Core Glossary
Core Glossary: 3 John (English–Greek–Maithili)
This glossary consolidates every load-bearing term identified in analysis/07_semantic_analysis.md, organized by curriculum doctrine. Terms marked [BASELINE — REUSE EXACTLY] are already fixed in the Romans translation_memory.json / bible_term_registry.json and must not be altered. Terms marked [NEW] are proposed additions for this curriculum’s translation memory and require sign-off before Phase 2 processing begins. Risk tiers, review routing, and forbidden-substitution conventions follow the baseline doctrine_risk_registry.json framework exactly.
Doctrine 1: Hospitality to Traveling Ministers
| English Term | Greek | Transliteration | Maithili Rendering | Risk | Verse Refs | TM Status | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| stranger | ξένος | xenos | परदेशी | High | v.5 | [NEW] | Must convey obligatory warm welcome of an unknown fellow believer, not caste/lineage-vetted wariness toward outsiders. |
| send forward (on journey) | προπέμπω | propempō | यात्राक हेतु सहायता देब | High | v.6 | [NEW] | Technical hospitality term: active material provisioning for onward travel, not a farewell pleasantry. |
| worthily of God | ἀξίως τοῦ θεοῦ | axiōs tou theou | परमेश्वरक योग्य रीतिसँ | Medium | v.6 | [NEW] | Maithili genitive -क per established baseline grammatical convention. |
| the Name (Christ) | τὸ ὄνομα | to onoma | नाम / ओहि नामक हेतु | Critical | v.7 | [NEW] | Must not be read through the region’s Ram-nām japa (name-chanting) devotional lens; refers to Christ’s person/authority/cause. |
| Gentiles/pagans | ἐθνικός | ethnikos | अन्यजाति | Medium | v.7 | [BASELINE concept — REUSE, flag nuance] | Contrastive/negative sense here (non-believing outsiders); distinguish from Romans’ inclusion-affirming usage. |
| ought (obligation) | ὀφείλω | opheilō | …करब चाही / जिम्मेवारी | Medium | v.8 | [NEW] | Avoid heavy कर्तव्य framing that risks dharma-duty resonance. |
| receive/support | ὑπολαμβάνω | hypolambanō | स्वागत करब / सहायता देब | Medium | v.8 | [NEW] | Keep consistent with ἐπιδέχομαι and προπέμπω renderings. |
| fellow-worker | συνεργός | synergos | सहकर्मी | Medium | v.8 | [NEW] | Hospitality-givers share fully in the gospel labor and its reward. |
| receive/welcome | ἐπιδέχομαι | epidechomai | स्वीकार करब / ग्रहण करब | High | v.9, v.10 | [NEW] | Negated in Diotrephes’ case — must read as a serious act of rejection, not a minor slight. |
| church | ἐκκλησία | ekklēsia | मण्डली | Medium | vv.6, 9, 10 | [BASELINE — REUSE EXACTLY] | Never मन्दिर or मठ. |
Doctrine 2: Imitating Good rather than Evil
| English Term | Greek | Transliteration | Maithili Rendering | Risk | Verse Refs | TM Status | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| imitate | μιμέομαι | mimeomai | अनुकरण करब | High | v.11 | [NEW] | Guard against collapsing into the region’s Sita-exemplar achieved-merit model of virtue (cf. baseline grace/imputed_righteousness cautions); imitation here follows from truth already at work in the model, not self-generated merit. |
| good | ἀγαθός | agathos | नीक | Medium | v.11 | [NEW] | |
| evil | κακός | kakos | खराब | Medium | v.11 | [NEW] | |
| do good | ἀγαθοποιέω | agathopoieō | नीक काज करब | Medium | v.11 | [NEW] | Evidences belonging to God, not merit that earns standing. |
| do evil | κακοποιέω | kakopoieō | खराब काज करब | Medium | v.11 | [NEW] | Evidences lack of relational knowledge of God. |
| seen God | ἑώρακεν τὸν θεόν | heōraken ton theon | परमेश्वरकेँ देखने अछि | High | v.11 | [NEW] | Requires mandatory note distinguishing relational/ethical knowledge of God from temple darśan (image-viewing) devotional practice. |
| deeds | ἔργα | erga | काज | High | v.10 | [NEW] | Deliberately NOT कर्म, to avoid karma-doctrine (cause-effect across rebirths) resonance. |
