When Paul and Barnabas returned to the church which they had established in Antioch they found that "Certain individuals came down from Judea and were teaching the brothers 'Unless you are circumcised according to the customs of Moses, you cannot be saved.'" Acts 15:1. Paul tells us later that the person concerned was Peter. "But when Cephas (Peter) came to Antioch I opposed him face to face, because he stood self condemned for until certain people came from James, he used to eat with the Gentiles. But after they came, he drew back and kept himself separate for fear of the circumcision faction. And the other Jews joined him in this hypocrisy, so that even Banabas was led astray by their hypocrisy ...- I said to Cephas before them all 'If you, though a Jew live like a Gentile and not like a Jew, how can you compel the Gentiles to live like a Jew."' Gala.2 11:14.

Note the words 'circumcision faction.' Already there is a division between the apostles appointed by Jesus and Paul over doctrine. Those divisions have continued. until today. There are many hundreds of religious groups all claiming to have the truth according to Paul. All others are reckoned to be wrong in their opinions and doctrine- In fact Paul was not interested in the life and words of Jesus. He hardly promotes Jesus except for his fixation with the death of Jesus as the blood sacrifice for the sins of the world. It is as if Paul saw an opportunity to promote himself into a place of honour and power. He was an intelligent man, able to manipulate others with his preaching and letters. He certainly prepared himself well and set about to outwit Peter, James, John and the early church elders.

It was in Antioch that the believers in Jesus were first called Christians. The Church was made up of Jews and pagans who had converted to Christianity. "Paul and Barnabas had no small dissension and debate with those certain individuals." Acts.15:1-2. Someone went up to Jerusalem and received a letter from the Jewish apostles giving the Gentiles exemption from being circumcised. But they were also required to observe minimal food restrictions. They were not exempted from keeping the Mosaic laws and ordinances. For a while there seemed to be some co-operation but increasingly there was friction. Soon Paul and Barnabas parted in anger and Paul took Silas with him. Paul now wavers in his actions and doctrine toward circumcision. He had told the people to forsake Moses and not to circumcise their children. Now he took Timothy "and had him circumcised because of the Jews who were in those places, for they all knew his father was a Greek." Acts 16:3. So Paul is just as hypocritical as Peter.

After fourteen years Paul goes up to Jerusalem again in "response to a revelation and laid before them, though only in a private meeting with the acknowledged leaders, the gospel that I proclaimed among the Gentiles.....But because of false believers secretly brought in who slipped in to spy on our freedom we have in Christ Jesus so that they might enslave us; we did not submit to them even for a moment, so that the truth of the Gospel (Paul's gospel) might always remain with you. And from those who jrere supposed to be acknowledged, leaders, what they actually were makes no difference to me;

I God shows no partiality, those leaders I contributed nothing to me," Gal.2;l-6. We note how Paul claims to have direct contact with God. Paul has rejected his Jewish heritage and the Hebrew faith substituting it with his own beliefs. He is now growing in confidence and arrogance. He has a following of gentiles who regard him as their leader and accept the new religion as presented by him. Paul feels strong and able to disregard, his former compatriots. He does not need the support of those who were "supposed to be acknowledged leaders".

Paul, now in Jerusalem, went to visit James the brother of Jesus who has become the church leader and all the elders were present. They said to Paul, "You see, brother, how many thousands of believers there are among the Jews and they are all zealous for the law. They have been, told about you that you teach all the Jews living amongst the Gentiles to forsake Moses and you tell them not to circumcise their children or observe the customs. What then is to be done? They will certainly hear that you have come so do what we tell you. We have four men who are under a vow. Join these men, go through the rite of purification with them and pay for the shaving of their heads. Thus all will know that there is nothing in what they have been told about you, but that you yourself observe and guard the law." Acts 21: 20-24. Paul has been telling his followers that they should disregard the laws and ordinances of Moses. Paul complies with the suggestion and pretends to the Christian Jews that he is a keen observer of Mosaic laws. So who, but Paul, is the hypocrite now?

It seems to me that Paul and all the elders went through this purification charade with the sole intention of deceiving the Jewish believers of Jerusalem. The division between the Jewish Christians and Paulism increases to the extent that Paul gets bitter with them. He says to the Galatians, "If anyone proclaims to you a gospel contrary to what we proclaimed to you, let that one be accursed! As we have said before, so now I repeat, if anyone proclaims to you a gospel contrary to what you received let that one be accursed!" Gal. 1:8-9. "I wish those who unsettle you would castrate themselves." Gal.5:12. "Let anyone be accursed who has no love for the Lord, our Lord." 2 Cor. 16:21. Paul admits that formerly he was a man of violence. 1 Tim. 1:13- Paul now shows his hidden anger in his desire to bring curses on those who preach a different Gospel to his gospel. Paul gets skeptical of the Jerusalem apostles, he says "I am not in the least inferior to those super apostles. I may be untrained in speech but not in knowledge." 2 Corin. 11:5-6. I cannot see any influence of the love of Jesus in Paul's attitude, he shows no love for his neighbours or the Christians.