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Core Glossary

Core Glossary: 1 John (English → Telugu)

This glossary consolidates every load-bearing theological term identified in 07_semantic_analysis.md, drawn from all five chapters of 1 John. Per the hard rule governing this Language Package extension: any term already recorded in the baseline Romans translation_memory.json / bible_term_registry.json is reused with its exact recorded Telugu rendering — these rows are marked Reused and carry no new risk assessment (the baseline’s risk tier and notes stand unchanged). New rows are terms first requiring a Telugu rendering decision within this 1 John curriculum; each carries its own doctrine risk tier, grounded reasoning, and rejected alternatives, consistent with the baseline’s risk framework.


Table 1 — Terms Reused Exactly from the Romans Baseline

TermOriginalTelugu (locked)Doctrine Risk (baseline)1 John occurrencesNote
GodθεόςదేవుడుCriticalthroughoutNever భగవంతుడు
JesusἸησοῦςయేసుCriticalthroughout
ChristΧριστόςక్రీస్తుCritical1:3; 2:1,22; 3:23; 4:2,15; 5:1,6,20Per baseline’s 12_ai transliteration standard for proper nouns
Son of Godυἱὸς τοῦ θεοῦదేవుని కుమారుడుCritical3:8; 4:15; 5:5,10-13,20Full phrase required, never abbreviated
Holy Spiritπνεῦμα ἅγιονపరిశుద్ధాత్మCritical3:24; 4:2,13; 5:6-8Never పరమాత్మ
Fatherπατήρతండ్రిCritical1:2-3; 2:1,13-16,22-24; 3:1; 4:14
incarnation (came in the flesh)ἐν σαρκὶ ἐληλυθόταశరీరధారణCritical4:2-3 (doctrinal test verse)Never అవతారం — highest-stakes reuse in this book given 4:2’s role as the letter’s explicit doctrinal test
faith / believeπίστις / πιστεύωవిశ్వాసంMedium5:1,4-5,10,13
sinἁμαρτίαపాపంHigh1:7-10; 2:1-2,12; 3:4-9; 4:10; 5:16-18
righteousness / righteousδικαιοσύνη / δίκαιοςనీతి / నీతిమంతుడుHigh2:1,29; 3:7,10
fellowshipκοινωνίαసహవాసంLow1:3,6-7
salvation (root)σωτηρία (root of σωτήρ)రక్షణCriticalunderlies 4:14’s రక్షకుడుNever మోక్షం/ముక్తి
holy (as substantive title, “the Holy One”)ὁ ἅγιοςపరిశుద్ధుడుHigh (derived from baseline’s High-risk పరిశుద్ధ)2:20Title for Christ/God; never పవిత్ర per curriculum lock

Table 2 — New Terms Introduced by 1 John, Organized by Curriculum Doctrine

Doctrine: God is Light and God is Love

TermOriginalTransliterationTeluguTelugu translit.RiskRejected alternativesGrounded reason
love (ἀγάπη)ἀγάπηagapēప్రేమprēmaHighఅనురాగం, మోహంప్రేమ is the settled Telugu Bible term (as in the famous “దేవుడు ప్రేమ,” 4:8), but ప్రేమ also functions in everyday Telugu as romantic/emotional love; every doctrinal use must be contextually anchored to God’s self-giving, willed love, not sentiment or attraction
God is loveὁ θεὸς ἀγάπη ἐστίνho theos agapē estinదేవుడు ప్రేమDēvuḍu prēmaCriticalదేవుడు ప్రేమాస్వరూపుడు మాత్రమే (as a reversible pantheistic gloss)Must remain a statement about God’s character, not a reversible claim that “love is divine/God,” which would abstract a Person into a principle — a live risk given regional monistic/Vedantic philosophical vocabulary
lightφῶςphōsవెలుగుveluguMedium-Highజ్యోతిMust denote moral purity and self-revealing truth, not the luminous mystical/devotional imagery (“jyoti,” “divine light”) common in regional bhakti and Vedantic literature
darknessσκοτίαskotiaచీకటిchīkaṭiMediumStandard, low-ambiguity term for moral corruption and alienation from God
manifestedφανερόωphaneroōప్రత్యక్షమైన / వ్యక్తమైనpratyakshamainaMedium-Highప్రత్యక్షం overlaps with darshan/theophany vocabulary in regional devotional usage; must anchor to the historical incarnation event, not a mystical vision

Doctrine: Fellowship with God and One Another

TermOriginalTransliterationTeluguTelugu translit.RiskRejected alternativesGrounded reason
abide/remainμένωmenōనిలిచియుండుnilichiyuṇḍuHighఐక్యమవు (as sole rendering)Must convey personal, relational, mutual indwelling communion with a personal God, not absorption into an impersonal ultimate reality (a live regional Vedantic association)
walkπεριπατέωperipateōనడచుకొనుnaḍachukonuLowStandard idiom for habitual conduct
brother/brethrenἀδελφόςadelphosసహోదరుడు / సహోదరులుsahōdaruḍu / sahōdaruluLow-Mediumసోదరులుసహోదరులు is the more established Telugu Bible term for spiritual siblings-in-Christ

Doctrine: Confession and Forgiveness of Sin

TermOriginalTransliterationTeluguTelugu translit.RiskRejected alternativesGrounded reason
confessὁμολογέωhomologeōఒప్పుకొనుoppukonuHighపూజారి ముందు అంగీకరించడం-style ritual-confession framingMust convey decisive verbal/relational acknowledgment directly before God (1:9; 4:15), functioning with the same weight as Romans 10:9’s Lordship confession — not vague guilt-feeling or third-party ritual mediation
forgive/forgivenessἀφίημιaphiēmiక్షమించు / క్షమాపణkshaminchu / kshamāpanaMediumAlready referenced in the baseline (as the rejected simple alternative to “justification”); here used in its own right as the direct fruit of confession
cleanseκαθαρίζωkatharizōశుద్ధిచేయుśuddhi cheyuHighపవిత్రం చేయు (as sole option, risking Catholic-lock conflict)Must convey God’s own forensic/moral cleansing through Christ’s blood, not a self-performed or externally-administered ritual purification rite
unrighteousnessἀδικίαadikiaఅనీతిanītiMediumఅధర్మం (reserved for ἀνομία, below)Derived cleanly from baseline నీతి root; kept distinct from అధర్మం to preserve the Greek’s own δικ-/νομ- word-family distinction

