Semantic Analysis
1 Corinthians Semantic Analysis — English → Thai
Methodology
This analysis follows PRD Phase 1 Step 1 requirements: full-book coverage of 1 Corinthians in the original Koine Greek, first chapter to last. The core passage (1 Corinthians 15:1-11) receives exhaustive verse-by-verse treatment of every load-bearing term. Every other chapter receives a chapter-level study of its load-bearing theological terms using the same field structure: Original word | Transliteration | Literal meaning | Semantic range | English variants | Contextual theological meaning | Destination-language (Thai) rendering risk.
Any term already established in the baseline Romans/Galatians Language Package (translation_memory.json, bible_term_registry.json) is marked [BASELINE — reuse exactly] and its recorded Thai rendering is carried forward unchanged, per the hard rule that established renderings must not be altered. New terms specific to 1 Corinthians are analyzed fresh and proposed for addition to translation memory in Step 2 of this pipeline.
Risk tiers (Critical / High / Medium / Low) follow the baseline’s risk definitions exactly.
Part 1 — Core Passage: 1 Corinthians 15:1-11 (Verse-by-Verse)
15:1 — “Now I would remind you, brothers, of the gospel I preached to you, which you received, in which you stand”
| Original | Transliteration | Literal Meaning | Semantic Range | English Variants | Contextual Theological Meaning | Thai Rendering Risk |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| εὐαγγέλιον | euangelion | good news/announcement | authoritative proclamation of victory or salvation | gospel, good news | [BASELINE — reuse exactly] ข่าวประเสริฐ (khao prasoet). The specific content Paul is about to define in vv.3-5 as death, burial, resurrection “according to the Scriptures.” Risk: High (per baseline). Must not be read as one pleasant report among many (ข่าวดี). | |
| γνωρίζω | gnōrizō | to make known, declare | disclose, remind, inform | I would remind you, I make known to you | Paul re-presents foundational apostolic teaching, not new revelation — an act of reminding the church of received tradition. | Low. ให้ท่านทราบ/เตือนให้ระลึก — standard vocabulary, no Thai-specific collision. |
| παρελάβετε | parelabete (aor. of παραλαμβάνω) | you received, took over | receive a handed-down tradition | you received | Technical term (paired with παρέδωκα in v.3) for the formal transmission of authoritative tradition — parallel to rabbinic/apostolic tradition-passing. | Medium. รับไว้ — must not be softened into casual “heard about”; this is formal transmission of doctrine, comparable in weight to the way ธรรมบัญญัติ (Law) is “received” in the Romans baseline, but here of gospel content. |
| ἑστήκατε | hestēkate (perf. of ἵστημι) | you stand, have taken your stand | stand firm, be established | in which you stand, on which you have taken your stand | Present, stable standing in the gospel — foundational, not provisional. | Low. ท่านทั้งหลายยืนอยู่ — standard. |
15:2 — “and by which you are being saved, if you hold fast to the word I preached to you—unless you believed in vain”
| Original | Transliteration | Literal Meaning | Semantic Range | English Variants | Contextual Theological Meaning | Thai Rendering Risk |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| σῴζεσθε | sōzesthe (pres. pass. of σώζω) | you are being saved | rescue, deliver, preserve | you are saved, you are being saved | [BASELINE — reuse exactly] ความรอด root (σώζω verb form of salvation). Present passive stresses ongoing application of a completed saving act, not a self-attained state. Risk: Critical (per baseline salvation entry). NEVER การบรรลุนิพพาน. | |
| κατέχετε | katechete | you hold fast, retain | grasp firmly, retain possession | if you hold fast, if you hold firmly | Continuing adherence to the gospel content as the condition of assurance, not a separate meritorious work. | Medium. ยึดมั่น — must not be read as accumulating merit through diligent retention; it is persevering trust in what was already given. |
| εἰκῇ | eikē | for nothing, without cause, in vain | purposeless, empty, groundless | in vain, for nothing | Warns that faith severed from the gospel’s actual content (death/burial/resurrection) is empty. | Low. ไร้ประโยชน์/เปล่าประโยชน์ — standard. |
| ἐπιστεύσατε | episteusate (aor. of πιστεύω) | you believed | trust, put faith in, be persuaded | you believed | [BASELINE — reuse exactly] faith/ความเชื่อ verb form. Risk: Medium (per baseline faith entry) — object of belief must remain the specific gospel content, not generic religious sincerity. |
15:3 — “For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures”
| Original | Transliteration | Literal Meaning | Semantic Range | English Variants | Contextual Theological Meaning | Thai Rendering Risk |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| παρέδωκα | paredōka (aor. of παραδίδωμι) | I delivered, handed over/down | transmit tradition, hand over (also: betray, hand over to punishment) | I delivered, I passed on | Paired with παρελάβετε (v.1) — formal chain of apostolic tradition-transmission, the earliest creedal核 of Christian confession. | Medium. ข้าพเจ้ามอบให้ — must convey formal, authoritative transmission of fixed apostolic content, not personal opinion shared informally. |
| ἐν πρώτοις | en prōtois | among the first things, of first importance | primary rank, foremost priority | as of first importance, first of all | Marks vv.3-5 as the creedal core of the gospel — the irreducible minimum. | Low. เป็นสิ่งสำคัญที่สุด — standard. |
| Χριστὸς ἀπέθανεν ὑπὲρ τῶν ἁμαρτιῶν ἡμῶν | Christos apethanen hyper tōn hamartiōn hēmōn | Christ died on behalf of/for our sins | substitutionary, representative death for sin | Christ died for our sins | Substitutionary atonement: Christ’s death directly addresses ἁμαρτία (sin) reused from the baseline — an offense against a personal God, not impersonal negative karma. | Critical. พระคริสต์สิ้นพระชนม์เพื่อบาปของเรา — บาป [BASELINE — reuse exactly]; ὑπέρ (“on behalf of / for the sake of”) must render as substitutionary self-giving (เพื่อ), never a karmic transfer or merit-dedication mechanism (การอุทิศบุญ). |
| κατὰ τὰς γραφάς | kata tas graphas | according to the Scriptures | in fulfillment of, consistent with written Scripture | according to the Scriptures, as the Scriptures said | [BASELINE doctrine — reuse] Fulfillment of Prophecy doctrine; ties Christ’s death to a linear, one-time OT-to-NT fulfillment, not cyclical world-ages. Risk: High (per baseline). |
15:4 — “that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures”
| Original | Transliteration | Literal Meaning | Semantic Range | English Variants | Contextual Theological Meaning | Thai Rendering Risk |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ἐτάφη | etaphē (aor. pass. of θάπτω) | he was buried | interred, entombed | he was buried | Confirms the genuine, physical death of Christ prior to resurrection — anchors the historicity of the event. | Low. ถูกฝังไว้ — standard historical statement. |
