Core Glossary
Core Glossary: 1 Thessalonians (English–Nepali)
Section 1 — Reused Baseline Terms (Romans Translation Memory)
These terms occur in 1 Thessalonians and MUST use the exact Nepali rendering already established in the Romans baseline. No new risk assessment is required unless noted.
| Term | Nepali (Baseline) | Risk (Baseline) | Chapters in 1 Thessalonians | Note for This Curriculum |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| gospel | सुसमाचार | High | 1:5; 2:2,4,8,9,13; 3:2 | No change. |
| grace | अनुग्रह | High | 1:1; 5:28 | No change. |
| faith | विश्वास | High | 1:3,8; 3:2,5-10; 5:8 | No change. |
| church | मण्डली | Medium | 1:1 | ”Church of the Thessalonians” — corporate assembly, not building. |
| holy | पवित्र | High | throughout | No change. |
| saints | पवित्र जन | High | 3:13 | ”with all his saints” at the parousia — corporate, not ascetic-elite. |
| sanctification | पवित्रीकरण | High | 4:3-4,7; 5:23 | Central doctrine of this curriculum; see हागियोसुने (holiness-state) distinction in Section 2. |
| called / calling | बोलाइएका / बोलावट | High | 2:12; 4:7; 5:24 | Reinforces baseline effectual_calling doctrine; 5:24 grounds assurance in God’s faithfulness to his call. |
| election | परमेश्वरको छनोट | High | 1:4 | ”Your election by him.” |
| resurrection | पुनरुत्थान | Critical | 4:14,16 | Never पुनर्जन्म. Extends baseline doctrine from “Resurrection of Christ” to “Resurrection of Believers” — same forbidden-substitution rule applies without exception. |
| salvation | उद्धार | Critical | 5:8-9 | ”Helmet of the hope of salvation”; “obtain salvation through Christ.” Dual-front rule (never मुक्ति/मोक्ष/निर्वाण) fully applies. |
| peace | शान्ति | Medium | 5:3,23 | 5:3 “peace and safety” (false peace of the ungodly) vs. 5:23 “God of peace” (true covenantal peace) — same term, contrasted senses; flag for context-sensitive handling. |
| glory | महिमा | High | 2:12,20 | No change. |
| kingdom_of_god | परमेश्वरको राज्य | Medium | 2:12 | ”Kingdom and glory” — God’s own reign, not a royal court metaphor. |
| gentiles | अन्यजाति | Medium | 4:5 | ”Gentiles who do not know God.” |
| lord | प्रभु | Critical | throughout | No change. |
| jesus | येशू | Critical | throughout | No change. |
| god | परमेश्वर | Critical | throughout | Never भगवान. |
| holy_spirit | पवित्र आत्मा | Critical | 1:5-6; 4:8; 5:19 | No change. |
| father | पिता | Critical | 1:1,3; 3:11,13 | No change. |
| thanksgiving | धन्यवाद | Low | 1:2; 5:18 | No change. |
| exhort | उत्साहित पार्नु | Low | 4:18; 5:11,14 | Sense here is “build up/comfort,” per baseline’s context-sensitivity note. |
| prophecy | अगमवाणी | Low | 5:20 | ”Do not despise prophecies.” |
| providence | परमेश्वरको व्यवस्थापन | High | 5:24 (implicit) | Underlies “he who calls you is faithful” — God’s purposive faithfulness to complete what he began. |
| christian_fellowship (doctrine) | मसीही सहभागिता | Low | throughout (esp. 1:1-3; 3:6-10; 5:11-15) | Same lived weight as noted in Romans baseline given Nepal’s church history. |
| separation_unto_gods_service (doctrine) | परमेश्वरको सेवाको निम्ति अलग गरिएको | High | 4:1-8,11 | Ordinary-life holiness, not ascetic withdrawal — see 4:11 “live quietly… work with your hands.” |
Section 2 — New Terms Introduced in 1 Thessalonians
These terms are not present in the Romans baseline and are proposed for addition to translation_memory.json (pending theologian review per escalation rules for Critical/High terms).
