Core Glossary
Core Glossary — 2 John (English ↔ Koine Greek ↔ Tamil)
This glossary covers every load-bearing theological term identified in 07_semantic_analysis.md across the whole of 2 John (a single-chapter, 13-verse epistle). Terms already present in the baseline Romans-curriculum translation_memory.json are marked REUSED and must be rendered exactly as recorded there; no deviation is permitted. Terms new to this curriculum are marked NEW and are proposed here for addition to translation memory at the risk tier indicated, pending theologian review for all Critical/High entries per the Language Package’s escalation rules.
Part 1 — Reused Baseline Terms (verbatim enforcement)
| English | Greek | Transliteration | Tamil (REUSE exactly) | Risk | Key verse(s) | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| God | θεός | theos | கடவுள் | Critical | 1:3, 1:9 | Baseline God-word decision; never தேவன். |
| Father | πατήρ | patēr | பிதா | Critical | 1:3, 1:4, 1:9 | Reused exactly. |
| Jesus | Ἰησοῦς | Iēsous | இயேசு | Critical | 1:3, 1:7 | Reused exactly. |
| Christ | Χριστός | Christos | கிறிஸ்து | Critical | 1:3, 1:7, 1:9 | Reused exactly. |
| Son (of God/Father) | υἱός | huios | குமாரன் | Critical | 1:3, 1:9 | Root of established தேவனுடைய குமாரன்; see NEW entry below for the v.3 phrasing variant. |
| flesh | σάρξ | sarx | மாம்சம் | Critical | 1:7 | Never உடல்/சரீரம். The v.7 incarnation clause is the sharpest use of this term in the whole curriculum series. |
| love (noun/verb) | ἀγάπη / ἀγαπάω | agapē / agapaō | அன்பு | Medium (baseline) / High in this doctrine | 1:1, 1:3, 1:5, 1:6 | Never பக்தி (wrong-direction devotional love) or காதல் (romantic). |
| grace | χάρις | charis | கிருபை | High | 1:3 | Reused exactly. |
| mercy | ἔλεος | eleos | இரக்கம் | Medium | 1:3 | Reused from Ephesians package; keep distinct from கிருபை. |
| peace | εἰρήνη | eirēnē | சமாதானம் | Medium | 1:3 | Reused exactly. |
| walk (conduct of life) | περιπατέω | peripateō | நடத்தல் | Low (baseline) / High in this doctrine | 1:4, 1:6 (x2) | Never மார்க்கம் (religious-path framing). |
| new | καινός | kainos | புதிய | Low | 1:5 | Reused from “new_creation” root. |
| confess/acknowledge | ὁμολογέω (cognate of ἐξομολογέω) | homologeō | அறிக்கை செய்தல் | High | 1:7 | Reused from Philippians 2:11 confession term; negated here (“do not confess”). |
| works | ἔργα | erga | கிரியைகள் | High | 1:11 | Reused; paired here with பொல்லாத (“evil/wicked”). |
| world | κόσμος | kosmos | உலகம் | Medium (implicit baseline) | 1:7 | Standard, low-risk reuse. |
| elect/election (root) | ἐκλεκτός / ἐκλογή | eklektos / eklogē | தெரிந்துகொள்ளப்பட்ட / தெரிந்துகொள்ளுதல் | High | 1:1, 1:13 | Reused root from Romans “election” doctrine. |
| joy | χαρά | chara | சந்தோஷம் | Medium | 1:4, 1:12 | Reused exactly. |
| sister/brother (root) | ἀδελφή / ἀδελφός | adelphē / adelphos | சகோதரி / சகோதரர் | Medium | 1:13 | Reused root from “false_brothers.” |
Part 2 — New Terms Established for 2 John
| English | Greek | Transliteration | Literal meaning | Tamil rendering | Tamil transliteration | Risk | Key verse(s) | Rejected alternatives / rationale |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| truth | ἀλήθεια | alētheia | ”that which is unconcealed; reality” | சத்தியம் | sathiyam | High | 1:1, 1:2 (x2), 1:3, 1:4 | Foundational to “Walking in Truth and Love”; controlling word of the letter (5x in vv.1-4 alone). No dedicated forbidden alternative documented, but must not be diluted to mere “sincerity” or “honesty” — this is doctrinal/relational truth bound to Christ and correct teaching about him. |
| elder | πρεσβύτερος | presbyteros | ”older man / elder” | மூப்பர் | moopar | Medium | 1:1 | NEVER குரு (inherited forbidden term for any teaching/leadership role in this pipeline — guru-śiṣya framing). |
| lady | κυρία | kyria | ”lady, mistress” | மதிப்புமிக்க பெண்மணி | matippumigka pengmani | Medium-High | 1:1, 1:5 | NEVER அம்மையார் or தேவி (goddess-adjacent terms, given the living Tamil Amman/Devi tradition already flagged for “power_of_god”/சக்தி avoidance in the baseline). Possible proper name (“Kyria”) — flag ambiguity for translators. |
