Semantic Analysis
Semantic Analysis: The Gospel of Luke (Koine Greek → Tamil)
Methodology Note
This analysis covers the entire Gospel of Luke, chapters 1–24, in the original Koine Greek (Nestle-Aland/UBS text tradition). Per the hard rule governing this Language Package, any term already recorded in the baseline Romans-family translation memory (translation_memory.json) or term registry (bible_term_registry.json) is reused with its exact recorded Tamil rendering — no re-derivation, no alternative proposals. Such terms are marked [REUSE — baseline] below, with only Luke-specific contextual notes added where the Lukan usage introduces a nuance (e.g., a doctrinal wordplay, a heightened cultural collision, or a paired sense) not already covered by the baseline documents.
Terms not previously catalogued in the baseline are analyzed in full and proposed for addition to the Luke-specific glossary (08_core_glossary.md), which will itself become part of the translation memory the Phase 2 pipeline loads for this curriculum.
The eight assigned doctrines for this curriculum are tracked throughout as tags: [SAV] Jesus as Savior for All Nations and All People; [SPI] The Holy Spirit’s Work in Salvation History; [POOR] Good News to the Poor and Marginalized; [REP] Repentance and Forgiveness of Sins; [PRAY] Prayer and Dependence on God; [KGD] The Kingdom of God Present and Future; [DISC] The Cost and Joy of Discipleship; [TBL] Jesus’ Compassion and Table Fellowship with Sinners.
PART ONE: CORE PASSAGE — LUKE 4:16-21 (Verse-by-Verse)
This passage is Luke’s programmatic thesis statement: Jesus reads Isaiah 61:1-2 in the Nazareth synagogue and declares its fulfillment in himself. It anchors doctrines [SAV] [SPI] [POOR] [REP] [KGD] simultaneously and must receive the same “thesis-statement” consistency discipline the baseline applies to Romans 1:16-17.
Luke 4:16
Greek: καὶ ἦλθεν εἰς τὴν Ναζαρά, οὗ ἦν τεθραμμένος, καὶ εἰσῆλθεν κατὰ τὸ εἰωθὸς αὐτῷ ἐν τῇ ἡμέρ�ᾳ τῶν σαββάτων εἰς τὴν συναγωγήν, καὶ ἀνέστη ἀναγνῶναι.
- Ναζαρά (Nazará) — literal meaning: proper noun, the town of Nazareth. Semantic range: none (toponym). English variants: “Nazareth.” Contextual theological meaning: establishes Jesus’ ordinary, provincial hometown identity — the incarnate, fully human Messiah, not a manifestation appearing from nowhere. Tamil rendering: நாசரேத் (established transliteration). Risk: Low.
- τεθραμμένος (tethrammenos), from τρέφω — literal meaning: “having been nourished/brought up.” Semantic range: reared, raised as a child. English variants: “had been brought up,” “had grown up.” Contextual meaning: underlines real, ordinary human development — ties to the Humanity of Christ doctrine already registered as Critical in the baseline (Romans 1:3). Tamil: வளர்க்கப்பட்டவர் (“one who was raised”). Risk: Low.
- σαββάτων (sabbátōn) — literal meaning: “of the Sabbaths,” genitive plural of σάββατον. Semantic range: the weekly Sabbath day. English variants: “Sabbath day.” Tamil: ஓய்வுநாள் [REUSE — baseline, Colossians “festival_new_moon_sabbath” entry]. Risk: Low. Contextual note: Jesus’ regular Sabbath synagogue attendance (κατὰ τὸ εἰωθὸς, “according to custom”) models the rhythm of worship and dependence on God [PRAY], not legal observance for merit — consistent with the baseline’s freedom-from-legalism cautions (Colossians 2:16-17).
- συναγωγήν (synagōgḕn) — literal meaning: “assembly, gathering-place.” Semantic range: the Jewish congregational meeting and its building. English variants: “synagogue.” NEW TERM. Tamil rendering: ஜெப ஆலயம் (“prayer-house,” established Tamil Bible institutional term, distinct from ஆலயம் alone which the baseline reserves for “temple” in the Ephesians/Colossians church-as-temple doctrine, and from கோவில், the forbidden Hindu-temple term). Risk: Low — institutional, not doctrinally contested, but must be kept visually/lexically distinct from ஆலயம் (temple) so readers do not conflate synagogue attendance with the church-as-temple doctrine.
- ἀναγνῶναι (anagnō̂nai) — “to read aloud.” Low risk, standard.
Luke 4:17
Greek: καὶ ἐπεδόθη αὐτῷ βιβλίον τοῦ προφήτου Ἠσαΐου, καὶ ἀναπτύξας τὸ βιβλίον εὗρεν τὸν τόπον οὗ ἦν γεγραμμένον·
- βιβλίον (biblíon) — literal meaning: “little book,” in first-century practice a scroll, not a bound book. Semantic range: scroll, book, document. English variants: “book,” “scroll.” NEW TERM. Tamil rendering: புத்தகச்சுருள் (“book-scroll,” a compound coined to preserve the physical scroll image — ἀναπτύξας, “having unrolled,” only makes sense of a scroll). Risk: Low-Medium. Note: plain புத்தகம் (“book”) risks readers picturing a modern bound volume; given the AI requirements document’s explicit caution that first-generation believers from Hindu backgrounds have low Old Testament narrative literacy, a scroll-clarifying rendering or footnote materially aids comprehension of the physical action (ἀναπτύξας/πτύξας, unroll/re-roll) in vv. 17 and 20.
- προφήτου Ἠσαΐου (prophḕtou Ēsaíou) — “of the prophet Isaiah.” Tamil: தீர்க்கதரிசி ஏசாயா [REUSE — baseline: தீர்க்கதரிசி from bible_term_registry.json; ஏசாயா from the 12_ai_translation_requirements.md transliteration standards list]. Risk: Low.
- γεγραμμένον (gegramménon) — perfect passive participle of γράφω, “having been written” (and remaining written — the perfect tense marks abiding, authoritative textual status). Contextual meaning: connects to the Inspiration of Scripture doctrine already in the Romans doctrine_risk_registry (“வேதவாக்கியத்தின் தெய்வீக ஏவுதல்”). Tamil: எழுதப்பட்டிருந்தது. Risk: Low.
Luke 4:18 — The Theological Center of the Core Passage
Greek: Πνεῦμα Κυρίου ἐπ’ ἐμέ, οὗ εἵνεκεν ἔχρισέν με εὐαγγελίσασθαι πτωχοῖς, ἀπέσταλκέν με, κηρύξαι αἰχμαλώτοις ἄφεσιν καὶ τυφλοῖς ἀνάβλεψιν, ἀποστεῖλαι τεθραυσμένους ἐν ἀφέσει,
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Πνεῦμα Κυρίου (Pneûma Kyríou) — “Spirit of the Lord.” Tamil: கர்த்தருடைய ஆவியானவர், built from [REUSE — baseline] கர்த்தர் (Lord) + பரிசுத்த ஆவியானவர் (Holy Spirit). Contextual theological meaning: the Spirit’s anointing empowerment of the Messiah for public ministry — the Third Person actively commissioning the Second — anchors doctrine [SPI] at the very hinge of the core passage. Risk: Critical by inheritance (Holy Spirit is Critical in baseline; must never shade toward பிரம்மம் or பரமாத்மா).
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ἔχρισέν (échrisen), from χρίω — literal meaning: “he anointed.” Semantic range: to smear/rub with oil; ceremonially, to consecrate a king, priest, or prophet for office. English variants: “has anointed,” “anointed.” NEW TERM, HIGH RISK. Contextual theological meaning: this is the very verb that generates the title Χριστός/Messiah/மேசியா — already a Critical baseline term (“the Anointed One… never one of a class of divine figures or avatars”). Here the verb form itself must be rendered. Tamil rendering options: (a) அபிஷேகம் பண்ணினார் — the established Tamil Bible term for ritual anointing (used throughout the Tamil Old Testament for the anointing of Saul, David, priests). RISK: அபிஷேகம் is also the living, highly visible Hindu temple-consecration term (Kumbabhishekam — a temple’s periodic re-consecration ceremony pouring sanctified substances over the deity image, one of Tamil Nadu’s most publicly prominent religious events) and personal devotional abhishekam performed on murti/idols. This is a substantially sharper collision than the baseline’s brief mention of அபிஷேகம் as a rejected alternative for “sacrifice” (Ephesians 5:2) suggests, because here it is the RECOMMENDED term, not a rejected one — there is no untainted native alternative that carries the specific sense of ceremonial consecration-anointing, and Tamil Bible tradition already uses it for OT royal/priestly anointing without confusion accruing over centuries of use. RECOMMENDATION: retain அபிஷேகம் பண்ணினார் as the established term (do not invent a substitute, which would break consistency with the whole Old Testament anointing motif this verse presupposes), but flag every occurrence for mandatory teaching-note framing: the Spirit’s anointing of Jesus consecrates a person, once, for a unique messianic office — it is not the ritual application of substances to a lifeless image repeated on a festival calendar. Risk: High, human theologian review required at every occurrence.
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εὐαγγελίσασθαι (euaggelísasthai), infinitive of εὐαγγελίζομαι — literal meaning: “to proclaim good news.” Semantic range: verb form of the noun εὐαγγέλιον. English variants: “to preach good news,” “to proclaim the gospel,” “to bring good news.” NEW VERB FORM of an already-established noun. Tamil: சுவிசேஷம் அறிவித்தல் / verb form சுவிசேஷிக்க — built directly on [REUSE — baseline] சுவிசேஷம். Risk: Low, since the noun root is already Critical-secured; the verb form carries no independent syncretism risk.
