Core Glossary
Core Glossary — Philemon (English → Spanish)
This glossary consolidates every load-bearing theological term identified in 07_semantic_analysis.md, covering the entire book of Philemon (1:1-25). Terms marked [TM-REUSED] already exist in the baseline Romans translation_memory.json and MUST be rendered exactly as recorded there — no deviation permitted. Terms marked [NEW] are introduced by Philemon’s vocabulary and are proposed here for addition to the language package’s translation memory at the next version increment. Risk tiers and definitions follow the baseline doctrine_risk_registry.json conventions exactly (Critical / High / Medium / Low).
Doctrine Category Key
- F/R = Forgiveness and Reconciliation
- CB = Christian Brotherhood across Social Status
- SGP = Slavery and the Gospel’s Transforming Power
- IA = Intercession and Appeal on Behalf of Another
- GMO = Grace-Motivated Obedience
- (Baseline) = doctrine already defined in the Romans
doctrine_risk_registry.json, reused here
Terms Reused Exactly from Baseline Translation Memory [TM-REUSED]
| English Term | Spanish Rendering | Greek (translit.) | Risk | Doctrine(s) | Passages | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gospel | evangelio | εὐαγγέλιον (euangelion) | High | (Baseline) Gospel | 1:13 | Paul’s imprisonment is explicitly “for the gospel” — reuse TM exactly. |
| Grace | gracia | χάρις (charis) | High | (Baseline) Grace; GMO | 1:3, 1:25; conceptually throughout | The grace-not-merit logic of Romans is enacted narratively in Philemon’s appeal-not-command strategy and Paul’s absorption of Onesimus’s debt. |
| Faith | fe | πίστις (pistis) | High | (Baseline) Faith | 1:5 | Philemon’s reputation for faith toward the Lord grounds Paul’s appeal. |
| Peace | paz | εἰρήνη (eirēnē) | Medium | (Baseline) Peace with God | 1:3 | Standard greeting formula. |
| Saints | santos | ἅγιοι (hagioi) | Critical | (Baseline) Sainthood; CB | 1:5, 1:7 | Reuse TM exactly with mandatory all-believers clarifying note; Philemon’s own ministry to “the saints” (ordinary believers) sets up his expected treatment of Onesimus. |
| Thanksgiving | acción de gracias / doy gracias | εὐχαριστία / εὐχαριστέω (eucharistia / eucharisteō) | Low | (Baseline) Thanksgiving | 1:4 | Standard opening formula. |
| Fellowship / Partnership | compañerismo | κοινωνία (koinōnia) | Low–Medium | (Baseline) Christian Fellowship; IA | 1:6, cf. 1:17 (κοινωνός) | Root-linked to the letter’s central appeal in v.17; see NEW entry for κοινωνός below. |
| Church | iglesia | ἐκκλησία (ekklēsia) | Medium | (Baseline) Church as God’s People | 1:2 | The house-church at Philemon’s home; reuse TM’s lowercase gathered-people sense. |
| Lord | Señor | κύριος (kyrios) | Critical | (Baseline) Lordship of Christ | 1:3, 1:16, 1:20, 1:25 | Reuse TM exactly; “in the Lord” idiom is the ground of the new brotherhood claimed for Onesimus. |
| God | Dios | θεός (theos) | Critical | (Baseline) Deity of Christ (God-language) | 1:4 | Standard. |
| Jesus / Christ | Jesús / Cristo | Ἰησοῦς / Χριστός (Iēsous / Christos) | Critical | (Baseline) Lordship/Sonship of Christ | throughout | Standard established forms per baseline transliteration standards. |
| Exhort/Appeal | exhortar | παρακαλέω (parakaleō) | High | (Baseline) Mutual Edification (extended here to IA) | 1:9, 1:10 | MUST reuse TM’s fixed “exhortar.” Requires mandatory translator note in Philemon contexts: here the register is a personal, vulnerable entreaty (“te ruego”) rather than public teaching-exhortation; do not let the Spanish reader hear a directive. Flag for theologian review — this is the letter’s central rhetorical verb. |
New Terms Introduced by Philemon [NEW] — Proposed for Translation Memory Addition
| English Term | Spanish Rendering | Greek (translit.) | Risk | Doctrine(s) | Passages | Alternatives Rejected | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Love | amor | ἀγάπη (agapē) | Medium | GMO; CB | 1:5, 1:7, 1:9 | ”cariño” (too weak/sentimental) | Covenantal, self-giving love, the stated motive for Paul’s appeal over command. Add as standalone TM entry; not previously isolated in Romans TM. |
| Boldness/Confidence (to command) | confianza / autoridad | παρρησία (parrēsia) | Medium | IA; GMO | 1:8 | ”atrevimiento” (connotes rashness) | Paul names his authority precisely in order to set it aside; the contrast with v.9’s appeal must remain visible. |
| Command/Order | mandar / ordenar | ἐπιτάσσω (epitassō) | Low–Medium | GMO | 1:8 | — | The road not taken; keep in clear register contrast with “exhortar/apelar” (παρακαλέω). |
| Old man / Ambassador (textual variant) | anciano (var. embajador) | πρεσβύτης / πρεσβευτής (presbytēs / presbeutēs) | Medium | IA | 1:9 | — | Primary rendering follows majority critical text (“anciano”); footnote the “embajador” variant rather than silently resolving it. |
| Prisoner (of Christ) | prisionero / preso | δέσμιος (desmios) | Low–Medium | IA | 1:1, 1:9, 1:10, 1:23 (συναιχμάλωτος) | — | Keep visually/lexically distinct from “esclavo” (δοῦλος) — Paul’s voluntary gospel-suffering is not the institution of slavery. |