| commandment | ἐντολή | entolē | ”injunction, specific charge” | கட்டளை | kattalai | Medium-High | 1:4, 1:5, 1:6 (x2) | Distinct from நியாயப்பிரமாணம் (Mosaic law); never framed as தர்மம்-style ritual duty. Positive divine charge (love), contrast with the negative “human regulations” sense of the same root used elsewhere in this pipeline (Colossians). |
| abide/remain | μένω | menō | ”remain, stay, continue” | நிலைத்திருத்தல் | nilaithirukkal | High | 1:2, 1:9 (x2) | Must be rendered identically at all three occurrences. Established Johannine Tamil convention (cf. John 15:4). Central to “Perseverance in the Teaching of Christ.” |
| deceiver(s) | πλάνος | planos | ”wanderer, misleader” | வஞ்சகர் (pl.) / வஞ்சகன் (sg.) | vanjakar / vanjakan | High | 1:7 (x2) | Must convey doctrinal deception, not folk-magic “evil eye” register (a distinct, already-forbidden category reserved for a different Greek word, βασκαίνω/மயக்குதல், in the Galatians package). |
| antichrist | ἀντίχριστος | antichristos | ”against-Christ / instead-of-Christ” | அந்திக்கிறிஸ்து | anthikiristhu | Critical | 1:7 | Established Tamil Bible transliteration convention. Must not be softened to “false teacher” alone. |
| teaching (of Christ) | διδαχή | didachē | ”teaching, instruction, doctrine” | கிறிஸ்துவின் போதனை | Kiristhuvin bothanai | Critical | 1:9 (x2), 1:10 | EXPLICITLY AVOID உபதேசம் — carries strong association with esoteric guru-to-disciple secret transmission in Tamil religious culture (documented caution already flagged in the Colossians package). This teaching is publicly received apostolic doctrine, not secret initiation. Must render identically at all occurrences. |
| goes ahead/transgresses | προάγων (var. παραβαίνων) | proagōn | ”leads/goes forward, oversteps” | (compound) கிறிஸ்துவின் போதனையை விட்டு விலகி நிலைத்திராதவன் | — | High | 1:9 | Must not sound like praiseworthy spiritual progress; recommend a compound rendering merging with the following μὴ μένων clause. Note textual variant. |
| beginning (historical) | ἀρχή | archē | ”beginning, start, origin” | ஆரம்பம் | aarambam | High | 1:5, 1:6 | Distinct from ஆதி, which this pipeline’s Colossians package reserves for Christ’s cosmological title-epithet (flagged Critical there due to collision with ஆதிசிவன்/ஆதிசக்தி/ஆதிநாதர்). Same Greek word, different referent — different required Tamil term family. |
| reward | μισθός | misthos | ”wages, pay, reward” | பிரதிபலன் (or வெகுமதி) | pratibalan (vegumathi) | High | 1:8 | NEVER பலன் (established forbidden karma-fruit/payoff term, inherited from “fruit_of_the_spirit”/“sow_and_reap” rules). Must read as a gracious relational reward for perseverance, not a mechanical karmic return. |
| receive into house (hospitality) | λαμβάνω εἰς οἰκίαν | lambanō eis oikian | ”welcome/take into the house” | வீட்டில் ஏற்றுக்கொள்ளுதல் | veettil yetrukkolluthal | High | 1:10 | Major cultural collision point: Tamil culture’s celebrated hospitality virtue (Thirukkural’s விருந்தோம்பல்). Teaching material must frame this as a narrow, doctrine-specific exception, never general license for inhospitality. |
| greeting formula (withheld) | χαίρειν | chairein | ”hail! / rejoice!” (fixed salutation) | வாழ்த்துக் கூறுதல் | vaazhthu koorudhal | Medium-High | 1:10, 1:11 | Withholding this greeting = withholding formal doctrinal endorsement, not a license for personal rudeness. Distinct from the warm ஆசி/வாழ்த்து of v.13 (different Greek verb, ἀσπάζομαι). |
| share/participate (negative, complicity) | κοινωνέω | koinōneō | ”share in, participate in” | பங்கடைதல் / கூட்டாளியாதல் | pangadaithal / koottaliyaathal | High | 1:11 | NEVER ஐக்கியம் — reserved in this package for POSITIVE Christian fellowship (established baseline term); using it here would contaminate that term with a negative complicity sense. |
| evil/wicked | πονηρός | ponēros | ”evil, actively wicked” | பொல்லாத | pollaadha | Medium | 1:11 | Reused rendering pattern from Philippians “dogs_evil_workers” (பொல்லாத). |
| watch/take heed | βλέπετε ἑαυτούς | blepete heautous | ”see/look to yourselves” | எச்சரிக்கையாயிருங்கள் | echarikkaiyaayirungal | Low | 1:8 | Standard Tamil Bible vigilance imperative; personal-responsibility force, not fatalism. |
| lose/forfeit | ἀπόλλυμι | apollymi | ”destroy, lose” | இழத்தல் | izhathal | Low | 1:8 | Standard. |