Doctrine 3: Church Leadership and Pride (Diotrephes)
| English Term | Greek | Transliteration | Maithili Rendering | Risk | Verse Refs | TM Status | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| elder | πρεσβύτερος | presbyteros | प्राचीन | High | v.1 | [NEW] | Spiritual/apostolic office, not village मुखिया or caste-council seniority. |
| love to be first / preeminence | φιλοπρωτεύω | philoprōteuō | प्रधानता चाहब | Critical | v.9 | [NEW] | Names a culpable, condemned vice — self-exalting ambition displacing legitimate authority — not ordinary, expected social status-consciousness. Mandatory theologian review at every occurrence. |
| receive/welcome (withheld) | ἐπιδέχομαι | epidechomai | स्वीकार नहि करब | High | v.9, v.10 | [NEW] | See Doctrine 1 entry; here specifically the negated/withheld form. |
| deeds | ἔργα | erga | काज | High | v.10 | [NEW] | See Doctrine 2 entry. |
| prate against | φλυαρέω | phlyareō | बकवास करैत निन्दा करब | Medium | v.10 | [NEW] | Baseless, malicious accusation — stronger than ordinary gossip. |
| evil words | λόγοις πονηροῖς | logois ponērois | दुष्ट बात | Medium | v.10 | [NEW] | Distinct root from पाप (sin); keep terminologically separate. |
| forbid/hinder | κωλύω | kōlyō | रोकब | Low | v.10 | [NEW] | |
| cast out | ἐκβάλλω | ekballō | मण्डलीसँ बाहर निकालब | High | v.10 | [NEW] | Object made explicit (“from the church”) to avoid caste/community-expulsion resonance; condemned as abuse, not a discipline model. Mandatory theologian review. |
| church | ἐκκλησία | ekklēsia | मण्डली | Medium | vv.9, 10 | [BASELINE — REUSE EXACTLY] | |
| God | θεός | theos | परमेश्वर | Critical | v.6, v.11 | [BASELINE — REUSE EXACTLY] |
Doctrine 4: Commendation of Faithful Witness (Demetrius)
| English Term | Greek | Transliteration | Maithili Rendering | Risk | Verse Refs | TM Status | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| testify/bear witness | μαρτυρέω | martyreō | साक्षी देब / गवाही देब | Medium-High | vv.3, 6, 12 | [NEW] | Reliable, verifiable, evidentiary testimony (echoing the OT multiple-witness principle), not devotional praise-narration or informal gossip. |
| testimony | μαρτυρία | martyria | गवाही | Medium | v.12 | [NEW] | Keep noun/verb pair consistent across all occurrences. |
| true | ἀληθής | alēthēs | सत्य | Medium | v.12 | [NEW] | |
| by the truth itself | ὑπὸ αὐτῆς τῆς ἀληθείας | hypo autēs tēs alētheias | ओहि सत्यसँ नीज (गवाही देल गेल) | High | v.12 | [NEW] | Personified truth = gospel truth embodied in Christ (cf. John 14:6), not an impersonal Vedantic Absolute. |
| faithful | πιστός | pistos | विश्वासयोग्य | High | v.5 | [NEW] | Adjectival relative of विश्वास (baseline High risk); distinct sense — trustworthy conduct flowing from faith. |
Doctrine 5: Truth and Christian Fellowship
| English Term | Greek | Transliteration | Maithili Rendering | Risk | Verse Refs | TM Status | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| truth | ἀλήθεια | alētheia | सत्य | High | vv.1, 3, 4, 8, 12 | [NEW] | Guard against a Vedantic Sat/Satya-Yuga/Absolute-Reality reading; this is gospel truth and Christian integrity of conduct. |
| love (noun/verb) | ἀγάπη / ἀγαπάω | agapē / agapaō | प्रेम | High | vv.1, 6 | [NEW] | Guard against conflation with Vaishnava devotional/romantic प्रेम (Radha-Krishna, Vidyapati tradition). |
| beloved | ἀγαπητός | agapētos | प्रिय | Medium | vv.1, 2, 5, 11 | [NEW] | Distinguish from romantic-poetic usage of प्रिय. |
| brothers | ἀδελφός | adelphos | भाइ (विश्वासी भाइ) | High | vv.3, 5, 10 | [NEW] | Spiritual-family term crossing caste/blood lines; guard against जाति-भाइ (caste-brotherhood) collision, paralleling baseline’s गentiles/जाति caution. |