| Spiritual child | hijo (espiritual) | τέκνον (teknon) | Medium | SGP; IA | 1:10 | — | Paul’s individual spiritual paternity of Onesimus; distinguish from the general adoptive “hijos de Dios” of Romans 8. |
| To beget (spiritually) | engendrar | γεννάω (gennaō) | Medium | SGP | 1:10 | — | Conversion metaphor; gloss recommended, uncommon word in everyday devotional Spanish. |
| Chains/Imprisonment | cadenas / prisión | δεσμός (desmos) | Low | IA | 1:10, 1:13 | — | Consistent with δέσμιος rendering. |
| Useless / Useful (wordplay on “Onesimus”) | inútil / útil (provechoso) | ἄχρηστος / εὔχρηστος (achrēstos / euchrēstos) | Medium | SGP | 1:11 | — | Wordplay with “Onésimo” (= “útil/provechoso” in Greek) must be flagged with a translator note or the rhetorical force of the transformation claim is lost. |
| Onesimus (proper name) | Onésimo | Ὀνήσιμος (Onēsimos) | Low (name)/High (pedagogical) | SGP | throughout | — | Established Spanish Bible form; name’s meaning (“útil”) is essential background for vv.11, 20 wordplay — must appear in a teaching note. |
| To send back | enviar de vuelta / devolver | ἀναπέμπω (anapempō) | Low | IA | 1:12 | — | Neutral, no doctrinal risk. |
| Inward heart/affections | mi propio corazón (cf. RV “entrañas”) | σπλάγχνα (splanchna) | Medium | CB; F/R | 1:7, 1:12, 1:20 | ”entrañas” alone (archaic/graphic register risk) | Structural inclusio across all three occurrences; MUST use one consistent Spanish rendering at 1:7, 1:12, and 1:20 so the literary structure is visible. |
| To desire/wish | querer / desear | βούλομαι (boulomai) | Low | GMO | 1:13 | — | Standard. |
| To retain/hold | retener | κατέχω (katechō) | Low | GMO | 1:13 | — | The claim Paul deliberately relinquishes. |
| To serve/minister | servir | διακονέω (diakoneō) | Low–Medium | SGP | 1:13 | ”diaconado” (anachronistic technical office sense) | General ministry-service, not the later office of deacon. |
| Consent/Will | consentimiento / voluntad | γνώμη (gnōmē) | Medium | GMO | 1:14 | — | Reconciliation must not be coerced, even for a good outcome. |
| Compulsion/Necessity | obligación / imposición | ἀνάγκη (anankē) | High | GMO | 1:14 | — | Half of the letter’s central doctrinal contrast; must read as sharply opposite ἑκούσιον. Flag for theologian review. |
| Voluntary/Free will | voluntario / de tu propia voluntad | ἑκούσιον (hekousion) | High | GMO | 1:14 | — | Other half of the ἀνάγκη/ἑκούσιον contrast — the doctrinal core of Grace-Motivated Obedience. Flag for theologian review. |
| To separate/depart | separar(se) | χωρίζω (chōrizō) | Medium | SGP; F/R | 1:15 | — | Diplomatically indirect euphemism for Onesimus’s flight; preserve the ambiguity, do not resolve toward either “escaped” (criminalizing) or “left” (excusing). |
| Forever/permanently (non-technical) | para siempre | αἰώνιος (aiōnios) | Medium | CB; F/R | 1:15 | ”vida eterna” register (over-theologizes) | Relational permanence, not the technical eschatological sense; flag so it isn’t conflated with “eternal life” language elsewhere in the curriculum. |
| To have/receive in full | tener / recibir plenamente | ἀπέχω (apechō) | Low–Medium | F/R | 1:15 | — | Possible commercial “paid in full” overtone connecting to vv.18-19. |
| Slave/Bondservant | esclavo | δοῦλος (doulos) | CRITICAL | SGP; CB | 1:16 | ”siervo” (softens/obscures the legal-ownership reality being transformed) | The doctrinal and cultural center of gravity for this curriculum. In Spanish-speaking Latin America and the Caribbean, “esclavo” carries the specific historical weight of the transatlantic slave trade and colonial chattel slavery — a harsher, racially-coded institution than Greco-Roman slavery. MANDATORY teaching note: Paul transforms the relationship, not by institutional decree but by gospel logic that plants the seed of eventual freedom (cf. 1 Cor 7:21-23); must never be taught in a way that appears to endorse or minimize chattel slavery. Human theologian review required for every occurrence. |
| Brother | hermano | ἀδελφός (adelphos) | High | CB | 1:1 (Timothy), 1:16, 1:20 | — | The kinship reclassification of a slave as full family member; socially, not only doctrinally, radical in cultures with entrenched class/racial hierarchies (parallel risk to baseline’s “unity_of_jews_and_gentiles,” already High). |
| Beloved | amado / querido | ἀγαπητός (agapētos) | Medium | CB | 1:1 (Philemon), 1:16 | — | Use the SAME Spanish term for both occurrences (Philemon and Onesimus) to preserve the deliberate parallel status. |
| Flesh (neutral relational sense) | carne | σάρξ (sarx) | Medium | CB | 1:16 | — | Neutral “in ordinary human relations” sense; must not import Romans 7-8’s negative fallen-nature connotation. |
| Partner/Companion | socio / compañero | κοινωνός (koinōnos) | Medium–High | IA | 1:17 | ”socio” alone risks purely commercial flattening | Root-linked to κοινωνία (v.6, TM “compañerismo”); Paul leverages existing partnership to request Onesimus’s full reception. Flag for native speaker review. |