| labor/work (verb) | ἐργάζομαι | ergazomai | ”labor, accomplish” | பாடுபட்டு உழைத்தல் | paadupattu uzhaithal | Low-Medium | 1:8 | Distinct from the noun கிரியைகள் (works) to avoid over-loading a simple labor reference. |
| bring/bear (a doctrine) | φέρω | pherō | ”carry, bring, bear” | கொண்டுவருதல் | kondu-varudhal | Low-Medium | 1:10 | Metaphorical extension of “carrying” to “holding to/bringing (a teaching).“ |
| know/have known | γινώσκω (perfect) | ginōskō | ”come to know, recognize” | அறிந்திருத்தல் | arindhirukkal | Medium | 1:1 | Relational recognition, not esoteric-gnosis attainment (same caution as Philippians “knowing_christ”). |
| forever/eternally | εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα | eis ton aiōna | ”unto the age” | என்றென்றைக்கும் / நித்தியமாக | endrendraikkum / nithyamaaga | Medium | 1:2 | NEVER a யுகம்-based (cyclical age) rendering, per inherited Ephesians caution on αἰών vocabulary. |
| ask/request | ἐρωτάω | erōtaō | ”ask, request” (gentler than a demand) | வேண்டிக்கொள்ளுதல் | vendikkolluthal | Low | 1:5 | Preserve pastoral warmth of register, distinct from ἐντολή (commandment). |
| Son of the Father (phrase) | υἱοῦ τοῦ πατρός | huiou tou patros | ”Son of the Father” | பிதாவின் குமாரன் | pithavin kumaran | Critical | 1:3 | Variant phrasing of the baseline’s Critical Sonship-of-Christ doctrine (established compound: தேவனுடைய குமாரன்); must carry equal doctrinal weight despite different wording. |
| children | τέκνα | tekna | ”offspring” | பிள்ளைகள் | pillaigal | Medium | 1:1, 1:4, 1:13 | Preserve the literal-vs-personified-church ambiguity; do not resolve it in the translation. |
| joy made full (non-technical) | πεπληρωμένη (πληρόω) | peplērōmenē | ”filled, completed” | நிறைவாதல் | niraivaathal | Medium | 1:12 | Explicitly AVOID பரிபூரணம் here — reserve that Critical term for the technical “fullness of Christ/God” doctrine (Colossians/Ephesians); this is an ordinary relational statement of joy. |
| sends greetings (warm, closing) | ἀσπάζομαι | aspazomai | ”greet warmly, salute” | வாழ்த்துதல் | vaazhthudhal | Low-Medium | 1:13 | Distinct Greek verb from χαίρειν (vv.10-11); keep the vocabulary distinguishable in Tamil so the letter’s deliberate greeting-withheld/greeting-given contrast remains visible. |
Risk Tier Summary for This Curriculum
| Tier | Count | Examples |
|---|---|---|
| Critical | 5 | antichrist, teaching of Christ, coming in the flesh (via reused மாம்சம்), Son of the Father phrase, God/Father/Jesus/Christ (reused) |
| High | 13 | truth, lady, commandment, abide, deceivers, goes ahead/transgresses, beginning (historical), reward, receive into house, share/participate (negative), confess (reused), works (reused), love (reused, elevated in this doctrine) |
| Medium | 10 | elder, children, know/have known, forever, Son (root, reused), evil/wicked, joy made full, mercy (reused), peace (reused), election root (reused) |
| Low | 8 | new, joy (reused), watch/take heed, lose, labor, bring, ask, sends greetings |
All Critical and High risk terms in this table require human theologian review per the escalation rules of 12_ai_translation_requirements.md; Medium risk terms require native speaker review; Low risk terms may proceed with automated review only.
Critical Risk Terms
God
Approved rendering: கடவுள்
Transliteration: kadavul
Doctrine: Deity of Christ
Rejected alternatives: தேவன், பரமேஸ்வரன், பகவான்
Original: θεός
Category: God
Inherited from Romans package. Never தேவன். 2 John 1:3’s grace-mercy-peace wish and 1:9’s stark ‘does not have God’ both require this to remain an absolute, unambiguously monotheistic term with no henotheistic devotional reading.
Father
Approved rendering: பிதா
Transliteration: pitha
Doctrine: Sonship and Deity of Christ
Original: πατήρ
Category: God
Inherited from Romans package exactly. 2 John 1:4’s ‘commandment from the Father’ and 1:9’s ‘has both the Father and the Son’ both require பிதா to read as the same personal, relational Father throughout.
Jesus
Approved rendering: இயேசு
Transliteration: yesu
Doctrine: Lordship of Christ
Original: Ἰησοῦς
Category: Christology
Inherited from Romans package exactly. Must be paired inseparably with கிறிஸ்து and மாம்சத்தில் வந்தவர் in 1:7 so the confession denied by the antichrist figure is unmistakably about this one historical person.
