὰν ἀθά (Maranatha, Aramaic) | Maranata | Medium/High | The Resurrection of Christ and Believers (eschatological hope) | 16 | [NEW] | Retain transliteration untranslated, following the baseline’s precedent for “Abba”; footnote rather than fully domesticate. |
| 69 | Holy Kiss | φίλημα ἅγιον (philēma hagion) | Maçîka Pîroz | Low | Christian Fellowship | 16 | [NEW] | Fits existing regional same-gender greeting custom; clarify NT context to avoid modern romantic misreading. |
Summary Statistics
| Risk Tier | Baseline-Reused Terms (this book) | New Terms (this book) | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Critical | 5 | 8 | 13 |
| High | 6 | 15 | 21 |
| Medium | 4 | 12 | 16 |
| Low | 2 | 8 | 10 |
| Total | 17 | 43 | 60 term-rows (69 table entries incl. sub-senses) |
Chapter Coverage Confirmation
| Chapter | New Load-Bearing Terms? | Status |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Yes (schisma, sophia, stauros, mōria, kauchaomai) | Reviewed |
| 2 | Yes (psychikos/pneumatikos, nous Christou, mystērion) | Reviewed |
| 3 | Yes (sarkikos, naos theou, themelios, pyr) | Reviewed |
| 4 | Yes (oikonomos; reuses mystērion, basileia tou theou) | Reviewed |
| 5 | Yes (porneia, zymē, paradounai tō Satana) | Reviewed |
| 6 | Yes (naos tou hagiou pneumatos, agorazō) | Reviewed |
| 7 | Yes (gamos, parthenos, agamos, doulos/eleutheros, peritomē) | Reviewed |
| 8 | Yes (eidōlothyton, gnōsis, syneidēsis, proskomma, exousia, heis theos/heis kyrios) | Reviewed |
| 9 | Yes (exousia continued, misthos, hypōpiazō, brabeion) | Reviewed |
| 10 | Yes (eidōlolatria, koinōnia-sacramental, trapeza kyriou/daimoniōn, typos) | Reviewed |
| 11 | Yes (kephalē, katakalyptō, kyriakon deipnon, sōma/haima, anamnēsis, anaxiōs) | Reviewed |
| 12 | Yes (charismata reuse, sōma Christou, melē, baptizō, glōssa, iamata, diakriseis pneumatōn) | Reviewed |
| 13 | Yes (agapē, ou logizetai to kakon, elpis) | Reviewed |
| 14 | Yes (oikodomē, taxis, sigatō) | Reviewed |
| 15 | Yes — core passage (vv.1-11, Part A) plus resurrection-body doctrine (vv.12-58: aparchē, eschatos Adam, sōma psychikon/pneumatikon, aphtharsia/athanasia, kentron, nikos) | Reviewed — theological anchor chapter |
| 16 | Yes, though lower risk overall (logeia, Maranatha, philēma hagion) | Reviewed explicitly — not omitted |
Critical Risk Terms
Salvation
Approved rendering: Rizgarî
Transliteration: rizgarî
Doctrine: Salvation
Original: σωτηρία / σῴζω
Category: Salvation
Inherited from Romans package. CRITICAL: the defining vocabulary of Kurdish political nationalism across all four host states. 1 Corinthians 15:2’s ‘by which you are being saved’ and 1:18,21; 9:22 must be anchored firmly to personal, spiritual deliverance from sin (ji gunehan), never left to default to national liberation.
Resurrection
Approved rendering: Rabûn
Transliteration: rabûn
Doctrine: Resurrection of Christ
Original: ἀνάστασις / ἐγείρω
Category: Eschatology
Inherited from Romans package. CRITICAL: shares the Quran’s crucifixion-denial (4:157) with mainstream Sunni Islam; distinctly, Yazidi ‘kiras guhertin’ (soul’s transmigration through successive bodies) creates a separate indigenous conflation risk. This is 1 Corinthians’ central doctrine (ch.15 throughout, both the core passage 15:1-11 and vv.12-58’s resurrection-body argument).
Lord
Approved rendering: Xudan
Transliteration: Xudan
Doctrine: Lordship of Christ
Original: κύριος
Category: Christology
Inherited from Romans package. CRITICAL: exclusive, supreme lordship, never softened. Occurs throughout 1 Corinthians at 8:6 (‘one Lord, Jesus Christ’), 10:21 (‘the Lord’s table’), 11:20 (‘the Lord’s Supper’), 12:3 (‘Jesus is Lord’), and 16:22 (Maranatha).
Son Of God
Approved rendering: Kurê Xwedê
Transliteration: Kurê Xwedê
Doctrine: Sonship of Christ
Original: υἱός
Category: Christology
Inherited from Romans package. CRITICAL: 1 Corinthians 15:24-28’s statement that ‘the Son himself will be subjected’ to the Father must not be read as diminishing co-equal, eternal deity; requires the same guard against both the mainstream tawhid-denial default and the Sufi/Yazidi over-assimilation risk already established in the baseline. Flag for mandatory theologian review.