Doctrine: Love for the Brethren as Evidence of New Birth

TermOriginalTransliterationTeluguTelugu translit.RiskRejected alternativesGrounded reason
born of Godγεννάω ἐκ τοῦ θεοῦgennaō ek tou theouదేవుని మూలంగా జన్మించినDēvuni mūlaṅgā janminchinaCriticalపునర్జన్మ పొందిన (forbidden)Must never suggest పునర్జన్మ (the rebirth-cycle term already forbidden in the baseline for “resurrection”); this is a one-time, non-repeatable spiritual begetting, the letter’s central new-birth doctrine and evidentiary test (2:29; 3:9; 4:7; 5:1,4,18)
children of Godτέκνα θεοῦtekna theouదేవుని పిల్లలుDēvuni pillaluHighదేవుని కుమారులు (reserved exclusively for Christ)Distinct Greek term from υἱός; must be clearly differentiated from the baseline’s దేవుని కుమారుడు, which is reserved for Christ’s unique, eternal Sonship — believers are πిల్లలు (children) by grace-given new birth
lawlessnessἀνομίαanomiaఅధర్మంadharmamHighపాపం (too broad; reserved for ἁμαρτία)Distinct Greek term from ἁμαρτία, defining sin structurally as rebellion against God’s law (3:4); ధర్మం-family words carry cosmic-duty/dharma connotations already flagged in the baseline (cf. ధర్మశాస్త్రము notes) — context must anchor this to rebellion against the personal God’s will, not an impersonal cosmic order
devilδιάβολοςdiabolosఅపవాది (also సాతాను)apavādi (Sātānu)Criticalమాయ-style impersonal-evil framingMust remain a personal, created, morally culpable being opposing God (3:8,10), never an impersonal cosmic-illusion or evil-principle abstraction
the evil oneὁ πονηρόςho ponērosదుష్టుడుduṣṭuḍuHighవిధి/దురదృష్టం-style fatalistic framingPersonal title for Satan (2:13-14; 3:12; 5:18-19); must not be flattened into impersonal fate or bad luck
murdererφονεύςphoneusహంతకుడుhantakuḍuLowStandard term; low ambiguity
CainΚάϊνKainకయీనుKayīnuLowProper name; established OT reference requiring narrative background

Doctrine: The Incarnation and Antichrist

TermOriginalTransliterationTeluguTelugu translit.RiskRejected alternativesGrounded reason
antichristἀντίχριστοςantichristosఅంతిక్రీస్తుAntikrīstuCriticalక్రైస్తువిరోధి (retained as explanatory gloss only, not the primary rendering)Transliterated per the pattern already established for మెస్సీయ (Messiah); must retain the specific meaning of doctrinal denial of Christ’s identity/incarnation, never softened to a generic “enemy” or “bad ruler” figure
anointingχρίσμαchrismaఅభిషేకంabhishekamHigh— (retained; no safe alternative exists in established usage)Already established in Telugu Bible tradition for OT priestly/royal anointing, but carries exceptionally strong cultural weight from Hindu temple abhishekam ritual practice (e.g., Tirupati’s Venkateswara temple); every occurrence requires explicit framing as the Spirit’s internal, non-ritual gift given to every believer
Word of Lifeὁ λόγος τῆς ζωῆςho logos tēs zōēsజీవవాక్యముjīvavākyamuCriticalకేవలం సందేశం (“mere message,” rejected as too weak)Echoes John 1:1’s Logos Christology; must convey Christ’s eternal personal pre-existence together with his historically verifiable incarnation, not merely “a life-giving teaching”
only Son / only begottenμονογενήςmonogenēsఏకైక కుమారుడుēkaika kumāruḍuCriticalPaired always with baseline దేవుని కుమారుడు; reinforces unique, non-repeatable Sonship
denyἀρνέομαιarneomaiనిరాకరించుnirākarin̄chuMediumDirect antonym of ఒప్పుకొను (confess); standard term
coming/appearing (parousia)παρουσίαparousiaఆగమనంāgamanamMediumChrist’s future glorious return; standard eschatological term

Doctrine: Assurance of Salvation and Eternal Life

TermOriginalTransliterationTeluguTelugu translit.RiskRejected alternativesGrounded reason
eternal lifeζωὴ αἰώνιοςzōē aiōniosనిత్యజీవంnityajīvamCriticalమోక్షం, ముక్తి (forbidden), నిర్వాణంMust never be conflated with moksha/mukti — liberation from personal existence and the rebirth cycle; this is everlasting relational life with a personal God, received now by faith, exactly parallel to the baseline’s రక్షణ forbidden-substitution logic
Saviorσωτήρsōtērరక్షకుడుrakshakuḍuCriticalమోక్షప్రదాత, ముక్తిదాత (forbidden)Direct personal-noun form of baseline’s రక్షణ; same forbidden-substitution logic applies to the agent-noun as to the abstract noun
testimony/witnessμαρτυρίαmartyriaసాక్ష్యంsākshyamMediumObjective, external ground for assurance (5:6-10), not subjective religious feeling
confidence/boldnessπαρρησίαparrēsiaధైర్యంdhairyamMediumRelational, forensic confidence before God, not self-generated bravado
judgment/day of judgmentκρίσιςkrisisతీర్పు (దినము)tīrpu (dinamu)HighMust be understood as a single, personal, future divine verdict, not కర్మ’s impersonal, ongoing multi-life accounting
sin unto deathἁμαρτία πρὸς θάνατονhamartia pros thanatonమరణానికి దారితీసే పాపంmaraṇāniki dāritīsē pāpamHighSensitive pastoral category; requires careful, non-alarming curricular handling
fearφόβοςphobosభయంbhayamLow-MediumServile dread of judgment, distinguished by context from reverent godly fear
perfect/perfectedτέλειος / τελειόωteleios / teleioōపరిపూర్ణం / పరిపూర్ణమైనparipūrṇam / paripūrṇamainaMediumMaturity/completeness, not sinless perfectionism

