Core Glossary
08 Core Glossary — Luke (English → Vietnamese)
This glossary compiles every load-bearing theological term identified in analysis/07_semantic_analysis.md, across all 24 chapters of Luke. Terms are grouped by status:
- [REUSED] — already recorded in the baseline Romans
translation_memory.json/bible_term_registry.json. Rendering MUST be used exactly as recorded; risk tier and forbidden-alternatives rules from the baseline continue to apply unchanged. - [NEW] — newly identified for the Luke curriculum. Proposed rendering, risk tier, and rejected alternatives are given for Phase 2 adoption into an updated translation memory (increment version per the baseline’s update protocol).
Risk tiers follow the baseline’s doctrine_risk_registry.json definitions: Critical (human theologian review, every occurrence), High (human theologian review), Medium (native speaker review), Low (automated review).
A. Reused Terms from Baseline Romans Translation Memory (apply unchanged)
| Term | Vietnamese rendering | Risk | Luke chapters where reused | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| gospel | Tin Lành | Medium | 2, 4, 7, 8, 9, 20 | Verb form εὐαγγελίζομαι used repeatedly (4:18, 4:43, 7:22, 8:1, 9:6, 20:1). |
| grace/favor | ân điển | High | 1, 2 | ”Found favor” (χάρις) with God, Mary (1:30) and Jesus’ childhood (2:40, 52). |
| faith | đức tin | Medium | 5, 7, 8, 17, 18, 22 | Repeated “your faith has saved/healed you” formula. |
| righteousness | sự công bình | High | 1, 18, 20, 23 | Zechariah/Elizabeth (1:6), Pharisee/tax collector (18:9-14), centurion’s confession (23:47). |
| justification | sự xưng công bình | Critical | 18 | Tax collector “went down justified” (18:14) — key narrative enactment. |
| salvation | sự cứu rỗi | Critical | 1, 2, 3, 7, 8, 17, 18, 19 | Zacchaeus (19:9-10) is the doctrinal high point. |
| apostle | sứ đồ | Medium | 6, 9, 11, 17, 22, 24 | Naming of the Twelve (6:13); sending narratives. |
| called/calling | được kêu gọi / sự kêu gọi | High/Medium | 1, 5, 6 | Calling of Levi and the Twelve; “call sinners to repentance” (5:32). |
| holy | thánh | High | 1, 2, 4 | ”Holy Spirit,” “Holy One of God” (4:34), temple holiness. |
| saints | các thánh đồ | High | — | No direct Lukan occurrence of ἅγιοι as a corporate noun in Luke 1-24; retained for cross-document consistency with the Romans package. |
| sanctification | sự nên thánh | Medium | — | No direct Lukan lexical occurrence; retained for consistency. |
| adoption | sự làm con nuôi | High | 15, 20 | Prodigal Son’s restoration to full sonship (15:19-24); “sons of the resurrection” (20:36) conceptually related. |
| resurrection | sự sống lại | Critical | 9, 14, 18, 20, 24 | Culminates in the empty tomb narrative (24:6, 24:34) — the single most important Critical term in the whole book. |
| lord | Chúa | Critical | 1, 2, 4, 6, 10, 19, 20, 22 | ”Christ the Lord” (2:11); “Spirit of the Lord” (4:18); “Lord of the Sabbath” (6:5). |
| son_of_god | Con Đức Chúa Trời | Critical | 1, 3, 4, 8, 9, 22 | Announced before birth (1:32, 1:35), tested (4:3, 4:9), confessed by demons (4:41, 8:28), confirmed at trial (22:70). |
| incarnation | Ngôi Lời trở nên xác thịt | Critical | 1, 2 | Cross-referenced doctrine for the virginal conception narrative, using Luke’s own vocabulary (ἐπισκιάζω, παρθένος — see new terms below). |
| peace | sự bình an | Medium | 2, 7, 8, 19, 24 | ”Peace on earth” (2:14); “go in peace” formula (7:50, 8:48). |
| church | Hội Thánh | Medium | — | No direct occurrence in Luke 1-24 (ἐκκλησία is absent from Luke’s Gospel; the term becomes central in Acts); retained for consistency across the Luke-Acts corpus. |
| kingdom_of_god | Nước Đức Chúa Trời | Medium | 4, 6, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 17, 18, 19, 21, 22, 23 | The single most pervasive theological term in Luke; present in nearly every chapter — anchors curriculum doctrine 6 throughout. |
| law | luật pháp | Medium | 2, 5, 10, 16, 24 | Mosaic Law background throughout; “Moses and the prophets” (16:29, 24:27). |
| sin | tội lỗi | Medium | 1, 3, 5, 7, 11, 13, 15, 17, 18, 23, 24 | Ubiquitous; always paired with forgiveness/repentance vocabulary. |
| gentiles | dân ngoại | Medium | 2, 7, 13, 18, 21, 23 | Simeon’s prophecy (2:32); centurion’s faith (7:9); eschatological banquet (13:29). |
| glory | sự vinh hiển | Medium | 2, 9, 24 | Angelic glory at the nativity (2:9, 2:14); Transfiguration (9:32); Emmaus (24:26). |
| power_of_god | quyền năng của Đức Chúa Trời | Medium | 1, 4, 5, 24 | Gabriel’s announcement (1:35); Jesus’ ministry (4:14, 5:17); ascension promise (24:49). |
| messiah/christ | Đấng Mê-si-a / Đấng Christ | High | 2, 3, 4, 9, 20, 22, 23, 24 | Central Christological title throughout; Peter’s confession (9:20); trial (22:67); Emmaus (24:26). |
| prophet | tiên tri | Low | 1, 3, 4, 7, 9, 11, 13, 16, 20, 24 | John the Baptist (1:76, 7:26); Jesus as prophet (4:24, 7:16, 9:8); Elijah/Moses (9:30). |
| prophecy | lời tiên tri | Low | 1, 4, 24 | Isaiah’s fulfilled word (4:21); Emmaus Scripture-opening (24:27, 44-45). |
| covenant | giao ước | High | 1, 22 | Abrahamic covenant remembered (1:72); New Covenant instituted (22:20). |
| election | sự lựa chọn | High | 9 | ”My Chosen One” at the Transfiguration (9:35). |
| intercession | sự cầu thay | Critical | — | No direct Lukan occurrence of ἔντευξις-type intercession-for-others language in 1-24 with this precise sense; distinguished from the new term prayer (see below), which covers Luke’s abundant direct-address prayer material. Retained unchanged for cross-document consistency; the Critical ancestor-veneration warning in the baseline continues to apply to any future occurrence. |
| providence | sự quan phòng của Đức Chúa Trời | Medium | 12 | ”Do not be anxious… your Father knows” (12:22-31). |
| mission | công cuộc truyền giáo | Medium | 9, 10, 24 | Sending of the Twelve and Seventy-Two; Great-Commission-equivalent (24:47). |
| david | Đa-vít | Medium | 1, 2, 3, 18, 20 | Davidic ancestry and covenant throughout the birth narratives and titles. |
| seed_of_david | dòng dõi Đa-vít | Medium | 1, 2, 3, 20 | Genealogy (3:23-38); “Son of David” title (18:38-39, 20:41-44). |
| israel | Y-sơ-ra-ên | Medium | 1, 2, 24 | Zechariah’s/Simeon’s prophecies; Emmaus disciples’ hope (24:21). |
| jesus | Đức Chúa Giê-xu | Critical | throughout | Consistent proper-name form across all 24 chapters. |
| god | Đức Chúa Trời | Critical | throughout | Consistent proper-name form across all 24 chapters. |
| holy_spirit | Đức Thánh Linh | Critical | 1, 2, 3, 4, 10, 11, 12, 24 | The most doctrinally central recurring term for curriculum doctrine 2; present at every major narrative hinge (conception, baptism, temptation, inauguration of ministry, mission, promise of Pentecost). |
| father | Cha | High | 1, 2, 10, 11, 12, 15, 22, 23, 24 | Address to God throughout, climaxing in the Lord’s Prayer (11:2) and Jesus’ own prayers on the cross (23:34, 23:46). |
| abba | Áp-ba | Medium | — | No direct Lukan occurrence (Mark 14:36 only); retained for cross-document consistency. |
