Core Glossary
Core Glossary — Gospel of John — English → Romanian
This glossary consolidates every load-bearing term identified in 07_semantic_analysis.md, covering the core passage (John 3:1-21) and every chapter of the whole book (John 1-21). Terms already recorded in the baseline Romans translation_memory.json / bible_term_registry.json are marked (baseline reuse) and carry their recorded Romanian rendering and risk tier forward unchanged, per the hard rule that established renderings must be reused exactly. New terms specific to John’s theological vocabulary are marked (new — John) and are assigned a risk tier here for the first time, consistent with the baseline’s Critical/High/Medium/Low framework.
| # | Term (English) | Greek Original / Transliteration | Romanian Rendering | Risk | Doctrine Category | Key Passages | Notes / Rejected Alternatives |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | God | θεός / theos | Dumnezeu | Critical | Deity | 1:1, 1:18, 3:16, 20:28 | (baseline reuse) Unchanged. |
| 2 | Jesus | Ἰησοῦς / Iēsous | Iisus | Critical | Christology | throughout | (baseline reuse) Orthodox Synodal spelling; “Isus” noted as Cornilescu/Evangelical variant per baseline convention. |
| 3 | Christ / Messiah | Χριστός, Μεσσίας / Christos, Messias | Hristos / Mesia | Critical | Messianic Promise | 1:20, 1:41, 4:25, 20:31 | (baseline reuse) Mesia unchanged; “Hristos” per baseline proper-name convention. |
| 4 | Holy Spirit | πνεῦμα ἅγιον / pneuma hagion | Duhul Sfânt | Critical | Holy Spirit | 1:32-33, 14:26, 20:22 | (baseline reuse) Unchanged. |
| 5 | Father | πατήρ / patēr | Tată | Critical | Trinity/Adoption | 1:14, 14:6-11, 17 | (baseline reuse) Unchanged. |
| 6 | Lord | κύριος / kyrios | Domnul | Critical | Lordship of Christ | 20:28, 21:7 | (baseline reuse) Unchanged. |
| 7 | Son of God | υἱὸς τοῦ θεοῦ / huios tou theou | Fiul lui Dumnezeu | Critical | Sonship of Christ | 1:34, 1:49, 3:18, 20:31 | (baseline reuse) Must stay distinct from τέκνα θεοῦ (believers’ adoptive sonship) and from Fiul Omului (Son of Man). |
| 8 | Grace | χάρις / charis | har | Critical | Grace | 1:14, 1:16-17 | (baseline reuse) Unchanged; Orthodox Palamite participatory dimension applies. |
| 9 | Faith / Believe | πίστις, πιστεύω / pistis, pisteuō | credință / a crede | High | Faith | throughout (98x the verb) | (baseline reuse) John uses the verb far more than the noun; object of belief (Christ) must remain recoverable from context. |
| 10 | Salvation / Save | σωτηρία, σῴζω / sōtēria, sōzō | mântuire / a mântui | Critical | Salvation | 3:17, 4:22, 4:42, 12:47 | (baseline reuse) Unchanged; theosis-framework caution applies. |
| 11 | Law | νόμος / nomos | lege | High | Covenant | 1:17, 1:45, 7:19-23 | (baseline reuse) Unchanged. |
| 12 | Sin | ἁμαρτία / hamartia | păcat | High | Sin | 1:29, 8:34, 9:2-3, 16:8-9 | (baseline reuse) Unchanged. |
| 13 | Glory | δόξα / doxa | slavă | Medium | Deity of Christ | 1:14, 2:11, 11:4, 12:23, 17:5 | (baseline reuse) Unchanged; liturgical asset. |
| 14 | Incarnation | ὁ λόγος σὰρξ ἐγένετο / ho logos sarx egeneto | întrupare | Critical | Incarnation | 1:14 | (baseline reuse) Unchanged; this is the source text the baseline’s doctrine label names. |
| 15 | Resurrection | ἀνάστασις / anastasis | înviere | Critical | Resurrection of Christ | 2:19-22, 5:29, 11:25, ch. 20 | (baseline reuse) Unchanged; major cultural/liturgical asset. |
| 16 | Peace | εἰρήνη / eirēnē | pace | Medium | Peace with God | 14:27, 16:33, 20:19-26 | (baseline reuse) Unchanged; distinguish from “not as the world gives.” |
| 17 | Election / Draw | ἐκλογή; ἕλκω / eklogē; helkō | alegere; a atrage | High | Election / Effectual Calling | 6:44, 6:65 | (baseline reuse for “alegere” doctrine category); ἕλκω (a atrage) is a new lexical item applying the same synergism-vs-monergism caution already documented for “election” in the baseline. |
| 18 | Providence | πρόνοια (concept) / pronoia | pronia lui Dumnezeu | Medium | Providence | 13:1-3, 13:27 (Judas tension) | (baseline reuse) Unchanged; applied here to the coexistence of Judas’s culpability and the Hour’s sovereign unfolding. |
| 19 | Sanctification | ἁγιασμός / hagiazō (vb.) | sfințire / a sfinți | High | Sanctification | 10:36, 17:17, 17:19 | (baseline reuse) Unchanged; note the distinct Christ-directed sense (consecration for mission) alongside the believer-directed sense. |
| 20 | Kingdom of God | βασιλεία τοῦ θεοῦ / basileia tou theou | împărăția lui Dumnezeu | Medium | Kingdom Mission | 3:3, 3:5, 18:36 | (baseline reuse) Unchanged; 18:36 explicitly distinguishes it from political/national kingship. |
| 21 | Word (Logos) | Λόγος / Logos | Cuvântul | Critical | Deity and Pre-existence of Christ | 1:1-3, 1:14 | (new — John) Established liturgical asset; must retain personal, eternal, divine referent, capitalized, not reduced to abstract “message.” |
| 22 | Life | ζωή / zōē | viață | High | Eternal Life | 1:4, 3:15-16, 5:26, 10:10, 11:25, 14:6 | (new — John) Foundation for “eternal life”; must retain qualitative, not merely durational, sense. |
| 23 | Eternal Life | ζωὴ αἰώνιος / zōē aiōnios | viață eternă (Orthodox Synodal variant: viața de veci) | Critical | Eternal Life through Faith | 3:15-16, 3:36, 4:14, 5:24, 6:47, 10:28, 17:3 | (new — John) Dual-register handling parallel to Iisus/Isus; John 17:3 supplies the Gospel’s own defining gloss (“to know you”). |
| 24 | Light | φῶς / phōs | lumină | High | Judgment / Deity of Christ | 1:4-9, 3:19-21, 8:12, 9:5, 12:35-36 | (new — John) Moral-spiritual dualism, not physical illumination; pairs with darkness. |
| 25 | Darkness | σκότος, σκοτία / skotos, skotia | întuneric | High | Judgment | 1:5, 3:19, 12:35, 12:46 | (new — John) Willful rejection of revealed truth, not mere absence of information. |
| 26 | World | κόσμος / kosmos | lume | Critical | God’s Love for the World / Judgment | throughout (78x) | (new — John) Genuinely dual-sensed: (1) object of God’s love, all humanity/creation (3:16, 4:42); (2) organized system in hostility to Christ (1:10, 15:18-19, 17:14). Every occurrence must be disambiguated by context and flagged accordingly. |
| 27 | Only Begotten / One and Only | μονογενής / monogenēs | Unul-Născut | Critical | Deity and Pre-existence of Christ | 1:14, 1:18, 3:16, 3:18 | (new — John) Established Nicene Creed liturgical term (major asset); unique eternal generation, applied to Christ alone, never to believers. |
| 28 | Believe | πιστεύω / pisteuō | a crede | High | Faith | throughout (98x) | (new — John, distinct entry from #9’s noun) Object of belief must be recoverable from context; “believe in/into” (εἰς) construction is relational trust, not assent alone. |
