Core Glossary
Core Glossary — Colossians (English–Greek–Nepali)
This glossary consolidates every load-bearing term identified in 07_semantic_analysis.md, organized by doctrine category matching the curriculum’s eight core doctrines plus a cross-cutting category of terms reused directly from the baseline Romans translation_memory.json. Baseline terms must be reused exactly as recorded; they are not re-derived here. New terms are proposed for confirmation and promotion into an extended translation memory in a later Phase 1 step.
Risk tiers follow the baseline’s definitions exactly:
- Critical — mistranslation destroys/alters essential doctrine; human theologian review required for every occurrence.
- High — significant theological confusion/syncretism risk; human theologian review required.
- Medium — reduces clarity but preserves essential meaning; native speaker review recommended.
- Low — minor imprecision; automated review sufficient.
A. Cross-Cutting Terms Reused Exactly from Baseline (Romans Translation Memory)
| English Term | Greek | Nepali Term | Risk (baseline) | Colossians Occurrences | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gospel | εὐαγγέλιον | सुसमाचार | High | 1:5, 1:23, 1:28 | Reused — no change |
| Grace | χάρις | अनुग्रह | High | 1:2, 1:6, 3:13(root), 4:6, 4:18 | Reused — no change |
| Faith | πίστις | विश्वास | High | 1:4, 1:23, 2:5, 2:7, 2:12 | Reused — no change |
| Holy | ἅγιος | पवित्र | High | 1:22, 3:12 | Reused — no change |
| Saints | ἅγιοι | पवित्र जन | High | 1:2, 1:4, 1:12, 1:26, 3:12 | Reused — no change |
| Church | ἐκκλησία | मण्डली | Medium | 1:18, 1:24, 4:15, 4:16 | Reused — no change |
| Kingdom of God / of the Son | βασιλεία (τοῦ υἱοῦ) | परमेश्वरको राज्य | Medium | 1:13, 4:11 | Reused, adapted to “kingdom of his beloved Son” |
| Sin | ἁμαρτία | पाप | High | 1:14 | Reused — no change |
| Gentiles | ἔθνη | अन्यजाति | Medium | 1:27 | Reused — no change |
| Glory | δόξα | महिमा | High | 1:11, 1:27, 3:4 | Reused — no change |
| Lord | κύριος | प्रभु | Critical | 1:10, 3:13, 3:17, 3:18, 3:20, 3:22–24, 4:1, 4:7, 4:17 | Reused — no change |
| Jesus | Ἰησοῦς | येशू | Critical | throughout | Reused — no change |
| Christ | Χριστός | ख्रीष्ट | Critical | throughout | Reused — no change |
| God | θεός | परमेश्वर | Critical | throughout | Reused — no change; never भगवान |
| Holy Spirit / Spirit | πνεῦμα (ἅγιον) | पवित्र आत्मा | Critical | 1:8 | Reused — no change |
| Father | πατήρ | पिता | Critical | 1:2, 1:3, 1:12, 3:17 | Reused — no change |
| Apostle | ἀπόστολος | प्रेरित | Medium | 1:1 | Reused — no change |
| Thanksgiving | εὐχαριστία / εὐχαριστέω | धन्यवाद | Low | 1:3, 1:12, 2:7, 3:15, 3:17, 4:2 | Reused — no change |
| Power of God | δύναμις | सामर्थ्य | High | 1:11, 1:29 | Reused — never शक्ति |
| Called / Calling | κλῆσις / ἐκλήθητε | बोलाइएका / बोलावट | High | 3:15 | Reused — no change |
| Peace | εἰρήνη | शान्ति | Medium (elevated to High in 1:20 context) | 1:2, 1:20, 3:15 | Reused — no change |
| Resurrection (raised with Christ) | ἀνάστασις / συνεγείρω | पुनरुत्थान | Critical | 1:18, 2:12, 3:1 | Reused — never पुनर्जन्म |
| Exhort/admonish | παρακαλέω / νουθετέω | उत्साहित पार्नु (context-sensitive) | Low | 1:28, 4:8 | Reused — no change |
B. Doctrine 1 — Supremacy and Sufficiency of Christ over Creation
| English Term | Greek (translit.) | Nepali Rendering | Risk | Key Passage | Rationale |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Image (of God) | εἰκών (eikōn) | स्वरूप | Critical | 1:15, 3:10 | प्रतिमा rejected — collides with murti/idol-image vocabulary used for Hindu/Buddhist temple images nationwide. |
| Firstborn (of creation) | πρωτότοκος (prōtotokos) | जेठो/सृष्टिभन्दा माथि जेठो हक | Critical | 1:15 | Must convey rank/inheritance-right, not birth-order-in-time, to avoid an Arian/subordinationist reading. |
| Firstborn from the dead | πρωτότοκος ἐκ τῶν νεκρῶν | मृतकहरूबाट जेठो/प्रथम | Critical | 1:18 | Must not be read through the lens of rebirth-cycle or tulku recognized-reincarnation frameworks. |
| Thrones / Dominions / Rulers / Authorities | θρόνοι / κυριότητες / ἀρχαί / ἐξουσίαι | सिंहासनहरू / प्रभुत्वहरू / अधिपतिहरू / अधिकारहरू | Critical | 1:16 | Parallels Nepal’s living spirit-hierarchy (village देवता, नाग, भूत-प्रेत); must affirm subordination to Christ, not independent power. |
| All things created in/through/for him | τὰ πάντα…ἐν αὐτῷ…δι’ αὐτοῦ…εἰς αὐτόν | सबै थोक उहाँमा/उहाँद्वारा/उहाँको निम्ति सृजना भयो | High | 1:16 | Consistency across all four occurrences (vv.16–20) is essential. |
| Holds together / sustains | συνέστηκεν (synestēken) | अडिरहेको छ / टिकिरहेको छ | Critical | 1:17 | Displaces impersonal cosmic-order concepts (ऋत/धर्म; प्रतीत्यसमुत्पाद) with a personal sustaining Christ. |
| Preeminence | πρωτεύων (prōteuōn) | सर्वोच्चता / सबैमा प्रधान | High | 1:18 | Must not be softened to mere “importance.” |
| Fullness | πλήρωμα (plērōma) | पूर्णता | Critical | 1:19, 2:9 | Guards against a distributed/emanationist reading paralleling multi-devata divine-presence frameworks. |
| Deity / Godhead | θεότης (theotēs) | ईश्वरत्व | Critical | 2:9 | Full essential divine nature, not mere “divine quality” or godliness. |
| Bodily | σωματικῶς (sōmatikōs) | शारीरिक रूपमा / देहमा | Critical | 2:9 | Permanent physical indwelling, not a temporary avatar-style or oracular (Kumari-style) manifestation. |
C. Doctrine 2 — Christ as Head of the Church
| English Term | Greek | Nepali Rendering | Risk | Key Passage | Rationale |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Head | κεφαλή (kephalē) | शिर | Medium | 1:18, 2:19 | Organic life-source and authority, not merely an appointed leader. |
| Body (of Christ / the church) | σῶμα (sōma) | शरीर / देह | Medium | 1:18, 1:24, 2:19, 3:15 | Paired consistently with मण्डली (baseline church term). |
| Beginning / source | ἀρχή (archē) | सुरुवात / मूल स्रोत | Medium | 1:18 | Deliberate wordplay with ἀρχαί (rulers) in 1:16 — Christ is ἀρχή over the ἀρχαί. |
| Growth from God | αὔξησις τοῦ θεοῦ | परमेश्वरबाटको वृद्धि | Medium | 2:19 | The body’s growth is God-given, not self-generated through technique. |
D. Doctrine 3 — Reconciliation through the Cross
| English Term | Greek | Nepali Rendering | Risk | Key Passage | Rationale |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Reconcile / Reconciliation | ἀποκαταλλάσσω (apokatallassō) | मिलाप / मेलमिलाप | Critical | 1:20, 1:22 | Must not evoke ritual appeasement (puja/shraddha/sacrifice to satisfy an angry deity or ancestor); God is the reconciling agent, the cross the sole means. |
| Enemies / hostile | ἐχθρός (echthros) | बैरी / शत्रु | Medium | 1:21 | Former relational hostility, now ended. |
| Blameless / unaccused | ἄμωμος / ἀνέγκλητος | दोषरहित / निर्दोष | High | 1:22 | Forensic-moral completeness, not ritual purity (शुद्ध). |
| Blood of his cross | αἷμα τοῦ σταυροῦ αὐτοῦ | उहाँको क्रूसको रगत | High | 1:20 | Unique, final, sufficient sacrifice — not one offering among many in a sacrificial economy. |
| Made peace | εἰρηνοποιήσας (eirēnopoiēsas) | शान्ति बनाउनुभएर | High | 1:20 | Must remain grammatically tied to “through the blood of the cross.” |
E. Doctrine 4 — Warning against False Teaching and Syncretism
| English Term | Greek | Nepali Rendering | Risk | Key Passage | Rationale |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mystery | μυστήριον (mystērion) | रहस्य | Critical | 1:26, 1:27, 2:2, 4:3 | Openly revealed divine plan, opposite of Tantric/Vajrayana initiation-restricted secret teaching. |
| Philosophy | φιλοσοφία (philosophia) | दर्शनशास्त्र / तत्वज्ञान | High | 2:8 | A specific deceptive system, not a blanket condemnation of Nepal’s respected philosophical traditions (darshan schools, Buddhist Abhidharma). |
