Core Glossary
Core Glossary — Colossians, Marathi Destination Language
This glossary consolidates every load-bearing term identified across the full-book semantic analysis (07_semantic_analysis.md), organized for Phase 1 Step 2+ ratification into an updated translation_memory.json. Terms marked [REUSE] carry over the exact Marathi rendering already recorded in the baseline Romans translation memory and MUST NOT be altered. Terms marked [NEW] are proposed Colossians-specific additions requiring formal risk-tier ratification.
Risk tiers follow the Romans baseline definitions exactly:
- Critical — mistranslation destroys essential doctrine; human theologian review required every occurrence.
- High — significant confusion/syncretism risk; human theologian review required.
- Medium — reduces clarity but preserves essential meaning; native speaker review recommended.
- Low — minor imprecision; automated review sufficient.
A. Reused Terms from Romans Baseline (enforce exactly, no deviation)
| English Term | Marathi | Transliteration | Risk | Chapters | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gospel | शुभवर्तमान | śubhavartamān | High | 1 | [REUSE] |
| Grace | कृपा | kṛpā | Critical | 1, 3, 4 | [REUSE] |
| Faith | विश्वास | viśvāsa | High | 1, 2 | [REUSE] |
| Apostle | प्रेषित | preṣit | Medium | 1, 4 | [REUSE] |
| Holy / Saints | पवित्र / पवित्र जन | pavitra / pavitra jan | High | 1, 3 | [REUSE] |
| Sanctification | पवित्रीकरण | pavitrīkaraṇ | High | (thematic; ch.3) | [REUSE] |
| Resurrection | पुनरुत्थान | punarutthān | Critical | 1 (core), 2, 3 | [REUSE] |
| Lord | प्रभू | prabhū | Critical | 1, 3, 4 | [REUSE] |
| Son of God (conceptually — cf. “his beloved Son,” 1:13) | देवाचा पुत्र | devācā putra | Critical | 1 | [REUSE] |
| Incarnation (theological category underlying 1:15,19; 2:9) | देहधारण | dehadhāraṇ | Critical | 1 (core), 2 | [REUSE] |
| Peace | शांती | śāntī | Medium | 1 (core), 3 | [REUSE] |
| Thanksgiving | उपकारस्तुती | upakārastutī | Low | 1, 3, 4 | [REUSE] |
| Fellowship | सहभागिता | sahabhāgitā | Low | (thematic) | [REUSE] |
| Church | मंडळी | maṇḍaḷī | Medium | 1 (core), 4 | [REUSE] |
| Kingdom of God (Kingdom of the Son) | देवाचे राज्य | devāce rājya | Medium | 1 | [REUSE] |
| Law | नियमशास्त्र | niyamśāstra | High | 2 (kept distinct from δόγμα) | [REUSE] |
| Sin | पाप | pāp | High | 1, 3 | [REUSE] |
| Gentiles | अन्यजातीय | anyajātīya | Medium | 1 (thematic: mystery to the nations) | [REUSE] |
| Glory | गौरव | gaurav | High | 1, 3 | [REUSE] |
| Power of God | देवाचे सामर्थ्य | devāce sāmarthya | High | 1 | [REUSE] — never शक्ती |
| God | परमेश्वर | Parameśvar | Critical | all | [REUSE] |
| Holy Spirit | पवित्र आत्मा | Pavitra Ātmā | Critical | 1 | [REUSE] |
| Father | पिता | Pitā | Critical | 1, 3 | [REUSE] |
| Jesus | येशू | Yeśū | Critical | all | [REUSE] |
| Christ | ख्रिस्त | Khrist | Critical | all | [REUSE — from 12_ai_translation_requirements.md transliteration standards] |
B. New Terms Introduced by Colossians
| English Term | Greek | Marathi Rendering | Transliteration | Risk | Doctrine | Chapter(s) | Rejected Alternatives | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Image (of the invisible God) | εἰκών | प्रतिमा | pratimā | High | Supremacy of Christ / Deity of Christ | 1:15 (core); echoed 3:10 | मूर्ती (never — reads as devotional idol-image) | Must be anchored: Christ is not a representation of a hidden God elsewhere, but God himself made visible |
| Invisible | ἀόρατος | अदृश्य | adṛśya | Medium | Deity of Christ | 1:15 (core) | — | Standard term |
| Firstborn (of all creation) | πρωτότοκος | प्रथमजात | prathamajāt | Critical | Supremacy of Christ over Creation | 1:15, 1:18 (core) | ज्येष्ठ पुत्र alone (misleads toward literal birth-order) | Must always pair with explanatory clause on rank/inheritance, never origin-in-time; guards against Arian created-being misreading |
| Created | κτίζω | निर्माण करणे | nirmāṇ karṇe | Medium | Supremacy of Christ over Creation | 1:16 (core) | — | Agency must remain clearly Christ’s |
| Thrones / Dominions / Rulers / Authorities | θρόνοι / κυριότητες / ἀρχαί / ἐξουσίαι | सिंहासने / प्रभुत्वे / सत्ता / अधिकार | siṃhāsane / prabhutve / sattā / adhikār | High | Supremacy of Christ over Creation; Warning against Syncretism | 1:16 (core); 2:10, 2:15 | — | Collision with village/clan deity and spirit hierarchies (ग्रामदेवता, कुलदेवता); must retain “created through him and for him” framing |
| Hold together / Sustain | συνίστημι | एकत्र टिकून राहणे | ekatra ṭikūn rāhaṇe | Medium | Supremacy of Christ over Creation (Providence) | 1:17 (core) | नशीब/कर्माचा नियम framing (never) | Personal, Christ-sustained order, not impersonal cosmic law |
| Head (of the body, the church) | κεφαλή | मस्तक | mastak | High | Christ as Head of the Church | 1:18 (core) | — | Must be introduced strictly in ecclesial-organic sense before household-code headship language (ch.3) is encountered |
| Body | σῶμα | शरीर | śarīr | Medium | Christ as Head of the Church | 1:18, 1:24 (core; church-as-body sense) | — | NOT to be reused for σῶμα’s contrastive “substance/reality” sense at 2:17 — see separate entry |
| Beginning | ἀρχή | आरंभ | ārambh | Low | Supremacy of Christ | 1:18 (core) | — | — |
