Core Glossary
Romans — Core Glossary (Greek → Twi)
TRI Phase 1 · Step 1 — First Language Package Baseline for twi
This glossary is the authoritative term bank for all future twi Romans curricula. Renderings recorded here are binding; any future revision must be logged as a formal change, not a silent substitution.
Risk-Tier Definitions
- Critical — core salvation doctrine + strong, specific collision with dominant Akan traditional religious belief/practice; serious doctrinal distortion likely without explicit teaching.
- High — major theological weight or clear partial collision; requires deliberate catechetical support wherever the term is used.
- Medium — manageable ambiguity or mild collision; a footnote/gloss is sufficient.
- Low — stable, already-idiomatic in Twi Christian usage, minimal collision risk.
Baseline Register & Script Notes
- Dialect: Asante Twi literary register (established Twi Bible tradition).
- Characters: ɛ, ɔ used per standard Akan orthography; no tone marking.
- Divine names fixed as: θεός = Onyankopɔn; κύριος = Awurade.
Master Glossary Table
| # | Greek Term | Transliteration | Literal Meaning | Twi Rendering | Risk | Reasoning | Chapters Attested |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | δοῦλος | doulos | slave/bondman | akoa | Medium | Culturally sensitive slavery history in Ghana; retained as established Twi Bible term; paradox of “slave of Christ/slave of righteousness” needs teaching. | 1, 6 |
| 2 | κλητός | klētos | called | ɔfrɛfo / wɔafrɛ no | Low | Straightforward. | 1, 8, 9 |
| 3 | ἀπόστολος | apostolos | one sent | ɔsomafo | Low | Established. | 1, 11, 16 |
| 4 | εὐαγγέλιον | euangelion | good news | Asɛmpa | Low | Long-established Twi Christian term. | 1, 10, 15, 16 |
| 5 | θεός | theos | God | Onyankopɔn | Medium | Traditionally viewed as remote/creator “Sky God” approached via lesser spirits; Christian usage must stress immanence/relational Fatherhood taught throughout Rom. 1–8. | all |
| 6 | προφήτης | prophētēs | prophet | odiyifo / adiyifo | Low | Stable. | 1, 3, 11, 16 |
| 7 | γραφὴ ἁγία | graphē hagia | holy writing | Kyerɛwsɛm Kronkron | Low | Stable. | 1, 3, 4, 9, 10, 15, 16 |
| 8 | υἱός (θεοῦ) | huios (theou) | Son (of God) | Ɔba (Onyankopɔn Ba) | Low | Stable. | 1, 5, 8, 9 |
| 9 | σπέρμα | sperma | seed/descendant | aseni / asefo | Low | Stable. | 1, 4, 9, 11 |
| 10 | σάρξ | sarx | flesh | honam | High | Literal body sense (1:3) vs. Paul’s sinful-nature sense (Ch.7–8) diverge sharply; risk of body/soul dualism if untaught. | 1, 2, 3, 4, 6, 7, 8, 9, 13 |
| 11 | πνεῦμα (ἅγιον) | pneuma (hagion) | spirit (Holy) | Honhom (Kronkron) | Medium | Chosen over sunsum to reduce conflation with traditional spirit-power/ancestral-spirit categories; “Kronkron” qualifier is mandatory. | 1, 2, 5, 7, 8, 9, 14, 15 |
| 12 | δύναμις | dynamis | power | tumi | Medium | Same word covers chiefly/charm/spiritual power broadly; must be qualified as uniquely God’s saving, resurrection power. | 1, 8, 9, 13, 15 |
| 13 | ἀνάστασις | anastasis | resurrection | Owusɔre | Low | Stable. | 1, 4, 6 |
| 14 | κύριος | kyrios | Lord | Awurade | Low | Established; distinct from human “owura.” | all |
| 15 | χάρις | charis | grace/unearned favor | Adom | Medium | Widely embedded but overlaps with secular “kindness/favor”; must stress undeserved, God-initiated nature. | 1, 3, 4, 5, 6, 11, 12, 15, 16 |
| 16 | ὑπακοὴ πίστεως | hypakoē pisteōs | obedience of faith | gyidi mu osetie | High | Must be taught as faith’s fruit, not a second condition alongside faith, or works-righteousness re-enters. | 1, 6, 15, 16 |
| 17 | πίστις | pistis | faith/trust | Gyidi | Low | Established; must retain “trust,” not mere intellectual assent. | 1, 3, 4, 5, 9, 10, 11, 12, 14 |
| 18 | ἔθνος | ethnos | nation/Gentile | amanaman / Amanamanmufo | Low | Stable. | 1, 2, 3, 9, 10, 11, 15, 16 |
| 19 | ἅγιος (subst.) | hagios (saints) | set-apart one | ahotefo | Medium | Must not be confused with ritual/cultic purity from traditional cleansing rites; status-in-Christ, not achieved purity. | 1, 5, 6, 7, 8, 11, 12, 14, 15, 16 |
| 20 | εἰρήνη | eirēnē | peace | Asomdwoe | Low | Stable. | 1, 2, 3, 5, 8, 12, 14, 15, 16 |
| 21 | πατήρ | patēr | Father | Agya | Low | Stable. | 1, 4, 6, 8, 9, 11, 15 |
| 22 | λατρεύω | latreuō | render cultic service | som | Medium | Verb shared with traditional worship of abosom; safeguard is the object (Onyankopɔn/Kristo), always specified. | 1, 9, 12 |
| 23 | χάρισμα | charisma | grace-gift | akyɛde (+ modifier) | Medium | Plain “gift” alone loses grace-nuance; pair with “Honhom akyɛde” or similar. | 1, 5, 6, 11, 12 |
| 24 | ὀφειλέτης | opheiletēs | debtor | ɔdefirifo | Low | Metaphorical, not commercial debt; gloss needed. | 1, 4, 8, 13, 15 |
| 25 | σωτηρία | sōtēria | rescue/salvation | Nkwagye | Low | Strong existing match (“life-rescue”). | 1, 10, 11, 13 |
| 26 | δικαιοσύνη (θεοῦ) | dikaiosynē (theou) | righteousness (of God) | Onyankopɔn trenee | Critical | Central justification phrase; Twi lacks built-in forensic register, risks collapsing to “God’s personal uprightness” only, missing imputed-status sense. | 1, 3, 4, 5, 6, 9, 10, 14 |
| 27 | δίκαιος | dikaios | righteous one | ɔtreneeni | Critical | Shares risk profile with #26. | 1, 2, 3, 5, 7 |
| 28 | ὀργή | orgē | wrath (settled, judicial) | abufuhyew | High | Must be distinguished from capricious spirit-anger placated by ritual in traditional belief; God’s wrath is just and resolved by substitution, not appeasement ritual. | 1, 2, 4, 5, 9, 12, 13 |
| 29 | ἀσέβεια | asebeia | ungodliness | Onyame animtiabu | Medium | Stable descriptive compound. | 1 |
| 30 | ἀδικία | adikia | unrighteousness/wickedness | amumɔyɛsɛm | Low | Stable. | 1, 2, 3, 6, 9 |
