Core Glossary
08 Core Glossary — Hebrews (English → Mandarin)
This glossary consolidates every load-bearing term identified in 07_semantic_analysis.md, covering the entire book of Hebrews, chapters 1–13. It is organized into four sections:
- A. Terms Reused Exactly from the Romans Baseline (enforcement required; no deviation permitted)
- B. New Terms Introduced by Hebrews (proposed additions to translation memory, organized by theological cluster)
- C. Proper Names (established CUV transliterations)
- D. Risk Summary
All risk tiers follow the definitions in the baseline doctrine_risk_registry.json: Critical = human theologian review required for every occurrence; High = human theologian review required; Medium = native speaker review recommended; Low = automated review sufficient.
A. Terms Reused Exactly from the Romans Baseline Translation Memory
These terms recur throughout Hebrews and MUST use the identical Mandarin rendering already recorded in translation_memory.json. No new entry is created; this table only documents where/how each reused term surfaces in Hebrews.
| English Term | Mandarin (Pinyin) | Risk (Baseline) | Hebrews Chapter(s) | Note on Hebrews-Specific Usage |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| God | 神 (Shén) | Critical | 1, 2, 3, 4, 6, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13 | Frequently addressed to the Son directly (1:8) — reinforces deity of Christ. |
| Jesus | 耶稣 (Yēsū) | Critical | 2, 3, 4, 6, 7, 10, 12, 13 | Standard. |
| Christ | 基督 (Jīdū) | Critical | 3, 5, 6, 9, 11, 13 | Standard. |
| Holy Spirit | 圣灵 (Shènglíng) | Critical | 2, 3, 6, 9, 10 | E.g. “eternal Spirit” (9:14) — see also new term below. |
| Lord | 主 (zhǔ) | Critical | 1, 2, 7, 8, 13 | Applied to both the Father (quoted OT texts) and the Son. |
| Son of God | 神的儿子 (Shén de érzi) | Critical | 1, 4, 5, 6, 7, 10 | Central to chs. 1, 5, 7. |
| Faith | 信心 (xìnxīn) | High | 3, 4, 6, 10, 11, 12, 13 | Ch. 11 gives faith its own extended definition (see new terms ὑπόστασις, ἔλεγχος below). |
| Grace | 恩典 (ēndiǎn) | Critical | 2, 4, 10, 12, 13 | ”Throne of grace” (4:16); “Spirit of grace” (10:29). |
| Salvation | 救恩 (jiùēn) | Critical | 1, 2, 5, 6, 9 | Climactic use at 9:28. |
| Sanctification | 成圣 (chéngshèng) | Critical | 2, 10, 12, 13 | See also new term τέλειος/τελειόω below, which intensifies this same collision risk. |
| Holy | 圣洁 (shèngjié) | High | 12 | ”Without holiness no one will see the Lord” (12:14). |
| Saints | 圣徒 (shèngtú) | High | 6, 13 | ”Ministered to the saints” (6:10). |
| Covenant | 约 (yuē) | High | 7, 8, 9, 10, 12, 13 | Base term for all covenant compounds in Hebrews (新约, 前约, 立约的血, etc.) |
| Promise | (established via covenant/calling family; see ἐπαγγελία below for Hebrews-specific compound) | High | 4, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11 | — |
| Law | 律法 (lǜfǎ) | High | 7, 8, 9, 10 | ”The law made nothing perfect” (7:19). |
| Sin | 罪 (zuì) | High | 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 9, 10, 12, 13 | Central throughout the atonement argument. |
| Glory | 荣耀 (róngyào) | Medium | 1, 2, 3, 13 | Ch. 1’s “radiance of glory” intensifies deity-of-Christ risk (see new term below). |
| Father | 父 (fù) | High | 1, 12 | ”The Father of spirits” (12:9). |
| Called / Calling | 蒙召的 / 呼召 (méngzhào de / hūzhào) | High | 3, 9, 11 | ”Those who are called” receive the eternal inheritance (9:15). |
| Election | 拣选 (jiǎnxuǎn) | High | 11 (implicit in God’s choosing of Abraham, Moses) | No direct lexical occurrence but doctrinally present; retain established term if referenced in teaching notes. |
| Providence | 神的护理 (Shén de hùlǐ) | High | 1 (Christ “upholding all things,” 1:3) | Extend existing term to Christ’s sustaining work, not only the Father’s. |
| Peace | 平安 (píng’ān) | Medium | 7, 12, 13 | Closing benediction, 13:20. |
| David | 大卫 (Dàwèi) | Medium | 1 (implicit, Ps. 110 quotations), 11 | — |
| Moses | 摩西 (Móxī) | (per 12_ai_translation_requirements.md transliteration table) | 3, 7, 8, 9, 11, 12 | Superiority-over-Moses doctrine, ch. 3. |
| Israel | 以色列 (Yǐsèliè) | Medium | 8 (Jeremiah 31 quotation) | — |
| Abraham | 亚伯拉罕 (Yàbólāhǎn) | (per transliteration table) | 2, 6, 7, 11 | — |
| Exhort | 劝勉 (quànmiǎn) | Low | 3, 10, 13 | ”Exhort one another every day” (3:13). |
| Church / Fellowship | 教会 (jiàohuì) / 团契 (tuánqì) | Medium / Low | 2 (“assembly,” 2:12), 10, 12, 13 | ”Assembly of the firstborn” (12:23) reuses 教会-adjacent vocabulary; see new term πρωτότοκος below. |
B. New Terms Introduced by Hebrews
B.1 Priesthood and Sacrificial System (highest-density risk cluster)
| English Term | Greek (Transliteration) | Mandarin (Pinyin) | Risk | Doctrine | Chapter(s) | Rendering Rationale / Collision Risk |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| High Priest | ἀρχιερεύς (archiereus) | 大祭司 (dà jìsī) | Critical | Christ as the Great High Priest | 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10 | Collides with Buddhist monks (僧/和尚) and Daoist ritual specialists (道士/法师) performing repeatable, fee-based rites. Christ’s priesthood must be taught as unique, unrepeatable, and perfectly effective. |
| Priest | ἱερεύς (hiereus) | 祭司 (jìsī) | High | Superiority over the Levitical Priesthood | 5, 7, 8, 9, 10 | Same collision family as ἀρχιερεύς, one tier lower since not the unique office. |
| Priesthood | ἱερωσύνη (hierōsynē) | 祭司职任 (jìsī zhírèn) | High | Superiority over the Levitical Priesthood | 7 | Abstract-office noun; must retain the contrast between a mortal, hereditary office and Christ’s eternal, personal one. |
| Tabernacle | σκηνή (skēnē) | 帐幕 (zhàngmù) | Medium | Christ as Great High Priest; New Covenant vs. Old | 8, 9 | Distinguish from 圣殿 (temple building); requires typological (copy/heavenly-original) teaching. |
| Holy Place / Sanctuary | ἅγια (hagia) | 圣所 (shèngsuǒ) | Medium | Access to God through Christ’s Blood | 8, 9 | Distinguish from a folk-temple inner shrine housing an idol. |
| Most Holy Place / Holy of Holies | ἅγια ἁγίων (hagia hagiōn) | 至圣所 (zhìshèngsuǒ) | Medium | Access to God through Christ’s Blood | 9 | Same as above; historically restricted access underlines the “once a year” vs. “once for all” contrast. |
| Veil / Curtain | καταπέτασμα (katapetasma) | 幔子 (mànzi) | Medium | Access to God through Christ’s Blood | 6, 9, 10 | Barrier to God’s presence, removed through Christ; distinguish from decorative screens/partitions in folk temples. |
| Blood | αἷμα (haima) | 血 (xuè) | High | Once-for-All Atoning Sacrifice; Access to God | 9, 10, 12, 13 | Distinguish from folk/ancestral blood-oath rites (结拜) and appeasement blood offerings; must be God-ward, atoning. |
| Sacrifice / Offering (noun) | θυσία (thysia) | 祭物 (jìwù) | Critical | Once-for-All Atoning Sacrifice | 5, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 13 | Direct collision with ongoing folk/ancestral propitiatory offerings (祭祀, 拜拜); Christ’s self-offering is unique and unrepeatable. |
| To Offer (verb) | προσφέρω (prospherō) | 献上 (xiànshàng) | High | Once-for-All Atoning Sacrifice | 5, 7, 8, 9, 10 | Collides with everyday incense/food offerings to gods/ancestors/spirits; must be anchored to “offered to God” each time. |
| Once for All | ἅπαξ (hapax) | 一次 / 只一次 (yī cì / zhǐ yī cì) | Critical | Once-for-All Atoning Sacrifice | 6, 9, 10 | The passage’s central adverb; collides with the repeated, ongoing nature of Chinese ritual practice (incense, ancestor rites). Must always be paired with explicit finality language. |
| Redemption | λύτρωσις / ἀπολύτρωσις (lytrōsis / apolytrōsis) | 赎罪 / 救赎 (shúzuì / jiùshú) | Critical | Once-for-All Atoning Sacrifice | 9, 11 | Collides with penitential merit-works to expiate guilt (放生, 忏悔, temple fee-payment); must be Christ’s completed, unrepeatable act. |
| Propitiation | ἱλάσκομαι / ἱλασμός (hilaskomai / hilasmos) | 挽回祭 / 献祭赎罪 (wǎnhuí jì) | Critical | Once-for-All Atoning Sacrifice; Christ as Great High Priest | 2 | Distinguish from folk appeasement of wrathful/hungry spirits (饿鬼 rites, 中元节); this satisfies God’s just wrath through a sufficient substitute. |
| Mercy Seat | ἱλαστήριον (hilastērion) | 施恩座 (shī ēn zuò) | Critical | Access to God through Christ’s Blood | 9 | Same Greek word as Rom. 3:25’s “propitiation” (there rendered 挽回祭); dual referent (furniture-object vs. atoning act) must be taught together, not as unrelated vocabulary. |
| Unblemished | ἄμωμος (amōmos) | 无瑕无疵 (wú xiá wú cī) | Medium | Once-for-All Atoning Sacrifice | 9 | Distinguish from ritual/magical purity (清净, already flagged under “holy” in Romans baseline); this is Christ’s actual moral sinlessness. |
