Core Glossary
Core Glossary — Gospel of John
Portuguese Rendering Reference, Full Book Coverage
How to use this glossary: Column “Status” marks whether a term is REUSED verbatim from the baseline Romans translation_memory.json (no new decision required — enforce exactly) or NEW (first introduced in this John curriculum and pending addition to translation_memory.json/bible_term_registry.json in the next Phase 1 step). All NEW Critical and High risk terms require human theologian review before Phase 2 translation begins, per the escalation rules already established in 12_ai_translation_requirements.md.
A. Terms Reused Exactly from the Baseline Romans Translation Memory
| Term (EN) | Portuguese | Risk (baseline) | Key John chapters | Notes for John usage |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| gospel | evangelho | High | (thematic, “good news” implicit) | John uses εὐαγγέλιον 0 times as a noun; doctrine still applies to the book’s overall proclamation. |
| grace | graça | High | 1:14, 1:16-17 | ”grace and truth,” “grace upon grace” — pair with new term below. |
| faith (noun πίστις) | fé | High | (rare as noun; verb dominant) | See NEW term “believe” below for John’s dominant verb usage. |
| righteousness | justiça | Critical | 16:8, 16:10 | Reused in Spirit’s convicting ministry, a distinct sense from Romans’ forensic justification; flag for context-specific teaching note. |
| justification | justificação | Critical | (not a Johannine term) | Not directly used in John; retained for cross-curriculum consistency only. |
| salvation | salvação | Critical | 3:17, 4:22, 12:47 | ”save the world” (σῴζω); reinforce against Kardecist “evolução espiritual.” |
| apostle | apóstolo | Low | (word not used in John) | John uses “sent” (ἀποστέλλω/πέμπω) thematically; see NEW “sent/mission” note. |
| called / calling | chamado | High/Medium | (limited explicit use) | John’s dominant vocabulary is “born” (γεννάω) and “drawn” (ἑλκύω), not “called”; cross-reference only. |
| holy | santo | Medium | 17:11 (“Holy Father”) | Pater hagie — distinct address form; low additional risk. |
| saints | santos | Critical | (not used in John) | Term does not occur in John’s Gospel; retained for cross-curriculum consistency only. |
| sanctification | santificação | High | 17:17, 17:19 | ”Sanctify them in the truth” — reinforce baseline’s anti-Kardecist-purification note. |
| adoption | adoção | Medium | (Pauline term; John uses τέκνα θεοῦ instead) | See NEW “children of God” entry — related but lexically distinct. |
| resurrection | ressurreição | Critical | 5:29, 6:39-40, 6:44, 6:54, 11:24-25, 20 (whole chapter) | Forbidden-substitution rule (“NEVER reencarnação”) applies with maximal force in John, esp. Ch. 11 and 20. |
| lord | Senhor | Critical | 20:28, 21:7, 21:12 | Climactic use at 20:28, “My Lord and my God.” |
| son of God | Filho de Deus | Critical | 1:34, 1:49, 3:18, 5:25, 10:36, 11:4, 11:27, 19:7, 20:31 | John’s single most repeated Christological title; anchor for Deity/Sonship doctrines. |
| incarnation | encarnação | Critical | 1:14 (primary text) | John 1:14 (“o Verbo se fez carne”) is the NT’s primary incarnation text; pair rendering always with anti-Kardecist teaching note per baseline forbidden-substitution rule. |
| peace | paz | Medium | 14:27, 16:33, 20:19, 20:21, 20:26 | Post-resurrection greeting; contrast with “the world’s” peace. |
| spiritual gifts | dons espirituais | High | (not a Johannine term; Paraclete’s gifts differ) | Retained for cross-curriculum consistency; do not conflate with Paraclete’s ministry (see NEW Counselor entry). |
| thanksgiving | ação de graças | Low | 6:11, 6:23 (εὐχαριστήσας) | Standard, low risk. |
| fellowship | companheirismo | Low | (implicit, not the specific term) | No direct κοινωνία occurrence in John; retained for consistency only. |
| church | igreja | Medium | (ἐκκλησία not used in John’s Gospel) | Notable absence — flag for teaching note that “igreja” language is a post-Gospel development the curriculum may need to introduce carefully when reached. |
| kingdom of God | reino de Deus | Medium | 3:3, 3:5, 18:36 | 18:36, “my kingdom is not of this world,” extends the doctrine into Jesus’ trial. |
| law | lei | High | 1:17, 7:19, 7:23, 7:49, 8:5, 8:17, 19:7 | Contrasted with grace and truth (1:17); reused exactly. |
| sin | pecado | Medium | 1:29, 8:34, 9:41, 16:8-9 | ”Takes away the sin of the world” (1:29) — pairs with NEW “Lamb of God” entry. |
| gentiles | gentios | Low | 12:20 (Greeks, ἕλληνες, contextually adjacent) | Low direct usage; retained for consistency. |
| glory | glória | Medium | 1:14, 2:11, 11:4, 11:40, 12:23, 17:5, 17:24 | Elevated to High/Critical-adjacent in John given pre-existence claims (17:5, 17:24); see chapter analysis. |
| power of God | poder de Deus | Medium | (implicit throughout signs) | No exact phrase; retained for consistency. |
| messiah | Messias | Critical | 1:41, 4:25, 4:29, 7:26-42, 11:27 | 1:41 contains the NT’s unique self-glossing “Messias…traduzido, é o Cristo.” |
| prophet | profeta | Low | 1:21, 1:25, 4:19, 6:14, 7:40, 9:17 | Standard usage. |
| prophecy | profecia | Low | (implicit fulfillment language, 19:24, 19:36-37) | Reused for OT-fulfillment notes. |
| covenant | aliança | High | (implicit; not the dominant Johannine frame) | Retained for consistency; John’s covenant theology is more implicit than explicit. |
| election | eleição | High | 15:16 (“I chose you”) | ἐκλέγομαι — reused exactly. |
| intercession | intercessão | High | 17 (whole chapter, implicit) | High Priestly Prayer is Christ’s own intercession for believers; reinforce anti-mediumship note from baseline. |
| providence | providência | High | (implicit; not explicit Johannine vocabulary) | Retained for consistency. |
| mission | missão | Medium | 17:18, 20:21 (“as the Father sent me…”) | Central Johannine sending-pattern; reused exactly. |
| david | Davi | Low | (not prominent in John; no genealogy) | Minimal direct usage; retained for consistency. |
| israel | Israel | Low | 1:31, 1:49, 3:10, 12:13 | Standard usage. |
| jesus | Jesus | Critical | (throughout) | Standard, reused exactly. |
| god | Deus | Critical | (throughout) | Standard, reused exactly; syncretism-with-orixás caution from baseline applies equally in John. |
| holy spirit | Espírito Santo | Critical | 1:32-33, 14:16-26, 15:26, 16:7-15, 20:22 | Anchors the “Holy Spirit as Counselor” doctrine; see NEW “Counselor/Paraclete” entry for the term’s specific title. |
| father | Pai | Critical | (throughout, esp. Ch. 5, 10, 14, 17) | John’s single most frequent divine title; anchors “Unity of the Father and the Son.” |
| abba | Abba | Medium | (not used in John) | Not present in John’s Gospel (Synoptic/Pauline term); retained for cross-curriculum consistency only. |
| exhort | exortar | Low | (not a Johannine term) | Retained for consistency only. |
B. New Terms Introduced by the Gospel of John
| Term (EN) | Portuguese | Greek | Transliteration | Risk | Doctrine | Definition | Translation Notes | Chapters |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Word (Logos) | Verbo | λόγος | logos | Critical | Deity and Pre-existence of Christ | The eternal, personal, divine self-expression of God, distinct in person yet fully God, who became flesh. | Use “Verbo” (Almeida tradition), not “Palavra,” to preserve personal/theological weight. Anchors the baseline’s Critical encarnação entry. | 1 |
| life (general/eternal) | vida / vida eterna | ζωή / ζωὴ αἰώνιος | zōē / zōē aiōnios | Critical | Eternal Life through Faith in Christ | Life inherent to God/Christ, given to believers now and forever through faith; qualitatively new, not merely unending. | NEVER frame as spiritual “evolução” achieved gradually across reincarnations; anchor to “believing” and to 17:3’s relational definition. | 1, 3, 5, 6, 10, 11, 14, 17, 20 |
| born again / born from above | nascer de novo / nascer do alto | γεννηθῇ ἄνωθεν | gennēthē anōthen | Critical | The New Birth and Regeneration by the Spirit | A one-time, sovereign, Spirit-wrought spiritual re-creation, necessary to see/enter God’s kingdom. | HIGHEST-PRIORITY risk in the book: directly cited by Brazilian Kardecist apologetics as proof-text for reincarnation. Always pair with vv.5-8’s water/Spirit and flesh/spirit contrasts. NEVER gloss as “reencarnar.” | 3 |
| flesh | carne | σάρξ | sarx | High | The New Birth and Regeneration by the Spirit; Deity/Incarnation | Natural, mortal human existence/generation; in 1:14, the true humanity assumed by the eternal Word. | Avoid both docetic (“flesh is evil”) and Kardecist (“flesh is a temporary envelope for a progressing spirit”) readings. | 1, 3, 6 |
| Spirit (bare πνεῦμα, contextually Holy Spirit) | Espírito | πνεῦμα | pneuma | Critical | New Birth; Holy Spirit as Counselor | The divine, personal agent of new birth and ongoing ministry; capitalized when referring to the Holy Spirit. | Elevated risk versus the full “Espírito Santo” phrase because the bare noun (3:5-8) is more exposed to a plural/impersonal “espíritos” misreading in Kardecist/Umbanda contexts. | 3, 4, 6, 7, 14-16, 20 |
