Core Glossary
08 Core Glossary — Gospel of John (English → Vietnamese)
How to Read This Table
- Term: the English gloss used across curriculum materials
- Original: Koine Greek word/phrase
- Transliteration
- Vietnamese Rendering: the required destination-language term
- Risk: Critical / High / Medium / Low, per the same definitions as the Romans
doctrine_risk_registry.json - Doctrine: the curriculum doctrine this term primarily serves
- First Occurrence: earliest load-bearing appearance in John
- Status / Notes: whether reused from the Romans baseline unchanged, or newly proposed for this curriculum, plus rejected alternatives and the reason
A. Terms Reused Exactly from the Romans Baseline (no deviation permitted)
| Term | Original | Transliteration | Vietnamese Rendering | Risk | Doctrine | First Occurrence in John | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| God | θεός | theos | Đức Chúa Trời | Critical | Deity of Christ (by contrast/comparison) | 1:1 | Reused (Romans TM) |
| Jesus | Ἰησοῦς | Iēsous | Đức Chúa Giê-xu | Critical | Lordship/Deity of Christ | 1:29 | Reused (Romans TM) |
| Lord | κύριος | kyrios | Chúa | Critical | Unity of Father and Son; Deity of Christ | 4:1; 20:28 | Reused (Romans TM) |
| Son of God | υἱὸς θεοῦ | huios theou | Con Đức Chúa Trời | Critical | Deity/Sonship of Christ | 1:34 | Reused (Romans TM) |
| Holy Spirit | πνεῦμα ἅγιον | pneuma hagion | Đức Thánh Linh | Critical | Holy Spirit as Counselor | 1:32-33 | Reused (Romans TM) |
| Father | πατήρ | patēr | Cha | High | Unity of Father and Son | 1:14 | Reused (Romans TM) |
| Incarnation (event) | ὁ λόγος σὰρξ ἐγένετο | ho logos sarx egeneto | Ngôi Lời trở nên xác thịt | Critical | Deity and Pre-existence of Christ | 1:14 | Reused (Romans TM) |
| Resurrection | ἀνάστασις | anastasis | sự sống lại | Critical | Christ’s Resurrection | 2:22; 5:29; 11:25 | Reused (Romans TM) |
| Salvation / saved | σωτηρία / σῴζω | sōtēria / sōzō | sự cứu rỗi / được cứu | Critical | Eternal Life through Faith | 3:17 | Reused (Romans TM) |
| Grace | χάρις | charis | ân điển | High | Grace (esp. 1:14-17) | 1:14 | Reused (Romans TM) |
| Faith / believe | πίστις / πιστεύω | pistis / pisteuō | đức tin / tin | High | Eternal Life through Faith | 1:7,12 | Reused (Romans TM) |
| Righteousness | δικαιοσύνη | dikaiosynē | sự công bình | High | (background; not a major John term) | 16:8,10 | Reused (Romans TM) |
| Sin | ἁμαρτία | hamartia | tội lỗi | High | Judgment and Belief/Unbelief | 1:29 | Reused (Romans TM) |
| Glory | δόξα | doxa | sự vinh hiển | High | Deity of Christ | 1:14 | Reused (Romans TM) |
| Messiah | Χριστός / Μεσσίας | Christos / Messias | Đấng Mê-si-a / Đấng Christ | High | Messianic fulfillment | 1:41 | Reused (Romans TM) |
| Israel | Ἰσραήλ | Israēl | Y-sơ-ra-ên | Medium | (background) | 1:31,49 | Reused (Romans TM) |
| Kingdom of God | βασιλεία τοῦ θεοῦ | basileia tou theou | Nước Đức Chúa Trời | Medium | New Birth (entry into) | 3:3,5 | Reused (Romans TM) |
| Sanctification | ἁγιασμός / ἁγιάζω | hagiasmos / hagiazō | sự nên thánh | High (elevated from Medium; see analysis ch.17) | Christ’s Substitutionary Death (sanctifying application) | 17:17,19 | Reused (Romans TM) |
| Election / chosen | ἐκλέγομαι | eklegomai | sự lựa chọn | Medium | (background) | 15:16,19 | Reused (Romans TM) |
| Providence | (theological category) | — | sự quan phòng của Đức Chúa Trời | Medium | (background) | 9:3-4 | Reused (Romans TM) |
| Peace | εἰρήνη | eirēnē | sự bình an | Medium | Holy Spirit as Counselor (context) | 14:27 | Reused (Romans TM) |
| Devil | διάβολος | diabolos | ma quỉ | High | Judgment and Belief/Unbelief | 6:70; 8:44 | Reused (Romans TM) |
| Apostle / sent | ἀπόστολος / ἀποστέλλω | apostolos / apostellō | sứ đồ / sai | Medium | Mission (background) | 17:18 | Reused (Romans TM) |
| Prophet | προφήτης | prophētēs | tiên tri | Low | Fulfillment of prophecy | 1:21,45; 4:19 | Reused (Romans TM) |
| David | Δαυίδ | Dauid | Đa-vít | Low | (background) | 7:42 | Reused (Romans TM) |
| Church (concept, not John’s term) | ἐκκλησία (not in John; concept applied via “flock”/“branches”) | — | Hội Thánh | Medium | Church as God’s People (applied) | (10:16; 15:1-8; 17:20-23 conceptually) | Reused (Romans TM) |
B. New Terms Introduced by This Curriculum (proposed for Phase 2 translation memory)
| Term | Original | Transliteration | Literal Meaning | Vietnamese Rendering | Risk | Doctrine | First Occurrence | Alternatives Rejected / Reason |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Word (Logos) | λόγος | logos | word, reasoned discourse | Ngôi Lời | Critical | Deity and Pre-existence of Christ | 1:1 | ”lời của Đức Chúa Trời” alone rejected — reduces personal, eternal, divine Being to functional message content |
| Only begotten / only Son | μονογενής | monogenēs | one-of-a-kind, only one | Con một | Critical | Sonship/Deity of Christ | 1:14,18; 3:16,18 | ”con một” without capitalization/teaching note rejected as too weak for the unique, eternal Sonship claim |
| Life | ζωή | zōē | life (qualitative, not mere βίος) | sự sống | High | Eternal Life through Faith | 1:4 | — |
| Eternal life | ζωὴ αἰώνιος | zōē aiōnios | life of the age (to come) | sự sống đời đời | Critical | Eternal Life through Faith | 3:15-16 | ”giải thoát” family and “tái sinh” family rejected — must not read as Buddhist liberation/rebirth cycle |
| Light | φῶς | phōs | light | sự sáng | High | Judgment and Belief/Unbelief | 1:4-9 | — |
| Darkness | σκοτία / σκότος | skotia / skotos | darkness | sự tối tăm | Medium | Judgment and Belief/Unbelief | 1:5 | — |
| World | κόσμος | kosmos | world, created order, fallen humanity | thế gian | High | God’s Love for the World | 1:9-10; 3:16 | Must be taught against Buddhist “thế gian”-renunciation framing — God loves rather than tells believers to abstractly detach from it |