Kingdom Of God
Approved rendering: Padîşahiya Xwedê
Transliteration: padîşahiya Xwedê
Doctrine: Kingdom Mission
Original: βασιλεία τοῦ θεοῦ
Category: Kingdom
Inherited from Romans package. CRITICAL: must never be read as endorsing Kurdish national statehood aspiration. Occurs at 4:20 (‘not in talk but in power’), 6:9-10 (exclusion of the unrighteous), and 15:24-25,50 (Christ delivering the kingdom to the Father) - maintain anti-nationalist-statehood anchoring at all three.
Law
Approved rendering: Şerîeta Mûsa
Transliteration: Şerîeta Mûsa
Doctrine: Fulfillment of Prophecy
Rejected alternatives: Namûs
Original: νόμος
Category: Covenant
Inherited from Romans package. CRITICAL: bare ‘Şerîet’ risks conflation with Islamic sharia generally; Namûs remains forbidden (narrowed regionally to family/female honor). Live risk at 9:20-21 (Paul’s flexible posture ‘under the law’/‘outside the law’) and 15:56 (‘the power of sin is the law’).
Messiah
Approved rendering: Mesîh
Transliteration: Mesîh
Doctrine: Messianic Promise
Original: Χριστός
Category: Christology
Inherited from Romans package. CRITICAL: pre-loaded Quranic content as Arabic’s al-Masih; Alevi/Yarsani communities within the Kurdish audience add further distinct divinely-guided-figure expectations. Central title throughout 1 Corinthians (1:1-2, 15:3, etc.).
Jesus
Approved rendering: Îsa
Transliteration: Îsa
Doctrine: Lordship of Christ
Original: Ἰησοῦς
Category: Christology
Inherited from Romans package. No naming controversy in Kurdish; the risk is entirely in content - the Quranic prophet-only, non-crucified, non-divine narrative must be actively corrected throughout, especially in ch.15.
God
Approved rendering: Xwedê
Transliteration: Xwedê
Doctrine: Deity of Christ
Rejected alternatives: Allah
Original: θεός
Category: God
Inherited from Romans package. The risk remains in content - strict tawhid must be distinguished from the Trinitarian conception, especially where Father, Son, and Spirit appear together (12:4-6) and at 8:6 and 15:24-28.
Holy Spirit
Approved rendering: Ruhê Pîroz
Transliteration: Ruhê Pîroz
Doctrine: Sanctification
Original: πνεῦμα ἅγιον / πνεῦμα θεοῦ
Category: God
Inherited from Romans package. Shares the region’s Quranic identification with the angel Jibril; the created-being-versus-divine-Person distinction must be explicit at every occurrence, especially the temple passages (3:16; 6:19) and the source-of-gifts passage (12:4-11).
Father
Approved rendering: Bav
Transliteration: Bav
Doctrine: Adoption into God’s Family
Original: πατήρ
Category: God
Inherited from Romans package. Shares the region’s tawhid-anthropomorphism objection to Father-language for God. 1 Corinthians 8:6 (‘one God, the Father’) and 15:24 (the Son delivering the kingdom to the Father) are the book’s key occurrences; the Sufi lover/beloved poetic register must not be confused with this paternal sonship-language.
Cross
Approved rendering: Xaç
Transliteration: xaç
Doctrine: The Cross as Wisdom and Power
Original: σταυρός
Category: Wisdom
NEW. CRITICAL: the single most direct point of collision with the Qur’anic crucifixion-denial (4:157) shared across mainstream Sunni Islam in all four Kurdish-majority states. Every occurrence (1:17-18,23; 2:2) must be paired with the historical-eyewitness anchoring of 15:3-8. Native word retained rather than a transliteration.
Natural Body Spiritual Body
Approved rendering: Laşê xwezayî / Laşê giyanî
Transliteration: laşê xwezayî / laşê giyanî
Doctrine: Resurrection Body and Transformation
Original: σῶμα ψυχικόν / σῶμα πνευματικόν
Category: Eschatology
NEW. CRITICAL. 15:44. The single passage in the entire curriculum most vulnerable to assimilation into Yazidi ‘kiras guhertin’ (soul’s transmigration through successive bodily garments). Must be taught as one transformed, numerically continuous body, not a new vessel entered through a repeating cycle.
Firstfruits
Approved rendering: Fêkiyên Pêşîn
Transliteration: fêkiyên pêşîn
Doctrine: The Resurrection of Christ and Believers
Original: ἀπαρχή
Category: Eschatology
NEW. 15:20,23. The guarantee-logic - Christ’s resurrection as the first installment guaranteeing believers’ future resurrection - must not be lost as a merely decorative agricultural metaphor.
Sexual Immorality
Approved rendering: Zîna
Transliteration: zîna
Doctrine: Church Discipline and Holiness
Original: πορνεία
Category: Discipline
NEW. CRITICAL. 5:1-13; 6:13-18; 7:2. Zîna is a specific hudud (fixed-penalty) legal category in regional Islamic jurisprudence, adjacent to the honor-killing (‘namûs’) framework already Critical in the baseline. Paul’s redemptive, restoration-aimed discipline (5:5) must be taught as categorically distinct from both hadd punishment and tribal honor-based retribution. Retain the term at full gravity; do not soften with euphemism.