| only begotten / one and only Son | Filho unigênito | μονογενής | monogenēs | Critical | Deity and Pre-existence of Christ; Sonship | Unique, one-of-a-kind divine Sonship, categorically distinct from believers’ derivative sonship. | Directly refutes Kardecist Christology (“most evolved spirit”); pair with baseline’s Filho de Deus. | 1, 3 |
| world (kosmos) | mundo | κόσμος | kosmos | High | God’s Love for the World | The whole created order/humanity, object of God’s love and, later, of opposition to God. | Distinguish from Kardecism’s cosmology of successive “mundos” as stages of spirit evolution. | 1, 3, 14-17 |
| believe | crer | πιστεύω | pisteuō | High | Eternal Life through Faith in Christ | Personal trust/reliance placed in Christ; John’s dominant faith-vocabulary (~98 uses). | Must take a personal object (“crer nele/em Jesus”); avoid drifting to generic “acreditar que” (mere assent). Paired with baseline noun fé. | Throughout, esp. 1, 3, 6, 8, 11, 20 |
| perish | perecer | ἀπόλλυμι | apollymi | Medium-High | Judgment and Belief/Unbelief | Real, final loss/ruin as the consequence of unbelief, contrasted with eternal life. | Contrast with Kardecism’s denial of any final loss (eventual universal reconciliation via reincarnation). | 3 |
| condemn / condemned | condenar | κρίνω / κατακρίνω | krinō / katakrinō | Medium-High | Judgment and Belief/Unbelief | A present, standing state resulting from unbelief, not merely a distant future reckoning. | Preserve present-tense/settled-state force (v.18, perfect tense); avoid multi-life-corrective softening. | 3, 5, 8, 16 |
| wrath of God | ira de Deus | ὀργὴ τοῦ θεοῦ | orgē tou theou | High | Judgment and Belief/Unbelief | God’s personal, righteous, judicial opposition to sin and unbelief. | Contrast with Kardecism’s impersonal “lei de causa e efeito”; wrath is personal and judicial, not mechanical karma. | 3 |
| Son of Man | Filho do Homem | υἱὸς τοῦ ἀνθρώπου | huios tou anthrōpou | High | Deity and Pre-existence of Christ | Daniel 7 apocalyptic title asserting true humanity plus heavenly origin/authority. | Do not flatten to mere self-deprecating “just a man”; requires Daniel 7 background note. | 3, 5, 6, 8, 9, 12, 13 |
| lifted up | levantado / exaltado | ὑψωθῆναι | hypsōthēnai | High | Christ’s Substitutionary Death and Resurrection | Deliberate double meaning: physical crucifixion AND glorification/exaltation. | Preserve the paradox; do not flatten to only “crucificado” or only “exaltado.” | 3, 8, 12 |
| serpent (typological) | serpente | ὄφις | ophis | Low-Medium | Christ’s Substitutionary Death | Numbers 21 bronze-serpent typology; looking to Christ crucified brings life. | Requires OT-literacy note; minor caution re: Candomblé serpent symbolism (Oxumaré) — anchor firmly to Numbers 21. | 3 |
| testify / testimony | testemunhar / testemunho | μαρτυρέω / μαρτυρία | martyreō / martyria | Medium | Inspiration of Scripture (extension) | Firsthand, authoritative witness converging on Christ (John Baptist, works, Father, Scripture, Spirit). | Distinguish from mediumistic “testimony” of channeled messages (psicografia-adjacent risk). | 1, 3, 5, 8, 15, 21 |
| light / darkness | luz / trevas | φῶς / σκότος (σκοτία) | phōs / skotos (skotia) | Medium | Judgment and Belief/Unbelief | Moral-relational categories: response to revealed truth in Christ vs. concealment/evil deeds. | Note Afro-Brazilian “espíritos de luz/trevas” vocabulary; clarify these are categories of human moral response, not a taxonomy of spirit-beings. | 1, 3, 8, 9, 12 |
| verdict / judgment | juízo | κρίσις | krisis | Medium | Judgment and Belief/Unbelief | Formal, decisive determination; the incarnation itself forces a response. | Standard theological vocabulary; ensure eschatological weight retained. | 3, 5, 16 |
| truth | verdade | ἀλήθεια | alētheia | High | Judgment and Belief/Unbelief; the “I Am” Statements | Ultimate reality disclosed in/identified with Christ, not mere factual correctness. | Must not be flattened to a generic maxim (“a verdade liberta”) divorced from its Person-centered referent; guard against pluralistic “all paths” reading. | 1, 3, 8, 14, 16, 18 |
| living water | água viva | ὕδωρ ζῶν | hydōr zōn | Medium | Holy Spirit as Counselor (anticipatory) | Spirit-given, internally sustaining life, explicitly identified with the Spirit at 7:37-39. | Watch for conflation with Afro-Brazilian ritual-water associations (Oxum/Iemanjá); keep referent = the Holy Spirit. | 4, 7 |
| worship | adorar / adoração | προσκυνέω | proskyneō | Medium | Unity of the Father and the Son (implicit); God’s exclusivity | Reverent homage due to God alone, “in spirit and in truth,” not tied to sacred geography. | Must be directed to God/Christ alone; avoid vocabulary usable for venerating saints, orixás, or spirit guides without clear exclusivity. | 4, 9, 20 |
| sign | sinal | σημεῖον | sēmeion | Medium | Deity and Pre-existence of Christ | A miraculous act that points beyond itself to reveal Christ’s identity/glory. | Distinguish from generic “milagre” and from mediumistic “fenômenos”/“manifestações.” | 2-12 (structural to Ch.1-12) |
| hour (appointed) | hora | ὥρα | hōra | Low-Medium | Christ’s Substitutionary Death and Resurrection | The divinely appointed, climactic time of Jesus’ death/glorification. | Mainly a literacy issue; flag first (2:4) and resolving (12:23; 13:1; 17:1) occurrences with a note. | 2, 7, 8, 12, 13, 17 |
| I am (bread/light/door/shepherd/resurrection-life/way-truth-life/vine) | Eu sou [+ predicate] | ἐγώ εἰμι + predicate | egō eimi | High | The Seven “I Am” Statements | Six of the seven sayings paired with an image (bread, light, door, shepherd, resurrection & life, way/truth/life, vine) asserting exclusive, sole-source identity. | Preserve exclusivity (“I am THE…,” not “a…”); avoid sentimentalizing familiar images (esp. “bom pastor”). | 6, 8, 10, 11, 14, 15 |
| I Am (absolute, unpredicated) | Eu Sou | ἐγώ εἰμι (absolute) | egō eimi | Critical | Deity and Pre-existence of Christ; Seven “I Am” Statements | Direct echo of LXX Exodus 3:14/Isaiah’s divine self-identification; a timeless, self-existent deity claim. | Capitalize to distinguish from predicated sayings; NEVER smooth into “eu existia” — preserve tense incongruity per Almeida’s “eu sou.” Theologian review required at every occurrence. | 8:24, 28, 58; 13:19; 18:5-6 |
| bread of life | pão da vida | ἄρτος τῆς ζωῆς | artos tēs zōēs | High | Eternal Life through Faith in Christ | Christ as the true, sustaining source of life the OT manna foreshadowed. | Avoid eucharistic-mechanical reduction disconnected from believing (6:47, 63). | 6 |
| flesh and blood (eucharistic language) | carne…e…sangue | σάρξ…καὶ αἷμα | sarx…kai haima | High | Christ’s Substitutionary Death and Resurrection | Figurative language for total personal appropriation by faith of Christ’s atoning death. | Guard against purely ritual-sacramental collapse in Catholic-heritage readers; not primarily eucharistic-liturgy instruction. | 6 |
| draw (drawn by the Father) | atrair / trazer | ἑλκύω | helkyō | Medium-High | New Birth and Regeneration; effectual calling | The Father’s sovereign initiative bringing a person to the Son. | Teach alongside baseline’s eleição/effectual calling doctrine as the Johannine equivalent expression. | 6 |
| Counselor / Paraclete | Consolador | παράκλητος | paraklētos | Critical | The Holy Spirit as Counselor | The Spirit’s personal, ongoing ministry: teaching, reminding, testifying, convicting, guiding — sent by Father and Son. | HIGHEST additional Spirit-related risk in the book: closely parallels functions Brazilian Spiritism/Umbanda attribute to “espíritos guias”/“mentores.” Always teach as the one, personal, divine third Person, never invoked/incorporated/channeled. Theologian review required at every occurrence. | 14, 15, 16 |
| I and the Father are one | Eu e o Pai somos um | ἐγὼ καὶ ὁ πατὴρ ἕν ἐσμεν | egō kai ho patēr hen esmen | Critical | Unity of the Father and the Son | Unity of essence/nature (neuter “one thing”), not identity of person nor mere agreement of purpose. | Guard against both modalism and an under-realized “moral harmony” reading a Kardecist framework could accommodate. Theologian review required. | 10 |
| honor the Son as the Father | honrar o Filho como honram o Pai | τιμᾷ τὸν υἱὸν καθὼς τιμῶσι τὸν πατέρα | tima ton huion kathōs timōsi ton patera | High | Deity of Christ; Unity of Father and Son | Equal honor demanded for the Son as for the Father. | Must convey co-equal honor, not respectful deference to a subordinate teacher. | 5 |
| if you have seen me, you have seen the Father | quem me vê, vê o Pai | ὁ ἑωρακὼς ἐμὲ ἑώρακεν τὸν πατέρα | ho heōrakōs eme heōraken ton patera | High | Unity of the Father and the Son | Christ perfectly reveals the Father’s own being/character. | Do not soften to “resembles/represents”; claims shared divine nature. | 14 |
