Core Glossary
08 Core Glossary — 1 Thessalonians (English → Vietnamese)
Purpose
This glossary consolidates every load-bearing theological term identified in 07_semantic_analysis.md, across the entire book of 1 Thessalonians, into a single reference table. It records, for every term: the Vietnamese rendering, transliteration, doctrine risk tier, governing doctrine, chapter(s) of occurrence, whether the term is reused from the Romans baseline translation memory or newly proposed, and forbidden-alternative / cultural-collision notes.
Enforcement rule: Rows marked “Reused” carry the exact Vietnamese rendering already fixed in the baseline translation_memory.json and must not be altered. Rows marked “New” are proposed additions; on approval they must be written into translation_memory.json (incrementing its version number) before Phase 2 segment translation of 1 Thessalonians begins, per the Translation Memory Load and Enforcement Instructions in 12_ai_translation_requirements.md.
Risk tiers follow the baseline doctrine_risk_registry.json definitions exactly:
- Critical — mistranslation destroys essential doctrine; human theologian review required for every occurrence.
- High — significant theological confusion/syncretism risk; human theologian review required.
- Medium — reduces clarity but preserves essential meaning; native speaker review recommended.
- Low — minor imprecision risk; automated review sufficient.
Table A — Reused Terms (Baseline Romans Translation Memory)
| English Term | Vietnamese Term | Transliteration | Risk | Doctrine | Chapter(s) | Status | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| gospel | Tin Lành | tin lanh | Medium | Gospel | 1, 2 | Reused | No change from baseline. |
| grace | ân điển | an dien | High | Grace | 1, 5 | Reused | 1:1, 5:28 greetings; never phước đức/công đức/ơn nghĩa. |
| faith | đức tin | duc tin | Medium | Faith | 1, 3, 5 | Reused | Object of faith (Christ) implicit throughout; explicit in 3:2-10. |
| salvation | sự cứu rỗi | su cuu roi | Critical | Salvation | 5 | Reused | 5:8-9 “helmet, the hope of salvation”; never sự giải thoát. |
| apostle | sứ đồ | su do | Medium | Apostleship | 2 | Reused | Applied to Paul, Silas, Timothy collectively (2:6). |
| called | được kêu gọi | duoc keu goi | Medium | Divine Calling | 2, 5 | Reused | 2:12 (calling to kingdom/glory); 5:24 (God’s faithful call). |
| calling / election | sự lựa chọn | su lua chon | Medium | Effectual Calling | 1 | Reused | 1:4 “your election of God”; never số mệnh. |
| holy | thánh | thanh | Medium | Sanctification | 3, 4, 5 | Reused | Foundational adjective throughout ch.3-5. |
| saints | các thánh đồ | cac thanh do | High | Sainthood | 3 | Reused | 3:13 “with all his saints” — flag interpretive ambiguity (angels vs. glorified believers) for theologian review. |
| sanctification | sự nên thánh | su nen thanh | High | Sanctification | 4, 5 | Reused | Named curriculum doctrine; 4:3-4, 4:7, 5:23. |
| resurrection | sự sống lại | su song lai | Critical | Resurrection of Believers / Resurrection of Christ | 1, 4 | Reused | 1:10; 4:14, 4:16. Never đầu thai/luân hồi. |
| lord | Chúa | Chua | High/Critical | Lordship of Christ / Return of Christ | 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 | Reused | Pervasive throughout; 4:15-17 especially load-bearing. |
| son_of_god | Con Đức Chúa Trời | Con Duc Chua Troi | Critical | Sonship of Christ | 1 | Reused | 1:10. |
| peace | sự bình an | su binh an | Medium | Peace with God | 1, 5 | Reused | 1:1 greeting; 5:23 “the God of peace.” |
| thanksgiving | sự cảm tạ | su cam ta | Low | Thanksgiving | 1, 2, 3, 5 | Reused | 1:2; 2:13; 3:9; 5:18. |
| fellowship | sự thông công | su thong cong | Low | Christian Fellowship | 1, 5 | Reused | Implicit throughout community exhortations. |
| church | Hội Thánh | Hoi Thanh | Medium | Church as God’s People | 1 | Reused | 1:1 salutation “unto the church of the Thessalonians.” |
| kingdom_of_god | Nước Đức Chúa Trời | Nuoc Duc Chua Troi | Medium | Kingdom Mission | 2 | Reused | 2:12. |
| sin | tội lỗi | toi loi | Medium | Universal Human Accountability | (implicit) | Reused | Underlies 4:3-8 sanctification contrast; not a frequent explicit noun in this letter. |
| gentiles | dân ngoại | dan ngoai | Medium | Unity of Jews and Gentiles | 4 | Reused | 4:5 “the Gentiles which know not God.” |
| glory | sự vinh hiển | su vinh hien | Medium | Deity of Christ | 2 | Reused | 2:12, 2:20. |
| power_of_god | quyền năng của Đức Chúa Trời | quyen nang cua Duc Chua Troi | Medium | Power of God for Salvation | 1 | Reused | 1:5. |
| jesus | Đức Chúa Giê-xu | Duc Chua Gie-xu | Critical | Lordship of Christ | throughout | Reused | Standard Protestant form throughout. |
| christ | Đấng Christ | Dang Christ | Critical | Christology (general) | throughout | Reused | Per established transliteration standard in 12_ai_translation_requirements.md; used constantly as part of “Jesus Christ,” “in Christ,” etc. |
| god | Đức Chúa Trời | Duc Chua Troi | High | Deity of Christ | throughout | Reused | Pervasive; every occurrence should carry personal, covenant-making context per baseline note. |
| holy_spirit | Đức Thánh Linh | Duc Thanh Linh | Critical | Sanctification | 1, 4, 5 | Reused | 1:5-6; 4:8; 5:19. Never bare thần linh. |
| father | Cha | Cha | High | Adoption into God’s Family | 1, 2, 3 | Reused | 1:1, 1:3, 2:11 (nursing-father imagery), 3:11, 3:13. |