| Believe | πιστεύω | pisteuō | to believe, trust | tin | High | Eternal Life through Faith | 1:7,12 | Must always specify object (tin nơi Ngài); never left as bare, contentless “belief” |
| Testify / testimony | μαρτυρέω / μαρτυρία | martyreō / martyria | to bear witness | làm chứng / sự làm chứng | Medium | (supports Deity of Christ, Inspiration) | 1:7-8 | Must be distinguished from folk mediumistic “witnessing”/spirit communication |
| Born again / born from above | γεννηθῇ ἄνωθεν | gennēthē anōthen | begotten again / from above | được sinh lại | Critical | The New Birth and Regeneration by the Spirit | 3:3 | ”tái sinh” REJECTED — the standard Vietnamese Buddhist term for karmic rebirth/reincarnation into a new existence within saṃsāra |
| Flesh | σάρξ | sarx | flesh, human nature | xác thịt | High | New Birth / Incarnation (dual sense) | 1:14; 3:6 | Same lexeme serves two distinct senses (true humanity vs. fallen human inability) — context-disambiguation required, not a new coinage |
| Born of God / children of God | ἐκ θεοῦ ἐγεννήθησαν / τέκνα θεοῦ | ek theou egennēthēsan / tekna theou | begotten of God / children of God | con cái Đức Chúa Trời | High | New Birth | 1:12-13 | Must never be conflated with Con Đức Chúa Trời (Christ’s unique Sonship, υἱός); τέκνα is a granted, derived status, not native/eternal like Christ’s |
| Grace and truth | χάρις καὶ ἀλήθεια | charis kai alētheia | grace and truth | ân điển và lẽ thật | High | God’s Love for the World (background) | 1:14,17 | — |
| Truth | ἀλήθεια | alētheia | truth, reality as disclosed by God | lẽ thật | High | (supports multiple doctrines) | 1:14 | ”sự thật” (bare factual truth) rejected as insufficiently weighted for John’s revelational/moral sense |
| Lamb of God | ἀμνὸς τοῦ θεοῦ | amnos tou theou | lamb of God | Chiên Con của Đức Chúa Trời | High | Christ’s Substitutionary Death | 1:29,36 | — |
| Son of Man | υἱὸς τοῦ ἀνθρώπου | huios tou anthrōpou | son of the man | Con người | High | Deity and Pre-existence; Judgment | 1:51; 3:13-14 | Lowercase generic “con của loài người” rejected — must retain titular, Danielic weight |
| Lifted up | ὑψωθῆναι (ὑψόω) | hypsōthēnai | raised high, lifted up / exalted | bị treo lên (also: được tôn cao, w/ dual-sense note) | Critical | Christ’s Substitutionary Death | 3:14; 8:28; 12:32-33 | ”được tôn cao” alone rejected as sole rendering — loses the physical, shameful crucifixion sense; must retain both senses |
| Perish | ἀπόλλυμι | apollymi | to be destroyed, lost | hư mất | High | Eternal Life through Faith | 3:16 | Must not be softened to a merely temporal/reversible setback |
| Love (God’s for the world) | ἀγαπάω | agapaō | to love (deliberate, valuing) | yêu thương | High | God’s Love for the World | 3:16 | — |
| Condemn / judgment | κρίνω / κρίσις | krinō / krisis | to judge, condemn / judgment | đoán xét / sự đoán xét | High | Judgment and Belief/Unbelief | 3:17-19 | — |
| Living water | ὕδωρ ζῶν | hydōr zōn | living/flowing water | nước sống | Medium | Eternal Life (imagery) | 4:10 | — |
| Worship | προσκυνέω | proskyneō | to bow down, worship | thờ phượng | Medium | (supports God’s Love/Truth) | 4:23-24 | ”thờ cúng” REJECTED — the term for ancestor-veneration offerings at the family altar |
| Savior of the world | σωτὴρ τοῦ κόσμου | sōtēr tou kosmou | savior of the world | Cứu Chúa của thế gian | High | God’s Love for the World; Eternal Life | 4:42 | Generic “người giải cứu” rejected as too weak/secular |
| I am (bread of life) | ἐγώ εἰμι ὁ ἄρτος τῆς ζωῆς | egō eimi ho artos tēs zōēs | I am the bread of life | Ta là bánh của sự sống | High | Eternal Life through Faith | 6:35 | — |
| I am (absolute, deity self-ID) | ἐγώ εἰμι | egō eimi | I am | Ta là | Critical | Deity and Pre-existence of Christ | 6:20; 8:24,28,58; 13:19; 18:5-8 | Must not be flattened to comparative/temporal “I existed before…”; echoes Exodus 3:14 |
| Holy One of God | ὁ ἅγιος τοῦ θεοῦ | ho hagios tou theou | the Holy One of God | Đấng Thánh của Đức Chúa Trời | High | Deity of Christ | 6:69 | — |
| I am the light of the world | ἐγώ εἰμι τὸ φῶς τοῦ κόσμου | egō eimi to phōs tou kosmou | I am the light of the world | Ta là sự sáng của thế gian | High | Judgment and Belief/Unbelief | 8:12; 9:5 | — |
| I am the door | ἐγώ εἰμι ἡ θύρα | egō eimi hē thyra | I am the door/gate | Ta là cái cửa | High | Eternal Life (exclusivity of access) | 10:9 | Must retain sole-access sense, not “a door among several” |
| I am the good shepherd | ἐγώ εἰμι ὁ ποιμὴν ὁ καλός | egō eimi ho poimēn ho kalos | I am the good/noble shepherd | Ta là người chăn hiền lành | High | Christ’s Substitutionary Death | 10:11,14 | Must retain “lays down his life” substitutionary sense from context |
| I and the Father are one | ἐγὼ καὶ ὁ πατὴρ ἕν ἐσμεν | egō kai ho patēr hen esmen | I and the Father are one | Ta và Cha là một | Critical | Unity of the Father and the Son | 10:30 | Must avoid both mere-agreement reading (too weak) and modalist reading (too strong/collapses Persons) |
| Equal with God | ἴσον ἑαυτὸν τῷ θεῷ | ison heauton tō theō | equal to God | tự cho mình bằng Đức Chúa Trời | Critical | Deity of Christ; Unity of Father/Son | 5:18 | Must convey ontological equality, not mere favored relationship |
| I am the resurrection and the life | ἐγώ εἰμι ἡ ἀνάστασις καὶ ἡ ζωή | egō eimi hē anastasis kai hē zōē | I am the resurrection and the life | Ta là sự sống lại và sự sống | Critical | Resurrection; Eternal Life | 11:25 | — |
| I am the way, the truth, and the life | ἐγώ εἰμι ἡ ὁδὸς καὶ ἡ ἀλήθεια καὶ ἡ ζωή | egō eimi hē hodos kai hē alētheia kai hē zōē | I am the way, the truth, and the life | Ta là đường đi, lẽ thật, và sự sống | Critical | Deity of Christ; exclusivity of salvation | 14:6 | ”một con đường” (a way, among several) REJECTED — exclusivity clause must remain explicit |
