Core Glossary
Core Glossary — Philippians (English → Punjabi)
Purpose
This glossary consolidates every load-bearing theological term identified in analysis/07_semantic_analysis.md, spanning Philippians 1–4 in full. Terms already recorded in the baseline Romans translation_memory.json are marked [BASELINE — REUSE EXACTLY] and carry forward their established Punjabi rendering, risk tier, and rationale unchanged; no alternative rendering is proposed for these. Terms new to the Philippians curriculum are marked [NEW] and given a proposed Punjabi rendering, risk tier, and translation notes for ratification and eventual promotion into an updated translation_memory.json in a later Phase 1 step.
Risk tiers follow the baseline’s doctrine_risk_registry.json definitions exactly:
- Critical — mistranslation destroys essential doctrine; human theologian review required for every occurrence.
- High — mistranslation creates significant theological confusion or syncretism risk; human theologian review required.
- Medium — mistranslation reduces clarity but preserves essential meaning; native speaker review recommended.
- Low — minor misunderstanding risk; automated review sufficient.
A. Baseline Terms Reused Exactly (Occurring in Philippians)
| English Term | Punjabi Term | Risk (baseline) | Philippians Occurrences | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| gospel | ਖੁਸ਼ਖਬਰੀ | High | 1:5,7,12,16,27; 2:22; 4:3,15 | [BASELINE — REUSE EXACTLY] |
| grace | ਕਿਰਪਾ | High | 1:2,7; 4:23 | [BASELINE — REUSE EXACTLY] |
| faith | ਨਿਹਚਾ | High | 1:25,27; 2:17; 3:9 | [BASELINE — REUSE EXACTLY] |
| righteousness | ਧਾਰਮਿਕਤਾ | Critical | 1:11; 3:6,9 | [BASELINE — REUSE EXACTLY]; never ਧਰਮ |
| salvation | ਮੁਕਤੀ | Critical | 1:19,28; 2:12 | [BASELINE — REUSE EXACTLY]; mandatory mukti-gloss on every load-bearing occurrence |
| apostle | ਰਸੂਲ | High | 1:1 (implicit office) | [BASELINE — REUSE EXACTLY]; do not extend to Epaphroditus’s generic “sent one” use at 2:25 (see NEW entry below) |
| called / calling | ਸੱਦਿਆ ਹੋਇਆ / ਸੱਦਾ | High | 3:14 (“upward call”) | [BASELINE — REUSE EXACTLY] |
| holy / saints | ਪਵਿੱਤਰ / ਪਵਿੱਤਰ ਲੋਕ | High | 1:1; 4:21-22 | [BASELINE — REUSE EXACTLY]; never ਸੰਤ |
| sanctification | ਪਵਿੱਤਰੀਕਰਨ | High | (implicit, 1:6; 2:12-13) | [BASELINE — REUSE EXACTLY] |
| resurrection | ਪੁਨਰ-ਉਥਾਨ | Critical | 3:10-11 | [BASELINE — REUSE EXACTLY]; never ਪੁਨਰ-ਜਨਮ/ਆਵਾਗਵਣ |
| lord | ਪ੍ਰਭੂ | Critical | 1:2,14; 2:11,19,24,29; 3:1,8,20; 4:1,2,4,5,10,23 | [BASELINE — REUSE EXACTLY] |
| son of God | ਪਰਮੇਸ਼ੁਰ ਦਾ ਪੁੱਤਰ | Critical | (implicit, 2:6) | [BASELINE — REUSE EXACTLY] |
| incarnation | ਦੇਹਧਾਰਨ | Critical | 2:7-8 (theological label for the event) | [BASELINE — REUSE EXACTLY]; never ਅਵਤਾਰ; requires theological bridge for Sikh-background readers |
| peace | ਸ਼ਾਂਤੀ | Medium | 1:2; 4:7,9 | [BASELINE — REUSE EXACTLY]; never ਸਹਿਜ |
| spiritual gifts | ਆਤਮਿਕ ਦਾਤਾਂ | Medium | (implicit, 2:1’s “gifts” background) | [BASELINE — REUSE EXACTLY] |
| thanksgiving | ਧੰਨਵਾਦ | Low | 1:3; 4:6 | [BASELINE — REUSE EXACTLY] |
| fellowship | ਸੰਗਤ | Low | 1:5; 2:1; 3:10 (gathered sense) | [BASELINE — REUSE EXACTLY]; supplement with NEW ਭਾਗੀਦਾਰੀ where active-partnership sense is intended (see below) |
| church | ਮੰਡਲੀ | Medium | 4:15 (implicit, “no church shared with me”) | [BASELINE — REUSE EXACTLY] |
| law | ਬਿਵਸਥਾ | High | 3:5,6,9 | [BASELINE — REUSE EXACTLY]; never ਧਰਮ or ਸ਼ਰੀਅਤ |
| sin | ਪਾਪ | High | (implicit background) | [BASELINE — REUSE EXACTLY] |
| glory | ਮਹਿਮਾ | High | 1:11; 2:11; 3:19,21; 4:19,20 | [BASELINE — REUSE EXACTLY]; never ਜੋਤ |
| power of God | ਪਰਮੇਸ਼ੁਰ ਦੀ ਸਮਰੱਥਾ | High | 3:10,21; 4:13 | [BASELINE — REUSE EXACTLY]; never ਸ਼ਕਤੀ |
| messiah / Christ | ਮਸੀਹ | Critical | throughout (60+ occurrences) | [BASELINE — REUSE EXACTLY] |
| jesus | ਯਿਸੂ | Critical | 1:1,8,26; 2:5,10,11,21; 3:8,12,14; 4:7,21,23 | [BASELINE — REUSE EXACTLY]; never ਈਸਾ |
| god | ਪਰਮੇਸ਼ੁਰ | Critical | throughout | [BASELINE — REUSE EXACTLY]; never ਵਾਹਿਗੁਰੂ/ਭਗਵਾਨ |
| holy spirit | ਪਵਿੱਤਰ ਆਤਮਾ | Critical | 1:19; 2:1; 3:3 | [BASELINE — REUSE EXACTLY]; never ਬ੍ਰਹਮ |
| father | ਪਿਤਾ | Critical | 1:2; 2:11; 4:20 | [BASELINE — REUSE EXACTLY] |
| election | ਪਰਮੇਸ਼ੁਰ ਦੀ ਚੋਣ | High | (implicit, 3:12-14 background) | [BASELINE — REUSE EXACTLY] |
| exhort | ਉਤਸ਼ਾਹਿਤ ਕਰਨਾ | Low | 4:2 (Euodia/Syntyche appeal, related sense) | [BASELINE — REUSE EXACTLY] |
B. New Terms Introduced by Philippians
| # | English Term | Greek (Transliteration) | Punjabi Rendering | Risk | Category / Doctrine | Translation Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | kenosis / self-emptying | κενόω, ἐκένωσεν (kenoō, ekenōsen) | ਆਪਣੇ ਆਪ ਨੂੰ ਖਾਲੀ ਕਰ ਲਿਆ | Critical | Incarnation / Kenosis | Mandatory theological bridge on every occurrence: the Son remained fully God but voluntarily set aside the outward display of his glory. Do not let this read as loss of divine nature, dissolution of self, or a concession to ਨਿਰੰਕਾਰ theology (God cannot take a form). See Phil 2:7. |
| 2 | form of God | μορφῇ θεοῦ (morphē theou) | ਪਰਮੇਸ਼ੁਰ ਦਾ ਸਰੂਪ | Critical | Deity of Christ | ਸਰੂਪ risks absorption into Sikh usage regarding manifest forms of the divine/Guru Granth Sahib. Must be taught as Christ’s eternal, essential possession of God’s very nature, not a revealed representation of it. |
