Core Glossary
Core Glossary: 3 John (Koine Greek → Tamil)
Legend
- Status: REUSED — term/rendering already fixed in the baseline
translation_memory.json(Romans–Galatians–Ephesians–Philippians–Colossians package); MUST be used exactly as recorded there. - Status: NEW — no prior entry exists; rendering proposed here for addition to translation memory (version increment required before Phase 2 processing of any 3 John segment).
- Risk tiers follow the baseline
doctrine_risk_registry.jsondefinitions: Critical / High / Medium / Low, with the same review-routing consequences (Critical & High → human theologian; Medium → native speaker; Low → automated). - Book citation convention: 3 John = “3 யோவான்” (e.g., 3 யோவான் 1:5), consistent with this Language Package’s established numbered-epistle citation pattern (cf. 1/2 கொரிந்தியர்).
A. Terms Reused Exactly from the Baseline Language Package
| English term | Greek | Transliteration | Tamil (fixed) | Risk | Occurrences in 3 John |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| God | θεός | theos | கடவுள் | Critical | vv. 6, 11 (×2) |
| love (noun/verb) | ἀγάπη / ἀγαπάω | agapē / agapaō | அன்பு | High | vv. 1, 6 |
| church | ἐκκλησία | ekklēsia | சபை | Medium | vv. 6, 9, 10 |
| joy / rejoice | χαρά / χαίρω | chara / chairō | சந்தோஷம் / சந்தோஷப்படுதல் | Medium | vv. 3, 4 |
| walk (conduct) | περιπατέω | peripateō | நடத்தல் | Low-Medium | vv. 3, 4 |
| peace | εἰρήνη | eirēnē | சமாதானம் | Medium | v. 14 |
| children (spiritual) | τέκνα | tekna | பிள்ளைகள் | Low-Medium | v. 4 |
| imitate | μιμέομαι | mimeomai | பின்பற்றுதல் | Low-Medium | v. 11 |
| hope | ἐλπίζω | elpizō | நம்பிக்கை / நம்புகிறேன் | Low-Medium | v. 14 |
B. New Terms Proposed for This Curriculum
| English term | Greek | Transliteration | Literal meaning | Proposed Tamil | Tamil transliteration | Risk | Doctrine | Status | Notes / risk rationale |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| elder (the Elder) | πρεσβύτερος | presbyteros | senior; office-holder | மூப்பர் | moopar | Medium-High | Church Leadership and Pride | NEW | Must stay distinct from established மேய்ப்பர் (pastor), போதகர் (teacher), கண்காணிகள் (overseer); never குரு. |
| beloved (address) | ἀγαπητός | agapētos | dear, beloved | பிரியமான(வரே) | piriyamāna(vare) | Low-Medium | Truth and Fellowship | NEW | Address form; derived from but distinct from அன்பு (love, noun). |
| truth | ἀλήθεια | alētheia | truth, reality | சத்தியம் | sathyam | High | Truth and Christian Fellowship (all 5 doctrines touch this) | NEW | Letter’s dominant keyword (6×). சத்தியம் (satya) also a major classical Hindu ethical category — keep gospel-content-specific and Christ-anchored; guard against abstraction into an impersonal cosmic-order sense. Recommended for immediate promotion to baseline translation_memory.json given its cross-curriculum importance (1 John, 2 John, John’s Gospel all share this term). |
| soul | ψυχή | psychē | soul, inner life | ஆத்துமா | aathumaa | High | (v. 2, well-being) | NEW | CRITICAL DISAMBIGUATION: ஆத்துமா (established Tamil Christian usage) vs. ஆத்மா/பரமாத்மா (Vedantic universal Self, already Critical-forbidden for πνεῦμα elsewhere in this package). Never let the two converge. |
| prosper / go well | εὐοδόω | euodoō | to have a good journey; succeed | நலமடைதல் | nalamadaithal | Medium-High | (v. 2) | NEW | Same verb used for BOTH outward and soul well-being; avoid a materially-loaded “abundance/wealth” rendering to prevent prosperity-gospel misreading (cf. existing Phil 4:19 caution in baseline). |
| be healthy | ὑγιαίνω | hygiainō | to be healthy | சுகமாயிருத்தல் | sugamaayiruthal | Low | (v. 2) | NEW | Ordinary epistolary health-wish. |
| testify / testimony | μαρτυρέω / μαρτυρία | martyreō / martyria | to bear witness / a witness-report | சாட்சி கொடுத்தல் / சாட்சி | saatchi koduthal / saatchi | Medium-High | Commendation of Faithful Witness; Truth and Fellowship | NEW | Occurs vv. 3, 6, 12 (×3). Keep distinct from அறிக்கை செய்தல் (confess, fixed for Phil 2:11) and வெளிப்படுத்துதல் (revelation, fixed elsewhere). Render identically at every occurrence in this letter. |
| brothers | ἀδελφός | adelphos | brothers, fellow believers | சகோதரர்கள் | sagodhararkal | Medium | Hospitality; Church Leadership | NEW | Spiritual, trans-social kinship — must not be read through a caste/jāti-brotherhood frame (per this package’s recurring anti-caste sensitivity notes). |
| faithful (of an act) | πιστός | pistos | trustworthy, loyal | உண்மையான / விசுவாசமான | unmaiyaana / vishvaasamaana | Medium | Hospitality | NEW | Describes an ACT as loyal, not the doctrinal noun “saving faith” (விசுவாசம், already Critical/High in baseline); keep visibly distinct in context. |