| Counselor / Advocate (Paraclete) | παράκλητος | paraklētos | one called alongside to help | Đấng An Ủi | Critical | The Holy Spirit as Counselor | 14:16,26 | Must not be modeled on consulted spirits/mediums/ancestor-spirits sought for comfort or guidance |
| Spirit of truth | τὸ πνεῦμα τῆς ἀληθείας | to pneuma tēs alētheias | the Spirit of truth | Thần Lẽ Thật | High | The Holy Spirit as Counselor | 14:17 | — |
| Abide / remain | μένω | menō | to remain, stay, dwell | cứ ở trong | High | Union with Christ (fruitfulness) | 15:4 | Must render consistently across all occurrences (11x in ch.15 alone) |
| True vine | ἡ ἄμπελος ἡ ἀληθινή | hē ampelos hē alēthinē | the true/genuine vine | cây nho thật | High | Union with Christ | 15:1,5 | — |
| Friends, not servants | φίλους, οὐ δούλους | philous, ou doulous | friends, not slaves | bạn hữu, không phải đầy tớ | High | Union with Christ (relational status) | 15:15 | — |
| Convict | ἐλέγχω | elegchō | to expose, convict, reprove | cáo trách | High | The Holy Spirit as Counselor; Judgment | 3:20; 16:8 | Render consistently across both occurrences to preserve the ch.3/ch.16 conceptual link |
| It is finished | τετέλεσται | tetelestai | it has been completed/accomplished | được trọn rồi | Critical | Christ’s Substitutionary Death | 19:30 | Must not suggest an incomplete, ongoing, or supplementable work |
| My Lord and my God | ὁ Κύριός μου καὶ ὁ Θεός μου | ho Kyrios mou kai ho Theos mou | my Lord and my God | Chúa tôi và Đức Chúa Trời tôi | Critical | Deity of Christ; Resurrection | 20:28 | Must be rendered as deliberate worship-confession, not a colloquial exclamation (“Trời ơi!”-style) |
| That they may be one | ἵνα ὦσιν ἕν | hina ōsin hen | that they may be one | hiệp làm một | Critical | Unity of the Father and the Son (extended to the church) | 17:11,21-23 | Must preserve the καθὼς (“just as”) link to the Father-Son unity, not just social harmony |
| Sent (the Son; the disciples) | ἀπέστειλας / πέμπω | apesteilas / pempō | sent | đã sai | Medium | Mission (background) | 17:18 | — |
| Passover | πάσχα | pascha | Passover | Lễ Vượt Qua | Medium | Christ’s Substitutionary Death (typology) | 2:13 | — |
| Sign | σημεῖον | sēmeion | sign, attesting mark | dấu lạ | Medium | (supports Deity of Christ throughout) | 2:11 | ”phép lạ” alone rejected as too generic/wonder-focused, losing the pointer/attestation sense |
| Hour (appointed) | ὥρα | hōra | hour, appointed time | giờ | Medium | Christ’s Substitutionary Death (timing) | 2:4; 12:23; 17:1 | Flag technical theological use vs. ordinary clock-time use |
| Ruler of this world | ὁ ἄρχων τοῦ κόσμου τούτου | ho archōn tou kosmou toutou | the ruler of this world | kẻ cai trị thế gian này | High | Judgment and Belief/Unbelief | 12:31 | ”chúa của thế gian này” rejected — avoid visual/lexical overlap with the exclusive title Chúa reserved for Christ |
| New commandment | ἐντολὴ καινή | entolē kainē | new commandment | điều răn mới | Medium | (Christian ethic flowing from Christ’s love) | 13:34 | Must not be read as Confucian reciprocal-debt ethic (cf. ơn nghĩa caution) |
| Synagogue | συναγωγή | synagōgē | assembly, gathering place | nhà hội | Low | (background; contrast with Church) | 9:22 | Must be distinguished from Hội Thánh (the church) |
| The Jews (Ioudaioi) | Ἰουδαῖοι | Ioudaioi | Judeans / the Jews | người Giu-đa | High | Judgment and Belief/Unbelief (handling sensitivity) | 1:19; throughout | Must be handled contextually (leadership groups vs. the people generally), never used as a blanket ethnic indictment |
| Blasphemy | βλασφημία | blasphēmia | blasphemy, slander against God | lộng ngôn | Medium | Deity of Christ; Unity of Father/Son | 10:33 | — |
| Wrath of God | ἡ ὀργὴ τοῦ θεοῦ | hē orgē tou theou | the wrath of God | cơn thịnh nộ của Đức Chúa Trời | High | Judgment and Belief/Unbelief | 3:36 | Must not be softened into impersonal misfortune/karma |
| Grain of wheat | ὁ κόκκος τοῦ σίτου | ho kokkos tou sitou | grain of wheat | hột giống lúa mì | Low | Christ’s Substitutionary Death (imagery) | 12:24 | — |
| Lay down (one’s) life | τὴν ψυχὴν τίθησιν | tēn psychēn tithēsin | to lay down one’s life/soul | phó sự sống mình | High | Christ’s Substitutionary Death | 10:11,15,17-18 | — |
| Love (agapaō/phileō distinction) | ἀγαπάω / φιλέω | agapaō / phileō | to love / to love as a friend | yêu / yêu mến | Medium | (pastoral restoration; translation-technique note) | 21:15-17 | No two-verb Vietnamese equivalent exists; flag translation-technique note, not doctrinal collision |
| Overcome the world | νενίκηκα τὸν κόσμον | nenikēka ton kosmon | I have conquered the world | ta đã thắng thế gian rồi | Medium | (assurance; supports Judgment/Belief doctrine) | 16:33 | — |
| Temple (as Christ’s body) | ναός / ἱερόν | naos / hieron | sanctuary / temple precinct | đền thờ | Medium | Christ’s Substitutionary Death (body as temple) | 2:19-21 | ”chùa”/“đền” REJECTED per baseline church entry — Buddhist/folk-deity shrine terms |
C. Chapters Reviewed with No New Load-Bearing Terms
Per full-book coverage requirements, the following note applies where a chapter’s theological vocabulary is entirely composed of terms already introduced and tabled above:
- Chapter 9 (Healing of the Man Born Blind): no new theological vocabulary beyond sign (dấu lạ), sin (tội lỗi), light (sự sáng), worship (thờ phượng), Son of Man (Con người), and synagogue (nhà hội), all already tabled above from earlier chapters; reviewed and confirmed reused only.
- Chapter 21 (closing narrative, apart from the agapaō/phileō exchange and shepherd-commissioning language already tabled): reuses disciple (môn đồ), testify/witness (làm chứng), and follow (theme from ch.1); reviewed and confirmed reused only beyond the two new entries tabled above.
All other chapters (1–8, 10–20) contributed at least one new load-bearing term captured in Section B above; none are silently omitted.