| exhort | khích lệ | Low | — | No direct Lukan lexical occurrence in 1-24 requiring this exact term; retained for consistency. |
| imputed_righteousness | sự công bình được kể cho | Critical | 18 | Conceptually underlies the tax collector’s justification (18:14), though Luke does not use Paul’s exact λογίζομαι construction. |
B. New Terms Identified for the Luke Curriculum
| # | Term (gloss) | Original Greek / transliteration | Proposed Vietnamese rendering | Doctrine | Risk | Alternatives rejected | Luke chapters | Risk notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Savior | σωτήρ / sōtēr | Cứu Chúa | Jesus as Savior for All Nations | Critical | ”người giúp đỡ” (generic helper) | 2 | Foundational title for doctrine 1; must never be reduced to a generic benefactor or a folk protective-deity function. |
| 2 | repentance | μετάνοια / metanoia | sự ăn năn | Repentance and Forgiveness of Sins | High | sám hối (Buddhist ritual confession reducing karmic consequence) | 3, 5, 13, 15, 24 | Never sám hối; must be a relational turning of the heart to a personal God, not a karma-reducing ritual act. |
| 3 | forgiveness of sins | ἄφεσις ἁμαρτιῶν | sự tha tội | Repentance and Forgiveness of Sins | Critical | sự giải thoát (Buddhist liberation from samsara); xóa nghiệp (erasing karmic debt) | 1, 3, 5, 24 | Direct collision risk with the baseline’s single most important forbidden substitution (giải thoát); every occurrence requires a translator note. |
| 4 | release/liberty (captives) | ἄφεσις (freedom sense) | sự giải phóng / được tự do | Good News to the Poor and Marginalized | Critical | sự giải thoát (forbidden — Buddhist samsara liberation) | 4 | The core-passage’s highest-risk term; ἄφεσις here means Jubilee-style physical/social release, but must never be rendered with any giải thoát-family word. |
| 5 | the poor | πτωχός / ptōchos | người nghèo / kẻ nghèo | Good News to the Poor and Marginalized | High | ”người nghèo về tâm linh” alone (spiritualized-only reading) | 4, 6, 7, 14, 16, 21 | Must retain Luke’s real economic/social referent; avoid romanticizing as ascetic renunciate poverty (khất thực ideal). |
| 6 | sinners | ἁμαρτωλός / hamartōlos | kẻ có tội / người tội lỗi | Compassion and Table Fellowship with Sinners | Medium-High | — | 5, 7, 15, 18 | Preserve the social scandal of Jesus’ association with this group; do not smooth into generic “guests.” |
| 7 | disciple | μαθητής / mathētēs | môn đồ | The Cost and Joy of Discipleship | Medium | đệ tử (Confucian master-disciple transmission model) | 5, 6, 9, 10, 14 | Discipleship centers on personal allegiance to Christ, not preservation of inherited teaching tradition. |
| 8 | Son of Man | υἱὸς τοῦ ἀνθρώπου | Con Người | Jesus as Savior for All Nations / Kingdom of God | Critical | ”con của loài người” (flattened, losing Daniel 7 title-force) | 5, 9, 12, 17, 19, 22, 24 | Must retain full Christological title-weight, not read as a mere synonym for “a human being.” |
| 9 | compassion | σπλαγχνίζομαι / splanchnizomai | động lòng thương xót / chạnh lòng thương xót | Jesus’ Compassion and Table Fellowship with Sinners | High | từ bi (Buddhist universally-cultivated compassion virtue) | 7, 10, 15, 19 | Biblical compassion is personal, particular, divinely-initiating action, not an impartial cultivated virtue extended equally to all beings as spiritual practice. |
| 10 | eternal life | ζωὴ αἰώνιος | sự sống đời đời | Kingdom of God Present and Future | Medium | — | 10, 18 | Permanent relational life with God, not mere unending duration. |
| 11 | redemption | ἀπολύτρωσις / apolytrōsis | sự cứu chuộc | Jesus as Savior / Kingdom of God | High | — | 21 | Price-paid ransom imagery; never framed as a repayable reciprocal debt (ơn nghĩa). |
| 12 | Hades | Ἅδης / Hadēs | âm phủ | Jesus as Savior for All Nations | Critical | — | 16 | Heavy overlap with Vietnamese folk-Taoist/Buddhist underworld cosmology (cõi âm) tied to living ancestor-veneration practice; must be taught as a fixed post-mortem state unaffected by descendants’ rituals or offerings. |
| 13 | Paradise | Παράδεισος / Paradeisos | Ba-ra-đi (transliterated; avoid bare thiên đàng) | Jesus as Savior / Repentance and Forgiveness | Critical | thiên đàng alone (risks conflation with Tây Phương Cực Lạc, the Buddhist Pure Land reached through merit/devotional practice) | 23 | Immediate, grace-given presence with Christ for a repentant dying criminal — the paradigm case of doctrine 1 and 4 together. |
| 14 | anoint | χρίω / chriō | xức dầu | Jesus as Savior / Holy Spirit’s Work | High | — | 4 (core passage) | Unique divine commissioning of the Messiah; not a repeatable folk-ritual blessing rite (thầy cúng practice). |
| 15 | filled with the Holy Spirit | πλήρης/ἐπλήσθη πνεύματος ἁγίου | được đầy dẫy Đức Thánh Linh | The Holy Spirit’s Work in Salvation History | Critical | — | 1, 4 (core passage context) | Personal divine empowerment; not an ecstatic folk trance-possession state (đồng bóng). |
| 16 | prayer | προσευχή, προσεύχομαι | sự cầu nguyện / cầu nguyện | Prayer and Dependence on God | High | modeling on cầu xin tổ tiên (forbidden — ancestor petition) | 3, 6, 9, 11, 18, 22, 23 | Distinguished from the baseline’s sự cầu thay (intercession for others); direct personal address to God as Father, not ritual petition to a departed ancestor. |
| 17 | all nations | πάντα τὰ ἔθνη | muôn dân | Jesus as Savior for All Nations | High | — | 2, 13, 21, 24 | Broader universal category than dân ngoại’s Jew/Gentile contrast; must retain unqualified, unrestricted scope. |
| 18 | blessed (Beatitudes) | μακάριος / makarios | phước cho | Good News to the Poor and Marginalized | High | — (established rendering retained despite risk) | 6 | ”Phước” alone risks resonance with Buddhist merit/fortune (phước đức, already forbidden for grace); must be taught as God’s sovereign, unearned pronouncement of favor on the poor/hungry/persecuted, the opposite of merit-based fortune. |
| 19 | transfigured | μεταμορφόω / metamorphoō | sự biến hình | Jesus as Savior (supporting Christology) | Medium-High | — | 9 | Unveiling of Christ’s own inherent glory, not a deity’s shape-shifting manifestation into another form/being. |
| 20 | Chosen One / beloved Son | ἐκλελεγμένος / ἀγαπητός | Con yêu dấu / được chọn | Jesus as Savior (Christology) | High | — | 9 | Combined with reused election and son_of_god terms. |
| 21 | unclean spirit / demon | πνεῦμα ἀκάθαρτον / δαιμόνιον | tà linh / quỷ | Kingdom of God Present and Future | High | modeling on folk exorcism (trừ tà via đồng bóng/thầy pháp) | 4, 8, 9, 11 | Personal demonic beings under Christ’s unique authority, not a replicable ritual-exorcism technique. |
| 22 | overshadow (Spirit’s conception act) | ἐπισκιάζω / episkiazō | che phủ / rợp bóng trên | The Holy Spirit’s Work in Salvation History | Critical | bare hóa thân (forbidden — repeatable deity manifestation) | 1 | Unique, permanent, historical divine act; cross-referenced to the baseline Incarnation entry. |
