Core Glossary
Core Glossary: 2 John
| # | Term (English) | Greek / Transliteration | Romanian Rendering | Status | Risk | Doctrine | Occurrences | Translation Risk Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Elder | πρεσβύτερος / presbyteros | prezbiterul | NEW | High | Perseverance in the Teaching of Christ (authorial authority) | v.1 | Collides with the contemporary Orthodox clerical rank “prezbiter” (ordained priest). Requires translator note clarifying this is the author’s early apostolic-era self-designation, not the later formalized Holy Orders office of the same name. |
| 2 | Elect lady | ἐκλεκτῇ κυρίᾳ / eklektē kyria | doamna aleasă | NEW | High | Doctrinal Discernism / Divine Calling (adjacent) | v.1 | ”Aleasă” shares its root with baseline election = “alegere” (High, Romans 9-11 synergism/monergism tension). Note the shared root but do not import the Romans 9-11 systematic argument into this personal/pastoral address. Referent (individual woman vs. personified congregation) is genuinely ambiguous in the Greek; preserve the ambiguity rather than resolving it. |
| 3 | Children | τέκνα / tekna | copii | NEW | Medium | Walking in Truth and Love (household/congregational membership) | vv.1, 4, 13 | Distinguish from baseline adoption = “înfiere” (believer’s adoptive sonship doctrine, Medium risk). Here denotes literal children or congregation members, not the Adoption doctrine’s inheritance-rights sense. |
| 4 | Truth | ἀλήθεια / alētheia | adevăr | NEW | High | Walking in Truth and Love | vv.1 (x2), 2, 3, 4 | Anchor term for the whole letter and this curriculum’s first named doctrine. Risk: reducing to correct doctrinal information alone; Johannine usage is simultaneously propositional (right belief about Christ) and relational (fidelity lived out). Requires a teaching note holding both together. |
| 5 | Love | ἀγάπη (noun) / ἀγαπάω (verb) / agapē / agapaō | dragoste / a iubi | NEW | High | Walking in Truth and Love | vv.1, 3, 5, 6 (x2) | Established Romanian Bible-translation choice (“Dumnezeu este dragoste,” 1 Ioan 4:8) shared by Orthodox Synodal and Cornilescu traditions. Avoid “afecțiune”/“simpatie” (sentiment-only). Constantly paired with “adevăr” — the pairing itself is theologically load-bearing and must never be separated in translation. |
| 6 | Know (the truth) | γινώσκω (ἐγνωκότες) / ginōskō | a cunoaște | NEW | Medium | Walking in Truth and Love | v.1 | Ensure rendered as ordinary, shared, communal recognition (“all who have come to know the truth”), not an esoteric/elite gnosis — relevant given the letter’s later warning against proto-gnostic deceivers (v.7, v.9). |
| 7 | Abide / remain | μένω / menō | a rămâne | NEW | Critical | Perseverance in the Teaching of Christ | vv.2, 9 (x2) | The single most theologically load-bearing new verb in this curriculum. Must be rendered identically at every occurrence. Orthodox theosis theology’s emphasis on ongoing, lifelong process (cf. baseline salvation/sanctification Critical/High entries) can function as a doctrinal asset here, provided “abiding” stays tied specifically to the apostolic teaching content 2 John itself defines. |
| 8 | Forever / for the age | εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα / eis ton aiōna | în veac / pentru veșnicie | NEW | Low | (supports Perseverance) | v.2 | Standard biblical idiom for eternity; no significant risk. |
| 9 | Grace | χάρις / charis | har | BASELINE | Critical | Grace | v.3 | Reuse baseline grace = “har” exactly. Part of the letter’s unusual three-term greeting (grace, mercy, peace) rather than Paul’s usual two-term greeting. |
| 10 | Mercy | ἔλεος / eleos | milă | NEW | Medium | (supports Grace) | v.3 | Established Orthodox liturgical term of deep devotional weight (“Doamne, miluiește”); functions as a doctrinal asset (existing resonance) rather than primarily a risk, comparable to the baseline’s treatment of glory/resurrection. |
| 11 | Peace | εἰρήνη / eirēnē | pace | BASELINE | Medium | Peace with God | v.3 | Reuse baseline peace = “pace” exactly. |
| 12 | God the Father | θεὸς πατήρ / theos patēr | Dumnezeu Tatăl | BASELINE | Critical | Adoption into God’s Family / Deity | v.3 | Reuse baseline god = “Dumnezeu” and father = “Tată” exactly. |
| 13 | Jesus Christ, the Son of the Father | Ἰησοῦς Χριστός, ὁ υἱὸς τοῦ πατρός | Iisus Hristos, Fiul Tatălui | BASELINE | Critical | Sonship of Christ / Lordship of Christ | v.3 | Reuse baseline jesus = “Iisus,” “Christ” = “Hristos,” and son_of_god = “Fiul lui Dumnezeu” (cross-referenced here as “Fiul Tatălui,” denoting the identical unique, eternal, non-adoptive Sonship). |
