Core Glossary
Core Glossary: The Gospel of John
English → Telugu | Consolidated Term Table (John 1–21)
This glossary consolidates every load-bearing term identified in analysis/07_semantic_analysis.md, covering the entire book of John chapter by chapter. Terms already established in the baseline Romans translation_memory.json / bible_term_registry.json are marked REUSE and carry forward their locked Telugu rendering and risk tier unchanged; John-specific new terms are marked NEW. This table will seed the John-curriculum extension of translation_memory.json in a later Phase 1 step.
Risk tier reminder: Critical = human theologian review at every occurrence; High = human theologian review; Medium = native speaker review; Low = automated review sufficient.
A. Reused Terms from the Romans Baseline (locked, unchanged)
| Term | Telugu | Transliteration | Risk | Doctrine (John context) | Key John passages | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| God | దేవుడు | Dēvuḍu | Critical | Deity of Christ / Father | throughout | Never భగవంతుడు. |
| Jesus | యేసు | Yēsu | Critical | Christology | throughout | Shared Protestant/Catholic form. |
| Lord | ప్రభువు | prabhuvu | Critical | Lordship of Christ | 20:28; 21:7 etc. | Reused with new anchor at 20:28. |
| Son of God | దేవుని కుమారుడు | Dēvuni Kumāruḍu | Critical | Deity/Sonship of Christ | 1:34,49; 3:18; 5:25; 10:36; 11:4; 19:7; 20:31 | Full phrase required. |
| Holy Spirit | పరిశుద్ధాత్మ | pariśuddhātma | Critical | Holy Spirit as Counselor | 1:32-33; 3:5-8; 14:26; 20:22 | Never పరమాత్మ; never పవిత్రాత్మ (locked spelling). |
| Father | తండ్రి | Tandri | Critical | Unity of Father and Son | throughout, esp. ch.14-17 | Central Johannine address term. |
| Resurrection | పునరుత్థానం | punarutthānam | Critical | Substitutionary Death & Resurrection | 11:25; 20:1-29 | Never పునర్జన్మ. |
| Incarnation | శరీరధారణ | śarīradhāraṇa | Critical | Deity/Pre-existence of Christ | 1:14 (direct textual anchor) | Never అవతారం. |
| Salvation | రక్షణ | rakshana | Critical | Eternal Life through Faith | 3:17; 4:42; 10:9; 12:47 | Never మోక్షం/ముక్తి. |
| Messiah | మెస్సీయ | Messīya | Critical | Messianic Promise | 1:41; 4:25; 7:41; 11:27 | John uniquely glosses Χριστός with Μεσσίας. |
| Grace | కృప | kṛpa | High | Incarnation / God’s character | 1:14,16-17 | ”Grace and truth.” |
| Sin | పాపం | pāpam | High | Judgment / Substitutionary Death | throughout, esp. 1:29; 8:34; 16:8 | Personal moral guilt, not karma. |
| Glory | మహిమ | mahima | High | Deity of Christ | 1:14; 2:11; 11:4,40; 12:41; 17:5,22,24 | Also verb “glorify,” మహిమపరచు. |
| Kingdom of God | దేవుని రాజ్యం | Dēvuni Rājyam | Medium | New Birth | 3:3,5; 18:36 | Entry conditioned on new birth in John 3. |
| Peace | శాంతి | śānti | Medium | Holy Spirit / Resurrection appearances | 14:27; 16:33; 20:19,21,26 | Relational, not merely absence of conflict. |
| Law | ధర్మశాస్త్రము | dharmaśāstramu | Medium | Fulfillment / contrast with grace | 1:17; 7:19,23; 8:5,17 | Preserve settled rendering. |
| Prophet | ప్రవక్త | pravakta | Low | Inspiration of Scripture | 1:21,25; 4:19; 6:14; 7:40 | Not fortune-teller. |
| Israel | ఇశ్రాయేలు | Iśrāyēlu | Medium | Davidic/Messianic Promise | 1:31,49; 3:10; 12:13 | Established proper name. |
| David | దావీదు | Dāvīdu | Low | Messianic Promise | 7:42 | Established proper name. |
| Seed of David | దావీదు వంశములో పుట్టినవాడు | Dāvīdu vamśamulō puṭṭinavāḍu | High | Davidic Covenant background | 7:42 | Reused from Romans 1:3. |
| Sanctification | పరిశుద్ధపరచడం | pariśuddhaparachaḍam | High | Unity/consecration | 17:17,19 | ”Sanctify them in the truth.” |
| Sanctification/adoption family: “children of God” — see NEW table (distinct from దత్తపుత్రత్వం). |
B. New Terms Introduced by the Gospel of John
| Term | Original (Greek) | Transliteration | Telugu | Telugu Transliteration | Risk | Doctrine | Key passages | Alternatives rejected | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Word (Logos) | λόγος | logos | వచనము | vachanamu | Critical | Deity and Pre-existence of Christ | 1:1,14 | (retain established Bible term; no viable alternative) | Guard against merging with Śabda-Brahman (cosmic-sound monism); must read as personal, relational, co-equally divine. |
| Life | ζωή | zōē | జీవము | jeevamu | High | Eternal Life through Faith | 1:4; 5:26; 6:33,51 | — | Distinguish from jīva/ātman individual-soul concept. |
| Eternal life | ζωὴ αἰώνιος | zōē aiōnios | నిత్యజీవము | nitya jeevamu | Critical | Eternal Life through Faith | 3:15-16,36; 4:14; 5:24; 6:47,54; 10:28; 17:2-3 | మోక్షం, ముక్తి | Same guardrail tier as రక్షణ. Never liberation-from-rebirth-cycle language. |
| Light | φῶς | phōs | వెలుగు | velugu | High | Deity of Christ / Judgment | 1:4-9; 3:19-21; 8:12; 9:5; 12:35-36,46 | — | Personal title for Christ, not generic enlightenment symbol. |
| Darkness | σκότος / σκοτία | skotos / skotia | చీకటి | chīkaṭi | Medium | Judgment and Belief/Unbelief | 1:5; 3:19; 8:12; 12:35,46 | — | Moral/spiritual opposition to God. |
| World | κόσμος | kosmos | లోకము | lokamu | High | God’s Love for the World | 1:9-10,29; 3:16-17,19; 4:42; 6:33,51; 8:12; 9:5; 12:47; 17:6,9,14-18 | — | Not a tier within a plural-loka cosmology; humanity in its estranged entirety. |
| Believe (verb) | πιστεύω | pisteuō | నమ్ముకొను / నమ్ము | nammukonu / nammu | Medium | Eternal Life through Faith | ~98 occurrences throughout | — | Verb pairs with baseline noun విశ్వాసం; keep noun/verb link consistent. |
| Testimony / testify | μαρτυρία / μαρτυρέω | martyria / martyreō | సాక్ష్యము / సాక్ష్యమిచ్చు | sākshyamu / sākshyamichhu | High | Deity of Christ (evidentiary structure) | 1:7-8,15,19,32,34; 3:11,26,32-33; 5:31-39; 8:13-18; 15:26-27; 19:35; 21:24 | — | Forensic/legal testimony, not subjective devotional experience. |
| Born again / born from above | γεννηθῇ ἄνωθεν | gennēthē anōthen | క్రొత్తగా జన్మించుట | kroṭṭagā janminchuṭa | Critical | The New Birth and Regeneration | 3:3,7 | పునర్జననం (too close to పునర్జన్మ) | Never any “puna-/again” compound; new-birth noun form: నూతన జననము. |