| 23 | virgin | παρθένος / parthenos | nữ đồng trinh / gái đồng trinh | The Holy Spirit’s Work in Salvation History (Incarnation) | Critical | — | 1 | Necessary supporting term for the Incarnation; must not be softened to “young woman.” |
| 24 | Most High | Ὕψιστος / Hypsistos | Đấng Rất Cao | Jesus as Savior (Christology) | High | — | 1, 6 | Must be clearly identified with Đức Chúa Trời, not left as a generic superlative applicable to Ông Trời or a folk supreme deity. |
| 25 | lost | ἀπολωλός / apolōlos | kẻ bị lạc mất / người hư mất | Jesus as Savior for All Nations | Medium-High | — | 15, 19 | A state Christ actively seeks to rescue, not a fixed unfavorable karmic status. |
| 26 | tax collector | τελώνης / telōnēs | người thu thuế | Good News to the Poor and Marginalized / Table Fellowship | Medium | — | 5, 18, 19 | Marginalized-by-scorn figure; shows the gospel reaching the despised-rich as well as the poor. |
| 27 | rich / wealth | πλούσιος / plousios | người giàu | Jesus as Savior for All Nations (rich and poor) | Medium-High | — | 1, 6, 12, 14, 16, 18, 19, 21 | Avoid conflation with a merit-based framework in which wealth signals accumulated good karma. |
| 28 | temple | ναός / ἱερόν | đền thờ | supporting term (Prayer, Kingdom) | Medium | đền (folk temple to deified hero — already forbidden in baseline for “church”) | 1, 2, 4, 19, 21, 24 | Standard established term; keep distinct from đền. |
| 29 | priest / chief priest | ἱερεύς / ἀρχιερεύς | thầy tế lễ / thầy tế lễ cả | supporting term | Medium | — | 1, 3, 9, 22, 23 | Distinguish biblical priest mediating under Mosaic Law from a folk ritual practitioner (thầy cúng). |
| 30 | hypocrite | ὑποκριτής / hypokritēs | kẻ giả hình | Repentance / Kingdom of God (Pharisee critique) | Medium | — | 6, 11, 12, 13, 18, 20 | Established term; low syncretism risk. |
| 31 | new covenant | καινὴ διαθήκη | giao ước mới | supporting term (Last Supper) | High | — | 22 | Fulfills, does not discard, God’s prior covenant faithfulness. |
| 32 | acceptable/Jubilee year of the Lord | ἐνιαυτὸς Κυρίου δεκτός | năm thi ân của Chúa | Good News to the Poor and Marginalized | High | (avoid framing as lunar-calendar “lucky year,” năm tốt) | 4 (core passage) | Requires Leviticus 25 Jubilee background teaching; God’s initiated favor, not fortune-telling luck. |
| 33 | synagogue | συναγωγή / synagōgē | nhà hội | supporting term | Medium | — | 4, 6, 7, 13 | Distinguish from Hội Thánh (Church) and from chùa/đền. |
| 34 | cross (discipleship) | σταυρός / stauros | cây thập tự / thập tự giá | The Cost and Joy of Discipleship | High | — | 9, 14, 23 | Literal instrument of execution and costly self-denial, not merely a decorative/symbolic ornament. |
| 35 | Passover | πάσχα / pascha | Lễ Vượt Qua | supporting term (Last Supper) | Medium | — | 22 | Requires Exodus background. |
| 36 | captive | αἰχμάλωτος / aichmalōtos | kẻ bị cầm / tù binh | Good News to the Poor and Marginalized | Medium | — | 4 (core passage) | Literal and spiritual bondage together. |
| 37 | oppressed/bruised | τεθραυσμένος / tethraumenos | kẻ bị áp bức / kẻ bị hà hiếp | Good News to the Poor and Marginalized | Medium-High | — | 4 (core passage) | Social-justice dimension of the gospel must not be flattened into private comfort language only. |
| 38 | witness | μάρτυς / martys | chứng nhân | Jesus as Savior for All Nations (mission) | Medium-High | — | 24 | Commissioned role continuing the proclamation to all nations. |
| 39 | power from on high | ἐξ ὕψους δύναμιν | quyền năng từ trên cao | The Holy Spirit’s Work in Salvation History | High | — | 24 | Extends the baseline’s quyền năng của Đức Chúa Trời into the Pentecost-promise context. |
| 40 | today (inaugurated fulfillment marker) | σήμερον / sēmeron | hôm nay | Kingdom of God Present and Future | Medium | — | 2, 4 (core passage), 19, 23 | Recurring Lukan marker of the kingdom’s already-arrived reality; preserve across all four occurrences as a unified theological motif, not isolated generic time-stamps. |
| 41 | Gehenna / hell | γέεννα / geenna | hỏa ngục / địa ngục | supporting term (judgment) | Critical | — | 12 | Distinguish from âm phủ (Hades); must not be assimilated to the Vietnamese folk-Taoist multi-court hell (thập điện) with judges and possible karmic rebirth. |
| 42 | revelation | ἀποκάλυψις / apokalypsis | sự mặc khải / mặc khải | Jesus as Savior for All Nations | Medium | — | 2 | Simeon’s prophecy — “a light for revelation to the Gentiles.” |
| 43 | fulfilled | πληρόω / plēroō | được ứng nghiệm | Kingdom of God Present and Future / Fulfillment of Prophecy | High | — | 4 (core passage), 24 | Must retain the completed, perfect-tense force (“has been fulfilled”), not softened to “is coming true.” |
| 44 | servant of the Lord | δούλη Κυρίου | đầy tôi (nữ) của Chúa / tôi tớ của Chúa | supporting term (discipleship posture) | Medium | — | 1 | Glad, voluntary submission, not hierarchical obligation-bound servitude. |
| 45 | mercy | ἔλεος / eleos | sự thương xót | Jesus’ Compassion / Repentance | Medium | — | 1, 18 | Covenant mercy; pairs with compassion (splanchnizomai) as a related but distinct term. |
C. Cross-Reference Notes for Phase 2
- Highest-priority Critical cluster for theologian review across the whole book: Savior (Cứu Chúa), forgiveness of sins / release (sự tha tội / sự giải phóng — never giải thoát), Son of Man (Con Người), Hades (âm phủ), Paradise (Ba-ra-đi), overshadow (che phủ), virgin (nữ đồng trinh), filled with the Holy Spirit (được đầy dẫy Đức Thánh Linh), Gehenna (hỏa ngục), and all reused Critical terms from the baseline (salvation, resurrection, lord, son_of_god, incarnation, jesus, god, holy_spirit, imputed_righteousness).
- Single highest-frequency new risk to monitor across every Phase 2 segment containing ἄφεσις: never permit sự giải thoát to surface as a “natural-sounding” rendering for release/liberty/forgiveness — flag automatically at validation, exactly as the baseline already flags it for “salvation.”
- Doctrine 3 (Good News to the Poor) requires consistent tracking of πτωχός (người nghèo) and the “phước cho” Beatitude formula together — these two terms carry the heaviest cumulative Buddhist-merit collision risk in the Luke curriculum.
- Doctrine 5 (Prayer and Dependence on God) introduces προσευχή (sự cầu nguyện) as a new but related category alongside the baseline’s sự cầu thay (intercession); Phase 2 segment tagging should distinguish the two clearly so reviewers do not conflate them.
- All new terms in Section B should be added to an updated
translation_memory.json(version increment) before Phase 2 segment translation of Luke begins, per the baseline’s Translation Memory Load and Enforcement Instructions.
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 (unchanged; CRITICAL forbidden substitution unchanged). Luke context: Zacchaeus (19:9-10) and the repentant thief (23:43) are Luke’s paradigm cases — salvation reaching the rich-but-despised and the dying-with-nothing-to-offer alike; never sự giải thoát.