| ἐγήγερται | egēgertai (perf. pass. of ἐγείρω) | he has been raised (and remains risen) | raise up, awaken, restore to life | he was raised, he is risen | [BASELINE — reuse exactly] resurrection: การเป็นขึ้นจากตาย. Perfect tense stresses the abiding, present reality of the risen state, not a repeatable cycle. Risk: Critical (per baseline). NEVER การเกิดใหม่/การกลับชาติมาเกิด. | |
| τῇ ἡμέρᾳ τῇ τρίτῃ | tē hēmera tē tritē | on the third day | specific, historical time reference | on the third day | Fixes the resurrection as a datable historical event, fulfilling OT typology (e.g., Jonah, Hosea 6:2). | Low. ในวันที่สาม — standard, but pairs with a translator note on historicity per baseline resurrection guidance. |
| κατὰ τὰς γραφάς | (repeated) | — | — | — | Repetition underlines that both death and resurrection were foretold, not accidental. | High (per baseline fulfillment_of_prophecy). |
15:5 — “and that he appeared to Cephas, then to the twelve”
| Original | Transliteration | Literal Meaning | Semantic Range | English Variants | Contextual Theological Meaning | Thai Rendering Risk |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ὤφθη | ōphthē (aor. pass. of ὁράω) | he was seen, he appeared | to be seen, become visible, appear (often of divine self-disclosure) | he appeared, he showed himself | Formal verb of resurrection-appearance in the early creedal formula; stresses objective, witnessed, bodily appearance, not a private vision or mystical experience. | High. ทรงปรากฏ — must retain a real, external, witnessable appearance (of the bodily-risen Christ), not read as a subjective inner vision comparable to a meditator’s private insight-experience or a spirit-medium’s trance vision. |
| Κηφᾷ | Kēpha | Cephas (Aramaic “rock,” = Peter) | proper name | Cephas, Peter | Names a specific, known, still-living eyewitness — verifiability is the rhetorical point. | Low. เคฟาส — established Thai Bible proper-name form (also identified as เปโตร). |
| τοῖς δώδεκα | tois dōdeka | to the Twelve | the twelve apostles as a fixed group | the Twelve | The official apostolic college, corporate eyewitnesses. | Low. อัครสาวกสิบสองคน / สิบสองคนนั้น — standard. |
15:6 — “Then he appeared to more than five hundred brothers at one time, most of whom are still alive, though some have fallen asleep”
| Original | Transliteration | Literal Meaning | Semantic Range | English Variants | Contextual Theological Meaning | Thai Rendering Risk |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ἐπάνω πεντακοσίοις ἀδελφοῖς | epanō pentakosiois adelphois | more than five hundred brothers | a large, named-scale group of witnesses | more than 500 brothers | Massed eyewitness testimony — an apologetic point resting on verifiable public history. | Low. พี่น้องกว่าห้าร้อยคน — standard numeral/kinship term. |
| ἐκοιμήθησαν | ekoimēthēsan (aor. pass. of κοιμάω) | they fell asleep | euphemism for death among believers | have died, have fallen asleep | ”Sleep” as a resurrection-hope euphemism: death is temporary and reversible for those united to the risen Christ, not annihilation or an uncertain rebirth. | Medium. ล่วงหลับไปแล้ว — must retain the sleep-euphemism’s resurrection-hope connotation; avoid rendering that could suggest reincarnation into an intermediate state or a wandering ghost (ผี) awaiting rebirth. |
15:7 — “Then he appeared to James, then to all the apostles”
| Original | Transliteration | Literal Meaning | Semantic Range | English Variants | Contextual Theological Meaning | Thai Rendering Risk |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ἰακώβῳ | Iakōbō | to James | proper name (the Lord’s brother) | James | A named, formerly skeptical family member becomes a resurrection witness and later church leader. | Low. ยากอบ — established Thai Bible proper-name form. |
| τοῖς ἀποστόλοις πᾶσιν | tois apostolois pasin | to all the apostles | the full apostolic company | all the apostles | [BASELINE — reuse exactly] apostle: อัครทูต. Risk: Medium (per baseline). Confirms the full commissioning authority resting on eyewitness testimony. |
15:8 — “Last of all, as to one untimely born, he appeared also to me”
| Original | Transliteration | Literal Meaning | Semantic Range | English Variants | Contextual Theological Meaning | Thai Rendering Risk |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ἔσχατον | eschaton | last, finally | final in a sequence | last of all | Paul closes the list of appearances with himself, marking a unique, later, and final resurrection-appearance. | Low. ในที่สุด — standard. |
| ὡσπερεὶ τῷ ἐκτρώματι | hōsperei tō ektrōmati | as to one born at the wrong time (an untimely birth/miscarriage) | an abnormal, premature, or violent birth | as one untimely born, as to a miscarriage | Paul’s self-deprecating image of his own unqualified, unexpected apostolic birth — grace overriding natural qualification. | Medium. เหมือนกับผู้ที่คลอดก่อนกำหนด — must preserve the self-abasing rhetorical force (unworthy, unexpected) without triggering unrelated cultural taboos around miscarriage; a literal, careful gloss with brief note is preferable to an idiomatic substitute that loses the image. |
| ὤφθη κἀμοί | ōphthē kamoi | he appeared also to me | — | he appeared to me also | Paul insists his experience of the risen Christ (his Damascus-road encounter) belongs to the same category of objective appearances as the others, not a lesser, purely inward vision. | High — same collision risk noted in v.5 (danger of reduction to a private mystical or trance-vision). |
15:9 — “For I am the least of the apostles, unworthy to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God”
| Original | Transliteration | Literal Meaning | Semantic Range | English Variants | Contextual Theological Meaning | Thai Rendering Risk |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ἐλάχιστος | elachistos | least, smallest | superlative of “little” | the least | Paul’s assessment of his own unworthiness relative to his commission — humility grounded in grace, not false modesty. | Low. ต่ำต้อยที่สุด — standard. |
| ἀπόστολος | apostolos | one sent, apostle | commissioned, authoritative sent-one | apostle | [BASELINE — reuse exactly] อัครทูต. Risk: Medium (per baseline). | |
| ἱκανός | hikanos | sufficient, fit, worthy | adequate, qualified | worthy, fit | Paul denies inherent personal fitness for the office — sets up the “grace” answer of v.10. | Low. เหมาะสม — standard. |
| διώκω (aor. ἐδίωξα) | ediōxa | I persecuted | pursue with hostile intent, harass | I persecuted | Names Paul’s pre-conversion history (Acts 8-9) as a concrete, historical fact — grace transforms an actual persecutor, not a morally neutral seeker. | Low. ข่มเหง — standard. |
| ἐκκλησία τοῦ θεοῦ | ekklēsia tou theou | church of God | the assembly/congregation belonging to God | church of God | [BASELINE — reuse exactly] คริสตจักร; “of God” marks it as God’s own possession, not a human institution. Risk: Medium (per baseline). Never วัด. |