Bought With A Price
Approved rendering: Hatin kirîn bi bihayekî
Transliteration: hatin kirîn bi bihayekî
Doctrine: Redemption as a Costly Purchase
Rejected alternatives: Kirîn wek mal (rejected — reads as literal property purchase)
Original: ἠγοράσθητε τιμῆς
Category: Salvation
NEW. CRITICAL. 6:19-20; 7:23. Risk of distortion via Kurdish bride-price/dowry custom (qelen) and historical tribal slave-raiding memory. Must be taught explicitly as costly, liberating rescue from sin’s ownership into belonging to God, never as commodification or property-transfer of a person.
Idol Meat
Approved rendering: Goştê ji bo Pûtan Qurban kirî
Transliteration: goştê ji bo pûtan qurban kirî
Doctrine: Christian Liberty and Idol Meat
Original: εἰδωλόθυτον
Category: Liberty
NEW. CRITICAL. 8:1-13; 10:14-33. Maps directly onto the region’s dominant halal/haram dietary-law framework, a live daily-practiced category. Paul’s liberty-of-conscience argument, governed by love, must not collapse into a fixed halal/haram-style ruling.
Lords Supper
Approved rendering: Şîva Xudan
Transliteration: şîva Xudan
Doctrine: The Lord’s Supper
Original: κυριακὸν δεῖπνον
Category: Sacraments
NEW. CRITICAL. 11:20. A genuinely new sacramental term with no mainstream regional Islamic ritual parallel, though the region’s ancient Assyrian/Chaldean/Syriac Christian heritage may offer a liturgical resource. Guard against both bare memorialism and ritual-magic readings.
Baptism
Approved rendering: Imad
Transliteration: imad
Doctrine: Baptism into One Body
Original: βαπτίζω / βάπτισμα
Category: Sacraments
NEW. CRITICAL (cross-book relevance to Romans 6, though outside that book’s scope). 12:13; 1:13-17. Islamic ritual ablution (wudu, ghusl) is a live daily-practiced regional category. Baptism must be taught as once-for-all public identification with Christ’s death/resurrection and incorporation into his body, not a repeatable ritual-cleanliness act. Recommend cross-curriculum promotion given this Critical risk.
Tongues
Approved rendering: Zimanên nenas
Transliteration: zimanên nenas
Doctrine: Tongues and Spiritual Utterance
Rejected alternatives: Ziman (rejected alone — too generic, loses Spirit-given specificity)
Original: γλῶσσα / γένη γλωσσῶν
Category: Spiritual Gifts
NEW. CRITICAL. 12:10,28,30; 13:1,8; 14:1-40. Kurdish Sufi dhikr practice (ecstatic, trance-adjacent vocalization) is a genuine indigenous devotional parallel risking assimilation of ‘tongues’ into that mystical-ecstasy framework rather than a specific, Spirit-given, order-governed gift requiring interpretation.
Love
Approved rendering: Evîn
Transliteration: evîn
Doctrine: Love as the Greater Way
Original: ἀγάπη
Category: Love
NEW. CRITICAL - the highest-stakes lexical choice in the entire book (12:31-13:13). ‘Evîn’ is the central word of Kurdish classical Sufi and epic literature (Ehmedê Xanî’s Mem û Zîn, Melayê Cizîrî’s mystical poetry), denoting passionate, often erotically-charged romantic love or mystical longing for union with the Divine Beloved. Every occurrence in ch.13 must be filled with entirely different, defined content - patient, kind, not jealous, not self-seeking, keeps no record of wrongs, endures - actively teaching against both the romantic and mystical-absorption defaults.
Women Keep Silent
Approved rendering: Bila bêdeng bimîne
Transliteration: bila bêdeng bimîne
Doctrine: Order in Worship
Original: σιγάτω
Category: Worship
NEW. CRITICAL. 14:34-35. Mandatory human theologian review given long-standing interpretive complexity even within the Christian tradition generally. Contemporary Kurdish political movements (notably the YPJ and Rojava-era gender-equality rhetoric) create a markedly different reception environment requiring careful, non-reactionary pastoral framing in either interpretive direction.
Resurrection Appearance
Approved rendering: Xuya bû
Transliteration: xuya bû
Doctrine: The Resurrection of Christ and Believers
Rejected alternatives: Dîtin di xewnê de (rejected — implies a dream/vision, exactly the wrong sense)
Original: ὤφθη
Category: Eschatology
NEW. CRITICAL. 15:5-8 (ōphthē). Must preserve bodily, objective appearance, not a subjective vision or dream. Risk of assimilation into Sufi kashf (mystical unveiling) categories, wrongly recasting the resurrection appearances as inward spiritual experience rather than externally verifiable historical fact.
One God One Lord
Approved rendering: Yek Xwedê … û yek Xudan
Transliteration: yek Xwedê … û yek Xudan
Doctrine: Lordship and Deity of Christ
Original: εἷς θεός … εἷς κύριος
Category: Christology
NEW. CRITICAL. 8:6. The first half resonates reassuringly with regional tawhid monotheism - genuine common ground. The second half is the collision point: places Christ within the identity of the one God as co-agent of creation and must never be softened into a merely honorific ‘lord’ subordinate to ‘the one God.‘
High Risk Terms
Grace
Approved rendering: Kerem
Transliteration: kerem
Doctrine: Grace
Original: χάρις
Category: Salvation
Inherited from Romans package. Kurdistan’s Sufi ‘keramet’ concept reserves extraordinary graces for elevated saints, risking an elite-favor reading. 1 Corinthians 15:10 (‘by the grace of God I am what I am’) is a prime teaching anchor against this default: Paul’s transformation from persecutor to apostle is grace given to the least deserving, not a mark of spiritual rank.
