Semantic Analysis — 3 John (English → Russian)

Source language: English (working from Koine Greek original) Destination language: Russian Curriculum: 3 John Core passage: 3 John 1:1–14 (the entire book)

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Scope Note

3 John is a single-chapter letter of fourteen verses. Per the PRD Phase 1 mandate for full-book coverage, this analysis treats the entire book as the core passage: every verse receives verse-by-verse treatment below. There is no second chapter to analyze separately. The mandatory “chapter-by-chapter study of the whole book” section (§3) therefore consists of a single explicit statement that Chapter 1 IS the core passage and has been fully covered, with no theological vocabulary remaining unreviewed.

This document builds on the baseline Romans Language Package (translation_memory.json, bible_term_registry.json, doctrine_risk_registry.json) as the governing authority for Russian. Where a term below already has an established Russian rendering in that baseline (e.g. церковь for church, мир for peace, язычники for gentiles), that rendering is reused exactly and is marked “REUSED FROM BASELINE.” New terms specific to 3 John are assigned fresh risk tiers using the same Critical/High/Medium/Low framework and the same East-West (Orthodox synergism/theosis vs. Reformation categories) plus post-Soviet secularization risk axis established in the baseline.

A second risk axis specific to this letter emerges clearly in this analysis and should be tracked alongside the baseline’s axis: collision with Russian Orthodox authority and eldership culture (старчество), since 3 John is fundamentally a letter about competing claims to spiritual authority (the Elder vs. Diotrephes) and about the proper, humble exercise of church leadership.

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1. Core Passage Verse-by-Verse Analysis (3 John 1:1–14)

Verse 1

“The elder to the beloved Gaius, whom I love in truth.” Doctrine tags: Truth and Christian Fellowship

Terms	Variants	Theological meaning in context	Russian rendering & risk
elder πρεσβύτερος presbyteros ”older man”; one advanced in age	(1) elder in age; (2) a recognized office-holder in the early church (cf. Acts 14:23, 1 Tim 5:17); (3) self-designation of authorship used identically in 2 John 1 elder, presbyter, the Elder	The author identifies himself by a title of recognized apostolic-era pastoral authority, not merely advanced age — this authority is precisely what Diotrephes refuses to acknowledge (v. 9). The letter’s whole conflict presupposes this term’s weight.	Старец — established Synodal rendering (2 John 1:1, 3 John 1:1 both use Старец). CRITICAL RISK. In contemporary Russian religious culture, старец denotes a revered, often monastic, charismatic spiritual father credited with unusual holiness, discernment, and even prophetic gifts (the historical Optina elders; the fictional Elder Zosima in Dostoevsky’s The Brothers Karamazov; the modern, sometimes controversial phenomenon of “младостарчество,” in which younger clergy improperly claim elder-like spiritual authority — a live, named controversy within the Russian Orthodox Church itself, addressed in official synodal statements). Russian readers will very likely hear “Старец” through this cultural filter, elevating John into a venerated mystic-authority figure rather than reading him as a pastoral overseer writing a personal letter about a concrete, resolvable church-discipline dispute. Teaching material MUST state explicitly that “Старец” here designates recognized pastoral/apostolic authority, not the монашеский institution of старчество, to prevent the term from silently importing that entire devotional framework.
beloved ἀγαπητός agapētos dearly loved, dear one	term of affectionate address among believers, used 4x in this short letter (vv. 1, 2, 5, 11) beloved, dear friend, dear one	Marks a relationship of Christian familial affection, distinct from formal address; frames the entire letter’s warmth even amid conflict with Diotrephes.	возлюбленный — standard, well-established term. MEDIUM RISK. Registerially safe and doctrinally clear, but in casual modern Russian “любовь”-family words default to romantic love; the term needs to retain its familial/fraternal-agape sense across all four occurrences, consistent with how the term functions as a structural refrain marking new sections of the letter (vv. 2, 5, 11).
truth ἀλήθεια alētheia that which is real, not hidden or false	(1) intellectual truth/fact; (2) the content of the gospel; (3) a sphere or manner of life (“walking in truth”); (4) personified reality that itself testifies (v. 12) truth, truly, in truth, in the truth	Not primarily abstract propositional truth but the gospel reality that governs and characterizes a life; the letter’s central refrain (vv. 1, 3, 4, 8, 12) ties truth to relationship, fellowship, and lived integrity, not mere correct doctrine.	истина — established Synodal rendering. HIGH RISK. истина carries heavy connotations in Russian religious-philosophical tradition (e.g., Pavel Florensky’s Столп и утверждение Истины, “The Pillar and Ground of the Truth”) as a weighty, almost mystical, unified metaphysical Truth — risking a drift toward abstract philosophical contemplation rather than John’s relational, ethical, missionally active sense (“walking in the truth,” “co-workers with the truth,” v. 8). Teaching material must anchor истина to the gospel and to observable conduct (vv. 3–4) each time it recurs, not let it float as unmoored philosophical reflection.