| 31 | εἴδωλον | eidōlon | idol (image) | ahoni | Critical | Deliberately names the physical object rather than abosom (the spiritual beings); risks under-scoping Paul’s critique of the whole traditional spiritual economy unless taught explicitly. | 1, 2 |
| 32 | κτίσις | ktisis | creation | abɔdeɛ | Low | Stable. | 1, 8 |
| 33 | παραδίδωμι | paradidōmi | hand over/deliver | de (obi) hyɛ … mu | Medium | Judicial abandonment sense needs explicit teaching (not merely “handed to”). | 1, 4, 6, 8 |
| 34 | κρίμα / κρίσις | krima/krisis | judgment | atemmu | Low | Stable. | 2, 3, 5, 11, 13, 14 |
| 35 | μετάνοια | metanoia | change of mind/repentance | adwensakra | Medium | Must exceed mere remorse (awerɛhow); includes reoriented trust. | 2 |
| 36 | περιτομή | peritomē | circumcision | twetiatwa | Low | Literal referent exists in culture; theological insufficiency-argument needs teaching. | 2, 3, 4, 15 |
| 37 | νόμος | nomos | law | Mmara | Medium | One word covers Mosaic code, moral law on the heart, and “law” as general principle; context must disambiguate each time. | 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 13 |
| 38 | συνείδησις | syneidēsis | conscience | ahonim | Low | Stable. | 2, 9, 13, 14 |
| 39 | Ἰουδαῖος | Ioudaios | Jew | Yudani | Low | Stable. | 2, 3, 9, 10 |
| 40 | δικαιόω | dikaioō | justify/declare righteous | bu bem | Critical | Excellent forensic-court structural match, but risks being read as “finding already-innocent” rather than “crediting righteousness to the guilty”; mandatory qualifying clause required each use. | 3, 4, 5, 8 |
| 41 | δικαίωσις | dikaiōsis | justification | bembuo | Critical | Shares risk with #40. | 5 |
| 42 | ἱλαστήριον | hilastērion | propitiation/mercy seat | mpata | Critical | Direction-of-action collision: traditional mpata flows human→deity; biblical mpata is God-initiated and God-provided in Christ. Mandatory clarifying teaching every use. | 3 |
| 43 | αἷμα | haima | blood | mogya | Medium | Shares cultic-sacrifice association risk with mpata/afɔrebɔ. | 3, 5 |
| 44 | καύχησις | kauchēsis | boasting | ahantan / ahoahoa | Low | Stable. | 2, 3, 4, 5, 11, 15 |
| 45 | ἔργα (νόμου) | erga (nomou) | works (of the law) | Mmara ho nnwuma | Medium | Must be distinguished from good works generally (commended in Ch.12–15). | 2, 3, 4, 9, 11, 13, 14 |
| 46 | λογίζομαι | logizomai | reckon/count/impute | bu (obi) sɛ | High | Foundational accounting-metaphor for imputed righteousness; distinct teaching note from bu bem. | 4 |
| 47 | ἐπαγγελία | epangelia | promise | bɔhyɛ | Low | Stable. | 4, 9, 15 |
| 48 | κληρονόμος | klēronomos | heir | ɔdedifo | Low | Stable. | 4, 8 |
| 49 | ἁμαρτία | hamartia | sin (act/state/power) | Bɔne | Critical | Akan bɔne is normally a discrete act/taboo-breach; Paul’s inherited-condition/reigning-power sense (Rom. 5) has no native equivalent — the highest-priority doctrinal collision in the book. | 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 14 |
| 50 | θάνατος | thanatos | death | owu | High (doctrinally) | Must be taught as sin’s inherited wage, not merely biological end or passage to ancestorhood. | 5, 6, 7, 8 |
| 51 | παράπτωμα | paraptōma | trespass/transgression | mmarato | Medium | Kept distinct from bɔne to preserve Adam/Christ contrast in Ch.5. | 4, 5, 11 |
| 52 | καταλλαγή | katallagē | reconciliation | nkabɔmu | Medium | Deliberately constructed compound, kept distinct from mpata to separate propitiation from reconciliation as theological moments. | 5, 11 |
| 53 | βαπτίζω | baptizō | immerse/baptize | bɔ asu | Low | Established church usage; does not resolve mode-of-baptism debate. | 6 |
| 54 | σῶμα | sōma | body | nipadua | Low | Neutral “body-as-instrument,” distinct from morally-loaded honam. | 6, 7, 8, 12 |
| 55 | ἐλευθερόω | eleutheroō | set free | gye … fi … mu | Low | Stable. | 6, 7, 8 |
| 56 | ἁγιασμός | hagiasmos | sanctification | kronkronyɛ | Medium | Must be distinguished from ritually-achieved purity; Spirit-wrought, progressive, flows from union with Christ. | 6 |
| 57 | ἐπιθυμία | epithymia | desire/craving/lust | akɔnnɔ | Medium | Morally neutral by default in Twi; context must mark negative sense. | 1, 6, 7, 13 |
| 58 | ἐντολή | entolē | commandment | ɔhyɛde | Low | Stable. | 7, 13 |
| 59 | ἔσω ἄνθρωπος | esō anthrōpos | inner man | onipa mu nipa | Medium | Must not be mapped onto Akan tripartite personhood (ɔkra/sunsum/honam) as a fourth “part.” | 7 |
| 60 | υἱοθεσία | huiothesia | adoption (as son) | mmayɛ | Medium | Akan fosterage practice aids comprehension but under-delivers full inheritance-rights sense (8:17). | 8, 9 |
| 61 | Ἀββά | Abba | Father (intimate) | Aba (glossed Agya) | Low | Kept as loanword deliberately, preserving cross-lingual intimacy of the original. | 8 |
| 62 | δόξα | doxa | glory | Anuonyam | Low | Stable. | 2, 3, 5, 6, 8, 9, 11, 15, 16 |
| 63 | προορίζω | proorizō | predestine | hyɛ ho nhyehyɛe fii mfiase | Critical | Must avoid nkrabea (traditional fixed personal destiny) to prevent fatalistic collapse of sovereign election into deterministic fate; teaching must name the concept explicitly. | 8 |
| 64 | ἐκλεκτός / ἐκλογή | eklektos/eklogē | elect/election | paw / nyiyi | Critical | Same nkrabea collision as #63; deliberately chosen verb “paw” (choose) rather than a destiny-noun. | 8, 9, 11 |
| 65 | προγινώσκω | proginōskō | foreknow | nim (obi) dedaw | Medium | Tied to election cluster above. | 8, 11 |
| 66 | τέκνα θεοῦ | tekna theou | children of God | Onyankopɔn mma | Low | Stable. | 8, 9 |
| 67 | Ἰσραήλ | Israēl | Israel | Israel | Low (lexical) / High (hermeneutical) | Transliterated; curriculum must flag whether “Israel”/“Church” are being equated in any given lesson rather than let it happen silently. | 9, 10, 11 |