| 29 | Testimony / Witness | μαρτυρία, μαρτυρέω / martyria, martyreō | mărturie / a mărturisi | High | Judgment / Deity of Christ | 1:7-8, 32-34, 3:11, 5:31-39, 21:24 | (new — John) Collision risk with Orthodox sacramental “mărturisire” (Confession) and creedal “mărturisirea de credință”; every occurrence needs the forensic-testimony sense distinguished from the sacramental sense. |
| 30 | Truth | ἀλήθεια / alētheia | adevăr | High | Holy Spirit / Judgment | 1:14, 1:17, 3:21, 4:23-24, 8:32, 14:6, 14:17, 16:13, 18:38 | (new — John) “Doing the truth” (3:21) is a Hebraic lived-obedience idiom, not mere factual accuracy; central to Christ’s own self-identification (14:6) and the Spirit’s title (14:17). |
| 31 | Son of Man | υἱὸς τοῦ ἀνθρώπου / huios tou anthrōpou | Fiul Omului | High | Deity and Pre-existence of Christ | 1:51, 3:13-14, 5:27, 6:53, 9:35, 12:23, 13:31 | (new — John) Distinct title from Fiul lui Dumnezeu; conveys genuine humanity plus Daniel 7 eschatological authority; must not be taught as interchangeable with Son of God. |
| 32 | Lifted Up | ὑψωθῆναι / hypsōthēnai | a fi înălțat | High | Christ’s Substitutionary Death | 3:14, 8:28, 12:32-34 | (new — John) Deliberate double sense (crucifixion + exaltation); collides with Romanian liturgical “Înălțare” (Ascension feast) — mandatory translator note every occurrence. |
| 33 | Born Again / Born from Above | γεννηθῆναι ἄνωθεν / gennēthēnai anōthen | a se naște din nou / de sus | Critical | The New Birth and Regeneration by the Spirit | 3:3, 3:5, 3:7 | (new — John) Untranslatable double sense (again / from above); Romanian tradition renders “din nou,” under-conveying “from above”; mandatory translator note. |
| 34 | Flesh | σάρξ / sarx | trup | High | New Birth / Incarnation | 1:14, 3:6, 6:51-56, 8:15 | (new — John) Romanian “trup” collapses σάρξ (unregenerate natural sphere) and σῶμα (neutral physical body) into one word; note required distinguishing theological sense per occurrence. |
| 35 | Spirit / Wind (wordplay) | πνεῦμα / pneuma | duh / vânt (two words; wordplay lost) | Critical | Regeneration by the Spirit | 3:5-8 | (new — John) Structural untranslatable pun (one Greek/Hebrew word covers both “wind” and “Spirit”; Romanian has two separate words); mandatory explanatory translator note at 3:8. |
| 36 | Judgment / Judge | κρίσις, κρίνω / krisis, krinō | judecată / a judeca | High | Judgment and Belief/Unbelief | 3:17-19, 5:22-30, 9:39, 12:31, 16:8-11 | (new — John) Legal/forensic register throughout; present-tense “already judged” (3:18) nuance must be preserved. |
| 37 | Sign | σημεῖον / sēmeion | semn | Medium | Deity of Christ / Faith | 2:11, 2:23, 4:54, 6:14, 6:26, 9:16, 12:37, 20:30 | (new — John) Evidentiary, identity-revealing miracle, not a generic wonder (θαῦμα is not John’s term); structures the “Book of Signs” (chs. 1-12). |
| 38 | Equal to God | ἴσος τῷ θεῷ / isos tō theō | egal cu Dumnezeu | Critical | Deity of Christ | 5:18 | (new — John) An accurate charge the narrative implicitly affirms, not a misunderstanding; requires theologian review. |
| 39 | I Am (absolute) | ἐγώ εἰμι / egō eimi | Eu sunt | Critical | Deity and Pre-existence of Christ / Seven “I Am” Statements | 6:20, 8:24, 8:28, 8:58, 13:19, 18:5-6, 18:8 | (new — John) Echoes the LXX divine self-identification (Exodus 3:14, Isaiah 43:10); Romanian “Eu sunt” does not automatically signal this without explicit teaching connecting it to the Orthodox liturgical “Eu sunt Cel-Ce-Sunt” divine-name tradition. Mandatory theologian review every occurrence. |
| 40 | I Am the Bread of Life | ἐγώ εἰμι ὁ ἄρτος τῆς ζωῆς | Eu sunt pâinea vieții | High | Seven “I Am” Statements / Eternal Life | 6:35, 6:48, 6:51 | (new — John) Strong Eucharistic resonance (asset); must not eclipse the “believing” emphasis (6:35, 47) of the discourse. |
| 41 | I Am the Light of the World | ἐγώ εἰμι τὸ φῶς τοῦ κόσμου | Eu sunt lumina lumii | High | Seven “I Am” Statements / Judgment | 8:12, 9:5 | (new — John) Combines light (#24) and world (#26) risk notes. |
| 42 | I Am the Door/Gate | ἐγώ εἰμι ἡ θύρα | Eu sunt poarta / ușa | Medium | Seven “I Am” Statements | 10:7, 10:9 | (new — John) Exclusivity of access must be retained. |
| 43 | I Am the Good Shepherd | ἐγώ εἰμι ὁ ποιμὴν ὁ καλός | Eu sunt păstorul cel bun | Medium | Seven “I Am” Statements / Substitutionary Death | 10:11, 10:14 | (new — John) Cultural asset (icon/hymnody); substitutionary ὑπέρ clause must not be lost beneath pastoral imagery. |
| 44 | I Am the Resurrection and the Life | ἐγώ εἰμι ἡ ἀνάστασις καὶ ἡ ζωή | Eu sunt învierea și viața | Critical | Seven “I Am” Statements / Resurrection | 11:25 | (new — John) Direct overlap with baseline Critical resurrection doctrine; theologian review required. |
| 45 | I Am the Way, the Truth, and the Life | ἐγώ εἰμι ἡ ὁδὸς καὶ ἡ ἀλήθεια καὶ ἡ ζωή | Eu sunt calea, adevărul și viața | Critical | Seven “I Am” Statements / Eternal Life | 14:6 | (new — John) Exclusivity clause (“no one comes to the Father except through me”) must not be softened. |
| 46 | I Am the True Vine | ἐγώ εἰμι ἡ ἄμπελος ἡ ἀληθινή | Eu sunt vița cea adevărată | Medium | Seven “I Am” Statements | 15:1, 15:5 | (new — John) OT vine-imagery background (Isaiah 5, Psalm 80) fulfilled in Christ. |
| 47 | Unity of Father and Son | ἐγὼ καὶ ὁ πατὴρ ἕν ἐσμεν / egō kai ho patēr hen esmen | Eu și Tatăl una suntem | Critical | Unity of the Father and the Son | 10:30, 14:10-11, 17:11, 17:21-23 | (new — John) Grounded liturgically in the Creed’s “una ființă cu Tatăl” (homoousios); must preserve real personal distinction (not modalism) alongside essential unity. Mandatory theologian review. |
| 48 | Paraclete (Counselor/Advocate/Comforter/Helper) | παράκλητος / paraklētos | Mângâietorul | Critical | The Holy Spirit as Counselor | 14:16, 14:26, 15:26, 16:7 | (new — John) Major liturgical asset (Trisagion prayer: “Mângâietorule, Duhul adevărului”); must be taught with fuller semantic range (Advocate/Counselor/Helper), not only “Comforter,” to preserve the legal-advocate sense. |
| 49 | Spirit of Truth | πνεῦμα τῆς ἀληθείας / pneuma tēs alētheias | Duhul adevărului | Medium | The Holy Spirit as Counselor | 14:17, 15:26, 16:13 | (new — John) Second half of the same Trisagion liturgical phrase as #48; strong asset. |
| 50 | It Is Finished | τετέλεσται / tetelestai | S-a sfârșit / S-a împlinit | High | Christ’s Substitutionary Death | 19:30 | (new — John) Perfect tense: completed, permanent redemptive accomplishment, not mere cessation of suffering. |
