Core Glossary
Core Glossary — James (Iacov) — Romanian
Per-Term Translation Risk Table, Full-Book Coverage (Chapters 1–5)
Instructions for use: This glossary extends the baseline Romans translation_memory.json/bible_term_registry.json. Section A lists terms reused exactly from the baseline (no deviation permitted). Section B lists net-new terms proposed for James, organized by the curriculum’s nine doctrine categories, each with risk tier, doctrine, primary passages, and translation notes. All Critical and High entries require the review routing specified in the baseline doctrine_risk_registry.json framework (Critical/High → human theologian; Medium → native speaker; Low → automated).
Section A — Terms Reused Exactly from the Baseline Romans Language Package
| Term (EN) | Romanian (baseline) | Risk | Occurrences in James | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| faith | credință | High | 1:3,6; 2:1,5,14-26 (repeatedly); 5:15 | Same term, distinct James-specific nuance: “faith” as claimed vs. living/active — see semantic analysis Iacov 2:14 |
| grace | har | Critical | 4:6 (×2) | “God resists the proud but gives grace to the humble” (quoting Prov 3:34) |
| sin | păcat | Medium | 1:15; 2:9; 4:17; 5:15,16,20 | Includes sins of omission (4:17), a nuance not explicit in Romans’ usage |
| law | lege | High | 1:25; 2:8-12; 4:11-12 | CRITICAL CAUTION: referent shifts from Mosaic Torah (Romans) to “law of liberty”/“royal law” (gospel ethic) in James — see Section B |
| salvation / save | mântuire / a mântui | Critical | 1:21; 2:14; 4:12; 5:20 | 5:15’s use of σῴζω is deliberately EXCLUDED from this rendering (physical healing, not salvation) — see Section B |
| Lord | Domnul | Critical | 1:1,7,12; 2:1; 4:10,15; 5:4,7,8,10,11,14,15 | Exclusive supreme Lordship maintained throughout |
| glory | slavă | Medium (High in context) | 2:1 (“Lord of glory”) | Doctrinal asset per baseline note |
| Jesus | Iisus | Critical | 1:1; 2:1 | Orthodox Synodal spelling standardized per baseline; pair with Hristos |
| Christ | Hristos | Critical | 1:1; 2:1 | Standard, unambiguous |
| God | Dumnezeu | Critical | throughout | Standard, unambiguous |
| Father | Tată | Critical | 1:17,27; 3:9 | Includes non-adoption senses (“Father of lights,” 1:17) — see Section B |
| peace | pace | Medium | 2:16; 3:18 | 2:16 is an idiomatic farewell, not the doctrinal “peace with God” sense; 3:18 approaches the doctrinal sense (fruit of righteousness sown in peace) |
| sinners | păcătoși | Medium | 4:8; 5:20 | Built on baseline păcat root |
| kingdom of God | împărăția lui Dumnezeu | Medium | 2:5 | ”heirs of the kingdom” |
| church | Biserică | Medium | 5:14 | ”elders of the church” — see Section B for the Critical elder/anointing collision |
| righteousness | dreptate | Critical | 1:20; 2:23; 3:18; 5:6 | See Section B for the compound dreptate imputată re-collision at 2:23 |
| justification (verb form) | a îndreptăți / îndreptățit(ă) | Critical | 2:21,24,25 | See Section B — the book’s single highest-stakes rendering decision |
| imputed righteousness | dreptate imputată (concept); verse-level: i s-a socotit ca dreptate | Critical | 2:23 | Verbatim quotation of the same Genesis 15:6 text cited in Romans 4:3; must match that rendering exactly |
Section B — Net-New Terms for James, by Doctrine Category
1. Faith and Works
| Term (EN) | Original (Greek/translit) | Romanian rendering | Risk | Primary passages | Translation notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Works | ἔργα / erga | fapte | Critical | 2:14-26 (throughout); 1:25 | Never render as meriting salvation apart from grace; James addresses the evidentiary fruit of living faith. Must be held in careful tension with baseline’s grace/justification Critical entries |
| Dead (of faith) | νεκρά / nekra | moartă | High | 2:17, 26 | Must recur identically at both occurrences; do not soften to “incompletă/slabă” |
| Useless/barren (of faith) | ἀργή / argē | fără rod / neputincioasă | Medium | 2:20 | Textual variant note: some mss read νεκρά here; flag for translator awareness |
| Show / demonstrate | δείκνυμι / deiknymi | a arăta / a dovedi | High | 2:18 | Prefer “arăta” (evidentiary) over “dovedi” (which risks a forensic-ground connotation) |
| Work together / cooperate | συνεργέω / synergeō | a conlucra / a lucra împreună | High | 2:22 | Strong Orthodox synergia resonance; doctrinal asset requiring careful scoping in teaching notes |
| Perfected/completed (of faith) | τελειόω / teleioō | a fi desăvârșit / a se împlini | High | 2:22; cf. 1:4,17,25 | Theosis-resonant; must not imply faith is ontologically deficient before God until supplemented by works |
| Credited / imputed | λογίζομαι / logizomai | i s-a socotit | Critical | 2:23 | Verbatim Genesis 15:6 echo of Romans 4:3; mandatory cross-document consistency |
| Friend of God | φίλος θεοῦ / philos theou | prietenul lui Dumnezeu | High | 2:23 | Collision risk with Orthodox hagiographical “sfinții, prietenii lui Dumnezeu” — requires a corporate-availability teaching note parallel to baseline’s “sfinți” note |
2. Trials and the Testing of Faith
| Term (EN) | Original (Greek/translit) | Romanian rendering | Risk | Primary passages | Translation notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Trial (hardship) | πειρασμός / peirasmos | încercare | High | 1:2,12 | Context-sensitive; see next entry — never conflate with “temptation to sin” sense |
| Temptation (to sin) | πειρασμός / peirasmos (same root, different sense) | ispită / a ispiti | Critical | 1:13-14 | Must NOT be rendered with the same word as “trial” above; conflation makes James appear to say God tempts to sin (directly denied in 1:13) |
| Testing / proving | δοκίμιον / dokimion | încercarea (credinței) | Medium | 1:3 | The process/quality of proof, distinct from the trial-event itself |
| Endurance / steadfastness | ὑπομονή / hypomonē | răbdare / statornicie | Medium | 1:3-4,12; 5:11 | Distinguish from μακροθυμία (below); active perseverance, not passive resignation |
| Perfect / complete / mature | τέλειος / teleios | desăvârșit | High | 1:4,17,25; 3:2 | Recurs across multiple doctrines; theosis-resonant asset/risk, see semantic analysis |
| Doubt / waver | διακρίνω / diakrinō | a se îndoi / a șovăi | Medium | 1:6 | Governs efficacy of prayer for wisdom |
| Double-minded | δίψυχος / dipsychos | om cu inima împărțită | Medium | 1:8; 4:8 | Coined Greek compound; no established single Romanian lexeme — construct consistently at both occurrences |
| Blessed (state) | μακάριος / makarios | fericit | Medium | 1:12,25; 5:11 | Beatitudes-tradition term; distinguish from εὐλογέω “a binecuvânta” (act of blessing) |
| Crown of life | στέφανος τῆς ζωῆς / stephanos tēs zōēs | cununa vieții | Medium | 1:12 | Eschatological reward imagery; standard across traditions |
3. Wisdom from Above
| Term (EN) | Original (Greek/translit) | Romanian rendering | Risk | Primary passages | Translation notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wisdom | σοφία / sophia | înțelepciune | High | 1:5; 3:13,15,17 | Deep patristic/liturgical resonance (“Sofia,” Hagia Sophia); avoid importing speculative Sophiological content; keep James’s practical, fruit-tested definition central |
| Wisdom from above | σοφία ἄνωθεν / sophia anōthen | înțelepciunea de sus | High | 3:17 | Defined by a concrete ethical fruit-list — teach this operational definition explicitly |