| friends | φίλος | philos | मित्र | Medium | v.14 (x2) | [NEW] | Named, particular, personal friendship within the fellowship — distinct register from भाइ and from baseline सङ्गति. |
| walk (conduct of life) | περιπατέω | peripateō | आचरण करब | Medium | vv.3, 4 | [NEW] | Metaphor for habitual conduct; avoid literal “physical walking” misreading, and avoid drifting into duty/dharma-conduct framing. |
| joy / rejoice | χαρά / χαίρω | chara / chairō | आनन्द / आनन्दित होएब | Low | vv.3, 4 | [NEW] | |
| soul | ψυχή | psychē | प्राण | High | v.2 | [NEW] | Deliberately NOT आत्मा, to avoid collision with both बaseline’s पवित्र आत्मा (Holy Spirit) and Vedantic Ātman-Brahman doctrine. |
| my children (spiritual) | τὰ ἐμὰ τέκνα | ta ema tekna | सन्तान | Medium | v.4 | [NEW] | Distinct from baseline’s पुत्रत्व प्रदान (adoption into God’s family) — pastoral spiritual-parentage sense, not adoption doctrine. |
| peace | εἰρήνη | eirēnē | शान्ति | Medium | v.14 | [BASELINE — REUSE EXACTLY] | |
| hope | ἐλπίζω | elpizō | आशा करब | Low-Medium | v.14 | [NEW] | Ordinary forward expectation; keep distinct from विश्वास (faith). |
| face to face | στόμα πρὸς στόμα | stoma pros stoma | आमने-सामने | Low | v.14 | [NEW] | Idiom; do not render literally as “mouth to mouth.” |
| ink / pen | μέλαν / κάλαμος | melan / kalamos | स्याही / कलम | Low | v.13 | [NEW] | No doctrinal risk; cultural/literal detail only. |
| God | θεός | theos | परमेश्वर | Critical | vv.6, 11 | [BASELINE — REUSE EXACTLY] | Never भगवान or ईश्वर. |
Risk Tier Summary for 3 John Curriculum
| Risk Tier | Count | Review Routing (per baseline convention) |
|---|---|---|
| Critical | 4 (नाम/the Name; प्रधानता चाहब/preeminence; काज-वs-कर्म is High not Critical — see note; परमेश्वर, reused) | Human theologian review, every occurrence |
| High | 17 | Human theologian review |
| Medium | 16 | Native speaker review |
| Low | 6 | Automated review sufficient |
Note: “deeds” (काज) is tiered High rather than Critical because the forbidden-substitution risk (कर्म) is a single, clearly avoidable lexical choice rather than a multi-sense doctrinal concept; nonetheless it must be added to the Critical Forbidden Substitutions list in the next revision of 12_ai_translation_requirements.md for this curriculum, alongside the existing Romans forbidden-term list.
New terms proposed for addition to translation_memory.json (pending sign-off): प्राचीन, प्रेम, सत्य, प्राण, भाइ, परदेशी, प्रधानता चाहब, मण्डलीसँ बाहर निकालब, परमेश्वरकेँ देखने अछि, अनुकरण करब, नाम (the Name sense), काज, विश्वासयोग्य, यात्राक हेतु सहायता देब, सहकर्मी, गवाही/साक्षी देब, मित्र, सन्तान, आशा करब, आमने-सामने, आनन्द, दुष्ट, खराब, नीक, रोकब, बकवास करैत निन्दा करब, स्वागत करब, स्वीकार करब, प्रिय, आचरण करब, स्याही, कलम.
Reused baseline terms (unchanged, cite exactly): परमेश्वर, मण्डली, शान्ति, अन्यजाति (nuance flagged), विश्वास (root only, for the derived विश्वासयोग्य).
This glossary is Phase 1 Step 1 output, produced alongside analysis/07_semantic_analysis.md. It feeds into Phase 1 Step 8 (Core Glossary consolidation) and ultimately into the curriculum-specific extension of translation_memory.json and bible_term_registry.json for Phase 2 tooling.
Critical Risk Terms
God
Approved rendering: परमेश्वर
Transliteration: parameśvar
Doctrine: Deity of Christ
Rejected alternatives: भगवान, ईश्वर
Original: θεός
Category: God
Inherited from Romans package. परमेश्वर (Supreme Lord) is preferred for doctrinal precision. भगवान is the everyday Maithili devotional address for one’s chosen deity (Ram, Krishna, Shiva) and carries too much devotional-object ambiguity for consistent doctrinal use. In 3 John, governs the standard of hospitality (1:6) and the claim that habitual evildoers ‘have not seen God’ (1:11).