| 14 | Rejoice(d) | χαίρω (ἐχάρην) / chairō | m-am bucurat | NEW | Low | Walking in Truth and Love (pastoral joy) | v.4 | Standard. Distinguish carefully from the related but distinct greeting-sense χαίρειν in vv.10-11 (see #24 below); same Greek root, different force — flag the wordplay in a translator note. |
| 15 | Walk (ethically) | περιπατέω / peripateō | a umbla | NEW | Medium | Walking in Truth and Love | vv.4, 6 (x2) | Established Romanian Bible idiom (“a umbla în adevăr,” parallel to “a umbla în Duhul/lumină”). Must not be rendered as literal ambulation devoid of the ethical-conduct sense. |
| 16 | Commandment | ἐντολή / entolē | poruncă | NEW | Medium | Perseverance in the Teaching of Christ | vv.4, 5, 6 (x2) | Risk of defaulting toward Orthodox ascetic/liturgical rule-keeping (fasting canons, etc.) in popular usage; keep the referent explicitly relational (love, truth), not ritual observance — parallel caution to baseline’s obedience_of_faith doctrine note. |
| 17 | New commandment / from the beginning | ἐντολὴ καινή / ἀπ’ ἀρχῆς | poruncă nouă / de la început | NEW | Medium | Perseverance in the Teaching of Christ | v.5 (x1 each), v.6 | Sets up the letter’s central contrast: authentic apostolic continuity vs. the deceivers’ claim to new/advanced teaching (v.9). Render “de la început” identically at both occurrences. |
| 18 | One another | ἀλλήλους / allēlous | unii pe alții | NEW | Low | Walking in Truth and Love | v.5 | Standard; no significant risk. |
| 19 | Deceiver | πλάνος / planos | amăgitor | NEW | High | Warning against Deceivers Denying the Incarnation | v.7 (x2) | Established Romanian Bible-translation choice (Cornilescu-tradition rendering retained in Orthodox usage for this verse). Use consistently for noun and adjectival senses; avoid the synonym “înșelător” for consistency. |
| 20 | World | κόσμος / kosmos | lume | NEW | Medium | Warning against Deceivers Denying the Incarnation | v.7 | Johannine κόσμος carries a morally-loaded sense (a system opposed to God); distinguish from a neutral geographic/cosmological sense in teaching notes. |
| 21 | Confess | ὁμολογέω / homologeō | a mărturisi | NEW | High | Warning against Deceivers Denying the Incarnation / Lordship of Christ | v.7 | Functional counterpart to baseline lordship_of_christ doctrine’s confession language (Romans 10:9, “Iisus este Domnul”). Cross-reference explicitly: confessing Christ’s lordship and confessing Christ’s incarnation are two inseparable halves of authentic Christian confession in this Language Package. |
| 22 | Coming in the flesh (Incarnation) | ἐρχόμενον ἐν σαρκί / erchomenon en sarki | a venit în trup | NEW | Critical | Warning against Deceivers Denying the Incarnation | v.7 | Direct link to baseline incarnation = “întrupare” (High/Critical). This is the letter’s core doctrinal crisis (ancient docetism/proto-gnosticism). Orthodox iconographic/liturgical tradition (baseline humanity_of_christ doctrine) is a strong doctrinal asset here, affirming Christ’s real depictable flesh — but curriculum must make explicit this addresses a real historical heresy, not an abstract technicality. |
| 23 | Antichrist | ἀντίχριστος / antichristos | antihrist | NEW | Critical | Warning against Deceivers Denying the Incarnation | v.7 | Romanian folk-Orthodox culture carries rich apocalyptic “antihrist” mythology (666, specific historical figures) that can eclipse John’s own narrow definition (anyone, in any era, who denies the incarnation). Mandatory teaching note required at every occurrence. |
| 24 | Watch yourselves | βλέπετε ἑαυτούς / blepete heautous | păziți-vă | NEW | Low | Warning against Deceivers Denying the Incarnation | v.8 | Standard warning idiom. |
| 25 | Full reward | μισθὸς πλήρης / misthos plērēs | răsplată deplină | NEW | Medium | Perseverance in the Teaching of Christ | v.8 | Risk of reinforcing a merit-based reading of reward in an Orthodox synergistic frame (cf. baseline grace/salvation Critical entries). Note the reward is the fruit of perseverance in already-received truth, not merit earned apart from grace. |
| 26 | Goes ahead/beyond | προάγων / proagōn | cel ce merge înainte | NEW | High | Warning against Deceivers Denying the Incarnation / Perseverance in the Teaching of Christ | v.9 | Depicts false-teacher claims to advanced/progressive revelation “beyond” apostolic teaching (proto-gnostic elitism). Cornilescu tradition instead renders the alternate reading “se abate” (“turns aside”); recommend “cel ce merge înainte” with a translator note on the alternative. |