| 51 | Substitutionary “for” | ὑπέρ / hyper | pentru | High | Christ’s Substitutionary Death | 6:51, 10:11, 10:15, 11:50-52, 15:13, 17:19, 18:14 | (new — John) Romanian “pentru” can be misread as mere benefit rather than vicarious substitution; translator note required per occurrence in death-of-Christ contexts. |
| 52 | Draw | ἕλκω / helkō | a atrage | High | Election / New Birth | 6:44, 12:32 | (new — John) Applies the baseline’s synergism-vs-monergism caution (cf. #17 election) to this specific verb. |
| 53 | Abide / Remain | μένω / menō | a rămâne | High | Christian Union with Christ | 15:4-10 | (new — John) Continuous, intimate, dependent communion; must not flatten to static physical presence. |
| 54 | The Hour | ὥρα / hōra | ceasul | Medium | Christ’s Substitutionary Death | 2:4, 7:30, 8:20, 12:23, 13:1, 17:1 | (new — John) Technical term for the appointed time of the cross/glorification; ordinary Romanian “ceasul” does not automatically signal this without a consistent translator note. |
| 55 | Wrath of God | ὀργὴ τοῦ θεοῦ / orgē tou theou | mânia lui Dumnezeu | High | Judgment and Belief/Unbelief | 3:36 | (new — John) Must preserve the present, abiding sense (“remains on him”); avoid softening into a merely future warning. |
| 56 | Children of God (adoptive) | τέκνα θεοῦ / tekna theou | copii ai lui Dumnezeu | Medium | Adoption (cf. baseline) | 1:12, 11:52 | (new — John, aligned with baseline “adoption”/înfiere doctrine) Distinct from Fiul lui Dumnezeu (#7) and Fiul Omului (#31); believers’ derivative sonship, not eternal generation. |
| 57 | Lamb of God | Ἀμνὸς τοῦ θεοῦ / Amnos tou theou | Mielul lui Dumnezeu | High | Christ’s Substitutionary Death | 1:29, 1:36 | (new — John) Strong liturgical asset (Proskomedia “the Lamb”); connect explicitly to substitutionary atonement rather than leaving as unexamined liturgical furniture. |
| 58 | Living Water | ὕδωρ ζῶν / hydōr zōn | apă vie | High | Eternal Life / Holy Spirit | 4:10-14, 7:38 | (new — John) Metaphor for the Spirit/eternal life; must not be read as literal fresh water alone. |
| 59 | Worship in Spirit and Truth | προσκυνέω ἐν πνεύματι καὶ ἀληθείᾳ | a se închina în duh și în adevăr | High | Holy Spirit / True Worship | 4:23-24 | (new — John) Clarify this does not delegitimize liturgical/sacramental worship; locates worship’s essential nature, not its exclusive form. |
| 60 | Worship (of Christ) | προσκυνέω / proskyneō | a se închina | Medium-High | Deity of Christ | 9:38, 20:28 (implied) | (new — John) Distinguish latria (worship due to God alone, offered here to Christ) from veneration (cinstire) of icons/saints — an available Orthodox category, not a collision. |
| 61 | I Have Overcome the World | νενίκηκα τὸν κόσμον | am biruit lumea | High | Assurance / Judgment | 16:33 | (new — John) Perfect tense: already-accomplished, abiding victory, spoken before the cross; do not soften into a future-only promise. |
| 62 | My Lord and My God | ὁ κύριός μου καὶ ὁ θεός μου | Domnul meu și Dumnezeul meu | Critical | Deity and Pre-existence of Christ | 20:28 | (new — John, combines baseline #6 Domnul and #1 Dumnezeu) Climactic, unqualified worship-confession of Christ’s deity; forms an inclusio with 1:1, 1:18. Mandatory theologian review. |
| 63 | That You May Believe and Have Life | ἵνα πιστεύ[σ]ητε … ζωὴν ἔχητε | ca să credeți … și, crezând, să aveți viață | Critical | Faith / Eternal Life | 20:31 | (new — John) Gospel’s thesis-statement verse; recommend identical fixed rendering across all curriculum documents, paralleling the baseline’s Romans 1:16-17 consistency rule. |
| 64 | Threefold Love Question (agapaō/phileō) | ἀγαπάω / φιλέω | a iubi (single verb; distinction unrepresentable) | Medium-High | Restoration and Mission | 21:15-17 | (new — John) Flag the untranslatable lexical alternation for teaching without over-asserting its doctrinal weight; keep restoration/commissioning as the primary teaching point. |
| 65 | Feed / Shepherd (my sheep) | βόσκω, ποιμαίνω / boskō, poimainō | a hrăni / a păstori | Low-Medium | Church as God’s People (cf. baseline) | 21:15-17 | (new — John) Extends ch. 10’s Good Shepherd (#43) imagery to under-shepherd ministry. |
Risk Tier Summary (John-specific new terms, excluding baseline reuse)
| Risk Tier | Count of new John-specific terms | Review Routing |
|---|---|---|
| Critical | 11 (Logos, Eternal Life, World, Only-Begotten, Born Again/From Above, Spirit/Wind wordplay, I Am absolute, “I Am the Resurrection and the Life,” “I Am the Way/Truth/Life,” Unity of Father and Son, Paraclete, “My Lord and my God,” “That You May Believe…Have Life” — note: several thesis-level items cluster at Critical) | Human theologian |
| High | 20 | Human theologian |
| Medium | 9 | Native speaker review |
| Low-Medium/Low | 3 | Native speaker / automated review |
Note: the Critical count above (11 listed items exceeds the tidy category label due to several thesis-defining statements warranting joint Critical status; see individual glossary rows for exact per-term tier assignment used in Phase 2 routing.)
This glossary must be loaded alongside the baseline translation_memory.json and bible_term_registry.json before any Phase 2 translation of John curriculum material. New terms marked “(new — John)” above must be added to a John-specific extension of translation_memory.json in Phase 1 Step 2, following the same version-increment discipline the baseline’s 12_ai_translation_requirements.md mandates.
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. CRITICAL: Orthodox theology, following Gregory Palamas’ essence-energies distinction, understands har as the uncreated energies of God in which the believer really participates. John 1:14-17’s ‘grace upon grace,’ embodied personally in Christ, will be read through this participatory lens by Orthodox readers; acknowledge, do not contradict, while keeping Christ as the personal source of grace primary.
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. Not a heavily developed lexeme in John itself, but retained for full doctrinal consistency across the curriculum; John’s forensic register (5:22-30, 16:8-10) supplies narrative support for this legal category.
Justification
Approved rendering: îndreptățire
Transliteration: dikaiōsis
Doctrine: Salvation
Rejected alternatives: transformare treptată exclusiv, fără niciun aspect de declarație
Original: δικαίωσις
Category: Salvation
Inherited from Romans package. Retained for full doctrinal consistency; John’s own forensic register (testimony, judgment, ‘already condemned’ at 3:18) supplies strong narrative support for this legal category without using the technical noun.