The Name
Approved rendering: नाम
Transliteration: nām
Doctrine: Ministry Undertaken for Christ’s Name
Rejected alternatives: अवतारी नाम
Original: τὸ ὄνομα
Category: Christology
Renders τὸ ὄνομα (1:7), early-church shorthand for Christ’s person, authority, and cause. MANDATORY translator note at this term’s only occurrence, making the referent (Christ) explicit — e.g. ओहि नामक हेतु (‘for the sake of that Name’). Mithila’s Vaishnava devotional culture places enormous weight on nām-japa, ritual repetition/chanting of a deity’s name (especially Ram-nām) as a devotional/salvific technique; an unqualified rendering risks assimilation into that name-chanting frame rather than being read as apostolic shorthand for gospel mission under Christ’s authority.
Love Of Preeminence
Approved rendering: प्रधानता चाहब
Transliteration: pradhāntā cāhab
Doctrine: Church Leadership and Pride
Rejected alternatives: नेतृत्व चाहब
Original: φιλοπρωτεύω
Category: Church Leadership
Renders φιλοπρωτεύω (1:9), Diotrephes’ defining sin: self-exalting ambition for rank displacing legitimate apostolic authority. MANDATORY translator note at every occurrence: social status, seniority, and precedence (caste rank, Panjikaran-verified lineage standing, household hierarchy) are pervasively and legitimately marked in ordinary Mithila social life, so a flat rendering risks reading as unremarkable status-consciousness rather than a named, culpable, condemned vice.
High Risk Terms
Faith
Approved rendering: विश्वास
Transliteration: biswas
Doctrine: Faith
Rejected alternatives: श्रद्धा, भक्ति
Inherited from Romans package. Not directly glossed as a standalone noun in 3 John, but its root underlies the new adjectival term विश्वासयोग्य (faithful, v.5) coined for this curriculum; retained here so translators can see the root term विश्वासयोग्य extends without altering.
Elder
Approved rendering: प्राचीन
Transliteration: prācīn
Doctrine: Church Leadership and Pride
Rejected alternatives: मुखिया, पंडित, बुजुर्ग
Original: πρεσβύτερος
Category: Church Leadership
John’s self-designation (1:1). Must be anchored as a spiritual/pastoral office of delegated apostolic authority, not the age- and lineage-based authority of a village मुखिया, a caste-council head, or a Panjikaran-consulting Brahmin elder. This distinction is the doctrinal hinge for the whole Church Leadership and Pride unit, since Diotrephes’ sin is misusing legitimate office-authority for self-exaltation.
Love
Approved rendering: प्रेम
Transliteration: prem
Doctrine: Christian Love and Affection
Rejected alternatives: भक्ति, स्नेह, मोह
Original: ἀγάπη / ἀγαπάω
Category: Fellowship
Renders ἀγάπη/ἀγαπάω (1:1, 6). MANDATORY translator note at every occurrence: this is willed, self-giving, truth-grounded Christian love among believers, not the romantic-mystical devotional longing carried by प्रेम in Vidyapati’s poetry and the wider Radha-Krishna bhakti tradition. Parallels the baseline’s भक्ति/विश्वास caution.
Truth
Approved rendering: सत्य
Transliteration: satya
Doctrine: Truth and Christian Fellowship
Rejected alternatives: तथ्य, यथार्थ
Original: ἀλήθεια
Category: Truth
Renders ἀλήθεια, the letter’s controlling theme-word (1:1, 3, 4, 8, 12). MANDATORY translator note at every occurrence: this is gospel reality and Christian integrity of doctrine and life, not the cyclical cosmic Satya Yuga (age of truth) or the Vedantic identification of ultimate reality as Sat within Sat-Chit-Ananda (the nature of Brahman).
Soul
Approved rendering: प्राण
Transliteration: prāṇ
Doctrine: The Believer’s Inner Well-Being
Rejected alternatives: आत्मा
Original: ψυχή
Category: Anthropology
Renders ψυχή (1:2), Gaius’s inner spiritual well-being contrasted with physical health. Deliberately NOT आत्मा: आत्मा is reserved in baseline translation memory for पवित्र आत्मा (Holy Spirit), and reusing it here would invite conflation with the Vedantic doctrine of Ātman (the individual self held ultimately identical with Brahman in Advaita Vedanta), actively taught across Mithila’s Shaiva and Vedantic traditions. Mandatory theologian review at this term’s one occurrence.