| New birth (noun, regeneration) | (γεννάω-family) | gennaō | నూతన జననము | nūtana jananamu | Critical | The New Birth and Regeneration | 3:3-8 (doctrine label) | పునర్జననం | Doctrine-name form; avoid “punar-” prefix entirely. |
| Flesh | σάρξ | sarx | శరీరము | śarīramu | High | New Birth / Incarnation | 1:14; 3:6; 6:51-58 | — | Contrast with ఆత్మ (spirit); categorical origin distinction. |
| Wind/Spirit wordplay | πνεῦμα / πνεῖ | pneuma / pnei | గాలి (wind) / ఆత్మ (Spirit) | gāli / ātma | Medium-High (linguistic-gap, not doctrinal) | New Birth and Regeneration | 3:8 | — | Untranslatable pun; requires translator’s footnote, not lexical fix. |
| Son of Man | υἱὸς τοῦ ἀνθρώπου | huios tou anthrōpou | మనుష్యకుమారుడు | manuṣyakumāruḍu | High | Deity and Pre-existence of Christ | 3:13-14; 5:27; 6:27,53,62; 9:35; 12:23,34; 13:31 | — | Daniel-7 authority title; not generic “a human.” |
| Only / only begotten Son | υἱὸς μονογενής | huios monogenēs | అద్వితీయ కుమారుడు | advitīya kumāruḍu | Critical | Deity and Pre-existence of Christ | 1:14,18; 3:16,18 | — | “Without a second”; reinforces reused దేవుని కుమారుడు. |
| Children of God | τέκνα θεοῦ | tekna theou | దేవుని పిల్లలు | Dēvuni pillalu | High | New Birth (birth-status, distinct from adoption) | 1:12-13; 11:52 | — | Distinguish from Romans’ దత్తపుత్రత్వం (legal adoption); this is birth-by-God. |
| Lifted up | ὑψωθῆναι | hypsōthēnai | ఎత్తబడుట | ettabaḍuṭa | High | Substitutionary Death / Judgment | 3:14; 8:28; 12:32,34 | — | Deliberate double meaning: crucifixion AND exaltation; keep consistent across all four occurrences. |
| Judgment / condemn | κρίνω / κρίσις | krinō / krisis | తీర్పు / తీర్పు తీర్చు | tīrpu / tīrpu tīrchu | High | Judgment and Belief/Unbelief | 3:17-19; 5:22,24,27,29-30; 8:15-16; 9:39; 12:31,48; 16:8,11 | — | Legal/forensic weight; not “criticize.” |
| Perish | ἀπόλλυμι | apollymi | నశించు | naśinchu | Medium-High | Judgment and Belief/Unbelief | 3:16; 10:28; 17:12 | — | Real personal ruin, not neutral dissolution. |
| Love | ἀγαπάω / ἀγάπη | agapaō / agapē | ప్రేమ / ప్రేమించు | prēma / prēminchu | High | God’s Love for the World | 3:16,35; 11:5; 13:1,34-35; 14:15,21,23-24; 15:9-13; 17:23-26; 21:15-17 | మోహం | Deliberate, self-giving love; distinguish from romantic attachment. |
| Truth | ἀλήθεια | alētheia | సత్యము | satyamu | High | Deity of Christ / Seven I Am Statements | 1:14,17; 3:21; 8:32,44; 14:6,17; 16:13; 17:17; 18:37-38 | — | Personal revealed reality in Christ, NOT the Sat/Satyam of Advaita/Vedāntic impersonal-Absolute usage. Elevated to High at every occurrence; Critical specifically at 14:6. |
| Bread of life | ὁ ἄρτος τῆς ζωῆς | ho artos tēs zōēs | జీవాహారము | jeevāhāramu | Medium-High | Seven I Am Statements | 6:35,48 | — | First “I Am” predicate. |
| ”I Am” (absolute) | ἐγώ εἰμι | egō eimi | నేనే / నేను ఉన్నాను | nēnē / nēnu unnānu | Critical | Seven I Am Statements / Deity of Christ | 8:24,28,58; 13:19; 18:5-6,8 | — | Echoes Exodus 3:14 LXX divine Name; distinct from ordinary predicate “I am [x]” statements. |
| Good shepherd | ὁ ποιμὴν ὁ καλός | ho poimēn ho kalos | మంచి కాపరి | manchi kāpari | Medium-High | Seven I Am Statements / Substitutionary Death | 10:11,14 | — | “Lays down his life for the sheep.” |
| Door / gate | ἡ θύρα | hē thyra | ద్వారము | dvāramu | Medium | Seven I Am Statements | 10:7,9 | — | Exclusive means of access, not one entrance among many. |
| Sheep / flock | πρόβατα / ποίμνη | probata / poimnē | గొఱ్ఱెలు / మంద | gorrelu / manda | Low | Church-adjacent imagery (John has no ἐκκλησία) | 10:1-16,26-27; 21:15-17 | — | Standard pastoral term. |
| Unity of Father and Son | ἐγὼ καὶ ὁ πατὴρ ἕν ἐσμεν | egō kai ho patēr hen esmen | నేనును తండ్రియును ఏకమైయున్నాము | nēnunu Tandriyunu ēkamai yunnāmu | Critical | Unity of the Father and the Son | 10:30; 17:11,21-22 | — | Unity of essence/being, not modalist identity nor mere agreement of separate wills. |
| Resurrection and the life (combined) | ἡ ἀνάστασις καὶ ἡ ζωή | hē anastasis kai hē zōē | పునరుత్థానమును జీవమును | punarutthānamunu jeevamunu | Critical | Seven I Am Statements / Substitutionary Death & Resurrection | 11:25 | — | Christ IS resurrection/life in person, not merely grants or predicts it. |
| Grain of wheat | ὁ κόκκος τοῦ σίτου | ho kokkos tou sitou | గోధుమగింజ | gōdhumaginja | Low-Medium | Substitutionary Death | 12:24 | — | Death-then-fruitfulness metaphor. |
| Greeks (Gentile seekers) | Ἕλληνες | Hellēnes | గ్రీసు వారు / యూనానీయులు | grīsu vāru / yūnānīyulu | Low | Mission to the Nations (background) | 12:20 | — | Distinct from general అన్యజనులు (gentiles). |
| Foot washing | νίπτω | niptō | పాదములు కడుగు | pādamulu kaḍugu | Medium | Servant-love / New Commandment | 13:5-14 | — | Servant-leadership model; low syncretism risk. |
| New commandment | ἐντολὴ καινή | entolē kainē | క్రొత్త ఆజ్ఞ | kroṭṭa āgna | Medium | God’s Love for the World | 13:34 | — | Covenantal newness, not merely additional rule. |
| Betray | παραδίδωμι | paradidōmi | అప్పగించు / ద్రోహము చేయు | appaginchu / drōhamu cheyu | Low-Medium | Substitutionary Death (narrative) | 13:2,11,21; 18:2,5 | — | Standard narrative term. |
| Way | ὁδός | hodos | మార్గము | mārgamu | Critical | Seven I Am Statements | 14:6 | — | Exclusive way to the Father; NOT one mārga among bhakti/jñāna/karma mārga. Human theologian review required at every occurrence. |
| Counselor / Paraclete | ὁ παράκλητος | ho paraklētos | ఆదరణకర్త | ādaraṇakarta | High | The Holy Spirit as Counselor | 14:16,26; 15:26; 16:7-13 | సహాయకుడు, వకీలు | Personal divine Advocate/Comforter, not vague impersonal comfort. |
| True vine | ἡ ἄμπελος ἡ ἀληθινή | hē ampelos hē alēthinē | ద్రాక్షావల్లి | drākshāvalli | Medium | Seven I Am Statements | 15:1,5 | — | Requires OT Israel-as-vine background teaching. |
| Abide / remain | μένω | menō | నిలుచు / నిలిచియుండు | niluchu / nilichiyuṇḍu | Medium-High | Unity of Father and Son (extended to believers) | 6:56; 14:10,17,23; 15:4-10 | — | Active continuing communion, not passive positional statement. |
| Bear fruit | καρποφορέω | karpophoreō | ఫలించు | phalinchu | Low-Medium | Discipleship (vine imagery) | 15:2,4-8,16 | — | Standard. |