| 27 | Teaching of Christ | διδαχή τοῦ Χριστοῦ / didachē tou Christou | învățătura lui Hristos | NEW | High | Perseverance in the Teaching of Christ | v.9 (x2), v.10 | Parallel tension to baseline inspiration_of_scripture doctrine (Scripture-and-Sfânta-Tradiție relationship, Medium risk). Present as the fixed apostolic deposit 2 John itself defines (incarnation confession + love command) without requiring adjudication of the wider Scripture/Tradition question. |
| 28 | Has God / has the Father and the Son | θεὸν ἔχει / ἔχει τὸν πατέρα καὶ τὸν υἱόν | are pe Dumnezeu / îl are pe Tatăl și pe Fiul | BASELINE (Dumnezeu, Tată, Fiul) | Critical | Sonship of Christ / Deity of Christ | v.9 | Reuses baseline god, father, son_of_god exactly. “Fiul” here denotes Christ’s unique eternal Sonship per baseline sonship_of_christ doctrine, explicitly NOT the adoptive “fii ai lui Dumnezeu” sense (baseline adoption). |
| 29 | Bring this teaching | ταύτην τὴν διδαχὴν φέρει / tautēn tēn didachēn pherei | a ține/a aduce această învățătură | NEW | High | Hospitality and Doctrinal Discernment | v.10 | Establishes doctrinal content, not personal likability, as the test for hospitality — a genuinely counter-cultural instruction requiring explicit framing. |
| 30 | Receive into the house | λαμβάνειν εἰς οἰκίαν / lambanein eis oikian | a primi în casă | NEW | High | Hospitality and Doctrinal Discernment | v.10 | MAJOR CULTURAL COLLISION: Romanian/Balkan Orthodox hospitality ethic (“oaspetele e sfânt”) is unusually strong. Mandatory teaching note required: this instruction addresses a narrow case (a teacher actively propagating denial of the incarnation seeking legitimization), not a license to withhold ordinary courtesy or hospitality generally. |
| 31 | Greetings (formal salutation) | χαίρειν / chairein | bun venit | NEW | Medium | Hospitality and Doctrinal Discernment | vv.10, 11 | Same Greek root as ἐχάρην (v.4, “rejoiced”) but a distinct formal-greeting sense; flag this wordplay in translator notes since Romanian has no single lexeme spanning both senses. Follows Cornilescu-tradition rendering. |
| 32 | Shares/partakes in (evil works) | κοινωνέω / koinōneō | a se face părtaș la | NEW | High | Hospitality and Doctrinal Discernment | v.11 | MAJOR COLLISION RISK with baseline fellowship = “părtășie” (positive sense, Low risk). Same root used here negatively (complicity in evil). Do NOT render with the noun “părtășie” itself in this negative construction; use the verb phrase “a se face părtaș la” and flag the etymological link in a mandatory translator note. |
| 33 | Evil works | ἔργα πονηρά / erga ponēra | fapte rele | NEW | Low | Hospitality and Doctrinal Discernment | v.11 | Standard; no significant risk. |
| 34 | Paper and ink | χάρτης καὶ μέλαν / chartēs kai melan | hârtie și cerneală | NEW | Low | (epistolary context) | v.12 | Purely material/historical detail; cultural/historical footnote on ancient writing materials only. |
| 35 | Mouth to mouth (face to face) | στόμα πρὸς στόμα / stoma pros stoma | gură în gură | NEW | Low | (epistolary context) | v.12 | Hebraic/Greek idiom for personal presence (cf. Numbers 12:8 LXX; parallel to 3 John 14). Retain established semi-literal Romanian Bible-tradition rendering rather than translating as a flat idiom. |
| 36 | Joy fulfilled/complete | χαρὰ πεπληρωμένη / chara peplērōmenē | bucuria deplină | NEW | Low | Walking in Truth and Love (relational goal) | v.12 | Standard; echoes 1 Ioan 1:4, Ioan 15:11, 16:24. |
| 37 | Sister | ἀδελφή / adelphē | sora | NEW | Medium | (epistolary/ecclesial context) | v.13 | Same referential ambiguity as κυρία (individual woman vs. personified congregation); preserve rather than resolve. |
| 38 | Elect (feminine) | ἐκλεκτή / eklektē | aleasă | NEW | High | (supports Divine Calling, adjacent) | v.13 | Same rendering and same collision-risk note with baseline election = “alegere” as at v.1. |
Risk Tier Summary for 2 John
| Risk Tier | Count | Review Routing |
|---|---|---|
| Critical | 5 | Human theologian review (terms #7 abide, #9 Grace triad context/#12-13 God/Father/Son, #22 Incarnation, #23 Antichrist, #28 has God/Father/Son) |
| High | 13 | Human theologian review |
| Medium | 10 | Native speaker review |
| Low | 10 | Automated review |
| Total terms cataloged | 38 |
Cross-References to Baseline Language Package
The following terms in this glossary are reused exactly from translation_memory.json / bible_term_registry.json and must not be re-translated or varied: grace (har), peace (pace), god (Dumnezeu), father (Tată), son_of_god (Fiul lui Dumnezeu), jesus (Iisus), christ (Hristos). All other terms in this glossary are newly established by this curriculum and should be proposed as additions to translation_memory.json (version increment) before Phase 2 segment translation begins, per the baseline’s Translation Memory Load and Enforcement Instructions.