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πτωχοῖς (ptōchoîs), dative plural of πτωχός — literal meaning: “to the poor/beggarly.” Semantic range: economically destitute, one who crouches/cowers (etymological root sense), by extension socially powerless. English variants: “poor,” “the poor,” “the destitute.” NEW TERM. Contextual theological meaning: the direct object of the gospel’s first proclamation — anchors doctrine [POOR] as the interpretive key to Jesus’ whole ministry (echoed at 6:20; 7:22; 14:13, 21; 16:19-31; 18:22; 19:8). Tamil rendering: ஏழை/ஏழைகளுக்கு (plain, non-technical, universally understood Tamil word for “poor,” carrying no inherited religious loading). Risk: Medium. Specific caution unique to the Tamil context: ஏழை (economic poverty) must be kept lexically and conceptually distinct from caste-designation vocabulary (e.g., தாழ்த்தப்பட்டோர், a term for historically oppressed castes). Luke’s “poor” is a socio-economic and spiritual category that cuts across caste lines, not a caste category itself; conflating the two would import a caste reading the text does not make, while also risking the opposite error of implying the doctrine has nothing to say to caste-based marginalization at all. Teaching notes should address both economic poverty and social marginalization (which in the Tamil Nadu context includes but is not limited to caste) without letting the Tamil word itself carry either meaning exclusively.
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ἀπέσταλκέν (apéstalken), perfect of ἀποστέλλω, “he has sent” — the same root that generates ἀπόστολος/அப்போஸ்தலன் (apostle) in the baseline. Contextual note: Jesus here describes himself as the one sent (commissioned with delegated authority), the pattern his own apostles will later replicate. Tamil: அனுப்பினார். Risk: Low, but worth a teaching-note cross-link to the established அப்போஸ்தலன் doctrine (sending/commissioning, not a generic errand).
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κηρύξαι (kērýxai), infinitive of κηρύσσω — literal meaning: “to proclaim as a herald, announce publicly with authority.” Semantic range: official, authoritative public proclamation (a herald’s cry), distinct from private teaching. English variants: “to proclaim,” “to preach,” “to announce.” NEW TERM. Tamil rendering: பிரசங்கித்தல் (established Tamil Christian preaching term) or அறிவித்தல் (to announce/declare) depending on register; this analysis recommends பிரசங்கித்தல் for the formal proclamation sense in this verse, reserving அறிவித்தல் for narrative “announcing” contexts elsewhere in Luke (e.g., the angel’s announcement to the shepherds). Risk: Low.
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αἰχμαλώτοις (aichmalṑtois), dative plural of αἰχμάλωτος — literal meaning: “one taken by the spear,” i.e., a war captive; by extension, any person held in captivity or exile. English variants: “captives,” “the imprisoned,” “prisoners.” NEW TERM. Tamil rendering: சிறைப்பட்டோர் (established plain Tamil word for “those in captivity/prison”). Risk: Low-Medium. Contextual theological meaning: in Isaiah’s original setting this evokes the Babylonian exile; in Luke’s programmatic use it broadens to spiritual and social bondage generally (sin, oppression, demonic affliction, social exclusion) — the concrete image must not be allegorized away entirely, but neither should it be read as literal prison-ministry alone.
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ἄφεσιν (áphesin), accusative of ἄφεσις — literal meaning: “a sending away, a release, a letting-go.” Semantic range: release from captivity/debt; remission/forgiveness of a moral debt (sin). English variants: “release,” “liberty,” “freedom,” and — critically — “forgiveness” (the SAME Greek noun is rendered “forgiveness” elsewhere in Luke: 1:77 “for the forgiveness of their sins,” ἄφεσιν ἁμαρτιῶν; 3:3; 24:47). CRITICAL FLAG — Luke’s deliberate wordplay. Luke uses one Greek noun, ἄφεσις, to name BOTH the physical/social liberation of captives (4:18a, repeated again later in the same verse in the phrase ἐν ἀφέσει, “in release,” describing the crushed/oppressed) AND the specifically spiritual forgiveness of sins that recurs as this Gospel’s central pastoral note (1:77; 3:3; 5:20-24; 7:47-49; 17:3-4; 23:34; 24:47). The Tamil translation memory currently supplies TWO separate, doctrinally load-bearing renderings for what is grammatically one Greek word: மன்னிப்பு (forgiveness — [REUSE — baseline, Ephesians 1:7/4:32]) and விடுதலை (freedom/release — [REUSE — baseline, Galatians “freedom” entry, Critical risk]). Splitting the word this way is linguistically necessary in Tamil (a single Tamil lexeme cannot naturally carry both senses at once without confusion), but it means the deliberate Lukan echo — captives are released the SAME WAY sinners are forgiven; both are ἄφεσις, God’s one act of gracious release — is invisible in the Tamil text unless surfaced explicitly in teaching material. Compounding the risk: விடுதலை inherits every caution already documented in the baseline Galatians package — Tamil political-liberation register (Dravidian movement rhetoric; Sri Lankan Tamil armed-struggle vocabulary, விடுதலைப் புலிகள்) and moksha-adjacent liberation-from-rebirth register (முக்தி/மோட்சம்/வீடுபேறு). Using விடுதலை for “release to the captives” in 4:18 is doctrinally correct but must be handled with the full weight of those existing cautions, and reviewers must confirm the passage is not read as endorsing any specific contemporary political liberation movement. RECOMMENDATION: render 4:18a’s αἰχμαλώτοις ἄφεσιν as சிறைப்பட்டோருக்கு விடுதலை, and mandate a translator’s/teaching note at this exact verse cross-referencing 1:77’s மன்னிப்பு so the single-Greek-word connection is taught explicitly rather than lost. Risk: Critical, mandatory theologian review.
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τυφλοῖς (typhloîs), dative plural of τυφλός — “to the blind.” NEW TERM. Tamil: குருடர்/குருடருக்கு. Semantic range: physically sightless; frequently, in both Testaments, a metaphor for spiritual incomprehension (cf. Luke 6:39). Risk: Low, but the physical/spiritual double-register should be preserved in teaching notes, not collapsed into either sense alone.
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ἀνάβλεψιν (anáblepsin) — literal meaning: “a looking-up-again, a recovery of sight.” NEW TERM. Tamil: பார்வை பெறுதல். Risk: Low.
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ἀποστεῖλαι (aposteîlai) — “to send” (again, the ἀποστέλλω root). Low risk, reuse pattern as above.
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τεθραυσμένους (tethrausménous), perfect passive participle of θραύω — literal meaning: “having been crushed/shattered/broken.” Semantic range: the bruised, oppressed, broken-down. English variants: “the oppressed,” “the brokenhearted” (in some textual traditions and quotations), “the bruised” (KJV). NEW TERM. Tamil rendering (recommended, pending native-speaker confirmation against the historical Tamil Old Version wording): நொடுங்குண்டோர் or நசுக்கப்பட்டோர் (“the crushed ones”). Risk: Low-Medium; flagged for native speaker review to confirm the most natural established Tamil Bible phrase at this exact verse.
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ἐν ἀφέσει (en aphései) — “in release” — the SECOND occurrence of ἄφεσις within v. 18, intensifying the wordplay noted above. Same Critical flag applies.
Luke 4:19
Greek: κηρύξαι ἐνιαυτὸν Κυρίου δεκτόν.
- ἐνιαυτὸν Κυρίου δεκτόν (eniautòn Kyríou dektón) — literal meaning: “an acceptable year of the Lord,” “a year of the Lord that is welcome/favorable.” Semantic range: this phrase deliberately evokes Leviticus 25’s Jubilee year (release of debts, return of land, freeing of slaves every fiftieth year) and Isaiah 61:2’s “year of the LORD’s favor.” English variants: “the acceptable year of the Lord,” “the year of the Lord’s favor,” “the time of the Lord’s favor.” NEW COMPOSITE TERM. Tamil rendering: கர்த்தருடைய அநுக்கிரக ஆண்டு (“the year of the Lord’s favor/grace”), built on [REUSE — baseline] கர்த்தர். Risk: Medium. Cultural note: the Jubilee background (structural, periodic economic release for the poor, tied to time itself becoming an instrument of grace) has no ready analogue in Tamil festival culture and requires explicit teaching-note background — it is not primarily a lexical syncretism risk (no rival Tamil deity or ritual claims this term) but a comprehension gap requiring deliberate bridging, consistent with the AI requirements document’s caution about low OT narrative literacy among first-generation believers.
Luke 4:20
Greek: καὶ πτύξας τὸ βιβλίον ἀποδοὺς τῷ ὑπηρέτῃ ἐκάθισεν· καὶ πάντων οἱ ὀφθαλμοὶ ἐν τῇ συναγωγῇ ἦσαν ἀτενίζοντες αὐτῷ.
- πτύξας (ptýxas) — “having rolled up” (the scroll again; see βιβλίον above, v.17). Low risk.
- ὑπηρέτῃ (hypērétē) — “to the attendant/servant” (the synagogue official responsible for the scrolls). Tamil: பணியாளன்/உதவியாளன். Low risk — background institutional detail.