| Tribulation | θλῖψις | thlipsis | శ్రమ | śrama | Medium | Judgment and Belief/Unbelief (persecution context) | 16:33 | — | Suffering-for-Christ, not karmic consequence. |
| Overcome | νικάω | nikaō | జయించు | jayinchu | Medium | Assurance (background) | 16:33 | — | Victory vocabulary. |
| Know (relational) | γινώσκω | gignōskō | ఎరుగు / తెలుసుకొను | eruguta / telusukonu | Medium-High | Eternal Life through Faith | 17:3 | — | Relational acquaintance, not jñāna-style mystical gnosis. |
| Authority | ἐξουσία | exousia | అధికారము | adhikāramu | High | Deity of Christ / Unity of Father and Son | 5:27; 10:18; 17:2; 19:10-11 | — | Delegated yet inherently personal divine authority. |
| Honor (equal) | τιμή | timē | గౌరవించు | gauravinchu | Medium-High | Deity of Christ | 5:23 | — | Equal-honor formula must not be softened. |
| Draws | ἑλκύω | helkyō | ఆకర్షించు | ākarshinchu | High | Election-adjacent (background) | 6:44; 12:32; 21:6,11 | — | Personal, purposeful, not mechanical/fatalistic. |
| Living water | ὕδωρ ζῶν | hydōr zōn | జీవజలము | jeevajalamu | Medium-High | Holy Spirit as Counselor (background) | 4:10-14; 7:37-38 | — | Spirit-given satisfying life. |
| Savior of the world | ὁ σωτὴρ τοῦ κόσμου | ho sōtēr tou kosmou | లోక రక్షకుడు | loka rakshakuḍu | Critical | Eternal Life through Faith / God’s Love for the World | 4:42 | — | Reuses రక్షణ guardrail as a personal title. |
| Worship | προσκυνέω | proskyneō | ఆరాధించు | ārādhinchu | Medium | God’s Love for the World (background) | 4:20-24; 9:38 | నమస్కారం | Personal reverence “in spirit and truth,” not generic prostration. |
| Sign | σημεῖον | sēmeion | సూచకక్రియ | sūchakakriya | Medium-High | Deity of Christ (evidentiary) | 2:11,18,23; 3:2; 4:54; 6:2,14,26,30; 9:16; 11:47; 12:18,37; 20:30 | — | Revelatory miracle, not omen/astrology. |
| Temple (literal building) | τὸ ἱερόν | to hieron | దేవాలయము | dēvālayamu | Medium-High (disambiguation) | (background) | 2:14-15; 5:14; 7:14,28; 8:20; 10:23; 11:56; 18:20 | — | CORRECT here for literal building; NEVER a synonym for church/సంఘము elsewhere. |
| Temple of his body | ναὸς τοῦ σώματος αὐτοῦ | naos tou sōmatos autou | (దేవాలయము, contextual/metaphorical) | — | High | Substitutionary Death & Resurrection | 2:19-21 | — | Metaphor for resurrection; requires explicit teaching flag. |
| Lamb of God | ὁ ἀμνὸς τοῦ θεοῦ | ho amnos tou theou | దేవుని గొఱ్ఱెపిల్ల | Dēvuni gorrepilla | High-Critical | Substitutionary Death | 1:29,36; 19:36 | — | Sacrificial substitution, Passover typology; not endearment/purity symbol only. |
| Rabbi / Teacher | Ῥαββί / διδάσκαλος | Rhabbi / didaskalos | బోధకుడు (రబ్బీ retained in dialogue) | bōdhakuḍu (Rabbī) | Medium | Deity of Christ (contrast with mere teacher) | 1:38,49; 3:2,10; 20:16 | గురువు | Recognized teacher “from God,” not self-attained guru authority. |
| Disciple | μαθητής | mathētēs | శిష్యుడు | śiṣyuḍu | Medium | Discipleship (background) | throughout | — | Established Christian usage; note guru-śiṣya cultural resonance for teaching context. |
| Devil | ὁ διάβολος | ho diabolos | అపవాది / సాతాను | apavādi / Sātānu | Low-Medium | Judgment and Belief/Unbelief (background) | 8:44; 13:2 | — | Established. |
| Sabbath | σάββατον | sabbaton | విశ్రాంతిదినము | viśrāntidinamu | Low-Medium | (background, legal controversy) | 5:9-18; 7:22-23; 9:14,16; 19:31 | — | Cultural/legal background note only. |
| High priest | ὁ ἀρχιερεύς | ho archiereus | ప్రధాన యాజకుడు | pradhāna yājakuḍu | Low | (background, Passion narrative) | 11:49-51; 18:13-24 | — | Established office term. |
| Crucify / cross | σταυρόω / σταυρός | stauroō / stauros | సిలువ వేయు / సిలువ | siluva vēyu / siluva | Critical | Christ’s Substitutionary Death | 19:6,15-18,23,25,31-32,41 | — | Once-for-all atoning event; not generic martyrdom/suffering. |
| It is finished | τετέλεσται | tetelestai | సమాప్తమైనది | samāptamainadi | Critical | Christ’s Substitutionary Death | 19:30 | — | Completed, sufficient, once-for-all — echoes “paid in full.” |
| Blood and water | αἷμα καὶ ὕδωρ | haima kai hydōr | రక్తము, నీరు | raktamu, nīru | Medium-High | Christ’s Substitutionary Death | 19:34 | — | Evidentiary + typological; teaching-note risk. |
| My Lord and my God | Κύριέ μου καὶ Θεέ μου | Kyrie mou kai Thee mou | నా ప్రభువును నా దేవుడును | nā prabhuvunu nā dēvuḍunu | Critical | Deity of Christ | 20:28 | — | Direct deity confession; verbatim cross-document consistency required, parallel to Romans 10:9. |
| Feed / tend my sheep | βόσκε / ποίμαινε τὰ πρόβατά μου | boske / poimaine ta probata mou | నా గొఱ్ఱెలను మేపు / కాయు | nā gorrelanu mēpu / kāyu | Medium | Pastoral ministry (background) | 21:15-17 | — | Foundational leadership-formation text. |
| Love (agape/phileo distinction) | ἀγαπάω / φιλέω | agapaō / phileō | ప్రేమించు (single Telugu verb for both) | prēminchu | Medium (translatability, not doctrinal) | God’s Love for the World (background) | 21:15-17 | — | Untranslatable Greek nuance; footnote recommended where lesson content discusses it directly. |
| Follow me | ἀκολούθει μοι | akolouthei moi | వెంబడించు | vembaḍinchu | Low | Discipleship (background) | 1:43; 21:19,22 | — | Standard. |
C. Risk Summary (John-specific new terms only; excludes reused Romans-baseline terms)
| Risk Tier | Count | Review Routing |
|---|---|---|
| Critical | 13 | Human theologian (every occurrence) |
| High | 15 | Human theologian |
| Medium-High | 9 | Human theologian / Native speaker (dual flag) |
| Medium | 11 | Native speaker review |
| Low / Low-Medium | 9 | Automated / light native speaker review |
Critical-tier John-specific terms requiring theologian review at every occurrence: Word (Logos), Eternal life, Born again/New birth, Only begotten Son, “I Am” (absolute), Unity of Father and Son (“I and the Father are one”), Resurrection and the life (combined I Am), Way (John 14:6), Savior of the world, Crucify/cross, It is finished, My Lord and my God, Truth (specifically at John 14:6 occurrence).
This glossary feeds directly into the John-curriculum extension of translation_memory.json and bible_term_registry.json in the next Phase 1 step. All reused terms (Section A) must be copied forward with zero deviation from the Romans baseline values.