| Blood of the Covenant | αἷμα τῆς διαθήκης (haima tēs diathēkēs) | 立约的血 (lìyuē de xuè) | High | New Covenant vs. Old; Access to God | 9, 10, 13 | Must render identically wherever it recurs, including in Gospel Last-Supper material, to preserve the intended intertextual echo. |
| Shedding of Blood | αἱματεκχυσία (haimatekchysia) | 流血 (liúxuè) | Medium | Once-for-All Atoning Sacrifice | 9 | Ensure read as sacrificial/atoning bloodshed, not general violence. |
| Forgiveness / Remission | ἄφεσις (aphesis) | 赦免 (shèmiǎn) | High | Once-for-All Atoning Sacrifice | 9, 10 | Distinguish from state legal pardon/amnesty and from karma-dissolving practices (消业, 忏悔); tied categorically to substitutionary bloodshed here. |
| Melchizedek | Μελχισέδεκ (Melchisedek) | 麦基洗德 (Màijīxiédé) | Medium | Superiority over the Levitical Priesthood | 5, 6, 7 | Established transliteration; requires substantial OT background (no Chinese cultural analogy exists). |
| Levi / Levitical | Λευί / Λευιτικός (Leui / Leuitikos) | 利未 / 利未人的祭司职任 (Lìwèi / Lìwèi rén de jìsī zhírèn) | Medium | Superiority over the Levitical Priesthood | 7 | Requires OT tribal-priesthood background. |
| Permanent (priesthood) | ἀπαράβατος (aparabatos) | 长久不变的 (chángjiǔ bùbiàn de) | Medium | Christ as Great High Priest | 7 | Reinforces the eternal, non-transferable nature of Christ’s priesthood. |
| Guarantor (of the covenant) | ἔγγυος (engyos) | 保证人 (bǎozhèngrén) | Medium | New Covenant vs. Old | 7 | Distinct nuance from μεσίτης (中保); recommend distinct rendering to preserve nuance. |
| Ministry / Service (priestly) | λειτουργία (leitourgia) | 供职 / 事奉 (gòngzhí / shìfèng) | Low-Medium | Christ as Great High Priest | 8, 9 | Reuses the λατρεύω semantic field; see below. |
| To Serve / Worship | λατρεύω (latreuō) | 事奉 (shìfèng) | High | Christ as Great High Priest; Access to God | 9, 10, 12 | Recommend 事奉 over 侍奉 (used by CUV in some instances) to avoid mapping worship-service of God onto ancestor/elder-service customs. |
| Conscience | συνείδησις (syneidēsis) | 良心 (liángxīn) | High | Once-for-All Atoning Sacrifice; Access to God | 9, 10, 13 | Collides with the Confucian innate-moral-heart concept, cultivated by self-reflection; here cleansed by an external, once-for-all divine act. Standardize on 良心 (CUV itself varies between 心/良心). |
| Dead Works | νεκρὰ ἔργα (nekra erga) | 死行 (sǐxíng) | Medium | Once-for-All Atoning Sacrifice | 6, 9 | Refers to ineffective religious/ritual works, not “bad deeds” generally. |
| Copy / Pattern | ὑπόδειγμα / τύπος (hypodeigma / typos) | 样式 (yàngshì) | High | New Covenant vs. Old | 8, 9 | Risk of collapsing into Buddhist illusion/reality (幻/空) metaphysic; this is redemptive-historical typology, not metaphysical unreality. |
| Copy / Antitype | ἀντίτυπος (antitypos) | 影像 (yǐngxiàng) | High | New Covenant vs. Old; Access to God | 9 | Same risk as ὑπόδειγμα; must be handled identically within a passage. |
| Shadow | σκιά (skia) | 影儿 (yǐngr) | High | New Covenant vs. Old | 8, 10 | Same illusion/reality collision risk; historical foreshadowing, not unreal phenomenon. |
| Heavenly (things) | ἐπουράνιος (epouranios) | 天上的 (tiānshàng de) | Low | New Covenant vs. Old | 3, 6, 8, 9, 11, 12 | Standard; reinforces existing heavenly-realm vocabulary. |
| To Manifest / Appear | ἐμφανίζω / φανερόω (emphanizō / phaneroō) | 显(现) (xiǎn[xiàn]) | Medium | Once-for-All Atoning Sacrifice; Perseverance and Assurance | 9 | Related to incarnation caution (avoid implying repeatable epiphany/化身/下凡); denotes Christ’s unique heavenly ministry or singular Second Coming. |
B.2 Covenant and Redemptive History
| English Term | Greek (Transliteration) | Mandarin (Pinyin) | Risk | Doctrine | Chapter(s) | Rendering Rationale / Collision Risk |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| New Covenant | διαθήκη καινή (diathēkē kainē) | 新约 (xīnyuē) | Critical | New Covenant vs. Old | 7, 8, 9, 10, 12, 13 | Homonymous with “New Testament” (新约圣经) in everyday Mandarin usage — a purely internal-Chinese ambiguity not present in the Romans baseline. Requires disambiguating notes at every covenant-theology occurrence. |
| First / Former Covenant | πρώτη διαθήκη (prōtē diathēkē) | 前约 (qiányuē) | Critical | New Covenant vs. Old | 8, 9, 10 | Recommended over 旧约 specifically to avoid confusion with “Old Testament” (旧约圣经); follows CUV’s own precedent at Heb. 9:15, 18. |
| Covenant / Testament (wordplay) | διαθήκη (diathēkē) | 约 / 遗命 (yuē / yímìng) | High | New Covenant vs. Old | 9 | Untranslatable Greek dual-sense wordplay (covenant/last will); retain CUV’s footnoting strategy rather than force a false lexical unification. |
| Mediator | μεσίτης (mesitēs) | 中保 (zhōngbǎo) | Critical | Christ as Great High Priest; New Covenant vs. Old | 8, 9, 12 | Collides with folk-religious intermediaries (mediums, Daoist priests, bodhisattvas); Christ is the sole, sufficient, once-for-all Mediator. |
| Transgression | παράβασις (parabasis) | 罪过 (zuìguò) | Medium | New Covenant vs. Old | 9 | Violation of covenant specifically, not generic legal infraction. |
| Promise | ἐπαγγελία (epangelia) | 应许 (yīngxǔ) | Medium | New Covenant vs. Old; Faith of OT Saints | 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11 | Standard Christian term; distinguish from a fortune-teller’s foretelling or a merely human promise. |
| Inheritance | κληρονομία (klēronomia) | 产业 (chǎnyè) | Medium | New Covenant vs. Old; Perseverance and Assurance | 1, 9, 11 | Distinguish from patrilineal clan-estate inheritance customs (祖产, 家产); this is heavenly, relational, received by all who are called. |
| Heir | κληρονόμος (klēronomos) | 承受产业的人 / 后嗣 (hòusì) | Medium | (as above) | 1, 6, 11 | Same collision as κληρονομία. |
| To Inaugurate / Ratify | ἐγκαινίζω (enkainizō) | 立(约) (lì [yuē]) | Low | New Covenant vs. Old | 9, 10 | Reuses established covenant vocabulary. |
| Foundation of the World / End of the Ages | καταβολὴ κόσμου / συντέλεια τῶν αἰώνων | 创世 / 末世 (chuàngshì / mòshì) | Critical | Once-for-All Atoning Sacrifice; New Covenant vs. Old | 1, 4, 9, 11 | 末世 risks association with contemporary apocalyptic-cult stigma (末日邪教); must be taught as settled, inaugurated eschatology, not sensationalist doomsday prediction. Also reinforces linear (not cyclical 治乱循环) history, per the Romans baseline’s “Fulfillment of Prophecy” note. |
| Annulment / To Put Away | ἀθέτησις (athetēsis) | 除掉 (chúdiào) | Medium | Once-for-All Atoning Sacrifice | 9 | Permanent, judicial removal of sin’s guilt, not merely psychological release. |
| Sacrifice of Praise | θυσία αἰνέσεως (thysia aineseōs) | 称谢的祭 (chēngxiè de jì) | Medium | Once-for-All Atoning Sacrifice | 13 | Metaphorical transformation of sacrificial vocabulary into worship/generosity, now that the literal atoning sacrifice is finished. |
B.3 Christology and Angelology
| English Term | Greek (Transliteration) | Mandarin (Pinyin) | Risk | Doctrine | Chapter(s) | Rendering Rationale / Collision Risk |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Angel | ἄγγελος (angelos) | 天使 (tiānshǐ) | Critical | Superiority of Christ over Angels | 1, 2, 13 | Risk of blending into the Chinese folk cosmology of graded spirit-beings (immortals 神仙, celestial generals, ancestor spirits) some of whom may be venerated/petitioned. Angels are created, worshiping servants of the Son, never objects of worship. |
| Radiance of Glory | ἀπαύγασμα τῆς δόξης (apaugasma tēs doxēs) | 荣耀的光辉 (róngyào de guānghuī) | Critical | Superiority of Christ over Angels; Deity of Christ | 1 | Must not be read as a temporary emanation or bodhisattva radiance (佛光); asserts ontological unity with God’s glory, not a derivative or borrowed brightness. |
| Exact Imprint of God’s Nature | χαρακτὴρ τῆς ὑποστάσεως αὐτοῦ | 神本体的真像 (Shén běntǐ de zhēnxiàng) | Critical | Deity of Christ | 1 | Central deity-of-Christ text; must not be softened to “an especially exalted representative of God” (Mandate-of-Heaven framework, already flagged Critical for son_of_god in the Romans baseline). |
| Throne (addressed to the Son as God) | θρόνος (thronos) | 宝座 (bǎozuò) | Critical | Deity of Christ | 1 | Preserve the direct scriptural address of the Son as “Θεός/神” (Ps. 45:6 quoted); do not soften into a mere royal metaphor. |
| Pioneer / Founder | ἀρχηγός (archēgos) | 元帅 / 元首 (yuánshuài / yuánshǒu) | Medium | Christ as Great High Priest; Humanity of Christ | 2, 12 | Avoid nationalist/military-conquest overtones; Christ leads the way through suffering. |
| Firstborn | πρωτότοκος (prōtotokos) | 长子 (zhǎngzǐ) | High | Superiority of Christ over Angels; Perseverance and Assurance | 1, 12 | Chinese clan tradition ties 长子 to primary inheritance rights and ancestor-rite leadership responsibility; must convey supreme rank/heirship, not literal eldest-son ancestor-worship duty. |