| Empty deceit | κενὴ ἀπάτη | खोक्रो छलकपट | Medium | 2:8 | Qualifies “philosophy” — scope-limiting. |
| Tradition of men | παράδοσις τῶν ἀνθρώπων | मानिसको परम्परा | Medium | 2:8 | Sensitive for converts from family/community ritual (janai, tika, shraddha); scope must stay narrow. |
| Elemental spirits of the world | στοιχεῖα τοῦ κόσμου | संसारका आदितत्वहरू | Critical | 2:8, 2:20 | Parallels active nature-spirit/नाग/भूमि-देवता appeasement by jhākri shamans; must be taught as defeated, subordinate powers. |
| Circumcision | περιτομή (peritomē) | खतना | High | 2:11 | Requires explanatory footnote; doctrinally reinforces standing before God apart from any external rite. |
| Certificate/record of debt | χειρόγραφον (cheirographon) | ऋणपत्र / लिखत | Critical | 2:14 | Must be sharply distinguished from an accumulating, multi-lifetime karmic ledger; this debt is fully and permanently cancelled once. |
| Disarmed (the powers) | ἀπεκδυσάμενος | निशस्त्र पार्नुभयो | High | 2:15 | Reinforces defeated-power theme against spirit-fear frameworks. |
| Triumphed over | θριαμβεύω (thriambeuō) | सार्वजनिक रूपमा जिताउनु | Medium | 2:15 | Roman triumphal-procession image requires explanatory note. |
| Festival / new moon / sabbath | ἑορτή / νουμηνία / σάββατον | चाडपर्व / औंसी / शबथ | Low-Medium | 2:16 | Jewish calendar categories foreign to Nepali readers; footnote required. |
| Shadow vs. reality | σκιά / σῶμα | छाया / यथार्थ | Medium | 2:17 | Old covenant ceremony anticipates, Christ fulfills. |
| False humility | ταπεινοφροσύνη (negative use) | (झूटो) नम्रता | High | 2:18, 2:23 | Must be contrasted explicitly with the positive use of the same word at 3:12. |
| Worship of angels | θρησκεία τῶν ἀγγέλων | स्वर्गदूतहरूको पूजा | Critical | 2:18 | Directly confronts Nepal’s living devotional landscape of spirit/ancestor/intermediary veneration; reserve आराधना for legitimate worship of God/Christ, पूजा for the condemned practice. |
| Taking a stand on (visions) | ἐμβατεύω (embateuō) | दर्शन/अनुभवमा अडिनु | Medium | 2:18 | Obscure term; flag for theologian review regardless of final wording. |
| Self-made religion | ἐθελοθρησκία (ethelothrēskia) | स्वनिर्मित धर्म-पालना | Critical | 2:23 | Extremely sensitive given baseline’s Critical ruling on धर्म; must clearly target human-devised religious practice without reopening caste-code associations. |
| Severity to the body / asceticism | ἀφειδία σώματος | शरीरलाई कष्ट दिने अभ्यास | Critical | 2:23 | Direct collision with sadhu ascetic tradition (Pashupatinath) and Buddhist ascetic practice; requires non-dismissive, careful framing. |
| Idolatry | εἰδωλολατρία (eidōlolatria) | मूर्तिपूजा | Critical | 3:5 | Standard term, but doctrinally central given historic Hindu-Kingdom identity; covetousness is explicitly equated with idolatry — force must land. |
F. Doctrine 5 — Union with Christ (Died and Raised With Him)
| English Term | Greek | Nepali Rendering | Risk | Key Passage | Rationale |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Buried with him | συνθάπτω (synthaptō) | ख्रीष्टसँगै गाडिएका | Critical | 2:12 | Positional, one-time union with Christ’s death, in baptism. |
| Raised with him | συνεγείρω (synegeirō) | ख्रीष्टसँगै उठाइएका (पुनरुत्थान root) | Critical | 2:12, 3:1 | Never रebirth-cycle vocabulary; one-time positional union with Christ’s own unique resurrection. |
| Dead in trespasses | νεκρὸς τοῖς παραπτώμασιν | अपराधहरूमा मृत | Medium | 2:13 | Prior condition, reversed by union with Christ. |
| Hidden with Christ in God | κέκρυπται σὺν τῷ Χριστῷ ἐν τῷ θεῷ | ख्रीष्टसँगै परमेश्वरमा लुकिराखिएको | Medium | 3:3 | Present secure hiddenness, awaiting future glory. |
G. Doctrine 6 — Putting Off the Old Self and Putting On the New
| English Term | Greek | Nepali Rendering | Risk | Key Passage | Rationale |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Old self / old man | παλαιὸς ἄνθρωπος | पुरानो स्वभाव | Critical | 3:9 | Not a reincarnation-cycle shedding of identity, nor sannyasa-style late-life renunciation; a decisive, one-time, Christ-grounded moral break. |
| New self / new man | νέος / καινὸς ἄνθρωπος | नयाँ स्वभाव | Critical | 3:10 | Positive counterpart; ongoing renewal patterned on the Creator’s image (स्वरूप). |
| Put off (like a garment) | ἀπεκδύομαι (apekdyomai) | फुकाल्नु / त्याग्नु | High | 3:9 | Clothing metaphor translates naturally in Nepali; doctrinal weight is Critical. |
| Put on (like a garment) | ἐνδύω (endyō) | धारण गर्नु / लगाउनु | High | 3:10, 3:12 | Same clothing metaphor, positive act. |
| Renewed | ἀνακαινούμενον (anakainoumenon) | नयाँ बनाइँदै | Medium | 3:10 | Ongoing, God-driven process. |
| Compassion / kindness / gentleness / patience | σπλάγχνα οἰκτιρμοῦ, χρηστότης, πραΰτης, μακροθυμία | दयालु हृदय, भलाई, नरमता, धीरज | Medium | 3:12 | The positive virtue-content of the “new self.” |
| Bond of completeness | σύνδεσμος τῆς τελειότητος | पूर्णताको बन्धन | Medium | 3:14 | Love as the unifying virtue; echoes πλήρωμα-family vocabulary. |
H. Doctrine 7 — Household Codes
| English Term | Greek | Nepali Rendering | Risk | Key Passage | Rationale |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No distinction (Greek/Jew/circumcision/barbarian/Scythian/slave/free) | Ἕλλην, Ἰουδαῖος, περιτομή, ἀκροβυστία, βάρβαρος, Σκύθης, δοῦλος, ἐλεύθερος | युनानी, यहूदी, खतना, बेखतना, वर्बर, स्कूथी, दास, स्वतन्त्र | High | 3:11 | Directly parallels baseline’s caste-collision concern (Muluki Ain, abolished 1963); no social category has bearing on standing in Christ. |
| Wives submit to husbands | ὑποτάσσω (hypotassō) | पत्नीहरू, पतिको अधीनमा रहनु | High | 3:18 | Must be taught paired with husbands’ sacrificial-love command and 3:11’s hierarchy-flattening; sensitive given patriarchal norms, but not to be omitted. |
| Husbands love wives | ἀγαπάω (agapaō) | पतिहरू, पत्नीलाई प्रेम गर | Medium | 3:19 | Correlative, weightier command restraining harshness. |
| Children obey parents | ὑπακούω (hypakouō) | नानीहरू, आमाबाबुको आज्ञा पालन गर | Medium | 3:20 | Qualified as “well-pleasing to the Lord.” |
| Fathers, do not provoke | μὴ ἐρεθίζετε | बाबुहरू, निरुत्साहित नगर | Low-Medium | 3:21 | Restrains paternal harshness. |
| Slaves/bondservants obey masters | δοῦλοι ὑπακούετε…κυρίοις | दास/नोकरहरू, मालिकको आज्ञा पालन गर | Critical | 3:22 | See full rationale in 07_semantic_analysis.md; requires mandatory human theologian review given Nepal’s Kamaiya (2002) and Haliya (2008) bonded-labor abolitions and the Muluki Ain’s caste-servitude history. |
| Serving the Lord Christ | τῷ Κυρίῳ Χριστῷ δουλεύετε | प्रभु ख्रीष्टको सेवा गर | High | 3:24 | Redirects ultimate accountability from human master to Christ. |
| Reward of the inheritance | ἀνταπόδοσις τῆς κληρονομίας | उत्तराधिकारको इनाम | High | 3:24 | Counters both Roman slave-law and Nepali caste-linked inheritance exclusion; a socially lowest person is promised full inheritance. |
| No partiality | προσωπολημψία οὐκ ἔστιν | पक्षपात छैन | High | 3:25 | Directly relevant given caste-based favoritism formerly codified in Nepali law. |
| Masters: justice and fairness | τὸ δίκαιον καὶ ἡ ἰσότης | न्याय र समानता | Critical | 4:1 | Genuinely subversive equality-claim; न्याय kept distinct from धार्मिकता’s root to avoid reopening baseline’s forbidden धर्म association. |
I. Doctrine 8 — Fullness of Deity in Christ Bodily
(Primary terms — image, firstborn, fullness, deity/Godhead, bodily — are tabulated under Doctrine 1 above, since 1:15–20 and 2:9 form one continuous Christological argument. Cross-reference Section B.)