15:10 — “But by the grace of God I am what I am, and his grace toward me was not in vain. On the contrary, I worked harder than any of them, though it was not I, but the grace of God that is with me”
| Original | Transliteration | Literal Meaning | Semantic Range | English Variants | Contextual Theological Meaning | Thai Rendering Risk |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| χάριτι θεοῦ | chariti theou | by the grace of God | unmerited divine favor as the causal agent | by God’s grace | [BASELINE — reuse exactly] พระคุณ. This is the theological climax of the passage: Paul’s apostleship and transformation are entirely grace-caused, explicitly denying self-attainment (“not I, but the grace of God”). Risk: Critical (per baseline). NEVER บุญ, กรรมดี, or บารมี — this verse is one of the single clearest NT statements of the grace-versus-merit contrast the baseline already flags Critical throughout Romans/Galatians. | |
| εἰμὶ ὅ εἰμι | eimi ho eimi | I am what I am | present identity as a settled fact | I am what I am | Paul’s identity is a grace-given fact, not an accumulated status he can claim credit for. | Medium. ข้าพเจ้าเป็นอย่างที่เป็นอยู่นี้ — must not be flattened into a merely modest personality statement; it is a theological claim about grace-constituted identity. |
| ἐκοπίασα περισσότερον | ekopiasa perissoteron | I labored/toiled more abundantly | strenuous effort, hard labor | I worked harder | Paul’s real, strenuous labor is affirmed — but immediately re-attributed to grace working in/through him, not autonomous self-effort earning standing. | High. ข้าพเจ้าตรากตรำ…มากกว่า — the sequence (real effort → but grace, not I) must be preserved intact; do not let the Thai rendering imply Paul’s labor itself generates merit (บุญจากความเพียร) that grace merely supplements. |
| ἡ χάρις τοῦ θεοῦ [ἡ] σὺν ἐμοί | hē charis tou theou syn emoi | the grace of God with me | grace as an active, present, indwelling co-worker | the grace of God that is with me | Grace is personified as an active co-laboring presence, consistent with the personal, relational (not transactional) character the baseline requires for χάρις throughout. | Critical (same as first occurrence above). |
15:11 — “So then, whether it was I or they, this is what we proclaim, and this is what you believed”
| Original | Transliteration | Literal Meaning | Semantic Range | English Variants | Contextual Theological Meaning | Thai Rendering Risk |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| κηρύσσω | kēryssō | to proclaim, herald, announce publicly | authoritative public proclamation | preach, proclaim | Common gospel-proclamation vocabulary; unites Paul’s and the other apostles’ message into one identical gospel content — no divergent versions. | Medium. ประกาศ — must reinforce a single unified gospel content across all apostolic preachers, resisting a “different but equally valid version” reading (cf. baseline false_gospel entry from Galatians). |
| ἐπιστεύσατε | episteusate | you believed | — | you believed | [BASELINE — reuse exactly] ความเชื่อ verb form; closes the unit by returning to v.2’s “believed,” bracketing the whole passage around shared apostolic gospel content received by faith. Risk: Medium (per baseline). |
Part 2 — Chapter-by-Chapter Study of the Whole Book
Chapter 1 — Divisions, the Cross, and the Wisdom of God
| Original | Transliteration | Literal Meaning | Semantic Range | English Variants | Contextual Theological Meaning | Thai Rendering Risk |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| κλητός ἀπόστολος | klētos apostolos | called apostle | summoned, commissioned sent-one | called to be an apostle | [BASELINE — reuse exactly] called ผู้ที่ทรงเรียก + apostle อัครทูต (1:1). Risk: High/Medium (per baseline). | |
| ἡγιασμένοι, κλητοὶ ἅγιοι | hēgiasmenoi, klētoi hagioi | sanctified, called to be holy ones | set apart, made holy, summoned to be saints | sanctified… called to be saints | [BASELINE — reuse exactly] sanctification การทรงชำระให้บริสุทธิ์ + saints วิสุทธิชน (1:2). Risk: High/Medium. | |
| σχίσμα | schisma | tear, split, division | faction, rift | divisions, quarrels | Introduces the letter’s central pastoral problem — factionalism around personalities (Paul, Apollos, Cephas). | Medium. ความแตกแยก — must be framed as a violation of unity-in-Christ, not merely healthy diversity of opinion among equally valid teachers (echo of the false_gospel “different but valid teaching” risk already flagged in the Galatians baseline). |
| σοφία (τοῦ κόσμου / τοῦ θεοῦ) | sophia (tou kosmou / tou theou) | wisdom (of the world / of God) | skill, insight, cleverness; in Paul, either worldly cleverness or God’s redemptive plan revealed in the cross | wisdom | Central to the doctrine “The Cross as Wisdom and Power”: God’s wisdom is the crucified Christ, foolishness to the world’s wisdom. | Critical. Proposed Thai: สติปัญญา (satipanya, “wisdom/intelligence,” a broader non-technical term) rather than bare ปัญญา, which is the precise Theravada Buddhist technical term for the liberating insight into impermanence/non-self attained through the Noble Eightfold Path (one of the three trainings: ศีล-สมาธิ-ปัญญา). Using bare ปัญญา for “God’s wisdom” would silently reframe the cross as a meditative insight a person attains, rather than God’s own redemptive plan graciously revealed. Must be flagged for theologian review in every occurrence in chs. 1-3. |
| μωρία | mōria | foolishness, folly | absurdity, silliness | folly, foolishness | The cross appears foolish to worldly wisdom but is in fact God’s power and wisdom. | Medium. ความโง่เขลา — standard; low independent collision risk but must be paired correctly with the σοφία contrast. |
| δύναμις (θεοῦ) | dynamis (theou) | power (of God) | might, capability, miracle-working power | power of God | [BASELINE — reuse exactly] power_of_god ฤทธิ์เดชของพระเจ้า. Risk: High (per baseline). Never the sacred potency ascribed to amulets (วัตถุมงคล). | |
| σταυρός | stauros | cross, stake | instrument of Roman execution; by metonymy, Christ’s atoning death | the cross | The message “of the cross” (ὁ λόγος ὁ τοῦ σταυροῦ) is the content of gospel proclamation and the ground of the Cross-as-wisdom-and-power doctrine. | Medium. ไม้กางเขน — an established, standard Thai Christian term with low Buddhist-vocabulary collision risk, but the accompanying doctrine (folly/wisdom paradox) requires careful framing so it is not domesticated into a generic symbol of suffering or sacrifice-for-merit. |
| κλῆσις | klēsis | calling | summons, vocation | calling | [BASELINE — reuse exactly] การทรงเรียก (1:26). Risk: High (per baseline). | |
| καύχημα / καυχάομαι | kauchēma / kauchaomai | boasting | pride, self-congratulation | boast | ”Let him who boasts, boast in the Lord” (1:31) — reorients all legitimate confidence away from human wisdom/status onto God alone. | Low. อวด/ยกย่อง — standard; note the theological point (no boasting except in the Lord) reinforces the grace-versus-merit contrast already Critical in the baseline. |
Chapter 2 — The Spirit-Revealed Wisdom of God
