As always, Graham, an excellent and through-provoking review with quite a few nuggets of historical fact peeking through to shine some light on the lies and mischaracterizations of traditional "Churchianty".

Again, to me, Paul preached a Pagan (ie. Gentile) version of Jesus that was in stark contrast to what the true Apostles were teaching. I do think this earlier form of faith, faith without Ezra's and Hezekiah's bloody sacrifices, was the factual true gospel that Jesus and John (the baptist) were teaching: "a baptism of REPENTANCE for the forgiveness of sin" ... no bloody animal sacrifice required.

But in preaching this earlier form Judaic/Hebraic faith, Jesus was part of a group that moved against the grain of the well-established political Temple regime.

It was only a matter of time until the Sadducees would have him killed for interrupting their Temple profits.

Sadly, it's the same today.