Core Glossary
Core Glossary: Philippians (English–Marathi)
This glossary extends, and never contradicts, the baseline Romans translation_memory.json. Section A lists baseline terms reused unchanged (with their Philippians occurrences and any curriculum-specific notes). Section B lists new terms proposed for addition to the translation memory in Phase 1 Steps 8-9, drawn from the full-book semantic analysis in 07_semantic_analysis.md. Risk tiers follow the baseline’s four-tier definition (Critical / High / Medium / Low).
Section A — Baseline Terms Reused Exactly (No Change)
| Term | Marathi (reused) | Risk (baseline) | Key Philippians occurrences | Curriculum-specific note |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| gospel | शुभवर्तमान | High | 1:5, 1:7, 1:12, 1:16, 1:27, 2:22, 4:3, 4:15 | Anchors “Partnership in the Gospel” doctrine (1:5, 4:15) |
| grace | कृपा | Critical | 1:2, 1:7, 4:23; verbally via χαρίζομαι at 1:29, 2:9 | 1:29 names suffering itself as a grace-gift — see Section B, “granted/ἐχαρίσθη” |
| faith | विश्वास | High | 1:25, 1:27, 2:17, 3:9, 3:9b | Central to “Righteousness by Faith vs. Law” doctrine (3:9) |
| righteousness | नीतिमत्त्व | Critical | 1:11, 3:6, 3:9 (x2) | 3:9 is the doctrinal center of this curriculum’s law/faith doctrine |
| salvation | तारण | Critical | 1:19, 1:28, 2:12 | 2:12 “work out your own तारण” needs mandatory framing with 2:13 (grace-enabled, not self-earned) |
| called / calling | बोलावलेले / पाचारण | High | 3:14 (“upward call”) | Reused for “the goal of the upward call” |
| holy | पवित्र | High | (implicit throughout; underlies “saints”) | — |
| saints | पवित्र जन | High | 1:1, 4:21-22 | Never संत |
| sanctification | पवित्रीकरण | High | (implicit, 1:6, 2:15) | — |
| lord | प्रभू | Critical | 1:2, 1:14, 2:11, 2:19, 2:24, 2:29, 3:1, 3:8, 3:20, 4:1, 4:2, 4:4, 4:5, 4:10, 4:23 | 2:11 is the hymn’s climactic confession — must match Romans 10:9 formula exactly |
| son_of_god | देवाचा पुत्र | Critical | (presupposed by 2:6, not the literal phrase) | Underlies Deity/Sonship claims of 2:6 |
| incarnation | देहधारण | Critical | 2:7 (core passage) | Never अवतार; see Section B for ἐκένωσεν |
| peace | शांती | Medium | 1:2, 4:7, 4:9 | 4:7 must stay relational, not मनःशांती-style meditative calm |
| thanksgiving | उपकारस्तुती | Low | 1:3, 4:6 | — |
| fellowship | सहभागिता | Low(→High in context) | 1:5, 2:1, 3:10, 4:14-15 | Elevated to High risk in Philippians due to the material/financial “partnership” sense — see Section B |
| church | मंडळी | Medium | 4:15 (“no church shared with me”) | — |
| law | नियमशास्त्र | High | 3:5, 3:6, 3:9 | Never धर्म/धम्म |
| glory | गौरव | High | 1:11, 2:11, 3:19, 3:21, 4:19, 4:20 | 2:11 ties Christ’s Lordship to the Father’s glory |
| power_of_god | देवाचे सामर्थ्य | High | 3:10, 3:21, 4:13 | Never शक्ती |
| messiah / christ | मसीहा (doctrinal) / ख्रिस्त (proper-name form) | Critical | Throughout (Χριστός appears ~37x) | Philippians overwhelmingly uses Χριστός as part of the proper name “Christ Jesus” (ख्रिस्त), not as a title requiring मसीहा; reserve मसीहा for explicit messianic-promise teaching contexts |
| resurrection | पुनरुत्थान | Critical | 3:10, 3:11, 3:21 (implicit) | Never पुनर्जन्म / पुनर्भव |
| jesus | येशू | Critical | Throughout | — |
| god | परमेश्वर | Critical | Throughout | Never देव alone in doctrinally precise contexts |
| holy_spirit | पवित्र आत्मा | Critical | 1:19, 2:1, 3:3 | Never परमात्मा / ब्रह्म |
| father | पिता | Critical | 1:2, 2:11, 2:22, 4:20 | — |
| obedience_of_faith | विश्वासाचे आज्ञापालन | High | 2:8 (ὑπήκοος), 2:12 | Christ’s own obedience (2:8) is the pattern/ground for believers’ |
| imputed_righteousness | आरोपित नीतिमत्त्व | Critical | 3:9 | ”righteousness… from God, based on faith” |
| kingdom_of_god | देवाचे राज्य | Medium | (adjacent to 3:20 citizenship theme) | Conceptually linked, not a literal occurrence |
| election | देवाची निवड | High | 1:29 (adjacent — “it has been granted”) | Related grace-gift theology |
| apostle | प्रेषित | Medium | NOT used by Paul in 1:1 (he uses δοῦλος instead) | Deliberate omission — flag for translators; do not insert प्रेषित where source has दास |
Section B — New Terms Introduced by Philippians
| # | Concept | Greek (transliteration) | Literal meaning | Semantic range / English variants | Marathi rendering (transliteration) | Doctrine tag | Risk | Key refs | Notes / rejected alternatives |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | self-emptying / kenosis | ἑαυτὸν ἐκένωσεν (heauton ekenōsen) | “emptied himself” | Voluntary self-limitation of divine glory/prerogative, not loss of deity; “made himself of no reputation” (KJV), “emptied himself” (ESV/NIV) | स्वतःला रिकामे केले (svataḥlā rikāme kele) | Incarnation / Kenosis | Critical | Phil 2:7 | Highest-risk phrase in curriculum: रिकामे करणे (“emptying”) risks assimilation to Buddhist śūnyatā/anatta (self-negation/emptiness) frameworks. Must always be taught as emptying of status/prerogative, never of deity. Rejected: कोणतीही सोपी अवतार-शैलीतील उतरणे (any avatar-descent framing). Mandatory theologian review every occurrence. |
| 2 | form of God | μορφὴ θεοῦ (morphē theou) | “form of God” (essential nature made visible) | Full pre-existent divine nature and status, not mere appearance | देवाचे स्वरूप (devāce svarūp) | Deity of Christ / Incarnation | Critical | Phil 2:6 | Must not be softened to “godlike” or “a divine being”; guards against Vaishnav avatar-manifestation reading (Vitthal-as-a-form-of-Vishnu) and against Buddhist “revered teacher” category. |
| 3 | form of a servant | μορφὴν δούλου (morphēn doulou) | “form of a slave/bondservant” | Genuine, full assumption of servant/slave status, deliberately mirroring μορφὴ θεοῦ | दासाचे रूप (dāsāce rūp) | Incarnation / Humility | High | Phil 2:7 | Keep दास (slave/bondservant) distinct from सेवक (diakonos/minister, 1:1) to preserve the hymn’s structural contrast with देवाचे स्वरूप. |
| 4 | a thing to be grasped | ἁρπαγμός (harpagmos) | “a seizing, a thing to be forcibly grasped/held onto” | Debated: (a) something not yet possessed, to be seized; (b), preferred, something already possessed, not exploited/clung to | बळकावून ठेवण्यासारखी गोष्ट (baḷkāvūn ṭhevaṇyāsārkhī gosṭa) | Deity of Christ / Kenosis | Critical | Phil 2:6 | Interpretive crux of the hymn; must not imply Christ gained equality with God (adoptionism). Requires translator note at Phase 2. |