| exhort | khích lệ / khuyên nài / an ủi | khich le / khuyen nai / an ui | Low | Mutual Edification | 2, 3, 4, 5 | Reused | Context-sensitive per baseline; 4:18 specifically takes the “comfort” (an ủi) sense given the grief context. |
| mission | công cuộc truyền giáo | cong cuoc truyen giao | Medium | Mission to the Nations | 2 | Reused | 2:1-12 Paul’s proclamation ministry narrative. |
| prophet / prophecy | tiên tri / lời tiên tri | tien tri / loi tien tri | Low | Inspiration of Scripture | 5 | Reused | 5:20; distinguish from thầy bói per baseline. |
Table B — New Terms Proposed for Translation Memory Addition
| English Term | Vietnamese Term | Transliteration | Risk | Doctrine | Chapter(s) | Status | Forbidden Alternatives / Collision Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| parousia (coming/return of Christ) | sự đến của Chúa (verse-level); Sự Tái Lâm của Đấng Christ (doctrine name) | su den cua Chua; Su Tai Lam cua Dang Christ | Critical | The Return of Christ | 2, 3, 4, 5 | New | Never frame as one of several possible future divine visitations; must not be conflated with the Buddhist Maitreya/Phật Di Lặc future-Buddha-coming motif. Christ has already come once historically and will return once, bodily, visibly. |
| meet_the_lord (ἀπάντησις) | để rước Chúa | de ruoc Chua | High | The Return of Christ | 4 | New | Never modeled as a recurring seasonal “rước kiệu” deity-procession welcome; this is a single, historical, universal welcome of the returning King. |
| archangel | vị tổng lãnh thiên sứ | vi tong lanh thien su | Medium | The Return of Christ | 4 | New | Distinguish from the broad thần linh folk-spirit category; a specific created angelic being under Christ’s authority. |
| trumpet_of_god | tiếng kèn của Đức Chúa Trời | tieng ken cua Duc Chua Troi | Low | The Return of Christ | 4 | New | No major collision; echoes OT theophany trumpet imagery. |
| crown_of_rejoicing | mão triều thiên vui mừng | mao trieu thien vui mung | Low | The Return of Christ | 2 | New | Standard victor’s-wreath metaphor; low risk. |
| fallen_asleep (of death) | đã ngủ | da ngu | High | Resurrection of Believers / Hope in Grief | 4 | New | Never implies an interim rebirth-waiting state (đầu thai/luân hồi); must be anchored explicitly to bodily resurrection at Christ’s return. |
| caught_up / rapture | được cất lên | duoc cat len | Critical | The Return of Christ / Resurrection of Believers | 4 | New | Never modeled as self-achieved Taoist immortal ascension (đắc đạo, bay lên trời thành tiên); this is God’s own sovereign act upon believers at a single fixed future moment. |
| dead_in_christ | những người chết trong Đấng Christ | nhung nguoi chet trong Dang Christ | Critical | Resurrection of Believers / Christian Identity in Christ | 4 | New | Identity/hope grounded in union with Christ, never in ancestral lineage standing or ongoing ritual care by living descendants (contrast with ancestor veneration’s basis for the dead’s welfare). |
| holiness (ἁγιωσύνη, distinct from ἁγιασμός) | sự thánh khiết | su thanh khiet | Medium | Sanctification | 3 | New | Names the resulting quality of holiness (paired with baseline sanctification = sự nên thánh, the ongoing process); avoid ritual-purity-only reading. |
| fornication / sexual immorality | sự gian dâm | su gian dam | Medium | Sanctification | 4 | New | Standard Bible term; keep grounded in holiness before a personal God, not generic social propriety or honor/shame concerns alone. |
| vessel / body (σκεῦος) | thân mình | than minh | Medium | Sanctification | 4 | New | Recommended default resolves ambiguity toward “his own body” (per established Vietnamese Bible tradition); flag the alternative “his own wife” reading for awareness. |
| lust / desire (ἐπιθυμία) | sự tham dục | su tham duc | Medium | Sanctification | 4 | New | Keep contrast with “knowing God” (4:5) as the operative distinction, not mere moralism. |
| brotherly_love (φιλαδελφία) | tình yêu thương anh em | tinh yeu thuong anh em | Medium | Sanctification / Christian Fellowship | 4 | New | Distinguish from Confucian hierarchical elder/younger-brother duty; mutual love among spiritual equals, taught directly by God. |
| idols | hình tượng | hinh tuong | High | Sanctification / Universal Human Accountability | 1 | New | Directly pastorally relevant to converts from Buddhist temple image-veneration and ancestor-tablet (bài vị) practice; requires careful, non-merely-lexical pastoral handling. |
| living_and_true_god | Đức Chúa Trời hằng sống và chân thật | Duc Chua Troi hang song va chan that | High | Sanctification | 1 | New | Contrast with both idols and the impersonal Ông Trời/số trời folk framing (per baseline god note). |
| quench_the_spirit | đừng dập tắt Đức Thánh Linh | dung dap tat Duc Thanh Linh | High | Sanctification | 5 | New | Reuses Đức Thánh Linh exactly (never thần linh); “dập tắt” describes resisting the Spirit’s personal activity, not literally extinguishing an animistic spirit. |
| spirit_soul_body (πνεῦμα ψυχή σῶμα) | tâm thần, linh hồn, và thân thể | tam than, linh hon, va than the | Critical | Sanctification | 5 | New | CRITICAL: must not be taught as confirming the Vietnamese folk multi-soul/vía belief system (“ba hồn bảy/chín vía”); the point is the unity/wholeness of the one human person kept blameless, not a doctrine of separable multiple souls. Requires theologian-reviewed teaching note at every occurrence. |