| Term (English) | Greek / Translit. | Nepali | Transliteration | Doctrine | Risk | Chapters | Alternatives Rejected & Reason |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| hope | ἐλπίς / elpis | आशा | asha | Hope in Grief | High | 4:13,18; 5:8 | None rejected; standard term, but requires explicit doctrinal framing distinguishing it from Hindu/Buddhist hope-frameworks tied to rebirth or gradual liberation across lifetimes. Must always be anchored to the single, historical resurrection of Christ (4:14). |
| return of Christ / coming (parousia) | παρουσία / parousia | आगमन (प्रभुको आगमन) | aagaman (Prabhuko aagaman) | The Return of Christ | Critical | 2:19; 3:13; 4:15,16-17; 5:23 | REJECTED: पुनरागमन (“re-coming”) — deliberately avoided because the पुनर् root is already flagged in the baseline as dangerously close to पुनर्जन्म (rebirth). REJECTED: any phrasing suggesting a repeatable avatar-descent, given the Hindu Kalki-avatar expectation of a future incarnation of Vishnu at the end of the age. Christ’s parousia is the unique, personal return of the same historical, once-incarnate, once-risen Lord. |
| fallen asleep (death of believers) | κοιμάομαι / koimaomai | निदाएका | nidaeka | Resurrection of Believers / Hope in Grief | High | 4:13,14,15 | REJECTED: a literal “died” rendering, because it loses the deliberate biblical euphemism of temporary rest. Must be distinguished from the Tibetan Buddhist bardo intermediate state between death and rebirth, a live doctrinal category for Nepal’s Himalayan Buddhist-heritage communities — “asleep in Christ” is rest awaiting bodily resurrection, not a transitional consciousness-state en route to a new birth. |
| the dead (in Christ) | νεκροί / nekroi | मृतकहरू (ख्रीष्टमा भएका मृतकहरू) | mritakharu | Resurrection of Believers | Medium | 4:16 | Standard term; must retain “in Christ” qualifier. |
| caught up / rapture | ἁρπάζω (ἁρπαγησόμεθα) / harpazō | उचालिनेछौं | uchalinechhau | The Return of Christ / Resurrection of Believers | High | 4:17 | REJECTED: any phrasing implying a personal spiritual attainment or mystical ascent. Must be distinguished from siddhi-style yogic/tantric levitation or ascension attainments in Nepal’s Newar Tantric tradition. This is a corporate, sovereign, divinely-initiated act done to all believers together, not an individual mystical achievement. |
| Day of the Lord | ἡμέρα κυρίου / hēmera kyriou | प्रभुको दिन | Prabhuko din | The Day of the Lord | High | 5:2,4 (cf. 1:10) | Must not be read through Nepali astrological (jyotiṣa) day-auspiciousness calculation; this is a sovereign day fixed by God alone, both judgment and deliverance. |
| wrath (of God) | ὀργή / orgē | क्रोध | krodh | The Day of the Lord | High | 1:10; 5:9 | Must convey settled, righteous, judicial divine judgment against sin — not the volatile, ritually-appeasable anger of Hindu/Tantric deities (including wrathful protector deities) who can be pacified through offerings apart from Christ. |
| idols | εἴδωλον / eidōlon | मूर्ति | murti | (Conversion / contrast with the living God) | Critical | 1:9 | This names the exact devotional images central to everyday Hindu (mūrti pūjā) and Buddhist practice throughout Nepal. Must be paired with “जीवित र साँचो परमेश्वर” (the living and true God) contrast; teaching material must frame this as Paul’s historical description of the Thessalonians’ own conversion, not a generic attack on Nepali ancestral religion. |
| Satan | σατανᾶς / satanas | शैतान | shaitan | (Spiritual opposition) | High | 2:18; 3:5 | Must be distinguished from Nepal’s broader animistic/folk spirit taxonomy (bhūt-pret, maśān, boksī/witchcraft, Tantric wrathful protector deities) — Satan is one specific, personal, fallen created being, not one negotiable spirit-power among many. |
| love (agapē) | ἀγάπη / agapē | प्रेम | prem | (Underlies Brotherly Love, Sanctification) | High | 1:3; 3:6,12; 4:9; 5:8,13 | Broad standard Nepali term also covering romantic and bhakti-devotional love; must be understood in context as love originating in God’s own character and given, not a cultivated devotional feeling generated through religious practice toward a deity. |
| brotherly love | φιλαδελφία / philadelphia | भाइचारा प्रेम | bhaichara prem | (Sanctification / Fellowship) | Medium | 4:9 | Compound with प्रेम; low collision risk once प्रेम itself is properly framed. |
| word (of God) | λόγος / logos | वचन | vachan | (Inspiration of Scripture, extended) | Medium | 2:13; 4:15 | Must convey God’s personal, authoritative message; distinct from Hindu concepts of śabda/mantra as an impersonal cosmic-sonic force activated through ritual recitation. |
| holiness (state) | ἁγιωσύνη / hagiōsynē | पवित्रता | pavitrata | Sanctification | Medium | 3:13 | Distinct from baseline पवित्रीकरण (the ongoing sanctifying process); पवित्रता names the resulting state/quality. Both share the established पवित्र root; do not use interchangeably where the state/process distinction is pastorally significant. |
| sanctify wholly | ἁγιάσαι…ὁλοτελεῖς / hagiasai holoteleis | पूर्ण रूपमा पवित्र पार्नु | purna rupma pavitra parnu | Sanctification | High | 5:23 | Intensified form of baseline sanctification verb; “wholly/completely” must not be dropped — it is the letter’s sanctification climax. |