| 68 | σκληρύνω | sklērynō | harden | pirim (koma) | Medium | Stable idiom. | 9 |
| 69 | ἔλεος | eleos | mercy | Mmɔborɔhunu | Low | Stable. | 9, 11, 12, 15 |
| 70 | σκεῦος | skeuos | vessel | kuruwa | Low | Stable. | 9 |
| 71 | λίθος προσκόμματος | lithos proskommatos | stumbling stone | ɔhintibo | Low | Stable. | 9, 14 |
| 72 | ὁμολογέω | homologeō | confess openly | pae mu ka | Low | Stable. | 10, 14, 15 |
| 73 | ἐπικαλέομαι | epikaleomai | call upon (name) | frɛ (din) | Low | Stable. | 10 |
| 74 | κηρύσσω / εὐαγγελίζομαι | kēryssō/euangelizomai | preach/proclaim | ka Asɛmpa | Low | Reuses #4 root. | 10, 15, 16 |
| 75 | ῥίζα / κλάδος | rhiza/klados | root / branch | ntini / aban | Low | Stable; agricultural grafting is a familiar cultural practice, a genuine asset. | 11 |
| 76 | πλήρωμα | plērōma | fullness | ahyɛmma | Low | Stable. | 11, 13, 15 |
| 77 | μυστήριον | mystērion | mystery (now revealed) | ahintasɛm | Medium | Must be distinguished from esoteric/occult “mystery” tied to shrine secrets/divination in traditional religion; Paul’s sense is now-openly-proclaimed, opposite of guarded secrecy. | 11, 16 |
| 78 | θυσία | thysia | sacrifice | afɔrebɔ | High | Standard Akan term for literal cultic sacrifice to abosom/ancestors; Paul’s “living sacrifice” is a deliberate ethical metaphor requiring explicit unpacking to avoid literal-ritual or appeasement readings. | 12 |
| 79 | λογικὴ λατρεία | logikē latreia | reasonable service | adwene mu ɔsom | Medium | Stable compound. | 12 |
| 80 | μεταμορφόω | metamorphoō | transform | sakra (obi) su | Low | Stable. | 12 |
| 81 | σῶμα Χριστοῦ | sōma Christou | body of Christ | Kristo nipadua | Medium | Good bridge to Akan communal/abusua identity, but risk of narrowing to a single clan/ethnic group rather than the trans-ethnic body of Ch.9–11. | 12 |
| 82 | ἀγάπη | agapē | love (self-giving) | Ɔdɔ | Medium | Twi word spans full range including romantic/family love; needs contextual reinforcement for covenantal self-giving sense. | 5, 8, 12, 13, 14 |
| 83 | ταπεινοφροσύνη | tapeinophrosynē | humility | ahobrɛase | Low | Stable. | 12 |
| 84 | ἐξουσία | exousia | (governing) authority | tumi | Medium | Same Twi word as dynamis (#12); risks losing Paul’s power/legitimated-authority distinction; disambiguate with modifiers. | 13 |
| 85 | ὑποτάσσω | hypotassō | submit | brɛ (wo) ho ase | Low | Stable. | 13 |
| 86 | βασιλεία θεοῦ | basileia theou | kingdom of God | Onyankopɔn Ahenni | Medium | Chieftaincy (ahenni) is a real, resonant institution, but risks importing territorial/ethnic/hereditary kingship expectations rather than the Spirit’s already/not-yet reign. | 14 |
| 87 | σκάνδαλον | skandalon | stumbling block | hintidua | Low | Stable. | 14 |
| 88 | οἰκοδομέω | oikodomeō | build up/edify | kyekyere | Low | Stable. | 14 |
| 89 | ὑπομονή | hypomonē | endurance | abotare | Low | Stable. | 15 |
| 90 | λειτουργός / διάκονος | leitourgos/diakonos | minister/servant | ɔsomfo | Low | One Twi word for both Greek terms; priestly nuance of leitourgos is a teaching point, not a lexical distinction. | 15, 16 |
| 91 | προσφορά | prosphora | offering | afɔrebɔdeɛ | High | Shares cultic-sacrifice risk profile with #78. | 15 |
| 92 | συνεργός | synergos | fellow worker | ɔboafo | Low | Stable. | 16 |
| 93 | ἀσπάζομαι | aspazomai | greet | kyia | Low | Stable. | 16 |
| 94 | σχίσμα | schisma | division | mpaepaemu | Low | Cross-references unity material in Ch.12 and Ch.14. | 16 |
| 95 | ἀκέραιος | akeraios | innocent/pure | ɔho a ɛtew | Low | Stable. | 16 |
Notes on Chapters Contributing No New Theological Vocabulary
No chapter of Romans is entirely without load-bearing vocabulary; every chapter 1–16 is represented above with at least one attested term (reused or newly introduced), satisfying full-book coverage. Chapters whose primary contribution is reuse rather than new terminology (e.g., Ch. 13, 14, 16 largely reapply nomos, dynamis/exousia, agapē, sōma, pistis established in Ch. 1–12) are marked as such in 07_semantic_analysis.md rather than assigned spurious new entries here.
Cross-Reference to Bible Doctrines (for downstream curriculum use)
- Justification by Faith: #26, 27, 40, 41, 46
- Original Sin and Universal Guilt: #49, 50, 51
- Grace and Salvation by Faith Alone: #15, 17, 25, 42
- Union with Christ: #53, 81, 61
- The Law and Its Purpose: #37, 45, 58
- Election and the Sovereignty of God: #63, 64, 65, 68
- Sanctification and Life in the Spirit: #11, 56, 80
- The Future of Israel: #67, 75, 76
- The Gospel as the Power of God for Salvation: #4, 5, 12, 25
- Christian Living and Unity in the Church: #78, 81, 82, 86, 94
Critical Risk Terms
Hamartia Sin
Approved rendering: Bɔne
Transliteration: hamartia
Doctrine: Original Sin and Universal Guilt
In Akan traditional thought, bɔne is normally a discrete act/taboo-breach resolved by confession, restitution, or ritual cleansing. No native doctrine of a single ancestral fall corrupting all humanity’s nature. Highest-priority doctrinal collision in the book; Ch.5 uses require the fixed teaching compound (see bone_adam_de_baa_wiase).
Eidolon Idol
Approved rendering: ahoni
Transliteration: eidōlon
Doctrine: Original Sin and Universal Guilt
Rejected alternatives: abosom (rejected: names the spiritual beings themselves rather than the physical object; would import an even stronger direct-confrontation risk that could not be safely fenced by simple translation choice)
Names the physical object (a culturally ‘safer’, more distant referent) rather than ‘abosom’. Paul’s critique in 1:23-25 targets worship of created things generally, including abosom and ancestor veneration; explicit teaching required to broaden the referent.