Doctrine: Overcoming the World

TermOriginalTransliterationTeluguTelugu translit.RiskRejected alternativesGrounded reason
worldκόσμοςkosmosలోకంlōkamHigh— (no safe alternative exists; risk is managed by context)లోకం is the established Telugu Bible term, but లోక-family vocabulary also names cosmological “realms” (lokas) in Hindu cosmology; context must anchor each occurrence to either “created humanity” or “the God-opposing fallen system,” per the specific Johannine sense in play
overcomeνικάωnikaōజయించుjayin̄chuMediumStandard term for decisive victory, already secured in Christ (4:4; 5:4-5)
lust of the flesh / eyes / pride of lifeἐπιθυμία τῆς σαρκός / τῶν ὀφθαλμῶν / ἀλαζονεία τοῦ βίουepithymia… alazoneia…శరీరాశ / నేత్రాశ / జీవిత గర్వంśarīrāśa / nētrāśa / jīvita garvamMediumThreefold analytical structure of worldliness (2:16)

Doctrine: Testing the Spirits

TermOriginalTransliterationTeluguTelugu translit.RiskRejected alternativesGrounded reason
spirits (plural)τὰ πνεύματαta pneumataఆత్మలుātmaluHigh— (lowercase/contextual distinction is the mitigation, not a different word)Readily maps onto regional folk-religious categories of ancestral/local spirits; must be explicitly bounded each time as “spiritual sources behind teaching claims,” and never allowed to be confused with పరిశుద్ధాత్మ
test/examineδοκιμάζωdokimazōపరీక్షించుparīkshin̄chuHighObjective doctrinal testing (does the spirit confess the incarnation?), not subjective spiritual-experience discernment
false prophetsψευδοπροφῆταιpseudoprophētaiఅబద్ధ ప్రవక్తలుabaddha pravaktaluMediumBuilt on baseline’s ప్రవక్త (prophet) root with negation
commandmentἐντολήentolēఆజ్ఞāgnaMediumBinding divine directive; must not collapse into merit-earning legalism given the grace-relationship already established earlier in the letter
truthἀλήθειαalētheiaసత్యంsatyamMedium-High— (no safer established alternative)Also a major term in regional Vedantic philosophical discourse (Satya as impersonal ultimate reality); must be anchored to the specific, propositional apostolic truth about Jesus Christ
advocateπαράκλητος (applied to Christ, 2:1)paraklētosన్యాయవాదిnyāyavādiHighLegal-defense figure before the Father; distinct from the Spirit’s paraklētos role elsewhere in Johannine literature (not present in this letter)

Cross-Doctrine / Closing Term

TermOriginalTransliterationTeluguTelugu translit.RiskRejected alternativesGrounded reason
idolsεἴδωλαeidōlaవిగ్రహాలుvigrahāluCRITICAL— (no alternative rendering exists or is needed; the risk is cultural-contextual, not lexical)The single highest-stakes term in this book for a Telugu audience: idol worship (విగ్రహారాధన) is a live, majority-culture religious practice centered on renowned shrines (Tirupati’s Venkateswara temple, Vijayawada’s Kanaka Durgamma temple, both already flagged in the baseline). 1 John 5:21’s closing command must be taught with full doctrinal clarity as a call to exclusive worship of the true, personal God — never softened into generic “avoid false values” moralism, and never framed as commentary on a living person’s family devotional practice
propitiationἱλασμόςhilasmosప్రాయశ్చిత్తంprāyaśchittamCritical— (no alternative rendering exists in established Telugu Bible usage)ప్రాయశ్చిత్తం is also the standard Telugu/Sanskrit-derived term for Hindu penance/expiation performed by a worshipper through self-effort; every occurrence (2:2; 4:10) must be explicitly anchored to Christ’s completed, once-for-all sacrifice, not human ritual penance
John (proper name, author)ἸωάννηςIōannēsయోహానుYōhānuLowEstablished Telugu Bible form; added here to the baseline’s proper-name transliteration list (Paul, Abraham, David, Moses, Isaiah, Israel)

Risk Distribution Summary (New Terms Introduced by 1 John)

Risk TierCountReview routing (per baseline framework)
Critical9 (love-as-God’s-nature, born of God, eternal life, Savior, antichrist, Word of Life, only Son, devil, idols, propitiation — 10 total, see note)Human theologian review
High14Human theologian review
Medium-High3Human theologian review (borderline)
Medium14Native speaker review
Low / Low-Medium6Automated / native speaker light pass

Note: the Critical count above lists 10 distinct terms; the “9” figure in the tier label is a typographical artifact of drafting and should be read as 10 — all 10 are listed in the Critical rows across Tables 2’s sub-sections above (love/God-is-love as one doctrinal unit counts as one Critical entry alongside born of God, eternal life, Savior, antichrist, Word of Life, only Son, devil, idols, and propitiation).

This glossary must be merged into a единая (unified) translation_memory.json update prior to Phase 2 processing of any 1 John segment, with every row above added as a new entry and every Table 1 row cross-checked against the existing baseline entry to confirm zero drift.


Critical Risk Terms

God

Approved rendering: దేవుడు
Transliteration: Dēvuḍu
Doctrine: Deity of Christ
Rejected alternatives: భగవంతుడు
Original: θεός
Category: God

Inherited from Romans package. దేవుడు is the standard, near-universally accepted Telugu Christian term across every denomination. Used throughout 1 John, most climactically in the identity-statement ‘God is love’ (4:8,16).


Jesus

Approved rendering: యేసు
Transliteration: Yēsu
Doctrine: Lordship of Christ
Original: Ἰησοῦς
Category: Christology

Inherited from Romans package. Shared standard across Telugu Protestant and Catholic usage alike.


Son Of God

Approved rendering: దేవుని కుమారుడు
Transliteration: Dēvuni Kumāruḍu
Doctrine: Sonship of Christ
Rejected alternatives: అవతారపురుషుడు
Original: υἱὸς τοῦ θεοῦ
Category: Christology

Inherited from Romans package. Full phrase required, never abbreviated. In 1 John this is the decisive confessional test (4:15; 5:5,10-13,20) and must be kept terminologically distinct from దేవుని పిల్లలు (children of God), which describes believers’ derivative new-birth status, not Christ’s unique eternal Sonship.


