Core Glossary
Core Glossary: Philemon (English → Sanskrit)
This glossary extends, and does not contradict, the baseline Romans translation_memory.json. All terms marked [REUSED] carry forward the baseline’s exact recorded Sanskrit rendering. All terms marked [NEW] are proposed additions arising from Philemon’s distinct vocabulary and are pending incorporation into the shared translation memory (version increment required before Phase 2 processing of this book).
Glossary Table
| English Term | Greek (transliteration) | Sanskrit Rendering (transliteration) | Risk | Doctrine Category | Status | Alternatives Rejected | Key Reason |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| love | ἀγάπη (agapē) | प्रेम (prema) | High | Christian Brotherhood / Grace-Motivated Obedience | NEW | स्नेह, अनुराग | प्रेम is the technical culmination-term of Gauḍīya Vaiṣṇava bhakti-rasa theology (prema-bhakti); requires redefinition as willed, self-giving covenant love, not devotional ecstasy |
| slave / bondservant | δοῦλος (doulos) | दासः (dāsaḥ) | Critical | Slavery and the Gospel’s Transforming Power | NEW | (no viable alternative exists) | Collides simultaneously with (a) dharmaśāstra’s varṇa/dāsa social-status hierarchy and (b) bhakti’s positive dāsya-bhāva devotional self-designation; requires explicit note distinguishing Onesimus’s real bondage, the devotional-humility sense, and the letter’s claim that the gospel reclassifies (not merely softens) the relationship |
| brother | ἀδελφός (adelphos) | भ्राता (bhrātā) | High | Christian Brotherhood across Social Status | NEW | — | Lexically plain, but its doctrinal use here (slave reclassified as brother) directly challenges varṇa-hierarchy premises; must not be softened |
| beloved | ἀγαπητός (agapētos) | प्रियः / प्रेमास्पदः (priyaḥ / premāspadaḥ) | Medium | Christian Brotherhood | NEW | — | Inherits reduced-severity version of the ἀγάπη risk above |
| heart / inward affection | σπλάγχνα (splanchna) | हृदयम् (hṛdayam) | Medium | Intercession and Appeal | NEW | अन्तःकरणम् | अन्तःकरणम् is a precise Sāṃkhya/Vedānta technical term (manas-buddhi-citta-ahaṃkāra complex); avoid importing that apparatus for a simple affection idiom |
| owe / debt | ὀφείλω (opheilō) | ऋणम् / ऋणी (ṛṇam / ṛṇī) | High | Forgiveness and Reconciliation | NEW | — | ऋण activates dharmaśāstra’s ṛṇatraya (“three debts”: to sages, gods, ancestors); must be glossed as an ordinary personal debt, not a cosmic-ritual obligation |
| charge to one’s account / impute | ἐλλογάω (ellogaō) | मयि आरोपयतु (mayi āropayatu) | High | Forgiveness and Reconciliation | NEW | सामान्य ऋणशोधनम् | Deliberately built on the same आरोप- root as the baseline’s Critical-tier “imputed_righteousness” (आरोपिता धार्मिकता); a substitution-imputation picture in miniature and should be cross-referenced explicitly |
| repay | ἀποτίνω (apotinō) | प्रतिदास्यामि (pratidāsyāmi) | Medium-High | Forgiveness and Reconciliation | NEW | — | Continues the imputation picture of v.18; gloss together with ἐλλογάω |
| voluntary | ἑκούσιον (hekousion) | स्वेच्छया (svecchayā) | High | Grace-Motivated Obedience | NEW | — | Set in deliberate contrast with ἀνάγκη; the contrast itself echoes the baseline’s Mīmāṃsā vidhi/niyoga concern already flagged under “law” (विधिः) |
| compulsion / necessity | ἀνάγκη (anankē) | आवश्यकता / बलात्कारः (āvaśyakatā / balātkāraḥ) | Medium-High | Grace-Motivated Obedience | NEW | विधि-निर्दिष्ट कर्तव्यम् | Must not be rendered with vidhi/niyoga-family vocabulary, which would invoke rather than avoid the Mīmāṃsā collision |
| obedience (Philemon’s, toward Paul’s appeal) | ὑπακοή (hypakoē) | आज्ञापालनम् (ājñāpālanam) | Medium-High | Grace-Motivated Obedience | NEW (reuses baseline root) | — | Cross-reference to baseline’s “obedience_of_faith” doctrine; obedience flowing from love/confidence, not compelled duty |
| confidence / trust (interpersonal) | πεποιθώς (pepoithōs) | निश्चयेन (niścayena) | Medium | Intercession and Appeal | NEW | विश्वासेन | Must be lexically distinguished from [REUSED] विश्वासः (saving faith) to avoid doctrinal blurring between ordinary interpersonal trust and faith in Christ |
| partner / sharer | κοινωνός (koinōnos) | सहभागी (sahabhāgī) | Medium | Intercession and Appeal | NEW (from reused root) | — | Inherits baseline’s caution that सहभागिता-family terms must not be read as the Vaiṣṇava satsaṅga institution |
| child (spiritual) | τέκνον (teknon) | पुत्रः (putraḥ) | Medium | Intercession and Appeal | NEW | — | Distinguish from baseline’s “adoption” doctrine (God’s adoption of believers); this is Paul’s pastoral spiritual-fatherhood metaphor |
| beget (spiritually) | γεννάω (gennaō) | जनितवान् (janitavān) | Medium | Intercession and Appeal | NEW | — | Distinguish from the Father’s eternal begetting of the Son and from regeneration proper |
| prisoner | δέσμιος (desmios) | बन्दी (bandī) | Low-Medium | (contextual, Paul’s authority) | NEW | — | Must not imply criminal guilt; Paul’s imprisonment is “of Christ Jesus” / “for the gospel” |