Critical Risk Terms
God
Approved rendering: దేవుడు
Transliteration: Dēvuḍu
Doctrine: Deity of Christ / The Deity and Pre-existence of Christ
Rejected alternatives: భగవంతుడు
Original: θεός
Category: God
Inherited from Romans package, unchanged. దేవుడు is the standard, near-universally accepted Telugu Christian term across every denomination. In John, this term receives even more direct textual anchors than in Romans: John 1:1 (‘the Word was God’) and John 20:28 (‘My Lord and my God’) both apply దేవుడు directly to Christ himself. Never భగవంతుడు in doctrinally precise contexts.
Jesus
Approved rendering: యేసు
Transliteration: Yēsu
Doctrine: Christology
Original: Ἰησοῦς
Category: Christology
Inherited from Romans package, unchanged. Shared standard across Telugu Protestant and Catholic usage alike; used throughout John’s 21 chapters without variation.
Lord
Approved rendering: ప్రభువు
Transliteration: prabhuvu
Doctrine: Lordship of Christ
Rejected alternatives: స్వామి
Original: κύριος
Category: Christology
Inherited from Romans package, unchanged. In John, the most theologically weighted occurrence is 20:28 (‘నా ప్రభువును నా దేవుడును’, Thomas’s confession), which must render Christ’s exclusive, presently-reigning Lordship without qualification, exactly as the baseline requires for Romans 10:9.
Son Of God
Approved rendering: దేవుని కుమారుడు
Transliteration: Dēvuni Kumāruḍu
Doctrine: Sonship of Christ
Rejected alternatives: అవతారపురుషుడు
Original: υἱὸς θεοῦ
Category: Christology
Inherited from Romans package, unchanged. Reinforced throughout John (1:34,49; 3:18; 5:25; 10:36; 11:4; 19:7; 20:31) and further sharpened by the new John-specific term అద్వితీయ కుమారుడు (only_begotten_son, see Section B), which forecloses any avatar-among-several reading.
Holy Spirit
Approved rendering: పరిశుద్ధాత్మ
Transliteration: pariśuddhātma
Doctrine: The Holy Spirit as Counselor
Rejected alternatives: పరమాత్మ, పవిత్రాత్మ
Original: πνεῦμα ἅγιον
Category: God
Inherited from Romans package, unchanged. Never పరమాత్మ; never alternated with పవిత్రాత్మ. In John this term anchors the New Birth (3:5-8), the Counselor promise (14:16,26; 15:26; 16:7-13), and the Spirit’s impartation (20:22). The 3:8 గాలి/ఆత్మ wordplay (see Section B) applies specifically to this term’s Greek root πνεῦμα.
Father
Approved rendering: తండ్రి
Transliteration: Tandri
Doctrine: Unity of the Father and the Son
Rejected alternatives: సృష్టికర్త
Original: πατήρ
Category: God
Inherited from Romans package, unchanged. తండ్రి is John’s most frequent address term for God, central to chapters 14-17’s Unity of Father and Son teaching and to the Abba-adjacent intimacy language carried over from the Romans baseline.
Resurrection
Approved rendering: పునరుత్థానం
Transliteration: punarutthānam
Doctrine: Christ’s Substitutionary Death and Resurrection
Rejected alternatives: పునర్జన్మ
Original: ἀνάστασις
Category: Eschatology
Inherited from Romans package, unchanged. NEVER పునర్జన్మ. In John this term anchors both Christ’s own resurrection (ch.20) and the future resurrection of all believers (5:28-29; 11:24-25), and is combined into the Critical compound term పునరుత్థానమును జీవమును (resurrection_and_life, see Section B) at 11:25.
Incarnation
Approved rendering: శరీరధారణ
Transliteration: śarīradhāraṇa
Doctrine: The Deity and Pre-existence of Christ
Rejected alternatives: అవతారం
Original: ὁ λόγος σὰρξ ἐγένετο
Category: Christology
Inherited from Romans package, unchanged. NEVER అవతారం. John 1:14 (‘the Word became flesh’) is a more direct textual statement of this doctrine than anything in Romans, sharpening the existing guardrail against Tirupati’s Venkateswara/avatar tradition.
Salvation
Approved rendering: రక్షణ
Transliteration: rakshana
Doctrine: Eternal Life through Faith in Christ
Rejected alternatives: మోక్షం, ముక్తి
Original: σωτηρία / σῴζω
Category: Salvation
Inherited from Romans package, unchanged. NEVER మోక్షం or ముక్తి. In John this concept is carried largely by the near-synonym నిత్యజీవము (eternal_life, see Section B), but రక్షణ itself still occurs (3:17; 4:42; 10:9; 12:47) and is applied as the personal title లోక రక్షకుడు (savior_of_world, Section B).
Messiah
Approved rendering: మెస్సీయ
Transliteration: Messīya
Doctrine: Messianic Promise
Rejected alternatives: అవతారపురుషుడు
Original: Χριστός / Μεσσίας
Category: Christology
Inherited from Romans package, unchanged. John 1:41 uniquely glosses the Greek Χριστός with the transliterated Hebrew/Aramaic Μεσσίαν; Telugu should preserve both మెస్సీయ and క్రీస్తు and explain their equivalence, exactly as John himself does.
Word Logos
Approved rendering: వచనము
Transliteration: vachanamu
Doctrine: The Deity and Pre-existence of Christ (the Word)
Rejected alternatives: మాట, శబ్దం
Original: ὁ Λόγος
Category: Christology
NEW to this curriculum; Romans never treats Logos. The long-established Telugu Bible rendering (John 1:1). CRITICAL: must never be assimilated to శబ్దబ్రహ్మం (Śabda-Brahman), the Vedāntic/Śākta cosmic-sound principle identical with the impersonal Absolute. Every occurrence must be paired with explicit relational (‘was WITH God’) and incarnational (1:14, one specific human) teaching.
Eternal Life
Approved rendering: నిత్యజీవము
Transliteration: nitya jeevamu
Doctrine: Eternal Life through Faith in Christ
Rejected alternatives: మోక్షం, ముక్తి
Original: ζωὴ αἰώνιος
Category: Salvation
NEW, CRITICAL, same guardrail tier as రక్షణ. Must never merge with మోక్షం/ముక్తి (liberation from the rebirth cycle) or a jīva-Brahman-merger framework. John 17:3 explicitly defines it as relational knowledge of a personal God, reinforcing communion, not impersonal absorption. Primary passages: 3:15-16,36; 4:14; 5:24; 6:47,54; 10:28; 17:2-3.
Born Again
Approved rendering: క్రొత్తగా జన్మించుట
Transliteration: kroṭṭagā janminchuṭa
Doctrine: The New Birth and Regeneration by the Spirit
Rejected alternatives: పునర్జననం, పునర్జన్మ
Original: γεννηθῇ ἄνωθεν
Category: New Birth
NEW, CRITICAL, one of the single highest-risk terms in this curriculum (John 3:3,7). Telugu reserves పునర్జన్మ exclusively for reincarnation across the rebirth cycle. This verb-phrase deliberately avoids any ‘punar-’ (again/repeatedly) compounding, since John 3:4 itself stages and then corrects Nicodemus’s own literalistic ‘born a second time’ misreading.
New Birth
Approved rendering: నూతన జననము
Transliteration: nūtana jananamu
Doctrine: The New Birth and Regeneration by the Spirit
Rejected alternatives: పునర్జననం
Original: γεννάω (regeneration, doctrine-name form)
Category: New Birth
NEW, CRITICAL. The doctrine-name noun form (John 3:3-8). NEVER పునర్జననం, which sits dangerously close in form and sound to the forbidden పునర్జన్మ. This distinction must be preserved absolutely in all lesson titles and doctrine labels.