| 3 | something to be grasped/exploited | ἁρπαγμόν (harpagmon) | ਪਕੜ ਕੇ ਰੱਖਣ ਵਾਲੀ ਚੀਜ਼ | Critical | Kenosis / Deity of Christ | Compound phrase required (cf. baseline’s ਧਰਮੀ ਠਹਿਰਾਇਆ ਜਾਣਾ precedent for compound-phrase Critical terms). Must convey Christ possessed but declined to selfishly exploit equality with God — not that he lacked it. |
| 4 | outward appearance/form | σχῆμα (schēma) | ਦਿੱਖ | Medium | Humanity of Christ | Keep lexically distinct from ਸਰੂਪ (morphē). Denotes the circumstantial, observable manner of Christ’s human presence, not his essential nature. |
| 5 | likeness (of men) | ὁμοίωμα (homoiōma) | ਸਮਾਨਤਾ | High | Humanity of Christ | Must affirm real, genuine humanity — guard against docetic (illusory-appearance) misreadings. |
| 6 | humbled himself / humility | ταπεινόω, ταπεινοφροσύνη (tapeinoō, tapeinophrosynē) | ਨੀਵਾਂ ਕੀਤਾ / ਨਿਮਰਤਾ | High (doctrinal) / Low (lexical) | Unity and Humility in the Church | Genuine cultural convergence opportunity (ਨਿਮਰਤਾ is a valued Sikh ethical virtue); must anchor the virtue explicitly in Christ’s historical self-emptying (Phil 2:6-8), not a generalized ethic. |
| 7 | exalted (highly) | ὑπερύψωσεν (hyperypsoō) | ਅੱਤ ਉੱਚਾ ਕੀਤਾ | Medium | Deity of Christ / Lordship | Preserve the intensive “above all exaltation” force; do not flatten to plain ਉੱਚਾ ਕੀਤਾ. |
| 8 | the name above every name | ὄνομα (onoma) | ਨਾਮ (with mandatory gloss) | Critical | Lordship of Christ | ਨਾਮ is the central term of Sikh Naam-simran devotional practice. Mandatory gloss distinguishing Christ’s unique name/authority (confessed once for salvation, cf. Rom 10:9) from ongoing meditative Naam practice. |
| 9 | mindset / same mind | φρονέω, φρόνημα (phroneō) | ਮਨੋਭਾਵ | Medium | Unity and Humility in the Church | Structural repetition term (2:2 x2, 2:5; 3:15,19; 4:2,10) — consistency across all occurrences required for the unity argument to register. |
| 10 | selfish ambition | ἐριθεία (eritheia) | ਖ਼ੁਦਗਰਜ਼ੀ | Medium | Unity and Humility in the Church | Retain communal/factional nuance, not merely private selfishness. |
| 11 | empty conceit / vainglory | κενοδοξία (kenodoxia) | ਵਿਅਰਥ ਹੰਕਾਰ | High (doctrinal) | Unity and Humility in the Church | Convergence with Sikh ਹੰਕਾਰ (haumai, one of the Five Thieves) is positive but must not imply the Sikh remedy (Naam-simran/Guru’s grace) rather than Christ’s example and the Spirit’s work. |
| 12 | obedient / obedience | ὑπήκοος (hypēkoos) | ਆਗਿਆਕਾਰੀ | Medium | Kenosis / Christ’s obedience | Reuses baseline’s “obedience of faith” root; here specifically Christ’s own unique redemptive obedience unto death, not a model of generic religious duty. |
| 13 | cross | σταυρός (stauros) | ਸਲੀਬ | Low-Medium | Kenosis / Atonement | Established universal Punjabi Christian term; recommend formal addition to translation_memory.json as this curriculum’s first occurrence of the term. |
| 14 | joy / rejoice | χαρά, χαίρω (chara, chairō) | ਖੁਸ਼ੀ | Medium | Joy in Suffering and Imprisonment | Avoid ਅਨੰਦ (Sikh liturgical bliss term, e.g. Anand Sahib/Anand Karaj). Use ਖੁਸ਼ੀ consistently as the letter’s thematic refrain word. |
| 15 | suffering / fellowship of sufferings | πάσχειν, πάθημα, κοινωνία παθημάτων (paschein, pathēma) | ਦੁੱਖ / ਦੁੱਖਾਂ ਦੀ ਸੰਗਤ | High | Joy in Suffering and Imprisonment | ਦੁੱਖ is loaded with samsaric-escape connotations across South Asian traditions; must be framed as willing, purposeful participation in Christ’s redemptive suffering, not a condition to escape via liberation practice. |
| 16 | bonds / imprisonment | δεσμά (desma) | ਜ਼ੰਜੀਰਾਂ / ਕੈਦ | Medium-High | Joy in Suffering and Imprisonment | NEVER ਬੰਧਨ — that term denotes karmic bondage/attachment to the rebirth cycle in Hindu/Sikh usage, an ironic collision with Paul’s literal Roman chains. |
| 17 | partnership (in the gospel) | κοινωνία (koinōnia, active sense) | ਭਾਗੀਦਾਰੀ | High | Partnership in the Gospel | Supplements baseline’s ਸੰਗਤ (gathered-fellowship sense) wherever active co-laboring (giving, sending, shared mission/suffering) is in view — esp. 1:5; 4:14-15. Context-sensitive; flag ambiguous cases for native speaker review. |
| 18 | overseer | ἐπίσκοπος (episkopos) | ਨਿਗਾਹਬਾਨ | Medium-High | Church office | New church-office term; avoid Gurdwara-institutional-office vocabulary (granthi/jathedar-associated terms). |
| 19 | deacon | διάκονος (diakonos, office sense) | ਡੀਕਨ (transliteration) | High | Church office | NEVER default to ਸੇਵਾਦਾਰ (the specific Sikh Gurdwara volunteer-server role) without a clarifying note — same category-error risk class as ਗੁਰੂ/ਰਸੂਲ in the baseline. |
| 20 | servant / slave | δοῦλος (doulos) | ਦਾਸ | Medium | Christology / Self-identification | Established Christian usage (Paul’s self-designation, 1:1; Christ’s self-emptying, 2:7); note the contrast with μορφή θεοῦ must be made explicit in teaching 2:6-7. |
| 21 | knowledge (of Christ) | γνῶσις, ἐπίγνωσις (gnōsis) | ਗਿਆਨ (avoid where possible) / ਜਾਣਨਾ (preferred verb) | High | Righteousness by Faith / Knowing Christ | Prefer the verb ਜਾਣਨਾ (personal knowing) over the noun ਗਿਆਨ, which carries Sikh/Hindu enlightenment-attainment connotations (Gurbani ਗਿਆਨ; jnana). If noun form unavoidable, anchor explicitly to the Person of Christ. |
| 22 | citizenship (in heaven) | πολίτευμα, πολιτεύεσθαι (politeuma) | ਨਾਗਰਿਕਤਾ | High | Citizenship in Heaven | Resonates with Khalsa Raj political-sovereignty aspiration (cf. baseline’s kingdom_of_God note). Must be taught as a reorientation of ultimate loyalty away from every earthly political/national/qaum identity, not a competing nationalist claim. |