Salvation
Approved rendering: mântuire
Transliteration: sōtēria / sōzō
Doctrine: Salvation
Original: σωτηρία / σῴζω
Category: Salvation
Inherited from Romans package. CRITICAL: John 3:17, 4:42, 12:47 emphasize salvation received decisively through faith in the Son; must be taught without flatly denying the Orthodox reader’s larger theosis framework, per baseline instruction.
Resurrection
Approved rendering: înviere
Transliteration: anastasis
Doctrine: Resurrection of Christ
Original: ἀνάστασις
Category: Eschatology
Inherited from Romans package. CRITICAL and a doctrinal asset: Învierea is the central feast of Romanian Orthodox liturgical life. John narrates the bodily resurrection largely without repeating the noun itself in ch. 20; supply the same doctrinal precision to the narrated events as to the explicit statements at 5:29 and 11:25.
Lord
Approved rendering: Domnul
Transliteration: kyrios
Doctrine: Lordship of Christ
Original: κύριος
Category: Christology
Inherited from Romans package. CRITICAL: John’s climactic confession ‘ὁ κύριός μου’ (20:28) requires the same exclusive, unqualified force the baseline mandates for Romans 10:9.
Son Of God
Approved rendering: Fiul lui Dumnezeu
Transliteration: huios tou theou
Doctrine: Sonship of Christ
Rejected alternatives: fiu al lui Dumnezeu în sensul generic aplicat oricărui credincios
Original: υἱὸς τοῦ θεοῦ
Category: Christology
Inherited from Romans package. CRITICAL: in John this title must be actively distinguished from two other terms in the same book: ‘Fiul Omului’ (Son of Man) and ‘copii ai lui Dumnezeu’ (believers’ adoptive sonship, 1:12).
Messiah
Approved rendering: Mesia
Transliteration: Christos / Mashiach
Doctrine: Messianic Promise
Original: Χριστός / מָשִׁיחַ
Category: Christology
Inherited from Romans package. CRITICAL: the unique, Old Testament-promised Anointed One fulfilled exclusively in Iisus. John 1:41 and 4:25 explicitly gloss this Hebrew/Aramaic term with its Greek equivalent Χριστός/Hristos — a built-in bilingual teaching moment to preserve.
Jesus
Approved rendering: Iisus
Transliteration: Iēsous / Yeshua
Doctrine: Lordship of Christ
Rejected alternatives: Isus (Protestant/Cornilescu spelling)
Original: Ἰησοῦς
Category: Christology
Inherited from Romans package. CRITICAL spelling note, not doctrinal: standardize on ‘Iisus’ (Orthodox Synodal convention) given Romania’s Orthodox-majority audience, noting ‘Isus’ as the expected Evangelical/Cornilescu-tradition variant, never mixed within one document.
God
Approved rendering: Dumnezeu
Transliteration: theos / Elohim / YHWH
Doctrine: Deity of Christ
Original: θεός
Category: God
Inherited from Romans package. Standard and unambiguous across all Romanian Christian traditions.
Holy Spirit
Approved rendering: Duhul Sfânt
Transliteration: pneuma hagion
Doctrine: Sanctification
Original: πνεῦμα ἅγιον
Category: God
Inherited from Romans package. In John, ‘πνεῦμα’ alone (without ‘ἅγιον’) frequently refers to the same divine Person (e.g., 3:5-8, 14:26); Romanian capitalization convention (Duhul) must be applied consistently in these unaccompanied occurrences to avoid a lower-case, impersonal ‘duh’ reading.
Father
Approved rendering: Tată
Transliteration: patēr
Doctrine: Adoption into God’s Family
Original: πατήρ
Category: God
Inherited from Romans package. God as personal Father, and distinctively in John, the Father’s unique relationship to the Son (10:30, 14:9-11, ch. 17).
Christ
Approved rendering: Hristos
Transliteration: Christos
Doctrine: Messianic Promise
Rejected alternatives: Hristos folosit doar ca nume propriu obișnuit, fără sensul titular de ‘Uns’
Original: Χριστός
Category: Christology
New term (John). Render per established Romanian proper-name convention, distinct from the concept-term ‘Mesia.’ John 1:41 and 4:25 explicitly bridge the two, a built-in bilingual teaching moment. Every occurrence carries Critical doctrinal weight, asserting Jesus’s identity as the promised Anointed One, not one teacher among several.
Logos
Approved rendering: Cuvântul
Transliteration: Logos
Doctrine: The Deity and Pre-existence of Christ
Rejected alternatives: cuvânt (minusculă, mesaj sau vorbire abstractă)
Original: Λόγος
Category: Christology
New term (John). Standard, liturgically familiar Romanian rendering (1:1-3, 1:14), a strong asset. Must be consistently capitalized and taught as a personal, eternal, divine Agent, never reduced to the ordinary lower-case noun for ‘a word/message.‘
Eternal Life
Approved rendering: viață eternă (variantă sinodală: viața de veci)
Transliteration: zōē aiōnios
Doctrine: Eternal Life through Faith in Christ
Rejected alternatives: viață fără de sfârșit, în sens pur temporal/durativ
Original: ζωὴ αἰώνιος
Category: Eschatology
New term (John). This Language Package adopts ‘viață eternă’ as the primary curriculum-wide rendering (Cornilescu/Evangelical tradition), noting ‘viața de veci’ as the Orthodox Synodal-register variant, per the same dual-register handling as Iisus/Isus. John 17:3’s own definition (‘this is eternal life: that they know you’) must anchor every occurrence to prevent a purely durational misreading.
World
Approved rendering: lume
Transliteration: kosmos
Doctrine: God’s Love for the World
Rejected alternatives: un singur sens aplicat uniform la toate cele 78 de ocurențe
Original: κόσμος
Category: Cosmology
New term (John). Genuinely dual-sensed: (1) the created order and all humanity as the object of God’s redeeming love (3:16, 4:42); (2) the organized system in active hostility to Christ (1:10, 15:18-19, 17:14). Romanian ‘lume’ independently carries this same duality; every occurrence must be flagged for the active sense to avoid narrowing God’s love or muting the hostility theme.
Only Begotten
Approved rendering: Unul-Născut
Transliteration: monogenēs
Doctrine: The Deity and Pre-existence of Christ
Rejected alternatives: singurul fiu, în sensul de unicitate numerică fără generare eternă, aplicat metaforic la credincioși
Original: μονογενής
Category: Christology
New term (John). The precise term in the Romanian Nicene-Constantinopolitan Creed recited at every Divine Liturgy — a major liturgical/cultural asset. Unique, unshared, eternal Sonship (1:14, 1:18, 3:16, 3:18), used of Christ alone, never of believers.
Born Again
Approved rendering: a se naște din nou / de sus
Transliteration: gennēthēnai anōthen
Doctrine: The New Birth and Regeneration by the Spirit
Rejected alternatives: doar ‘a se naște din nou’, fără nota despre sensul ‘de sus’, opoziție directă la botezul sacramental, ca alternative concurente
Original: γεννηθῆναι ἄνωθεν
Category: New Birth
New term (John). Genuinely double-sensed (ἄνωθεν = ‘again’ and ‘from above’ simultaneously); Romanian cannot hold both in one phrase. Established rendering ‘născut din nou’ under-conveys ‘from above’ (vv. 5-8, 31). Mandatory translator note required at every occurrence (3:3, 3:5, 3:7), plus a second note addressing the baptismal-regeneration association Orthodox readers will supply, teaching complementarity, not opposition.
Spirit Wind Wordplay
Approved rendering: duh / vânt
Transliteration: pneuma
Doctrine: The New Birth and Regeneration by the Spirit
Rejected alternatives: reproducere lexicală a jocului de cuvinte grecesc (imposibilă în română)
Original: πνεῦμα
Category: Holy Spirit
New term (John). Structurally untranslatable pun at 3:8: one Greek/Hebrew lexeme covers both ‘wind’ and ‘Spirit’; Romanian has two unrelated words. A mandatory explanatory translator note is required, since no lexical fix is possible.