| stranger | ξένος | xenos | stranger, unfamiliar guest | அந்நியர் | annthiyar | Medium | Hospitality to Traveling Ministers | NEW | Core hospitality term; connects to (without collapsing into) the general Tamil hospitality virtue விருந்தோம்பல் — teaching notes should sharpen the specific referent (gospel-worker support), not leave it as generic guest-honor. |
| send forward (with provision) | προπέμπω | propempō | to escort/provision for a journey | வழிக்கு அனுப்புதல் | vazhikku anupputhal | Medium | Hospitality to Traveling Ministers | NEW | Must convey material/logistical provisioning, not a bare verbal farewell. |
| worthy of God | ἀξίως τοῦ θεοῦ | axiōs tou theou | in a manner worthy of God | கடவுளுக்குத் தகுதியாக | kadavulukku thaguthiyaaga | Medium-High | Hospitality to Traveling Ministers | NEW | Built on established கடவுள்; cross-reference to Eph 4:1 “worthy walk” doctrine (அழைப்புக்குத் தகுதியான நடத்தை) for teaching continuity. |
| the Name (of Christ) | ὄνομα (absolute) | to onoma | the Name | (கிறிஸ்துவின்) நாமம் | (Kiristhuvin) naamam | High | Hospitality to Traveling Ministers | NEW | Technical early-church shorthand for Christ’s identity/authority; supply “கிறிஸ்துவின்” or a gloss, since the Greek absolute construction does not translate transparently. Distinct from the ordinary sense of ὄνομα in v. 14 (“by name”) — same Greek lexeme, two senses; do not conflate. |
| Gentiles / pagans (outsiders) | ἐθνικός | ethnikos | pagan, non-believing outsider | அஞ்ஞானிகள் | agnyaanigal | High | Hospitality to Traveling Ministers | NEW | DISTINCT LEMMA from ἔθνη (already fixed as புறஜாதியார் for Jew-Gentile covenant contexts elsewhere in the baseline). Do NOT reuse புறஜாதியார் here — this verse is about refusing pagan/unbeliever funding, not covenant ethnic categories; reusing the established term would wrongly import the Jew/Gentile covenant frame and the ஜாதி(caste)-adjacency caution attached to it. |
| ought / obligated | ὀφείλω | opheilō | to owe, to be obligated | கடமையாயிருக்கிறது | kadamaiyaayirukkirathu | Medium | Hospitality to Traveling Ministers | NEW | Relational obligation flowing from love/truth, not impersonal cosmic duty; watch for dharma-adjacent overtones if used as a bare abstract noun. |
| receive / support (host) | ὑπολαμβάνω | hypolambanō | to take up, receive, support | ஆதரவு கொடுத்து ஏற்றுக்கொள்ளுதல் | aadharavu koduthu yetrukkolluthal | Medium-High | Hospitality to Traveling Ministers | NEW | Part of the hospitality-verb cluster with προπέμπω (v.6) and ἐπιδέχομαι (vv.9-10); keep the cluster coordinated in teaching material. |
| fellow workers | συνεργός | synergos | co-worker, partner in labor | சத்தியத்தின் உடன்பணியாளர்கள் | sathyathin udanpaniyaalargal | High | Hospitality; Truth and Christian Fellowship | NEW | Doctrinal high point: hospitality = active partnership in the truth’s advance. Must not be taught as a merit-transaction (guard against reopening the grace-vs-merit boundary this package enforces everywhere: கிருபை never earned). |
| loving to be first / craving preeminence | φιλοπρωτεύω | philoprōteuō | to love being first | முதன்மையை விரும்புகிறவன் | muthanmaiyai virumbugiravan | Critical/High | Church Leadership and Pride (Diotrephes) | NEW | NT hapax legomenon (only occurrence in the entire New Testament); the letter’s doctrinal center for this doctrine. Must name illegitimate self-exalting ambition, contrasted explicitly with Christ’s own legitimate preeminence (already established: Col 1:18, எல்லாவற்றிலும் முதல்வர்). Never soften to neutral “ambitious” or “a strong leader.” |
| receive / acknowledge (a person or authority) | ἐπιδέχομαι | epidechomai | to receive, accept, welcome/acknowledge | ஏற்றுக்கொள்ளுதல் | yetrukkolluthal | High | Church Leadership and Pride; Hospitality | NEW | Occurs vv. 9 (refusing the Elder’s authority) and 10 (refusing the brothers) — render identically both times so the escalation is visible. |
| remind / expose (call to account) | ὑπομιμνήσκω | hypomimnēskō | to bring to remembrance, to call to account | நினைவுபடுத்துவேன் | ninaivupaduthuven | Medium | Church Leadership and Pride | NEW | Carries a confrontational/accountability force, not gentle private reminding. |
| deeds / actions (of Diotrephes) | ἔργον | ergon | works, deeds | செய்கைகள் | seygaigal | Low-Medium | Church Leadership and Pride | NEW | EXPLICITLY do not use கிரியைகள் here — that lexeme is reserved for the works-of-the-law/grace-vs-works doctrinal thread elsewhere in this package; this is a neutral-to-negative descriptive term only. |
| slander / speak against | καταλαλέω | katalaleō | to speak against, malign | புறங்கூறுதல் | puranggooruthal | Medium | Church Leadership and Pride | NEW | Cultural bridge opportunity: புறங்கூறாமை (“not backbiting”) is an honored virtue-chapter in the Thirukkural — Tamil ethical tradition already condemns this vice independently. |
| hinder / prevent | κωλύω | kōlyō | to hinder, forbid | தடுத்தல் | thaduthal | Low-Medium | Church Leadership and Pride | NEW | Diotrephes actively obstructs others’ hospitality, not merely withholding his own. |