| abide / remain | permanecer | μένω | menō | Medium-High | The Seven “I Am” Statements (vine); Sanctification | Continuous, settled union/dependence on Christ as the sole source of fruitfulness. | Distinguish from self-effort moral progress across time (Kardecist-adjacent framing); render consistently across all occurrences. | 1, 14, 15 |
| Lamb of God | Cordeiro de Deus | ἀμνὸς τοῦ Θεοῦ | amnos tou Theou | High | Christ’s Substitutionary Death and Resurrection | Sacrificial provision taking away the sin of the world (Passover/Isaiah 53 typology). | Requires OT sacrificial-system background; not merely a moral exemplar (contra Kardecist Christology). | 1, 19 (typological fulfillment) |
| children of God | filhos de Deus | τέκνα θεοῦ | tekna theou | High | New Birth; Adoption (related, distinct) | Status granted by new birth to all who receive/believe in the Word; NOT the same as Christ’s unique Sonship. | Keep terminologically distinct from Filho de Deus (singular, Christ-exclusive) and Filho unigênito. | 1 |
| convict (of sin/righteousness/judgment) | convencer (do pecado, da justiça, do juízo) | ἐλέγχω | elenchō | High | Holy Spirit as Counselor | The Spirit’s courtroom-style ministry exposing the world’s unbelief and vindicating Christ. | Distinguish this sense of “justiça” from the Romans forensic-justification sense; add context note. | 16 |
| guide into all truth | guiar a toda a verdade | ὁδηγέω…εἰς πᾶσαν τὴν ἀλήθειαν | hodēgeō…eis pasan tēn alētheian | High | Holy Spirit as Counselor; Inspiration of Scripture | The Spirit’s bounded, Christ-centered, Scripture-consistent teaching ministry. | Must exclude any open-ended, self-authorizing “new revelation” parallel to psicografia or spirit-guide communication. | 16 |
| glory before the foundation of the world | glória antes da fundação do mundo | δόξα…πρὸ τοῦ τὸν κόσμον εἶναι | doxa…pro tou ton kosmon einai | High | Deity and Pre-existence of Christ | Explicit pre-creation glory claim from Jesus’ own prayer. | Cross-reference with Verbo (Ch.1) as complementary pre-existence anchors. | 17 |
| sanctify | santificar (santifica-os) | ἁγιάζω | hagiazō | High | Sanctification | Believers set apart through God’s truth/word, not self-purification. | Reinforce baseline’s anti-Kardecist-purification-across-lifetimes note in this new Johannine occurrence. | 17 |
| that they may be one, as we are one | que sejam um, como nós somos um | ἵνα ὦσιν ἕν καθὼς ἡμεῖς ἕν | hina ōsin hen kathōs hēmeis hen | High | Unity of the Father and the Son (applied to believers) | Believers’ relational/moral unity modeled on, but not identical to, Trinitarian ontological unity. | Distinguish carefully from 10:30’s ontological claim to avoid blurring the Trinity doctrine. | 17 |
| King of the Jews | Rei dos judeus | βασιλεὺς τῶν Ἰουδαίων | basileus tōn Ioudaiōn | Medium | Messianic Promise (fulfilled in death) | Ironically true royal title proclaimed even in mockery at the cross. | Requires irony/mockery-that-is-true note for full doctrinal weight. | 18, 19 |
| It is finished | Está consumado | Τετέλεσται | Tetelestai | Critical | Christ’s Substitutionary Death and Resurrection | Christ’s atoning work fully and finally completed; a debt paid in full, requiring no further installment. | Directly refutes any framework of gradual, self-financed spiritual debt-payment across successive lives (Kardecism). Theologian review required. | 19 |
| My Lord and my God | Meu Senhor e meu Deus | Ὁ κύριός μου καὶ ὁ θεός μου | Ho kyrios mou kai ho theos mou | Critical | Deity and Pre-existence of Christ; Unity of Father and Son | Thomas’s unqualified deity-confession of the risen Christ, accepted without correction. | Inherits both Senhor and Deus Critical baseline entries simultaneously; climactic confessional anchor. | 20 |
| believe without seeing / life in his name | crer sem ver / vida em seu nome | πιστεύσαντες…ζωὴν…ἐν τῷ ὀνόματι αὐτοῦ | pisteusantes…zōēn…en tō onomati autou | Critical | Eternal Life through Faith in Christ | John’s explicit statement of the Gospel’s purpose: written so readers may believe and have life in Christ’s name. | Flag 20:30-31 for cross-document consistency, structurally parallel to Romans 1:16-17’s thesis-statement role. | 20 |
| love (agapē/agapaō vs. phileō) | amar / amor | ἀγαπάω / φιλέω | agapaō / phileō | Medium | Christ’s Substitutionary Death (self-giving love); Mutual Edification | Deliberate, self-giving love (3:16, 13:34-35) alongside warm affection-love; overlapping usage in John. | Present pastorally (Peter’s restoration) without overstating a strict semantic distinction Portuguese cannot cleanly reproduce. | 3, 13, 21 |
| new commandment | novo mandamento | ἐντολὴ καινή | entolē kainē | Low | Mutual Edification (extension) | Christ-modeled, cross-shaped standard of love for one another. | Standard vocabulary; low risk. | 13 |
| servant/slave | servo | δοῦλος | doulos | Medium | Christ-Centered Ministry (extension) | One owned by a master; used of Christ’s voluntary self-lowering and of disciples’ status. | ”Servo” softens δοῦλος’s full force; established convention retained, supplement with notes at high-impact verses. | 13, 15 |
| grain of wheat | grão de trigo | κόκκος τοῦ σίτου | kokkos tou sitou | Low-Medium | Christ’s Substitutionary Death and Resurrection | A single seed dying to produce a fruitful harvest — necessity and fruitfulness of Christ’s death. | Must not be misheard as supporting cyclical rebirth; illustrates one-time death producing multiplication, not repeated individual rebirths. | 12 |
| glorify (verb) | glorificar | δοξάζω | doxazō | High | Christ’s Substitutionary Death and Resurrection | The cross itself (not only the resurrection) as the moment of Christ’s and the Father’s glorification. | Do not flatten to mere “praise”; preserve the cross-as-glory paradox alongside “levantado/exaltado.” | 12, 13, 17 |
| I am the way, the truth, and the life | Eu sou o caminho, e a verdade, e a vida | ἐγώ εἰμι ἡ ὁδὸς καὶ ἡ ἀλήθεια καὶ ἡ ζωή | egō eimi hē hodos kai hē alētheia kai hē zōē | Critical | Eternal Life through Faith in Christ; Seven “I Am” Statements | Exclusive, sole means of access to the Father. | Most pluralism-testing verse for Brazilian context (Kardecism’s “many paths, one journey” framework); preserve “no one comes to the Father except through me” without softening. | 14 |
C. Cross-Reference Notes for Phase 2 Consistency
- John 3:3-8 (“nascer de novo”) and John 3:16-18 (κόσμος, μονογενής, ζωὴ αἰώνιος) must receive verbatim-identical renderings at every recurrence throughout all curriculum documents, matching the baseline’s precedent for Romans 1:16-17 and Romans 8:28.
- John 20:30-31 functions as this book’s thesis statement (parallel role to Romans 1:16-17) and must be rendered identically everywhere it is quoted.
- The seven “I Am” statements (6:35, 8:12, 10:7, 10:11, 11:25, 14:6, 15:1) must use a single, consistent Portuguese formula (“Eu sou o/a…”) across all documents, with the absolute form (8:58, 18:5-6) distinctly capitalized as Eu Sou.
- Every occurrence of Consolador (Ch. 14-16) and Espírito (bare noun, Ch. 3) requires the same anti-Kardecist/anti-Umbanda personal-Trinity clarification used for the baseline’s Espírito Santo entry.
- Ressurreição (Ch. 5, 6, 11, 20) and Está consumado (Ch. 19) together form the doctrinal core of “Christ’s Substitutionary Death and Resurrection” and must never be rendered or explained in terms compatible with reincarnation or ongoing self-financed spiritual debt-payment.
This glossary extends, and must remain fully consistent with, the baseline Romans translation_memory.json and bible_term_registry.json. All NEW terms marked above are pending formal addition to those enforcement databases in the next Phase 1 step.
Critical Risk Terms
Righteousness
Approved rendering: justiça
Doctrine: Salvation
Rejected alternatives: mérito conquistado por esforço moral próprio
Original: δικαιοσύνη
Category: Salvation
Inherited from Romans package. John 16:8-10 reuses this Critical term for the Spirit’s convicting ministry (‘concerning righteousness’) in a sense distinct from Romans’ forensic justification; a translator note distinguishing the Spirit’s courtroom-conviction sense from the believer’s declared-righteous status is required.
Justification
Approved rendering: justificação
Doctrine: Salvation
Rejected alternatives: progresso espiritual gradual
Original: δικαίωσις
Category: Salvation
Inherited from Romans package for cross-curriculum consistency. The term itself is not used in John, whose soteriological vocabulary centers on ‘vida eterna’ and ‘crer’ rather than forensic justification language.
Salvation
Approved rendering: salvação
Doctrine: Salvation
Rejected alternatives: evolução espiritual através de reencarnações sucessivas
Original: σωτηρία / σῴζω
Category: Salvation
Inherited from Romans package. John 3:17 and 12:47 use the verb ‘salvar’ (σῴζω, ‘save the world’) rather than the Romans noun; must be taught as a decisive act accomplished by Christ, received by faith, not a gradual multi-life process.