- ἐκάθισεν (ekáthisen) — “he sat down.” Contextual note: in first-century synagogue practice, sitting (rather than standing) was the customary posture for authoritative teaching — a small narrative detail carrying real weight (Jesus assumes the teacher’s seat to expound the text he has just read). Low risk, but worth a teaching note.
- ἀτενίζοντες (atenízontes) — “gazing intently, fixing their eyes.” Low risk, vivid narrative detail heightening the dramatic tension before v.21’s declaration.
Luke 4:21
Greek: ἤρξατο δὲ λέγειν πρὸς αὐτοὺς ὅτι Σήμερον πεπλήρωται ἡ γραφὴ αὕτη ἐν τοῖς ὠσὶν ὑμῶν.
- Σήμερον (Sḕmeron) — literal meaning: “today.” Semantic range: the immediate calendar day; theologically, in Luke, a technical marker of the in-breaking, PRESENT-tense arrival of salvation — not merely a time-word. NEW TERM, high doctrinal weight. English variants: “today,” “this very day,” “now.” Contextual theological meaning: this is a recurring Lukan keyword marking the doctrine of the Kingdom of God as PRESENT, not only future [KGD]: it recurs at 19:9 (“Today salvation has come to this house,” to Zacchaeus) and 23:43 (“Today you will be with me in paradise,” to the dying thief). Tamil rendering: இன்று (plain, standard Tamil word for “today”). Risk: Medium — the lexical risk is low (இன்று is unmarked, ordinary Tamil), but the DOCTRINAL risk is real: translators and teaching material must ensure இன்று in these three passages is not flattened into a merely narrative time-marker, losing its function as a deliberate theological signature spanning the whole Gospel. Recommend a standing cross-reference note linking 4:21, 19:9, and 23:43 wherever any one of them is taught.
- πεπλήρωται (pepléñrōtai), perfect passive of πληρόω — “has been fulfilled” (and remains fulfilled — perfect tense, completed act with abiding result, paralleling the grammatical pattern the baseline already flags as doctrinally load-bearing for “crucified with Christ,” Galatians 2:19-20). Tamil: நிறைவேறியிருக்கிறது (preserving the perfect-tense “has been and remains” force, not merely “was fulfilled”). Risk: Medium — reuses the Fulfillment of Prophecy doctrine pattern already registered in the baseline (Romans doctrine_risk_registry, “linear historical fulfillment… not a cyclical cosmic frame”), but this is its single most emphatic occurrence in the entire Gospel and should be flagged for theologian review given its role as the core passage’s climactic declaration.
- ἡ γραφὴ αὕτη (hē graphḕ haútē) — “this Scripture.” Tamil: இந்த வேதவாக்கியம் — connects to the Inspiration of Scripture doctrine. Risk: Low.
- ἐν τοῖς ὠσὶν ὑμῶν (en toîs ōsìn hymōn) — “in your ears/hearing.” Low risk, idiomatic; renders naturally as உங்கள் காதுகளில் / உங்கள் காதால் கேட்கும்படி.
PART TWO: CHAPTER-BY-CHAPTER STUDY OF THE WHOLE BOOK
Chapter 1 — Infancy Narrative: Announcements to Zechariah and Mary
| Term | Original | Translit. | Literal/Semantic Range | Tamil Rendering | Risk | Doctrine |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| angel | ἄγγελος (ángelos) | angelos | ”messenger” — a sent divine agent, not a class of minor deity | தூதன் | Low | [SPI] |
| Gabriel | Γαβριήλ | Gabriēl | proper name | காபிரியேல் | Low | — |
| filled with the Holy Spirit | πλησθήσεται πνεύματος ἁγίου | plēsthḕsetai pneúmatos hagíou | ”will be filled” — personal indwelling empowerment, distinct from பரிபூரணம் (the technical “fullness” doctrine of Ephesians/Colossians) | பரிசுத்த ஆவியானவரால் நிரப்பப்படுவார் | Medium | [SPI] — must not be confused lexically with பரிபூரணம், a different Greek word (πλήρωμα) carrying separate Vedantic-collision cautions already documented in Colossians |
| Son of God / conceived by the Spirit | υἱὸς θεοῦ κληθήσεται | huiòs theoû klēthḕsetai | ”will be called Son of God” | தேவனுடைய குமாரன் [REUSE — baseline, Critical] | Critical | [SAV] Incarnation/Sonship doctrines, confirmed exact reuse |
| servant/handmaid of the Lord | δούλη Κυρίου (Mary, 1:38) | doúlē Kyríou | ”female slave/bondservant” — Mary’s self-designation | கர்த்தருடைய ஊழியக்காரி | High | Must reuse the established Philippians distinction (δοῦλοι Χριστοῦ → ஊழியக்காரர், NEVER அடியார்/அடியாள், the Shaiva devotee-servant title). Mary’s submission is to the personal call of the one true God, not devotional bhakti self-designation. |
| humble estate | ταπείνωσις (1:48) | tapeínōsis | ”lowliness, humiliation” — a state, related to but distinct from ταπεινοφροσύνη (the disposition of humility, established in Philippians as மனத்தாழ்மை) | தாழ்மையான நிலை | Low-Medium | [POOR] — the Magnificat’s reversal theology (rich sent away empty, humble lifted up, 1:52-53) previews doctrine [POOR] before Jesus’ ministry even begins |
| horn of salvation | κέρας σωτηρίας (1:69) | kéras sōtēríās | Hebraic idiom for strength/power, built on [REUSE] இரட்சிப்பு | இரட்சிப்பின் கொம்பு | Medium | [SAV] — idiom requires literal-plus-explanation; established OT Tamil idiom, reused here |
| tender mercy | σπλάγχνα ἐλέους (1:78) | splánchna eléous | ”bowels of mercy” — visceral compassion | இரக்கமுள்ள உள்ளம் built on [REUSE] இரக்கம் | Medium | [TBL] — first appearance of the compassion-vocabulary thread that runs through the whole Gospel (see σπλαγχνίζομαι, ch. 7, 10, 15) |
| holy prophets | οἱ ἅγιοι προφῆται (1:70) | hoi hágioi prophē̂tai | [REUSE — baseline] பரிசுத்தம் + தீர்க்கதரிசி | Low | — |
Chapter 2 — Birth Narrative; Simeon and Anna
| Term | Original | Tamil Rendering | Risk | Doctrine |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| peace on earth | εἰρήνη ἐπὶ γῆς | சமாதானம் [REUSE — baseline] + பூமியில் | Low | [KGD] |
| glory in the highest | δόξα ἐν ὑψίστοις | மகிமை [REUSE] + உன்னதத்தில் | Low-Medium | Note: keep “in the highest” doxological phrase contextually distinct from உன்னதங்களில் (the Ephesians technical term for “heavenly places”) to avoid conflating a worship exclamation with that separate doctrinal category |
| light for revelation to the Gentiles | φῶς εἰς ἀποκάλυψιν ἐθνῶν (2:32) | புறஜாதியாருக்கு வெளிப்படுத்தும் ஒளி — built on [REUSE] புறஜாதியார் + வெளிப்படுத்துதல் | Medium | [SAV] — Simeon’s Nunc Dimittis is this Gospel’s first explicit statement that the Messiah is Savior for Gentile as well as Jew; theologically load-bearing despite low lexical risk since every component term is already established |
| glory to your people Israel | δόξα λαοῦ σου Ἰσραήλ | [REUSE] மகிமை + இஸ்ரவேல் | Low | [SAV] — held in careful balance with the Gentile-light clause; neither replaces the other |
Chapter 3 — John the Baptist; Repentance; Baptism of Jesus; Genealogy
This chapter introduces the Gospel’s first sustained repentance vocabulary.
| Term | Original | Literal/Range | Tamil Rendering | Risk | Doctrine |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| repentance | μετάνοια (metánoia, 3:3, 3:8) | literal: “a change of mind/afterthought”; theological: a Spirit-enabled turning of the whole person back to God | மனந்திரும்புதல் (“mind-turning”) | High | [REP] — NEW TERM, foundational for this curriculum’s assigned doctrine. See full discussion below. |
| repent (verb) | μετανοέω (metanoéō) | to turn/change one’s mind and direction | மனந்திரும்புதல் செய்தல் / மனந்திரும்புங்கள் (imperative) | High | [REP] |
| fruits [worthy] of repentance | καρποὺς ἀξίους τῆς μετανοίας (3:8) | plural fruits, evidencing genuine repentance | மனந்திரும்புதலுக்குத் தகுந்த கனிகள் | Medium | Note: this is a DIFFERENT doctrinal use of காரπός/கனி from the baseline’s Galatians “fruit of the Spirit” entry, which mandates a strict singular for that specific verse (5:22-23) to avoid a merit-works reading. Here the plural is correct and unproblematic — a different referent (visible evidence of repentance, John’s ethical demand), not the Spirit’s singular organic produce. Keep the two usages doctrinally distinct in teaching notes. |
| baptism of repentance for forgiveness of sins | βάπτισμα μετανοίας εἰς ἄφεσιν ἁμαρτιῶν (3:3) | — | மனந்திரும்புதலுக்கான ஞானஸ்நானம், பாவமன்னிப்புக்காக — combines [REUSE] ஞானஸ்நானம், பாவம், மன்னிப்பு with the new மனந்திரும்புதல் | Critical | [REP] — the doctrinal formula anchoring the whole doctrine; every element reused except the new repentance term, which must be locked as soon as introduced here since it recurs at 5:32; 13:3, 5; 15:7, 10; 17:3-4; 24:47 |
| Spirit descended in bodily form, like a dove | καταβῆναι τὸ Πνεῦμα τὸ Ἅγιον σωματικῷ εἴδει ὡς περιστεράν (3:22) | — | [REUSE — baseline] பரிசுத்த ஆவியானவர் | Critical | [SPI] — visible, bodily, historical descent; must not be read as a repeatable avatar-manifestation (cross-reference the Incarnation Critical caution already established) |
| voice from heaven, “You are my beloved Son” | Σὺ εἶ ὁ υἱός μου ὁ ἀγαπητός (3:22) | — | [REUSE — baseline] தேவனுடைய குமாரன் | Critical | [SAV] confirmed exact reuse |
| Adam, son of God (genealogy terminus, 3:38) | τοῦ Ἀδὰμ τοῦ θεοῦ | — | ஆதாம் + [REUSE] கடவுள் | Low | [SAV] — Luke’s genealogy runs back to Adam (unlike Matthew’s to Abraham), grounding Jesus’ universal (not only Jewish) significance — supports doctrine [SAV] |
Chapter 4 (remainder, vv. 1-15, 22-44) — Temptation; Nazareth Rejection; Capernaum Ministry
Verses 16-21 receive full treatment above. The surrounding material in this chapter reuses established vocabulary:
- διάβολος (devil, 4:2-13) — [REUSE — baseline] பிசாசு. Risk: High (inherited). The temptation narrative’s testing of Jesus’ Sonship (“If you are the Son of God…”) directly engages the already-Critical Sonship doctrine.