Resurrection
Approved rendering: sự sống lại
Transliteration: su song lai
Doctrine: Resurrection of Christ
Rejected alternatives: sự đầu thai, luân hồi
Original: ἀνάστασις
Category: Eschatology
Inherited from Romans package (unchanged; CRITICAL forbidden substitution unchanged). Luke context: culminates in the empty tomb narrative (24:1-12, 34, 46); also the Sadducee debate (20:27-38) and two passion predictions (9:22; 18:33).
Son Of God
Approved rendering: Con Đức Chúa Trời
Transliteration: Con Duc Chua Troi
Doctrine: Sonship of Christ
Original: υἱὸς θεοῦ
Category: Christology
Inherited from Romans package (unchanged; full phrase required). Luke context: announced before birth by Gabriel (1:32, 35), used to test Jesus (4:3, 9), confessed involuntarily by demons (4:41; 8:28), confirmed at trial (22:70).
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 (unchanged; CRITICAL forbidden substitution unchanged). Luke context: cross-referenced doctrine for the virginal conception narrative (1:26-38), using ἐπισκιάζω (‘overshadow’) and παρθένος (‘virgin’) as its supporting vocabulary — see new terms overshadow and virgin below.
Intercession
Approved rendering: sự cầu thay
Transliteration: su cau thay
Doctrine: Prayer and Intercession
Rejected alternatives: cầu xin tổ tiên
Original: ὑπερεντυγχάνει / ἔντευξις
Category: Faith
Inherited from Romans package (unchanged; CRITICAL forbidden substitution unchanged). No direct Lukan occurrence of ἔντευξις-type intercession-for-others in chs. 1-24; distinguished from the new term ‘prayer’ (sự cầu nguyện), which covers Luke’s abundant direct-address prayer material. Retained unchanged for cross-document consistency.
Jesus
Approved rendering: Đức Chúa Giê-xu
Transliteration: Duc Chua Gie-xu
Doctrine: Lordship of Christ
Original: Ἰησοῦς / יֵשׁוּעַ
Category: Christology
Inherited from Romans package (unchanged). Consistent proper-name form required across all 24 chapters of Luke.
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 (unchanged; CRITICAL forbidden substitution unchanged). Luke context: present at every major narrative hinge — conception (1:35), Elizabeth/Zechariah/Simeon’s prophesying (1:41, 67; 2:25-27), Jesus’ baptism (3:22), temptation and inaugural sermon (4:1, 14, 18), the Seventy-Two’s joy (10:21), teaching on the Spirit given to those who ask (11:13), and the Pentecost promise (24:49).
Imputed Righteousness
Approved rendering: sự công bình được kể cho
Transliteration: su cong binh duoc ke cho
Doctrine: Salvation
Rejected alternatives: công đức tích lũy
Original: ἐλογίσθη αὐτῷ εἰς δικαιοσύνην
Category: Salvation
Inherited from Romans package (unchanged). Luke context: conceptually underlies the tax collector’s justification (18:14), though Luke does not use Paul’s exact λογίζομαι construction; credited, not earned, righteousness must still govern how the narrative is taught.
Savior
Approved rendering: Cứu Chúa
Transliteration: Cuu Chua
Doctrine: Jesus as Savior for All Nations and All People
Rejected alternatives: người giúp đỡ
Original: σωτήρ
Category: Salvation
New for Luke. Luke 2:11, ‘a Savior has been born to you’ — the first explicit title given to the infant Jesus. Must be a personal, historical rescuer for both Jew and Gentile, rich and poor; never a generic helper/benefactor, and never blended with a localized, negotiable folk guardian-deity (thần hộ mệnh) function. Always anchor to a concrete narrative referent (2:11; 7:1-10; 19:9-10; 23:39-43).
Forgiveness Of Sins
Approved rendering: sự tha tội
Transliteration: su tha toi
Doctrine: Repentance and Forgiveness of Sins
Rejected alternatives: sự giải thoát, xóa nghiệp
Original: ἄφεσις ἁμαρτιῶν
Category: Repentance
New for Luke. Occurs at 1:77, 3:3, 5:20-24, 24:47. Luke’s highest-frequency collision point with the baseline’s most important forbidden substitution: NEVER sự giải thoát or xóa nghiệp (erasing impersonal karmic debt); must convey a relational transaction between the sinner and a personal God.
Release Liberty
Approved rendering: sự giải phóng / được tự do
Transliteration: su giai phong / duoc tu do
Doctrine: Good News to the Poor and Marginalized
Rejected alternatives: sự giải thoát
Original: ἄφεσις
Category: Poverty and Marginalization
New for Luke. Core passage, Luke 4:18: Jesus is anointed to ‘proclaim release to the captives… to set at liberty those who are oppressed’ — the same Greek word (ἄφεσις) as forgiveness_of_sins but here in its Jubilee-legislation sense (Leviticus 25). The single highest cumulative-frequency risk in the curriculum: NEVER sự giải thoát, exactly as forbidden for salvation. Requires a mandatory translator note at every occurrence.
Son Of Man
Approved rendering: Con Người
Transliteration: Con Nguoi
Doctrine: The Son of Man Title
Rejected alternatives: con của loài người
Original: υἱὸς τοῦ ἀνθρώπου
Category: Christology
New for Luke. A Daniel 7:13-14-rooted messianic self-designation used by Jesus throughout (5:24; 9:22, 26, 44; 12:8-10; 17:22-37; 19:10; 22:69; 24:7), combining genuine humanity with divine authority and eschatological glory. A flattened gloss (‘con của loài người,’ merely ‘a human being’) loses all title-force and has no Vietnamese cultural analogue; requires positive construction, not mere avoidance.
Hades
Approved rendering: âm phủ
Transliteration: am phu
Doctrine: Eschatological Judgment: Gehenna and Hades
Original: Ἅδης
Category: Eschatology
New for Luke. Luke 16:23, the rich man’s torment contrasted with Lazarus at Abraham’s side. Heavy overlap with the Vietnamese folk-Taoist/Buddhist underworld cosmology (cõi âm) tied to ancestor veneration (thờ cúng tổ tiên); must be taught as a fixed, non-negotiable post-mortem state unaffected by the living family’s rituals or offerings.
Paradise
Approved rendering: Ba-ra-đi
Transliteration: Ba-ra-di
Doctrine: Assurance of Salvation and Paradise
Rejected alternatives: thiên đàng (dùng riêng lẻ, không kèm giải thích)
Original: Παράδεισος
Category: Eschatology
New for Luke. Luke 23:43, ‘today you will be with me in Paradise,’ spoken to a dying, repentant criminal with no opportunity for works. Bare thiên đàng risks conflation with Tây Phương Cực Lạc (the Buddhist Pure Land reached through merit or devotional recitation); prefer the transliteration paired with ‘được ở với Đấng Christ’ (to be with Christ).
Filled With Holy Spirit
Approved rendering: được đầy dẫy Đức Thánh Linh
Transliteration: duoc day day Duc Thanh Linh
Doctrine: The Holy Spirit’s Work in Salvation History
Original: πλήρης / ἐπλήσθη πνεύματος ἁγίου
Category: Holy Spirit
New for Luke. Elizabeth (1:41) and Zechariah (1:67) are filled with the Spirit and prophesy before Jesus’ birth; Jesus is ‘full of the Holy Spirit’ entering the wilderness (4:1). Personal empowerment by the divine third Person of the Trinity, never an ecstatic folk trance-possession state associated with spirit mediums (đồng bóng).
Overshadow
Approved rendering: che phủ / rợp bóng trên
Transliteration: che phu / rop bong tren
Doctrine: Incarnation and Virgin Conception
Rejected alternatives: hóa thân (dùng riêng lẻ)
Original: ἐπισκιάζω
Category: Holy Spirit
New for Luke. Luke 1:35, the Holy Spirit’s unique creative act causing Mary’s virginal conception. Never rendered with any word suggesting hóa thân, a repeatable deity/bodhisattva manifestation into a body for an episode; this is a permanent, unique, historical act.