| Firstborn from the dead | πρωτότοκος ἐκ τῶν νεκρῶν | मरण पावलेल्यांमधून पुनरुत्थान पावलेला प्रथम | maraṇ pāvlelyāmadhūn punarutthān pāvlelā pratham | Critical | Resurrection of Christ | 1:18 (core) | — | Inherits Romans पुनरुत्थान Critical status; never पुनर्जन्म/पुनर्भव |
| Preeminent / First place | πρωτεύω | सर्वांत श्रेष्ठ स्थान | sarvānt śreṣṭha sthān | Medium | Supremacy and Sufficiency of Christ | 1:18 (core) | — | Must retain totalizing “in everything,” resisting multi-deity coexistence framing |
| Fullness | πλήρωμα | परिपूर्णता | paripūrṇatā | Critical | Fullness of Deity in Christ Bodily | 1:19 (core), 2:9-10 | — | Guards against both Gnostic emanationism and distributed-divinity/avatar framing; entire, not partial, fullness |
| Dwell | κατοικέω | वास करणे | vās karṇe | Medium | Fullness of Deity in Christ Bodily | 1:19 (core) | — | Permanent indwelling, not temporary prophetic inspiration |
| Reconcile / Reconciliation | ἀποκαταλλάσσω | समेट घडवणे | samet ghaḍavṇe | High | Reconciliation through the Cross | 1:20 (core), 1:21-22 | — | Must retain God as sole initiating agent, not a mutual/negotiated settlement |
| Blood | αἷμα | रक्त | rakta | Medium | Reconciliation through the Cross | 1:20 (core) | — | Distinguish from repeatable bali/animal-sacrifice ritual; once-for-all atonement |
| Cross | σταυρός | वधस्तंभ | vadhastambha | Medium | Reconciliation through the Cross | 1:20 (core), 2:14-15 | — | Established Marathi Christian usage |
| Love | ἀγάπη | प्रीती | prītī | Medium | (ethical/relational; ch.1, ch.3) | 1:4, 1:8, 3:14 | प्रेम (risk of romantic/bhakti-devotional overtone) | Anchor as selfless love flowing from union with Christ |
| Hope | ἐλπίς | आशा | āśā | Low | (thematic) | 1:5, 1:23, 1:27 | — | — |
| Wisdom | σοφία | ज्ञान (आत्मिक ज्ञान) | jñāna (ātmik jñāna) | High | (thematic; underlies warning against false teaching) | 1:9, 1:28, 2:3, 2:23, 3:16 | — | Collision with Hindu jñāna-mārga and Buddhist prajñā; always qualify as Spirit-given, Christ-centered wisdom |
| Full/Deep Knowledge | ἐπίγνωσις | पूर्ण ज्ञान | pūrṇa jñāna | High | (thematic) | 1:9-10, 2:2, 3:10 | — | Same collision zone as wisdom; distinct from mere γνῶσις |
| Understanding | σύνεσις | समज | samaj | Low | (thematic) | 1:9, 2:2 | — | — |
| Power (strengthened with) | δύναμις | सामर्थ्य | sāmarthya | High | (aligns with Power of God doctrine) | 1:11, 1:29 | शक्ती (never) | Aligns with Romans baseline power_of_god convention |
| Inheritance / Portion | κλῆρος | वारसा | vārsā | High | Adoption / inheritance theme | 1:12 | वतन (never — caste-linked watandari land-service connotation) | — |
| Authority/Dominion of Darkness | ἐξουσία τοῦ σκότους | अंधाराचा अधिकार | andhārācā adhikār | Medium | (thematic) | 1:13 | — | — |
| Redemption | ἀπολύτρωσις | खंडणी भरून झालेली सुटका | khaṇḍaṇī bharūn jhālelī suṭakā | Critical | Reconciliation through the Cross | 1:14 | मुक्ती/मुक्तता (never); उद्धार alone (avoid — Ambedkarite “upliftment” collision) | Must retain ransom/payment sense in full phrase, never abbreviated |
| Affliction (of Christ, filling up what is lacking) | θλῖψις | दुःख/क्लेश | duḥkh/kleś | High | Sufficiency of Christ (delicate clarification needed) | 1:24 | — | Must not imply insufficiency of the atonement; refers to ongoing sufferings of Christ’s body, the church |
| Mystery | μυστήριον | रहस्य | rahasya | Critical | Warning against False Teaching (contrastive); Union with Christ | 1:26-27, 2:2, 4:3 | — | Must be qualified “आता उघड झालेले” (now openly disclosed) — opposite of tantric/guru-parampara esoteric secrecy |
| Philosophy (empty deceit) | φιλοσοφία (κενῆς ἀπάτης) | (पोकळ फसवे) तत्त्वज्ञान | (poḷā phasve) tattvajñān | High | Warning against False Teaching and Syncretism | 2:8 | — | Qualifier mandatory; not a blanket dismissal of philosophy/darshana traditions |
| Tradition (of men) | παράδοσις (τῶν ἀνθρώπων) | (मानवी) परंपरा | (mānavī) paramparā | High | Warning against False Teaching and Syncretism | 2:8 | — | Qualifier mandatory; guards against guru-parampara/sampradaya collision |
| Elemental Spirits / Elementary Principles | στοιχεῖα τοῦ κόσμου | जगाची मूलतत्त्वे | jagācī mūlatattve | High | Warning against False Teaching and Syncretism | 2:8, 2:20 | — | Guards against pañcamahābhūta/jyotish cosmology collision |
| Godhead / Deity (essence) | θεότης | देवत्व | devatva | Critical | Fullness of Deity in Christ Bodily | 2:9 | — | Distinct from θειότης (Rom 1:20 general divine nature); guards against attained-godhood misreading |
| Bodily | σωματικῶς | शरीरधारी रूपाने | śarīradhārī rūpāne | Critical | Fullness of Deity in Christ Bodily; Incarnation | 2:9 | — | Connects to देहधारण; guards against partial/apparent incarnation |
| Circumcision (spiritual) | περιτομή (ἀχειροποίητος) | सुंता (आध्यात्मिक) | suntā (ādhyātmik) | Medium | Union with Christ | 2:11 | — | — |
| Baptism | βάπτισμα | बाप्तिस्मा | bāptismā | Medium | Union with Christ | 2:12 | — | Established loanword |
| Certificate of Debt | χειρόγραφον | ऋणपत्र | ṛṇapatra | Medium | Reconciliation through the Cross | 2:14 | — | Requires explanatory gloss |
| Decree/Ordinance | δόγμα | आज्ञा/नियम | āgnā/niyam | Medium | (legal metaphor) | 2:14 | — | Keep distinct from नियमशास्त्र (Law) |