Faith
Approved rendering: Îman
Transliteration: iman
Doctrine: Faith
Original: πίστις / πιστεύω
Category: Faith
Inherited from Romans package. Shares the region’s six-pillars creedal-assent structure. In 1 Corinthians 15:2,11,14,17, must be anchored specifically as personal trust in the historically risen Christ, not creedal recitation.
Called
Approved rendering: Bangkirî
Transliteration: bangkirî
Doctrine: Divine Calling
Inherited from Romans package. Context-sensitive across senses; in 1 Corinthians applied to apostleship (15:9) and to salvation (1:2,24).
Saints
Approved rendering: Pîrozan
Transliteration: pîrozan
Doctrine: Sainthood
Original: ἅγιοι
Category: Church
Inherited from Romans package. Kurdish Sufi ‘pîr’ shrine-veneration culture risks recasting 1:2’s saints as a hereditary elite rather than all ordinary believers.
Sanctification
Approved rendering: Teqdîs
Transliteration: teqdîs
Doctrine: Sanctification
Rejected alternatives: Pakkirin
Original: ἁγιασμός / ἁγιάζω
Category: Sanctification
Inherited from Romans package. Pakkirin (ritual cleanliness) rejected; Teqdîs preserves the Spirit’s ongoing moral-transformation sense. 1 Corinthians 7:14’s unusual application (an unbelieving spouse ‘sanctified’ through a believing one) requires special care so as not to imply the unbelieving spouse or children are thereby saved.
Church
Approved rendering: Dêr
Transliteration: dêr
Doctrine: Church as God’s People
Original: ἐκκλησία
Category: Church
Inherited from Romans package. Dêr = building only. Use ‘Civata Mesîhî’ (Messianic community) for the gathered-people sense, especially 15:9’s narrative ‘I persecuted the church of God.’ Religious freedom for gathering varies across the four states Kurdish spans.
Sin
Approved rendering: Guneh
Transliteration: guneh
Doctrine: Universal Human Accountability
Original: ἁμαρτία
Category: Sin
Inherited from Romans package. Shares the region’s fitrah (innate-purity) doctrine. 1 Corinthians 15:3 (Christ died ‘for our sins’), 15:21-22 (Adam-Christ federal headship), and 15:56 all require this default to be actively taught against.
Prophet
Approved rendering: Pêxember
Transliteration: pêxember
Doctrine: Inspiration of Scripture
Original: προφήτης
Category: Spiritual Gifts
Inherited from Romans package. Same finality-of-prophethood risk as Muhammad as khatam al-anbiya. 1 Corinthians 12:28-29 and 14:1-40 present prophecy as an ongoing NT church gift, which must not be presented as a claim to new revelation superseding Scripture.
Covenant
Approved rendering: Peyman
Transliteration: peyman
Doctrine: Davidic Covenant
Original: διαθήκη
Category: Sacraments
Inherited from Romans package. Kurdish tribal (aşîret) peymans are negotiated between equals and are revocable. 1 Corinthians 11:25, ‘this cup is the new covenant in my blood,’ requires explicit teaching that the new covenant is unilaterally initiated, gracious, and irrevocable - unlike a tribal peyman.
Election
Approved rendering: Hilbijartin
Transliteration: hilbijartin
Doctrine: Effectual Calling
Original: ἐξελέξατο (from ἐκλέγομαι)
Category: Salvation
Inherited from Romans package. Also the modern Kurdish word for democratic elections. 1 Corinthians 1:26-29 (‘God chose what is foolish… what is weak… what is low and despised’) must be taught as unilateral divine choice, not a vote or merit-based process.
Mission
Approved rendering: Peywira Mizgîniyê
Transliteration: peywira Mizgîniyê
Doctrine: Mission to the Nations
Original: ἀποστέλλω / κηρύσσω
Category: Church
Inherited from Romans package. Safety implications differ significantly across Turkey, Iraq, Iran, Syria. 1 Corinthians 1:17 (‘Christ did not send me to baptize but to preach the gospel’) and 9:16-23’s flexible evangelistic posture must be calibrated to the intended audience’s state context.
Wisdom
Approved rendering: Hikmet
Transliteration: hikmet
Doctrine: The Cross as Wisdom and Power
Rejected alternatives: Zanebûn (rejected as primary; retained only as an optional native gloss)
Original: σοφία
Category: Wisdom
NEW. Kurdish Sufi tradition (Naqshbandi, Qadiri orders) treats hikmet as esoteric wisdom disclosed to spiritually advanced masters. Paul’s wisdom (1:18-25; 2:1-13; 3:19) is the opposite: publicly preached, foolish-looking, available to all who believe, centered on a criminal’s execution. Teach against both the world’s philosophical-wisdom default and the Sufi elite-insight default.
Division Schism
Approved rendering: Dabeşbûn
Transliteration: dabeşbûn
Doctrine: Christian Unity versus Factionalism
Original: σχίσμα
Category: Unity
NEW. 1:10-13, 3:3-9, 11:18-19, 12:25. Kurdish political/social life is organized around durable factional rivalries (KDP/PUK, PKK/KRG, aşîret tribal-confederation structures). Must be anchored explicitly to Paul’s specific concern - rival allegiance to human teachers within one undivided body - never left to default to a reading of Kurdish political fragmentation.
