Was Paul an apostate who changed a lot of Jesus' teachings and came up with a lot of new ideas but never met Jesus and simply appointed himself as an apostle?

Answer 1

1. Was Paul an Apostate? 2. Changed a lot if Jesus' teachings? 3. But never met Jesus? 4. Simply appointed himself Apostle?

Ans #1. We all Know that Jesus' original religion is Jewish. Paul's religion is also Jewish (Acts 23:6). So when Paul started a different religion in Antioch, he separated himself from Judaism, therefore he's an Apostate with regards to Judaism.

Ans#2. Yes on Changed a lot of Jesus' teachings. Jesus said; "Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or tittle shall nowise pass from the [Mosaic] law, till all be fulfilled. Whosoever therefore shall break one of these least commandments, and shall teach men so, he shall be called the least in the kingdom of heaven." Matthew 5:18-19.

And Paul abrogated the [Mosaic] law when he said; "Wherefore the law was our schoolmaster to bring us unto Christ, that we might be justified by faith. But after that faith is come, we are no longer under a schoolmaster." Galatians 3:24-25. see also Romans 6:4,6, 2 Corinthians 3:14, Ephesians 2:15, Colossians 2:14.

Ans#3. Paul claimed to have met Jesus when he fell down on the way to Damascus. But he was the only one who saw Jesus, his companion did not. Therefore; he met a Spiritual Jesus. But later he claimed that he saw Jesus in the flesh after resurrection (1 Cor 15:8), which is impossible since Jesus has already ascended to heaven at this time.

Ans#4. Since Jesus has already ascended to heaven at this time, then, yes he appointed himself an Apostle.

Answer 2

Paul did say that he received his knowledge of Jesus from no man. We also know from Paul's epistles that there were others who taught "a different Christ", so there must have been considerable diversity in the very early Christian community. Much of modern Christianity's theology may have originated with Paul - for example, Paul wrote, and attributed to himself, sayings that would later be attributed to Jesus.
An apostate is literally a person who leaves a religion. Whatever Paul's relationship with other branches of Christians and whatever his influence was on later Christian thought, he can not be considered an apostate. We know from Galatians that Paul kept in touch with the Jerusalem brethren and exchanged views on theology, even if he says that he learnt nothing from the Jerusalem group. The fact that Paul came to fill such a central role in Christianity also means that he could not really be considered an apostate. If Paul came up with new ideas, they were accepted and Christianity has been enriched by those ideas.