- πνεύματι (“in the power of the Spirit,” 4:14) — [REUSE] பரிசுத்த ஆவியானவர். [SPI].
- Nazareth’s rejection of Jesus after v.21 (“no prophet is accepted in his hometown,” 4:24) and the Elijah/Elisha Gentile examples (widow of Zarephath, Naaman the Syrian, 4:25-27) extend doctrine [SAV] — the core passage’s universal scope is immediately illustrated with two Old Testament Gentile-favor narratives. No new lexical terms; doctrinal emphasis only.
Chapter 5 — Calling of Disciples; Healing; Forgiveness of Sins Controversy
| Term | Original | Tamil Rendering | Risk | Doctrine |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| disciple(s) | μαθητής (mathētḕs, first sustained use from 5:1-11 onward) | சீஷன் (plural சீஷர்கள்) | High | [DISC] — NEW TERM, see full discussion below |
| fishers of men | ἀνθρώπων ἔσῃ ζωγρῶν (5:10) | மனுஷரைப் பிடிக்கிறவனாக இருப்பாய் | Low | [DISC] |
| left everything and followed him | ἀφέντες πάντα ἠκολούθησαν αὐτῷ (5:11, 28) | எல்லாவற்றையும் விட்டு அவரைப் பின்பற்றினார்கள் | Medium | [DISC] — first occurrence of the leave-all-and-follow motif fully developed in ch. 9, 14, 18 |
| ”who can forgive sins but God alone?“ | τίς δύναται ἁμαρτίας ἀφιέναι εἰ μὴ ὁ θεός; (5:21) | — | [REUSE] பாவம், மன்னிப்பு, கடவுள் | Critical |
| tax collector(s) | τελώνης (telṑnēs, 5:27-30, Levi/Matthew’s call) | ஆயக்காரன் (established Tamil Bible term) | Medium | [TBL] — NEW TERM, see full discussion below |
| eats and drinks with tax collectors and sinners | ἐσθίετε καὶ πίνετε μετὰ τῶν τελωνῶν καὶ ἁμαρτωλῶν (5:30) | ஆயக்காரரோடும் பாவிகளோடும் புசிக்கிறீர்கள் | High | [TBL] — first occurrence of Luke’s table-fellowship controversy motif (recurring 7:34; 15:2; 19:7); see full discussion below |
| physician for the sick, not the well | οὐ χρείαν ἔχουσιν οἱ ὑγιαίνοντες ἰατροῦ ἀλλ’ οἱ κακῶς ἔχοντες (5:31) | — | Low | [TBL][REP] — Jesus’ self-justification for table fellowship with sinners; theologically defines his mission (5:32: “I have come to call not the righteous but sinners to repentance,” using μετάνοια again) |
Chapter 6 — Sabbath Controversies; Choosing the Twelve; Sermon on the Plain
| Term | Original | Tamil Rendering | Risk | Doctrine |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| blessed | μακάριος (makários, 6:20-22) | பாக்கியவான் | Medium | [POOR][KGD] — NEW TERM. Must convey God’s pronounced favor on a state of life, not luck/fortune, a common colloquial sense of the cognate பாக்கியம். The Lukan Beatitudes are addressed directly to “you poor” (6:20, second person, unlike Matthew’s third-person “poor in spirit”) — sharpen doctrine [POOR] accordingly. |
| woe | οὐαί (ouaí, 6:24-26) | ஐயோ | Low | [POOR] — paired rhetorically with the blessings; the rich/full/laughing/well-spoken-of are warned in direct proportion to the poor being blessed — a reversal theology continuing the Magnificat (ch. 1) |
| apostles (of the Twelve) | ἀποστόλους (6:13) | [REUSE — baseline] அப்போஸ்தலன் | Medium | [DISC] |
| love your enemies | ἀγαπᾶτε τοὺς ἐχθροὺς ὑμῶν (6:27, 35) | [REUSE] அன்பு-root (Galatians) | Medium | [DISC] |
| tree known by its fruit | ἐκ γὰρ τοῦ καρποῦ τὸ δένδρον γινώσκεται (6:44) | [REUSE] கனி | Low | Reuses established fruit-vocabulary, different referent from the Galatians “fruit of the Spirit” Critical entry — general wisdom-teaching image, not that specific doctrinal formula |
Chapter 7 — Centurion’s Faith; Widow of Nain; Sinful Woman; John’s Question
| Term | Original | Tamil Rendering | Risk | Doctrine |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| centurion’s faith (“not even in Israel have I found such faith”) | τοσαύτην πίστιν (7:9) | [REUSE] விசுவாசம் | High | [SAV] — a Roman Gentile military officer’s faith exceeds Israel’s; directly serves doctrine [SAV] |
| he had compassion | ἐσπλαγχνίσθη (esplanchnísthē, 7:13, widow of Nain) | literal: “was moved in the inward parts/bowels”; visceral, gut-level compassion moving to action | மனதுருகி இரங்கினார் | Medium |
| do not weep | μὴ κλαῖε (7:13) | — | Low | [TBL] |
| widow | χήρα (chḕra, 7:12) | விதவை | Medium | NEW TERM. Socially significant category in Tamil culture; widow marginalization (remarriage stigma, “white sari” social exclusion patterns still present in parts of Tamil society) makes Luke’s repeated widow-favorable episodes (this healing; 18:1-8’s vindicated widow; 21:1-4’s praised widow) a direct, culturally resonant counter-narrative worth surfacing in teaching notes, though the Tamil word itself carries no lexical syncretism risk. |
| woman anoints Jesus’ feet with ointment, weeping | ἤλειφεν τῷ μύρῳ (ḕleiphen, 7:38, ἀλείφω — a DIFFERENT verb from χρίω in 4:18) | literal: “to rub/smear with oil/perfume” — mundane anointing, not the technical consecration-verb χρίω | தைலம் பூசினாள் | Medium |
| ”her sins, which are many, are forgiven” | ἀφέωνται αἱ ἁμαρτίαι αὐτῆς αἱ πολλαί (7:47) | — | [REUSE] பாவம், மன்னிப்பு (ἄφεσις-root verb ἀφίημι) | Critical |
| ”your faith has saved you” | ἡ πίστις σου σέσωκέν σε (7:50) | σῴζω, “has saved/rescued/healed you” — dual sense | உன் விசுவாசம் உன்னை இரட்சித்தது | High |
Chapter 8 — Parable of the Sower; Kingdom Mysteries; Calming the Storm; Legion; Healings
| Term | Original | Tamil Rendering | Risk | Doctrine |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| mysteries of the kingdom of God | τὰ μυστήρια τῆς βασιλείας τοῦ θεοῦ (8:10) | [REUSE — baseline] இரகசியம் (Colossians/Ephesians “mystery” entry) + தேவனுடைய ராஜ்யம் | High | [KGD] — the baseline’s caution that இரகசியம் must never read as esoteric guarded initiate-knowledge (a live Tamil risk given guru-given secret initiation, உபதேசம்/தீட்சை) applies with full force here; Luke’s own text (8:10) explicitly contrasts “given to you” against “others” — handle the particularity carefully so it is not read as spiritual elitism |
| word of God, seed | ὁ σπόρος ὁ λόγος τοῦ θεοῦ (8:11) | — | Low | [KGD] — agrarian metaphor, culturally resonant in agrarian Tamil Nadu, low risk |
| Legion (demon-possessed man) | δαιμόνια, Λεγιών (8:26-39) | பிசாசுகள்/லேகியோன் | High | Inherits the same cautions as the baseline’s “principalities and powers” entries (Colossians/Ephesians): must not map onto the village spirit-taxonomy (பேய், முனி) as one more manageable affliction-spirit; Jesus’ authority over Legion is total and immediate, prefiguring the same defeated-powers doctrine |
| ”your faith has saved/healed you” (again) | σέσωκέν σε (8:48, woman with the flow of blood) | — | High | Repeats the σῴζω double-sense issue; see below |
| ”Daughter, be of good cheer” | θάρσει, θύγατερ (8:48) | — | Low | [TBL] compassion motif |
Chapter 9 — Sending the Twelve; Feeding 5000; Transfiguration; Cost of Discipleship
