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 often arise from Paul’s contrast between the “natural body” and the “spiritual body”, and from his claim that “flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God”.

Two dominant interpretations of this passage both affirm bodily resurrection, but they differ on how Paul’s language should be understood — particularly whether terms like psychikon and pneumatikon describe material composition or the mode of life and power that animates the body. In this episode, Daniel examines Paul’s metaphors, contrasts, and Greek terminology, including the seed analogy, the diversity of bodies, and the Adam–Christ comparison, to show why reading “spiritual body” as a claim about material substance does not fit Paul’s argument.

By the end of the episode, it becomes clear that Paul is explaining how the same body can be transformed so that it is no longer subject to corruption, mortality, and death. Resurrection, for Paul, is not an escape from the current material embodiment but God’s decisive victory over sin and death.

Link to my article: https://tidsskrift.dk/dtt/article/view/115359

Don't Miss the next episode:

Daniel is joined by New Testament scholar Murray Smith to discuss Mark 8:38 and the question of whether Jesus understood himself to be speaking about his own future coming.

📘 Free Greek Guide — “Why Struggle with Greek?”
Discover the most common mistakes people make when learning biblical Greek — and how to avoid them.
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Chapters
00:00 Coming Up…
00:47 What Is the Resurrection Body?
03:17 Two Views, One Text (What Is at Stake?)
09:47 The Seed Metaphor: Continuity and Change
17:26 Different Bodies, Different Glory
25:40 Is the Resurrection Body Made of Spirit—or Flesh?
38:51 What “Spiritual Body” Really Means
48:10 Why Flesh and Blood Cannot Inherit the Kingdom
56:33 Transformation: How Death Is Defeated

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 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 central to understanding the theology and argument of the letter.

Much of 1 Peter is shaped by careful engagement with the Old Testament in Greek. We explore why most of Peter’s quotations come from the Septuagint, how Scripture is woven around key theological themes, and why the centre of the letter is found in 1 Peter 2:4–10. Along the way, we look at examples where Greek details matter — including wordplay that cannot be heard in translation and Peter’s usage of Isaiah 40 — showing how Scripture shapes identity, ethics, and hope.

This conversation highlights why paying attention to how Peter reads Scripture helps us read 1 Peter more clearly and faithfully, and why the Septuagint still matters for understanding the New Testament today.

Don't Miss the Next episode:

In the next episode, Daniel Mikkelsen explores the material of resurrection body in 1 Corinthians 15.35–58 and how Paul’s argument unfold in one of the most important chapters in the New Testament.

📘 Free Guide — Why Struggle with Greek?
Avoid the most common mistakes beginners make and start making real progress in reading the New Testament in Greek:
👉 https://ntgreektutoring.com/why-struggle-with-greek?utm_source=youtube

00:00 — Coming Up…
01:02 — Welcoming Ed Glenny Back: Scholar of 1 Peter and the Septuagint
05:04 — Does Reading Greek Actually Change How You Read Scripture?
08:21 — Can You Fully Trust the Bible Without Knowing Greek or Hebrew?
10:49 — What English Translations Can’t Show You in 1 Peter
16:13 — A Greek Wordplay You Can’t Hear in Translation
20:50 — ‘Raised from Among the Dead’: Why the Greek Is Plural
25:03 — Did Christ Proclaim Victory to the Spirits in Prison?
32:04 — Flesh and Spirit in 1 Peter: Two Realms or One Body?
35:14 — Why the New Testament Often Quotes the Septuagint
43:00 — Quotation or Allusion? How Scripture Is Used in the New Testament
50:30 — The Scriptural Pattern That Shapes 1 Peter’s Theology
58:49 — The New Covenant: Fulfilment and Participation
01:03:28 — Why Peter Reworks Isaiah 40
01:16:28 — What Peter Ultimately Wants Believers to Do

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.

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 International University College, Copenhagen), a scholar of Paul and the Greek New Testament, about how reading Galatians in Greek uncovers structure, connections, and meaning that are often obscured in English translations. Together we explore how Paul uses phrases like “works of the law” and “Gentile sinners,” why verse 18 is a turning point in the argument, and how the grammar and discourse build toward Paul’s famous statement: 'I have been crucified with Christ.'

This episode will be helpful for anyone studying biblical exegesis, justification by faith, Pauline theology, the New Perspective on Paul, or for those simply wanting to understand how Paul’s reasoning works in context — rather than as isolated theological slogans.

Finally, we consider how Paul’s understanding of justification shapes daily Christian life and why his argument in Galatians remains so important for the Church today.

Don't Miss the Next episode:

A conversation with Ed Glenny on how the Septuagint (LXX) is used in 1 Peter, why Peter sometimes quotes Scripture differently than the Hebrew text, and what that means for our understanding of inspiration, meaning, and early Christian interpretation.

Free Guide — Why Struggle with Greek?

Avoid the biggest mistakes beginners make and start making real progress with biblical languages:
👉 https://ntgreektutoring.com/why-struggle-with-greek

Chapters

00:00 Coming Up...
01:09 Meet Nicolai Techow — Scholar of Paul and the Greek Text
05:06 How Learning Greek Became an Unexpected Joy
08:44 Three Levels of Understanding Scripture Through Greek
15:12 What Greek Reveals That English Can’t Capture
19:58 How Greek Changes How We Read Salvation in Galatians
22:56 Why Paul Writes Galatians the Way He Does
28:43 How Galatians 2 Fits Into Paul’s Larger Argument
36:08 Why Galatians 2 Is One of Paul's Most Debated Texts
41:30 Key Puzzles in Galatians 2 — What Does Paul Mean?
51:46 What Is Paul Tearing Down and Rebuilding?
01:06:17 How Justification Shapes Everyday Christian Life

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.