| Triumph (over powers) | θριαμβεύω | विजय मिळवणे | vijay miḷavṇe | Medium | Supremacy of Christ | 2:15 | — | Roman-triumph imagery; explanatory note recommended |
| Shadow / Substance | σκιά / σῶμα | छाया / मूळ वास्तव | chāyā / mūḷ vāstav | High | Sufficiency of Christ (fulfillment typology) | 2:17 | शरीर (never — reserved for church-as-body sense) | Same Greek word as “body” but contrastive sense; must render distinctly |
| Worship of Angels | θρησκεία τῶν ἀγγέλων | देवदूतांची उपासना | devadūtāṃcī upāsanā | High | Warning against False Teaching and Syncretism | 2:18 | — | Collision with village/ancestral deity propitiation practices |
| Old Self | παλαιὸς ἄνθρωπος | जुना मनुष्य | junā manuṣya | Critical | Putting Off the Old Self, Putting On the New | 3:9 | — | Guards against Hindu rebirth and Buddhist anattā misreadings; same continuing person, transformed |
| New Self | νέος/καινός ἄνθρωπος | नवा मनुष्य | navā manuṣya | Critical | Putting Off the Old Self, Putting On the New | 3:10 | — | Paired with above |
| Renewed | ἀνακαινόω | नवीकरण होणे | navīkaraṇ hoṇe | Medium | Putting Off the Old Self, Putting On the New | 3:10 | — | Echoes εἰκών from 1:15 |
| Idolatry | εἰδωλολατρία | मूर्तिपूजा | mūrtipūjā | Critical | Putting Off the Old Self / ethical holiness | 3:5 | — | Direct collision with Warkari/Hindu image-devotion; full doctrinal force must be retained without ethnographic generalization |
| No Distinction (social/ethnic list) | (Ἕλλην/Ἰουδαῖος κτλ.) | भेद नाही | bhed nāhī | High | Union with Christ; Unity across social status | 3:11 | — | Direct parallel to Romans Unity of Jews/Gentiles doctrine; caste-hierarchy resonance, must not be softened |
| Submit | ὑποτάσσω | अधीन राहणे | adhīn rāhaṇe | High | Household Codes | 3:18 | — | Must be paired with reciprocal husband-love command; avoid unqualified patriarchal or caste-hierarchy reading |
| Slaves / Masters | δοῦλοι / κύριοι | दास / धनी | dās / dhanī | Critical | Household Codes | 3:22-4:1 | — | Requires mandatory translator/teaching note distinguishing first-century household-code instruction from any endorsement of servitude or caste-labor systems |
| Justice and Equity | δίκαιον καὶ ἰσότητα | न्याय आणि समानता | nyāy āṇi samānatā | Medium | Household Codes | 4:1 | — | Corrective clause; must be given full doctrinal weight |
| Fellow Servant (voluntary, ministry) | σύνδουλος | सहदास | sahadās | Medium | (ministry co-working) | 4:7, 4:12 | — | Shares root with दास (Critical); brief clarifying note recommended |
C. Glossary Summary Statistics
| Risk Tier | Count (New Terms) | Review Routing |
|---|---|---|
| Critical | 11 | Human theologian (every occurrence) |
| High | 15 | Human theologian |
| Medium | 15 | Native speaker review |
| Low | 6 | Automated review |
Reused Romans-baseline terms retain their original risk tiers and routing as recorded in doctrine_risk_registry.json.
This glossary must be loaded alongside the Romans baseline translation_memory.json for all Phase 2 Colossians translation operations. New terms marked [NEW] require formal ratification into an updated translation_memory.json (version increment) before Phase 2 processing begins, per PRD Step 2.
Critical Risk Terms
Grace
Approved rendering: कृपा
Transliteration: kṛpā
Doctrine: Grace
Rejected alternatives: कर्मफळ, पुण्य, स्वतःच्या प्रयत्नाने मिळवलेले
Original: χάρις
Category: Salvation
Inherited from Romans package. Colossians 1:6 names grace as the basis of the Colossians’ entire standing before God; every occurrence must reinforce that this favor is unearned and Christ-specific, not devotional favor cultivated through bhakti or self-cultivation along a Buddhist ethical path.
Resurrection
Approved rendering: पुनरुत्थान
Transliteration: punarutthān
Doctrine: Resurrection of Christ
Rejected alternatives: पुनर्जन्म, पुनर्भव
Original: ἀνάστασις / ἐγείρω
Category: Eschatology
Inherited from Romans package. Underlies Colossians 1:18 (‘firstborn from the dead’), 2:12-13, 3:1. Never पुनर्जन्म (Hindu rebirth) or पुनर्भव (Buddhist arising of a new aggregate-configuration).
Lord
Approved rendering: प्रभू
Transliteration: prabhū
Doctrine: Lordship of Christ
Rejected alternatives: स्वामी, ईश्वर
Original: κύριος
Category: Christology
Inherited from Romans package. Colossians 1:3, 1:10, 3:17-24 — exclusive, supreme authority over all creation and the church, not one lord/deity among others.
Son Of God
Approved rendering: देवाचा पुत्र
Transliteration: devācā putra
Doctrine: Sonship of Christ
Rejected alternatives: देवपुरुष, अवतारी पुरुष
Original: ὁ υἱὸς αὐτοῦ (τῆς ἀγάπης αὐτοῦ)
Category: Christology
Inherited from Romans package. Colossians 1:13 (‘his beloved Son’), into whose kingdom believers are transferred; eternal, unique Sonship, never honorary or adoptive.
Incarnation
Approved rendering: देहधारण
Transliteration: dehadhāraṇ
Doctrine: Incarnation
Rejected alternatives: अवतार, बोधिसत्त्वाचा पुनर्जन्म
Original: θεότης … σωματικῶς (2:9, conceptual category)
Category: Christology
Inherited from Romans package. Grounds Colossians 1:19, 1:22 (‘body of his flesh’), and 2:9. Never अवतार (Vaishnav avatar-descent) or Bodhisattva-style repeated rebirth for others’ sake.