| 23 | savior | σωτήρ (sōtēr) | ਮੁਕਤੀਦਾਤਾ | Critical | Salvation / Citizenship in Heaven | Inherits baseline’s mandatory mukti-distinction gloss in full; Christ alone as Savior, not a Guru or Sant figure regarded as mediator of grace/liberation. |
| 24 | conformed (to Christ’s form/death/body) | μορφή family: συμμορφίζομαι, σύμμορφος (symmorphizomai, symmorphos) | ਸਮਰੂਪ | High | Kenosis / Sanctification | Shares the ਸਰੂਪ collision risk from entry #2; denotes progressive relational transformation into Christ’s likeness, not metaphysical merging of essence. |
| 25 | pressing on / the goal / the prize | διώκω, σκοπός, βραβεῖον (diōkō, skopos, brabeion) | ਅੱਗੇ ਵਧਣਾ / ਨਿਸ਼ਾਨਾ / ਇਨਾਮ | Medium | Pressing on toward the Goal in Christ | ਇਨਾਮ (prize) must not be read as a merit-earned reward contradicting 3:9’s grace-based righteousness; the “prize” is deeper knowledge of and conformity to Christ, already graciously initiated by him. |
| 26 | mature / perfect | τέλειος (teleios) | ਪਰਿਪੱਕ / ਸੰਪੂਰਨ | Medium | Pressing on toward the Goal in Christ | Must not suggest sinless perfection attained in this life; Paul explicitly denies having “already attained” (3:12) while using this word of himself and others (3:15). |
| 27 | contentment | αὐτάρκεια, αὐτάρκης (autarkeia, autarkēs) | ਸੰਤੁਸ਼ਟੀ | Medium | Contentment in All Circumstances | Distinguish from Stoic autonomous self-sufficiency and from disciplined detachment attained through personal spiritual practice; this is Christ-dependent contentment (4:13). |
| 28 | he who strengthens me | ἐνδυναμοῦντι (endynamounti) | ਸਮਰੱਥ ਕਰਨ ਵਾਲਾ | Low-Medium | Contentment in All Circumstances | Correctly reuses baseline’s ਸਮਰੱਥਾ root (never ਸ਼ਕਤੀ); maintain full-book consistency with power-of-God vocabulary. |
| 29 | luminaries / lights (in the world) | φωστῆρες (phōstēres) | ਚਾਨਣ | Medium | Unity and Humility / Witness | Avoid the ਜੋਤ root (baseline’s reserved term for the Sikh doctrine of the divine light transmitted through the Ten Gurus). |
| 30 | sent messenger (generic, non-apostolic office) | ἀπόστολος (apostolos, generic sense, of Epaphroditus) | ਭੇਜਿਆ ਹੋਇਆ ਸੰਦੇਸ਼ਵਾਹਕ / ਨੁਮਾਇੰਦਾ | Medium | Church office / disambiguation from ਰਸੂਲ | Do not extend baseline’s ਰਸੂਲ (reserved for the technical apostolic office) to this generic “sent one” usage; disambiguate to prevent overextension of a Critical/High baseline term. |
| 31 | zeal | ζῆλος (zēlos) | ਜੋਸ਼ | Low | Righteousness by Faith (background, 3:6) | Standard term, no collision risk. |
| 32 | sacrifice and service / fragrant offering | θυσία, λειτουργία, ὀσμὴ εὐωδίας (thysia, leitourgia, osmē euōdias) | ਬਲੀਦਾਨ, ਸੇਵਾ, ਸੁਗੰਧਿਤ ਭੇਟ | Medium | Partnership in the Gospel | Note opportunity: resonance with Sikh daswandh (tithing/giving a tenth) as a positive bridge for sacrificial generosity, provided the object of the offering (God, via gospel partnership) stays unambiguous. Reuse caution on ਸੇਵਾ from entry #19. |
| 33 | struggle / conflict | ἀγών (agōn) | ਸੰਘਰਸ਼ | Medium | Joy in Suffering and Imprisonment | Prefer generic “struggle” over any militant ਜੁੱਧ/ਯੁੱਧ vocabulary evoking ਧਰਮ ਯੁੱਧ (Khalsa righteous-war ideal, flagged Critical in baseline’s righteousness entry). |
| 34 | heavenly / earthly / under the earth | ἐπουράνιος, ἐπίγειος, καταχθόνιος | ਸੁਰਗ, ਧਰਤੀ, ਧਰਤੀ ਹੇਠਲੇ | Medium | Lordship of Christ | Use plain descriptive geography-of-totality language; avoid Hindu/Sikh cosmological loka-terminology or transmigration-cosmology-adjacent vocabulary. |
| 35 | excellence / virtue | ἀρετή (aretē) | ਨੇਕੀ / ਗੁਣ | Medium | General ethics (4:8 virtue list) | Ensure read as one item within a Christ-centered, Spirit-enabled life, not an autonomous karma-yoga-style moral achievement program. |
C. Chapters Reviewed with No Additional New Terms
No chapter of Philippians is without load-bearing theological vocabulary; all four chapters (1–4) are represented above, either through baseline-reused terms (Section A) or newly introduced terms (Section B). Every chapter has been explicitly reviewed per the full-book coverage mandate.
D. Cross-Reference to Doctrine List
| Curriculum Doctrine | Primary Glossary Terms |
|---|---|
| The Incarnation and Self-Emptying of Christ (Kenosis) | ਦੇਹਧਾਰਨ [baseline], ਆਪਣੇ ਆਪ ਨੂੰ ਖਾਲੀ ਕਰ ਲਿਆ, ਪਰਮੇਸ਼ੁਰ ਦਾ ਸਰੂਪ, ਪਕੜ ਕੇ ਰੱਖਣ ਵਾਲੀ ਚੀਜ਼, ਦਿੱਖ, ਸਮਾਨਤਾ, ਦਾਸ |
| Joy in Suffering and Imprisonment | ਖੁਸ਼ੀ, ਦੁੱਖ, ਦੁੱਖਾਂ ਦੀ ਸੰਗਤ, ਜ਼ੰਜੀਰਾਂ/ਕੈਦ, ਸੰਘਰਸ਼ |
| Unity and Humility in the Church | ਮਨੋਭਾਵ, ਨਿਮਰਤਾ, ਖ਼ੁਦਗਰਜ਼ੀ, ਵਿਅਰਥ ਹੰਕਾਰ, ਚਾਨਣ |
| Righteousness by Faith versus the Law | ਧਾਰਮਿਕਤਾ [baseline], ਬਿਵਸਥਾ [baseline], ਨਿਹਚਾ [baseline], ਗਿਆਨ/ਜਾਣਨਾ |
| Contentment in All Circumstances | ਸੰਤੁਸ਼ਟੀ, ਸਮਰੱਥ ਕਰਨ ਵਾਲਾ, ਸ਼ਾਂਤੀ [baseline] |
| Citizenship in Heaven | ਨਾਗਰਿਕਤਾ, ਮੁਕਤੀਦਾਤਾ, ਸੁਰਗ/ਧਰਤੀ/ਧਰਤੀ ਹੇਠਲੇ |
| Partnership in the Gospel | ਸੰਗਤ [baseline], ਭਾਗੀਦਾਰੀ, ਬਲੀਦਾਨ/ਸੇਵਾ/ਸੁਗੰਧਿਤ ਭੇਟ |
| Pressing on toward the Goal in Christ | ਅੱਗੇ ਵਧਣਾ, ਨਿਸ਼ਾਨਾ, ਇਨਾਮ, ਪਰਿਪੱਕ/ਸੰਪੂਰਨ |
This glossary extends but never contradicts the baseline Romans Language Package. All Section A terms are non-negotiable exact reuses. Section B terms are proposed for ratification and eventual promotion into an updated translation_memory.json.