| sanctify_wholly | nên thánh trọn vẹn | nen thanh tron ven | High | Sanctification | 5 | New | God’s own gracious completing act (prayed for), not merit accumulated by the believer (contrast công đức). |
| hope (ἐλπίς) | sự trông cậy | su trong cay | High | Hope in Grief | 1, 4, 5 | New | Object of hope (resurrection/return of Christ) must stay explicit; distinguish from Buddhist non-attachment as the cultural “resolution” to grief. |
| grief / sorrow (λυπέω) | buồn rầu | buon rau | Medium | Hope in Grief | 4 | New | Distinguish Christian grief-transformed-by-hope from both stoic non-attachment and the ongoing ritual-relational grief presumed by ancestor veneration. |
| work_of_faith_labor_of_love_patience_of_hope (triad) | công việc của đức tin, công khó của sự yêu thương, sự bền đỗ của sự trông cậy | cong viec cua duc tin, cong kho cua su yeu thuong, su ben do cua su trong cay | Medium | Hope in Grief / Faith | 1 | New | 1:3; establishes hope as an active, enduring disposition, not passive wishing. |
| day_of_the_lord | ngày của Chúa | ngay cua Chua | Critical | The Day of the Lord | 5 | New | Must stay visibly distinct from “Chúa Nhật” (ordinary Sunday) and from folk astrological ngày tốt/ngày xấu day-selection practice. |
| thief_in_the_night | kẻ trộm trong ban đêm | ke trom trong ban dem | Low | The Day of the Lord | 5 | New | Natural Vietnamese equivalent; low risk. |
| travail (ὠδίν) | cơn đau đẻ | con dau de | Low | The Day of the Lord | 5 | New | Standard labor-pains metaphor; low risk. |
| sudden_destruction | sự hư mất thình lình | su hu mat thinh linh | High | The Day of the Lord | 5 | New | Real judicial finality for those outside Christ, not impersonal bad luck (vận xấu); must be paired with believers’ assurance in the same chapter. |
| children_of_light | con của sự sáng | con cua su sang | Medium | The Day of the Lord | 5 | New | Keep as a derived/secondary identity category, distinct from Christ’s unique Sonship (son_of_god). |
| sober_watch (νήφω/γρηγορέω) | tỉnh thức và tiết độ | tinh thuc va tiet do | Low | The Day of the Lord | 5 | New | Standard vigilance/self-control vocabulary. |
| breastplate_helmet (armor of faith/love/hope) | áo giáp là đức tin và sự yêu thương; mão trụ là sự trông cậy về sự cứu rỗi | ao giap la duc tin va su yeu thuong; mao tru la su trong cay ve su cuu roi | Low | The Day of the Lord | 5 | New | Reuses đức tin and sự cứu rỗi within the phrase; armor metaphor itself carries low independent risk. |
| wrath (in eschatological application) | cơn thịnh nộ (hầu đến) | con thinh no (hau den) | High | The Day of the Lord | 1, 5 | New | Personal, moral, judicial wrath of a holy God; never impersonal karmic retribution (nghiệp báo). |
| satan | Sa-tan | Sa-tan | High | (supporting — spiritual opposition) | 2 | New | Distinguish from Ma Vương (Mara) of Buddhist cosmology and from generic folk ma/quỷ; a created, personal, ultimately defeated enemy under God’s sovereignty. |
| tempter (πειράζων) | kẻ cám dỗ | ke cam do | Medium | (supporting — spiritual opposition) | 3 | New | Same collision family as satan; keep personal, not an impersonal “temptation force.” |
| affliction (θλῖψις) | sự hoạn nạn | su hoan nan | Medium | (supporting — Christian suffering) | 3 | New | Appointed by God for a purpose within relationship, not karmic debt repayment. |
| imitators (μιμηταί) | những người bắt chước | nhung nguoi bat chuoc | Low | (supporting — discipleship) | 1 | New | Low risk; no strong competing religious framing. |
| word_of_god_at_work (λόγον θεοῦ…ἐνεργεῖται) | lời của Đức Chúa Trời…đang tác động | loi cua Duc Chua Troi…dang tac dong | High | Inspiration of Scripture | 2 | New | Distinguish from Buddhist sutras transmitted through enlightened teachers’ insight, per baseline inspiration_of_scripture doctrine note. |
| faithful_is_he_who_calls | Đấng đã gọi anh em là trung tín | Dang da goi anh em la trung tin | Medium | Assurance of Salvation / Divine Calling | 5 | New | Reuses được kêu gọi/sự kêu gọi; assurance grounded in God’s character, not performance or karmic outcome. |
| blameless (ἀμέμπτως) | không chỗ trách được | khong cho trach duoc | Low | Sanctification | 5 | New | Standard moral-blamelessness term; low risk. |
| prove_all_things (δοκιμάζω) | hãy xem xét mọi sự | hay xem xet moi su | Low | (supporting — discernment) | 5 | New | Standard discernment vocabulary; low risk. |
Risk Summary for 1 Thessalonians
| Risk Tier | Count (New Terms) | Count (Reused Terms) | Review Routing |
|---|---|---|---|
| Critical | 4 (parousia, caught_up/rapture, dead_in_christ, spirit_soul_body, day_of_the_lord) † | 8 | Human theologian review (every occurrence) |
| High | 12 | 6 | Human theologian review |
| Medium | 12 | 12 | Native speaker review |
| Low | 9 | 4 | Automated review |
† Note: five terms are listed under Critical in Table B (parousia, caught_up/rapture, dead_in_christ, spirit_soul_body, day_of_the_lord); the count above reflects all five.
Doctrines requiring mandatory human theologian review for 1 Thessalonians: The Return of Christ, Resurrection of Believers, Sanctification (specifically 5:23 spirit/soul/body and idols in 1:9), The Day of the Lord. Doctrines eligible for native speaker review: Hope in Grief (except where it intersects Critical resurrection/return language), general supporting terms (affliction, tempter, imitators).