Verse 2

“Beloved, I pray that all may go well with you and that you may be in good health, as it goes well with your soul.” Doctrine tags: Truth and Christian Fellowship (pastoral tone)

Terms	Variants	Theological meaning in context	Russian rendering & risk
to prosper/go well εὐοδοῦσθαι euodousthai to have a good journey/road; by extension, to succeed or fare well	general well-being, success, favorable circumstances prosper, go well, be successful	A holistic wish for Gaius’s overall wellbeing, deliberately paralleled with and subordinated to spiritual/soul flourishing — bodily and circumstantial prosperity is desired but not the primary category.	преуспевать — established Synodal rendering. MEDIUM RISK. Modern Russian evangelical/charismatic circles have had real exposure to translated Western “prosperity gospel” (Word of Faith) materials; преуспевать could be misheard as promising material/financial success as a spiritual entitlement. The parallel with ψυχή (soul) in the same verse must be preserved in teaching material to keep the emphasis on holistic wellbeing subordinate to spiritual health, not a health-and-wealth guarantee.
to be in health ὑγιαίνειν hygiainein to be healthy, sound (root of English “hygiene”)	physical health; by extension, soundness of doctrine (cf. “sound teaching” in the Pastorals) be in health, be well, be healthy	Ordinary greeting-formula wish for physical health, common in ancient personal letters — grounds the letter’s personal, non-generic character.	здравствовать — established Synodal rendering. LOW RISK. Standard, unambiguous term; also the root of the everyday Russian greeting “здравствуйте,” which is a mild asset — the wish for health is intuitively recognizable.
soul ψυχή psychē breath, life, the inner self	(1) physical life; (2) the seat of emotion, will, and spiritual life; (3) the whole inner person soul, life, inner being	The true measure of Gaius’s wellbeing is spiritual/inner flourishing, not merely circumstantial prosperity — this word carries the weight of the verse’s whole comparison.	душа — established Synodal rendering. MEDIUM RISK. душа is an unusually loaded word in Russian culture (the trope of “русская душа,” the Russian soul, as a marker of national character and emotional depth in literature and folk identity). This is a double-edged asset: it gives spiritual vocabulary intuitive cultural weight, but risks readers hearing a psychological/emotional or nationalist-cultural resonance rather than John’s specific meaning — the durable spiritual health of a believer walking in the truth (echoing v. 3–4).

Verse 3

“For I rejoiced greatly when the brothers came and testified to your truth, as indeed you are walking in the truth.” Doctrine tags: Truth and Christian Fellowship

Terms	Variants	Theological meaning in context	Russian rendering & risk
to rejoice ἐχάρην (aor. of χαίρω) echarēn to be glad, rejoice	joy ranging from mild pleasure to deep gladness I rejoiced, I was glad	Personal, relational joy at receiving a good report — not abstract happiness but joy grounded in another’s faithfulness.	возрадоваться — established Synodal rendering (“я весьма порадовался”). LOW RISK. Standard, well understood.
brothers ἀδελφοί adelphoi siblings; brothers	(1) biological siblings; (2) fellow believers, regardless of biological or ethnic relation brothers, brethren, fellow believers	Refers to the traveling missionaries who reported on Gaius — a term of full spiritual kinship, foundational to the letter’s hospitality ethic (see v. 5).	братья (also archaic Synodal “братия” used collectively). LOW RISK. Well established; gender-inclusive functional sense (fellow believers of either sex) should be clarified in teaching text per standard Russian usage, since братья is grammatically masculine but functions inclusively in this collective sense.
to testify μαρτυρέω martyreō to bear witness, give testimony	(1) legal/factual testimony; (2) commendation of character or conduct; (3) testimony to spiritual reality (v. 12, of truth itself) testify, bear witness, give a good report	The missionaries’ testimony about Gaius functions as a legal-style commendation of his character and Christian conduct — this verb recurs at the letter’s climax regarding Demetrius (v. 12), linking the two commendations structurally.	свидетельствовать — established rendering, well attested in Russian legal and religious usage alike. MEDIUM RISK. The forensic/legal register (свидетель = witness in court) is an asset for conveying the weight of formal commendation, but teaching material should note the personification at v. 12 (truth itself “testifies”), which is easily lost if свидетельствовать is read only in its ordinary human-witness sense.
to walk περιπατέω peripateō to walk about, go on foot	(1) literal walking; (2) idiom for one’s manner of life/conduct (very common Pauline/Johannine usage) walk, live, conduct oneself	A settled Jewish and early Christian idiom for one’s whole manner of life and conduct, not mere physical movement — “walking in the truth” means a life visibly and consistently shaped by gospel reality.	ходить (idiomatically, “ходить в истине”). MEDIUM RISK. The idiom is preserved in Synodal tradition and is generally intelligible, but modern secular readers with low exposure to biblical idiom may hear only the literal sense (walking on foot) unless the “manner of life” sense is briefly glossed on first use.