God
Approved rendering: परमेश्वर
Transliteration: Parameśvar
Doctrine: Deity of Christ
Rejected alternatives: देव, भगवान
Original: θεός
Category: God
Inherited from Romans package. The one true, personal, triune God, whose entire fullness dwells in Christ (1:19, 2:9). देव/भगवान flatten monotheistic exclusivity.
Holy Spirit
Approved rendering: पवित्र आत्मा
Transliteration: Pavitra Ātmā
Doctrine: Sanctification
Rejected alternatives: परमात्मा, ब्रह्म
Original: πνεῦμα (cf. 1:8, “love in the Spirit”)
Category: God
Inherited from Romans package. Colossians 1:8 (‘your love in the Spirit’). Never परमात्मा or ब्रह्म.
Father
Approved rendering: पिता
Transliteration: Pitā
Doctrine: Adoption into God’s Family
Rejected alternatives: निर्माता
Original: πατήρ
Category: God
Inherited from Romans package. Colossians 1:12 (the Father who qualified us for the inheritance of the saints), 3:17, 3:21.
Jesus
Approved rendering: येशू
Transliteration: Yeśū
Doctrine: Lordship of Christ
Rejected alternatives: ईसा
Original: Ἰησοῦς
Category: Christology
Inherited from Romans package. Proper name of the Son of God throughout Colossians; never ईसा.
Christ
Approved rendering: ख्रिस्त
Transliteration: Khrist
Doctrine: Deity of Christ
Rejected alternatives: अवतार, गुरू, अवतारी शिक्षक
Original: Χριστός
Category: Christology
Established Marathi Christian transliteration standard, carried from the Romans-package 12_ai_translation_requirements.md transliteration conventions (not itself a distinct Romans TM key but treated as inherited convention). Functions effectively as part of Jesus’ proper name/title throughout Colossians and names the sole locus of the fullness of Deity, reconciliation, and cosmic supremacy; never rendered descriptively in a way equating Christ with a guru or avatar figure.
Firstborn
Approved rendering: प्रथमजात
Transliteration: prathamajāt
Doctrine: Supremacy and Sufficiency of Christ over Creation
Rejected alternatives: ज्येष्ठ पुत्र (alone, unglossed)
Original: πρωτότοκος (πάσης κτίσεως)
Category: Christology
NEW (Colossians). Colossians 1:15, 1:18 (core passage). Marathi joint-family custom links प्रथमजात to the eldest son’s inheritance-right (ज्येष्ठ पुत्राचा वारसाहक्क), useful for conveying rank but risking the Arian ‘first created being’ misreading. Every occurrence requires an explanatory clause anchoring rank/inheritance, never origin-in-time.
Firstborn From The Dead
Approved rendering: मरण पावलेल्यांमधून पुनरुत्थान पावलेला प्रथम
Transliteration: maraṇ pāvlelyāmadhūn punarutthān pāvlelā pratham
Doctrine: Resurrection of Christ
Original: πρωτότοκος ἐκ τῶν νεκρῶν
Category: Eschatology
NEW (Colossians). Colossians 1:18 (core passage). Inherits पुनरुत्थान’s Critical status; never पुनर्जन्म/पुनर्भव. Christ is first in an unrepeatable, historical sequence of resurrection guaranteeing believers’ future bodily resurrection, not the first instance of an ongoing cycle.
Fullness
Approved rendering: परिपूर्णता
Transliteration: paripūrṇatā
Doctrine: Fullness of Deity in Christ Bodily
Original: πλήρωμα
Category: Christology
NEW (Colossians). Colossians 1:19 (core passage), 2:9-10. Guards against (1) Warkari/Hindu distributed-divinity framing across avatars/murtis/holy places and (2) the letter’s own opposed proto-Gnostic emanationism. Every occurrence needs a note establishing totality and exclusivity, not distribution.
Redemption
Approved rendering: खंडणी भरून झालेली सुटका
Transliteration: khaṇḍaṇī bharūn jhālelī suṭakā
Doctrine: Redemption and Forgiveness of Sins
Rejected alternatives: मुक्ती, मुक्तता, उद्धार (alone)
Original: ἀπολύτρωσις
Category: Salvation
NEW (Colossians). Colossians 1:14. Never abbreviated to मुक्ती/मुक्तता (adjacent to the forbidden मोक्ष/मुक्ती liberation vocabulary) nor to उद्धार alone (Ambedkarite दलितोद्धार ‘social upliftment’ collision). Always render the full ransom-payment phrase.
Mystery
Approved rendering: रहस्य
Transliteration: rahasya
Doctrine: Inspiration and Disclosure of the Mystery of Christ
Original: μυστήριον
Category: Revelation
NEW (Colossians). Colossians 1:26-27, 2:2-3, 4:3. Must always be qualified ‘आता उघड झालेले’ (now made openly known) — the opposite of tantric/yogic गुह्य secret initiatory knowledge and guru-parampara progressive disclosure to advanced devotees only.
Deity
Approved rendering: देवत्व
Transliteration: devatva
Doctrine: Fullness of Deity in Christ Bodily
Original: θεότης
Category: Christology
NEW (Colossians). Colossians 2:9. Distinct from θειότης (Romans 1:20’s general perceptible divine nature); must be anchored as Christ’s eternal, underived, intrinsic nature, never an attained yogic/bhakti status.
Bodily
Approved rendering: शरीरधारी रूपाने
Transliteration: śarīradhārī rūpāne
Doctrine: Fullness of Deity in Christ Bodily
Original: σωματικῶς
Category: Christology
NEW (Colossians). Colossians 2:9. Must connect explicitly to देहधारण (incarnation), never अवतार, and must never be softened to a merely symbolic or spiritual-only indwelling.
Old Self
Approved rendering: जुना मनुष्य
Transliteration: junā manuṣya
Doctrine: Putting Off the Old Self and Putting On the New
Original: παλαιὸς ἄνθρωπος
Category: Sanctification
NEW (Colossians). Colossians 3:9. Risks collision with Hindu पुनर्जन्म and Buddhist anattā. Must be taught as the SAME continuing person, morally transformed, not a literal rebirth into a new body.
New Self
Approved rendering: नवा मनुष्य
Transliteration: navā manuṣya
Doctrine: Putting Off the Old Self and Putting On the New
Original: νέος / καινός ἄνθρωπος
Category: Sanctification
NEW (Colossians). Colossians 3:10. Paired with old_self; same collision risks with Hindu rebirth and Buddhist anattā apply.