Dikaiosyne Theou Righteousness Of God
Approved rendering: Onyankopɔn trenee
Transliteration: dikaiosynē (theou)
Doctrine: Justification by Faith
The single most doctrinally load-bearing phrase in the letter. Twi has no built-in forensic register signaling ‘a righteous status credited to another’; without deliberate catechesis distinguishing attribute vs. saving act vs. imputed status, hearers will likely default to God’s own personal uprightness only.
Dikaios Righteous One
Approved rendering: ɔtreneeni
Transliteration: dikaios
Doctrine: Justification by Faith
Shares the risk profile of dikaiosynē theou; requires the same catechetical safeguard against a purely moral-character reading.
Dikaioo Justify
Approved rendering: bu bem
Transliteration: dikaioō
Doctrine: Justification by Faith
Excellent structural match — a forensic acquittal idiom drawn from Akan customary court practice — but risks ‘found already innocent’ rather than ‘credited with another’s righteousness’. Every use requires the mandatory imputation clause (see bu_bem_imputation_clause).
Dikaiosis Justification Noun
Approved rendering: bembuo
Transliteration: dikaiōsis
Doctrine: Justification by Faith
Shares the risk profile of dikaioō above (Rom. 5:18).
Hilasterion Propitiation
Approved rendering: mpata
Transliteration: hilastērion
Doctrine: Grace and Salvation by Faith Alone
Rejected alternatives: ‘afɔrebɔ a ɛpata Onyankopɔn abufuw’ constructed paraphrase (rejected: unwieldy for repeated liturgical/catechetical use, breaks continuity with existing Twi hymnody/preaching usage of ‘mpata’)
Direction-of-action collision: traditional mpata flows human→deity; biblical mpata (Rom. 3:25) is God-initiated and God-provided in Christ. Mandatory clarifying teaching every use (see mpata is also cross-referenced in comparative theology file §7).
Proorizo Predestine
Approved rendering: hyɛ ho nhyehyɛe fii mfiase
Transliteration: proorizō
Doctrine: Election and the Sovereignty of God
Rejected alternatives: nkrabea (rejected: traditional fixed personal life-destiny is fatalistic and not framed in terms of individual moral responsibility; using it would collapse Paul’s argument into deterministic fate foreign to Rom. 9-10)
Must avoid nkrabea to prevent fatalistic collapse of sovereign, merciful election into deterministic fate that removes human responsibility to believe (Ch.10).
Eklektos Eklogue Election
Approved rendering: paw / nyiyi
Transliteration: eklektos / eklogē
Doctrine: Election and the Sovereignty of God
Rejected alternatives: nkrabea (rejected, same reasoning as proorizo_predestine)
Deliberately rendered with an active choice-verb (‘paw’) and act-noun (‘nyiyi’) rather than a destiny-noun. Highest concentration/highest risk chapter is Rom. 9.
Bu Bem Imputation Clause
Approved rendering: ɛnyɛ ne ho tenenee nti, na ɛyɛ Kristo tenenee a wɔde ama no
Transliteration: (fixed Twi teaching clause, no single Greek source term)
Doctrine: Justification by Faith
MANDATORY qualifying clause required every occurrence of ‘bu bem’ / ‘bembuo’ in doctrinal (not merely narrative) contexts, per analysis/06_linguistic_gap_analysis.md §1. Must never be omitted for the sake of fluency.
Bone Adam De Baa Wiase Inherited Sin
Approved rendering: Bɔne a Adam de baa wiase
Transliteration: (fixed Twi teaching compound for hamartia as inherited condition, Rom. 5:12-19)
Doctrine: Original Sin and Universal Guilt
Rejected alternatives: bare ‘Bɔne’ unqualified (rejected: collapses into discrete-act sense only, losing the federal-headship argument)
Fixed labeled sub-sense of Bɔne reserved exclusively for the Adam/federal-headship condition in Rom. 5; never to be used interchangeably with everyday ‘bɔne’ (a wrongful act).
High Risk Terms
Sarx Flesh
Approved rendering: honam
Transliteration: sarx
Doctrine: Original Sin and Universal Guilt
Good literal match for physical body/descent (1:3), but Paul’s technical sense of sinful, self-dominated nature (Ch.7-8) has no ready one-word Twi equivalent and risks a body/soul dualism foreign to Akan and biblical anthropology. Ch.7-8 doctrinal uses require the mandatory modifier (see honam_a_ɛyɛ_bɔne_akoa).
Thanatos Death
Approved rendering: owu
Transliteration: thanatos
Doctrine: Original Sin and Universal Guilt
Lexically stable, but doctrinally must be taught as sin’s inherited wage (Rom. 5-8), not merely biological end or the traditional Akan view of death as passage into ancestorhood (see comparative theology file §8).
Orge Wrath
Approved rendering: abufuhyew
Transliteration: orgē
Doctrine: Original Sin and Universal Guilt
Must be taught as God’s just, controlled judicial response to sin, not capricious anger like that attributed to offended abosom/ancestral spirits, typically placated by appeasement ritual rather than resolved by substitution.
Logizomai Reckon Credit
Approved rendering: bu (obi) sɛ
Transliteration: logizomai
Doctrine: Justification by Faith
Foundational accounting-metaphor for imputed righteousness (Ch.4); must be distinguished from ‘bu bem’ (the court metaphor) as its own teaching note.
Hypakoe Pisteos Obedience Of Faith
Approved rendering: gyidi mu osetie
Transliteration: hypakoē pisteōs
Doctrine: Justification by Faith
Rejected alternatives: ‘gye di na yɛ osetie’ as two coordinated commands (rejected: reintroduces works-righteousness as a second condition alongside faith)
Must be taught as faith’s inherent fruit, not a second condition alongside faith, or works-righteousness re-enters the verse framing the whole letter.
Israel Proper Noun
Approved rendering: Israel
Transliteration: Israēl
Doctrine: The Future of Israel
Rejected alternatives: allegorizing to ‘Church’ as a blanket translation choice (rejected: would silently resolve a contested hermeneutical debate through translation rather than exposition)
Transliterated proper noun, lexically low-risk but hermeneutically high-stakes: teaching materials must not silently equate ‘Israel’ with ‘the Church’ (or vice versa) without flagging the interpretive move being made.
Thysia Sacrifice
Approved rendering: afɔrebɔ
Transliteration: thysia
Doctrine: Christian Living and Unity in the Church
Rejected alternatives: a generic bloodless ‘self-giving’ paraphrase (rejected: would blunt Paul’s deliberate rhetorical repurposing of cultic vocabulary in Rom. 12:1)
Standard Akan term for literal cultic sacrifice to abosom/ancestors. Paul’s ‘living sacrifice’ is a deliberate ethical metaphor; every doctrinal use requires the mandatory disclaimer (see afɔrebɔ_disclaimer_living_sacrifice).