| Term | Original | Tamil Rendering | Risk | Doctrine |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Son of Man | υἱὸς τοῦ ἀνθρώπου (huiòs toû anthrṑpou; first major discipleship use 9:22, 9:26, 9:44, 9:58) | literal: “son of the man/of man”; a technical self-designation, drawing on Daniel 7:13-14’s apocalyptic figure who receives everlasting dominion, while simultaneously emphasizing Jesus’ full, humble humanity | மனுஷ குமாரன் | High |
| take up his cross daily | αἴρειν τὸν σταυρὸν αὐτοῦ καθ’ ἡμέραν (9:23) | — | [REUSE] சிலுவை + new: தினமும் (“daily,” a uniquely Lukan addition not present in the Matthew/Mark parallels) | Medium |
| Transfiguration — “This is my Son, my Chosen One” | οὗτός ἐστιν ὁ υἱός μου ὁ ἐκλελεγμένος (9:35) | — | [REUSE] தேவனுடைய குமாரன் + தெரிந்துகொள்ளுதல் (election) | Critical |
| “let the dead bury their dead” / “no one who puts his hand to the plow and looks back” | 9:60, 9:62 | — | Low | [DISC] — hyperbolic sayings on undivided discipleship commitment; agrarian plow-image culturally resonant, low lexical risk, high rhetorical force preserved in translation |
| Samaritan village refuses to receive Jesus | Σαμαρῖται (9:52-53) | சமாரியர் | Medium | [SAV] — first appearance of the Samaritan theme, developed fully in ch. 10 and 17; see full discussion below |
Chapter 10 — Sending of the Seventy-Two; Good Samaritan; Mary and Martha
| Term | Original | Tamil Rendering | Risk | Doctrine |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| kingdom of God has come near | ἤγγικεν ἐφ’ ὑμᾶς ἡ βασιλεία τοῦ θεοῦ (10:9, 11) | — | [REUSE] தேவனுடைய ராஜ்யம் | Medium |
| Jesus rejoiced in the Holy Spirit | ἠγαλλιάσατο [ἐν] τῷ πνεύματι τῷ ἁγίῳ (10:21) | — | [REUSE] பரிசுத்த ஆவியானவர் + சந்தோஷம்-root | Critical |
| Good Samaritan; neighbor | Σαμαρίτης (10:33); πλησίον (plēsíon, “neighbor,” 10:27, 29, 36) | சமாரியன்; அயலான் | Medium-High | NEW TERMS, see full discussion below |
| ”one thing is necessary” (Mary and Martha) | ἑνός δέ ἐστιν χρεία (10:42) | — | Low | [PRAY] — contemplative attentiveness to Jesus valued over anxious activity; low lexical risk |
Chapter 11 — The Lord’s Prayer; Persistent Prayer; Beelzebul Controversy; Woes to Pharisees
| Term | Original | Tamil Rendering | Risk | Doctrine |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Father, hallowed be your name | Πάτερ, ἁγιασθήτω τὸ ὄνομά σου (11:2) | — | [REUSE] பிதா + பரிசுத்தம்-root | Critical |
| give us each day our daily bread | τὸν ἄρτον ἡμῶν τὸν ἐπιούσιον δίδου ἡμῖν τὸ καθ’ ἡμέραν (11:3) | — | Low | [PRAY] — daily dependence motif, echoing 9:23’s “daily” cross |
| ask, seek, knock | αἰτεῖτε, ζητεῖτε, κρούετε (11:9-10) | கேளுங்கள், தேடுங்கள், தட்டுங்கள் | Low | [PRAY] |
| how much more will the Father give the Holy Spirit | πόσῳ μᾶλλον ὁ πατὴρ…δώσει πνεῦμα ἅγιον (11:13) | — | [REUSE] பிதா, பரிசுத்த ஆவியானவர், ஈவு (gift, Ephesians) | Critical |
| sign of Jonah | τὸ σημεῖον Ἰωνᾶ (11:29-30) | — | Low | Reuses established prophetic-sign vocabulary; no new risk |
| woes to the Pharisees and lawyers | οὐαί (11:42-52) | [REUSE] ஐயோ (established this chapter’s own ch.6 term) | Low | — |
Chapter 12 — Do Not Be Afraid; Rich Fool; Watchfulness; Division
| Term | Original | Tamil Rendering | Risk | Doctrine |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| do not be anxious/afraid | μὴ φοβεῖσθε (12:4, 7, 32) | — | [REUSE — baseline pattern] cf. Philippians “do_not_be_anxious” | Medium |
| rich fool; “your soul is required of you” | ἄφρων…τὴν ψυχήν σου ἀπαιτοῦσιν (12:20) | — | Low-Medium | [POOR] — direct warning against accumulating wealth as ultimate security; must not be detached into a general anti-prosperity slogan divorced from its context (parallel caution to Philippians 4:19’s “God will supply” being kept in context) |
| “life does not consist in the abundance of possessions” | ἡ ζωὴ…ἐν τῷ περισσεύειν (12:15) | — | Low | [POOR] |
| kingdom given to you | δοῦναι ὑμῖν τὴν βασιλείαν (12:32) | [REUSE] தேவனுடைய ராஜ்யம் | Medium | [KGD] |
| faithful and wise steward | ὁ πιστὸς οἰκονόμος ὁ φρόνιμος (12:42) | [REUSE] விசுவாசம்-root | Low | [DISC] |
Chapter 13 — Repent or Perish; Mustard Seed and Leaven; Narrow Door; Herod’s Fox; Jerusalem Lament
| Term | Original | Tamil Rendering | Risk | Doctrine |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| unless you repent | ἐὰν μὴ μετανοῆτε (13:3, 5) | — | [REUSE — this curriculum, ch.3] மனந்திரும்புதல் | High |
| kingdom of God, mustard seed, leaven | ἡ βασιλεία τοῦ θεοῦ (13:18-21) | [REUSE] தேவனுடைய ராஜ்யம் | Medium | [KGD] — organic-growth parables illustrating the kingdom’s hidden, present, expanding character; supports the present-tense pole of doctrine [KGD] alongside the future-consummation texts elsewhere |
| narrow door | τῆς στενῆς θύρας (13:24) | — | Low | [KGD] |
| healing the bent woman on the Sabbath | Σάββατον (13:10-17) | [REUSE] ஓய்வுநாள் | Medium | [POOR] — another marginalized figure (a woman, disabled eighteen years) restored; Sabbath-healing controversies recur, always resolving toward mercy over ritual technicality (consistent with the baseline’s freedom-from-legalism doctrine) |
| Jerusalem lament | Ἰερουσαλήμ Ἰερουσαλήμ (13:34) | — | Low | — |
Chapter 14 — Sabbath Healing; Humility at Table; Great Banquet; Cost of Discipleship
| Term | Original | Tamil Rendering | Risk | Doctrine |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| take the lowest place | ἀνάπεσε εἰς τὸν ἔσχατον τόπον (14:10) | — | [REUSE] தாழ்மை-root | Medium |
| invite the poor, crippled, lame, blind | κάλει πτωχούς, ἀναπείρους, χωλούς, τυφλούς (14:13, 21) | ஏழைகள், ஊனமுற்றோர், முடவர், குருடர் — combines [REUSE-this curriculum] ஏழை, குருடர் with new: ஊனமுற்றோர் (disabled), முடவர் (lame) | High | [POOR][TBL] — the great banquet parable’s guest list is a direct, programmatic statement of doctrine [POOR] and [TBL] together: those excluded from ordinary social honor-tables are the ones God’s kingdom banquet actively seeks out. In the Tamil context this intersects with the caste-commensality collision documented under table fellowship below — the banquet’s radical inclusivity must not be softened into generic charity language. |
| count the cost | ψηφίζει τὴν δαπάνην (14:28) | கணக்கிடுதல் | Low | [DISC] |
| renounce/give up everything | ἀποτάσσεται πᾶσιν (apotássetai pâsin, 14:33) | — | High | NEW TERM, see full discussion below |
| hate father and mother | μισεῖ τὸν πατέρα (14:26) | — | Medium | NEW/HYPERBOLE, see full discussion below |
| salt losing its taste | τὸ ἅλας (14:34-35) | — | Low | [DISC] |
Chapter 15 — Lost Sheep; Lost Coin; Prodigal Son
The theological heart of the Repentance doctrine.