Idolatry
Approved rendering: मूर्तिपूजा
Transliteration: mūrtipūjā
Doctrine: Idolatry and Covetousness
Original: εἰδωλολατρία
Category: Sin
NEW (Colossians). Colossians 3:5. Direct terminological collision with Warkari/Hindu image-devotion. Paul’s equation of covetousness with idolatry must be preserved with full doctrinal force, without softening or generalizing into ethnographic condemnation.
Slaves Masters
Approved rendering: दास / धनी
Transliteration: dās / dhanī
Doctrine: Household Codes
Original: δοῦλοι / κύριοι
Category: Household
NEW (Colossians). Colossians 3:22-4:1. The single most socially sensitive term in the letter: Maharashtra’s Ambedkarite Buddhist community formally rejected historical bonded-labor and caste-based servitude systems. Every occurrence requires a mandatory translator/teaching note situating this as first-century Greco-Roman household-code instruction, never scriptural endorsement of servitude or caste-labor systems.
High Risk Terms
Gospel
Approved rendering: शुभवर्तमान
Transliteration: śubhavartamān
Doctrine: Gospel
Rejected alternatives: बातमी, खबर
Original: εὐαγγέλιον
Category: Salvation
Inherited from Romans package. Colossians 1:5-6, 1:23, 1:27 — the mystery disclosed to the Gentiles is proclaimed as one specific historical announcement, not one teaching among many available in Maharashtra’s religious marketplace.
Faith
Approved rendering: विश्वास
Transliteration: viśvāsa
Doctrine: Faith
Rejected alternatives: श्रद्धा, भक्ति
Original: πίστις
Category: Faith
Inherited from Romans package. Colossians 1:4, 1:23, 2:5, 2:7, 2:12 — personal trust specifically in Christ Jesus, not devotional reverence directed toward Vitthal or confidence placed in a path/teaching.
Holy
Approved rendering: पवित्र
Transliteration: pavitra
Doctrine: Sanctification
Rejected alternatives: शुद्ध
Original: ἅγιος
Category: Sanctification
Inherited from Romans package. Colossians 1:22 (‘holy and blameless’), 3:12 (‘holy and beloved’).
Saints
Approved rendering: पवित्र जन
Transliteration: pavitra jan
Doctrine: Sainthood
Rejected alternatives: संत, मुनी
Original: ἅγιοι
Category: Church
Inherited from Romans package. Colossians 1:2, 1:4, 1:12, 1:26 — a corporate designation for every believer at Colossae, never संत (the revered Warkari poet-saints).
Sanctification
Approved rendering: पवित्रीकरण
Transliteration: pavitrīkaraṇ
Doctrine: Sanctification
Rejected alternatives: शुद्धीकरण
Original: ἁγιασμός / ἁγιάζω (conceptual, cf. 1:22 ἁγίους)
Category: Sanctification
Inherited from Romans package. Thematic across ch.3’s put-off/put-on ethic; distinct from ritual purification and from the false, self-imposed asceticism rejected in 2:23.
Law
Approved rendering: नियमशास्त्र
Transliteration: niyamśāstra
Doctrine: Fulfillment of Prophecy
Rejected alternatives: धर्म, धम्म
Original: νόμος (conceptual background to δόγμα/δόγμασιν, 2:14; cf. περιτομή, 2:11)
Category: Covenant
Inherited from Romans package. Conceptual background to δόγμα/δόγμασιν (2:14) and περιτομή (2:11) in Colossians; keep visually distinct from the narrower δόγμα ‘certificate of debt’ at 2:14.
Sin
Approved rendering: पाप
Transliteration: pāp
Doctrine: Universal Human Accountability
Rejected alternatives: अधर्म
Original: ἁμαρτία / ἁμαρτωλός (conceptual; cf. παραπτώματα, 2:13)
Category: Sin
Inherited from Romans package. Colossians 1:14 (forgiveness of sins), 2:13 (trespasses), 3:5-9 (vice lists). Moral transgression before a personal God, not impersonal karma.
Glory
Approved rendering: गौरव
Transliteration: gaurav
Doctrine: Deity of Christ
Rejected alternatives: तेज, प्रकाश
Original: δόξα
Category: God
Inherited from Romans package. Colossians 1:27 — ‘Christ in you, the hope of glory’; avoid light-metaphor terms that could merge with enlightenment/bodhi associations.
Power Of God
Approved rendering: देवाचे सामर्थ्य
Transliteration: devāce sāmarthya
Doctrine: Power of God for Salvation
Rejected alternatives: शक्ती
Original: δύναμις
Category: God
Inherited from Romans package. Colossians 1:11 (strengthened with all power), 1:29 (Paul’s labor according to his working power). Never शक्ती, which names Maharashtra’s Shakti/mother-goddess tradition.
Image
Approved rendering: प्रतिमा
Transliteration: pratimā
Doctrine: Supremacy and Sufficiency of Christ over Creation
Rejected alternatives: मूर्ती
Original: εἰκών
Category: Christology
NEW (Colossians). Colossians 1:15 (core passage); echoed 3:10. प्रतिमा is the ordinary Marathi word for devotional idol-images (Vitthal-प्रतिमा, गणपतीची प्रतिमा) placed in home shrines for पूजा. Every occurrence requires framing that Christ is not a representation pointing to a separate hidden deity but is himself fully God made visible. Never मूर्ती.
Cosmic Powers
Approved rendering: सिंहासने, प्रभुत्वे, सत्ता, अधिकार
Transliteration: siṃhāsane, prabhutve, sattā, adhikār
Doctrine: Warning against Worship of Angels and Cosmic Powers
Original: θρόνοι, κυριότητες, ἀρχαί, ἐξουσίαι
Category: Cosmology
NEW (Colossians). Colossians 1:16 (core passage); 2:10, 2:15. Collides with Maharashtra’s ग्रामदेवता, कुलदेवता, नवग्रह, and पितर hierarchies. Must always retain the controlling clause ‘त्याच्याद्वारे व त्याच्यासाठी निर्माण झाले’ (created through him and for him) in the same sentence or immediate co-text.
Head
Approved rendering: मस्तक
Transliteration: mastak
Doctrine: Christ as Head of the Church
Rejected alternatives: शीर (secondary only)
Original: κεφαλή
Category: Church
NEW (Colossians). Colossians 1:18 (core passage), 2:19. Must be introduced strictly in its ecclesial/cosmic-authority sense before the cognate household-code headship language of husbands (3:18-19) is encountered, so the two senses are never conflated.
