Core Glossary
Core Glossary — Gospel of John (English–Marathi)
Legend
- Status:
BASELINE= reused exactly from Romans translation_memory.json;NEW= introduced by this John analysis - Risk: Critical / High / Medium / Low (per doctrine_risk_registry.json conventions)
- Chapters: first-occurrence chapter(s); term may recur throughout
A. Baseline Terms Reused Exactly (from Romans translation_memory.json)
| # | English Term | Marathi Rendering | Transliteration | Risk | Doctrine | Chapters in John | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | God | परमेश्वर | Parameśvar | Critical | Deity of Christ | 1, 3, 4, 5, 8, 10, 17, 20 | Reused for θεός throughout; never देव/भगवान alone in doctrinal contexts |
| 2 | Jesus | येशू | Yeśū | Critical | Lordship of Christ | all | Proper name, unchanged |
| 3 | Lord | प्रभू | prabhū | Critical | Lordship of Christ | 20:28 (Thomas), 21 | Exclusive, supreme, presently reigning Lordship |
| 4 | Son of God | देवाचा पुत्र | devācā putra | Critical | Sonship/Deity of Christ | 1, 3, 5, 10, 11, 20 | Combines with एकुलता एक (monogenēs) at 1:14, 18; 3:16, 18 |
| 5 | Holy Spirit | पवित्र आत्मा | Pavitra Ātmā | Critical | Sanctification / Counselor | 1, 3, 7, 14, 15, 16, 20 | Also the referent of the new Paraclete/Counselor term (see below) |
| 6 | Father | पिता | Pitā | Critical | Adoption / Unity of Father-Son | 1, 3, 5, 10, 14, 17, 20 | Personal, relational; reused throughout |
| 7 | grace | कृपा | kṛpā | Critical | Grace | 1:14, 16-17 | Paired with truth (सत्य) in the prologue |
| 8 | faith / believe | विश्वास / विश्वास ठेवणे | viśvāsa / viśvās ṭhevaṇe | High | Faith | throughout (98x) | Object of faith (Christ/his name) must remain recoverable at every occurrence |
| 9 | righteousness | नीतिमत्त्व | nītimattva | Critical | Judgment / Righteousness | 16:8-10 | Part of the Spirit’s threefold convicting triad |
| 10 | salvation / save | तारण | tāraṇ | Critical | Salvation | 3:17; 4:42; 5:34; 10:9; 12:47 | Never मोक्ष/मुक्ती/निर्वाण |
| 11 | resurrection | पुनरुत्थान | punarutthān | Critical | Resurrection of Christ | 5, 6, 11, 20 | Never पुनर्जन्म/पुनर्भव; also combines with जीवन at 11:25 (“I am the resurrection and the life”) |
| 10a | incarnation (theological label, not a single Johannine word) | देहधारण | dehadhāraṇ | Critical | Incarnation / “the Word became flesh” | 1:14 | Never अवतार |
| 12 | glory / glorify | गौरव / गौरव करणे | gaurav / gaurav karṇe | High | Deity of Christ | 1, 2, 11, 12, 17 | Extended verb form गौरव करणे for δοξάζω |
| 13 | sin | पाप | pāp | High | Judgment / Sin | 1:29 (Lamb of God), 8, 9, 16, 20 | Never अधर्म; never phrased to echo birth-karma |
| 14 | Messiah / Christ | मसीहा | Masīhā | Critical | Messianic Promise | 1, 4, 7, 11 | Never अवतारी पुरुष |
| 15 | Israel | इस्राएल | Isrāel | Medium | Covenant background | 1, 3 | Proper name, established form |
| 16 | David | दावीद | Dāvīd | Medium | Davidic Covenant background | (implied, e.g. 7:42) | Established form |
| 17 | kingdom of God | देवाचे राज्य | devāce rājya | Medium | Kingdom | 3:3, 5; 18:36 | Not territorial/political |
| 18 | law | नियमशास्त्र | niyamśāstra | High | Law/Grace contrast | 1:17; 7:19 | Never धर्म/धम्म |
| 19 | peace | शांती | śāntī | Medium | Peace | 14:27; 16:33; 20:19-26 | Relational, not merely psychological calm |
| 20 | church (ekklēsia) — not prominent in John’s narrative but relevant to teaching material | मंडळी | maṇḍaḷī | Medium | Church | (curriculum application) | Retained for any lesson material referencing the church as such |
| 21 | gospel (as curricular/thematic label) | शुभवर्तमान | śubhavartamān | High | Gospel | (title/thematic use) | Used for the Gospel of John as a book-title category, per established Marathi convention (योहनलिखित शुभवर्तमान) |
| 22 | obedience of faith (thematic parallel) | विश्वासाचे आज्ञापालन | viśvāsāce āgnāpālan | High | Faith/Obedience | 3:36 (“does not obey the Son”) | Cross-reference to Romans usage |
| 23 | election / calling (conceptual parallel) | देवाची निवड / बोलावलेले | devācī nivaḍ / bolāvlele | High | Effectual Calling | 6:44 (“draws”) | Conceptually parallel to ἑλκύω, see New Term below |
| 24 | providence (conceptual parallel) | देवाचे विधान | devāce vidhān | High | Providence | 6:37-39 (the Father’s giving/keeping) | Cross-reference |
B. New Terms Introduced by John (to be added to translation memory before Phase 2)
| # | English Term | Greek | Transliteration | Marathi Rendering | Marathi Translit. | Risk | Doctrine | First Chapter | Alternatives Rejected | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 25 | Word (Logos) | λόγος | logos | शब्द | śabda | Critical | Deity/Pre-existence of Christ | 1 | बोधिवचन, वाणी | Must convey a personal, eternal, pre-existent divine Person, not the impersonal Shabda-Brahman/Nāda-Brahman sound-principle of Hindu philosophy, nor the reverenced sacred Name/kirtan-sound of Warkari bhakti |
| 26 | eternal life | ζωὴ αἰώνιος | zōē aiōnios | सार्वकालिक जीवन | sārvakālik jīvan | Critical | Eternal Life through Faith | 3 | अनंत जीवन (acceptable synonym, not preferred), मोक्ष, मुक्ती, निर्वाण | Personal, relational, resurrection life with God through Christ, received now, consummated bodily forever — never liberation-merging or cessation |
| 27 | born again / born from above | γεννηθῇ ἄνωθεν | gennēthē anōthen | नव्याने जन्मणे / नवा जन्म | navyāne janmaṇe / navā janma | Critical | New Birth and Regeneration | 3 | पुनर्जन्म (FORBIDDEN — reincarnation) | Single highest-collision term in the Gospel; always paired with आत्म्याने/देवाकडून (by the Spirit/from God) in the same clause; mandatory translator note at every occurrence |
| 28 | world | κόσμος | kosmos | जग | jag | High | God’s Love for the World | 1, 3 | माया (illusory-world, rejected), संसार (rejected — carries cyclic-existence/domestic-life connotations) | Real, lovable object of God’s redemptive purpose, not an illusion to be transcended nor a cycle to be escaped |
| 29 | love (agapē) | ἀγαπάω / ἀγάπη | agapaō / agapē | प्रीती | prīti | High | God’s Love for the World | 3, 13, 15, 21 | प्रेम (used only for ordinary/human love), भक्ती (rejected — devotee-to-deity ascending devotion) | God’s self-giving, initiating love toward the world, not the devotee’s ascending bhakti-devotion toward a deity |
