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 explains how the Catholic Epistles draw on Jesus traditions in ways many readers miss. The conversation then focuses especially on 1 Peter, showing how Jesus’ teaching, suffering, and use of Scripture help form Peter’s vision of holiness, hope, and faithful endurance.

Whether you are wondering how 1 Peter relates to Jesus’ teaching, why suffering is so central to the letter, or how these themes speak into everyday Christian life, this episode offers a rich and practical discussion.

Don’t Miss the Next Episode: More conversations exploring how the biblical languages open up Scripture.

📚 Free Guide — Why Struggle with Greek? Avoid the most common pitfalls and start making real progress:
https://ntgreektutoring.com/why-struggle-with-greek?utm_source=youtube

Chapters:
00:00 Coming Up...
00:52 Meet Ben Castaneda and His Love for 1 Peter and the Biblical Languages
03:39 “Kissing Through a Veil”? Why Greek Changes Everything
06:22 Hidden Connections You Miss in Translation
11:22 Why the Septuagint Matters More Than You Think
13:47 Did the Catholic Epistles Really Use Jesus’ Teaching?
15:36 The Big Claim: Jesus Traditions Shape These Letters
23:16 Why Focus on 1 Peter? (And Why It Matters)
28:06 The Clearest Link Between 1 Peter and Jesus
30:15 Suffering Isn’t Random in 1 Peter
33:13 Are We Meant to Imitate Jesus’ Suffering?
37:06 Isaiah 53 and the Shape of Christian Suffering
40:32 Why Holiness and Suffering Go Together
47:30 What This Means for Your Life Today

Music from #Uppbeat:
All Good Folks – Aspire

Please, let us know what you thoughts on the episode.

If you enjoyed this episode of Exploring the Language of Scripture, please consider becoming an Explorer! Your support helps keep the podcast ad-free, allows us to bring in more guests, and enhances the content we create. By joining our Explorer community, you’ll receive exclusive benefits, including Q&As, priority for Greek tutoring applications, and discounts on tutoring. Explore more and join the Explorer programme here: Become an Explorer.

Podcast Keywords:
biblical languages, New Testament, Old Testament, Christ, bible study, Relationship with God, learn biblical languages, Biblical Theology, Christianity, Covenants, New covenant, old covenant, language acquisition, Biblical Greek, Biblical Hebrew.

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, "Kingdom of God") in his letters. Was this deliberate? And does the popular idea that Paul's kingdom language directly challenges Roman imperial power actually hold up to historical scrutiny?

In this episode of Exploring the Language of Scripture, Daniel Mikkelsen sits down with Daniel Pollorena, PhD researcher at the University of Vienna specialising in the Kingdom of God in Paul's letters, to explore one of Pauline theology's most misunderstood themes.

Together they examine why Paul uses βασιλεία language so sparingly, whether βασιλεύς (basileus, "king") was ever realistically applied to Caesar in Paul's day, what Roman titles like imperator actually meant historically, and how Paul's kingdom theology connects to ethics, justification, and resurrection.

If Paul teaches that Christ is King and his kingdom is concerned with how believers live — what does that mean for Christian ethics and how we face suffering and death today?

Whether you're a Greek student, seminary student, pastor, or everyday Christian wanting to go deeper into Paul's theology, this episode will change how you read his letters.

📖 Free Greek Guide — 'Why Learning Greek Could Be a Struggle and How to Move Forward' 👉 https://ntgreektutoring.com/why-struggle-with-greek

🔜 Don't Miss the Next Episode: Daniel welcomes Ben Castaneda to discuss how Jesus' teaching are received and used in 1 Peter.

In this episode:

00:00 Coming Up 01:02 Meet Daniel Pollorena — researching the Kingdom in Paul 04:27 How seminary introduced him to biblical Greek 06:13 Why learning the biblical languages opens a new world 09:46 How Greek changes the way you read scripture 13:03 Why reading multiple Bible translations helps 21:08 Translating Greek literally vs idiomatically 24:26 What Greek reveals about the Kingdom in Paul 25:45 Why study the Kingdom of God in Paul 31:16 How this research project developed 33:05 Why Paul rarely uses Kingdom of God language 34:53 Paul the preacher vs Paul the letter writer 38:12 Evidence from Galatians and Paul's preaching 46:32 Understanding Kingdom language in the Roman world 51:23 Is Paul's Kingdom language anti-Roman? 54:07 Kings, Caesar and Roman political language 56:59 How Rome viewed kings and kingdoms 01:02:11 The Kingdom of God is not in word but power 01:07:53 Why local historical context matters 01:10:12 Final reflections on the Kingdom in Paul

Music Credits: Music from #Uppbeat

🔗 https://uppb

Please, let us know what you thoughts on the episode.