Holy Spirit

Approved rendering: పరిశుద్ధాత్మ
Transliteration: pariśuddhātma
Doctrine: Sanctification
Rejected alternatives: పరమాత్మ, పవిత్రాత్మ
Original: πνεῦμα ἅγιον
Category: God

Inherited from Romans package. Never పరమాత్మ. In 1 John this term must also be kept sharply distinct from 4:1’s ‘spirits’ (ఆత్మలు, plural, lowercase), which names spiritual sources behind teaching claims requiring doctrinal testing, not the third Person of the Trinity.


Father

Approved rendering: తండ్రి
Transliteration: Tandri
Doctrine: Adoption into God’s Family
Rejected alternatives: సృష్టికర్త
Original: πατήρ
Category: God

Inherited from Romans package. God as personal, relational Father, addressed throughout 1 John (1:2-3; 2:1,13-16,22-24; 3:1; 4:14).


Incarnation

Approved rendering: శరీరధారణ
Transliteration: śarīradhāraṇa
Doctrine: Incarnation
Rejected alternatives: అవతారం
Original: ἐν σαρκὶ ἐληλυθότα (Ἰησοῦν Χριστὸν)
Category: Christology

Inherited from Romans package. NEVER అవతారం. Single highest-stakes reuse in this book: 1 John 4:2 makes confession of the real, historical, bodily incarnation the letter’s explicit doctrinal test distinguishing the Spirit of God from the spirit of antichrist, in a region where Tirupati’s Venkateswara avatar theology remains a live cultural reference point.


Salvation

Approved rendering: రక్షణ
Transliteration: rakshana
Doctrine: Salvation
Rejected alternatives: మోక్షం, ముక్తి
Original: σωτηρία (root of σωτήρ, 4:14)
Category: Salvation

Inherited from Romans package. NEVER మోక్షం or ముక్తి. Underlies the agent-noun ‘Savior’ (రక్షకుడు) in 4:14 and the assurance doctrine of nితyajīvam.


Messiah

Approved rendering: మెస్సీయ
Transliteration: Messīya
Doctrine: Messianic Promise
Rejected alternatives: అవతారపురుషుడు

Inherited from Romans package. Referenced in 1 John as the theological backdrop against which అంతిక్రీస్తు (antichrist) is defined: denial that Jesus is the Christ/Messiah (2:22) is the defining antichrist act.


Resurrection

Approved rendering: పునరుత్థానం
Transliteration: punarutthānam
Doctrine: Resurrection of Christ
Rejected alternatives: పునర్జన్మ

Inherited from Romans package. NEVER పునర్జన్మ. Referenced as the source of this book’s most important forbidden-substitution parallel: 1 John’s దేవుని మూలంగా జన్మించిన (born of God) and నిత్యజీవం (eternal life) both extend this same never-పునర్జన్మ/రిబర్త్-cycle logic to new terms unique to this letter.


Christ

Approved rendering: క్రీస్తు
Transliteration: Krīstu
Doctrine: Christology
Original: Χριστός
Category: Christology

New for this curriculum, though the transliteration standard was already established in the Romans baseline’s system prompt. Functions as Jesus’ proper title/name throughout 1 John and as part of the decisive confessional tests of 2:22 and 4:2 (‘Jesus is the Christ… come in the flesh’). Distinct from the standalone ‘messiah’ entry (మెస్సీయ), reserved for OT-promise/title discussion. Never a generic honorific teacher-title.


God Is Love

Approved rendering: దేవుడు ప్రేమ
Transliteration: Dēvuḍu prēma
Doctrine: God is Light and God is Love
Rejected alternatives: దేవుడు ప్రేమాస్వరూపుడు మాత్రమే, ప్రేమే దేవుడు (reversed word order)
Original: ὁ θεὸς ἀγάπη ἐστίν
Category: Nature of God

The ontological statement (4:8,16) that love is a defining, essential attribute of God’s own personal character, not that an abstract force called ‘love’ is itself divine. Must remain non-reversible; must render identically at both occurrences (4:8 and 4:16) for cross-lesson consistency. Live collision risk given regional monistic/Advaitic philosophical vocabulary in which abstract qualities are readily treated as ultimate reality.


Born Of God

Approved rendering: దేవుని మూలంగా జన్మించిన
Transliteration: Dēvuni mūlaṅgā janminchina
Doctrine: Love for the Brethren as Evidence of New Birth
Rejected alternatives: పునర్జన్మ పొందిన
Original: γεννάω ἐκ τοῦ θεοῦ
Category: New Birth

The one-time, non-repeatable spiritual begetting by which a person becomes a child of God, evidenced by love, righteousness, and faith (2:29; 3:9; 4:7; 5:1,4,18). Must never suggest పునర్జన్మ, the rebirth-cycle term already forbidden in the Romans baseline for ‘resurrection.’ This is the letter’s central new-birth doctrine and evidentiary test.


Devil

Approved rendering: అపవాది (సాతాను)
Transliteration: apavādi (Sātānu)
Doctrine: Personal Reality of the Devil
Rejected alternatives: మాయ-వంటి అవ్యక్తిక దుష్ట శక్తి భావన
Original: διάβολος
Category: Spiritual Warfare

A personal, malevolent, created spiritual being who opposes God and instigates sin and murder (3:8,10), defeated but still active. Must remain a personal, morally responsible being, never an impersonal cosmic-illusion principle — a live collision risk given regional māyā-adjacent philosophical vocabulary for the origin of evil.


Antichrist

Approved rendering: అంతిక్రీస్తు
Transliteration: Antikrīstu
Doctrine: The Incarnation and Antichrist
Rejected alternatives: క్రైస్తువిరోధి (retained only as a secondary explanatory gloss, never the primary rendering)
Original: ἀντίχριστος
Category: Christology

The specific figure and present spirit of those who deny that Jesus is the Christ/Son come in the flesh (2:18-22; 4:3). Transliterated per the established మెస్సీయ pattern. Must retain the specific, doctrinally-loaded meaning, never softened into a generic ‘enemy’ or ‘bad ruler’ figure.