Cross-Reference to Romans Baseline Escalation Rules
Per 12_ai_translation_requirements.md, the following 1 Thessalonians-specific segments must be added to the automatic theologian-review escalation list (extending the existing Romans list):
- Any segment containing: parousia/coming of Christ, caught up/rapture, dead in Christ, day of the Lord, spirit/soul/body (5:23), idols (1:9), Satan (2:18), “with all his saints” (3:13, interpretive ambiguity).
- Any segment where “ngày của Chúa” (Day of the Lord) could be misread as “Chúa Nhật” (Sunday) without sufficient judgment/parousia context.
- Any segment where “được cất lên” (caught up) could be misread against a Taoist immortal-ascension narrative frame.
- Any segment where “hình tượng” (idols, 1:9) intersects direct pastoral application to ancestor-tablet practice — flag for pastoral sensitivity review in addition to doctrinal review.
This glossary extends, and must be merged into, the Romans baseline translation_memory.json and bible_term_registry.json prior to Phase 2 segment translation of 1 Thessalonians. See analysis/07_semantic_analysis.md for the full term-by-term exegetical basis for every entry above.
Critical Risk Terms
Salvation
Approved rendering: sự cứu rỗi
Transliteration: su cuu roi
Doctrine: Salvation
Rejected alternatives: sự giải thoát
Original: σωτηρία
Category: Salvation
Inherited from Romans package. Occurs at 5:8-9 within the ‘helmet, the hope of salvation’ armor image. NEVER sự giải thoát (Buddhist liberation from rebirth).
Resurrection
Approved rendering: sự sống lại
Transliteration: su song lai
Doctrine: Resurrection of Christ
Rejected alternatives: sự đầu thai, luân hồi
Original: ἀνάστασις / ἀνίστημι
Category: Eschatology
Inherited from Romans package. Occurs at 1:10 (Christ raised) and 4:14, 4:16 (the dead in Christ will rise) — the presupposition for the entire core passage. NEVER đầu thai/luân hồi.
Son Of God
Approved rendering: Con Đức Chúa Trời
Transliteration: Con Duc Chua Troi
Doctrine: Sonship of Christ
Original: υἱὸς αὐτοῦ
Category: Christology
Inherited from Romans package. Occurs at 1:10, joined directly to resurrection language (‘his Son…whom he raised from the dead’).
Jesus
Approved rendering: Đức Chúa Giê-xu
Transliteration: Duc Chua Gie-xu
Doctrine: Lordship of Christ
Original: Ἰησοῦς
Category: Christology
Inherited from Romans package. Standard Vietnamese Protestant Bible form (1926 Bản Dịch Truyền Thống); used pervasively throughout.
Holy Spirit
Approved rendering: Đức Thánh Linh
Transliteration: Duc Thanh Linh
Doctrine: Sanctification
Rejected alternatives: thần linh
Original: πνεῦμα ἅγιον
Category: God
Inherited from Romans package. Occurs at 1:5-6, 4:8, and 5:19 (‘quench not the Spirit’). NEVER bare thần linh.
Intercession
Approved rendering: sự cầu thay
Transliteration: su cau thay
Doctrine: Prayer and Intercession
Rejected alternatives: cầu xin tổ tiên
Inherited from Romans package. No single verse-level occurrence of the word itself in 1 Thessalonians, but the doctrine underlies Paul’s intercessory prayer posture (3:10-13) and his repeated requests for prayer (5:25); never modeled on cầu xin tổ tiên (petitioning deceased ancestors).
Christ
Approved rendering: Đấng Christ
Transliteration: Dang Christ
Doctrine: Christology (general)
Original: Χριστός
Category: Christology
New for this curriculum, though established per the transliteration standard already fixed in 12_ai_translation_requirements.md (Christ = Đấng Christ). Not a separate Romans-baseline TM entry (only ‘messiah’ recorded there). Used constantly throughout 1 Thessalonians (‘Jesus Christ,’ ‘in Christ,’ ‘the dead in Christ,’ 4:16). Must not be read as an honorific separable from the historical Jesus, nor as one of several anointed figures.
Parousia
Approved rendering: sự đến của Chúa (doctrine header: Sự Tái Lâm của Đấng Christ)
Transliteration: su den cua Chua; Su Tai Lam cua Dang Christ
Doctrine: The Return of Christ
Rejected alternatives: Phật Di Lặc (Maitreya Buddha) future-coming motif, treatment as one of several possible future divine visitations
Original: παρουσία
Category: Eschatology
New term. Occurs at 2:19, 3:13, 4:15, 5:23. The unique, historical, bodily return of the crucified-and-risen Jesus Christ who has already come once — never a first or repeatable future-Buddha-type arrival. ‘Tái lâm’ retained as an already-established Vietnamese Protestant hymnody/preaching term for the doctrine header, not a new coinage.
Caught Up Rapture
Approved rendering: được cất lên
Transliteration: duoc cat len
Doctrine: The Rapture of the Church
Rejected alternatives: đắc đạo, bay lên trời thành tiên
Original: ἁρπαγησόμεθα / ἁρπάζω
Category: Eschatology
New term. Occurs at 4:17. The Bản Dịch Truyền Thống’s own established rendering; God’s own sovereign act upon believers at a single fixed future moment tied to Christ’s return, never a repeatable individual spiritual attainment.
Dead In Christ
Approved rendering: những người chết trong Đấng Christ
Transliteration: nhung nguoi chet trong Dang Christ
Doctrine: Resurrection of Believers
Rejected alternatives: framing hope on ancestral-lineage standing or cúng giỗ/thờ cúng tổ tiên ritual care
Original: οἱ νεκροὶ ἐν Χριστῷ
Category: Eschatology
New term. Occurs at 4:16. Identity and hope for the dead grounded exclusively in union with Christ, never in ancestral lineage, accumulated merit, or living descendants’ ritual care.
