Qanon is evidence that we cannot trust any writings about Jesus or other religions

[The Magistrate]

66. Paul In His Own Time, Sir, Was An Outlier

He became the mainstream only after the razing of the Temple, and the destruction of the original congregation based on personal acquaintance with the executed leader.

Paul preached to Gentiles, and to take him at his word, by the end of his career most of 'his' converts in Asia Minor, his chief field of evangelism, had turned from him, either in disappointment of hopes the end would soon come, or persuasion that some elements of Mosaic law, whether circumcision or dietary restrictions, were necessary to full fellowship with the original Jewish congregation.

After the siege of Jerusalem, however, what remained of Paul's converts in the west presented the only functioning bodies of believers, and further, these needed to disassociate themselves from Judaism, which was under heavy proscription as a rebel's creed. Since what writings of Paul that survived clearly established separation from distinctive Jewish practices, and into the bargain urged cooperation with Imperial authorities in all matters civil, if not religious, they were useful in enabling this particular Messianic cult to survive, albeit pulled up from its Jewish roots.

A dying and rising god, paired with a goddess, was certainly an established feature of religious life in the early Roman empire. Two were particularly popular, Isis and Osiris, and Cybele and Adonis. They have nothing in common with any feature of Jewish culture or belief, and this, remember, is certainly the milieu in which Christianity did arise. Certainly no one holding forth as the Messiah, the righteous redeemer of the Law, could possibly be taken seriously by any Jewish crowd if he taught anything readily recognizable as derived from these polytheistic pagan beliefs.

While nothing can be certainly known about the actions and teachings of the man in question, and none of the gospels can be treated as a reliable source, a great deal is known about the ideas and prophecies which made up Messianic belief in general, and there is no doubt the Jewish people early in the first century were gripped by Messianic expectations. Indeed, some of the people proclaiming themselves to be Messiah in that period are better testified to than this one, as they managed to garner a mention in Roman records. Belief in an imminent judgement, and a reign of righteousness due to commence soon, in which the wicked were to be punished and the faithful exalted, features prominently in Messianic belief. It would have featured in any Messianic preaching in some form.

The idea of a vast settling of accounts would have held great attraction in the Roman world, a world of slavery and exploitation, of cruelty and great disparities of station even among the free. The idea this apocalyptic settling would come soon, that you might well live to see it and enjoy its fruits, would have been a powerful recruiting pitch.