Saints
Approved rendering: santos
Doctrine: Sainthood
Rejected alternatives: santos venerados e invocados como intercessores
Original: ἅγιοι
Category: Church
Inherited from Romans package for cross-curriculum consistency; the term does not occur in John’s Gospel. Retained so later curriculum documents referencing Romans 1:7 alongside John remain terminologically consistent.
Resurrection
Approved rendering: ressurreição
Doctrine: Resurrection of Christ
Rejected alternatives: reencarnação
Original: ἀνάστασις
Category: Eschatology
Inherited from Romans package. NEVER ‘reencarnação.’ John 5:29, 6:39-40,44,54, 11:24-25, and the whole of Chapter 20 apply this term with maximal narrative force; the forbidden-substitution rule applies at every occurrence with zero exceptions.
Lord
Approved rendering: Senhor
Doctrine: Lordship of Christ
Rejected alternatives: Senhor apenas em sentido devocional, sem reivindicação de senhorio total
Original: κύριος
Category: Christology
Inherited from Romans package. Climactic Johannine occurrence at 20:28, ‘Meu Senhor e meu Deus’ — Thomas applies this title to the risen Christ without correction, the most explicit unqualified deity-confession in the book.
Son Of God
Approved rendering: Filho de Deus
Doctrine: Sonship of Christ
Rejected alternatives: filho de Deus no sentido genérico aplicado a todo crente
Original: υἱὸς θεοῦ
Category: Christology
Inherited from Romans package. John’s single most repeated Christological title (1:34,49; 3:18; 5:25; 10:36; 11:4,27; 19:7; 20:31); must be kept sharply distinct from ‘filhos de Deus’ (believers) and reinforced by the new term ‘Filho unigênito.‘
Incarnation
Approved rendering: encarnação
Doctrine: Incarnation
Rejected alternatives: encarnação como uma entre muitas vidas sucessivas de um espírito (sentido espírita)
Original: ὁ λόγος σὰρξ ἐγένετο
Category: Christology
Inherited from Romans package. John 1:14, ‘E o Verbo se fez carne,’ is the NT’s primary incarnation text; every occurrence must pair ‘encarnação’ with explicit teaching distinguishing the Word’s unique, non-repeating assumption of human nature from routine Kardecist reincarnation.
Messiah
Approved rendering: Messias
Doctrine: Messianic Promise
Rejected alternatives: um espírito superior ou mais evoluído (leitura espírita de Jesus como ‘o mais evoluído dos espíritos’)
Original: Χριστός / Μεσσίας
Category: Christology
Inherited from Romans package. John 1:41 uniquely self-glosses the term for a Greek-speaking audience (‘Achamos o Messias — que, traduzido, é o Cristo’); preserve this bilingual gloss structure as pedagogical evidence of the term’s singular, non-plural reference.
Jesus
Approved rendering: Jesus
Doctrine: Lordship of Christ
Original: Ἰησοῦς
Category: Christology
Inherited from Romans package. The risk lies entirely in the doctrinal content surrounding the name (Deity, Pre-existence, Messiahship, Resurrection, Lordship), all Critical doctrines this John package documents at length.
God
Approved rendering: Deus
Doctrine: Deity of Christ
Original: θεός
Category: God
Inherited from Romans package. John 1:1 (‘the Word was God’) and 20:28 (‘my Lord and my God,’ applied to the risen Christ) are the two most theologically load-bearing Johannine occurrences; the baseline’s syncretism-with-orixás caution applies equally here.
Holy Spirit
Approved rendering: Espírito Santo
Doctrine: Sanctification
Rejected alternatives: espíritos guias ou mentores espirituais (espiritismo), orixás e guias (Candomblé/Umbanda)
Original: πνεῦμα ἅγιον
Category: God
Inherited from Romans package. John 1:32-33; 14:16-26; 15:26; 16:7-15; 20:22 anchor the curriculum doctrine ‘The Holy Spirit as Counselor’; see new term ‘counselor_paraclete’ for the specific Johannine title and its elevated Brazil-specific risk.
Father
Approved rendering: Pai
Doctrine: Adoption into God’s Family
Original: πατήρ
Category: God
Inherited from Romans package. John’s single most frequent divine title (throughout, esp. Ch.5, 10, 14, 17); anchors the curriculum doctrine ‘Unity of the Father and the Son.‘
Imputed Righteousness
Approved rendering: justiça imputada
Doctrine: Justification by Faith
Rejected alternatives: justiça infundida (categoria tridentina), justiça conquistada por mérito próprio ao longo de vidas sucessivas
Inherited from Romans package for cross-curriculum consistency; not a Johannine term. John’s soteriology centers on ‘vida eterna’ and ‘crer’ rather than forensic imputation language.
Word Logos
Approved rendering: Verbo
Transliteration: logos
Doctrine: Deity and Pre-existence of Christ
Rejected alternatives: Palavra (risks being read as merely ‘a word’ among many rather than the personal, pre-existent divine Logos)
Original: ὁ λόγος
Category: Christology
NEW for this Language Package. Use ‘Verbo’ per the Almeida tradition (João 1:1, ‘No princípio era o Verbo’). Directly grounds the baseline’s Critical ‘encarnação’ entry (1:14). Not primarily a Kardecist-collision term the way ‘encarnação’ is, but the full-deity-plus-unique-incarnation doctrine it introduces must be taught as foundational to the rest of the Gospel and cross-referenced with ‘Filho de Deus,’ ‘Filho unigênito,’ and ‘Eu Sou.‘
Eternal Life
Approved rendering: vida eterna
Transliteration: zōē aiōnios
Doctrine: Eternal Life through Faith in Christ
Rejected alternatives: evolução espiritual conquistada ao longo de reencarnações sucessivas
Original: ζωὴ αἰώνιος
Category: Salvation
NEW Critical-risk term — John’s central soteriological category (used 17 times, more than any other NT book). Kardecism teaches the human spirit is inherently immortal and progresses toward perfection through successive reincarnations achieved by its own effort; must be taught as a decisive, relational, Spirit-given gift received now through faith and never re-earned or re-lost through further embodiments. Anchor to ‘crer’ (3:15-16,36; 20:31) and to the relational definition at 17:3.
Born Again
Approved rendering: nascer de novo
Transliteration: gennēthē anōthen
Doctrine: The New Birth and Regeneration by the Spirit
Rejected alternatives: reencarnar (forbidden absolutely), renascer sozinho, sem os versos 5-8 (risco de leitura cíclica genérica)
Original: γεννηθῇ ἄνωθεν
Category: Salvation
The single highest-risk term in the entire Gospel of John for this Language Package. Brazilian Kardecist apologetics explicitly and repeatedly cite John 3:3 as biblical proof for reincarnation — a documented, mainstream argument in Spiritist literature. ‘Nascer do alto’ is available as a clarifying gloss for the spatial sense of ἄνωθεν. Every occurrence must be paired with vv.5-8 (water and Spirit; flesh gives birth to flesh, Spirit gives birth to spirit) and taught as a single, non-repeating transformation of a person still living in one earthly body.
Born From Above
Approved rendering: nascer do alto
Transliteration: gennēthē anōthen
Doctrine: The New Birth and Regeneration by the Spirit
Rejected alternatives: reencarnar
NEW clarifying-gloss term, used alongside ‘nascer de novo’ where the spatial sense of ἄνωθεν (from heaven/divine origin) needs foregrounding, per John 3:3’s deliberate double sense. Never used as a substitute that would weaken the primary ‘nascer de novo’ rendering; always co-occurs with the same anti-reincarnation safeguards.
Spirit Bare
Approved rendering: Espírito
Transliteration: pneuma
Doctrine: The New Birth and Regeneration by the Spirit / Holy Spirit as Counselor
Rejected alternatives: espíritos (plural, referindo-se a espíritos humanos desencarnados)
Original: πνεῦμα (without ἅγιον)
Category: God
The divine, personal agent of new birth (3:5-8) and ongoing ministry, named by the bare noun without the adjective ‘santo.’ Capitalize when referring to the Holy Spirit. Elevated risk versus the full ‘Espírito Santo’ phrase because the bare noun is more exposed to a plural/impersonal ‘espíritos’ misreading in Kardecist/Umbanda contexts. Theologian review required despite inheriting an already-Critical baseline category.
Only Begotten
Approved rendering: Filho unigênito
Transliteration: monogenēs
Doctrine: Sonship of Christ
Rejected alternatives: o mais evoluído dos espíritos (cristologia espírita), filho único em sentido meramente afetivo, sem peso ontológico
Original: μονογενής
Category: Christology
NEW Critical term, the direct lexical anchor beneath the baseline’s already-Critical ‘Filho de Deus’ entry. Must be taught in explicit continuity with ‘Filho de Deus’ and sharply distinguished from ‘filhos de Deus’ (believers). Directly forecloses Kardecist Christology describing Jesus as an exceptional but not unique figure merely further along the same evolutionary path every spirit travels.
I Am Absolute
Approved rendering: Eu Sou
Transliteration: egō eimi (absolute)
Doctrine: The Deity and Pre-existence of Christ / The Seven ‘I Am’ Statements
Rejected alternatives: eu existia / eu já era (suaviza a incongruência verbal proposital e apaga o eco de Êxodo 3:14)
Original: ἐγώ εἰμι (absolute, unpredicated)
Category: Christology
The unpredicated ‘I Am’ (8:24,28,58; 13:19; 18:5-6), echoing the LXX rendering of Exodus 3:14 and Isaiah’s divine self-identification formula. Capitalize to distinguish from predicated sayings; retain Almeida’s tense-incongruous ‘antes que Abraão existisse, eu sou.’ The direct doctrinal opposite of Kardecist Christology (Jesus as ‘the most evolved spirit’). Theologian review required at every occurrence.