Critical Risk Terms
Grace
Approved rendering: har
Transliteration: charis
Doctrine: Grace, Mercy, and Peace
Rejected alternatives: favoare doar în sens legal, fără nicio participare reală a credinciosului
Original: χάρις
Category: Salvation
INHERITED FROM ROMANS PACKAGE — reuse exactly. In 2 John 1:3, opens an unusual triadic greeting (har, milă, pace) rather than Paul’s usual two-term formula. All baseline Palamite uncreated-energies cautions apply unchanged.
God
Approved rendering: Dumnezeu
Transliteration: theos
Doctrine: Sonship and Deity of Christ
INHERITED FROM ROMANS PACKAGE — reuse exactly. Central to 2 John 1:9’s severe statement: denying the Son forfeits God/the Father also.
Father
Approved rendering: Tată
Transliteration: patēr
Doctrine: Sonship and Deity of Christ
INHERITED FROM ROMANS PACKAGE — reuse exactly. Occurs at 2 John 1:3 (‘Dumnezeu Tatăl’), 1:4 (source of the commandment), and 1:9 (‘Tatăl’).
Son Of God
Approved rendering: Fiul lui Dumnezeu
Transliteration: huios theou
Doctrine: Sonship and Deity of Christ
Rejected alternatives: fiu al lui Dumnezeu în sensul generic aplicat oricărui credincios
INHERITED FROM ROMANS PACKAGE — reuse exactly. At 2 John 1:3 the Greek phrase is structured as ‘the Son of the Father’ rather than ‘Son of God’; render as ‘Fiul Tatălui’ while cross-referencing this fixed baseline rendering so learners recognize both phrasings denote the identical unique, eternal, non-adoptive Sonship. At 2 John 1:9 rendered simply ‘Fiul’ (with definite article, paired with ‘Tatăl’) — must never drift toward the adoptive ‘fii ai lui Dumnezeu’ sense (baseline adoption/‘înfiere’).
Jesus
Approved rendering: Iisus
Transliteration: Iēsous
Doctrine: Sonship and Deity of Christ
Rejected alternatives: Isus (Protestant/Cornilescu spelling)
INHERITED FROM ROMANS PACKAGE — reuse exactly. Orthodox Synodal spelling standardized per baseline; note ‘Isus’ as expected Evangelical/Cornilescu-tradition variant only, never mixed within one document.
Christ
Approved rendering: Hristos
Transliteration: Christos
Doctrine: Sonship and Deity of Christ
INHERITED FROM ROMANS PACKAGE — this was fixed as a proper-name transliteration standard in the baseline AI instructions (12_ai_translation_requirements.md) rather than as a standalone translation_memory.json entry; formalized here as its own entry because 2 John’s core doctrinal crisis (v.7) turns on the confession ‘Iisus Hristos… a venit în trup.’ Always paired with ‘Iisus’ as ‘Iisus Hristos.‘
God Father
Approved rendering: Dumnezeu Tatăl
Transliteration: theos patēr
Doctrine: Grace, Mercy, and Peace
Original: θεὸς πατήρ
Category: God
Compound entry built from baseline ‘god’ and ‘father’ terms (not a standalone Romans TM entry); fixed here as the source of the 2 John 1:3 greeting triad. Reuse ‘Dumnezeu’ and ‘Tată’ exactly per baseline.