Equal To God
Approved rendering: egal cu Dumnezeu
Transliteration: isos tō theō
Doctrine: The Deity and Pre-existence of Christ
Rejected alternatives: simplă neînțelegere a autorităților religioase, nu o afirmație reală
Original: ἴσος τῷ θεῷ
Category: Christology
New term (John). John 5:18: the religious authorities’ correct (though hostile) perception that Jesus’s claim to call God his own Father amounts to a deity claim. Must be preserved as an accurate charge the narrative implicitly affirms, not softened into a misunderstanding.
I Am Absolute
Approved rendering: Eu sunt
Transliteration: egō eimi
Doctrine: The Seven ‘I Am’ Statements
Rejected alternatives: formulă banală de auto-identificare, fără ecoul Numelui divin
Original: ἐγώ εἰμι
Category: I Am Statements
New term (John). Echoes the LXX divine self-identification (Exodus 3:14, Isaiah 43:10, 13); occurs at 8:24, 8:28, 8:58, 13:19, 18:5-6, 18:8. Ordinary Romanian ‘Eu sunt’ does not self-signal this without a standing translator note connecting it to the Orthodox liturgical/catechetical ‘Eu sunt Cel-Ce-Sunt’ divine-name tradition. Mandatory theologian review at every occurrence.
I Am Resurrection And Life
Approved rendering: Eu sunt învierea și viața
Transliteration: egō eimi hē anastasis kai hē zōē
Doctrine: The Seven ‘I Am’ Statements
Original: ἐγώ εἰμι ἡ ἀνάστασις καὶ ἡ ζωή
Category: I Am Statements
New term (John). 11:25. Direct overlap with the Critical resurrection doctrine; requires theologian review given its role anticipating both Christ’s own resurrection (ch. 20) and the general resurrection (5:29).
I Am Way Truth Life
Approved rendering: Eu sunt calea, adevărul și viața
Transliteration: egō eimi hē hodos kai hē alētheia kai hē zōē
Doctrine: The Seven ‘I Am’ Statements
Rejected alternatives: variantă atenuată a exclusivității (‘o cale’, ‘un adevăr printre altele’)
Original: ἐγώ εἰμι ἡ ὁδὸς καὶ ἡ ἀλήθεια καὶ ἡ ζωή
Category: I Am Statements
New term (John). 14:6. The strongest exclusivity claim in the Gospel (‘no one comes to the Father except through me’) must not be softened.
Unity Father Son
Approved rendering: Eu și Tatăl una suntem
Transliteration: egō kai ho patēr hen esmen
Doctrine: Unity of the Father and the Son
Rejected alternatives: ‘una suntem’ interpretat ca identitate de persoană (modalism), unitate doar de voință/scop, fără unitate de ființă
Original: ἐγὼ καὶ ὁ πατὴρ ἕν ἐσμεν
Category: Christology
New term (John). 10:30, 14:10-11, 17:11, 17:21-23. Grounded liturgically in the Creed’s ‘una ființă cu Tatăl’ (homoousios), a strong ready-made asset; must preserve real personal distinction (the two-Person construction ‘Eu ȘI Tatăl’) against a modalist misreading. Mandatory theologian review at every occurrence, including the ecclesial extension.
Paraclete
Approved rendering: Mângâietorul
Transliteration: paraklētos
Doctrine: The Holy Spirit as Counselor
Rejected alternatives: Paraclet (împrumut savant, neuzitat de cititorul obișnuit)
Original: παράκλητος
Category: Holy Spirit
New term (John). 14:16, 26; 15:26; 16:7. Drawn directly from the most universally recited Orthodox prayer (Trisagion-cycle invocation), a major asset, but this familiar rendering foregrounds only the comfort sense of παράκλητος, under-conveying its legal-advocate sense (cf. 1 John 2:1). Requires a teaching note presenting the fuller Counselor/Advocate/Helper/Comforter range at every occurrence.
Lord And God Confession
Approved rendering: Domnul meu și Dumnezeul meu
Transliteration: ho kyrios mou kai ho theos mou
Doctrine: The Deity and Pre-existence of Christ
Original: ὁ κύριός μου καὶ ὁ θεός μου
Category: Christology
New term (John), combining the baseline’s ‘Domnul’ and ‘Dumnezeu.’ 20:28. Thomas’s confession, the Gospel’s climactic, unqualified worship-confession of Christ’s deity, forming an inclusio with 1:1 and 1:18. Mandatory theologian review.
Thesis Believe Have Life
Approved rendering: ca să credeți … și, crezând, să aveți viață
Transliteration: hina pisteusēte … zōēn echēte
Doctrine: Eternal Life through Faith in Christ
Original: ἵνα πιστεύ[σ]ητε … ζωὴν ἔχητε
Category: Faith
New term (John). 20:31, the Gospel’s own stated purpose for writing. Recommend an identical, fixed rendering across every curriculum document, paralleling the baseline’s Romans 1:16-17 consistency discipline.
Atoning Sacrifice
Approved rendering: jertfă ispășitoare (pentru păcat)
Transliteration: (constructed doctrinal label; cf. ἱλασμός/ἱλαστήριον concept, not a single Johannine lexeme)
Doctrine: Christ’s Substitutionary Death and Resurrection
Rejected alternatives: împăcare doar în sens relațional, fără componenta jertfei de ispășire, jertfă doar comemorativă, fără forță substitutivă reală
New constructed term (John). John narrates substitutionary atonement through ‘Lamb of God,’ ὑπέρ, and ‘lay down his life’ rather than a single technical noun; Romanian likewise lacks a ready-made compact noun for this doctrine. This compound phrase is constructed for use in surrounding doctrinal-summary/teaching text — not as a translation of any single verse — explicitly modeled on the baseline’s precedent of constructing ‘dreptate imputată’ for a concept without a native equivalent.
High Risk Terms
Gospel
Approved rendering: evanghelie
Transliteration: euangelion
Doctrine: Gospel
Original: εὐαγγέλιον (concept; the noun does not occur in John’s Gospel itself)
Category: Salvation
Inherited from Romans package. Standard term shared by Orthodox, Catholic (minority), and Protestant Romanian Bibles alike. No rival word, but must be taught as the specific proclamation of salvation through Christ crucified and risen. Retained for John-curriculum consistency though the noun εὐαγγέλιον does not occur in John’s Gospel itself; John’s own vocabulary for this reality centers on μαρτυρία (testimony) and πιστεύω (believing).
Faith
Approved rendering: credință
Transliteration: pistis
Doctrine: Faith
Rejected alternatives: evlavie religioasă generală
Original: πίστις
Category: Faith
Inherited from Romans package. Personal trust in Christ specifically. John uses the cognate verb πιστεύω (98x) far more than this noun; see new term ‘believe’ below.
Sanctification
Approved rendering: sfințire
Transliteration: hagiasmos / hagiazō
Doctrine: Sanctification
Original: ἁγιάζω
Category: Sanctification
Inherited from Romans package. John distinctively applies the verb ἁγιάζω both to believers (17:17, ongoing moral transformation) and to Christ’s own self-consecration for his sacrificial mission (10:36, 17:19); when applied to the sinless Son, this denotes consecration-for-mission, not moral purification, versus the transformative sense applied to believers.
Incarnation
Approved rendering: întrupare
Transliteration: ho logos sarx egeneto
Doctrine: Incarnation
Original: ὁ λόγος σὰρξ ἐγένετο
Category: Christology
Inherited from Romans package. This is the source text (John 1:14) the baseline’s doctrine label names. Orthodox theosis-framing (following Athanasius) is a strong natural association; John’s own emphasis on the Word’s personal, permanent ‘tenting’ among humanity (ἐσκήνωσεν, echoing the Tabernacle) must remain primary teaching content.