Verse 4

“I have no greater joy than to hear that my children are walking in the truth.” Doctrine tags: Truth and Christian Fellowship

Terms	Variants	Theological meaning in context	Russian rendering & risk
children τέκνα tekna offspring, children	(1) biological children; (2) spiritual children — those brought to or nurtured in the faith by the speaker children, my children	John speaks of Gaius and others in his pastoral care as spiritual offspring, expressing a father-like pastoral relationship consistent with his self-identification as “the elder.”	дети — established, standard. LOW RISK. The spiritual-fatherhood metaphor is intuitively accessible; only minor note that “мои дети” should be clearly flagged in teaching text as spiritual, not biological, offspring, to avoid unnecessary confusion given the personal, letter-like register of the text.
joy χαρά chara gladness, joy	joy ranging from ordinary pleasure to deep spiritual gladness joy, gladness	Restates and intensifies v. 3’s rejoicing — the greatest pastoral joy is others’ persevering faithfulness, not personal gain or institutional success.	радость — established, standard. LOW RISK.

Verse 5

“Beloved, it is a faithful thing you do in all your efforts for these brothers, strangers as they are.” Doctrine tags: Hospitality to Traveling Ministers

Terms	Variants	Theological meaning in context	Russian rendering & risk
faithful πιστός pistos trustworthy, reliable, faith-full	(1) trustworthy/reliable in action; (2) believing/having faith (root shared with πίστις, “faith,” a High-risk baseline term) faithful, a faithful thing, trustworthy	Gaius’s hospitality is described as an act of faithfulness — the same root as “faith” itself, tying concrete hospitable action to the Romans-baseline concept of вера (faith) as something lived out, not merely professed.	верный (cf. baseline вера, “faith,” High risk). MEDIUM RISK. Care should be taken that верный (faithful/reliable) is not read as merely “dutiful/dependable” in a generic civic-virtue sense, losing the specifically faith-rooted theological sense shared with вера.
strangers ξένοι xenoi foreigners, strangers, guests	(1) foreigner/outsider by nationality; (2) person personally unknown to the host, though a fellow believer strangers, foreigners, those you do not know	These traveling gospel workers are personally unknown to Gaius, yet he supports them purely on the basis of shared Christian identity and mission, not personal acquaintance — this is the theological center of the hospitality doctrine in this letter.	странники — established Synodal rendering. MEDIUM RISK. странник in Russian literary and folk-religious culture strongly evokes the figure of the wandering pilgrim (странничество, a revered ascetic vocation in Russian Orthodox spirituality; cf. Tolstoy’s and Leskov’s “странник” narratives). This is a partial asset (странноприимство, hospitality to wanderers/pilgrims, is a deeply rooted Orthodox virtue) but risks recasting these itinerant gospel workers as generic wandering ascetics/pilgrims rather than commissioned missionaries engaged in active gospel work who depend on churches for material support — teaching material should clarify the missionary-support dimension explicitly.