| To receive/welcome | recibir | προσλαμβάνω (proslambanō) | Medium | CB; F/R | 1:17 | — | Full relational welcome, not mere tolerance. |
| To wrong/do injustice | agraviar / hacer injusticia | ἀδικέω (adikeō) | Medium | F/R | 1:18 | — | Names the wrong honestly; forgiveness here is not pretending no wrong occurred. |
| To owe | deber | ὀφείλω (opheilō) | Low–Medium | F/R | 1:18, 1:19 | — | Establishes the commercial-debt frame running through vv.18-19. |
| To charge to one’s account / impute | cargar a cuenta / poner en cuenta / imputar | ἐλλογάω (ellogaō) | CRITICAL | F/R; GMO | 1:18 | ”perdonar” alone (loses the legal-substitution structure); equating lexically with λογίζομαι/“justicia imputada” (overclaims a technical identity between distinct Greek verbs) | The doctrinal engine of the letter’s forgiveness/reconciliation theme, expressed through legal-commercial metaphor rather than ἀφίημι “forgive” vocabulary. Thematically parallel to imputation (cf. Romans 5:13’s use of the same rare verb) — connection must be taught as typological/thematic, NOT as identical technical terminology to “justicia imputada.” Must not drift toward Tridentine satisfaction-through-penance framing. Human theologian review required. |
| To repay in full | pagar / reembolsar | ἀποτίνω (apotinō) | Medium | F/R; IA | 1:19 | — | Paul’s personal, autographed guarantee of the debt. |
| To owe besides/additionally | deber además / deber aún más | προσοφείλω (prosopheilō) | Medium | F/R; GMO | 1:19 | — | Gentle rhetorical irony: Philemon’s spiritual debt to Paul dwarfs Onesimus’s debt to Philemon. |
| To benefit/have joy (wordplay) | tener gozo / provecho de | ὀνίναμαι (oninamai) | Medium | SGP; F/R | 1:20 | — | Deliberate wordplay on “Onesimus”; parallels vv.10-11. |
| To refresh/give rest | confortar / dar descanso / refrescar | ἀναπαύω (anapauō) | Medium | CB; F/R | 1:7, 1:20 | — | Use the SAME Spanish verb at both occurrences to preserve the letter’s inclusio structure. |
| Confident/Persuaded | confiado en / teniendo confianza en | πείθω, πεποιθώς (peithō) | Low–Medium | IA; GMO | 1:21 | — | Confidence grounded in Philemon’s known character, not in apostolic compulsion. |
| Obedience | obediencia | ὑπακοή (hypakoē) | High | GMO | 1:21 | — | Direct terminological link to Romans’ baseline “obediencia de la fe” (ὑπακοὴ πίστεως). Must be taught alongside v.14’s ἀνάγκη/ἑκούσιον contrast: obedience that flows freely from grace-shaped love, not extracted by command. Flag for human theologian review. |
| To grant freely / (elsewhere) to forgive | conceder / dar (como una gracia) | χαρίζομαι (charizomai) | High | F/R; GMO | 1:22 | ”merecer” (introduces merit where the text has grace) | Root-related to χάρις. In Philemon this occurrence means Paul’s hoped-for release, NOT Onesimus’s forgiveness — teaching notes must not overstate that Philemon itself uses this verb for interpersonal forgiveness (that sense is imported from Eph 4:32/Col 3:13, elsewhere in Paul). Flag for native speaker review to prevent a merit-based mistranslation. |
| Hospitality/Guest room | alojamiento / hospedaje | ξενία (xenia) | Low | IA | 1:22 | — | Practical, low-doctrinal-risk term. |
| Prayer | oración(es) | προσευχή (proseuchē) | Low–Medium | IA | 1:22 | — | Connects to baseline’s “prayer_and_intercession” doctrine (Critical in Romans) but carries no saint/Marian-mediation risk in this occurrence — straightforward mutual petition. |
| Fellow prisoner | compañero de prisión | συναιχμάλωτος (synaichmalōtos) | Low | IA | 1:23 | — | Shared gospel-imprisonment status, cf. δέσμιος. |
| Fellow worker | colaborador / cooperador | συνεργός (synergos) | Low | IA; CB | 1:1, 1:24 | — | Ministry-partnership term; note connection to κοινωνός (v.17). |
| Sister | hermana | ἀδελφή (adelphē) | Low | CB | 1:2 | — | Same kinship-term family as ἀδελφός. |
| Fellow soldier | compañero de milicia / de lucha | συστρατιώτης (systratiōtēs) | Low | IA | 1:2 | — | Shared-hardship-in-ministry term. |
Cross-Reference Notes for Phase 2 Enforcement
- δοῦλος (“esclavo”), ἀδελφός (“hermano”), ἀνάγκη/ἑκούσιον (“obligación/voluntario”), and ἐλλογάω (“cargar a cuenta/imputar”) are the four highest-stakes terms in this curriculum and require human theologian review at every occurrence, per the priority-order rules established in the baseline
12_ai_translation_requirements.md. - σπλάγχνα and ἀναπαύω must receive IDENTICAL Spanish renderings at each of their repeated occurrences (1:7/1:12/1:20 and 1:7/1:20 respectively) to preserve the letter’s inclusio structure — this is a cross-document consistency rule analogous to the baseline’s “Same rendering of Romans 8:28 across all documents” rule.
- παρακαλέω (“exhortar”) reuses the baseline TM term exactly per the hard-rule mandate, but every Philemon occurrence (1:9, 1:10) requires a translator note clarifying the personal-entreaty register, distinct from the public-teaching register the term carries in Romans.