Prosphora Offering
Approved rendering: afɔrebɔdeɛ
Transliteration: prosphora
Doctrine: Christian Living and Unity in the Church
Shares the cultic-sacrifice risk profile of thysia above (Rom. 15:16).
Adom Unearned Qualifier
Approved rendering: Adom a wɔanhwɛ obi papayɛ wɔ mu
Transliteration: (fixed Twi teaching formula: ‘grace in which one’s own good deeds play no part’)
Doctrine: Grace and Salvation by Faith Alone
Mandatory qualifying formula for soteriological ‘Adom’ on first use per lesson, distinguishing it from social-favor ‘adom’ used in narrative or greeting contexts.
Wo Kristo Mu In Christ Formula
Approved rendering: wɔ Kristo mu
Transliteration: (fixed Twi rendering of Pauline formula en Christō)
Doctrine: Union with Christ
Rejected alternatives: varying the preposition stylistically across occurrences (rejected: would obscure recognition of Paul’s repeated theological formula as one recurring unit)
Fixed prepositional idiom to be used consistently for every occurrence of en Christō, not varied stylistically, so learners recognize it as one recurring theological formula rather than ordinary spatial ‘in’.
Onyankopɔn Tumi A Ɛgye Nkwa Saving Power Formula
Approved rendering: Onyankopɔn tumi a ɛgye nkwa
Transliteration: (fixed doctrinal compound: ‘God’s power that saves/rescues life’, for Rom. 1:16 dynamis)
Doctrine: The Gospel as the Power of God for Salvation
Rejected alternatives: bare ‘tumi’ in a soteriological claim (rejected: flattens the gospel’s unique power into one power among many competing spiritual tumi sources)
Standing doctrinal form for 1:16 and its echoes (8:11; 15:19); bare ‘tumi’ is permitted only in non-doctrinal narrative use.
Honam A Ɛyɛ Bɔne Akoa Flesh Modifier
Approved rendering: honam a ɛyɛ bɔne akoa
Transliteration: (fixed modifier: ‘flesh that is sin’s servant/slave’, for sarx in its Ch.7-8 sinful-nature sense)
Doctrine: Original Sin and Universal Guilt
Rejected alternatives: bare ‘honam’ in Ch.7-8 doctrinal contexts (rejected: risks a body-is-evil dualistic reading foreign to Akan and biblical anthropology)
Mandatory modifier for every Ch.7-8 doctrinal use of ‘honam’ where sarx carries its technical sinful-nature sense rather than the literal-body sense of Rom. 1:3.
Afɔrebɔ Disclaimer Living Sacrifice
Approved rendering: ɛnyɛ afɔrebɔ a wɔde pata Onyankopɔn abufuw, na ɛyɛ ɔkra a wɔde ma no efisɛ Adom no adi kan aba
Transliteration: (fixed disclaimer: ‘this is not a sacrifice to appease God’s wrath, but a life given because grace has already come first’, for thysia/prosphora in Rom. 12:1; 15:16)
Doctrine: Christian Living and Unity in the Church
Rejected alternatives: translating thysia with a non-cultic, bloodless paraphrase (rejected: would blunt Paul’s deliberate repurposing of cultic vocabulary)
Mandatory disclaimer clause required every doctrinal use of ‘afɔrebɔ’/‘afɔrebɔdeɛ’ in Ch.12 and Ch.15 teaching contexts.
Medium Risk Terms
Theos God
Approved rendering: Onyankopɔn
Transliteration: theos
Doctrine: Foundational / Cross-Doctrinal
Rejected alternatives: Onyame (colloquial register, rejected for formal Bible-Twi baseline)
Established pan-denominational Twi Christian term. Traditionally conceived as a remote creator ‘Sky God’ approached through lesser spirits (abosom); Christian usage must consistently stress immanence and relational Fatherhood, or hearers may retain the traditional remoteness model.
Pneuma Hagion Holy Spirit
Approved rendering: Honhom (Kronkron)
Transliteration: pneuma (hagion)
Doctrine: Sanctification and Life in the Spirit
Rejected alternatives: sunsum (rejected: Akan personality-spirit/spiritual-power term tied to ancestral and possessory spirits)
The qualifier ‘Kronkron’ is MANDATORY in every occurrence; dropping it re-opens conflation risk with generic breath/spirit or with sunsum categories.
Doulos Slave Bondservant
Approved rendering: akoa
Transliteration: doulos
Doctrine: Union with Christ
Culturally sensitive slavery history in Ghana; retained as the established Twi Bible term. Paradox of ‘slave of Christ’ / ‘slave of righteousness’ (Rom. 6:18-22) is a teaching point, not a translation problem — must be preserved, not softened.
Horisthentos Declared Appointed
Approved rendering: wɔadi adanse sɛ
Transliteration: horisthentos
Doctrine: The Gospel as the Power of God for Salvation
Rejected alternatives: ‘wɔyɛɛ no’ (rejected: could imply Christ became divine only at the resurrection — adoptionism risk)
Rom. 1:4. Must be taught as public declaration/attestation of pre-existing divine sonship, not the moment Christ became Son.
Ek Pisteos Eis Pistin From Faith To Faith
Approved rendering: efi gyidi, kɔ gyidi mu
Transliteration: ek pisteōs eis pistin
Doctrine: Justification by Faith
Rom. 1:17. The Greek’s own ambiguity (God’s faithfulness to human faith, or faith beginning-to-end) should be preserved, not resolved, in translation.
Mysterion Mystery
Approved rendering: ahintasɛm
Transliteration: mystērion
Doctrine: The Future of Israel
Rejected alternatives: transliterated loanword (rejected: would invite confusion with occult/esoteric ‘mystery’ senses already present in Ghanaian popular media discourse)
Must be distinguished from esoteric/occult ‘mystery’ tied to shrine secrets/divination; Paul’s sense is a once-hidden, now openly-proclaimed truth.
Asebeia Ungodliness
Approved rendering: Onyame animtiabu
Transliteration: asebeia
Doctrine: Original Sin and Universal Guilt
Stable descriptive compound (‘disrespect toward God’); pairs with the wider idolatry cluster in 1:18-32.
Epithymia Desire
Approved rendering: akɔnnɔ
Transliteration: epithymia
Doctrine: The Law and Its Purpose
Morally neutral by default in general Twi usage (‘craving/appetite’); context must consistently mark the negative sinful sense intended by Paul.
Paraptoma Trespass
Approved rendering: mmarato
Transliteration: paraptōma
Doctrine: Original Sin and Universal Guilt
Deliberately kept distinct from Bɔne so that Rom. 5’s Adam/Christ argument (one trespass vs. one act of righteousness) is not flattened into generic sin-language.