| Earthly/unspiritual/demonic wisdom | σοφία ἐπίγειος, ψυχική, δαιμονιώδης | înțelepciune pământească, firească, demonică | High | 3:15 | The stark negative counterpart; “demonică” preferred in formal register over folk “drăcească” |
| Strife / envy | ἔρις / ζῆλος | ceartă / invidie | Medium | 3:14,16 | Relational fruit of false wisdom |
| Disorder / instability | ἀκαταστασία / akatastasia | neorânduială | Low-Medium | 3:16 | Social/relational chaos resulting from envy |
| Fruit of righteousness | καρπὸς δικαιοσύνης / karpos dikaiosynēs | rodul dreptății | Medium | 3:18 | Built on baseline dreptate root |
4. Favoritism and the Poor
| Term (EN) | Original (Greek/translit) | Romanian rendering | Risk | Primary passages | Translation notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Favoritism / partiality | προσωπολημψία / prosōpolēmpsia | părtinire | High | 2:1,9 | Must not be softened to a merely etiquette-level “preferință”; real socio-economic bite intended |
| Poor | πτωχός / ptōchos | sărac | Medium | 2:2-6,5; 5:1-6 (implied contrast) | Economic poverty, stronger term than πένης |
| Rich | πλούσιος / plousios | bogat | Medium | 1:10-11; 2:1-7; 5:1-6 | Recurs across three chapters; cumulative critique of wealth misused |
| Heir | κληρονόμος / klēronomos | moștenitor | Medium | 2:5 | Resonates with baseline’s adoption/inheritance-rights doctrine |
| Royal law | βασιλικὸς νόμος / basilikos nomos | legea împărătească | Medium | 2:8 | Ties to baseline’s “kingdom of God” |
| Law of liberty | νόμος (τέλειος) τῆς ἐλευθερίας | legea (desăvârșită a) libertății | Critical | 1:25; 2:12 | Direct collision-risk with baseline’s Critical “law” (Mosaic Torah sense in Romans) — different referent, same Romanian word; mandatory theologian review |
| Mercy | ἔλεος / eleos | milă | Medium | 2:13; 3:17; 5:11 | ”Mercy triumphs over judgment” |
| Synagogue/assembly | συναγωγή / synagōgē | adunare | Low-Medium | 2:2 | Reflects original Jewish-Christian audience; functional rendering, background note valuable |
| Lord of glory | Κύριος τῆς δόξης | Domnul slavei | High | 2:1 | Built on baseline Domnul + slavă |
5. Taming the Tongue
| Term (EN) | Original (Greek/translit) | Romanian rendering | Risk | Primary passages | Translation notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tongue | γλῶσσα / glōssa | limbă | Medium | 1:26; 3:1-12 | Central image of the chapter |
| Bridle / control | χαλιναγωγέω / chalinagōgeō | a înfrâna | Low-Medium | 1:26; 3:2 | Recurs as the mark of maturity |
| Image of God | εἰκὼν θεοῦ / eikōn theou | chipul lui Dumnezeu | High | 3:9 | Strong Orthodox iconographic/anthropological asset (Gen 1:26-27); keep James’s ethical point (speech about others) primary |
| Bless / curse | εὐλογέω / καταράομαι | a binecuvânta / a blestema | Medium | 3:9-10 | Distinguish from μακάριος/“fericit” — different root/word family |
| Tame | δαμάζω / damazō | a îmblânzi | Low-Medium | 3:7-8 | The tongue as untamable without divine help |
| Gehenna / hell | γέεννα / geenna | gheenă | Medium | 3:6 | Standard cross-tradition term |
| Teacher | διδάσκαλος / didaskalos | învățător | Low | 3:1 | Recognized office bearing stricter accountability |
6. Worldliness versus Friendship with God
| Term (EN) | Original (Greek/translit) | Romanian rendering | Risk | Primary passages | Translation notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Friendship with the world | φιλία τοῦ κόσμου / philia tou kosmou | prietenia cu lumea | High | 4:4 | Defines “world” relationally, as competing allegiance |
| Enmity with God | ἔχθρα τοῦ θεοῦ / echthra tou theou | vrăjmășie cu Dumnezeu | High | 4:4 | Stark either/or framing; do not soften |
| Adulteresses (spiritual) | μοιχαλίδες / moichalides | adultere (duhovnicește) / necredincioși | Medium-High | 4:4 | Figurative covenant-unfaithfulness language, not a claim about literal marriages; must be clearly marked as such |
| Humble / humility | ταπεινός / ταπείνωσις | smerit / smerenie | High | 1:9-10; 4:6,10 | Major Orthodox ascetic-virtue resonance; distinguish James’s economic/eschatological-reversal sense (1:9-10) from the more general humility sense (4:6,10) |
| Submit to God | ὑποτάσσω (ὑποτάγητε) / hypotagēte | supuneți-vă lui Dumnezeu | Medium | 4:7 | Positive counter-command to worldliness |
| Resist the devil | ἀνθίστημι (ἀντίστητε) / antistēte | împotriviți-vă diavolului | Medium | 4:7 | Paired with submission to God |
| Draw near (to God) | ἐγγίζω / engizō | a se apropia (de Dumnezeu) | Medium | 4:8 | Relational reciprocity |
| Unstained from the world | ἄσπιλος ἀπὸ τοῦ κόσμου | neîntinat de lume | Medium | 1:27 | Introduces the ch.4 worldliness theme |
| Pure and undefiled religion | θρησκεία καθαρὰ καὶ ἀμίαντος | evlavie curată și neîntinată | High | 1:26-27 | Risk of being heard as ritual-observance in an Orthodox liturgical-calendar culture — the opposite of James’s point |
7. Prayer and Healing
| Term (EN) | Original (Greek/translit) | Romanian rendering | Risk | Primary passages | Translation notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Elders of the church | πρεσβύτεροι τῆς ἐκκλησίας | prezbiterii / preoții Bisericii | Critical | 5:14 | Direct collision with the Orthodox sacrament of Holy Unction (Taina Sfântului Maslu), for which this verse is the biblical institution text; requires explicit teaching note distinguishing the general pattern from the specific sacramental rite without dismissing either |
| Anointing with oil | ἀλείφω ἐλαίῳ / aleiphō elaiō | ungându-l cu untdelemn | Critical | 5:14 | Same collision as above; oil-anointing is central to Orthodox sacramental practice |
| Prayer of faith | εὐχὴ τῆς πίστεως / euchē tēs pisteōs | rugăciunea credinței | High | 5:15 | Built on baseline credință |
| Save / heal (physical) | σῴζω / sōzō (healing sense) | a vindeca / a face bine | Critical | 5:15 | Must NOT use a mântui here — same Greek verb as “salvation” but a different, physical-healing sense in this context; deliberate lexical split from 5:20 |
| Raise up (physical) | ἐγείρω / egeirō | a ridica | Critical | 5:15 | Must NOT use înviere-family vocabulary reserved for Christ’s bodily resurrection |
| Forgive | ἀφίημι / aphiēmi | a ierta | Medium | 5:15 | Straightforward forgiveness term |
| Confess (to one another) | ἐξομολογέομαι / exomologeomai | a vă mărturisi (unii altora) | Critical | 5:16 | Direct collision with the Orthodox sacrament of Confession (Taina Spovedaniei), normally exercised privately before a priest; James’s mutual/lateral sense (ἀλλήλοις) must be preserved without being read as excluding or replacing sacramental confession |
| Sick | ἀσθενέω / astheneō | este bolnav | Medium | 5:14 | Straightforward |
| Effective/fervent prayer | δέησις δικαίου ἐνεργουμένη | rugăciunea fierbinte a celui drept | Medium | 5:16 | Grounds confidence in prayer’s efficacy via the Elijah example |
8. Patience and the Lord’s Return
| Term (EN) | Original (Greek/translit) | Romanian rendering | Risk | Primary passages | Translation notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Patience / longsuffering | μακροθυμία / makrothymia | îndelungă răbdare | High | 5:7,8,10 | Distinguish from ὑπομονή/răbdare (ch.1) — patient forbearance toward people/time, not endurance under active pressure |
| Coming of the Lord | παρουσία τοῦ κυρίου / parousia tou kyriou | venirea Domnului | High | 5:7-8 | Eschatological; ties into baseline’s assurance-of-salvation doctrine |