| To Perfect / Perfect (adj.) | τέλειος / τελειόω (teleios / teleioō) | 完全 / 成全 (wánquán / chéngquán) | Critical | Christ as Great High Priest; Perseverance and Assurance | 2, 5, 6, 7, 9, 10, 12 | Direct collision with Neo-Confucian self-cultivation into sagehood (same family as 成圣, already Critical in the Romans baseline). Christ’s finished priestly work perfects believers by grace, not gradual self-effort. |
| Author and Perfecter (of faith) | ἀρχηγὸς καὶ τελειωτής | 创始成终的 (chuàngshǐ chéngzhōng de) | Medium | Perseverance and Assurance | 12 | Christ both originates and completes salvation as a single, unified work. |
| Sympathize (with weakness) | συμπαθέω (sympatheō) | 体谅 (tǐliàng) | Low | Christ as Great High Priest | 4 | Warm, relational; reinforces high priest’s approachability. |
| Word of God (Scripture) | ὁ λόγος τοῦ Θεοῦ (ho logos tou Theou) | 神的道 (Shén de dào) | Medium | (supports Inspiration of Scripture) | 4 | Distinguish this ordinary “message” sense of 道 from the technical incarnation compound 道成肉身 (established in Romans baseline); do not conflate. |
B.4 Faith, Apostasy, and Perseverance
| English Term | Greek (Transliteration) | Mandarin (Pinyin) | Risk | Doctrine | Chapter(s) | Rendering Rationale / Collision Risk |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| To Fall Away / Apostasy | παραπίπτω (parapiptō) | 背道 / 离弃(信仰) (bèidào / líqì [xìnyǎng]) | Critical | Danger of Apostasy and Warning Passages | 3, 6, 10 | Must convey the warning’s genuine seriousness without collapsing into a Buddhist-style merit-depletion framework (功德, Critical in Romans baseline) where grace runs out through insufficient effort. |
| Willful Sin | θεληματικῶς ἁμαρτάνω | 故意犯罪 (gùyì fànzuì) | High | Danger of Apostasy and Warning Passages | 10 | Deliberate, informed rejection of Christ, distinct from ordinary believer’s struggle with sin. |
| Vengeance / Just Recompense | ἐκδίκησις (ekdikēsis) | 施行公义的审判/报应 (recommend full phrase; avoid bare 报应) | Critical | Danger of Apostasy and Warning Passages | 10, 12 | Bare 报应 is already rejected in the Romans baseline (“sin” doctrine note) for its karmic-retribution connotation; must be personal, judicial, covenantal recompense, not impersonal karma. |
| It Is Appointed | ἀπόκειται (apokeitai) | 定命 (dìngmìng) | High | Perseverance and Assurance; Fulfillment of Prophecy | 9 | Risks impersonal fatalism (echoing 命运/天命, already flagged in the Romans baseline); must be God’s specific, personal appointment. |
| Judgment | κρίσις (krisis) | 审判 (shěnpàn) | High | Danger of Apostasy; Perseverance and Assurance | 9, 10, 12 | Collides with impersonal karmic retribution (报应); this is a personal God’s forensic verdict after a single, non-cyclical death. |
| To Bear (sins) | ἀναφέρω (anapherō) | 担当 (dāndāng) | High | Once-for-All Atoning Sacrifice | 9 | Retain substitutionary, vicarious sense (echoing Isaiah 53), not a generic burden-carrying idiom. |
| Eagerly Await | ἀπεκδέχομαι (apekdechomai) | 热切等候 (rèqiè děnghòu) | Low | Perseverance and Assurance | 9 | Hopeful, active anticipation, not fatalistic resignation. |
| Substance / Assurance (of faith) | ὑπόστασις (hypostasis) | 实底 (shídǐ) | Medium | Faith of the Old Testament Saints | 11 | Somewhat obscure classical-flavored compound; must be taught clearly, not confused with vague, wishful, fortune-seeking “hope.” |
| Conviction / Evidence (of things unseen) | ἔλεγχος (elenchos) | 确据 (quèjù) | Medium | Faith of the Old Testament Saints | 11 | Pairs with 实底 as Hebrews’ compact definition of faith; objective certainty, not subjective feeling. |
| Rest | κατάπαυσις / σαββατισμός (katapausis / sabbatismos) | 安息 (ānxí) | Medium | (supports Perseverance and Assurance) | 3, 4 | Distinguish from Daoist effortless non-striving (无为); this is covenantal, eschatological rest. |
| Discipline | παιδεία (paideia) | 管教 (guǎnjiào) | Medium | Perseverance and Assurance | 12 | Positively resonant with Confucian family discipline (家教) but must be tied to holiness-formation, not honor/shame correction (面子). |
| Strangers and Sojourners | ξένοι καὶ παρεπίδημοι | 客旅 (kèlǚ) | Medium | Faith of the Old Testament Saints | 11, 13 | Forward-looking hope for a promised heavenly homeland, not Buddhist-style renunciation/detachment as an end in itself. |
| Draw Near / Approach | προσέρχομαι (proserchomai) | 来到…面前 / 亲近(神) | High | Access to God through Christ’s Blood | 4, 7, 10, 11, 12 | Distinguish from ritual self-preparation to approach a deity/ancestor via mediating specialist; access here is secured entirely by Christ’s already-shed blood. |
| Boldness / Confidence | παρρησία (parrēsia) | 坦然无惧 (tǎnrán wú jù) | Medium | Access to God through Christ’s Blood | 3, 4, 10 | Confidence rooted in Christ’s finished work, not social face/status (面子). |
| Anchor | ἄγκυρα (ankyra) | 锚 (máo) | Low | Perseverance and Assurance | 6 | Vivid image; may need brief gloss for readers unfamiliar with maritime imagery. |
| Oath / Unchangeable | ὅρκος / ἀμετάθετος | 誓言 / 不能更改的 | Low | Perseverance and Assurance | 6 | Standard vocabulary supporting assurance doctrine. |
| Unshakeable Kingdom | βασιλεία ἀσάλευτος | 不能震动的国 (bùnéng zhèndòng de guó) | Medium | Perseverance and Assurance | 12 | Reuses established 神的国 exactly with modifier; avoid framing as a merely stable this-worldly dynasty (天下 collision, per Romans baseline). |
| Root of Bitterness | ῥίζα πικρίας | 毒根 (dúgēn) | Low | Danger of Apostasy | 12 | Vivid idiom; low risk. |
| Hospitality | φιλοξενία (philoxenia) | 接待客旅 (jiēdài kèlǚ) | Low | (practical ethics) | 13 | Straightforward ethical exhortation. |
| Outside the Camp | ἔξω τῆς παρεμβολῆς | 营外 (yíng wài) | Medium | Once-for-All Atoning Sacrifice | 13 | Requires OT background note (Levitical sin-offering disposal ritual) to retain typological force. |
C. Proper Names (Established CUV Transliterations — Low Risk)
| English | Mandarin (Pinyin) | Chapter(s) |
|---|---|---|
| Moses | 摩西 (Móxī) | 3, 7, 8, 9, 11, 12 |
| Aaron | 亚伦 (Yàlún) | 5, 7, 9 |
| Melchizedek | 麦基洗德 (Màijīxiédé) | 5, 6, 7 |
| Levi | 利未 (Lìwèi) | 7 |
| Abraham | 亚伯拉罕 (Yàbólāhǎn) | 2, 6, 7, 11 |
| Sarah | 撒拉 (Sàlā) | 11 |
| Isaac | 以撒 (Yǐsā) | 11 |
| Jacob | 雅各 (Yǎgè) | 11 |
| Joseph | 约瑟 (Yuēsè) | 11 |
| Enoch | 以诺 (Yǐnuò) | 11 |
| Noah | 挪亚 (Nuóyà) | 11 |
| Rahab | 喇合 (Lǎhé) | 11 |
| Gideon | 基甸 (Jīdiàn) | 11 |
| Samson | 参孙 (Cānsūn) | 11 |
| Jephthah | 耶弗他 (Yēfútā) | 11 |
| Samuel | 撒母耳 (Sāmǔ’ěr) | 11 |
| David | 大卫 (Dàwèi) | 1 (implicit), 11 |
| Esau | 以扫 (Yǐsǎo) | 12 |
| Zion | 锡安山 (Xī’ān Shān) | 12 |
| Jerusalem (heavenly) | 天上的耶路撒冷 (tiānshàng de Yēlùsālěng) | 12 |
| Israel | 以色列 (Yǐsèliè) | 8, 11 |
| Cherubim | 基路伯 (Jīlùbó) | 9 |
D. Risk Summary
| Risk Tier | Count of New Hebrews Terms | Review Routing |
|---|---|---|
| Critical | 17 | Human theologian review — every occurrence |
| High | 15 | Human theologian review |
| Medium | 21 | Native speaker review recommended |
| Low | 13 | Automated review sufficient |
| Total new terms | 66 | — |
| Reused from Romans baseline | 27 | Enforce exactly per translation_memory.json; no new review burden beyond existing baseline routing |
Highest-density Critical cluster: priesthood/sacrifice vocabulary (大祭司, 祭物, 一次, 赎罪, 挽回祭, 施恩座, 血) — 7 of the 17 Critical terms — reflecting Hebrews’ structural collision with Chinese ritual-mediation religion, distinct in kind from the merit-cultivation collision that dominated the Romans baseline.
Second-highest cluster: the 新约/前约 covenant-vs-Testament disambiguation problem and the 完全/成圣 perfection-vs-self-cultivation collision, both requiring mandatory clarifying notes at every occurrence per the Critical-tier enforcement rule inherited from the baseline 12_ai_translation_requirements.md.
This glossary must be loaded alongside the Romans-derived translation_memory.json and doctrine_risk_registry.json before Phase 2 translation of any Hebrews document begins. New terms proposed here require formal addition to translation memory (with version increment) before segment translation, per the baseline’s Translation Memory Load and Enforcement Instructions.
Critical Risk Terms
God
Approved rendering: 神
Transliteration: Shén
Doctrine: Deity of Christ
Rejected alternatives: 上帝, 天, 老天爷
Original: θεός
Category: God
Inherited from Romans package, enforced exactly. Hebrews 1:8 directly addresses the Son as Θεός/神 (‘Your throne, O God, is forever’) — one of Scripture’s clearest ascriptions of full deity to Christ; monotheism must remain explicit in context.