| spirit, soul, and body | πνεῦμα, ψυχή, σῶμα / pneuma, psychē, sōma | आत्मा, प्राण, र शरीर | atma, praan, ra sharir | Sanctification | Medium | 5:23 | Must not be read through Hindu/Buddhist tripartite anthropologies tied to transmigration theory (e.g., ātman/jīva distinctions bound up with rebirth); this is a wholeness formula for the whole person preserved until the parousia. |
| sober / watchful | νήφω, γρηγορέω / nēphō, grēgoreō | होसमा रहनु / जागा रहनु | hosma rahanu / jaga rahanu | The Day of the Lord | Medium | 5:6,8,10 | Distinguish from Buddhist mindfulness (sati) practice aimed at inner tranquility through self-effort; this is outward-oriented expectant alertness for a personal Lord’s return. |
| sons of light / darkness | υἱοὶ φωτός / σκότος | ज्योतिका सन्तान / अन्धकार | jyotika santan / andhakar | The Day of the Lord | Medium | 5:4-5 | Ethical-eschatological contrast, not metaphysical light-radiance; keep distinct from baseline’s caution on “glory” and Kathmandu Valley tantric divine-radiance associations. |
| quench the Spirit | σβέννυμι / sbennymi | आत्मालाई निभाउनु | atmalai nibhaunu | Sanctification | Medium | 5:19 | Metaphorical (resisting/suppressing the Spirit’s work); clarify it is not a statement about sacred ritual fire (relevant given the centrality of fire in Hindu havan/yajña ritual). |
| affliction / tribulation | θλῖψις / thlipsis | कष्ट / सताइ | kasht / satai | (Sanctification through suffering) | Medium | 1:6; 3:3-4,7 | Real external persecution, consistent with Nepal’s historical experience of legal restriction on Christian practice. |
| tempter | ὁ πειράζων / ho peirazōn | परीक्षा गर्ने (शैतान) | parikshya garne (shaitan) | (Spiritual opposition) | Medium | 3:5 | Titular use tied to the Satan entry above. |
| holy kiss | ἅγιον φίλημα / hagion philēma | पवित्र अभिवादन | pavitra abhivadan | (Christian Fellowship) | Low-Medium | 5:26 | Cultural-equivalence note: may be explained as today’s warm handshake/embrace among Nepali believers, preserving the “set-apart, family-of-God” sense. |
| imitators | μιμηταί / mimētai | अनुसरण गर्नेहरू | anusaran garneharu | (Discipleship) | Low | 1:6 | Care to avoid guru-disciple lineage connotations; the imitation is of Christlike character, not transmission of secret teaching. |
| vessel / body | σκεῦος / skeuos | आफ्नो शरीर | aafno sharir | Sanctification | Medium | 4:4 | Textual ambiguity (body vs. wife) — this glossary recommends the body-reading (majority modern rendering); alternative to be recorded per Ambiguity Handling protocol. |
| meet the Lord | ἀπάντησις / apantēsis | प्रभुलाई भेट्न जानु | Prabhulai bhetna jaanu | The Return of Christ | Medium | 4:17 | Greco-Roman civic-welcome custom (citizens going out to escort an arriving king); translator note recommended so this is not read as a mere chance meeting. |
| archangel | ἀρχάγγελος / archangelos | प्रधान स्वर्गदूत | pradhan swargadoot | The Return of Christ | Low-Medium | 4:16 | Standard established Nepali Christian angelology term. |
| trumpet of God | σάλπιγξ θεοῦ / salpinx theou | परमेश्वरको तुरही | Parameshwarko turahi | The Return of Christ | Low | 4:16 | Standard instrument term; no cultural collision. |
| cry of command | κέλευσμα / keleusma | आज्ञाको सोर | agyako sor | The Return of Christ | Low | 4:16 | Standard. |
| destruction | ὄλεθρος / olethros | विनाश | vinash | The Day of the Lord | Low | 5:3 | Standard. |
| labor pains (birth pangs) | ὠδίν / ōdin | प्रसव-वेदना | prasav-vedana | The Day of the Lord | Low | 5:3 | Standard metaphor; suddenness/inescapability. |
Doctrine-to-Term Cross-Reference (Full Book Coverage Confirmation)
| Chapter | New Terms Introduced | Baseline Terms Reused | Coverage Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 Thessalonians 1 | μιμηταί, εἴδωλον, ὀργή | gospel, faith, election, holy_spirit, church, father, thanksgiving | Reviewed — new vocabulary present |
| 1 Thessalonians 2 | λόγος τοῦ θεοῦ, κόπος καὶ μόχθος, δόλος, σατανᾶς, παρουσία | gospel, kingdom_of_god, glory, called/calling, holy_spirit, father, thanksgiving | Reviewed — new vocabulary present |
| 1 Thessalonians 3 | στηρίζω, θλῖψις, ὁ πειράζων, ἁγιωσύνη, ἀμέμπτους | faith, holy_spirit, father, saints, glory | Reviewed — new vocabulary present |
| 1 Thessalonians 4:1-12 | πορνεία, σκεῦος, ἐπιθυμία, φιλαδελφία, ἀγάπη, ἡσυχάζειν | sanctification, holy_spirit, gentiles, called/calling | Reviewed — new vocabulary present |
| 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18 (core passage) | κοιμάομαι, ἐλπίς, παρουσία, ἁρπάζω, ἀπάντησις, κέλευσμα, ἀρχάγγελος, σάλπιγξ θεοῦ | faith, resurrection, lord | Full verse-by-verse treatment above |
| 1 Thessalonians 5 | ἡμέρα κυρίου, κλέπτης ἐν νυκτί, υἱοὶ φωτός/σκότος, νήφω, θώραξ/περικεφαλαία, ὄλεθρος, ὠδίν, σβέννυμι, δοκιμάζετε, ἁγιωσύνη ὁλοτελεῖς, πνεῦμα/ψυχή/σῶμα, ἅγιον φίλημα | salvation, peace, faith, holy_spirit, prophecy, called/calling, exhort, grace | Reviewed — new vocabulary present |
No chapter in 1 Thessalonians is without new load-bearing theological vocabulary; every chapter is confirmed reviewed above.