| Establish the hearts | στηρίζω τὰς καρδίας | întăriți-vă inimile | Medium | 5:8 | Practical outworking of patient waiting |
| Judge (eschatological) | κριτής / kritēs | Judecătorul | Medium | 5:9 | Christ at his imminent return |
| Lord of Sabaoth (Hosts) | Κύριος Σαβαώθ | Domnul Savaot | Medium | 5:4 | Established Romanian Orthodox liturgical form (Divine Liturgy Sanctus); doctrinal asset |
| Swear (an oath) | ὀμνύω / omnuō | a jura | Medium-High | 5:12 | Real social/legal practice of oath-taking in Romanian public life creates practical-application friction worth native-speaker review |
| Let your yes be yes | ναὶ ναί, οὒ οὔ / nai nai, ou ou | al vostru “da” să fie da, și “nu” să fie nu | Medium | 5:12 | Simple honesty standard replacing oaths |
9. Confession and Restoration
| Term (EN) | Original (Greek/translit) | Romanian rendering | Risk | Primary passages | Translation notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Turn back / restore (a wanderer) | ἐπιστρέφω / epistrephō | a întoarce (de la rătăcire) | High | 5:19-20 | Restoration within the body, not inter-confessional “conversion” — sensitive given Romanian Orthodox/Evangelical dynamics (parallels baseline’s “evangelism” caution) |
| Wander / err / be deceived | πλανάω / planaō | a se rătăci | Medium | 5:19 | The condition needing restoration |
| Save a soul from death | σῴζει ψυχὴν ἐκ θανάτου | va mântui un suflet de la moarte | Critical | 5:20 | Full soteriological weight — deliberately uses a mântui in contrast to 5:15’s a vindeca; the two must not be harmonized |
| Cover a multitude of sins | καλύψει πλῆθος ἁμαρτιῶν | va acoperi o mulțime de păcate | High | 5:20 | Risk of a meritorious-works misreading (restoring another earns forgiveness of one’s own sin); teach as gracious outcome, not transaction |
| Confess (mutual) | ἐξομολογέομαι / exomologeomai | a vă mărturisi (unii altora) | Critical | 5:16 | Cross-referenced with Section B.7 above; listed here for doctrine-category completeness |
Risk Summary for James (Iacov)
| Risk Tier | Count (net-new terms, Section B) | Review Routing |
|---|---|---|
| Critical | 11 | Human theologian (mandatory) |
| High | 19 | Human theologian (mandatory) |
| Medium | 26 | Native speaker review |
| Low / Low-Medium | 9 | Automated / native speaker spot-check |
Highest-priority items for Phase 2 theologian review, in order:
- δικαιόω / îndreptățire — Iacov 2:21,24,25 (cross-book collision with Romans’ justification doctrine)
- πρεσβύτεροι + ἀλείφω ἐλαίῳ — Iacov 5:14 (Holy Unction collision)
- ἐξομολογέομαι — Iacov 5:16 (Confession sacrament collision)
- σῴζω split — Iacov 5:15 (heal) vs. 5:20 (save) — must not be harmonized
- νόμος (τέλειος) τῆς ἐλευθερίας — Iacov 1:25, 2:12 (collision with baseline “law”)
- πειρασμός split — Iacov 1:2-4 (trial) vs. 1:13-14 (temptation)
- ἔργα / fapte — Iacov 2:14-26 passim (grace/works balance)
This glossary must be loaded alongside translation_memory.json, bible_term_registry.json, and analysis/07_semantic_analysis.md before any Phase 2 segment translation of James begins. All Critical/High entries above are candidates for formal addition to translation_memory.json/bible_term_registry.json/doctrine_risk_registry.json in the next pipeline step.
Critical Risk Terms
Grace
Approved rendering: har
Transliteration: charis
Doctrine: Grace
Rejected alternatives: favoare doar în sens legal, fără nicio participare reală a credinciosului
Original: χάρις
Category: Salvation
Inherited from Romans package, unchanged. James’s single explicit use (Iacov 4:6, quoting Proverbs 3:34, ‘God gives grace to the humble’) sits comfortably within Orthodox synergistic theology and requires no additional caution beyond the baseline’s participatory Palamite note.
Salvation
Approved rendering: mântuire / a mântui
Transliteration: sōtēria / sōzō
Doctrine: Salvation
Original: σωτηρία / σῴζω
Category: Salvation
Inherited from Romans package for the soteriological sense (Iacov 1:21; 2:14; 4:12; 5:20). Iacov 5:15 deliberately requires a DIFFERENT Romanian word (‘a vindeca’, physical healing) for the same Greek verb σῴζω — see new Critical entry ‘heal_physical’. The two occurrences within James 5 must never be harmonized to one Romanian word.
Lord
Approved rendering: Domnul
Transliteration: kyrios
Doctrine: Lordship of Christ
Original: κύριος
Category: Christology
Inherited from Romans package, unchanged. Exclusive, supreme Lordship maintained throughout Iacov 1:1,7,12; 2:1; 4:10,15; 5:4,7,8,10,11,14,15.
Jesus
Approved rendering: Iisus
Transliteration: Iēsous
Doctrine: Lordship of Christ
Rejected alternatives: Isus (Cornilescu-tradition spelling)
Original: Ἰησοῦς
Category: Christology
Inherited from Romans package, unchanged. Orthodox Synodal spelling standardized; always paired with ‘Hristos’ at Iacov 1:1 and 2:1.
God
Approved rendering: Dumnezeu
Transliteration: theos
Doctrine: Deity of Christ
Original: θεός
Category: God
Inherited from Romans package, unchanged.
Holy Spirit
Approved rendering: Duhul Sfânt
Transliteration: pneuma hagion
Doctrine: Sanctification
Inherited from Romans package, unchanged. CAUTION extended for James: Iacov 2:26’s lowercase πνεῦμα (‘breath/life-spirit’ of a corpse, NOT the Holy Spirit) must NEVER be rendered with this capitalized term — see new Critical/High entry ‘spirit_lowercase’.
Father
Approved rendering: Tată
Transliteration: patēr
Doctrine: Adoption into God’s Family
Original: πατήρ
Category: God
Inherited from Romans package, unchanged. James extends usage to ‘Tatăl luminilor’ (Father of lights, Iacov 1:17, a Creator-of-lights sense distinct from the adoption sense) and to ‘Domnul și Tatăl’ invoked in worship (3:9) — see new entry ‘father_of_lights’.
Righteousness
Approved rendering: dreptate
Transliteration: dikaiosynē
Doctrine: Salvation
Rejected alternatives: dreptate câștigată exclusiv prin efort moral propriu
Original: δικαιοσύνη
Category: Salvation
Inherited from Romans package, unchanged. James also uses this root for the moral ‘fruit’ produced by peacemaking (Iacov 3:18) and for Abraham’s credited status (2:23) — see ‘imputed_righteousness’ and ‘justified_vindication_by_works’ below.
Justification
Approved rendering: îndreptățire / a îndreptăți
Transliteration: dikaiōsis / dikaioō
Doctrine: Salvation
Rejected alternatives: transformare treptată exclusiv, fără niciun aspect de declarație
Original: δικαίωσις / δικαιόω
Category: Salvation
Inherited from Romans package; mandatory cross-book consistency. Iacov 2:21,24,25 uses the identical Romanian root for the vindication/demonstration of a professed faith as genuine — see the extended new entry ‘justified_vindication_by_works’, the single highest-stakes rendering decision in this curriculum.
Imputed Righteousness
Approved rendering: dreptate imputată / i s-a socotit ca dreptate
Transliteration: elogisthē autō eis dikaiosynēn
Doctrine: Justification by Faith
Rejected alternatives: îndreptățire doar ca transformare ontologică, fără niciun aspect juridic sau declarat
Original: ἐλογίσθη αὐτῷ εἰς δικαιοσύνην
Category: Salvation
Inherited from Romans package. Iacov 2:23 quotes the identical Genesis 15:6 clause quoted verbatim in Romani 4:3; the Romanian rendering must match that established Romans rendering word for word, even though James draws a different conclusion (subsequent confirmation by works) from the same proof-text.