| cast out / expel | ἐκβάλλω | ekballō | to cast out, expel | சபையிலிருந்து துரத்திவிடுதல் | sabaiyilirunthu thuraththividuthal | High | Church Leadership and Pride | NEW | Must convey forcible, formal expulsion from the congregation (same verb-family as synagogue expulsion in John 9:34-35) — do not soften to a mild “asking to leave.” Central evidence of ecclesiastical abuse of power. |
| evil / good | κακόν / ἀγαθόν | kakon / agathon | evil / good | தீமை / நன்மை | theemai / nanmai | Low | Imitating Good rather than Evil | NEW | Basic moral categories underlying the letter’s central ethical choice. |
| doing good / doing evil | ἀγαθοποιέω / κακοποιέω | agathopoieō / kakopoieō | to do good / to do evil (habitually) | நன்மை செய்கிறவன் / தீமை செய்கிறவன் | nanmai seygiravan / theemai seygiravan | High | Imitating Good rather than Evil | NEW | ”Is of God” must read as ORIGIN/EVIDENCE, never as MERIT — mirrors this package’s established grace-vs-works-as-fruit convention (Eph 2:10). |
| has seen (God) | ὁράω (ἑώρακεν) | heōraken | has seen (perfect tense) | கண்டிருக்கிறான் | kandirukkiraan | Critical/High | Imitating Good rather than Evil | NEW | ABSOLUTE PROHIBITION: never render with தரிசனம் (darshan) vocabulary — the central category of Tamil Hindu devotional temple practice. Use only the plain, non-technical verb. Relational/moral knowledge of God’s character, not ocular or devotional vision. |
| truth itself (personified) | ἀλήθεια αὐτή | hē alētheia autē | the truth itself | சத்தியமே | sathyame | High | Commendation of Faithful Witness; Truth and Fellowship | NEW | Rhetorical personification of truth as an active testifying agent; must remain visible in Tamil (not flattened to a bare adverbial “truly”) while staying anchored to the personal God/gospel it discloses, never an abstract cosmic principle. |
| true | ἀληθής | alēthēs | true, accurate | உண்மையான / சத்தியமான | unmaiyaana / sathyamaana | Low-Medium | Commendation of Faithful Witness | NEW | Built on the சத்தியம் root for lexical continuity across the letter. |
| ink | μέλαν | melan | ink | மை | mai | Low | (epistolary detail) | NEW | v. 13. |
| pen / reed | κάλαμος | kalamos | reed, pen | எழுதுகோல் / பேனா | ezhuthukol / penaa | Low | (epistolary detail) | NEW | v. 13. |
| mouth to mouth (face to face) | στόμα πρὸς στόμα | stoma pros stoma | mouth to mouth | முகமுகமாய் | mugamugamaay | Low | (closing) | NEW | Idiom — render naturally, not literally, per standing idiom-handling rule. |
| friends | φίλος | philos | friend | நண்பர்கள் | nanbargal | Medium | Truth and Christian Fellowship | NEW | v. 14 — deliberate shift from “brothers” (family term) to “friends” (personal, chosen term); echoes John 15:15. Keep lexically distinct from சகோதரர்கள். |
| greet | ἀσπάζομαι | aspazomai | to greet | வாழ்த்துதல் | vaazhthuthal | Low | (closing) | NEW | Standard epistolary greeting formula. |
| by name (ordinary sense) | ὄνομα (κατ᾿ ὄνομα) | kat’ onoma | by name, each by name | பெயர் சொல்லி | peyar solli | Low-Medium | (closing) | NEW | v. 14 — SAME Greek lexeme as “the Name” in v. 7 but an entirely different, non-technical sense; flag for reviewers so the two are not conflated. |
| went out (missionary sense) | ἐξέρχομαι | exerchomai | to go out, depart | புறப்பட்டுச் சென்றார்கள் | purappattu chendraargal | Low | Hospitality to Traveling Ministers | NEW | v. 7, of the traveling gospel workers. |
C. Proper Names
| English | Greek | Transliteration | Tamil rendering | Risk | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gaius | Γάϊος | Gaios | காயு | Low | The letter’s faithful, hospitable addressee. |
| Diotrephes | Διοτρεφής | Diotrephēs | தியோத்திரபே | Low | The antagonist; etymology (“nourished by Zeus”) is coincidental and not doctrinally significant — do not draw attention to it in teaching material. |
| Demetrius | Δημήτριος | Dēmētrios | தேமேத்திரியு | Low | The commended third figure, likely the letter-carrier. |
D. Summary Statistics
| Category | Count |
|---|---|
| Terms reused exactly from baseline TM | 9 |
| New terms proposed for this curriculum | 30 |
| Proper names | 3 |
| Critical/High risk (new) | 11 (ἀλήθεια, ψυχή, ὄνομα [the Name], ἐθνικός, συνεργός, φιλοπρωτεύω, ἐπιδέχομαι, ἐκβάλλω, ἀγαθοποιέω/κακοποιέω, ὁράω, ἀλήθεια-personified) |
| Medium / Medium-High risk (new) | 15 |
| Low / Low-Medium risk (new) | 4 (plus proper names) |
Top priority for translation memory promotion: ἀλήθεια (truth) → சத்தியம். Given its total absence from the existing five-book baseline despite being one of the two dominant Johannine theological nouns, this term should be added to translation_memory.json and bible_term_registry.json before any Phase 2 processing of 3 John (or any future Johannine-corpus curriculum, e.g. 1 John, 2 John, John’s Gospel) begins.