Counselor Paraclete
Approved rendering: Consolador
Transliteration: paraklētos
Doctrine: The Holy Spirit as Counselor
Rejected alternatives: espíritos guias / mentores espirituais (espiritismo), guias e orixás incorporados por médiuns (candomblé/umbanda), Paráclito (transliteração pouco familiar à maioria dos leitores evangélicos)
Original: ὁ παράκλητος
Category: God
The Holy Spirit’s personal, ongoing, post-ascension ministry: teaching, reminding, testifying, convicting, guiding (14:16,26; 15:26; 16:7-15). HIGHEST additional Spirit-related risk in the book: closely parallels functions Brazilian Spiritism/Umbanda attribute to spirit guides. Always teach as the one, personal, divine third Person, never invoked, incorporated, or channeled. Theologian review required at every occurrence.
Father Son One
Approved rendering: Eu e o Pai somos um
Transliteration: egō kai ho patēr hen esmen
Doctrine: Unity of the Father and the Son
Rejected alternatives: mera harmonia moral entre um espírito avançado e Deus (leitura compatível com o espiritismo), identidade de pessoa (leitura modalista)
Original: ἐγὼ καὶ ὁ πατὴρ ἕν ἐσμεν
Category: Christology
Unity of essence/nature (neuter ‘one thing,’ 10:30), not identity of person. Guard against both modalism and an under-realized ‘moral harmony’ reading a Kardecist framework could accommodate. The crowd’s attempt to stone Jesus (10:31-33) confirms a full deity claim was heard. Theologian review required.
It Is Finished
Approved rendering: Está consumado
Transliteration: Tetelestai
Doctrine: The Completed Atonement (‘It Is Finished’)
Rejected alternatives: quase terminado / pagamento parcial (compatível com o projeto espírita inacabado e plurivida)
Original: Τετέλεσται
Category: Salvation
Christ’s atoning work fully and finally completed (19:30) — a commercial-receipt term meaning a debt fully paid. Directly confronts Kardecism’s framework of an unending, incremental, self-financed moral project extending across countless future lifetimes. Theologian review required.
My Lord And My God
Approved rendering: Meu Senhor e meu Deus
Transliteration: Ho kyrios mou kai ho theos mou
Doctrine: Deity Confession: ‘My Lord and My God’
Rejected alternatives: exclamação devocional dirigida a um espírito ou guia excepcionalmente avançado
Original: Ὁ κύριός μου καὶ ὁ θεός μου
Category: Christology
Thomas’s unqualified deity-confession of the risen Jesus (20:28), applying both ‘Senhor’ and ‘Deus’ to him in a single breath. Jesus’ acceptance without correction is theologically decisive. Climactic confessional anchor; theologian review required; render verbatim-identically at every citation.
Believe Without Seeing
Approved rendering: crer sem ver / vida em seu nome
Transliteration: makarioi hoi mē idontes kai pisteusantes…zōēn echēte en tō onomati autou
Doctrine: Eternal Life through Faith in Christ
Original: μακάριοι οἱ μὴ ἰδόντες καὶ πιστεύσαντες…ζωὴν ἔχητε ἐν τῷ ὀνόματι αὐτοῦ
Category: Faith
John’s explicit statement of the Gospel’s purpose (20:29-31): written so readers may believe and have life in Christ’s name. Flag 20:30-31 as the single most important verse pair for cross-document consistency-checking, structurally parallel to Romans 1:16-17.
Way Truth Life
Approved rendering: Eu sou o caminho, e a verdade, e a vida
Transliteration: egō eimi hē hodos kai hē alētheia kai hē zōē
Doctrine: Eternal Life through Faith in Christ / The Seven ‘I Am’ Statements
Rejected alternatives: um caminho entre vários (leitura pluralista compatível com a jornada evolutiva única do espiritismo)
Original: ἐγώ εἰμι ἡ ὁδὸς καὶ ἡ ἀλήθεια καὶ ἡ ζωή
Category: Christology
Exclusive, sole means of access to the Father (14:6): ‘no one comes to the Father except through me.’ Arguably the most religiously pluralism-testing verse in the Gospel for the Brazilian context. Must be preserved without softening; teach the doctrine actively rather than merely translating literally.
High Risk Terms
Gospel
Approved rendering: evangelho
Doctrine: Gospel
Rejected alternatives: mensagem de evolução moral (Kardecist ethical-progress framing)
Original: εὐαγγέλιον
Category: Salvation
Inherited from Romans package. Standard term shared by Catholic and Protestant Portuguese Bibles; distinctive Brazilian risk is Kardecist reinterpretation via ‘O Evangelho Segundo o Espiritismo.’ John-specific: the noun does not occur in John’s Gospel, but the doctrine it names governs the book’s purpose statement (John 20:31) and must be taught with the same anti-Kardecist distinction.
Grace
Approved rendering: graça
Doctrine: Grace
Rejected alternatives: mérito espiritual acumulado ao longo de vidas sucessivas
Original: χάρις
Category: Salvation
Inherited from Romans package. John 1:14-17 pairs ‘graça’ with ‘verdade’ (grace and truth) as the covenant character embodied in Christ, superseding the partial revelation given through Moses; must not be diluted apart from the merit-versus-Kardecist-accumulated-merit contrast.
Faith
Approved rendering: fé
Doctrine: Faith
Rejected alternatives: convicção espírita, fé genérica em forças espirituais
Original: πίστις
Category: Faith
Inherited from Romans package. The noun is rare in John; the cognate verb ‘crer’ (see new term ‘believe’) dominates John’s faith-vocabulary instead and must share the same personal-trust semantics.
Called
Approved rendering: chamado
Doctrine: Divine Calling
Rejected alternatives: convocado (bureaucratic register)
Original: κλητός
Category: Salvation
Inherited from Romans package for cross-curriculum consistency. John’s dominant equivalent vocabulary is ‘nascer’ (γεννάω, Ch.3) and ‘atrair’ (ἑλκύω, 6:44) rather than this term directly.
Calling
Approved rendering: chamado
Doctrine: Divine Calling
Rejected alternatives: vocação (narrow sense of a call to priesthood or religious life)
Original: κλῆσις
Category: Salvation
Inherited from Romans package for cross-curriculum consistency; not directly used in John.
Sanctification
Approved rendering: santificação
Doctrine: Sanctification
Rejected alternatives: purificação cármica ao longo de reencarnações (leitura espírita)
Original: ἁγιασμός / ἁγιάζω
Category: Sanctification
Inherited from Romans package. John 17:17,19 uses the verb ‘santificar’ (‘sanctify them in/by the truth’); extends the baseline’s warning against a Kardecist gradual-purification-across-incarnations reading to this Johannine text.
Spiritual Gifts
Approved rendering: dons espirituais
Doctrine: Spiritual Gifts
Rejected alternatives: mediunidade (dom mediúnico espírita), dons de incorporação (Candomblé/Umbanda)
Original: χαρίσματα
Category: Church
Inherited from Romans package for cross-curriculum consistency; not a Johannine term. Must not be conflated with the Paraclete’s distinct teaching/convicting/witnessing ministry (see new term ‘counselor_paraclete’).
Law
Approved rendering: lei
Doctrine: Fulfillment of Prophecy
Original: νόμος
Category: Covenant
Inherited from Romans package. John 1:17 explicitly contrasts the Law given through Moses with the ‘grace and truth’ that came through Jesus Christ; distinguish clearly from the Kardecist ‘lei de causa e efeito.‘
Sin
Approved rendering: pecado
Doctrine: Universal Human Accountability
Rejected alternatives: erro a ser corrigido em vidas futuras (leitura espírita)
Original: ἁμαρτία
Category: Sin
Inherited from Romans package; risk elevated from Medium (Romans) to High for this Language Package because John 1:29 (‘the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world’) and 16:8-9 tie the term directly to substitutionary atonement and the Spirit’s personal courtroom ministry, both concepts with no equivalent in Kardecism’s self-correctable-error framework.
Glory
Approved rendering: glória
Doctrine: Deity of Christ
Original: δόξα / δοξάζω
Category: God
Inherited from Romans package; risk elevated from Medium (Romans) to High for John because 17:5 and 17:24 make explicit pre-creation glory claims (‘the glory I had with you before the world existed’), reinforcing Deity and Pre-existence of Christ; the verb ‘glorificar’ (see new term) carries the Johannine cross-as-glory paradox.
Obedience Of Faith
Approved rendering: obediência da fé
Doctrine: Obedience of Faith
Rejected alternatives: cumprimento de preceitos religiosos, disciplina moral espírita de autoaperfeiçoamento
Inherited from Romans package for cross-curriculum consistency; not directly Johannine vocabulary, though John’s ‘crer’ and ‘permanecer’ express related content.
Covenant
Approved rendering: aliança
Doctrine: Davidic Covenant
Rejected alternatives: contrato legal
Original: διαθήκη
Category: Covenant
Inherited from Romans package for cross-curriculum consistency; John’s covenant theology is largely implicit fulfillment of OT promise rather than expressed through the explicit noun.
Election
Approved rendering: eleição
Doctrine: Effectual Calling
Rejected alternatives: mérito conquistado ao longo de reencarnações
Original: ἐκλογή / ἐκλέγομαι
Category: Salvation
Inherited from Romans package. John 15:16, ‘Eu vos escolhi,’ reuses the verb form; teach alongside the new term ‘draw’ (6:44) as complementary Johannine expressions of sovereign initiative.
Intercession
Approved rendering: intercessão
Doctrine: Prayer and Intercession
Rejected alternatives: comunicação com espíritos de mortos por meio de médiuns, intercessão exclusiva dos santos e de Maria
Original: ἔντευξις (concept; cf. John 17 in its entirety)
Category: Faith
Inherited from Romans package. John’s High Priestly Prayer (Ch.17) is Christ’s own extended intercession for his disciples and future believers; reinforce the baseline’s distinction from Catholic saint/Marian intercession and Kardecist mediumistic communication with the dead.