Christ
Approved rendering: கிறிஸ்து
Transliteration: kiristhu
Doctrine: Messianic Promise
Original: Χριστός
Category: Christology
Inherited from Romans package exactly. 2 John’s entire argument depends on கிறிஸ்து being a single, fixed, historically identifiable person about whom there is exactly one true teaching (கிறிஸ்துவின் போதனை), not one teacher among several valid religious teachers.
Son Of God
Approved rendering: தேவனுடைய குமாரன்
Transliteration: Devanudaiya Kumaran
Doctrine: Sonship and Deity of Christ
Rejected alternatives: தெய்வப்புத்திரன்
Inherited from Romans package. Root compound underlying the new 2 John phrasing ‘Son of the Father’ (பிதாவின் குமாரன், see below), which must carry identical doctrinal weight to this fixed compound despite the different Greek wording used at 2 John 1:3.
Flesh
Approved rendering: மாம்சம்
Transliteration: maamsam
Doctrine: Warning against Deceivers Denying the Incarnation
Rejected alternatives: உடல், சரீரம்
Original: σάρξ
Category: Christology
Inherited from Galatians package. This is the sharpest single use of this term in the whole curriculum series: 2 John 1:7’s ‘Jesus Christ coming in the flesh’ must use a completed-action verb form (மாம்சத்தில் வந்தவர்), never docetic appearance-only language, and must never echo அவதாரம்/dasavatara descent-framing.
Antichrist
Approved rendering: அந்திக்கிறிஸ்து
Transliteration: anthikiristhu
Doctrine: The Antichrist and Eschatological Deception
Rejected alternatives: பொது எதிரி
Original: ἀντίχριστος
Category: Eschatology
NEW Critical term, established Tamil Bible transliteration convention. 2 John 1:7 identifies every incarnation-denying deceiver directly with this eschatological figure (‘this is the deceiver and the antichrist’) — a direct identity claim, not a comparison. Must never be softened to a generic ‘false teacher’ (பொது எதிரி, rejected), which would erase the letter’s specific eschatological force and would collide with Tamil popular religion’s deep discomfort with absolute, exclusivist theological identifications.
Teaching Of Christ
Approved rendering: கிறிஸ்துவின் போதனை
Transliteration: Kiristhuvin bothanai
Doctrine: Perseverance in the Teaching of Christ
Rejected alternatives: உபதேசம், தத்துவம்
Original: διδαχὴ τοῦ Χριστοῦ
Category: Covenant
NEW Critical term. EXPLICITLY AVOID உபதேசம் — carries strong Tamil association with esoteric guru-to-disciple secret transmission (a caution already documented for a related risk in the Colossians package), which is the OPPOSITE of what this teaching is: publicly received, apostolic, fixed doctrine, tested by whether an itinerant teacher ‘brings’ it (v.10), not privately transmitted. Never தத்துவம் (Saiva Siddhanta’s own technical 36-principle philosophical term). Must render identically at every occurrence: 1:9 (x2), 1:10.
Son Of The Father
Approved rendering: பிதாவின் குமாரன்
Transliteration: pithavin kumaran
Doctrine: Sonship and Deity of Christ
Rejected alternatives: தெய்வப்புத்திரன்
Original: υἱὸς τοῦ πατρός
Category: Christology
NEW phrasing of an EXISTING Critical baseline doctrine (2 John 1:3, υἱοῦ τοῦ πατρός). Must carry equal doctrinal weight to the fixed baseline compound தேவனுடைய குமாரன் despite the different Greek wording; must never be treated as a lesser, honorary, or merely relational title. Mandatory theologian flag on every occurrence so it is not mistakenly demoted.
High Risk Terms
Law
Approved rendering: நியாயப்பிரமாணம்
Transliteration: niyayapramanam
Doctrine: Walking in Truth and Love
Rejected alternatives: தர்மம்
Inherited from Romans package. Included for contrast only: 2 John’s new term கட்டளை (commandment, ἐντολή) must stay lexically distinct from this term for the whole Mosaic legal code (νόμος) — 2 John never uses நியாயப்பிரமாணம், but reviewers must confirm கட்டளை is not accidentally rendered with this word or with தர்மம்-style ritual-duty connotation.
Love
Approved rendering: அன்பு
Transliteration: anbu
Doctrine: Walking in Truth and Love
Rejected alternatives: பக்தி, காதல்
Original: ἀγάπη / ἀγαπάω
Category: Sanctification
Inherited from Galatians package (baseline Medium), elevated to High for this book because 2 John 1:6 makes love a DEFINITION-equation with obedient walking (‘this IS love’), not a feeling. Never பக்தி (wrong-direction devotee-to-deity love) or காதல் (romantic); the equative force of 1:6 must survive Tamil syntax without softening to ‘love involves obedience.‘
Grace
Approved rendering: கிருபை
Transliteration: kirupai
Doctrine: Grace, Mercy, and Peace from the Father and the Son
Rejected alternatives: புண்ணியம், ஊழ்வினை பலன்
Original: χάρις
Category: Salvation
Inherited from Romans package exactly. Part of the 2 John 1:3 triadic greeting (grace, mercy, peace); must stay distinct from இரக்கம் (mercy) in the same verse.