Critical Risk Terms
Righteousness
Approved rendering: ਧਾਰਮਿਕਤਾ
Transliteration: dharmikta
Doctrine: Righteousness by Faith versus the Law
Rejected alternatives: ਧਰਮ, ਨਿਆਂ
Original: δικαιοσύνη
Category: Salvation
CRITICAL: NEVER use ਧਰਮ, which imports the Sikh ਧਰਮ ਯੁੱਧ martial-righteousness ideal. Central to Philippians 3:6,9’s contrast between law-righteousness and faith-righteousness; also load-bearing at 1:11 (“fruit of righteousness”). Inherited from Romans package; retained unchanged for Philippians curriculum.
Salvation
Approved rendering: ਮੁਕਤੀ
Transliteration: mukti
Doctrine: Salvation
Rejected alternatives: ਨਿਰਵਾਣ, ਮੋਖ, ਛੁਟਕਾਰਾ
Original: σωτηρία
Category: Salvation
Retained per 150+ years of Punjabi Christian usage, but every doctrinally load-bearing occurrence requires the mandatory Sikh/Christian mukti-distinction gloss. Philippians 2:12’s “work out your own salvation” carries an ADDITIONAL risk unique to this letter: it must be framed as actively living out a salvation already secured by grace (2:13), never as gradually earning/attaining mukti through one’s own meditative effort over time. Inherited from Romans package; retained and extended for Philippians curriculum.
Resurrection
Approved rendering: ਪੁਨਰ-ਉਥਾਨ
Transliteration: punar-uthan
Doctrine: Resurrection of Christ and Bodily Transformation
Rejected alternatives: ਪੁਨਰ-ਜਨਮ, ਆਵਾਗਵਣ
Original: ἀνάστασις
Category: Eschatology
CRITICAL: NEVER use ਪੁਨਰ-ਜਨਮ or ਆਵਾਗਵਣ. Philippians 3:10-11’s “power of his resurrection” and desire to “attain the resurrection from the dead,” plus 3:20-21’s future bodily transformation, are a single, once-for-all bodily event, not a step in an ongoing rebirth cycle. Inherited from Romans package; retained and extended for Philippians curriculum.
Lord
Approved rendering: ਪ੍ਰਭੂ
Transliteration: prabhu
Doctrine: Exaltation and Lordship of Christ
Rejected alternatives: ਮਾਲਕ, ਵਾਹਿਗੁਰੂ
Original: κύριος
Category: Christology
Established Punjabi Christian term. Philippians 2:11’s universal confession (“Jesus Christ is Lord”) and its repeated occurrences (1:2,14; 2:19,24,29; 3:1,8,20; 4:1,2,4,5,10,23) must never be rendered through ਵਾਹਿਗੁਰੂ or framed as one guru-figure’s authority among others. Inherited from Romans package; retained unchanged for Philippians curriculum.
Son Of God
Approved rendering: ਪਰਮੇਸ਼ੁਰ ਦਾ ਪੁੱਤਰ
Transliteration: Parmeshar da Puttar
Doctrine: Deity of Christ
Rejected alternatives: ਦੇਵ-ਪੁਰਸ਼
Original: υἱὸς θεοῦ
Category: Christology
CRITICAL: full phrase required. Implicit in Philippians 2:6’s assertion of equality with God. Inherited from Romans package; retained unchanged for Philippians curriculum.
Incarnation
Approved rendering: ਦੇਹਧਾਰਨ
Transliteration: dehdharan
Doctrine: The Incarnation and Self-Emptying of Christ (Kenosis)
Rejected alternatives: ਅਵਤਾਰ
Original: ὁ λόγος σὰρξ ἐγένετο
Category: Christology
CRITICAL: NEVER use ਅਵਤਾਰ. Philippians 2:7-8 is this curriculum’s core kenosis-incarnation text and requires the same theological bridge for Sikh-background readers regarding ਨਿਰੰਕਾਰ (the Formless One) as documented in the baseline. Inherited from Romans package; retained and extended for Philippians curriculum.
Messiah
Approved rendering: ਮਸੀਹ
Transliteration: Masih
Doctrine: Messianic Promise
Original: Χριστός
Category: Christology
Occurs 60+ times throughout Philippians; must never be read as one of several divine figures or gurus. Inherited from Romans package; retained unchanged for Philippians curriculum.
Jesus
Approved rendering: ਯਿਸੂ
Transliteration: Yisu
Doctrine: Exaltation and Lordship of Christ
Rejected alternatives: ਈਸਾ
Original: Ἰησοῦς
Category: Christology
CRITICAL: use ਯਿਸੂ, never ਈਸਾ. Occurs throughout Philippians, including the kenosis hymn’s climax (2:10-11). Inherited from Romans package; retained unchanged for Philippians curriculum.
God
Approved rendering: ਪਰਮੇਸ਼ੁਰ
Transliteration: Parmeshar
Doctrine: Deity of Christ
Rejected alternatives: ਵਾਹਿਗੁਰੂ, ਭਗਵਾਨ
Original: θεός
Category: God
CRITICAL: NEVER use ਵਾਹਿਗੁਰੂ or ਭਗਵਾਨ. Occurs throughout Philippians, including the equality-with-God claim of 2:6. Inherited from Romans package; retained unchanged for Philippians curriculum.
Holy Spirit
Approved rendering: ਪਵਿੱਤਰ ਆਤਮਾ
Transliteration: Pavittar Atma
Doctrine: Deity of Christ
Rejected alternatives: ਬ੍ਰਹਮ, ਜੋਤ
Original: πνεῦμα ἅγιον
Category: God
Never ਬ੍ਰਹਮ; distinguish from ਜੋਤ. Occurs in Philippians 1:19; 2:1; 3:3. Inherited from Romans package; retained unchanged for Philippians curriculum.
Father
Approved rendering: ਪਿਤਾ
Transliteration: Pita
Doctrine: Exaltation and Lordship of Christ
Original: πατήρ
Category: God
God as personal Father. Occurs in Philippians 1:2; 2:11; 4:20; the kenosis hymn resolves in the Father’s glory (2:11). Inherited from Romans package; retained unchanged for Philippians curriculum.
Kenosis
Approved rendering: ਆਪਣੇ ਆਪ ਨੂੰ ਖਾਲੀ ਕਰ ਲਿਆ
Transliteration: apne aap nu khali kar lia
Doctrine: The Incarnation and Self-Emptying of Christ (Kenosis)
Rejected alternatives: ਸ਼ੂਨਯ ਹੋ ਜਾਣਾ (Buddhist-adjacent ‘emptiness/dissolution’ term)
Original: ἐκένωσεν (κενόω)
Category: Christology
NEW. Mandatory theological bridge required on every occurrence: the Son remained fully God but voluntarily set aside the outward display of his glory. Must not read as loss/dissolution of divine nature, nor as a concession to ਨਿਰੰਕਾਰ theology (God cannot take a form). Philippians 2:7.