D. Cross-Document Consistency Flags (mirrors Romans baseline’s Theological Consistency Rules)
The following John renderings must be identical, verbatim, across every Phase 2 document in this curriculum, in the same manner already required for Romans 1:16-17, 8:28, and 10:9-10:
| Passage | Required Vietnamese Rendering |
|---|---|
| John 1:1 | Ban đầu có Ngôi Lời, Ngôi Lời ở cùng Đức Chúa Trời, và Ngôi Lời là Đức Chúa Trời. |
| John 1:14 | Ngôi Lời đã trở nên xác thịt, ở giữa chúng ta, đầy ơn (ân điển) và lẽ thật. |
| John 3:3 | Nếu một người chẳng được sinh lại, thì không thể thấy được Nước Đức Chúa Trời. |
| John 3:16 | Vì Đức Chúa Trời yêu thương thế gian, đến nỗi đã ban Con một của Ngài, hầu cho hễ ai tin Con ấy không bị hư mất mà có sự sống đời đời. |
| John 8:58 | Trước khi có Áp-ra-ham, đã có ta. |
| John 10:30 | Ta và Cha là một. |
| John 14:6 | Ta là đường đi, lẽ thật, và sự sống; chẳng bởi ta thì không ai được đến cùng Cha. |
| John 17:21 (excerpt) | …để tất cả đều hiệp làm một, như Cha ở trong Con, và Con ở trong Cha… |
| John 19:30 | …mọi việc đã được trọn rồi… |
| John 20:28 | Lạy Chúa tôi và Đức Chúa Trời tôi! |
| John 20:31 | …để anh em tin rằng Đức Chúa Giê-xu là Đấng Christ, Con Đức Chúa Trời, và để khi tin, anh em có sự sống trong danh Ngài. |
This glossary must be merged into a translation_memory.json extension for the John curriculum before any Phase 2 segment translation begins. All Critical-risk entries above require mandatory human theologian review routing; all High-risk entries require, at minimum, mandatory human theologian review per the doctrines they attach to (Deity/Pre-existence of Christ, New Birth, Unity of Father and Son, Substitutionary Death and Resurrection, Holy Spirit as Counselor), consistent with the review-routing conventions established in the Romans doctrine_risk_registry.json.
Critical Risk Terms
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 exactly. In John, every occurrence adjacent to Ngôi Lời (1:1) or Thomas’s confession (20:28) must be read as asserting personal deity, not the impersonal, fate-dispensing ‘Ông Trời’ of everyday folk speech.
Jesus
Approved rendering: Đức Chúa Giê-xu
Transliteration: Duc Chua Gie-xu
Doctrine: Lordship of Christ
Original: Ἰησοῦς
Category: Christology
Inherited from Romans package exactly. Standard 1926 Bản Dịch Truyền Thống Protestant form; keep distinct from Catholic ‘Chúa Giê-su.‘
Lord
Approved rendering: Chúa
Transliteration: Chua
Doctrine: Unity of the Father and the Son
Original: κύριος
Category: Christology
Inherited from Romans package (High there); risk elevated to Critical for John because 20:28’s confession and 10:30’s unity claim make Chúa function as a direct deity title at the Gospel’s climactic moments, never a colloquial exclamation (‘Trời ơi!’-style).
Son Of God
Approved rendering: Con Đức Chúa Trời
Transliteration: Con Duc Chua Troi
Doctrine: The Deity and Pre-existence of Christ (the Word)
Original: υἱὸς θεοῦ
Category: Christology
Inherited from Romans package exactly. Anchors John 1:34, 1:49, and the Gospel’s purpose statement at 20:31.
Holy Spirit
Approved rendering: Đức Thánh Linh
Transliteration: Duc Thanh Linh
Doctrine: The Holy Spirit as Counselor
Rejected alternatives: thần linh
Original: πνεῦμα ἅγιον
Category: God
Inherited from Romans package exactly. Never bare ‘thần linh.’ The shortened form ‘Thánh Linh’ appearing in John’s own narrative (3:6,8) must still be understood as this same divine Person, not a lesser or generic spirit.
Incarnation
Approved rendering: Ngôi Lời trở nên xác thịt
Transliteration: Ngoi Loi tro nen xac thit
Doctrine: Incarnation
Rejected alternatives: hóa thân
Original: ὁ λόγος σὰρξ ἐγένετο
Category: Christology
Inherited from Romans package exactly. John 1:14 is the direct source verse for this baseline entry. Never bare hóa thân (a bodhisattva’s/deity’s repeatable manifestation).
Resurrection
Approved rendering: sự sống lại
Transliteration: su song lai
Doctrine: Christ’s Resurrection
Rejected alternatives: sự đầu thai, luân hồi
Original: ἀνάστασις
Category: Eschatology
Inherited from Romans package exactly. John 11:25 intensifies the baseline warning: Christ personally IS resurrection-life, not merely its predictor or agent.
Salvation
Approved rendering: sự cứu rỗi
Transliteration: su cuu roi
Doctrine: Eternal Life through Faith in Christ
Rejected alternatives: sự giải thoát
Original: σωτηρία / σῴζω
Category: Salvation
Inherited from Romans package exactly. John 3:17’s verb form ‘được cứu’ must retain the same personal-rescue sense as the noun.
Word Logos
Approved rendering: Ngôi Lời
Transliteration: Ngoi Loi
Doctrine: The Deity and Pre-existence of Christ (the Word)
Rejected alternatives: lời của Đức Chúa Trời (alone), Lô-gốt (bare transliteration)
Original: λόγος
Category: Christology
New term for the John curriculum. Never reduced to functional message-content in 1:1-3,14, where a distinct, eternal, personal divine Being is asserted, not merely a message God speaks. Leverages existing Vietnamese Trinitarian-title vocabulary (Ngôi Cha, Ngôi Con). Mandatory theologian review at every occurrence.
Only Begotten
Approved rendering: Con một
Transliteration: Con mot
Doctrine: The Deity and Pre-existence of Christ (the Word)
Rejected alternatives: con đầu lòng
Original: μονογενής
Category: Christology
New term (established Bản Dịch Truyền Thống rendering, now formally registered). Must carry the full weight of μονογενής — sole, eternal, unique Sonship — not merely ‘an only child’ in the ordinary human sense, and never one divine son among several avatars/incarnations. 1:14,18; 3:16,18.
Eternal Life
Approved rendering: sự sống đời đời
Transliteration: su song doi doi
Doctrine: Eternal Life through Faith in Christ
Rejected alternatives: giải thoát, tái sinh (family), Niết Bàn / Nirvana framing
Original: ζωὴ αἰώνιος
Category: Salvation
New term; the doctrinal anchor for ‘Eternal Life through Faith in Christ.’ Never conflated with luân hồi/tái sinh (rebirth cycle) or giải thoát/Nirvana (impersonal cessation). Present possession (3:15-16’s present tense ‘ἔχῃ’) must be preserved. John 17:3 is the controlling definition; require identical rendering across all documents.
Born Again
Approved rendering: được sinh lại
Transliteration: duoc sinh lai
Doctrine: The New Birth and Regeneration by the Spirit
Rejected alternatives: tái sinh, đầu thai, luân hồi
Original: γεννηθῇ ἄνωθεν
Category: New Birth
New term; the doctrinal anchor for ‘The New Birth and Regeneration by the Spirit.’ NEVER ‘tái sinh,’ the standard Vietnamese Buddhist term for karmic rebirth/reincarnation within saṃsāra. Anchors the concept in an ordinary human-birth metaphor applied to a single, Spirit-wrought event, not a repeatable cycle. The necessity (‘phải,’ 3:7) must never be softened to advice (‘nên’).
