The disciples who physically knew Jesus (specifically James) had a massive problem with the Apostle Paul, despised his teachings, and believed Paul taught contrary to what Jesus preached.
This is a smear that has no evidence and can easily be refuted by the evidence found in the writings in the New Testament.
Acts 15:1-4 shows that when theological disputes arose, Paul and Barnabas traveled to Jerusalem and were warmly received by the apostles and elders.
Acts 15:4:
When they came to Jerusalem, they were welcomed by the church and the apostles and the elders, and they declared all that God had done with them.
It ends with a united front.
Acts 15:25-26:
...it has seemed good to us, having come to one accord, to choose men and send them to you with our beloved Barnabas and Paul, men who have risked their lives for the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Skeptics often pit Acts against Galatians. They argue that Luke (the author of Acts) provides a highly stylized, "harmonized" history to make the early church look perfectly unified.
They will point to Galatians 2:11-14 (the Antioch Incident), where Paul publicly rebukes Peter for separating himself from Gentile believers, arguing that the "warm reception" in Acts papers over a much deeper, bitter rivalry.
The very existence of the confrontation in Antioch proves Peter and Paul shared the same theological standard. Paul didn't rebuke Peter for having a different theology; he rebuked him for hypocrisy—not acting in line with the truth of the Gospel they both agreed upon.
In Galatians 2, Paul states that James, Cephas (Peter), and John—the perceived pillars of the early church—gave Paul and Barnabas the "right hand of fellowship" and fully endorsed Paul's ministry to the Gentiles.
Galatians 2:3:
But even Titus, who was with me, was not forced to be circumcised, though he was a Greek.
Galatians 2:9:
...and when James and Cephas and John, who seemed to be pillars, perceived the grace that was given to me, they gave the right hand of fellowship to Barnabas and me, that we should go to the Gentiles and they to the circumcised.
Paul refers to James, Cephas, and John as those who "seemed to be pillars" and adds, "what they were makes no difference to me; God shows no partiality" (Galatians 2:6). A critic will claim this reveals underlying tension and defensive posturing from Paul toward the Jerusalem leadership.
Despite any personal intensity or cultural friction, the historical outcome remains undisputed: they did not compel Titus (a Gentile) to be circumcised (Galatians 2:3). The theological verdict was a total defense of Paul’s gospel of grace. The "right hand of fellowship" is a formal, binding contract of partnership in the ancient world, not a superficial greeting.
In 2 Peter 3:15-16, Peter explicitly calls Paul a "beloved brother" and classifies Paul's letters alongside "the rest of the Scriptures," proving that the early church viewed Paul's writings as divinely inspired.
2 Peter 3:15-16:
...and count the patience of our Lord as salvation, just as our beloved brother Paul also wrote to you according to the wisdom given him, as he does in all his letters when he speaks in them of these matters. There are some things in them that are hard to understand, which the ignorant and unstable twist to their own destruction, as they do the other Scriptures.
In secular biblical criticism, 2 Peter is the most widely disputed letter regarding Pauline/Petrine authorship, with critics claiming it was written in the early 2nd century by a later scribe trying to force unity between the memory of Peter and Paul.
In 1 Peter 5:12, Peter mentions writing with the help of Silas (Silvanus)—the exact same missionary companion who traveled extensively with Paul. This shows an undeniable, overlapping inner circle and shared ministry network between the two apostles.
In Acts 21:17-24, James and the elders gladly welcomed Paul and glorified God for his ministry. James brought up rumors that Paul was telling Jews to forsake Moses, but James explicitly stated those rumors were false and asked Paul to join a Nazarite vow purely to show the public that the rumors were groundless.
Acts 21:20:
And when they heard it, they glorified God. And they said to him, 'You see, brother, how many thousands there are among the Jews of those who have believed. They are all zealous for the law...'
Acts 21:24:
...take these men and purify yourself along with them and pay their expenses, so that they may shave their heads. Thus all will know that there is nothing in what they have been told about you, but that you yourself also live in observance of the law.
Critics argue that if Paul truly believed "Christ is the end of the law" (Romans 10:4), his participation in a temple ritual involving animal sacrifices (Numbers 6) was either hypocritical or proof that James was forcing Paul to submit to Jerusalem's legalistic authority.
Paul’s own missionary strategy from 1 Corinthians 9:20: "To the Jews I became as a Jew, in order to win Jews." Paul didn't believe keeping the law saved anyone, but he also didn't believe Jewish cultural customs were inherently sinful. His participation in the vow wasn't theological submission; it was a pastoral, tactical concession to maintain peace and keep the door open for evangelism.
There is theological coherence across their letters. Both Peter (1 Peter 1:18-19) and Paul (Ephesians 1:7) preach salvation exclusively through the blood of Christ, and both quote the exact same Old Testament cornerstone prophecies (Isaiah 28:16, Psalm 118:22) to describe Jesus' authority (see Romans 9:33 and 1 Peter 2:6).
Paul in Romans 9:33
...as it is written, "Behold, I am laying in Zion a stone of stumbling, and a rock of offense; and whoever believes in him will not be put to shame.Peter in 1 Testament 2:6
For it stands in Scripture: "Behold, I am laying in Zion a stone, a cornerstone chosen and precious, and whoever believes in him will not be put to shame."
True theological enemies do not share the exact same innovative, Spirit-inspired exegesis. They preached the same Christ, the same Cross, the same Resurrection, and the same Gospel.