Jesus
Approved rendering: 耶稣
Transliteration: Yēsū
Doctrine: Christology
Original: Ἰησοῦς
Category: Christology
Inherited from Romans package, enforced exactly. No new risk in Hebrews.
Christ
Approved rendering: 基督
Transliteration: Jīdū
Doctrine: Messianic Promise
Rejected alternatives: 弥勒, 救世主式泛称
Inherited from Romans package, enforced exactly. NEVER conflate with 弥勒 (Maitreya). Central title throughout Hebrews’ priesthood and covenant argument.
Holy Spirit
Approved rendering: 圣灵
Transliteration: Shènglíng
Doctrine: Sanctification
Rejected alternatives: 祖灵, 灵
Original: πνεῦμα ἅγιον
Category: God
Inherited from Romans package, enforced exactly. Hebrews 9:14 (‘eternal Spirit’) and 10:29 (‘Spirit of grace’) intensify the need to keep 圣灵 a personal divine Person, never a folk spirit-being.
Lord
Approved rendering: 主
Transliteration: zhǔ
Doctrine: Lordship of Christ
Rejected alternatives: 主人, 老爷
Original: κύριος
Category: Christology
Inherited from Romans package, enforced exactly. In Hebrews applied to both the Father (in quoted OT texts) and the Son; exclusivity must be preserved in both applications.
Son Of God
Approved rendering: 神的儿子
Transliteration: Shén de érzi
Doctrine: Sonship of Christ
Rejected alternatives: 天子, 神人
Original: υἱὸς θεοῦ
Category: Christology
Inherited from Romans package, enforced exactly. Central to Hebrews chs. 1, 5, 7; NEVER 天子 (‘Son of Heaven’). Directly juxtaposed with created/servant figures (angels, Moses) throughout Hebrews, intensifying the baseline caution.
Grace
Approved rendering: 恩典
Transliteration: ēndiǎn
Doctrine: Grace
Rejected alternatives: 功德, 造化, 福气, 阴德
Original: χάρις
Category: Salvation
Inherited from Romans package, enforced exactly. Hebrews 4:16 (‘throne of grace’) and 10:29 (‘outraging the Spirit of grace’) must never be read as a depletable merit-account (功德); grace remains unmerited favor, not a resource that can ‘run out’ through insufficient effort.
Salvation
Approved rendering: 救恩
Transliteration: jiùēn
Doctrine: Salvation
Rejected alternatives: 解脱, 超度, 得道
Original: σωτηρία
Category: Salvation
Inherited from Romans package, enforced exactly. NEVER 解脱 or 超度. Climactic use at Hebrews 9:28, the final clause of the core passage.
Sanctification
Approved rendering: 成圣
Transliteration: chéngshèng
Doctrine: Sanctification and Being Made Perfect
Rejected alternatives: 修身, 修炼
Original: ἁγιασμός
Category: Sanctification
Inherited from Romans package, enforced exactly. Hebrews’ frequent use of the related term-family 完全/成全 (see to_perfect below) intensifies the Neo-Confucian self-cultivation collision; the two term-families must be taught together with the same grace-not-effort clarifying note.
Resurrection
Approved rendering: 复活
Transliteration: fùhuó
Doctrine: Perseverance and Assurance
Rejected alternatives: 轮回, 投胎, 还魂
Inherited from Romans package, enforced exactly. Appears at Hebrews 6:2, 11:19, 11:35, and 13:20 (‘brought again from the dead’). NEVER 轮回/投胎/还魂.
Righteousness
Approved rendering: 义
Transliteration: yì
Doctrine: Faith of the Old Testament Saints
Rejected alternatives: 道德, 善行
Inherited from Romans package, enforced exactly. Hebrews 11:4, 11:7 (‘heir of the righteousness that comes by faith’), 12:11 (‘harvest of righteousness’). Must retain the forensic, faith-received sense; never let 义 stand as if self-evidently the Confucian virtue of the same name.
High Priest
Approved rendering: 大祭司
Transliteration: dà jìsī
Doctrine: Christ as the Great High Priest
Rejected alternatives: 方丈, 宗师式大祭司
Original: ἀρχιερεύς
Category: Priesthood
NEW. Collides with Buddhist monks (僧/和尚) and Daoist ritual specialists (道士/法师) who perform repeatable, fee-based rites, and with hireable temple functionaries (方丈, abbot). Every occurrence must clarify Christ’s priesthood is unique, unrepeatable, and permanently effective — not one specialist among many available for hire.
Sacrifice
Approved rendering: 祭物
Transliteration: jìwù
Doctrine: The Once-for-All Atoning Sacrifice
Original: θυσία
Category: Sacrifice
NEW. Direct collision with the pervasive Chinese folk/ancestral sacrificial-offering system (祭祀, 拜拜) — repeatable propitiatory gifts to gods, ancestors, or local spirits. Every occurrence must clarify Christ’s self-offering is unique, sufficient, and unrepeatable. Fencing rule: always pair with 献给神 (offered to God) and 只一次 (only once) in the same clause.
Once For All
Approved rendering: 一次 / 只一次
Transliteration: yī cì / zhǐ yī cì
Doctrine: The Once-for-All Atoning Sacrifice
Original: ἅπαξ
Category: Sacrifice
NEW. The passage’s central adverb (Heb. 9:12, 9:25-26, 9:28, 10:10). Mandarin numeral-adverbs are frequency-neutral by default; every occurrence MUST be paired with explicit finality language (不再重复, 永远, 一次成就) rather than relying on the numeral alone to carry the theological weight of unrepeatable sufficiency.
Redemption
Approved rendering: 赎罪 / 救赎
Transliteration: shúzuì / jiùshú
Doctrine: The Once-for-All Atoning Sacrifice
Original: λύτρωσις / ἀπολύτρωσις
Category: Sacrifice
NEW. Collides with folk-Buddhist penitential merit-works to expiate guilt (放生, 忏悔, temple fee-payment) — ongoing, repeatable human effort. Must be taught as a completed, once-for-all divine transaction Christ alone accomplishes (Heb. 9:12, 9:15).
Propitiation
Approved rendering: 挽回祭 / 献祭赎罪
Transliteration: wǎnhuí jì / xiànjì shúzuì
Doctrine: Propitiation and Substitutionary Atonement
Rejected alternatives: 消灾, 化解, 安抚亡魂
Original: ἱλάσκομαι / ἱλασμός
Category: Sacrifice
NEW. Must be sharply distinguished from folk-religious appeasement of wrathful or hungry spirits (饿鬼 rites during 中元节, placating a displeased ancestor or local deity). Biblical propitiation satisfies a holy God’s just wrath through one specific, sufficient, once-for-all substitute (Heb. 2:17), not arbitrary spirit-placation requiring ongoing ritual management. Formally establishes for this Language Package the same underlying Greek concept as ἱλαστήριον in Romans 3:25.
Mercy Seat
Approved rendering: 施恩座
Transliteration: shī ēn zuò
Doctrine: Propitiation and Substitutionary Atonement
Original: ἱλαστήριον
Category: Sacrifice
NEW. Same Greek word (ἱλαστήριον) used of the literal ark-cover furniture here (Heb. 9:5) and of Christ’s atoning work in Rom. 3:25. This dual referent — one Greek word, two Mandarin renderings depending on referent (object vs. act) — must be explicitly taught as one connected typology, not unrelated vocabulary. A constructed compound with no prior folk-religious history, which is an advantage: a clean vessel for the biblical concept.
New Covenant
Approved rendering: 新约
Transliteration: xīnyuē
Doctrine: The New Covenant versus the Old
Original: διαθήκη καινή
Category: Covenant
NEW. Highest internal-Mandarin ambiguity in this curriculum: 新约 is also the everyday term for ‘the New Testament’ (新约圣经, the 27-book canon). Every occurrence discussing the covenant-relationship (not the canon) MUST carry a disambiguating note. Reserve 新约/前约 strictly for the covenant relationship; reserve 新约圣经/旧约圣经 strictly for the canon of books.
First Covenant
Approved rendering: 前约
Transliteration: qiányuē
Doctrine: The New Covenant versus the Old
Rejected alternatives: 旧约 (for the covenant-relationship sense)
Original: πρώτη διαθήκη
Category: Covenant
NEW. Recommended (following CUV’s own precedent at Heb. 9:15, 9:18) specifically to avoid confusion with 旧约 (‘Old Testament,’ the canon of books); reserves 旧约 for the scriptural canon and 前约 for the covenant relationship.
Mediator
Approved rendering: 中保
Transliteration: zhōngbǎo
Doctrine: Christ as Mediator of the New Covenant
Original: μεσίτης
Category: Covenant
NEW. Collides with the structural role of folk-religious intermediaries — spirit mediums (乩童), Daoist priests interceding with spirits, ancestor tablets as access channels, or bodhisattvas as intercessors, all repeatable and contractible. Christ is the sole, sufficient, once-for-all Mediator who ratifies the covenant by his own blood (Heb. 8:6, 9:15, 12:24), not a ritual service rendered on request.
Foundation Of World End Of Ages
Approved rendering: 创世 / 末世
Transliteration: chuàngshì / mòshì
Doctrine: Judgment and Eschatology
Original: καταβολὴ κόσμου / συντέλεια τῶν αἰώνων
Category: Eschatology
NEW. Renders καταβολὴ κόσμου / συντέλεια τῶν αἰώνων (Heb. 9:26). 末世 risks association in contemporary Mandarin with fringe apocalyptic new religious movements (末日邪教, widely publicized and distrusted ‘doomsday cults’). Must be taught as settled, inaugurated eschatology already decisively underway in Christ’s finished work, not sensationalist doomsday prediction; also reinforces linear (not cyclical 治乱循环) history, per the Romans baseline’s Fulfillment of Prophecy note.
Angel
Approved rendering: 天使
Transliteration: tiānshǐ
Doctrine: Superiority of Christ over Angels
Rejected alternatives: 神仙
Original: ἄγγελος
Category: Angelology
NEW. Sits inside a populated Chinese folk cosmology of graded spirit-beings (神仙 immortals, 城隍 city gods, 祖灵 ancestor spirits, 天兵天将 celestial soldiers), some venerated or petitioned directly. Angels are created, worshiping servants of the Son (Heb. 1:6, ‘let all God’s angels worship him’), never objects of worship or petition themselves. Mandatory clarifying gloss required at first occurrence per document.