Only Begotten Son
Approved rendering: అద్వితీయ కుమారుడు
Transliteration: advitīya kumāruḍu
Doctrine: The Deity and Pre-existence of Christ / Sonship of Christ
Original: ὁ υἱὸς ὁ μονογενής
Category: Christology
NEW, CRITICAL, reinforcing the baseline’s Critical దేవుని కుమారుడు. The established Telugu Bible phrase (John 3:16), literally ‘without-a-second Son,’ precisely chosen to foreclose any reading of Christ as one divine son among several avatars or elevated beings. Also at 1:14,18; 3:18.
I Am Absolute
Approved rendering: నేనే / నేను ఉన్నాను
Transliteration: nēnē / nēnu unnānu
Doctrine: The Seven ‘I Am’ Statements (Absolute Self-Disclosure)
Original: ἐγώ εἰμι (absolute, unqualified)
Category: Christology
NEW, CRITICAL. The unqualified, absolute self-disclosure formula (8:24,28,58; 13:19; 18:5-6,8) echoing Exodus 3:14 LXX and Isaiah 43:10-11 LXX — the single most direct claim to deity and pre-existence in the Gospel, confirmed by the stoning attempt at 8:59. Must be explicitly distinguished from the ordinary predicate ‘I am [x]’ formula, which uses the same Greek words but functions as a normal predicate-noun sentence.
Unity Of Father And Son
Approved rendering: నేనును తండ్రియును ఏకమైయున్నాము
Transliteration: nēnunu Tandriyunu ēkamai yunnāmu
Doctrine: Unity of the Father and the Son
Original: ἐγὼ καὶ ὁ πατὴρ ἕν ἐσμεν
Category: Christology
NEW, CRITICAL, the central textual anchor for this doctrine (10:30; extended in 17:11,21-22). The neuter ‘ఏకము’ (one thing/essence) must be taught as unity of essence/being, avoiding both modalist collapse and subordinationist dilution; the stoning attempt at 10:31-33 confirms the full-deity reading.
Resurrection And Life
Approved rendering: పునరుత్థానమును జీవమును
Transliteration: punarutthānamunu jeevamunu
Doctrine: The Seven ‘I Am’ Statements / Christ’s Substitutionary Death and Resurrection
Original: ἐγώ εἰμι ἡ ἀνάστασις καὶ ἡ ζωή
Category: Christology
NEW, CRITICAL by composition, combining two already-Critical guardrails (పునరుత్థానం, నిత్యజీవము). Fifth ‘I Am’ predicate (11:25): Christ IS resurrection and life in his own person, not merely a future event he causes.
Way
Approved rendering: మార్గము
Transliteration: mārgamu
Doctrine: The Seven ‘I Am’ Statements (Exclusive Access to the Father)
Original: ἡ ὁδός
Category: Christology
NEW, CRITICAL, a risk genuinely new to this curriculum (Romans never uses ‘way’ as a Christ-title). Telugu మార్గము is the standard word for the several traditionally recognized paths to liberation (భక్తి/జ్ఞాన/కర్మ మార్గము), each considered a legitimate route to one shared goal. John 14:6 claims Christ is THE exclusive way to the Father, not one mārga among several; exclusivity must be made explicit at every occurrence.
Savior Of World
Approved rendering: లోక రక్షకుడు
Transliteration: loka rakshakuḍu
Doctrine: Eternal Life through Faith in Christ / God’s Love for the World
Original: ὁ σωτὴρ τοῦ κόσμου
Category: Salvation
NEW, CRITICAL, reusing the రక్షణ guardrail as a personal title of Christ (4:42). Must convey a personal deliverer, never an abstract liberating principle or మోక్షం/ముక్తి-adjacent vocabulary.
Lamb Of God
Approved rendering: దేవుని గొఱ్ఱెపిల్ల
Transliteration: Dēvuni gorrepilla
Doctrine: Christ’s Substitutionary Death and Resurrection
Original: ὁ ἀμνὸς τοῦ θεοῦ
Category: Salvation
NEW, CRITICAL. John the Baptist’s identification of Jesus (1:29,36; fulfilled 19:36) as the one who ‘takes away the sin of the world,’ drawing on Passover-lamb typology and Isaiah 53. Must retain specific sacrificial-substitutionary sense, never a generic endearment/purity symbol.
Crucify Cross
Approved rendering: సిలువ వేయు / సిలువ
Transliteration: siluva vēyu / siluva
Doctrine: Christ’s Substitutionary Death and Resurrection
Original: σταυρόω / σταυρός
Category: Salvation
NEW, CRITICAL. The long-established Telugu Bible term for the historical, substitutionary, once-for-all act and instrument of Christ’s death (19:6,15-18,23,25,31-32,41). Must never be softened into generic ‘suffering’ or ‘martyrdom’ language.
It Is Finished
Approved rendering: సమాప్తమైనది
Transliteration: samāptamainadi
Doctrine: Christ’s Substitutionary Death and Resurrection
Original: τετέλεσται
Category: Salvation
NEW, CRITICAL. The perfect tense of τελέω (19:30), echoing a documented commercial ‘paid in full’ usage. Must retain the sense of a completed, sufficient, once-for-all accomplishment, not a neutral ‘it has ended.‘
My Lord And My God
Approved rendering: నా ప్రభువును నా దేవుడును
Transliteration: nā prabhuvunu nā dēvuḍunu
Doctrine: The Deity and Pre-existence of Christ (Confession)
Original: Ὁ Κύριός μου καὶ ὁ Θεός μου
Category: Christology
NEW, CRITICAL, structurally parallel to Romans 10:9’s ‘Jesus is Lord’ confession. Thomas’s direct confession of Christ’s full deity (20:28), combining the baseline’s two Critical terms ప్రభువు and దేవుడు. Must be rendered without qualification and held verbatim-consistent across every document.
High Risk Terms
Grace
Approved rendering: కృప
Transliteration: kṛpa
Doctrine: Grace
Rejected alternatives: పుణ్యం, కర్మఫలం
Original: χάρις
Category: Salvation
Inherited from Romans package, unchanged. In John, paired with truth in the Prologue’s description of the incarnate Logos (1:14,16-17, ‘grace and truth’, echoing OT hesed we’emet).
Sin
Approved rendering: పాపం
Transliteration: pāpam
Doctrine: Universal Human Accountability
Rejected alternatives: అధర్మం
Original: ἁμαρτία
Category: Sin
Inherited from Romans package, unchanged. In John, the burden the Lamb of God takes away (1:29), the condition of slavery contrasted with true freedom (8:34), and the condition the Spirit convicts the world of (16:8).
Glory
Approved rendering: మహిమ
Transliteration: mahima
Doctrine: Deity of Christ
Rejected alternatives: తేజస్సు
Original: δόξα
Category: God
Inherited from Romans package, unchanged. In John, manifested through Christ’s signs (2:11) and supremely through the death-resurrection-ascension complex (12:41; 17:5,22,24).
Seed Of David
Approved rendering: దావీదు వంశములో పుట్టినవాడు
Transliteration: Dāvīdu vamśamulō puṭṭinavāḍu
Doctrine: Davidic Covenant
Original: σπέρμα Δαυίδ / ἐκ τῆς κώμης Δαυίδ
Category: Covenant
Inherited from Romans package, unchanged. In John, invoked as a messianic-credential expectation in the crowd’s debate over Jesus’ origin (7:42); requires OT covenant background to be meaningful, as in Romans.
Sanctification
Approved rendering: పరిశుద్ధపరచడం
Transliteration: pariśuddhaparachaḍam
Doctrine: Sanctification
Rejected alternatives: శుద్ధీకరణ
Original: ἁγιάζω / ἁγιασμός
Category: Sanctification
Inherited from Romans package, unchanged. In John, the Father’s/Son’s work prayed for directly in the High Priestly Prayer (17:17,19, ‘sanctify them in the truth’).