| 5 | equality with God | ἴσα θεῷ (isa theō) | “equal to God” | Full equality of nature/status with God the Father | देवाच्या बरोबरीचे (devācyā barobarīce) | Deity of Christ | Critical | Phil 2:6 | Paired with #2 and #4 above. |
| 6 | highly exalted | ὑπερύψωσεν (hyperypsōsen) | “super-exalted, raised to the highest place” | Intensive, unique, unsurpassable exaltation | अत्युच्च स्थानी बसवले (atyucca sthānī basavale) | Lordship of Christ | High | Phil 2:9 | Must convey exaltation unique to Christ, not comparable to honors given to a revered teacher/devotional figure. |
| 7 | the name above every name | τὸ ὄνομα τὸ ὑπὲρ πᾶν ὄνομα | ”the name above/beyond every name” | Likely alludes to the divine Name (YHWH), cf. Isaiah 45:23 | सर्व नावांपेक्षा श्रेष्ठ नाव (sarva nāvāmpekṣā śreṣṭha nāv) | Deity of Christ | Critical | Phil 2:9 | OT allusion should be made explicit in teaching notes to preserve full doctrinal force. |
| 8 | cross | σταυρός (stauros) | “an upright execution stake” | Instrument of Roman capital punishment; supreme shame/humiliation | क्रूस (krūs) | Incarnation / Humility / Atonement | Critical | Phil 2:8 | Established Marathi Christian term; must retain historical shame/horror, not become a generic suffering-symbol. |
| 9 | obedient (unto death) | ὑπήκοος (hypēkoos) | “obedient, hearing/heeding under” | Submissive obedience to the Father’s will | आज्ञाधारक (āgnādhārak) | Obedience of Faith / Kenosis | High | Phil 2:8 | Shares आज्ञा-root with baseline विश्वासाचे आज्ञापालन; Christ’s obedience is the ground/pattern for believers’. |
| 10 | love (agapē) | ἀγάπη (agapē) | “self-giving love” | Selfless, others-directed love; not romantic or devotional-sentiment love | प्रेम (prem) | Unity and Humility in the Church | Medium | Phil 1:9, 2:1-2 | प्रेम is generic in Marathi (romantic, filial, bhakti-devotional); must be specified contextually as Christlike, self-giving love. |
| 11 | joy / rejoice | χαρά / χαίρω (chara/chairō) | “joy, gladness” / “to rejoice” | Gospel-grounded joy, not circumstance-dependent happiness, devotional ecstasy, or Buddhist equanimity | आनंद (ānand) | Joy in Suffering and Imprisonment | High | Phil 1:4,18,25; 2:2,17-18,28-29; 3:1; 4:1,4,10 | Must always be anchored explicitly “in the Lord”/“in Christ” in translation and teaching; risk of merging with Warkari bhakti kirtan-joy or detachment-based equanimity. |
| 12 | bonds / imprisonment | δεσμά (desma) | “bonds, chains, fetters” | Paul’s literal imprisonment for the gospel | बंधने (bandhane) | Joy in Suffering and Imprisonment | Medium | Phil 1:7,13,14,17 | Keep literal/historical, not metaphorical. |
| 13 | it was granted (grace-gift of suffering) | ἐχαρίσθη (echaristhē) | “it was graciously given/granted” (root: χάρις) | Suffering for Christ described as a grace-gift, parallel to the gift of faith | कृपापूर्वक दिले गेले (kṛpāpūrvak dile gele) | Joy in Suffering / Grace | Critical | Phil 1:29 | Must not sound like suffering-as-karmic-punishment; frame as privileged grace-gift, consistent with baseline’s rejection of karma-birth framing. |
| 14 | partnership/fellowship in the gospel | κοινωνία εἰς τὸ εὐαγγέλιον (koinōnia eis to euangelion) | “partnership/participation unto the gospel” | Active, material (incl. financial) partnership in gospel work, not only emotional solidarity | शुभवर्तमानातील सहभागिता (śubhavartamānātīl sahabhāgitā) | Partnership in the Gospel | High | Phil 1:5; cf. 4:14-16 (κοινωνέω) | Must include the concrete financial/material dimension distinctive to Philippians (4:15-16), not only abstract communion. |
| 15 | to think/mind, shared disposition | φρονέω (phroneō) | “to think, set the mind on, have a disposition” | Settled attitude/orientation of the whole person, not mere opinion | एकचित्त असणे / मनोवृत्ती ठेवणे (ekacitta asaṇe) | Unity and Humility in the Church | Medium | Phil 1:7; 2:2, 2:5; 3:15,19; 4:2,10 | Central refrain-verb of the letter; 2:5 is the hinge verse linking ethics to Christology. |
| 16 | one in soul / united in spirit | σύμψυχοι (sympsychoi) | “co-souled, united in soul” | Deep relational unity among many persons | एकजीव (ekajīv) | Unity and Humility in the Church | Low-Medium | Phil 2:2 | Avoid confusion with Advaitic monistic soul-merger; this is relational, not metaphysical, unity. |
| 17 | vainglory / empty conceit | κενοδοξία (kenodoxia) | “empty glory/opinion” | Selfish pride, self-glorification | व्यर्थ अभिमान (vyartha abhimān) | Unity and Humility in the Church | Medium | Phil 2:3 | Shares κεν- root with κενόω (#1); the opposite disposition to Christ’s self-emptying. |
| 18 | humility (lowliness of mind) | ταπεινοφροσύνη (tapeinophrosynē) | “lowliness of mind” | Christ-patterned, self-giving humility, not social deference or ascetic self-abasement | नम्रता (namratā) | Unity and Humility in the Church | High | Phil 2:3 | Must be distinguished from caste-based subordination and from devotional self-abasement before a deity/guru. |
| 19 | slave / bondservant | δοῦλος (doulos) | “slave, bondservant, one with no independent legal standing” | Paul & Timothy’s self-designation (1:1); Christ’s assumed status (2:7) | दास (dās) | Christ-Centered Ministry / Kenosis | High | Phil 1:1; 2:7 | Deliberately NOT प्रेषित (apostle) in 1:1 — preserve this choice. Carries sensitive caste/bonded-labor resonance in Marathi context; handle pastorally. |
| 20 | overseer | ἐπίσκοπος (episkopos) | “overseer, one who watches over” | Church office of oversight | अध्यक्ष (adhyakṣa) | Church as God’s People | Medium | Phil 1:1 | Avoid caste-hierarchy or temple-authority connotations. |
| 21 | deacon / minister-servant | διάκονος (diakonos) | “servant, one who serves/waits on tables” | Church office of service | सेवक (sevak) | Church as God’s People | Medium | Phil 1:1 | Kept distinct from दास (doulos, #19). |
| 22 | to live is Christ, to die is gain | τὸ ζῆν Χριστὸς… τὸ ἀποθανεῖν κέρδος | ”to live [is] Christ… to die [is] gain” | Death’s “gain” is fuller possession of Christ, not escape from suffering per se | जगणे म्हणजे ख्रिस्त, मरणे म्हणजे लाभ (jagṇe mhaṇje Khrist, maraṇe mhaṇje lābh) | Contentment / Joy in Suffering / Goal in Christ | High | Phil 1:21 | Must not read as generic release-from-suffering (proximate to Buddhist duḥkha-cessation framing); the gain is Christ himself. |