| Term | Original | Tamil Rendering | Risk | Doctrine |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| lost (sheep, coin, son) | ἀπολωλός/ἀπολωλυῖαν (apolōlós, 15:4, 6, 8, 9, 17, 24, 32) | literal: “having perished/been destroyed/gone missing” | காணாமற்போன (adjective, “that which has gone missing”) for the sheep/coin; காணாமற்போன மகன் for the son | Medium |
| joy over one sinner who repents | χαρὰ ἐπὶ ἑνὶ ἁμαρτωλῷ μετανοοῦντι (15:7, 10) | — | [REUSE] சந்தோஷம் + பாவி + மனந்திரும்புதல் | High |
| this man eats with sinners | οὗτος ἁμαρτωλοὺς προσδέχεται καὶ συνεσθίει αὐτοῖς (15:2) | — | High | [TBL] — reprise of the ch. 5/7 table-fellowship controversy; see full discussion below |
| the father ran, embraced, had compassion | ἐσπλαγχνίσθη…δραμὼν ἐπέπεσεν ἐπὶ τὸν τράχηλον αὐτοῦ (15:20) | — | [REUSE — this curriculum, ch.7] மனதுருகி இரங்குதல் | Medium |
| ”was dead and is alive again, was lost and is found” | ἦν νεκρὸς καὶ ἔζησεν, ἦν ἀπολωλὼς καὶ εὑρέθη (15:24, 32) | — | Medium | [REP] — resurrection-adjacent language applied metaphorically to repentance; must not be confused with the literal, bodily Resurrection doctrine (already Critical in the baseline) — this is a distinct, metaphorical use and should be clearly marked as such in teaching notes to avoid doctrinal blurring |
Chapter 16 — Unjust Steward; Rich Man and Lazarus
| Term | Original | Tamil Rendering | Risk | Doctrine |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mammon | μαμωνᾷ (Aramaic loanword transliterated into Greek, 16:9, 11, 13) | personified “Wealth” as a rival master | மம்மோன் (retained transliteration, per Bible tradition of preserving Aramaic loanwords like Abba) OR periphrastic உலகப்பொருள் | Medium |
| ”you cannot serve God and Mammon” | οὐ δύνασθε θεῷ δουλεύειν καὶ μαμωνᾷ (16:13) | — | [REUSE] கடவுள் + அடிமைத்தனம்-root (serve/be enslaved to) | High |
| rich man, poor man Lazarus | πλούσιος…πτωχός τις ὀνόματι Λάζαρος (16:19-20) | — | [REUSE] ஏழை (this curriculum) | High |
Chapter 17 — Forgiveness Seven Times; Faith Like a Mustard Seed; Ten Lepers; Kingdom Among You
| Term | Original | Tamil Rendering | Risk | Doctrine |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| if he sins against you seven times… forgive him | ἁμαρτήσῃ…ἄφες αὐτῷ (17:3-4) | — | [REUSE] பாவம், மன்னிப்பு | Critical |
| ten lepers; one Samaritan returns giving thanks | Σαμαρίτης (17:16); εὐχαριστῶν αὐτῷ | [REUSE — this curriculum] சமாரியன் + ஸ்தோத்திரம் [REUSE — baseline] | Medium-High | [SAV][TBL] — the story’s climax turns on the healed man being a religious-ethnic outsider who alone returns to give thanks; reinforces doctrine [SAV] |
| “your faith has saved/made you well” | ἡ πίστις σου σέσωκέν σε (17:19) | — | High | Repeats the σῴζω double-sense; see below |
| the kingdom of God is in your midst | ἡ βασιλεία τοῦ θεοῦ ἐντὸς ὑμῶν ἐστιν (17:21) | — | Critical | [KGD] — see full discussion below, one of the highest-risk translation decisions in the entire Gospel |
Chapter 18 — Persistent Widow; Pharisee and Tax Collector; Rich Young Ruler; Blind Beggar
| Term | Original | Tamil Rendering | Risk | Doctrine |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ought always to pray and not lose heart | δεῖν πάντοτε προσεύχεσθαι…μὴ ἐγκακεῖν (18:1) | — | Low | [PRAY] |
| widow (persistent) | χήρα (18:3) | [REUSE — this curriculum, ch.7] விதவை | Medium | [PRAY][POOR] |
| Pharisee and tax collector; “this man went down to his house justified” | ὁ τελώνης…δεδικαιωμένος (18:10-14) | — | Critical | [REP] — see full discussion below; this is Luke’s own δικαιόω/justification text, directly connecting the Pauline doctrine already Critical in the baseline to a Gospel parable |
| ”God, be merciful to me, a sinner” | ὁ θεός, ἱλάσθητί μοι τῷ ἁμαρτωλῷ (18:13) | — | [REUSE] கடவுள், இரக்கம்-root, பாவி | Critical |
| let the children come to me; kingdom belongs to such as these | τῶν τοιούτων ἐστὶν ἡ βασιλεία τοῦ θεοῦ (18:16) | — | Medium | [KGD] |
| sell all that you have and give to the poor | πάντα ὅσα ἔχεις πώλησον καὶ διάδος πτωχοῖς (18:22) | [REUSE — this curriculum] ஏழை | High | [POOR][DISC] — the rich young ruler’s test case; must not be over-generalized into a universal command to literal destitution divorced from its specific narrative function (testing where this particular man’s ultimate loyalty lies) |
| blind beggar; “your faith has saved you” | ἡ πίστις σου σέσωκέν σε (18:42) | — | High | Repeats the σῴζω double-sense; see below |
Chapter 19 — Zacchaeus; Triumphal Entry; Weeping over Jerusalem; Cleansing the Temple; Parable of the Talents/Minas
| Term | Original | Tamil Rendering | Risk | Doctrine |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Zacchaeus, chief tax collector | ἀρχιτελώνης (19:2) | [REUSE — this curriculum] ஆயக்காரன் + தலைமை | Medium | [TBL][REP] |
| “today salvation has come to this house” | σήμερον σωτηρία τῷ οἴκῳ τούτῳ ἐγένετο (19:9) | — | [REUSE — this curriculum, core passage] இன்று + இரட்சிப்பு | Critical |
| ”the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost” | ἦλθεν ὁ υἱὸς τοῦ ἀνθρώπου ζητῆσαι καὶ σῶσαι τὸ ἀπολωλός (19:10) | — | Critical | [SAV][REP] — the single-sentence mission statement of the entire Gospel, combining [REUSE-this curriculum] மனுஷ குமாரன், [REUSE] இரட்சிப்பு-root, and [REUSE-this curriculum, ch.15] காணாமற்போன (lost); every component term must render exactly consistently with its other occurrences given the summary weight of this verse |
| minas/talents entrusted for stewardship | μνᾶς (19:13-26) | — | Low | [KGD][DISC] |
Chapter 20 — Authority Questioned; Parable of the Tenants; Taxes to Caesar; Resurrection Debate
This chapter is dominated by controversy-dialogues that largely reuse already-established vocabulary.
- ἀνάστασις (resurrection, 20:27-38, Sadducees’ debate) — [REUSE — baseline, Critical] உயிர்த்தெழுதல். Jesus’ argument (“God of the living, not of the dead”) reinforces the bodily, historical, once-for-all resurrection doctrine against any suggestion of an impersonal cyclical afterlife — directly useful for reinforcing the baseline’s existing Critical caution against மறுபிறவி (rebirth).
- Καίσαρι τὰ Καίσαρος, καὶ τῷ θεῷ τὰ τοῦ θεοῦ (“render to Caesar what is Caesar’s, and to God what is God’s,” 20:25) — [REUSE] கடவுள். Low new-vocabulary risk; the political-theological point (dual but ordered loyalty) is a teaching-note matter, not a lexical one.
- No new theological vocabulary beyond what is already established in chapters 1-19.