- ἐλλογάω must never be presented to learners as lexically identical to λογίζομαι (“justicia imputada” in the Romans baseline); the connection is thematic/typological only and must be labeled as such in all teaching materials.
- χαρίζομαι (1:22) must not be taught as Philemon’s word for “forgiving Onesimus” — Philemon never uses ἀφίημι/ἄφεσις vocabulary; the letter’s forgiveness doctrine is carried entirely through the commercial-debt metaphor of vv.18-19 (ὀφείλω, ἐλλογάω, ἀποτίνω, προσοφείλω).
This glossary extends but does not modify the baseline Romans translation_memory.json (v1). All [NEW] terms above are proposed for addition at the next translation memory version increment, per the versioning procedure in 12_ai_translation_requirements.md.
Critical Risk Terms
Saints
Approved rendering: santos
Transliteration: hagioi
Doctrine: Sainthood
Rejected alternatives: los santos (canonizados, objeto de veneración e intercesión)
Original: ἅγιοι
Category: Church
Inherited from Romans package. Filemón 1:5, 1:7: Filemón’s ministry of refreshing ‘los santos’ (ordinary believers) previews the pattern Paul requests for himself in v.20. MANDATORY all-believers clarifying note at every occurrence, exactly as in the baseline.
Lord
Approved rendering: Señor
Transliteration: kyrios
Doctrine: Lordship of Christ
Rejected alternatives: Señor mío (devotional-only, without lordship claim over the whole of life)
Original: κύριος
Category: Christology
Inherited from Romans package. Filemón 1:3, 1:16, 1:20, 1:25: ‘en el Señor’ is the theological ground of the new brotherhood claimed between Filemón and Onésimo. Must convey exclusive, relationship-defining lordship, not a devotional title alongside other loyalties. Third and consistent occurrence at 1:20 must match 1:3 and 1:16 exactly.
God
Approved rendering: Dios
Transliteration: theos
Doctrine: Deity of Christ
Original: θεός
Category: God
Inherited from Romans package. Filemón 1:4. Universally standard; no rival deity-name confusion in mainstream Hispanic Christian usage.
Jesus
Approved rendering: Jesús
Transliteration: Iēsous
Doctrine: Lordship of Christ
Original: Ἰησοῦς
Category: Christology
Inherited from Romans package. Used throughout Filemón (1:1, 1:3, 1:5, etc.) in the established Spanish Bible-translation form; no variant-form risk.
Christ
Approved rendering: Cristo
Transliteration: Christos
Doctrine: Lordship of Christ
Rejected alternatives: Mesías (reserved for explicit messianic-promise/titular contexts, not the compound personal name)
Original: Χριστός
Category: Christology
NEW entry, required because Filemón repeatedly uses Χριστός as part of the compound personal name (‘δέσμιος Χριστοῦ Ἰησοῦ,’ ‘δοῦλος Χριστοῦ Ἰησοῦ’: 1:1, 1:6, 1:8, 1:9, 1:20, 1:23, 1:25). Use the established proper-name form ‘Cristo,’ distinct from the baseline’s separate doctrinal term ‘Mesías,’ which is reserved for explicit messianic-promise contexts as in Romans.
Slave
Approved rendering: esclavo
Transliteration: doulos
Doctrine: Slavery and the Gospel’s Transforming Power
Rejected alternatives: siervo (softens/obscures the legal-ownership reality being transformed)
Original: δοῦλος
Category: Slavery and the Gospel’s Transforming Power
NEW term. Filemón 1:16. The single highest cultural-collision term in this curriculum: in Spanish-speaking Latin America and the Caribbean, ‘esclavo’ carries the living historical memory of the transatlantic slave trade and racially coded colonial chattel slavery — a harsher institution than Greco-Roman slavery. MANDATORY teaching note at every occurrence: Paul transforms the relationship from within by gospel logic that plants the seed of eventual freedom (cf. 1 Corintios 7:21-23), not by institutional decree; must never be taught in a way that appears to endorse or minimize chattel slavery or its legacy in the Americas. Human theologian review required for every occurrence.
Charge To Account
Approved rendering: cargar a cuenta / poner en cuenta / imputar
Transliteration: ellogaō
Doctrine: Forgiveness and Reconciliation
Rejected alternatives: perdonar alone (loses the legal-substitution structure), justicia infundida-style satisfaction-through-penance framing, lexical identity with ‘justicia imputada’ (λογίζομαι) — a different Greek verb; connection is thematic/typological only
Original: ἐλλογάω
Category: Forgiveness and Reconciliation
NEW term. Filemón 1:18. This rare NT verb (elsewhere only Romans 5:13) is the commercial-legal cousin of the imputation vocabulary underlying ‘justicia imputada’ in the baseline Romans package: Paul offers to have Onésimo’s debt legally transferred to his own account. MUST NOT be softened into vague feelings-based forgiveness language. MUST NOT be taught as lexically identical to λογίζομαι/‘justicia imputada’ — the link is thematic/typological, not the same Greek word. MUST NOT drift toward a Tridentine satisfaction-through-penance framing. Human theologian review required for every occurrence.
High Risk Terms
Gospel
Approved rendering: evangelio
Transliteration: euangelion
Doctrine: Gospel
Rejected alternatives: buenas nuevas (only as a descriptive gloss, never the standalone technical term)
Original: εὐαγγέλιον
Category: Salvation
Inherited from Romans package. Filemón 1:13: Paul’s imprisonment is explicitly ‘for the gospel’ — a specific missional cause, not generic misfortune. Reuse the exact baseline rendering.