| 23 | citizenship (in heaven) | πολίτευμα (politeuma) | “commonwealth, state, body of citizens” | Primary civic/communal identity and allegiance | नागरिकत्व (nāgarikatva) | Citizenship in Heaven | High | Phil 1:27 (verb form); 3:20 (noun) | Analogized in Marathi context to identity that transcends caste/community/nationalist identity — continuity with baseline’s christian_identity_in_christ doctrine. |
| 24 | Savior | σωτήρ (sōtēr) | “one who saves/delivers” | Noun form of salvation; personal, active deliverer | तारणारा (tāraṇārā) | Salvation / Citizenship in Heaven | Critical | Phil 3:20 | Shares तारण root with baseline salvation entry; never मोक्षदाता/मुक्तिदाता. |
| 25 | work out your own salvation | κατεργάζεσθε τὴν ἑαυτῶν σωτηρίαν | ”work out/carry through to effect your own salvation” | Live out, put into practice, an already-given salvation — not earn it | आपापले तारण साधून घ्या (āpāpale tāraṇ sādhūn ghyā) | Salvation / Grace | Critical | Phil 2:12 | Must always be paired with 2:13 (God who works in you) to prevent a self-effort/earned-salvation misreading resembling the Eightfold Path framework. |
| 26 | God who works in you | ὁ ἐνεργῶν ἐν ὑμῖν (ho energōn en hymin) | “the one working/being effective in you” | God’s enabling, empowering action in believers | तुमच्यामध्ये कार्य करणारा (tumcyāmadhye kārya karaṇārā) | Grace / Salvation | High | Phil 2:13 | Theological guardrail for #25 above. |
| 27 | lights in the world | φωστῆρες ἐν κόσμῳ (phōstēres en kosmō) | “luminaries/lights in the world” | Believers’ visible, missional reflection of God’s light | जगात ज्योतींसारखे प्रकाशता (jagāt jyotīnsārkhe prakāśatā) | Church as God’s People / Mission | Medium | Phil 2:15 | Avoid conflation with personal enlightenment/bodhi-attainment imagery. |
| 28 | poured out as a drink offering / sacrifice / service | σπένδομαι / θυσία / λειτουργία | ”to be poured out as a libation” / “sacrifice” / “service” | Paul’s costly self-giving in gospel ministry, drawn from OT sacrificial imagery | अर्पण होणे / बलिदान / सेवा (arpaṇ hoṇe / balidān / sevā) | Partnership in the Gospel / Suffering | High | Phil 2:17; 4:18 | बलिदान required for θυσία; never यज्ञ (Vedic/Hindu ritual fire-sacrifice). Clarify as OT-rooted metaphor, not puja-style ritual offering. |
| 29 | knowing Christ (surpassing knowledge) | γνῶσις Χριστοῦ (gnōsis Christou) | “the knowledge of Christ” | Personal, relational, grace-received knowing of a person, not self-attained realization | ख्रिस्ताला ओळखणे (Khristālā oḷakhaṇe) | Pressing on toward the Goal / Righteousness by Faith | Critical | Phil 3:8 | ज्ञान (jñāna) alone risks assimilation to Hindu jñāna-mārga or Buddhist prajñā/bodhi (self-attained wisdom); always keep the personal object (“Christ Jesus my Lord”) explicit. |
| 30 | rubbish / refuse | σκύβαλα (skybala) | “dung, excrement, refuse” (coarse term) | Paul’s total repudiation of former law-based confidence, expressed with visceral force | घाण / कचरा (ghāṇ/kacarā) | Righteousness by Faith versus the Law | Medium | Phil 3:8 | Preserve Paul’s intentionally shocking coarseness; avoid over-softening. |
| 31 | mature / perfect | τέλειος (teleios) | “complete, having reached the intended end” | Not self-attained perfection; future, resurrection-oriented maturity | परिपक्व / पूर्ण (paripakva/pūrṇa) | Pressing on toward the Goal | High | Phil 3:12,15 | Guard against siddhi/nibbāna-attainment framing; Paul explicitly denies present self-perfection. |
| 32 | press on / pursue | διώκω (diōkō) | “to pursue, run after, press on” | Energetic pursuit grounded in already being laid hold of by Christ | पाठलाग करत राहणे (pāṭhlāg karat rāhaṇe) | Pressing on toward the Goal | Medium | Phil 3:12,14 | Not anxious self-effort to earn uncertain standing. |
| 33 | goal / prize | σκοπός / βραβεῖον (skopos/brabeion) | “goal/mark” / “prize” | The resurrection-goal and its reward, given not self-achieved | ध्येय / बक्षीस (dhyeya/bakṣīs) | Pressing on toward the Goal | Medium | Phil 3:14 | Reuses baseline “calling” root for “upward call.” |
| 34 | conformed (to Christ’s death / glory) | σύμμορφος / συμμορφίζω (symmorphos/symmorphizō) | “having the same form as” | Believers share Christ’s pattern of humiliation-then-glory (echoes μορφή in 2:6-7) | समरूप होणे (samarūp hoṇe) | Joy in Suffering / Citizenship in Heaven | High | Phil 3:10, 3:21 | Deliberately echoes core-passage μορφή vocabulary; preserve the verbal link. |
| 35 | contentment / content | αὐτάρκεια / αὐτάρκης (autarkeia/autarkēs) | “self-sufficiency, contentment” (Stoic philosophical term) | Christ-dependent contentment, redefined immediately by 4:13, not self-generated detachment | समाधानी / समाधान (samādhānī/samādhān) | Contentment in All Circumstances | Critical | Phil 4:11-12 | Three-way collision: Stoic self-sufficiency, Hindu yogic santoṣa/vairāgya, Buddhist upekkhā — all self-cultivated; Paul’s contentment is Christ-empowered (4:13). Never separate v.11-12 from v.13 in translation or teaching. |
| 36 | I can do all things through him who strengthens me | ἐνδυναμοῦντι με (endynamounti me) | “the one strengthening/empowering me” | Christ’s enabling power specifically for contentment in want/plenty | मला सामर्थ्य देणाऱ्याद्वारे (malā sāmarthya deṇāryādvāre) | Contentment / Power of God | Critical | Phil 4:13 | Reuses baseline देवाचे सामर्थ्य (never शक्ती); must not be detached from contentment context and read as generic self-empowerment/ambition slogan. |
| 37 | initiated into the secret | μεμύημαι (memyēmai) | “I have been initiated [mystery-cult term]“ | Paul’s learned experiential wisdom in facing want/plenty | मला रहस्य कळले आहे (malā rahasya kaḷale āhe) | Contentment in All Circumstances | Medium | Phil 4:12 | Avoid resonance with tantric/yogic esoteric-initiation (guhya-vidyā) transmission traditions; clarify as experiential learning, not ritual initiation. |
| 38 | fragrant offering | ὀσμὴ εὐωδίας (osmē euōdias) | “aroma of fragrance” | OT sacrificial-fragrance imagery applied to the Philippians’ gift | सुवासिक सुगंध (suvāsik sugandh) | Partnership in the Gospel | Medium | Phil 4:18 | See #28 above on बलिदान; avoid puja-incense-offering framing. |
| 39 | Hebrew of Hebrews / Pharisee | Ἑβραῖος ἐξ Ἑβραίων / Φαρισαῖος | Descriptive ethnic/religious identity terms | Paul’s former credentials, now repudiated as “loss” | इब्री लोकांतील इब्री / परोशी | Righteousness by Faith versus the Law | Low | Phil 3:5 | Established Marathi NT terms; background/descriptive only. |