Jesus Christ Son Of Father
Approved rendering: Iisus Hristos, Fiul Tatălui
Transliteration: Iēsous Christos, ho huios tou patros
Doctrine: Sonship and Deity of Christ
Original: Ἰησοῦς Χριστός, ὁ υἱὸς τοῦ πατρός
Category: Christology
Compound entry built from baseline ‘jesus,’ ‘christ,’ and ‘son_of_god’ terms, fixed for 2 John 1:3’s specific phrase structure. Must be recognized by learners as denoting the identical unique, eternal, non-adoptive Sonship the baseline fixes as ‘Fiul lui Dumnezeu.‘
Abide
Approved rendering: a rămâne
Transliteration: menō
Doctrine: Perseverance in the Teaching of Christ
Rejected alternatives: a persevera, a stărui (weaker; less consistent with wider Johannine usage, e.g., Ioan 15’s ‘a rămâne în Mine’)
Original: μένω
Category: Faith
NEW TERM, the single most theologically load-bearing new verb in this curriculum (occurs at 1:2, 1:9 x2). Must be rendered identically at every occurrence. Every occurrence must be anchored explicitly to ‘învățătura lui Hristos’/‘această învățătură,’ not left as an unqualified spiritual-perseverance abstraction. Orthodox theosis theology’s ongoing-process framing of salvation is a genuine doctrinal asset here, provided the content persevered IN stays fixed to this letter’s own definition (incarnation confession + love command).
Incarnation Coming In Flesh
Approved rendering: a venit în trup
Transliteration: erchomenon en sarki
Doctrine: Warning against Deceivers Denying the Incarnation
Original: ἐρχόμενον ἐν σαρκί
Category: Christology
NEW TERM (1:7). The letter’s core doctrinal crisis clause (ancient docetism/proto-gnosticism). Must be cross-referenced in every teaching note to the baseline noun ‘întruparea.’ Orthodox iconographic/liturgical tradition’s strong affirmation of Christ’s real, depictable flesh is a doctrinal asset here, but the curriculum must make explicit that a real historical heresy, not an abstract technicality, is in view.
Antichrist
Approved rendering: antihrist
Transliteration: antichristos
Doctrine: Warning against Deceivers Denying the Incarnation
Original: ἀντίχριστος
Category: Christology
NEW TERM (1:7). Established, long-standing Romanian Bible transliteration; no viable alternative. Romanian folk-Orthodox culture’s rich apocalyptic mythology (the number 666, specific historical/political figures) risks eclipsing John’s own narrow definition. MANDATORY teaching note at every occurrence: in 2 John, ‘antihrist’ names anyone, in any era, who denies Christ’s real incarnation — not primarily a single future world-ruler.
Has God Father Son
Approved rendering: nu are pe Dumnezeu / îl are pe Tatăl și pe Fiul
Transliteration: theon ouk echei / echei ton patera kai ton huion
Doctrine: Sonship and Deity of Christ
Original: θεὸν οὐκ ἔχει / ἔχει τὸν πατέρα καὶ τὸν υἱόν
Category: Christology
NEW compound entry built from baseline Dumnezeu/Tată/Fiul (1:9). ‘Fiul’ here denotes Christ’s unique eternal Sonship per the baseline Sonship of Christ doctrine, explicitly NOT the adoptive ‘fii ai lui Dumnezeu’ sense (baseline adoption/‘înfiere’). The verse’s severe logic — denying the Son forfeits the Father also — must not be softened.
High Risk Terms
Election
Approved rendering: alegere
Transliteration: eklogē
Doctrine: Divine Election in Personal Address
Rejected alternatives: predestinare dublă în sens calvinist strict
INHERITED FROM ROMANS PACKAGE — reuse exactly. Flagged here because 2 John 1:1 and 1:13’s ‘doamna aleasă’/‘sora… aleasă’ share the same Romanian root (‘aleasă’/‘alegere’). Do NOT import the baseline’s Romans 9-11 systematic monergism/synergism argument into 2 John’s personal, pastoral address; the shared root is a linguistic fact requiring a translator note, not a license to merge the two doctrinal discussions.
Incarnation
Approved rendering: întrupare
Transliteration: ho logos sarx egeneto (theological name for the event; not a single Pauline term)
Doctrine: Warning against Deceivers Denying the Incarnation
INHERITED FROM ROMANS PACKAGE — reuse exactly as the abstract doctrine-noun. 2 John 1:7 states the doctrine as a verb clause (‘a venit în trup’) describing what the deceivers deny, not as this noun. Every teaching note at 2 John 1:7 must explicitly bridge the two: ‘aceasta este întruparea despre care vorbește Ioan,’ so the concrete text and the systematic doctrine are recognized as one and the same.
Elder
Approved rendering: prezbiterul
Transliteration: presbyteros
Doctrine: Apostolic Authority and Eldership
Rejected alternatives: bătrânul (avoids the clerical-rank collision but sounds merely descriptive of age, obscuring the office’s apostolic authority)
Original: πρεσβύτερος
Category: Church
NEW TERM. Collides with the contemporary Romanian Orthodox clerical rank of ordained priest within Holy Orders (‘prezbiter’). MANDATORY translator note at every occurrence (2 John 1:1) clarifying this reflects the author’s early apostolic-era leadership office, not the later formalized sacramental rank of the same name.