Providence
Approved rendering: providência
Doctrine: Providence
Rejected alternatives: lei de causa e efeito espírita (regência cármica das reencarnações)
Original: πρόνοια (concept)
Category: God
Inherited from Romans package for cross-curriculum consistency; not explicit Johannine vocabulary, but implicit in the ‘hora’ theme (see new term).
Life
Approved rendering: vida
Transliteration: zōē
Doctrine: Eternal Life through Faith in Christ
Original: ἡ ζωή
Category: Salvation
NEW term. John 1:4, 5:26, and 11:25 use the bare noun to make an implicit deity claim (only God has ‘life in himself’); a flattened translation risks missing this christological weight. Distinct entry from ‘vida eterna,’ though closely related and often paired in teaching.
Flesh
Approved rendering: carne
Transliteration: sarx
Doctrine: The New Birth and Regeneration by the Spirit / Incarnation
Rejected alternatives: carne como o mal intrínseco (leitura docética), carne como invólucro temporário do espírito (leitura espírita)
Original: σάρξ
Category: Christology
Natural, mortal human existence/generation (John 3:6); the true humanity assumed by the eternal Word (1:14). Must avoid both a docetic overcorrection (flesh as inherently evil) and the Kardecist view of the body as a temporary ‘invólucro’ shed and re-adopted across incarnations. Pair 3:6 explicitly with 1:14 to prevent either error.
World
Approved rendering: mundo
Transliteration: kosmos
Doctrine: God’s Love for the World
Rejected alternatives: um mundo entre muitos mundos evolutivos (cosmologia espírita, ex.: ‘mundo de expiações e provas’)
Original: ὁ κόσμος
Category: Salvation
The whole created order/humanity, object of God’s love (3:16) and, elsewhere, humanity organized in opposition to God (15:18-19; 17:14). Elevated risk absent from the baseline Romans package: Kardecism has a developed cosmology of successive ‘mundos’ through which spirits pass across reincarnations. Must be taught as this present created order and its inhabitants, not one rung on an evolutionary ladder.
Believe
Approved rendering: crer
Transliteration: pisteuō
Doctrine: Eternal Life through Faith in Christ
Rejected alternatives: acreditar que (mero assentimento intelectual a uma proposição)
Original: πιστεύω
Category: Faith
Personal trust/reliance placed in Christ; John’s dominant faith-vocabulary (~98 uses), paired with baseline noun ‘fé.’ Must consistently take a personal object (‘crer nele,’ ‘crer em Jesus’) rather than drifting into a vaguer, generic ‘believing in the spirit world’ posture.
Wrath Of God
Approved rendering: ira de Deus
Transliteration: orgē tou theou
Doctrine: The Wrath of God and Final Judgment
Rejected alternatives: lei de causa e efeito espírita (mecanismo impessoal e autocorretivo)
Original: ἡ ὀργὴ τοῦ θεοῦ
Category: God
NEW term. God’s settled, personal, holy opposition to sin and unbelief (3:36), not capricious rage. Kardecism replaces this category with an impersonal, self-executing karmic mechanism; ‘ira de Deus’ must be taught as the personal, judicial response of a holy Being, resolved only in the Son.
Son Of Man
Approved rendering: Filho do Homem
Transliteration: huios tou anthrōpou
Doctrine: The Deity and Pre-existence of Christ
Rejected alternatives: apenas um homem (autorreferência humilde, sem peso apocalíptico)
Original: ὁ υἱὸς τοῦ ἀνθρώπου
Category: Christology
Daniel 7:13-14 apocalyptic title asserting true humanity plus heavenly origin/authority. Do not flatten to a merely humble self-reference; requires a Daniel 7 background note connecting to the pre-existence/descent theme (John 1, 3, 6, 8).
Lifted Up
Approved rendering: levantado
Transliteration: hypsōthēnai
Doctrine: Christ’s Substitutionary Death and Resurrection
Rejected alternatives: apenas ‘morto’ ou ‘crucificado’ (perde o duplo sentido deliberado)
Original: ὑψωθῆναι
Category: Christology
Deliberate double meaning: physical crucifixion AND glorification/exaltation (3:14; 8:28; 12:32-34). Use ‘levantado’ as primary across all three occurrences, with ‘exaltado’ as a secondary gloss only where the glorification sense needs foregrounding.
Truth
Approved rendering: verdade
Transliteration: alētheia
Doctrine: The Seven ‘I Am’ Statements / Judgment and Belief-Unbelief
Rejected alternatives: uma verdade entre várias igualmente válidas (‘todos os caminhos evoluem para a mesma verdade’)
Original: ἡ ἀλήθεια
Category: Christology
Ultimate reality disclosed by and identified with Christ (14:6), not mere factual accuracy. Must not be flattened to a generic maxim divorced from its Person-centered referent; guard against pluralistic ‘all paths’ readings that Kardecism and Umbanda religious pluralism would readily supply.
I Am Predicated
Approved rendering: Eu sou [+predicado]
Transliteration: egō eimi + predicate
Doctrine: The Seven ‘I Am’ Statements
Rejected alternatives: Eu sou um… (perde a exclusividade da afirmação)
Original: ἐγώ εἰμι + predicate
Category: Christology
Six of the seven ‘I Am’ sayings (bread, light, door, shepherd, resurrection & life, vine — see also ‘way_truth_life’). Render consistently ‘Eu sou o/a…’; preserve exclusivity; avoid sentimentalizing familiar images, especially ‘bom pastor.‘
Bread Of Life
Approved rendering: pão da vida
Transliteration: artos tēs zōēs
Doctrine: Eternal Life through Faith in Christ
Rejected alternatives: redução sacramental-eucarística mecânica desligada da fé
Original: ὁ ἄρτος τῆς ζωῆς
Category: Salvation
Christ as the true, sustaining source of life the OT manna foreshadowed (6:35,48,51). Avoid a purely eucharistic-sacramentalist collapse disconnected from believing (6:47,63).
Flesh And Blood
Approved rendering: carne e sangue
Transliteration: sarx…kai haima
Doctrine: Christ’s Substitutionary Death and Resurrection
Rejected alternatives: colapso ritual-sacramental sem referência à fé salvadora
Original: σάρξ…καὶ αἷμα
Category: Christology
Figurative language (6:53-56) for total, personal appropriation by faith of Christ’s atoning death. High risk given Brazil’s strong Catholic-heritage eucharistic tradition; teaching should clarify this is figurative language for saving faith, not primarily eucharistic-liturgy instruction.
Honor Son As Father
Approved rendering: honrar o Filho como honram o Pai
Transliteration: tima ton huion kathōs timōsi ton patera
Doctrine: Unity of the Father and the Son / Deity of Christ
Rejected alternatives: deferência respeitosa a um mestre subordinado, sem divindade compartilhada
Original: τιμᾷ τὸν υἱὸν καθὼς τιμῶσι τὸν πατέρα
Category: Christology
Explicit demand for the Son to receive the identical honor due God the Father (5:23). Must convey co-equal honor, not respectful deference, since a Kardecist Christology could otherwise accommodate ‘honoring’ Jesus as an exceptionally advanced spirit.
Seen Me Seen Father
Approved rendering: quem me vê, vê o Pai
Transliteration: ho heōrakōs eme heōraken ton patera
Doctrine: Unity of the Father and the Son
Rejected alternatives: assemelha-se ao Pai / representa o Pai (subestima a reivindicação de natureza compartilhada)
Original: ὁ ἑωρακὼς ἐμὲ ἑώρακεν τὸν πατέρα
Category: Christology
Christ perfectly reveals the Father’s own being/character (14:9). Do not soften to ‘resembles/represents’; same category of risk as 10:30.
Abide Remain
Approved rendering: permanecer
Transliteration: menō
Doctrine: Christian Identity and Abiding in Christ
Rejected alternatives: esforço moral autopropulsionado, acumulado ao longo de sucessivas vidas
Original: μένω
Category: Sanctification
Continuous, settled union/dependence on Christ as the sole source of spiritual fruitfulness (15:1-10; also 1:32-33; 14:10,17). Render consistently across all occurrences; distinguish from self-effort moral progress across time.
Lamb Of God
Approved rendering: Cordeiro de Deus
Transliteration: amnos tou Theou
Doctrine: Christ’s Substitutionary Death and Resurrection
Rejected alternatives: exemplo moral de autossacrifício sem eficácia expiatória (cristologia espírita)
Original: ὁ ἀμνὸς τοῦ Θεοῦ
Category: Christology
Passover lamb and/or suffering-servant imagery designating Jesus as the sacrificial provision who ‘takes away the sin of the world’ (1:29,36). Requires OT sacrificial-system background; must be taught as a real, substitutionary, sin-bearing sacrifice completed once.
Children Of God
Approved rendering: filhos de Deus
Transliteration: tekna theou
Doctrine: Children of God vs. Sonship of Christ
Rejected alternatives: unigênitos (aplicação indevida da singularidade de Cristo aos crentes)
Original: τέκνα θεοῦ
Category: Salvation
Status granted by new birth (1:12-13) to all who receive/believe in the Word; must be kept terminologically and doctrinally distinct from ‘Filho de Deus’ (singular, Christ-exclusive) and ‘Filho unigênito.’ Complementary to, but distinct from, baseline ‘adoção.‘
Convict
Approved rendering: convencer
Transliteration: elenchō
Doctrine: The Holy Spirit as Counselor
Original: ἐλέγχω
Category: God
The Spirit’s courtroom-style ministry exposing the world’s sin, unbelief, and vindicating Christ’s righteousness (16:8-11). Reuses the Critical baseline term ‘justiça’ in a distinct sense; a translator note distinguishing this from ‘justificação’ is required.