| 30 | love (phileō) | φιλέω | phileō | जिव्हाळा / प्रेम | jivhāḷā / prem | Medium | Mutual love / Peter’s restoration | 21 | — | Warm affection/friendship-love; note the Greek’s two-verb alternation is not fully reproducible in natural Marathi |
| 31 | only begotten / one and only | μονογενής | monogenēs | एकुलता एक (पुत्र) | ekulatā ek (putra) | Critical | Sonship of Christ | 1, 3 | एकुलता (alone, insufficient without पुत्र) | Unique in kind, not merely numerically singular; no implication of a beginning in time; not one avatar among several |
| 32 | Son of Man | ὁ υἱὸς τοῦ ἀνθρώπου | ho huios tou anthrōpou | मनुष्याचा पुत्र | manuṣyācā putra | High | Deity/Humanity of Christ | 1, 3, 5, 9, 12 | — | Danielic heavenly-authority title, not merely “a human being”; teach alongside देवाचा पुत्र as two titles of one person |
| 33 | sign | σημεῖον | sēmeion | चिन्ह | chinha | Medium | Signs pointing to Christ’s identity | 2, 3 | शकुन (rejected — omen/astrological) | Miraculous act pointing beyond itself to Christ’s identity |
| 34 | testify / testimony | μαρτυρέω / μαρτυρία | martyreō / martyria | साक्ष देणे / साक्ष | sākṣa deṇe / sākṣa | Medium | Inspiration/Evidence for Christ | 1, 3, 5, 8, 15 | — | John’s cumulative “legal case” vocabulary; keep consistent across all layers of testimony (John the Baptist, Father, works, Scripture, Spirit) |
| 35 | judge / judgment | κρίνω / κρίσις | krinō / krisis | न्याय करणे / न्याय | nyāya karṇe / nyāya | High | Judgment and Belief/Unbelief | 3, 5, 7, 8, 9, 16 | कर्मफळ (rejected — impersonal karma-mechanism) | Personal verdict rendered by God/Christ based on response to Christ, not an impersonal karmic ledger |
| 36 | condemn | κατακρίνω / κρίνεται (pass.) | katakrinō / krinetai | दोषी ठरणे / दंड देणे | doṣī ṭharaṇe / daṇḍa deṇe | High | Judgment and Belief/Unbelief | 3 | — | Contrast with नीतिमान ठरवणे (justification, baseline); condemnation is unbelief’s present standing verdict |
| 37 | light | φῶς | phōs | प्रकाश | prakāś | High | Judgment / Christ as Light | 1, 3, 8, 9, 12 | — | Given, external revelation received/resisted, not self-cultivated enlightenment (bodhi) or Vedantic illumination attained by practice |
| 38 | darkness | σκότος | skotos | अंधकार | andhakār | High | Judgment / Unbelief | 1, 3, 12 | — | Paired term with प्रकाश; moral/spiritual opposition to Christ, not merely absence of cognitive insight |
| 39 | truth | ἀλήθεια | alētheia | सत्य | satya | High | Deity of Christ / Holy Spirit / Judgment | 1, 3, 4, 8, 14, 16, 18 | — | Personal, self-disclosing truth (a Person to trust), not an impersonal metaphysical principle (Brahman-satya) or a set of realizable propositions (Buddhist Noble Truths) |
| 40 | perish | ἀπόλλυμι | apollymi | नाश पावणे | nāś pāvaṇe | Medium | Eternal Life / Judgment | 3 | — | Antithesis of सार्वकालिक जीवन; real personal loss |
| 41 | lifted up | ὑψόω | hypsoō | उंच करणे / वर उचलणे | uñc karaṇe / var ucalaṇe | High | Christ’s Substitutionary Death | 3, 8, 12 | — | Deliberate double meaning: physical crucifixion = simultaneous glorification; must not be flattened to one sense only |
| 42 | wrath of God | ἡ ὀργὴ τοῦ θεοῦ | hē orgē tou theou | देवाचा क्रोध | devācā krodh | High | Judgment | 3 | — | Personal, righteous divine response to unbelief, not impersonal karmic retribution |
| 43 | living water | ὕδωρ ζῶν | hydōr zōn | जिवंत पाणी | jivant pāṇī | Medium-High | Eternal Life / Holy Spirit | 4, 7 | — | Permanent inward gift from Christ, not ritual/sacred-river purification water |
| 44 | worship | προσκυνέω | proskyneō | उपासना | upāsanā | High | True worship in Spirit and truth | 4 | भजन (rejected — too narrowly devotional-song specific) | Relativizes place-bound/ritual worship in favor of Spirit-enabled, Christ-centered worship; handle with pastoral sensitivity given Pandharpur pilgrimage significance |
| 45 | equal with God | ἴσος τῷ θεῷ | isos tō theō | देवासमान | devāsamān | Critical | Deity of Christ | 5 | — | Direct, unsoftened deity claim; mandatory theologian review |
| 46 | life in himself | ζωὴν ἐν ἑαυτῷ | zōēn en heautō | स्वतःमध्ये जीवन | svataḥmadhye jīvan | Critical | Deity of Christ / Eternal Life | 5 | — | Self-existent, underived life; foundational to both doctrines |
| 47 | draw (the Father draws) | ἑλκύω | helkyō | ओढणे | oḍhaṇe | High | Effectual/Divine Calling | 6 | — | God’s initiative in calling, not self-initiated seeking (pilgrimage) or self-attained realization (Eightfold Path) |
| 48 | abide / remain | μένω | menō | राहणे | rāhaṇe | High | Christian Identity in Christ | 6, 15 | — | Permanent mutual indwelling union, not a temporary devotional visit or momentary mindfulness state |
| 49 | flesh and blood (eat/drink) | σάρξ καὶ αἷμα | sarx kai haima | देह आणि रक्त | deha āṇi rakta | High | Christ’s Substitutionary Death | 6 | — | Figurative personal appropriation by faith of Christ’s atoning death; not literal cannibalism or folk blood-ritual |
| 50 | the truth will set you free | ἐλευθερόω | eleutheroō | मोकळे करणे | mokaḷe karṇe | Critical | Freedom from sin through Christ | 8 | मुक्त करणे (FORBIDDEN — mokṣa-family word) | Never use मुक्त/मुक्ती-root; use मोकळे करणे to avoid re-importing Hindu liberation theology through the back door |
| 51 | before Abraham was, I am (absolute ἐγώ εἰμι) | ἐγώ εἰμι | egō eimi | मी आहे | mī āhe | Critical | Deity/Pre-existence of Christ | 8, 18 | मी होतो (rejected — reduces to ordinary past existence) | Echoes LXX Exodus 3:14’s divine Name; the fixed formula for all seven “I Am” predicate statements plus this absolute use |
| 52 | I and the Father are one | ἐγὼ καὶ ὁ πατὴρ ἕν ἐσμεν | egō kai ho patēr hen esmen | मी आणि पिता एक आहोत | mī āṇi pitā ek āhot | Critical | Unity of the Father and the Son | 10, 17 | — | Unity of essence/will between distinct Persons, NOT Advaitic monistic merging (tat tvam asi) of self into an impersonal Absolute |
| 53 | lay down (one’s life) | τίθημι τὴν ψυχήν | tithēmi tēn psychēn | जीव अर्पण करणे / जीव देणे | jīv arpaṇ karṇe / jīv deṇe | High | Substitutionary Death (Good Shepherd) | 10 | — | Voluntary, sovereign self-giving, not an imposed martyrdom |
| 54 | blasphemy | βλασφημία | blasphēmia | ईशनिंदा | īśanindā | Medium | Deity of Christ (charge against him) | 10 | — | Standard term; context requires explaining why Christ’s deity-claims provoked this charge |