Virgin
Approved rendering: nữ đồng trinh / gái đồng trinh
Transliteration: nu dong trinh / gai dong trinh
Doctrine: Incarnation and Virgin Conception
Rejected alternatives: một cô gái trẻ (chỉ mang nghĩa ‘thiếu nữ’)
Original: παρθένος
Category: Christology
New for Luke. Luke 1:27, 34. A necessary supporting term for the Incarnation; must be stated plainly and not softened to a merely ‘young woman,’ which would remove the miraculous, sign-bearing force of the announcement.
Gehenna
Approved rendering: hỏa ngục / địa ngục
Transliteration: hoa nguc / dia nguc
Doctrine: Eschatological Judgment: Gehenna and Hades
Original: γέεννα
Category: Eschatology
New for Luke. Luke 12:5, ‘authority to cast into hell.’ Distinguish from âm phủ (Hades) and from the Vietnamese folk-Taoist/Buddhist multi-court hell (thập điện) administered by judges (Diêm Vương) with proportionate, potentially reversible karmic punishment; biblical Gehenna is final judgment under a personal God, not a bureaucratic karmic process.
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 (unchanged). Luke context: ‘found favor’ (χάρις) with God, of Mary (1:30) and of the child Jesus (2:40, 52) — God’s initiative, never a merit Mary or Jesus accumulated.
Righteousness
Approved rendering: sự công bình
Transliteration: su cong binh
Doctrine: Salvation
Rejected alternatives: đức hạnh
Original: δικαιοσύνη
Category: Salvation
Inherited from Romans package (unchanged). Luke context: Zechariah/Elizabeth (1:6), the Pharisee/tax-collector parable (18:9-14), and the Gentile centurion’s confession at the cross (23:47) — forensic standing, not the Pharisee’s self-assessed moral achievement.
Justification
Approved rendering: sự xưng công bình
Transliteration: su xung cong binh
Doctrine: Salvation
Original: δικαίωσις
Category: Salvation
Inherited from Romans package (unchanged). Luke context: the tax collector ‘went down to his house justified’ (18:14) is the clearest narrative enactment of forensic declaration anywhere in the Gospels; not the fruit of the tax collector’s own contrition.
Saints
Approved rendering: các thánh đồ
Transliteration: cac thanh do
Doctrine: Sainthood
Rejected alternatives: các thánh
Original: ἅγιοι
Category: Church
Inherited from Romans package (unchanged). No direct Lukan corporate occurrence of ἅγιοι in chs. 1-24; retained unchanged for cross-document consistency with the Romans package.
Adoption
Approved rendering: sự làm con nuôi
Transliteration: su lam con nuoi
Doctrine: Adoption into God’s Family
Original: υἱοθεσία
Category: Salvation
Inherited from Romans package (unchanged). Luke context: narrated concretely in the Prodigal Son’s restoration to full sonship and inheritance standing (15:19-24) and in ‘sons of the resurrection’ (20:34-36); teach against the Confucian filial-duty (đạo hiếu) framing risk.
Lord
Approved rendering: Chúa
Transliteration: Chua
Doctrine: Lordship of Christ
Original: κύριος
Category: Christology
Inherited from Romans package (unchanged). Luke context: ‘Christ the Lord’ at the nativity (2:11); ‘Spirit of the Lord’ in the core passage (4:18); ‘Lord of the Sabbath’ (6:5); the Davidic ‘Lord’ riddle (20:41-44).
Obedience Of Faith
Approved rendering: sự vâng phục của đức tin
Transliteration: su vang phuc cua duc tin
Doctrine: Obedience of Faith
Rejected alternatives: đạo hiếu
Original: ὑπακοὴ πίστεως
Category: Faith
Inherited from Romans package (unchanged). No direct Lukan lexical occurrence of this exact Pauline phrase; retained for cross-document consistency. Luke’s nearest equivalent is the call to ‘bear fruit’ as evidence of true repentance (3:8).
Messiah
Approved rendering: Đấng Mê-si-a
Transliteration: Dang Me-si-a
Doctrine: Messianic Promise
Original: Χριστός / מָשִׁיחַ
Category: Christology
Inherited from Romans package (unchanged). Luke context: the angel’s announcement (2:11); Simeon’s revelation (2:26); Peter’s confession (9:20); the trial question (22:67); the Emmaus-road exposition (24:26-27). Vietnamese religious tradition has no rival messianic figure.
God
Approved rendering: Đức Chúa Trời
Transliteration: Duc Chua Troi
Doctrine: Deity of Christ
Rejected alternatives: Ông Trời
Original: θεός / אֱלֹהִים / יהוה
Category: God
Inherited from Romans package (unchanged). Consistent proper-name form required across all 24 chapters; every Critical/High occurrence should carry enough context that the reader understands a personal, covenant-making God, 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 (unchanged). Luke context: address to God throughout, climaxing in the Lord’s Prayer (11:2) and Jesus’ own prayers on the cross (‘Father, forgive them,’ 23:34; ‘into your hands I commit my spirit,’ 23:46).
Repentance
Approved rendering: sự ăn năn
Transliteration: su an nan
Doctrine: Repentance and Forgiveness of Sins
Rejected alternatives: sám hối
Original: μετάνοια
Category: Repentance
New for Luke. Central to John the Baptist’s ministry (3:3, 8), Jesus’ call to sinners (5:32), the urgency of 13:3, 5, and the Prodigal Son’s return (15:7, 10). NEVER sám hối (Buddhist ritual confession reducing karmic consequence); must convey a relational turning of the heart to a personal God.
Poor
Approved rendering: người nghèo / kẻ nghèo
Transliteration: nguoi ngheo / ke ngheo
Doctrine: Good News to the Poor and Marginalized
Original: πτωχός
Category: Poverty and Marginalization
New for Luke. Central to the core passage (4:18), the Beatitudes (6:20), the messianic sign to John’s disciples (7:22), the banquet guest list (14:13), and the rich man/Lazarus contrast (16:20-22). Retain the real economic/social referent; do not soften into ‘poor in spirit’ only, and do not romanticize as the Buddhist ascetic ideal of voluntary renunciate poverty (khất thực).
Sinners
Approved rendering: kẻ có tội / người tội lỗi
Transliteration: ke co toi / nguoi toi loi
Doctrine: Jesus’ Compassion and Table Fellowship with Sinners
Original: ἁμαρτωλός
Category: Compassion and Fellowship
New for Luke. Levi’s tax-collector associates (5:29-32), the sinful woman (7:37-39), tax collectors and sinners drawing near (15:1-2), and the Pharisee/tax-collector parable (18:13). The social scandal of Jesus eating with this group must be preserved, not smoothed into generic hospitality language.
Compassion
Approved rendering: động lòng thương xót / chạnh lòng thương xót
Transliteration: dong long thuong xot / chanh long thuong xot
Doctrine: Jesus’ Compassion and Table Fellowship with Sinners
Rejected alternatives: từ bi
Original: σπλαγχνίζομαι
Category: Compassion and Fellowship
New for Luke. The Good Samaritan (10:33), the father running to the returning Prodigal Son (15:20), and Jesus weeping over Jerusalem (19:41). Never từ bi, the Buddhist ideal of impartially cultivated compassion extended equally to all beings as spiritual practice; biblical compassion is personal, particular, and divinely initiating toward a specific person.
Redemption
Approved rendering: sự cứu chuộc
Transliteration: su cuu chuoc
Doctrine: Jesus as Savior for All Nations and All People
Original: ἀπολύτρωσις
Category: Salvation
New for Luke. Luke 21:28, ‘your redemption draws near.’ A ransom-price paid to free a captive/slave, distinct from sự cứu rỗi; echoes the same Jubilee/liberty imagery as ἄφεσις in 4:18. Christ’s atoning death is the ‘price,’ never a repayable reciprocal debt (ơn nghĩa).
