Interesting take on Paul. The idea that: instead of seeking asylum and protection as a willing Roman citizen, he was jailed against his will and used the opportunity to write Divinely inspired scripture is dismissed by you as faulty and archaic? I suppose we all need to justify our foundational beliefs by interpreting events and history in a way that fits our understanding.

The belief that matter and the physical realm is either an illusion or inherently bad leads to certain interpretations. The belief that matter and the physical realm is real and was created by our supernatural and spiritual Father in Heaven as "good" leads to other interpretations.

The beauty of it is that God is pro-choice. He did not create programmed robots to obey Him mindlessly; He created us with the ability to think and choose what we will believe and who we will worship. We will all get exactly what we want in the end.