Verse 6

“They have testified to your love before the church. You will do well to send them on their journey in a manner worthy of God.” Doctrine tags: Hospitality to Traveling Ministers

Terms	Variants	Theological meaning in context	Russian rendering & risk
love ἀγάπη agapē selfless, committed love	(1) God’s love; (2) committed, active love among believers, as demonstrated concretely here through hospitality love, charity (archaic)	Gaius’s love is not sentiment but demonstrated, reported, verifiable action (hospitality to strangers) — love and truth (v. 1) function as paired, mutually defining terms throughout the letter.	любовь — standard, well established. MEDIUM RISK. As with ἀγαπητός above, the primary risk is registerial: modern secular любовь defaults to romantic/erotic love; the concrete, active, communal sense (demonstrated through material hospitality, not feeling) must be reinforced by context each time.
church ἐκκλησία ekklēsia assembly, gathering (of citizens summoned)	(1) the local gathered congregation; (2) the universal body of believers church, assembly, congregation	The local congregation functions as a body before whom testimony is given and to which Diotrephes’ later abuse of power (vv. 9–10) is directly relevant — church as a real, functioning community with public accountability.	церковь — REUSED FROM BASELINE (exact match required). HIGH RISK, per baseline notes: церковь overwhelmingly denotes the Russian Orthodox Church as an institution or a physical building in ordinary usage. In 3 John the referent is unmistakably a small local congregation of the sort many Evangelical/Protestant minority churches in Russia resemble; this contrast between the tiny, conflicted congregation in the text and the vast national institution the word usually evokes should be made explicit in teaching material, exactly as flagged in the Romans baseline’s church_as_gods_people doctrine entry.
to send on one’s journey προπέμπω propempō to send forward, escort, accompany partway	technical missionary-support term: to equip, provision, and send off a traveling minister (cf. Acts 15:3, Romans 15:24, 1 Cor 16:6, 11) send on their way, help on their journey, send forth	Refers not to mere farewell but to the concrete material provisioning of missionaries for continued travel — this is the specific, active form the “hospitality” doctrine takes in this letter.	отпустить/провожать — Synodal uses “отпустишь.” MEDIUM RISK. отпустить alone can be misread as simply “let them go/permit their departure” (a passive act), losing the active provisioning/equipping sense that is the letter’s actual point; teaching material should gloss this explicitly as material and logistical support for continued gospel work, not mere permission to leave.
worthy of God ἀξίως τοῦ θεοῦ axiōs tou theou in a manner deserving/fitting of God	a standard of conduct appropriate to, and reflecting the character of, God himself in a manner worthy of God, as befits God	Sets an extraordinarily high standard for ordinary hospitality — the measure of “enough” generosity is not social custom but God’s own character.	достойно Бога — established Synodal rendering. LOW RISK.

Verse 7

“For they set out for the sake of the name, accepting nothing from the Gentiles.” Doctrine tags: Hospitality to Traveling Ministers

Terms	Variants	Theological meaning in context	Russian rendering & risk
the Name ὄνομα onoma name	(1) a literal personal name; (2) reverent shorthand for Christ himself and his authority/mission (a common early-church idiom, cf. Acts 5:41) the Name, his name, the sake of the name	”The Name” functions as reverent shorthand for Christ and the gospel mission itself — these missionaries travel and labor specifically for Christ’s sake, not for personal gain.	имя (“ради имени Его”). MEDIUM RISK. The idiom “for the Name” needs a brief gloss on first use so Russian readers recognize this as referring to Christ’s person and mission, not merely his literal name; there is also a minor folk-cultural resonance to guard against, since Russian folk tradition (заговоры, incantations, name-charms) sometimes treats “the power of a name” in a quasi-magical register — this must not bleed into the reading here.
Gentiles/pagans ἐθνικοί ethnikoi of the nations; non-Jews; (in later usage) pagans/unbelievers generally	(1) ethnic non-Jews (Romans’ usual sense); (2) unbelieving outsiders in general, without ethnic specificity (the sense here) Gentiles, pagans, unbelievers, outsiders	Distinct from the Romans-baseline missional sense (“the nations” as a mission target, язычники in Romans 1:5, 15:9-12 etc.); here it means unbelieving outsiders from whom missionaries deliberately refuse support, to avoid the charge of preaching for profit.	язычники — REUSED FROM BASELINE (exact term required). MEDIUM RISK. Nuance flag: this occurrence’s sense (general unbelieving outsiders, a source of support to be refused) differs meaningfully from Romans’ “nations to be reached” mission-scope sense. Because translation memory enforces the identical Russian term across documents, teaching material accompanying 3 John MUST explain this contextual shift explicitly, so students moving between the Romans and 3 John curricula do not wrongly import the mission-target sense into this verse.