Elect Lady
Approved rendering: doamna aleasă
Transliteration: eklektē kyria
Doctrine: Divine Election in Personal Address
Rejected alternatives: Kyria (transliterated as a proper name, which resolves an ambiguity the Greek itself leaves genuinely open)
Original: ἐκλεκτῇ κυρίᾳ
Category: Church
NEW TERM. Referent (individual Christian woman vs. personified congregation) is genuinely ambiguous in the Greek; preserve the ambiguity rather than resolving it. Shares its root with baseline ‘election’/‘alegere’ — see that entry’s cross-caution.
Truth
Approved rendering: adevăr
Transliteration: alētheia
Doctrine: Walking in Truth and Love
Rejected alternatives: veridicitate/exactitate (purely propositional, loses the relational-fidelity dimension)
Original: ἀλήθεια
Category: Faith
NEW ANCHOR TERM for this curriculum (occurs 5x: 1:1 x2, 1:2, 1:3, 1:4). Must never be reduced to correct doctrinal information alone; Johannine usage fuses right belief about Christ with lived fidelity. Constantly paired with ‘dragoste’ — the pairing itself is theologically load-bearing and must never be separated in translation or teaching prose.
Love
Approved rendering: dragoste / a iubi
Transliteration: agapē / agapaō
Doctrine: Walking in Truth and Love
Rejected alternatives: afecțiune, simpatie
Original: ἀγάπη / ἀγαπάω
Category: Faith
NEW ANCHOR TERM. Occurs at 1:1, 1:3, 1:5, 1:6 (x2). Established Romanian Bible-translation choice shared by Orthodox Synodal and Cornilescu traditions (‘Dumnezeu este dragoste,’ 1 Ioan 4:8). Defined by obedient conduct (v.6), not sentiment. Never separated from ‘adevăr’ in translation.
Deceiver
Approved rendering: amăgitor
Transliteration: planos
Doctrine: Warning against Deceivers Denying the Incarnation
Rejected alternatives: înșelător (viable synonym, but less anchored in existing Romanian Bible-translation tradition for this verse)
Original: πλάνος
Category: Sin
NEW ANCHOR TERM (1:7, x2, noun and adjectival use). Use consistently; do not vary to the synonym.
Confess
Approved rendering: a mărturisi
Transliteration: homologeō
Doctrine: Warning against Deceivers Denying the Incarnation
Original: ὁμολογέω
Category: Christology
NEW TERM (1:7). Functional counterpart to the baseline Lordship of Christ doctrine’s confession language (Romans 10:9, ‘Iisus este Domnul’); cross-reference explicitly. Also requires a teaching note distinguishing this public doctrinal-affirmation sense from the adjacent but distinct Orthodox devotional usage ‘mărturisirea păcatelor’ (sacramental confession of personal sin) — an unrelated usage of the same verb.
Goes Ahead Beyond
Approved rendering: cel ce merge înainte
Transliteration: proagōn
Doctrine: Perseverance in the Teaching of Christ
Rejected alternatives: se abate (Cornilescu-tradition rendering of the alternate manuscript reading παραβαίνων, ‘turns aside/departs’ — conveys a different directional metaphor)
Original: προάγων
Category: Christology
NEW TERM (1:9). Depicts a false teacher’s claim to advanced revelation ‘progressing beyond’ apostolic teaching — proto-gnostic elitism. Mandatory translator note acknowledging the Cornilescu-tradition alternative at every occurrence.
Teaching Of Christ
Approved rendering: învățătura lui Hristos
Transliteration: didachē tou Christou
Doctrine: Perseverance in the Teaching of Christ
Original: διδαχή τοῦ Χριστοῦ
Category: Christology
NEW ANCHOR TERM (1:9 x2, 1:10). Present as the fixed, bounded apostolic deposit 2 John itself defines (confession of the incarnation + the love command), without requiring the curriculum to adjudicate the wider Scripture-and-Sfânta-Tradiție question (parallel to the baseline’s inspiration_of_scripture doctrine caution).
Bring This Teaching
Approved rendering: a ține/a aduce această învățătură
Transliteration: tautēn tēn didachēn pherei
Doctrine: Hospitality and Doctrinal Discernment
Original: ταύτην τὴν διδαχὴν οὐ φέρει
Category: Church
NEW TERM (1:10). Establishes doctrinal content, not personal likability, as the hospitality test. Always pair with an explicit gloss identifying ‘această învățătură’ as the specific incarnation-confession defined at 1:7-9, not doctrinal correctness in general.
Receive Into House
Approved rendering: a primi în casă
Transliteration: lambanein eis oikian
Doctrine: Hospitality and Doctrinal Discernment
Original: λαμβάνειν εἰς οἰκίαν
Category: Church
NEW TERM (1:10). MAJOR CULTURAL COLLISION: the Romanian/Balkan Orthodox hospitality ethic (‘oaspetele e sfânt’) is unusually strong. MANDATORY teaching note at every occurrence: this addresses a narrow case — a traveling teacher actively propagating denial of the incarnation and seeking legitimization/support — not a general license to withhold ordinary hospitality or courtesy from strangers, dissenters, or people of other faiths.