Form Of God
Approved rendering: ਪਰਮੇਸ਼ੁਰ ਦਾ ਸਰੂਪ
Transliteration: Parmeshar da sarup
Doctrine: Deity of Christ
Rejected alternatives: ਦਿੱਖ (too weak; schēma-level appearance term, not essential nature)
Original: μορφῇ θεοῦ
Category: Christology
NEW. ਸਰੂਪ is a live term in Sikh usage for the manifest form of the Guru/Guru Granth Sahib and for talk of the Formless One occasionally ‘taking a form’ for revelation. Must be taught as Christ’s eternal, essential possession of God’s nature, not a revealed representation of it. Philippians 2:6.
Harpagmos
Approved rendering: ਪਕੜ ਕੇ ਰੱਖਣ ਵਾਲੀ ਚੀਜ਼
Transliteration: pakar ke rakhan wali cheez
Doctrine: The Incarnation and Self-Emptying of Christ (Kenosis)
Rejected alternatives: ਚੋਰੀ (theft, single-word, loses ‘already possessed but declined to exploit’ nuance)
Original: ἁρπαγμόν
Category: Christology
NEW. Compound phrase required, paralleling the baseline’s ਧਰਮੀ ਠਹਿਰਾਇਆ ਜਾਣਾ precedent. Must convey Christ possessed but declined to selfishly exploit equality with God, not that he lacked it. Philippians 2:6.
Onoma Above Every Name
Approved rendering: ਨਾਮ
Transliteration: naam
Doctrine: Exaltation and Lordship of Christ
Original: τὸ ὄνομα τὸ ὑπὲρ πᾶν ὄνομα
Category: Christology/Lordship
NEW. ਨਾਮ is the central object of Sikh Naam-simran devotional meditation practice. Mandatory gloss required on every load-bearing occurrence distinguishing the unique, once-confessed authority of Jesus’ name (cf. baseline Romans 10:9 ਯਿਸੂ ਪ੍ਰਭੂ ਹੈ) from ongoing meditative Naam-simran practice. Philippians 2:9-10.
Soter
Approved rendering: ਮੁਕਤੀਦਾਤਾ
Transliteration: muktidata
Doctrine: Salvation
Original: σωτήρ
Category: Salvation
NEW compound built on the established ਮੁਕਤੀ root. Inherits the baseline’s mandatory mukti-distinction gloss in full; Christ as ਮੁਕਤੀਦਾਤਾ must be distinguished from any Guru or Sant figure popularly regarded as a mediator of grace or liberation. Philippians 3:20.
High Risk Terms
Gospel
Approved rendering: ਖੁਸ਼ਖਬਰੀ
Transliteration: khushkhabri
Doctrine: Gospel
Rejected alternatives: ਸ਼ੁਭ ਸਮਾਚਾਰ
Original: εὐαγγέλιον
Category: Salvation
Established Punjabi Christian term, “good news.” Distinguish from any generic positive announcement; the gospel is the specific proclamation of salvation through Christ crucified and risen. Occurs throughout Philippians (1:5,7,12,16,27; 2:22; 4:3,15) as the shared object of Paul and the Philippians’ partnership. Inherited from Romans package; retained unchanged for Philippians curriculum.
Grace
Approved rendering: ਕਿਰਪਾ
Transliteration: kirpa
Doctrine: Grace
Rejected alternatives: ਮੇਹਰ, ਕਰਮ ਦਾ ਫਲ
Original: χάρις
Category: Salvation
Sikh theology already has a developed grace vocabulary (ਕਿਰਪਾ/ਨਦਰ) that is genuinely gift-like but Guru-mediated, not Christ-mediated. Every occurrence in Philippians’ opening and closing grace formulas (1:2,7; 4:23) must keep the source of grace explicitly Christ-centered. Inherited from Romans package; retained unchanged for Philippians curriculum.
Faith
Approved rendering: ਨਿਹਚਾ
Transliteration: nihcha
Doctrine: Faith
Rejected alternatives: ਸ਼ਰਧਾ, ਸਿਦਕ
Original: πίστις
Category: Faith
Personal trust in Christ specifically, not generalized devotional reverence (ਸ਼ਰਧਾ) or Sufi-idiom steadfastness (ਸਿਦਕ). Philippians 3:9’s righteousness “through faith in Christ” is this letter’s sharpest statement of the contrast with law-based righteousness. Inherited from Romans package; retained unchanged for Philippians curriculum.
Apostle
Approved rendering: ਰਸੂਲ
Transliteration: rasul
Doctrine: Apostleship
Rejected alternatives: ਗੁਰੂ, ਦੂਤ
Original: ἀπόστολος
Category: Church
NEVER use ਗੁਰੂ. Reserved for the technical apostolic office implicit in Paul’s authorship of Philippians (1:1); do NOT extend to Epaphroditus’s generic “sent one” usage at 2:25 (see apostolos_generic below). Inherited from Romans package; retained unchanged for Philippians curriculum.
Called
Approved rendering: ਸੱਦਿਆ ਹੋਇਆ
Transliteration: saddiya hoya
Doctrine: Divine Calling
Rejected alternatives: ਬੁਲਾਇਆ ਹੋਇਆ
Original: κλητός
Category: Salvation
Context-sensitive. In Philippians relevant to the related “upward call” (ἄνω κλῆσις) of 3:14. Inherited from Romans package; retained unchanged for Philippians curriculum.
Calling
Approved rendering: ਸੱਦਾ
Transliteration: sadda
Doctrine: Divine Calling
Original: κλῆσις
Category: Salvation
Noun form. Philippians 3:14’s “upward call of God in Christ Jesus” anchors the goal-pursuit metaphor of ch. 3. Inherited from Romans package; retained unchanged for Philippians curriculum.
Saints
Approved rendering: ਪਵਿੱਤਰ ਲੋਕ
Transliteration: pavittar lok
Doctrine: Sainthood
Rejected alternatives: ਸੰਤ
Original: ἅγιοι
Category: Church
NEVER use ਸੰਤ. Philippians is addressed to “all the saints” at Philippi (1:1) and greets them again at 4:21-22 — every believer, not an enlightened elite. Inherited from Romans package; retained unchanged for Philippians curriculum.
Sanctification
Approved rendering: ਪਵਿੱਤਰੀਕਰਨ
Transliteration: pavittarikaran
Doctrine: Sanctification
Rejected alternatives: ਸ਼ੁੱਧੀਕਰਨ
Original: ἁγιασμός
Category: Sanctification
Distinct from ritual purification. Implicit background to Philippians 1:6 and 2:12-13’s “God who works in you.” Inherited from Romans package; retained unchanged for Philippians curriculum.
Law
Approved rendering: ਬਿਵਸਥਾ
Transliteration: bivastha
Doctrine: Righteousness by Faith versus the Law
Rejected alternatives: ਧਰਮ, ਸ਼ਰੀਅਤ
Original: νόμος
Category: Covenant
NEVER ਧਰਮ or ਸ਼ਰੀਅਤ. Central to Philippians 3:5-6,9’s contrast between law-righteousness and faith-righteousness. Inherited from Romans package; retained unchanged for Philippians curriculum.
Sin
Approved rendering: ਪਾਪ
Transliteration: pap
Doctrine: Universal Human Accountability
Rejected alternatives: ਅਧਰਮ
Original: ἁμαρτία
Category: Sin
Moral transgression before a personal God, distinct from ritual impurity or impersonal bad karma. Implicit background throughout Philippians’ ethical exhortations. Inherited from Romans package; retained unchanged for Philippians curriculum.