| 40 | circumcision / (ironic) mutilation | περιτομή / κατατομή | ”circumcision” / “cutting-up, mutilation” | Paul’s wordplay redefining true circumcision as Spirit-worship | सुंता / छिन्नीकरण (suntā / chinnīkaraṇ) | Righteousness by Faith versus the Law / Unity of Jews and Gentiles | Medium | Phil 3:2-3 | Wordplay cannot be fully reproduced in Marathi; ensure the doctrinal redefinition still comes through. |
| 41 | confidence in the flesh | καύχημα/πεποίθησις ἐν σαρκί (en sarki) | “boasting/confidence in the flesh” | Figurative: trust in human/ethnic/legal credentials, not the literal body | देहावर भरवसा ठेवणे (dehāvar bharavasā ṭhevaṇe) | Righteousness by Faith versus the Law | High | Phil 3:3-4 | Distinguish from σάρξ’s literal use in incarnation/seed-of-David contexts. |
Cross-Reference: Doctrines Introduced by This Curriculum (Not in Romans Baseline)
| New Doctrine | Marathi Doctrine Name | Primary Terms (Section B #) | Overall Risk |
|---|---|---|---|
| The Incarnation and Self-Emptying of Christ (Kenosis) | ख्रिस्ताचे देहधारण आणि आत्मत्याग | #1-9 | Critical |
| Joy in Suffering and Imprisonment | दुःखात व बंदिवासात आनंद | #11-13, 22, 34 | High |
| Unity and Humility in the Church | मंडळीतील एकता आणि नम्रता | #10, 15-18 | High |
| Righteousness by Faith versus the Law | नियमशास्त्राऐवजी विश्वासाद्वारे नीतिमत्त्व | #29-30, 39-41 (+ baseline righteousness/faith/law) | Critical |
| Contentment in All Circumstances | सर्व परिस्थितीत समाधान | #35-37 | Critical |
| Citizenship in Heaven | स्वर्गातील नागरिकत्व | #23-24, 34 | High |
| Partnership in the Gospel | शुभवर्तमानातील सहभागिता | #14, 28, 38 | High |
| Pressing on toward the Goal in Christ | ख्रिस्तातील ध्येयाकडे धावणे | #29, 31-33 | High |
This glossary must be merged into an updated translation_memory.json (version increment) and cross-checked against bible_term_registry.json and doctrine_risk_registry.json conventions in the subsequent Phase 1 steps for this curriculum.
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 (unchanged). Occurs Phil 1:2,7; 4:23, and verbally (χαρίζομαι) at 1:29 and 2:9. Phil 1:29 uniquely names suffering itself as a grace-gift — see ‘grace_gift_of_suffering’ below; must never echo the caste-Hindu birth-karma framework Ambedkarite Buddhist communities explicitly rejected.
Righteousness
Approved rendering: नीतिमत्त्व
Transliteration: nītimattva
Doctrine: Salvation
Rejected alternatives: धर्म, पुण्य
Original: δικαιοσύνη
Category: Salvation
Inherited from Romans package (unchanged). Occurs Phil 1:11; 3:6,9(x2). Never धर्म. Phil 3:6,9 is the doctrinal center of this curriculum’s law/faith teaching — Paul’s own former law-based righteousness is explicitly repudiated as loss, never commended as a model.
Salvation
Approved rendering: तारण
Transliteration: tāraṇ
Doctrine: Salvation
Rejected alternatives: मोक्ष, मुक्ती, निर्वाण
Original: σωτηρία
Category: Salvation
Inherited from Romans package (unchanged). Occurs Phil 1:19,28; 2:12. Never मोक्ष/मुक्ती/निर्वाण. Phil 2:12’s ‘work out your own तारण’ must always be read with 2:13 (God who works in you) to avoid a self-earned-liberation misreading resembling the Buddhist Eightfold Path.
Lord
Approved rendering: प्रभू
Transliteration: prabhū
Doctrine: Lordship of Christ
Rejected alternatives: स्वामी, ईश्वर
Original: κύριος
Category: Christology
Inherited from Romans package (unchanged). Occurs Phil 1:2,14; 2:11,19,24,29; 3:1,8,20; 4:1,2,4,5,10,23. Phil 2:11’s climactic confession ‘येशू ख्रिस्त प्रभू आहे’ MUST match the Romans 10:9 formula exactly, retaining exclusive, cosmic-scope 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 / μορφῇ θεοῦ ὑπάρχων
Category: Christology
Inherited from Romans package (unchanged). Underlies Phil 2:6’s ‘existing in the form of God’ and ‘equality with God’ — never one deity-form among Vitthal’s Vaishnava manifestations, nor an honored-but-not-fully-divine teacher figure.
Incarnation
Approved rendering: देहधारण
Transliteration: dehadhāraṇ
Doctrine: Incarnation
Rejected alternatives: अवतार, बोधिसत्त्वाचा पुनर्जन्म
Original: ἐν ὁμοιώματι ἀνθρώπων γενόμενος
Category: Christology
Inherited from Romans package (unchanged). Occurs Phil 2:7. Never अवतार. Also guard against the Bodhisattva ideal of repeatedly postponing liberation to be reborn for others (an image Ambedkar invoked) substituting for Christ’s one-time, unique incarnation.
Messiah
Approved rendering: मसीहा
Transliteration: Masīhā
Doctrine: Messianic Promise
Rejected alternatives: अवतारी पुरुष
Original: Χριστός
Category: Christology
Inherited from Romans package (unchanged). In Philippians, Χριστός overwhelmingly functions as part of the proper name ‘Christ Jesus’ (ख्रिस्त, per name-form convention), not as an explicit messianic title; reserve मसीहा for explicit messianic-promise teaching contexts, not every occurrence of ख्रिस्त.
Resurrection
Approved rendering: पुनरुत्थान
Transliteration: punarutthān
Doctrine: Resurrection of Christ
Rejected alternatives: पुनर्जन्म, पुनर्भव
Original: ἀνάστασις
Category: Eschatology
Inherited from Romans package (unchanged). Occurs Phil 3:10,11, and implicit at 3:21. Never पुनर्जन्म or पुनर्भव. Phil 3:21’s future bodily transformation must not be read as a change of Buddhist ‘aggregates’ nor as escape from embodiment.
Jesus
Approved rendering: येशू
Transliteration: Yeśū
Doctrine: Lordship of Christ
Rejected alternatives: ईसा
Original: Ἰησοῦς
Category: Christology
Inherited from Romans package (unchanged). Occurs throughout Philippians.
God
Approved rendering: परमेश्वर
Transliteration: Parameśvar
Doctrine: Deity of Christ
Rejected alternatives: देव, भगवान
Original: θεός
Category: God
Inherited from Romans package (unchanged). Occurs throughout Philippians. Never देव/भगवान alone in doctrinally precise contexts.
Holy Spirit
Approved rendering: पवित्र आत्मा
Transliteration: Pavitra Ātmā
Doctrine: Sanctification
Rejected alternatives: परमात्मा, ब्रह्म
Original: πνεῦμα
Category: God
Inherited from Romans package (unchanged). Occurs Phil 1:19; 2:1 (κοινωνία πνεύματος, ‘fellowship/participation of the Spirit’); 3:3. Never परमात्मा/ब्रह्म.
Father
Approved rendering: पिता
Transliteration: Pitā
Doctrine: Adoption into God’s Family
Rejected alternatives: निर्माता
Original: πατήρ
Category: God
Inherited from Romans package (unchanged). Occurs Phil 1:2; 2:11,22; 4:20.