| Original | Transliteration | Literal Meaning | Semantic Range | English Variants | Contextual Theological Meaning | Thai Rendering Risk |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| μυστήριον | mystērion | mystery, secret | previously hidden truth now disclosed by God | mystery | God’s wisdom was hidden but is now revealed in Christ through the Spirit — not an esoteric secret reserved for an inner circle attained by discipline. | Medium. ข้อล้ำลึก — established Thai Bible term; must be distinguished from occult/esoteric “secret knowledge” traditions and from Buddhist meditative insight attained through personal discipline. |
| πνευματικός / ψυχικός | pneumatikos / psychikos | spiritual (person) / natural, soul-ish (person) | one indwelt/taught by the Spirit vs. one relying on unaided human perception | spiritual person / natural person, “the unspiritual man” | Distinguishes those who receive the Spirit’s revealed wisdom from those who cannot, on the basis of the Spirit’s presence — not a graded hierarchy of attainment. | High. ผู้ที่อยู่ฝ่ายพระวิญญาณ / มนุษย์ธรรมดา(ที่ไม่มีพระวิญญาณ) — risk that this reads as a spiritual-attainment ranking analogous to Buddhist stages of enlightenment (sotāpanna → arahant), earned through progressive practice. Must be anchored explicitly to receiving the Holy Spirit as a gift at conversion, not an achieved level of insight. |
| νοῦς Χριστοῦ | nous Christou | mind of Christ | Christ’s own mind/perspective, given to believers | mind of Christ | Believers, taught by the Spirit, share Christ’s own perspective on spiritual truth. | Medium. พระทัยของพระคริสต์ — standard; low independent risk. |
| ἐρευνᾷ (τὸ Πνεῦμα) | ereuna (to Pneuma) | (the Spirit) searches | investigate, examine thoroughly | the Spirit searches | The Holy Spirit’s own personal, active investigative knowledge of “the deep things of God.” | Low. ทรงหยั่งรู้ — standard, consistent with holy_spirit [BASELINE — reuse exactly] พระวิญญาณบริสุทธิ์, Critical per baseline. |
Chapter 3 — Factionalism, Building on Christ, and the Temple of God
| Original | Transliteration | Literal Meaning | Semantic Range | English Variants | Contextual Theological Meaning | Thai Rendering Risk |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| σαρκικός | sarkikos | fleshly, carnal | governed by the unredeemed sinful nature | carnal, fleshly | Names the Corinthians’ factional behavior as evidence of immaturity governed by σάρξ. | Critical. Reuses [BASELINE — Galatians TM, reuse exactly] flesh: เนื้อหนัง. NEVER upgrade to กิเลส (Buddhist technical term for defilements extinguished through one’s own meditative discipline); Paul’s point is relational immaturity corrected by the Spirit, not a self-directed purification project. |
| ζῆλος καὶ ἔρις | zēlos kai eris | jealousy and strife | envy, rivalry, quarreling | jealousy and strife | Concrete evidence of factionalism (see 1:10-13; ch.1’s σχίσμα). | Medium. ความอิจฉาและการทะเลาะวิวาท — standard. |
| οἰκοδομή / θεμέλιος | oikodomē / themelios | building/edification / foundation | construction imagery for ministry and church growth | building up / foundation | Christ alone is the foundation; ministers build upon him, and their work is tested by fire. | Low-Medium. การก่อสร้าง / ราก(ฐาน) — standard building metaphor; consistent with baseline’s mutual_edification การเสริมสร้างซึ่งกันและกัน. |
| ναὸς θεοῦ | naos theou | temple of God | God’s dwelling place; by extension, the church corporately | temple of God, God’s temple | ”You [plural, the church] are God’s temple, and God’s Spirit dwells in you.” | High. วิหารของพระเจ้า — วิหาร (a term for a sacred shrine hall) must be sharply distinguished from วัด (a Buddhist temple compound, already rejected for “church” in the baseline) and from the architecture of a shrine housing a Buddha image; here it names the Spirit-indwelt church corporately, a metaphorical sacred dwelling, not a physical sacred site. |
| πῦρ (δοκιμάζει) | pyr (dokimazei) | fire (tests) | refining/testing judgment | fire will test | Ministers’ works tested by eschatological fire — not a merit-scale but a quality-of-service assessment before a personal Judge. | Medium. ไฟจะพิสูจน์ — standard; ensure it is God’s own personal judicial testing, not an impersonal karmic burning-off process. |
Chapter 4 — Apostolic Stewardship and Humility
| Original | Transliteration | Literal Meaning | Semantic Range | English Variants | Contextual Theological Meaning | Thai Rendering Risk |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ὑπηρέτης / οἰκονόμος | hypēretēs / oikonomos | servant/attendant / steward, household manager | one who serves under authority / one entrusted with management of another’s property | servants of Christ, stewards of the mysteries | Apostolic ministry is service under Christ’s authority and stewardship of revealed truth (μυστήρια, reuse ch.2), not independent spiritual authority or personal status-building. | Low-Medium. ผู้รับใช้ / ผู้ดูแล — standard; low collision, but pairs with the μυστήριον caution above. |
| μωρός διὰ Χριστόν | mōros dia Christon | fool for Christ’s sake | willingness to appear foolish for the gospel | fools for Christ | Apostolic suffering and social lowliness are embraced voluntarily, following the “folly of the cross” theme from ch.1. | Low. โง่เพื่อพระคริสต์ — standard, ties back to μωρία (ch.1). |
| βασιλεία τοῦ θεοῦ | basileia tou theou | kingdom of God | God’s reign | kingdom of God | [BASELINE — reuse exactly] แผ่นดินของพระเจ้า (4:20). Risk: Medium (per baseline). |
Chapter 5 — Church Discipline, Holiness, and the Removal of Immorality
| Original | Transliteration | Literal Meaning | Semantic Range | English Variants | Contextual Theological Meaning | Thai Rendering Risk |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| πορνεία | porneia | sexual immorality | any sexual sin outside God’s design, here specifically incest (5:1) | sexual immorality, fornication | Grounds for church discipline; sin against a personal God and against the community’s holiness, and (per ch.6) against one’s Spirit-indwelt body. | High. การผิดศีลธรรมทางเพศ / การล่วงประเวณี — must be anchored to offense against a personal, holy God and against the believer’s Spirit-indwelt body (ch.6), not merely a broken social precept comparable to violating the third of the Five Buddhist Precepts (ศีลข้อ 3, against sexual misconduct), which could reduce the doctrine to rule-keeping rather than covenant holiness. |
| παραδοῦναι τῷ Σατανᾷ | paradounai tō Satana | to hand over to Satan | formal act of church discipline removing a member from the community’s protective fellowship | deliver/hand over to Satan | Severe, corrective church discipline aimed at eventual restoration, not vindictive punishment. | Medium. มอบผู้นั้นไว้กับซาตาน — must retain the corrective, restorative purpose (v.5, “so that his spirit may be saved”) distinct from a folk curse or spirit-cursing formula (คุณไสย), consistent with the baseline’s anathema caution. |