Glory
Approved rendering: ਮਹਿਮਾ
Transliteration: mahima
Doctrine: Deity of Christ
Rejected alternatives: ਜੋਤ
Original: δόξα
Category: God
Avoid ਜੋਤ. Occurs in Philippians 1:11; 2:11; 3:19,21; 4:19,20, culminating the kenosis-exaltation hymn in the Father’s glory (2:11). Inherited from Romans package; retained unchanged for Philippians curriculum.
Power Of God
Approved rendering: ਪਰਮੇਸ਼ੁਰ ਦੀ ਸਮਰੱਥਾ
Transliteration: Parmeshar di samratha
Doctrine: Resurrection of Christ and Bodily Transformation
Rejected alternatives: ਸ਼ਕਤੀ
Original: δύναμις θεοῦ
Category: God
NEVER ਸ਼ਕਤੀ. Philippians 3:10,21 (“power of his resurrection”) and 4:13 (“him who strengthens me”) both require the ਸਮਰੱਥਾ root. Inherited from Romans package; retained and extended for Philippians curriculum.
Election
Approved rendering: ਪਰਮੇਸ਼ੁਰ ਦੀ ਚੋਣ
Transliteration: Parmeshar di chon
Doctrine: Divine Calling
Rejected alternatives: ਕਿਸਮਤ
Original: ἐκλογή
Category: Salvation
Never ਕਿਸਮਤ (fate). Implicit background to Philippians 3:12-14’s “upward call” and Christ having “taken hold of” Paul. Inherited from Romans package; retained unchanged for Philippians curriculum.
Homoioma
Approved rendering: ਸਮਾਨਤਾ
Transliteration: samanta
Doctrine: Humanity of Christ
Rejected alternatives: ਨਕਲ (copy/imitation; risks a docetic ‘mere appearance’ misreading)
Original: ὁμοιώματι
Category: Christology
NEW. Must affirm real, genuine humanity; guard against docetic readings implying Christ’s humanity was illusory or a mere costume. Philippians 2:7.
Tapeinophrosyne
Approved rendering: ਨਿਮਰਤਾ
Transliteration: nimrata
Doctrine: Unity and Humility in the Church
Original: ταπεινοφροσύνῃ / ἐταπείνωσεν
Category: Ecclesiology/Ethics
NEW. Genuine cultural-convergence opportunity: ਨਿਮਰਤਾ is a valued Sikh ethical virtue. Doctrinal risk is High though lexical risk is Low: must anchor the virtue explicitly to Christ’s historical self-emptying and exaltation (2:6-11), not teach it as a generalized ethical ideal cultivated through spiritual discipline. Philippians 2:3, 8.
Kenodoxia
Approved rendering: ਵਿਅਰਥ ਹੰਕਾਰ
Transliteration: viarth hankar
Doctrine: Unity and Humility in the Church
Original: κενοδοξίαν
Category: Ethics
NEW. Convergence with Sikh ਹੰਕਾਰ (haumai, one of the Five Thieves) is positive but must not imply the Sikh remedy (Guru-mediated grace, Naam-simran); Paul’s remedy is Christ’s example and the Spirit’s work (ਨਿਮਰਤਾ). Philippians 2:3.
Koinonia Pathematon
Approved rendering: ਦੁੱਖਾਂ ਦੀ ਸੰਗਤ
Transliteration: dukkhan di sangat
Doctrine: Joy in Suffering and Imprisonment
Original: κοινωνία παθημάτων / πάσχειν
Category: Suffering
NEW. ਦੁੱਖ is heavily loaded across South Asian religious traditions as an inherent condition of samsaric existence to be escaped through liberation. Requires an explicit contrastive note: this is willing participation in Christ’s redemptive suffering, not a condition to escape via meditative liberation practice. Philippians 1:29-30; 3:10.
Desma
Approved rendering: ਜ਼ੰਜੀਰਾਂ / ਕੈਦ
Transliteration: zanjeeran / qaid
Doctrine: Joy in Suffering and Imprisonment
Rejected alternatives: ਬੰਧਨ (karmic bondage/attachment to the rebirth cycle in Hindu/Sikh usage)
Original: δεσμά
Category: Suffering
NEW. NEVER ਬੰਧਨ. Use concrete, non-metaphysical vocabulary for Paul’s literal Roman chains. Philippians 1:7,12-14,17.
Koinonia Partnership
Approved rendering: ਭਾਗੀਦਾਰੀ
Transliteration: bhagidari
Doctrine: Partnership in the Gospel
Rejected alternatives: ਸੰਗਤ ਹੀ, used alone (flattens active co-laboring into passive social togetherness)
Original: κοινωνία εἰς τὸ εὐαγγέλιον / συγκοινωνέω
Category: Partnership
NEW. Supplements baseline’s ਸੰਗਤ wherever the active co-laboring sense (giving, sending, shared mission/suffering), not the gathered-fellowship sense, is intended. Philippians 1:5; 4:14-15. Flag ambiguous cases for native speaker review.
Diakonos
Approved rendering: ਡੀਕਨ
Transliteration: deekan
Doctrine: Church Leadership and Office
Rejected alternatives: ਸੇਵਾਦਾਰ (specific, living Gurdwara volunteer-server role, langar/seva duties)
Original: διάκονος
Category: Church office
NEW. NEVER default to ਸੇਵਾਦਾਰ without a clarifying note — category-error risk class parallel to the baseline’s ਗੁਰੂ/ਰਸੂਲ caution. Use the transliterated loanword. Philippians 1:1; generic sense of Epaphroditus at 2:25 handled separately (see apostolos_generic).
Gnosis
Approved rendering: ਜਾਣਨਾ (preferred verb) / ਗਿਆਨ (noun, only with anchoring gloss)
Transliteration: janna / giaan
Doctrine: The Surpassing Worth of Knowing Christ
Rejected alternatives: ਗਿਆਨ as an unqualified primary rendering (Gurbani enlightenment / Hindu jnana attainment-through-discipline connotations)
Original: γνῶσις / ἐπίγνωσις
Category: Faith / Knowing Christ
NEW. Prefer the verb ਜਾਣਨਾ (personal, relational knowing) over the noun ਗਿਆਨ; if the noun form is unavoidable, anchor explicitly to the Person of Christ. Philippians 3:8,10.
Politeuma
Approved rendering: ਨਾਗਰਿਕਤਾ
Transliteration: nagrikta
Doctrine: Citizenship in Heaven
Original: πολίτευμα / πολιτεύεσθε
Category: Citizenship
NEW. Resonates with the historical Sikh Empire and the living Khalsa Raj political aspiration voiced daily in Ardas (“Raj Karega Khalsa”). Must be taught as a reorientation of ultimate loyalty away from every earthly political, national, caste, or qaum identity, never a competing nationalist claim. Philippians 1:27; 3:20.
Symmorphos
Approved rendering: ਸਮਰੂਪ
Transliteration: samroop
Doctrine: Resurrection of Christ and Bodily Transformation
Rejected alternatives: unqualified merger/absorption-of-essence language
Original: συμμορφιζόμενος / σύμμορφος
Category: Sanctification
NEW. Shares the ਸਰੂਪ-family collision risk flagged for form_of_god; denotes progressive relational transformation into Christ’s likeness, not metaphysical merging of essence. Philippians 3:10, 3:21.