Verse 8

“Therefore we ought to support people like these, that we may be fellow workers for the truth.” Doctrine tags: Hospitality to Traveling Ministers; Truth and Christian Fellowship

Terms	Variants	Theological meaning in context	Russian rendering & risk
to support/receive ὑπολαμβάνω hypolambanō to take up, receive, support	(1) to receive hospitably; (2) to take up the material support/needs of someone; (3) [unrelated sense elsewhere] to suppose/reply receive, support, welcome and provide for	Broader and more materially concrete than a polite welcome — includes ongoing provision, making Gaius (and by extension every believer) a practical partner in these missionaries’ ongoing work.	принимать (Synodal: “мы должны принимать таковых”). MEDIUM RISK. принимать in ordinary Russian usage defaults to a courteous social reception (greeting, hosting briefly) and can understate the material-support dimension central to this verse; teaching material should explicitly unpack the sense of ongoing practical provision, not mere greeting.
fellow worker συνεργός synergos co-worker, one who works together with another	partnership in gospel labor, shared active participation, not passive support fellow worker, co-worker, partner	Gaius’s hospitality makes him an active participant, a genuine partner, in the missionaries’ gospel labor and in “the truth” itself — hospitality is reframed as gospel partnership, not mere kindness.	споспешник — archaic Synodal term (Church-Slavonic-flavored, literally “one who hastens/works alongside”); modern gloss: соработник/сотрудник. MEDIUM RISK. споспешник is likely unfamiliar to secular and younger readers; a modern gloss (соработник) should accompany first use to preserve intelligibility, while the doctrinal point — hospitality as active gospel partnership — must not be lost to register difficulty.

Verse 9

“I have written something to the church, but Diotrephes, who likes to put himself first, does not acknowledge our authority.” Doctrine tags: Church Leadership and Pride (Diotrephes)

Terms	Variants	Theological meaning in context	Russian rendering & risk
loving to be first φιλοπρωτεύων philoprōteuōn loving/desiring to be first, first-loving	a unique NT compound (only occurrence in the New Testament: φιλέω “to love” + πρῶτος “first”), describing an entrenched, self-serving desire for preeminence and control one who likes to put himself first, loves to have preeminence, loves to be first	Names the specific sin at the heart of the letter’s central conflict: not mere ambition but a self-exalting hunger for status and control within the church, which leads directly to the abuses described in v. 10.	любящий первенствовать (Synodal). HIGH RISK. Two distinct dangers: (1) modern post-Soviet entrepreneurial/business culture often positively valorizes personal ambition, leadership drive, and “being first” (лидерство, целеустремлённость) as admirable traits, risking a bland or even approving reading of what Scripture names as destructive pride; (2) the phrase could also be read as mere personality description (“he’s a natural leader type”) rather than a named, condemned sin pattern with concrete destructive fruit (slander, exclusion, expulsion, v. 10). Teaching material must make explicit that this is church-corrupting pride, judged by its fruit, not admirable ambition.
to acknowledge/receive ἐπιδέχομαι epidechomai to receive, accept, welcome (intensified form of δέχομαι)	to receive a person, and by extension to accept/acknowledge their authority or message receive, acknowledge, welcome, accept	Diotrephes’ refusal is not merely inhospitable but a direct rejection of the Elder’s legitimate pastoral authority — recurs in v. 10 regarding his treatment of the traveling brothers as well.	принимать/не принимает. MEDIUM RISK. Same Russian verb root as ὑπολαμβάνω (v. 8) and used again in v. 10 for two distinct Greek verbs — this flattening in Russian (both principal Greek terms rendering to принимать) is not an error but should be noted for translators so the underlying distinction between “supporting/providing for” (v. 8) and “acknowledging authority/welcoming a person” (v. 9–10) is not lost; context must carry the distinction since the lexical form does not.

Verse 10

“So when I come, I will bring up these things, how he refuses to welcome the brothers, and also stops those who want to and puts them out of the church, and even accuses us falsely with wicked words.” Doctrine tags: Church Leadership and Pride (Diotrephes)