| ζύμη / ἄζυμος | zymē / azymos | leaven/yeast / unleavened | OT Passover imagery of purity vs. corruption | leaven, unleavened bread | ”Christ our Passover has been sacrificed” — ties church purity directly to the OT Passover typology. | High. เชื้อ / ไร้เชื้อ / ปัสกา — requires explicit OT Passover background teaching (paralleling the baseline’s Davidic covenant background requirement); no native Thai cultural equivalent for the Passover lamb typology. |
| τὸ πάσχα ἡμῶν | to pascha hēmōn | our Passover | the Passover sacrifice, applied to Christ | our Passover (lamb) | Christ himself is the fulfillment of the Passover sacrifice — a direct typological claim requiring careful explanatory framing for a Thai audience with low OT narrative literacy. | High. ปัสกาของเรา — same background requirement as above; flag for theologian review alongside fulfillment_of_prophecy doctrine. |
Chapter 6 — Lawsuits, Sexual Immorality, and the Body as Christ’s Own
| Original | Transliteration | Literal Meaning | Semantic Range | English Variants | Contextual Theological Meaning | Thai Rendering Risk |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ἀπελούσασθε, ἡγιάσθητε, ἐδικαιώθητε | apelousasthe, hēgiasthēte, edikaiōthēte | you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified | cleansing / consecration / forensic declaration of righteousness | washed, sanctified, justified | [BASELINE — reuse exactly] sanctification การทรงชำระให้บริสุทธิ์ + justification การถูกนับว่าเป็นผู้ชอบธรรม (6:11). Risk: Critical/High (per baseline). | |
| μέλος Χριστοῦ / μέλος πόρνης | melos Christou / melos pornēs | member of Christ / member of a prostitute | body-part, organ, in union with | member of Christ / joined to a prostitute | Union with Christ is bodily and total; sexual union with a prostitute is a rival, incompatible bodily union. | Medium. อวัยวะของพระคริสต์ — sets up the “body” (ch.6, 10, 12) vocabulary used throughout the book; must retain the organic-union sense, not a merely metaphorical association. |
| ναὸς τοῦ ἐν ὑμῖν Ἁγίου Πνεύματος | naos tou en hymin Hagiou Pneumatos | temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you | the individual believer’s body as God’s dwelling | your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit | Extends the corporate temple image (ch.3) to the individual believer’s body — grounds the ethic against sexual immorality. | High. ร่างกาย…เป็นวิหารของพระวิญญาณบริสุทธิ์ — same วิหาร-versus-วัด caution as ch.3; additionally risks collision with a common Thai-Buddhist devaluation of the physical body as merely impermanent/impure (a meditation object, asubha), rather than a sacred, Spirit-indwelt dwelling to be honored. |
| ἠγοράσθητε τιμῆς | ēgorasthēte timēs | you were bought with a price | purchased, redeemed by payment | you were bought at a price | Grounds bodily holiness in the fact of Christ’s purchase of the believer — parallel concept to the Galatians baseline’s “redeem” (ἐξαγοράζω / ทรงไถ่). | Critical. ทรงซื้อไว้แล้วด้วยราคา — must never be rendered through a karmic-debt-clearing frame (ปลดเปลื้องกรรม, already forbidden for “redeem” in the Galatians baseline); this is Christ’s own completed purchase, the ground of the believer’s obligation to honor God with the body, not a moral ledger the believer is working off. |
Chapter 7 — Marriage, Singleness, and Devotion to the Lord
| Original | Transliteration | Literal Meaning | Semantic Range | English Variants | Contextual Theological Meaning | Thai Rendering Risk |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| γάμος / γαμέω | gamos / gameō | marriage / to marry | the marital union and its formation | marriage, to marry | Marriage is good and God-given, addressed pastorally alongside singleness. | Low-Medium. การสมรส/การแต่งงาน — standard. |
| ἄγαμος / παρθένος | agamos / parthenos | unmarried (person) / virgin | one not (yet) married; a woman who has not had sexual relations | the unmarried, the virgin(s) | Paul commends singleness for undivided devotion to the Lord “in view of the present distress,” not as an inherently higher spiritual state. | High. ความเป็นโสด / หญิงพรหมจารี — significant risk of conflation with Buddhist monastic celibacy (การถือพรหมจรรย์ of monks and nuns) practiced as a path toward merit and eventual liberation; must be framed explicitly as a matter of practical devotion and freedom from divided concerns “for the present time,” not a higher-attainment spiritual tier or a merit-generating renunciation comparable to monastic ordination. |
| ἐγκράτεια | egkrateia | self-control | mastery over desire | self-control | The alternative to marriage where lack of self-control would lead to sin (7:9). | Medium. การรู้จักบังคับตน — must not collapse into a Buddhist ascetic self-discipline ideal pursued for its own merit-earning value; here it is a practical pastoral criterion, not a virtue cultivated for spiritual advancement. |
| χωρισθῆναι / ἀπολύειν | chōristhēnai / apolyein | to be separated / to divorce, release | marital separation/divorce | separate, divorce | The Lord’s instruction on divorce, and Paul’s pastoral extensions — a distinct topic requiring careful, non-legalistic handling. | Medium. การหย่าร้าง/การแยกจากกัน — standard vocabulary; cultural sensitivity note recommended given differing Thai social/legal norms around divorce. |
| κλῆσις | klēsis | calling | one’s state/situation as assigned by God | the calling in which one was called | [BASELINE — reuse exactly] การทรงเรียก, applied here to one’s marital/social state as the context in which one serves God (7:20). Risk: High (per baseline). |
Chapter 8 — Christian Liberty, Idol Meat, and Conscience
| Original | Transliteration | Literal Meaning | Semantic Range | English Variants | Contextual Theological Meaning | Thai Rendering Risk |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| εἴδωλον | eidōlon | idol, image | a worshipped image representing a false god | idol | Introduces the extended discussion (chs. 8-10) on food offered to idols; foundational term for the doctrine of Christian Liberty and Idol Meat. | High. รูปเคารพ — must be unambiguous in a Thai context saturated with Buddha images, spirit houses (ศาลพระภูมิ), and ancestral shrines; refers to any object or image venerated in place of, or alongside, the one true God. |
| εἰδωλόθυτον | eidōlothyton | thing sacrificed to an idol | meat/food previously offered in idol worship, then sold or served | food offered to idols, idol meat | The concrete pastoral case: may a believer eat meat previously offered to an idol? Paul’s answer balances “there is no idol” theologically with love/conscience toward weaker believers. | High. ของที่เซ่นไหว้รูปเคารพ / เนื้อที่ถูกถวายแก่รูปเคารพ — names a live Thai practice (food offerings at spirit houses, ancestor tables, and temple merit-making); the Thai rendering must preserve Paul’s nuanced liberty-with-conscience argument rather than flattening it into either a blanket taboo or blanket permission. |
| γνῶσις | gnōsis | knowledge | understanding, insight, information | knowledge | ”Knowledge puffs up, but love builds up” (8:1) — sets up the ch.13 love-versus-knowledge contrast. | Medium. ความรู้ — standard; moderate risk only in that it must be subordinated rhetorically to love, not treated as sufficient on its own for right conduct. |