Second priority: the φιλοπρωτεύω / ἐκβάλλω / ἐπιδέχομαι cluster (Diotrephes’ pride and its consequences) and the ἀγαθοποιέω/κακοποιέω / ὁράω cluster (v. 11) — both clusters carry Critical/High doctrinal weight and direct collision risk with, respectively, Tamil ecclesiastical-rivalry dynamics and Tamil Hindu darshan devotional practice, and both require mandatory human theologian review per this Language Package’s escalation conventions.
Critical Risk Terms
God
Approved rendering: கடவுள்
Transliteration: kadavul
Doctrine: Imitating Good rather than Evil
Rejected alternatives: தேவன், பரமேஸ்வரன், பகவான்
Original: θεός
Category: God
INHERITED FROM ROMANS PACKAGE exactly. Governs both occurrences in 3 John 1:11 (‘the one who does good is of God’ / ‘the one who does evil has not seen God’). Never தேவன்; this Language Package’s central God-word rule applies without exception in this letter.
Christ
Approved rendering: கிறிஸ்து
Transliteration: kiristhu
Doctrine: Hospitality to Traveling Ministers
INHERITED FROM GALATIANS PACKAGE exactly. Supplied as the implicit referent of the absolute ‘the Name’ construction in 1:7 (see the_name below). Not otherwise a separate lexeme in 3 John’s Greek text.
Love Of Preeminence
Approved rendering: முதன்மையை விரும்புகிறவன்
Transliteration: muthanmaiyai virumbugiravan
Doctrine: Church Leadership and Pride (Diotrephes)
Rejected alternatives: ஆசைப்படுகிறவன் (mere ambition, too weak), வலிமையான தலைவன் (a strong leader — softens the vice into a compliment)
Original: φιλοπρωτεύω
Category: Church
NEW. Governs φιλοπρωτεύω at 1:9 — the sole occurrence of this word in the entire New Testament (hapax legomenon), naming Diotrephes’ root sin. MUST NOT be softened to neutral ‘ambitious’ or ‘an energetic leader.’ Doctrinal key: read in explicit, ironic contrast with Christ’s own LEGITIMATE preeminence already established in this Language Package (Colossians 1:18, எல்லாவற்றிலும் முதல்வர்) — Diotrephes wants for himself the place that belongs to Christ alone. Carries live resonance with denominational/institutional rivalry already flagged under the Romans package’s Christ-Centered Ministry doctrine.
Has Seen God
Approved rendering: கண்டிருக்கிறான்
Transliteration: kandirukkiraan
Doctrine: Imitating Good rather than Evil
Rejected alternatives: தரிசனம், தரிசனம் பார்த்தல், தரிசனம் பெறுதல்
Original: ὁράω (ἑώρακεν)
Category: God
NEW. Governs ὁράω (ἑώρακεν) at 1:11 — a completed act with continuing relational significance: relational/experiential knowledge of God’s character, not ocular or devotional vision. ABSOLUTE PROHIBITION: NEVER render with தரிசனம் (darshan) vocabulary — the devotee’s ritual viewing of a deity’s consecrated image, one of the single most pervasive categories of everyday Tamil Hindu devotional practice (‘going for தரிசனம்’ = an ordinary way to describe a temple visit). Use only the plain, non-technical verb.
High Risk Terms
Love
Approved rendering: அன்பு
Transliteration: anbu
Doctrine: Truth and Christian Fellowship
Rejected alternatives: பக்தி, காதல்
Original: ἀγάπη / ἀγαπάω
Category: Sanctification
INHERITED FROM ROMANS PACKAGE exactly. Governs 3 John 1:1 (the Elder’s love for Gaius, deliberately paired with truth) and 1:6 (Gaius’s love verified before the church through hospitality).
Hope
Approved rendering: நம்பிக்கை
Transliteration: nambikkai
Doctrine: Christian Fellowship in Epistolary Greeting
Rejected alternatives: ஆசை
Original: ἐλπίζω
Category: Faith
INHERITED FROM EPHESIANS/PHILIPPIANS PACKAGE exactly. Governs 1:14’s confident, plan-grounded expectation of a personal visit, not vague wishfulness.
Elder
Approved rendering: மூப்பர்
Transliteration: moopar
Doctrine: The Elder’s Apostolic-Era Pastoral Authority
Rejected alternatives: குரு, ஆயர்
Original: πρεσβύτερος
Category: Church
NEW. Must stay lexically distinct from three ALREADY-FIXED but distinct baseline offices — மேய்ப்பர் (pastor), போதகர் (teacher), கண்காணிகள் (overseer) — so four NT offices are not collapsed into one generic ‘leader.’ NEVER குரு: the guru-sishya frame would sacralize this office as a personal spiritual master, which is precisely the kind of unaccountable authority Diotrephes wrongly claims for himself and the Elder does not have. Governs the self-designation at 1:1 and the authority refused at 1:9.
