Prof Jiang Xueqin: Jesus vs The Church Paul Built
The story of the finding of Christianity as you’ve never heard it.
In this lecture-style historical analysis, we examine one of the most consequential questions in the history of religion: How did a Jewish reform movement centered around Jesus become a Roman-empire-wide institution called Christianity—built on doctrines that often diverge from Jesus’s own ethical teachings?
This episode presents the “Paul Paradox”: the argument that Paul of Tarsus functioned less like a conventional missionary and more like a structural “conversion engine” that reframed a politically volatile messianic movement into a form compatible with imperial stability.
The analysis uses the text of Acts (and its narrative architecture) to explore incentives, power, institutional design, and the transformation of spiritual movements under empire. What this lecture covers Two Jesus figures: Jesus’s ethical/spiritual teaching vs. the later doctrinal structure built “about” Jesus
How the Bible’s narrative construction uses recognizable classical archetypes (persecuted philosopher, betrayed leader)
Why many scholars treat Paul as a primary architect of institutional Christianity Paul’s key innovations: Salvation-by-belief vs. salvation-by-practice/ethics Institution building: churches, hierarchy, bishops, procedures Law compromise (especially circumcision) to scale conversion The recurring pattern in Acts: Jewish accusation, Roman protection—and what that implies about power alignment
A structural hypothesis: Paul’s theology as a mechanism that neutralizes political revolt by: de-emphasizing purity boundary markers discouraging revolutionary messianism spiritualizing the kingdom away from political confrontation
A broader model of empire: co-optation, infiltration, narrative control, and institutional capture Why the “Paul story” matters today for understanding how: movements get institutionalized spiritual language can be leveraged for governance and social control belief systems evolve under power pressure
Important framing This is not a faith attack and not a theological debate. It is historical and political analysis of texts, institutions, and incentives. Viewers are encouraged to disagree, challenge premises, and scrutinize interpretations.
If Jesus actually existed and is teachings rare reliably passed down (and that’s a big historical if that doesn’t really matter ) we don’t need the Prof’s theories to see the obvious: that any patriarchal church is built for politics and often for suppression of women not God and faith.… Read more »
In ‘Welsh’ legend after the Jewish revolt was put down by the Romans a man called Joseph arrived with his family and a great treasure. The great treasure was kept in an hurriedly built Chapel whilst a burial site was prepared, the site chosen was on a small circular headland… Read more »
Prof Jiang Xueqin is the Erich von Däniken of “education consultants”.
Evidence for this claim?
It’s the shotgun approach to providing data, much of which is dubious. No reputable expert on the subject can be bothered replying, because where do you start when just one claim needs an extensive rebuttal. Jiang Xueqin uses a variation of the straw man fallacy. His case is based on… Read more »
It is a hypothesis only. It discusses power and how a power grab may have been institutionalized through two biblical figures contrasting with patterns found earlier in history. It is not a scholarly treatise and neither is it an exhaustive study. It is not trying to prove something but only to talk about… Read more »
The doc set me to thinking about “agents”….yes, no doubt, agents can be created, curated, developed, possibly starting with an ordinary person..a school for agents can be created..but a political machine by its nature also creats niches – opportunities…where suitable-for-agency individuals (or organizations) simply drop into place, volunteer. Paul and… Read more »
Jian has a new one out .. where he depicts Gaza as human sacrifice. I’ve been sitting on it, wondering whether to post it or not. You’ve just convinced me. There is the story of Maria Butina who was stuffed in jail in the US, on the word of the… Read more »
Thanks. Erich von Däniken, of whom I had not heard, seems to claim things that are not, while the doc explores ideas, plausible mechanisms…I don’t think the doc’s been to jail for fraud, embezzlement, and forgery either. Possibly some other candidate would be a better match.