Chapter 21 — Widow’s Offering; Signs of the End; Destruction of Jerusalem
| Term | Original | Tamil Rendering | Risk | Doctrine |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| widow’s offering, “she out of her poverty” | ἡ χήρα…ἐκ τοῦ ὑστερήματος αὐτῆς (21:1-4) | [REUSE — this curriculum] விதவை + ஏழை-root | High | [POOR] — a sharp counter-example to the rich donors just described; must not be moralized into a fundraising proof-text divorced from its function as praise of sacrificial dependence on God |
| your redemption draws near | ἐγγίζει ἡ ἀπολύτρωσις ὑμῶν (21:28) | — | [REUSE — baseline] மீட்பு | High |
| Son of Man coming with power and great glory | τὸν υἱὸν τοῦ ἀνθρώπου ἐρχόμενον…μετὰ δυνάμεως καὶ δόξης πολλῆς (21:27) | — | [REUSE — this curriculum] மனுஷ குமாரன் + [REUSE — baseline] மகிமை | Critical |
Chapter 22 — Last Supper; New Covenant; Gethsemane; Betrayal; Denial
| Term | Original | Tamil Rendering | Risk | Doctrine |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| new covenant | ἡ καινὴ διαθήκη (hē kainḕ diathḕkē, 22:20) | “the new covenant” — echoes Jeremiah 31:31-34 | புதிய உடன்படிக்கை — combines [REUSE] உடன்படிக்கை with புதிய (“new”) | Medium |
| this is my body given for you; this cup…poured out for you | τὸ σῶμά μου τὸ ὑπὲρ ὑμῶν διδόμενον…τὸ ποτήριον…ἐκχυννόμενον (22:19-20) | — | Critical | [SAV] — substitutionary, self-giving sacrifice language; reuse the baseline’s established cautions against recurring-appeasement offering framings (Ephesians “blood_of_christ,” “sacrifice” entries) — this is once-for-all, self-given |
| Gethsemane prayer, “not my will but yours” | οὐ τὸ θέλημα μου ἀλλὰ τὸ σὸν γενέσθω (22:42) | — | Low | [PRAY] — the Gospel’s paradigmatic prayer of submission and dependence, modeling doctrine [PRAY] at its highest cost |
| Satan entered Judas / Satan asked to sift Peter | ὁ σατανᾶς (22:3, 22:31) | [REUSE — baseline] பிசாசு-family term | High | Reuses spiritual-warfare cautions already established |
Chapter 23 — Trial; Crucifixion; “Today You Will Be With Me in Paradise”
| Term | Original | Tamil Rendering | Risk | Doctrine |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ”Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do” | Πάτερ, ἄφες αὐτοῖς (23:34) | — | [REUSE] பிதா, மன்னிப்பு (ἄφεσις-family verb) | Critical |
| ”today you will be with me in Paradise” | σήμερον μετ’ ἐμοῦ ἔσῃ ἐν τῷ παραδείσῳ (23:43) | — | Critical | [SAV][KGD] — the third of the three core “today” texts (see 4:21, 19:9); combines [REUSE-this curriculum] இன்று with NEW TERM பரதீசு (see below) |
| the veil of the temple was torn | τὸ καταπέτασμα τοῦ ναοῦ ἐσχίσθη (23:45) | — | Low | Reuses established ναός/temple vocabulary background from Ephesians/Colossians (ஆலயம் doctrine) |
Chapter 24 — Resurrection; Road to Emmaus; Great Commission Preview; Ascension
| Term | Original | Tamil Rendering | Risk | Doctrine |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| he is not here, but has risen | ἠγέρθη (24:6) | — | [REUSE — baseline, Critical] உயிர்த்தெழுதல் | Critical |
| their eyes were opened and they recognized him | διηνοίχθησαν οἱ ὀφθαλμοί (24:31) | — | Low | [PRAY]/[SAV] — recognition of the risen Christ in the breaking of bread; table-fellowship motif (this curriculum’s [TBL]) reprised at the moment of resurrection recognition |
| it was necessary for the Christ to suffer and enter into his glory | ἔδει παθεῖν τὸν Χριστόν…εἰσελθεῖν εἰς τὴν δόξαν αὐτοῦ (24:26, 46) | — | [REUSE] கிறிஸ்து, மகிமை | Critical |
| repentance for the forgiveness of sins proclaimed in his name to all nations | κηρυχθῆναι…εἰς πάντα τὰ ἔθνη μετάνοιαν εἰς ἄφεσιν ἁμαρτιῶν (24:47) | — | Critical | [SAV][REP] — the Gospel’s closing commission gathers every thread of this analysis into one sentence: [REUSE-this curriculum] மனந்திரும்புதல் + [REUSE-core passage] ஆஃபெசிஸ்-family மன்னிப்பு + பாவம் + πάντα τὰ ἔθνη (“all nations,” universal sense — see discussion below, distinct from the particular “Gentiles” sense of ἔθνη elsewhere) — proclaimed [REUSE] புறஜாதியார்-root to every nation, echoing 3:3’s baptism formula and 4:18’s Isaiah quotation, and fulfilling 2:32’s “light… to the Gentiles.” This verse is the single most important cross-reference-density verse in the Gospel and should receive the same “verbatim consistency across the whole document” discipline the baseline applies to Romans 1:16-17. |
| power from on high; you will be clothed with power | δύναμιν ἐξ ὕψους (24:49) | — | [REUSE — baseline] தேவனுடைய வல்லமை (never சக்தி) | High |
PART THREE: EXTENDED DISCUSSION OF MAJOR NEW-TO-LUKE TERMS
The following terms recur across multiple chapters and receive fuller treatment here because a single chapter-table entry cannot capture their full risk profile. Full glossary entries appear in 08_core_glossary.md.
1. Repentance — μετάνοια / மனந்திரும்புதல்
First introduced 3:3, foundational through 3:8; 5:32; 13:3, 5; 15:7, 10, 32; 17:3-4; 24:47. மனந்திரும்புதல் (“mind-turning”) is the established Tamil Bible term and carries no direct Hindu ritual-loading — but it must be actively distinguished from two live Tamil religious categories: (a) தவம் / ritual penance-austerity (already forbidden elsewhere in this pipeline for ἄσκησις/asceticism, Colossians 2:23) — repentance in Luke is a change of heart-direction enabled by grace and leading to joy, not a merit-generating discipline; (b) generic apology/regret (மனஸ்தாபம்), which under-translates the term’s full-person redirection. Risk: High.
2. Disciple — μαθητής / சீஷன்
Pervasive from 5:1 onward. சீஷன் is the established, unavoidable Tamil Christian term — but it shares its root with சிஷ்யன், the Hindu guru-shishya tradition’s technical term for a devotee under a spiritual master’s personal instruction toward the student’s own eventual enlightenment/liberation. This is structurally analogous to the already-documented அப்போஸ்தலன்/குரு collision in the baseline, but sharper, because சீஷன் and சிஷ்யன் are near-homophones from a shared root, whereas அப்போஸ்தலன் and குரு are unrelated words. No untainted Tamil alternative exists (மாணவன், “student,” is too academically neutral and loses the discipleship’s relational, costly, sent character). RECOMMENDATION: retain சீஷன் (it is entrenched, unavoidable, and centuries-established in Tamil Bible usage) but mandate a standing teaching note distinguishing gospel discipleship — called by grace, not self-selected; sent into costly mission and suffering (9:23-24; 14:26-33), not pursuing private enlightenment; oriented toward the coming Kingdom, not personal liberation (moksha) — from the guru-shishya ideal. Risk: High.
3. Tax Collectors, Sinners, and Table Fellowship — τελώνης, ἁμαρτωλός, συνεσθίω
5:27-32; 5:30; 7:34; 7:37-50; 15:1-2; 18:10-14; 19:1-10. Luke repeatedly stages Jesus eating (συνεσθίω, “eating-together”) at table with tax collectors (ஆயக்காரர், a despised, ritually and socially marginal occupation — collaborators with Roman/Herodian taxation) and “sinners” (பாவிகள்). This is the doctrinal center of [TBL]. In the Tamil context this collides directly and specifically with பந்தி பேதம் — the well-documented historical and, in places, still-persisting practice of caste-segregated seating and serving order at communal meals, including documented instances within Tamil church history itself (caste-separated seating and even separate burial grounds, already flagged in this pipeline’s Galatians and Ephesians packages under unity_in_christ and body_of_christ doctrines). Luke’s table-fellowship texts are not merely about personal moral acceptance of “sinners” in the abstract; in a Tamil setting they land as a direct challenge to any commensality boundary drawn along social, caste, or purity lines. RECOMMENDATION: render “eats with” literally and concretely (உடன் சாப்பிடுகிறார் / பந்தியில் அமர்ந்திருக்கிறார் — “sits at the same row/table”), resisting any softening into vague “associates with” language, and flag every occurrence for theologian review with an explicit teaching note connecting it to this pipeline’s established caste-commensality cautions. Risk: High, escalating to the same review tier as the baseline’s unity/no-distinctions texts (Galatians 3:28, Colossians 3:11).
4. Compassion — σπλαγχνίζομαι / மனதுருகி இரங்குதல்
7:13 (widow of Nain); 10:33 (Good Samaritan); 15:20 (prodigal’s father). Literally “to be moved in one’s inward parts” — the Greek NT’s strongest verb for gut-level, active compassion, always followed immediately by costly action (raising a dead man, rescuing an ethnic enemy, running to embrace a disgraced son). The baseline already establishes இரக்கம் (mercy, Ephesians 2:4) as distinct from கிருபை (grace); this verb is stronger still than bare mercy — it names the emotional-volitional trigger for merciful action. Recommend மனதுருகி இரங்குதல் (“melting-hearted mercy”) to preserve the visceral force. Risk: Medium — the danger is under-translation into generic pity (பரிதாபம்), which loses the active, costly follow-through that defines this term in every one of its three Lukan occurrences.
5. Samaritan and Neighbor — Σαμαρίτης, πλησίον / சமாரியன், அயலான்
9:52-53; 10:29-37; 17:11-19. The Samaritans are a religious-ethnic group considered ritually and doctrinally suspect by first-century Jews (rival temple, disputed Scripture, intermarriage history) — Luke consistently makes Samaritans positive moral examples against Jewish religious insiders’ expectations (the Samaritan who helps versus the priest and Levite who pass by; the one leper of ten who returns to give thanks). This directly serves doctrine [SAV] (Savior for all nations and peoples) and pairs naturally with the core passage’s Gentile-inclusion emphasis. Tamil-context caution: teaching material must NOT draw a simplistic one-to-one equivalence between “Samaritan” and any specific present-day Tamil social or caste category (the baseline consistently refuses to let biblical text name a specific local category, e.g., in the Colossians angel-worship and asceticism entries) — the text itself should never be altered to insert a Tamil social term, but background teaching may draw the STRUCTURAL parallel (a socially/religiously excluded outsider becomes the story’s moral hero) with appropriate pastoral care. “Neighbor” (πλησίον/அயலான்) must retain the lawyer’s redefinition-defying answer: the neighbor is not defined by shared ethnicity/religion but by active mercy shown, and the question is reversed from “who qualifies as my neighbor” to “who acted as a neighbor.” Risk: Medium-High.