| συνείδησις | syneidēsis | conscience | moral self-awareness, internal judgment of right/wrong | conscience | The weaker believer’s conscience must not be destroyed by the stronger believer’s exercise of liberty. | Medium. มโนธรรม/จิตสำนึก — standard; must retain the personal, God-oriented moral-awareness sense rather than a merely social sense of propriety. |
| πρόσκομμα | proskomma | stumbling block, obstacle | cause of moral or spiritual falling | stumbling block | Liberty must be voluntarily limited out of love, so as not to cause a weaker believer to stumble. | Medium. สิ่งที่ทำให้สะดุด — standard; reuses the σκάνδαλον concept-family from ch.1. |
Chapter 9 — Apostolic Rights Surrendered for the Gospel
| Original | Transliteration | Literal Meaning | Semantic Range | English Variants | Contextual Theological Meaning | Thai Rendering Risk |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ἐξουσία | exousia | authority, right | delegated authority, entitlement | right, authority | Paul has the “right” to material support as an apostle but voluntarily forgoes it for the gospel’s sake — liberty exercised in self-limitation, continuing ch.8’s theme. | Medium. สิทธิ์/อำนาจ — standard; consistent with the freedom/liberty word-family (ἐλευθερία reuse below). |
| ἐλευθερία / ἐλεύθερος | eleutheria / eleutheros | freedom / free (person) | liberty from obligation or bondage | free, freedom | [BASELINE — reuse exactly, Galatians TM] เสรีภาพ. Risk: Critical (per baseline). NEVER หลุดพ้น or วิมุตติ. | |
| ἀγών / βραβεῖον / στέφανος (ἄφθαρτος) | agōn / brabeion / stephanos (aphthartos) | contest/race / prize / (imperishable) crown | athletic competition imagery | run the race… prize… imperishable crown | Athletic-training metaphor for disciplined ministry and self-control, aimed at an eternal, imperishable reward from God, not a perishable athletic garland. | Medium. การแข่งขัน / มงกุฎที่ไม่เสื่อมสลาย — มงกุฎ (“crown”) carries strong royal/monarchical connotation in Thai culture (the Thai crown); must be clearly framed as a heavenly reward metaphor with no implied commentary on earthly kingship, consistent with the baseline’s general caution around royal-honorific register collision. |
| ἐγκράτεια | egkrateia | self-control | see ch.7 | self-control, discipline | Athletic self-discipline as a metaphor for disciplined Christian ministry aimed at an imperishable prize. | Medium — same collision noted in ch.7 with Buddhist ascetic self-discipline as a merit-earning practice. |
Chapter 10 — Israel’s Warnings, Idolatry, and the Lord’s Table
| Original | Transliteration | Literal Meaning | Semantic Range | English Variants | Contextual Theological Meaning | Thai Rendering Risk |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| εἰδωλολατρία / εἰδωλολάτρης | eidōlolatria / eidōlolatrēs | idolatry / idolater | worship of idols | idolatry, idolater | Israel’s wilderness idolatry (Exodus 32) as a warning “type” (τύπος) for the church regarding idol meat and syncretism. | High — same core risk as εἴδωλον (ch.8); requires Exodus background teaching for readers with low OT narrative literacy. |
| δαιμόνιον | daimonion | demon, evil spirit | a malevolent spiritual being opposed to God | demon | ”The things pagans sacrifice, they sacrifice to demons, not to God” — food-offering to idols is, spiritually, communion with hostile spiritual powers. | High. Proposed: ผีมาร or มาร — must be distinguished from the ambiguous, sometimes-benign folk nature-spirits and household/land spirits (ผีบ้านผีเรือน) recognized in Thai folk religion; here δαιμόνιον names uniformly hostile spiritual powers arrayed against the one true God, not a morally neutral or locally propitiated spirit. |
| τράπεζα κυρίου / τράπεζα δαιμονίων | trapeza kyriou / trapeza daimoniōn | table of the Lord / table of demons | ritual meal of fellowship/communion | the Lord’s table / the table of demons | Sets up the direct link between the Lord’s Supper doctrine (ch.11) and idol-food warnings: participation in a ritual meal is spiritual communion with whoever/whatever is honored at that table. | High. โต๊ะขององค์พระผู้เป็นเจ้า / โต๊ะของผีมาร — reuses lord องค์พระผู้เป็นเจ้า [BASELINE — reuse exactly, Critical]; the contrast must be preserved sharply, since Thai spirit-house food offerings and merit-food rituals make the “table of demons” warning uncomfortably concrete and immediately relevant. |
| κοινωνία | koinōnia | fellowship, participation, sharing | shared partaking in a common reality | fellowship, participation, communion | [BASELINE — reuse exactly] การสามัคคีธรรม; here specifically “participation in the blood/body of Christ” (10:16), directly anticipating ch.11’s Lord’s Supper doctrine. Risk: Low at baseline, but elevated to Medium here given its direct link to the sacramental/idol-food contrast. |
Chapter 11 — Head Coverings and the Lord’s Supper
| Original | Transliteration | Literal Meaning | Semantic Range | English Variants | Contextual Theological Meaning | Thai Rendering Risk |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| κεφαλή | kephalē | head | literal head; metaphorically, source/authority | head (literal and figurative) | Metaphorical headship language structuring the discussion of head coverings and gender order in worship. | Medium-High. ศีรษะ (ในความหมายที่เป็นประมุข/ผู้นำ) — not a specific Buddhist-vocabulary collision, but Thai social-hierarchy and honor/face norms shape how “headship” language lands; flag for native-speaker review on tone, escalate to theologian if doctrinal balance (mutual honor, not domination) is lost. |
| κατακαλύπτομαι | katakalyptomai | to cover oneself (the head) | veiling practice | to have one’s head covered | Specific first-century cultural practice regulating worship order; requires careful contextualization for a Thai setting with no equivalent custom. | Medium. การคลุมศีรษะ — cultural-practice term; low doctrinal collision but needs explanatory framing distinguishing cultural application from the underlying principle (order, honor) it expresses. |
| κυριακὸν δεῖπνον | kyriakon deipnon | the Lord’s supper | the Lord’s own meal | the Lord’s Supper | [NEW — reuse lord component] องค์พระผู้เป็นเจ้า [BASELINE — reuse exactly, Critical]; names the core doctrine “The Lord’s Supper.” Proposed full term: อาหารค่ำขององค์พระผู้เป็นเจ้า / พิธีมหาสนิท. | High. Risk of collision with Thai ritual food-offering practices — offerings to Buddha images, ancestor-veneration food tables (เซ่นไหว้บรรพบุรุษ), and merit-food giving to monks (ทำบุญถวายอาหารพระ). Must retain the meaning of remembrance and proclamation of Christ’s death (“do this in remembrance of me,” “you proclaim the Lord’s death”) rather than a repeated merit-generating offering ritual. |