Radiance Of Glory
Approved rendering: 荣耀的光辉
Transliteration: róngyào de guānghuī
Doctrine: Deity of Christ
Rejected alternatives: 佛光式的光辉
Original: ἀπαύγασμα τῆς δόξης
Category: Christology
NEW. Renders ἀπαύγασμα τῆς δόξης (Heb. 1:3). Must not be read as a temporary emanation, avatar-glow, or bodhisattva radiance (佛光, a common motif in Chinese Buddhist iconography); this is ontological unity with God’s own glory, not a borrowed or emitted brilliance.
Exact Imprint
Approved rendering: 神本体的真像
Transliteration: Shén běntǐ de zhēnxiàng
Doctrine: Deity of Christ
Original: χαρακτὴρ τῆς ὑποστάσεως αὐτοῦ
Category: Christology
NEW. Renders χαρακτὴρ τῆς ὑποστάσεως αὐτοῦ (Heb. 1:3); central deity-of-Christ text. Must not soften to ‘an especially exalted representative of God’ (the Mandate-of-Heaven framework already flagged Critical for son_of_god in the Romans baseline).
Throne
Approved rendering: 宝座
Transliteration: bǎozuò
Doctrine: Deity of Christ
Original: θρόνος
Category: Christology
NEW. Renders θρόνος (Heb. 1:8, quoting Ps. 45:6 of the Son: ‘Your throne, O God, is forever’). Low linguistic risk but doctrinally load-bearing: preserve the vocative address to the Son as God; never soften into a mere royal metaphor.
To Perfect
Approved rendering: 完全 / 成全
Transliteration: wánquán / chéngquán
Doctrine: Sanctification and Being Made Perfect
Rejected alternatives: 修身, 修炼, 修成正果
Original: τέλειος / τελειόω
Category: Sanctification
NEW. Renders τέλειος/τελειόω, occurring at least 7 times (Heb. 2:10, 5:9, 6:1, 7:19, 7:28, 9:9, 10:1, 10:14, 12:23, 13:21). Direct collision with the Neo-Confucian technical concept of moral self-perfection through cultivation into sagehood — the same risk family as 成圣 in the Romans baseline, but recurring far more frequently since ‘perfecting’ is one of Hebrews’ controlling verbs. Every occurrence requires the clarifying note: Christ’s finished, once-for-all priestly work perfects believers by grace applied to them, not a gradual, self-effort-driven moral cultivation process. Fencing rule: the grammatical subject accomplishing perfection must always be Christ/the Spirit; the believer is recipient, never agent.
To Fall Away
Approved rendering: 背道 / 离弃(信仰)
Transliteration: bèidào / líqì (xìnyǎng)
Doctrine: The Danger of Apostasy and Warning Passages
Original: παραπίπτω
Category: Faith
NEW. Renders παραπίπτω (Heb. 6:4-6, the letter’s most severe warning). Must convey full seriousness without collapsing into the Buddhist merit-ledger worldview (功德) where grace is a finite resource depleted by insufficient effort. 背道 (‘departing from the Way/道’) also risks a faint echo of Daoist 离道/失道 language for losing cosmic alignment; frame every warning relationally (‘离弃所信靠的那位’) to keep the warning about a Person betrayed, not a cosmic principle abandoned.
Vengeance
Approved rendering: 神施行公义的审判（报应）
Transliteration: Shén shīxíng gōngyì de shěnpàn (bàoyìng)
Doctrine: The Danger of Apostasy and Warning Passages
Rejected alternatives: 报应 (as a bare, standalone term)
Original: ἐκδίκησις
Category: Faith
NEW. Renders ἐκδίκησις (Heb. 10:30, quoting Deut. 32:35). Bare 报应 is permanently forbidden per the Romans baseline’s ‘sin’ doctrine note for its impersonal karmic-retribution connotation. Always render as the full clarifying phrase with 公义 (justice) and a stated personal subject (神/主); never abbreviate to the bare noun.
High Risk Terms
Faith
Approved rendering: 信心
Transliteration: xìnxīn
Doctrine: Faith of the Old Testament Saints
Rejected alternatives: 虔诚, 迷信, 信仰
Original: πίστις
Category: Faith
Inherited from Romans package, enforced exactly. Hebrews 11:1 gives faith its own compact definition, paired with the new terms 实底 (substance/assurance) and 确据 (conviction/evidence); teach the three together.
Holy
Approved rendering: 圣洁
Transliteration: shèngjié
Doctrine: Sanctification and Being Made Perfect
Rejected alternatives: 清净, 圣人般的
Original: ἅγιος
Category: Sanctification
Inherited from Romans package, enforced exactly. Hebrews 12:14: ‘Without holiness no one will see the Lord’ — moral/relational set-apartness, not ritual/meditative purity (清净).
Saints
Approved rendering: 圣徒
Transliteration: shèngtú
Doctrine: Faith of the Old Testament Saints
Rejected alternatives: 圣人, 高僧
Original: ἅγιοι
Category: Church
Inherited from Romans package, enforced exactly. Hebrews 6:10, 13:24. NEVER 圣人 (the elevated Confucian sage category).
Covenant
Approved rendering: 约
Transliteration: yuē
Doctrine: The New Covenant versus the Old
Rejected alternatives: 合同, 契约
Original: διαθήκη
Category: Covenant
Inherited from Romans package, enforced exactly. Base term for all Hebrews covenant compounds (新约, 前约, 立约的血). See covenant_testament_wordplay entry for the Heb. 9:16-17 dual-sense complication unique to this book.
Law
Approved rendering: 律法
Transliteration: lǜfǎ
Doctrine: Superiority of Christ over the Levitical Priesthood
Rejected alternatives: 礼, 道德规范, 法律
Original: νόμος
Category: Covenant
Inherited from Romans package, enforced exactly. Hebrews 7:19: ‘the law made nothing perfect’; repeatedly paired with 影儿/样式 (shadow/copy) vocabulary — must not be equated with a general cosmic-duty or dharma-like order.
Sin
Approved rendering: 罪
Transliteration: zuì
Doctrine: The Once-for-All Atoning Sacrifice
Rejected alternatives: 报应, 罪犯式的罪
Original: ἁμαρτία
Category: Sin
Inherited from Romans package, enforced exactly. Hebrews’ atonement argument depends on 罪 as guilt requiring substitutionary bloodshed (9:22, 9:26, 9:28), not ritual impurity or karmic imbalance.
Father
Approved rendering: 父
Transliteration: fù
Doctrine: Divine Discipline
Rejected alternatives: 祖先, 老天爷
Original: πατήρ
Category: God
Inherited from Romans package, enforced exactly. Hebrews 12:9, ‘the Father of spirits,’ who disciplines his children (12:5-11); reinforce the baseline caution against confusing God’s fatherly care with the inverted direction of care in ancestor veneration.
Called
Approved rendering: 蒙召的
Transliteration: méngzhào de
Doctrine: Access to God through Christ’s Blood
Rejected alternatives: 受命于天, 天命所归
Original: κλητός / κεκλημένοι
Category: Salvation
Inherited from Romans package, enforced exactly. Hebrews 9:15: ‘those who are called’ receive the promised eternal inheritance — personal, relational summons, not 天命所归.
Calling
Approved rendering: 呼召
Transliteration: hūzhào
Doctrine: Access to God through Christ’s Blood
Rejected alternatives: 天命, 命运
Original: κλῆσις
Category: Salvation
Inherited from Romans package, enforced exactly. No independent lexical occurrence in the core passage but doctrinally implicit throughout chs. 3, 9, 11.
Election
Approved rendering: 拣选
Transliteration: jiǎnxuǎn
Doctrine: Faith of the Old Testament Saints
Rejected alternatives: 天命, 命运, 缘分
Original: ἐκλογή (concept)
Category: Salvation
Inherited from Romans package, enforced exactly. Doctrinally present in God’s choosing of Abraham, Moses, and the patriarchs commended in ch. 11.
Providence
Approved rendering: 神的护理
Transliteration: Shén de hùlǐ
Doctrine: Deity of Christ
Rejected alternatives: 天意, 命运
Original: πρόνοια (concept)
Category: God
Inherited from Romans package, enforced exactly. Hebrews 1:3 extends this term’s referent to Christ himself (‘upholding all things by the word of his power’), not only the Father — NEVER 天意 alone.
Priest
Approved rendering: 祭司
Transliteration: jìsī
Doctrine: Superiority of Christ over the Levitical Priesthood
Original: ἱερεύς
Category: Priesthood
NEW. Ordinary Levitical priest, contrasted throughout Hebrews with Christ’s unique high priesthood; every comparative occurrence (chs. 5, 7-10) must state the mortality/succession contrast explicitly.
Priesthood
Approved rendering: 祭司职任
Transliteration: jìsī zhírèn
Doctrine: Superiority of Christ over the Levitical Priesthood
Original: ἱερωσύνη
Category: Priesthood
NEW. Abstract-office noun; retain the categorical contrast between a mortal, hereditary office (Levitical) limited by successive death (7:23) and Christ’s permanent, non-transferable office (7:24).
Blood
Approved rendering: 血
Transliteration: xuè
Doctrine: The Once-for-All Atoning Sacrifice
Original: αἷμα
Category: Sacrifice
NEW. Distinguish from Chinese folk/ancestral blood-oath rites (结拜 sworn-brotherhood oaths, 歃血为盟) and appeasement blood offerings. Every occurrence needs context anchoring it as God-ward, atoning sacrifice — Christ’s own blood, offered to God.
To Offer
Approved rendering: 献上
Transliteration: xiànshàng
Doctrine: The Once-for-All Atoning Sacrifice
Original: προσφέρω
Category: Sacrifice
NEW. Collides with everyday vocabulary of offering incense/food/paper money to gods, ancestors, and local spirits (献祭, 拜拜). Must be anchored each time to ‘offered himself to God’ (献给神).
Blood Of The Covenant
Approved rendering: 立约的血
Transliteration: lìyuē de xuè
Doctrine: The Once-for-All Atoning Sacrifice
Original: αἷμα τῆς διαθήκης
Category: Sacrifice
NEW. Must render identically wherever it recurs (Heb. 9:20, 10:29, 13:20) and in Gospel Last-Supper material across this curriculum, since the typological link between Sinai’s covenant-blood and Christ’s own depends on verbal echo. Inconsistent rendering would sever the intended intertextual connection.