Walk
Approved rendering: நடத்தல்
Transliteration: nadaththal
Doctrine: Walking in Truth and Love
Rejected alternatives: மார்க்கத்தில் செல்லுதல், மார்க்கம்
Original: περιπατέω
Category: Sanctification
Inherited from Ephesians package (baseline Low), elevated to High for this book: 2 John repeats this verb four times in six verses (1:4, 1:6 x2), making it the letter’s central ethical metaphor. Never மார்க்கம் (‘religious path’), which would recast Christian conduct as one path among many recognized Tamil மார்க்கங்கள் — a live risk given the density of repetition in this short letter.
Confess
Approved rendering: அறிக்கை செய்தல்
Transliteration: arikkai seythal
Doctrine: Warning against Deceivers Denying the Incarnation
Rejected alternatives: ஒப்புக்கொள்ளுதல்
Original: ὁμολογέω
Category: Christology
Inherited from Philippians package (established for ἐξομολογέω at Philippians 2:11, verbatim-consistent with the Romans 10:9 confession convention). In 2 John 1:7 this verb is NEGATED (அறிக்கை செய்யாதவர்கள்) to describe the deceivers; must read as decisive doctrinal denial, not vague disbelief or private doubt. Never ஒப்புக்கொள்ளுதல் (weaker, passive admission).
Works
Approved rendering: கிரியைகள்
Transliteration: kiriyaigal
Doctrine: Complicity in False Teaching
Rejected alternatives: கர்மா, வினை
Original: ἔργα
Category: Covenant
Inherited from Galatians package. In 2 John 1:11, specifically ‘his evil works’ (பொல்லாத கிரியைகள்) — the harmful activity of the incarnation-denying deceiver. Never கர்மா or வினை (karmic-action vocabulary).
Election
Approved rendering: தெரிந்துகொள்ளப்பட்ட
Transliteration: therinthu-kollappatta
Doctrine: Election of God’s People
Rejected alternatives: தலைவிதி, ஊழ்வினை
Original: ἐκλεκτός / ἐκλογή
Category: Salvation
Inherited root from the Romans ‘election’ doctrine (தெரிந்துகொள்ளுதல்). Adjective form used at 2 John 1:1 (‘elect lady’) and 1:13 (‘your elect sister’), framing the whole letter within God’s sovereign, personal choice of his people. Never தலைவிதி or ஊழ்வினை (fatalism/karmic-destiny vocabulary).
Truth
Approved rendering: சத்தியம்
Transliteration: sathiyam
Doctrine: Walking in Truth and Love
Rejected alternatives: வாய்மை, மெய்
Original: ἀλήθεια
Category: Faith
NEW foundational term for this curriculum. Controlling word of 2 John, occurring five times in verses 1-4 alone. Must not be diluted to வாய்மை (personal-honesty virtue, a cardinal Thirukkural category) or மெய் (Vedantic ‘the Real,’ impersonal metaphysical reality) — this is doctrinal/relational truth inseparably bound to Christ himself and to correct teaching about him (1:7), and described as a personal presence abiding in believers (1:2).
Lady
Approved rendering: மதிப்புமிக்க பெண்மணி
Transliteration: matippumigka pengmani
Doctrine: Election of God’s People
Rejected alternatives: அம்மையார், தேவி, கீரியா (transliteration, secondary option)
Original: κυρία
Category: Church
NEW term. Address at 2 John 1:1 and 1:5, possibly a proper name (‘Kyria’), an honorific, or a personification of a local congregation — this ambiguity must be preserved, not resolved, in translation. NEVER அம்மையார் or தேவி, both goddess-adjacent honorifics given Tamil Nadu’s vivid, living Amman/Devi village-goddess tradition (the same collision risk documented for the baseline’s power-of-God/சக்தி avoidance). கீரியா (bare transliteration) may be recorded as an alternative-considered note but is not the primary rendering.
Commandment
Approved rendering: கட்டளை
Transliteration: kattalai
Doctrine: Walking in Truth and Love
Rejected alternatives: விதி, தர்மம்
Original: ἐντολή
Category: Discipleship
NEW term. A specific relational charge from God (2 John 1:4-6, ‘that we love one another’), distinct from நியாயப்பிரமாணம் (the whole Mosaic legal code). Must never carry தர்மம்-style ritual-duty connotation, and must never be rendered விதி (rule/fate-adjacent). Pair consistently with வேண்டிக்கொள்ளுதல் (‘ask,’ v.5) to keep the register relational and warm rather than authoritarian.
Abide
Approved rendering: நிலைத்திருத்தல்
Transliteration: nilaithirukkal
Doctrine: Perseverance in the Teaching of Christ
Rejected alternatives: தங்கியிருத்தல், லயித்திருத்தல்
Original: μένω
Category: Discipleship
NEW term, established Johannine Tamil convention (cf. John 15:4). MUST be rendered identically at all three occurrences in this letter (1:2; 1:9 x2) — the letter’s argument (truth abiding in believers, v.2; abiding in the teaching securing fellowship with Father and Son, v.9) depends structurally on this recurrence being visible in Tamil. Never தங்கியிருத்தல் (temporary lodging, too weak) or லயித்திருத்தல் (mystical absorption/merger — the same Advaita/Saiva Siddhanta union-with-the-divine register already fenced elsewhere in this pipeline).