Saints
Approved rendering: sfinți
Transliteration: hagioi
Doctrine: Sainthood
Rejected alternatives: sfinți canonizați, venerați prin icoane și moaște, invocați ca mijlocitori
Inherited from Romans package, unchanged; not a direct James lexeme, but its Critical corporate-vs-canonized distinction is the direct structural parallel required for James’s new ‘friend_of_god’ entry (Iacov 2:23) and must be cross-referenced in every teaching note there.
Resurrection
Approved rendering: înviere
Transliteration: anastasis
Doctrine: Resurrection of Christ
Inherited from Romans package, unchanged. CRITICAL CAUTION for James: Iacov 5:15’s ἐγείρω (‘will raise up’, a sick person restored to health) must NEVER borrow this word family — see new Critical entry ‘raise_up_physical’.
Law Of Liberty
Approved rendering: legea (desăvârșită a) libertății
Transliteration: nomos (teleios) tēs eleutherias
Doctrine: The Perfect Law of Liberty
Rejected alternatives: lege’ fără calificativ (ar coliza direct cu referentul mozaic Critic din Romani)
Original: νόμος (τέλειος) τῆς ἐλευθερίας
Category: Covenant
James reuses baseline’s Critical ‘lege’ but for a distinct referent: the gospel’s own liberating ethical demand, not the Mosaic Torah Romans addresses. The qualifying phrase (‘a libertății’) must never be dropped. Mandatory theologian review at every occurrence (Iacov 1:25; 2:12).
Works
Approved rendering: fapte
Transliteration: erga
Doctrine: Faith and Works
Rejected alternatives: fapte ca temei meritoriu al mântuirii, independent de har
Original: ἔργα
Category: Faith and Works
The visible, active outworking of genuine faith throughout Iacov 2:14-26. Never render in a way suggesting merit earning salvation apart from grace (would contradict baseline’s Critical grace/justification entries). Orthodox synergism will make this feel doctrinally at home; teaching notes must hold James’s evidentiary question distinct from Paul’s forensic question.
Credited Imputed
Approved rendering: i s-a socotit
Transliteration: logizomai (elogisthē)
Doctrine: Faith and Works
Original: λογίζομαι (ἐλογίσθη)
Category: Faith and Works
The accounting/reckoning metaphor at Iacov 2:23 (quoting Genesis 15:6): a status credited, not earned by performance. Must match, word for word, whatever rendering Phase 2 establishes for the identical clause in Romani 4:3.
Justified Vindication By Works
Approved rendering: a fi îndreptățit / este îndreptățit
Transliteration: edikaiōthē / dikaioutai
Doctrine: Justification as Vindication by Works
Rejected alternatives: un cuvânt românesc diferit de rădăcina ‘îndreptățire’ folosită în Romani (ar rupe consistența terminologică inter-documente și ar masca identitatea lexicală greacă reală)
Original: ἐδικαιώθη / δικαιοῦται
Category: Faith and Works
Iacov 2:21,24,25: a professed faith is shown/vindicated to be the real, living faith that in fact justifies (Abraham’s offering of Isaac; Rahab’s hospitality). Reuses the identical baseline Romanian root the Romans package documents as Critical for forensic justification apart from works (Romani 4:1-5). Every occurrence requires a mandatory theologian-authored teaching note distinguishing Romans’ Godward forensic question from James’s manward evidentiary question. Do not resolve by lexical substitution.
Temptation
Approved rendering: ispită / a ispiti
Transliteration: peirasmos / peirazetai (sin-enticement sense)
Doctrine: Temptation and the Origin of Sin
Rejected alternatives: încercare (ar implica greșit că Dumnezeu ispitește la păcat, contrazicând direct 1:13)
Original: πειρασμός (sin-enticement sense) / πειράζεται
Category: Trials and Testing
Iacov 1:13-14: temptation to sin, arising from one’s own desire (ἐπιθυμία), which God never causes. Conflating with ‘trial’ (same Greek root, eleven verses apart) would make James appear to say God tempts people to sin.
Elders Of Church
Approved rendering: prezbiterii / preoții Bisericii
Transliteration: presbyteroi tēs ekklēsias
Doctrine: Prayer and Healing
Original: πρεσβύτεροι τῆς ἐκκλησίας
Category: Prayer and Healing
Iacov 5:14: direct collision with the Orthodox sacrament of Holy Unction (Taina Sfântului Maslu), for which this verse is the biblical institution text. Requires an explicit theologian-authored note distinguishing James’s general pastoral pattern from the specific sacramental rite, affirming rather than dismissing either.
Anointing With Oil
Approved rendering: ungându-l cu untdelemn
Transliteration: aleiphō elaiō
Doctrine: Prayer and Healing
Original: ἀλείφω ἐλαίῳ
Category: Prayer and Healing
The accompanying physical act of the elders’ prayer (Iacov 5:14). Same sacramental collision as ‘elders_of_church.’ Mandatory theologian review.
Heal Physical
Approved rendering: a vindeca / a face bine
Transliteration: sōzō (healing sense)
Doctrine: Prayer and Healing
Rejected alternatives: a mântui (ar conflictua cu sensul soteriologic din 5:20, folosit șase versete mai încolo)
Original: σῴζω (healing sense)
Category: Prayer and Healing
Iacov 5:15: physical restoration to health, NOT eternal salvation, though the same Greek verb σῴζω is used. Must be lexically distinguished from 5:20’s full soteriological sense — the two must never be harmonized to one Romanian word.
Raise Up Physical
Approved rendering: a ridica
Transliteration: egeirō
Doctrine: Prayer and Healing
Rejected alternatives: înviere / a învia (rezervat exclusiv învierii trupești a lui Hristos)
Original: ἐγείρω
Category: Prayer and Healing
To raise a sick person up from a reclining/prostrate condition to health (Iacov 5:15) — a physical restoration, not a resurrection statement. Must never borrow înviere-family vocabulary.
Confess Mutual
Approved rendering: a vă mărturisi (unii altora)
Transliteration: exomologeomai
Doctrine: Confession and Restoration
Original: ἐξομολογέομαι
Category: Prayer and Healing
Iacov 5:16: open, mutual (ἀλλήλοις) acknowledgment of sin among believers. Direct collision with the Orthodox sacrament of Confession (Taina Spovedaniei), normally exercised privately before a priest. James’s lateral sense must be preserved without being read as excluding or replacing sacramental confession; mandatory theologian note at every occurrence.
Save Soul From Death
Approved rendering: va mântui un suflet de la moarte
Transliteration: sōzei psychēn ek thanatou
Doctrine: Confession and Restoration
Original: σῴζει ψυχὴν ἐκ θανάτου
Category: Confession and Restoration
Iacov 5:20: the full soteriological outcome of restoring a straying believer, deliberately using the baseline’s ‘mântuire’ word family in direct lexical CONTRAST with 5:15’s ‘a vindeca.’ Confirm the two nearby verses are NOT harmonized.
Christ
Approved rendering: Hristos
Transliteration: Christos
Doctrine: Christology
Rejected alternatives: un uns / un hristos (generic, ar obscura identitatea unică)
Original: Χριστός
Category: Christology
Not a standalone entry in the baseline (only listed in its transliteration standards, ‘Christ = Hristos’); formalized here as a full term entry since James pairs it with ‘Iisus’ at Iacov 1:1 and 2:1. Never substitute a generic descriptive phrase.
High Risk Terms
Faith
Approved rendering: credință
Transliteration: pistis
Doctrine: Faith and Works
Rejected alternatives: evlavie religioasă generală
Original: πίστις
Category: Faith
Inherited from Romans package, unchanged. In James the same Romanian word covers both the claimed/inert faith under examination (Iacov 2:14) and the genuine living faith James commends; the distinction is carried by context and by the accompanying ‘fapte’ language, not by lexical substitution.
Law
Approved rendering: lege
Transliteration: nomos
Doctrine: Fulfillment of Prophecy
Original: νόμος
Category: Covenant
Inherited from Romans package for the general Mosaic-Torah sense. CRITICAL CAUTION extended for James: James also uses ‘lege’ for a distinct referent, the gospel’s own liberating ethical demand (‘law of liberty’/‘royal law’) — see new Critical entry ‘law_of_liberty’ and new entry ‘royal_law’. The qualifying phrase must never be dropped.