| fellow-prisoner | συναιχμάλωτος (synaichmalōtos) | सहबन्दी (sahabandī) | Low-Medium | Christian Brotherhood | NEW | — | Vivid captivity-metaphor for shared gospel suffering; do not soften to generic “companion” |
| flesh (social/bodily realm) | σάρξ (sarx) | शरीरतः (śarīrataḥ) | Medium | Slavery and the Gospel’s Transforming Power | NEW | — | Distinct sense from baseline’s “humanity_of_christ” flesh-language; here contrasts with ἐν κυρίῳ |
| boldness / confidence (rhetorical) | παρρησία (parrēsia) | निर्भयवचनम् (nirbhayavacanam) | Medium | Intercession and Appeal | NEW | धृष्टता | Avoid a term implying arrogance |
| command | ἐπιτάσσω (epitassō) | आदेशः (ādeśaḥ) | Low | Intercession and Appeal | NEW | — | Contrast term Paul explicitly declines to use; discourse feature must survive translation |
| useful / useless (wordplay) | εὔχρηστος / ἄχρηστος (euchrēstos/achrēstos) | उपयोगी / निरुपयोगी (upayogī/nirupayogī) | Low (translation-difficulty flag) | Slavery and the Gospel’s Transforming Power | NEW | — | Untranslatable pun on Onesimus’s name; requires translator note, not lexical solution |
| benefit / profit (wordplay) | ὀναίμην (onaimēn) | लाभं प्राप्नुयाम् (lābhaṃ prāpnuyām) | Low (translation-difficulty flag) | Slavery and the Gospel’s Transforming Power | NEW | — | Second half of the Onesimus wordplay; same flag as above |
| joy | χαρά (chara) | हर्षः (harṣaḥ), NOT आनन्दः | Medium | Christian Brotherhood | NEW | आनन्दः | आनन्द is a core Vedāntic descriptor of Brahman (satcitānanda); avoid for ordinary relational joy |
| full knowledge | ἐπίγνωσις (epignōsis) | पूर्णज्ञानम् (pūrṇajñānam) | Medium | (opening thanksgiving) | NEW | ज्ञानम् (bare) | Bare ज्ञान risks jñāna-mārga (liberating-knowledge path) associations |
| hospitality / lodging | ξενία (xenia) | अतिथ्यम् (ātithyam) | Low | (closing) | NEW | — | Aligns naturally with existing atithi-satkāra hospitality concept; no caution needed |
| grant graciously | χαρίζομαι (charizomai) | अनुग्रहेण दास्यते (anugraheṇa dāsyate) | Medium-High | (closing; echoes Grace doctrine) | NEW | — | Cognate with reused χάρις/अनुग्रहः; cross-reference to baseline Grace entry |
| ”your spirit” (human, closing benediction) | τὸ πνεῦμα ὑμῶν | चित्तेन / प्राणेन (cittena/prāṇena), NEVER आत्मा | Critical (by context/placement) | (closing benediction) | NEW | आत्मा | Using आत्मा for a generic human “spirit” at the letter’s final line would strongly activate the ātman-Brahman mahāvākya association the baseline’s Holy Spirit entry explicitly warns against |
Terms Reused Exactly from Baseline (no deviation permitted)
| English Term | Sanskrit (baseline) | Risk (baseline) |
|---|---|---|
| gospel | सुसमाचारः | High |
| grace | अनुग्रहः | High |
| peace | शान्तिः | Medium |
| faith | विश्वासः | High |
| fellowship | सहभागिता | Low |
| church | मण्डली | Medium |
| lord | प्रभुः | Critical |
| saints | पवित्राः जनाः | High |
| Jesus | यीशुः | Critical |
| Paul | पौलः | Low |
| thanksgiving | धन्यवादः | Low |
| exhort / appeal (entreaty sense) | विनयः (context-sensitive) | Low |
| obedience of faith (root vocabulary) | विश्वासस्य आज्ञापालनम् | High |
| imputed righteousness (doctrinal cross-reference) | आरोपिता धार्मिकता | Critical |
Risk Summary for Philemon-Specific New Terms
| Risk Tier | Count | Review Routing |
|---|---|---|
| Critical | 2 (δοῦλος; “your spirit” placement flag) | Human theologian |
| High | 6 (ἀγάπη, ἀδελφός, ὀφείλω/ἐλλογάω, ἑκούσιον/ἀνάγκη combined entry, ὑπακοή cross-ref, χαρίζομαι) | Human theologian |
| Medium | 11 | Sanskrit-philosophically-literate scholar |
| Low | 8 | Automated review |
Note on full-book coverage: Philemon’s single chapter has been reviewed in its entirety (vv.1–25); no verse contributes zero new theological vocabulary, though several (vv.2, 23–24, proper names) contribute only Low-risk descriptive or onomastic terms, noted above rather than omitted.
Critical Risk Terms
Lord
Approved rendering: प्रभुः
Transliteration: prabhuḥ
Doctrine: Christian Identity in Christ
Rejected alternatives: ईश्वरः, स्वामी
Original: κύριος
Category: Christology
Inherited from Romans package, unchanged. Occurs at Philemon 1:3, 1:5, 1:16, 1:20, 1:25, consistently applied to Jesus Christ. Never ईश्वरः, per the baseline’s Advaita-subordination reasoning.
Jesus
Approved rendering: यीशुः
Transliteration: yīśuḥ
Doctrine: Christian Identity in Christ
Original: Ἰησοῦς
Category: Christology
Inherited from Romans package, unchanged. Follows Serampore Sanskrit New Testament precedent throughout Philemon.
God
Approved rendering: सर्वेश्वरः
Transliteration: sarveśvaraḥ
Doctrine: Grace as Relational Gift
Rejected alternatives: ईश्वरः, ब्रह्मन्, भगवान्, देवः
Inherited from Romans package, unchanged. Occurs at Philemon 1:3-4, ‘God our Father,’ ‘my God.’ Never देवः, भगवान्, or bare ईश्वरः, per the de Nobili precedent recorded in the baseline.