Grace
Approved rendering: gracia
Transliteration: charis
Doctrine: Grace
Rejected alternatives: favor merecido, recompensa por buenas obras
Original: χάρις
Category: Salvation
Inherited from Romans package. Frames the letter from greeting (1:3) to benediction (1:25); Paul’s appeal-not-command strategy and personal absorption of Onésimo’s debt (vv.18-19) enact grace-not-merit logic narratively. Must not be read as a meritorious act Paul performs to earn Filemón’s compliance.
Faith
Approved rendering: fe
Transliteration: pistis
Doctrine: Faith
Rejected alternatives: devoción religiosa general, creencia cultural heredada
Original: πίστις
Category: Faith
Inherited from Romans package. Filemón 1:5-6: Filemón’s reputation for ‘fe’ toward the Lord grounds Paul’s confidence in appealing to him; must not collapse into inherited cultural religiosity or generic reputation for piety.
Exhort
Approved rendering: exhortar
Transliteration: parakaleō
Doctrine: Intercession and Appeal on Behalf of Another
Rejected alternatives: obediencia a los preceptos de la Iglesia, cumplimiento de mandamientos eclesiásticos
Original: παρακαλέω
Category: Intercession and Appeal on Behalf of Another
MUST reuse the baseline’s fixed spanish_term ‘exhortar’ exactly (hard-rule term reuse). Risk elevated from the baseline’s Low/general-encouragement register to High for this curriculum: in Filemón 1:9-10 this is the letter’s single load-bearing rhetorical verb, a personal, vulnerable entreaty (‘te ruego,’ ‘apelo a ti’) deliberately chosen over ἐπιτάσσω (‘mandar,’ v.8). A public-teaching/homiletic register will make Spanish readers hear a directive rather than a personal appeal, collapsing the letter’s central rhetorical contrast. MANDATORY translator note at every occurrence (1:9, 1:10) clarifying the personal-entreaty register. Human theologian review required.
Compulsion
Approved rendering: obligación / imposición
Transliteration: anankē
Doctrine: Grace-Motivated Obedience
Original: ἀνάγκη
Category: Grace-Motivated Obedience
NEW term. Filemón 1:14: named as the wrong mode for Christian obedience, contrasted directly with ἑκούσιον (‘voluntario’) in the same sentence. This is half of the letter’s clearest statement of Grace-Motivated Obedience. Must be checked together with ‘voluntary’ as a pair in every draft; validation must confirm the antithesis is grammatically sharp in Spanish, not merely present as two separate words. Human theologian review required.
Voluntary
Approved rendering: voluntario / de tu propia voluntad
Transliteration: hekousion
Doctrine: Grace-Motivated Obedience
Original: ἑκούσιον
Category: Grace-Motivated Obedience
NEW term. Filemón 1:14: the positive pole of the ἀνάγκη/ἑκούσιον contrast, modeling the same grace-not-merit logic underlying the baseline’s ‘grace’ and ‘obedience_of_faith’ doctrines. Must be checked together with ‘compulsion’ as a pair. Human theologian review required.
Brother
Approved rendering: hermano
Transliteration: adelphos
Doctrine: Christian Brotherhood across Social Status
Original: ἀδελφός
Category: Christian Brotherhood across Social Status
NEW term. Filemón 1:1 (Timoteo), 1:16, 1:20. Onésimo is reclassified in the most intimate kinship category the ancient world knew. Crowded semantic neighborhood: everyday casual-address use of ‘hermano’ risks flattening this radical claim into a pious pleasantry. MANDATORY teaching note at every occurrence stating this is a full kinship reclassification (a slave named literal family), paralleling the baseline’s High-risk ‘unity_of_jews_and_gentiles.’ Human theologian review required.
Obedience
Approved rendering: obediencia
Transliteration: hypakoē
Doctrine: Grace-Motivated Obedience
Original: ὑπακοή
Category: Grace-Motivated Obedience
NEW term. Filemón 1:21. Direct terminological link to the baseline’s High-risk Romans doctrine ‘obediencia de la fe’ (ὑπακοὴ πίστεως). Must be taught alongside v.14’s ἀνάγκη/ἑκούσιον contrast: NOT obedience extracted by apostolic command but obedience flowing freely from a heart shaped by grace and love. Human theologian review required.
Grant Freely
Approved rendering: conceder / dar (como una gracia)
Transliteration: charizomai
Doctrine: Grace
Rejected alternatives: merecer (introduces merit where the text has grace)
Original: χαρίζομαι
Category: Forgiveness and Reconciliation
NEW term. Filemón 1:22: Paul’s hoped-for release, spoken of as graciously ‘granted,’ not earned — root-related to χάρις. MUST NOT be taught as Filemón’s word for ‘forgiving Onésimo’ — this occurrence concerns Paul’s release, not interpersonal forgiveness; that sense belongs to Efesios 4:32/Colosenses 3:13, outside this book. Flag for native speaker review in addition to the High doctrinal risk tier.
Medium Risk Terms
Peace
Approved rendering: paz
Transliteration: eirēnē
Doctrine: Peace with God
Rejected alternatives: tranquilidad emocional
Original: εἰρήνη
Category: Salvation
Inherited from Romans package. Filemón 1:3, standard Pauline greeting formula ‘gracia y paz.‘
Church
Approved rendering: iglesia
Transliteration: ekklēsia
Doctrine: Church as God’s People
Rejected alternatives: la Iglesia (institución jerárquica en sentido católico-institucional)
Original: ἐκκλησία
Category: Church
Inherited from Romans package. Filemón 1:2: ‘la iglesia que se reúne en tu casa’ — the gathered-people, house-church sense, not the capitalized institutional-hierarchical sense.