Truth
Approved rendering: சத்தியம்
Transliteration: sathyam
Doctrine: Truth and Christian Fellowship
Original: ἀλήθεια
Category: Faith
NEW — absent from the prior five-book baseline despite governing the whole Johannine corpus. Occurs six times (1:1, 1:3, 1:4, 1:6, 1:8, 1:12), the letter’s dominant keyword alongside love. RISK: சத்தியம் (Sanskrit satya) is also a major classical Hindu ethical-philosophical category — a cardinal virtue, a divine-epithet root, and conceptually adjacent to ṛta, the impersonal Vedic cosmic-order principle. Every occurrence must stay Christ-anchored and gospel-content-specific via consistent co-occurrence with கடவுள்/கிறிஸ்து/சுவிசேஷம் — never an unqualified abstract virtue-noun. HIGHEST PRIORITY recommendation: promote to the shared baseline translation_memory.json before any future Johannine-corpus curriculum (1 John, 2 John, John’s Gospel) is processed.
Soul
Approved rendering: ஆத்துமா
Transliteration: aathumaa
Doctrine: Spiritual Prosperity and the Soul
Rejected alternatives: ஆத்மா, பரமாத்மா
Original: ψυχή
Category: Anthropology
NEW. CRITICAL DISAMBIGUATION: ஆத்துமா is visually and phonetically close to ஆத்மா/பரமாத்மா, the Vedantic universal Self identical with Brahman (already Critical-forbidden elsewhere in this Language Package for πνεῦμα/Holy Spirit). ஆத்துமா names the individual person’s inner life before a personal, distinct God and must never converge with the impersonal universal-Self category. Governs 1:2.
Testify
Approved rendering: சாட்சி கொடுத்தல் / சாட்சி
Transliteration: saatchi koduthal / saatchi
Doctrine: Commendation of Faithful Witness (Demetrius)
Rejected alternatives: அறிக்கை செய்தல், வெளிப்படுத்துதல்
Original: μαρτυρέω / μαρτυρία
Category: Witness
NEW. Must render IDENTICALLY at all three occurrences (1:3, 1:6, 1:12) so the reader recognizes one coherent verification-of-character theme culminating in Demetrius’s threefold commendation. Keep distinct from அறிக்கை செய்தல் (fixed for the Phil 2:11 Lordship confession) and வெளிப்படுத்துதல் (fixed for ἀποκάλυψις/revelation, Gal 1:12) — three distinct registers must not be conflated.
The Name
Approved rendering: (கிறிஸ்துவின்) நாமம்
Transliteration: (Kiristhuvin) naamam
Doctrine: Hospitality to Traveling Ministers
Rejected alternatives: bare நாமம் without a supplied referent
Original: ὄνομα (absolute)
Category: Christology
NEW. Governs the absolute ὄνομα construction at 1:7 — early-church technical shorthand for Christ’s identity/authority. The bare Greek absolute does not translate transparently into Tamil; supply the possessive or a bracketed gloss. Must stay visibly distinct from the entirely ordinary sense of the identical Greek lexeme in 1:14 (‘greet the friends by name’) — same word, two unrelated senses; do not conflate.
Gentiles Unbelievers
Approved rendering: அஞ்ஞானிகள்
Transliteration: agnyaanigal
Doctrine: Hospitality to Traveling Ministers
Rejected alternatives: புறஜாதியார்
Original: ἐθνικός
Category: Church
NEW. Governs ἐθνικός at 1:7 — a DISTINCT Greek lemma from ἔθνη. MUST NOT reuse புறஜாதியார் (already fixed in the baseline for ἔθνη in Jew-Gentile covenant contexts): doing so would wrongly import the unrelated covenant-ethnic framework and needlessly trigger the pre-existing ஜாதி(caste)-adjacency caution attached to that term, for a verse that is simply about declining unbeliever funding.
Fellow Workers
Approved rendering: சத்தியத்தின் உடன்பணியாளர்கள்
Transliteration: sathyathin udanpaniyaalargal
Doctrine: Hospitality to Traveling Ministers
Rejected alternatives: தானம் (dāna, merit-generosity framing), புண்ணியம்-based merit framing
Original: συνεργός
Category: Ministry
NEW. Governs συνεργός at 1:8 — the doctrinal high point of the Hospitality/Truth-and-Fellowship doctrines converging. Describes what hospitality ACCOMPLISHES (participation in an already-advancing gospel), NEVER a merit-transaction that earns standing with the truth/God — must not reopen this Language Package’s recurring கிருபை-vs-புண்ணியம் boundary.
Receive Acknowledge
Approved rendering: ஏற்றுக்கொள்ளுதல்
Transliteration: yetrukkolluthal
Doctrine: Church Leadership and Pride (Diotrephes)
Original: ἐπιδέχομαι
Category: Church
NEW. Governs ἐπιδέχομαι at BOTH 1:9 (refusing the Elder’s delegated authority) and 1:10 (refusing the brothers themselves). Must render IDENTICALLY at both occurrences so the escalation from rejecting apostolic authority to rejecting ordinary believers is visible as one continuous act of pride, not two unrelated incidents.
Cast Out
Approved rendering: சபையிலிருந்து துரத்திவிடுதல்
Transliteration: sabaiyilirunthu thuraththividuthal
Doctrine: Church Leadership and Pride (Diotrephes)
Rejected alternatives: அனுப்பிவிடுதல் (mild ‘asking someone to leave’)
Original: ἐκβάλλω
Category: Church
NEW. Governs ἐκβάλλω at 1:10 — Diotrephes’ most severe act, the same verb-family used elsewhere in the NT for synagogue expulsion (John 9:34-35). Must convey formal, forcible expulsion from the congregation; softening this would understate the letter’s central warning against abusive ecclesiastical power, a live pastoral concern given Tamil Nadu’s dense, competitive denominational landscape.