Law
Approved rendering: lege
Transliteration: nomos
Doctrine: Fulfillment of Prophecy
Original: νόμος
Category: Covenant
Inherited from Romans package. The Mosaic law/Torah. Occurs at John 1:17, 1:45, 7:19-23; contrasted with the grace and truth that come through Christ (1:17).
Election
Approved rendering: alegere
Transliteration: eklogē
Doctrine: Effectual Calling
Rejected alternatives: predestinare dublă în sens calvinist strict
Original: ἐκλογή
Category: Salvation
Inherited from Romans package. Engaged in John primarily through the cognate verb ἕλκω (‘draw’), see new term ‘draw’ below (6:44, 6:65, 12:32).
Believe
Approved rendering: a crede
Transliteration: pisteuō
Doctrine: Faith
Rejected alternatives: a crede ca simplu asentiment intelectual, fără obiect personal
Original: πιστεύω
Category: Faith
New term (John), verb form of ‘faith.’ John’s central verb (98 occurrences). Romanian ‘a crede’ permits a bare propositional object (‘a crede că…’) without a personal referent; the object of belief (Christ), via ‘a crede în El,’ must remain recoverable from context at every occurrence.
Draw
Approved rendering: a atrage
Transliteration: helkō
Doctrine: Election / Effectual Calling
Rejected alternatives: monergism calvinist strict, liber-arbitru neasistat, fără nicio inițiativă divină
Original: ἕλκω
Category: Salvation
New term (John). Applies the baseline’s ‘election’ (alegere) synergism-vs-monergism caution to John 6:44, 6:65, 12:32; must preserve the sovereign divine initiative the verb asserts without imposing strict Calvinist monergism or dissolving it into unassisted human free will.
Life
Approved rendering: viață
Transliteration: zōē
Doctrine: Eternal Life through Faith in Christ
Rejected alternatives: viață biologică simplă, fără sens calitativ
Original: ζωή
Category: Eschatology
New term (John). Foundational for ‘eternal life’ below. Must retain the qualitative, God’s-own-life sense (1:4, 5:26, 10:10, 11:25, 14:6), not merely biological existence.
Light
Approved rendering: lumină
Transliteration: phōs
Doctrine: Judgment and Belief/Unbelief
Rejected alternatives: lumină fizică literală, putere cosmică într-un dualism de tip gnostic/maniheist
Original: φῶς
Category: Judgment
New term (John). Moral-spiritual revelation, truth, and goodness embodied in Christ (1:4-9, 3:19-21, 8:12, 9:5, 12:35-36); must not be taught as physical illumination or a struggle between two roughly equal cosmic forces.
Darkness
Approved rendering: întuneric
Transliteration: skotos / skotia
Doctrine: Judgment and Belief/Unbelief
Rejected alternatives: simplă absență de informație sau lumină fizică
Original: σκότος / σκοτία
Category: Judgment
New term (John). Willful rejection of revealed truth and the moral corruption it conceals (1:5, 3:19, 12:35, 12:46), not mere absence of information; caution against Romanian folk-cultural quasi-supernatural overtones (‘puterile întunericului’) overshadowing the ethical-relational sense.
Testimony
Approved rendering: mărturie / a mărturisi
Transliteration: martyria / martyreō
Doctrine: Testimony and Witness to Christ’s Identity
Rejected alternatives: mărturisire în sensul sacramental al Tainei Mărturisirii/Spovedaniei
Original: μαρτυρία / μαρτυρέω
Category: Judgment
New term (John). John’s central forensic epistemological category (1:7-8, 1:19-34, 3:11, 5:31-39, 21:24). Every occurrence must clarify this is legal/eyewitness testimony-language, distinct from the Sacrament of Confession and creedal ‘mărturisirea de credință.‘
Truth
Approved rendering: adevăr
Transliteration: alētheia
Doctrine: The Holy Spirit as Counselor
Rejected alternatives: acuratețe factuală simplă, fără sensul existențial/relațional
Original: ἀλήθεια
Category: Holy Spirit
New term (John). Not merely factual accuracy but a whole way of living in conformity with God’s revealed reality; central to Christ’s self-identification (14:6) and the Spirit’s title (14:17). The Hebraic idiom ‘doing the truth’ (3:21) requires a translator note.
Son Of Man
Approved rendering: Fiul Omului
Transliteration: huios tou anthrōpou
Doctrine: The Deity and Pre-existence of Christ
Rejected alternatives: interschimbabil cu ‘Fiul lui Dumnezeu’
Original: υἱὸς τοῦ ἀνθρώπου
Category: Christology
New term (John). A distinct Christological title (Daniel 7:13-14 heavenly authority plus genuine humanity), used 13x always self-referentially. Must be taught as distinct from, not interchangeable with, Fiul lui Dumnezeu; together the two express one Deity-and-humanity Christology.
Lifted Up
Approved rendering: a fi înălțat
Transliteration: hypsōthēnai
Doctrine: Christ’s Substitutionary Death and Resurrection
Rejected alternatives: S-a înălțat, identic cu termenul liturgic pentru Înălțarea Domnului
Original: ὑψωθῆναι
Category: Atonement
New term (John). Deliberately double-sensed: physical crucifixion and exaltation/glorification simultaneously (3:14, 8:28, 12:32-34). Collides lexically with the liturgical feast Înălțarea Domnului (Ascension, 40 days after Pascha); mandatory translator note at every occurrence disambiguating the two.
Flesh
Approved rendering: trup
Transliteration: sarx
Doctrine: The New Birth and Regeneration by the Spirit
Rejected alternatives: trup ca sinonim complet interschimbabil cu σῶμα, fără nicio distincție
Original: σάρξ
Category: New Birth
New term (John). Romanian ‘trup’ collapses σάρξ (the unregenerate natural sphere, 3:6) and σῶμα (a morally neutral physical body, 1:14). A translator note is required distinguishing the theological sense per occurrence.
Judgment
Approved rendering: judecată / a judeca
Transliteration: krisis / krinō
Doctrine: Judgment and Belief/Unbelief
Rejected alternatives: condamnare exclusiv viitoare, fără sensul de ‘deja împlinit’
Original: κρίσις / κρίνω
Category: Judgment
New term (John). The present/perfect tense contrast at 3:18 (‘nu este judecat’ vs. ‘este deja judecat/osândit’) must be preserved with explicit temporal markers (‘deja,’ ‘de pe acum’), not flattened into a single future-oriented rendering.
I Am Bread Of Life
Approved rendering: Eu sunt pâinea vieții
Transliteration: egō eimi ho artos tēs zōēs
Doctrine: The Seven ‘I Am’ Statements
Original: ἐγώ εἰμι ὁ ἄρτος τῆς ζωῆς
Category: I Am Statements
New term (John). 6:35, 48, 51. Strong Eucharistic resonance is a genuine asset given Orthodox sacramental theology, but must not eclipse the discourse’s own repeated ‘believing’ emphasis (6:35, 40, 47).
I Am Light Of World
Approved rendering: Eu sunt lumina lumii
Transliteration: egō eimi to phōs tou kosmou
Doctrine: The Seven ‘I Am’ Statements
Original: ἐγώ εἰμι τὸ φῶς τοῦ κόσμου
Category: I Am Statements
New term (John). 8:12, 9:5. Combines the ‘light’ and ‘world’ dual-sense risk notes; both cautions apply jointly.