Terms	Variants	Theological meaning in context	Russian rendering & risk
to bring to remembrance / expose ὑπομνήσω hypomnēsō to remind, call to mind	(1) neutral: to remind someone of something; (2) contextually intensified: to bring up publicly for correction/exposure I will remind, I will bring up, I will call attention to	The Elder intends direct, personal confrontation of Diotrephes’ conduct on his next visit — accountable, in-person church discipline rather than absentee condemnation or gossip.	напомню (literal) / Synodal tradition leans toward the stronger sense “обличу” (expose, call to account). MEDIUM RISK. The gap between a mild literal “I will remind him” and a stronger “I will expose/rebuke him” affects how confrontational the Elder’s promised action reads; teaching material should note this translation choice explicitly rather than let it pass unremarked, since it shapes the doctrine of Church Leadership accountability at the heart of this passage. (Translators should verify the exact print Synodal wording before finalizing Phase 2 renderings.)
to slander καταλαλέω katalaleō to speak against, defame	malicious, false, or damaging speech against another, whether or not technically false slander, speak evil against, accuse falsely, malign	Diotrephes’ abuse of power is not merely institutional but verbal — he actively defames the Elder and his associates to consolidate his own position.	клеветать/поносить (злыми/пустыми словами). MEDIUM RISK. Standard defamation vocabulary; ensure “wicked/false” (πονηροῖς) is not softened into merely “unkind” — this is deliberate, damaging falsehood used as a tool of institutional control.
to forbid/hinder κωλύω kōlyō to hinder, prevent, forbid	to actively block or prevent an action or person forbid, hinder, prevent, stop	Diotrephes actively prevents other believers who wish to show hospitality to the traveling missionaries — an abuse of positional power to control others’ faithful obedience.	запрещать. MEDIUM RISK. Standard term; note the theological point that this is an illegitimate exercise of church authority against faithful conduct, not a legitimate pastoral restriction — this distinction should be reinforced by context.
to cast out/expel ἐκβάλλω ekballō to throw out, expel, cast out	forceful expulsion — used elsewhere of casting out demons, or exiling a person from a community cast out, expel, put out, throw out	Diotrephes goes so far as to expel faithful believers from the local congregation itself for showing hospitality he disapproves of — the letter’s most severe example of church-leadership abuse.	изгонять. MEDIUM-HIGH RISK. “Cast out of the church” (ἐκβάλλει ἐκ τῆς ἐκκλησίας) risks being read through the weighty canonical category of formal Orthodox excommunication/anathema (отлучение от церкви, анафема), overstating the institutional formality of what is described as one abusive local leader’s unilateral action, or alternatively understating it as mere personal unfriendliness. Teaching material should frame this precisely: an illegitimate, personally-motivated exclusion by an individual abusing his position, not a canonically regular process — directly relevant to the Church Leadership and Pride doctrine this letter teaches against.

Verse 11

“Beloved, do not imitate what is evil but what is good. Whoever does good is from God; whoever does evil has not seen God.” Doctrine tags: Imitating Good rather than Evil

Terms	Variants	Theological meaning in context	Russian rendering & risk
to imitate μιμέομαι mimeomai to imitate, copy, follow as a model (root of English “mimic”)	deliberate patterning of one’s own conduct after an example, whether good or bad imitate, follow the example of, copy	Diotrephes (evil example) and Demetrius (good example) function as the letter’s two concrete, named case studies for this general command — the doctrine is not abstract but illustrated by real people in the same letter.	подражать. LOW RISK. Standard, well established, doctrinally clear.
evil κακόν / κακοποιέω kakon / kakopoieō bad, harmful / to do harm, do evil	moral evil, harmful wrongdoing, contrasted throughout with ἀγαθόν evil, wrong, wrongdoing; one who does evil, wrongdoer	Doing evil is presented as diagnostic of one’s relationship (or lack thereof) with God — “has not seen God” — tying ethical conduct directly to spiritual reality, echoing Diotrephes’ conduct in vv. 9–10.	зло / делать зло. LOW RISK. Standard moral vocabulary, doctrinally clear.
good ἀγαθόν / ἀγαθοποιέω agathon / agathopoieō good / to do good	moral good, beneficial right action good, what is good; one who does good	Doing good is presented as evidence of being “from God,” paralleling Demetrius’s commendation in v. 12 — right action flows from and evidences a right relationship with God, not the reverse (works are fruit, not root, of standing with God).	добро / делать добро. LOW RISK. Standard. Note for theological precision consistent with the Romans baseline’s justification/sanctification framework: “is from God” here describes evidentiary fruit of a God-given nature, not a means of earning divine favor — teaching material should make this ordering explicit to avoid a merit-based misreading, consistent with how imputed_righteousness and sanctification are handled in the baseline.
to see God ὁράω τὸν θεόν horaō ton theon to see, perceive, have seen God	metaphorical/spiritual perception and relationship with God, not literal physical sight (cf. 1 John 3:6, 4:20 for the same idiom in the same Johannine corpus) has seen God, knows God, has any real knowledge of God	A strong Johannine idiom for genuine relational knowledge of God — its absence in one who habitually does evil is a serious, not merely rhetorical, theological claim.	не видел Бога. LOW-MEDIUM RISK. The idiom should be briefly glossed as spiritual perception/relationship rather than literal sight, consistent with its use elsewhere in the Johannine letters, so it is not misread as a claim about a future beatific vision only.