Anoint
Approved rendering: xức dầu
Transliteration: xuc dau
Doctrine: Messianic Promise
Original: χρίω
Category: Christology
New for Luke. Core passage, Luke 4:18, quoting Isaiah 61:1. A unique, once-for-all divine commissioning of the Messiah by the Spirit, not a generic ritual anointing repeatable for any leader, and not confused with a folk-religious blessing rite performed by a thầy cúng.
Prayer
Approved rendering: sự cầu nguyện / cầu nguyện
Transliteration: su cau nguyen / cau nguyen
Doctrine: Prayer and Dependence on God
Original: προσευχή / προσεύχομαι
Category: Prayer
New for Luke. The Lord’s Prayer (11:1-4) and Jesus’ own prayer life throughout (3:21; 6:12; 9:18, 28-29; 22:39-46; 23:34, 46). Distinguished from sự cầu thay (intercession for others, inherited baseline term) and must never be modeled on cầu xin tổ tiên (ancestor-altar petition) — direct filial address to a living, personal God, not an offering to a departed family member.
All Nations
Approved rendering: muôn dân
Transliteration: muon dan
Doctrine: Mission to All Nations
Original: πάντα τὰ ἔθνη
Category: Mission
New for Luke. Simeon’s prophecy anticipates it (2:32); explicit at the eschatological banquet (13:29) and climactically at 24:47. Broader than dân ngoại’s Jew/Gentile contrast category; unqualified, unrestricted scope must never be narrowed.
Blessed
Approved rendering: phước cho
Transliteration: phuoc cho
Doctrine: Good News to the Poor and Marginalized
Original: μακάριος
Category: Poverty and Marginalization
New for Luke. The Lukan Beatitudes (6:20-22) pronounce God’s favor on the poor, hungry, weeping, and hated. Phước alone is also the ordinary Vietnamese word for accumulated Buddhist merit/fortune (cf. phước đức, forbidden for grace); every occurrence must be taught as God’s sovereign, unearned pronouncement of favor, the opposite of merit-based fortune.
Transfigured
Approved rendering: sự biến hình
Transliteration: su bien hinh
Doctrine: Transfiguration and the Glory of Christ
Original: μεταμορφόω
Category: Christology
New for Luke. Luke 9:28-36. The unveiling of Christ’s own inherent, eternal glory, not a deity’s or spirit’s shape-shifting into a different form or manifestation, a motif familiar from Vietnamese folk-religious and Taoist-influenced tales of deities changing appearance.
Chosen One
Approved rendering: Con yêu dấu / được chọn
Transliteration: Con yeu dau / duoc chon
Doctrine: Sonship of Christ
Original: ἐκλελεγμένος / ἀγαπητός
Category: Christology
New for Luke. The Father’s voice at the Transfiguration (9:35), echoing the baptism (3:22). Combined with sự lựa chọn (election) and Con Đức Chúa Trời (son_of_god); must retain full Trinitarian and Christological weight.
Unclean Spirit
Approved rendering: tà linh / quỷ
Transliteration: ta linh / quy
Doctrine: Christ’s Spiritual Authority over Evil
Original: πνεῦμα ἀκάθαρτον / δαιμόνιον
Category: Kingdom
New for Luke. Present throughout Jesus’ exorcism ministry (4:33-36, 41; 8:26-39; 9:37-43; 11:14-26). Distinguish sharply from Vietnamese folk exorcism practice (trừ tà) performed by spirit mediums (đồng bóng) or ritual specialists (thầy pháp); Jesus’ authority is unique, direct, and word-based, not a replicable ritual technique.
Most High
Approved rendering: Đấng Rất Cao
Transliteration: Dang Rat Cao
Doctrine: Sonship of Christ
Original: Ὕψιστος
Category: Christology
New for Luke. Gabriel’s announcement that Jesus will be called ‘Son of the Most High’ (1:32); ‘sons of the Most High’ (6:35). Must be clearly identified with Đức Chúa Trời, not left as a generic superlative applicable to Ông Trời or a supreme folk deity.
Lost
Approved rendering: kẻ bị lạc mất / người hư mất
Transliteration: ke bi lac mat / nguoi hu mat
Doctrine: Jesus as Savior for All Nations and All People
Original: ἀπολωλός
Category: Salvation
New for Luke. The lost sheep, coin, and son (ch. 15); the summary mission statement, ‘the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost’ (19:10). A state Christ actively seeks to rescue, not a fixed, unfavorable karmic status.
Rich
Approved rendering: người giàu
Transliteration: nguoi giau
Doctrine: Universal Scope: Rich and Poor Together
Original: πλούσιος
Category: Poverty and Marginalization
New for Luke. Mary’s song reverses rich and poor fortunes (1:53); the woes to the rich (6:24); the rich fool (12:16-21); the rich man and Lazarus (16:19-31); the rich ruler (18:18-25); Zacchaeus (19:2). Avoid conflation with a merit-based framework in which wealth signals accumulated good karma.
New Covenant
Approved rendering: giao ước mới
Transliteration: giao uoc moi
Doctrine: New Covenant and Atonement
Original: καινὴ διαθήκη
Category: Covenant
New for Luke. Luke 22:20, ‘this cup… is the new covenant in my blood.’ Must be understood as fulfilling, not discarding, God’s prior covenant faithfulness (Passover/Exodus).
Jubilee Year
Approved rendering: năm thi ân của Chúa
Transliteration: nam thi an cua Chua
Doctrine: Good News to the Poor and Marginalized
Rejected alternatives: năm tốt (theo tử vi/lịch âm)
Original: ἐνιαυτὸς Κυρίου δεκτός
Category: Poverty and Marginalization
New for Luke. Core passage, Luke 4:19, ‘the acceptable/favorable year of the Lord,’ alluding to the Year of Jubilee (Leviticus 25). Requires explicit Leviticus 25 background so it is understood as God’s own initiated favor, not a lucky calendar year determined by horoscope (năm tốt/năm xấu).
Cross
Approved rendering: cây thập tự / thập tự giá
Transliteration: cay thap tu / thap tu gia
Doctrine: The Cost and Joy of Discipleship
Original: σταυρός
Category: Discipleship
New for Luke. ‘Take up his cross daily’ (9:23); ‘carry his own cross’ (14:27); the literal crucifixion (23:26, 33). A literal instrument of execution and costly self-denial, not merely a decorative or purely symbolic ornament.
Oppressed
Approved rendering: kẻ bị áp bức / kẻ bị hà hiếp
Transliteration: ke bi ap buc / ke bi ha hiep
Doctrine: Good News to the Poor and Marginalized
Original: τεθραυσμένος
Category: Poverty and Marginalization
New for Luke. Core passage, Luke 4:18, paired with ἄφεσις (release). The social-justice dimension of the gospel must not be flattened into purely private, individual comfort language.
Witness
Approved rendering: chứng nhân
Transliteration: chung nhan
Doctrine: Mission to All Nations
Original: μάρτυς
Category: Mission
New for Luke. Luke 24:48, ‘you are witnesses of these things’ — the disciples’ commissioned role in continuing the proclamation to all nations after the resurrection and ascension.
Power From On High
Approved rendering: quyền năng từ trên cao
Transliteration: quyen nang tu tren cao
Doctrine: The Holy Spirit’s Work in Salvation History
Original: ἐξ ὕψους δύναμιν
Category: Holy Spirit
New for Luke. Luke 24:49, the final statement of the Holy Spirit’s Work doctrine in Luke’s Gospel, extending quyền năng của Đức Chúa Trời (inherited baseline term) into the Pentecost-promise context.
Fulfilled
Approved rendering: được ứng nghiệm
Transliteration: duoc ung nghiem
Doctrine: Fulfillment of Prophecy
Original: πληρόω
Category: Covenant
New for Luke. The interpretive key of the core passage: ‘today this Scripture has been fulfilled’ (4:21); recurs at 24:44. Must not be softened into ‘is coming true’ or ‘relates to’; retains the completed, perfect-tense force.