Calling
Approved rendering: chemare
Transliteration: klēsis
Doctrine: Divine Calling
Rejected alternatives: chemare monahală
Inherited from Romans package, unchanged; not directly used in James’s text, but any teaching material cross-referencing Iacov 1:1’s ‘servant’ self-designation back to Romans 1:1/1:7 must not re-import the monastic-narrowing risk.
Intercession
Approved rendering: mijlocire
Transliteration: hyperentynchanei / enteuxis
Doctrine: Prayer and Intercession
Rejected alternatives: mijlocirea exclusivă a sfinților și a Maicii Domnului
Inherited from Romans package. Directly relevant to James’s prayer/healing and confession material (Iacov 5:14-18); the elders’ prayer and mutual confession must not default to saint/Marian mediation as the primary intercessory model.
Sanctification
Approved rendering: sfințire
Transliteration: hagiasmos
Doctrine: Sanctification
Inherited from Romans package. Not a direct James lexeme, but James’s ‘perfected/desăvârșit’ vocabulary and ‘pure religion’ material engage the same theosis-adjacent semantic field; cross-reference in teaching notes.
Dead Faith
Approved rendering: moartă
Transliteration: nekra
Doctrine: Dead Faith versus Living Faith
Rejected alternatives: incompletă, slabă
Original: νεκρά (of πίστις)
Category: Faith and Works
Faith without works is not weak or immature faith but no genuine faith at all in James’s sense (Iacov 2:17, 26). Must recur identically at both occurrences; must not be softened to ‘incompletă/slabă,’ which would convert a category distinction into a mere degree distinction.
Demonstrate Faith
Approved rendering: a arăta
Transliteration: deiknymi
Doctrine: Faith and Works
Rejected alternatives: a dovedi (risc de conotație forensică/juridică, ar coliza cu sensul lui îndreptățire)
Original: δείκνυμι (δεῖξον/δείξω)
Category: Faith and Works
The epistemological/evidentiary verb of Iacov 2:18: works demonstrate, not ground, faith’s reality. Prefer ‘a arăta’ (show/display) over ‘a dovedi’ (prove).
Cooperate Synergy
Approved rendering: a conlucra / a lucra împreună
Transliteration: synergeō (synērgei)
Doctrine: Faith and Works
Original: συνεργέω (συνήργει)
Category: Faith and Works
Iacov 2:22: faith and works shown cooperating, not competing. The single most Orthodox-synergia-resonant word in the book — a doctrinal asset requiring careful scoping: this describes faith and its OWN fruit cooperating internally, not a general warrant for a synergistic soteriology detached from Romans’ Godward forensic argument.
Perfected Completed
Approved rendering: a fi desăvârșit / a se împlini / desăvârșit
Transliteration: teleioō (eteleiōthē) / teleios
Doctrine: Faith and Works
Original: τελειόω (ἐτελειώθη) / τέλειος
Category: Sanctification
Iacov 2:22 (faith reaching its mature expression through action) and 1:4,17,25; 3:2 (perfect endurance, gift, law). Strongly evokes Orthodox theosis/desăvârșire vocabulary — an asset, but risks implying faith is ontologically deficient before God until supplemented by works; teaching notes must clarify this is faith reaching its natural, living expression.
Friend Of God
Approved rendering: prietenul lui Dumnezeu
Transliteration: philos theou
Doctrine: Faith and Works
Original: φίλος θεοῦ
Category: Faith and Works
Title of highest relational honor applied to Abraham (Iacov 2:23), consequence of his faith-and-works. Romanian Orthodox hagiographical tradition already calls canonized saints ‘prietenii lui Dumnezeu’ — asset and collision risk paralleling the baseline’s ‘sfinți’ flag. Requires a corporate-availability teaching note: available in principle to every believer of genuine faith, not an elite title.
Trial
Approved rendering: încercare
Transliteration: peirasmos (hardship sense)
Doctrine: Trials and the Testing of Faith
Rejected alternatives: ispită (ar conflictua cu sensul de ispitire la păcat, cf. 1:13-14)
Original: πειρασμός (hardship sense)
Category: Trials and Testing
External hardship testing faith, to be met with joy, producing endurance (Iacov 1:2,12). Context-sensitive; must never be the same Romanian word as ‘temptation’ below despite sharing one Greek root.
Word Of Truth
Approved rendering: cuvântul adevărului / cuvântul sădit (în voi)
Transliteration: logos alētheias / emphytos logos
Doctrine: New Birth by the Word of Truth
Original: λόγος ἀληθείας / ἔμφυτος λόγος
Category: Trials and Testing
The gospel as generative (Iacov 1:18) and as an internally rooted reality able to save the soul (1:21). Intersects with Orthodox baptismal-regeneration theology; must hold both without contradiction.
New Birth
Approved rendering: a naște din nou
Transliteration: apekyēsen (apokyeō)
Doctrine: New Birth by the Word of Truth
Original: ἀπεκύησεν (ἀποκυέω)
Category: Trials and Testing
God ‘brought us forth’ by the word of truth (Iacov 1:18), in deliberate contrast to sin’s negative ‘birth’ at 1:15. James ties new birth explicitly to the gospel word, not explicitly to a sacramental rite; teach alongside, not against, Orthodox baptismal-regeneration theology.
Doer Of The Word
Approved rendering: împlinitor al Cuvântului / ascultător (doar cu urechea)
Transliteration: poiētēs logou / akroatēs
Doctrine: Doer of the Word, Not Hearer Only
Original: ποιητὴς λόγου / ἀκροατής
Category: Trials and Testing
Central practical thesis of chapter 1 (Iacov 1:22-25), directly anticipating the faith-and-works argument of chapter 2; rendering and teaching notes must make this link explicit.
Pure Religion
Approved rendering: evlavie curată și neîntinată
Transliteration: thrēskeia katharā kai amiantos
Doctrine: Pure and Undefiled Religion
Rejected alternatives: religie curată (risc de a fi audiată ca observanță rituală corectă, exact opusul intenției lui Iacov)
Original: θρησκεία καθαρὰ καὶ ἀμίαντος
Category: Trials and Testing
Iacov 1:26-27: true religion defined as practical, self-giving moral love (orphans, widows), not ritual observance. In an Orthodox-majority culture with an extensive liturgical calendar, prefer ‘evlavie curată și neîntinată’ over a bare ‘religie curată.‘
Wisdom
Approved rendering: înțelepciune
Transliteration: sophia
Doctrine: Wisdom from Above
Original: σοφία
Category: Wisdom
Practical, God-given discernment for right living (Iacov 1:5), defined by concrete ethical fruit (3:13-18). Romanian bears the loan-transliteration ‘Sofia’ with deep patristic/Sophiological resonance — an asset, but risks importing speculative content foreign to James’s strictly practical usage. Anchor to 3:17’s ethical fruit-list.
Wisdom From Above
Approved rendering: înțelepciunea de sus
Transliteration: sophia anōthen
Doctrine: Wisdom from Above
Original: σοφία ἄνωθεν
Category: Wisdom
Heavenly-sourced wisdom, defined by a list of moral fruits: purity, peace, gentleness, mercy, impartiality, sincerity (Iacov 3:17). Teach this operational definition explicitly.
Earthly Wisdom
Approved rendering: înțelepciune pământească, firească, demonică
Transliteration: sophia epigeios, psychikē, daimoniōdēs
Doctrine: Wisdom from Above
Rejected alternatives: drăcească (registru popular, prea colocvial pentru registrul literar formal cerut)
Original: σοφία ἐπίγειος, ψυχική, δαιμονιώδης
Category: Wisdom
The stark negative counterpart to wisdom from above, marked by bitter envy and selfish ambition (Iacov 3:15). ‘Demonică’ preferred over folk-colloquial ‘drăcească.‘
Favoritism
Approved rendering: părtinire
Transliteration: prosōpolēmpsia / prosōpolēmpteō
Doctrine: Favoritism and the Poor
Rejected alternatives: preferință (etichetă prea blândă, la nivel de etichetă, nu de nedreptate structurală)
Original: προσωπολημψία / προσωπολημπτέω
Category: Favoritism and the Poor
The core prohibition of Iacov 2:1,9: judging/treating by external appearance/status. Romania’s historical social stratification gives this real pastoral bite; must not be softened.