Brothers
Approved rendering: भाइ
Transliteration: bhāi
Doctrine: Christian Kinship Across Caste and Lineage Lines
Rejected alternatives: जाति-भाइ
Original: ἀδελφός
Category: Fellowship
Renders ἀδελφός (1:3, 5, 10). Pair with विश्वासी भाइ (‘believing brother’) at first occurrence. In a Panjikaran-conscious social structure, जाति-भाइ (caste-brotherhood) is a defined, consequential social category; this term must be unambiguously read as a spiritual-family bond crossing caste and blood lines, since the letter’s whole argument concerns welcoming personally unverified traveling ministers as family.
Testify
Approved rendering: साक्षी देब
Transliteration: sākṣī deb
Doctrine: Commendation of Faithful Witness
Rejected alternatives: गवाही सुनाएब
Original: μαρτυρέω
Category: Witness and Testimony
Renders μαρτυρέω (1:3, 6, 12). Must read as verifiable, evidentiary testimony (echoing the OT multiple-witness legal principle, Deut 19:15), not devotional praise-narration in the regional ‘satsang’ mode nor informal social gossip.
Faithful
Approved rendering: विश्वासयोग्य
Transliteration: biswasyogya
Doctrine: Commendation of Faithful Witness
Rejected alternatives: ईमानदार
Original: πιστός
Category: Faith
Renders πιστός (1:5), describing Gaius’s hospitality. Built on the same root as baseline’s विश्वास (faith, High risk) but must not be confused with or substituted for विश्वास itself (saving trust in Christ); this is a distinct adjectival sense — reliable conduct flowing from faith — paralleling the baseline’s obedience_of_faith category.
Stranger
Approved rendering: परदेशी
Transliteration: paradeśī
Doctrine: Hospitality to Traveling Ministers
Rejected alternatives: अपरिचित, विदेशी
Original: ξένος
Category: Hospitality
Renders ξένος (1:5), the load-bearing term for the whole Hospitality doctrine unit. Must convey warm, obligatory welcome of an unverified fellow believer, not the wary or transactional treatment given to genuine outsiders in a caste-and-lineage-conscious society where an unverified outsider’s ritual/caste status would ordinarily be a live concern (per Mithila’s Panjikaran-consciousness).
Send Forward
Approved rendering: यात्राक हेतु सहायता देब
Transliteration: yātrāk hetu sahāyatā deb
Doctrine: Hospitality to Traveling Ministers
Rejected alternatives: बिदा करब
Original: προπέμπω
Category: Hospitality
Renders προπέμπω (1:6), a technical hospitality term: active equipping/provisioning for onward travel, not a farewell pleasantry. A thin rendering would flatten this into a social nicety and lose the material-support dimension central to this doctrine (cf. 1:7-8).
Receive Welcome
Approved rendering: स्वीकार करब
Transliteration: svīkār karab
Doctrine: Church Leadership and Pride
Rejected alternatives: ग्रहण करब
Original: ἐπιδέχομαι
Category: Church Leadership
Renders ἐπιδέχομαι (1:9, 10). Kept distinct in register from स्वागत करब (the warmly positive hospitality vocabulary of vv.5-8): here the same root action is being withheld, and the withholding is the sin. The negation (‘does not receive’) must read as a serious act of rejecting apostolic authority, not a minor social slight.
Deeds
Approved rendering: काज
Transliteration: kāj
Doctrine: Abuse of Church Discipline
Rejected alternatives: कर्म
Original: ἔργα
Category: Ethics
Renders ἔργα (1:10), Diotrephes’ pattern of malicious talk, refusal, and exclusion. Deliberately NOT कर्म: कर्म carries the full weight of karma-doctrine (moral deeds generating cause-and-effect consequences across rebirths), already flagged repeatedly in the baseline (grace, providence, election, resurrection entries). Add to Critical Forbidden Substitutions list for this curriculum.
Cast Out
Approved rendering: मण्डलीसँ बाहर निकालब
Transliteration: maṇḍalīsã̃ bāhar nikālab
Doctrine: Abuse of Church Discipline
Rejected alternatives: बाहर निकालब (object omitted)
Original: ἐκβάλλω
Category: Church Leadership
Renders ἐκβάλλω (1:10), with the object made explicit (‘from the church’) rather than a bare verb. An unqualified ‘cast out’ risks resonance with the serious, socially devastating practice of caste/community expulsion for perceived breaches of lineage-purity in a Panjikaran-conscious society. Teaching notes must state this act is condemned by the letter as Diotrephes’ abuse, never commended as a discipline model.