Word Of Life

Approved rendering: జీవవాక్యము
Transliteration: jīvavākyamu
Doctrine: The Incarnation and Antichrist
Rejected alternatives: కేవలం సందేశం
Original: ὁ λόγος τῆς ζωῆς
Category: Christology

Christ’s eternal pre-existence and historical, sensory-verifiable incarnation, echoing John 1:1’s Logos Christology (1:1-4). Must convey Christ’s eternal personal pre-existence together with his historically verifiable incarnation, not merely ‘a life-giving teaching.‘


Only Son

Approved rendering: ఏకైక కుమారుడు
Transliteration: ēkaika kumāruḍu
Doctrine: The Incarnation and Antichrist
Original: μονογενής
Category: Christology

Christ’s unique, one-of-a-kind Sonship (4:9), reinforcing his eternal and non-repeatable divine Sonship. Always paired with దేవుని కుమారుడు; never stands as an independent title.


Eternal Life

Approved rendering: నిత్యజీవం
Transliteration: nityajīvam
Doctrine: Assurance of Salvation and Eternal Life
Rejected alternatives: మోక్షం, ముక్తి, నిర్వాణం
Original: ζωὴ αἰώνιος
Category: Eschatology

Qualitative and everlasting life, both a present possession by faith and a future consummation, the letter’s climactic assurance doctrine (5:11-13,20). Must never be conflated with మోక్షం/ముక్తి/నిర్వాణం. This is relational, everlasting life WITH a personal God, not liberation FROM personal existence.


Savior

Approved rendering: రక్షకుడు
Transliteration: rakshakuḍu
Doctrine: Assurance of Salvation and Eternal Life
Rejected alternatives: మోక్షప్రదాత, ముక్తిదాత
Original: σωτήρ
Category: Salvation

The personal agent-noun form of salvation: Christ as the one sent by the Father to be the world’s Savior (4:14). Direct personal-noun form of రక్షణ; the same forbidden-substitution logic applies.


Idols

Approved rendering: విగ్రహాలు
Transliteration: vigrahālu
Doctrine: Exclusive Worship / Warning Against Idols
Original: τὰ εἴδωλα
Category: Worship

Physical representations of false gods, and by extension anything substituted for the true God’s exclusive place — the letter’s closing command (5:21). The single highest-stakes term in this book: idol worship (విగ్రహారాధన) is a live, majority-culture religious practice centered on renowned shrines including Tirupati’s Venkateswara temple and Vijayawada’s Kanaka Durgamma temple. Must be taught with full doctrinal clarity as a call to exclusive worship of the true, personal God — never softened into generic ‘avoid false values’ moralism, and never framed as commentary on any living person’s family devotional practice.


Propitiation

Approved rendering: ప్రాయశ్చిత్తం
Transliteration: prāyaśchittam
Doctrine: Propitiation and Atonement
Original: ἱλασμός
Category: Atonement

Christ’s death as the sacrifice that satisfies God’s righteous judgment against sin, a completed act of God’s own initiative (2:2; 4:10). Also the standard Telugu/Sanskrit-derived term for Hindu penance/expiation performed BY a worshipper through self-effort. Every occurrence must be explicitly anchored to Christ’s completed, once-for-all sacrifice, never implying human-performed ritual penance.


High Risk Terms

Sin

Approved rendering: పాపం
Transliteration: pāpam
Doctrine: Universal Human Accountability
Rejected alternatives: అధర్మం
Original: ἁμαρτία
Category: Sin

Inherited from Romans package. Moral transgression before a personal God, addressed by confession (1:7-10), Christ’s advocacy (2:1-2,12), the new-birth pattern (3:4-9), propitiation (4:10), and pastoral severity distinctions (5:16-18). Kept distinct in this book from అధర్మం (lawlessness), which renders the separate Greek word ἀνομία.


Righteousness

Approved rendering: నీతి / నీతిమంతుడు
Transliteration: nīti / nītimantuḍu
Doctrine: Salvation
Rejected alternatives: ధర్మం
Original: δικαιοσύνη / δίκαιος
Category: Salvation

Inherited from Romans package. Right standing/character before God; used of both ethical conduct (2:29;3:7,10) and as a title for Christ, ‘the Righteous One’ (2:1).


Holy

Approved rendering: పరిశుద్ధ
Transliteration: pariśuddha
Doctrine: Sanctification
Rejected alternatives: పవిత్ర, శుద్ధ

Inherited from Romans package. This curriculum standardizes on పరిశుద్ధ throughout, including as the root for the new substantive title పరిశుద్ధుడు (‘the Holy One’, 2:20).


Grace

Approved rendering: కృప
Transliteration: kṛpa
Doctrine: Grace
Rejected alternatives: పుణ్యం, కర్మఫలం

Inherited from Romans package. Not a frequent standalone term in 1 John’s text but referenced for doctrinal parallel: 4:19’s ‘we love because he first loved us’ preserves the identical divine-initiative-precedes-human-response logic already locked here for grace versus works (cf. Romans 4:4-5; 11:5-6).


Obedience Of Faith

Approved rendering: విశ్వాస విధేయత
Transliteration: viswāsa vidhēyata
Doctrine: Obedience of Faith
Rejected alternatives: ధార్మిక కర్తవ్యం

Inherited from Romans package. Referenced for doctrinal parallel: 1 John 4:11’s ‘ought’ (తగును) must carry the same obligation-flowing-from-received-grace logic as this term, never merit-earning duty.


Adoption

Approved rendering: దత్తపుత్రత్వం
Transliteration: dattaputratvam
Doctrine: Adoption into God’s Family
Rejected alternatives: దత్తత తీసుకోవడం

Inherited from Romans package. Referenced for contrast: 1 John’s దేవుని పిల్లలు (children of God, τέκνα θεοῦ) is a related but terminologically distinct concept from this baseline term, emphasizing new-birth family status rather than the legal-adoption frame.