| 55 | the hour (has come) | ἡ ὥρα | hē hōra | वेळ (आली आहे) / माझी वेळ | veḷ (ālī āhe) / mājhī veḷ | High | Substitutionary Death (sovereign timing) | 2, 7, 12, 13, 17 | मुहूर्त (rejected — astrologically-determined auspicious time) | Fixed, sovereignly appointed divine moment, not astrological/fatalistic timing |
| 56 | ruler of this world | ὁ ἄρχων τοῦ κόσμου τούτου | ho archōn tou kosmou toutou | या जगाचा अधिकारी | yā jagācā adhikārī | High | Substitutionary Death as victory | 12 | — | Satan’s defeat accomplished at the cross |
| 57 | new commandment (love one another) | ἐντολὴν καινήν | entolēn kainēn | नवी आज्ञा | navī āgnā | Medium | Mutual love | 13 | धार्मिक कर्तव्य (rejected per baseline pattern) | Modeled on Christ’s own self-giving love, not generic ethical duty |
| 58 | Counselor / Advocate / Paraclete | παράκλητος | paraklētos | सहाय्यकर्ता | sahāyyakartā | Critical | Holy Spirit as Counselor | 14, 15, 16 | कैवारी (considered, less established), मार्गदर्शक आत्मा (rejected — sounds like generic spirit-guide) | Personal, permanently indwelling divine Person continuing Christ’s ministry — never a kul-devatā/ancestor-guardian-spirit or impersonal life-force; always paired with पवित्र आत्मा |
| 59 | the Way, the Truth, and the Life | ἡ ὁδὸς καὶ ἡ ἀλήθεια καὶ ἡ ζωή | hē hodos kai hē alētheia kai hē zōē | मार्ग, सत्य आणि जीवन | mārg, satya āṇi jīvan | Critical | Exclusivity of salvation through Christ | 14 | — | “No one comes to the Father except through me” must never be softened into one path among several (bhakti-mārga/jñāna-mārga/karma-mārga pluralism) |
| 60 | true vine | ἡ ἄμπελος ἡ ἀληθινή | hē ampelos hē alēthinē | खरी द्राक्षवेल | kharī drākṣavel | Medium | Union with Christ | 15 | — | Fulfills/replaces OT Israel-as-vine imagery |
| 61 | convict | ἐλέγχω | elenchō | दोष दाखवणे / खात्री करून देणे | doṣ dākhavaṇe / khātrī karūn deṇe | High | Holy Spirit’s convicting work | 3, 16 | — | Cross-referenced word-family linking 3:20 and 16:8 |
| 62 | it is finished | τετέλεσται | tetelestai | पूर्ण झाले | pūrṇa jhāle | Critical | Substitutionary Death (completed atonement) | 19 | संपले (rejected — sounds like defeat/mere ending) | Triumphant declaration of a debt fully paid / task fully accomplished, not mere cessation |
| 63 | pierced | ἐξεκέντησαν | exekentēsan | भोसकणे | bhosakaṇe | Medium | Substitutionary Death (OT fulfillment) | 19 | — | Requires Zechariah 12:10 background note |
| 64 | My Lord and my God | ὁ κύριός μου καὶ ὁ θεός μου | ho kyrios mou kai ho theos mou | माझा प्रभू आणि माझा देव | mājhā prabhū āṇi mājhā dev | Critical | Deity of Christ (Thomas’s confession) | 20 | — | Full, unambiguous, worshipful deity-confession; combine baseline प्रभू with देव/परमेश्वर without qualification |
| 65 | children of God | τέκνα θεοῦ | tekna theou | देवाची मुले | devācī mule | High | New Birth / Adoption | 1 | — | Granted specifically to believers, not an innate universal divine-spark status |
| 66 | Lamb of God | ἀμνὸς τοῦ θεοῦ | amnos tou theou | देवाचा कोकरा | devācā kokarā | Critical | Substitutionary Death | 1 | — | Unique, unrepeatable atoning sacrifice; distinguish from folk animal-sacrifice to local deities |
| 67 | equal honor to the Son | τιμᾶν τὸν υἱόν | timan ton huion | पुत्राचा सन्मान (पित्याप्रमाणे) | putrācā sanmān (pitāprmāṇe) | High | Deity of Christ / Unity | 5 | — | Equal honor due Son as to Father |
| 68 | resurrection of life / of judgment | ἀνάστασις ζωῆς / κρίσεως | anastasis zōēs / kriseōs | जीवनाचे पुनरुत्थान / न्यायाचे पुनरुत्थान | jīvanāce punarutthān / nyāyāce punarutthān | Critical | Resurrection / Final Judgment | 5 | — | Bodily resurrection of all, to two distinct destinies |
| 69 | joy | χαρά | chara | आनंद | ānand | Low | Fruit of abiding / Spirit’s work | 15, 16 | — | Standard term, low collision risk |
| 70 | glory before the world began (pre-existence) | ἡ δόξα ἣν εἶχον πρὸ τοῦ τὸν κόσμον εἶναι | hē doxa hēn eichon pro tou ton kosmon einai | जगाच्या स्थापनेपूर्वीचे गौरव | jagācyā sthāpanepūrvīce gaurav | Critical | Pre-existence of Christ | 17 | — | Explicit eternal pre-existence proof-text; flag for theologian review |
C. Cross-Reference Table — The Seven “I Am” Statements
| # | Reference | Greek | Marathi | Doctrine Link |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | John 6:35, 48, 51 | ἐγώ εἰμι ὁ ἄρτος τῆς ζωῆς | मी जीवनाची भाकर आहे | Eternal Life |
| 2 | John 8:12; 9:5 | ἐγώ εἰμι τὸ φῶς τοῦ κόσμου | मी जगाचा प्रकाश आहे | Judgment/Belief |
| 3 | John 10:7, 9 | ἐγώ εἰμι ἡ θύρα | मी दार आहे | Salvation (exclusivity) |
| 4 | John 10:11, 14 | ἐγώ εἰμι ὁ ποιμὴν ὁ καλός | मी उत्तम मेंढपाळ आहे | Substitutionary Death |
| 5 | John 11:25 | ἐγώ εἰμι ἡ ἀνάστασις καὶ ἡ ζωή | मी पुनरुत्थान आणि जीवन आहे | Resurrection / Eternal Life |
| 6 | John 14:6 | ἐγώ εἰμι ἡ ὁδὸς καὶ ἡ ἀλήθεια καὶ ἡ ζωή | मी मार्ग, सत्य आणि जीवन आहे | Exclusivity of Salvation |
| 7 | John 15:1, 5 | ἐγώ εἰμι ἡ ἄμπελος ἡ ἀληθινή | मी खरी द्राक्षवेल आहे | Union with Christ |
| — | John 8:58; 18:5-6 | ἐγώ εἰμι (absolute) | मी आहे | Deity/Pre-existence (echoes Exodus 3:14) |
D. Chapters Reviewed with No New Theological Vocabulary
- Chapter 9 (beyond ch. 8’s light-of-the-world and existing sin/worship/Son of Man terms) — new term: blind/आंधळा (Medium) only; otherwise reuses chs. 1–8 vocabulary.
- Chapter 18 (narrative/trial material) — reuses ἐγώ εἰμι (ch. 8), kingdom of God (baseline), truth (ch. 3); no further new doctrinal terms; explicitly reviewed and noted here per full-coverage mandate.
- Chapter 19 (beyond it is finished / pierced) — remaining material (crucifixion narrative, King of the Jews titulus) is background/narrative, reusing established terms (Passover, Scripture fulfilled) already covered under baseline
fulfillment_of_prophecyconventions; explicitly reviewed and noted. - Chapter 21 (beyond agapē/phileō and feed-my-sheep) — remainder of the chapter (the miraculous catch of fish, the “beloved disciple” note, the closing colophon on the many things Jesus did) introduces no further load-bearing theological terms beyond testimony/साक्ष (ch. 1) and follow me/माझ्यामागे ये; explicitly reviewed and noted.
This glossary must be merged into a project-level translation_memory.json for John (version incrementing from the Romans baseline’s version 1) before any Phase 2 segment translation begins, per the AI Translation Requirements’ Pre-flight Checklist and Translation Memory Load and Enforcement Instructions.