Metanoia Repentance
Approved rendering: adwensakra
Transliteration: metanoia
Doctrine: The Law and Its Purpose
Must exceed mere remorse (awerɛhow) typical of traditional taboo-breach confession; Pauline repentance includes reoriented trust, not sorrow alone.
Paradidomi Hand Over
Approved rendering: de (obi) hyɛ … mu
Transliteration: paradidōmi
Doctrine: Original Sin and Universal Guilt
Theological sense is judicial abandonment (God’s judgment expressed by withdrawal), which must be explicitly taught rather than read as simple, neutral transfer.
Erga Nomou Works Of Law
Approved rendering: Mmara ho nnwuma
Transliteration: erga (nomou)
Doctrine: The Law and Its Purpose
Must be clearly distinguished from good works generally, commended in Ch.12-15; here the referent is deeds performed to earn standing before God.
Charis Grace
Approved rendering: Adom
Transliteration: charis
Doctrine: Grace and Salvation by Faith Alone
Deeply embedded in Twi Christian usage but overlaps with secular ‘kindness/favor’; must be consistently distinguished as undeserved, God-initiated. Soteriological uses require the mandatory qualifying formula (see adom_unearned_qualifier).
Charisma Grace Gift
Approved rendering: akyɛde (+ modifier, e.g. Honhom akyɛde)
Transliteration: charisma
Doctrine: Grace and Salvation by Faith Alone
Plain ‘akyɛde’ alone loses the grace-gift theological nuance; must always be paired with a qualifying modifier.
Haima Blood
Approved rendering: mogya
Transliteration: haima
Doctrine: Grace and Salvation by Faith Alone
Shares the cultic-sacrifice association risk with mpata and afɔrebɔ; same teaching safeguard applies.
Katallage Reconciliation
Approved rendering: nkabɔmu
Transliteration: katallagē
Doctrine: Original Sin and Universal Guilt
Rejected alternatives: extending ‘mpata’ to cover this concept (rejected: would collapse propitiation and reconciliation into one theological moment)
Deliberately constructed compound (‘the bringing-together’), kept distinct from mpata to separate propitiation (Ch.3) from reconciliation (Ch.5); requires definition on first use.
Nomos Law
Approved rendering: Mmara
Transliteration: nomos
Doctrine: The Law and Its Purpose
One Twi word covers Mosaic code, moral law on the heart (2:14-15), and ‘law’ as governing principle (3:27; 7:23); context must always be supplied to disambiguate — see mandatory tag entries below.
Eso Anthropos Inner Man
Approved rendering: onipa mu nipa
Transliteration: esō anthrōpos
Doctrine: The Law and Its Purpose
Rejected alternatives: mapping onto ɔkra/sunsum/honam tripartite personhood as a fourth ‘part’ (rejected: not Paul’s category and would import an unrelated indigenous anthropology)
Must not be read through the lens of Akan tripartite personhood; it is Paul’s own metaphor for the regenerate will versus the flesh (Ch.7).
Proginosko Foreknow
Approved rendering: nim (obi) dedaw
Transliteration: proginōskō
Doctrine: Election and the Sovereignty of God
Tied to the election cluster above; same fatalism-avoidance caution applies.
Skleryno Harden
Approved rendering: pirim (koma)
Transliteration: sklērynō
Doctrine: Election and the Sovereignty of God
Stable idiom (Pharaoh’s heart, Rom. 9); pairs with the same sovereignty/responsibility tension as the election cluster.
Hagiasmos Sanctification
Approved rendering: kronkronyɛ
Transliteration: hagiasmos
Doctrine: Sanctification and Life in the Spirit
Must be distinguished from ritual/cultic purity attained by traditional cleansing rites; biblical kronkronyɛ is Spirit-wrought, progressive moral transformation flowing from union with Christ — every doctrinal use requires the mandatory anchoring formula (see honhom_kronkron_na_ɔyɛ).
Huiothesia Adoption
Approved rendering: mmayɛ
Transliteration: huiothesia
Doctrine: Union with Christ
Akan customary adoption/fosterage practices exist and aid understanding, but must be taught with the added dimension of full inheritance rights (8:17), stronger than typical customary fosterage.
Hagios Saints Set Apart Ones
Approved rendering: ahotefo
Transliteration: hagios (subst.)
Doctrine: Sanctification and Life in the Spirit
Must not be confused with ritual/cultic purity from traditional cleansing rites (guare, taboo observance); the Pauline sense is status-in-Christ, not achieved ritual cleanness.
Logike Latreia Reasonable Service
Approved rendering: adwene mu ɔsom
Transliteration: logikē latreia
Doctrine: Christian Living and Unity in the Church
Stable compound; reinforces the worship/service theme of latreuo.
Latreuo Worship Serve
Approved rendering: som
Transliteration: latreuō
Doctrine: The Gospel as the Power of God for Salvation
The exact verb used for worship of abosom and ancestors; the object of worship, not the verb, is the theological safeguard (see som_object_naming_rule).
Soma Christou Body Of Christ
Approved rendering: Kristo nipadua
Transliteration: sōma Christou
Doctrine: Union with Christ
Resonates with Akan communal/lineage identity (abusua) — a genuine cultural bridge — but risks narrowing to a single ethnic clan rather than the trans-ethnic body of Ch.9-11; must cross-reference Christian Living and Unity doctrine.
Agape Love
Approved rendering: Ɔdɔ
Transliteration: agapē
Doctrine: Christian Living and Unity in the Church
Twi word spans full range including romantic/family love; Paul’s self-giving, covenantal agapē (12:9-10) needs contextual reinforcement so it is not narrowed to affection/emotion.
Exousia Authority
Approved rendering: tumi
Transliteration: exousia
Doctrine: Christian Living and Unity in the Church
Same Twi word as dynamis; collapsing the two risks losing Paul’s distinction between raw power and legitimated authority. Modifiers (‘aban tumi’, ‘tumi a wɔde ama no’) must disambiguate.
Basileia Theou Kingdom Of God
Approved rendering: Onyankopɔn Ahenni
Transliteration: basileia theou
Doctrine: Christian Living and Unity in the Church
Chieftaincy (ahenni) is a real, resonant institution but risks importing territorial/ethnic/hereditary kingship expectations rather than the Spirit’s already/not-yet reign (14:17).
Dynamis Power
Approved rendering: tumi
Transliteration: dynamis
Doctrine: The Gospel as the Power of God for Salvation
Theologically load-bearing anchor term; same word covers chiefly/political/spiritual power including abosom/asuman power. Soteriological uses require the mandatory compound (see onyankopɔn_tumi_a_ɛgye_nkwa).
Mose Mmara Mosaic Code Tag
Approved rendering: Mose Mmara
Transliteration: (fixed disambiguation tag for nomos, sense: Mosaic code)
Doctrine: The Law and Its Purpose
Standing qualifier tag; every lesson using ‘Mmara’ in the Mosaic-code sense must use or gloss this tag rather than leaving ‘Mmara’ bare.