Spirit Soul Body
Approved rendering: tâm thần, linh hồn, và thân thể
Transliteration: tam than, linh hon, va than the
Doctrine: Anthropology of the Whole Person
Rejected alternatives: ba hồn bảy vía, ba hồn chín vía, gọi vía multi-soul framework
Original: τὸ πνεῦμα καὶ ἡ ψυχὴ καὶ τὸ σῶμα
Category: Sanctification
New term. Occurs at 5:23. CRITICAL: must not be taught as confirming the Vietnamese folk multi-soul/vía belief system. Names the wholeness/unity of one human person kept blameless by God. Requires an explicit theologian-reviewed teaching note at every occurrence.
Day Of The Lord
Approved rendering: ngày của Chúa
Transliteration: ngay cua Chua
Doctrine: The Day of the Lord
Rejected alternatives: Chúa Nhật (ordinary Sunday), ngày tốt/ngày xấu folk astrological day-selection
Original: ἡμέρα κυρίου
Category: Eschatology
New term. Occurs at 5:2. Named curriculum doctrine. Never a bare phrase; must always carry sufficient judgment/suddenness/parousia context to prevent flattening into a reference to the weekly worship day.
High Risk Terms
Grace
Approved rendering: ân điển
Transliteration: an dien
Doctrine: Grace
Rejected alternatives: phước đức, công đức, ơn nghĩa
Original: χάρις
Category: Salvation
Inherited from Romans package. Occurs in the 1:1 and 5:28 epistolary bookends; never phước đức/công đức (Buddhist accumulated merit) or ơn nghĩa (Confucian reciprocal-debt favor).
Saints
Approved rendering: các thánh đồ
Transliteration: cac thanh do
Doctrine: Sainthood
Rejected alternatives: các thánh
Original: ἅγιοι
Category: Church
Inherited from Romans package. At 3:13, ‘with all his saints’ at the parousia carries recognized interpretive ambiguity (angels, glorified departed believers, or both) — flag for human theologian review; never shorten to bare các thánh (deified folk heroes worshipped at đền, e.g. Thánh Trần).
Lord
Approved rendering: Chúa
Transliteration: Chua
Doctrine: Lordship of Christ
Original: κύριος
Category: Christology
Inherited from Romans package. Pervasive throughout; especially load-bearing in 4:15-17 where ‘the Lord himself’ descends, commands, and is met by the church.
God
Approved rendering: Đức Chúa Trời
Transliteration: Duc Chua Troi
Doctrine: Deity of Christ
Rejected alternatives: Ông Trời
Original: θεός
Category: God
Inherited from Romans package. Pervasive; at 1:9 explicitly contrasted with idols as ‘the living and true God.’ Every occurrence should carry personal, covenant-making context, not the impersonal Ông Trời of folk speech.
Father
Approved rendering: Cha
Transliteration: Cha
Doctrine: Adoption into God’s Family
Original: πατήρ
Category: God
Inherited from Romans package. Occurs at 1:1, 1:3, 2:11 (nursing-father imagery), 3:11, 3:13. Emphasize grace and intimacy over Confucian filial-duty hierarchy (đạo hiếu).
Meet The Lord
Approved rendering: để rước Chúa
Transliteration: de ruoc Chua
Doctrine: The Return of Christ
Rejected alternatives: rước kiệu / nghênh rước folk deity-procession welcome framing
Original: εἰς ἀπάντησιν τοῦ κυρίου
Category: Eschatology
New term. Occurs at 4:17. Bản Dịch Truyền Thống’s own rendering ‘rước’ retained as the correct dynamic-equivalent choice; every occurrence needs a teaching note that this is a one-time, historical, universal welcome of the returning King, not a recurring seasonal ritual procession.
Fallen Asleep
Approved rendering: đã ngủ
Transliteration: da ngu
Doctrine: Resurrection of Believers
Rejected alternatives: đầu thai, luân hồi, any phrase implying an interim rebirth-waiting state
Original: κοιμωμένων / κοιμάομαι
Category: Eschatology
New term. Occurs at 4:13, 4:14, 4:15, 4:16. Established Vietnamese Bible rendering; every occurrence must be anchored explicitly to bodily resurrection at Christ’s return, never left as an unfenced death-euphemism.
Idols
Approved rendering: hình tượng
Transliteration: hinh tuong
Doctrine: Conversion from Idolatry
Original: εἴδωλα
Category: Sin
New term. Occurs at 1:9, ‘ye turned to God from idols to serve the living and true God.’ Directly and pastorally relevant to converts from Buddhist temple image-veneration and ancestor tablets (bài vị) at the family altar (bàn thờ); requires careful pastoral handling, not merely lexical substitution.
Living And True God
Approved rendering: Đức Chúa Trời hằng sống và chân thật
Transliteration: Duc Chua Troi hang song va chan that
Doctrine: Conversion from Idolatry
Rejected alternatives: Ông Trời, số trời
Original: θεῷ ζῶντι καὶ ἀληθινῷ
Category: God
New term. Occurs at 1:9. Contrast against both idols and the impersonal, non-relational Ông Trời/số trời folk framing of ‘Heaven.‘
Quench The Spirit
Approved rendering: đừng dập tắt Đức Thánh Linh
Transliteration: dung dap tat Duc Thanh Linh
Doctrine: Sanctification
Rejected alternatives: thần linh, literal animistic ‘killing a spirit’ reading
Original: τὸ Πνεῦμα μὴ σβέννυτε
Category: Sanctification
New term. Occurs at 5:19. Reuses Đức Thánh Linh exactly; describes resisting the Spirit’s personal activity in community life, not literally extinguishing an animistic spirit.