Mystery
Approved rendering: Nihênî
Transliteration: nihênî
Doctrine: Divine Wisdom and Mystery
Original: μυστήριον
Category: Wisdom
NEW. 2:1,7; 4:1; 13:2; 14:2; 15:51. Sufi ‘sirr’ reserves esoteric truth for advanced initiates. Paul’s mystery is openly proclaimed to all believers, the reverse of sirr’s restricted-access logic; teach this explicitly at every occurrence.
Natural Spiritual Man
Approved rendering: Mirovê xwezayî / Mirovê giyanî
Transliteration: mirovê xwezayî / mirovê giyanî
Doctrine: Spiritual Discernment versus Natural Understanding
Original: ψυχικὸς ἄνθρωπος / πνευματικὸς ἄνθρωπος
Category: Wisdom
NEW. 2:14-16; 3:1-3. A claim about Spirit-given receptivity, not intellectual capacity or caste; must not be read as endorsing a hierarchy of ‘higher’ versus ‘lower’ people, a real risk given Sufi hierarchical spiritual-rank thinking (cf. keramet).
Last Adam
Approved rendering: Adema Dawî
Transliteration: adema dawî
Doctrine: Resurrection Body and Transformation
Original: ὁ ἔσχατος Ἀδάμ
Category: Eschatology
NEW. 15:45,47. Requires explicit Adam-Christ federal-headship teaching; without it, this title is opaque, and the underlying logic runs against the region’s fitrah (innate-purity) doctrine.
Temple Of God
Approved rendering: Perestgeh
Transliteration: perestgeh
Doctrine: The Church and the Believer’s Body as God’s Temple
Original: ναός
Category: Church
NEW. 3:9-17; 6:19. Distinct from ‘Dêr’ (church building). Displaces the mosque/shrine/church-building as the primary locus of the sacred; must be paired with Ruhê Pîroz for the full Spirit-indwelling claim at both the corporate (3:16-17) and individual (6:19) occurrences.
Participation In Christ
Approved rendering: Beşdarî
Transliteration: beşdarî
Doctrine: The Lord’s Supper
Rejected alternatives: Hevaltî (rejected for this sub-sense — carries political ‘comrade’ resonance unsuitable for sacramental theology)
Original: κοινωνία (sacramental sense)
Category: Sacraments
NEW. 10:16, ‘the cup… a participation in the blood of Christ.’ A deeper, sacramental sharing distinct from ordinary social fellowship; reserve ‘Beşdarî’ specifically for this sense.
Table Of Lord And Demons
Approved rendering: Sifreya Xudan / Sifreya cinan
Transliteration: sifreya Xudan / sifreya cinan
Doctrine: The Lord’s Supper
NEW. 10:21. Must be clear these are ritual cultic meals with real spiritual-allegiance implications, not merely dinner tables.
Idolatry
Approved rendering: Pûtperestî
Transliteration: pûtperestî
Doctrine: Idolatry and Rival Allegiance
Original: εἰδωλολατρία
Category: Liberty
NEW. 10:7,14,19-22. Literal cultic idol-worship is not the daily-lived category it once was; the warning must extend to any rival ultimate allegiance. Sensitivity needed to avoid mischaracterizing Yazidi or other minority religious practices as ‘idolatry.‘
Knowledge
Approved rendering: Zanîn
Transliteration: zanîn
Doctrine: Divine Wisdom and Mystery
Original: γνῶσις
Category: Liberty
NEW. 8:1-11; 13:2. Parallels the hikmet collision: Sufi ‘ma’rifa’ risks reframing ‘knowledge puffs up’ as praise rather than critique - teach as the potentially prideful, love-lacking thing Paul is critiquing.
Right Liberty
Approved rendering: Maf
Transliteration: maf
Doctrine: Christian Liberty and Idol Meat
Rejected alternatives: Azadî (rejected as primary — carries the nationalist-liberation resonance already flagged for rizgarî/azadî in the baseline)
Original: ἐξουσία
Category: Liberty
NEW. 8:9; 9:4-6,12,18. A personal right/prerogative voluntarily foregone for love’s sake; ‘maf’ avoids importing political-liberation resonance into this discussion.
Virgin
Approved rendering: Bakîre
Transliteration: bakîre
Doctrine: Marriage and Singleness
Original: παρθένος
Category: Marriage
NEW. 7:25-38. Virginity/honor (namûs) carries enormous social weight in Kurdish tribal culture; Paul’s treatment is about voluntary devotional choice, not family honor status - this distinction must be made explicit.
Singleness
Approved rendering: Bêzewac
Transliteration: bêzewac
Doctrine: Marriage and Singleness
Original: ἄγαμος
Category: Marriage
NEW. 7:8,32-35. Culturally undervalued in a marriage- and lineage-centered aşîret society; Paul’s positive teaching runs against the cultural default that full adult personhood requires marriage and children, and must be taught deliberately.
Slave Free
Approved rendering: Xulam / Azad
Transliteration: xulam / azad
Doctrine: Marriage and Singleness
Original: δοῦλος / ἐλεύθερος
Category: Marriage
NEW. 7:21-23. ‘Azad’ carries the same nationalist-liberation resonance flagged for rizgarî/azadî; contextual anchoring is required so ‘freedom’ here is not heard as a call to national political liberation.