Reconciliation
Approved rendering: समेट घडवणे
Transliteration: samet ghaḍavṇe
Doctrine: Reconciliation through the Cross
Original: ἀποκαταλλάσσω
Category: Salvation
NEW (Colossians). Colossians 1:20-22 (core passage). समेट reads as a mutual, negotiated settlement between roughly equal estranged parties in ordinary Marathi usage; every occurrence must retain ‘त्याच्याद्वारे…स्वतःशी’ (through him…to himself) to keep God as the sole initiating, acting subject.
Wisdom
Approved rendering: ज्ञान (आत्मिक ज्ञान)
Transliteration: jñāna (ātmik jñāna)
Doctrine: Wisdom and Knowledge Hidden in Christ
Original: σοφία
Category: Faith
NEW (Colossians). Colossians 1:9, 1:28, 2:3, 2:23, 3:16. Collides with Hindu jñāna-mārga and Buddhist prajñā/insight frameworks; must always appear qualified as आत्मिक/आध्यात्मिक (Spirit-given), never self-attained gnosis or meditative insight.
Knowledge
Approved rendering: पूर्ण ज्ञान
Transliteration: pūrṇa jñāna
Doctrine: Wisdom and Knowledge Hidden in Christ
Original: ἐπίγνωσις
Category: Faith
NEW (Colossians). Colossians 1:9-10, 2:2, 3:10. Same collision zone as wisdom; anchored as knowledge given by the Spirit of God’s will in Christ, not self-attained gnosis.
Inheritance
Approved rendering: वारसा
Transliteration: vārsā
Doctrine: Inheritance of the Saints
Rejected alternatives: वतन
Original: κλῆρος
Category: Salvation
NEW (Colossians). Colossians 1:12. Never वतन, which names the historical hereditary watandari land-and-office system tied to caste-based village service obligations.
Affliction
Approved rendering: दुःख/क्लेश
Transliteration: duḥkh/kleś
Doctrine: Christian Ministry and Suffering for the Church
Original: θλῖψις (τοῦ Χριστοῦ)
Category: Ministry
NEW (Colossians). Colossians 1:24 (‘filling up what is lacking in Christ’s afflictions’). Must never imply the cross’s atonement (1:20) was insufficient; refers to ongoing, non-atoning sufferings of Christ’s body, the church, in gospel mission. Requires mandatory translator note at every occurrence.
Philosophy
Approved rendering: (पोकळ फसवे) तत्त्वज्ञान
Transliteration: (poḷā phasve) tattvajñān
Doctrine: Warning against False Teaching and Syncretism
Original: φιλοσοφία (καὶ κενῆς ἀπάτης)
Category: False Teaching
NEW (Colossians). Colossians 2:8. Must never be a blanket condemnation of तत्त्वज्ञान/darshana traditions; the qualifier ‘पोकळ फसवे’ (empty, deceptive) must always accompany the term in the same clause.
Tradition
Approved rendering: (मानवी) परंपरा
Transliteration: (mānavī) paramparā
Doctrine: Warning against False Teaching and Syncretism
Original: παράδοσις (τῶν ἀνθρώπων)
Category: False Teaching
NEW (Colossians). Colossians 2:8. परंपरा names revered guru-parampara lineages and the Warkari sampradaya’s transmitted teaching authority; the qualifier ‘मानवी’ (merely human) and explicit contrast with Christ must always be present.
Elemental Spirits
Approved rendering: जगाची मूलतत्त्वे
Transliteration: jagācī mūlatattve
Doctrine: Warning against False Teaching and Syncretism
Original: στοιχεῖα τοῦ κόσμου
Category: Cosmology
NEW (Colossians). Colossians 2:8, 2:20. Risks collision with पंचमहाभूत cosmology and ज्योतिष frameworks; requires a note that Paul treats these as powerless, obsolete ‘basics’ superseded in Christ, not a rival cosmology to reconcile with the gospel.
Shadow And Substance
Approved rendering: छाया / मूळ वास्तव
Transliteration: chāyā / mūḷ vāstav
Doctrine: Sufficiency of Christ (Fulfillment, not Supplementation)
Rejected alternatives: शरीर (for this contrastive sense)
Original: σκιά / σῶμα (contrastive)
Category: Covenant
NEW (Colossians). Colossians 2:17. This is the SAME Greek word (σῶμα) rendered शरीर for ‘body’ at 1:18/1:24; rendering it शरीर here would wrongly duplicate the church-as-body image. Must render distinctly (मूळ वास्तव) with a translator note on the lost wordplay.
Worship Of Angels
Approved rendering: देवदूतांची उपासना
Transliteration: devadūtāṃcī upāsanā
Doctrine: Warning against Worship of Angels and Cosmic Powers
Original: θρησκεία τῶν ἀγγέλων
Category: False Teaching
NEW (Colossians). Colossians 2:18. Direct collision with Maharashtra’s popular-religious practice of propitiating ग्रामदेवता, कुलदेवता, and पितर. Must be paired immediately with the positive counter-claim of Christ’s sole headship (2:10, 2:19), not left as an isolated prohibition.
No Distinction
Approved rendering: भेद नाही
Transliteration: bhed nāhī
Doctrine: Unity Across Social and Ethnic Distinctions
Original: Ἕλλην καὶ Ἰουδαῖος, περιτομὴ καὶ ἀκροβυστία, βάρβαρος, Σκύθης, δοῦλος, ἐλεύθερος
Category: Church
NEW (Colossians). Colossians 3:11. Direct structural parallel to the Romans Unity of Jews/Gentiles doctrine, with unusually direct resonance in the 1956 Ambedkarite Buddhist conversion. Must retain the full, unqualified list (Greek/Jew, circumcised/uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave, free).
Submit
Approved rendering: अधीन राहणे
Transliteration: adhīn rāhaṇe
Doctrine: Household Codes
Original: ὑποτάσσω
Category: Household
NEW (Colossians). Colossians 3:18. Must never appear without 3:19’s reciprocal husband-love command in the same teaching unit, so it is not read as endorsing unqualified patriarchal authority or a caste/gender hierarchy import.