It Is Finished
Approved rendering: S-a sfârșit / S-a împlinit
Transliteration: tetelestai
Doctrine: Christ’s Substitutionary Death and Resurrection
Rejected alternatives: s-a terminat chinul (doar încetarea suferinței)
Original: τετέλεσται
Category: Atonement
New term (John). 19:30. Perfect tense: completed, permanent redemptive accomplishment, not merely the cessation of suffering. Parallels the baseline’s careful treatment of justification as a decisive, not merely gradual, reality.
Substitutionary For
Approved rendering: pentru
Transliteration: hyper
Doctrine: Christ’s Substitutionary Death and Resurrection
Rejected alternatives: pentru = doar ‘în beneficiul cuiva’, fără sensul vicariar
Original: ὑπέρ
Category: Atonement
New term (John). 6:51, 10:11, 15, 11:50-52, 15:13, 17:19, 18:14. Ordinary Romanian ‘pentru’ defaults to a benefit sense; every occurrence in a death-of-Christ context requires a translator note clarifying the vicarious, in-place-of force, paralleling the baseline’s constructed treatment of ‘dreptate imputată.‘
Abide
Approved rendering: a rămâne
Transliteration: menō
Doctrine: Christ’s Substitutionary Death and Resurrection
Rejected alternatives: a rămâne ca simplă prezență fizică statică sau asociere ocazională
Original: μένω
Category: Christology
New term (John). 15:4-10. Continuous, intimate, dependent union with Christ; fruitfulness apart from it is impossible by definition, not merely difficult.
Wrath Of God
Approved rendering: mânia lui Dumnezeu
Transliteration: orgē tou theou
Doctrine: Judgment and Belief/Unbelief
Rejected alternatives: avertisment exclusiv viitor, fără starea prezentă de ‘rămânere’
Original: ὀργὴ τοῦ θεοῦ
Category: Judgment
New term (John). 3:36. Must preserve the present, ongoing sense of ‘μένει’ (‘remains on him’); Orthodox catechetical culture’s emphasis on mercy over wrath risks unintentional softening of this doctrine’s judicial force.
Lamb Of God
Approved rendering: Mielul lui Dumnezeu
Transliteration: Amnos tou theou
Doctrine: Christ’s Substitutionary Death and Resurrection
Original: Ἀμνὸς τοῦ θεοῦ
Category: Atonement
New term (John). 1:29, 36. Embedded in Orthodox liturgical practice (the Proskomedia’s prosphora is called ‘the Lamb’), a genuine cultural asset; connect explicitly to the once-for-all substitutionary atonement 1:29 asserts, not left as unexamined liturgical furniture.
Living Water
Approved rendering: apă vie
Transliteration: hydōr zōn
Doctrine: The Holy Spirit as Counselor
Rejected alternatives: apă curgătoare literală, fără sensul metaforic
Original: ὕδωρ ζῶν
Category: Holy Spirit
New term (John). 4:10-14, explicitly identified with the Spirit at 7:38-39. A live metaphor for the gift of the Spirit/eternal life; connects directly to 3:5’s ‘water and Spirit.‘
Worship Spirit Truth
Approved rendering: a se închina în duh și în adevăr
Transliteration: proskyneō en pneumati kai alētheia
Doctrine: The Holy Spirit as Counselor
Rejected alternatives: negarea legitimității închinării liturgice/sacramentale
Original: προσκυνέω ἐν πνεύματι καὶ ἀληθείᾳ
Category: Holy Spirit
New term (John). 4:23-24. Requires a clarifying note that this does not delegitimize liturgical/sacramental worship but locates authentic worship’s essential nature in Spirit-given truth rather than geographic/ritual location alone.
Worship Of Christ
Approved rendering: a se închina
Transliteration: proskyneō
Doctrine: The Deity and Pre-existence of Christ
Rejected alternatives: cinstire (venerația icoanelor/sfinților) aplicată ca substitut al închinării depline
Original: προσκυνέω
Category: Christology
New term (John). 9:38, 20:28. Should be explicitly distinguished from cinstire (veneration) given to icons and saints: this is worship (latria, due to God alone) offered to Christ as God — an available Orthodox category, an asset rather than a collision.
Overcome The World
Approved rendering: am biruit lumea
Transliteration: nenikēka ton kosmon
Doctrine: Judgment and Belief/Unbelief
Rejected alternatives: voi birui lumea (viitor, pierde forța de ‘deja înfăptuit’)
Original: νενίκηκα τὸν κόσμον
Category: Judgment
New term (John). 16:33. Perfect tense: an already-accomplished, abiding victory spoken before the cross; must not be softened into a future-only promise.
Medium Risk Terms
Adoption
Approved rendering: înfiere
Transliteration: huiothesia
Doctrine: Adoption into God’s Family
Inherited from Romans package. Full son-status with complete inheritance rights. In John this doctrinal category is expressed through τέκνα θεοῦ (‘children of God,’ 1:12-13, 11:52) rather than the noun υἱοθεσία itself; see new term ‘children_of_god’ below.
Peace
Approved rendering: pace
Transliteration: eirēnē
Doctrine: Peace with God
Original: εἰρήνη
Category: Salvation
Inherited from Romans package. Relational peace with God through justification, not merely inner calm. John 14:27’s qualifier ‘not as the world gives’ and the risen Christ’s repeated ‘Pace vouă’ (20:19,21,26) should be taught as a single thread.
Church
Approved rendering: Biserică
Transliteration: ekklēsia
Doctrine: Church as God’s People
Rejected alternatives: Biserica ca singura instituție vizibilă legitimă, în sens exclusivist
Original: ἐκκλησία (concept; the noun does not occur in John’s Gospel)
Category: Church
Inherited from Romans package. The noun ἐκκλησία does not occur in John’s Gospel; retained for curriculum-wide vocabulary consistency, since the underlying reality (the gathered community of ‘one flock,’ 10:16; ‘those who will believe,’ 17:20) is present without the term.
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. In John, entered only through the new birth (3:3, 3:5) and explicitly distinguished from any political-territorial kingdom (18:36) — an important corrective given Orthodoxy’s historic entanglement with Romanian national identity (‘neam’).
Sin
Approved rendering: păcat
Transliteration: hamartia
Doctrine: Universal Human Accountability
Original: ἁμαρτία
Category: Sin
Inherited from Romans package. Moral transgression before a personal, holy God. Occurs at John 1:29 (the Lamb who takes away the sin of the world), 8:34, 9:2-3, 16:8-9.
Glory
Approved rendering: slavă
Transliteration: doxa
Doctrine: Deity of Christ
Original: δόξα
Category: God
Inherited from Romans package. Constant use in Orthodox doxological formulas is a cultural asset. Ensure learners connect it to John’s specific pattern of glory displayed through apparent tragedy (11:4, 12:23-28), not only to generalized liturgical praise language.
Providence
Approved rendering: pronia lui Dumnezeu
Transliteration: pronoia
Doctrine: Providence
Rejected alternatives: soartă, destin
Original: πρόνοια (concept; cf. the Hour’s sovereign unfolding, 13:1-3, 27)
Category: God
Inherited from Romans package. Applied in John to the coexistence of Judas’s real moral culpability (παραδίδωμι, ‘hand over/betray’) and the sovereign unfolding of ‘the Hour’ (13:1-3, 13:27) — a tension held together without resolving away either human responsibility or divine purpose.
Mission
Approved rendering: misiune
Transliteration: apostolē / pempō
Doctrine: Mission to the Nations
Inherited from Romans package. Re-anchored to John’s sending-Christology (3:17, 17:18, 20:21, ‘as the Father has sent me, so I am sending you’). In a culture where Orthodox identity is closely tied to national identity, frame as proclamation and witness continuing Christ’s own pattern rather than confrontational Evangelical-style ‘evanghelizare.‘
Israel
Approved rendering: Israel
Transliteration: Yisra’el
Doctrine: Unity of Jews and Gentiles
Original: Ἰσραήλ
Category: Covenant
Inherited from Romans package. Addressed directly through Nathanael’s confession (1:49) and Nicodemus’s title ‘the teacher of Israel’ (3:10).