Critical Risk Terms
Righteousness
Approved rendering: नीतिमत्त्व
Transliteration: nītimattva
Doctrine: Salvation / The Spirit’s Convicting Work
Rejected alternatives: धर्म, पुण्य
Original: δικαιοσύνη
Category: Salvation
Inherited from Romans package. NEVER धर्म. In John 16:8-10 carries a precise Johannine sense (Christ’s own vindication by his return to the Father) alongside its ordinary forensic sense elsewhere; must not collapse into caste-dharma-style duty.
Salvation
Approved rendering: तारण
Transliteration: tāraṇ
Doctrine: Salvation
Rejected alternatives: मोक्ष, मुक्ती, निर्वाण
Original: σῴζω / σωτηρία
Category: Salvation
Inherited from Romans package. Occurs in John at 3:17; 4:42 (‘Savior of the world’); 5:34; 10:9; 12:47. NEVER मोक्ष, मुक्ती, or निर्वाण. Deliverance given by God through Christ to a person, never a state a devotee or practitioner attains.
Resurrection
Approved rendering: पुनरुत्थान
Transliteration: punarutthān
Doctrine: Christ’s Substitutionary Death and Resurrection
Rejected alternatives: पुनर्जन्म, पुनर्भव
Original: ἀνάστασις
Category: Eschatology
Inherited from Romans package. NEVER पुनर्जन्म (Hindu rebirth) or पुनर्भव (Buddhist arising of a new aggregate-configuration, explicitly not survival of a continuous self). Combines with जीवन at John 11:25 (‘I am the resurrection and the life’). Bodily, historical, once-for-all; central to chs. 5, 6, 11, 20.
Lord
Approved rendering: प्रभू
Transliteration: prabhū
Doctrine: Lordship of Christ
Rejected alternatives: स्वामी, ईश्वर
Original: κύριος
Category: Christology
Inherited from Romans package. Climactically confessed by Thomas, John 20:28, ‘माझा प्रभू आणि माझा देव’ — exclusive, supreme, presently-reigning Lordship, not one more beloved personal deity alongside Vitthal.
Son Of God
Approved rendering: देवाचा पुत्र
Transliteration: devācā putra
Doctrine: Sonship of Christ
Rejected alternatives: देवपुरुष, अवतारी पुरुष
Original: υἱὸς θεοῦ
Category: Christology
Inherited from Romans package. Confessed throughout John (1:34,49; 3:16-18; 5:25; 10:36; 11:27; 20:31); combines with एकुलता एक (only begotten) at 1:14,18 and 3:16,18. Never metaphorical or honorary sonship.
Incarnation
Approved rendering: देहधारण
Transliteration: dehadhāraṇ
Doctrine: Deity and Pre-existence of Christ
Rejected alternatives: अवतार, बोधिसत्त्वाचा पुनर्जन्म
Original: ὁ λόγος σὰρξ ἐγένετο
Category: Christology
Inherited from Romans package. Names the theological event of John 1:14, ‘the Word became flesh.’ NEVER अवतार (Vaishnav avatar-descent). Also guard against the Bodhisattva ideal of repeated compassionate rebirth (an image Ambedkar himself invoked); this is a one-time, unique act.
Messiah
Approved rendering: मसीहा
Transliteration: Masīhā
Doctrine: Messianic Promise Fulfilled in Christ
Rejected alternatives: अवतारी पुरुष
Original: Μεσσίας / Χριστός
Category: Christology
Inherited from Romans package. Identified explicitly at 1:41, 4:25-26, 7:26-42, 11:27. Never a Vaishnav avatar-descent, never a self-realized enlightened teacher.
Jesus
Approved rendering: येशू
Transliteration: Yeśū
Doctrine: Lordship / Deity of Christ
Rejected alternatives: ईसा
Original: Ἰησοῦς
Category: Christology
Inherited from Romans package. Proper name used throughout John; never ईसा (Muslim/Urdu-usage association).
God
Approved rendering: परमेश्वर
Transliteration: Parameśvar
Doctrine: Deity of Christ / Deity and Pre-existence of Christ
Rejected alternatives: देव, भगवान
Original: θεός
Category: God
Inherited from Romans package. In John 1:1, the Word ‘was God’ (anarthrous θεός, describing nature) while distinct in person from ‘God’ (articular ὁ θεός, the Father) in the same verse. A translator note is mandatory at 1:1 explaining that ‘the Word was परमेश्वर’ affirms full divine nature without collapsing the Word’s distinct personhood from ‘परमेश्वराजवळ’ (with God). Never देव/भगवान alone in doctrinally precise contexts.
Holy Spirit
Approved rendering: पवित्र आत्मा
Transliteration: Pavitra Ātmā
Doctrine: The Holy Spirit as Counselor / New Birth and Regeneration
Rejected alternatives: परमात्मा, ब्रह्म
Original: πνεῦμα ἅγιον
Category: God
Inherited from Romans package. Agent of the new birth (3:5-8), promised as living water (7:37-39), given as Counselor after Christ’s glorification (14:16-17,26; 15:26; 16:7-15; 20:22). Never परमात्मा or ब्रह्म. Always paired with सहाय्यकर्ता when that title is used.
Father
Approved rendering: पिता
Transliteration: Pitā
Doctrine: Unity of the Father and the Son
Rejected alternatives: निर्माता
Original: πατήρ
Category: God
Inherited from Romans package. Personal, relational reference throughout John, especially chs. 5, 10, 14, 17 (unity of Father and Son) and 20 (the Father to whom Christ ascends). Avoid abstract creator-titles.
Word Logos
Approved rendering: शब्द
Transliteration: śabda
Doctrine: The Deity and Pre-existence of Christ (the Word)
Rejected alternatives: बोधिवचन, वाणी, लोगोस (bare transliteration)
Original: λόγος
Category: Christology
NEW TERM. John 1:1,14. Must be taught as a personal, eternal, pre-existent divine Person distinct in person from yet identical in nature to God the Father — not the impersonal Shabda-Brahman/Nāda-Brahman sound-principle of Hindu philosophy, nor the reverenced sacred Name/kirtan-sound of Warkari nāma-japa practice. Mandatory translator footnote at every occurrence.
Eternal Life
Approved rendering: सार्वकालिक जीवन
Transliteration: sārvakālik jīvan
Doctrine: Eternal Life through Faith in Christ
Rejected alternatives: अनंत जीवन (acceptable synonym, not preferred), मोक्ष, मुक्ती, निर्वाण
Original: ζωὴ αἰώνιος
Category: Salvation
NEW TERM. Occurs 17 times (3:15-16,36; 5:24; 6:35-58; 10:28; 11:25; 17:3; 20:31). Personal, relational, resurrection life with God through Christ, received now by faith, consummated bodily forever — never liberation-merging, cessation, or mere present-life prosperity. Mandatory translator note at every occurrence; never alternate with अनंत जीवन for stylistic variety.
Born Again
Approved rendering: नव्याने जन्मणे / नवा जन्म
Transliteration: navyāne janmaṇe / navā janma
Doctrine: The New Birth and Regeneration by the Spirit
Rejected alternatives: पुनर्जन्म (FORBIDDEN — Hindu reincarnation)
Original: γεννηθῇ ἄνωθεν
Category: Salvation
NEW TERM. John 3:3,5,7. Single highest cross-cultural collision risk in the Gospel — the English idiom’s own ‘again’ makes पुनर्जन्म unusually tempting. Must always co-occur in the same clause with आत्म्याने/देवाकडून (by the Spirit/from God), so it reads as a one-time, Spirit-wrought transformation of the same person, never a soul’s transfer into a new body across a karmic cycle. Mandatory translator note at every occurrence (3:3, 3:5, 3:7).