Forgiveness
Approved rendering: 赦免
Transliteration: shèmiǎn
Doctrine: The Once-for-All Atoning Sacrifice
Rejected alternatives: 消业
Original: ἄφεσις
Category: Sacrifice
NEW. Standard Chinese legal/political term for pardon/amnesty, risking reduction to a legal technicality detached from atoning blood; must also be distinguished from dissolving accumulated karma (消业) through merit-practice or repentance-ritual (忏悔). Heb. 9:22: ‘without bloodshed there is no forgiveness’ — categorically tied to substitutionary bloodshed.
Serve Worship
Approved rendering: 事奉
Transliteration: shìfèng
Doctrine: Christ as the Great High Priest
Rejected alternatives: 侍奉
Original: λατρεύω / λειτουργία / λατρεία
Category: Priesthood
NEW. Renders λατρεύω/λειτουργία/λατρεία (Heb. 9:14, 9:21, 10:2). CUV itself sometimes uses 侍奉, the same verb used for filial/ancestral service (侍奉父母, 侍奉祖先); this Language Package recommends 事奉 specifically to avoid mapping worship-service of God onto the ancestor-veneration duty script.
Conscience
Approved rendering: 良心
Transliteration: liángxīn
Doctrine: Conscience and Inner Cleansing
Rejected alternatives: 心 (as sole/inconsistent rendering)
Original: συνείδησις
Category: Sacrifice
NEW. Standardized on 良心 throughout Hebrews (9:9, 9:14, 10:22, 13:18) for cross-lesson consistency, though CUV itself varies (心 at 9:14, 良心 at 10:22). 良心 is a live Confucian ethical term for the innate moral heart, cultivated through self-reflection (cf. Mencius); must be taught that Hebrews’ conscience is cleansed by an external, once-for-all divine act, not perfected through self-cultivation.
Copy Pattern
Approved rendering: 样式
Transliteration: yàngshì
Doctrine: The New Covenant versus the Old
Original: ὑπόδειγμα / τύπος
Category: Covenant
NEW. Renders ὑπόδειγμα/τύπος (Heb. 8:5, 9:23). Risk of collapsing into a Buddhist-influenced illusion/reality (幻/空 vs. 真) metaphysic; Hebrews’ typology is redemptive-historical (a real, provisional pattern pointing to a real later fulfillment), not metaphysical unreality.
Antitype
Approved rendering: 影像
Transliteration: yǐngxiàng
Doctrine: Access to God through Christ’s Blood
Original: ἀντίτυπος
Category: Covenant
NEW. Renders ἀντίτυπος (Heb. 9:24); same illusion/reality collision risk as copy_pattern above — must be handled identically within a passage.
Shadow
Approved rendering: 影儿
Transliteration: yǐngr
Doctrine: The New Covenant versus the Old
Original: σκιά
Category: Covenant
NEW. Renders σκιά (Heb. 8:5, 10:1); must be taught as historical, provisional foreshadowing within a single unfolding redemptive plan, not a Buddhist-style unreal/illusory phenomenal realm.
Covenant Testament Wordplay
Approved rendering: 约 / 遗命
Transliteration: yuē / yímìng
Doctrine: The New Covenant versus the Old
Original: διαθήκη (dual sense)
Category: Covenant
NEW. The author’s exploitation of διαθήκη’s dual Greek sense (covenant / last will and testament) at Heb. 9:16-17 has no natural Mandarin equivalent, since 约 (covenant) and 遗嘱/遗命 (last will) are unrelated words. Retain CUV’s translator’s-footnote strategy at 9:16 rather than attempt a false lexical unification. Use 遗命 only for this specific wordplay, never as a general covenant synonym.
Firstborn
Approved rendering: 长子
Transliteration: zhǎngzǐ
Doctrine: Sonship of Christ
Original: πρωτότοκος
Category: Christology
NEW. Renders πρωτότοκος (Heb. 1:6, 12:23). Chinese clan tradition ties 长子 to primary inheritance rights and ancestor-rite leadership responsibility; must convey supreme rank/heirship, not literal eldest-son ancestor-worship duty.
Willful Sin
Approved rendering: 故意犯罪
Transliteration: gùyì fànzuì
Doctrine: The Danger of Apostasy and Warning Passages
Original: θεληματικῶς ἁμαρτάνω
Category: Faith
NEW. Renders θεληματικῶς ἁμαρτάνω (Heb. 10:26); deliberate, informed rejection of Christ, distinct from ordinary believer’s struggle with sin.
It Is Appointed
Approved rendering: 定命
Transliteration: dìngmìng
Doctrine: Judgment and Eschatology
Rejected alternatives: 命运, 天命
Original: ἀπόκειται
Category: Eschatology
NEW. Renders ἀπόκειται (Heb. 9:27). Risks impersonal fatalism, echoing 命运/天命 already flagged Critical/High in the Romans baseline; must be taught as God’s specific, personal appointment for humanity, not blind cosmic determinism.
Judgment
Approved rendering: 审判
Transliteration: shěnpàn
Doctrine: Judgment and Eschatology
Rejected alternatives: 报应
Original: κρίσις
Category: Eschatology
NEW. Renders κρίσις (Heb. 9:27, 10:27). Collides with the impersonal karmic-retribution framework (报应, already rejected under ‘sin’ in the Romans baseline); biblical judgment is a personal God’s forensic verdict rendered once, after a single, non-cyclical death.
To Bear Sins
Approved rendering: 担当(罪)
Transliteration: dāndāng (zuì)
Doctrine: The Once-for-All Atoning Sacrifice
Original: ἀναφέρω (ἁμαρτίας)
Category: Sacrifice
NEW. Renders ἀναφέρω ἁμαρτίας (Heb. 9:28), echoing Isaiah 53’s suffering-servant language. Must retain the substitutionary, vicarious sense (bearing sin’s guilt and penalty on another’s behalf), not a generic ‘carrying a burden’ idiom.
Draw Near
Approved rendering: 来到…面前 / 亲近(神)
Transliteration: lái dào…miànqián / qīnjìn (Shén)
Doctrine: Access to God through Christ’s Blood
Rejected alternatives: 求签, 问卜, 烧香拜拜
Original: προσέρχομαι
Category: Priesthood
NEW. Renders προσέρχομαι, Hebrews’ key access verb (4:16, 7:19, 10:1, 10:22, 11:6, 12:22). Must be distinguished from the folk-religious pattern of approaching a deity/ancestor through ritual self-preparation, incense, or a mediating specialist performed BY the worshiper. Biblical ‘drawing near’ is secured entirely by Christ’s already-shed blood, requiring only faith — the worshiper receives rather than earns entry.
Medium Risk Terms
Glory
Approved rendering: 荣耀
Transliteration: róngyào
Doctrine: Deity of Christ
Rejected alternatives: 面子, 光宗耀祖
Original: δόξα
Category: God
Inherited from Romans package, enforced exactly. Hebrews 1:3’s compound 荣耀的光辉 (radiance of glory) builds a new Critical-tier phrase on this base term; see radiance_of_glory entry.
Peace
Approved rendering: 平安
Transliteration: píng’ān
Doctrine: The Unshakeable Kingdom and Final Glory
Rejected alternatives: 安宁, 平安符式的平安
Original: εἰρήνη
Category: Salvation
Inherited from Romans package, enforced exactly. Closing benediction, Hebrews 13:20, ‘the God of peace’ — relational, covenantal peace, not amulet-style well-wishing.
David
Approved rendering: 大卫
Transliteration: Dàwèi
Doctrine: Faith of the Old Testament Saints
Original: Δαυίδ
Category: Covenant
Inherited from Romans package, enforced exactly. Psalms attributed to David (Ps. 95, Ps. 110) are quoted extensively throughout Hebrews.
Israel
Approved rendering: 以色列
Transliteration: Yǐsèliè
Doctrine: The New Covenant versus the Old
Original: Ἰσραήλ
Category: Covenant
Inherited from Romans package, enforced exactly. Addressed directly in the Jeremiah 31 New Covenant quotation, Hebrews 8:8-10.
Church
Approved rendering: 教会
Transliteration: jiàohuì
Doctrine: The Unshakeable Kingdom and Final Glory
Rejected alternatives: 庙, 寺, 道观
Original: ἐκκλησία
Category: Church
Inherited from Romans package, enforced exactly. Hebrews 2:12 (‘congregation’), 12:23 (‘assembly of the firstborn’). NEVER 庙/寺/道观.
Kingdom Of God
Approved rendering: 神的国
Transliteration: Shén de guó
Doctrine: The Unshakeable Kingdom and Final Glory
Rejected alternatives: 天下, 王朝
Inherited from Romans package, enforced exactly. Base term reused with the modifier 不能震动的 (‘unshakeable’) at Hebrews 12:28; avoid the 天下 dynastic-order collision.
Intercession
Approved rendering: 代求
Transliteration: dàiqiú
Doctrine: Christ as the Great High Priest
Rejected alternatives: 求签, 问卜
Inherited from Romans package, enforced exactly. Hebrews 7:25: Christ ‘always lives to make intercession’ for his people — his ongoing high-priestly ministry, not consulting a diviner.
Gospel
Approved rendering: 福音
Transliteration: fúyīn
Doctrine: Inspiration and Authority of Scripture
Rejected alternatives: 好消息, 喜讯
Inherited from Romans package, enforced exactly. Hebrews 4:2, 4:6: ‘good news came to them’ but did not benefit those who heard without uniting it to faith.
Tabernacle
Approved rendering: 帐幕
Transliteration: zhàngmù
Doctrine: Christ as the Great High Priest
Rejected alternatives: 圣殿
Original: σκηνή
Category: Priesthood
NEW. Distinguish from 圣殿 (permanent temple building); taught as God’s dwelling-with-his-people whose earthly form was only a shadow of a heavenly original — Hebrews 9:11.
Holy Place
Approved rendering: 圣所
Transliteration: shèngsuǒ
Doctrine: Access to God through Christ’s Blood
Rejected alternatives: 神龛, 内殿
Original: ἅγια
Category: Priesthood
NEW. The outer sanctuary chamber; distinguish from a folk-temple inner shrine room housing an idol (神龛/内殿).