Lifted Up
Approved rendering: bị treo lên
Transliteration: bi treo len
Doctrine: Christ’s Substitutionary Death
Rejected alternatives: được tôn cao (alone)
Original: ὑψωθῆναι (ὑψόω)
Category: Salvation
New term. The double meaning of ὑψόω — simultaneous physical elevation on the cross and exaltation/glorification (3:14; 8:28; 12:32-33). ‘Được tôn cao’ alone erases the physical, shameful crucifixion sense and the substitutionary dimension; require a teaching note on the double meaning at every occurrence.
I Am Sayings
Approved rendering: Ta là…
Transliteration: Ta la…
Doctrine: The Seven ‘I Am’ Statements
Rejected alternatives: một trong nhiều… (framing as one option among several)
Original: ἐγώ εἰμι (with predicate: ἄρτος τῆς ζωῆς / τὸ φῶς τοῦ κόσμου / ἡ θύρα / ὁ ποιμὴν ὁ καλός / ἡ ἀνάστασις καὶ ἡ ζωή / ἡ ὁδὸς καὶ ἡ ἀλήθεια καὶ ἡ ζωή / ἡ ἄμπελος ἡ ἀληθινή)
Category: Christology
New term. The seven predicated ἐγώ εἰμι self-declarations (6:35; 8:12; 10:9; 10:11; 11:25; 14:6; 15:1), each asserting exclusive, life-giving identity. The bare Vietnamese copula sentence carries none of this exclusivity weight grammatically; requires a fixed teaching-note template at every occurrence, especially 10:9 and 14:6.
I Am Absolute
Approved rendering: Ta là / đã có ta
Transliteration: Ta la / da co ta
Doctrine: The Deity and Pre-existence of Christ (the Word)
Original: ἐγώ εἰμι (absolute, without predicate)
Category: Christology
New term. Christ’s timeless, non-contingent self-identification echoing Exodus 3:14 LXX (8:24,28,58; 13:19; 18:5-8). ‘Đã có ta’ must never be flattened to a comparative temporal claim (‘existed before Abraham,’ mere priority in time). Mandatory theologian review at every occurrence, with a note tying back to Exodus 3:14.
Equal With God
Approved rendering: tự cho mình bằng Đức Chúa Trời
Transliteration: tu cho minh bang Duc Chua Troi
Doctrine: Deity of Christ; Unity of the Father and the Son
Original: ἴσον ἑαυτὸν τῷ θεῷ
Category: Christology
New term. The Jewish leaders’ (theologically correct) perception of Jesus’ claim to full ontological equality with God (5:18). Must convey ontological equality, not merely a close or favored relationship; John’s narrative confirms rather than corrects this accusation.
Father Son Unity
Approved rendering: Ta và Cha là một
Transliteration: Ta va Cha la mot
Doctrine: Unity of the Father and the Son
Original: ἐγὼ καὶ ὁ πατὴρ ἕν ἐσμεν
Category: Christology
New term; the doctrinal anchor for the named curriculum doctrine (10:30). Must avoid both mere-agreement (too weak, reducible to the Confucian social-harmony ideal) and modalism (too strong, collapsing the distinct Persons). Mandatory theologian review at every occurrence, accompanied by a fixed teaching note explicitly rejecting both misreadings.
That They May Be One
Approved rendering: hiệp làm một
Transliteration: hiep lam mot
Doctrine: Unity of the Father and the Son (extended to the church)
Original: ἵνα ὦσιν ἕν
Category: Church
New term (17:11,21-23). Must preserve the ‘như…vậy’ (just as) comparative clause linking believers’ unity to the Father-Son unity itself; never substitute the Confucian social-harmony ideal (hòa hợp, đoàn kết), which would ground unity in interpersonal goodwill rather than participatory union in Christ.
Counselor Paraclete
Approved rendering: Đấng An Ủi
Transliteration: Dang An Ui
Doctrine: The Holy Spirit as Counselor
Rejected alternatives: Pa-ra-clet (bare transliteration)
Original: παράκλητος
Category: Pneumatology
New term; the doctrinal anchor for ‘The Holy Spirit as Counselor’ (14:16,26; 15:26; 16:7). Must be taught as a distinct, personal, divine Advocate continuing Christ’s own ministry, never modeled on consulted spirits, mediums, or ancestor-spirits sought for comfort/guidance at the family altar. ‘An ủi’ (comfort) under-conveys the legal-advocacy/convicting sense; require a standing teaching note at first occurrence per lesson unit. Mandatory theologian review at every occurrence.
It Is Finished
Approved rendering: được trọn rồi
Transliteration: duoc tron roi
Doctrine: Christ’s Substitutionary Death
Rejected alternatives: công đức (merit-completion framing forbidden in nearby explanatory text)
Original: τετέλεσται
Category: Salvation
New term (τετέλεσται, 19:30); the capstone term for Christ’s Substitutionary Death. Must never suggest an ongoing, repeatable, or incomplete work needing supplementation by additional merit or ritual. Mandatory theologian review.
My Lord My God
Approved rendering: Chúa tôi và Đức Chúa Trời tôi
Transliteration: Chua toi va Duc Chua Troi toi
Doctrine: Deity of Christ; Christ’s Resurrection
Original: ὁ Κύριός μου καὶ ὁ Θεός μου
Category: Christology
New term (20:28). Thomas’s climactic worship-confession joining deity and bodily resurrection. Must be rendered as deliberate worship addressed to the risen Christ, never as a colloquial exclamation (‘Trời ơi!’-style outburst). Mandatory theologian review.
High Risk Terms
Father
Approved rendering: Cha
Transliteration: Cha
Doctrine: Unity of the Father and the Son
Original: πατήρ
Category: God
Inherited from Romans package exactly. In John must convey ontological Father-Son relationship (a deity claim, 5:18; 10:30), not primarily the Confucian filial-duty (đạo hiếu) hierarchy.
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 exactly. ‘Grace upon grace’ (1:16) must preserve successive, gratuitous gift language, never an accumulating merit store the believer builds up.
Faith
Approved rendering: đức tin / tin
Transliteration: duc tin / tin
Doctrine: Eternal Life through Faith in Christ
Original: πίστις / πιστεύω
Category: Faith
Inherited rendering from Romans package; risk elevated from Medium to High for John because of the verb’s near-constant repetition (~98x) and centrality to 20:31’s purpose statement. The object of ‘tin’ must always be recoverable (tin nơi Ngài / tin Con Đức Chúa Trời), never left as bare, contentless belief.
Righteousness
Approved rendering: sự công bình
Transliteration: su cong binh
Doctrine: Righteousness
Rejected alternatives: đức hạnh
Original: δικαιοσύνη
Category: Salvation
Inherited from Romans package exactly. Background term in John, surfacing in the Spirit’s convicting ministry (16:8,10); must retain forensic/relational sense, not moral achievement.
Sin
Approved rendering: tội lỗi
Transliteration: toi loi
Doctrine: Judgment and Belief/Unbelief
Rejected alternatives: nghiệp xấu
Original: ἁμαρτία
Category: Sin
Inherited rendering from Romans package; risk elevated from Medium to High for John because sin is directly tied to unbelief in Christ (16:9, ‘because they do not believe in me’), not only moral transgression in general.