Verse 12

“Demetrius has received a good testimony from everyone, and from the truth itself. We also add our testimony, and you know that our testimony is true.” Doctrine tags: Commendation of Faithful Witness (Demetrius); Truth and Christian Fellowship

Terms	Variants	Theological meaning in context	Russian rendering & risk
to be testified of μεμαρτύρηται memartyrētai (perfect passive of μαρτυρέω) has been, and remains, testified of	see μαρτυρέω above (v. 3); the perfect tense stresses an established, ongoing reputation, not a single past event has received a good testimony, is well spoken of, is testified to	Demetrius’s good reputation is durable and comes from multiple independent sources (everyone; truth itself; the Elder) — a deliberate three-fold commendation offered as the letter’s positive counter-example to Diotrephes.	засвидетельствовано. MEDIUM RISK. As at v. 3, the personification of “the truth itself” testifying (ὑπὸ αὐτῆς τῆς ἀληθείας) is theologically significant and easily lost if read only as ordinary human report; teaching material should highlight this personification explicitly as a rhetorical high point of the letter’s truth-theme.
true/truth ἀληθής alēthēs true, truthful, in accordance with fact	(adjective form related to ἀλήθεια, v. 1) truthful, reliable, accurate true, truthful	Closes the letter’s truth-refrain by applying it directly to the reliability of the Elder’s own testimony — truth as both subject matter and standard of the Elder’s own speech.	истинно (predicate adjective, “свидетельство наше истинно”). MEDIUM RISK. Same considerations as ἀλήθεια at v. 1; keep tied to concrete reliability/truthfulness of testimony, not abstract metaphysical Truth.

Verse 13

“I had much to write to you, but I would rather not write with pen and ink.” Doctrine tags: (epistolary closing; no major doctrine, low risk)

Terms	Variants	Theological meaning in context	Russian rendering & risk
ink and pen (reed) μέλαν καὶ κάλαμος melan kai kalamos black [ink] and reed [pen]	ordinary ancient writing implements; idiom for “in writing” as opposed to in person pen and ink, ink and pen	A simple, warm, personal preference for face-to-face communication over a written letter — reinforces the letter’s personal, pastoral, relational tone rather than being merely a formal circular.	чернила и трость — established Synodal rendering. LOW RISK. May need a brief modern gloss (трость = reed pen/quill, not a modern “cane/walking stick,” its more common modern meaning) so contemporary readers are not confused by the archaic sense of трость.

Verse 14

“I hope to see you soon, and we will talk face to face. Peace to you. The friends greet you. Greet the friends, each by name.” Doctrine tags: Truth and Christian Fellowship (closing)

Terms	Variants	Theological meaning in context	Russian rendering & risk
mouth to mouth (idiom) στόμα πρὸς στόμα stoma pros stoma mouth to mouth	Hebraic/Johannine idiom for direct, personal, face-to-face communication (cf. Num 12:8 LXX, of God speaking to Moses) face to face, mouth to mouth, in person	Reinforces v. 13’s preference for personal presence over writing — direct, unmediated relational communication is valued above even a full written explanation of the Diotrephes situation.	уста к устам — established Synodal rendering, using the elevated/poetic register word уста rather than the ordinary word рот. HIGH RISK if mistranslated. If a translator substitutes the ordinary modern word рот for уста (“рот к роту” / “рот в рот”), the phrase collides sharply with the standard modern Russian idiom for CPR/mouth-to-mouth resuscitation (“дыхание рот в рот”), producing an absurd and completely unintended image. The elevated register word уста must be retained precisely to avoid this collision — a clear, concrete illustration of why register choice is not a stylistic nicety but a doctrinal-communication safeguard here.
peace εἰρήνη eirēnē peace, well-being, wholeness	(1) relational/covenantal peace with God (see Romans baseline, peace_with_god); (2) here, a conventional epistolary blessing/greeting-formula wish for the recipient’s wellbeing peace, peace be with you	Functions here primarily as the standard Johannine/Pauline epistolary closing blessing rather than a developed theological argument (contrast Romans 5:1’s forensic “peace with God” through justification) — still carries the same underlying theological resource of God-given wholeness.	мир — REUSED FROM BASELINE (exact term required). MEDIUM RISK, per baseline notes: мир also means “the world” and carries heavy 20th-century political/military connotations; here the epistolary-blessing sense should be kept simple and warm, not over-theologized into a full “peace with God” doctrinal exposition that belongs more properly to Romans 5:1.
friend φίλος philos friend, one who is dear	affectionate personal relationship, distinct in Greek from ἀδελφός (“brother,” the letter’s dominant relational term throughout) and from ἀγάπη-rooted “beloved” friends, friend	A notable shift in the letter’s closing relational vocabulary from “brothers” (used throughout for the traveling missionaries and the wider church) to “friends” for this specific circle of personal associates — a warm, personal, non-institutional final note.	друг/друзья. LOW-MEDIUM RISK. Standard term; teaching material may note the deliberate variation from “brothers” to “friends” as a literary/relational nuance, without treating it as a technical theological distinction requiring separate doctrinal treatment.