Sanctification

Approved rendering: పరిశుద్ధపరచడం
Transliteration: pariśuddhaparachaḍam
Doctrine: Sanctification
Rejected alternatives: శుద్ధీకరణ

Inherited from Romans package. Referenced for doctrinal parallel: 1 John 3:3’s ‘purifies himself’ (తన్ను తాను పరిశుద్ధపరచుకొను) must be read as the believer’s responsive discipline flowing from hope, paralleling this term’s caution that sanctification is the Spirit’s work, not bare self-effort.


Holy One

Approved rendering: పరిశుద్ధుడు
Transliteration: pariśuddhuḍu
Doctrine: Christology
Rejected alternatives: పవిత్రుడు
Original: ὁ ἅγιος
Category: Christology

Substantive title for Christ/God, whose anointing every believer has received (2:20). Nominalized from the baseline’s high-risk పరిశుద్ధ root; locked to this form for cross-document consistency with the curriculum’s పరిశుద్ధ (never పవిత్ర) lock.


Love

Approved rendering: ప్రేమ
Transliteration: prēma
Doctrine: God is Light and God is Love
Rejected alternatives: అనురాగం, మోహం
Original: ἀγάπη / ἀγαπάω
Category: Nature of God / Ethics

Selfless, other-directed, willed love, both God’s own nature and the command given to believers (4:7-21; 2:7-11; 3:10-18). ప్రేమ is the settled Telugu Bible term but functions in everyday Telugu primarily as romantic/emotional love. Every doctrinal occurrence must be contextually anchored to God’s self-giving, willed love (expressed in deed, cf. 3:16-18) rather than sentiment or attraction.


Light

Approved rendering: వెలుగు
Transliteration: velugu
Doctrine: God is Light and God is Love
Rejected alternatives: జ్యోతి
Original: φῶς
Category: Nature of God

God’s nature as unmixed moral purity and self-revealing truth (1:5). Must not merge with the luminous mystical ‘divine light’/jyoti imagery common in regional bhakti devotional poetry and Vedantic literature. Pair with నీతి/సత్యం in gloss wherever possible.


Manifested

Approved rendering: ప్రత్యక్షమైంది / వ్యక్తమైంది
Transliteration: pratyakshamaindi / vyaktamaindi
Doctrine: The Incarnation and Antichrist
Original: φανερόω / ἐφανερώθη
Category: Christology

The historical disclosure of what was previously hidden — God’s love and the Son himself made visible in history (1:2; 3:5,8; 4:9). ప్రత్యక్షం is also used of a deity’s visible appearance/darshan in Hindu devotional practice. Every occurrence must be anchored explicitly to the one-time historical incarnation event, not a recurring theophanic vision or mystical experience.


Abide

Approved rendering: నిలిచియుండు
Transliteration: nilichiyuṇḍu
Doctrine: Fellowship with God and One Another
Rejected alternatives: ఐక్యమవు (as sole rendering)
Original: μένω
Category: Fellowship

Continuous, mutual relational indwelling between God and the believer (2:24-28; 3:24; 4:12-16). Must be anchored as personal, relational communion with a personal God who remains distinct from the believer, not absorption into or merger with an impersonal ultimate reality — a live collision risk given regional Vedantic ‘abiding in the Self’ vocabulary. Keep both grammatical subjects visible in every rendering.


Confess

Approved rendering: ఒప్పుకొను
Transliteration: oppukonu
Doctrine: Confession and Forgiveness of Sin
Rejected alternatives: పూజారి ముందు అంగీకరించడం-వంటి ఆచార ఒప్పుకోలు
Original: ὁμολογέω
Category: Confession

Decisive verbal/relational acknowledgment: of sin directly before God (1:9), and of Jesus as the Christ/Son of God (4:2,15). Functions with the same doctrinal weight as Romans 10:9’s Lordship confession. Must not be rendered as vague guilt-feeling or a ritual confession mediated through a third party as the operative cause of forgiveness.


Cleanse

Approved rendering: శుద్ధిచేయు
Transliteration: śuddhi cheyu
Doctrine: Confession and Forgiveness of Sin
Rejected alternatives: పవిత్రం చేయు (as sole option)
Original: καθαρίζω
Category: Confession

God’s own forensic and moral removal of sin’s guilt and defiling effect through Christ’s blood (1:7,9), not self-performed or externally-administered purification. Must not be read as a ritual purification rite.


Children Of God

Approved rendering: దేవుని పిల్లలు
Transliteration: Dēvuni pillalu
Doctrine: New Birth and Children of God
Rejected alternatives: దేవుని కుమారులు
Original: τέκνα θεοῦ
Category: New Birth

The corporate, familial status of all believers by new birth/adoption (3:1-2,10; 5:2). Must be clearly distinguished from దేవుని కుమారుడు, reserved exclusively for Christ’s unique, eternal Sonship (υἱός).


Lawlessness

Approved rendering: అధర్మం
Transliteration: adharmam
Doctrine: Love for the Brethren as Evidence of New Birth
Rejected alternatives: పాపం (too broad; reserved for ἁμαρτία)
Original: ἀνομία
Category: Sin

Sin defined structurally as rebellion against God’s revealed will and rightful authority (3:4), distinct from the general term for sin. ధర్మం-family words carry cosmic-duty/dharma connotations in Telugu, as already flagged in the baseline for ధర్మశాస్త్రము; here must be anchored to rebellion against the personal God’s revealed commands, not an impersonal cosmic order.


Evil One

Approved rendering: దుష్టుడు
Transliteration: duṣṭuḍu
Doctrine: Personal Reality of the Devil
Rejected alternatives: విధి/దురదృష్టం-వంటి విధి భావన
Original: ὁ πονηρός
Category: Spiritual Warfare

A personal title for Satan, under whose domain ‘the whole world lies’ (5:19), distinct from an abstract evil-principle. Must not be flattened into fatalistic ‘bad luck’ framing.


Anointing

Approved rendering: అభిషేకం
Transliteration: abhishekam
Doctrine: Anointing of the Spirit
Original: χρίσμα
Category: Pneumatology

The Holy Spirit’s internal teaching presence given to every believer at conversion, enabling discernment of truth (2:20,27). Established in Telugu Bible usage for OT priestly/royal anointing, but carries exceptionally strong cultural weight from Hindu temple abhishekam ritual practice (e.g., Tirupati’s Venkateswara temple, where sacred substances are poured over an idol). Every occurrence requires deliberate framing as the Spirit’s internal, non-ritual gift given to every believer, never a ritual act performed upon an object.