Critical Risk Terms
Resurrection
Approved rendering: पुनरुत्थान
Transliteration: punarutthan
Doctrine: Resurrection of Believers
Rejected alternatives: पुनर्जन्म
Original: ἀνάστασις / ἀνίστημι
Category: Eschatology
Inherited from Romans package, where it named Christ’s own resurrection. 1 Thessalonians 4:14,16 is the FIRST extension of this exact term from Christ alone to ordinary deceased believers (‘the dead in Christ will rise’). The forbidden-substitution rule (never पुनर्जन्म) applies without exception to this extended use; must never suggest rebirth across the six Buddhist realms or the Hindu cycle of transmigration, and must never be softened as a lesser or merely hoped-for event compared to Christ’s own historical resurrection.
Salvation
Approved rendering: उद्धार
Transliteration: uddhar
Doctrine: Hope in Grief
Rejected alternatives: मुक्ति, मोक्ष, निर्वाण
Original: σωτηρία
Category: Salvation
Inherited from Romans package. In 1 Thessalonians 5:8-9, pictured as a ‘helmet of the hope of salvation,’ contrasted with suffering wrath. Dual-front forbidden-substitution rule fully applies: never मुक्ति, मोक्ष, or निर्वाण.
Lord
Approved rendering: प्रभु
Transliteration: prabhu
Doctrine: The Return of Christ
Rejected alternatives: मालिक, ईश्वर
Original: κύριος
Category: Christology
Inherited from Romans package. Emphatic in 4:16, ‘the Lord himself will descend’ (प्रभु आफैं ओर्लनुहुनेछ) — Christ personally, not an angel or intermediary, executes the return.
Jesus
Approved rendering: येशू
Transliteration: Yeshu
Doctrine: The Return of Christ
Original: Ἰησοῦς
Category: Christology
Inherited from Romans package. Established Nepali Christian standard form; used throughout.
God
Approved rendering: परमेश्वर
Transliteration: Parameshwar
Doctrine: Conversion from Idols to the Living God
Rejected alternatives: भगवान
Original: θεός
Category: God
Inherited from Romans package. Explicitly contrasted with idols in 1:9, ‘the living and true God’ (जीवित र साँचो परमेश्वर). Never भगवान.
Holy Spirit
Approved rendering: पवित्र आत्मा
Transliteration: Pavitra Atma
Doctrine: Sanctification
Rejected alternatives: ब्रह्म, परमात्मा
Original: πνεῦμα ἅγιον
Category: God
Inherited from Romans package. Source of joy in affliction (1:6), sanctifying power (4:8), and ongoing activity that must not be ‘quenched’ (5:19). Never ब्रह्म or परमात्मा.
Father
Approved rendering: पिता
Transliteration: Pita
Doctrine: Divine Calling and Election
Original: πατήρ
Category: God
Inherited from Romans package. Invoked in the letter’s opening and in prayer for the church (1:1,3; 3:11,13).
Return Of Christ
Approved rendering: प्रभुको आगमन
Transliteration: Prabhuko aagaman
Doctrine: The Return of Christ
Rejected alternatives: पुनरागमन, अवतार
Original: παρουσία
Category: Eschatology
NEW term for this curriculum, the letter’s single highest-stakes term (2:19; 3:13; 4:15-17; 5:23). REJECTED पुनरागमन (‘re-coming’) because its पुनर् root sits dangerously close to the forbidden पुनर्जन्म (rebirth). REJECTED any अवतार-adjacent phrasing because it would collapse Christ’s unique return into the Hindu expectation of a future Kalki avatar-descent of Vishnu at the end of the current age — a repeatable, cyclical pattern structurally opposite to the once-for-all return of the SAME historical, once-incarnate, once-crucified, once-risen Lord. Always retain the possessive प्रभुको so the term cannot drift into a generic ‘coming.‘
Idols
Approved rendering: मूर्ति
Transliteration: murti
Doctrine: Conversion from Idols to the Living God
Original: εἴδωλα
Category: Sin
NEW term for this curriculum (1:9). Names the exact devotional images central to everyday Hindu mūrti pūjā and Buddhist devotional practice throughout Nepal — not an abstract or distant category, but the audience’s own or their family’s present or former devotional objects. Must always be paired with the contrast ‘जीवित र साँचो परमेश्वर’ (the living and true God) and framed as Paul’s historically situated description of the Thessalonians’ own conversion, never as a generic denunciation of Nepali ancestral or family religious practice.
