church

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The Greek that is often translated as “church” in English is translated into Avaric as imanl’urazul ahlu: “the community of believers” or “the believing people.”

Magomed-Kamil Gimbatov and Yakov Testelets (in The Bible Translator 1996, p. 434ff. ) talk about the genesis of this term (click or tap here to read more):

“The word ‘Church’ presents particular difficulties, as we might expect when we think that even many Christians do not understand it correctly. When people today say ‘church,’ they often mean a particular building, or an organization consisting chiefly of clergy (priests and monks). It is even harder to find a word or combination of words which adequately translates the meaning for people unfamiliar with Christianity. Surprisingly, the Greek word ekklesia, indicating in the classical language ‘an assembly of the people,’ ‘a gathering of citizens,’ has come into Avar and other Dagestani languages in the form kilisa. This, like the word qanch (‘cross’), is an ancient borrowing, presumably from the time before the arrival of Islam, when Dagestan came under the influence of neighboring Christian states. In modern usage, however, this word indicates a place of Christian worship. Thus it is completely inappropriate as a translation of its New Testament ancestor ekklesia.

“We were obliged to look at various words which are closer to the meaning of the Greek. Some of these words are dandel’i (‘meeting’), danderussin (‘assembly’), the Arabic-derived mazhlis (‘meeting, conference’), zhama’at (‘society, community’), ahlu (‘race, people, family, group of people united by a common goal or interest’, as in the Arabic phrase ahlu-l-kitab ‘people of the Book’ or ‘people of the Scriptures’), which describes both Jews and Christians, and ummat (‘people, tribe’). In Islamic theology the phrase ‘Mohammed’s ummat’ means the universal community of Muslims, the Muslim world, in the same way as the Christian world is known as ‘Isa’s ummat.’ None of these descriptions on their own, without explanation, can be used to translate the word ‘Church’ in the New Testament. Thus, after long consideration, we adopted the phrase imanl’urazul ahlu, meaning ‘the community of believers,’ ‘the believing people,’ This translation corresponds closely to New Testament teaching about the Church.

“It is interesting that the same word ahlu with the meaning ‘tribe, community’ has been used by translators for different reasons in the introduction to the Gospel of Luke in order to translate the expression in the original Greek pepleroforemenon en hemin pragmaton (πεπληροφορημένων ἐν ἡμῖν πραγμάτων), which the Russian Synodal translation renders ‘about the events well-known amongst us’ (Luke 1:1). The expression ‘amongst us’ cannot be translated literally into Avar, but has to be rendered ‘among our people’; and here the same term was used as for the word ‘church’, literally ‘among our tribe, community (ahlu).'”

In Kamo “church” is fang-balla (“owners of writing-people”) when referring to the church community and “house of writing-people” when referring to a church building. David Frank explains: “In Kamo culture, Christianity was associated with writing, so Christianity is called balla, which they say means ‘people who write.’ Christianity is balla, and Christians are called fang-balla, which means ‘owners of Christianity.’ That is the term that is used for the church, in the sense of people, rather than a building. In Philemon 1:1b-2a, Paul says he is writing ‘To our friend and fellow worker Philemon, and to the church (fang-balla ‘owners of Christianity) that meet in your house.’ The word fang “owner’ is very productive in the Kamo language. A disciple is an ‘owner of learning,’ an apostle is an ‘owner of sending,’ a believer is an ‘owner of truth,’ a hypocrite is an ‘owner of seeing eyes.’ The expression ‘house of writing-people’ is used in Matthew 16:18, which reads in Kamo, ‘And so I tell you Peter, you are a rock, and on top of this rock foundation I will build my house of writing-people, and never even death will not be able to overcome it.” (See also Peter – rock)

In Bacama there also is a differentiation between the building (vɨnə hiutə: “house of prayer”) and the community (ji-kottə: “followers”) (source: David Frank in this blog post ).

In 16th-century Classical Nahuatl, a transliteration from Spanish (Santa Yglesia or Santa Iglesia) is typically used rather than a translation, making the concept take on a personified meaning. Ottman (p. 169) explains: “The church building, or more precisely the church complex with its associated patio, has a Nahuatl name in common usage — generally teopan, something like ‘god-place,’ in contradistinction to teocalli, ‘god-house,’ applied to a prehispanic temple — but the abstract sense is always Santa Iglesia, a Spanish proper name like ‘Dios’ or ‘Santa María’, and like ‘Santa María’ often called ‘our mother.’ As a personified ‘mother,’ in the European tradition as well as in Nahuatl, She instructs Her children or chastises them; as Bride of Christ, She both longs for Her heavenly rest and bears witness to it, in the ‘always-already’ of eschatological time; as successor to the Synagogue, the blindfolded, broken-sceptred elder sister who accompanies Her in painting and sculpture, She represents the triumphant rule of truth. ‘The Church’ can mean the clerical hierarchy; it can also, or simultaneously, mean the assembly of the faithful. It dispenses grace to its members, living and dead, yet it is also enriched by them, living and dead, existing not only on earth but in purgatory and in heaven.”