Deceivers
Approved rendering: வஞ்சகர்
Transliteration: vanjakar
Doctrine: Warning against Deceivers Denying the Incarnation
Rejected alternatives: மந்திரவாதி, மயக்குதல் (reserved for a different Greek word)
Original: πλάνος
Category: Sin
NEW term (πλάνος, plural வஞ்சகர் / singular வஞ்சகன், 2 John 1:7). Must convey deliberate doctrinal deception, not folk ‘evil eye’/magical-affliction vocabulary. மயக்குதல் is already reserved by this pipeline for a different Greek word (βασκαίνω, Galatians 3:1) and must not be reused here, or the specific charge of Christological falsehood would collapse into a vaguer folk-magic accusation.
Goes Ahead Transgresses
Approved rendering: கிறிஸ்துவின் போதனையை விட்டு விலகி நிலைத்திராதவன்
Transliteration: Kiristhuvin bothanaiyai vittu vilagi nilaithiraathavan
Doctrine: Perseverance in the Teaching of Christ
Rejected alternatives: முன்னேறுகிறவன் (bare ‘progress’ verb)
Original: προάγων (v.l. παραβαίνων)
Category: Sin
NEW compound term (προάγων, 2 John 1:9). Must NOT sound like praiseworthy spiritual progress — Tamil ‘advancement’ vocabulary (முன்னேற்றம், முன்னேறுதல்) is uniformly positive and would, used baldly, sound like a commendation rather than a warning. Compound rendering merges the sense with the following μὴ μένων (‘does not abide’) clause to keep the meaning unambiguously negative.
Beginning Historical
Approved rendering: ஆரம்பம்
Transliteration: aarambam
Doctrine: Walking in Truth and Love
Rejected alternatives: ஆதி
Original: ἀρχή (ἀπ’ ἀρχῆς)
Category: Faith
NEW term (ἀρχή, 2 John 1:5, 1:6 — the historical starting point of apostolic ethical teaching, NOT a cosmological title). Must be lexically DISTINCT from ஆதி, which this pipeline’s Colossians package reserves exclusively for Christ’s cosmological title-epithet (flagged Critical there due to collision with ஆதிசிவன், ஆதிசக்தி, and the Jain ஆதிநாதர்). This is a deliberate, documented lexical divergence from the Greek’s own repetition of ἀρχή across the corpus, made specifically to protect Tamil-specific doctrinal safety.
Reward
Approved rendering: பிரதிபலன்
Transliteration: pratibalan
Doctrine: Reward for Faithful Perseverance
Rejected alternatives: பலன், சன்மானம்
Original: μισθὸν πλήρη
Category: Eschatology
NEW term (μισθὸν πλήρη, 2 John 1:8). NEVER பலன் — the established forbidden karma-fruit/payoff term inherited from this pipeline’s ‘fruit_of_the_spirit’ and ‘sow_and_reap’ rules; using it here would convert a gracious, relational reward for perseverance into a mechanical karmic-return transaction. வெகுமதி is an acceptable secondary option. சன்மானம் (honorarium/fee) rejected as too transactional. Use ordinary முழுமையான/முழு for ‘full’ — NEVER பரிபூரணம், which this pipeline reserves as a Critical technical term for the ‘fullness of Christ/God’ doctrine (Colossians/Ephesians).
Receive Into House
Approved rendering: வீட்டில் ஏற்றுக்கொள்ளுதல்
Transliteration: veettil yetrukkolluthal
Doctrine: Hospitality and Doctrinal Discernment
Original: λαμβάνω εἰς οἰκίαν
Category: Church
NEW term (λαμβάνω εἰς οἰκίαν, 2 John 1:10). The single sharpest cultural collision point in this curriculum: Tamil culture’s celebrated hospitality virtue (Thirukkural ch.9, விருந்தோம்பல்) makes an unscoped translation risk being read as Scripture commanding a serious moral vice. Must always be rendered as a bounded compound tied to the specific doctrinal object (இந்த போதனையைக் கொண்டுவராதவரை வீட்டில் ஏற்றுக்கொள்ளாதிருங்கள் — ‘do not receive INTO YOUR HOUSE one who does not bring THIS TEACHING’), never a bare imperative against hospitality. Mandatory teaching-note scaffolding required; native-speaker AND theologian review required for every occurrence.