Only Begotten
Approved rendering: एकुलता एक पुत्र
Transliteration: ekulatā ek putra
Doctrine: Sonship of Christ
Rejected alternatives: एकुलता (alone, insufficient without पुत्र)
Original: μονογενής
Category: Christology
NEW TERM. John 1:14,18; 3:16,18. Unique in kind, not merely numerically singular; must never imply the Son had a beginning in time, and must never be assimilated to a Vaishnav avatar framework (one incarnation among Vishnu’s ten).
Equal With God
Approved rendering: देवासमान
Transliteration: devāsamān
Doctrine: The Deity and Pre-existence of Christ
Original: ἴσος τῷ θεῷ
Category: Christology
NEW TERM. John 5:18. One of the clearest Deity of Christ statements in the Gospel; must be preserved without softening. Mandatory theologian review.
Life In Himself
Approved rendering: स्वतःमध्ये जीवन
Transliteration: svataḥmadhye jīvan
Doctrine: The Deity and Pre-existence of Christ / Eternal Life
Original: ζωὴν ἐν ἑαυτῷ
Category: Christology
NEW TERM. John 5:26. The Son’s underived, self-existent life, foundational to both the Deity of Christ and Eternal Life doctrines; not derived the way creaturely life is.
Truth Sets Free
Approved rendering: सत्य तुम्हांला मोकळे करील
Transliteration: satya tumhālā mokaḷe karīl
Doctrine: Christian Identity in Christ (freedom from sin)
Rejected alternatives: मुक्त करणे (FORBIDDEN — mokṣa-family word)
Original: ἡ ἀλήθεια ἐλευθερώσει ὑμᾶς
Category: Salvation
NEW TERM. John 8:32,34,36. NEVER use मुक्त/मुक्ती-root; use मोकळे करणे to avoid re-importing Hindu liberation theology through the back door of the English word ‘freedom’ rather than ‘salvation.‘
Ego Eimi Absolute
Approved rendering: मी आहे
Transliteration: mī āhe
Doctrine: The Deity and Pre-existence of Christ / The Seven ‘I Am’ Statements
Rejected alternatives: मी होतो (rejected — reduces to ordinary past existence)
Original: ἐγώ εἰμι (absolute, unpredicated)
Category: Christology
NEW TERM. John 8:58; 18:5-6. Echoes the divine Name at LXX Exodus 3:14 (Marathi Bible: ‘मी जो आहे तोच मी आहे’). Fixed formula for the absolute, unpredicated use, distinct from the predicated मी … आहे pattern used for the seven ‘I am’ statements. Mandatory theologian review with a translator note connecting it to Exodus 3:14.
I And Father Are One
Approved rendering: मी आणि पिता एक आहोत
Transliteration: mī āṇi pitā ek āhot
Doctrine: Unity of the Father and the Son
Original: ἐγὼ καὶ ὁ πατὴρ ἕν ἐσμεν
Category: Christology
NEW TERM. John 10:30; 17:11, 21-22. Must affirm unity of essence, will, and divine nature between two eternally distinct Persons — NOT the Advaita Vedantic monistic merging of the individual self into the impersonal Absolute (tat tvam asi), a dominant intellectual framework in Maharashtra. Mandatory theologian review at every occurrence.
Counselor
Approved rendering: सहाय्यकर्ता
Transliteration: sahāyyakartā
Doctrine: The Holy Spirit as Counselor
Rejected alternatives: कैवारी (considered, less established), मार्गदर्शक आत्मा (rejected — sounds like generic spirit-guide)
Original: παράκλητος
Category: God
NEW TERM, wholly new to this curriculum (not in the Romans baseline). John 14:16,26; 15:26; 16:7. Always paired with पवित्र आत्मा. Personal, permanently indwelling divine Person continuing Christ’s ministry — never a kul-devatā/ancestor-guardian spirit or impersonal life-force. ‘Another’ (ἄλλον) must convey full personhood and deity equal to Christ’s own.
Way Truth Life
Approved rendering: मी मार्ग, सत्य आणि जीवन आहे
Transliteration: mī mārg, satya āṇi jīvan āhe
Doctrine: Exclusivity of Salvation through Christ / The Seven ‘I Am’ Statements
Original: ἐγώ εἰμι ἡ ὁδὸς καὶ ἡ ἀλήθεια καὶ ἡ ζωή
Category: Salvation
NEW TERM. John 14:6. The exclusivity clause (‘no one comes to the Father except through me’) must never be softened into one path among several, given multi-mārga pluralism (bhakti-mārga/jñāna-mārga/karma-mārga) assumed in Hindu devotional traditions. Mandatory theologian review.
It Is Finished
Approved rendering: पूर्ण झाले
Transliteration: pūrṇa jhāle
Doctrine: Christ’s Substitutionary Death and Resurrection
Rejected alternatives: संपले (FORBIDDEN — sounds like defeat/exhaustion/mere ending)
Original: τετέλεσται
Category: Salvation
NEW TERM. John 19:30, Christ’s final word from the cross. A triumphant declaration of completed accomplishment (a debt fully paid), never mere cessation. Translator note explaining the commercial/legal debt-paid background is recommended.
My Lord And My God
Approved rendering: माझा प्रभू आणि माझा देव
Transliteration: mājhā prabhū āṇi mājhā dev
Doctrine: Confession of Christ’s Full Deity (Thomas)
Original: ὁ κύριός μου καὶ ὁ θεός μου
Category: Christology
NEW TERM. John 20:28. The clearest deity-confession in the Gospel; both प्रभू (exclusive supreme Lordship) and देव/परमेश्वर (full, undiminished deity) must retain their full force, addressed to Christ himself in worship, not read as mere astonishment. Mandatory theologian review.
Lamb Of God
Approved rendering: देवाचा कोकरा
Transliteration: devācā kokarā
Doctrine: Christ’s Substitutionary Death and Resurrection
Original: ἀμνὸς τοῦ θεοῦ
Category: Salvation
NEW TERM. John 1:29,36, John the Baptist’s declaration. Must be distinguished from folk animal-sacrifice to local deities (e.g., Bhairoba, grāmadevatā) and requires OT Passover/Isaiah 53 background. God’s own unique, unrepeatable, once-for-all sacrifice.
Resurrection Of Life And Judgment
Approved rendering: जीवनाचे पुनरुत्थान / न्यायाचे पुनरुत्थान
Transliteration: jīvanāce punarutthān / nyāyāce punarutthān
Doctrine: Christ’s Substitutionary Death and Resurrection
Original: ἀνάστασις ζωῆς / ἀνάστασις κρίσεως
Category: Eschatology
NEW TERM. John 5:28-29. Built from baseline पुनरुत्थान plus new compounds. Bodily resurrection of all people, to two distinct destinies — never symbolic or merely spiritual awakening.
Glory Before The World
Approved rendering: जगाच्या स्थापनेपूर्वीचे गौरव
Transliteration: jagācyā sthāpanepūrvīce gaurav
Doctrine: The Deity and Pre-existence of Christ
Original: ἡ δόξα ἣν εἶχον πρὸ τοῦ τὸν κόσμον εἶναι
Category: Christology
NEW TERM. John 17:5, ‘the glory that I had with you before the world existed.’ A key Pre-existence of Christ proof-text; flag for mandatory theologian review alongside 1:1 and 8:58.
High Risk Terms
Gospel
Approved rendering: शुभवर्तमान
Transliteration: śubhavartamān
Doctrine: Gospel
Rejected alternatives: बातमी, खबर
Original: εὐαγγέλιον
Category: Salvation
Inherited from Romans package. Also the established Marathi title-category for John’s own book (योहनलिखित शुभवर्तमान). Must convey one specific, singular historical announcement of salvation through the crucified and risen Christ, not one devotional ‘good news’ among the Warkari tradition’s own vocabulary or the Navayana Buddhist proclamation of liberation through the Buddha’s teaching.
