Paul (Saulos Tarseus), was an apostle (though not one of the Twelve Apostles) who taught the gospel of the Christ to the first century world. According to writings in the New Testament, prior to his conversion, Paul was dedicated to persecuting the early disciples of Jesus in the area of Jerusalem. - Wikipedia
Jeffrey Daugherty, former minister for the Assemblies of God Church, believes that the message of Jesus was changed by the Apostle Paul (apostle: someone sent out with a message) in order to create a structure to control the general populace of the Roman Empire. He also believes that Paul was hand picked by the Roman Emperor Nero to de-emphasize Christ's message that the kingdom lies within each person, and they don't require the guidance of an outside emperor or king. Daugherty feels that Paul was spinning the popularity of the Jesus message of salvation but trying to put it back under the sinner needing a savior type of scenario; crafting a beautiful guilded cage out of what Jesus had provided.
Paul was criticized by certain medieval Muslim writers, as well as some modern ones. The main criticism revolves around the claim that Paul misrepresented the original teachings of Jesus. Even Thomas Jefferson, America's third president, complained about how Jesus' message had been usurped. He wrote, "Of this band of dupes and impostors, Paul was the first corrupter of the doctrines of Jesus."
I believe that Jesus taught empowerment, the mysteries of the universe, and mind power. He expected to teach his students and have them move on - not have permanent followers. Following, to me, just means the teacher isn't getting the job done or the student isn't grasping the teachings. In that case, good teachers would ask students to find other teachers - not worship them.
However, Apostle Paul was not a direct student of Jesus, making it more plausible for his misinterpretation. I've learned, based on watching my students, that they aren't always identical to their teachers, even when taught directly. They often incorporate their individuality within what they've learned. Also, corrupt teachings could be due to an angry or jealous student, as well as, ignorance of the teachings due to an inattentive student. You can also see this difference in a teacher/student scenario with parents and children. Children grow up learning from their parents but will not necessarily be like them.
Therefore, it makes sense to me that verbal words could have been corrupted before putting it into written words and even corrupted after that, based on interpretation. Something else to consider: it depends on who was in charge of putting it in writing, as well as the one doing the translation. For emphasis, it's interesting to read how many "bibles" were around and why.
http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_Bible
In conclusion, history has taught us that religions, no matter the prophet, can have their good and bad sides. Not one has perfection over another's. Paul is only one example of how teachings can be changed - innocently or purposefully. We should be aware that any "prophets' words," that we read today, may have been erroneously translated or deliberately corrupted. With all the "fake news," we're dealing with today, we can see how easily this would have been done and why.
Blog picture: Apostle Paul (494-495 AD), ceiling mosaic, Archiepiscopal Chapel of St. Andrew (oratory), Ravenna, Italy.
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