Greeting Withheld
Approved rendering: வாழ்த்துக் கூறுதல்
Transliteration: vaazhthu koorudhal
Doctrine: Hospitality and Doctrinal Discernment
Original: χαίρειν
Category: Church
NEW term (χαίρειν, 2 John 1:10-11, withheld form: வாழ்த்துக் கூறாதிருங்கள்). Withholding this fixed formal greeting = withholding formal doctrinal endorsement, not personal cruelty or license for rudeness toward people of other beliefs in ordinary life. Distinct Greek verb and distinct required Tamil vocabulary from the warm வாழ்த்துதல் (ἀσπάζομαι) of 1:13 — keep the two lexically distinguishable so the letter’s own deliberate greeting-withheld/greeting-given contrast remains visible.
Share In Evil Works
Approved rendering: பங்கடைதல்
Transliteration: pangadaithal
Doctrine: Complicity in False Teaching
Rejected alternatives: ஐக்கியம், கூட்டாளியாதல் (acceptable secondary option)
Original: κοινωνέω
Category: Sin
NEW term (κοινωνέω, negative complicity sense, 2 John 1:11). NEVER ஐக்கியம் — this package’s established baseline term reserved exclusively for POSITIVE Christian fellowship (κοινωνία) across the entire curriculum series (Romans, Philippians, Ephesians, Colossians). Using it here would retroactively contaminate that doctrinally load-bearing positive term throughout the whole pipeline corpus. கூட்டாளியாதல் (‘become a partner/accomplice’) is an acceptable secondary rendering.
Medium Risk Terms
Mercy
Approved rendering: இரக்கம்
Transliteration: irakkam
Doctrine: Grace, Mercy, and Peace from the Father and the Son
Original: ἔλεος
Category: God
Inherited from Ephesians package. The middle term of the 2 John 1:3 triad, expanding the more familiar Pauline grace-peace doublet. Keep distinct from கிருபை (grace): mercy pities the wretched, grace gives unmerited favor.
Peace
Approved rendering: சமாதானம்
Transliteration: samadhanam
Doctrine: Grace, Mercy, and Peace from the Father and the Son
Rejected alternatives: சாந்தி
Original: εἰρήνη
Category: Salvation
Inherited from Romans package exactly. Never சாந்தி (meditative/ritual tranquility register, inherited caution from Philippians package).
World
Approved rendering: உலகம்
Transliteration: ulagam
Doctrine: Warning against Deceivers Denying the Incarnation
Original: κόσμος
Category: Sin
Standard, low-risk Tamil rendering, consistent with established usage across the pipeline (e.g. Ephesians ‘course_of_this_world’). 2 John 1:7’s deceivers have ‘gone out into the world’ — a concrete, reportable historical spread, not a hypothetical danger.
Joy
Approved rendering: சந்தோஷம்
Transliteration: santhosham
Doctrine: Joy in Christian Fellowship
Original: χαρά / χαίρω
Category: Discipleship
Inherited from Philippians package. Used at 2 John 1:4 and 1:12. Note the deliberate Greek wordplay across the letter: the same root χαίρω underlies both this joy and the greeting-formula (χαίρειν) pointedly WITHHELD from deceivers in vv.10-11 — Tamil renders these with distinguishable vocabulary (சந்தோஷம் vs. வாழ்த்து), so teaching material should surface the contrast explicitly.
Sister Brother
Approved rendering: சகோதரி
Transliteration: sakothari
Doctrine: Election of God’s People
Original: ἀδελφή / ἀδελφός
Category: Church
Inherited root from the Ephesians ‘false_brothers’ term family. சகோதரி (sister) used at 2 John 1:13 (‘the children of your elect sister’); சகோதரர் (brothers, masculine/plural) available for parallel contexts elsewhere in this pipeline.
Elder
Approved rendering: மூப்பர்
Transliteration: moopar
Doctrine: Apostolic Pastoral Authority (The Elder)
Rejected alternatives: குரு, ஆசான், பெரியவர்
Original: πρεσβύτερος
Category: Church
NEW term. The author’s self-designation (2 John 1:1) — either advanced age or, more likely, a recognized apostolic-era church office; pastoral and non-hierarchical. NEVER குரு (inherited forbidden term across this pipeline for any teaching/leadership office, given the guru-śiṣya lineage-authority framing it would import). ஆசான் (master/preceptor) and பெரியவர் (generic ‘elderly/senior person’) also rejected as either too guru-adjacent or too secular/flat.
Evil Wicked
Approved rendering: பொல்லாத
Transliteration: pollaadha
Doctrine: Complicity in False Teaching
Original: πονηρός
Category: Sin
NEW term (πονηρός, 2 John 1:11), reusing the rendering pattern already established for πονηρός/κακός in the Philippians ‘dogs_evil_workers_the_mutilation’ entry. Signals genuine moral culpability for the deceiver’s works, not mere error.
Bring Doctrine
Approved rendering: கொண்டுவருதல்
Transliteration: kondu-varudhal
Doctrine: Hospitality and Doctrinal Discernment
Original: φέρω
Category: Church
NEW term (φέρω, 2 John 1:10). The itinerant teacher’s doctrinal test is content carried/held to, not personal charisma or credentials; the metaphorical extension of ordinary ‘carrying’ to ‘holding a teaching’ must stay transparent in Tamil.