Abba
Approved rendering: Avva
Transliteration: Abba
Doctrine: Adoption into God’s Family
Original: אַבָּא (not occurring lexically in John, but the Father-intimacy it names is present throughout chs. 14, 17)
Category: God
Inherited from Romans package. Retained for cross-curriculum consistency though the transliteration itself does not occur lexically in John; the Father-intimacy doctrine it names is amply present in chs. 14, 17.
Sign
Approved rendering: semn
Transliteration: sēmeion
Doctrine: Deity of Christ
Rejected alternatives: miracol (pierde sensul evidențial de ‘a arăta spre’)
Original: σημεῖον
Category: Christology
New term (John). An evidentiary, identity-revealing miracle structuring the ‘Book of Signs’ (chs. 1-12), distinct from a generic wonder. Occurs at 2:11, 2:23, 4:54, 6:14, 6:26, 9:16, 12:37, 20:30.
I Am Door
Approved rendering: Eu sunt poarta / ușa
Transliteration: egō eimi hē thyra
Doctrine: The Seven ‘I Am’ Statements
New term (John). 10:7, 9. The exclusivity of access to the sheepfold/salvation must be retained.
I Am Good Shepherd
Approved rendering: Eu sunt păstorul cel bun
Transliteration: egō eimi ho poimēn ho kalos
Doctrine: The Seven ‘I Am’ Statements
Original: ἐγώ εἰμι ὁ ποιμὴν ὁ καλός
Category: I Am Statements
New term (John). 10:11, 14. A well-established icon and hymnody image in Romanian Orthodox devotional life (a genuine asset); the substitutionary ‘for the sheep’ (ὑπέρ) clause must not be lost beneath purely pastoral-care imagery.
I Am True Vine
Approved rendering: Eu sunt vița cea adevărată
Transliteration: egō eimi hē ampelos hē alēthinē
Doctrine: The Seven ‘I Am’ Statements
New term (John). 15:1, 5. Draws on Old Testament vine imagery (Isaiah 5, Psalm 80) fulfilled in Christ; a background note is recommended.
Spirit Of Truth
Approved rendering: Duhul adevărului
Transliteration: pneuma tēs alētheias
Doctrine: The Holy Spirit as Counselor
Original: πνεῦμα τῆς ἀληθείας
Category: Holy Spirit
New term (John). 14:17, 15:26, 16:13. Second half of the same Trisagion-cycle liturgical phrase as ‘Paraclete’; a strong, ready-made cultural/liturgical asset.
The Hour
Approved rendering: ceasul
Transliteration: hōra
Doctrine: Christ’s Substitutionary Death and Resurrection
Rejected alternatives: ceasul ca referință temporală obișnuită, nemarcată
Original: ὥρα
Category: Atonement
New term (John). 2:4, 7:30, 8:20, 12:23, 13:1, 17:1. A technical Johannine term for the appointed time of the cross/glorification; ordinary Romanian ‘ceasul’ does not automatically carry this weight without a consistent translator note across occurrences.
Children Of God
Approved rendering: copii ai lui Dumnezeu
Transliteration: tekna theou
Doctrine: Adoption into God’s Family
Rejected alternatives: identic cu ‘Fiul lui Dumnezeu’
Original: τέκνα θεοῦ
Category: Salvation
New term (John), aligned with the baseline’s adoption (înfiere) doctrine category. 1:12-13, 11:52. Believers’ derivative sonship by grace through receiving Christ, distinct from Christ’s unique eternal generation (Unul-Născut) and from Fiul Omului.
Threefold Love Question
Approved rendering: a iubi
Transliteration: agapaō / phileō
Doctrine: Eternal Life through Faith in Christ
Rejected alternatives: distincție lexicală artificială între cele două verbe, fără suport lexical real în română
Original: ἀγαπάω / φιλέω
Category: Faith
New term (John). 21:15-17. Romanian, like most languages, has no natural way to preserve the ἀγαπάω/φιλέω alternation with two distinct common verbs. Flag the alternation’s existence for teaching without over-asserting doctrinal weight; keep Peter’s restoration/commissioning as the primary teaching point.
Feed Shepherd
Approved rendering: a hrăni / a păstori
Transliteration: boskō / poimainō
Doctrine: Christ’s Substitutionary Death and Resurrection
Original: βόσκω / ποιμαίνω
Category: Church
New term (John). 21:15-17. Extends ch. 10’s Good Shepherd imagery to Peter’s own pastoral commission — under-shepherding on behalf of the Chief Shepherd.
Temple Of His Body
Approved rendering: templul trupului Său
Transliteration: naos
Doctrine: Christ’s Substitutionary Death and Resurrection
Rejected alternatives: templu generic, fără identificarea metaforică cu trupul lui Hristos
New term (John). 2:19-21. Romanian ‘templu’ does not distinguish ναός (inner sanctuary) from ἱερόν (whole temple complex); the metaphor must be taught explicitly as identifying Jesus’s own body with the sanctuary, foreshadowing his resurrection.
Low Risk Terms
Thanksgiving
Approved rendering: mulțumire
Transliteration: eucharistia
Doctrine: Thanksgiving
Inherited from Romans package. Standard term. No significant risk. Occurs at John 6:11, 6:23, 11:41, 17:1.
Prophet
Approved rendering: proroc
Transliteration: prophētēs
Doctrine: Inspiration of Scripture
Inherited from Romans package. God’s spokesperson. John raises ‘the Prophet’ as a distinct messianic-expectation title (1:21, 6:14, 7:40); teach as related to but distinct from the full Messiah/Christ identification.
Prophecy
Approved rendering: prorocie
Transliteration: prophēteia
Doctrine: Fulfillment of Prophecy
Inherited from Romans package. God-inspired declaration. John draws on Old Testament typological fulfillment throughout (e.g., 12:38-41 citing Isaiah; 19:36-37 citing Exodus/Zechariah).
David
Approved rendering: David
Transliteration: Dawid
Doctrine: Davidic Covenant
Original: Δαυίδ
Category: Covenant
Inherited from Romans package. Standard proper name.
Rabbi
Approved rendering: Rabbi (glosat: ‘Învățătorule’)
Transliteration: Rabbi
Doctrine: Testimony and Witness to Christ’s Identity
New term (John). 1:38, 20:16. John explicitly transliterates and glosses this term himself; the Romanian rendering should mirror this built-in bilingual teaching moment.
Cephas
Approved rendering: Chifa (glosat: ‘Petru’ / ‘piatră’)
Transliteration: Kēphas
Doctrine: Church as God’s People
New term (John). 1:42. John explicitly glosses the name’s meaning; preserve both the transliteration and the gloss.
Golgotha
Approved rendering: Golgota (glosat: ‘Locul Căpățânii’)
Transliteration: Golgotha
Doctrine: Christ’s Substitutionary Death and Resurrection
New term (John). 19:17. Standard Synodal Bible convention; John supplies the gloss himself.
Siloam
Approved rendering: Siloam (glosat: ‘Trimis’)
Transliteration: Siloam
Doctrine: Deity of Christ
New term (John). 9:7. John explicitly glosses the name’s meaning (‘which means Sent’); preserve both.
Hosanna
Approved rendering: Osana
Transliteration: Hōsanna
Doctrine: The Deity and Pre-existence of Christ
New term (John). 12:13. Established liturgical loanword used untranslated in every Romanian Bible tradition.
Referenced passages