Most Holy Place
Approved rendering: 至圣所
Transliteration: zhìshèngsuǒ
Doctrine: Access to God through Christ’s Blood
Original: ἅγια ἁγίων
Category: Priesthood
NEW. The innermost chamber, entered once a year by the high priest alone; sets up the ‘once a year vs. once for all’ contrast climaxing at Hebrews 9:11-28.
Veil
Approved rendering: 幔子
Transliteration: mànzi
Doctrine: Access to God through Christ’s Blood
Original: καταπέτασμα
Category: Priesthood
NEW. Barrier to God’s presence, removed through Christ’s death (10:20); distinguish from decorative folk-temple screens/partitions with no barrier-removal significance.
Unblemished
Approved rendering: 无瑕无疵
Transliteration: wú xiá wú cī
Doctrine: The Once-for-All Atoning Sacrifice
Rejected alternatives: 清净
Original: ἄμωμος
Category: Sacrifice
NEW. Standard CUV sacrificial idiom for Christ’s moral perfection (Heb. 9:14); must not be read as ritual/magical purity (清净, already flagged under ‘holy’ in the Romans baseline).
Shedding Of Blood
Approved rendering: 流血
Transliteration: liúxuè
Doctrine: The Once-for-All Atoning Sacrifice
Original: αἱματεκχυσία
Category: Sacrifice
NEW. Ensure read as sacrificial, atoning bloodshed (Heb. 9:22) rather than violence in the general or martial sense, since 流血 is also common battle vocabulary in Chinese.
Melchizedek
Approved rendering: 麦基洗德
Transliteration: Màijīxiédé
Doctrine: The Melchizedekian Priesthood of Christ
Original: Μελχισέδεκ
Category: Priesthood
NEW. Established transliteration; requires substantial OT background (Gen. 14, Ps. 110) since no comparable figure/office exists in Chinese religious or dynastic history. No conceptual analogue exists to paraphrase against, so transliteration plus mandatory footnote is the only viable strategy.
Levi
Approved rendering: 利未 / 利未人的祭司职任
Transliteration: Lìwèi / Lìwèi rén de jìsī zhírèn
Doctrine: Superiority of Christ over the Levitical Priesthood
Original: Λευί / Λευιτικός
Category: Priesthood
NEW. The hereditary Israelite priestly tribe being superseded by Christ’s Melchizedekian priesthood (Heb. 7); requires OT tribal-priesthood background.
Permanent Priesthood
Approved rendering: 长久不变的
Transliteration: chángjiǔ bùbiàn de
Doctrine: The Melchizedekian Priesthood of Christ
Original: ἀπαράβατος
Category: Priesthood
NEW. Renders ἀπαράβατος (Heb. 7:24); reinforces Christ’s eternal, non-transferable priesthood against the Levitical pattern of priests dying and being succeeded.
Guarantor
Approved rendering: 保证人
Transliteration: bǎozhèngrén
Doctrine: The New Covenant versus the Old
Original: ἔγγυος
Category: Priesthood
NEW. Renders ἔγγυος (Heb. 7:22). Mandarin’s everyday commercial 保证人 (loan guarantor) sense must be explicitly distinguished: Christ personally backs the covenant not with collateral but with his own life. Recommended distinct from 中保 (mediator) to preserve the specific nuance.
Dead Works
Approved rendering: 死行
Transliteration: sǐxíng
Doctrine: Conscience and Inner Cleansing
Original: νεκρὰ ἔργα
Category: Sacrifice
NEW. Deeds/rituals that cannot produce spiritual life (Heb. 6:1, 9:14); risk of readers hearing this as ‘bad deeds’ generally rather than specifically religious/ritual works that cannot save.
To Manifest
Approved rendering: 显(现)
Transliteration: xiǎn(xiàn)
Doctrine: Access to God through Christ’s Blood
Rejected alternatives: 化身, 下凡
Original: ἐμφανίζω / φανερόω
Category: Priesthood
NEW. Renders ἐμφανίζω/φανερόω (Heb. 9:24). Related to the incarnation caution in the Romans baseline (avoid a repeatable divine epiphany/avatar-appearance, 化身/下凡); here denotes Christ’s unique, continuing heavenly intercessory presence or singular Second Coming, not a recurring manifestation cycle.
Transgression
Approved rendering: 罪过
Transliteration: zuìguò
Doctrine: Christ as Mediator of the New Covenant
Original: παράβασις
Category: Covenant
NEW. Renders παράβασις (Heb. 9:15); violation of God’s covenant specifically, distinguished from generic legal infraction.
Promise
Approved rendering: 应许
Transliteration: yīngxǔ
Doctrine: Faith of the Old Testament Saints
Rejected alternatives: 算命
Original: ἐπαγγελία
Category: Covenant
NEW. Renders ἐπαγγελία (Heb. 6-11, prominently); standard Christian term, distinguish from a fortune-teller’s foretelling (算命) or a merely human, revocable promise — this is a divine covenant guarantee backed by God’s own oath.
Inheritance
Approved rendering: 产业
Transliteration: chǎnyè
Doctrine: Christ as Mediator of the New Covenant
Original: κληρονομία
Category: Covenant
NEW. Renders κληρονομία (Heb. 1:4, 9:15, 11:8). Chinese inheritance customs are strongly tied to patrilineal clan property and ancestral estate (祖产, 家产); must clarify this inheritance is heavenly, relational, and received by all who are called, not a this-worldly clan estate passed by bloodline.
Heir
Approved rendering: 后嗣 / 承受产业的人
Transliteration: hòusì / chéngshòu chǎnyè de rén
Doctrine: Christ as Mediator of the New Covenant
Original: κληρονόμος
Category: Covenant
NEW. Renders κληρονόμος; Christ as ‘heir of all things’ (1:2) minimizes the clan-inheritance collision, but when applied to believers (1:14, 6:17, 11:7) the same clan-estate caution as κληρονομία applies fully.
Annulment
Approved rendering: 除掉
Transliteration: chúdiào
Doctrine: The Once-for-All Atoning Sacrifice
Original: ἀθέτησις
Category: Sacrifice
NEW. Renders ἀθέτησις (Heb. 9:26); must communicate permanent, judicial removal of sin’s guilt rather than a merely psychological ‘letting go.‘
Sacrifice Of Praise
Approved rendering: 称谢的祭
Transliteration: chēngxiè de jì
Doctrine: Christian Ethical Living
Original: θυσία αἰνέσεως
Category: Sacrifice
NEW. Renders θυσία αἰνέσεως (Heb. 13:15); a deliberate metaphorical transformation of sacrificial vocabulary into worship/generosity now that the literal atoning sacrifice is finished — must never read as a reintroduction of ongoing propitiatory offerings.
Pioneer
Approved rendering: 元帅 / 元首
Transliteration: yuánshuài / yuánshǒu
Doctrine: Christ as the Great High Priest
Original: ἀρχηγός
Category: Christology
NEW. Renders ἀρχηγός (Heb. 2:10, 12:2); avoid nationalist/military-conquest overtones — Christ leads the way through suffering to bring his people to glory, not that he commands an army.
Author And Perfecter
Approved rendering: 创始成终的
Transliteration: chuàngshǐ chéngzhōng de
Doctrine: Perseverance and Assurance
Original: ἀρχηγὸς καὶ τελειωτής
Category: Christology
NEW. Renders ἀρχηγὸς καὶ τελειωτής (Heb. 12:2); ties together pioneer and to_perfect — Christ both originates and completes salvation as a single, unified work.
Word Of God
Approved rendering: 神的道
Transliteration: Shén de dào
Doctrine: Inspiration and Authority of Scripture
Original: ὁ λόγος τοῦ Θεοῦ
Category: Faith
NEW. Renders ὁ λόγος τοῦ Θεοῦ (Heb. 4:12, ‘living and active’). Must be kept conceptually distinct from the technical Christological compound 道成肉身 (incarnation, established in the Romans baseline), where 道 denotes the eternal, personal Word/Son; here it denotes Scripture’s message. Teaching notes must distinguish these two senses of 道.
Substance Assurance
Approved rendering: 实底
Transliteration: shídǐ
Doctrine: Faith of the Old Testament Saints
Original: ὑπόστασις
Category: Faith
NEW. Renders ὑπόστασις in Hebrews’ compact definition of faith (11:1); a somewhat classical-flavored CUV compound not in everyday speech, risking obscurity for the target reading level. Must be taught explicitly, distinct from vague, wishful, fortune-seeking ‘hope for the best.’ Pair with a plain-register gloss on first use.
Conviction Evidence
Approved rendering: 确据
Transliteration: quèjù
Doctrine: Faith of the Old Testament Saints
Original: ἔλεγχος
Category: Faith
NEW. Renders ἔλεγχος (Heb. 11:1); pairs with 实底 to form Hebrews’ compact definition of faith. Reinforces that biblical faith rests on objective certainty grounded in God’s character and promise, not subjective wishful feeling.
Rest
Approved rendering: 安息
Transliteration: ānxí
Doctrine: The Rest of God
Rejected alternatives: 无为
Original: κατάπαυσις / σαββατισμός
Category: Perseverance
NEW. Renders κατάπαυσις/σαββατισμός (Heb. 3:11, 3:18-19, 4:1-11). Must be distinguished from Daoist effortless non-striving (无为) or mere physical repose; this is covenantal, eschatological rest — entering God’s own completed redemptive purpose through faith.
Discipline
Approved rendering: 管教
Transliteration: guǎnjiào
Doctrine: Divine Discipline
Original: παιδεία
Category: Perseverance
NEW. Renders παιδεία (Heb. 12:5-11). Positively resonant with the Confucian family-formation ideal of parental discipline (家教) — a genuine cultural bridge — but must be clarified as loving, purposeful, holiness-oriented fatherly discipline (linked to established 父), not honor/shame-driven punitive correction tied to ‘face’ (面子).
Strangers And Sojourners
Approved rendering: 客旅
Transliteration: kèlǚ
Doctrine: Faith of the Old Testament Saints
Rejected alternatives: 出家式的客旅
Original: ξένοι καὶ παρεπίδημοι
Category: Faith
NEW. Renders ξένοι καὶ παρεπίδημοι (Heb. 11:13-16). Must be distinguished from Buddhist renunciation of worldly attachment as an end in itself (出家); biblical sojourning is forward-looking, hope-filled longing for a specific promised heavenly homeland, not detachment as spiritual technique.