Glory
Approved rendering: sự vinh hiển
Transliteration: su vinh hien
Doctrine: The Deity and Pre-existence of Christ (the Word)
Original: δόξα
Category: God
Inherited rendering from Romans package; risk elevated from Medium to High for John because 17:5 (‘the glory I had with you before the world existed’) asserts Christ’s pre-temporal possession of glory, a pre-existence claim.
Messiah
Approved rendering: Đấng Mê-si-a / Đấng Christ
Transliteration: Dang Me-si-a / Dang Christ
Doctrine: Messianic Promise
Original: Χριστός / Μεσσίας
Category: Christology
Inherited from Romans package exactly. John records the transliterated Hebrew term directly (1:41; 4:25) alongside the Greek title; both forms must appear side by side at those two verses.
Sanctification
Approved rendering: sự nên thánh
Transliteration: su nen thanh
Doctrine: Christ’s Substitutionary Death
Original: ἁγιασμός / ἁγιάζω
Category: Sanctification
Inherited rendering from Romans package; risk elevated from Medium to High for John because 17:17,19 ties the believer’s sanctification directly to Christ’s own self-sanctifying sacrificial act, not a separate self-improvement process.
Life
Approved rendering: sự sống
Transliteration: su song
Doctrine: Eternal Life through Faith in Christ
Original: ζωή
Category: Salvation
New term. ζωή as qualitative, God-given life (as opposed to mere biological existence, βίος), resident in the Word himself (1:4); foundation for ‘eternal life’ below.
Light
Approved rendering: sự sáng
Transliteration: su sang
Doctrine: Light and Darkness
Original: φῶς
Category: Christology
New term. Christ himself as source of divine illumination and moral revelation (1:4-9; 8:12; 9:5). Capitalize/treat titularly where φῶς names Christ himself, distinct from generic moral-illumination usage.
World Kosmos
Approved rendering: thế gian
Transliteration: the gian
Doctrine: God’s Love for the World
Original: κόσμος
Category: God
New term. The created order and, specifically, fallen humanity in rebellion, which God nonetheless actively loves and sends his Son to save (1:9-10; 3:16-17). Must be taught against the Buddhist ‘thế gian’-renunciation framing (vô thường, impermanence); no substitute lexeme exists, so the term must be fenced with explicit teaching context rather than replaced.
Flesh
Approved rendering: xác thịt
Transliteration: xac thit
Doctrine: Incarnation; The New Birth and Regeneration by the Spirit
Original: σάρξ
Category: Christology
New term. A single Vietnamese lexeme carries two distinct Johannine senses: the Word’s true human nature (1:14, positive/essential) and fallen human nature’s inability to generate spiritual life (3:6, negative/limiting). Context must disambiguate; flag every occurrence for a teaching note distinguishing the two senses.
Children Of God
Approved rendering: con cái Đức Chúa Trời
Transliteration: con cai Duc Chua Troi
Doctrine: Children of God (Believers’ Derived Sonship)
Original: τέκνα θεοῦ / ἐκ θεοῦ ἐγεννήθησαν
Category: New Birth
New term. Must never be conflated with Con Đức Chúa Trời (Christ’s unique, eternal Sonship, υἱός); τέκνα is a granted, derived status. 1:12-13’s negation clause (‘not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man’) must always be translated in full, rebutting inheritance by bloodline or family religious status, directly relevant to Vietnam’s lineage-conscious, ancestor-venerating family structures.
Truth
Approved rendering: lẽ thật
Transliteration: le that
Doctrine: The Deity and Pre-existence of Christ (supporting); Worship in Spirit and Truth
Rejected alternatives: sự thật
Original: ἀλήθεια
Category: Christology
New term. Reality as disclosed by God, ultimately embodied in Christ himself (14:6); moral-spiritual integrity, not bare factual accuracy. Never ‘sự thật,’ which would reduce John’s revelational sense to plain correctness.
Lamb Of God
Approved rendering: Chiên Con của Đức Chúa Trời
Transliteration: Chien Con cua Duc Chua Troi
Doctrine: Christ’s Substitutionary Death
Original: ἀμνὸς τοῦ θεοῦ
Category: Salvation
New term. Christ identified by John the Baptist as the sacrificial substitute who ‘takes away the sin of the world’ (1:29,36), fulfilling Passover/Isaiah 53 typology. Requires OT sacrificial/Passover background teaching; must be taught as a one-time, sufficient, substitutionary sacrifice, never an ongoing ritual repeated for continued merit.
Son Of Man
Approved rendering: Con người
Transliteration: Con nguoi
Doctrine: The Deity and Pre-existence of Christ; Judgment and Belief/Unbelief
Rejected alternatives: con của loài người (lowercase generic)
Original: ὁ υἱὸς τοῦ ἀνθρώπου
Category: Christology
New term. Jesus’ favored self-designation, rooted in Daniel 7:13-14, combining true humanity with unique divine authority and destiny (1:51; 3:13-14; 5:27; 12:23). Capitalize and use titularly throughout; must not read as a modest generic self-reference.
Perish
Approved rendering: hư mất
Transliteration: hu mat
Doctrine: Eternal Life through Faith in Christ; Judgment and Belief/Unbelief
Original: ἀπόλλυμι
Category: Judgment
New term. Personal ruin under God’s judgment, the sober alternative outcome to eternal life for unbelief (3:16). Must not be softened into a merely temporal or reversible setback.
Love Agape
Approved rendering: yêu thương
Transliteration: yeu thuong
Doctrine: God’s Love for the World
Original: ἀγαπάω
Category: God
New term. Deliberate, valuing, self-giving love; God’s posture toward the fallen, hostile world (3:16), not a love earned by the world first becoming lovable.
Judgment Condemn
Approved rendering: đoán xét / sự đoán xét
Transliteration: doan xet / su doan xet
Doctrine: Judgment and Belief/Unbelief
Original: κρίνω / κρίσις
Category: Judgment
New term. God’s forensic verdict; distinguishes the purpose of Christ’s first coming (not to condemn, 3:17) from the present-tense consequence of unbelief (already condemned, 3:18). The perfect-tense ‘đã…rồi’ (already) sense must be preserved distinctly from future-only warning language.
Wrath Of God
Approved rendering: cơn thịnh nộ của Đức Chúa Trời
Transliteration: con thinh no cua Duc Chua Troi
Doctrine: The Wrath of God and Present Judgment
Rejected alternatives: số trời, nghiệp
Original: ἡ ὀργὴ τοῦ θεοῦ
Category: Judgment
New term. God’s settled judicial displeasure resting on the one who disbelieves/disobeys the Son (3:36). Must not be softened into impersonal misfortune or karma; the grammatical subject must remain explicitly Đức Chúa Trời, never dropped into an agentless construction.