Medium Risk Terms
Holy
Approved rendering: ਪਵਿੱਤਰ
Transliteration: pavittar
Doctrine: Sanctification
Rejected alternatives: ਸ਼ੁੱਧ
Original: ἅγιος
Category: Sanctification
Set apart for God and morally pure; comparatively low-risk area of genuine overlap with Sikh usage of sacred purity. Inherited from Romans package; retained unchanged for Philippians curriculum.
Peace
Approved rendering: ਸ਼ਾਂਤੀ
Transliteration: shanti
Doctrine: Peace with God
Rejected alternatives: ਸਹਿਜ
Original: εἰρήνη
Category: Salvation
NEVER ਸਹਿਜ (Sikh meditative equipoise). Occurs in Philippians’ opening greeting (1:2) and as God’s guarding peace (4:7,9), distinct from self-generated calm. Inherited from Romans package; retained unchanged for Philippians curriculum.
Spiritual Gifts
Approved rendering: ਆਤਮਿਕ ਦਾਤਾਂ
Transliteration: atmik daatan
Doctrine: Spiritual Gifts
Rejected alternatives: ਵਰ
Original: χαρίσματα
Category: Church
Spirit-given enablements. Implicit background to Philippians 2:1’s “affection and sympathy” language. Inherited from Romans package; retained unchanged for Philippians curriculum.
Church
Approved rendering: ਮੰਡਲੀ
Transliteration: mandli
Doctrine: Church as God’s People
Rejected alternatives: ਗੁਰਦੁਆਰਾ, ਮੰਦਰ
Original: ἐκκλησία
Category: Church
Never ਗੁਰਦੁਆਰਾ or ਮੰਦਰ. Implicit in Philippians 4:15’s “no church shared with me [in giving and receiving].” Inherited from Romans package; retained unchanged for Philippians curriculum.
Schema
Approved rendering: ਦਿੱਖ
Transliteration: dikkh
Doctrine: Humanity of Christ
Rejected alternatives: ਸਰੂਪ (reserved for morphē; would blur the essential/circumstantial distinction)
Original: σχήματι
Category: Christology
NEW. Keep lexically distinct from ਸਰੂਪ (morphē). Denotes the circumstantial, observable manner of Christ’s human presence, not his essential nature. Philippians 2:7.
Hyperypsoo
Approved rendering: ਅੱਤ ਉੱਚਾ ਕੀਤਾ
Transliteration: att ucha kita
Doctrine: Exaltation and Lordship of Christ
Rejected alternatives: ਉੱਚਾ ਕੀਤਾ (plain form, loses the intensive superlative force)
Original: ὑπερύψωσεν
Category: Christology
NEW. Preserve the intensive compound’s ‘above every exaltation’ force, paired with ‘the name above every name.’ Philippians 2:9.
Phroneo
Approved rendering: ਮਨੋਭਾਵ
Transliteration: manobhav
Doctrine: Unity and Humility in the Church
Rejected alternatives: ਸੋਚਣਾ (generic ‘to think’; loses the repeated structural emphasis)
Original: φρονέω / φρονεῖτε
Category: Church/Ethics
NEW. Structural repetition term across chs. 2-4 (2:2 x2, 2:5; 3:15,19; 4:2,10); consistency across all occurrences is required for the unity argument to register as a unified thread.
Eritheia
Approved rendering: ਖ਼ੁਦਗਰਜ਼ੀ
Transliteration: khudgarzi
Doctrine: Unity and Humility in the Church
Original: ἐριθείαν
Category: Ethics
NEW. Retain the communal/factional nuance (rivalry within the assembly), not merely private selfishness. Philippians 2:3.
Hypekoos
Approved rendering: ਆਗਿਆਕਾਰੀ
Transliteration: agiakari
Doctrine: The Incarnation and Self-Emptying of Christ (Kenosis)
Rejected alternatives: ਧਾਰਮਿਕ ਫ਼ਰਜ਼ (religious duty performed to earn standing)
Original: ὑπήκοος
Category: Christology
NEW. Reuses the root of baseline’s ਨਿਹਚਾ ਦੀ ਆਗਿਆਕਾਰੀ; here specifically Christ’s own unique redemptive obedience unto death, not a model of generic religious duty. Philippians 2:8.
Stauros
Approved rendering: ਸਲੀਬ
Transliteration: sliba
Doctrine: The Incarnation and Self-Emptying of Christ (Kenosis)
Original: σταυροῦ
Category: Atonement
NEW (first curriculum occurrence). Established, universal Punjabi Christian term with no collision risk; the point of maximal humiliation in Christ’s self-emptying. Philippians 2:8. Recommended for formal promotion into a future baseline update.
Chara
Approved rendering: ਖੁਸ਼ੀ
Transliteration: khushi
Doctrine: Joy in Suffering and Imprisonment
Rejected alternatives: ਅਨੰਦ (Sikh liturgical bliss term, Anand Sahib/Anand Karaj, attained through Guru-mediated union with Waheguru)
Original: χαρά / χαίρω
Category: Joy
NEW. Use ਖੁਸ਼ੀ consistently as the letter’s thematic refrain word (1:4,18,25; 2:2,17-18,28-29; 3:1; 4:1,4,10). Paul’s joy is grounded in Christ’s finished work and present despite suffering, not a cultivated inner equanimity.
Episkopos
Approved rendering: ਨਿਗਾਹਬਾਨ
Transliteration: nigahban
Doctrine: Church Leadership and Office
Rejected alternatives: ਗ੍ਰੰਥੀ / ਜਥੇਦਾਰ (Gurdwara-institutional office titles)
Original: ἐπίσκοπος
Category: Church office
NEW church-office term. Avoid vocabulary suggesting a Gurdwara-style institutional office. Philippians 1:1.
Doulos
Approved rendering: ਦਾਸ
Transliteration: das
Doctrine: The Incarnation and Self-Emptying of Christ (Kenosis)
Original: δοῦλος
Category: Christology / Self-identification
NEW. Established Christian usage (Paul and Timothy’s self-designation, 1:1; the status Christ took on in his self-emptying, 2:7). ਦਾਸ is also a common devotional self-designation across Punjabi religious traditions; ensure the radical status-reversal contrast with μορφὴ θεοῦ (2:6) is made explicit, not read as generic pious self-deprecation.
Brabeion Skopos
Approved rendering: ਅੱਗੇ ਵਧਣਾ / ਨਿਸ਼ਾਨਾ / ਇਨਾਮ
Transliteration: agge vadhna / nishana / inam
Doctrine: Pressing on toward the Goal in Christ
Rejected alternatives: ਇਨਾਮ read as a merit-earned reward (contradicts 3:9’s grace-based righteousness)
Original: διώκω, σκοπός, βραβεῖον
Category: Perseverance
NEW. ਇਨਾਮ must be glossed at first occurrence as deepened knowledge of and conformity to Christ, already graciously initiated by him — not an achievement earned apart from grace. Philippians 3:12-14.
Teleios
Approved rendering: ਪਰਿਪੱਕ / ਸੰਪੂਰਨ
Transliteration: paripakk / sampooran
Doctrine: Pressing on toward the Goal in Christ
Rejected alternatives: ਸੰਪੂਰਨ as the primary/default rendering (stronger sinless-perfection misreading risk)
Original: τέλειος
Category: Sanctification
NEW. Prefer ਪਰਿਪੱਕ (mature) as the primary rendering at 3:15 to reduce the sinless-perfection risk; must not suggest Paul had ‘already attained’ (3:12) while using the term of himself and others (3:15).