Shares In Evil Works
Approved rendering: a se face părtaș la
Transliteration: koinōneō
Doctrine: Hospitality and Doctrinal Discernment
Rejected alternatives: părtășie (FORBIDDEN in this construction — collides with the baseline’s positive fellowship term, ‘părtășie,’ Low risk)
Original: κοινωνέω
Category: Church
NEW TERM (1:11). MAJOR COLLISION RISK with baseline ‘fellowship.’ Same root used here in an entirely negative sense (complicity in evil). Use ONLY the verb phrase ‘a se face părtaș la,’ never the noun ‘părtășie,’ in this negative construction. Mandatory translator note flagging the etymological link so future editors do not ‘correct’ the phrasing toward the more familiar noun.
Elect Feminine
Approved rendering: aleasă
Transliteration: eklektē
Doctrine: Divine Election in Personal Address
Original: ἐκλεκτή
Category: Church
NEW TERM (1:13). Second and final occurrence of the letter’s election vocabulary, bookending 1:1’s ‘doamna aleasă.’ Same collision-risk note with baseline ‘election’/‘alegere’ applies; do not import the Romans 9-11 systematic argument.
Medium Risk Terms
Peace
Approved rendering: pace
Transliteration: eirēnē
Doctrine: Grace, Mercy, and Peace
Original: εἰρήνη
Category: Salvation
INHERITED FROM ROMANS PACKAGE — reuse exactly. Third term of the 2 John 1:3 greeting triad.
Children
Approved rendering: copii
Transliteration: tekna
Doctrine: Ecclesial Identity as Household
Original: τέκνα
Category: Church
NEW TERM. Occurs at 2 John 1:1, 1:4, 1:13. Distinguish from baseline ‘adoption’/‘înfiere’ (believer’s adoptive sonship/inheritance-rights doctrine, Medium risk); here denotes literal children or congregation members, not that doctrine’s sense.
Know
Approved rendering: a cunoaște
Transliteration: ginōskō
Doctrine: Knowledge of Truth versus Esoteric Gnosis
Rejected alternatives: gnoză (risks an unintended esoteric/elite connotation the letter itself opposes)
Original: γινώσκω
Category: Faith
NEW TERM (1:1). Must be rendered as ordinary, communal recognition of truth available to ‘all,’ anticipating the letter’s later warning against proto-gnostic deceivers claiming advanced revelation (1:7, 1:9).
Mercy
Approved rendering: milă
Transliteration: eleos
Doctrine: Grace, Mercy, and Peace
Original: ἔλεος
Category: Salvation
NEW ANCHOR TERM (1:3). Established Orthodox liturgical term of deep devotional weight (‘Doamne, miluiește’), functioning as a doctrinal asset here (existing resonance) similar to the baseline’s treatment of ‘slavă’/‘înviere’ — must not be reduced to a ritual refrain divorced from 2 John’s personal, relational greeting content.
Walk
Approved rendering: a umbla
Transliteration: peripateō
Doctrine: Walking in Truth and Love
Rejected alternatives: a merge/a călători (literal ambulation, loses the established ethical-conduct idiom)
Original: περιπατέω
Category: Faith
NEW ANCHOR TERM (1:4, 1:6 x2). Established Romanian Bible idiom (‘a umbla în adevăr’), parallel to ‘a umbla în Duhul/lumină.’ Must be rendered identically at all three occurrences.
Commandment
Approved rendering: poruncă
Transliteration: entolē
Doctrine: Commandment Continuity (Old, Not New)
Original: ἐντολή
Category: Faith
NEW ANCHOR TERM (1:4, 1:5, 1:6 x2). Risk of defaulting toward Orthodox ascetic/liturgical rule-keeping association (fasting canons, prescribed observances) in popular usage; keep the referent explicitly relational (love, truth), not ritual observance — parallel to the baseline’s obedience_of_faith caution.
New Commandment From Beginning
Approved rendering: poruncă nouă / de la început
Transliteration: entolē kainē / ap’ archēs
Doctrine: Commandment Continuity (Old, Not New)
Original: ἐντολὴ καινή / ἀπ’ ἀρχῆς
Category: Faith
NEW TERM (1:5 for both phrases; ‘de la început’ repeated at 1:6). Sets up the letter’s central continuity-vs.-novelty contrast with ‘cel ce merge înainte’ (1:9). Render ‘de la început’ identically at both occurrences.
World
Approved rendering: lume
Transliteration: kosmos
Doctrine: Warning against Deceivers Denying the Incarnation
Original: κόσμος
Category: Sin
NEW TERM (1:7). Johannine κόσμος carries a morally-loaded sense (a system opposed to God); distinguish from the neutral everyday usage of ‘lume’ in teaching material.
