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.

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 the Gospel writers, who clearly knew Greco-Roman biographical conventions, deliberately omit any description of what Jesus physically looked like. Why?

John walks through the Greek text, ancient biographical conventions, and Jewish Scripture to show this wasn't accidental—it was intentional. He explores what the Greek word τέκτων (tektōn) reveals about Jesus' occupation (hint: probably not just a carpenter), the hidden wordplay in John's Gospel that's invisible in English, and what we can actually know about Jesus' historical appearance.

This matters beyond academics. If the Gospels challenge our image-obsessed world by refusing to describe Jesus' looks, what does that teach us about character, incarnation, and how we see Christ in one another?

📖 John's Book: Jesus' Physical Appearance: Biography, Christology and Physiology 👉 https://www.bloomsbury.com/uk/jesus-physical-appearance-9780567723208/

📘 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 Danillo Augustus Santos to discuss the overlooked topic of the priesthood of believers in Paul's letters?

Chapters

00:00 Coming Up...

01:03 Meet John Nelson: The Scholar Who Studies What Jesus Looked Like

04:06 From Pastor's Kid to Greek Scholar: John's Journey

08:40 How Greek Unlocks Hidden Depths in Scripture

12:04 The "Butterfly Fallacy": Why Greek Isn't a Secret Code

14:48 Was Jesus Actually a Carpenter? What the Greek Really Says

19:58 The Genius Wordplay Hidden in John's Gospel

25:11 The Mystery: Why No One Describes What Jesus Looked Like

30:38 Ancient Biographies Were Obsessed With Looks—But Not the Gospels

34:59 What the Gospel Writers Intentionally Left Out

41:24 What We Actually Know About Jesus' Appearance

47:43 Isaiah 53: Did It Really Predict an Ugly Messiah?

51:41 The Transfiguration: Almost Describing Jesus—But Not Quite

55:26 Why Jesus' Resurrected Body Remains Mysterious

01:01:20 Zacchaeus: Who Was Actually Short in This Story?

01:07:37 Why Jesus' Character Matters More Than His Looks

Music Credits:

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.

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 mean when He spoke about the Son of Man coming in His Father's glory?

The traditional interpretation holds that Jesus is prophesying His second coming. But scholars like R.T. France, N.T. Wright, and Michael Bird argue Jesus is speaking about His ascension and heavenly enthronement, not His future return to earth. This reading claims Daniel 7:13 describes the Son of Man going to the Ancient of Days in heaven, not coming from heaven to earth.

Murray walks through the Greek text of Mark 8:38, the Old Testament allusions to Daniel 7:13 and Zechariah 14:5, and Mark's Gospel context to show why the traditional interpretation remains compelling.

This matters beyond academics. If Jesus didn't prophesy His return, where does the doctrine come from? And what does His promised return mean for how we live today?

📘 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 John Nelson to discuss Jesus' physical appearance in the Gospels — what can we know, and why does it matter?

Chapters

00:00 Coming Up...

01:05 Meet Murray Smith: Gospel Scholar and Pastor

05:37 How Biblical Languages Opened Up Scripture

10:14 The Power of Slowing Down with Greek

15:21 How to Spot Old Testament Allusions

20:25 Finding A Potential Hidden Chiasm in the Greek of Mark

25:57 The Big Debate Explained: Second Coming or Heavenly Enthronement?

34:02 The Advantage of Arguing for An Heavenly Enthronement

43:06 The Importance of Daniel 7 in Acts 1: What Is Going on?

45:32 Unpacking Daniel 7: Heaven to Earth or Earth to Heaven?

53:19 Mark 8.38 in light of Daniel 7 and Zechariah 14

01:00:30 Does "This Generation" Mean Jesus Was Wrong?

01:04:53 What About Mark 9:1? Some Will See the Kingdom

01:10:17 How Does "Coming of the Son of Man" Function Across Mark?

01:12:52 Solving Mark 13: One Or Two Events?

01:19:57 How Matthew and Luke Handle the Same Material

01:25:20 Kingdom of God: Where the King Goes?

01:30:37 Practical Application: Living for His Return

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.