Father
Approved rendering: पिता
Transliteration: pitā
Doctrine: Grace as Relational Gift
Rejected alternatives: ब्रह्मा, प्रजापतिः
Inherited from Romans package, unchanged. Occurs at Philemon 1:3, ‘grace to you and peace from God our Father.’ Never ब्रह्मा or प्रजापतिः.
Holy Spirit
Approved rendering: पवित्र आत्मा
Transliteration: pavitra ātmā
Doctrine: Christian Identity and the Human Spirit
Rejected alternatives: ब्रह्मन्, परमात्मा
Inherited from Romans package, unchanged; not itself named in Philemon’s text but retained here as the mandatory cross-reference anchor for the letter’s Critical-risk closing benediction (1:25, ‘grace be with your spirit’). Per the baseline, आत्मा must never be used for generic human ‘spirit’ language — see the new ‘human_spirit’ entry below, which enforces this rule specifically for Philemon 1:25.
Imputed Righteousness
Approved rendering: आरोपिता धार्मिकता
Transliteration: āropitā dhārmikatā
Doctrine: Imputation of Debt (Substitutionary Picture)
Rejected alternatives: अर्जिता धार्मिकता
Inherited from Romans package, unchanged; retained as the mandatory doctrinal cross-reference for Philemon 1:18’s ἐλλογάω (‘charge that to my account,’ see ‘impute_charge_to_account’ below), deliberately built on the same आरोप- root so the letter’s miniature substitutionary-imputation picture is visible to the reader.
Christ
Approved rendering: ख्रीष्टः
Transliteration: khrīṣṭaḥ
Doctrine: Christian Identity in Christ
Rejected alternatives: अवतारपुरुषः
NEW for Philemon (not itself a separate baseline translation_memory.json entry, though its transliteration is fixed in the baseline requirements document). Occurs throughout Philemon in the recurring phrase ‘Christ Jesus’ / ‘in Christ’ (1:1, 1:6, 1:8, 1:9, 1:20, 1:23, 1:25). Critical risk mirrors ‘jesus’ and ‘lord’: must never be softened toward a messiah-as-avatāra-figure reading (cf. baseline messiah entry) and must be held to the same exclusive-identity standard as those two terms.
Slave
Approved rendering: दासः
Transliteration: dāsaḥ
Doctrine: Slavery and the Gospel’s Transforming Power
Original: δοῦλος
Category: Slavery and the Gospel
NEW for Philemon (proposed extension of shared translation memory). The single highest-stakes term in this letter. दासः carries the weight of the historical varṇāśrama social order (dharmaśāstra’s stable, often birth-fixed dāsa/śūdra category, e.g. Manusmṛti) AND is simultaneously the positive bhakti-rasa devotional-technical term dāsya-bhāva (voluntary self-designation as God’s servant, cf. Rāmadāsa, Tukārām). No viable synonym exists that escapes both collisions. Requires a mandatory tripartite note at every occurrence (Philemon 1:16 principally): (a) Onesimus’s bondage is real and literal, not metaphorical; (b) this is unrelated to the positive devotional-humility sense; (c) the letter claims the gospel reclassifies the relationship’s category (‘no longer as a slave’), not merely softens or spiritually reinterprets it.
Human Spirit
Approved rendering: चित्तेन
Transliteration: cittena
Doctrine: Christian Identity and the Human Spirit
Rejected alternatives: आत्मा, प्राणेन
Original: πνεῦμα (τὸ πνεῦμα ὑμῶν)
Category: God
NEW for Philemon (proposed extension of shared translation memory; hard forbidden-substitution rule). Renders τὸ πνεῦμα ὑμῶν at 1:25, the closing benediction’s ‘your spirit’ — a human spirit, not the Holy Spirit. Must NEVER be rendered with आत्मा, despite its grammatical availability: per the baseline’s Holy Spirit entry, आत्मा is the central term of Advaita Vedānta’s ātman-Brahman identity claim (mahāvākyas: Chāndogya 6.8.7, Māṇḍūkya 1.2, Bṛhadāraṇyaka 1.4.10). Using आत्मा here, addressing the reader’s own personal spirit at the letter’s final, most memorable line, would risk the single strongest activation of that identity-collapse reading anywhere in this Language Package. Use चित्तेन (‘with your mind/heart’); प्राणेन (‘with your life/breath’) is an acceptable secondary alternative, never आत्मा.
High Risk Terms
Gospel
Approved rendering: सुसमाचारः
Transliteration: susamācāraḥ
Doctrine: Gospel
Rejected alternatives: शुभवार्ता
Original: εὐαγγέλιον
Category: Salvation
Inherited from Romans package, unchanged. Occurs in Philemon 1:13, ‘the chains of the gospel’ (τοῖς δεσμοῖς τοῦ εὐαγγελίου) — Paul’s imprisonment belongs to gospel proclamation, not shame; render the genitive so this framing is preserved.
Grace
Approved rendering: अनुग्रहः
Transliteration: anugrahaḥ
Doctrine: Grace as Relational Gift
Rejected alternatives: कृपा, प्रसादः, पुण्यम्
Original: χάρις
Category: Salvation
Inherited from Romans package, unchanged. Occurs in Philemon 1:3 and 1:25 (opening and closing benedictions) and as the verb χαρίζομαι at 1:22 (see ‘grant_graciously’ below, a new Philemon-specific cognate entry). Per the baseline’s cross-document consistency rule for thesis/benediction verses, the 1:3 and 1:25 renderings must be worded identically within this document.