6. Mammon — μαμωνᾷ / மம்மோன்
16:9, 11, 13. An Aramaic loanword (not Greek in origin) personifying wealth as a rival spiritual master. Tamil Bible tradition offers two live options: transliteration (மம்மோன் or மாமோன்) or periphrasis (உலகப்பொருள், “worldly wealth/possessions”). RECOMMENDATION: retain the transliteration, consistent with this pipeline’s established practice of preserving other Aramaic/foreign loanwords untranslated (Abba/அப்பா, already celebrated in the baseline as landing with unmediated warmth in Tamil) — Mammon’s foreignness is itself part of the text’s rhetorical strategy, naming wealth as an alien, false god competing for the exact loyalty owed to கடவுள். Risk: Medium; flag for native speaker confirmation of the most natural Tamil Bible spelling.
7. Paradise — παράδεισος / பரதீசு
23:43. A Persian-derived loanword (originally “walled garden”) already transliterated in established Tamil Bible tradition as பரதீசு. It must be kept lexically and doctrinally distinct from பரலோகம் (heaven, already Critical in the baseline from Philippians) — Paradise here names the immediate, conscious, personal presence of Christ granted to the dying thief (“today… with ME”), a related but not identical concept to the fuller doctrine of heaven developed elsewhere in the NT (cf. the baseline’s careful distinction between departing “to be with Christ,” Philippians 1:23, and full bodily resurrection hope). Because பரதீசு is a loanword with no native Tamil religious referent, it carries essentially no direct Hindu-collision risk (unlike சொர்க்கம், வைகுண்டம், கைலாசம் — all already Critical-forbidden in the baseline for “heaven”). Risk: Medium, primarily a consistency/distinction issue rather than a syncretism issue.
8. “The Kingdom of God is ἐντὸς ὑμῶν” — Luke 17:21
This is among the highest-risk single translation decisions in the whole Gospel. ἐντὸς ὑμῶν can mean either “within you” (individual, interior) or “among/in the midst of you” (corporate, relational — referring to Jesus’ own presence among the Pharisees he is addressing). RECOMMENDATION: உங்கள் நடுவே (“among/in the midst of you”), NOT உங்களுக்குள் (“within you, inside each of you”). The interior rendering would collide directly and dangerously with the already-documented Critical caution against Vedantic/Vishishtadvaita indwelling categories — அந்தர்யாமி (the inner controller present in all beings) and an innate divine spark in every person — explicitly forbidden in the baseline’s Colossians “christ_in_you” entry. Luke 17:21’s point is that the Kingdom is present in the person and works of Christ standing visibly among his hearers, not an already-latent inner divine reality awaiting introspective discovery. Risk: Critical, mandatory theologian review at every occurrence of this verse.
9. Son of Man — υἱὸς τοῦ ἀνθρώπου / மனுஷ குமாரன்
Pervasive throughout (9:22, 26, 44, 58; 19:10; 21:27; 22:22, 48, 69; 24:7, and elsewhere). This technical self-designation must retain BOTH poles simultaneously: humble, suffering, seeking humanity (5:24; 9:58; 19:10) and coming apocalyptic authority (9:26; 21:27; 22:69, echoing Daniel 7:13-14). Under-translating it as a generic circumlocution for “a person” (a possible but doctrinally flattening reading of the underlying Semitic idiom) loses its self-referential, titular force; over-translating it into a purely triumphal divine title loses the humility pole. Established Tamil rendering மனுஷ குமாரன் should be retained as a fixed, non-varying phrase throughout, exactly as கர்த்தர் and கிறிஸ்து are fixed. Risk: High.
10. Renounce All / Hate Father and Mother — Luke 14:26, 33
ἀποτάσσομαι (“to renounce, say farewell to, give up”) at 14:33 and the hyperbolic μισέω (“hate,” Semitic idiom for relative priority) at 14:26 both concern total, undivided allegiance to Christ as the cost of discipleship [DISC]. The specific translation risk: Tamil already possesses a highly honored technical vocabulary for renunciation — துறவு / துறவறம், the renunciate life, one of the most celebrated categories in classical Tamil ethical literature (an entire division of the Thirukkural is devoted to it) and the discipline explicitly practiced by Tamil Siddhar ascetics. The baseline’s Colossians package already rejected this vocabulary for a DIFFERENT purpose (ascetic bodily self-severity, 2:23) — but the underlying risk recurs here: if 14:33’s “renounce all” is rendered with துறவு-family vocabulary, Luke’s call to reordered loyalty and costly following (which remains fully engaged with ordinary family, work, and social life for most disciples in the narrative — Zacchaeus stays in his house, Levi’s call does not require him to become a wandering ascetic) risks being re-read as a call to formal ascetic renunciation of the world, a category with its own honored status and expectations in Tamil religious culture. RECOMMENDATION: render descriptively — எல்லாவற்றையும் விட்டுவிடுதல் (“to give up/let go of all things”) — rather than with the noun துறவு, keeping the emphasis on relational priority (Christ above all competing loyalties) rather than a technical world-renouncing vocation. Similarly, 14:26’s “hate” (வெறுத்தல்/பகைத்தல்) must be flagged as hyperbolic relative-priority language, handled carefully given the high value Tamil culture places on family loyalty and filial duty (a caution already present throughout this pipeline’s household-code discussions). Risk: High.
11. σῴζω’s Double Sense: “Your Faith Has Saved/Healed You”
7:50; 8:48; 17:19; 18:42 (cf. 19:9-10). Luke repeatedly uses the single Greek verb σῴζω to mean BOTH physical healing/rescue AND spiritual salvation simultaneously — a deliberate ambiguity that is one of this Gospel’s signature theological techniques (bodily restoration is a sign and foretaste of the fuller salvation Jesus brings). Tamil, however, naturally splits this into two distinct verbs: இரட்சித்தல் (to save, spiritually/salvifically — the established, Critical baseline root) and குணமாக்குதல்/சுகமாக்குதல் (to heal, physically). A translator forced to choose ONE Tamil verb per occurrence will inevitably specialize the text toward either a “merely physical healing” reading or a “merely spiritual salvation” reading, losing Luke’s deliberate double meaning. RECOMMENDATION: default to இரட்சித்தது (the salvation-root verb) in each of these texts, since Luke’s own narrative logic treats physical restoration as evidentiary of/subordinate to the deeper salvation-declaration (note that 7:50 and 19:9’s “salvation has come to this house” use cognate vocabulary explicitly), but MANDATE a translator’s note at every occurrence flagging the lost double-sense, and where possible use marginal or footnoted material to alert the Tamil reader that the same word in the original covers “healed you / saved you” at once. Risk: High; this is a structural translation-technique challenge specific to Luke’s Gospel, not present at this density in the baseline’s five prior curricula.
12. Lost — ἀπολωλός / காணாமற்போன
15:4-32; 19:10. “Lost” in Luke 15 describes something/someone of value that has strayed or gone missing and is actively, joyfully sought and recovered by a seeking God (shepherd, woman, father) — not something ritually impure, karmically ruined, or fated to remain lost. RECOMMENDATION: காணாமற்போன (“having gone out of sight/missing”) for the sheep and coin (concrete, recoverable-object register) and a warmer relational register for the son (காணாமற்போன மகன், “the son who was lost,” or contextually “இழந்துபோன மகன்” — “the son who was let slip away”). AVOID any rendering suggesting the lost state is a fixed, deserved, or irreversible condition (a risk if translators reach for கெட்டுப்போன, “spoiled/ruined/corrupted,” which carries a moralizing, near-permanent-ruin connotation closer to the karma-adjacent registers the baseline elsewhere warns against). The active, joyful SEEKING (ζητεῖν/தேடுதல்) by God is the doctrinal center, not the lostness itself. Risk: Medium.
13. “All Nations” vs. “Gentiles” — πάντα τὰ ἔθνη vs. ἔθνη
Compare Luke 2:32 (φῶς…ἐθνῶν, “light…of/for the Gentiles,” particular non-Jewish sense) with Luke 24:47 (πάντα τὰ ἔθνη, “all nations/peoples,” universal sense inclusive of Jews and Gentiles alike). The SAME Greek noun ἔθνος/ἔθνη carries a context-sensitive range exactly parallel to the baseline’s existing context-sensitive treatment of “called” (κλητός) in Romans. Tamil must track this: புறஜாதியார் [REUSE — baseline] for the particular “Gentiles” (non-Jewish peoples) sense, and a broader phrase such as தேசங்கள் யாவும் / சகல ஜாதிகளும் (“all nations/all peoples”) for the universal, all-inclusive sense at 24:47, so that the Great Commission’s universality is not narrowed to “non-Jews only” nor is the specific Jew/Gentile distinction of 2:32 flattened into a vague “everyone.” As already flagged in the baseline for புறஜாதியார், ஜாதி is also the ordinary Tamil word for caste, given the term’s proximity to caste vocabulary in a politically charged Tamil Nadu context — this caution intensifies here since Luke’s closing commission is precisely a claim of gospel scope crossing every ethnic and social boundary, caste included by clear implication. Risk: High.
Summary of Chapters Confirmed to Introduce No New Theological Vocabulary Beyond Prior Chapters
Chapter 20 introduces no new theological vocabulary; its controversy-dialogues (authority, tenants, Caesar’s tax, the resurrection debate, Davidic sonship of the Christ) fully reuse vocabulary already established in chapters 1-19 and in the baseline Romans-family package (இஸ்ரவேல், தாவீது, கிறிஸ்து, உயிர்த்தெழுதல், கடவுள்). No entries beyond the confirmations given above are required.
All other chapters (1-19, 21-24) introduce at least one load-bearing new term or a Luke-specific doctrinal nuance on an established term, as documented above.