| English Term | Greek | Nepali Rendering | Risk | Key Passage | Rationale |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dwell (permanently) | κατοικέω (katoikeō) | बास गर्नु / वास गर्नु | High | 1:19, 2:9 | Permanent settled indwelling, distinguished from episodic possession/oracular indwelling (cf. the Kumari living-goddess tradition). |
| Fully assured / complete | πεπληρωμένοι (peplērōmenoi) | पूर्ण (भएका) | High | 4:12 | Echoes πλήρωμα vocabulary; consistency with 1:19/2:9 rendering required. |
J. Additional Cross-Doctrinal Terms (Chapter 1 Introduction and Closing Material)
| English Term | Greek | Nepali Rendering | Risk | Key Passage | Rationale |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Love | ἀγάπη (agapē) | प्रेम | Medium | 1:4, 1:8, 3:14 | Distinguish from romantic-love connotation and from भक्ति (devotional reverence, already rejected in baseline for “faith”). |
| Hope | ἐλπίς (elpis) | आशा | Medium | 1:5, 1:23, 1:27 | Certainty grounded in Christ’s finished work, not resigned भाग्य (fate) or provisional hope for a better future rebirth. |
| Full knowledge | ἐπίγνωσις (epignōsis) | पूर्ण ज्ञान | High | 1:9, 1:10 | Relational, God-given, Christ-centered — not self-attained enlightenment/jnana or prajna. |
| Wisdom / understanding | σοφία / σύνεσις | बुद्धि / समझ | High | 1:9, 2:3 | बुद्धि’s root proximity to “Buddha” and Buddhist wisdom tradition requires explicit Christ-centered anchoring. |
| Energy/working (of God) | ἐνέργεια (energeia) | कार्य / प्रभावकारी काम | High | 1:29 | Never शक्ति-root vocabulary — risk of conflation with Tantric/yogic channeled divine energy (prana, kundalini). |
| Rescued (from darkness) | ῥύομαι (rhyomai) | उद्धार गर्नुभयो / छुटाउनुभयो | High | 1:13 | ”Domain of darkness” must not read as an independently powerful rival realm. |
| Redemption | ἀπολύτρωσις (apolytrōsis) | छुटकारा | Critical | 1:14 | Never मुक्ति or मोक्ष; a specific ransom by Christ’s blood, not liberation from a karma-driven cycle. |
| Forgiveness of sins | ἄφεσις τῶν ἁμαρτιῶν | पापको क्षमा | High | 1:14 | क्षमा must carry full debt-cancellation force, not mere social excusing. |
| Mature / complete | τέλειος (teleios) | परिपक्व / सिद्ध | Medium | 1:28, 4:12 | Christ-given maturity, not self-achieved ascetic attainment. |
| Door for the word | θύρα τοῦ λόγου | वचनको निम्ति ढोका | High | 4:3 | Connects to baseline’s “evangelism” High-risk doctrine given Nepal’s 2017 Muluki Criminal Code; frame as prayer for witness-opportunity, not recruitment strategy. |
| Those outside | οἱ ἔξω (hoi exō) | बाहिरकाहरू | Medium | 4:5 | Must not sound sectarian/dismissive for a historically marginalized church. |
| Speech seasoned with grace/salt | λόγος ἐν χάριτι, ἅλατι ἠρτυμένος | बोली अनुग्रहमा, नूनले मसला गरिएझैं | Medium | 4:6 | Practical wisdom for speech toward outsiders. |
| Minister / fellow servant / fellow prisoner | διάκονος / σύνδουλος / συναιχμάλωτος | सेवक / सहसेवक / सहबन्दी | Low | 4:7, 4:10, 4:12 | Ministry-team relational terms; low doctrinal risk. |
Glossary Governance Notes
- Section A terms are frozen — they must be pulled directly from the baseline Romans
translation_memory.jsonwith no re-derivation, no alternative wording, and no risk-tier change. - Sections B–J propose new entries for promotion into an extended Colossians translation memory in the next Phase 1 step. Each Critical/High entry above must receive its own
doctrine_risk_registry.jsonentry with a “nepali_risk_notes” field grounded in the specific cultural/legal/religious reference cited here (Muluki Ain, Kamaiya/Haliya abolition, Newar Tantric/Vajrayana practice, Pashupatinath sadhu tradition, Kumari living-goddess tradition, tulku reincarnation recognition, 2017 Muluki Criminal Code). - Terminological convention introduced in this glossary: reserve आराधना for legitimate worship of God/Christ and पूजा for any ritual veneration Scripture condemns (idols, angels, spirits). This convention must be applied consistently across all Colossians Phase 2 translation output and flagged in the AI translation requirements update.
- 3:22–4:1 (household code, slaves/masters) requires mandatory human theologian review as a single unit, not merely term-by-term flagging, given the severity and recency of Nepal’s own bonded-labor abolition history.
- Any term in this glossary marked Critical or High that is subsequently confirmed must be added to a Colossians-specific
translation_memory.jsonextension file before Phase 2 segment translation begins, per the baseline’s Pre-flight Checklist protocol.
Critical Risk Terms
Lord
Approved rendering: प्रभु
Transliteration: prabhu
Doctrine: Lordship of Christ
Rejected alternatives: मालिक, ईश्वर
Original: κύριος
Category: Christology
Inherited from Romans package; unchanged for Colossians. Governs the entire household code (3:18-4:1: wives, slaves, masters all ultimately serve ‘the Lord Christ’) — must never read as a lord among lords.
Jesus
Approved rendering: येशू
Transliteration: Yeshu
Doctrine: Lordship of Christ
Original: Ἰησοῦς
Category: Christology
Inherited from Romans package; unchanged for Colossians. Established Nepali Christian standard form throughout.
God
Approved rendering: परमेश्वर
Transliteration: Parameshwar
Doctrine: Deity of Christ
Rejected alternatives: भगवान
Original: θεός
Category: God
Inherited from Romans package; unchanged for Colossians. Never भगवान, per baseline’s Hindu-Kingdom/avatar-kingship rationale.
Holy Spirit
Approved rendering: पवित्र आत्मा
Transliteration: Pavitra Atma
Doctrine: Sanctification
Rejected alternatives: ब्रह्म, परमात्मा
Original: πνεῦμα
Category: God
Inherited from Romans package; unchanged for Colossians. Occurs at 1:8 (love reported ‘in the Spirit’).
Father
Approved rendering: पिता
Transliteration: Pita
Doctrine: Adoption into God’s Family
Original: πατήρ
Category: God
Inherited from Romans package; unchanged for Colossians. Occurs at 1:2-3, 1:12, 3:17.
Resurrection
Approved rendering: पुनरुत्थान
Transliteration: punarutthan
Doctrine: Resurrection of Christ
Rejected alternatives: पुनर्जन्म
Original: ἀνάστασις (root) / συνεγείρω
Category: Eschatology
Inherited from Romans package; unchanged for Colossians. Occurs at 1:18 (firstborn from the dead), 2:12 (raised with him through faith), 3:1 (raised with Christ) — never पुनर्जन्म-adjacent vocabulary, and never read through the Himalayan Buddhist tulku recognized-reincarnation lens.
Christ
Approved rendering: ख्रीष्ट
Transliteration: Khrist
Doctrine: Christology
Rejected alternatives: मसीह (reserved for OT-fulfillment emphasis only)
Original: Χριστός
Category: Christology
New entry for Colossians (the baseline Romans package fixed मसीह for the doctrinal ‘Messiah’ office but did not separately key Χριστός as Jesus’s running proper name/title). Colossians uses Χριστός constantly as part of Jesus’s proper name/title (‘Christ Jesus,’ ‘in Christ,’ ‘body of Christ’ — 1:1-4, 1:24, 1:27-28, 2:5-17, 3:1-24). Render with the established Nepali Bible proper-name form ख्रीष्ट, consistent with this pipeline’s fixed transliteration standard (Christ = ख्रीष्ट). Reserve मसीह only where the fulfilled Old Testament messianic office is specifically in view.
Image Of God
Approved rendering: स्वरूप
Transliteration: swaroop
Doctrine: Supremacy of Christ over Creation
Rejected alternatives: प्रतिमा, मूर्ति, चित्र
Original: εἰκὼν τοῦ θεοῦ
Category: Christology
εἰκὼν τοῦ θεοῦ, Colossians 1:15, echoed at 3:10. NEVER प्रतिमा or मूर्ति — the standard Nepali words for consecrated images at Pashupatinath, Swayambhunath, and household shrines; using them here would read as ‘Christ is an idol-image of God,’ inverting Paul’s point. स्वरूप is reserved exclusively for this commended sense (Christ as exact, personal, visible disclosure of God); मूर्ति/प्रतिमा remain reserved exclusively for the condemned sense at 3:5 (मूर्तिपूजा). The two families must never be interchanged.
Firstborn Of Creation
Approved rendering: सृष्टिभन्दा माथि जेठो हक पाउनुहुने
Transliteration: srishtibhanda mathi jetho hak paunuhune
Doctrine: Supremacy of Christ over Creation
Rejected alternatives: सृष्टिमा सबैभन्दा पहिले जन्मेको
Original: πρωτότοκος πάσης κτίσεως
Category: Christology
πρωτότοκος πάσης κτίσεως, Colossians 1:15. A literal birth-order gloss (rejected alternative) teaches Christ came into being within creation’s timeline, an Arian/subordinationist reading with unusual traction given Nepal’s religious marketplace of multiple ranked exalted/divine figures. Must convey rank and inheritance-right, never chronological origin. Never pair with wording implying Christ came into being within creation.