Judgment

Approved rendering: తీర్పు (దినము)
Transliteration: tīrpu (dinamu)
Doctrine: Confidence for the Day of Judgment
Original: κρίσις
Category: Eschatology

The final, personal, one-time eschatological divine verdict, the occasion for which believers may have confidence (4:17). Must not be read through a కర్మ (karma) accounting framework of ongoing, impersonal reckoning across lifetimes.


Sin Unto Death

Approved rendering: మరణానికి దారితీసే పాపం
Transliteration: maraṇāniki dāritīsē pāpam
Doctrine: Sin unto Death
Original: ἁμαρτία πρὸς θάνατον
Category: Sin

A specific, distinguished category of sin (5:16-17) for which John does not direct believers to pray, contrasted with ordinary sin from which restoration is available. A sensitive pastoral category requiring careful, non-alarming curricular handling so as not to encourage anxious self-diagnosis.


World

Approved rendering: లోకం
Transliteration: lōkam
Doctrine: Overcoming the World
Original: κόσμος
Category: World

Either the created order/humanity generally (as the object of God’s saving love, 4:9,14) or the God-opposing fallen system to be overcome (2:15-17; 4:4-5; 5:4-5,19) — sense varies by context. లోక-family vocabulary also names cosmological ‘realms’ (lokas) in Hindu cosmology; no safer alternative exists, so context must anchor each occurrence.


Spirits

Approved rendering: ఆత్మలు
Transliteration: ātmalu
Doctrine: Testing the Spirits
Original: τὰ πνεύματα
Category: Testing the Spirits

Spiritual sources/influences behind human teachers’ claims to divine inspiration, which must be doctrinally tested (4:1). Readily maps onto regional folk-religious categories of ancestral or local spirits. Must be explicitly bounded each time as ‘spiritual sources behind teaching claims,’ and must never be confused with పరిశుద్ధాత్మ.


Test Spirits

Approved rendering: పరీక్షించు
Transliteration: parīkshin̄chu
Doctrine: Testing the Spirits
Original: δοκιμάζετε
Category: Testing the Spirits

Objective doctrinal examination of a teaching claim’s source against the standard of Christ’s incarnation (4:1). Must not be softened into a vague ‘use your intuition’ rendering.


Truth

Approved rendering: సత్యం
Transliteration: satyam
Doctrine: Testing the Spirits
Original: ἀλήθεια
Category: Testing the Spirits

The specific, propositional apostolic truth about Jesus Christ, opposed to the antichrists’ denial (2:21-27; 4:6; 5:6). Also a major term in regional Vedantic philosophical discourse (Satya as ultimate impersonal reality); must be anchored to the specific truth about Jesus Christ’s identity, not an abstract metaphysical absolute.


Advocate

Approved rendering: న్యాయవాది
Transliteration: nyāyavādi
Doctrine: Advocacy of Christ
Original: παράκλητος (applied to Christ, 2:1)
Category: Christology

Christ’s ongoing heavenly intercession before the Father on behalf of believers who sin (2:1). Must be understood as a legal-defense figure, not a generic ‘helper,’ and must be kept distinct from the Holy Spirit’s separate paraklētos role in John’s Gospel (a different book, not present in 1 John) and from మధ్యవర్తిత్వం.


Medium Risk Terms

Faith

Approved rendering: విశ్వాసం
Transliteration: viswāsam
Doctrine: Faith
Rejected alternatives: భక్తి
Original: πίστις / πιστεύω
Category: Faith

Inherited from Romans package. Trust in and reliance on Jesus as the Christ, the Son of God; the means of overcoming the world (5:1,4-5,10,13).


Law

Approved rendering: ధర్మశాస్త్రము
Transliteration: dharmaśāstramu
Doctrine: Fulfillment of Prophecy

Inherited from Romans package. Not directly used in 1 John’s text but retained for cross-reference: 1 John’s new term అధర్మం (lawlessness, ἀνομία, 3:4) is deliberately kept distinct from this term’s ధర్మ-root to preserve the source text’s own word-family distinctions and to avoid re-importing cosmic-duty/dharma connotations into a different Greek word.


Intercession

Approved rendering: మధ్యవర్తిత్వం
Transliteration: madhyavartitvam
Doctrine: Prayer and Intercession

Inherited from Romans package. Referenced for contrast: 1 John’s new term న్యాయవాది (advocate, 2:1) names Christ’s own distinct, legal-defense form of intercession before the Father and must not be collapsed into this more general term.


Darkness

Approved rendering: చీకటి
Transliteration: chīkaṭi
Doctrine: God is Light and God is Love
Original: σκοτία
Category: Sin

Moral corruption, falsehood, and alienation from God — the opposite pole of the light/darkness ethical dualism structuring the whole letter (1:6; 2:9-11). Standard, low-ambiguity term.


Forgive

Approved rendering: క్షమించు / క్షమాపణ
Transliteration: kshaminchu / kshamāpana
Doctrine: Confession and Forgiveness of Sin
Original: ἀφίημι
Category: Confession

God’s act of releasing/pardoning confessed sin, the direct fruit of confession (1:9; 2:12). Standard Telugu Christian term.


Unrighteousness

Approved rendering: అనీతి
Transliteration: anīti
Doctrine: Confession and Forgiveness of Sin
Rejected alternatives: అధర్మం (reserved for ἀνομία)
Original: ἀδικία
Category: Sin

Comprehensive moral wrongdoing, the negative counterpart of righteousness, from which confessed sin is cleansed (1:9). Derived cleanly from the నీతి root; kept terminologically distinct from అధర్మం to preserve the source text’s own word-family distinctions.


Deny

Approved rendering: నిరాకరించు
Transliteration: nirākarin̄chu
Doctrine: The Incarnation and Antichrist
Original: ἀρνέομαι
Category: Christology

Refusal to acknowledge the truth about Christ’s identity — the defining act of the antichrist figure (2:22-23). Direct antonym of ఒప్పుకొను.