Full Reward
Approved rendering: răsplată deplină
Transliteration: misthos plērēs
Doctrine: Reward for Perseverance
Original: μισθὸς πλήρης
Category: Eschatology
NEW TERM (1:8). Risk of reinforcing a straightforwardly meritorious reading of ‘reward’ in an Orthodox synergistic frame (cf. baseline grace/salvation Critical entries on theosis). The reward is the fruit and crown of perseverance in already-received truth, not merit earned apart from grace.
Greetings
Approved rendering: bun venit
Transliteration: chairein
Doctrine: Hospitality and Doctrinal Discernment
Rejected alternatives: salutare (more generic, loses the ancient endorsement-signal force of withholding χαίρειν)
Original: χαίρειν
Category: Church
NEW TERM (1:10, 1:11). Follows Cornilescu-tradition rendering. Same Greek root as ἐχάρην (1:4, ‘rejoiced’) but a distinct formal-greeting sense; Romanian has no single lexeme spanning both — flag this wordplay in translator notes.
Sister
Approved rendering: sora
Transliteration: adelphē
Doctrine: Ecclesial Identity as Household
Original: ἀδελφή
Category: Church
NEW TERM (1:13). Same referential ambiguity as ‘doamna aleasă’ (individual woman vs. personified congregation); preserve rather than resolve.
Low Risk Terms
Fellowship
Approved rendering: părtășie
Transliteration: koinōnia
Doctrine: Hospitality and Doctrinal Discernment
Rejected alternatives: comuniune (carries stronger Orthodox Eucharistic/liturgical association)
INHERITED FROM ROMANS PACKAGE — reuse exactly for the positive sense only. CRITICAL CROSS-CAUTION: 2 John 1:11 uses the cognate verb κοινωνέω in an entirely NEGATIVE sense (complicity in evil works). Never render that negative verb with the noun ‘părtășie’ — see ‘shares_in_evil_works’ below, which must use the verb phrase ‘a se face părtaș la’ instead, to avoid a jarring, doctrinally confusing echo of this positive baseline term.
Forever
Approved rendering: în veac / pentru veșnicie
Transliteration: eis ton aiōna
Doctrine: Perseverance in the Teaching of Christ
Original: εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα
Category: Eschatology
NEW TERM (1:2). Standard biblical idiom for eternity; no significant risk.
Rejoice
Approved rendering: m-am bucurat
Transliteration: echarēn
Doctrine: Joy in Fellowship
Original: χαίρω (ἐχάρην)
Category: Faith
NEW TERM (1:4). Standard, unambiguous personal pastoral joy. Distinguish carefully from the related but distinct formal-greeting sense χαίρειν at 1:10-11 (‘bun venit’) — same Greek root, different force; flag this wordplay in a translator note since Romanian has no single lexeme spanning both senses.
One Another
Approved rendering: unii pe alții
Transliteration: allēlous
Doctrine: Walking in Truth and Love
Original: ἀλλήλους
Category: Church
NEW TERM (1:5). Standard; no significant risk.
Watch Yourselves
Approved rendering: păziți-vă
Transliteration: blepete heautous
Doctrine: Warning against Deceivers Denying the Incarnation
Original: βλέπετε ἑαυτούς
Category: Faith
NEW TERM (1:8). Standard warning idiom.
Evil Works
Approved rendering: fapte rele
Transliteration: erga ponēra
Doctrine: Hospitality and Doctrinal Discernment
Original: ἔργα πονηρά
Category: Sin
NEW TERM (1:11). Standard; no significant risk.
Paper And Ink
Approved rendering: hârtie și cerneală
Transliteration: chartēs kai melan
Doctrine: (epistolary context; no doctrine)
Original: χάρτης καὶ μέλαν
Category: Church
NEW TERM (1:12). Purely material/historical detail; a historical footnote on ancient writing materials may aid comprehension but carries no doctrinal risk.
Mouth To Mouth
Approved rendering: gură în gură
Transliteration: stoma pros stoma
Doctrine: (epistolary context; no doctrine)
Rejected alternatives: față în față (more idiomatic, but loses consistency with the parallel 3 Ioan 1:14 rendering)
Original: στόμα πρὸς στόμα
Category: Church
NEW TERM (1:12). Hebraic/Greek idiom for personal presence (cf. Numbers 12:8 LXX). Retain the established semi-literal Romanian Bible-translation rendering for consistency should this Language Package later extend to 3 John.
Joy Fulfilled
Approved rendering: bucuria deplină
Transliteration: chara peplērōmenē
Doctrine: Joy in Fellowship
Original: χαρὰ πεπληρωμένη
Category: Faith
NEW TERM (1:12). Standard; echoes 1 Ioan 1:4, Ioan 15:11, 16:24.
Referenced passages