Imitate
Approved rendering: अनुकरण करब
Transliteration: anukaraṇ karab
Doctrine: Imitating Good rather than Evil
Original: μιμέομαι
Category: Ethics
Renders μιμέομαι (1:11), the letter’s central ethical command. MANDATORY translator note: Mithila’s dominant devotional culture is itself built around an exemplar-imitation model of virtue, most prominently Sita as the paradigm of self-sacrificial devotion emulated for merit. This text does command genuine imitation (of Demetrius), so must not be muted — but must be framed as flowing from truth already at work in the model (1:12), not self-generated merit securing standing before God, directly parallel to the baseline’s imputed_righteousness guardrail. Do not illustrate using Sita or any regional exemplar narrative.
Seen God
Approved rendering: परमेश्वरकेँ देखने अछि
Transliteration: parameśvarakẽ dekhne achi
Doctrine: Knowledge of God Evidenced by Conduct
Original: ἑώρακεν τὸν θεόν
Category: Knowledge of God
Renders ἑώρακεν τὸν θεόν (1:11). MANDATORY translator note at this term’s only occurrence: this Johannine idiom names relational/experiential knowledge of God evidenced by conduct, not literal vision. It directly parallels darśan, the central devotional practice in Mithila’s Hindu temple worship where a worshipper ‘sees and is seen by’ a deity’s image (mūrti) to receive blessing/communion; without the note, readers may map this verse onto a darśan-style ritual-viewing framework.
Medium Risk Terms
Church
Approved rendering: मण्डली
Transliteration: maṇḍalī
Doctrine: Church as God’s People
Rejected alternatives: मन्दिर, मठ
Original: ἐκκλησία
Category: Church
Inherited from Romans package. Never मन्दिर (Hindu temple) and never मठ (a monastic institution attached to a particular deity or guru lineage). In 3 John names the local congregation before which Gaius’s love was testified (1:6) and which Diotrephes wrongly dominates, refusing others and casting faithful believers out of it (1:9-10).
Peace
Approved rendering: शान्ति
Transliteration: śānti
Doctrine: Peace with God
Rejected alternatives: चैन, सुख
Original: εἰρήνη
Category: Salvation
Inherited from Romans package. In 3 John 1:14 used in its ordinary epistolary blessing-close sense, never disconnected from its deeper theological sense established elsewhere in the NT canon.
Gentiles
Approved rendering: अन्यजाति
Transliteration: anyajāti
Doctrine: Unity of Jews and Gentiles
Rejected alternatives: विदेशी
Original: ἐθνικός
Category: Church
Inherited from Romans package. In 3 John 1:7 (ἐθνικός) the sense is contrastive/negative — non-believing outsiders from whom missionaries should not seek material patronage — distinct from Romans’ positive, inclusion-affirming ‘no distinction between Jew and Gentile’ usage. Reviewers must confirm surrounding context preserves this nuance so the term is not read as contradicting the Romans-taught inclusion doctrine.
Beloved
Approved rendering: प्रिय
Transliteration: priya
Doctrine: Truth and Christian Fellowship
Rejected alternatives: प्यारा
Original: ἀγαπητός
Category: Fellowship
Term of address for Gaius (1:1, 2, 5, 11). Must read as covenantal, familial affection among believers, not the romantic/devotional प्रिय common in Radha-Krishna poetic address in Mithila’s Vaishnava literary tradition (e.g., Vidyapati).
Walk
Approved rendering: आचरण करब
Transliteration: ācaraṇ karab
Doctrine: Truth and Christian Fellowship
Rejected alternatives: चलब
Original: περιπατέω
Category: Ethics
Renders περιπατέω (1:3, 4), a standard NT metaphor for habitual manner of life. A flat literal rendering (‘walk physically’) would obscure the metaphor; must also avoid drifting toward कर्तव्य/धर्म-conduct framing already flagged Critical in the baseline for righteousness/law.
Spiritual Children
Approved rendering: सन्तान
Transliteration: santān
Doctrine: Spiritual Parentage and Pastoral Care
Rejected alternatives: औलाद
Original: τὰ ἐμὰ τέκνα
Category: Pastoral Relationship
Renders τὰ ἐμὰ τέκνα (1:4). Keep distinct from the baseline’s पुत्रत्व प्रदान (adoption into God’s family through Christ) — this is John’s narrower pastoral relationship to converts. A distinguishing footnote at first occurrence is recommended.