| σῶμα καὶ αἷμα (τοῦ κυρίου) | sōma kai haima (tou kyriou) | body and blood (of the Lord) | the elements of the Supper, representing Christ’s sacrificial death | the body and blood of the Lord | Central sacramental language; the bread and cup are given the weight of Christ’s own body and blood in some real (though debated) sense. | Critical. พระกายและพระโลหิต(ขององค์พระผู้เป็นเจ้า) — must avoid any framing suggesting literal cannibalism (an ancient pagan accusation) or, in the Thai context, confusion with ancestor-offering food rituals; and must not be diluted into a merely symbolic, memory-only act if the curriculum’s confessional tradition requires stronger sacramental language — flag explicitly for theologian review to fix the intended sacramental register before Phase 2. |
| ἀναξίως / δοκιμάζειν / διακρίνων τὸ σῶμα | anaxiōs / dokimazein / diakrinōn to sōma | unworthily / to examine / discerning the body | improper manner of participation / self-examination / recognizing the body’s significance | in an unworthy manner, examine yourselves, discerning the body | Warns against careless participation in the Supper without recognizing its significance and the unity of the body (both Christ’s body and the church). | High. อย่างไม่สมควร / ตรวจสอบตนเอง / การแยกแยะพระกาย — must preserve the corrective, self-examining purpose. |
| κρίμα (ἀσθενεῖς, ἄρρωστοι, κοιμῶνται) | krima (astheneis, arrōstoi, koimōntai) | judgment (weak, sick, sleep [= die]) | divine chastening resulting in weakness, sickness, or death | judgment… many are weak and ill, and some have died | Paul attributes some Corinthian believers’ sickness and death to God’s own corrective discipline for careless participation in the Supper (11:29-30). | High. การพิพากษา/การทรงลงโทษเพื่อแก้ไข — significant risk of being read through a karma lens (illness/death as impersonal karmic consequence of a past wrongful act, กรรม) rather than a personal, fatherly, corrective discipline from a God who “is not mocked” (cf. Galatians baseline’s sowing_and_reaping caution) — flag for theologian review. |
Chapter 12 — Spiritual Gifts and the One Body of Christ
| Original | Transliteration | Literal Meaning | Semantic Range | English Variants | Contextual Theological Meaning | Thai Rendering Risk |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| χαρίσματα | charismata | gifts of grace | Spirit-given enablements | spiritual gifts | [BASELINE — reuse exactly] ของประทานฝ่ายวิญญาณ. Risk: Medium (per baseline). | |
| Ἰησοῦς Κύριος (ὁμολογία) | Iēsous Kyrios | Jesus is Lord (confession) | the salvation-defining confession | Jesus is Lord | [BASELINE — reuse exactly, cross-reference to the Romans 10:9 verbatim-consistency rule] พระเยซูทรงเป็นองค์พระผู้เป็นเจ้า; here (12:3) as the mark of genuine Spirit-inspired confession versus counterfeit spiritual speech. Risk: Critical (per baseline). | |
| σῶμα Χριστοῦ / μέλη | sōma Christou / melē | body of Christ / members | the church as one organic, interdependent body with many parts | body of Christ, members | Foundational doctrine “Spiritual Gifts and the Body of Christ” — diverse gifts unified in one Spirit-given body, no member dispensable or superior. | Medium. พระกายของพระคริสต์ / อวัยวะ — reuses μέλος from ch.6; must retain organic interdependence, not merely a loose voluntary association. |
| διάκρισις πνευμάτων | diakrisis pneumatōn | distinguishing/discerning of spirits | ability to judge the source (divine, human, or demonic) of a spiritual manifestation | distinguishing between spirits, discernment of spirits | One of the listed gifts (12:10) — a Spirit-given ability to identify counterfeit or demonically-inspired manifestations. | High. การสังเกตวิญญาณ/การจำแนกวิญญาณ — direct parallel risk to Thai folk-religious “spirit-sensing” abilities attributed to spirit mediums (ร่างทรง) and folk exorcists (หมอผี); must be clearly Spirit-given discernment exercised within the church for edification, not a natural psychic ability or occult practice. |
| γλῶσσαι / ἑρμηνεία γλωσσῶν | glōssai / hermēneia glōssōn | tongues / interpretation of tongues | ecstatic or unknown-language utterance / the accompanying gift of translating it | (speaking in) tongues / interpretation of tongues | Listed gift; a Spirit-given form of prayer/praise or prophetic speech requiring interpretation for corporate edification (developed further in ch.14). | High. การพูดภาษาแปลกๆ (หรือ “ภาษาที่ไม่รู้จัก”) / การแปลภาษา — significant collision risk: Thai spirit mediums (ร่างทรง) enter trance states and utter unintelligible speech believed to be a possessing spirit communicating; must be clearly framed as a Spirit-given, edifying gift exercised in orderly worship (ch.14), never evidence of spirit-possession trance. |
Chapter 13 — Love as the Greater Way
| Original | Transliteration | Literal Meaning | Semantic Range | English Variants | Contextual Theological Meaning | Thai Rendering Risk |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ἀγάπη | agapē | love | self-giving, covenantal, willed love | love, charity | The doctrine “Love as the Greater Way”: love is greater than any spiritual gift, knowledge, or even faith and hope, because it alone never fails and is God’s own defining character (cf. 1 John 4:8). | Critical. ความรัก — must not be theologically collapsed into เมตตา (Buddhist mettā, cultivated loving-kindness developed through meditative practice as one of the four Brahmavihārā) as the primary interpretive frame; ἀγάπη here is Spirit-produced (cf. Galatians fruit_of_the_spirit, which already uses ความรัก without further gloss), covenantal, and grounded in God’s own character, not a self-cultivated virtue attained through disciplined practice. Flag for theologian review given the doctrine’s centrality to the whole curriculum. |
| πίστις, ἐλπίς, ἀγάπη | pistis, elpis, agapē | faith, hope, love | the triad of enduring Christian virtues | faith, hope, and love | [BASELINE — reuse exactly for faith] ความเชื่อ; hope (ἐλπίς) is new — ความหวัง, Medium risk (must be a confident, God-grounded expectation, not a vague wish). Love is greatest of the three. | Medium for hope; Critical for love (see above); faith reuses baseline Medium. |
Chapter 14 — Order in Worship: Tongues and Prophecy
| Original | Transliteration | Literal Meaning | Semantic Range | English Variants | Contextual Theological Meaning | Thai Rendering Risk |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| προφητεία / προφητεύω | prophēteia / prophēteuō | prophecy / to prophesy | Spirit-inspired declaration for the edification of the church | prophecy, to prophesy | [BASELINE — reuse exactly] คำพยากรณ์ (prophecy) / ผู้เผยพระวจนะ (prophet). Risk: Low (per baseline), but here elevated in importance as Paul’s preferred gift “for building up the church,” directly relevant to the doctrine “Order in Worship.” | Low, per baseline. |
| οἰκοδομή | oikodomē | building up, edification | strengthening, constructive benefit | edification, building up | The governing criterion for evaluating all worship practices in this chapter — “let all things be done for building up.” | [BASELINE — reuse exactly] mutual_edification: การเสริมสร้างซึ่งกันและกัน. Risk: Low (per baseline). |
