“The separation between the doctrine of life and the explanation of life began with the preaching of Paul who knew not the ethical teachings set forth in the Gospel of Matthew, and who preached a metaphisico-cabalistic theory entirely foreign to Christ; and this separation was perfected in the time of Constantine, when it was found possible to clothe the whole pagan organization of life in a Christian dress, and without changing it to call it Christianity."
“"After Constantine, that arch-pagan, whom the Church in spite of all his crimes and vices admits to the category of the saints, after Constantine began the domination of the councils, and the centre of gravity of Christianity was permanently displaced till only the metaphysical portion was left in view. And this metaphysical theory with its accompanying ceremonial deviated more and more from its true and primitive meaning, until it has reached its present stage of development, as a doctrine which explains the mysteries of a celestial life beyond the comprehension of human reason, and, with all its complicated formulas, gives no religious guidance whatever with regard to the regulation of this earthly life.”
- Tolstoy
In short Paul taught that outward supernatural observances ( fasts prayers church study etc ) are all that matters. He hollowed it out and it was this structure that was ultimately and finally co—opted by The Roman Empire by Religious syncretism.
It’s possible that Paul was a Mithra cultist who understood that Christianity could not be destroyed by force and the only option was to co-opt it.
https://jdstone.org/cr/files/paulandthepaganreligionofmithraism.html
One of the biggest reasons the Romans Emperors promoted Paul was to place the day of worship ( the day of worship is an irrelevancy ) to Sunday to coincide with the day of worship for Sol Invictus.
The more I learn the more men like Jefferson and Tolstoy are correct, Paul is the corrupter of Christianity. If the RCC leadership is the anti-Christ than it is embodied in Paul.
“"A century ago, and among the ignorant now, the nominal Christian makes this reply: " Compulsory military service, wars, tribunals, and the death penalty, all exist in obedience to the law of God transmitted to us by the Church. This is a fallen world. All the evil that exists, exists by God's will, as a punishment for the sins of men. For this reason we can do nothing to palliate evil. We can only save our own souls by faith, by the sacraments, by prayers, and by submission to the will of God as transmitted by the Church.
The Church teaches us that all Christians should unhesitatingly obey their rulers, who are the Lord's anointed, and obey also persons placed in authority by rulers; that they ought to defend their property and that of others by force, wage war, inflict the death penalty, and in all things submit to the authorities, who command by the will of God."
Leo Tolstoy
The bolded portions above allude to to Romans 13, the most vile part of the New Testament and maybe even the entire Bible. This is why the Romans loved their Paulus so much, he ended the threat Christianity represented to the Roman State.