Firstborn From The Dead
Approved rendering: मृतकहरूबाट जेठो हक पाउनुहुने
Transliteration: mritakharubata jetho hak paunuhune
Doctrine: Resurrection of Christ
Rejected alternatives: मृतकहरूबाट सबैभन्दा पहिले जन्मेको
Original: πρωτότοκος ἐκ τῶν νεκρῶν
Category: Christology
πρωτότοκος ἐκ τῶν νεκρῶν, Colossians 1:18. Compounds firstborn_of_creation’s rank-sense risk with resurrection’s own critical status. Must not be read through Hindu पुनर्जन्म or the Himalayan Buddhist tulku (recognized-reincarnation) tradition, where a revered figure’s identity recurs in a successor. Colossians teaches one man, raised once, never to die again — forerunner of a final resurrection, not a recurring cycle.
Thrones Dominions Rulers Authorities
Approved rendering: सिंहासनहरू, प्रभुत्वहरू, अधिपतिहरू, अधिकारहरू
Transliteration: simhasanharu, prabhutwaharu, adhipatiharu, adhikarharu
Doctrine: Supremacy of Christ over Creation
Rejected alternatives: शक्तिहरू
Original: θρόνοι, κυριότητες, ἀρχαί, ἐξουσίαι
Category: Creation
θρόνοι, κυριότητες, ἀρχαί, ἐξουσίαι, Colossians 1:16 (recurring 2:15). Parallels Nepal’s living, still-practiced ranked spirit-hierarchy — village देवता, नागहरू, भूत-प्रेत, the Newar Tantric pantheon. NEVER शक्ति-root vocabulary. Mandatory doctrinal framing every occurrence: these are real created powers wholly subordinate to and defeated by Christ, never to be feared, consulted, or appeased.
Sustains All Things
Approved rendering: अडिरहेको छ
Transliteration: adirahieko chha
Doctrine: Supremacy of Christ over Creation
Rejected alternatives: टिकिरहेको छ (acceptable variant), व्यवस्थापन-only framing without a dynamic verb
Original: συνέστηκεν
Category: Christology
συνέστηκεν, Colossians 1:17. Displaces the Hindu notion of ऋत/धर्म as an impersonal cosmic-order principle and the Buddhist teaching of प्रतीत्यसमुत्पाद (dependent origination) as an impersonal causal law. Mandatory doctrinal framing: a personal Christ, not an impersonal law, continuously and personally sustains the universe.
Fullness
Approved rendering: पूर्णता
Transliteration: purnata
Doctrine: Fullness of Deity in Christ Bodily
Rejected alternatives: अंश (partial/portion — explicitly rejected)
Original: πλήρωμα
Category: Christology
πλήρωμα, Colossians 1:19, 2:9. The single most theologically loaded noun in the letter: first-century false teachers at Colossae used πλήρωμα language to portion divinity across many intermediary powers, structurally parallel to Nepali frameworks distributing divine presence across many devatas, avatars, and spirit-mediators. Mandatory framing every occurrence: total, undivided, exclusive indwelling in Christ alone.
Deity
Approved rendering: ईश्वरत्व
Transliteration: ishwaratwa
Doctrine: Fullness of Deity in Christ Bodily
Rejected alternatives: धार्मिकता-root vocabulary, ईश्वरीय गुण (mere ‘godly quality’ — explicitly rejected as too weak)
Original: θεότης
Category: Christology
θεότης, Colossians 2:9. The doctrinal peak of the letter’s Christology. Must not be softened toward ‘godliness’ or a lesser ‘divine quality’; asserts Christ possesses the complete essential nature of God himself, a claim that must never be relativized toward the avatar framework once attached to Nepal’s monarchy.
Bodily
Approved rendering: शारीरिक रूपमा
Transliteration: sharirik rupma
Doctrine: Fullness of Deity in Christ Bodily
Rejected alternatives: देहमा (acceptable variant), आत्मिक रूपमा मात्र (spiritually only — explicitly rejected)
Original: σωματικῶς
Category: Christology
σωματικῶς, Colossians 2:9. Must affirm real, physical, permanent embodiment. Mandatory contrast framing every occurrence against: (1) avatar-style temporary/repeatable divine descent, and (2) the Kumari living-goddess tradition’s episodic, oracular indwelling pattern, in which a deity is understood to temporarily inhabit a human vessel. Colossians teaches permanent, personal union of full deity and full humanity in one person.
Reconciliation
Approved rendering: मिलाप गराउनु
Transliteration: milap garaunu
Doctrine: Reconciliation through the Cross
Rejected alternatives: मेलमिलाप (acceptable near-synonym, secondary preference), शान्त पार्नु/तुष्ट पार्नु (appease — explicitly rejected)
Original: ἀποκαταλλάσσω
Category: Reconciliation
ἀποκαταλλάσσω, Colossians 1:20, 1:22. Nepali folk religious practice includes ritual means of ‘making peace’ with an offended power — shraddha rites for ancestors, puja offerings to an angry devata, animal sacrifice at Dakshinkali. If rendered with vocabulary evoking human ritual appeasement, the verse is inverted. God, in Christ, must always remain the grammatical subject/agent of reconciliation; ‘all things’ are reconciled TO God, never the reverse.
Mystery
Approved rendering: रहस्य
Transliteration: rahasya
Doctrine: Mystery of Christ Revealed
Rejected alternatives: गुप्त ज्ञान (secret/restricted knowledge — explicitly rejected as inverting the doctrine)
Original: μυστήριον
Category: False Teaching
μυστήριον, Colossians 1:26-27, 2:2, 4:3. Nepal’s Newar Tantric and Vajrayana Buddhist traditions include genuinely secret, initiation-restricted esoteric teaching (guru-diksha, mantra initiation, tantric abhisheka). Biblical μυστήριον is the theological opposite: a plan once hidden but NOW openly and fully disclosed to every believer, never an ongoing secret reserved for an initiated inner circle.
Elemental Spirits
Approved rendering: संसारका आदितत्वहरू
Transliteration: sansarka aditattwaharu
Doctrine: Warning against False Teaching and Syncretism
Rejected alternatives: शक्तिहरू, देवताहरू (too concrete/affirming — explicitly rejected)
Original: στοιχεῖα τοῦ κόσμου
Category: False Teaching
στοιχεῖα τοῦ κόσμου, Colossians 2:8, 2:20. Directly parallels Nepal’s living folk-religious framework of नागहरू (serpent/water-spirits), भूमिका देवता (land-deities), and elemental spirit-appeasement practiced by jhākri shamans. Must be taught as, at most, defeated created powers, never entities to be feared, consulted, or appeased.
Certificate Of Debt
Approved rendering: ऋणपत्र
Transliteration: rinapatra
Doctrine: Redemption and Forgiveness of Sins
Rejected alternatives: कर्मको लेखा (karmic ledger — explicitly rejected)
Original: χειρόγραφον
Category: False Teaching
χειρόγραφον, Colossians 2:14. Must be sharply distinguished from the Hindu/Buddhist concept of an accumulating karmic ledger carried across lifetimes and worked off through merit. This is a SPECIFIC, ONE-TIME legal bond, entirely and permanently cancelled at the cross — not gradually reduced, not carried forward.
Worship Of Angels
Approved rendering: स्वर्गदूतहरूको पूजा
Transliteration: swargadootharuko puja
Doctrine: Worship of Angels and Intermediaries Rejected
Rejected alternatives: स्वर्गदूतहरूको आराधना (would wrongly dignify the condemned practice with legitimate-worship vocabulary)
Original: θρησκεία τῶν ἀγγέλων
Category: False Teaching
θρησκεία τῶν ἀγγέλων, Colossians 2:18. Speaks directly into Nepal’s living devotional landscape of spirit/ancestor/intermediary veneration. Mandatory terminological fence: आराधना is reserved exclusively for legitimate worship of God/Christ throughout all Colossians materials; पूजा is reserved exclusively for ritual veneration Scripture condemns (this verse; also 3:5’s मूर्तिपूजा).
Self Made Religion
Approved rendering: स्वनिर्मित धर्म-पालना
Transliteration: swanirmit dharma-palana
Doctrine: Ascetic Self-Denial Has No Value Against Sin
Rejected alternatives: स्वनिर्मित भक्ति (loses the specifically ‘devised religious system’ sense)
Original: ἐθελοθρησκία
Category: False Teaching
ἐθελοθρησκία, Colossians 2:23. Extremely sensitive: the baseline rules धर्म Critical-forbidden for ‘righteousness’ (Muluki Ain caste-code association). धर्म-root vocabulary may be used ONLY in this single fixed compound, and ONLY with a mandatory accompanying teaching note specifying the object of criticism is ‘a religious system devised by human beings,’ never religious devotion or duty as such. This is the narrowest, highest-precision fencing decision in the entire glossary — do not extend धर्म-root usage to any other Colossians term.
Severity To The Body
Approved rendering: शरीरलाई कष्ट दिने अभ्यास
Transliteration: sharirlai kashta dine abhyas
Doctrine: Ascetic Self-Denial Has No Value Against Sin
Original: ἀφειδία σώματος
Category: False Teaching
ἀφειδία σώματος, Colossians 2:23. Direct collision with the sadhu ascetic ideal honored at Pashupatinath and other national shrines, and with Himalayan Buddhist ascetic/renunciate practice. Colossians explicitly denies such practices produce genuine victory over sin — requires non-dismissive, theologically careful framing given the cultural respect this practice commands in Nepal.