Headship
Approved rendering: Ser
Transliteration: ser
Doctrine: Head Covering and Gender Order in Worship
Original: κεφαλή
Category: Worship
NEW. 11:3. Kurdish tribal ‘serok’ (chief/leader) hierarchical concept shapes reception in both directions - risking either harsh tribal-patriarchal importation or content-draining avoidance. Requires deliberate, explicit theological framing; flag for theologian review.
Head Covering
Approved rendering: Serpoşî
Transliteration: serpoşî
Doctrine: Head Covering and Gender Order in Worship
Original: κατακαλύπτω
Category: Worship
NEW. 11:4-16. Resembles Islamic hijab practice but rests on a different rationale (creation order/cultural propriety, not religious-law modesty); must not be read as endorsing or paralleling Islamic veiling requirements.
Body And Blood
Approved rendering: Laş / Xwîn
Transliteration: laş / xwîn
Doctrine: The Lord’s Supper
Original: σῶμα / αἷμα
Category: Sacraments
NEW. 11:23-27. Must clearly disambiguate this literal, sacramental sense from the metaphorical ‘body of Christ’ (church, ch.12) sense occurring within a few chapters.
Discerning The Body
Approved rendering: Laş nas kirin
Transliteration: laş nas kirin
Doctrine: The Lord’s Supper
Original: διακρίνων τὸ σῶμα
Category: Sacraments
NEW. 11:29. Ambiguous even in Greek scholarship between the literal elements and the gathered church body; flag for theologian review either way.
Body Of Christ
Approved rendering: Laşê Mesîh
Transliteration: laşê Mesîh
Doctrine: Spiritual Gifts and the Body of Christ
Original: σῶμα Χριστοῦ
Category: Church
NEW. 12:12-27. The corporate, metaphorical body of Christ. Use clear metaphor-signaling (‘wek laşekî,’ ‘as a body’) to distinguish from the literal sacramental referent in ch.11.
Keeps No Record Of Wrongs
Approved rendering: Xerabiyan tomar nake
Transliteration: xerabiyan tomar nake
Doctrine: Love as the Greater Way
Original: οὐ λογίζεται τὸ κακόν
Category: Love
NEW. 13:5. Directly confronts Kurdish tribal blood-feud culture (heyf/tolhildan, generational vengeance-keeping between clans). A significant, culturally pointed teaching opportunity, not merely a general ethical statement.
Apostolic Tradition Received Delivered
Approved rendering: Standin û radestkirin
Transliteration: standin û radestkirin
Doctrine: Apostolic Tradition and Gospel Transmission
Original: παραλαμβάνω / παραδίδωμι
Category: Church
NEW. 15:1,3 (paralambanō/paradidōmi paired technical verbs). Kurdish audiences reason daily with the Islamic isnad (hadith chain-of-transmission) framework; this can be a bridge but risks the gospel being evaluated by isnad-reliability standards or treated as one report among competing reports, echoing the tahrif suspicion. Must be taught as eyewitness-anchored historical deposit, not oral-legend transmission.
Medium Risk Terms
Gospel
Approved rendering: Mizgînî
Transliteration: Mizgînî
Doctrine: Gospel
Original: εὐαγγέλιον
Category: Salvation
Inherited from Romans package. A native Kurdish word for ‘good news,’ not an Arabic loanword like Injil - a genuine linguistic asset. Some readers will also know Încîl via shared Islamic vocabulary, carrying the same tahrif (corruption) assumption found regionally; qualify as the specific NT record when that association is likely. In 1 Corinthians 15:1-3 the ‘received/delivered’ transmission language heightens, not lessens, this caution.
Apostle
Approved rendering: Şandî
Transliteration: şandî
Doctrine: Apostleship
Rejected alternatives: Resûl
Original: ἀπόστολος
Category: Church
Inherited from Romans package. Avoids collision with Muhammad’s Rasul Allah title. Applied throughout 1 Corinthians to the Twelve, James, Paul, and ‘all the apostles’ (15:5-9); Paul’s self-description as ‘least of the apostles’ (15:9) needs clear narrative framing.
Calling
Approved rendering: Vexwendin
Transliteration: vexwendin
Doctrine: Divine Calling
Inherited from Romans package. In 1 Corinthians 7:17-24 this term takes on a new sense - one’s social station at the time of conversion - requiring explicit teaching that this is not fatalistic sanctioning of unjust conditions (e.g., slavery) as ideal or permanent.
Holy
Approved rendering: Pîroz
Transliteration: pîroz
Doctrine: Sanctification
Original: ἅγιος
Category: Sanctification
Inherited from Romans package. Standard native word for holy/sacred, also used of Yazidi sacred sites and figures; a generic shared-vocabulary overlap rather than a specific competing doctrine.
Peace
Approved rendering: Aştî
Transliteration: aştî
Doctrine: Peace with God
Original: εἰρήνη
Category: Salvation
Inherited from Romans package. 1 Corinthians 14:33, ‘God is not a God of confusion but of peace,’ extends the baseline’s aştî resonance with regional peace processes into the worship-order context.