Grace
Approved rendering: कृपा
Transliteration: kṛpā
Doctrine: Grace
Rejected alternatives: कर्मफळ, पुण्य, स्वतःच्या प्रयत्नाने मिळवलेले
Original: χάρις
Category: Salvation
Inherited from Romans package. In John 1:14, 16-17, paired with truth (सत्य) and explicitly contrasted with नियमशास्त्र given through Moses; every occurrence must make explicit that this favor is unearned and Christ-specific, not one more devotional favor within Warkari bhakti’s own कृपा vocabulary.
Faith
Approved rendering: विश्वास
Transliteration: viśvāsa
Doctrine: Faith
Rejected alternatives: श्रद्धा, भक्ति
Original: πιστεύω / πίστις
Category: Faith
Inherited from Romans package. John’s single most frequent theological verb (विश्वास ठेवणे, 98 occurrences); the object of faith (Christ, his name, that he is the Son of God) must remain recoverable at every occurrence, never generic devotional reverence toward Vitthal or confidence in a teaching/path.
Covenant
Approved rendering: करार
Transliteration: karār
Doctrine: Davidic Covenant background
Rejected alternatives: वचन
Original: διαθήκη (background; conceptual, via Davidic/Israel references)
Category: Covenant
Inherited from Romans package. Conceptual background to the Davidic-messianic expectation debated in John 7:42. Requires OT background explanation given this audience’s low OT narrative literacy.
Glory
Approved rendering: गौरव / गौरव करणे
Transliteration: gaurav / gaurav karṇe
Doctrine: Deity of Christ
Rejected alternatives: तेज, प्रकाश
Original: δόξα / δοξάζω
Category: God
Inherited from Romans package (verb form गौरव करणे extended for δοξάζω). Displayed through Christ’s signs (2:11), his death/resurrection (7:39; 12:16,23), and his own pre-existent glory ‘before the world existed’ (17:5, a key Pre-existence proof-text). Avoid light-only imagery merging with bodhi/enlightenment associations.
Sin
Approved rendering: पाप
Transliteration: pāp
Doctrine: The Spirit’s Convicting Work / Substitutionary Death
Rejected alternatives: अधर्म
Original: ἁμαρτία
Category: Sin
Inherited from Romans package. Named of ‘the sin of the world’ taken away by the Lamb of God (1:29) and, in 16:8-9, defined precisely as unbelief in Christ. Never phrased to echo the birth-karma framework Ambedkarite Buddhist communities explicitly rejected.
Law
Approved rendering: नियमशास्त्र
Transliteration: niyamśāstra
Doctrine: Grace/Law contrast
Rejected alternatives: धर्म, धम्म
Original: νόμος
Category: Covenant
Inherited from Romans package. Explicitly contrasted with grace and truth that came through Christ (John 1:17) and cited as authoritative background (7:19,23; 8:5,17). NEVER धर्म or धम्म.
Obedience Of Faith
Approved rendering: विश्वासाचे आज्ञापालन
Transliteration: viśvāsāce āgnāpālan
Doctrine: Judgment and Belief/Unbelief
Rejected alternatives: धार्मिक कर्तव्य
Original: ὑπακούω (cf. 3:36 ‘does not obey the Son’)
Category: Faith
Inherited from Romans package as a conceptual parallel. John 3:36 pairs ‘does not obey the Son’ with abiding wrath, the two-destiny structure of this doctrine. Obedience flows from faith already offered, not religious duty or self-effort.
Election
Approved rendering: देवाची निवड
Transliteration: devācī nivaḍ
Doctrine: Effectual and Divine Calling
Rejected alternatives: नशीब, दैव, कर्मफळ
Original: ἑλκύω (conceptual parallel; ‘draws,’ 6:44) / ἐκλογή (background)
Category: Salvation
Inherited from Romans package as a conceptual parallel to John 6:44’s ‘draw’ (ओढणे). Must never echo the karma-birth explanation of social station Ambedkarite Buddhist communities explicitly rejected.
Providence
Approved rendering: देवाचे विधान
Transliteration: devāce vidhān
Doctrine: Effectual and Divine Calling
Rejected alternatives: नशीब, कर्माचा नियम
Original: conceptual (6:37-39, the Father’s giving and keeping of those who come to the Son)
Category: God
Inherited from Romans package as a conceptual parallel to John 6:37-39; 10:28-29 (the Father’s giving and keeping of those given to the Son, so none is lost). Must not echo an impersonal karma-based explanation of misfortune or destiny.
World
Approved rendering: जग
Transliteration: jag
Doctrine: God’s Love for the World
Rejected alternatives: माया (illusory-world, rejected), संसार (rejected — cyclic-existence/domestic-life connotations)
Original: κόσμος
Category: Salvation
NEW TERM. 1:10; 3:16; 15:18-19; 16:33; 17. Must carry two senses at once (the real object of God’s love AND humanity organized in opposition to God), neither mapping onto माया or संसार. Not an illusion to be transcended nor a cycle to be escaped.
Love Agape
Approved rendering: प्रीती
Transliteration: prīti
Doctrine: God’s Love for the World
Rejected alternatives: प्रेम (reserved for ordinary/human love), भक्ती (rejected — devotee’s ascending devotion)
Original: ἀγαπάω / ἀγάπη
Category: Salvation
NEW TERM. John 3:16; 13:34; 15:9-13. God’s self-giving, initiating love descending to a real, fallen world — the reverse direction of the Warkari devotee’s ascending bhakti-love toward Vitthal.
Son Of Man
Approved rendering: मनुष्याचा पुत्र
Transliteration: manuṣyācā putra
Doctrine: Sonship of Christ
Original: ὁ υἱὸς τοῦ ἀνθρώπου
Category: Christology
NEW TERM. John 1:51; 3:13-14; 5:27; 6:27,53,62; 9:35; 12:23,34; 13:31. Danielic-messianic self-designation claiming heavenly authority to judge and give life; must not be read as a lesser, merely-human title contrasted with देवाचा पुत्र — both titles describe the same divine-human person. Distinguish from the generic OT idiom ‘a son of man’ (a human being, e.g. addressing Ezekiel).
Judgment
Approved rendering: न्याय करणे / न्याय
Transliteration: nyāya karṇe / nyāya
Doctrine: Judgment and Belief/Unbelief
Rejected alternatives: कर्मफळ (rejected — impersonal karma-mechanism)
Original: κρίνω / κρίσις
Category: Judgment
NEW TERM. 3:17-19; 5:22,24,27,29-30; 7:24; 8:15-16,26; 9:39; 12:31,47-48; 16:8,11. Must always carry an explicit personal divine agent (परमेश्वर/ख्रिस्त न्याय करतो), never left as a bare abstract noun that could be read as an impersonal karmic ledger.
Condemn
Approved rendering: दोषी ठरणे / दंड देणे
Transliteration: doṣī ṭharaṇe / daṇḍa deṇe
Doctrine: Judgment and Belief/Unbelief
Original: κατακρίνω / κρίνεται (passive)
Category: Judgment
NEW TERM. John 3:18, ‘whoever does not believe is condemned already.’ Contrasts deliberately with नीतिमान ठरवणे (justification, Romans baseline); condemnation is unbelief’s present standing verdict, not a karmic ledger balancing across lifetimes.
Light
Approved rendering: प्रकाश
Transliteration: prakāś
Doctrine: Judgment and Belief/Unbelief
Original: φῶς
Category: Judgment
NEW TERM. 1:4-9; 3:19-21; 8:12; 9:5; 12:35-36,46. A given, external revelation received or resisted — not self-cultivated enlightenment (bodhi) or Vedantic illumination (jñāna) attained through practice or ritual light (ārtī).