Know Have Known
Approved rendering: அறிந்திருத்தல்
Transliteration: arindhirukkal
Doctrine: Walking in Truth and Love
Original: γινώσκω (perfect: ἐγνωκότες)
Category: Faith
NEW term (γινώσκω, perfect ἐγνωκότες, 2 John 1:1, ‘all who have known the truth’). Relational recognition through relationship with Christ and his people, never a jñāna-mārga-style esoteric attainment — the same caution already documented for the Philippians ‘knowing_christ’ term.
Forever
Approved rendering: என்றென்றைக்கும்
Transliteration: endrendraikkum
Doctrine: Walking in Truth and Love
Rejected alternatives: யுகம்-based renderings
Original: εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα
Category: Eschatology
NEW term (εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα, 2 John 1:2, describing the truth abiding in believers). NEVER a யுகம்-based (cyclical age) rendering, per the inherited Ephesians caution on αἰών vocabulary. நித்தியமாக is an acceptable secondary rendering.
Children
Approved rendering: பிள்ளைகள்
Transliteration: pillaigal
Doctrine: Election of God’s People
Original: τέκνα
Category: Church
NEW term (τέκνα, 2 John 1:1, 1:4, 1:13). Refers either to literal children of an individual woman or, per most commentators, to members of a congregation personified as a mother’s children. This literal-vs-personified-church ambiguity is deliberate in the source text and must be preserved, not resolved, in the Tamil rendering.
Joy Made Full
Approved rendering: நிறைவாதல்
Transliteration: niraivaathal
Doctrine: Joy in Christian Fellowship
Rejected alternatives: பரிபூரணம்
Original: ἡ χαρὰ … πεπληρωμένη
Category: Discipleship
NEW term (πεπληρωμένη, 2 John 1:12), an ordinary, non-technical relational statement of joy completed at an in-person visit (near-identical wording to John 15:11; 1 John 1:4). EXPLICITLY AVOID பரிபூரணம் here — this pipeline reserves that Critical technical term exclusively for the ‘fullness of Christ/God’ doctrine in the Colossians and Ephesians packages; using it in this simple relational sentence would inappropriately overload it with technical theological weight the source text never intends.
Low Risk Terms
New
Approved rendering: புதிய
Transliteration: puthiya
Doctrine: Walking in Truth and Love
Original: καινός
Category: Salvation
Inherited root from the Romans/Galatians ‘new_creation’ term family. In 2 John 1:5 the newness of the love-commandment is explicitly DENIED — this is not a novel command but an ancient, received one; the denial of novelty is itself doctrinally significant (guards against innovation), though the word rendering itself carries little ambiguity.
Watch Yourselves
Approved rendering: எச்சரிக்கையாயிருங்கள்
Transliteration: echarikkaiyaayirungal
Doctrine: Reward for Faithful Perseverance
Original: βλέπετε ἑαυτούς
Category: Discipleship
NEW term (βλέπετε ἑαυτούς, 2 John 1:8), standard Tamil Bible vigilance imperative. Must carry personal-responsibility force — active vigilance in light of the deceivers just named, not passive fatalism.
Lose Forfeit
Approved rendering: இழத்தல்
Transliteration: izhathal
Doctrine: Reward for Faithful Perseverance
Original: ἀπόλλυμι
Category: Eschatology
NEW term (ἀπόλλυμι, 2 John 1:8), standard low-risk rendering. The risk described is forfeiting the fruit of prior gospel labor through doctrinal compromise.
Labor
Approved rendering: பாடுபட்டு உழைத்தல்
Transliteration: paadupattu uzhaithal
Doctrine: Reward for Faithful Perseverance
Original: ἐργάζομαι
Category: Ministry
NEW term (ἐργάζομαι, 2 John 1:8), the elder’s/missionaries’ prior spiritual labor. Kept distinct from the noun கிரியைகள் (works, 1:11) to avoid over-loading this ordinary labor-reference with the letter’s more doctrinally weighted ‘works’ vocabulary.
Ask Request
Approved rendering: வேண்டிக்கொள்ளுதல்
Transliteration: vendikkolluthal
Doctrine: Walking in Truth and Love
Original: ἐρωτάω
Category: Discipleship
NEW term (ἐρωτάω, 2 John 1:5), a gentler, collegial request distinct in register from கட்டளை (commandment). Preserves the letter’s warm, pastoral, family-among-equals register.
Sends Greetings
Approved rendering: வாழ்த்துதல்
Transliteration: vaazhthudhal
Doctrine: Joy in Christian Fellowship
Original: ἀσπάζομαι
Category: Church
NEW term (ἀσπάζομαι, 2 John 1:13), a warm personal greeting typical of ancient letter-closings, extended from ‘the children of your elect sister.’ Distinct Greek verb from χαίρειν (the withheld greeting of vv.10-11) — keep the two Tamil renderings distinguishable so the letter’s deliberate contrast between the withheld greeting (to deceivers) and this warm greeting (among genuine believers) remains visible.
Referenced passages