Lord Of Glory
Approved rendering: Domnul slavei
Transliteration: Kyrios tēs doxēs
Doctrine: Favoritism and the Poor
Original: Κύριος τῆς δόξης
Category: Favoritism and the Poor
Identifies Jesus Christ as possessor of divine glory (Iacov 2:1), built on baseline’s Critical ‘Domnul’ plus ‘slavă.’ Title’s weight (‘the Lord who is glory himself shows no favoritism’) must not be lost as a mere honorific.
Image Of God
Approved rendering: chipul lui Dumnezeu
Transliteration: eikōn theou
Doctrine: Image of God and Ethical Speech
Original: εἰκὼν θεοῦ
Category: Speech Ethics
Iacov 3:9: cursing fellow humans made in God’s likeness is a direct affront to God himself. Strong Orthodox iconographic/anthropological asset; keep James’s ethical point (how believers speak of others) primary, not a standalone iconography lesson.
Friendship With World
Approved rendering: prietenia cu lumea
Transliteration: philia tou kosmou
Doctrine: Worldliness versus Friendship with God
Original: φιλία τοῦ κόσμου
Category: Worldliness
Defines ‘the world’ relationally, as an allegiance competing with allegiance to God (Iacov 4:4). Requires careful teaching to avoid reduction to rule-avoidance rather than James’s relational-allegiance category.
Enmity With God
Approved rendering: vrăjmășie cu Dumnezeu
Transliteration: echthra tou theou
Doctrine: Worldliness versus Friendship with God
Original: ἔχθρα τοῦ θεοῦ
Category: Worldliness
The stark either/or (Iacov 4:4) James poses; must not be softened.
Spiritual Adultery
Approved rendering: adultere (duhovnicește) / necredincioși (lui Dumnezeu)
Transliteration: moichalides
Doctrine: Worldliness versus Friendship with God
Original: μοιχαλίδες
Category: Worldliness
Iacov 4:4: covenant-unfaithfulness language echoing OT prophetic marriage-covenant imagery, NOT a statement about literal marital infidelity. Must be clearly marked as figurative in every occurrence.
Humility
Approved rendering: smerit / smerenie
Transliteration: tapeinos / tapeinōsis
Doctrine: Humility and Pride
Original: ταπεινός / ταπείνωσις
Category: Worldliness
1:9-10: the lowly believer’s exaltation and the rich person’s coming humiliation (economic/eschatological-reversal sense); 4:6,10: the general devotional summons to humility before God (major Orthodox ascetic-virtue resonance). These two senses must not be flattened together.
Prayer Of Faith
Approved rendering: rugăciunea credinței
Transliteration: euchē tēs pisteōs
Doctrine: Prayer and Healing
Original: εὐχὴ τῆς πίστεως
Category: Prayer and Healing
The effective agent, together with the Lord, in the sick person’s restoration (Iacov 5:15); built on baseline’s High-risk ‘credință’ root.
Patience Longsuffering
Approved rendering: îndelungă răbdare
Transliteration: makrothymia / makrothymeō
Doctrine: Patience and the Lord’s Return
Rejected alternatives: răbdare (ar șterge distincția intenționată față de ὑπομονή din capitolul 1)
Original: μακροθυμία / μακροθυμέω
Category: Patience and Eschatology
Patient forbearance toward people and circumstances, awaiting the Lord’s coming (Iacov 5:7-8,10). Distinguish carefully from ὑπομονή/‘răbdare’ (ch.1’s active endurance under pressure).
Coming Of The Lord
Approved rendering: venirea Domnului
Transliteration: parousia tou kyriou
Doctrine: Patience and the Lord’s Return
Original: παρουσία τοῦ κυρίου
Category: Patience and Eschatology
The object of patient waiting (Iacov 5:7-8); ties to baseline’s Critical assurance-of-salvation and resurrection eschatology. Built on Critical ‘Domnul’ root; do not soften the return’s certainty or imminence.
Turn Back Restore
Approved rendering: a întoarce (de la rătăcire) / a aduce înapoi
Transliteration: epistrephō
Doctrine: Confession and Restoration
Rejected alternatives: a se converti / a se întoarce la credință (conotație de trecere interconfesională, dinspre Ortodoxia moștenită spre o comunitate Evanghelică)
Original: ἐπιστρέφω
Category: Confession and Restoration
Restoring a brother who has wandered from the truth back within the body of believers (Iacov 5:19-20). Must be taught as intra-body restoration, not inter-confessional conversion, paralleling the baseline’s ‘evangelism’ caution.
Cover Multitude Of Sins
Approved rendering: va acoperi o mulțime de păcate
Transliteration: kalypsei plēthos hamartiōn
Doctrine: Confession and Restoration
Original: καλύψει πλῆθος ἁμαρτιῶν
Category: Confession and Restoration
The closing promise of the letter (Iacov 5:20, echoing Proverbs 10:12). Risk of a meritorious-works misreading (restoring another earns forgiveness of the restorer’s own sin); teach as the gracious scope/outcome of loving restoration, not a transaction.
Righteous Person
Approved rendering: cel drept
Transliteration: dikaios
Doctrine: Favoritism and the Poor
Original: δίκαιος
Category: Sin
Built on baseline’s Critical ‘dreptate’ root. Iacov 5:6 (an innocent victim, ‘you have condemned the righteous’); 5:16 (a person of genuine faith at prayer) — two distinct nuances that must both be legible from context.
Spirit Lowercase
Approved rendering: duh / suflare (de viață)
Transliteration: pneuma (James 2:26, lowercase)
Doctrine: Sanctification
Rejected alternatives: Duhul (capitalizat, ar sugera fals plecarea Duhului Sfânt drept cauză a morții)
Original: πνεῦμα (James 2:26, lowercase)
Category: Sanctification
The animating breath/life-principle of a physical body (‘as the body without the spirit/breath is dead’), NOT the Holy Spirit. Must be rendered lowercase, never capitalized ‘Duhul,’ given baseline’s Critical ‘Duhul Sfânt’ entry.
Medium Risk Terms
Sin
Approved rendering: păcat
Transliteration: hamartia
Doctrine: Sin
Original: ἁμαρτία
Category: Sin
Inherited from Romans package, unchanged. James adds a sin-of-omission nuance (Iacov 4:17) not explicit in Romans’s usage; see new entry ‘sin_of_omission’.
Glory
Approved rendering: slavă
Transliteration: doxa
Doctrine: Deity of Christ
Original: δόξα
Category: God
Inherited from Romans package, unchanged. Iacov 2:1’s ‘Domnul slavei’ is a doctrinal asset per the baseline’s note on liturgical doxological resonance.
Peace
Approved rendering: pace
Transliteration: eirēnē
Doctrine: Peace with God
Original: εἰρήνη
Category: God
Inherited from Romans package, unchanged. Iacov 2:16 uses the same word idiomatically as a hollow social farewell (‘mergeți în pace’) and must NOT be over-theologized as the doctrinal peace-with-God sense in that specific verse; Iacov 3:18 approaches the doctrinal sense more closely.
Church
Approved rendering: Biserică
Transliteration: ekklēsia
Doctrine: Church as God’s People
Original: ἐκκλησία
Category: Church
Inherited from Romans package, unchanged. Iacov 5:14 (‘elders of the church’) carries the Critical Holy Unction collision — see new entry ‘elders_of_church’.
Kingdom Of God
Approved rendering: împărăția lui Dumnezeu
Transliteration: basileia tou theou
Doctrine: Kingdom Mission
Original: βασιλεία (τοῦ θεοῦ)
Category: Kingdom
Inherited from Romans package, unchanged. Iacov 2:5 names the poor as ‘heirs of the kingdom.‘
Holy
Approved rendering: sfânt
Transliteration: hagios
Doctrine: Sanctification
Inherited from Romans package, unchanged.