Medium Risk Terms
Apostle
Approved rendering: प्रेषित
Transliteration: preṣit
Doctrine: Apostleship
Rejected alternatives: गुरू, संदेशवाहक
Original: ἀπόστολος
Category: Church
Inherited from Romans package. Colossians 1:1, Paul’s commissioned, delegated office; never गुरू.
Peace
Approved rendering: शांती
Transliteration: śāntī
Doctrine: Peace with God
Rejected alternatives: मनःशांती
Original: εἰρήνη
Category: Salvation
Inherited from Romans package. Used christologically at 1:20 (peace made by the blood of the cross) and communally at 3:15 (the peace of Christ ruling as umpire); distinct from मनःशांती (private inner calm).
Church
Approved rendering: मंडळी
Transliteration: maṇḍaḷī
Doctrine: Church as God’s People
Rejected alternatives: देऊळ, मंदिर
Original: ἐκκλησία
Category: Church
Inherited from Romans package. Central to Colossians 1:18, 1:24, 4:15-16. Never देऊळ/मंदिर.
Kingdom Of God
Approved rendering: देवाचे राज्य
Transliteration: devāce rājya
Doctrine: Kingdom Mission
Rejected alternatives: ईश्वरी राष्ट्र
Original: βασιλεία τοῦ υἱοῦ τῆς ἀγάπης αὐτοῦ
Category: Kingdom
Inherited from Romans package. Colossians 1:13 extends the rendering to ‘त्याच्या पुत्राचे राज्य’ for ‘the kingdom of the Son he loves’.
Gentiles
Approved rendering: अन्यजातीय
Transliteration: anyajātīya
Doctrine: Unity of Jews and Gentiles
Rejected alternatives: विदेशी
Original: ἔθνη
Category: Church
Inherited from Romans package. Colossians 1:27 — the mystery of Christ now disclosed to the nations.
Invisible
Approved rendering: अदृश्य
Transliteration: adṛśya
Doctrine: Deity of Christ
Original: ἀόρατος
Category: God
NEW (Colossians). Colossians 1:15 (core passage). Standard term; pair carefully with प्रतिमा so the Father’s invisibility does not imply Christ is a lesser visible substitute rather than co-equal deity.
Created
Approved rendering: निर्माण करणे
Transliteration: nirmāṇ karṇe
Doctrine: Supremacy and Sufficiency of Christ over Creation
Original: κτίζω
Category: Creation
NEW (Colossians). Colossians 1:16 (core passage). Agency must remain clearly attached to Christ (‘through him/by him’), resolving the ambiguity of प्रथमजात.
Sustain
Approved rendering: एकत्र टिकून राहणे
Transliteration: ekatra ṭikūn rāhaṇe
Doctrine: Supremacy and Sufficiency of Christ over Creation
Rejected alternatives: नशीब, कर्माचा नियम
Original: συνίστημι
Category: Creation
NEW (Colossians). Colossians 1:17 (core passage). Aligns with the Romans-established providence doctrine (देवाचे विधान); Christ personally and continuously sustains the universe’s coherence, never an impersonal cosmic order or karmic law sustaining itself.
Body
Approved rendering: शरीर
Transliteration: śarīr
Doctrine: Christ as Head of the Church
Original: σῶμα (ecclesial sense)
Category: Church
NEW (Colossians). Colossians 1:18, 1:24 (core passage; church-as-body sense). Must NOT be reused for σῶμα’s contrastive ‘substance/reality’ sense at 2:17 — see shadow_and_substance.
Preeminence
Approved rendering: सर्वांत श्रेष्ठ स्थान
Transliteration: sarvānt śreṣṭha sthān
Doctrine: Supremacy and Sufficiency of Christ over Creation
Original: πρωτεύω
Category: Christology
NEW (Colossians). Colossians 1:18 (core passage). Must retain totalizing force (‘सर्व गोष्टींत’ — in everything), resisting a comparative-superlative-among-peers reading given Warkari devotional habits of holding multiple beloved deities in simultaneous reverence.
Dwell
Approved rendering: वास करणे
Transliteration: vās karṇe
Doctrine: Fullness of Deity in Christ Bodily
Original: κατοικέω
Category: Christology
NEW (Colossians). Colossians 1:19 (core passage). Permanent indwelling, not temporary prophetic inspiration.
Blood
Approved rendering: रक्त
Transliteration: rakta
Doctrine: Reconciliation through the Cross
Original: αἷμα
Category: Salvation
NEW (Colossians). Colossians 1:20 (core passage). Distinguish from repeatable bali (बळी) animal-sacrifice offerings at folk-Hindu shrines; a unique, once-for-all, sufficient atonement.
Cross
Approved rendering: वधस्तंभ
Transliteration: vadhastambha
Doctrine: Reconciliation through the Cross
Original: σταυρός
Category: Salvation
NEW (Colossians). Colossians 1:20 (core passage), 2:14-15. Established Marathi Christian usage; retain consistently, never a generic word for stake/pole.
Love
Approved rendering: प्रीती
Transliteration: prītī
Doctrine: Love and Christian Virtue
Rejected alternatives: प्रेम
Original: ἀγάπη
Category: Ethics
NEW (Colossians). Colossians 1:4, 1:8, 3:14. प्रेम carries romantic/bhakti-devotional overtones (e.g., Radha-Krishna prem); प्रीती preferred for selfless love flowing from union with Christ, ‘the bond of perfect unity’ (3:14).
Dominion Of Darkness
Approved rendering: अंधाराचा अधिकार
Transliteration: andhārācā adhikār
Doctrine: Deliverance from Darkness into the Kingdom of the Son
Original: ἐξουσία τοῦ σκότους
Category: Salvation
NEW (Colossians). Colossians 1:13. The dominion believers are rescued from and transferred out of; paired with kingdom_of_god terminology as God’s own decisive act, not personal merit.
Forgiveness
Approved rendering: क्षमा
Transliteration: kṣamā
Doctrine: Redemption and Forgiveness of Sins
Original: ἄφεσις (ἁμαρτιῶν) / χαρίζομαι (2:13, 3:13)
Category: Salvation
NEW (Colossians). Colossians 1:14 (पापांची क्षमा), 2:13, 3:13. χαρίζομαι shares its root with χάρις (grace); connect mutual forgiveness (3:13) to the established grace doctrine.