Life
Approved rendering: జీవము
Transliteration: jeevamu
Doctrine: Eternal Life through Faith in Christ
Rejected alternatives: జీవితం
Original: ζωή
Category: Salvation
NEW. Life as a quality of being sourced in God through the Son (1:4; 5:26; 6:33,51), distinct from mere biological existence. Must be kept distinct from the jīva/ātman individual-soul concept prominent in surrounding Telugu religious thought.
Light
Approved rendering: వెలుగు
Transliteration: velugu
Doctrine: The Seven ‘I Am’ Statements / Light and Darkness
Original: φῶς
Category: Christology
NEW. A personal title for Christ himself (1:4-9; 8:12; 9:5), not a metaphor for enlightenment or knowledge. Must not be conflated with jyoti/prakāśam enlightenment imagery common in Telugu devotional and philosophical literature.
World
Approved rendering: లోకము
Transliteration: lokamu
Doctrine: God’s Love for the World
Original: κόσμος
Category: Salvation
NEW. Humanity in its fallen, God-estranged entirety (3:16-17). Risks being heard through the surrounding plural-loka cosmology (bhūloka, svargaloka, etc.) as one tier within a cosmic hierarchy rather than the single created human order in its entirety.
Testimony
Approved rendering: సాక్ష్యము / సాక్ష్యమిచ్చు
Transliteration: sākshyamu / sākshyamichhu
Doctrine: Testimony and the Witness-Structure of the Gospel
Original: μαρτυρία / μαρτυρέω
Category: Christology
NEW. Authoritative, firsthand eyewitness testimony, a major structural category across John (1:7-8,15,19,32,34; 3:11,26,32-33; 5:31-39; 8:13-18; 15:26-27; 19:35; 21:24). Must retain forensic/legal weight, not read as subjective devotional ‘testimony’ of personal religious experience.
Flesh
Approved rendering: శరీరము
Transliteration: śarīramu
Doctrine: The New Birth and Regeneration by the Spirit / Incarnation
Original: σάρξ
Category: New Birth
NEW. Marks the categorical boundary between what biological birth produces and what only the Spirit can produce (3:6), and is also central to Incarnation (1:14). Must be held in deliberate contrast with ఆత్మ (spirit) throughout John.
Son Of Man
Approved rendering: మనుష్యకుమారుడు
Transliteration: manuṣyakumāruḍu
Doctrine: The Deity and Pre-existence of Christ
Original: ὁ υἱὸς τοῦ ἀνθρώπου
Category: Christology
NEW. Jesus’ most frequent self-designation, rooted in Daniel 7:13-14’s exalted authority-bearing figure; in John 3:13 carries pre-existence and heavenly origin. Must not be flattened to a generic ‘a human being.‘
Children Of God
Approved rendering: దేవుని పిల్లలు
Transliteration: Dēvuni pillalu
Doctrine: The New Birth and Regeneration by the Spirit
Original: τέκνα θεοῦ
Category: New Birth
NEW. Believers who become children of God by divine birth (1:12-13; 11:52), not natural or sexual-volitional birth. Must be taught alongside, and clearly distinguished from, the Romans baseline’s దత్తపుత్రత్వం (legal adoption): origin-by-birth vs. status-by-adoption are complementary, not identical, doctrines.
Lifted Up
Approved rendering: ఎత్తబడుట
Transliteration: ettabaḍuṭa
Doctrine: Christ’s Substitutionary Death and Resurrection
Original: ὑψωθῆναι
Category: Salvation
NEW. Deliberate double meaning sustained across John (3:14; 8:28; 12:32,34): the physical lifting-up onto the cross AND exaltation/glorification, tying the crucifixion to Numbers 21’s bronze-serpent typology. Must be rendered identically at every occurrence; do not vary between literal and honorific senses.
Judgment
Approved rendering: తీర్పు / తీర్పు తీర్చు
Transliteration: tīrpu / tīrpu tīrchu
Doctrine: Judgment and Belief/Unbelief
Original: κρίνω / κρίσις
Category: Judgment
NEW. A legal/forensic verdict, explicitly contrasted with saving (3:17) and defined as self-selection through response to the Light (3:19). Must retain legal/forensic weight, not collapse into ‘criticize/evaluate.’ The perfect-tense ‘already judged’ (3:18, κέκριται) requires a Telugu perfective construction (తీర్పు తీర్చబడియున్నాడు), not a simple future.
Perish
Approved rendering: నశించు
Transliteration: naśinchu
Doctrine: Judgment and Belief/Unbelief
Original: ἀπόλλυμι
Category: Judgment
NEW. Real, final, personal ruin before God (3:16; 10:28; 17:12), not a natural, morally-neutral dissolution back into an impersonal cosmic order as popular devotional fatalism might otherwise suggest.
Love
Approved rendering: ప్రేమ / ప్రేమించు
Transliteration: prēma / prēminchu
Doctrine: God’s Love for the World
Rejected alternatives: మోహం
Original: ἀγαπάω / ἀγάπη
Category: God
NEW. God’s initiating, deliberate, self-giving, sacrificial love (3:16; 13:1,34-35; 15:9-13). Must be held distinct from మోహం (romantic/desiring attachment) and from a generic ‘goodwill’ gloss; reads as the same cross-shaped love Telugu hymnody already associates with Calvary.
Truth
Approved rendering: సత్యము
Transliteration: satyamu
Doctrine: The Seven ‘I Am’ Statements / Deity of Christ
Original: ἀλήθεια
Category: Christology
NEW; High risk generally, ELEVATED TO CRITICAL specifically at John 14:6’s ‘I Am’ occurrence. Telugu సత్యము carries independent philosophical freight from Advaita Vedānta’s Sat-Chit-Ānanda and the Satyam-Śivam-Sundaram devotional triad, where Sat/Truth names an attribute of the impersonal Brahman. John’s ἀλήθεια/సత్యము is personal, revealed, Christ-centered reality, never an impersonal metaphysical principle.
Bread Of Life
Approved rendering: జీవాహారము
Transliteration: jeevāhāramu
Doctrine: The Seven ‘I Am’ Statements
Original: ὁ ἄρτος τῆς ζωῆς
Category: Christology
NEW. First of the seven ‘I Am’ predicates (6:35,48). Christ himself as the sustaining source of eternal life, reinforced by the Eucharistic-echoing ‘eat my flesh’ language (6:53-58); must not be read as a literal dietary requirement detached from personal trust in Christ.
Good Shepherd
Approved rendering: మంచి కాపరి
Transliteration: manchi kāpari
Doctrine: The Seven ‘I Am’ Statements / Christ’s Substitutionary Death
Original: ὁ ποιμὴν ὁ καλός
Category: Christology
NEW. Fourth ‘I Am’ predicate (10:11,14). Must convey a shepherd who dies in the sheep’s place (10:11,15,17-18), not merely a benevolent caretaker image lacking substitutionary weight.
Counselor Paraclete
Approved rendering: ఆదరణకర్త
Transliteration: ādaraṇakarta
Doctrine: The Holy Spirit as Counselor
Rejected alternatives: సహాయకుడు, వకీలు
Original: ὁ παράκλητος
Category: God
NEW. The established Telugu Bible rendering (14:16,26; 15:26; 16:7-13). Must be taught as a personal, distinct-yet-united-with-Father-and-Son divine Counselor, never a vague impersonal ‘sense of comfort.’ సహాయకుడు rejected as too generic; వకీలు rejected as a modern secular loanword too narrowly forensic and stylistically incongruent with Bible register.