Faith
Approved rendering: विश्वासः
Transliteration: viśvāsaḥ
Doctrine: Faith and Love in the Christian Community
Rejected alternatives: श्रद्धा, भक्तिः
Original: πίστις
Category: Faith
Inherited from Romans package, unchanged. Occurs at Philemon 1:5-6, paired with love (प्रेम, see below). Must be lexically distinguished from this letter’s ordinary interpersonal-confidence term πεποιθώς (निश्चयेन, v.21, see ‘confidence_trust’ below), which is not saving faith.
Saints
Approved rendering: पवित्राः जनाः
Transliteration: pavitrāḥ janāḥ
Doctrine: Christian Brotherhood across Social Status
Rejected alternatives: ऋषयः, संन्यासिनः
Original: ἅγιοι
Category: Church
Inherited from Romans package, unchanged. Implied at Philemon 1:5 and explicit at 1:7 (‘the hearts of the saints have been refreshed through you’); must not be rendered with a term implying an inspired ṛṣi-elite or saṃnyāsin renunciate class.
Obedience Of Faith
Approved rendering: विश्वासस्य आज्ञापालनम्
Transliteration: viśvāsasya ājñāpālanam
Doctrine: Grace-Motivated Obedience
Rejected alternatives: धर्माचरणम्
Inherited from Romans package, unchanged; retained as the mandatory doctrinal cross-reference for Philemon 1:21’s interpersonal obedience language (see the new ‘obedience_interpersonal’ entry below), which is a small-scale enactment of this same faith-flowing-obedience principle.
Law
Approved rendering: विधिः
Transliteration: vidhiḥ
Doctrine: Grace-Motivated Obedience
Rejected alternatives: धर्मः, धर्मशास्त्रम्
Inherited from Romans package, unchanged; not itself occurring in Philemon’s text, but retained here because the vidhi-niyoga theory this baseline entry documents (Pūrva Mīmāṃsā’s binding, will-independent scriptural injunction) is the specific rival doctrine Philemon 1:14’s ἑκούσιον/ἀνάγκη contrast must avoid invoking (see ‘voluntary’ and ‘compulsion’ entries below).
Love
Approved rendering: प्रेम
Transliteration: prema
Doctrine: Faith and Love in the Christian Community
Rejected alternatives: स्नेह, अनुराग
Original: ἀγάπη
Category: Christian Brotherhood
NEW for Philemon (proposed extension of shared translation memory). प्रेम is the technical culmination-term of Gauḍīya Vaiṣṇava bhakti-rasa theology (Rūpa Gosvāmī’s Bhakti-rasāmṛta-sindhu: śraddhā → sādhu-saṅga → … → prema), a mystical devotional-aesthetic attainment toward Kṛṣṇa. Requires an explicit redefinition note at first occurrence in every document: ‘willed, self-giving covenant love, not the bhakti-rasa culmination of devotional ecstasy.’ Occurs at Philemon 1:5, 1:7, 1:9. स्नेह (too weak, familial fondness) and अनुराग (also technical in rasa-aesthetics and a kleśa in Yoga Sūtra 2.7) were rejected as no better.
Brother
Approved rendering: भ्राता
Transliteration: bhrātā
Doctrine: Christian Brotherhood across Social Status
Original: ἀδελφός
Category: Christian Brotherhood
NEW for Philemon (proposed extension of shared translation memory). Lexically plain, but its doctrinal deployment at Philemon 1:16 (a δοῦλος reclassified as ἀδελφός ‘both in the flesh and in the Lord’) is the New Testament’s most socially concrete instance of the leveling claim Romans states abstractly (cf. baseline unity_of_jews_and_gentiles doctrine, Romans 10:12). Must not be softened toward an honorific or purely metaphorical brotherhood; the risk is entirely in surrounding syntax/footnoting, not the word itself.
Debt Owed
Approved rendering: ऋणम्
Transliteration: ṛṇam
Doctrine: Forgiveness and Reconciliation
Original: ὀφείλω
Category: Forgiveness and Reconciliation
NEW for Philemon (proposed extension of shared translation memory). Renders ὀφείλω at 1:18-19. ऋण activates dharmaśāstra’s ṛṇatraya, the ‘three debts’ every twice-born male is obligated to discharge (to sages, gods, ancestors) — a fixed cosmic-ritual obligation structure, not a settleable personal account. No unencumbered alternative exists; must be paired with an explicit note at every occurrence: ‘an ordinary personal debt between two men, not one of the ritually-prescribed ṛṇatraya.‘
Impute Charge To Account
Approved rendering: मयि आरोपयतु
Transliteration: mayi āropayatu
Doctrine: Imputation of Debt (Substitutionary Picture)
Rejected alternatives: सामान्यम् ऋणशोधनम्
Original: ἐλλογάω
Category: Forgiveness and Reconciliation
NEW for Philemon (proposed extension of shared translation memory). Renders the rare technical accounting term ἐλλογάω at 1:18 (‘charge that to my account’). Deliberately built on the same आरोप- root as the baseline’s Critical-tier imputed_righteousness (आरोपिता धार्मिकता), sharing the λόγος/λογ- root family with Romans 4:3’s ἐλογίσθη. This cross-reference must be made explicit in a translator note at every occurrence; a generic ‘count it against me’ idiom loses the doctrinal echo entirely.
Repay
Approved rendering: प्रतिदास्यामि
Transliteration: pratidāsyāmi
Doctrine: Imputation of Debt (Substitutionary Picture)
Original: ἀποτίνω
Category: Forgiveness and Reconciliation
NEW for Philemon. Renders ἀποτίνω at 1:19 (‘I will repay it’). Continues the imputation/substitution picture of v.18 (ἐλλογάω); must be glossed together with ‘impute_charge_to_account’ as a single doctrinal unit in review notes, since together they form the letter’s clearest miniature picture of substitutionary debt-bearing.