Buried With Christ
Approved rendering: ख्रीष्टसँगै गाडिएका
Transliteration: Khristsangai gadieka
Doctrine: Union with Christ (Died and Raised With Him)
Original: συνθάπτω
Category: Union with Christ
συνθάπτω, Colossians 2:12. A one-time positional union with Christ’s own unique death, pictured in baptism — not a separate spiritual achievement or a repeatable ritual cleansing. Always anchor to ‘with Christ’ (सँगै) explicitly; never let this stand alone.
Raised With Christ
Approved rendering: ख्रीष्टसँगै उठाइएका
Transliteration: Khristsangai uthaieka
Doctrine: Union with Christ (Died and Raised With Him)
Rejected alternatives: पुनर्जन्म-adjacent phrasing (explicitly forbidden)
Original: συνεγείρω
Category: Union with Christ
συνεγείρω, Colossians 2:12, 3:1. Must NEVER be rendered with पुनर्जन्म-adjacent vocabulary. This is a one-time positional union with Christ’s own unique, historical resurrection — never a personal cycle of death-and-rebirth, and never the Himalayan Buddhist tulku recognized-reincarnation pattern in which a revered figure’s identity recurs in a successor. Always anchor explicitly to ‘with Christ’ (सँगै).
Old Self
Approved rendering: पुरानो स्वभाव
Transliteration: purano swabhav
Doctrine: Putting Off the Old Self and Putting On the New
Rejected alternatives: पुरानो जीवन/जन्म (life/birth-root — explicitly rejected for rebirth-cycle association)
Original: παλαιὸς ἄνθρωπος
Category: New Self
παλαιὸς ἄνθρωπος, Colossians 3:9. Must not be assimilated to reincarnation-driven shedding of a former self across lifetimes, nor to sannyasa-style late-life renunciation of social identity. This is a decisive, one-time, Christ-grounded moral break, available immediately at conversion — not a repeatable or gradual multi-life process. स्वभाव (nature/disposition) deliberately chosen over जीवन/जन्म-root vocabulary.
New Self
Approved rendering: नयाँ स्वभाव
Transliteration: naya swabhav
Doctrine: Putting Off the Old Self and Putting On the New
Rejected alternatives: नयाँ जीवन/जन्म (explicitly rejected for the same reason as old_self)
Original: νέος / καινὸς ἄνθρωπος
Category: New Self
νέος / καινὸς ἄνθρωπος, Colossians 3:10. Positive counterpart to old_self, grounded in the same one-time transformation; echoes स्वरूप (εἰκών) vocabulary from 1:15, linking new-creation renewal directly to Christ as the image of God.
Idolatry
Approved rendering: मूर्तिपूजा
Transliteration: murtipuja
Doctrine: Idolatry and Covetousness
Original: εἰδωλολατρία
Category: False Teaching
εἰδωλολατρία, Colossians 3:5. मूर्ति/प्रतिमा are permitted ONLY here, as the condemned referent (see image_of_god’s fence). Paul directly equates covetousness with idolatry; the Nepali rendering must land this force so that any created good displacing God, not only literal image-worship, is understood as idolatry — doctrinally central given Nepal’s historic Hindu-Kingdom image-veneration culture.
No Distinction Social Categories
Approved rendering: युनानी, यहूदी, खतना, बेखतना, वर्बर, स्कूथी, दास, स्वतन्त्र
Transliteration: yunani, yahudi, khatana, bekhatana, warbar, skoothi, das, swatantra
Doctrine: Unity Beyond Social and Ethnic Categories
Rejected alternatives: shortened/summarized list (explicitly rejected — the doctrinal point is the list’s exhaustiveness)
Original: Ἕλλην, Ἰουδαῖος, περιτομή, ἀκροβυστία, βάρβαρος, Σκύθης, δοῦλος, ἐλεύθερος
Category: Household Codes
Ἕλλην, Ἰουδαῖος, περιτομή, ἀκροβυστία, βάρβαρος, Σκύθης, δοῦλος, ἐλεύθερος, Colossians 3:11. Directly parallels the baseline’s Muluki Ain caste-collision concern (in force until 1963). Retain the full list even where individual terms require a footnote (Scythian/barbarian have no Nepali cultural referent); do not collapse into a shorter ‘natural-sounding’ summary.
Slaves Obey Masters
Approved rendering: दासहरू, सांसारिक मालिकको आज्ञा पालन गर्नु
Transliteration: dasharu, sansarik malikko agya palan garnu
Doctrine: Household Codes
Rejected alternatives: नोकरहरू (softer euphemism — acceptable secondary, must not be used to avoid the passage’s force)
Original: δοῦλοι ὑπακούετε τοῖς κατὰ σάρκα κυρίοις
Category: Household Codes
δοῦλοι ὑπακούετε τοῖς κατὰ σάρκα κυρίοις, Colossians 3:22. Requires the most careful cultural handling in the entire book. Nepal abolished its own hereditary bonded-labor systems only within living memory — Kamaiya (2002), Haliya (2008) — and caste-based servitude was formally codified in national law (Muluki Ain) until 1963. Do NOT euphemize or omit. Mandatory human theologian review for the FULL 3:22-4:1 unit (not term-by-term); framing must foreground 3:24 (accountability redirected to Christ) and 4:1 (masters commanded justice/equality).
Masters Justice And Equality
Approved rendering: न्याय र समानता
Transliteration: nyaya ra samanata
Doctrine: Household Codes
Rejected alternatives: धार्मिकता-root phrasing (explicitly rejected — must remain lexically distinct)
Original: τὸ δίκαιον καὶ ἡ ἰσότης
Category: Household Codes
τὸ δίκαιον καὶ ἡ ἰσότης, Colossians 4:1. A strikingly direct, genuinely subversive equality-claim given Nepal’s own legally-codified historic inequality (Muluki Ain, Kamaiya, Haliya). न्याय must remain lexically distinct from the धार्मिकता word-family so as not to reopen the baseline’s forbidden धर्म association via a back door. Completes the 3:22-4:1 household-code unit as its bookend alongside no_partiality.
Redemption
Approved rendering: छुटकारा
Transliteration: chhutkara
Doctrine: Redemption and Forgiveness of Sins
Rejected alternatives: मुक्ति, मोक्ष, निर्वाण
Original: ἀπολύτρωσις
Category: Salvation
ἀπολύτρωσις, Colossians 1:14. NEVER मुक्ति or मोक्ष (already forbidden in the baseline for ‘salvation,’ and equally wrong here) and never निर्वाण. This is a specific ransom-payment secured by Christ’s blood (echoing 1:20), not liberation from a karma-driven rebirth cycle or the cessation of self/craving. Keep lexically distinct from उद्धार (salvation) — related but not interchangeable.
High Risk Terms
Gospel
Approved rendering: सुसमाचार
Transliteration: susamachar
Doctrine: Gospel
Rejected alternatives: खुशखबरी
Original: εὐαγγέλιον
Category: Salvation
Inherited from Romans package; unchanged for Colossians. In Colossians (1:5, 1:23, 1:28) the gospel is the fixed, unchanging message already heard and bearing fruit ‘in all the world,’ contrasted with the novel ‘philosophy’ of 2:8 — must not be rendered as one teaching option among several competing spiritual systems at Colossae.
Grace
Approved rendering: अनुग्रह
Transliteration: anugraha
Doctrine: Grace
Rejected alternatives: कृपा, पुण्य, भाग्य
Original: χάρις
Category: Salvation
Inherited from Romans package; unchanged for Colossians. Frames the letter’s opening (1:2), the gospel’s arrival (1:6), mutual forgiveness (3:13, shared root with क्षमा), and the closing benediction (4:18).
Faith
Approved rendering: विश्वास
Transliteration: vishwas
Doctrine: Faith
Rejected alternatives: श्रद्धा, भक्ति
Original: πίστις
Category: Faith
Inherited from Romans package; unchanged for Colossians. Colossians pairs faith with being ‘rooted and built up’ (2:7) and ‘stable and steadfast’ (1:23) — personal trust in Christ, never devotional reverence.
Holy
Approved rendering: पवित्र
Transliteration: pavitra
Doctrine: Sanctification
Rejected alternatives: शुद्ध
Original: ἅγιος
Category: Sanctification
Inherited from Romans package; unchanged for Colossians. Used of believers presented ‘holy and blameless’ (1:22) and of the compassion believers are to put on as God’s holy ones (3:12).
Saints
Approved rendering: पवित्र जन
Transliteration: pavitra jan
Doctrine: Sainthood
Rejected alternatives: सन्त, साधु
Original: ἅγιοι
Category: Church
Inherited from Romans package; unchanged for Colossians. Occurs at 1:2, 1:4, 1:12, 1:26, 3:12, including as the recipients of the now-revealed mystery (1:26) — every ordinary believer, never the sadhu/sant ascetic-elite reading.
Sin
Approved rendering: पाप
Transliteration: paap
Doctrine: Universal Human Accountability
Rejected alternatives: अकुशल कर्म
Original: ἁμαρτία
Category: Sin
Inherited from Romans package; unchanged for Colossians. Underlies 1:14’s ‘forgiveness of sins’ and the vice-lists of 3:5-9 — a personal offense against God, never impersonal bad karma.