Savior Of The World
Approved rendering: Cứu Chúa của thế gian
Transliteration: Cuu Chua cua the gian
Doctrine: God’s Love for the World; Eternal Life through Faith in Christ
Rejected alternatives: người giải cứu
Original: ὁ σωτὴρ τοῦ κόσμου
Category: Salvation
New term. The Samaritan villagers’ climactic confession (4:42) that Jesus is the world’s rescuer, not only Israel’s Messiah. Must not be diluted into a generic, secular rescuer; this is the same rescuing Lordship already anchored in sự cứu rỗi and Chúa.
Spirit Of Truth
Approved rendering: Thần Lẽ Thật
Transliteration: Than Le That
Doctrine: The Holy Spirit as Counselor
Original: τὸ πνεῦμα τῆς ἀληθείας
Category: Pneumatology
New term (14:17; 15:26; 16:13). The Spirit’s ministry centers on truth about Christ, not spontaneous private revelation disconnected from Christ’s own teaching.
Convict
Approved rendering: cáo trách
Transliteration: cao trach
Doctrine: The Holy Spirit as Counselor; Judgment and Belief/Unbelief
Original: ἐλέγχω
Category: Pneumatology
New term (ἐλέγχω, 3:20; 16:8). Render consistently across both occurrences so readers trace the conceptual arc from feared exposure (ch.3) to the Spirit’s gracious convicting ministry (ch.16). A comparatively rare Sino-Vietnamese compound; flag for a brief contextual gloss at first occurrence per lesson unit to match the target reading level.
Abide
Approved rendering: cứ ở trong
Transliteration: cu o trong
Doctrine: Union with Christ (Abiding and Fruitfulness)
Original: μένω
Category: Christology
New term (μένω, 11x in ch.15 alone; also 6:56; 14:10,17,23). Must be rendered identically at every occurrence to preserve John’s deliberate repetitive theological device; fruitfulness is entirely relationally contingent, not independent effort.
True Vine
Approved rendering: cây nho thật
Transliteration: cay nho that
Doctrine: Union with Christ (Abiding and Fruitfulness)
Original: ἡ ἄμπελος ἡ ἀληθινή
Category: Christology
New term (15:1,5). Christ as the one truly fruitful vine, fulfilling and replacing OT Israel’s failed-vine typology (Isaiah 5; Psalm 80; Jeremiah 2:21); requires OT background teaching.
Friends Not Servants
Approved rendering: bạn hữu, không phải đầy tớ
Transliteration: ban huu, khong phai day to
Doctrine: Union with Christ (Abiding and Fruitfulness)
Original: φίλους, οὐ δούλους
Category: Christology
New term (15:15). Redefines the disciple relationship from servile duty to intimate friendship characterized by shared knowledge; directly relevant to Vietnamese Confucian-shaped hierarchical relational categories. Friendship adds intimacy without erasing Christ’s Lordship (Chúa).
Lay Down Life
Approved rendering: phó sự sống mình
Transliteration: pho su song minh
Doctrine: Christ’s Substitutionary Death
Original: τὴν ψυχὴν τίθησιν
Category: Salvation
New term (10:11,15,17-18). Christ’s voluntary, self-given, purposeful death for the sheep; reinforces substitutionary, not merely martyrological, death.
Ruler Of This World
Approved rendering: kẻ cai trị thế gian này
Transliteration: ke cai tri the gian nay
Doctrine: Spiritual Opposition (The Devil)
Rejected alternatives: chúa của thế gian này
Original: ὁ ἄρχων τοῦ κόσμου τούτου
Category: Judgment
New term (12:31; 16:11). Satan’s temporary, judged authority over the fallen world-system. Never rendered with any construction using ‘chúa,’ to avoid lexical/visual overlap with the exclusive title reserved for Christ.
Devil
Approved rendering: ma quỉ
Transliteration: ma qui
Doctrine: Spiritual Opposition (The Devil)
Original: διάβολος
Category: Judgment
New term for this curriculum (not present in the Romans baseline). Must be distinguished from folk-religious ‘quỷ’ categories tied to ancestor-spirit or nature-spirit belief; this is a singular personal adversary, not one spirit among many in a populated folk spirit-world (6:70; 8:44; 13:2,27).
The Jews Ioudaioi
Approved rendering: người Giu-đa
Transliteration: nguoi Giu-da
Doctrine: Careful Handling of ‘The Jews’ (Ioudaioi)
Rejected alternatives: người Do Thái (as a blanket ethnic term)
Original: Ἰουδαῖοι
Category: Judgment
New term. Ἰουδαῖοι refers variably to the people generally, regional/religious groups, and most often hostile leadership figures. Must be handled contextually and never used as a blanket ethnic indictment; many believers, including the disciples, are also Ἰουδαῖοι.
Medium Risk Terms
Gospel
Approved rendering: Tin Lành
Transliteration: tin lanh
Doctrine: Gospel
Rejected alternatives: tin tức tốt lành
Original: εὐαγγέλιον (implied; John uses μαρτυρία/κήρυγμα concepts rather than the noun)
Category: Salvation
Inherited from Romans package exactly. The noun εὐαγγέλιον itself is rare in John; the underlying proclamation concept is carried by ‘testify/witness’ (μαρτυρέω) and by John’s own stated purpose (20:31).
Israel
Approved rendering: Y-sơ-ra-ên
Transliteration: Y-so-ra-en
Doctrine: Davidic Covenant (background)
Original: Ἰσραήλ
Category: Covenant
Inherited from Romans package exactly. John 1:31,49; 3:10.
Kingdom Of God
Approved rendering: Nước Đức Chúa Trời
Transliteration: Nuoc Duc Chua Troi
Doctrine: The New Birth and Regeneration by the Spirit
Original: βασιλεία τοῦ θεοῦ
Category: Kingdom
Inherited from Romans package exactly. In John’s core passage (3:3,5) it functions specifically as the thing new birth grants entry to, distinct from Romans’ broader mission/advancing-reign emphasis.
Election
Approved rendering: sự lựa chọn
Transliteration: su lua chon
Doctrine: Union with Christ (Abiding and Fruitfulness)
Rejected alternatives: số mệnh
Original: ἐκλέγομαι
Category: Salvation
Inherited from Romans package exactly. John 15:16,19: Christ’s sovereign choosing of his disciples, not their own religious initiative.
Providence
Approved rendering: sự quan phòng của Đức Chúa Trời
Transliteration: su quan phong cua Duc Chua Troi
Doctrine: Providence (background)
Rejected alternatives: số trời, nghiệp
Original: (theological category; cf. 9:3-4 ‘works of God’ displayed)
Category: God
Inherited from Romans package exactly. John 9:3-4: the man’s blindness exists so ‘the works of God might be displayed in him.‘
Peace
Approved rendering: sự bình an
Transliteration: su binh an
Doctrine: The Holy Spirit as Counselor (context)
Original: εἰρήνη
Category: Salvation
Inherited from Romans package exactly. John 14:27: peace grounded in Christ’s presence and promise, ‘not as the world gives,’ distinct from circumstantial calm.
Apostle Sent
Approved rendering: sứ đồ / sai
Transliteration: su do / sai
Doctrine: Mission and Sending
Original: ἀπόστολος / ἀποστέλλω
Category: Church
Inherited from Romans package (sứ đồ for the noun); the verb form ‘sai/đã sai’ is added here because John’s dominant usage is verbal, describing the Father’s sending of the Son and the Son’s sending of the disciples (17:18).