Voluntary
Approved rendering: स्वेच्छया
Transliteration: svecchayā
Doctrine: Grace-Motivated Obedience
Original: ἑκούσιον
Category: Grace-Motivated Obedience
NEW for Philemon (proposed extension of shared translation memory). Renders ἑκούσιον at 1:14 (‘not by compulsion but of your own accord’). Set in deliberate contrast with ‘compulsion’ below; the contrast collides with Pūrva Mīmāṃsā’s vidhi-niyoga theory (see baseline ‘law’ entry): Philemon’s act must be understood as freely willed, flowing from love and gospel-transformed character, not scripturally-compelled duty.
Compulsion
Approved rendering: आवश्यकता
Transliteration: āvaśyakatā
Doctrine: Grace-Motivated Obedience
Rejected alternatives: नियोगः, बलात्कारः
Original: ἀνάγκη
Category: Grace-Motivated Obedience
NEW for Philemon (proposed extension of shared translation memory). Renders ἀνάγκη at 1:14 — explicitly what Paul does NOT want to govern Philemon’s response. Absolute prohibition on rendering with निःयोग/विधि-family vocabulary (नियोगः explicitly rejected), which would actively invoke rather than avoid the Mīmāṃsā vidhi-niyoga collision. आवश्यकता is safe because it denotes bare practical necessity without invoking scriptural-injunction theory.
Obedience Interpersonal
Approved rendering: आज्ञापालनम्
Transliteration: ājñāpālanam
Doctrine: Grace-Motivated Obedience
Original: ὑπακοή
Category: Grace-Motivated Obedience
NEW for Philemon (Philemon-specific application of baseline root vocabulary). Renders ὑπακοή at 1:21, Paul’s confidence that Philemon will comply with, and exceed, his request. Same root as the baseline’s obedience_of_faith (विश्वासस्य आज्ञापालनम्); this is a small-scale enactment of the same faith-flowing-obedience principle, obedience arising from transformed love and confidence, not compelled duty.
Grant Graciously
Approved rendering: अनुग्रहेण दास्यते
Transliteration: anugraheṇa dāsyate
Doctrine: Grace as Relational Gift
Original: χαρίζομαι
Category: Forgiveness and Reconciliation
NEW for Philemon (proposed extension of shared translation memory). Renders χαρίζομαι at 1:22, Paul’s hope to be ‘granted’ back to the church through their prayers. Cognate with χάρις/अनुग्रहः (High/Critical per baseline); Paul frames his own restored presence as itself a charis-gift. Must carry or reference a note connecting this verb explicitly to the baseline’s Grace doctrine entry.
Medium Risk Terms
Peace
Approved rendering: शान्तिः
Transliteration: śāntiḥ
Doctrine: Grace as Relational Gift
Rejected alternatives: निर्वृत्तिः
Original: εἰρήνη
Category: Salvation
Inherited from Romans package, unchanged. Occurs in the standard salutation formula at Philemon 1:3, paired with grace.
Church
Approved rendering: मण्डली
Transliteration: maṇḍalī
Doctrine: Fellowship and Partnership in Ministry
Rejected alternatives: मन्दिरम्, मठः
Original: ἐκκλησία
Category: Church
Inherited from Romans package, unchanged. Occurs at Philemon 1:2, ‘the church in your house’ — the explicit house-church setting reinforces the baseline’s distinction from मन्दिरम् (image-centered temple).
Intercession
Approved rendering: मध्यस्थता
Transliteration: madhyasthatā
Doctrine: Intercession and Appeal on Behalf of Another
Inherited from Romans package, unchanged; used as the doctrinal-name component for Philemon’s ‘Intercession and Appeal’ doctrine, describing Paul’s personal, relational mediatorial appeal on Onesimus’s behalf (1:8-10, 1:17-20), distinguished from Vedic ritual invocation (āhvāna/homa).
Beloved
Approved rendering: प्रियः
Transliteration: priyaḥ
Doctrine: Christian Brotherhood across Social Status
Rejected alternatives: प्रेमास्पदः
Original: ἀγαπητός
Category: Christian Brotherhood
NEW for Philemon. Adjectival cognate of ἀγάπη/प्रेम; applied to Philemon (1:1) and to Onesimus (1:16). Inherits the same prema-bhakti collision risk as ‘love’ above, at reduced severity since it is not the doctrine-bearing noun itself. प्रेमास्पदः (‘object of love’) is an acceptable synonym.
Heart Affection
Approved rendering: हृदयम्
Transliteration: hṛdayam
Doctrine: Intercession and Appeal on Behalf of Another
Rejected alternatives: अन्तःकरणम्
Original: σπλάγχνα
Category: Intercession and Appeal
NEW for Philemon. Renders σπλάγχνα (‘bowels,’ the Hebraic/Koine idiom for the seat of deep affection) at 1:7, 1:12, 1:20. Sanskrit has no ‘bowels of compassion’ idiom; हृदयम् is the safe, non-technical choice. अन्तःकरणम् is explicitly rejected: it is a precise Sāṃkhya/Vedānta technical term for the manas-buddhi-citta-ahaṃkāra ‘inner instrument,’ which would import an unrelated psychological-metaphysical apparatus into a simple expression of affection.
Confidence Trust
Approved rendering: निश्चयेन
Transliteration: niścayena
Doctrine: Intercession and Appeal on Behalf of Another
Rejected alternatives: विश्वासेन
Original: πεποιθώς
Category: Intercession and Appeal
NEW for Philemon. Renders πεποιθώς at 1:21, ‘having confidence in your obedience.’ Must be lexically distinguished from विश्वासः (saving faith in Christ, per baseline); this is ordinary interpersonal confidence in Philemon’s character, not soteric trust. Strict lexical separation enforced with no exceptions.