Mmara Koma Mu Law On Heart Tag
Approved rendering: Mmara a wɔakyerɛw wɔ koma mu
Transliteration: (fixed disambiguation tag for nomos, sense: moral law written on the heart, Rom. 2:14-15)
Doctrine: The Law and Its Purpose
Standing qualifier tag for the conscience-inscribed moral law sense of nomos.
Gyidi Mmara Honhom Mmara Law Of Faith Spirit Tag
Approved rendering: Gyidi mmara / Honhom mmara
Transliteration: (fixed disambiguation tag for nomos, sense: ‘law/order’ as general governing principle, Rom. 3:27; 8:2)
Doctrine: The Law and Its Purpose
Standing qualifier tag for the metaphorical/principial sense of nomos, distinct from the Mosaic code and the heart-written moral law tags above.
Honhom Kronkron Na Ɔyɛ Sanctification Anchor Formula
Approved rendering: Honhom Kronkron no na ɔyɛ yɛn kronkron
Transliteration: (fixed anchoring formula: ‘it is the Holy Spirit who makes us holy’, for hagiasmos/hagioi)
Doctrine: Sanctification and Life in the Spirit
Mandatory anchoring formula for every doctrinal (non-narrative) use of ‘kronkronyɛ’ and ‘ahotefo’, blocking the self-achieved-ritual-purity misreading.
Som Object Naming Rule
Approved rendering: som (+ obligatory named object: Onyankopɔn / Awurade Yesu Kristo)
Transliteration: (fixed usage rule for latreuō, som)
Doctrine: The Gospel as the Power of God for Salvation
‘Som’ must never appear in a doctrinal sentence without its object named in the same clause; the object of worship, not the verb, is the safeguard against conflation with abosom/ancestor worship.
Low Risk Terms
Kyrios Lord
Approved rendering: Awurade
Transliteration: kyrios
Doctrine: Foundational / Cross-Doctrinal
Rejected alternatives: owura (human ‘mister/master’, rejected as it lacks the divine sense)
Established Twi Christian term for the divine Lord, distinct from human ‘owura’.
Pater Father
Approved rendering: Agya
Transliteration: patēr
Doctrine: Foundational / Cross-Doctrinal
Stable, direct match.
Huios Theou Son Of God
Approved rendering: Ɔba (Onyankopɔn Ba)
Transliteration: huios (theou)
Doctrine: Foundational / Cross-Doctrinal
Stable; must be taught as eternal, non-created sonship, not biological procreation (see comparative theology file, §4).
Abba Father Intimate
Approved rendering: Aba (glossed Agya)
Transliteration: Abba
Doctrine: Union with Christ
Rejected alternatives: plain ‘Agya’ only (rejected: flattens Paul’s own cross-lingual intimacy device)
Retained as a loanword deliberately, preserving the cross-lingual intimacy Paul himself preserves in Greek (Rom. 8:15).
Euangelion Gospel
Approved rendering: Asɛmpa
Transliteration: euangelion
Doctrine: The Gospel as the Power of God for Salvation
Long-established Twi Christian term, anchor term of the whole book; must be consistently paired with ‘tumi’ (power) teaching in Rom. 1:16.
Kletos Called
Approved rendering: ɔfrɛfo / wɔafrɛ no
Transliteration: klētos
Doctrine: Election and the Sovereignty of God
Conveys divine summons rather than self-appointment.
Apostolos Apostle
Approved rendering: ɔsomafo
Transliteration: apostolos
Doctrine: The Gospel as the Power of God for Salvation
Established equivalent, ‘one who is sent’.
Aphorismenos Set Apart
Approved rendering: wɔatew no ho
Transliteration: aphōrismenos
Doctrine: Election and the Sovereignty of God
Conveys divine designation to a task; stable.
Sperma Seed Descendant
Approved rendering: aseni / asefo
Transliteration: sperma
Doctrine: The Future of Israel
Physical descent sense (Rom. 1:3, ‘seed of David’); reused in Ch. 4, 9, 11 for Abrahamic/Israelite descent argument.
Epaischynomai Ashamed Of
Approved rendering: mefɛre (mimfɛre… ho)
Transliteration: epaischynomai
Doctrine: The Gospel as the Power of God for Salvation
Rom. 1:16, ‘I am not ashamed of the gospel.‘
Kerysso Euangelizomai Preach
Approved rendering: ka Asɛmpa
Transliteration: kēryssō / euangelizomai
Doctrine: The Gospel as the Power of God for Salvation
Reuses the euangelion root; stable.
Homologeo Confess
Approved rendering: pae mu ka
Transliteration: homologeō
Doctrine: Justification by Faith
Stable idiom for open declaration (Rom. 10:9).
Epikaleomai Call Upon
Approved rendering: frɛ (din)
Transliteration: epikaleomai
Doctrine: Grace and Salvation by Faith Alone
Stable (Rom. 10:13).
Leitourgos Diakonos Minister
Approved rendering: ɔsomfo
Transliteration: leitourgos / diakonos
Doctrine: Christian Living and Unity in the Church
One Twi word covers both Greek terms; the priestly nuance of leitourgos vs. general diakonos is a teaching point, not a lexical distinction, and does not resolve ecclesiological office debate (Phoebe, Rom. 16:1).
Synergos Fellow Worker
Approved rendering: ɔboafo
Transliteration: synergos
Doctrine: Christian Living and Unity in the Church
Stable.
Aspazomai Greet
Approved rendering: kyia
Transliteration: aspazomai
Doctrine: Christian Living and Unity in the Church
Stable.
Graphe Hagia Holy Scripture
Approved rendering: Kyerɛwsɛm Kronkron
Transliteration: graphē hagia
Doctrine: Foundational / Cross-Doctrinal
Stable, established compound. See comparative theology file §9 re: risk of Scripture being received as one authoritative voice among elder-counsel/proverb traditions rather than supreme rule of faith.
Prophetes Prophet
Approved rendering: odiyifo / adiyifo
Transliteration: prophētēs
Doctrine: The Future of Israel
Stable.
Adikia Unrighteousness
Approved rendering: amumɔyɛsɛm
Transliteration: adikia
Doctrine: Original Sin and Universal Guilt
Stable descriptive term.
Syneidesis Conscience
Approved rendering: ahonim
Transliteration: syneidēsis
Doctrine: The Law and Its Purpose
Stable.
Krima Krisis Judgment
Approved rendering: atemmu
Transliteration: krima / krisis
Doctrine: Original Sin and Universal Guilt
Stable.
Dikaioma Righteous Decree
Approved rendering: Onyankopɔn atemmu a ɛteɛ
Transliteration: dikaiōma
Doctrine: Justification by Faith
Stable descriptive phrase (Rom. 1:32).
Ktisis Creation
Approved rendering: abɔdeɛ
Transliteration: ktisis
Doctrine: Original Sin and Universal Guilt
Stable.