Church Flock
Approved rendering: Hội Thánh
Transliteration: Hoi Thanh
Doctrine: Church as God’s People (applied via flock/vine/one-body imagery)
Rejected alternatives: đền, chùa
Original: (concept; John uses ποίμνη/flock, ἄμπελος/vine, not ἐκκλησία)
Category: Church
Inherited from Romans package exactly. John does not use ἐκκλησία itself; the concept is carried through one flock (10:16), the vine and branches (15:1-8), and the prayer for oneness (17:20-23). Never đền/chùa.
Darkness
Approved rendering: sự tối tăm
Transliteration: su toi tang
Doctrine: Light and Darkness
Original: σκοτία / σκότος
Category: Judgment
New term. Moral and spiritual blindness and willful opposition to God, not merely absence of light (1:5; 3:19).
Living Water
Approved rendering: nước sống
Transliteration: nuoc song
Doctrine: Eternal Life through Faith in Christ (imagery)
Original: ὕδωρ ζῶν
Category: Salvation
New term. Water imagery for the internally indwelling, self-renewing life Christ gives, later identified with the Spirit (4:10-14; 7:38-39). Should be linked by translator’s note to sự sống đời đời.
Worship
Approved rendering: thờ phượng
Transliteration: tho phuong
Doctrine: Worship in Spirit and Truth
Rejected alternatives: thờ cúng
Original: προσκυνέω
Category: God
New term. Reverent, submissive homage to God (4:20-24), redefined as Spirit-enabled and truth-centered rather than tied to a fixed sacred location. Never ‘thờ cúng’ (ancestor-veneration offerings at the family altar, already flagged Critical in the Romans baseline’s intercession entry).
Sign
Approved rendering: dấu lạ
Transliteration: dau la
Doctrine: Signs as Attestation of Christ’s Identity
Rejected alternatives: phép lạ (alone)
Original: σημεῖον
Category: Christology
New term (σημεῖον, 2:11 and throughout). Never bare ‘phép lạ’ (generic wonder-working, closer to folk-magic feats), which loses the pointer/attestation sense central to John’s theology of signs.
Hour Appointed
Approved rendering: giờ
Transliteration: gio
Doctrine: Christ’s Substitutionary Death (timing)
Original: ὥρα
Category: Christology
New term (ὥρα, 2:4; 12:23; 17:1). A bare clock-time noun with no inherent marker of divine appointment; the technical, appointed-time sense must be carried entirely by surrounding context.
New Commandment
Approved rendering: điều răn mới
Transliteration: dieu ran moi
Doctrine: The New Commandment (Christ-Modeled Love)
Original: ἐντολὴ καινή
Category: Church
New term (13:34-35). Must not be read through a Confucian reciprocal-obligation ethic (ơn nghĩa, a favor creating a debt to repay); love here flows from and imitates Christ’s own self-giving example.
Blasphemy
Approved rendering: lộng ngôn
Transliteration: long ngon
Doctrine: Unity of the Father and the Son (supporting)
Original: βλασφημία
Category: Christology
New term (βλασφημία, 10:33). The charge leveled against Jesus for claiming unity/equality with God.
Passover
Approved rendering: Lễ Vượt Qua
Transliteration: Le Vuot Qua
Doctrine: Fulfillment of Prophecy and OT Typology; Christ’s Substitutionary Death
Original: πάσχα
Category: Covenant
New term (πάσχα, 2:13; 18:28; 19:14; structures John’s narrative). Requires OT/Exodus background teaching; reinforces the Lamb of God typology.
Temple Body
Approved rendering: đền thờ
Transliteration: den tho
Doctrine: Christ’s Resurrection (typology); Humanity of Christ
Rejected alternatives: chùa, đền
Original: ναός / ἱερόν
Category: Christology
New term (ναός/ἱερόν, 2:19-21). Never ‘chùa’ (Buddhist temple) or ‘đền’ (folk-deity shrine) per the Romans baseline church entry. A translator’s note is needed since Vietnamese lacks two distinct words tracking ἱερόν/ναός; the wordplay (physical temple → Christ’s body) must be explained.
Overcome The World
Approved rendering: ta đã thắng thế gian rồi
Transliteration: ta da thang the gian roi
Doctrine: Assurance and Victory over the World
Original: νενίκηκα τὸν κόσμον
Category: God
New term (νενίκηκα τὸν κόσμον, 16:33). Christ’s assurance of ultimate triumph over the hostile world-system, grounding the disciples’ peace amid coming tribulation.
Love Agape Phileo
Approved rendering: yêu / yêu mến
Transliteration: yeu / yeu men
Doctrine: Christ’s Restoration of Peter (Agapaō/Phileō)
Original: ἀγαπάω / φιλέω
Category: Church
New term (21:15-17); a translation-technique flag, not a doctrinal collision. Vietnamese lacks two distinct verbs paralleling ἀγαπάω/φιλέω; require a standing translator’s note explaining the Greek lexical alternation so readers are not misled by English-derived commentary referencing ‘agape vs. phileo.‘
Testify Witness
Approved rendering: làm chứng
Transliteration: lam chung
Doctrine: Witness and Testimony to Christ
Original: μαρτυρέω / μαρτυρία
Category: Christology
New term (μαρτυρέω/μαρτυρία, 1:7-8 and throughout to 21:24). Must be taught as formal, legal/eyewitness testimony to directly observed truth, distinguished from Vietnamese folk practices of oracular or mediumistic ‘witnessing’ (spirit communication).
Low Risk Terms
Prophet
Approved rendering: tiên tri
Transliteration: tien tri
Doctrine: Fulfillment of Prophecy and OT Typology
Rejected alternatives: thầy bói
Original: προφήτης
Category: Covenant
Inherited from Romans package exactly. John 1:21,45; 4:19.
David
Approved rendering: Đa-vít
Transliteration: Da-vit
Doctrine: Davidic Covenant (background)
Original: Δαυίδ
Category: Covenant
Inherited from Romans package exactly. John 7:42.
Synagogue
Approved rendering: nhà hội
Transliteration: nha hoi
Doctrine: Synagogue and Jewish Religious Institutions
Original: συναγωγή
Category: Church
New term (συναγωγή, 9:22; 12:42; 16:2). Must be distinguished from Hội Thánh (the church); names the pre-Christian Jewish institution from which some confessing believers were expelled.
Grain Of Wheat
Approved rendering: hột giống lúa mì
Transliteration: hot giong lua mi
Doctrine: Christ’s Substitutionary Death (imagery)
Original: ὁ κόκκος τοῦ σίτου
Category: Salvation
New term (12:24). An agricultural image for Christ’s death producing multiplied spiritual life.
Disciple
Approved rendering: môn đồ
Transliteration: mon do
Doctrine: Church as God’s People (background)
Rejected alternatives: đệ tử
Original: μαθητής
Category: Church
New term (μαθητής, 1:35ff). Use ‘môn đồ,’ the standard Bible-tradition term, distinct from ‘đệ tử’ (associated with Buddhist/martial-arts master-disciple relationships).
Referenced passages