Worthily Of God
Approved rendering: परमेश्वरक योग्य रीतिसँ
Transliteration: parameśvarak yogya rītisã̃
Doctrine: Hospitality to Traveling Ministers
Original: ἀξίως τοῦ θεοῦ
Category: Hospitality
Renders ἀξίως τοῦ θεοῦ (1:6), using the Maithili genitive -क per the grammatical convention established in the baseline (cf. दाऊदक वंशसँ).
Ought
Approved rendering: जिम्मेवारी
Transliteration: jimmevārī
Doctrine: Hospitality to Traveling Ministers
Rejected alternatives: कर्तव्य
Original: ὀφείλω
Category: Hospitality
Renders ὀφείλω (1:8), moral obligation to support gospel workers. कर्तव्य is avoided because it risks resonance with dharma-bound duty-language already flagged for the baseline’s obedience_of_faith entry; जिम्मेवारी (responsibility) or the phrase ’…करब चाही’ is preferred.
Receive Support
Approved rendering: स्वागत करब
Transliteration: swāgat karab
Doctrine: Hospitality to Traveling Ministers
Rejected alternatives: सहायता देब
Original: ὑπολαμβάνω
Category: Hospitality
Renders ὑπολαμβάνω (1:8). Keep consistent with the renderings of ἐπιδέχομαι and προπέμπω so the Maithili text visibly threads together the letter’s single sustained hospitality argument.
Fellow Worker
Approved rendering: सहकर्मी
Transliteration: sahakarmī
Doctrine: Hospitality to Traveling Ministers
Original: συνεργός
Category: Hospitality
Renders συνεργός (1:8). Hospitality-givers share fully in the gospel ‘work’ and its reward though they never leave home — worth flagging in teaching notes.
Prate Against
Approved rendering: बकवास करैत निन्दा करब
Transliteration: bakwās karait nindā karab
Doctrine: Church Leadership and Pride
Rejected alternatives: गप्प उड़ाएब
Original: φλυαρέω
Category: Church Leadership
Renders φλυαρέω (1:10). Stronger than ordinary gossip: baseless, malicious accusation against John and his associates.
Evil Words
Approved rendering: दुष्ट बात
Transliteration: duṣṭa bāt
Doctrine: Church Leadership and Pride
Rejected alternatives: पापी बात
Original: λόγοις πονηροῖς
Category: Church Leadership
Renders λόγοις πονηροῖς (1:10). Kept terminologically distinct from पाप (baseline High-risk ‘sin’) since πονηρός here modifies speech-quality rather than naming transgression generically.
Good
Approved rendering: नीक
Transliteration: nīk
Doctrine: Imitating Good rather than Evil
Original: ἀγαθός
Category: Ethics
Renders ἀγαθός (1:11). Standard moral-good vocabulary.
Evil
Approved rendering: खराब
Transliteration: kharāb
Doctrine: Imitating Good rather than Evil
Original: κακός
Category: Ethics
Renders κακός (1:11). Distinct root from πονηρός (v.10, ‘evil words’); keep the two Maithili terms distinguishable in teaching notes.
Do Good
Approved rendering: नीक काज करब
Transliteration: nīk kāj karab
Doctrine: Imitating Good rather than Evil
Original: ἀγαθοποιέω
Category: Ethics
Renders ἀγαθοποιέω (1:11). Habitual good conduct evidencing that one belongs to God, not merit that itself earns standing.
Do Evil
Approved rendering: खराब काज करब
Transliteration: kharāb kāj karab
Doctrine: Imitating Good rather than Evil
Original: κακοποιέω
Category: Ethics
Renders κακοποιέω (1:11). Habitual evil conduct evidencing lack of authentic relational knowledge of God.
Testimony
Approved rendering: गवाही
Transliteration: gavāhī
Doctrine: Commendation of Faithful Witness
Original: μαρτυρία
Category: Witness and Testimony
Renders μαρτυρία (1:12), John’s own apostolic testimony about Demetrius. Keep the noun/verb pairing (गवाही / साक्षी देब) consistent across 1:3, 6, 12.
True
Approved rendering: सत्य
Transliteration: satya
Doctrine: Commendation of Faithful Witness
Original: ἀληθής
Category: Truth
Renders ἀληθής (1:12), adjectival use asserting John’s testimony corresponds to reality. Shares the broader Vedantic-collision guard-note attached to the ‘truth’ entry above.