Love
Approved rendering: amor
Transliteration: agapē
Doctrine: Christian Brotherhood across Social Status
Rejected alternatives: cariño (too weak/sentimental)
Original: ἀγάπη
Category: Christian Brotherhood across Social Status
NEW term. Filemón 1:5, 1:7, 1:9: the stated ground of Paul’s appeal (v.9) and of Filemón’s reputation (vv.5,7). Also feeds Grace-Motivated Obedience as the letter’s motive force. Render ‘amor’; keep the covenantal, self-giving sense explicit in teaching notes so it does not drift toward colloquial romantic connotation.
Boldness
Approved rendering: confianza / autoridad
Transliteration: parrēsia
Doctrine: Intercession and Appeal on Behalf of Another
Rejected alternatives: atrevimiento (connotes rashness)
Original: παρρησία
Category: Intercession and Appeal on Behalf of Another
NEW term. Filemón 1:8: Paul names his apostolic authority precisely in order to set it aside in favor of appeal (v.9). The contrast with v.9’s ‘exhortar’ must remain visible in the same passage.
Command
Approved rendering: mandar / ordenar
Transliteration: epitassō
Doctrine: Grace-Motivated Obedience
Original: ἐπιτάσσω
Category: Grace-Motivated Obedience
NEW term. Filemón 1:8: the road Paul explicitly does not take. Keep registrally blunt and directive in Spanish, in clear contrast with ‘exhortar’ (παρακαλέω, v.9), so the appeal-vs-command contrast central to Grace-Motivated Obedience remains visible.
Elder Or Ambassador
Approved rendering: anciano (var. embajador)
Transliteration: presbytēs (variant: presbeutēs)
Doctrine: Intercession and Appeal on Behalf of Another
Original: πρεσβύτης (variant πρεσβευτής)
Category: Intercession and Appeal on Behalf of Another
NEW term. Filemón 1:9. Primary rendering follows the majority critical text (NA28): ‘anciano.’ Footnote the ‘embajador’ textual variant (paralleling Efesios 6:20) rather than silently resolving it; either reading reinforces ‘appeal rather than command’ but with a different self-presentation nuance.
Spiritual Child
Approved rendering: hijo (espiritual)
Transliteration: teknon
Doctrine: Slavery and the Gospel’s Transforming Power
Original: τέκνον
Category: Slavery and the Gospel’s Transforming Power
NEW term. Filemón 1:10: Paul’s individual, personal spiritual paternity of Onésimo through conversion. Must be distinguished from the general adoptive ‘hijos de Dios’ sonship of every believer (Romans 8 baseline doctrine ‘adoption’) — a narrower, personal-mentorship claim.
Beget Spiritually
Approved rendering: engendrar
Transliteration: gennaō
Doctrine: Slavery and the Gospel’s Transforming Power
Rejected alternatives: convertir (loses the personal-paternity metaphor)
Original: γεννάω
Category: Slavery and the Gospel’s Transforming Power
NEW term. Filemón 1:10: Onésimo’s conversion under Paul’s ministry, even while both were imprisoned. Retain ‘engendrar’ with a brief gloss (‘a quien llevé a la fe’); the verb is uncommon in everyday devotional Spanish.
Useless Useful Wordplay
Approved rendering: inútil / útil (provechoso)
Transliteration: achrēstos / euchrēstos
Doctrine: Slavery and the Gospel’s Transforming Power
Original: ἄχρηστος / εὔχρηστος
Category: Slavery and the Gospel’s Transforming Power
NEW term. Filemón 1:11, a deliberate wordplay on the name ‘Onésimo’ (Greek: ‘useful/profitable’). MANDATORY translator/teaching note explaining the name-wordplay, or the rhetorical force of the transformation claim is lost.
Onesimus
Approved rendering: Onésimo
Transliteration: Onēsimos
Doctrine: Slavery and the Gospel’s Transforming Power
Original: Ὀνήσιμος
Category: Slavery and the Gospel’s Transforming Power
NEW term. Established Spanish Bible proper-name form ‘Onésimo.’ Low risk as a name form but pedagogically High: the wordplay of vv.11 and 20 is invisible unless a teaching note explains the name’s Greek meaning (‘útil/provechoso’).
Inward Affections
Approved rendering: corazón (cf. RV ‘entrañas’)
Transliteration: splanchna
Doctrine: Christian Brotherhood across Social Status
Rejected alternatives: entrañas alone (archaic/graphic register risk in contemporary usage)
Original: σπλάγχνα
Category: Christian Brotherhood across Social Status
NEW term. Filemón 1:7, 1:12, 1:20 — a structural inclusio around the letter’s appeal for refreshment. MUST use the SAME Spanish rendering at all three occurrences for the inclusio to be visible to the Spanish reader; footnote the Reina-Valera precedent ‘mis propias entrañas.‘
Consent
Approved rendering: consentimiento / voluntad
Transliteration: gnōmē
Doctrine: Grace-Motivated Obedience
Original: γνώμη
Category: Grace-Motivated Obedience
NEW term. Filemón 1:14: Paul explicitly refuses to override Filemón’s own agency. Important for teaching that reconciliation cannot be coerced into being, even for a good outcome.
Separate
Approved rendering: separar(se)
Transliteration: chōrizō
Doctrine: Slavery and the Gospel’s Transforming Power
Rejected alternatives: huyó (criminalizing), se fue (excusing)
Original: χωρίζω
Category: Slavery and the Gospel’s Transforming Power
NEW term. Filemón 1:15: a diplomatically indirect euphemism for Onésimo’s flight, framed within God’s providential purpose without excusing the wrong (still named a debt/wrong in v.18). Preserve the text’s own ambiguity rather than resolving it toward either criminalizing or excusing language.