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2. Chapter-by-Chapter Study of the Whole Book

3 John has exactly one chapter, consisting of fourteen verses. Per the curriculum parameters, the core Bible passage (3 John 1:1–14) IS the entire book. Section 1 above therefore already constitutes complete, exhaustive, verse-by-verse coverage of every chapter in 3 John, first to last.

Chapter 1 (3 John 1:1–14): Fully analyzed above. Every load-bearing theological and cultural-risk term in the book — πρεσβύτερος, ἀγαπητός, ἀλήθεια, ἀγάπη, ψυχή, μαρτυρέω/μαρτυρία, περιπατέω, πιστός, ξένοι, ἐκκλησία, προπέμπω, ὄνομα, ἐθνικοί, ὑπολαμβάνω, συνεργός, φιλοπρωτεύων, ἐπιδέχομαι, καταλαλέω, κωλύω, ἐκβάλλω, μιμέομαι, κακόν/ἀγαθόν, ὁράω τὸν θεόν, εἰρήνη, φίλος, and the “mouth to mouth” idiom — has been documented with original word, transliteration, literal meaning, semantic range, English variants, contextual theological meaning, and destination-language (Russian) rendering risk. No further chapters exist to review, and no term coverage remains outstanding.

Explicit coverage statement for downstream Phase 1/Phase 2 processes: “3 John, Chapter 1 (the whole book): reviewed in full; core passage treatment above constitutes complete chapter coverage; no additional chapters remain.”

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3. Doctrine-to-Term Cross-Reference Summary

Curriculum doctrine	Primary verses	Key load-bearing terms
Hospitality to Traveling Ministers	vv. 5–8	ξένοι (странники), προπέμπω (отпустить/провожать), ἐπιδέχομαι/ὑπολαμβάνω (принимать), συνεργός (споспешник/соработник), ἀξίως τοῦ θεοῦ (достойно Бога)
Imitating Good rather than Evil	v. 11	μιμέομαι (подражать), κακόν/ἀγαθόν (зло/добро), ἀγαθοποιέω/κακοποιέω, ὁράω τὸν θεόν (видеть Бога)
Church Leadership and Pride (Diotrephes)	vv. 9–10	φιλοπρωτεύων (любящий первенствовать), ἐπιδέχομαι (принимает/не принимает), ὑπομνήσω (напомню/обличу), καταλαλέω (клеветать), κωλύω (запрещать), ἐκβάλλω (изгонять), ἐκκλησία (церковь)
Commendation of Faithful Witness (Demetrius)	v. 12	μαρτυρέω/μεμαρτύρηται (свидетельствовать/засвидетельствовано), ἀληθής (истинно), ἀλήθεια (истина)
Truth and Christian Fellowship	vv. 1, 3–4, 6, 8, 12 (refrain); v. 14 (closing)	ἀλήθεια (истина), ἀγάπη/ἀγαπητός (любовь/возлюбленный), περιπατέω (ходить), συνεργός (соработник), πρεσβύτερος (Старец) as the relational frame for the whole letter, εἰρήνη (мир)

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This document extends, and does not contradict, the baseline Romans Language Package for Russian. All baseline term renderings (церковь, язычники, мир, вера-root терминология) are reused exactly. New terms introduced here (Старец, истина, φιλοπρωτεύων → любящий первенствовать, and others) follow the same Critical/High/Medium/Low risk framework and citation conventions. See analysis/08_core_glossary.md for the consolidated per-term glossary table.