Circumcision
Approved rendering: सुंता (आध्यात्मिक)
Transliteration: suntā (ādhyātmik)
Doctrine: Baptism and Spiritual Circumcision in Christ
Original: περιτομή (ἀχειροποίητος)
Category: Sanctification
NEW (Colossians). Colossians 2:11. Qualified ‘आध्यात्मिक’/‘हातांनी न केलेली’ to distinguish from the physical rite.
Baptism
Approved rendering: बाप्तिस्मा
Transliteration: bāptismā
Doctrine: Baptism and Spiritual Circumcision in Christ
Original: βάπτισμα
Category: Sanctification
NEW (Colossians). Colossians 2:12. Established Marathi Christian loanword; signifies actual co-burial and co-resurrection with Christ, not ritual purification comparable to tirtha-snan practices.
Certificate Of Debt
Approved rendering: ऋणपत्र
Transliteration: ṛṇapatra
Doctrine: Reconciliation through the Cross
Original: χειρόγραφον (τοῖς δόγμασιν)
Category: Salvation
NEW (Colossians). Colossians 2:14. Legal-bond imagery has no organic Marathi cultural equivalent; requires a brief explanatory gloss at first occurrence describing the cancelled, publicly-displayed debt-document.
Decree
Approved rendering: आज्ञा/नियम
Transliteration: āgnā/niyam
Doctrine: Reconciliation through the Cross
Original: δόγμα
Category: Covenant
NEW (Colossians). Colossians 2:14. Keep visually and lexically distinct from नियमशास्त्र (Law) so readers do not conflate this specific debt-certificate imagery with the Mosaic Law itself.
Triumph
Approved rendering: विजय मिळवणे
Transliteration: vijay miḷavṇe
Doctrine: Warning against Worship of Angels and Cosmic Powers
Original: θριαμβεύω
Category: Christology
NEW (Colossians). Colossians 2:15. No exact Marathi cultural equivalent for the Roman military-triumph procession; a brief explanatory note on the imagery (public display of a defeated, disarmed enemy) is recommended.
Renewed
Approved rendering: नवीकरण होणे
Transliteration: navīkaraṇ hoṇe
Doctrine: Putting Off the Old Self and Putting On the New
Original: ἀνακαινόω
Category: Sanctification
NEW (Colossians). Colossians 3:10. Intentionally echoes प्रतिमा (image) from 1:15 — believers are renewed after the very ‘image’ Christ himself is; preserve or note this deliberate wordplay.
Justice And Equity
Approved rendering: न्याय आणि समानता
Transliteration: nyāy āṇi samānatā
Doctrine: Household Codes
Original: τὸ δίκαιον καὶ τὴν ἰσότητα
Category: Household
NEW (Colossians). Colossians 4:1. Masters’ corrective clause; must be given full doctrinal weight, not a minor aside, given the Critical risk of the surrounding दास/धनी vocabulary.
Fellow Servant
Approved rendering: सहदास
Transliteration: sahadās
Doctrine: Christian Ministry and Suffering for the Church
Original: σύνδουλος
Category: Ministry
NEW (Colossians). Colossians 4:7, 4:12. Shares the Critical-risk root दास with the household-code term; used positively of voluntary Christian ministry co-workers. A brief clarifying note distinguishing coerced household servitude from voluntary gospel co-labor is recommended.
Wrath Of God
Approved rendering: देवाचा क्रोध
Transliteration: devācā krodh
Doctrine: Idolatry and Covetousness
Original: ὀργὴ τοῦ θεοῦ
Category: God
NEW (Colossians). Colossians 3:6. God’s personal, moral response to the sins listed in 3:5-6; keep distinct from impersonal karmic consequence.
Hidden And Revealed
Approved rendering: लपलेले / प्रकट होणे
Transliteration: laplele / prakaṭ hoṇe
Doctrine: Union with Christ (Died and Raised With Him)
Original: κρύπτω / φανερόω
Category: Eschatology
NEW (Colossians). Colossians 3:3-4. Ties to resurrection and future glorification; avoid language suggesting a dissolving of individual identity into an impersonal hidden totality (a subtle risk given Vedantic ‘hidden Self merging with Brahman’ associations). Retain explicit personal-pronoun framing (‘तुमचे जीवन ख्रिस्तासोबत’).
Low Risk Terms
Thanksgiving
Approved rendering: उपकारस्तुती
Transliteration: upakārastutī
Doctrine: Thanksgiving
Original: εὐχαριστία / εὐχαριστέω
Category: Faith
Inherited from Romans package. Recurring refrain throughout Colossians (1:3, 1:12, 3:15, 3:17, 4:2).
Fellowship
Approved rendering: सहभागिता
Transliteration: sahabhāgitā
Doctrine: Christian Fellowship
Rejected alternatives: मैत्री
Original: κοινωνία (conceptual; cf. σύνδουλος, συνεργός contexts)
Category: Church
Inherited from Romans package. Shared participation in Christ and with fellow believers, not merely social or caste-community association.
Beginning
Approved rendering: आरंभ
Transliteration: ārambh
Doctrine: Supremacy and Sufficiency of Christ over Creation
Original: ἀρχή
Category: Christology
NEW (Colossians). Colossians 1:18 (core passage). Standard term, minimal ambiguity.
Hope
Approved rendering: आशा
Transliteration: āśā
Doctrine: Hope of Glory
Original: ἐλπίς
Category: Faith
NEW (Colossians). Colossians 1:5, 1:23, 1:27, 3:4. Must remain tied to a personal, appearing Christ (3:4), not a cyclical rebirth-hope or impersonal attainment goal.
Understanding
Approved rendering: समज
Transliteration: samaj
Doctrine: Wisdom and Knowledge Hidden in Christ
Original: σύνεσις
Category: Faith
NEW (Colossians). Colossians 1:9, 2:2. Standard term, paired with wisdom/knowledge.
Maturity
Approved rendering: पूर्ण/परिपक्व
Transliteration: pūrṇa/paripakva
Doctrine: Sanctification
Original: τέλειος
Category: Sanctification
NEW (Colossians). Colossians 1:28. Mature, complete standing in Christ, the goal of Paul’s ministry of proclamation.
Growth
Approved rendering: देवाकडून मिळणारी वाढ
Transliteration: devākaḍūn miḷaṇārī vāḍh
Doctrine: Church as God’s People
Original: αὔξησις (τοῦ θεοῦ)
Category: Church
NEW (Colossians). Colossians 2:19. The body’s growth that comes from God, in contrast to self-devised religion.
Referenced passages