Kauchesis Boasting
Approved rendering: ahantan / ahoahoa
Transliteration: kauchēsis
Doctrine: Justification by Faith
Stable.
Soteria Salvation
Approved rendering: Nkwagye
Transliteration: sōtēria
Doctrine: Grace and Salvation by Faith Alone
Well-established, semantically strong (‘life-rescue’); good match.
Pistis Faith
Approved rendering: Gyidi
Transliteration: pistis
Doctrine: Grace and Salvation by Faith Alone
Established; must retain the sense of relational trust, not mere intellectual assent.
Eleutheroo Set Free
Approved rendering: gye … fi … mu
Transliteration: eleutheroō
Doctrine: Union with Christ
Stable.
Entole Commandment
Approved rendering: ɔhyɛde
Transliteration: entolē
Doctrine: The Law and Its Purpose
Stable.
Peritome Circumcision
Approved rendering: twetiatwa
Transliteration: peritomē
Doctrine: The Law and Its Purpose
A literal, non-metaphorical Akan practice exists, aiding comprehension of the literal referent; Paul’s argument that it is insufficient alone requires teaching.
Ioudaios Jew
Approved rendering: Yudani
Transliteration: Ioudaios
Doctrine: The Future of Israel
Stable.
Ethnos Nation Gentile
Approved rendering: amanaman / Amanamanmufo
Transliteration: ethnos
Doctrine: The Future of Israel
Stable.
Eleos Mercy
Approved rendering: Mmɔborɔhunu
Transliteration: eleos
Doctrine: Election and the Sovereignty of God
Stable.
Skeuos Vessel
Approved rendering: kuruwa
Transliteration: skeuos
Doctrine: Election and the Sovereignty of God
Stable (potter/clay metaphor, Rom. 9).
Lithos Proskommatos Stumbling Stone
Approved rendering: ɔhintibo
Transliteration: lithos proskommatos
Doctrine: Election and the Sovereignty of God
Stable.
Rhiza Klados Root Branch
Approved rendering: ntini / aban
Transliteration: rhiza / klados
Doctrine: The Future of Israel
Stable.
Enkentrizo Graft In
Approved rendering: ka bata ho
Transliteration: enkentrizō
Doctrine: The Future of Israel
Horticultural grafting is a familiar Ghanaian agricultural practice (cocoa, citrus) — a genuine cultural asset — but care is needed that the metaphor’s vividness does not implicitly settle the Israel/Church debate.
Pleroma Fullness
Approved rendering: ahyɛmma
Transliteration: plērōma
Doctrine: The Future of Israel
Stable.
Baptizo Baptize
Approved rendering: bɔ asu
Transliteration: baptizō
Doctrine: Union with Christ
Established church usage (noun ‘asubɔ’); does not itself resolve mode-of-baptism denominational debate.
Soma Body
Approved rendering: nipadua
Transliteration: sōma
Doctrine: Union with Christ
Neutral ‘body-as-instrument’, distinguished from the morally-loaded ‘honam’ (sarx).
Doxa Glory
Approved rendering: Anuonyam
Transliteration: doxa
Doctrine: Sanctification and Life in the Spirit
Stable.
Tekna Theou Children Of God
Approved rendering: Onyankopɔn mma
Transliteration: tekna theou
Doctrine: Sanctification and Life in the Spirit
Stable.
Metamorphoo Transform
Approved rendering: sakra (obi) su
Transliteration: metamorphoō
Doctrine: Sanctification and Life in the Spirit
Stable (Rom. 12:2).
Nous Mind
Approved rendering: adwene
Transliteration: nous
Doctrine: Sanctification and Life in the Spirit
Stable.
Philadelphia Brotherly Love
Approved rendering: anuadɔ
Transliteration: philadelphia
Doctrine: Christian Living and Unity in the Church
Stable.
Tapeinophrosyne Humility
Approved rendering: ahobrɛase
Transliteration: tapeinophrosynē
Doctrine: Christian Living and Unity in the Church
Stable.
Hypotasso Submit
Approved rendering: brɛ (wo) ho ase
Transliteration: hypotassō
Doctrine: Christian Living and Unity in the Church
Stable.
Skandalon Stumbling Block
Approved rendering: hintidua
Transliteration: skandalon
Doctrine: Christian Living and Unity in the Church
Stable.
Oikodomeo Build Up
Approved rendering: kyekyere
Transliteration: oikodomeō
Doctrine: Christian Living and Unity in the Church
Stable.
Hypomone Endurance
Approved rendering: abotare
Transliteration: hypomonē
Doctrine: Christian Living and Unity in the Church
Stable.
Paraklesis Comfort Encouragement
Approved rendering: nkuranhyɛ
Transliteration: paraklēsis
Doctrine: Christian Living and Unity in the Church
Reuses root established in Ch.1 (stērichthēnai/paraklēthēnai).
Schisma Division
Approved rendering: mpaepaemu
Transliteration: schisma
Doctrine: Christian Living and Unity in the Church
Doctrinally important; cross-references sōma Christou (Ch.12) and unity material in Ch.14.
Akeraios Pure
Approved rendering: ɔho a ɛtew
Transliteration: akeraios
Doctrine: Christian Living and Unity in the Church
Stable.
Phoros Opheile Tax Debt
Approved rendering: towtua / ka
Transliteration: phoros / opheilē
Doctrine: Christian Living and Unity in the Church
Stable.
Skotos Phos Darkness Light
Approved rendering: esum / hann
Transliteration: skotos / phōs
Doctrine: Christian Living and Unity in the Church
Stable.
Asthenon Te Pistei Weak In Faith
Approved rendering: gyidi mu ayarefo
Transliteration: asthenōn tē pistei
Doctrine: Christian Living and Unity in the Church
Stable idiom.
Zelos Zeal
Approved rendering: mmɔdenbɔ / anibere
Transliteration: zēlos
Doctrine: The Future of Israel
Stable (Rom. 10:2).
Chrestotes Apotomia Kindness Severity
Approved rendering: ayamye / atemmu a ano yɛ den
Transliteration: chrēstotēs / apotomia
Doctrine: Election and the Sovereignty of God
Stable (Rom. 11:22).
Opheiletes Debtor
Approved rendering: ɔdefirifo
Transliteration: opheiletēs
Doctrine: The Gospel as the Power of God for Salvation
Paul is ‘in debt’ to preach, not financially indebted; gloss required so ‘ka’ (debt) is not read commercially.
Agapetois Beloved
Approved rendering: adɔfo
Transliteration: agapētois
Doctrine: Christian Living and Unity in the Church
Stable.
Anastasis Resurrection
Approved rendering: Owusɔre
Transliteration: anastasis
Doctrine: The Gospel as the Power of God for Salvation
Stable; see comparative theology file §8 re: risk of assimilation to ancestor-spirit-survival categories — must be taught as bodily, historical resurrection, not spirit-release into asamando.