Imputed Righteousness
Approved rendering: आरोपित नीतिमत्त्व
Transliteration: āropit nītimattva
Doctrine: Justification by Faith
Rejected alternatives: स्वकष्टार्जित नीतिमत्त्व
Original: δικαιοσύνη… τὴν ἐκ θεοῦ ἐπὶ τῇ πίστει
Category: Salvation
Inherited from Romans package (unchanged). Occurs Phil 3:9, contrasted explicitly with ‘my own righteousness from the law’ in the same verse — the doctrinal center of ‘Righteousness by Faith versus the Law.‘
Kenosis
Approved rendering: स्वतःला रिकामे केले
Transliteration: svataḥlā rikāme kele
Doctrine: Incarnation and Kenosis
Rejected alternatives: स्वतःचा नाश केला, अवतार घेतला
Original: ἑαυτὸν ἐκένωσεν
Category: Christology
NEW. Phil 2:7, ἑαυτὸν ἐκένωσεν. Single highest-risk phrase in this curriculum: रिकामे करणे risks assimilation to Buddhist śūnyatā/anatta self-negation categories, falsely implying dissolution of Christ’s selfhood or deity rather than voluntary veiling of divine status/prerogative while full deity remains intact. Never अवतार. Mandatory theologian review and accompanying teaching note every occurrence.
Form Of God
Approved rendering: देवाचे स्वरूप
Transliteration: devāce svarūp
Doctrine: Deity of Christ
Rejected alternatives: देवासारखा दिसणारा, एक दैवी व्यक्ती
Original: μορφὴ θεοῦ
Category: Christology
NEW. Phil 2:6, μορφὴ θεοῦ. Full pre-existent divine nature made visible, not mere external appearance. Must not read as one deity-form among Vitthal’s Vaishnava manifestations, nor as an honored-teacher category (Buddha). Pair with देवाचा पुत्र (son_of_god) in teaching material.
Harpagmos
Approved rendering: बळकावून ठेवण्यासारखी गोष्ट
Transliteration: baḷkāvūn ṭhevaṇyāsārkhī gosṭa
Doctrine: Deity of Christ
Rejected alternatives: लुटण्यासारखी वस्तू (seizing not-yet-possessed reading, rejected as primary)
Original: ἁρπαγμός
Category: Christology
NEW. Phil 2:6, ἁρπαγμός. Interpretive crux of the hymn: Christ already possessed equality with God but did not exploit/cling to it for advantage. Must not imply Christ gained equality with God (adoptionist error). Requires translator note flagged for theologian review at Phase 2.
Equality With God
Approved rendering: देवाच्या बरोबरीचे
Transliteration: devācyā barobarīce
Doctrine: Deity of Christ
Rejected alternatives: देवासारखे, देवाच्या जवळचे
Original: ἴσα θεῷ
Category: Christology
NEW. Phil 2:6, ἴσα θεῷ. Full equality of status and nature with God the Father; must not be diluted to comparative honor or resemblance.
Name Above Every Name
Approved rendering: सर्व नावांपेक्षा श्रेष्ठ नाव
Transliteration: sarva nāvāmpekṣā śreṣṭha nāv
Doctrine: Deity of Christ
Original: τὸ ὄνομα τὸ ὑπὲρ πᾶν ὄνομα
Category: Christology
NEW. Phil 2:9. Likely alludes to the divine Name (YHWH) itself, echoing Isaiah 45:23. If this OT allusion is lost, Christ’s exaltation risks being read as honor comparable to a revered guru/Buddha rather than identification with परमेश्वर himself. Teaching notes must make the Isaiah 45 allusion explicit.
Cross
Approved rendering: क्रूस
Transliteration: krūs
Doctrine: Incarnation and Kenosis
Rejected alternatives: सूली, फाशीचे साधन (generic execution device)
Original: σταυρός
Category: Christology
NEW (formally added to TM for this curriculum; established loanword, not previously listed as a standalone Romans TM entry). Phil 2:8, σταυρός. Must retain full historical shame/horror of Roman crucifixion as the measure of Christ’s humility — never a generic suffering-symbol detached from its historical, degrading particularity.
Grace Gift Of Suffering
Approved rendering: कृपापूर्वक दिले गेले आहे
Transliteration: kṛpāpūrvak dile gele āhe
Doctrine: Grace Extended to Suffering
Rejected alternatives: शिक्षा म्हणून दिले (given as punishment — forbidden framing)
Original: ἐχαρίσθη
Category: Suffering
NEW. Phil 1:29, ἐχαρίσθη (root: χάρις/grace). Suffering for Christ named as a grace-gift, parallel to the gift of faith itself. Must never sound like suffering-as-karmic-punishment or deserved consequence of past sin — a framework Ambedkarite Buddhist communities explicitly and painfully rejected. Mandatory theologian review every occurrence.
Soter Savior
Approved rendering: तारणारा
Transliteration: tāraṇārā
Doctrine: Salvation
Rejected alternatives: मोक्षदाता, मुक्तिदाता
Original: σωτήρ
Category: Salvation
NEW. Phil 3:20, σωτήρ. Shares तारण root with baseline salvation entry; never मोक्षदाता/मुक्तिदाता (Vaishnav/bhakti liberator-deity categories) nor any term suggesting self-attained release.
Work Out Salvation
Approved rendering: आपापले तारण साधून घ्या
Transliteration: āpāpale tāraṇ sādhūn ghyā
Doctrine: God’s Completing Work in Salvation
Rejected alternatives: तारण कमवा (earn salvation — forbidden framing)
Original: κατεργάζεσθε τὴν ἑαυτῶν σωτηρίαν
Category: Salvation
NEW. Phil 2:12, κατεργάζεσθε τὴν ἑαυτῶν σωτηρίαν. Live out an already-given salvation, not earn it. Must ALWAYS be paired with 2:13 (‘God who works in you’) in translation, teaching, and segment boundaries — isolated, this phrase closely resembles the Buddhist Eightfold Path’s self-effort framework. Mandatory theologian review.
Gnosis Of Christ
Approved rendering: ख्रिस्ताला ओळखणे
Transliteration: Khristālā oḷakhaṇe
Doctrine: Righteousness by Faith versus the Law
Rejected alternatives: ज्ञान (never used alone for this concept)
Original: γνῶσις Χριστοῦ
Category: Salvation
NEW. Phil 3:8, γνῶσις Χριστοῦ. ज्ञान names the Hindu jñāna-mārga and closely parallels Buddhist prajñā/bodhi, both self-attained. Must use relational ओळखणे (‘to know/recognize a person’) with the personal object (‘ख्रिस्त येशू माझा प्रभू’) always explicit. Mandatory theologian review.
Autarkeia Contentment
Approved rendering: समाधानी / समाधान
Transliteration: samādhānī / samādhān
Doctrine: Contentment in All Circumstances
Original: αὐτάρκεια / αὐτάρκης
Category: Contentment
NEW. Phil 4:11-12, αὐτάρκεια/αὐτάρκης. Three-way collision: (1) Stoic self-generated sufficiency; (2) Hindu yogic संतोष cultivated through vairāgya (detachment); (3) Buddhist upekkhā (equanimity) cultivated via the Eightfold Path — all self-cultivated. Paul’s contentment is Christ-empowered (4:13), never self-generated. Must never be separated from 4:13 in translation or teaching. Mandatory theologian review.
