Exploring the Language of Scripture

How does Jesus shape 1 Peter? In this episode of Exploring the Language of Scripture, Daniel Mikkelsen is joined by Ben Castaneda, Lecturer in Greek and New Testament at Edinburgh Theological Seminary, to explore how Jesus’ teaching and passion shape the message of 1 Peter and why that matters for the Christian life. From the value of the biblical languages to the importance of the Septuagint, Ben...

Paul only mentions the Kingdom of God eight times across all his letters — yet it was central to Jesus' teaching. Why does Paul seem to avoid it? Paul's contemporaries — both Jewish and Gentile — were steeped in kingdom language. Roman imperial power dominated every city. The Jewish hope for God's kingdom was alive. Yet Paul rarely uses βασιλεία τοῦ θεοῦ (basileia tou theou, "K...

Paul never uses the word "priesthood"—yet the concept runs through his letters. How did he teach it without naming it? In this episode of Exploring the Language of Scripture, Daniel Mikkelsen sits down with Danillo Augusto Santos, New Testament lecturer and PhD scholar specialising in the priesthood of believers in Paul's letters, to explore one of Pauline theology's most overl...

Why don't the Gospels describe what Jesus looked like? In this episode of Exploring the Language of Scripture, Daniel Mikkelsen sits down with John Nelson, New Testament scholar and author of Jesus' Physical Appearance , to explore one of the Bible's intriguing mysteries. Ancient biographies were obsessed with physical appearance—using it to reveal character through physiognomy. Yet...

Did Jesus predict His second coming — or was He speaking about His ascension in Mark 8:38? In this episode of Exploring the Language of Scripture, Daniel Mikkelsen — founder of NT Greek Tutoring and PhD candidate in New Testament — sits down with Murray Smith, lecturer in biblical theology at Christ College, Sydney, to examine one of the most debated questions in Gospel scholarship: what did Jesus...

What did Paul mean when he spoke about a “spiritual body” — and what is the resurrection body actually made of in 1 Corinthians 15? In this episode of Exploring the Language of Scripture , Daniel Mikkelsen — founder of NT Greek Tutoring and PhD candidate in New Testament — works carefully through one of Paul’s most debated passages, 1 Corinthians 15:36–58 . Questions about the resurrection body of...

Why does it matter that 1 Peter consistently uses the Greek Old Testament — the Septuagint — and how does that shape the message of the letter? In this episode of Exploring the Language of Scripture , Daniel Mikkelsen speaks with New Testament scholar Ed Glenny about how the author of 1 Peter reads and uses Scripture. Ed Glenny shows why Peter’s use of the Greek Scriptures is not incidental, but c...

Galatians 2:15–21 is one of the most debated passages in Paul — but why is it so difficult to interpret, and what exactly is Paul arguing? In this episode, we walk step-by-step through the flow of thought in Galatians 2, showing how the Greek text reveals Paul’s logic regarding justification, faith, the law, and Christian identity. Daniel Mikkelsen speaks with Nicolai Techow (Lecturer at Fjellhaug...

Reading Leviticus this way makes it deeper. Many readers approach Leviticus as a dense book of rules and obscure laws — difficult to read, difficult to understand, and seemingly far removed from everyday Christian life. But what if the problem isn’t Leviticus, but the way we read it? In this episode, I’m joined by Christian Canu Højgaard — pastor, Hebrew scholar, and specialist in Leviticus — to e...

Did the first readers of Genesis see creation as a temple? In this episode of Exploring the Language of Scripture , Professor of Old Testament Jens Bruun Kofoed joins me to explore how ancient Israelites understood the creation account in Genesis 1–11 — and why seeing Eden as a sanctuary and humanity as God’s image-bearers transforms the way we read Scripture. We dive into temple imagery, ancient...

Some scholars within the Paul within Judaism school (PWJ) argue that Paul taught two distinct paths to salvation—one for Jews through the Law and another for Gentiles through Christ. But is that really what Paul says? In this episode of Exploring the Language of Scripture , Daniel Mikkelsen is joined by Josh Ip Cho-suen (pastor and biblical scholar) to examine how Paul actually speaks about salvat...

How did early Christians understand the Kingdom of God—and how did their view move beyond the Gospels into Paul, Acts, and the Apostolic Fathers? In this episode of Exploring the Language of Scripture , Daniel Mikkelsen speaks with Tyler Hoagland , independent scholar of early Christianity, about how the Kingdom of God was conceived in the first 150 years after Christ. Drawing on his doctoral rese...