Doing Good Doing Evil
Approved rendering: நன்மை செய்கிறவன் / தீமை செய்கிறவன்
Transliteration: nanmai seygiravan / theemai seygiravan
Doctrine: Imitating Good rather than Evil
Original: ἀγαθοποιέω / κακοποιέω
Category: Ethics
NEW. Governs ἀγαθοποιέω/κακοποιέω at 1:11. ‘Is of God’ (ἐκ τοῦ θεοῦ ἐστιν) must read as an ORIGIN/EVIDENCE statement — one’s conduct reveals whose one already is — NEVER a MERIT statement implying good conduct produces or earns belonging to God. Same boundary this Language Package guards at Ephesians 2:10 (good works as fruit, never root) and Philippians 3:9.
Truth Itself
Approved rendering: சத்தியமே
Transliteration: sathyame
Doctrine: Commendation of Faithful Witness (Demetrius)
Rejected alternatives: flat adverbial ‘உண்மையிலே’ (loses the personification)
Original: ἀλήθεια αὐτή
Category: Witness
NEW. Governs ἡ ἀλήθεια αὐτή at 1:12 — truth personified as an active testifying agent alongside human witnesses. Must remain visible in Tamil (சத்தியமே சாட்சி கொடுக்கிறது, ‘the truth itself gives testimony’) rather than flattened into a bare adverbial ‘truly,’ while staying anchored to the personal God/gospel it discloses, never an abstract Sanskritic satya-as-cosmic-principle reading.
Medium Risk Terms
Church
Approved rendering: சபை
Transliteration: sabai
Doctrine: Church Leadership and Pride (Diotrephes)
Rejected alternatives: கோவில்
Original: ἐκκλησία
Category: Church
INHERITED FROM ROMANS PACKAGE exactly. Governs 1:6, 1:9, 1:10 — the identical word carries both Gaius’s public commendation and Diotrephes’ abuse of congregational authority; consistency here is doctrinally load-bearing.
Joy
Approved rendering: சந்தோஷம்
Transliteration: santhosham
Doctrine: Truth and Christian Fellowship
Original: χαρά / χαίρω
Category: Discipleship
INHERITED FROM ROMANS/PHILIPPIANS PACKAGE exactly. Governs 1:3-4 — the Elder’s superlative pastoral joy at hearing his spiritual children walk in truth.
Rejoice
Approved rendering: சந்தோஷப்படுதல்
Transliteration: santhoshappaduthal
Doctrine: Truth and Christian Fellowship
INHERITED exactly; verb form of joy. Governs ἐχάρην (‘I rejoiced greatly’) in 1:3.
Peace
Approved rendering: சமாதானம்
Transliteration: samadhanam
Doctrine: Christian Fellowship in Epistolary Greeting
Rejected alternatives: சாந்தி
Original: εἰρήνη
Category: Salvation
INHERITED FROM ROMANS PACKAGE exactly. Governs the closing epistolary blessing at 1:14.
Imitate
Approved rendering: பின்பற்றுதல்
Transliteration: pinpatruthal
Doctrine: Imitating Good rather than Evil
Original: μιμέομαι
Category: Discipleship
Verb root established via the Philippians package’s உடன் பின்பற்றுவோர் (‘fellow imitators’, Phil 3:17). First standalone bare-verb use of this root in the Language Package; governs the direct imperative of 1:11, ‘do not imitate evil but imitate good.‘
Children
Approved rendering: பிள்ளைகள்
Transliteration: pillaigal
Doctrine: Truth and Christian Fellowship
Original: τέκνα
Category: Discipleship
Pattern established in the baseline (Eph 5:1; Phil 2:15: பிள்ளைகள் for spiritual, not biological, offspring). Governs 1:4, ‘my children,’ the Elder’s spiritual converts/disciples.
Beloved
Approved rendering: பிரியமான(வரே)
Transliteration: piriyamaana(vare)
Doctrine: Truth and Christian Fellowship
Original: ἀγαπητός
Category: Discipleship
NEW. Address form (ἀγαπητός), occurring at 1:1, 1:2, 1:5, 1:11. Derived from, but kept distinct from, the doctrinal love-noun அன்பு — this is a term of covenant-love address, not the doctrinal category itself.
Prosper
Approved rendering: நலமடைதல்
Transliteration: nalamadaithal
Doctrine: Spiritual Prosperity and the Soul
Rejected alternatives: செழிப்பு, சம்பத்து
Original: εὐοδόω
Category: Discipleship
NEW. The SAME Greek verb (εὐοδόω) is used at 1:2 for both outward circumstances and the soul’s condition; render identically in both clauses. NEVER a materially-loaded abundance/wealth term, which would invite a prosperity-gospel misreading detached from the soul-priority the verse itself establishes (cf. this Language Package’s Philippians 4:19 caution).
Brothers
Approved rendering: சகோதரர்கள்
Transliteration: sagodhararkal
Doctrine: Hospitality to Traveling Ministers
Original: ἀδελφός
Category: Church
NEW. Governs 1:3, 1:5, 1:10 — the traveling gospel workers dependent on hospitality. CAUTION: must not be read through a caste/jāti-brotherhood or community-kinship frame; this is trans-social spiritual kinship in Christ crossing every social boundary, consistent with this Language Package’s recurring ஜாதி/புறஜாதியார் sensitivity notes.