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 (unchanged rendering, risk tier, rejected alternatives). Luke context: the verb form εὐαγγελίζομαι recurs repeatedly (4:18, 4:43, 7:22, 8:1, 9:6, 20:1) and at the shepherds’ proclamation (2:10); content is always Jesus’ own person and saving work, not a general religious message.
Faith
Approved rendering: đức tin
Transliteration: duc tin
Doctrine: Faith
Original: πίστις
Category: Faith
Inherited from Romans package (unchanged). Luke context: the recurring ‘your faith has saved/made you well’ formula (7:50; 8:48; 17:19; 18:42) deliberately holds physical healing and eternal salvation together; the object of faith (Christ) must remain explicit each time.
Apostle
Approved rendering: sứ đồ
Transliteration: su do
Doctrine: Apostleship
Original: ἀπόστολος
Category: Church
Inherited from Romans package (unchanged). Luke context: the naming of the Twelve (6:13-16) and the sending narratives of chs. 9-10, 17, 22, 24.
Called
Approved rendering: được kêu gọi
Transliteration: duoc keu goi
Doctrine: Divine Calling
Original: κλητός
Category: Salvation
Inherited from Romans package (unchanged). Luke context: ‘I have not come to call the righteous but sinners to repentance’ (5:32) applies God’s call pointedly to the morally disreputable, not the religiously observant; also the calling of Levi and the Twelve (ch. 5-6).
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 (unchanged). No direct Lukan lexical occurrence; retained for cross-document consistency.
Holy
Approved rendering: thánh
Transliteration: thanh
Doctrine: Sanctification
Original: ἅγιος
Category: Sanctification
Inherited from Romans package (unchanged). Luke context: applied to the Holy Spirit throughout and to Jesus as ‘the Holy One of God,’ confessed even by an unclean spirit (4:34) — moral, relational set-apartness, not ritual purity alone.
Sanctification
Approved rendering: sự nên thánh
Transliteration: su nen thanh
Doctrine: Sanctification
Original: ἁγιασμός
Category: Sanctification
Inherited from Romans package (unchanged). No direct lexical occurrence in Luke 1-24; retained for consistency.
Peace
Approved rendering: sự bình an
Transliteration: su binh an
Doctrine: Peace with God
Original: εἰρήνη
Category: Salvation
Inherited from Romans package (unchanged). Luke context: ‘peace on earth’ at the nativity (2:14) and the recurring dismissal formula ‘go in peace’ (7:50; 8:48) both flow from God’s saving initiative, not human-achieved calm.
Spiritual Gifts
Approved rendering: ân tứ thuộc linh
Transliteration: an tu thuoc linh
Doctrine: Spiritual Gifts
Original: χαρίσματα
Category: Church
Inherited from Romans package (unchanged). Luke context: retained for consistency; present through the empowering of the Twelve and Seventy-Two for healing and exorcism (chs. 9-10).
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 (unchanged). Luke context: ἐκκλησία is entirely absent from Luke’s Gospel narrative itself (central only in Acts); retained here for cross-document consistency across the Luke-Acts corpus.
Kingdom Of God
Approved rendering: Nước Đức Chúa Trời
Transliteration: Nuoc Duc Chua Troi
Doctrine: Kingdom Mission
Original: βασιλεία τοῦ θεοῦ
Category: Kingdom
Inherited from Romans package (unchanged). Luke context: the single most pervasive theological phrase in Luke (chs. 4, 6, 8-14, 17-19, 21-23), occurring in both ‘already’ (10:9; 11:20; 17:21) and ‘not yet’ (13:18-21; 21:27-31; 22:16-18) senses; both poles must be preserved.
Law
Approved rendering: luật pháp
Transliteration: luat phap
Doctrine: Fulfillment of Prophecy
Original: νόμος
Category: Covenant
Inherited from Romans package (unchanged). Luke context: Mosaic observance in the infancy narrative (2:22-24, 39); Sabbath controversies (6:1-11; 13:14-16); the lawyer’s questions (10:25-28; 18:18-20); ‘Moses and the prophets’ (16:29; 24:27).
Sin
Approved rendering: tội lỗi
Transliteration: toi loi
Doctrine: Universal Human Accountability
Rejected alternatives: nghiệp xấu
Original: ἁμαρτία
Category: Sin
Inherited from Romans package (unchanged). Luke context: ubiquitous throughout (1:77; 3:3; 5:20-24; 7:47-49; 11:4; 13:2-5; 15:1-2; 17:3-4; 18:13; 23:34; 24:47), always paired with forgiveness/repentance vocabulary; never impersonal bad karma.
Gentiles
Approved rendering: dân ngoại
Transliteration: dan ngoai
Doctrine: Unity of Jews and Gentiles
Original: ἔθνη
Category: Church
Inherited from Romans package (unchanged). Luke context: Simeon’s prophecy (2:32); the centurion’s exemplary faith (7:9); the eschatological banquet ‘from east and west’ (13:29). See the new term ‘all_nations’ (muôn dân), which is broader than this Jew/Gentile-contrast category and used at 24:47.
Glory
Approved rendering: sự vinh hiển
Transliteration: su vinh hien
Doctrine: Deity of Christ
Original: δόξα
Category: God
Inherited from Romans package (unchanged). Luke context: angelic glory at the nativity (2:9, 14); glory unveiled at the Transfiguration (9:32); the glory Christ enters through suffering (24:26).
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 θεοῦ
Category: God
Inherited from Romans package (unchanged). Luke context: the Annunciation (1:35); the start of Jesus’ Galilean ministry (4:14); his healing ministry (5:17); the ascension promise of ‘power from on high’ (24:49) — see the new term power_from_on_high.
Covenant
Approved rendering: giao ước
Transliteration: giao uoc
Doctrine: Davidic Covenant
Original: διαθήκη
Category: Covenant
Inherited from Romans package (unchanged). Luke context: the Abrahamic covenant remembered in the Benedictus (1:72); the New Covenant instituted at the Last Supper (22:20) — see the new term new_covenant.
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 (unchanged). Luke context: the Father’s declaration ‘my Chosen One’ at the Transfiguration (9:35) applies this doctrine directly to Christ himself — see the new term chosen_one.
Providence
Approved rendering: sự quan phòng của Đức Chúa Trời
Transliteration: su quan phong cua Duc Chua Troi
Doctrine: Providence
Rejected alternatives: số trời, nghiệp
Original: πρόνοια
Category: God
Inherited from Romans package (unchanged). Luke context: ‘do not be anxious… your Father knows what you need’ (12:22-31) ties divine providence directly to Fatherly care, not an impersonal fate-dispensing ‘Heaven.‘
Mission
Approved rendering: công cuộc truyền giáo
Transliteration: cong cuoc truyen giao
Doctrine: Mission to the Nations
Original: ἀποστολή / πέμπω
Category: Church
Inherited from Romans package (unchanged). Luke context: the sending of the Twelve (9:1-6) and the Seventy-Two (10:1-12), culminating in the Great-Commission-equivalent charge (24:47-49).
David
Approved rendering: Đa-vít
Transliteration: Da-vit
Doctrine: Davidic Covenant
Original: דָּוִד
Category: Covenant
Inherited from Romans package (unchanged). Luke context: Davidic ancestry and covenant recur in the birth narratives (1:27, 32, 69; 2:4, 11) and the ‘Son of David’ title (18:38-39; 20:41-44).
Israel
Approved rendering: Y-sơ-ra-ên
Transliteration: Y-so-ra-en
Doctrine: Unity of Jews and Gentiles
Original: יִשְׂרָאֵל
Category: Covenant
Inherited from Romans package (unchanged). Luke context: named in Zechariah’s and Simeon’s prophecies (1:68, 80; 2:32) and the Emmaus disciples’ disappointed messianic hope (24:21).