Sin Of Omission
Approved rendering: păcat
Transliteration: hamartia (James 4:17 sense)
Doctrine: Sin of Omission
Original: ἁμαρτία (James 4:17 sense)
Category: Sin
Uses the baseline’s ‘păcat’ word, but expands scope to failure to do known good, not only active wrongdoing (Iacov 4:17). Well-supported by Romanian Orthodox confession practice’s existing distinction between sins ‘cu lucrul și cu nelucrarea,’ making this more an asset than a risk, but still requiring explicit teaching.
Royal Law
Approved rendering: legea împărătească
Transliteration: basilikos nomos
Doctrine: Favoritism and the Poor
Original: βασιλικὸς νόμος
Category: Covenant
The supreme, kingly command to love one’s neighbor (Iacov 2:8); ties to baseline’s ‘kingdom_of_god’ entry. Lower collision risk than ‘law_of_liberty’ since ‘împărătească’ clearly marks a distinct royal-command sense.
Barren Faith
Approved rendering: fără rod / neputincioasă
Transliteration: argē (textual variant: nekra)
Doctrine: Dead Faith versus Living Faith
Original: ἀργή (textual variant: νεκρά)
Category: Faith and Works
Some manuscripts read νεκρά (‘dead’) at Iacov 2:20 instead of ἀργή; either reading makes the same point about faith’s total inefficacy apart from works. Record the textual variant in translator notes for consistency with the ‘moartă’ refrain at 2:17/26.
Testing Proving
Approved rendering: încercarea (credinței)
Transliteration: dokimion
Doctrine: Trials and the Testing of Faith
Original: δοκίμιον
Category: Trials and Testing
The process/quality of proving faith genuine (Iacov 1:3), distinct from the trial-event itself; best rendered as a genitive phrase rather than a single noun.
Endurance
Approved rendering: răbdare / statornicie
Transliteration: hypomonē
Doctrine: Trials and the Testing of Faith
Original: ὑπομονή
Category: Trials and Testing
Active, persistent perseverance under pressure (Iacov 1:3-4,12; 5:11), not passive resignation. Distinguish from μακροθυμία (‘îndelungă răbdare’, Iacov 5:7-10); both are commonly flattened to ‘răbdare’ in casual Romanian.
Crown Of Life
Approved rendering: cununa vieții
Transliteration: stephanos tēs zōēs
Doctrine: Trials and the Testing of Faith
Original: στέφανος τῆς ζωῆς
Category: Trials and Testing
Eschatological reward for the one who endures trial (Iacov 1:12); standard reward imagery across Romanian Bible traditions.
Double Minded
Approved rendering: om cu inima împărțită
Transliteration: dipsychos
Doctrine: Doubt and Effective Prayer
Coined Greek compound (Iacov 1:8; 4:8) with no established single Romanian lexeme; must be constructed identically at both occurrences so the deliberate authorial echo across the letter is preserved.
Doubt Waver
Approved rendering: a se îndoi / a șovăi
Transliteration: diakrinō (diakrinomenos)
Doctrine: Doubt and Effective Prayer
The posture that nullifies effective prayer for wisdom (Iacov 1:6).
Desire Lust
Approved rendering: poftă
Transliteration: epithymia
Doctrine: Temptation and the Origin of Sin
Original: ἐπιθυμία
Category: Trials and Testing
Internal desire/craving that, when it conceives, gives birth to sin and death (Iacov 1:14-15) — the true source of temptation, not God.
Blessed State
Approved rendering: fericit
Transliteration: makarios
Doctrine: Trials and the Testing of Faith
Rejected alternatives: a binecuvânta (act diferit, altă rădăcină greacă εὐλογέω)
Original: μακάριος
Category: Trials and Testing
The state of blessedness pronounced over the one who endures trial (1:12), obeys the word (1:25), and shows patience (5:11) — echoing the Beatitudes tradition. Reserve ‘fericit’ for this sense to preserve the Romanian Gospel-tradition resonance.
Father Of Lights
Approved rendering: Tatăl luminilor
Transliteration: patēr tōn phōtōn
Doctrine: God
Original: πατὴρ τῶν φώτων
Category: God
God as the unchanging Creator-source of every good gift (Iacov 1:17), contrasted with the shifting shadow of created heavenly lights. Reuses baseline’s ‘Tată’ in a Creator-of-lights sense distinct from the adoption sense.
Strife Envy
Approved rendering: ceartă / invidie
Transliteration: eris / zēlos
Doctrine: Wisdom from Above
Original: ἔρις / ζῆλος
Category: Wisdom
The relational fruit of false wisdom (Iacov 3:14,16).
Disorder
Approved rendering: neorânduială
Transliteration: akatastasia
Doctrine: Wisdom from Above
Original: ἀκαταστασία
Category: Wisdom
Social/relational chaos resulting from envy and selfish ambition (Iacov 3:16).
Fruit Of Righteousness
Approved rendering: rodul dreptății
Transliteration: karpos dikaiosynēs
Doctrine: Wisdom from Above
Original: καρπὸς δικαιοσύνης
Category: Wisdom
The moral/relational produce yielded by peacemaking sown in peace (Iacov 3:18); built on baseline’s Critical ‘dreptate’ root.
Poor
Approved rendering: sărac
Transliteration: ptōchos
Doctrine: Favoritism and the Poor
Original: πτωχός
Category: Favoritism and the Poor
Economically poor, stronger than πένης (‘working poor’); the specific test-case for favoritism (Iacov 2:2-6).
Rich
Approved rendering: bogat
Transliteration: plousios
Doctrine: Favoritism and the Poor
Original: πλούσιος
Category: Favoritism and the Poor
Economic wealth, subject of James’s recurring critique (Iacov 1:10-11; 2:1-7; 5:1-6).
Heir
Approved rendering: moștenitor
Transliteration: klēronomos
Doctrine: Favoritism and the Poor
Original: κληρονόμος
Category: Favoritism and the Poor
‘Heirs of the kingdom’ (Iacov 2:5) — the poor as God’s chosen heirs, inverting worldly status expectations. Resonates with the baseline’s adoption/inheritance-rights doctrine.
Mercy
Approved rendering: milă
Transliteration: eleos
Doctrine: Favoritism and the Poor
Original: ἔλεος
Category: Favoritism and the Poor
‘Mercy triumphs over judgment’ (Iacov 2:13); also part of wisdom’s fruit-list (3:17) and Job’s example (5:11).
Synagogue Assembly
Approved rendering: adunare
Transliteration: synagōgē
Doctrine: Favoritism and the Poor
Rejected alternatives: sinagogă (ar induce fals o adunare exclusiv iudaică nemarcată în contextul curricular)
Original: συναγωγή
Category: Favoritism and the Poor
The concrete gathered assembly where favoritism plays out (Iacov 2:2); reflects the letter’s originally Jewish-Christian audience. ‘Adunare’ is the natural functional rendering; preserve the Greek-literal background as a teaching note.
Wages
Approved rendering: plată / simbrie
Transliteration: misthos
Doctrine: Favoritism and the Poor
Original: μισθός
Category: Favoritism and the Poor
Unpaid wages of laborers ‘crying out’ (Iacov 5:4), a concrete social-justice concern; retain the this-worldly economic force rather than spiritualizing ‘reward.‘
Lord Of Hosts
Approved rendering: Domnul Savaot
Transliteration: Kyrios Sabaōth
Doctrine: Favoritism and the Poor
Rejected alternatives: Domnul Oștirilor (paraphrase, ar pierde rezonanța liturgică deja existentă a formei Savaot)
Original: Κύριος Σαβαώθ
Category: Favoritism and the Poor
God’s title as commander of heavenly armies (Iacov 5:4); use the established Romanian Orthodox liturgical form from the Divine Liturgy’s Sanctus.
Tongue
Approved rendering: limbă
Transliteration: glōssa
Doctrine: Taming the Tongue
Original: γλῶσσα
Category: Speech Ethics
Central image of chapter 3’s teaching on speech’s disproportionate power for good or destruction.
Bridle Control
Approved rendering: a înfrâna / a ține în frâu
Transliteration: chalinagōgeō
Doctrine: Taming the Tongue
Original: χαλιναγωγέω
Category: Speech Ethics
The mark of a mature believer’s control of speech (Iacov 1:26; 3:2).