Glory
Approved rendering: महिमा
Transliteration: mahima
Doctrine: Deity of Christ
Rejected alternatives: तेज
Original: δόξα
Category: God
Inherited from Romans package; unchanged for Colossians. Occurs at 1:11, 1:27 (‘Christ in you, the hope of glory’), and 3:4 (future appearing in glory).
Power Of God
Approved rendering: सामर्थ्य
Transliteration: samarthya
Doctrine: Power of God for Salvation
Rejected alternatives: शक्ति
Original: δύναμις
Category: God
Inherited from Romans package; unchanged for Colossians. NEVER शक्ति. Occurs at 1:11 (strengthened with all power) and 1:29 (Christ’s power at work in Paul); the same शक्ति prohibition extends to ἐνέργεια (see energy_working_of_god below).
Called
Approved rendering: बोलाइएका
Transliteration: bolaieka
Doctrine: Divine Calling
Rejected alternatives: निमन्त्रित
Original: κλητός / ἐκλήθητε
Category: Salvation
Inherited from Romans package; unchanged for Colossians. Occurs at 3:15 (‘called … in one body’) — God’s sovereign summons into corporate church life, not self-initiated spiritual seeking.
Calling
Approved rendering: बोलावट
Transliteration: bolawat
Doctrine: Divine Calling
Original: κλῆσις
Category: Salvation
Inherited from Romans package. Retained for cross-document consistency with the called/calling word-family at 3:15, though not independently attested by this exact noun form in Colossians.
Preeminence
Approved rendering: सबैमा सर्वोच्च हुनु
Transliteration: sabaima sarvochcha hunu
Doctrine: Supremacy of Christ over Creation
Rejected alternatives: महत्त्वपूर्ण हुनु (too weak)
Original: πρωτεύων
Category: Christology
πρωτεύων, Colossians 1:18, the purpose-clause goal of the Christ-hymn. Must not be softened to merely ‘important’ or ‘respected’ — asserts total, comprehensive supremacy over everything named in vv.16-17.
Dwell Permanently
Approved rendering: बास गर्नु
Transliteration: bas garnu
Doctrine: Fullness of Deity in Christ Bodily
Rejected alternatives: ओहोरदोहोर गर्नु (implies temporary visitation — explicitly rejected)
Original: κατοικέω
Category: Christology
κατοικέω, Colossians 1:19, 2:9. Must be distinguished from language used for temporary deity ‘descent into’ or ‘possession’ of a person or object — a live category in Nepali shamanic (jhākri) and oracular practice, including the Kumari tradition. Teaches permanent ontological union, not episodic possession.
Blameless
Approved rendering: निर्दोष
Transliteration: nirdosh
Doctrine: Reconciliation through the Cross
Rejected alternatives: शुद्ध (ritual purity — explicitly rejected)
Original: ἄμωμος / ἀνέγκλητος
Category: Reconciliation
ἄμωμος / ἀνέγκλητος, Colossians 1:22. Forensic-moral completeness before God, the goal of reconciliation — not ritual cleanliness (शुद्ध, already flagged as the wrong category for ‘holy’ in the baseline).
Blood Of The Cross
Approved rendering: उहाँको क्रूसको रगत
Transliteration: uhanko krusko ragat
Doctrine: Reconciliation through the Cross
Original: αἷμα τοῦ σταυροῦ αὐτοῦ
Category: Reconciliation
αἷμα τοῦ σταυροῦ αὐτοῦ, Colossians 1:20. Must not collapse into the logic of Hindu animal-sacrifice traditions (e.g., Dakshinkali) as one sacrificial transaction among others satisfying a deity; this is the unique, final, sufficient sacrifice ending the need for any further offering.
Made Peace
Approved rendering: शान्ति बनाउनुभएर
Transliteration: shanti banaunubhayera
Doctrine: Reconciliation through the Cross
Original: εἰρηνοποιήσας
Category: Reconciliation
εἰρηνοποιήσας, Colossians 1:20. Must remain grammatically tied to ‘through the blood of his cross,’ never left as a free-standing statement about peace in general.
Philosophy
Approved rendering: दर्शनशास्त्र
Transliteration: darshanshastra
Doctrine: Warning against False Teaching and Syncretism
Rejected alternatives: तत्वज्ञान (secondary acceptable variant), transliterated loanword (rejected — obscures the specific, scoped target)
Original: φιλοσοφία
Category: False Teaching
φιλοσοφία, Colossians 2:8. Paul targets a specific syncretistic system at Colossae, not intellectual inquiry generally. Nepal’s respected Hindu darshan schools and Buddhist Abhidharma/Madhyamaka traditions must not be blanket-condemned; translation and teaching notes must scope this narrowly.
Circumcision
Approved rendering: खतना
Transliteration: khatana
Doctrine: Warning against False Teaching and Syncretism
Original: περιτομή
Category: False Teaching
περιτομή, Colossians 2:11 (and the 3:11 social-category list). Established loanword; requires an explanatory footnote since circumcision is not a broadly practiced rite in Nepali culture outside the Muslim minority. Doctrinally High because right standing before God apart from any external rite directly reinforces the baseline’s Critical prohibition on तying धार्मिकता to performed ritual or caste-linked practice.
Disarmed The Powers
Approved rendering: निशस्त्र पार्नुभयो
Transliteration: nishastra parnubhayo
Doctrine: Warning against False Teaching and Syncretism
Rejected alternatives: हराउनुभयो (defeated — acceptable secondary)
Original: ἀπεκδυσάμενος
Category: False Teaching
ἀπεκδυσάμενος, Colossians 2:15. Reinforces the defeated-power theme from 1:16 and 2:8’s στοιχεῖα; carries the same spirit-power collision risk with Nepal’s living framework of feared/propitiated spiritual beings.
False Humility
Approved rendering: झूटो नम्रता
Transliteration: jhutho namrata
Doctrine: Worship of Angels and Intermediaries Rejected
Original: ταπεινοφροσύνη (negative use)
Category: False Teaching
ταπεινοφροσύνη, negative use at Colossians 2:18, 2:23, using the same Greek word given a positive sense at 3:12 (see christian_love_and_corporate_life doctrine). Teaching notes must explicitly contrast this showy, self-devised, ascetic-validating humility with the genuine, Christ-shaped humility of 3:12, so the term itself is never wrongly flagged as always negative.
Put Off
Approved rendering: फुकाल्नु
Transliteration: phukalnu
Doctrine: Putting Off the Old Self and Putting On the New
Original: ἀπεκδύομαι
Category: New Self
ἀπεκδύομαι, Colossians 3:9. Clothing-removal metaphor translates naturally in Nepali; doctrinal weight is Critical because it depends entirely on old_self’s grounding, not on any deficiency in the verb itself.
Put On
Approved rendering: धारण गर्नु
Transliteration: dharan garnu
Doctrine: Putting Off the Old Self and Putting On the New
Original: ἐνδύω
Category: New Self
ἐνδύω, Colossians 3:10, 3:12. Same clothing metaphor, positive act, grounded in the new_self entry.
Wives Submit
Approved rendering: पत्नीहरू, आफ्ना पतिको अधीनमा रहनु
Transliteration: patniharu, apna patiko adhinma rahanu
Doctrine: Household Codes
Original: γυναῖκες ὑποτάσσεσθε τοῖς ἀνδράσιν
Category: Household Codes
γυναῖκες ὑποτάσσεσθε τοῖς ἀνδράσιν, Colossians 3:18. Must be taught alongside the immediately following command to husbands (sacrificial love, 3:19) and 3:11’s flattening of hierarchy ‘in Christ,’ so it is never isolated into a standalone claim of female inferiority. Sensitive given persistent patriarchal social structures in much of Nepali society, but this is a live biblical text requiring careful, non-omitted translation.
Serving The Lord Christ
Approved rendering: प्रभु ख्रीष्टको सेवा गर्नु
Transliteration: Prabhu Khristko seva garnu
Doctrine: Household Codes
Original: τῷ Κυρίῳ Χριστῷ δουλεύετε
Category: Household Codes
τῷ Κυρίῳ Χριστῷ δουλεύετε, Colossians 3:24. Dignifies even lowly, coerced labor as service rendered to Christ himself — theologically central to reframing the household code away from mere social obligation, redirecting ultimate accountability from the human master to Christ.
Reward Of Inheritance
Approved rendering: उत्तराधिकारको इनाम
Transliteration: uttaradhikarko inam
Doctrine: Household Codes
Original: ἀνταπόδοσις τῆς κληρονομίας
Category: Household Codes
ἀνταπόδοσις τῆς κληρονομίας, Colossians 3:24. Directly and pointedly counters both Roman slave-law and Nepal’s own historic caste-linked inheritance exclusions; the promise of full inheritance to the socially lowest person in the household is a deliberately countercultural claim requiring emphasis, never softening.
No Partiality
Approved rendering: पक्षपात छैन
Transliteration: pakshapat chhaina
Doctrine: Household Codes
Original: προσωπολημψία οὐκ ἔστιν
Category: Household Codes
προσωπολημψία οὐκ ἔστιν, Colossians 3:25. Directly relevant given caste-based favoritism formally written into Nepali law until 1963; translate with full, unqualified force.