Faithful Deed
Approved rendering: உண்மையான / விசுவாசமான
Transliteration: unmaiyaana / vishvaasamaana
Doctrine: Hospitality to Traveling Ministers
Original: πιστός
Category: Discipleship
NEW. Describes Gaius’s hospitable ACT as covenant-loyal (πιστός, 1:5), not the doctrinal noun ‘saving faith.’ Must stay visibly distinct in context from விசுவாசம் (saving faith, already Critical/High in the baseline) — this is faithful conduct, an outworking, not the article of faith itself.
Stranger
Approved rendering: அந்நியர்
Transliteration: annthiyar
Doctrine: Hospitality to Traveling Ministers
Original: ξένος
Category: Ministry
NEW. Governs ξένος at 1:5. Core term of the Hospitality doctrine; connects to, without collapsing into, the general Tamil hospitality virtue விருந்தோம்பல் (Thirukkural Ch. 9) — the doctrinal point is specifically material support of unknown gospel workers, not generic guest-courtesy.
Send On Journey
Approved rendering: வழிக்கு அனுப்புதல்
Transliteration: vazhikku anupputhal
Doctrine: Hospitality to Traveling Ministers
Rejected alternatives: வழியனுப்புதல் (bare verbal farewell)
Original: προπέμπω
Category: Ministry
NEW. Governs προπέμπω at 1:6. Must convey concrete material/logistical provisioning (funds, provisions, travel companions) — the core positive action commended in v.6, matching exactly what Diotrephes refuses in vv.9-10.
Worthy Of God
Approved rendering: கடவுளுக்குத் தகுதியாக
Transliteration: kadavulukku thaguthiyaaga
Doctrine: Hospitality to Traveling Ministers
Original: ἀξίως τοῦ θεοῦ
Category: Ministry
NEW. Governs ἀξίως τοῦ θεοῦ at 1:6. Built on established கடவுள் (never தேவன்). Cross-reference in teaching material to the established Ephesians 4:1 ‘worthy walk’ doctrine (அழைப்புக்குத் தகுதியான நடத்தை) for cross-curriculum continuity.
Ought
Approved rendering: கடமையாயிருக்கிறது
Transliteration: kadamaiyaayirukkirathu
Doctrine: Hospitality to Traveling Ministers
Original: ὀφείλω
Category: Ministry
NEW. Governs ὀφείλω at 1:8. Relational obligation flowing from love and truth, not impersonal cosmic duty; if rendered as a bare abstract noun கடமை in isolation, guard against drift toward a dharma-style cosmic-duty register (a documented risk already flagged for νόμος elsewhere in this Language Package).
Receive Support
Approved rendering: ஆதரவு கொடுத்து ஏற்றுக்கொள்ளுதல்
Transliteration: aadharavu koduthu yetrukkolluthal
Doctrine: Hospitality to Traveling Ministers
Original: ὑπολαμβάνω
Category: Ministry
NEW. Governs ὑπολαμβάνω at 1:8. Part of the letter’s three-verb hospitality cluster with προπέμπω/send_on_journey (1:6) and ἐπιδέχομαι/receive_acknowledge (1:9-10); keep the cluster coordinated in teaching material so one coherent hospitality theme is visible.
Call To Account
Approved rendering: நினைவுபடுத்துவேன்
Transliteration: ninaivupaduthuven
Doctrine: Church Leadership and Pride (Diotrephes)
Original: ὑπομιμνήσκω
Category: Church
NEW. Governs ὑπομιμνήσκω at 1:10 — the Elder’s stated intention to hold Diotrephes formally accountable upon his coming visit. Must carry real pastoral-discipline, call-to-account force, not a soft private reminder.
Slander
Approved rendering: புறங்கூறுதல்
Transliteration: purangooruthal
Doctrine: Church Leadership and Pride (Diotrephes)
Original: καταλαλέω
Category: Sin
NEW. Governs καταλαλέω at 1:10 — Diotrephes’ weapon against the Elder. CULTURAL BRIDGE OPPORTUNITY: புறங்கூறாமை (‘not backbiting’) is itself an honored virtue-chapter in the classical Tamil ethical text Thirukkural — Tamil ethical tradition already independently condemns exactly this vice.
True
Approved rendering: உண்மையான / சத்தியமான
Transliteration: unmaiyaana / sathyamaana
Doctrine: Commendation of Faithful Witness (Demetrius)
Original: ἀληθής
Category: Witness
NEW. Governs ἀληθής at 1:12, certifying the reliability of the Elder’s own testimony. Built on the சத்தியம் root established at 1:1 for lexical continuity across the letter’s truth-thread.
Friends
Approved rendering: நண்பர்கள்
Transliteration: nanbargal
Doctrine: Christian Fellowship in Epistolary Greeting
Original: φίλος
Category: Church
NEW. Governs φίλος at 1:14 — a deliberate Johannine shift away from the letter’s dominant family-term ‘brothers’ (echoing John 15:15). Keep lexically distinct from சகோதரர்கள் so this shift is not erased by defaulting to one Tamil word for both.
Low Risk Terms
Walk
Approved rendering: நடத்தல்
Transliteration: nadathal
Doctrine: Truth and Christian Fellowship
Rejected alternatives: மார்க்கத்தில் செல்லுதல்
Original: περιπατέω
Category: Sanctification
INHERITED FROM EPHESIANS PACKAGE exactly (περιπατέω). Governs the letter’s ‘walking in truth’ formula, repeated for emphasis at 1:3 and 1:4. Never மார்க்கம் (religious path).