Autarkeia
Approved rendering: ਸੰਤੁਸ਼ਟੀ
Transliteration: santushti
Doctrine: Contentment in All Circumstances
Original: αὐτάρκης / αὐτάρκεια
Category: Contentment
NEW. Doctrinally neutral term but must always be paired with its stated Christ-dependent source (4:13); not autonomous Stoic self-sufficiency or disciplined detachment attained through personal ascetic/meditative practice. Philippians 4:11.
Endynamounti
Approved rendering: ਸਮਰੱਥ ਕਰਨ ਵਾਲਾ
Transliteration: samrath karan wala
Doctrine: Contentment in All Circumstances
Rejected alternatives: ਸ਼ਕਤੀ (Hindu goddess-power association)
Original: ἐνδυναμοῦντι
Category: Contentment / Power of God
NEW. Correctly reuses the baseline’s ਸਮਰੱਥਾ root, never ਸ਼ਕਤੀ; maintain full-book consistency with power-of-God vocabulary. Philippians 4:13.
Phosteres
Approved rendering: ਚਾਨਣ
Transliteration: chanan
Doctrine: Unity and Humility in the Church
Rejected alternatives: ਜੋਤ (baseline-reserved term for the divine light transmitted through the Ten Gurus)
Original: φωστῆρες
Category: Witness / Unity
NEW. Believers’ visible witness function (‘lights in the world’), Philippians 2:15. Use plain ਚਾਨਣ, never the ਜੋਤ root.
Apostolos Generic
Approved rendering: ਭੇਜਿਆ ਹੋਇਆ ਸੰਦੇਸ਼ਵਾਹਕ / ਨੁਮਾਇੰਦਾ
Transliteration: bhejia hoya sandeshvahak / numainda
Doctrine: Church Leadership and Office
Rejected alternatives: ਰਸੂਲ (reserved for the technical apostolic office; must not be extended to Epaphroditus’s generic ‘sent one’ usage)
Original: ἀπόστολος (of Epaphroditus)
Category: Church office
NEW. Disambiguates Epaphroditus’s generic ‘sent one’ sense (Philippians 2:25) from the technical apostolic office, preventing overextension of the Critical/High baseline term ਰਸੂਲ.
Thysia Leitourgia
Approved rendering: ਬਲੀਦਾਨ, ਸੇਵਾ, ਸੁਗੰਧਿਤ ਭੇਟ
Transliteration: balidaan, seva, sugandhit bhet
Doctrine: Partnership in the Gospel
Original: θυσία, λειτουργία, ὀσμὴ εὐωδίας
Category: Partnership / Giving
NEW. Sacrificial-offering imagery applied to believers’ faith and giving (2:17; 4:18). Positive resonance with Sikh daswandh (tithing a tenth) as a bridge for sacrificial generosity, provided the object of the offering (God, via gospel partnership) remains unambiguous.
Agon
Approved rendering: ਸੰਘਰਸ਼
Transliteration: sangharsh
Doctrine: Joy in Suffering and Imprisonment
Rejected alternatives: ਜੁੱਧ / ਯੁੱਧ-family vocabulary (evokes ਧਰਮ ਯੁੱਧ, the Khalsa martial-righteousness ideal)
Original: ἀγών
Category: Suffering / Perseverance
NEW. The shared struggle of suffering and enduring for the gospel; a struggle of endurance and testimony, not martial combat. Philippians 1:30.
Epouranios Katachthonios
Approved rendering: ਸੁਰਗ, ਧਰਤੀ, ਧਰਤੀ ਹੇਠਲੇ
Transliteration: surg, dharti, dharti hethle
Doctrine: Exaltation and Lordship of Christ
Rejected alternatives: Hindu/Sikh cosmological loka-terminology; vocabulary adjacent to the transmigration cosmology already flagged for ਆਵਾਗਵਣ
Original: ἐπουράνιος, ἐπίγειος, καταχθόνιος
Category: Lordship of Christ
NEW. Plain descriptive geography-of-totality language for the three-tiered cosmological totality subject to Christ. Philippians 2:10.
Arete
Approved rendering: ਨੇਕੀ / ਗੁਣ
Transliteration: neki / gun
Doctrine: Unity and Humility in the Church
Original: ἀρετή
Category: Ethics
NEW. One item within Paul’s virtue list (4:8); must be read as one item within a Christ-centered, Spirit-enabled life, not an autonomous karma-yoga-style moral-achievement program.
Hemera Christou
Approved rendering: ਮਸੀਹ ਦਾ ਦਿਨ
Transliteration: Masih da din
Doctrine: Eschatological Hope: The Day of Christ
Original: ἡμέρα Χριστοῦ
Category: Eschatology
NEW. A single future linear eschatological event; ensure it is not confused with a recurring/cyclical event (yuga cosmology or ਆਵਾਗਵਣ). Philippians 1:6,10; 2:16.
Low Risk Terms
Thanksgiving
Approved rendering: ਧੰਨਵਾਦ
Transliteration: dhanvad
Doctrine: Thanksgiving
Original: εὐχαριστία
Category: Faith
Standard term. Occurs in Philippians 1:3 and 4:6. Inherited from Romans package; retained unchanged for Philippians curriculum.
Fellowship
Approved rendering: ਸੰਗਤ
Transliteration: sangat
Doctrine: Christian Fellowship
Rejected alternatives: ਦੋਸਤੀ
Original: κοινωνία
Category: Church
Positive, natural-fit gathered-community term. In Philippians (1:5; 2:1; 3:10) must be supplemented with ਭਾਗੀਦਾਰੀ wherever the active co-laboring/partnership sense (giving, sending, shared mission or suffering), not merely the gathered sense, is intended. Inherited from Romans package; retained and extended for Philippians curriculum.
Exhort
Approved rendering: ਉਤਸ਼ਾਹਿਤ ਕਰਨਾ
Transliteration: utshahit karna
Doctrine: Mutual Edification
Original: παρακαλέω
Category: Faith
Context-sensitive; relevant to Paul’s appeal to Euodia and Syntyche (4:2). Inherited from Romans package; retained unchanged for Philippians curriculum.
Zelos
Approved rendering: ਜੋਸ਼
Transliteration: josh
Doctrine: Righteousness by Faith versus the Law
Original: ζῆλος
Category: Righteousness by Faith (background)
NEW. Standard term, no collision risk. Paul’s former religious zeal as a Pharisee, now counted as loss compared to Christ. Philippians 3:6.
Epieikes
Approved rendering: ਨਰਮੀ
Transliteration: narmi
Doctrine: Unity and Humility in the Church
Original: ἐπιεικές
Category: Ethics
NEW. Standard term, no collision risk. The disposition believers show to all, grounded in the Lord’s nearness. Philippians 4:5.
Merimnao
Approved rendering: ਚਿੰਤਾ ਕਰਨਾ
Transliteration: chinta karna
Doctrine: Contentment in All Circumstances
Original: μεριμνάω
Category: Contentment / Prayer
NEW. Standard term, no collision risk. Anxious worry, replaced by prayer. Philippians 4:6.
Proseuche Deesis
Approved rendering: ਪ੍ਰਾਰਥਨਾ ਅਤੇ ਬੇਨਤੀ
Transliteration: prarthana ate benti
Doctrine: Prayer and Freedom from Anxiety
Original: προσευχή καὶ δέησις
Category: Prayer
NEW. Ensure direct, unmediated access to God in Christ’s name is clear, distinct from petitioning through a Guru’s mediation or at a Sant’s dera. Philippians 4:6.
Referenced passages