Friends
Approved rendering: मित्र
Transliteration: mitra
Doctrine: Truth and Christian Fellowship
Original: φίλος
Category: Fellowship
Renders φίλος (1:14, x2). Distinguish in register from भाइ (family-kinship language for traveling ministers) and from baseline’s abstract सङ्गति (fellowship) — names individual, named, personal friendships within the believing community.
Low Risk Terms
Wish Pray
Approved rendering: कामना करब
Transliteration: kāmnā karab
Doctrine: Ordinary Greetings and Epistolary Fellowship
Original: εὔχομαι
Category: Prayer and Greeting
Renders εὔχομαι (1:2). Warm epistolary greeting-wish; no significant doctrinal collision.
Prosper
Approved rendering: उन्नति करब
Transliteration: unnati karab
Doctrine: Ordinary Greetings and Epistolary Fellowship
Rejected alternatives: भलाहा रहब
Original: εὐοδόω
Category: Prayer and Greeting
Renders εὐοδόω (1:2), literally ‘to have a good journey.’ The underlying travel-image resonates fittingly with the letter’s hospitality theme; worth noting for teaching purposes though a literal ‘journey’ gloss is not required in running translation.
Health
Approved rendering: स्वस्थ रहब
Transliteration: swasth rahab
Doctrine: Ordinary Greetings and Epistolary Fellowship
Original: ὑγιαίνω
Category: Prayer and Greeting
Renders ὑγιαίνω (1:2). Plain physical-health greeting; no metaphorical extension required here.
Rejoice
Approved rendering: आनन्दित होएब
Transliteration: ānandit hoeb
Doctrine: Spiritual Parentage and Pastoral Care
Original: χαίρω
Category: Fellowship
Renders χαίρω (1:3). John’s pastoral joy at good news of Gaius; no significant doctrinal risk.
Joy
Approved rendering: आनन्द
Transliteration: ānand
Doctrine: Spiritual Parentage and Pastoral Care
Original: χαρά
Category: Fellowship
Renders χαρά (1:4), John’s greatest pastoral joy at seeing spiritual fruit.
Forbid Hinder
Approved rendering: रोकब
Transliteration: rokab
Doctrine: Church Leadership and Pride
Original: κωλύω
Category: Church Leadership
Renders κωλύω (1:10), Diotrephes stopping other believers from extending hospitality.
Ink
Approved rendering: स्याही
Transliteration: syāhī
Doctrine: Ordinary Greetings and Epistolary Fellowship
Original: μέλαν
Category: Literary Detail
Renders μέλαν (1:13). No theological weight; literal detail of ancient letter-writing.
Pen
Approved rendering: कलम
Transliteration: kalam
Doctrine: Ordinary Greetings and Epistolary Fellowship
Original: κάλαμος
Category: Literary Detail
Renders κάλαμος (1:13). No theological weight; may substitute a culturally familiar writing-instrument image if ‘reed pen’ is unfamiliar.
Hope
Approved rendering: आशा करब
Transliteration: āśā karab
Doctrine: Ordinary Greetings and Epistolary Fellowship
Original: ἐλπίζω
Category: Prayer and Greeting
Renders ἐλπίζω (1:14), John’s confident personal expectation of an upcoming visit. Keep distinct from विश्वास (baseline High-risk ‘faith’) — ordinary forward-looking expectation, not saving trust.
Face To Face
Approved rendering: आमने-सामने
Transliteration: āmane-sāmane
Doctrine: Ordinary Greetings and Epistolary Fellowship
Rejected alternatives: मुँह देखिकेँ बात करब
Original: στόμα πρὸς στόμα
Category: Fellowship
Renders στόμα πρὸς στόμα (1:14). Do not render literally as ‘mouth to mouth,’ which could read oddly or carry unintended connotations; preserve the meaning of direct personal conversation.
Gaius
Approved rendering: गयुस
Transliteration: Gayus
Doctrine: Proper Name
Proper name; standard North Indian Bible-translation transliteration form. Addressee of the letter (1:1).
Diotrephes
Approved rendering: दियोत्रिफेस
Transliteration: Diyotriphes
Doctrine: Proper Name
Proper name; transliterate only, do not gloss or paraphrase. The doctrinal weight of Church Leadership and Pride lies entirely in his described actions (1:9-10), not in the name itself.
Demetrius
Approved rendering: देमेत्रियुस
Transliteration: Demetriyus
Doctrine: Proper Name
Proper name; transliterate only, consistent with baseline proper-name conventions (e.g. दाऊद, अब्राहम). Subject of Commendation of Faithful Witness (1:12).
Referenced passages