Does the Book of Acts really preserve accurate eyewitness testimonies?   In this episode of Exploring the Language of Scripture , Daniel Mikkelsen is joined by Steve Walton —pastor, New Testament scholar, and specialist on the Book of Acts — for a wide-ranging conversation about whether Acts contains evidence of eyewitness accounts. From the importance of Greek for reading Acts, to eyewitness test...

In this episode of Exploring the Language of Scripture on Revelation, Daniel Mikkelsen is joined by Ian Paul—Anglican minister, New Testament scholar, and author of the Tyndale Commentary on Revelation —for a wide-ranging conversation on the meaning and message of Revelation 12 . From the strange imagery of the pregnant woman and the dragon to the central question of the problem of evil, Revelatio...

In this episode of Exploring the Language of Scripture on Colossians, Daniel Mikkelsen is joined by Professor Paul Foster —New Testament scholar and Daniel’s PhD supervisor—for an in-depth conversation on the theology and message of Colossians, and why it matters who Christ is. From the Christological poem in chapter 1 to warnings against false teachings, angel worship, and spiritual powers, Colos...

In this episode of Exploring the Language of Scripture , Daniel Mikkelsen is joined by Filip Sylwestrowicz —a pastor and New Testament scholar—for a rich and thought-provoking conversation on blessings and curses in Paul’s letters, their ancient background, and their relevance for the Church today. Drawing on passages like Galatians 1, 1 Corinthians 5 and 16, Romans 9 and 12, Filip explores the me...

In this episode of Exploring the Language of Scripture , Daniel Mikkelsen is joined by Michael Dormandy—a minister, New Testament scholar, and specialist in early Christian manuscripts—for a rich and engaging conversation on the transmission of Scripture, the power of the original languages, and the first complete Bibles. Drawing from his work on the earliest full New Testament manuscripts—known a...

In this episode of Exploring the Language of Scripture , Daniel Mikkelsen is joined by James Morgan—a deacon, educator, and biblical scholar—for a wide-ranging conversation on how Luke’s Gospel and the Book of Acts compare to ancient Greek historians like Herodotus. Drawing on years of experience teaching biblical languages across Europe and Africa, James offers a compelling case for reading Luke-...

In this episode of Exploring the Language of Scripture , Daniel Mikkelsen is joined by Diego Dy Carlos —a researcher in New Testament at Martin Bucer Seminary in Brazil—for a theologically rich conversation on Colossians 1:20 and Paul’s language of peace-making through blood.   Drawing on Roman political context, Paul’s Old Testament categories, and a careful reading of the Greek, Diego explains w...

In this episode of Exploring the Language of Scripture , Daniel Mikkelsen is joined by Robert Lane—a missionary, linguist, and PhD candidate in New Testament at the University of Edinburgh—for a deep dive into why Jesus spoke in metaphors and how understanding them helps us read Matthew’s Gospel more faithfully. Drawing on years of cross-cultural mission work and a research focus on metaphor in th...

In this episode of Exploring the Language of Scripture , Daniel Mikkelsen welcomes back Seth Postell —a Messianic Jew, Academic Dean at Israel College of the Bible, and biblical scholar—for a deeper exploration of how the Torah’s eschatology points forward to the Messiah . Building on their earlier conversation, they dive into the Torah’s structure, Israel’s story of exile and restoration, and how...

In this episode of Exploring the Language of Scripture , Daniel Mikkelsen sits down with Paul Wilson—PhD candidate at the University of Edinburgh and associate lecturer at the Scottish Baptist College—to explore how the Book of Acts comes alive when viewed through the lens of migration. As both a migrant himself and a scholar of ancient texts, Paul brings a unique perspective to the question: Was...

In this episode of Exploring the Language of Scripture , Daniel Mikkelsen sits down with Seth Postell—a dedicated scholar, Academic Dean at Israel College of the Bible, and Messianic Jew—to explore how a careful reading of the Torah and the Hebrew Bible transforms our understanding of the Law of Moses and its role in God's plan of salvation through the Messiah. Through a deep dive into biblic...

In this episode of Exploring the Language of Scripture , Daniel Mikkelsen sits down with Denis Salgado—a research fellow at the Center for the Study of NT Manuscripts —to delve into the intricate world of Bible translation, common fallacies, and the overlooked realm of Greek lectionaries . Denis shares his journey from theology to textual criticism and reveals how a deep understanding of Greek exp...

In this episode of Exploring the Language of Scripture , Daniel Mikkelsen sits down with Paulus de Jong to explore how John’s Gospel reimagines the creation narrative and introduces the theme of new creation. Together, they reveal how Jesus’ ministry—through his healing miracles, the crown of thorns that echoes Genesis’ account of disobedience, and his portrayal as the new tabernacle—illustrates t...