Forever Permanent
Approved rendering: para siempre
Transliteration: aiōnios
Doctrine: Christian Brotherhood across Social Status
Rejected alternatives: vida eterna (over-theologizes into the technical eschatological register)
Original: αἰώνιος
Category: Christian Brotherhood across Social Status
NEW term. Filemón 1:15: the restored relationship will be permanent, not merely a temporary reunion. Must not be conflated with the technical eschatological ‘eternal life’ sense used elsewhere in the curriculum.
Receive In Full
Approved rendering: tener / recibir plenamente
Transliteration: apechō
Doctrine: Forgiveness and Reconciliation
Original: ἀπέχω
Category: Forgiveness and Reconciliation
NEW term. Filemón 1:15: given the letter’s debt-and-account imagery (vv.18-19), this verb’s commercial ‘paid in full’ overtone is likely intentional — Filemón is to ‘receive’ Onésimo as a settled matter, not an open account.
Beloved
Approved rendering: amado / querido
Transliteration: agapētos
Doctrine: Christian Brotherhood across Social Status
Original: ἀγαπητός
Category: Christian Brotherhood across Social Status
NEW term. Filemón 1:1 (Filemón), 1:16 (Onésimo). MUST use the SAME Spanish rendering at both occurrences to preserve the letter’s deliberate rhetorical parallel: master and slave equally ‘beloved.‘
Flesh
Approved rendering: carne
Transliteration: sarx
Doctrine: Christian Brotherhood across Social Status
Original: σάρξ
Category: Christian Brotherhood across Social Status
NEW term. Filemón 1:16: ‘en la carne’ = ordinary social/human relations, a neutral sense paired with ‘en el Señor.’ Must be explicitly fenced against Romans 7-8’s negative ‘flesh vs. Spirit’ theological charge, which this curriculum’s own baseline established for the same Spanish word.
Partner
Approved rendering: socio / compañero
Transliteration: koinōnos
Doctrine: Intercession and Appeal on Behalf of Another
Original: κοινωνός
Category: Intercession and Appeal on Behalf of Another
NEW term. Filemón 1:17: Paul leverages his existing partnership with Filemón (same root as κοινωνία, v.6, ‘compañerismo’) to ask that Onésimo be received on the same standing. Flag for native speaker review: ‘socio’ alone risks sounding purely commercial and flattening the relational-spiritual depth.
Receive Welcome
Approved rendering: recibir
Transliteration: proslambanō
Doctrine: Christian Brotherhood across Social Status
Original: προσλαμβάνω
Category: Christian Brotherhood across Social Status
NEW term. Filemón 1:17: the concrete action requested — full social/relational welcome equivalent to welcoming Paul himself, not mere tolerance.
Wrong Do Injustice
Approved rendering: agraviar / hacer injusticia
Transliteration: adikeō
Doctrine: Forgiveness and Reconciliation
Original: ἀδικέω
Category: Forgiveness and Reconciliation
NEW term. Filemón 1:18: names Onésimo’s fault honestly. Forgiveness in Filemón is never presented as pretending no wrong occurred.
Owe
Approved rendering: deber
Transliteration: opheilō
Doctrine: Forgiveness and Reconciliation
Original: ὀφείλω
Category: Forgiveness and Reconciliation
NEW term. Filemón 1:18, 1:19: establishes the commercial-debt frame running through vv.18-19, the backbone of this letter’s forgiveness doctrine.
Repay In Full
Approved rendering: pagar / reembolsar
Transliteration: apotinō
Doctrine: Forgiveness and Reconciliation
Original: ἀποτίνω
Category: Forgiveness and Reconciliation
NEW term. Filemón 1:19: Paul’s personal, autographed guarantee of the debt. Keep the personal, first-person guarantee force intact.
Owe Besides
Approved rendering: deber además / deber aún más
Transliteration: prosopheilō
Doctrine: Forgiveness and Reconciliation
Original: προσοφείλω
Category: Forgiveness and Reconciliation
NEW term. Filemón 1:19: a gentle, ironic reminder that Filemón’s own spiritual debt to Paul dwarfs whatever Onésimo owes. Preserve the rhetorical irony rather than reading as a blunt demand.
Benefit Have Joy
Approved rendering: tener gozo / provecho de
Transliteration: oninamai
Doctrine: Slavery and the Gospel’s Transforming Power
Original: ὀνίναμαι
Category: Slavery and the Gospel’s Transforming Power
NEW term. Filemón 1:20: deliberate wordplay on ‘Onésimo’ (useful/profitable) mirroring vv.10-11. Requires the same wordplay-preservation note.
Refresh Give Rest
Approved rendering: confortar / dar descanso / refrescar
Transliteration: anapauō
Doctrine: Christian Brotherhood across Social Status
Original: ἀναπαύω
Category: Christian Brotherhood across Social Status
NEW term. Filemón 1:7 (‘los santos han sido confortados’), 1:20 (Paul’s own request). MUST use the SAME Spanish verb at both occurrences to preserve the letter’s inclusio structure.
Prayer
Approved rendering: oración(es)
Transliteration: proseuchē
Doctrine: Intercession and Appeal on Behalf of Another
Original: προσευχή
Category: Intercession and Appeal on Behalf of Another
NEW term. Filemón 1:22: Paul’s hoped-for release is tied to the believers’ intercession — a two-way pattern (Paul intercedes for Onésimo; the church intercedes for Paul). Connects to the baseline’s Critical ‘prayer_and_intercession’ doctrine but carries no saint/Marian-mediation risk in this straightforward mutual-petition occurrence.
