The Thorn of Paul

In the Bible, many people read there being two men named Paul because the writings authored under that name are so radically different.
It is said that Paul (Saul) was not a follower of Christ or present for the crucifixion but sought to develop his own version or Church. In the narrative of my books, The Goddess Aped and The Last Whore of Babylon, is that Paul is Saul and that there is only one Saul-the same that called on the Witch of Endor.

When Jesus is crucified, the apostles are not mentioned as having been near. The reason I do not believe Paul/Saul initially saw this as Jesus is because Paul asks the risen Jesus to rid him of the affliction. By this time, Jesus would have already been crucified, but if we read this story as there being only one Paul and one Saul and that Paul was born with the name Saul, then this takes an interesting turn.