I would say that the Apostle Paul played a very important role in the spread of Christianity and is responsible for where it is today. Without Paul, Christianity may have well died. Paul wrote up to about half of the New Testament.
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Paul knew little of the actual life and history of Jesus, and most likely never met him. What mattered to Paul was the resurrecting of Christ and his return.
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Paul was very apocalyptic and believed the return of Christ to be imminent, and preached so. In his letters and writings that became part of the Christian New Testament, Paul put forth much of the doctrine followed by Christians today.
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