Sanctify Wholly
Approved rendering: nên thánh trọn vẹn
Transliteration: nen thanh tron ven
Doctrine: Sanctification
Rejected alternatives: công đức tích lũy
Original: ὁ θεὸς τῆς εἰρήνης ἁγιάσαι ὑμᾶς ὁλοτελεῖς
Category: Sanctification
New term. Occurs at 5:23. God’s own gracious completing act, prayed for, not merit accumulated by the believer.
Hope
Approved rendering: sự trông cậy
Transliteration: su trong cay
Doctrine: Hope in Grief
Rejected alternatives: hy vọng (generic wishful optimism, no guaranteed object), vô thường/non-attachment as the culturally default grief resolution
Original: ἐλπίς
Category: Faith
New term. Occurs at 1:3, 4:13, 5:8. Named curriculum doctrine. The object of hope (resurrection/return of Christ) must remain explicit in every occurrence.
Sudden Destruction
Approved rendering: sự hư mất thình lình
Transliteration: su hu mat thinh linh
Doctrine: The Day of the Lord
Rejected alternatives: vận xấu (impersonal bad luck)
Original: αἰφνίδιος ὄλεθρος
Category: Eschatology
New term. Occurs at 5:3. Must retain real judicial finality — the personal judgment of God upon those outside Christ — paired carefully with believers’ assurance in 5:4-11.
Wrath
Approved rendering: cơn thịnh nộ (hầu đến)
Transliteration: con thinh no (hau den)
Doctrine: Wrath and Judgment
Rejected alternatives: nghiệp báo (karmic retribution)
Original: ὀργή
Category: God
New term. Occurs at 1:10 (‘the wrath to come’) and underlies the judgment theme of chapter 5. Personal, moral, judicial wrath of a holy God, never impersonal karmic retribution.
Satan
Approved rendering: Sa-tan
Transliteration: Sa-tan
Doctrine: Spiritual Opposition
Rejected alternatives: Ma Vương (Mara), generic ma/quỷ (folk demons/ghosts)
Original: Σατανᾶς
Category: Spiritual Warfare
New term. Occurs at 2:18, ‘Satan hindered us.’ Transliterated per the established convention for proper theological names (cf. A-men, Ha-lê-lu-gia). A created, personal, ultimately defeated enemy operating under God’s sovereignty.
Word Of God At Work
Approved rendering: lời của Đức Chúa Trời…đang tác động
Transliteration: loi cua Duc Chua Troi…dang tac dong
Doctrine: Inspiration of Scripture
Rejected alternatives: Buddhist sutras transmitted through enlightened insight, Confucian classics transmitted through sage tradition
Original: λόγος θεοῦ…ὃς καὶ ἐνεργεῖται
Category: Covenant
New term. Occurs at 2:13: received ‘not as the word of men, but…the word of God, which effectually worketh in you that believe.‘
Medium Risk Terms
Gospel
Approved rendering: Tin Lành
Transliteration: tin lanh
Doctrine: Gospel
Rejected alternatives: tin tức tốt lành
Original: εὐαγγέλιον
Category: Salvation
Inherited from Romans package. In 1 Thessalonians 1:5 and 2:2-9 the gospel’s arrival is tied to divine power and the Holy Spirit’s confirming presence, not human rhetoric; must convey an authoritative announcement, not a merely human message.
Faith
Approved rendering: đức tin
Transliteration: duc tin
Doctrine: Faith
Original: πίστις
Category: Faith
Inherited from Romans package. Paired with active ‘work’ in 1:3 and repeatedly checked under persecution in 3:2-10; object of faith (Christ) must stay recoverable from context.
Apostle
Approved rendering: sứ đồ
Transliteration: su do
Doctrine: Apostleship
Original: ἀπόστολοι
Category: Church
Inherited from Romans package. Applied collectively to Paul, Silas, and Timothy at 2:6 to underscore they sought no honor from men.
Called
Approved rendering: được kêu gọi
Transliteration: duoc keu goi
Doctrine: Divine Calling
Original: καλέω / κλῆσις
Category: Salvation
Inherited from Romans package. Occurs at 2:12 (called unto God’s kingdom and glory), 4:7 (called unto holiness), and 5:24 (God who calls is faithful). Never số phận (fixed fate/destiny).
Calling
Approved rendering: sự kêu gọi
Transliteration: su keu goi
Doctrine: Divine Calling
Rejected alternatives: số phận
Original: κλῆσις
Category: Salvation
Inherited from Romans package. Noun form supporting 2:12, 4:7, 5:24 usage in this letter; never số phận.
Holy
Approved rendering: thánh
Transliteration: thanh
Doctrine: Sanctification
Original: ἅγιος
Category: Sanctification
Inherited from Romans package. Foundational adjective throughout chapters 3-5 (3:13, 4:4, 4:7, 5:23); moral and relational set-apartness, not ritual purity only.
Sanctification
Approved rendering: sự nên thánh
Transliteration: su nen thanh
Doctrine: Sanctification
Original: ἁγιασμός
Category: Sanctification
Inherited from Romans package. Named curriculum doctrine for 1 Thessalonians; occurs at 4:3, 4:4, 4:7, and the completion-prayer of 5:23. Note: doctrine-level risk is elevated to High in doctrine_risk_registry.json for this curriculum given the density of collision points (4:3-8, 5:23); term-level doctrine_risk field retained exactly as recorded in the Romans baseline TM per inheritance rule.
Peace
Approved rendering: sự bình an
Transliteration: su binh an
Doctrine: Peace with God
Original: εἰρήνη
Category: Salvation
Inherited from Romans package. Occurs in the 1:1 greeting and 5:23 (‘the God of peace himself’).
