Apr 17, 2022
Well, Paul added the Judaized Mystery Religion, which naturally sat well with Rome because the Mediterranean was littered with such salvationist religions. Paul left out the historical Jesus (assuming there was one), and added a Judaized version of some perrennial, Greco-Roman theology (or self-help therapy) to the Stoic ethics, to tone down or to co-opt the fiery Jewish apocalypticism and messianic expectations.