Partner
Approved rendering: सहभागी
Transliteration: sahabhāgī
Doctrine: Fellowship and Partnership in Ministry
Original: κοινωνός
Category: Intercession and Appeal
NEW for Philemon. Renders κοινωνός at 1:17, ‘if you consider me your partner, receive him as myself.’ Cognate with κοινωνία (सहभागिता, reused from baseline); inherits the caution that सहभागिता-family terms must not be read as the specific Vaiṣṇava satsaṅga devotional-gathering institution.
Spiritual Child
Approved rendering: पुत्रः
Transliteration: putraḥ
Doctrine: Spiritual Fatherhood and Pastoral Begetting
Original: τέκνον
Category: Intercession and Appeal
NEW for Philemon. Renders τέκνον at 1:10, Onesimus as Paul’s spiritual child through gospel ministry. Must be explicitly distinguished from the baseline’s adoption doctrine (पुत्रत्वेन स्वीकरणम्, God’s adoption of believers as sons with full inheritance rights); this is Paul’s pastoral spiritual-fatherhood metaphor for a convert, a related but categorically distinct sense.
Spiritual Begetting
Approved rendering: जनितवान्
Transliteration: janitavān
Doctrine: Spiritual Fatherhood and Pastoral Begetting
Original: γεννάω
Category: Intercession and Appeal
NEW for Philemon. Renders γεννάω at 1:10, ‘whom I have begotten in my imprisonment.’ Must not be conflated with the Father’s eternal begetting of the Son (cf. baseline son_of_god entry) nor with divine regeneration proper; this is Paul’s figurative, pastoral usage only.
Prisoner
Approved rendering: बन्दी
Transliteration: bandī
Doctrine: Apostolic Authority Set Aside for Love’s Appeal
Original: δέσμιος
Category: Intercession and Appeal
NEW for Philemon. Renders δέσμιος at 1:1, 1:9, Paul’s self-description as ‘a prisoner of Christ Jesus.’ Must not be rendered with a term implying criminal guilt; Paul’s imprisonment belongs to Christ and to the gospel (cf. ‘chains of the gospel,’ 1:13), not shameful wrongdoing. Render the genitive at 1:1 to preserve ‘Christ Jesus’s prisoner,’ not merely ‘a prisoner who happens to be Christian.‘
Fellow Prisoner
Approved rendering: सहबन्दी
Transliteration: sahabandī
Doctrine: Christian Brotherhood across Social Status
Original: συναιχμάλωτος
Category: Christian Brotherhood
NEW for Philemon. Renders συναιχμάλωτος at 1:23, applied to Epaphras. A vivid military-captivity metaphor for shared suffering in gospel ministry; should not be softened to a generic ‘companion.‘
Flesh Social Realm
Approved rendering: शरीरतः
Transliteration: śarīrataḥ
Doctrine: Slavery and the Gospel’s Transforming Power
Rejected alternatives: मांसतः
Original: σάρξ
Category: Slavery and the Gospel
NEW for Philemon. Renders σάρξ at 1:16, ‘both in the flesh and in the Lord,’ meaning the natural/social realm as opposed to ἐν κυρίῳ. Must not be confused with the baseline’s humanity_of_christ usage of flesh-language (Christ’s real physical human nature); this denotes ordinary social/bodily relationship, a distinct sense requiring separate contextual glossing.
Boldness
Approved rendering: निर्भयवचनम्
Transliteration: nirbhayavacanam
Doctrine: Apostolic Authority Set Aside for Love’s Appeal
Rejected alternatives: धृष्टता
Original: παρρησία
Category: Intercession and Appeal
NEW for Philemon. Renders παρρησία at 1:8, Paul’s apostolic authority to speak, which he sets aside in favor of appeal. धृष्टता is rejected because it leans toward brazenness/impudence, misrepresenting Paul’s legitimate, voluntarily-set-aside authority as arrogance.
Joy
Approved rendering: हर्षः
Transliteration: harṣaḥ
Doctrine: Joy and Encouragement in Fellowship
Rejected alternatives: आनन्दः
Original: χαρά
Category: Christian Brotherhood
NEW for Philemon. Renders χαρά at 1:7, Paul’s joy in Philemon’s love. आनन्दः is explicitly rejected: it is a core Vedāntic descriptor of Brahman (satcitānanda, ‘being-consciousness-bliss’); using it for ordinary relational joy risks importing that metaphysical association. हर्षः is the recommended, lighter alternative.
Full Knowledge
Approved rendering: पूर्णज्ञानम्
Transliteration: pūrṇajñānam
Doctrine: Faith and Love in the Christian Community
Rejected alternatives: ज्ञानम् (bare)
Original: ἐπίγνωσις
Category: Christian Brotherhood
NEW for Philemon. Renders ἐπίγνωσις at 1:6, ‘full knowledge of every good thing that is in us for Christ.’ Avoid bare ज्ञान, which risks activating jñāna-mārga (the liberating-knowledge path to mokṣa) associations; पूर्णज्ञानम् denotes simple, full comprehension, not a liberating gnosis.
Prayer
Approved rendering: प्रार्थना
Transliteration: prārthanā
Doctrine: Prayer and Intercession
Original: προσευχή
Category: Church
NEW for Philemon. Renders προσευχή at 1:4 and 1:22. Distinguish from Vedic ritual invocation (āhvāna, homa) requiring precise mantra-performance for efficacy; Christian prayer here is relational petition to a personal God, not ritually mechanical.
Receive Welcome
Approved rendering: आदरेण स्वीकुर्यात्
Transliteration: ādareṇa svīkuryāt
Doctrine: Christian Brotherhood across Social Status
Original: προσλαμβάνω
Category: Christian Brotherhood
NEW for Philemon. Renders προσλαμβάνω at 1:17, Paul’s request that Philemon receive Onesimus ‘as myself.’ The verb choice must convey full welcome, not merely tolerance, reinforcing the Brotherhood doctrine and the letter’s reclassification claim.