Boldness
Approved rendering: 坦然无惧
Transliteration: tǎnrán wú jù
Doctrine: Access to God through Christ’s Blood
Rejected alternatives: 面子式的坦然
Original: παρρησία
Category: Priesthood
NEW. Renders παρρησία (Heb. 10:19, 10:22). Must be distinguished from social boldness/face-confidence (面子, already flagged under ‘glory’ in the Romans baseline); this is confidence rooted in a completed atoning work, not social standing.
Unshakeable Kingdom
Approved rendering: 不能震动的国
Transliteration: bùnéng zhèndòng de guó
Doctrine: The Unshakeable Kingdom and Final Glory
Original: βασιλεία ἀσάλευτος
Category: Kingdom
NEW. Renders βασιλεία ἀσάλευτος (Heb. 12:28); reuses established 神的国 exactly with a modifier. Must avoid framing as a merely stable this-worldly political dynasty (天下 collision already flagged in the Romans baseline).
Outside The Camp
Approved rendering: 营外
Transliteration: yíng wài
Doctrine: The Once-for-All Atoning Sacrifice
Original: ἔξω τῆς παρεμβολῆς / πύλης
Category: Sacrifice
NEW. Renders ἔξω τῆς παρεμβολῆς/πύλης (Heb. 13:12), recalling the Levitical requirement that the sin-offering’s body be burned outside the camp. Requires an explanatory OT-background note connecting it to Jesus’ crucifixion outside Jerusalem’s walls, or the typological force is lost for readers with low OT literacy.
Zion Heavenly Jerusalem
Approved rendering: 锡安山 / 天上的耶路撒冷
Transliteration: Xī’ān Shān / tiānshàng de Yēlùsālěng
Doctrine: Access to God through Christ’s Blood
Original: Σιὼν … Ἰερουσαλὴμ ἐπουρανίῳ
Category: Kingdom
NEW proper name/compound. Contrasts believers’ approach to God at Mount Zion/heavenly Jerusalem with Israel’s terrifying encounter at Sinai (Heb. 12:18-24) — climactic statement of the Access to God doctrine. Requires OT/eschatological background.
Low Risk Terms
Abraham
Approved rendering: 亚伯拉罕
Transliteration: Yàbólāhǎn
Doctrine: Faith of the Old Testament Saints
Original: Ἀβραάμ
Category: Covenant
Inherited proper-name transliteration per the Romans-package requirements document’s transliteration table. Central exemplar in Hebrews 2, 6, 7, 11 (oath, tithe to Melchizedek, sacrifice of Isaac).
Moses
Approved rendering: 摩西
Transliteration: Móxī
Doctrine: Superiority of Christ over Moses
Original: Μωϋσῆς
Category: Covenant
Inherited proper-name transliteration per the Romans-package requirements document’s transliteration table. Elevated to full translation-memory status here given the doctrinal centrality of Hebrews 3:1-6 and chs. 7-12; low risk as a proper name, but the servant/Son contrast built around it is High risk (see doctrine registry).
Exhort
Approved rendering: 劝勉
Transliteration: quànmiǎn
Doctrine: Christian Ethical Living
Original: παρακαλέω
Category: Faith
Inherited from Romans package, enforced exactly. Hebrews 3:13: ‘exhort one another every day.‘
Fellowship
Approved rendering: 团契
Transliteration: tuánqì
Doctrine: Christian Ethical Living
Rejected alternatives: 交情, 结拜
Original: κοινωνία (concept, cf. 13:16 κοινωνίας μὴ ἐπιλανθάνεσθε)
Category: Church
Inherited from Romans package, enforced exactly. Hebrews 13:16, ‘do not neglect to share (κοινωνίας) what you have.‘
Apostle
Approved rendering: 使徒
Transliteration: shǐtú
Doctrine: Christ as the Great High Priest
Rejected alternatives: 宗师, 大师
Inherited from Romans package, enforced exactly. Hebrews 3:1 uniquely applies this title to Christ himself (‘the apostle and high priest of our confession’) rather than to the Twelve; teaching notes must clarify this denotes Christ as the one sent from God, paired here with his high-priestly office, not a reference to apostolic church office.
Prophet
Approved rendering: 先知
Transliteration: xiānzhī
Doctrine: Inspiration and Authority of Scripture
Rejected alternatives: 算命先生
Inherited from Romans package, enforced exactly. Hebrews 1:1: ‘God… spoke to our fathers by the prophets.‘
Heavenly Things
Approved rendering: 天上的
Transliteration: tiānshàng de
Doctrine: The New Covenant versus the Old
Original: ἐπουράνιος
Category: Covenant
NEW. Renders ἐπουράνιος; reinforces already-established 神的国/宝座 heavenly-realm vocabulary. Low risk.
To Inaugurate
Approved rendering: 立(约)
Transliteration: lì (yuē)
Doctrine: Christ as Mediator of the New Covenant
Original: ἐγκαινίζω
Category: Covenant
NEW. Renders ἐγκαινίζω (Heb. 9:18); reuses established covenant vocabulary, low risk.
Sympathize
Approved rendering: 体谅
Transliteration: tǐliàng
Doctrine: Humanity of Christ
Original: συμπαθέω
Category: Priesthood
NEW. Renders συμπαθέω (Heb. 4:15); warm, relational term reinforcing the high priest’s approachability. Low collision risk.
Eagerly Await
Approved rendering: 热切等候
Transliteration: rèqiè děnghòu
Doctrine: Perseverance and Assurance
Original: ἀπεκδέχομαι
Category: Eschatology
NEW. Renders ἀπεκδέχομαι (Heb. 9:28); describes believers’ hopeful, active anticipation of Christ’s second coming, not fatalistic resignation.
Anchor
Approved rendering: 锚
Transliteration: máo
Doctrine: Perseverance and Assurance
Original: ἄγκυρα
Category: Perseverance
NEW. Renders ἄγκυρα (Heb. 6:19); vivid, concrete image, may need a brief explanatory gloss for readers unfamiliar with maritime imagery.
Oath Unchangeable
Approved rendering: 誓言 / 不能更改的
Transliteration: shìyán / bùnéng gēnggǎi de
Doctrine: Perseverance and Assurance
Original: ὅρκος / ἀμετάθετος
Category: Perseverance
NEW. Renders ὅρκος/ἀμετάθετος (Heb. 6:13-18); standard vocabulary supporting the Perseverance and Assurance doctrine without significant collision risk.
Root Of Bitterness
Approved rendering: 毒根
Transliteration: dúgēn
Doctrine: The Danger of Apostasy and Warning Passages
Original: ῥίζα πικρίας
Category: Perseverance
NEW. Renders ῥίζα πικρίας (Heb. 12:15); vivid idiom warning against attitudes that cause others to fall short of grace.
Hospitality
Approved rendering: 接待客旅
Transliteration: jiēdài kèlǚ
Doctrine: Christian Ethical Living
Original: φιλοξενία
Category: Perseverance
NEW. Renders φιλοξενία (Heb. 13:2); straightforward ethical exhortation, low collision risk.
Aaron
Approved rendering: 亚伦
Transliteration: Yàlún
Doctrine: Superiority of Christ over the Levitical Priesthood
Original: Ἀαρών
Category: Priesthood
NEW proper name. The first Levitical high priest, whose order is contrasted with Christ’s Melchizedekian priesthood (Heb. 5:4, 7:11, 9:4).
Cherubim
Approved rendering: 基路伯
Transliteration: Jīlùbó
Doctrine: Access to God through Christ’s Blood
Original: χερουβίμ
Category: Priesthood
NEW proper name. Winged heavenly beings atop the ark of the covenant (Heb. 9:5); established transliteration, low risk.
Ark Of The Covenant
Approved rendering: 约柜
Transliteration: yuēguì
Doctrine: Access to God through Christ’s Blood
Original: κιβωτὸς τῆς διαθήκης
Category: Priesthood
NEW. Established term for the gold-covered chest housing the covenant tablets (Heb. 9:4); requires brief OT background explanation.
Sarah
Approved rendering: 撒拉
Transliteration: Sàlā
Doctrine: Faith of the Old Testament Saints
NEW proper name. Faith exemplar, Heb. 11:11.
Isaac
Approved rendering: 以撒
Transliteration: Yǐsā
Doctrine: Faith of the Old Testament Saints
NEW proper name. Faith exemplar, Heb. 11:17-20.
Jacob
Approved rendering: 雅各
Transliteration: Yǎgè
Doctrine: Faith of the Old Testament Saints
NEW proper name. Faith exemplar, Heb. 11:20-21.
Joseph
Approved rendering: 约瑟
Transliteration: Yuēsè
Doctrine: Faith of the Old Testament Saints
NEW proper name. Faith exemplar, Heb. 11:22.
Enoch
Approved rendering: 以诺
Transliteration: Yǐnuò
Doctrine: Faith of the Old Testament Saints
NEW proper name. Faith exemplar, Heb. 11:5.
Noah
Approved rendering: 挪亚
Transliteration: Nuóyà
Doctrine: Faith of the Old Testament Saints
NEW proper name. Faith exemplar, Heb. 11:7.
Rahab
Approved rendering: 喇合
Transliteration: Lǎhé
Doctrine: Faith of the Old Testament Saints
NEW proper name. Faith exemplar, Heb. 11:31.
Gideon
Approved rendering: 基甸
Transliteration: Jīdiàn
Doctrine: Faith of the Old Testament Saints
NEW proper name. Faith exemplar, Heb. 11:32.
Samson
Approved rendering: 参孙
Transliteration: Cānsūn
Doctrine: Faith of the Old Testament Saints
NEW proper name. Faith exemplar, Heb. 11:32.
Jephthah
Approved rendering: 耶弗他
Transliteration: Yēfútā
Doctrine: Faith of the Old Testament Saints
NEW proper name. Faith exemplar, Heb. 11:32.
Samuel
Approved rendering: 撒母耳
Transliteration: Sāmǔ’ěr
Doctrine: Faith of the Old Testament Saints
NEW proper name. Faith exemplar, Heb. 11:32.
Esau
Approved rendering: 以扫
Transliteration: Yǐsǎo
Doctrine: The Danger of Apostasy and Warning Passages
NEW proper name. Negative example of forfeited blessing through godlessness, Heb. 12:16-17.
Referenced passages