Church
Approved rendering: Hội Thánh
Transliteration: Hoi Thanh
Doctrine: Church as God’s People
Rejected alternatives: đền, chùa
Original: ἐκκλησία
Category: Church
Inherited from Romans package. Occurs in the 1:1 salutation, ‘unto the church of the Thessalonians.‘
Kingdom Of God
Approved rendering: Nước Đức Chúa Trời
Transliteration: Nuoc Duc Chua Troi
Doctrine: Kingdom Mission
Original: βασιλεία αὐτοῦ
Category: Kingdom
Inherited from Romans package. Occurs at 2:12: believers are called ‘unto his kingdom and glory.‘
Sin
Approved rendering: tội lỗi
Transliteration: toi loi
Doctrine: Universal Human Accountability
Rejected alternatives: nghiệp xấu
Original: ἁμαρτία
Category: Sin
Inherited from Romans package. Underlies the sanctification contrast of 4:3-8 though not frequently named as an explicit noun in this letter.
Gentiles
Approved rendering: dân ngoại
Transliteration: dan ngoai
Doctrine: Unity of Jews and Gentiles
Original: ἔθνη
Category: Church
Inherited from Romans package. Occurs at 4:5, ‘the Gentiles which know not God,’ applied to moral/sexual conduct as a marker of not knowing God.
Glory
Approved rendering: sự vinh hiển
Transliteration: su vinh hien
Doctrine: Deity of Christ
Original: δόξα
Category: God
Inherited from Romans package. Occurs at 2:12 and 2:20.
Power Of God
Approved rendering: quyền năng của Đức Chúa Trời
Transliteration: quyen nang cua Duc Chua Troi
Doctrine: Power of God for Salvation
Original: δύναμις
Category: God
Inherited from Romans package. Occurs at 1:5: the gospel came ‘not in word only, but also in power.‘
Mission
Approved rendering: công cuộc truyền giáo
Transliteration: cong cuoc truyen giao
Doctrine: Mission to the Nations
Original: εὐαγγελίζω / ἀποστολή
Category: Church
Inherited from Romans package. Underlies Paul’s proclamation-ministry narrative in 2:1-12.
Election
Approved rendering: sự lựa chọn
Transliteration: su lua chon
Doctrine: Effectual Calling
Rejected alternatives: số mệnh
Original: ἐκλογή
Category: Salvation
Inherited from Romans package. Occurs at 1:4, ‘knowing…your election of God,’ grounding the church’s identity in God’s sovereign initiative, not human merit or ancestral lineage.
Archangel
Approved rendering: vị tổng lãnh thiên sứ
Transliteration: vi tong lanh thien su
Doctrine: The Return of Christ
Rejected alternatives: thần linh (generic folk-spirit category)
Original: ἀρχάγγελος
Category: Eschatology
New term. Occurs at 4:16, part of the cumulative sensory/authority imagery of Christ’s return; a specific created angelic being subordinate to Christ.
Holiness Hagiosyne
Approved rendering: sự thánh khiết
Transliteration: su thanh khiet
Doctrine: Sanctification
Rejected alternatives: ritual-purity-only reading
Original: ἁγιωσύνη
Category: Sanctification
New term. Occurs at 3:13, ‘unblameable in holiness before God.’ Names the resulting quality of holiness, distinct from sự nên thánh (the ongoing process).
Fornication
Approved rendering: sự gian dâm
Transliteration: su gian dam
Doctrine: Sexual Purity
Original: πορνεία
Category: Sanctification
New term. Occurs at 4:3, defining sanctification concretely; keep grounded in holiness before a personal God (4:8), not generic social propriety.
Vessel Body
Approved rendering: thân mình
Transliteration: than minh
Doctrine: Sexual Purity
Original: τὸ ἑαυτοῦ σκεῦος
Category: Sanctification
New term. Occurs at 4:4. Established Vietnamese Bible tradition resolves the underlying Greek ambiguity toward ‘his own body’; the alternative reading (‘his own wife’) is flagged for theologian awareness, not treated as a forbidden substitution.
Lust Desire
Approved rendering: sự tham dục
Transliteration: su tham duc
Doctrine: Sexual Purity
Original: ἐπιθυμία
Category: Sanctification
New term. Occurs at 4:5. Keep the contrast with ‘knowing God’ as the operative distinction, not mere moralism.
Brotherly Love
Approved rendering: tình yêu thương anh em
Transliteration: tinh yeu thuong anh em
Doctrine: Brotherly Love and Mutual Care
Rejected alternatives: đạo hiếu-style hierarchical elder/younger duty framing
Original: φιλαδελφία
Category: Church
New term. Occurs at 4:9. Mutual love among spiritual equals in Christ’s family, taught directly by God, not inherited social rank.
Grief Sorrow
Approved rendering: buồn rầu
Transliteration: buon rau
Doctrine: Hope in Grief
Rejected alternatives: stoic Buddhist non-attachment framing, ancestor-veneration ritual-relational grief resolution
Original: λυπέω
Category: Faith
New term. Occurs at 4:13. Christian grief is real grief transformed by resurrection hope, not suppressed or resolved by non-attachment or ongoing ritual devotion to the dead.
Work Of Faith Labor Of Love Patience Of Hope
Approved rendering: công việc của đức tin, công khó của sự yêu thương, sự bền đỗ của sự trông cậy
Transliteration: cong viec cua duc tin, cong kho cua su yeu thuong, su ben do cua su trong cay
Doctrine: Hope in Grief
Original: τοῦ ἔργου τῆς πίστεως καὶ τοῦ κόπου τῆς ἀγάπης καὶ τῆς ὑπομονῆς τῆς ἐλπίδος
Category: Faith
New term. Occurs at 1:3; establishes hope as an active, enduring disposition, not passive wishing.
Children Of Light
Approved rendering: con của sự sáng, con của ban ngày
Transliteration: con cua su sang, con cua ban ngay
Doctrine: The Day of the Lord
Original: υἱοὶ φωτός / υἱοὶ ἡμέρας
Category: Eschatology
New term. Occurs at 5:5. Kept as a derived, secondary identity category distinct from Christ’s unique, eternal Sonship (son_of_god).