| γλῶσσαι (ἐν ἐκκλησίᾳ) | glōssai (en ekklēsia) | tongues (in the assembly) | see ch.12 | speaking in tongues | Regulated specifically for corporate worship — requires interpretation or must yield to intelligible speech, “so that the church may be built up.” | High (same collision as ch.12). |
| τάξις / εὐσχημόνως | taxis / euschēmonōs | order / properly, decently | orderliness, propriety | order, decently and in order | The chapter’s summary principle: “God is not a God of confusion but of peace… let all things be done decently and in order” — the direct scriptural ground for the doctrine “Order in Worship.” | Low-Medium. ความเป็นระเบียบ / อย่างเหมาะสม — standard vocabulary; low independent collision risk, though it interacts with the ch.11 headship/authority sensitivities. |
Chapter 15 — The Resurrection of Christ and Believers (verses 12-58; vv.1-11 treated as the Core Passage above)
| Original | Transliteration | Literal Meaning | Semantic Range | English Variants | Contextual Theological Meaning | Thai Rendering Risk |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ἀνάστασις νεκρῶν | anastasis nekrōn | resurrection of the dead | bodily rising from death, general or specific | resurrection of the dead | [BASELINE — reuse exactly] การเป็นขึ้นจากตาย. Extended here from Christ’s own resurrection (core passage) to the general resurrection of believers — the chapter’s central argument (vv.12-34) is that Christ’s resurrection guarantees and is inseparable from believers’ future resurrection. Risk: Critical (per baseline). | |
| ἀπαρχή | aparchē | firstfruits | the first, representative portion of a harvest, guaranteeing the rest | firstfruits | ”Christ the firstfruits, then at his coming those who belong to Christ” (15:20, 23) — Christ’s resurrection is the pledge and pattern of believers’ own future resurrection. | Medium. ผลแรก — OT harvest-offering background needed for full comprehension; low independent collision risk. |
| ὁ ἔσχατος Ἀδάμ | ho eschatos Adam | the last Adam | Christ as the second/final representative head of humanity, contrasted with the first Adam | the last Adam | Adam-Christ typology: death entered through the first Adam, resurrection life through the last Adam (Christ). | Medium. อาดัมคนสุดท้าย — requires Genesis background (first Adam) for readers with low OT narrative literacy; low independent Thai-specific collision risk. |
| σῶμα ψυχικόν / σῶμα πνευματικόν | sōma psychikon / sōma pneumatikon | natural (soul-ish) body / spiritual body | the present, perishable, Adam-patterned body / the future, Spirit-empowered, imperishable resurrection body | natural body / spiritual body | The heart of Paul’s resurrection-body argument (vv.35-49): the same body is sown perishable and raised imperishable — continuity and transformation, not abandonment of body for pure disembodied spirit. | Critical. ร่างกายฝ่ายธรรมชาติ / ร่างกาย�ฝ่ายวิญญาณ — high risk of being assimilated into a popular Thai-Buddhist-animist notion of a “spirit body” or wandering soul (วิญญาณ/ผี) distinct from, and simply replacing, the physical body in an ongoing cycle of rebirth. Must be anchored explicitly to the same body, transformed by God’s own power, not discarded for a disembodied spiritual existence or reincarnated into a different body. |
| φθορά / ἀφθαρσία | phthora / aphtharsia | decay/corruption / incorruption, imperishability | perishability vs. imperishability | perishable / imperishable | ”Sown in corruption, raised in incorruption” — the resurrection body’s permanent freedom from decay, given by God. | High. ความเสื่อมสลาย / ความไม่เสื่อมสลาย — risk of drifting toward a notion of an inherently immortal soul (an eternal essence that was never actually perishable) rather than a body that was genuinely mortal and is now made imperishable by God’s specific resurrecting act. |
| θνητός / ἀθανασία | thnētos / athanasia | mortal / immortality | subject to death / freedom from death | mortal / immortality | ”This mortal body must put on immortality” — immortality is conferred by God at the resurrection, not an inherent property of an eternal soul. | High. ความเป็นมนุษย์ที่ต้องตาย / ความเป็นอมตะ — must be tied explicitly to the resurrected body receiving immortality as God’s gift at a specific future moment, not to a popular assumption (common in Thai folk-Buddhist thought) of an inherently immortal soul cycling through successive rebirths. |
| τὸ κέντρον τοῦ θανάτου / νῖκος | to kentron tou thanatou / nikos | the sting of death / victory | death’s power to wound, now nullified / triumphant conquest | O death, where is your sting? … victory through Christ | Christ’s resurrection strips death of its ultimate power over believers — grounds for confident hope, not resignation to an ongoing cycle. | Low-Medium. เหล็กแหลมของความตาย / ชัยชนะ — standard vocabulary; low independent collision risk. |
Chapter 16 — The Collection, Final Instructions, and Greetings
| Original | Transliteration | Literal Meaning | Semantic Range | English Variants | Contextual Theological Meaning | Thai Rendering Risk |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| λογία | logia | a collection (of money) | a gathered offering for a specific purpose | the collection (for the saints) | Practical instructions for gathering material aid for the Jerusalem church — mutual care among believers, distinct from individual merit-making. | Medium. การถวายเงินเพื่อช่วยเหลือวิสุทธิชน — must be distinguished from ทำบุญ (Buddhist merit-making donation to monks/temple, which generates merit for the giver); here it is mutual material support within the covenant family, reusing saints [BASELINE — reuse exactly] วิสุทธิชน. |
| Μαράνα θά | Marana tha | Our Lord, come! (Aramaic) | an eschatological prayer/exclamation | Come, Lord! / Maranatha | Retained Aramaic exclamation of longing for Christ’s return, parallel to abba’s retained transliteration in the baseline. | Low. มาราธา (transliterated) — follow the baseline’s precedent for abba (retain and gloss the Aramaic transliteration alongside a brief explanatory phrase, “องค์พระผู้เป็นเจ้าของเรา ขอเสด็จมาเถิด”). |
| ἀνάθεμα | anathema | let him be accursed | covenantal curse-formula | let him be accursed | [BASELINE — reuse exactly, Galatians TM] ให้ผู้นั้นถูกสาปแช่ง (16:22, of anyone with no love for the Lord). Risk: High (per baseline); must remain God’s own covenantal judgment, not a folk curse. | |
| φίλημα ἅγιον | philēma hagion | holy kiss | a customary greeting of affection among believers | holy kiss, kiss of peace | A first-century greeting custom expressing genuine familial affection within the church. | Low. การจุมพิตอันบริสุทธิ์ (with an explanatory note on the cultural greeting custom, since kissing is not a standard Thai greeting norm; churches may substitute a culturally appropriate greeting of Christian affection in practice while the text itself is translated literally). |
This document feeds directly into 08_core_glossary.md for consolidated term-by-term risk tracking, and into Phase 1 Step 2 (translation memory extension) and Step 3 (doctrine risk registry extension).