High Risk Terms
Gospel
Approved rendering: सुसमाचार
Transliteration: susamachar
Doctrine: Gospel Proclamation
Rejected alternatives: खुशखबरी
Original: εὐαγγέλιον
Category: Salvation
Inherited from Romans package. In 1 Thessalonians repeatedly tied to Paul’s own apostolic labor (1:5; 2:2,4,8-9,13) and the church’s founding conversion (1:5-6). Must convey authoritative proclamation, not persuasive rhetoric alone (2:13: ‘not as the word of men’).
Grace
Approved rendering: अनुग्रह
Transliteration: anugraha
Doctrine: Grace
Rejected alternatives: कृपा, पुण्य, भाग्य
Original: χάρις
Category: Salvation
Inherited from Romans package. Occurs in the epistolary greeting and benediction (1:1; 5:28). No new doctrinal content introduced by this curriculum; retained for consistency.
Faith
Approved rendering: विश्वास
Transliteration: vishwas
Doctrine: Faith
Rejected alternatives: श्रद्धा, भक्ति
Original: πίστις
Category: Faith
Inherited from Romans package. Established through Timothy’s mission (3:2,5-10) and paired with love as the believer’s ‘breastplate’ of eschatological readiness (5:8).
Holy
Approved rendering: पवित्र
Transliteration: pavitra
Doctrine: Sanctification
Rejected alternatives: शुद्ध
Original: ἅγιος
Category: Sanctification
Inherited from Romans package. Root sense underlying holiness, sanctification, and saints throughout the letter; avoid ritual-purity-only readings.
Saints
Approved rendering: पवित्र जन
Transliteration: pavitra jan
Doctrine: Sainthood (Called to be Holy)
Rejected alternatives: सन्त, साधु
Original: ἅγιοι
Category: Church
Inherited from Romans package. Used at 3:13, ‘with all his saints’ at Christ’s coming — corporate designation for every believer, never an ascetic elite (guard against sadhu/saint associations visible at Pashupatinath and other national shrines).
Sanctification
Approved rendering: पवित्रीकरण
Transliteration: pavitrikaran
Doctrine: Sanctification
Rejected alternatives: शुद्धीकरण
Original: ἁγιασμός
Category: Sanctification
Inherited from Romans package. Central doctrine of this curriculum, applied specifically to sexual purity (4:3-4,7) and consummated ‘wholly’ at Christ’s coming (5:23). MUST be kept distinct from the new term पवित्रता (holiness as settled state, ἁγιωσύνη, 3:13) — process vs. state, not free variants.
Called
Approved rendering: बोलाइएका
Transliteration: bolaieka
Doctrine: Divine Calling and Election
Rejected alternatives: निमन्त्रित
Original: κλητός / καλέω
Category: Salvation
Inherited from Romans package. In 1 Thessalonians: called to God’s own kingdom and glory (2:12) and to holiness, not impurity (4:7).
Calling
Approved rendering: बोलावट
Transliteration: bolawat
Doctrine: Divine Calling and Election
Original: κλῆσις
Category: Salvation
Inherited from Romans package. Noun form underlying the assurance of 5:24, ‘faithful is he who calls you.‘
Election
Approved rendering: परमेश्वरको छनोट
Transliteration: Parameshwarko chhanot
Doctrine: Divine Calling and Election
Rejected alternatives: भाग्य, किस्मत
Original: ἐκλογή
Category: Salvation
Inherited from Romans package. Used at 1:4, ‘your election by him.’ Never karma-determined fate.
Glory
Approved rendering: महिमा
Transliteration: mahima
Doctrine: Divine Calling and Election
Rejected alternatives: तेज
Original: δόξα
Category: God
Inherited from Romans package. Believers are called into God’s ‘kingdom and glory’ (2:12); Paul’s converts are his ‘crown of boasting… glory’ (2:20). Avoid light-metaphor terms that could conflate with Kathmandu Valley tantric divine-radiance associations.
Providence
Approved rendering: परमेश्वरको व्यवस्थापन
Transliteration: Parameshwarko vyavasthapan
Doctrine: Providence and the Faithfulness of God’s Calling
Rejected alternatives: भाग्य, कर्मको नियम
Original: πιστὸς ὁ καλῶν (cf. Romans’ πρόνοια concept)
Category: God
Inherited from Romans package. Underlies 5:24, ‘he who calls you is faithful’ — God’s personal, purposive faithfulness to complete his own sanctifying work, never भाग्य or the impersonal law of karma.
Hope
Approved rendering: आशा
Transliteration: asha
Doctrine: Hope in Grief
Original: ἐλπίς
Category: Eschatology
NEW term for this curriculum. Used at 4:13,18 and 5:8. Must always be textually anchored to Christ’s own historical resurrection (4:14) in any teaching context; never left as a free-floating emotional term that Nepali grief-consolation speech could fill with rebirth-hope (Hindu) or eventual-liberation-across-lifetimes hope (Buddhist). Paul’s contrast in 4:13 is hope-quality, not the presence or absence of grief itself — grief is permitted, hopeless grief is not.