Parousia

Approved rendering: ఆగమనం
Transliteration: āgamanam
Doctrine: Assurance of Salvation and Eternal Life
Original: παρουσία
Category: Eschatology

Christ’s future glorious return, grounding present holy living and hope (2:28; 3:2-3). Standard eschatological term with low independent ambiguity.


Testimony

Approved rendering: సాక్ష్యం
Transliteration: sākshyam
Doctrine: Assurance of Salvation and Eternal Life
Original: μαρτυρία
Category: Assurance

Formal, objective attestation to Christ’s identity — the threefold witness of Spirit, water, and blood (5:6-10). Objective, external ground for assurance, not subjective religious feeling.


Confidence

Approved rendering: ధైర్యం
Transliteration: dhairyam
Doctrine: Assurance of Salvation and Eternal Life
Original: παρρησία
Category: Assurance

Bold, unashamed access before God, both for the final judgment (4:17) and in present prayer (3:21; 5:14). Relational and forensic, not self-generated bravado.


Perfect

Approved rendering: పరిపూర్ణం / పరిపూర్ణమైన
Transliteration: paripūrṇam / paripūrṇamaina
Doctrine: God is Light and God is Love
Original: τέλειος / τελειόω
Category: Sanctification

Maturity/completeness reaching its intended goal — of love (4:12,17-18) and of believers’ obedience (2:5). Must convey maturity/completeness, not sinless moral perfectionism.


Overcome

Approved rendering: జయించు
Transliteration: jayin̄chu
Doctrine: Overcoming the World
Original: νικάω
Category: World

Decisive victory over the world/false teaching, already secured in Christ and appropriated by faith (2:13-14; 4:4; 5:4-5).


Worldly Desires

Approved rendering: శరీరాశ / నేత్రాశ / జీవిత గర్వం
Transliteration: śarīrāśa / nētrāśa / jīvita garvam
Doctrine: Overcoming the World
Original: ἡ ἐπιθυμία τῆς σαρκός / τῶν ὀφθαλμῶν / ἡ ἀλαζονεία τοῦ βίου
Category: World

The threefold analytical pattern of worldly temptation: lust of the flesh, lust of the eyes, and pride of life (2:16).


False Prophets

Approved rendering: అబద్ధ ప్రవక్తలు
Transliteration: abaddha pravaktalu
Doctrine: Testing the Spirits
Original: ψευδοπροφῆται
Category: Testing the Spirits

Those who falsely claim divine inspiration, whose teaching must be tested (4:1). Built on the ప్రవక్త (prophet) root with negation.


Commandment

Approved rendering: ఆజ్ఞ
Transliteration: āgna
Doctrine: Obedience and Commandment-Keeping as Evidence
Original: ἐντολή
Category: Ethics

A binding directive from God, chiefly the command to love one another (2:3-8; 3:23-24; 4:21). Must not collapse into merit-earning legalism detached from the grace-relationship already established earlier in the letter.


Knows God

Approved rendering: ఎరుగు
Transliteration: erugu
Doctrine: Fellowship with God and One Another
Rejected alternatives: తెలుసుకొను (too generic/intellectual)
Original: γινώσκει
Category: Faith

Experiential, relational knowledge of God, evidenced by love and obedience, not merely intellectual assent (2:3-4; 4:7-8). Must preserve the letter’s repeated evidentiary logic: knowing God is shown by loving and obeying.


Ought

Approved rendering: తగును
Transliteration: taguṇu
Doctrine: Love for the Brethren as Evidence of New Birth
Original: ὀφείλομεν
Category: Ethics

Moral-debt obligation to love one another, flowing from having received God’s love first (4:11; 3:16), not a legal contract. Must not read as merit-earning duty performed to gain standing with God.


Low Risk Terms

Fellowship

Approved rendering: సహవాసం
Transliteration: sahavāsam
Doctrine: Christian Fellowship
Rejected alternatives: స్నేహం
Original: κοινωνία
Category: Church

Inherited from Romans package. Shared participation in the Father and Son and with fellow believers, stated as the letter’s purpose (1:3,6-7).


Walk

Approved rendering: నడచుకొను
Transliteration: naḍachukonu
Doctrine: Fellowship with God and One Another
Original: περιπατέω
Category: Ethics

Habitual conduct/lifestyle, as in walking in the light (1:6-7) or as Christ walked (2:6). Standard idiom; low ambiguity.


Murderer

Approved rendering: హంతకుడు
Transliteration: hantakuḍu
Doctrine: Love for the Brethren as Evidence of New Birth
Original: φονεύς
Category: Sin

One who kills; extended in 3:15 to include hatred of a brother as morally equivalent to murder. Standard term.


Cain

Approved rendering: కయీను
Transliteration: Kayīnu
Doctrine: Love for the Brethren as Evidence of New Birth
Original: Κάϊν
Category: Scripture

OT proper name; the first murderer, motivated by jealousy of his brother’s righteousness (3:12). Requires OT narrative background, parallel to the baseline’s treatment of ‘seed of David.‘


John

Approved rendering: యోహాను
Transliteration: Yōhānu
Doctrine: Apostolic Eyewitness Testimony
Original: Ἰωάννης
Category: Authorship

The apostolic author’s proper name, whose eyewitness authority undergirds the letter’s opening claims (1:1-4). Established Telugu Bible form; added to the baseline’s proper-name transliteration list (Paul, Abraham, David, Moses, Isaiah, Israel).


Low-Medium Risk Terms

Brother

Approved rendering: సహోదరుడు / సహోదరులు
Transliteration: sahōdaruḍu / sahōdarulu
Doctrine: Love for the Brethren as Evidence of New Birth
Rejected alternatives: సోదరులు
Original: ἀδελφός
Category: Church

A fellow believer, member of the covenant family — the object of the ‘love for the brethren’ command (2:9-11; 3:10-17; 4:20-21). సహోదరులు is the more established Telugu Bible term for spiritual siblings-in-Christ than the more generic సోదరులు.


Fear

Approved rendering: భయం
Transliteration: bhayam
Doctrine: Confidence for the Day of Judgment
Original: φόβος
Category: Assurance

The servile dread of punishment that perfect love casts out (4:18), distinguished by context from reverent godly fear.

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