Prof Jiang’s Predictive History and other lectures Secret History #23: The Organization of Evil
Feb 6, 2026
A provocative tour through how Paul reshaped early Christianity into an institutional force. Tracks the fusion of Jewish, Greek and Roman structures and the rhetoric that converted sayings into authority. Explores organization, funding, and political ties that allowed rapid expansion. Considers rituals, hierarchy, and long-term power networks shaping religion and social control.
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Heaven Became A Productivity Incentive
- Paul's promise of eternal reward transformed slaves' incentives: work obediently now for guaranteed afterlife bliss.
- Jiang argues this made slaves more productive and preserved elite wealth by channeling hope into obedience.
Paul As Founder And Political Entrepreneur
- Jiang stresses Paul wrote much of the New Testament and established doctrines opposite to Jesus: belief over practice, obedience over self-salvation.
- He frames Paul as a political entrepreneur who built Christianity into an empire-serving institution.
Paul's Road To Damascus Story Echoes Plato
- Acts narrates Paul's conversion on the road to Damascus via a blinding light and three days without sight.
- Jiang likens the story to Plato's Allegory of the Cave and notes Paul rarely quotes Jesus in his letters.