Fallen Asleep
Approved rendering: निदाएका
Transliteration: nidaeka
Doctrine: Resurrection of Believers
Rejected alternatives: मरेका (literal ‘died’)
Original: κοιμάομαι
Category: Eschatology
NEW term for this curriculum (4:13,14,15). Deliberate biblical euphemism for the death of believers as temporary rest awaiting bodily resurrection — must not be flattened to literal ‘died,’ losing the resurrection-hope embedded in the euphemism itself. Must NEVER be assimilated to the Tibetan Buddhist bardo, the intermediate consciousness-state between death and rebirth held as a live doctrinal category by Nepal’s Himalayan Buddhist-heritage communities. Every occurrence must appear near the resurrection promise (4:14,16) so ‘sleep’ reads as rest pointing to one future bodily waking, not a transitional state pointing toward rebirth.
Caught Up
Approved rendering: उचालिनेछौं
Transliteration: uchalinechhau
Doctrine: The Return of Christ
Original: ἁρπάζω (ἁρπαγησόμεθα)
Category: Eschatology
NEW term for this curriculum (4:17); origin of the theological term ‘rapture.’ Passive voice: an act done TO believers by God’s sovereign power, never a spiritual attainment. Must be distinguished from siddhi-style yogic/tantric levitation or ascension attainments in Nepal’s Newar Tantric tradition. Corporate and universal among all believers together, never an individual mystical achievement — the passive grammatical form must be retained without exception.
Day Of The Lord
Approved rendering: प्रभुको दिन
Transliteration: Prabhuko din
Doctrine: The Day of the Lord
Original: ἡμέρα κυρίου
Category: Eschatology
NEW term for this curriculum (5:2,4; cf. 1:10). Must not be read through Nepali astrological (jyotiṣa) day-auspiciousness calculation (साइत, शुभ/अशुभ दिन via panchāng) or the Hindu yuga-cycle transition. A sovereign day fixed by God alone, arriving suddenly (‘thief in the night,’ ‘labor pains’) and bringing both judgment and deliverance simultaneously. Rely on the text’s own suddenness-imagery as the primary fence; avoid calendrical framing in supplementary material.
Wrath
Approved rendering: क्रोध
Transliteration: krodh
Doctrine: The Wrath of God
Original: ὀργή
Category: God
NEW term for this curriculum (1:10; 5:9). Must convey God’s settled, righteous, judicial response to sin, from which Christ alone delivers — never the volatile, ritually-appeasable anger of Hindu/Tantric deities (including wrathful protector deities in Newar practice) pacified through offerings, mantra, or ritual substitution apart from Christ. Always pair with the surrounding deliverance clause in teaching material.
Satan
Approved rendering: शैतान
Transliteration: shaitan
Doctrine: Spiritual Opposition (Satan)
Original: σατανᾶς
Category: Spiritual Opposition
NEW term for this curriculum (2:18; 3:5). Established loanword across Nepali religious and everyday register; deliberately NOT paraphrased, since paraphrasing risks pulling the concept into the native bhūt-pret/masān/boksī spirit taxonomy. Must be presented as one specific, personal, fallen, defeated created being, God’s singular chief adversary — never one negotiable spirit-power among many that can be ritually placated.
Love
Approved rendering: प्रेम
Transliteration: prem
Doctrine: Brotherly Love
Original: ἀγάπη
Category: Sanctification
NEW term for this curriculum (1:3; 3:6,12; 4:9; 5:8,13). प्रेम is the broad standard Nepali word also covering romantic and bhakti-devotional love toward a chosen deity. In this letter it must be grammatically and contextually tied to its divine origin (‘taught by God,’ 4:9), not presented as a devotional feeling the worshiper cultivates through religious practice or merit.
Sanctify Wholly
Approved rendering: पूर्ण रूपमा पवित्र पार्नु
Transliteration: purna rupma pavitra parnu
Doctrine: Sanctification
Original: ἁγιάσαι ὁλοτελεῖς
Category: Sanctification
NEW term for this curriculum (5:23, ἁγιάσαι…ὁλοτελεῖς). The letter’s capstone sanctification prayer, intensified with ‘wholly/completely.’ The पूर्ण रूपमा element must never be dropped for stylistic economy — it is the theological climax of the letter’s sanctification argument.
Medium Risk Terms
Church
Approved rendering: मण्डली
Transliteration: mandali
Doctrine: Church as God’s People
Rejected alternatives: मन्दिर, गुम्बा
Original: ἐκκλησία
Category: Church
Inherited from Romans package. Addressed in the letter’s opening as the corporate congregation at Thessalonica (1:1); never a building or ritual institution.
Peace
Approved rendering: शान्ति
Transliteration: shanti
Doctrine: Sanctification
Rejected alternatives: सुख
Original: εἰρήνη
Category: Salvation
Inherited from Romans package. IMPORTANT context-sensitivity note specific to this letter: the same word शान्ति must carry TWO CONTRASTED senses within a single letter — the false, ironic security of the ungodly (‘peace and safety,’ 5:3, immediately followed by sudden destruction) versus the true covenantal peace of ‘the God of peace himself’ (5:23). Translators must not flatten this contrast; supplementary teaching material should make the irony of 5:3 explicit.