Low Risk Terms
Thanksgiving
Approved rendering: acción de gracias / doy gracias
Transliteration: eucharistia / eucharisteō
Doctrine: Thanksgiving
Original: εὐχαριστία / εὐχαριστέω
Category: Faith
Inherited from Romans package. Filemón 1:4, standard Pauline thanksgiving opening. Minimal risk.
Fellowship
Approved rendering: compañerismo
Transliteration: koinōnia
Doctrine: Christian Fellowship and Partnership in Ministry
Rejected alternatives: comunión de los santos (specific Catholic liturgical formula)
Original: κοινωνία
Category: Church
Inherited from Romans package. Filemón 1:6; root-linked to v.17’s κοινωνόν (‘socio/compañero’ — see ‘partner’ entry below), tying Paul’s opening praise of Filemón to his central request. Doctrine-level risk for ‘Christian Fellowship and Partnership in Ministry’ is elevated to Medium in this curriculum’s doctrine registry because the concept is load-bearing for the appeal, even though the lexical item itself remains Low risk.
Prisoner
Approved rendering: prisionero / preso
Transliteration: desmios
Doctrine: Intercession and Appeal on Behalf of Another
Original: δέσμιος
Category: Intercession and Appeal on Behalf of Another
NEW term. Filemón 1:1, 1:9, 1:10, 1:23 (compound συναιχμάλωτος). Must remain visibly distinct in Spanish from ‘esclavo’ (δοῦλος, v.16) — Paul’s voluntary gospel-suffering must never be conflated with the institution of chattel bondage.
Chains
Approved rendering: cadenas / prisión
Transliteration: desmos
Doctrine: Intercession and Appeal on Behalf of Another
Original: δεσμός
Category: Intercession and Appeal on Behalf of Another
NEW term. Filemón 1:10, 1:13. Keep consistent with δέσμιος (‘prisionero’) so the wordplay between the two cognate terms registers in Spanish.
Send Back
Approved rendering: enviar de vuelta / devolver
Transliteration: anapempō
Doctrine: Forgiveness and Reconciliation
Original: ἀναπέμπω
Category: Forgiveness and Reconciliation
NEW term. Filemón 1:12: Paul voluntarily returns Onésimo — modeling honest, above-board reconciliation rather than concealment.
Wish Desire
Approved rendering: querer / desear
Transliteration: boulomai
Doctrine: Grace-Motivated Obedience
Original: βούλομαι
Category: Grace-Motivated Obedience
NEW term. Filemón 1:13: Paul’s personal preference, immediately subordinated to Filemón’s consent (v.14).
Retain
Approved rendering: retener
Transliteration: katechō
Doctrine: Grace-Motivated Obedience
Original: κατέχω
Category: Grace-Motivated Obedience
NEW term. Filemón 1:13: the claim Paul deliberately relinquishes, modeling the letter’s broader theme of forgoing personal advantage.
Serve Minister
Approved rendering: servir
Transliteration: diakoneō
Doctrine: Slavery and the Gospel’s Transforming Power
Rejected alternatives: diaconado (anachronistic technical office sense)
Original: διακονέω
Category: Slavery and the Gospel’s Transforming Power
NEW term. Filemón 1:13: Onésimo’s potential service to Paul is framed as ministry, not mere slave labor. Do not use as a substitute for ‘esclavo’ (δοῦλος); this is a distinct, lower-stakes verb.
Confident Persuaded
Approved rendering: confiado en / teniendo confianza en
Transliteration: peithō
Doctrine: Intercession and Appeal on Behalf of Another
Original: πείθω (πεποιθώς)
Category: Intercession and Appeal on Behalf of Another
NEW term. Filemón 1:21: Paul’s confidence rests on Filemón’s proven character, not on apostolic authority to compel.
Hospitality
Approved rendering: alojamiento / hospedaje
Transliteration: xenia
Doctrine: Intercession and Appeal on Behalf of Another
Original: ξενία
Category: Intercession and Appeal on Behalf of Another
NEW term. Filemón 1:22: Paul expects release and a future visit — practical hope grounded in prayer.
Fellow Prisoner
Approved rendering: compañero de prisión
Transliteration: synaichmalōtos
Doctrine: Christian Fellowship and Partnership in Ministry
Original: συναιχμάλωτος
Category: Intercession and Appeal on Behalf of Another
NEW term. Filemón 1:23 (Epafras): shares Paul’s imprisonment-for-the-gospel status, cf. δέσμιος.
Fellow Worker
Approved rendering: colaborador / cooperador
Transliteration: synergos
Doctrine: Christian Fellowship and Partnership in Ministry
Original: συνεργός
Category: Christian Brotherhood across Social Status
NEW term. Filemón 1:1 (Filemón), 1:24 (Marcos, Aristarco, Demas, Lucas). Connects to κοινωνός (v.17) as part of the same partnership-vocabulary family.
Sister
Approved rendering: hermana
Transliteration: adelphē
Doctrine: Christian Brotherhood across Social Status
Original: ἀδελφή
Category: Christian Brotherhood across Social Status
NEW term. Filemón 1:2 (Apia). Same kinship-term family as ἀδελφός, extending the letter’s kinship language to women in the faith.
Fellow Soldier
Approved rendering: compañero de milicia / de lucha
Transliteration: systratiōtēs
Doctrine: Christian Fellowship and Partnership in Ministry
Original: συστρατιώτης
Category: Intercession and Appeal on Behalf of Another
NEW term. Filemón 1:2 (Arquipo), paralleling Paul’s other ‘fellow soldier’ usage (Filipenses 2:25).
Referenced passages