You take it from a different angle, but I agree that Paul as he is presented in mainstream Church does not add up. As far as I’m concerned, Saul was an ambitious overzealous sectarian fanatic eager to become a cult leader.
However, by the time of Irenaeus (born c. 130 AD in Smyrna) the ‘keys to the kingdom’ were already lost, and judging by some parts in New Testament one may even doubt whether the apostles who allegedly traveled with Jesus really understood what Jesus was trying to convey.
Well I don’t wonder Christianity looks the way it does today — Saul was a better propagandist than the rest of the founders, so, when two flawed interpretations clashed, the more convincing one took hold.
Constantine must have loved a religion based on not having a clue.