Abide Remain
Approved rendering: నిలుచు / నిలిచియుండు
Transliteration: niluchu / nilichiyuṇḍu
Doctrine: Unity of the Father and the Son (extended to believers) / Discipleship
Original: μένω
Category: Discipleship
NEW. A settled, ongoing, mutual indwelling relationship (15:4-10; cf. 6:56; 14:10,17,23), central to Johannine discipleship vocabulary. Must convey active, relational, continuing communion, not passive positional ‘staying put.‘
Know Relational
Approved rendering: ఎరుగు / తెలుసుకొను
Transliteration: eruguta / telusukonu
Doctrine: Eternal Life through Faith in Christ
Original: γινώσκω
Category: Faith
NEW. Relational, experiential knowledge of a person (17:3, ‘this is eternal life, that they know you’), not abstract or mystical gnosis; must not be read through a jñāna-mārga lens.
Authority
Approved rendering: అధికారము
Transliteration: adhikāramu
Doctrine: Unity of the Father and the Son / Deity of Christ
Original: ἐξουσία
Category: Christology
NEW. Authorized power/right to act, distinguished from raw ability (5:26-27; 10:18; 17:2; 19:10-11). Must convey authority that is both given by the Father and inherently, personally the Son’s own.
Honor Equal
Approved rendering: గౌరవించు
Transliteration: gauravinchu
Doctrine: Unity of the Father and the Son
Original: τιμή
Category: Christology
NEW. ‘That all may honor the Son just as they honor the Father’ (5:23). The equality clause must not be softened into a lesser, derivative honor for the Son.
Draws
Approved rendering: ఆకర్షించు
Transliteration: ākarshinchu
Doctrine: Eternal Life through Faith in Christ (Election-adjacent)
Original: ἑλκύω
Category: Salvation
NEW. ‘No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him’ (6:44). Must convey personal, purposeful initiative, not an impersonal-mechanical ‘pull’ readable as విధి (fatalism) or కర్మ.
Temple Of His Body
Approved rendering: దేవాలయము (contextual/metaphorical)
Transliteration: dēvālayamu
Doctrine: Christ’s Substitutionary Death and Resurrection
Original: ὁ ναὸς τοῦ σώματος αὐτοῦ
Category: Christology
NEW. ναός (the inner sanctuary) applied metaphorically to Jesus’ body (2:19-21), foretelling the resurrection. Requires an explicit translator’s note that the antecedent is Jesus’ own body, not the physical Temple building.
Medium Risk Terms
Kingdom Of God
Approved rendering: దేవుని రాజ్యం
Transliteration: Dēvuni Rājyam
Doctrine: New Birth / Kingdom Mission
Original: βασιλεία τοῦ θεοῦ
Category: Kingdom
Inherited from Romans package, unchanged. In John 3, entry is conditioned entirely on new birth (3:3,5), not covenant lineage — theologically significant for a Law-observant ruler like Nicodemus. Also occurs at 18:36 (‘my kingdom is not of this world’).
Peace
Approved rendering: శాంతి
Transliteration: śānti
Doctrine: Peace with God
Rejected alternatives: మనశ్శాంతి
Original: εἰρήνη
Category: Salvation
Inherited from Romans package, unchanged. In John, Christ’s own gift distinct from the world’s peace (14:27; 16:33) and his greeting to the disciples after the resurrection (20:19,21,26).
Law
Approved rendering: ధర్మశాస్త్రము
Transliteration: dharmaśāstramu
Doctrine: Fulfillment of Prophecy
Original: νόμος
Category: Covenant
Inherited from Romans package, unchanged. In John, referenced in contrast with grace and truth (1:17) and in Sabbath/legal controversies (7:19,23; 8:5,17). Do not ‘correct’ to a niyama-based compound.
Israel
Approved rendering: ఇశ్రాయేలు
Transliteration: Iśrāyēlu
Doctrine: Unity of Jews and Gentiles / Messianic Promise
Original: Ἰσραήλ
Category: Covenant
Inherited from Romans package, unchanged. In John, used of Nathanael (1:31,49), of Nicodemus as ‘the teacher of Israel’ (3:10), and at the Triumphal Entry (12:13).
David
Approved rendering: దావీదు
Transliteration: Dāvīdu
Doctrine: Davidic Covenant
Original: Δαυίδ
Category: Covenant
Inherited from Romans package, unchanged. In John, referenced in the Messianic-lineage debate of 7:42.
Faith
Approved rendering: విశ్వాసం
Transliteration: viswāsam
Doctrine: Faith
Rejected alternatives: భక్తి
Original: πίστις
Category: Faith
Inherited from Romans package, unchanged. John’s Gospel favors the verb form (see believe, Section B, నమ్ముకొను/నమ్ము, ~98 occurrences) over this noun, but the underlying concept is identical; the noun/verb pairing must be held consistent so readers moving between Romans and John do not experience vocabulary fragmentation.
Darkness
Approved rendering: చీకటి
Transliteration: chīkaṭi
Doctrine: Light and Darkness as Moral-Spiritual Categories
Original: σκότος / σκοτία
Category: Judgment
NEW. Moral and spiritual opposition to God and the Light (Christ), not merely absence of information. Standard contrastive pairing with వెలుగు.
Believe
Approved rendering: నమ్ముకొను / నమ్ము
Transliteration: nammukonu / nammu
Doctrine: Eternal Life through Faith in Christ
Original: πιστεύω
Category: Faith
NEW verb form, paired with the baseline noun విశ్వాసం (faith). John uses πιστεύω ~98 times, overwhelmingly as a verb with a direct object. Must be used consistently across the whole curriculum so the Romans/John vocabulary link is preserved for learners.
Wind Spirit Wordplay
Approved rendering: గాలి (wind) / ఆత్మ (Spirit)
Transliteration: gāli / ātma
Doctrine: The New Birth and Regeneration by the Spirit
Original: πνεῦμα / πνεῖ
Category: New Birth
NEW; linguistic-gap risk, not doctrinal-substitution risk. John 3:8’s πνεῦμα/πνεῖ pun is untranslatable in Telugu, which uses two separate words. Render literally in two steps with a mandatory translator’s footnote explaining the Greek wordplay so the sovereignty-of-the-Spirit point survives.
Door Gate
Approved rendering: ద్వారము
Transliteration: dvāramu
Doctrine: The Seven ‘I Am’ Statements
Original: ἡ θύρα
Category: Christology
NEW. Third ‘I Am’ predicate (10:7,9). Must be understood as the exclusive means of access, echoing 14:6’s exclusivity claim, not merely one entrance among several.
Foot Washing
Approved rendering: పాదములు కడుగు
Transliteration: pādamulu kaḍugu
Doctrine: God’s Love for the World / Discipleship
Original: νίπτω
Category: Discipleship
NEW. A servant’s task performed by the Master (13:5-14), modeling sacrificial servant-leadership; full shock value should be preserved in teaching notes for a culture with its own honor/status conventions.
New Commandment
Approved rendering: క్రొత్త ఆజ్ఞ
Transliteration: kroṭṭa āgna
Doctrine: God’s Love for the World
Original: ἐντολὴ καινή
Category: Discipleship
NEW. ‘Love one another as I have loved you’ (13:34). ‘New’ must be understood covenantally, not merely chronologically as one more added rule.
True Vine
Approved rendering: ద్రాక్షావల్లి
Transliteration: drākshāvalli
Doctrine: The Seven ‘I Am’ Statements
Original: ἡ ἄμπελος ἡ ἀληθινή
Category: Christology
NEW. Seventh and final ‘I Am’ predicate (15:1,5), drawing on OT Israel-as-vine imagery (Isaiah 5; Psalm 80) with no equivalent resonance in Telugu culture absent explicit OT-background teaching.
Tribulation
Approved rendering: శ్రమ
Transliteration: śrama
Doctrine: Judgment and Belief/Unbelief (persecution context)
Original: θλῖψις
Category: Judgment
NEW. Suffering/affliction for Christ’s sake (16:33), within a framework of ultimate victory; must not be understood as karmic consequence for past deeds.