In Lisu the building (“church”) is called “house of prayer” (source: Arrington 2020, p. 196) whereas in Highland Totonac the community is referred as “those who gather together” (source: Hermann Aschmann in The Bible Translator 1950, p. 171ff. ), in Huehuetla Tepehua as “those who gather together who have confidence in Christ” (source: Waterhouse / Parrott in Notes on Translation October 1967, p. 1ff.), in Uma as “Christian people” (source: Uma Back Translation), in Kankanaey as “the congregation of God’s people” (source: Kankanaey Back Translation), and in Tagbanwa as “you whom God separated-out as his people because of your being-united/tied-together with Jesus Christ” (source: Tagbanwa Back Translation).

In American Sign Language, “church” (as in the community of believers) is made up of the combination of the signs for “Jesus-into-heart” (signifying a believer), followed by the sign for “group.” (Source: Ruth Anna Spooner, Ron Lawer)


“Church” in American Sign Language, source: Deaf Harbor

While British Sign Language also uses a sign that focuses on a group of people believing in Jesus (see here ), another sign that it uses combines the signs for “ringing the (church) bells” and a “group of people.” (Source: Anna Smith)


“Church” in British Sign Language (source: Christian BSL, used with permission)

Learn more on Bible Odyssey: Ekklesia .

complete verse (Philippians 3:6)

Following are a number of back-translations of Philippians 3:6:

  • Uma: “At that time my following of the Yahudi religion was very strict, to the point that I was intent-on / out-to persecute the followers of Yesus. I followed every kind of command that is in the Law of Musa, there were none that I transgressed.” (Source: Uma Back Translation)
  • Yakan: “And because I cherished the Yahudi religion I persecuted whoever trusted in Isa Almasi because they did not believe as I did. Concerning my following/obeying the commands in the law written by Musa, I have no fault whatsoever.” (Source: Yakan Back Translation)
  • Western Bukidnon Manobo: “And since my obeying the observances of us Jews was very strong in my breath, I did harm to the believers in Jesus, and as for my observing the Law left behind by Moses, I know of no mistakes that I made.” (Source: Western Bukidnon Manobo Back Translation)
  • Kankanaey: “I greatly also showed-concern-for/stood-up-for (lit. hurt-for) that law of ours (excl.) to-the-extent that I thoroughly persecuted those that believed in Jesus. So if it is based on the law, I am extremely righteous, because there is certainly nothing (i.e. in the law) that accuses me.” (Source: Kankanaey Back Translation)
  • Tagbanwa: “For it’s the truth that in the strength of my following/obeying the religion of us (excl.) Jews, in the past I really hounded those who believed-in/obeyed the Lord. Well as for obeying the laws of Moises, really nothing can be found fault with in me.” (Source: Tagbanwa Back Translation)
  • Tenango Otomi: “Because I didn’t want it to be rejected, persecuted the people who believed in Christ. Concerning doing the word which is in that law, no one can say that I failed to do it.” (Source: Tenango Otomi Back Translation)

righteous, righteousness

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The Greek, Hebrew, and Latin terms that are translated in English mostly as “righteous” as an adjective or personified noun or “righteousness” (also as “justice”) are most commonly expressed with concept of “straightness,” though this may be expressed in a number of ways. (Click or tap here to see the details)

Following is a list of (back-) translations of various languages:

