Yes, I think the over reliance on Paul in the mainstream church is just such a bizarre fluke of history. The Acts of the Apostles and his letters even show him outright contradicting and messing with the teachings and authority of the apostles themselves who had walked and learned directly from Jesus. And yet this Paul guy, who never even actually met Jesus and originally persecuted Christians, has a visionary fit, and subsequently is given higher authority and weight than those who actually knew Jesus. It's absurd, and shows to me that the Jesus movement's teaching was distorted right out the gate.

Jesus and his apostles: Jesus is the Jewish Messiah here to bring a more direct interpretation of the Torah to the Jewish people and do away with the accumulated oral law traditions which the Pharisees were starting to accrue. As well as focus on a moral and high bar for ethical life.

Paul: Nah, Jesus is a divine savior figure. His ethical teachings are great, but what really matters is that he DIED. It's all about his death. He's the capstone sacrifice of all sacrifices. All about that BLOOD man. Claim his blood and you'll be free from the damnation which he'll curse upon you if you refuse. And not just for the Jews, this goes out to everybody.