The earliest Jewish-Christians strictly followed traditional Hebrew practices, including daily prayers, circumcision, rituals for purity, fasting, dietary laws, and temple, according to the source material.
By the time the New Testament Gospels (Mark, Matthew, Luke, John) were compiled, there was a growing movement to frame traditional Jewish practices as obsolete, driven by a desire to break free from strict Mosaic laws like circumcision, ritual purity, and dietary codes, which required portraying Judaism as an inferior path for the new faith to flourish.
Jesus fully observed the laws of the Torah, maintained kosher dietary regulations, and never asked his followers to abandon Judaism, as they continued to meet at the Temple and practice circumcision rather than establishing a separate religion or attending a church.
Paul is described as rejecting the binding authority of the Torah, specifically mandatory male circumcision as an everlasting covenant and laws regarding dietary purity. Thereby breaking away from divine commands given to the Hebrew people.
According to Genesis 17:9-14, God established male circumcision as an everlasting token of the divine covenant with Abraham and his descendants, decreeing that any uncircumcised male soul would be completely cut off from his people for breaking the covenant. Because Jesus and all his original disciples were circumcised, this commandment is a serious matter.
Paul considered the physical act of circumcision to be unimportant, prioritizing faith and adherence to God's commandments as more significant than the physical ritual.