  • Bambara, Southern Bobo Madaré, Chokwe (ululi), Amganad Ifugao, Chol, Eastern Maninkakan, Toraja-Sa’dan, Pamona, Batak Toba, Bilua, Tiv: “be straight”
  • Laka: “follow the straight way” or “to straight-straight” (a reduplicated form for emphasis)
  • Sayula Popoluca: “walk straight”
  • Highland Puebla Nahuatl, Kekchí, Muna: “have a straight heart”
  • Kipsigis: “do the truth”
  • Mezquital Otomi: “do according to the truth”
  • Huautla Mazatec: “have truth”
  • Yine: “fulfill what one should do”
  • Indonesian: “be true”
  • Navajo (Dinė): “do just so”
  • Anuak: “do as it should be”
  • Mossi: “have a white stomach” (see also happiness / joy)
  • Paasaal: “white heart” (source: Fabian N. Dapila in The Bible Translator 2024, p. 415ff.)
  • (San Mateo del Mar Huave: “completely good” (the translation does not imply sinless perfection)
  • Nuer: “way of right” (“there is a complex concept of “right” vs. ‘left’ in Nuer where ‘right’ indicates that which is masculine, strong, good, and moral, and ‘left’ denotes what is feminine, weak, and sinful (a strictly masculine viewpoint!) The ‘way of right’ is therefore righteousness, but of course women may also attain this way, for the opposition is more classificatory than descriptive.”) (This and all above from Bratcher / Nida except for Bilua: Carl Gross; Tiv: Rob Koops; Muna: René van den Berg)
  • Central Subanen: “wise-good” (source: Robert Brichoux in OPTAT 1988/2, p. 80ff. )
  • Xicotepec De Juárez Totonac: “live well”
  • Mezquital Otomi: “goodness before the face of God” (source for this and one above: Viola Waterhouse in Notes on Translation August 1966, p. 86ff.)
  • Eastern Huasteca Nahuatl: “the result of heart-straightening” (source: Nida 1947, p. 224)
  • Eastern Highland Otomi: “entirely good” (when referred to God), “do good” or “not be a debtor as God sees one” (when referred to people)
  • Carib: “level”
  • Tzotzil: “straight-hearted”
  • Ojitlán Chinantec: “right and straight”
  • Yatzachi Zapotec: “walk straight” (source for this and four previous: John Beekman in Notes on Translation November 1964, p. 1-22)
  • Makonde: “doing what God wants” (in a context of us doing) and “be good in God’s eyes” (in the context of being made righteous by God) (note that justify / justification is translated as “to be made good in the eyes of God.” (source: Pioneer Bible Translators, project-specific notes in Paratext)
  • Aari: The Pauline word for “righteous” is generally rendered by “makes one without sin” in the Aari, sometimes “before God” is added for clarity. (Source: Loren Bliese)
  • North Alaskan Inupiatun: “having sin taken away” (Source: Nida 1952, p. 144)
  • Nyamwezi: wa lole: “just” or “someone who follows the law of God” (source: Pioneer Bible Translators, project-specific translation notes in Paratext)
  • Venda: “nothing wrong, OK” (Source: J.A. van Roy in The Bible Translator 1972, p. 418ff. )
  • Ekari: maakodo bokouto or “enormous truth” (the same word that is also used for “truth“; bokouto — “enormous” — is being used as an attribute for abstract nouns to denote that they are of God [see also here]; source: Marion Doble in The Bible Translator 1963, p. 37ff. ).
  • Guhu-Samane: pobi or “right” (also: “right (side),” “(legal) right,” “straightness,” “correction,” “south,” “possession,” “pertinence,” “kingdom,” “fame,” “information,” or “speech” — “According to [Guhu-Samane] thinking there is a common core of meaning among all these glosses. Even from an English point of view the first five can be seen to be closely related, simply because of their similarity in English. However, from that point the nuances of meaning are not so apparent. They relate in some such a fashion as this: As one faces the morning sun, south lies to the right hand (as north lies to the left); then at one’s right hand are his possessions and whatever pertains to him; thus, a rich man’s many possessions and scope of power and influence is his kingdom; so, the rich and other important people encounter fame; and all of this spreads as information and forms most of the framework of the people’s speech.”) (Source: Ernest Richert in Notes on Translation 1964, p. 11ff.)
  • German New Testament translation by Berger / Nord (publ. 1999): Gerechtheit, a neologism to differentiate it from the commonly-used Gerechtigkeit which can mean “righteousness” but is more often used in modern German as “fairness” (Berger / Nord especially use Gerechtheit in Letter to the Romans) or Gerechtestun, also a neologism, meaning “righteous deeds” (especially in Letter to the Ephesians)
  • “did what he should” (Eastern Highland Otomi)
  • “a clear man, good [man]” (Mairasi) (source: Enggavoter 2004)

See also respectable, righteous, righteous (person), devout, and She is more in the right(eous) than I.

law

The Greek that is translated in English as “Law” or “law” is translated in Mairasi as oro nasinggiei or “prohibited things” (source: Enggavoter 2004) and in Noongar with a capitalized form of the term for “words” (Warrinya) (source: Warda-Kwabba Luke-Ang).

In Yucateco the phrase that is used for “law” is “ordered-word” (for “commandment,” it is “spoken-word”) (source: Nida 1947, p. 198) and in Central Tarahumara it is “writing-command.” (wsource: Waterhouse / Parrott in Notes on Translation October 1967, p. 1ff.)

See also teaching / law (of God) (Japanese honorifics).