Guide Into Truth
Approved rendering: guiar a toda a verdade
Transliteration: hodēgeō…eis pasan tēn alētheian
Doctrine: The Holy Spirit as Counselor
Rejected alternatives: revelação contínua e autônoma paralela à psicografia ou à comunicação com guias espirituais
Original: ὁδηγέω…εἰς πᾶσαν τὴν ἀλήθειαν
Category: God
The Spirit’s bounded, Christ-centered, Scripture-consistent teaching ministry (16:13-14); he speaks only what he hears and glorifies Christ, not himself. Must exclude any open-ended, self-authorizing ‘new revelation’ framing.
Glory Before Foundation
Approved rendering: glória antes da fundação do mundo
Transliteration: doxa…pro tou ton kosmon einai
Doctrine: The Deity and Pre-existence of Christ
Original: τῇ δόξῃ ᾗ εἶχον πρὸ τοῦ τὸν κόσμον εἶναι
Category: Christology
Explicit pre-creation glory claim from Jesus’ own prayer (17:5,24). Cross-reference with ‘Verbo’ (Ch.1) as complementary pre-existence anchors.
Sanctify Verb
Approved rendering: santificar
Transliteration: hagiazō
Doctrine: Sanctification
Rejected alternatives: purificação cármica ao longo de reencarnações
Original: ἁγιάζω
Category: Sanctification
Believers set apart through God’s own truth/word (17:17,19), not self-purification. Reinforces the baseline’s anti-Kardecist-purification-across-lifetimes note in this new Johannine occurrence.
That They May Be One
Approved rendering: que sejam um, como nós somos um
Transliteration: hina ōsin hen kathōs hēmeis hen
Doctrine: Unity of the Father and the Son (applied to believers)
Rejected alternatives: identidade de essência divina aplicada indevidamente aos crentes (confusão com 10:30)
Original: ἵνα ὦσιν ἕν καθὼς ἡμεῖς ἕν
Category: Church
Believers’ relational/moral unity modeled on, but not identical to, the ontological unity of Father and Son (17:11,21-22). Must be carefully distinguished from 10:30’s ontological claim to avoid blurring Trinitarian doctrine.
Glorify
Approved rendering: glorificar
Transliteration: doxazō
Doctrine: Christ’s Substitutionary Death and Resurrection
Rejected alternatives: apenas ‘louvar’ (perde o paradoxo cruz-glória)
Original: δοξάζω
Category: Christology
In John, uniquely applied to describe Jesus’ death on the cross as the moment of his (and the Father’s) glorification (12:23-28; 13:31-32; 17:1,4-5). A flattened translation treating it as mere ‘praise’ loses the specific cross-as-glory claim.
Medium Risk Terms
Holy
Approved rendering: santo
Doctrine: Sanctification
Rejected alternatives: puro em sentido ritual
Original: ἅγιος
Category: Sanctification
Inherited from Romans package. John 17:11 uses the vocative ‘Pai Santo’ (‘Holy Father’), a distinct address form from the baseline’s general believers-are-holy usage; flag as a unique divine-address occurrence.
Adoption
Approved rendering: adoção
Doctrine: Adoption into God’s Family
Original: υἱοθεσία
Category: Salvation
Inherited from Romans package for cross-curriculum consistency. John uses the lexically distinct ‘filhos de Deus’ (τέκνα θεοῦ, new-birth imagery) instead of Paul’s legal-adoption metaphor; teach as complementary, not identical, images.
Peace
Approved rendering: paz
Doctrine: Peace with God
Rejected alternatives: tranquilidade emocional
Original: εἰρήνη
Category: Salvation
Inherited from Romans package. John 14:27 and 16:33 explicitly contrast this peace with ‘the world’s’ peace; recurs as a resurrection greeting (20:19,21,26); not to be confused with meditative or mediumship-induced calm.
Church
Approved rendering: igreja
Doctrine: Church as God’s People
Rejected alternatives: a Igreja (institutional-hierarchical sense)
Original: ἐκκλησία
Category: Church
Inherited from Romans package. Notably absent from John’s Gospel; the corporate reality is anticipated through ‘um rebanho’ (10:16) and ‘filhos de Deus’ (1:12; 11:52) instead. Flag for a teaching note that explicit ‘igreja’ vocabulary is a post-Gospel development.
Kingdom Of God
Approved rendering: reino de Deus
Doctrine: Kingdom Mission
Original: βασιλεία τοῦ θεοῦ
Category: Kingdom
Inherited from Romans package. John 3:3,5 makes new birth the entrance requirement; 18:36 (‘my kingdom is not of this world’) extends the doctrine into Jesus’ trial before Pilate.
Power Of God
Approved rendering: poder de Deus
Doctrine: Power of God for Salvation
Original: δύναμις θεοῦ
Category: God
Inherited from Romans package for cross-curriculum consistency. No exact Johannine phrase; expressed implicitly through the ‘sinais’ that reveal Christ’s divine power and identity.
Mission
Approved rendering: missão
Doctrine: Mission to the Nations
Original: ἀποστέλλω / πέμπω
Category: Church
Inherited from Romans package. John 17:18 and 20:21 (‘as the Father sent me, I also send you’) form the central Johannine sending-pattern, grounding the church’s mission in the Son’s own sending by the Father.
Abba
Approved rendering: Abba
Doctrine: Adoption into God’s Family
Original: אַבָּא
Category: God
Inherited from Romans package for cross-curriculum consistency; not present in John’s Gospel (a Synoptic/Pauline term).
Seed Of David
Approved rendering: descendência de Davi
Doctrine: Davidic Covenant
Inherited from Romans package for cross-curriculum consistency; John’s messianic-lineage material is expressed through debate over Bethlehem/Davidic origin (7:26-42) rather than this exact phrase.
Perish
Approved rendering: perecer
Transliteration: apollymi
Doctrine: Judgment and Belief/Unbelief
Rejected alternatives: revés temporário e autocorrigível dentro de uma jornada plurivida (leitura espírita)
Original: ἀπόλλυμι
Category: Eschatology
Real, final loss/ruin as the consequence of unbelief, contrasted with eternal life (3:16). Kardecism denies any such final outcome, teaching every spirit eventually completes its moral evolution across however many lifetimes are required. ‘Perecer’ must be taught as a real and final consequence of unbelief in this life.
Condemn
Approved rendering: condenar
Transliteration: krinō / katakrinō
Doctrine: Judgment and Belief/Unbelief
Rejected alternatives: reprovação provisória a ser corrigida em vida futura
Original: κρίνω / κατακρίνω
Category: Eschatology
A present, standing state resulting from unbelief (3:18, perfect tense ‘já está condenado’), not merely a distant future reckoning. Preserve the present-tense, settled-state force; avoid drift toward a Kardecist-compatible provisional-setback reading.
Serpent
Approved rendering: serpente
Transliteration: ophis
Doctrine: Christ’s Substitutionary Death and Resurrection
Original: ὄφις
Category: Christology
Numbers 21 bronze-serpent typology (3:14). Requires an OT-literacy note; minor caution regarding Candomblé’s serpent-associated orixá Oxumaré — anchor firmly to Numbers 21 so the image is not misheard as endorsing unrelated serpent symbolism.
Testify
Approved rendering: testemunho / testemunhar
Transliteration: martyreō / martyria
Doctrine: Inspiration and Testimony of Scripture
Rejected alternatives: testemunho mediúnico de mensagens de espíritos desencarnados (psicografia)
Original: μαρτυρέω / μαρτυρία
Category: Faith
Firsthand, authoritative eyewitness testimony converging on Christ (John the Baptist, works, Father, Scripture, Spirit; Ch.1, 3, 5, 8, 15-16, 21). Must be distinguished from a medium’s channeled testimony; the object of Christian testimony is direct, personal knowledge of God, not a channeled communication.
Light Darkness
Approved rendering: luz / trevas
Transliteration: phōs / skotos (skotia)
Doctrine: Judgment and Belief/Unbelief
Rejected alternatives: taxonomia de ‘espíritos de luz’ e ‘espíritos das trevas’ (leitura umbandista de classes de espíritos)
Original: τὸ φῶς / τὸ σκότος (σκοτία)
Category: Eschatology
Moral-relational categories: response to revealed truth in Christ vs. concealment/evil deeds (1:4-9; 3:19-21; 8:12; 9; 12:35-36). Note Afro-Brazilian Umbanda vocabulary; clarify these are categories of human moral response, not a taxonomy of spirit-beings.
Verdict Judgment
Approved rendering: juízo
Transliteration: krisis
Doctrine: Judgment and Belief/Unbelief
Rejected alternatives: julgamento em sentido meramente jurídico-secular, sem peso escatológico
Original: ἡ κρίσις
Category: Eschatology
Formal, decisive determination; John frames the incarnation itself as already inaugurating final judgment (3:19; 5; 16:8-11).
Living Water
Approved rendering: água viva
Transliteration: hydōr zōn
Doctrine: The Holy Spirit as Counselor (anticipatory)
Rejected alternatives: banho de descarrego / água ritual afro-brasileira associada a Oxum/Iemanjá
Original: ὕδωρ ζῶν
Category: God
Spring/flowing water metaphorically extended to Spirit-given life (Ch.4); explicitly identified as the Holy Spirit at 7:37-39. Watch for conflation with Afro-Brazilian ritual-water associations; keep the referent = the Holy Spirit.