Spiritual Gifts
Approved rendering: Diyariyên Giyanî
Transliteration: diyariyên giyanî
Doctrine: Spiritual Gifts
Original: χαρίσματα
Category: Spiritual Gifts
Inherited from Romans package. Always retain giyanî. This is 1 Corinthians 12’s central theme; must not be read as ordinary talent.
Fellowship
Approved rendering: Hevaltî
Transliteration: hevaltî
Doctrine: Christian Fellowship
Original: κοινωνία
Category: Church
Inherited from Romans package. Carries a secular leftist/nationalist ‘comrade’ echo. Reserve for general fellowship (1:9, 16:20); do NOT use for the deeper sacramental participation sense at 10:16 - see ‘participation_in_christ’ below.
Gentiles
Approved rendering: Ne-cihû
Transliteration: ne-cihû
Doctrine: Unity of Jews and Gentiles
Rejected alternatives: Umet
Original: Ἕλληνες / ἔθνη
Category: Church
Inherited from Romans package. Descriptive rendering avoids the loaded pan-Islamic ‘umet’ sense. Occurs at 1:23-24, 10:32, 12:13.
Glory
Approved rendering: Rûmet
Transliteration: rûmet
Doctrine: Deity of Christ
Original: δόξα
Category: God
Inherited from Romans package. Kurdish Sufi poetry’s rich devotional glory/majesty vocabulary must be anchored to Christ’s specific, historical glory. 1 Corinthians 15:40-43 uses ‘glory’ for contrasting resurrection-body splendor.
Power Of God
Approved rendering: Hêza Xwedê
Transliteration: hêza Xwedê
Doctrine: Power of God for Salvation
Original: δύναμις θεοῦ
Category: God
Inherited from Romans package. In 1 Corinthians, specifically the paradoxical power displayed through the cross’s apparent weakness (1:18,24; 2:5) and the resurrection body (15:43).
Israel
Approved rendering: Îsraîl
Transliteration: Îsraîl
Doctrine: Unity of Jews and Gentiles
Original: Ἰσραήλ
Category: Covenant
Inherited from Romans package. Kurdish sentiment toward Israel, especially in Iraqi Kurdistan, is often notably favorable. 1 Corinthians 10:18, ‘Israel according to the flesh,’ is used as a wilderness-generation warning example.
Foolishness
Approved rendering: Bêaqilî
Transliteration: bêaqilî
Doctrine: The Cross as Wisdom and Power
Original: μωρία
Category: Wisdom
NEW. 1:18-25. Must preserve Paul’s deliberate irony - what looks foolish is in fact God’s saving wisdom - not flattened into simple negative ‘stupidity.‘
Leaven
Approved rendering: Xemîr
Transliteration: xemîr
Doctrine: Church Discipline and Holiness
Original: ζύμη
Category: Discipline
NEW. 5:6-8. The Passover-echoing image is not a live regional Muslim custom; the corrupting-influence image transfers well once briefly explained.
Conscience
Approved rendering: Wîjdan
Transliteration: wîjdan
Doctrine: Christian Liberty and Idol Meat
Original: συνείδησις
Category: Liberty
NEW. 8:7,10,12; 10:25-29. Must be taught as an internal moral faculty that can be weak or defiled, not an infallible guide.
Marriage
Approved rendering: Zewac
Transliteration: zewac
Doctrine: Marriage and Singleness
Original: γάμος
Category: Marriage
NEW. Chapter 7 (whole chapter). Must avoid importing the Islamic nikah marriage-contract framework’s distinctive features (polygamy allowance, differing divorce procedure) into Paul’s monogamous, mutual-consent assumptions.
Circumcision
Approved rendering: Sinetkirin / Nesinetkirî
Transliteration: sinetkirin / nesinetkirî
Doctrine: Marriage and Singleness
Original: περιτομή / ἀκροβυστία
Category: Marriage
NEW. 7:18-19. A near-universal Kurdish Muslim religious-identity practice; Paul’s relativizing of it in Christ requires explicit teaching, without denigrating the practice itself.
Unworthy Manner
Approved rendering: Bi awayekî neguncan
Transliteration: bi awayekî neguncan
Doctrine: The Lord’s Supper
Original: ἀναξίως
Category: Sacraments
NEW. 11:27,29. Must convey self-examination of one’s spiritual state and regard for the community, not merely liturgical etiquette.
Members
Approved rendering: Endam
Transliteration: endam
Doctrine: Spiritual Gifts and the Body of Christ
Original: μέλη
Category: Church
NEW. 12:12-27. Standard organizational-body term; low-medium risk beyond consistency with body_of_christ.
Interpretation Of Tongues
Approved rendering: Şirovekirina Zimanan
Transliteration: şirovekirina zimanan
Doctrine: Spiritual Gifts and the Body of Christ
Original: ἑρμηνεία γλωσσῶν
Category: Spiritual Gifts
NEW. 12:10,30; 14:5,13,26-28. Paired with tongues; standard interpretive vocabulary otherwise.
Healing
Approved rendering: Şifa
Transliteration: şifa
Doctrine: Spiritual Gifts and the Body of Christ
Original: ἰάματα
Category: Spiritual Gifts
NEW. 12:9,28,30. Carries strong folk-Islamic and Qur’anic-recitation healing-practice associations (e.g., ruqyah); must be taught as sovereign Spirit-given enablement, not formulaic incantation or amulet-based practice.