Translation commentary on Philippians 3:6

The apostle continues with an ironical statement, literally “with reference to zeal, persecuting the church.” This is the second in a series of three “with reference to” statements. In order to provide freshness in style and to bring out the ironical force the better, the statement is best phrased I was so zealous that I persecuted the church (cf. New American Bible Barclay). To a Jew “zeal” for God was the greatest quality in religious life. Paul’s zeal reached to the extent that he tried to wipe out those whom he considered the opponents of Judaism (Acts 8.3; 22.4; 26.9-11). The term church here embraces not primarily various local Christian congregations, but the universal body of Christ.

In some languages it may be necessary to specify the goal of Paul’s zeal, or that which prompted the zeal. Therefore one may translate I was so zealous as “I was so anxious to serve God,” or “I was very desirous to do what I thought God wanted me to do.”

I persecuted the church may be rendered as “I caused the people in the church to suffer.” or “I made it very difficult for the people who belonged to the church.” In this type of context church may be rendered as “those who believed in Jesus,” or “those who gathered together to worship Jesus.”

Paul goes on to list one final personal achievement, that is, legal uprightness. He says, literally, “with reference to righteousness which is in the Law, having become faultless.” Here “which is the Law” is best taken in the sense of “which consists of strict observance of the commandments prescribed by the Law.” Thus Good News Translation rephrases the clause explicitly as as far as a person can be righteous by obeying the commands of the Law. It may be very difficult in some languages to express the degree indicated by the phrase as far as. The closest natural equivalent may be a conditional expression, for example, “if you are thinking about how a man can be righteous by obeying the commands of the Law.” The commands of the Law may be expressed in some languages as “what the Law commands,” or “what a man is commanded to do in the Law.”

The Greek noun rendered “righteousness” by most translators is a key term in Pauline thought. It is a difficult word with various shades of meaning. Depending on contexts, it can mean “religious duties,” “the requirements of God,” “that which is right,” “righteousness,” “uprightness,” “justice,” “right relationship with God,” etc. In the present instance, the Jerusalem Bible rendering “perfection” appears to lean too strongly on the moral aspect (so also “goodness” in Barclay). “Legal rectitude” (New English Bible) is a good rendering, but it is too difficult for the average reader. Most translations retain the conventional rendering here. One can be more specific in rendering “so far as a man can stand in a right relationship with God by obeying the commands of the Law….”

The adjective rendered without fault is the same word translated innocent in 2.15. The word is often used to characterize someone who is faultless in the sight of other people. Paul is claiming that, as a devout Pharisee, there was no demand of the Law which he did not fulfill. He met all the standards of righteousness prescribed by the Law. I was without fault may be rendered as “there was nothing which I had not done,” or “I had done everything,” referring to his obeying all the commands of the Law. I was without fault may also be expressed as “no one could say I had failed in anything,” or “it could not be said that I was in any way guilty.”

Quoted with permission from Luo, I-Jin. and Nida, Eugene A. A Handbook on Paul’s Letter to the Philippians. (UBS Handbook Series). New York: UBS, 1977. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .

SIL Translator’s Notes on Philippians 3:6

3:6a

zeal: The word zeal means “a strong feeling in favor of something.” Here it means that Paul strongly desired to be religious and to encourage people to honor God. This was an attitude that the Jews highly respected. You could translate the word zeal (or the phrase “as for zeal”) as:

I strongly desired to honor God.

persecuting the church: Before Paul became a believer, he had greatly harmed those who followed Christ. He beat some, put others in prison and caused others to die (Acts 8:1–3, 9:1–2). He did this because he thought they were against the Jewish laws and the Jewish religion. He thought the best way he could serve God was to get rid of Jesus’ disciples.

the church: This refers to Christ’s followers, not to any building they met in. You could translate this as “those who believed in Jesus” or “the people who followed Jesus.”

3:6b

righteousness in the law: This is literally “righteousness that is in law.” This law refers to the law of Moses, found in the first five books of the Old Testament. Paul meant that he did what was right according to the Jewish laws. He was righteous in an external or legal sense. But this is different from being righteous according to God’s standard, which is based on what people think and desire, not just what they do.

faultless: When Paul wrote this letter, he knew he was a sinner. But here in 3:6 he was thinking about the time before he believed in Christ. He claimed that at that previous time he had obeyed all the Jewish laws. No one could have blamed him or said he was at fault for disobeying any of the Jewish laws. You could translate the word faultless here as “no one could find one law that I disobeyed.” In some languages it may be helpful to reverse the order in this phrase. For example:

There is no one who can accuse me of disobeying the law, because I obeyed it all.

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