Abba
Approved rendering: Áp-ba
Transliteration: Ap-ba
Doctrine: Adoption into God’s Family
Original: אַבָּא
Category: God
Inherited from Romans package (unchanged). No direct Lukan occurrence (Mark 14:36 only); retained for cross-document consistency.
Seed Of David
Approved rendering: dòng dõi Đa-vít
Transliteration: dong doi Da-vit
Doctrine: Davidic Covenant
Original: σπέρμα Δαυίδ
Category: Covenant
Inherited from Romans package (unchanged). Luke context: underlies the genealogy (3:23-38) and the ‘Son of David’ title questions (18:38-39; 20:41-44).
Disciple
Approved rendering: môn đồ
Transliteration: mon do
Doctrine: The Cost and Joy of Discipleship
Rejected alternatives: đệ tử
Original: μαθητής
Category: Discipleship
New for Luke. Simon, James, and John leave their nets (5:1-11); the Twelve are named (6:13-16); the cost of discipleship is taught repeatedly (9:57-62; 14:25-33). Never đệ tử (a Confucian hierarchical master-transmission model preserving inherited teaching); biblical discipleship centers on personal allegiance to Christ’s person and mission.
Eternal Life
Approved rendering: sự sống đời đời
Transliteration: su song doi doi
Doctrine: The Kingdom of God Present and Future
Original: ζωὴ αἰώνιος
Category: Kingdom
New for Luke. The lawyer’s question and the Good Samaritan’s answer (10:25); the rich ruler’s question (18:18, 30). Permanent, relational life with God, not merely unending temporal duration.
Tax Collector
Approved rendering: người thu thuế
Transliteration: nguoi thu thue
Doctrine: Jesus’ Compassion and Table Fellowship with Sinners
Original: τελώνης
Category: Church
New for Luke. Levi’s calling (5:27-29); the Pharisee/tax-collector parable (18:9-14); Zacchaeus (19:1-10). A marginalized-by-scorn (not by poverty) figure, showing the gospel reaching the despised-rich as well as the economically poor.
Temple
Approved rendering: đền thờ
Transliteration: den tho
Doctrine: Sabbath and the Law
Rejected alternatives: đền
Original: ναός / ἱερόν
Category: Worship and Practice
New for Luke. Frames the whole Gospel (1:9, 21-22; 2:27, 46; 19:45-46; 21:5-6, 37-38; 24:53). Keep distinct from đền (a folk temple to a deified hero, already forbidden in the baseline for ‘church’).
Priest
Approved rendering: thầy tế lễ / thầy tế lễ cả
Transliteration: thay te le / thay te le ca
Doctrine: Sabbath and the Law
Rejected alternatives: thầy cúng
Original: ἱερεύς / ἀρχιερεύς
Category: Worship and Practice
New for Luke. Zechariah’s priestly service (1:5-23); the chief priests’ role in Jesus’ arrest and trial (9:22; 22:2, 66; 23:4). Distinguish from a folk ritual practitioner (thầy cúng) performing private divinatory or protective rites.
Hypocrite
Approved rendering: kẻ giả hình
Transliteration: ke gia hinh
Doctrine: Repentance and Forgiveness of Sins
Original: ὑποκριτής
Category: Sin
New for Luke. Jesus’ repeated critique of the Pharisees (6:42; 12:1, 56; 13:15; 20:20). Established Vietnamese term with low syncretism risk.
Synagogue
Approved rendering: nhà hội
Transliteration: nha hoi
Doctrine: Sabbath and the Law
Original: συναγωγή
Category: Worship and Practice
New for Luke. The setting of the core passage (4:16) and recurring throughout Jesus’ Galilean ministry (4:33, 44; 6:6; 7:5; 13:10). Distinguish from Hội Thánh (Church) and from chùa/đền.
Passover
Approved rendering: Lễ Vượt Qua
Transliteration: Le Vuot Qua
Doctrine: New Covenant and Atonement
Original: πάσχα
Category: Worship and Practice
New for Luke. The setting for the Last Supper (22:1, 7-15), deliberately fulfilled and transformed by Jesus into the new covenant meal. Requires Exodus narrative background for readers with low OT literacy.
Captive
Approved rendering: kẻ bị cầm / tù binh
Transliteration: ke bi cam / tu binh
Doctrine: Good News to the Poor and Marginalized
Original: αἰχμάλωτος
Category: Poverty and Marginalization
New for Luke. Core passage, Luke 4:18, echoing the Isaiah 61/Babylonian-exile background. Covers both the literally oppressed and the spiritually enslaved.
Today
Approved rendering: hôm nay
Transliteration: hom nay
Doctrine: The Kingdom of God Present and Future
Original: σήμερον
Category: Kingdom
New for Luke. A recurring theological marker of the already-arrived reality of God’s saving action (2:11; 4:21 core passage; 19:9; 23:43). Track all four occurrences as a linked set, not isolated generic time-stamps.
Revelation
Approved rendering: sự mặc khải / mặc khải
Transliteration: su mac khai / mac khai
Doctrine: Jesus as Savior for All Nations and All People
Original: ἀποκάλυψις
Category: Mission
New for Luke. Simeon’s prophecy, ‘a light for revelation to the Gentiles’ (2:32).
Servant Of The Lord
Approved rendering: đầy tôi (nữ) của Chúa / tôi tớ của Chúa
Transliteration: day toi (nu) cua Chua / toi to cua Chua
Doctrine: The Cost and Joy of Discipleship
Original: δούλη Κυρίου
Category: Discipleship
New for Luke. Mary’s self-description, ‘I am the servant of the Lord’ (1:38). Must convey glad, voluntary submission to God’s will, not hierarchical, obligation-bound servitude modeled on Confucian social rank.
Mercy
Approved rendering: sự thương xót
Transliteration: su thuong xot
Doctrine: Jesus’ Compassion and Table Fellowship with Sinners
Original: ἔλεος
Category: Compassion and Fellowship
New for Luke. The repeated refrain of the Magnificat and Benedictus (1:50, 54, 58, 72, 78) and the tax collector’s plea, ‘God, be merciful to me, a sinner’ (18:13). Pairs with, but is distinct from, compassion (động lòng thương xót).
Low Risk Terms
Thanksgiving
Approved rendering: sự cảm tạ
Transliteration: su cam ta
Doctrine: Thanksgiving
Original: εὐχαριστία
Category: Faith
Inherited from Romans package (unchanged). Luke context: the Magnificat and Benedictus (1:46-55; 1:68-79); the healed Samaritan leper (17:15-16); the Last Supper’s thanksgiving language (22:17, 19); the disciples’ worship after the ascension (24:52-53).
Fellowship
Approved rendering: sự thông công
Transliteration: su thong cong
Doctrine: Christian Fellowship
Original: κοινωνία
Category: Church
Inherited from Romans package (unchanged). Retained for consistency; Luke’s table-fellowship material with sinners is theologically distinct — see the new term ‘sinners’ and the doctrine ‘Jesus’ Compassion and Table Fellowship with Sinners.‘
Prophet
Approved rendering: tiên tri
Transliteration: tien tri
Doctrine: Inspiration of Scripture
Rejected alternatives: thầy bói
Original: προφήτης
Category: Covenant
Inherited from Romans package (unchanged). Luke context: John the Baptist (1:76; 7:26); Jesus himself (4:24; 7:16; 9:8); Elijah/Moses at the Transfiguration (9:30).
Prophecy
Approved rendering: lời tiên tri
Transliteration: loi tien tri
Doctrine: Fulfillment of Prophecy
Original: προφητεία
Category: Covenant
Inherited from Romans package (unchanged). Luke context: Isaiah’s word read and declared fulfilled in the core passage (4:21); the Emmaus-road, whole-Scripture exposition (24:27, 44-45).
Exhort
Approved rendering: khích lệ
Transliteration: khich le
Doctrine: Mutual Edification
Original: παρακαλέω
Category: Faith
Inherited from Romans package (unchanged). Retained for consistency; no direct Lukan lexical occurrence requiring this exact term in chs. 1-24.
Referenced passages