If you enjoyed this episode of Exploring the Language of Scripture, please consider becoming an Explorer! Your support helps keep the podcast ad-free, allows us to bring in more guests, and enhances the content we create. By joining our Explorer community, you’ll receive exclusive benefits, including Q&As, priority for Greek tutoring applications, and discounts on tutoring. Explore more and join the Explorer programme here: Become an Explorer.

Podcast Keywords:
biblical languages, New Testament, Old Testament, Christ, bible study, Relationship with God, learn biblical languages, Biblical Theology, Christianity, Covenants, New covenant, old covenant, language acquisition, Biblical Greek, Biblical Hebrew.

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 overlooked mysteries.

Paul's contemporaries—both Jewish and Gentile—were intimately familiar with priesthood. The Jerusalem Temple still stood. Pagan temples dominated cities. Yet Paul deliberately avoids using the Greek words ἱερεύς (hiereus, "priest") or ἱεράτευμα (hierateuma, "priesthood") when writing to his churches. Why?

Danillo walks through the Greek text of Romans 15, Philippians 2, 1 Corinthians 3, etc. to show this wasn't accidental—it was strategic. He explores why Paul used λειτουργός (leitourgos, "minister") instead of explicit priestly vocabulary, how the concept of priesthood runs implicitly through Paul's sacrificial language, and what the Old Testament prophecies in Exodus 19 and Isaiah 61 reveal about God's original plan for His people as priests.

This matters beyond academics. If Paul teaches that every believer is priest, temple, and sacrifice—mediating access to God and bearing His name—what does that mean for worship, Christian service, and how we live tomorrow?

Free Greek Guide — 'Why Learning Greek Could Be a Struggle and How to Move Forward' Discover common pitfalls in learning biblical Greek and Daniel's three-step framework to read with confidence. 👉 https://ntgreektutoring.com/why-struggle-with-greek

Don't Miss the Next Episode: Daniel welcomes Daniel Pollorena to discuss the Kingdom of God in Paul.

Chapters

00:00 Coming Up...
01:06 Meet Danillo Santos: Pauline Scholar and Pastor
03:40 Why Greek Changed Everything for Me
07:02 The Method That Finally Made Greek Click
10:03 What English Translations Can't Show You
12:55 It's Not Just Detail - It Enhances Meaning
19:15 The Greek Word Translators Struggle With
22:48 Romans 15: Paul's Priestly Ministry (In Greek)
31:36 Why Paul NEVER Used the Word "Priesthood"
37:51 The Exodus Promise Israel Never Fulfilled
45:18 How to Spot Hidden Priesthood in Paul's Letters
52:32 Places Paul Teaches Priesthood (Without Saying It)
01:04:24 You're Not Just Saved - You're Transformed
01:12:19 You Are Temple, Priest AND Sacrifice
01:17:36 Philippians 2: Paul's Shocking Self-Description
01:27:56 What This Means for How You Live Tomorrow

Music Credits:
Music from #Uppbeat
🔗 https://uppbeat.io/t/all-good-folks/aspire

Please, let us know what you thoughts on the episode.

If you enjoyed this episode of Exploring the Language of Scripture, please consider becoming an Explorer! Your support helps keep the podcast ad-free, allows us to bring in more guests, and enhances the content we create. By joining our Explorer community, you’ll receive exclusive benefits, including Q&As, priority for Greek tutoring applications, and discounts on tutoring. Explore more and join the Explorer programme here: Become an Explorer.

Podcast Keywords:
biblical languages, New Testament, Old Testament, Christ, bible study, Relationship with God, learn biblical languages, Biblical Theology, Christianity, Covenants, New covenant, old covenant, language acquisition, Biblical Greek, Biblical Hebrew.