Bless Curse
Approved rendering: a binecuvânta / a blestema
Transliteration: eulogeō / kataraomai
Doctrine: Taming the Tongue
Original: εὐλογέω / καταράομαι
Category: Speech Ethics
The same tongue blessing God and cursing humans (Iacov 3:9-10), the chapter’s central irony. Distinguish from μακάριος/‘fericit’ — different Greek root and word family.
Tame
Approved rendering: a îmblânzi / a domoli
Transliteration: damazō
Doctrine: Taming the Tongue
Original: δαμάζω
Category: Speech Ethics
Humanity tames every kind of animal but cannot tame the tongue unaided (Iacov 3:7-8).
Gehenna
Approved rendering: gheenă
Transliteration: geenna
Doctrine: Taming the Tongue
Original: γέεννα
Category: Speech Ethics
The tongue is ‘set on fire by hell’ (Iacov 3:6); standard term across Romanian Bible traditions.
Speak Against Slander
Approved rendering: a vorbi de rău / a defăima
Transliteration: katalaleō
Doctrine: Taming the Tongue
Original: καταλαλέω
Category: Speech Ethics
Disparaging speech about another that effectively judges the law itself (Iacov 4:11).
Lawgiver Judge
Approved rendering: Dătătorul de lege și Judecătorul
Transliteration: nomothetēs kai kritēs
Doctrine: The Perfect Law of Liberty
Original: νομοθέτης καὶ κριτής
Category: Speech Ethics
Grounds the prohibition on judging others in God’s sole prerogative (Iacov 4:12).
Submit To God
Approved rendering: supuneți-vă lui Dumnezeu
Transliteration: hypotagēte (hypotassō)
Doctrine: Worldliness versus Friendship with God
Original: ὑποτάσσω (ὑποτάγητε)
Category: Worldliness
The positive command answering worldliness (Iacov 4:7).
Resist The Devil
Approved rendering: împotriviți-vă diavolului
Transliteration: antistēte (anthistēmi)
Doctrine: Worldliness versus Friendship with God
Original: ἀνθίστημι (ἀντίστητε)
Category: Worldliness
‘Resist the devil and he will flee’ (Iacov 4:7), paired with submission to God.
Draw Near
Approved rendering: a se apropia (de Dumnezeu)
Transliteration: engizō
Doctrine: Worldliness versus Friendship with God
Original: ἐγγίζω
Category: Worldliness
‘Draw near to God and he will draw near to you’ (Iacov 4:8) — relational reciprocity.
Unstained From World
Approved rendering: neîntinat de lume
Transliteration: aspilos apo tou kosmou
Doctrine: Worldliness versus Friendship with God
Original: ἄσπιλος ἀπὸ τοῦ κόσμου
Category: Worldliness
Moral purity, unstained by worldly corruption (Iacov 1:27), introducing the ch.4 worldliness theme.
Forgive
Approved rendering: a ierta
Transliteration: aphiēmi (aphethēsetai)
Doctrine: Prayer and Healing
Original: ἀφίημι (ἀφεθήσεται)
Category: Prayer and Healing
Iacov 5:15: possible (not necessary) connection between illness and sin, forgiven alongside physical healing; preserve the tentative, non-mechanical connection.
Sick
Approved rendering: este bolnav
Transliteration: astheneō (asthenei)
Doctrine: Prayer and Healing
Original: ἀσθενέω (ἀσθενεῖ)
Category: Prayer and Healing
Opens the prayer-and-healing unit (Iacov 5:14); retain the concrete physical sense.
Effective Prayer
Approved rendering: rugăciunea fierbinte a celui drept, care lucrează mult
Transliteration: deēsis dikaiou energoumenē
Doctrine: Prayer and Healing
Original: δέησις δικαίου ἐνεργουμένη
Category: Prayer and Healing
Grounds confidence in mutual prayer’s efficacy, illustrated by Elijah (Iacov 5:16-17).
Establish Hearts
Approved rendering: întăriți-vă inimile
Transliteration: stērizō tas kardias
Doctrine: Patience and the Lord’s Return
Original: στηρίζω τὰς καρδίας
Category: Patience and Eschatology
The practical outworking of patient waiting (Iacov 5:8).
Judge Eschatological
Approved rendering: Judecătorul
Transliteration: kritēs
Doctrine: Patience and the Lord’s Return
Original: κριτής
Category: Patience and Eschatology
Christ at his imminent return, ‘standing at the door’ (Iacov 5:9); retain the imminence James asserts.
Swear Oath
Approved rendering: a jura
Transliteration: omnuō
Doctrine: Patience and the Lord’s Return
Original: ὀμνύω
Category: Patience and Eschatology
Prohibition of oath-taking, favoring simple honesty (Iacov 5:12). Oath-taking on icons/Scripture retains real social/legal presence in Romanian public life, creating mild practical-application friction worth native-speaker review.
Yes And No
Approved rendering: “da” să fie da, și “nu” să fie nu
Transliteration: nai nai, ou ou
Doctrine: Patience and the Lord’s Return
Original: ναὶ ναί, οὒ οὔ
Category: Patience and Eschatology
Simple honesty standard replacing oaths (Iacov 5:12).
Wander Err
Approved rendering: a se rătăci / a se abate (de la adevăr)
Transliteration: planaō (planēthē)
Doctrine: Confession and Restoration
Original: πλανάω (πλανηθῇ)
Category: Confession and Restoration
The condition needing restoration (Iacov 5:19); retain the sense of unintentional straying rather than willful apostasy.
Servant Bondservant
Approved rendering: rob / slujitor
Transliteration: doulos
Doctrine: Church
Original: δοῦλος
Category: Church
James’s self-identification as ‘a servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ’ (Iacov 1:1), paralleling Paul’s Romans 1:1 self-designation; flag for consistency with whatever rendering the Romans product uses for this same Greek word.
Abraham
Approved rendering: Avraam
Transliteration: Abraam
Doctrine: Covenant
Original: Ἀβραάμ
Category: Covenant
The patriarch whose offering of Isaac vindicates his faith as genuine (Iacov 2:21-23); use the established Romanian Orthodox Bible form.
Prostitute
Approved rendering: desfrânata
Transliteration: pornē
Doctrine: Confession and Restoration
Rejected alternatives: femeie de moravuri ușoare (perifrastic, mai puțin direct), curva (registru popular/arhaic, sub nivelul literar cerut)
Original: πόρνη
Category: Confession and Restoration
James’s deliberately shocking second faith-and-works illustration, paired with Abraham (Iacov 2:25). Prefer the formal literary register ‘desfrânata.‘
Low Risk Terms
Prophet
Approved rendering: proroc
Transliteration: prophētēs
Doctrine: Inspiration of Scripture
Inherited from Romans package, unchanged. Iacov 5:10 references ‘the prophets’ as models of patient suffering; 5:17 identifies Elijah (Ilie) as a prophet praying effectively.
Teacher
Approved rendering: învățător
Transliteration: didaskalos
Doctrine: Teacher Accountability
Original: διδάσκαλος
Category: Speech Ethics
Stricter judgment awaits teachers, given the tongue’s power (Iacov 3:1); standard, unambiguous term.
Isaac
Approved rendering: Isaac
Transliteration: Isaak
Doctrine: Covenant
Original: Ἰσαάκ
Category: Covenant
Abraham’s son, offered on the altar (Iacov 2:21); standard proper name.
Rahab
Approved rendering: Rahav
Transliteration: Rhaab
Doctrine: Covenant
Original: Ῥαάβ
Category: Covenant
The Gentile prostitute whose hospitality vindicated her faith (Iacov 2:25); standard proper name.
Elijah
Approved rendering: Ilie
Transliteration: Ēlias
Doctrine: Covenant
Original: Ἠλίας
Category: Covenant
The prophet whose fervent prayer stopped and restored rain (Iacov 5:17-18); standard proper name.
Job
Approved rendering: Iov
Transliteration: Iōb
Doctrine: Covenant
Original: Ἰώβ
Category: Covenant
The example of patient endurance under suffering (Iacov 5:11); standard proper name.