Wrong Injustice
Approved rendering: अन्यायं कृतवान्
Transliteration: anyāyaṃ kṛtavān
Doctrine: Forgiveness and Reconciliation
Original: ἀδικέω
Category: Forgiveness and Reconciliation
NEW for Philemon. Renders ἀδικέω at 1:18, Onesimus’s possible wrong against Philemon. Pairs with ‘debt_owed’ and ‘impute_charge_to_account’ in the same verse; gloss consistently with the forgiveness/imputation doctrinal unit.
Eternal Permanent Practical
Approved rendering: नित्यम्
Transliteration: nityam
Doctrine: Grace-Motivated Obedience
Rejected alternatives: सदा
Original: αἰώνιος
Category: Grace-Motivated Obedience
NEW for Philemon. Renders αἰώνιος at 1:15, used practically (‘for good, permanently’) rather than eschatologically. Must be distinguished in translator notes from the baseline’s eschatological ‘eternal’ uses (e.g. resurrection life) and from mokṣa-adjacent ‘eternity’ language; here it denotes a permanent restored relationship, not a technical soteriological category.
Owe Additionally
Approved rendering: अधिकं ऋणी
Transliteration: adhikaṃ ṛṇī
Doctrine: Forgiveness and Reconciliation
NEW for Philemon. Renders προσοφείλω at 1:19, ‘you owe me besides.’ Same ऋण-caution as ‘debt_owed’ applies: gloss as ordinary personal debt, not dharmaśāstra’s ṛṇatraya.
Low Risk Terms
Fellowship
Approved rendering: सहभागिता
Transliteration: sahabhāgitā
Doctrine: Fellowship and Partnership in Ministry
Rejected alternatives: सत्सङ्गः
Original: κοινωνία
Category: Church
Inherited from Romans package, unchanged. Occurs at Philemon 1:6, ‘the fellowship of your faith.’ Cognate with κοινωνός (v.17, see ‘partner’ below); both must avoid the specific Vaiṣṇava satsaṅga devotional-gathering institution.
Thanksgiving
Approved rendering: धन्यवादः
Transliteration: dhanyavādaḥ
Doctrine: Thanksgiving
Original: εὐχαριστία / εὐχαριστέω
Category: Faith
Inherited from Romans package, unchanged. Occurs at Philemon 1:4, ‘I thank my God always.‘
Exhort
Approved rendering: उत्तेजनम्
Transliteration: uttejanam
Doctrine: Intercession and Appeal on Behalf of Another
Inherited from Romans package, unchanged. Context-sensitive: the entreaty sense (विनयः) is active at Philemon 1:9-10, where Paul appeals rather than commands (see ‘command’ entry below for the contrasting term he declines to use).
Paul
Approved rendering: पौलः
Transliteration: paulaḥ
Doctrine: Christian Brotherhood across Social Status
Original: Παῦλος
Category: Church
NEW for Philemon. Proper name, author of the letter, identified at 1:1 and 1:9 as ‘a prisoner of Christ Jesus.’ Transliterated per the Serampore Sanskrit New Testament convention already recorded in the baseline’s requirements document (12_ai_translation_requirements.md), extended here into translation memory.
Onesimus
Approved rendering: ओनेसिमः
Transliteration: onesimaḥ
Doctrine: Slavery and the Gospel’s Transforming Power
Original: Ὀνήσιμος
Category: Slavery and the Gospel
NEW for Philemon. The runaway slave of Philemon, converted through Paul’s ministry, sent back as a transformed brother in Christ. Transliterated per Serampore-tradition practice for proper names. The Greek name’s meaning (‘useful, profitable’) sets up an untranslatable wordplay at 1:11 and 1:20 (see ‘useful_useless_wordplay’ and ‘benefit_wordplay’ below) that must be explained in a translator note, not reproduced lexically.
Command
Approved rendering: आदेशः
Transliteration: ādeśaḥ
Doctrine: Apostolic Authority Set Aside for Love’s Appeal
Original: ἐπιτάσσω
Category: Intercession and Appeal
NEW for Philemon. Renders ἐπιτάσσω at 1:8, the authoritative mode Paul explicitly declines in favor of appeal (see ‘exhort’ above, v.9). Plain administrative-authority term; the discourse contrast between this and the following verse’s appeal-language is a load-bearing structural feature (Paul could command; he chooses to appeal) that must survive translation.
Useful Useless Wordplay
Approved rendering: उपयोगी / निरुपयोगी
Transliteration: upayogī / nirupayogī
Doctrine: Slavery and the Gospel’s Transforming Power
Original: ἄχρηστος / εὔχρηστος
Category: Slavery and the Gospel
NEW for Philemon. Renders ἄχρηστος/εὔχρηστος at 1:11, the first half of Paul’s wordplay on Onesimus’s name (meaning ‘useful, profitable’). The lexical items are plain, but no Sanskrit equivalent preserves the pun; requires a translator note explaining the wordplay rather than a lexical solution.
Benefit Wordplay
Approved rendering: लाभं प्राप्नुयाम्
Transliteration: lābhaṃ prāpnuyām
Doctrine: Slavery and the Gospel’s Transforming Power
Original: ὀναίμην
Category: Slavery and the Gospel
NEW for Philemon. Renders ὀναίμην at 1:20, the second half of the Onesimus wordplay begun at 1:11 (‘may I have benefit from you’). Same translation-difficulty flag as v.11: untranslatable in Sanskrit, requires a translator note.
Hospitality
Approved rendering: अतिथ्यम्
Transliteration: ātithyam
Doctrine: Hospitality and Christian Community
Original: ξενία
Category: Church
NEW for Philemon. Renders ξενία at 1:22, ‘prepare a guest room for me.’ A positive, well-attested Sanskrit social-religious concept (atithi-satkāra) that aligns naturally with the biblical concept and needs no doctrinal caution.