Tempter
Approved rendering: kẻ cám dỗ
Transliteration: ke cam do
Doctrine: Spiritual Opposition
Rejected alternatives: impersonal ‘temptation force’ detached from a personal adversary
Original: ὁ πειράζων
Category: Spiritual Warfare
New term. Occurs at 3:5. Same personal, created-being register as Satan (2:18).
Affliction
Approved rendering: sự hoạn nạn
Transliteration: su hoan nan
Doctrine: Christian Suffering and Affliction
Rejected alternatives: nghiệp (karmic debt), vận xấu (bad luck)
Original: θλῖψις
Category: Faith
New term. Occurs at 1:6, 2:14, 3:3-7 (‘we are appointed thereunto’). Suffering appointed by God for a purpose within a relationship of love, not karmic debt repayment.
Faithful Is He Who Calls
Approved rendering: Đấng đã gọi anh em là trung tín
Transliteration: Dang da goi anh em la trung tin
Doctrine: Assurance of Salvation
Rejected alternatives: assurance grounded in performance or ritual faithfulness
Original: πιστὸς ὁ καλῶν ὑμᾶς
Category: Salvation
New term. Occurs at 5:24. Reuses được kêu gọi/sự kêu gọi; assurance grounded in God’s own unchanging character.
Low Risk Terms
Thanksgiving
Approved rendering: sự cảm tạ
Transliteration: su cam ta
Doctrine: Thanksgiving
Original: εὐχαριστία / εὐχαριστέω
Category: Faith
Inherited from Romans package. Occurs repeatedly (1:2, 2:13, 3:9, 5:18).
Fellowship
Approved rendering: sự thông công
Transliteration: su thong cong
Doctrine: Christian Fellowship
Original: κοινωνία
Category: Church
Inherited from Romans package. Implicit throughout chapter 5’s mutual-care instructions.
Exhort
Approved rendering: khích lệ
Transliteration: khich le
Doctrine: Mutual Edification
Original: παρακαλέω
Category: Faith
Inherited from Romans package. Context-sensitive across this letter: khuyên nài for entreaty (2:11-12), khích lệ for building up (3:2, 3:7), and an ủi specifically for the comfort sense required at 4:18 and 5:14 given the grief context of 4:13-17.
Prophet
Approved rendering: tiên tri
Transliteration: tien tri
Doctrine: Inspiration of Scripture
Rejected alternatives: thầy bói
Original: προφήτης
Category: Covenant
Inherited from Romans package. Underlies the Spirit-given prophetic speech regulated in 5:20.
Prophecy
Approved rendering: lời tiên tri
Transliteration: loi tien tri
Doctrine: Fulfillment of Prophecy
Original: προφητεία
Category: Covenant
Inherited from Romans package. Occurs at 5:20, ‘despise not prophesyings’; congregationally tested Spirit-given speech.
Trumpet Of God
Approved rendering: tiếng kèn của Đức Chúa Trời
Transliteration: tieng ken cua Duc Chua Troi
Doctrine: The Return of Christ
Original: σάλπιγξ θεοῦ
Category: Eschatology
New term. Occurs at 4:16, echoing OT theophany/covenant-assembly trumpet imagery (Exodus 19; Isaiah 27:13).
Crown Of Rejoicing
Approved rendering: mão triều thiên vui mừng
Transliteration: mao trieu thien vui mung
Doctrine: The Return of Christ
Original: στέφανος καυχήσεως
Category: Eschatology
New term. Occurs at 2:19; Paul’s converts as his eschatological joy at Christ’s return, applied relationally rather than competitively.
Thief In The Night
Approved rendering: kẻ trộm trong ban đêm
Transliteration: ke trom trong ban dem
Doctrine: The Day of the Lord
Original: κλέπτης ἐν νυκτί
Category: Eschatology
New term. Occurs at 5:2, establishing the Day of the Lord’s suddenness.
Travail
Approved rendering: cơn đau đẻ
Transliteration: con dau de
Doctrine: The Day of the Lord
Original: ὠδίν
Category: Eschatology
New term. Occurs at 5:3, reinforcing suddenness and inescapability of judgment.
Sober Watch
Approved rendering: tỉnh thức và tiết độ
Transliteration: tinh thuc va tiet do
Doctrine: The Day of the Lord
Original: γρηγορέω καὶ νήφω
Category: Eschatology
New term. Occurs at 5:6. Vigilant, sober readiness rather than presumption or fear.
Breastplate Helmet
Approved rendering: áo giáp là đức tin và sự yêu thương; mão trụ là sự trông cậy về sự cứu rỗi
Transliteration: ao giap la duc tin va su yeu thuong; mao tru la su trong cay ve su cuu roi
Doctrine: The Day of the Lord
Original: θώρακα πίστεως καὶ ἀγάπης…περικεφαλαίαν ἐλπίδα σωτηρίας
Category: Eschatology
New term. Occurs at 5:8, echoing Isaiah 59:17. Reuses đức tin and sự cứu rỗi within the phrase.
Imitators
Approved rendering: những người bắt chước
Transliteration: nhung nguoi bat chuoc
Doctrine: Mutual Edification
Original: μιμηταί
Category: Faith
New term. Occurs at 1:6, imitating Paul’s team and the Lord himself.
Blameless
Approved rendering: không chỗ trách được
Transliteration: khong cho trach duoc
Doctrine: Sanctification
Original: ἀμέμπτως
Category: Sanctification
New term. Occurs at 5:23, ties sanctification directly to readiness for the parousia.
Prove All Things
Approved rendering: hãy xem xét mọi sự
Transliteration: hay xem xet moi su
Doctrine: Prophecy and Discernment
Original: δοκιμάζετε
Category: Faith
New term. Occurs at 5:21. Standard discernment vocabulary for testing claimed spiritual utterances.
Referenced passages