Forgiveness Of Sins
Approved rendering: पापको क्षमा
Transliteration: papko kshama
Doctrine: Redemption and Forgiveness of Sins
Rejected alternatives: माफी मात्र (mere excusing — explicitly rejected as insufficient)
Original: ἄφεσις τῶν ἁμαρτιῶν
Category: Salvation
ἄφεσις τῶν ἁμαρτιῶν, Colossians 1:14. क्षमा must carry the sense of a debt fully cancelled (cf. 2:14’s ऋणपत्र), consistent with the baseline’s insistence that ‘justification’ never be reduced to माफी alone.
Full Knowledge
Approved rendering: पूर्ण ज्ञान
Transliteration: purna gyan
Doctrine: Wisdom and Knowledge Hidden in Christ
Rejected alternatives: ज्ञान alone unqualified (risks reading as self-attained enlightenment)
Original: ἐπίγνωσις
Category: Faith
ἐπίγνωσις, Colossians 1:9-10. ज्ञान (jnana) in Hindu Vedantic thought is itself a path TO liberation through self-realization. This must always be anchored explicitly to ‘of his will’/‘of God,’ never left as an unqualified philosophical or meditative attainment.
Wisdom
Approved rendering: बुद्धि
Transliteration: buddhi
Doctrine: Wisdom and Knowledge Hidden in Christ
Rejected alternatives: प्रज्ञा (too directly evokes Buddhist wisdom-attainment vocabulary)
Original: σοφία
Category: Faith
σοφία, Colossians 1:9, 2:3 (‘treasures of wisdom and knowledge…in Christ’). बुद्धि’s root proximity to ‘Buddha’ and the Buddhist wisdom (प्रज्ञा) tradition prominent among Nepal’s Newar and Himalayan Buddhist communities requires this be clearly bound to God-given, Christ-centered wisdom, never self-attained enlightened insight.
Understanding
Approved rendering: समझ
Transliteration: samajh
Doctrine: Wisdom and Knowledge Hidden in Christ
σύνεσις, Colossians 1:9, paired with σοφία. Practical, Spirit-given insight for living, not self-attained philosophical comprehension; carries the same anchoring requirement as wisdom above.
Energy Working Of God
Approved rendering: प्रभावकारी काम
Transliteration: prabhavkari kaam
Doctrine: Christ-Centered Ministry and Suffering
Rejected alternatives: शक्ति, ऊर्जा
Original: ἐνέργεια
Category: God
ἐνέργεια, Colossians 1:29. Must NEVER be rendered with any शक्ति-root vocabulary (including ऊर्जा, ‘energy’); Nepal’s Tantric and yogic traditions (Hindu and Newar Vajrayana Buddhist) speak of channeled/circulated divine energy (prana, kundalini shakti) accessible through technique. This is a personal God’s activity, not an impersonal energy-force.
Rescued From Darkness
Approved rendering: छुटाउनुभयो
Transliteration: chhutaunubhayo
Doctrine: Redemption and Forgiveness of Sins
Rejected alternatives: उद्धार गर्नुभयो (acceptable variant, secondary)
Original: ῥύομαι
Category: Salvation
ῥύομαι, Colossians 1:13. The ‘domain of darkness’ evokes the same spiritual-power framework as 1:16; must not be rendered so as to suggest darkness is a rival, independently powerful realm rather than one already defeated and left behind.
Wrath Of God
Approved rendering: परमेश्वरको क्रोध
Transliteration: Parameshwarko krodh
Doctrine: Wrath and Impartial Judgment of God
Rejected alternatives: कर्मको फल (karmic consequence — explicitly rejected)
Original: ὀργὴ τοῦ θεοῦ
Category: God
ὀργὴ τοῦ θεοῦ, Colossians 3:6. Must remain personal and moral, never conflated with the impersonal cause-and-effect retribution of karma shared by Hindu and Buddhist ethical frameworks.
Door For The Word
Approved rendering: वचनको निम्ति ढोका
Transliteration: vachanko nimti dhoka
Doctrine: Proclamation and Witness to Outsiders
Original: θύρα τοῦ λόγου
Category: Mission
θύρα τοῦ λόγου, Colossians 4:3. Connects to the baseline’s ‘evangelism’ High-risk doctrine, raised above Medium specifically because Nepal’s 2017 Muluki Criminal Code restricts religious conversion/proselytizing. Must be framed as prayer for opportunity to bear witness, never as organized-recruitment strategy language.
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; unchanged for Colossians. In Colossians the church is specifically Christ’s ‘body’ with him as ‘head’ (1:18, 1:24) — an organic, Christ-sourced community, not a building or voluntary social club. Extends at 4:15-16 to house-church gatherings.
Kingdom Of God
Approved rendering: परमेश्वरको राज्य
Transliteration: Parameshwarko Rajya
Doctrine: Kingdom Mission
Original: βασιλεία τοῦ θεοῦ / βασιλεία τοῦ υἱοῦ
Category: Kingdom
Inherited from Romans package; adapted per Colossians 1:13’s ‘kingdom of the Son he loves’ (उहाँको प्रेमको पुत्रको राज्य) and 4:11. Not a territorial or dynastic kingdom, a distinction worth stating given Nepal’s monarchy was, until 2008, itself religiously legitimated.
Gentiles
Approved rendering: अन्यजाति
Transliteration: anyajati
Doctrine: Unity of Jews and Gentiles
Rejected alternatives: विदेशी
Original: ἔθνη
Category: Church
Inherited from Romans package; unchanged for Colossians. Occurs at 1:27 as the scope of the now-revealed mystery of Christ.
Apostle
Approved rendering: प्रेरित
Transliteration: prerit
Doctrine: Apostleship
Rejected alternatives: दूत, गुरु, आचार्य
Original: ἀπόστολος
Category: Church
Inherited from Romans package; alternatives_rejected extended for Colossians to explicitly exclude गुरु/आचार्य (guru/spiritual-master vocabulary), given Nepal’s culturally prestigious guru-disciple (गुरु-चेला) tradition. Paul’s authority (1:1) is delegated and Christ-derived, not a guru’s self-generated or lineage-transmitted mastery.
Peace
Approved rendering: शान्ति
Transliteration: shanti
Doctrine: Peace with God
Rejected alternatives: सुख
Original: εἰρήνη
Category: Salvation
Inherited from Romans package; risk elevated to High specifically at Colossians 1:20, where peace is achieved ‘through the blood of his cross’ — must remain grammatically tied to the cross, never a free-standing statement about psychological calm.
Mission
Approved rendering: सुसमाचार प्रचार
Transliteration: susamachar prachar
Doctrine: Mission to the Nations
Inherited from Romans package. Thematically connected to Colossians 4:2-6’s prayer for a ‘door for the word’ and wise conduct toward outsiders; the baseline’s rationale (Nepal’s 2017 Muluki Criminal Code restrictions on conversion/proselytizing) applies identically here.
All Things
Approved rendering: सबै थोक
Transliteration: sabai thok
Doctrine: Supremacy of Christ over Creation
Rejected alternatives: सारा सृष्टि (acceptable variant, not preferred for consistency)
Original: τὰ πάντα
Category: Creation
τὰ πάντα, repeated structurally four times in Colossians 1:16-20. Risk is primarily consistency: the identical Nepali phrase must be used at every occurrence so the Christ-hymn’s rhetorical structure is preserved.
Head
Approved rendering: शिर
Transliteration: shir
Doctrine: Christ as Head of the Church
Rejected alternatives: अध्यक्ष (chairman — too administrative)
Original: κεφαλή
Category: Church
κεφαλή, Colossians 1:18, 2:19. Natural Nepali leadership metaphor but risks flattening into merely administrative authority. Must be paired consistently with शरीर and मण्डली so the organic, life-giving sense of the metaphor is reinforced by context.
Body Of Christ
Approved rendering: शरीर
Transliteration: sharir
Doctrine: Christ as Head of the Church
Rejected alternatives: देह (reserved for देहधारण-family incarnation vocabulary)
Original: σῶμα
Category: Church
σῶμα, Colossians 1:18, 1:24, 2:19, 3:15. Prefer शरीर as the natural whole-organism term; reserve देह for the incarnation-family vocabulary already fixed in the baseline (देहधारण).
Beginning Source
Approved rendering: मूल स्रोत
Transliteration: mool srot
Doctrine: Christ as Head of the Church
Rejected alternatives: सुरुवात (chronological ‘start’ only, loses the source/wordplay sense)
Original: ἀρχή
Category: Church
ἀρχή, Colossians 1:18, in deliberate wordplay with ἀρχαί (‘rulers,’ 1:16) — Christ is the ἀρχή over the ἀρχαί. No single Nepali term captures both senses; the wordplay must be recovered in teaching notes, not the lexical choice itself.
Growth From God
Approved rendering: परमेश्वरबाटको वृद्धि
Transliteration: Parameshwarbatko vriddhi
Doctrine: Christ as Head of the Church
Original: αὔξησις τοῦ θεοῦ
Category: Church
αὔξησις τοῦ θεοῦ, Colossians 2:19. Must be taught as growth given by God through the Head, not self-generated through spiritual technique or disciplined practice.
Enemies Alienated
Approved rendering: शत्रु
Transliteration: shatru
Doctrine: Reconciliation through the Cross
Rejected alternatives: बैरी (acceptable variant)
Original: ἐχθρός
Category: Reconciliation
ἐχθρός, Colossians 1:21. The church’s former hostile, estranged standing toward God, now reconciled.