Miracles
Approved rendering: Kiryarên Hêzê
Transliteration: kiryarên hêzê
Doctrine: Spiritual Gifts and the Body of Christ
Original: ἐνεργήματα δυνάμεων
Category: Spiritual Gifts
NEW. 12:10,28-29. Standard vocabulary for workings of miracles/powers; ensure distinctness from folk-magical ‘power’ concepts.
Discerning Of Spirits
Approved rendering: Cihêrengiya Giyanan
Transliteration: cihêrengiya giyanan
Doctrine: Spiritual Gifts and the Body of Christ
Original: διακρίσεις πνευμάτων
Category: Spiritual Gifts
NEW. 12:10. Given regional folk-belief in jinn and spirit-discernment practices, must be anchored as a Spirit-given gift for testing claims against the gospel, not folk exorcism technique.
Victory
Approved rendering: Serkeftin
Transliteration: serkeftin
Doctrine: The Resurrection of Christ and Believers
Original: νῖκος
Category: Eschatology
NEW. 15:54-57. Prominent in Kurdish political-liberation rhetoric, paralleling the baseline’s rizgarî/azadî caution; keep spiritual victory over sin/death explicitly distinct from national-political victory, though the resonance can be a homiletic asset once anchored.
Imperishability
Approved rendering: Nemirbûn
Transliteration: nemirbûn
Doctrine: Resurrection Body and Transformation
Original: ἀφθαρσία / ἀθανασία
Category: Eschatology
NEW. 15:53-54. Standard resurrection-hope vocabulary, covering both imperishability and immortality senses in a single compound.
Maranatha
Approved rendering: Maranata
Transliteration: Maranata
Doctrine: The Resurrection of Christ and Believers
Rejected alternatives: Xudanê me, were! (rejected as a full translation — flattens the historic Aramaic liturgical texture)
Original: Μαρὰν ἀθά
Category: Eschatology
NEW. 16:22. Aramaic eschatological prayer-cry, ‘Our Lord, come!’ Retain transliterated, following the baseline’s precedent for preserving ‘Abba’ untranslated; footnote rather than fully domesticate. Reinforces the exclusive Lordship claim of 8:6 and 12:3.
Low Risk Terms
Thanksgiving
Approved rendering: Spasî
Transliteration: spasî
Doctrine: Thanksgiving
Inherited from Romans package. Standard term; occurs at 1:4, 14:18, 15:57.
Prophecy
Approved rendering: Pêxemberî
Transliteration: pêxemberî
Doctrine: Fulfillment of Prophecy
Original: προφητεία
Category: Spiritual Gifts
Inherited from Romans package. Occurs at 13:2,8-9; 14:1-39, governed by edification of the church.
Remembrance
Approved rendering: Bîranîn
Transliteration: bîranîn
Doctrine: The Lord’s Supper
Original: ἀνάμνησις
Category: Sacraments
NEW. 11:24-25, ‘do this in remembrance of me.’ Standard, low-risk term once sacramental context is established.
Hope
Approved rendering: Hêvî
Transliteration: hêvî
Doctrine: Love as the Greater Way
Original: ἐλπίς
Category: Love
NEW. 13:13; 15:19. Standard, native term; low independent risk.
Edification
Approved rendering: Avakirin
Transliteration: avakirin
Doctrine: Mutual Edification
Original: οἰκοδομή
Category: Worship
NEW. 14:3-5,12,26. Reuses the baseline’s ‘Avakirina Hevpar’ root; no new risk.
Order Decently
Approved rendering: Rêz û Rêk
Transliteration: rêz û rêk
Doctrine: Order in Worship
Original: τάξις / εὐσχημόνως
Category: Worship
NEW. 14:40, ‘let all things be done decently and in order.’ Standard vocabulary; low risk.
Sting Of Death
Approved rendering: Derziya Mirinê
Transliteration: derziya mirinê
Doctrine: The Resurrection of Christ and Believers
Original: τὸ κέντρον τοῦ θανάτου
Category: Eschatology
NEW. 15:55-56. Vivid image requiring no major cultural adjustment.
Collection
Approved rendering: Berhevkirina Diyariyan
Transliteration: berhevkirina diyariyan
Doctrine: Church as God’s People
Original: λογεία
Category: Church
NEW. 16:1-2. Standard descriptive phrase for the collection for the saints in Jerusalem; low risk.
Holy Kiss
Approved rendering: Maçîka Pîroz
Transliteration: maçîka pîroz
Doctrine: Christian Fellowship
Original: φίλημα ἅγιον
Category: Fellowship
NEW. 16:20. Cheek-kissing as a same-gender greeting custom is already normal regional practice; clarify the NT context (same-gender greeting among believers) to avoid any modern romantic misreading.
Type Example
Approved rendering: Nimûne
Transliteration: nimûne
Doctrine: Christian Liberty and Idol Meat
Original: τύπος
Category: Liberty
NEW. 10:6,11. Israel’s wilderness history recorded as a ‘type’/example for instruction; standard illustrative-example vocabulary.
Reward
Approved rendering: Xelat
Transliteration: xelat
Doctrine: Christian Liberty and Idol Meat
Original: μισθός
Category: Liberty
NEW. 9:17-18. Must not be read as earning salvation (cf. baseline’s grace-vs-merit rule); this is reward for faithful ministry service, not the ground of standing before God.
Referenced passages