Worship
Approved rendering: adoração / adorar
Transliteration: proskyneō
Doctrine: Worship of God Alone
Rejected alternatives: veneração de santos, orixás ou guias espirituais
Original: προσκυνέω
Category: God
Reverent homage due to God alone, ‘in spirit and in truth,’ not tied to sacred geography (4:20-24). Must be directed to God/Christ alone; 9:38 shows the healed man worshiping Jesus himself, directly relevant to the Deity of Christ doctrine.
Sign
Approved rendering: sinal
Transliteration: sēmeion
Doctrine: Signs and Faith
Rejected alternatives: milagre (achata a função reveladora), fenômeno / manifestação mediúnica
Original: σημεῖον
Category: Christology
A miraculous act that points beyond itself to reveal Christ’s identity/glory, structural to John 2-12. Must not be confused with generic ‘milagre’ or with mediumistic vocabulary; signs testify to Christ’s unique divine identity, not to a medium’s gift.
Draw
Approved rendering: atrair
Transliteration: helkyō
Doctrine: Effectual Calling and Sovereign Drawing
Rejected alternatives: mérito acumulado ao longo de vidas sucessivas
Original: ἑλκύω
Category: Salvation
The Father’s sovereign initiative bringing a person to the Son (6:44); no one comes to Christ by unaided human initiative. Teach alongside baseline ‘eleição’ as the Johannine equivalent of the same sovereign-initiative doctrine.
King Of The Jews
Approved rendering: Rei dos judeus
Transliteration: basileus tōn Ioudaiōn
Doctrine: Messianic Promise
Original: ὁ βασιλεὺς τῶν Ἰουδαίων
Category: Christology
Ironically true royal title proclaimed at the cross (Ch.18-19), unwittingly announcing Jesus’ real messianic kingship even in mockery. Requires an irony/mockery-that-is-true note for full doctrinal impact.
Love Agape Phileo
Approved rendering: amar / amor
Transliteration: agapaō / phileō
Doctrine: Love as the New Commandment
Rejected alternatives: distinção artificial entre dois verbos portugueses (o português não sustenta naturalmente essa distinção)
Original: ἀγαπάω / φιλέω
Category: Sanctification
Deliberate, self-giving love (3:16; 13:34-35) alongside warm affection-love; overlapping usage in John, including Peter’s restoration dialogue (21:15-17). Present pastorally without overstating a strict semantic distinction Portuguese cannot naturally reproduce.
Servant Slave
Approved rendering: servo
Transliteration: doulos
Doctrine: Christ-Centered Ministry
Original: δοῦλος
Category: Sanctification
One owned by a master; used of Christ’s voluntary self-lowering (foot-washing, Ch.13) and disciples’ status (13:16; 15:15). ‘Servo’ softens δοῦλος’s fuller force; established convention retained, supplement with teaching notes at high-impact passages.
One Flock
Approved rendering: um rebanho
Transliteration: mia poimnē
Doctrine: Church as God’s People (One Flock)
Original: μία ποίμνη
Category: Church
The ingathering of Gentile believers alongside Jewish ones into a single people of God (10:16). Resonant with the baseline’s unity-of-Jews-and-Gentiles doctrine; John’s substitute for absent ‘igreja’ vocabulary.
Feed My Sheep
Approved rendering: apascentar / pastorear
Transliteration: boskō / poimainō
Doctrine: Christ-Centered Ministry (Good Shepherd Pattern)
Original: βόσκε τὰ ἀρνία μου / ποίμαινε τὰ πρόβατά μου / βόσκε τὰ πρόβατά μου
Category: Church
Delegated pastoral care under the authority of the one true Good Shepherd (21:15-17), ministry that is derivative and accountable, not autonomous.
Low Risk Terms
Apostle
Approved rendering: apóstolo
Doctrine: Apostleship
Original: ἀπόστολος
Category: Church
Inherited from Romans package for cross-curriculum consistency. The noun does not occur in John’s Gospel; John instead uses ‘enviar’ (ἀποστέλλω/πέμπω) to describe Jesus’ sending by the Father (17:18; 20:21).
Thanksgiving
Approved rendering: ação de graças
Doctrine: Thanksgiving
Original: εὐχαριστία / εὐχαριστέω
Category: Faith
Inherited from Romans package. John 6:11,23 uses the verb of Jesus giving thanks before feeding the crowd; low risk, standard vocabulary.
Fellowship
Approved rendering: companheirismo
Doctrine: Christian Fellowship
Rejected alternatives: comunhão dos santos (specific Catholic liturgical formula)
Original: κοινωνία
Category: Church
Inherited from Romans package for cross-curriculum consistency; the specific noun does not occur in John, though the reality is expressed through ‘permanecer’ and mutual-love vocabulary (Ch.13, 15, 17).
Gentiles
Approved rendering: gentios
Doctrine: Unity of Jews and Gentiles
Rejected alternatives: pagãos (pejorative)
Original: ἔθνη / Ἕλληνες
Category: Church
Inherited from Romans package. John 12:20 references ‘gregos’ (Ἕλληνες) as the contextual equivalent; low risk.
Prophet
Approved rendering: profeta
Doctrine: Inspiration of Scripture
Rejected alternatives: médium (channeler of spirit messages)
Original: προφήτης
Category: Covenant
Inherited from Romans package. Standard usage at John 1:21,25; 4:19; 6:14; 7:40; 9:17; do not confuse with a Kardecist medium.
Prophecy
Approved rendering: profecia
Doctrine: Fulfillment of Prophecy
Rejected alternatives: psicografia (spirit messages transcribed through mediums)
Original: προφητεία
Category: Covenant
Inherited from Romans package. Expressed in John mainly through explicit Scripture-fulfillment notices (19:24,28,36-37) rather than the abstract noun.
David
Approved rendering: Davi
Doctrine: Davidic Covenant
Original: Δαυίδ
Category: Covenant
Inherited from Romans package for cross-curriculum consistency; minimal explicit reference in John (no genealogy is given).
Israel
Approved rendering: Israel
Doctrine: Unity of Jews and Gentiles
Original: Ἰσραήλ
Category: Covenant
Inherited from Romans package. John 1:31,49; 3:10; 12:13 use the term straightforwardly; 3:10 (‘o mestre de Israel’) applies it to Nicodemus’s credentialed status.
Exhort
Approved rendering: exortar
Doctrine: Mutual Edification
Original: παρακαλέω
Category: Faith
Inherited from Romans package for cross-curriculum consistency; not a Johannine term in this Gospel (contrast the etymologically related but semantically distinct ‘Consolador’).
Hour
Approved rendering: hora
Transliteration: hōra
Doctrine: Christ’s Substitutionary Death and Resurrection
Original: ἡ ὥρα
Category: Christology
The divinely appointed, climactic time of Jesus’ death/glorification (2:4; 7; 8; 12:23; 13:1; 17:1). Mainly a literacy/attentiveness issue; flag first (2:4) and resolving (12:23) occurrences with a note.
New Commandment
Approved rendering: novo mandamento
Transliteration: entolē kainē
Doctrine: Love as the New Commandment
Original: ἐντολὴ καινή
Category: Sanctification
Christ-modeled, cross-shaped standard of love for one another (13:34), ‘new’ in its Christ-given measure, not in content. Standard vocabulary; low risk.
Grain Of Wheat
Approved rendering: grão de trigo
Transliteration: kokkos tou sitou
Doctrine: Christ’s Substitutionary Death and Resurrection
Rejected alternatives: imagem de renascimento cíclico individual (leitura incorreta compatível com reencarnação)
Original: ὁ κόκκος τοῦ σίτου
Category: Christology
Agricultural image (12:24): a single seed must die/be buried to produce a harvest, illustrating that Christ’s death is necessary and fruitful. Requires a note preventing conflation with reincarnation imagery.
Rabbi
Approved rendering: Rabi
Transliteration: rhabbi
Doctrine: Titles of Christ (provisional)
Rejected alternatives: professor (perde a função de título honorífico)
Original: Ῥαββί
Category: Church
Honorific teacher-title; in John, an early, provisional christological title later surpassed by ‘Lord’ and ‘Son of God.’ Render transliterated ‘Rabi,’ per Almeida tradition.
Teacher Of Israel
Approved rendering: mestre de Israel
Transliteration: ho didaskalos tou Israēl
Doctrine: Fulfillment of Prophecy
Original: ὁ διδάσκαλος τοῦ Ἰσραήλ
Category: Covenant
A recognized, credentialed religious authority (Nicodemus, 3:10), implying he should have known these truths from the Old Testament.
Bridegroom
Approved rendering: noivo / amigo do noivo
Transliteration: nymphios / philos tou nymphiou
Doctrine: Ministry Humility (Bridegroom and Friend of the Bridegroom)
Original: ὁ νυμφίος / ὁ φίλος τοῦ νυμφίου
Category: Church
Messianic bridegroom imagery and John the Baptist’s subordinate, joyful best-man role (3:29-30). Standard cultural imagery with a natural Portuguese equivalent; low risk.
Disciple
Approved rendering: discípulo
Transliteration: mathētēs
Doctrine: Christian Fellowship
Rejected alternatives: discípulo de Kardec ou de um guia/médium
Original: μαθητής
Category: Church
One who follows and learns from Jesus with ongoing personal attachment (throughout). Distinguish from the Kardecist use of ‘discípulo’ for a follower of Kardec’s teachings; keep the object of discipleship explicitly Christ.
Friends Vs Servants
Approved rendering: amigos
Transliteration: philoi
Doctrine: Grace
Original: φίλοι (contrasted with δοῦλοι)
Category: Sanctification
The relational upgrade Jesus grants his disciples from servant/slave status to friend (15:14-15), evidence of grace; ties to baseline ‘graça.’
Referenced passages