Darkness
Approved rendering: अंधकार
Transliteration: andhakār
Doctrine: Judgment and Belief/Unbelief
Original: σκότος
Category: Judgment
NEW TERM. 1:5; 3:19; 8:12; 12:35,46. Moral-spiritual opposition to Christ, paired with प्रकाश; not merely absence of cognitive insight or an unawakened state dispelled by one’s own effort.
Truth
Approved rendering: सत्य
Transliteration: satya
Doctrine: Deity of Christ / Holy Spirit / Judgment
Original: ἀλήθεια
Category: Christology
NEW TERM. 1:14,17; 4:24; 8:32; 14:6; 16:13; 18:38 — one of Christ’s seven ‘I am’ claims (14:6). Personal, self-disclosing reality embodied in Christ, not an impersonal metaphysical principle (Brahman as sat/satya) or a set of propositions realized through meditative insight (the Four Noble Truths). Translator note recommended at each major occurrence.
Lifted Up
Approved rendering: उंच करणे / वर उचलणे
Transliteration: uñc karaṇe / var ucalaṇe
Doctrine: Christ’s Substitutionary Death and Resurrection
Original: ὑψόω
Category: Salvation
NEW TERM. John 3:14; 8:28; 12:32,34, echoing the bronze serpent (Numbers 21). Must preserve the deliberate double meaning — crucifixion as shame and glory at once. Translator note recommended at each occurrence.
Wrath Of God
Approved rendering: देवाचा क्रोध
Transliteration: devācā krodh
Doctrine: Judgment and Belief/Unbelief
Original: ἡ ὀργὴ τοῦ θεοῦ
Category: Judgment
NEW TERM. John 3:36, ‘the wrath of God remains on him.’ Personal, righteous divine response to unbelief, not impersonal karmic retribution; pairs directly with सार्वकालिक जीवन as the two destinies in the same verse.
Living Water
Approved rendering: जिवंत पाणी
Transliteration: jivant pāṇī
Doctrine: Eternal Life / The Holy Spirit as Counselor
Original: ὕδωρ ζῶν
Category: Salvation
NEW TERM. John 4:10-14; 7:37-39 (explicitly identified with the Holy Spirit, given after Christ’s glorification). Distinguish from sacred/purifying river-water practice (e.g., Godavari or Ganga snan/tirtha bathing); this is a permanent inward gift Christ gives once, satisfying forever.
Worship
Approved rendering: उपासना
Transliteration: upāsanā
Doctrine: True Worship in Spirit and Truth
Rejected alternatives: भजन (rejected — too narrowly devotional-song specific)
Original: προσκυνέω
Category: Worship
NEW TERM. John 4:20-24. A live, active devotional term across Hindu/Warkari practice (upāsanā of Vitthal, centered on the Pandharpur pilgrimage). 4:24 relativizes all place-bound, ritual-form worship in favor of Spirit-enabled, Christ-centered worship — handle with pastoral care, not merely doctrinal correction.
Draw
Approved rendering: ओढणे
Transliteration: oḍhaṇe
Doctrine: Effectual and Divine Calling
Original: ἑλκύω
Category: Salvation
NEW TERM. John 6:44, ‘No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him.’ God’s initiative in calling, not self-initiated devotional seeking (the wari pilgrimage to Pandharpur) or self-attained realization (progress along the Eightfold Path).
Abide
Approved rendering: राहणे
Transliteration: rāhaṇe
Doctrine: Christian Identity in Christ (Abiding Union)
Original: μένω
Category: Salvation
NEW TERM. John 6:56; 15:4-10 (ten occurrences). Permanent, mutual, life-giving indwelling union between Christ and the believer — not a temporary devotional visit/pilgrimage relationship (approach-and-return) nor a Buddhist mindfulness state of momentary present-abiding.
Flesh And Blood
Approved rendering: देह आणि रक्त
Transliteration: deha āṇi rakta
Doctrine: Christ’s Substitutionary Death and Resurrection
Original: σάρξ καὶ αἷμα
Category: Salvation
NEW TERM. John 6:53-56. Figurative language for personal appropriation by faith of Christ’s atoning death; must be clearly framed with a translator note as figurative, never literal cannibalism or folk blood-ritual.
Lay Down Life
Approved rendering: जीव अर्पण करणे / जीव देणे
Transliteration: jīv arpaṇ karṇe / jīv deṇe
Doctrine: Christ’s Substitutionary Death and Resurrection
Original: τίθημι τὴν ψυχήν
Category: Salvation
NEW TERM. John 10:11,15,17-18. Voluntary, sovereign self-giving (‘no one takes it from me… of my own accord’) — not a victim’s imposed fate nor comparable to other self-sacrifice traditions lacking a unique substitutionary, atoning purpose.
The Hour
Approved rendering: वेळ आली आहे / माझी वेळ
Transliteration: veḷ ālī āhe / mājhī veḷ
Doctrine: Christ’s Substitutionary Death and Resurrection
Rejected alternatives: मुहूर्त (rejected — astrologically-determined auspicious time)
Original: ἡ ὥρα
Category: Christology
NEW TERM. John 2:4; 7:30; 8:20; 12:23,27; 13:1; 17:1. A fixed, sovereignly appointed moment in God’s plan, not astrological/fatalistic timing.
Ruler Of This World
Approved rendering: या जगाचा अधिकारी
Transliteration: yā jagācā adhikārī
Doctrine: Victory over Satan and the World
Original: ὁ ἄρχων τοῦ κόσμου τούτου
Category: Judgment
NEW TERM. John 12:31; 14:30; 16:11. Satan’s defeat is a real, historical event accomplished through the cross, not correction of an impersonal cosmic/karmic imbalance; must retain personal, adversarial force.
Convict
Approved rendering: दोष दाखवणे / खात्री करून देणे
Transliteration: doṣ dākhavaṇe / khātrī karūn deṇe
Doctrine: The Spirit’s Convicting Work
Original: ἐλέγχω
Category: Judgment
NEW TERM. Links John 3:20 (the light’s exposing work) with 16:8-11 (the Spirit’s convicting work); must remain the same word-family in both places so readers perceive John’s own literary connection.
Children Of God
Approved rendering: देवाची मुले
Transliteration: devācī mule
Doctrine: The New Birth and Regeneration by the Spirit
Original: τέκνα θεοῦ
Category: Salvation
NEW TERM. John 1:12-13, ‘born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God.’ Granted specifically and exclusively to believers, received through faith — not an innate universal condition, as a generic Vedantic notion of ātman-as-divine-spark might suggest.
Equal Honor To Son
Approved rendering: पुत्राचा सन्मान (पित्याप्रमाणे)
Transliteration: putrācā sanmān (pitāprmāṇe)
Doctrine: Unity of the Father and the Son / Deity of Christ
Original: τιμᾶν τὸν υἱόν
Category: Christology
NEW TERM. John 5:23, ‘that all may honor the Son, just as they honor the Father.’ Must not be softened to imply lesser or derivative honor.
Medium Risk Terms
Israel
Approved rendering: इस्राएल
Transliteration: Isrāel
Doctrine: Covenant background
Original: Ἰσραήλ
Category: Covenant
Inherited from Romans package. Established proper name form; used in Nathanael’s confession (1:49) and Nicodemus’s title ‘teacher of Israel’ (3:10).
Kingdom Of God
Approved rendering: देवाचे राज्य
Transliteration: devāce rājya
Doctrine: Kingdom Not of This World
Rejected alternatives: ईश्वरी राष्ट्र
Original: βασιλεία τοῦ θεοῦ
Category: Kingdom
Inherited from Romans package. Entry-requirement for new birth (3:3,5); explicitly not territorial or political, per 18:36 (‘my kingdom is not of this world’) — relevant given contested political meanings of ‘raj’ language in Marathi public discourse.