Endynamounti Strengthens Me
Approved rendering: मला सामर्थ्य देणाऱ्याद्वारे
Transliteration: malā sāmarthya deṇāryādvāre
Doctrine: Contentment in All Circumstances
Rejected alternatives: शक्ती (never — Shakti/goddess associations)
Original: τῷ ἐνδυναμοῦντί με
Category: Contentment
NEW. Phil 4:13, τῷ ἐνδυναμοῦντί με. Reuses baseline देवाचे सामर्थ्य (never शक्ती). Frequently popularly misquoted as a generic self-empowerment/ambition slogan detached from its contentment context (4:11-12); must retain that connection always. Mandatory theologian review.
High Risk Terms
Gospel
Approved rendering: शुभवर्तमान
Transliteration: śubhavartamān
Doctrine: Gospel
Rejected alternatives: बातमी, खबर
Original: εὐαγγέλιον
Category: Salvation
Inherited from Romans package (unchanged). Occurs Phil 1:5,7,12,16,27; 2:22; 4:3,15. Anchors ‘Partnership in the Gospel’ doctrine at 1:5 and 4:15; must not read as one more devotional ‘good news’ alongside Warkari bhakti’s proclamation of Vitthal’s grace or Navayana Buddhism’s proclamation of liberation through the Buddha’s teaching.
Faith
Approved rendering: विश्वास
Transliteration: viśvāsa
Doctrine: Faith
Rejected alternatives: श्रद्धा, भक्ति
Original: πίστις
Category: Faith
Inherited from Romans package (unchanged). Occurs Phil 1:25,27; 2:17; 3:9 (x2). Central to ‘Righteousness by Faith versus the Law’ at 3:9, contrasted explicitly with law-based righteousness in the same verse.
Called
Approved rendering: बोलावलेले
Transliteration: bolāvlele
Doctrine: Divine Calling
Rejected alternatives: आमंत्रित
Original: κλητός
Category: Salvation
Inherited from Romans package (unchanged). Underlies the ‘upward call’ vocabulary of Phil 3:14, God’s sovereign summons rather than a self-chosen spiritual ambition.
Calling
Approved rendering: पाचारण
Transliteration: pācāraṇ
Doctrine: Divine Calling
Rejected alternatives: आवाहन
Original: κλῆσις
Category: Salvation
Inherited from Romans package (unchanged). Occurs Phil 3:14, ‘the prize of the upward call’ (ἄνω κλήσεως) — reused as the root for ‘goal_and_prize’ below.
Holy
Approved rendering: पवित्र
Transliteration: pavitra
Doctrine: Sanctification
Rejected alternatives: शुद्ध
Original: ἅγιος
Category: Sanctification
Inherited from Romans package (unchanged). Underlies ‘saints’ (1:1; 4:21-22) and ‘blameless…children of God without blemish’ (2:15); relational/moral, not ritual-purity, holiness.
Saints
Approved rendering: पवित्र जन
Transliteration: pavitra jan
Doctrine: Sainthood
Rejected alternatives: संत, मुनी
Original: ἅγιοι
Category: Church
Inherited from Romans package (unchanged). Occurs Phil 1:1; 4:21-22. Never संत, which names the revered Warkari poet-saints (Dnyaneshwar, Tukaram, Namdev, Eknath, Chokhamela).
Sanctification
Approved rendering: पवित्रीकरण
Transliteration: pavitrīkaraṇ
Doctrine: Sanctification
Rejected alternatives: शुद्धीकरण
Original: ἁγιασμός
Category: Sanctification
Inherited from Romans package (unchanged). Implicit at Phil 1:6 (God’s completing work) and 2:15 (blameless and innocent); the Spirit’s ongoing work, not self-directed ethical cultivation along the Eightfold Path.
Fellowship
Approved rendering: सहभागिता
Transliteration: sahabhāgitā
Doctrine: Christian Fellowship
Rejected alternatives: मैत्री
Original: κοινωνία
Category: Church
Inherited from Romans package, but risk ELEVATED from Low to High for this curriculum. Occurs Phil 1:5; 2:1; 3:10; 4:14-15. In Philippians κοινωνία repeatedly denotes concrete financial/material partnership (cf. 4:15-16), a dimension सहभागिता alone under-specifies unless taught explicitly; see ‘partnership_in_gospel’ below.
Law
Approved rendering: नियमशास्त्र
Transliteration: niyamśāstra
Doctrine: Fulfillment of Prophecy
Rejected alternatives: धर्म, धम्म
Original: νόμος
Category: Covenant
Inherited from Romans package (unchanged). Occurs Phil 3:5,6,9. Never धर्म/धम्म. Paul’s own former ‘blameless’ law-righteousness (3:6) is explicitly repudiated as loss in 3:7-9.
Glory
Approved rendering: गौरव
Transliteration: gaurav
Doctrine: Deity of Christ
Rejected alternatives: तेज, प्रकाश
Original: δόξα
Category: God
Inherited from Romans package (unchanged). Occurs Phil 1:11; 2:11; 3:19,21; 4:19,20. Phil 2:11 ties the Son’s confessed lordship to the Father’s glory — trinitarian, not competing-deities, structure.
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 (unchanged). Occurs Phil 3:10,21; 4:13. Never शक्ती (Shakti/mother-goddess associations, e.g. Tuljapur’s Tuljabhavani). Phil 4:13 must stay tied to its contentment context (4:11-12), never a detached self-empowerment slogan.
Obedience Of Faith
Approved rendering: विश्वासाचे आज्ञापालन
Transliteration: viśvāsāce āgnāpālan
Doctrine: Obedience of Faith
Rejected alternatives: धार्मिक कर्तव्य
Original: ὑπήκοος / ὑπακοή
Category: Faith
Inherited from Romans package (unchanged). Christ’s own obedience ‘unto death’ (2:8, ὑπήκοος) is the ground/pattern for the obedience commanded of believers (2:12); shares the आज्ञा- root with ‘obedient_unto_death’ below.
Election
Approved rendering: देवाची निवड
Transliteration: devācī nivaḍ
Doctrine: Effectual Calling
Rejected alternatives: नशीब, दैव, कर्मफळ
Original: ἐκλογή (conceptually, cf. ἐχαρίσθη)
Category: Salvation
Inherited from Romans package (unchanged). Conceptually adjacent to Phil 1:29 (‘it has been granted to you…to suffer’), which frames both faith and suffering as sovereignly, graciously given, never as karma-birth-status outcome.
Form Of A Servant
Approved rendering: दासाचे रूप
Transliteration: dāsāce rūp
Doctrine: Incarnation and Kenosis
Rejected alternatives: सेवकाचे रूप
Original: μορφὴν δούλου
Category: Christology
NEW. Phil 2:7, μορφὴν δούλου. Deliberately mirrors/contrasts देवाचे स्वरूप (v.6) — full deity assuming full servanthood. Keep दास distinct from सेवक (diakonos, 1:1). Preserve रूप-root in both verses; a paraphrase losing ‘form’ language in either weakens the hymn’s structure.
Highly Exalted
Approved rendering: अत्युच्च स्थानी बसवले
Transliteration: atyucca sthānī basavale
Doctrine: Lordship of Christ
Rejected alternatives: खूप सन्मानित केले
Original: ὑπερύψωσεν
Category: Christology
NEW. Phil 2:9, ὑπερύψωσεν. Intensive, unique, unsurpassable exaltation vindicating Christ’s self-emptying; must not read as honor comparable to that given to a revered teacher, guru, or devotional figure.
Obedient Unto Death
Approved rendering: आज्ञाधारक झाला
Transliteration: āgnādhārak jhālā
Doctrine: Obedience of Faith
Original: ὑπήκοος μέχρι θανάτου
Category: Christology
NEW. Phil 2:8, ὑπήκοος μέχρι θανάτου. Shares आज्ञा-root with baseline ‘obedience_of_faith’; Christ’s obedience here is the ground/pattern for the obedience required of believers at 2:12.