Fellowship
Approved rendering: ஐக்கியம்
Transliteration: aikkiyam
Doctrine: Truth and Christian Fellowship
Rejected alternatives: நட்பு
INHERITED FROM ROMANS PACKAGE exactly. The Greek noun κοινωνία does not itself occur in 3 John, but the CONCEPT of shared gospel partnership (expressed instead through fellow_workers/συνεργός, 1:8) is this doctrine’s content; retained here for cross-document teaching-material consistency.
Good Health
Approved rendering: சுகமாயிருத்தல்
Transliteration: sugamaayiruthal
Doctrine: Spiritual Prosperity and the Soul
Original: ὑγιαίνω
Category: Discipleship
NEW. Ordinary epistolary physical-health wish at 1:2 (ὑγιαίνω). Plain, low ambiguity.
Deeds
Approved rendering: செய்கைகள்
Transliteration: seygaigal
Doctrine: Church Leadership and Pride (Diotrephes)
Rejected alternatives: கிரியைகள்
Original: ἔργον
Category: Church
NEW. Governs ἔργον at 1:10 — a neutral-to-negative descriptive term for Diotrephes’ conduct. EXPLICITLY do not use கிரியைகள் here — that lexeme is reserved throughout this Language Package for the works-of-the-law/works-vs-grace doctrinal thread (Galatians; Ephesians 2:9-10) and must not be triggered by this unrelated, purely descriptive sense.
Hinder
Approved rendering: தடுத்தல்
Transliteration: thaduthal
Doctrine: Church Leadership and Pride (Diotrephes)
Original: κωλύω
Category: Church
NEW. Governs κωλύω at 1:10 — Diotrephes actively obstructs OTHERS’ intended hospitality, not merely withholding his own.
Good And Evil
Approved rendering: தீமை / நன்மை
Transliteration: theemai / nanmai
Doctrine: Imitating Good rather than Evil
Original: κακόν / ἀγαθόν
Category: Ethics
NEW. Governs κακόν/ἀγαθόν at 1:11 — basic moral categories underlying the letter’s central ethical choice, embodied in Diotrephes (evil) versus Demetrius (good, 1:12).
Ink
Approved rendering: மை
Transliteration: mai
Doctrine: Christian Fellowship in Epistolary Greeting
Original: μέλαν
Category: Epistolary
NEW. Governs μέλαν at 1:13. Concrete epistolary detail, no doctrinal weight.
Pen
Approved rendering: எழுதுகோல் / பேனா
Transliteration: ezhuthukol / penaa
Doctrine: Christian Fellowship in Epistolary Greeting
Original: κάλαμος
Category: Epistolary
NEW. Governs κάλαμος at 1:13. Concrete epistolary detail, no doctrinal weight.
Face To Face
Approved rendering: முகமுகமாய்
Transliteration: mugamugamaay
Doctrine: Christian Fellowship in Epistolary Greeting
Rejected alternatives: literal ‘வாய்க்கு வாய்’ calque
Original: στόμα πρὸς στόμα
Category: Epistolary
NEW idiom. Governs στόμα πρὸς στόμα at 1:14. Render idiomatically, not literally, per this Language Package’s standing idiom-handling rule; no doctrinal content is carried by the literal image.
Greet
Approved rendering: வாழ்த்துதல்
Transliteration: vaazhthuthal
Doctrine: Christian Fellowship in Epistolary Greeting
Original: ἀσπάζομαι
Category: Epistolary
NEW. Governs ἀσπάζομαι at 1:14. Standard epistolary greeting-exchange formula, personal and warm.
By Name
Approved rendering: பெயர் சொல்லி
Transliteration: peyar solli
Doctrine: Christian Fellowship in Epistolary Greeting
Original: ὄνομα (κατ᾿ ὄνομα)
Category: Epistolary
NEW. Governs κατ’ ὄνομα at 1:14 — the SAME Greek lexeme as ‘the Name’ (Christ’s name) at 1:7 but an entirely different, non-technical, ordinary sense. Flag for reviewers so the two are not conflated.
Went Out
Approved rendering: புறப்பட்டுச் சென்றார்கள்
Transliteration: purappattu chendraargal
Doctrine: Hospitality to Traveling Ministers
Original: ἐξέρχομαι
Category: Ministry
NEW. Governs ἐξέρχομαι at 1:7, of the traveling gospel workers, with missionary/sending overtones (cf. 1 John 4:1 by the same author).
Gaius
Approved rendering: காயு
Transliteration: kaayu
Doctrine: Proper Names
Original: Γάϊος
Category: Proper Names
Proper name (Γάϊος). The letter’s faithful, hospitable addressee — the positive character foil to Diotrephes. Transliterate only.
Diotrephes
Approved rendering: தியோத்திரபே
Transliteration: thiyoththirapē
Doctrine: Proper Names
Original: Διοτρεφής
Category: Proper Names
Proper name (Διοτρεφής). The letter’s antagonist. Etymology (‘nourished by Zeus’) is coincidental Greek personal-name convention and carries no doctrinal significance; do not draw attention to it in teaching material.
Demetrius
Approved rendering: தேமேத்திரியு
Transliteration: thēmēththiriyu
Doctrine: Proper Names
Original: Δημήτριος
Category: Proper Names
Proper name (Δημήτριος). The third figure formally commended by the Elder, likely the letter’s carrier. Transliterate only.
Referenced passages