Sister
Approved rendering: भगिनी
Transliteration: bhaginī
Doctrine: Christian Brotherhood across Social Status
Original: ἀδελφή
Category: Church
NEW for Philemon. Renders ἀδελφή at 1:2, applied to Apphia. Direct feminine counterpart to ἀδελφός/भ्राता; no additional doctrinal weight beyond the brotherhood doctrine already carried by the masculine form.
Fellow Soldier
Approved rendering: सहसैनिकः
Transliteration: sahasainikaḥ
Doctrine: Fellowship and Partnership in Ministry
Original: συστρατιώτης
Category: Church
NEW for Philemon. Renders συστρατιώτης at 1:2, applied to Archippus, a standard Pauline metaphor for shared gospel labor (cf. 2 Timothy 2:3). Must not be read as endorsing literal militarism.
Fellow Worker
Approved rendering: सहकारी
Transliteration: sahakārī
Doctrine: Fellowship and Partnership in Ministry
Original: συνεργός
Category: Church
NEW for Philemon. Renders συνεργός at 1:1 (Philemon) and 1:24 (Mark, Aristarchus, Demas, Luke). Plain ministry-partnership term; no significant doctrinal risk.
Elder Ambassador
Approved rendering: वृद्धः
Transliteration: vṛddhaḥ
Doctrine: Apostolic Authority Set Aside for Love’s Appeal
Original: πρεσβύτης (v.l. πρέσβυς)
Category: Intercession and Appeal
NEW for Philemon. Renders πρεσβύτης (v.l. πρέσβυς, ‘ambassador’) at 1:9, Paul’s self-description. A well-known text-critical variant matters for how Paul’s authority is framed; flag the variant for scholarly review even though the doctrinal risk of either rendering is low.
Serve Minister
Approved rendering: सेवां कुर्यात्
Transliteration: sevāṃ kuryāt
Doctrine: Intercession and Appeal on Behalf of Another
Original: διακονέω
Category: Intercession and Appeal
NEW for Philemon. Renders διακονέω at 1:13, Paul’s wish that Onesimus might serve him on Philemon’s behalf. Plain service term; watch that it is not rendered with a term implying ritual temple-service (avoid पूजा-family words).
Consent Willingness
Approved rendering: अनुमतिः
Transliteration: anumatiḥ
Doctrine: Grace-Motivated Obedience
NEW for Philemon. Renders γνώμη at 1:14, ‘without your consent I did not want to do anything.’ Plain consent/opinion term supporting the voluntary/compulsion contrast; no independent doctrinal risk beyond that already flagged for ‘voluntary’ and ‘compulsion’.
Remembrance
Approved rendering: स्मरणम्
Transliteration: smaraṇam
Doctrine: Prayer and Intercession
NEW for Philemon. Renders μνεία at 1:4, ‘mentioning you in my prayers.’ Plain term, no doctrinal risk.
Effective Active
Approved rendering: सक्रिया
Transliteration: sakriyā
Doctrine: Fellowship and Partnership in Ministry
NEW for Philemon. Renders ἐνεργής at 1:6, ‘that the fellowship of your faith may become effective.’ Plain term, no doctrinal risk.
Refreshment
Approved rendering: विश्रान्तिः
Transliteration: viśrāntiḥ
Doctrine: Joy and Encouragement in Fellowship
NEW for Philemon. Renders ἄνεσις at 1:7. Same semantic family as ἀναπαύω (v.20, see ‘give_rest’ below); plain term, no doctrinal risk.
Give Rest
Approved rendering: विश्रामं देहि
Transliteration: viśrāmaṃ dehi
Doctrine: Intercession and Appeal on Behalf of Another
NEW for Philemon. Renders ἀναπαύω at 1:20, ‘refresh my heart in Christ,’ echoing σπλάγχνα from v.12 (see ‘heart_affection’ above). Plain term, no doctrinal risk.
Sent Back
Approved rendering: प्रत्यर्पितवान्
Transliteration: pratyarpitavān
Doctrine: Slavery and the Gospel’s Transforming Power
NEW for Philemon. Renders ἀναπέμπω at 1:12, ‘I am sending him back to you.’ Plain term, no doctrinal risk.
Hold Fast
Approved rendering: धारयितुम्
Transliteration: dhārayitum
Doctrine: Intercession and Appeal on Behalf of Another
NEW for Philemon. Renders κατέχω at 1:13, ‘I wished to keep him with me.’ Plain term, no doctrinal risk.
With My Own Hand
Approved rendering: स्वहस्तेन
Transliteration: svahastena
Doctrine: Imputation of Debt (Substitutionary Picture)
NEW for Philemon. Renders the formulaic authentication marker χειρί at 1:19 (cf. Galatians 6:11, 1 Corinthians 16:21). No doctrinal weight; epistolary convention only.
Greet
Approved rendering: अभिवादयति
Transliteration: abhivādayati
Doctrine: Fellowship and Partnership in Ministry
Rejected alternatives: नमस्करोति
NEW for Philemon. Renders ἀσπάζομαι at 1:23, standard epistolary greeting for Epaphras and the co-workers listed at 1:23-24. नमस्करोति-family verbs carry no ritual-worship risk in this plainly non-devotional context, but अभिवादयति is preferred as the more neutral choice to avoid any devotional overtone.
Hope
Approved rendering: आशां करोमि
Transliteration: āśāṃ karomi
Doctrine: Grace as Relational Gift
NEW for Philemon. Renders ἐλπίζω at 1:22, ‘I hope to be granted to you.’ Plain term, no doctrinal risk beyond the χαρίζομαι cross-reference already carried by ‘grant_graciously’ above.
Referenced passages