Joy Rejoice
Approved rendering: आनंद
Transliteration: ānand
Doctrine: Joy in Suffering and Imprisonment
Original: χαρά / χαίρω
Category: Christian Living
NEW. χαρά/χαίρω, occurring Phil 1:4,18,25; 2:2,17-18,28-29; 3:1; 4:1,4,10. आनंद is the universal Marathi joy/bliss word saturated with Warkari bhakti kirtan-ecstasy and Buddhist equanimity/detachment associations; every occurrence must be anchored explicitly ‘in the Lord’/‘in Christ’ as Paul himself always does.
Partnership In Gospel
Approved rendering: शुभवर्तमानातील सहभागिता
Transliteration: śubhavartamānātīl sahabhāgitā
Doctrine: Partnership in the Gospel
Original: κοινωνία εἰς τὸ εὐαγγέλιον
Category: Church
NEW. Phil 1:5, κοινωνία εἰς τὸ εὐαγγέλιον; cf. 4:14-16. Anchor term for this curriculum’s namesake doctrine; must include the concrete financial/material dimension distinctive to Philippians (occasioned by the church’s monetary gift to Paul), which सहभागिता alone under-specifies.
Tapeinophrosyne
Approved rendering: नम्रता
Transliteration: namratā
Doctrine: Unity and Humility in the Church
Original: ταπεινοφροσύνη
Category: Ethics
NEW. Phil 2:3, ταπεινοφροσύνη. नम्रता is already a prized Marathi virtue-word in caste-social deference and bhakti submission to a guru/deity; must be taught as Christ-patterned, self-giving humility that willingly relinquishes rightful status, not mere social deference or devotional self-abasement.
Doulos Slave
Approved rendering: दास
Transliteration: dās
Doctrine: Christ-Centered Ministry
Rejected alternatives: प्रेषित (never substitute apostle here), गुलाम (overly harsh secular connotation)
Original: δοῦλος
Category: Church
NEW. Phil 1:1; 2:7, δοῦλος. Paul’s deliberate self-designation instead of ἀπόστολος, anticipating Christ’s own δοῦλος-taking in 2:7 — must be preserved, not smoothed into प्रेषित. दास carries caste-linked bonded-labor resonance in Marathi (including Dalit communities’ historical subjection); can be a positive bridge (Christ dignifies this status) but must be handled pastorally.
To Live Is Christ To Die Is Gain
Approved rendering: जगणे म्हणजे ख्रिस्त, मरणे म्हणजे लाभ
Transliteration: jagṇe mhaṇje Khrist, maraṇe mhaṇje lābh
Doctrine: Joy in Suffering and Imprisonment
Original: τὸ ζῆν Χριστὸς καὶ τὸ ἀποθανεῖν κέρδος
Category: Christian Living
NEW. Phil 1:21. Death’s ‘gain’ (κέρδος/लाभ) is fuller possession of Christ himself, not escape from suffering as such — must not be rendered so as to sound like a Buddhist duḥkha-cessation framing.
Politeuma Citizenship
Approved rendering: नागरिकत्व
Transliteration: nāgarikatva
Doctrine: Citizenship in Heaven
Original: πολίτευμα
Category: Citizenship
NEW. Phil 1:27 (verb πολιτεύεσθε), 3:20 (noun πολίτευμα). नागरिकत्व is a modern civic/legal term with no prior devotional resonance in Marathi — must be built up pedagogically as a primary allegiance claim above caste, communal, or Ambedkarite-movement identity, without appearing to erase the dignity such identity has provided.
God Who Works In You
Approved rendering: तुमच्यामध्ये कार्य करणारा
Transliteration: tumcyāmadhye kārya karaṇārā
Doctrine: God’s Completing Work in Salvation
Original: ὁ ἐνεργῶν ἐν ὑμῖν
Category: Salvation
NEW. Phil 2:13, ὁ ἐνεργῶν ἐν ὑμῖν. The necessary theological guardrail against reading 2:12 as self-effort salvation; God himself enables and produces both will and work in believers.
Poured Out Sacrifice Service
Approved rendering: अर्पण होणे / बलिदान
Transliteration: arpaṇ hoṇe / balidān
Doctrine: Partnership in the Gospel
Rejected alternatives: यज्ञ (never — Vedic/Hindu ritual fire-sacrifice)
Original: σπένδομαι / θυσία / λειτουργία
Category: Suffering
NEW. Phil 2:17; 4:18, σπένδομαι/θυσία/λειτουργία. बलिदान required for θυσία; never यज्ञ. Anchor to OT sacrificial background (Lev. 1-2), not Hindu पूजा offering-ritual practice; this is Paul’s metaphor for costly gospel service, not a ritual act performed to gain favor.
Teleios Mature
Approved rendering: परिपक्व / पूर्ण
Transliteration: paripakva / pūrṇa
Doctrine: Pressing on toward the Goal in Christ
Original: τέλειος
Category: Christian Living
NEW. Phil 3:12,15, τέλειος. Must not suggest self-attained perfection resembling yogic siddhi or Buddhist nibbāna/arahantship reached via the Eightfold Path; Paul explicitly denies having ‘already become τέλειος’ (3:12) even while pressing on — the goal is Christ-given and future.
Symmorphos Conformed
Approved rendering: समरूप होणे
Transliteration: samarūp hoṇe
Doctrine: Bodily Resurrection and Final Glorification
Original: σύμμορφος / συμμορφίζω
Category: Christology
NEW. Phil 3:10, 3:21, σύμμορφος/συμμορφίζω. Deliberately echoes μορφή vocabulary of 2:6-7 — believers share Christ’s own pattern of humiliation-then-glory. The future glorified state remains fully embodied, not a change of Buddhist ‘aggregates’ or an escape from embodiment.
Confidence In The Flesh
Approved rendering: देहावर भरवसा ठेवणे
Transliteration: dehāvar bharavasā ṭhevaṇe
Doctrine: Righteousness by Faith versus the Law
Original: καύχημα / πεποίθησις ἐν σαρκί
Category: Righteousness/Law
NEW. Phil 3:3-4, καύχημα/πεποίθησις ἐν σαρκί. σάρξ here must be understood figuratively (human/ethnic/legal credentials and performance), distinct from its literal use in incarnation/seed-of-David contexts elsewhere in the baseline.
Medium Risk Terms
Peace
Approved rendering: शांती
Transliteration: śāntī
Doctrine: Peace with God
Rejected alternatives: मनःशांती
Original: εἰρήνη
Category: Salvation
Inherited from Romans package (unchanged). Occurs Phil 1:2; 4:7,9. 4:7’s ‘peace of God which surpasses all understanding’ must remain relational (guarding hearts through prayer to a personal God), not मनःशांती-style meditative 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 (unchanged). Occurs Phil 4:15 (‘no church shared with me’).
Kingdom Of God
Approved rendering: देवाचे राज्य
Transliteration: devāce rājya
Doctrine: Kingdom Mission
Rejected alternatives: ईश्वरी राष्ट्र
Original: βασιλεία τοῦ θεοῦ
Category: Kingdom
Inherited from Romans package (unchanged). Not a literal occurrence in Philippians but conceptually linked to the ‘citizenship in heaven’ theme of 3:20.
Apostle
Approved rendering: प्रेषित
Transliteration: preṣit
Doctrine: Apostleship
Rejected alternatives: गुरू, संदेशवाहक
Original: ἀπόστολος
Category: Church
Inherited from Romans package (unchanged). NOTABLY NOT used by Paul in Phil 1:1, where he and Timothy deliberately identify as δοῦλος (दास) instead — translators must preserve this deliberate omission, not insert प्रेषित out of Romans-register habit.