Kingdom Of God
Approved rendering: परमेश्वरको राज्य
Transliteration: Parameshwarko Rajya
Doctrine: Divine Calling and Election
Original: βασιλεία
Category: Kingdom
Inherited from Romans package. Used at 2:12, ‘his own kingdom and glory.’ Not a royal court metaphor or political/dynastic kingdom.
Gentiles
Approved rendering: अन्यजाति
Transliteration: anyajati
Doctrine: Sexual Purity and Holiness
Rejected alternatives: विदेशी
Original: ἔθνη
Category: Church
Inherited from Romans package. Used at 4:5, contrasting Gentiles ‘who do not know God’ with sanctified believers.
Dead In Christ
Approved rendering: ख्रीष्टमा भएका मृतकहरू
Transliteration: Khristma bhaeka mritakharu
Doctrine: Resurrection of Believers
Original: οἱ νεκροὶ ἐν Χριστῷ
Category: Eschatology
NEW term for this curriculum (4:16). The qualifier ‘in Christ’ (ख्रीष्टमा) must never be dropped — this is resurrection tied to union with Christ, not a generic or universal-by-nature resurrection of all the dead.
Brotherly Love
Approved rendering: भाइचारा प्रेम
Transliteration: bhaichara prem
Doctrine: Brotherly Love
Original: φιλαδελφία
Category: Sanctification
NEW term for this curriculum (4:9). Compound built on प्रेम; low collision risk once प्रेम itself is properly framed as God-given rather than self-cultivated.
Word Of God
Approved rendering: परमेश्वरको वचन
Transliteration: Parameshwarko vachan
Doctrine: Inspiration and Authority of the Word of God
Original: λόγος τοῦ θεοῦ
Category: Covenant
NEW term for this curriculum (2:13; 4:15). The apostolic message received ‘not as the word of men but… the word of God, which is at work in you’ and Paul’s teaching ‘by a word from the Lord.’ वचन must convey God’s personal, authoritative communication to specific people at a specific point in history, distinct from Hindu concepts of śabda/mantra as an impersonal cosmic-sonic power activated through correct ritual recitation, and from the Buddhist sutra tradition valued primarily for instrumental insight-producing power.
Holiness State
Approved rendering: पवित्रता
Transliteration: pavitrata
Doctrine: Sanctification
Original: ἁγιωσύνη
Category: Sanctification
NEW term for this curriculum (3:13, ἁγιωσύνη). Names holiness as a settled state/quality achieved at Christ’s coming, distinct from the ongoing process-noun पवित्रीकरण (ἁγιασμός). This is a fixed convention, not a stylistic option: do not use पवित्रता and पवित्रीकरण interchangeably where the state/process distinction is pastorally significant.
Spirit Soul Body
Approved rendering: आत्मा, प्राण, र शरीर
Transliteration: atma, praan, ra sharir
Doctrine: Sanctification
Original: πνεῦμα, ψυχή, σῶμα
Category: Sanctification
NEW term for this curriculum (5:23). A wholeness formula — the whole person, in every dimension, preserved blameless until Christ’s coming — not a metaphysical component-map. Must not be explained through Hindu/Buddhist tripartite anthropologies bound to transmigration theory (e.g., ātman/jīva distinctions). Avoid analytically explaining each term’s separate ‘nature’ in teaching material, which could invite a transmigration-compatible reading.
Sober Watchful
Approved rendering: होसमा रहनु
Transliteration: hosma rahanu
Doctrine: Watchfulness and Sobriety
Original: νήφω, γρηγορέω
Category: Eschatology
NEW term for this curriculum (5:6,8,10, νήφω/γρηγορέω). Outward-oriented, expectant alertness for a personal Lord’s sudden return. Distinguish from Buddhist mindfulness (sati) practice aimed at inner tranquility or insight achieved through self-effort and meditative discipline.
Sons Of Light Darkness
Approved rendering: ज्योतिका सन्तान
Transliteration: jyotika santan
Doctrine: The Day of the Lord
Original: υἱοὶ φωτός / σκότος
Category: Eschatology
NEW term for this curriculum (5:4-5). An ethical-eschatological identity contrast with unbelieving darkness, not a metaphysical light-radiance claim; keep distinct from the caution already established around महिमा (glory) and Kathmandu Valley tantric divine-radiance associations.
Quench The Spirit
Approved rendering: आत्मालाई निभाउनु
Transliteration: atmalai nibhaunu
Doctrine: Quenching the Spirit
Original: σβέννυμι
Category: Sanctification
NEW term for this curriculum (5:19). Purely metaphorical language for resisting or suppressing the Holy Spirit’s ongoing work; must be clarified in teaching material as non-literal, distinct from the centrality of sacred ritual fire in Hindu havan/yajña practice, so readers do not process this as a statement about physical fire.