Peace
Approved rendering: शांती
Transliteration: śāntī
Doctrine: The Peace of Christ
Rejected alternatives: मनःशांती
Original: εἰρήνη
Category: Salvation
Inherited from Romans package. Explicitly contrasted with ‘as the world gives’ (14:27) and reaffirmed after the resurrection (20:19,21,26); distinguish from psychological calm sought through bhakti meditation or Buddhist mindfulness.
Church
Approved rendering: मंडळी
Transliteration: maṇḍaḷī
Doctrine: Church as God’s People (conceptual, curriculum application)
Rejected alternatives: देऊळ, मंदिर
Original: ἐκκλησία (conceptual; not narrated directly in John but relevant to teaching material built on ‘one flock,’ ‘branches,’ and the sent community of ch. 17, 20-21)
Category: Church
Inherited from Romans package. Not narrated directly in John’s story but relevant to any teaching material built on ‘one flock’ (10:16), the branches (ch. 15), or the sent community (chs. 17, 20-21). Never देऊळ/मंदिर.
Love Phileo
Approved rendering: जिव्हाळा / प्रेम
Transliteration: jivhāḷā / prem
Doctrine: The New Commandment of Love / Restoration of Peter
Original: φιλέω
Category: Discipleship
NEW TERM. John 21:15-17. Warm affection/friendship-love alternated with ἀγαπάω in Christ’s threefold restoration of Peter. Marathi cannot naturally sustain two distinct single-word equivalents; use प्रीती/जिव्हाळा with a translator footnote explaining the Greek’s two-verb alternation rather than an artificial lexical distinction.
Sign
Approved rendering: चिन्ह
Transliteration: chinha
Doctrine: Signs Pointing to Christ’s Identity
Rejected alternatives: शकुन (rejected — omen/astrological)
Original: σημεῖον
Category: Faith
NEW TERM. 2:11; 4:54; 6:14; 9:16; 11:47; 20:30-31. A miraculous act pointing beyond itself to Christ’s divine identity; must be distinguished from शकुन (omen) or astrology-based signs.
Testimony
Approved rendering: साक्ष देणे / साक्ष
Transliteration: sākṣa deṇe / sākṣa
Doctrine: Testimony and Witness to Christ
Original: μαρτυρέω / μαρτυρία
Category: Faith
NEW TERM. Occurs across five layers of witness in John: John the Baptist (1:7-8,15,19-34), the Father, Christ’s works, the Scriptures, and the Spirit (3:11,32-33; 5:31-39; 8:13-18; 15:26-27; 19:35; 21:24). Must remain terminologically consistent across all five layers so readers perceive one connected evidentiary case.
Perish
Approved rendering: नाश पावणे
Transliteration: nāś pāvaṇe
Doctrine: Eternal Life through Faith in Christ
Original: ἀπόλλυμι
Category: Salvation
NEW TERM. John 3:16; 10:28; 17:12. The antithesis of सार्वकालिक जीवन — a real, personal loss, not a natural dissolution into an undifferentiated state.
Blasphemy
Approved rendering: ईशनिंदा
Transliteration: īśanindā
Doctrine: The Deity and Pre-existence of Christ (charge against him)
Original: βλασφημία
Category: Christology
NEW TERM. John 10:33-36 (cf. 5:18). Standard Marathi term; context must explain why Christ’s deity-claims provoked this legal-religious charge.
New Commandment
Approved rendering: नवी आज्ञा
Transliteration: navī āgnā
Doctrine: The New Commandment of Love
Rejected alternatives: धार्मिक कर्तव्य
Original: ἐντολὴν καινήν
Category: Discipleship
NEW TERM. John 13:34-35; 15:12,17. The standard is Christ’s own self-giving प्रीती as the model, not a generic ethical maxim or caste-dharma-style duty.
True Vine
Approved rendering: खरी द्राक्षवेल
Transliteration: kharī drākṣavel
Doctrine: The Seven ‘I Am’ Statements / Christian Identity in Christ
Original: ἡ ἄμπελος ἡ ἀληθινή
Category: Salvation
NEW TERM. John 15:1,5. Fulfills and replaces the OT image of Israel as a vine (Psalm 80; Isaiah 5); requires OT background for readers with low OT narrative literacy.
Pierced
Approved rendering: भोसकणे
Transliteration: bhosakaṇe
Doctrine: Christ’s Substitutionary Death and Resurrection
Original: ἐξεκέντησαν
Category: Christology
NEW TERM. John 19:34,37, quoting Zechariah 12:10. Requires OT-fulfillment background note for readers with low OT narrative literacy.
Siloam
Approved rendering: शिलोहा
Transliteration: śilohā
Doctrine: Signs Pointing to Christ’s Identity
NEW TERM (transliterated). John 9:7, glossed by John himself (‘which means Sent’ — म्हणजे धाडलेला); theologically significant as a sign pointing to the Sent One — the gloss must not be dropped.
Sabbath
Approved rendering: शब्बाथ
Transliteration: śabbāth
Doctrine: Judgment and Belief/Unbelief (controversy background)
NEW TERM (transliterated). Recurs as a live controversy-marker (5:9-18; 7:22-23; 9:14-16; 19:31). Must remain consistent with whatever established Marathi Bible convention exists for the Fourth Commandment day; flag for consistency-check against any Matthew-curriculum usage in this shared pipeline.
Low Risk Terms
David
Approved rendering: दावीद
Transliteration: Dāvīd
Doctrine: Davidic Covenant background
Original: Δαυίδ
Category: Covenant
Inherited from Romans package. Background to messianic expectation debated at John 7:42.
Joy
Approved rendering: आनंद
Transliteration: ānand
Doctrine: Christian Identity in Christ (fruit of abiding)
Original: χαρά
Category: Discipleship
NEW TERM. John 15:11; 16:20-24; 17:13. Standard vocabulary, low collision risk with competing traditions.
Rabbi
Approved rendering: रब्बी
Transliteration: rabbī
Doctrine: Apostleship / Teaching Authority (transliteration decision)
Rejected alternatives: गुरू (rejected — implies self-attained teaching authority)
NEW TERM (transliterated proper title). John 1:38,49; 3:2; 20:16. John himself glosses the term (‘which means Teacher’); mirror this with a bracketed Marathi gloss rather than translating outright as गुरू.
Rabboni
Approved rendering: रब्बोनी
Transliteration: rabbonī
Doctrine: Confession of Christ’s Full Deity (resurrection recognition scene)
NEW TERM (transliterated). John 20:16, glossed by John himself (‘which means Teacher’); preserve the personal, untranslated address in this emotionally weighted scene.
Hosanna
Approved rendering: होसान्ना
Transliteration: hosānnā
Doctrine: Messianic Promise Fulfilled in Christ
NEW TERM (transliterated). John 12:13; established convention across Bible translation traditions is to transliterate rather than translate this Aramaic/Hebrew liturgical cry.
Golgotha
Approved rendering: गुलगुथा
Transliteration: gulgutha
Doctrine: Christ’s Substitutionary Death and Resurrection (place name)
NEW TERM (transliterated). John 19:17, glossed by John himself (‘the Place of a Skull’ — म्हणजे कवटीची जागा); mirror John’s own translation practice.
Gabbatha
Approved rendering: गब्बाथा
Transliteration: gabbāthā
Doctrine: Christ’s Substitutionary Death and Resurrection (place name)
NEW TERM (transliterated). John 19:13, glossed by John himself (‘the Stone Pavement’ — म्हणजे दगडी जोता).
Bethesda
Approved rendering: बेथेस्दा
Transliteration: bethesdā
Doctrine: Signs Pointing to Christ’s Identity (place name)
NEW TERM (transliterated). John 5:2, proper place name (a pool in Jerusalem); no gloss required beyond location identification.
Referenced passages