Agape Love
Approved rendering: प्रेम
Transliteration: prem
Doctrine: Unity and Humility in the Church
Original: ἀγάπη
Category: Ethics
NEW. Phil 1:9; 2:1-2, ἀγάπη. प्रेम is generic Marathi for all kinds of love (romantic, filial, Warkari bhakti-devotional love for Vitthal); must be specified contextually as Christlike, self-giving, others-directed love.
Bonds Imprisonment
Approved rendering: बंधने
Transliteration: bandhane
Doctrine: Joy in Suffering and Imprisonment
Original: δεσμά
Category: Suffering
NEW. Phil 1:7,13,14,17, δεσμά. Paul’s literal, physical imprisonment for the gospel; must be presented as real historical confinement, not metaphor.
Phroneo Mindset
Approved rendering: एकचित्त असणे / मनोवृत्ती ठेवणे
Transliteration: ekacitta asaṇe / manovṛtti ṭhevaṇe
Doctrine: Unity and Humility in the Church
Rejected alternatives: एकच विचार करणे (mere intellectual agreement, insufficient)
Original: φρονέω
Category: Ethics
NEW. φρονέω, the letter’s refrain-verb (Phil 1:7; 2:2,5; 3:15,19; 4:2,10). Conveys a settled disposition/orientation of the whole person, not mere factual agreement. Phil 2:5 is the hinge verse grounding the church’s shared ethical disposition in participatory Christology (2:6-11).
Sympsychoi
Approved rendering: एकजीव
Transliteration: ekajīv
Doctrine: Unity and Humility in the Church
Original: σύμψυχοι
Category: Ethics
NEW. Phil 2:2, σύμψυχοι. Avoid confusion with Advaitic monistic soul-merger (ātman-Brahman absorption); this is relational unity of distinct persons, not metaphysical dissolution.
Kenodoxia
Approved rendering: व्यर्थ अभिमान
Transliteration: vyartha abhimān
Doctrine: Unity and Humility in the Church
Original: κενοδοξία
Category: Ethics
NEW. Phil 2:3, κενοδοξία. Empty self-glorifying pride, opposite disposition to Christ’s self-emptying; shares the κεν- root with κενόω (kenosis, 2:7) — worth flagging in teaching notes.
Episkopos Overseer
Approved rendering: अध्यक्ष
Transliteration: adhyakṣa
Doctrine: Church Leadership and Offices
Original: ἐπίσκοπος
Category: Church
NEW. Phil 1:1, ἐπίσκοπος. Avoid caste-hierarchy or institutional-temple-authority overtones.
Diakonos Deacon
Approved rendering: सेवक
Transliteration: sevak
Doctrine: Church Leadership and Offices
Original: διάκονος
Category: Church
NEW. Phil 1:1, διάκονος. Kept distinct from दास (doulos) — सेवक denotes an appointed serving office, दास denotes total ownership/bondage.
Lights In The World
Approved rendering: जगात ज्योतींसारखे प्रकाशता
Transliteration: jagāt jyotīnsārkhe prakāśatā
Doctrine: Church as God’s People
Original: φωστῆρες ἐν κόσμῳ
Category: Church
NEW. Phil 2:15, φωστῆρες ἐν κόσμῳ. Believers’ visible, missional reflection of God’s light; avoid conflation with personal enlightenment/bodhi-attainment imagery — this is missional visibility, not inward illumination.
Skybala Rubbish
Approved rendering: घाण / कचरा
Transliteration: ghāṇ / kacarā
Doctrine: Righteousness by Faith versus the Law
Rejected alternatives: निरुपयोगी वस्तू (too bland, under-translates Paul’s coarseness)
Original: σκύβαλα
Category: Righteousness/Law
NEW. Phil 3:8, σκύβαλα. Preserve Paul’s intentionally shocking, visceral force (dung/refuse) for his repudiation of former law-based confidence, rather than defaulting to the blandest possible Marathi word.
Dioko Press On
Approved rendering: पाठलाग करत राहणे
Transliteration: pāṭhlāg karat rāhaṇe
Doctrine: Pressing on toward the Goal in Christ
Original: διώκω
Category: Christian Living
NEW. Phil 3:12,14, διώκω. Energetic, ongoing pursuit grounded in already being laid hold of by Christ (3:12b), not anxious self-effort to earn an uncertain standing.
Goal And Prize
Approved rendering: ध्येय / बक्षीस
Transliteration: dhyeya / bakṣīs
Doctrine: Pressing on toward the Goal in Christ
Original: σκοπός / βραβεῖον τῆς ἄνω κλήσεως
Category: Christian Living
NEW. Phil 3:14, σκοπός/βραβεῖον τῆς ἄνω κλήσεως. Reuses baseline ‘calling’ (पाचारण) root for ‘the upward call’ — God’s sovereign summons, not a self-chosen spiritual ambition or attainment.
Memyemai Initiated
Approved rendering: मला रहस्य कळले आहे
Transliteration: malā rahasya kaḷale āhe
Doctrine: Contentment in All Circumstances
Rejected alternatives: दीक्षा घेतली (ritual initiation, rejected)
Original: μεμύημαι
Category: Contentment
NEW. Phil 4:12, μεμύημαι. A mystery-cult initiation term in Greek; could superficially echo tantric/yogic esoteric ‘secret knowledge’ (guhya-vidyā) transmission traditions. Render experientially (‘I have learned through experience’), not ritually.
Fragrant Offering
Approved rendering: सुवासिक सुगंध
Transliteration: suvāsik sugandh
Doctrine: Partnership in the Gospel
Original: ὀσμὴ εὐωδίας, θυσία δεκτή
Category: Church
NEW. Phil 4:18, ὀσμὴ εὐωδίας, θυσία δεκτή. OT sacrificial-fragrance imagery (cf. Lev 1:9) applied to the Philippians’ gift; anchor to OT background, not Hindu पूजा/naivedya offering practice; not a repetition of or substitute for Christ’s own sacrifice.
Circumcision Mutilation Wordplay
Approved rendering: सुंता / छिन्नीकरण
Transliteration: suntā / chinnīkaraṇ
Doctrine: Righteousness by Faith versus the Law
Original: περιτομή / κατατομή
Category: Righteousness/Law
NEW. Phil 3:2-3, περιτομή/κατατομή. Paul’s ironic wordplay cannot be fully reproduced in Marathi, but the doctrinal redefinition — true circumcision is Spirit-worship, not ethnic/ritual marking — must still come through clearly.
Low Risk Terms
Thanksgiving
Approved rendering: उपकारस्तुती
Transliteration: upakārastutī
Doctrine: Thanksgiving
Original: εὐχαριστία
Category: Faith
Inherited from Romans package (unchanged). Occurs Phil 1:3; 4:6.
Hebrew Of Hebrews Pharisee
Approved rendering: इब्री लोकांतील इब्री / परोशी
Transliteration: Ibrī lokāntīl Ibrī / Paroshī
Doctrine: Righteousness by Faith versus the Law
Original: Ἑβραῖος ἐξ Ἑβραίων, κατὰ νόμον Φαρισαῖος
Category: Righteousness/Law
NEW. Phil 3:5, Ἑβραῖος ἐξ Ἑβραίων, κατὰ νόμον Φαρισαῖος. Established descriptive Marathi NT terms; background only, reinforces that नियमशास्त्र must never collapse into धर्म/धम्म.
Referenced passages