Overcome
Approved rendering: జయించు
Transliteration: jayinchu
Doctrine: Assurance and Overcoming the World
Original: νικάω
Category: Salvation
NEW. Christ’s victory over the world (16:33), grounding believers’ eschatological assurance.
Living Water
Approved rendering: జీవజలము
Transliteration: jeevajalamu
Doctrine: The Holy Spirit as Counselor (background)
Original: ὕδωρ ζῶν
Category: God
NEW. Flowing water metaphor for Spirit-given, permanently satisfying life (4:10-14; identified with the Spirit at 7:37-38). Naturally retains the ‘life’-root connection audible in the Greek.
Worship
Approved rendering: ఆరాధించు
Transliteration: ārādhinchu
Doctrine: God’s Love for the World (background)
Rejected alternatives: నమస్కారం
Original: προσκυνέω
Category: Faith
NEW. Reverent devotion to God ‘in spirit and truth’ (4:20-24; 9:38), not tied to a location. Must be distinguished from నమస్కారం’s generic bowing/prostration before any deity or image.
Sign
Approved rendering: సూచకక్రియ
Transliteration: sūchakakriya
Doctrine: The Deity and Pre-existence of Christ (evidentiary)
Original: σημεῖον
Category: Christology
NEW. A miraculous act functioning as revelatory evidence of Jesus’ identity (2:11,23; 3:2; 4:54; 6:2,14,26,30; 9:16; 11:47; 12:18,37; 20:30), distinct from a wonder performed for spectacle. Must not suggest an omen or astrological portent.
Temple Literal
Approved rendering: దేవాలయము
Transliteration: dēvālayamu
Doctrine: Background (literal Jerusalem Temple)
Original: τὸ ἱερόν
Category: Background
NEW; disambiguation risk. The literal, physical Second Temple precinct (2:14-15; 5:14; 7:14,28; 8:20; 10:23; 11:56; 18:20). Correct and necessary here, but must never be extended as a synonym for the church (ఎక్క్లీసియా/సంఘము), which the baseline explicitly forbids రేండరింగ్ with దేవాలయం.
Rabbi Teacher
Approved rendering: బోధకుడు (రబ్బీ in dialogue)
Transliteration: bōdhakuḍu (Rabbī)
Doctrine: Deity of Christ (contrast with mere teacher)
Rejected alternatives: గురువు
Original: Ῥαββί / διδάσκαλος
Category: Christology
NEW. An honorific address for a recognized teacher of the Law (1:38,49; 3:2,10; 20:16). Must not collapse into గురువు, which implies self-attained teaching authority rather than one recognized as coming from God.
Disciple
Approved rendering: శిష్యుడు
Transliteration: śiṣyuḍu
Doctrine: Discipleship (background)
Original: μαθητής
Category: Discipleship
NEW. Established Christian usage throughout John. Teaching contexts should note the guru-śiṣya cultural resonance while clarifying the relationship is to a divine Lord, not a human guru.
Blood And Water
Approved rendering: రక్తము, నీరు
Transliteration: raktamu, nīru
Doctrine: Christ’s Substitutionary Death and Resurrection
Original: αἷμα καὶ ὕδωρ
Category: Salvation
NEW. Blood and water from Jesus’ pierced side (19:34), evidentiary of a real physical death (countering docetic readings) and typologically resonant with baptism, the Lord’s Supper, and the Passover lamb.
Feed Tend Sheep
Approved rendering: నా గొఱ్ఱెలను మేపు / కాయు
Transliteration: nā gorrelanu mēpu / kāyu
Doctrine: Discipleship / Pastoral ministry background
Original: βόσκε / ποίμαινε τὰ πρόβατά μου
Category: Discipleship
NEW. Jesus’ threefold commission to Peter (21:15-17), establishing ongoing pastoral care as the practical outworking of love for Christ; a foundational text for church leadership formation.
Love Agape Phileo Distinction
Approved rendering: ప్రేమించు (single verb for both)
Transliteration: prēminchu
Doctrine: God’s Love for the World (background, translatability gap)
Original: ἀγαπάω / φιλέω
Category: God
NEW; translatability flag, not a doctrinal-substitution risk. Jesus alternates ἀγαπάω/φιλέω with Peter (21:15-17); Telugu uses a single verb for both. Recommend a translator’s footnote only where lesson content specifically discusses this exchange.
Low Risk Terms
Prophet
Approved rendering: ప్రవక్త
Transliteration: pravakta
Doctrine: Inspiration of Scripture
Rejected alternatives: జ్యోతిష్కుడు
Original: προφήτης
Category: Covenant
Inherited from Romans package, unchanged. In John, used of John the Baptist’s denial (1:21,25) and popular speculation about Jesus (4:19; 6:14; 7:40).
Sheep Flock
Approved rendering: గొఱ్ఱెలు / మంద
Transliteration: gorrelu / manda
Doctrine: Church-adjacent imagery (John has no ἐκκλησία)
Original: πρόβατα / ποίμνη
Category: Church
NEW. Standard pastoral imagery (10:1-16,26-27; 21:15-17) carrying John’s corporate-identity theme in place of ἐκκλησία, which never occurs in this Gospel.
Grain Of Wheat
Approved rendering: గోధుమగింజ
Transliteration: gōdhumaginja
Doctrine: Christ’s Substitutionary Death and Resurrection
Original: ὁ κόκκος τοῦ σίτου
Category: Salvation
NEW. Agricultural metaphor (12:24) for the necessity and fruitfulness of Christ’s death; connects to ఫలించు (bear fruit) in John 15.
Greeks
Approved rendering: గ్రీసు వారు / యూనానీయులు
Transliteration: grīsu vāru / yūnānīyulu
Doctrine: Mission to the Nations (background)
Original: Ἕλληνες
Category: Church
NEW. Greek-speaking Gentiles seeking Jesus (12:20), a distinct ethnic/linguistic reference rather than the general baseline term అన్యజనులు (gentiles).
Betray
Approved rendering: అప్పగించు / ద్రోహము చేయు
Transliteration: appaginchu / drōhamu cheyu
Doctrine: Christ’s Substitutionary Death (narrative background)
Original: παραδίδωμι
Category: Christology
NEW. Standard narrative vocabulary for Judas’s action (13:2,11,21; 18:2,5); low doctrinal risk.
Bear Fruit
Approved rendering: ఫలించు
Transliteration: phalinchu
Doctrine: Discipleship (vine imagery)
Original: καρποφορέω
Category: Discipleship
NEW. Standard, low-risk vocabulary (15:2,4-8,16), connected to the grain-of-wheat metaphor of John 12.
Devil
Approved rendering: అపవాది / సాతాను
Transliteration: apavādi / Sātānu
Doctrine: Judgment and Belief/Unbelief (background)
Original: ὁ διάβολος
Category: Judgment
NEW. ‘The devil,’ literally ‘slanderer/accuser’ (8:44). Established, low-risk terms.
Sabbath
Approved rendering: విశ్రాంతిదినము
Transliteration: viśrāntidinamu
Doctrine: Sabbath Controversies and the Law’s Fulfillment
Original: σάββατον
Category: Background
NEW. Background to healing controversies (5:9-18; 7:22-23; 9:14,16; 19:31). Cultural/legal background note only; no significant syncretism exposure in the Telugu context.
High Priest
Approved rendering: ప్రధాన యాజకుడు
Transliteration: pradhāna yājakuḍu
Doctrine: Background (Passion narrative)
Original: ὁ ἀρχιερεύς
Category: Background
NEW. Established, low-risk office term for Caiaphas (11:49-51; 18:13-24).
Follow Me
Approved rendering: వెంబడించు
Transliteration: vembaḍinchu
Doctrine: Discipleship (background)
Original: ἀκολούθει μοι
Category: Discipleship
NEW. Jesus’ call to discipleship (1:43; 21:19,22); standard, low-risk vocabulary.
Referenced passages