Affliction
Approved rendering: कष्ट
Transliteration: kasht
Doctrine: Affliction and Perseverance
Original: θλῖψις
Category: Suffering
NEW term for this curriculum (1:6; 3:3-4,7). Must convey real, external persecution consistent with Nepal’s own historical experience of legal restriction on Christian practice, not merely generalized inner distress, dukkha/suffering as in Buddhist teaching, or karma-consequence suffering as in Hindu teaching.
Tempter
Approved rendering: परीक्षा गर्ने
Transliteration: parikshya garne
Doctrine: Spiritual Opposition (Satan)
Original: ὁ πειράζων
Category: Spiritual Opposition
NEW term for this curriculum (3:5). A participial title for Satan; titular use tied directly to the शैतान entry — reuse the same forbidden-substitution caution regarding negotiable folk spirit-power categories.
Vessel Body
Approved rendering: आफ्नो शरीर
Transliteration: aafno sharir
Doctrine: Sexual Purity and Holiness
Original: σκεῦος
Category: Sanctification
NEW term for this curriculum (4:4, σκεῦος). Textual ambiguity flagged: majority modern reading is ‘body,’ minority reading is ‘wife.’ This term adopts the body-reading; the alternative must be recorded per the Ambiguity Handling protocol in 12_ai_translation_requirements.md.
Meet The Lord
Approved rendering: प्रभुलाई भेट्न जानु
Transliteration: Prabhulai bhetna jaanu
Doctrine: The Return of Christ
Original: ἀπάντησις
Category: Eschatology
NEW term for this curriculum (4:17, ἀπάντησις). A semi-technical Hellenistic term for citizens formally processing out to escort an arriving king or dignitary back into the city. Nepali has no equivalent civic ritual; a mandatory translator’s note is required so this is not read as a mere chance encounter but a triumphal welcome and escort.
Low Risk Terms
Thanksgiving
Approved rendering: धन्यवाद
Transliteration: dhanyavad
Doctrine: Christian Fellowship
Original: εὐχαριστία / εὐχαριστέω
Category: Faith
Inherited from Romans package. Recurs throughout Paul’s prayers for the church (1:2; 5:18).
Exhort
Approved rendering: उत्साहित पार्नु
Transliteration: utsahit parnu
Doctrine: Christian Fellowship
Original: παρακαλέω
Category: Faith
Inherited from Romans package. The ‘comfort/build up’ sense (not ‘beseech’) applies throughout this letter’s use, given the grief context of 4:13-18, and recurs at 5:11,14.
Prophecy
Approved rendering: अगमवाणी
Transliteration: agamavani
Doctrine: Discernment of Prophecy
Original: προφητεία
Category: Covenant
Inherited from Romans package. Used at 5:20-21, ‘do not despise prophecies… test everything.’ Distinct from astrological or fortune-telling prediction.
Holy Kiss
Approved rendering: पवित्र अभिवादन
Transliteration: pavitra abhivadan
Doctrine: Holy Greeting Practice (Holy Kiss)
Original: ἅγιον φίλημα
Category: Church
NEW term for this curriculum (5:26). A customary greeting of set-apart, family-of-God affection among early believers. Cultural-equivalence note recommended: may be explained as today’s warm handshake or embrace among Nepali believers, preserving the ‘set apart, family-of-God’ sense rather than requiring the literal physical form.
Imitators
Approved rendering: अनुसरण गर्नेहरू
Transliteration: anusaran garneharu
Doctrine: Christ-Centered Ministry Integrity
Original: μιμηταί
Category: Discipleship
NEW term for this curriculum (1:6). Care to avoid guru-disciple lineage connotations common in Hindu/Buddhist spiritual formation; the imitation in view is of Christlike character, not transmission of secret teaching.
Archangel
Approved rendering: प्रधान स्वर्गदूत
Transliteration: pradhan swargadoot
Doctrine: The Return of Christ
Original: ἀρχάγγελος
Category: Eschatology
NEW term for this curriculum (4:16). Standard established Nepali Christian angelology compound; no cultural collision.
Trumpet Of God
Approved rendering: परमेश्वरको तुरही
Transliteration: Parameshwarko turahi
Doctrine: The Return of Christ
Original: σάλπιγξ θεοῦ
Category: Eschatology
NEW term for this curriculum (4:16). Standard instrument term echoing Old Testament theophany imagery; no cultural collision.
Cry Of Command
Approved rendering: आज्ञाको सोर
Transliteration: agyako sor
Doctrine: The Return of Christ
Original: κέλευσμα
Category: Eschatology
NEW term for this curriculum (4:16). Depicts a commanding, sovereign, non-negotiable act; standard rendering.
Destruction
Approved rendering: विनाश
Transliteration: vinash
Doctrine: The Day of the Lord
Original: ὄλεθρος
Category: Eschatology
NEW term for this curriculum (5:3). Sudden ruin falling on those who say ‘peace and safety.’ Standard term.
Labor Pains
Approved rendering: प्रसव-वेदना
Transliteration: prasav-vedana
Doctrine: The Day of the Lord
Original: ὠδίν
Category: Eschatology
NEW term for this curriculum (5:3). Birth-pang imagery for the suddenness and inescapability of the Day of the Lord; standard metaphor, transfers naturally.
Referenced passages