Empty Deceit
Approved rendering: खोक्रो छलकपट
Transliteration: khokro chhalkapat
Doctrine: Warning against False Teaching and Syncretism
Original: κενὴ ἀπάτη
Category: False Teaching
κενὴ ἀπάτη, Colossians 2:8. Qualifies ‘philosophy’ — signals not all philosophy, but this specific deceptive kind.
Tradition Of Men
Approved rendering: मानिसको परम्परा
Transliteration: maniskо parampara
Doctrine: Warning against False Teaching and Syncretism
Original: παράδοσις τῶν ἀνθρώπων
Category: False Teaching
παράδοσις τῶν ἀνθρώπων, Colossians 2:8. Sensitive for a first-generation convert church that left specific family/community rituals (janai, tika, shraddha) to follow Christ; scope must stay narrow to the specific religious system displacing Christ’s sufficiency, not all inherited Nepali custom.
Triumphed Over
Approved rendering: सार्वजनिक रूपमा जिताउनु
Transliteration: sarwajanik rupma jitaunu
Doctrine: Warning against False Teaching and Syncretism
Rejected alternatives: विजय देखाउनु (acceptable variant)
θριαμβεύω, Colossians 2:15. The specific Roman military triumphal-procession image requires a brief explanatory footnote for a Nepali audience unfamiliar with the custom, since it denotes a public, decisive, humiliating display of Christ’s victory over the defeated powers.
Festivals New Moon Sabbath
Approved rendering: चाडपर्व, औंसी, शबथ
Transliteration: chadparva, aunsi, shabath
Doctrine: Warning against False Teaching and Syncretism
ἑορτή, νουμηνία, σάββατον, Colossians 2:16. Specifically Jewish liturgical-calendar categories foreign to Nepali readers; requires footnoted background. These Old Testament ceremonial observances are ‘shadow,’ fulfilled in Christ (2:17), not a wholesale dismissal of festival-keeping as such.
Shadow And Reality
Approved rendering: छाया…यथार्थ
Transliteration: chhaya…yatharth
Doctrine: Warning against False Teaching and Syncretism
Rejected alternatives: सत्य वस्तु (acceptable variant for ‘reality’)
Original: σκιά…σῶμα
Category: False Teaching
σκιά…σῶμα, Colossians 2:17. Old covenant ceremony anticipates; Christ is the substance/reality being anticipated.
Taking A Stand On Visions
Approved rendering: दर्शन/अनुभवमा अडिनु
Transliteration: darshan/anubhavma adinu
Doctrine: Warning against False Teaching and Syncretism
ἐμβατεύω, Colossians 2:18. Genuinely obscure in Greek scholarship itself, likely referring to the false teacher’s appeal to private visionary/mystical experience as a source of religious authority. Flag for theologian review regardless of final wording chosen.
Religious Regulations
Approved rendering: नियम पालन गर्नु, छुनु
Transliteration: niyam palan garnu, chhunu
Doctrine: Ascetic Self-Denial Has No Value Against Sin
δογματίζω, ἅπτομαι, Colossians 2:20-21 (‘do not touch, do not taste, do not handle’). The rejected ascetic food/purity taboos of the false teaching.
Dead In Trespasses
Approved rendering: अपराधहरूमा मृत
Transliteration: aparadharuma mrit
Doctrine: Union with Christ (Died and Raised With Him)
Original: νεκρὸς τοῖς παραπτώμασιν
Category: Union with Christ
νεκρὸς τοῖς παραπτώμασιν, Colossians 2:13. The prior condition of spiritual death, reversed by union with Christ.
Hidden With Christ
Approved rendering: ख्रीष्टसँगै परमेश्वरमा लुकिराखिएको
Transliteration: Khristsangai Parameshwarma lukirakhieko
Doctrine: Union with Christ (Died and Raised With Him)
Original: κέκρυπται σὺν τῷ Χριστῷ ἐν τῷ θεῷ
Category: Union with Christ
κέκρυπται σὺν τῷ Χριστῷ ἐν τῷ θεῷ, Colossians 3:3. Present, secure hiddenness in Christ, awaiting the future glory of 3:4.
Renewed
Approved rendering: नयाँ बनाइँदै
Transliteration: naya banaindai
Doctrine: Putting Off the Old Self and Putting On the New
Original: ἀνακαινούμενον
Category: New Self
ἀνακαινούμενον, Colossians 3:10. An ongoing, God-driven process — not a self-driven improvement project — grounded in the once-for-all old/new self exchange.
Husbands Love Wives
Approved rendering: पतिहरू, पत्नीलाई प्रेम गर्नु
Transliteration: patiharu, patnilai prem garnu
Doctrine: Household Codes
Original: ἄνδρες ἀγαπᾶτε τὰς γυναῖκας, μὴ πικραίνεσθε
Category: Household Codes
ἄνδρες ἀγαπᾶτε τὰς γυναῖκας, μὴ πικραίνεσθε, Colossians 3:19. The correlative, weightier command to husbands, explicitly restraining harshness.
Children Obey Parents
Approved rendering: नानीहरू, आमाबाबुको आज्ञा पालन गर्नु
Transliteration: naniharu, aamababuko agya palan garnu
Doctrine: Household Codes
Original: τέκνα ὑπακούετε τοῖς γονεῦσιν
Category: Household Codes
τέκνα ὑπακούετε τοῖς γονεῦσιν, Colossians 3:20. Qualified as ‘well-pleasing to the Lord.‘
Fathers Do Not Provoke
Approved rendering: बाबुहरू, आफ्ना नानीहरूलाई निरुत्साहित नगर्नु
Transliteration: babuharu, apna naniharulai nirutsahit nagarnu
Doctrine: Household Codes
Original: πατέρες μὴ ἐρεθίζετε
Category: Household Codes
πατέρες μὴ ἐρεθίζετε, Colossians 3:21. Correlative restraint on fathers, restraining harshness that could discourage children.
Love
Approved rendering: प्रेम
Transliteration: prem
Doctrine: Christian Love and Corporate Life
Rejected alternatives: भक्ति (devotional reverence — wrong category, already rejected in baseline for faith-family terms)
Original: ἀγάπη
Category: Faith
ἀγάπη, Colossians 1:4, 1:8, 3:14. प्रेम is the natural Nepali word but carries a strong romantic-love connotation in everyday usage; must be guided toward the self-giving, others-directed ethical sense Paul intends.
Hope
Approved rendering: आशा
Transliteration: aasha
Doctrine: Christian Hope
Rejected alternatives: भाग्य (fate — already rejected in baseline for providence/election)
Original: ἐλπίς
Category: Faith
ἐλπίς, Colossians 1:5, 1:23, 1:27. Must be distinguished from resigned भाग्य (fate) and from the uncertain, multi-life trajectory of karma-driven hope for a better future rebirth; biblical hope is a present certainty grounded in Christ’s finished work, and Christ himself is ‘the hope of glory’ (1:27).
Those Outside
Approved rendering: बाहिरकाहरू
Transliteration: bahirakaharu
Doctrine: Proclamation and Witness to Outsiders
Original: οἱ ἔξω
Category: Mission
οἱ ἔξω, Colossians 4:5. Requires care not to sound sectarian or dismissive for a historically small, marginalized church context.
Gracious Speech
Approved rendering: बोली अनुग्रहमा, नूनले मसला गरिएझैं
Transliteration: boli anugrahma, noonle masala gariejhai
Doctrine: Proclamation and Witness to Outsiders
ὁ λόγος ὑμῶν ἐν χάριτι, ἅλατι ἠρτυμένος, Colossians 4:6. Practical wisdom for speech toward outsiders, connecting back to अनुग्रह (baseline grace term).
Mature Complete
Approved rendering: परिपक्व
Transliteration: paripakwa
Doctrine: Spiritual Growth and Maturity
Rejected alternatives: सिद्ध (implies sinless perfection — use with caution, secondary only)
Original: τέλειος
Category: Sanctification
τέλειος, Colossians 1:28, and πεπληρωμένοι (fully assured/filled) at 4:12, deliberately echoing πλήρωμα-family vocabulary from 1:19/2:9 — consistency of रendering required. Must not be read through an ascetic-attainment lens (a ‘perfected’ sadhu/yogi who has completed a spiritual discipline); maturity here is Christ-given, not self-achieved.
Low Risk Terms
Thanksgiving
Approved rendering: धन्यवाद
Transliteration: dhanyavad
Doctrine: Thanksgiving
Original: εὐχαριστία / εὐχαριστέω
Category: Faith
Inherited from Romans package; unchanged for Colossians. Recurs throughout (1:3, 1:12, 2:7, 3:15, 3:17, 4:2) as a structuring motif of the letter’s spirituality.
Exhort
Approved rendering: उत्साहित पार्नु
Transliteration: utsahit parnu
Doctrine: Mutual Edification
Original: παρακαλέω / νουθετέω
Category: Faith
Inherited from Romans package; unchanged for Colossians. Occurs at 1:28 (admonishing/teaching) and 4:8 (Tychicus sent to encourage) — context-sensitive between entreaty and encouragement.
Indulgence Of The Flesh
Approved rendering: शरीरको भोगविलास
Transliteration: sharirko bhogbilas
Doctrine: Ascetic Self-Denial Has No Value Against Sin
πλησμονὴ τῆς σαρκός, Colossians 2:23. The ironic outcome the false asceticism actually fails to prevent.
Referenced passages