The lives of Paul of Tarsus and Flavius Josephus are remarkably linked. Similarities, parallels, coincidences, call them what you like, but the more there is the stranger it seems.
Chronology:
AD 53 - Age 16 Josephus goes on a "spiritual journey". Many scholars give this as the possible date when Paul writes the first of the undisputed epistles.
AD 56 - Josephus returns age 19 then skips about 7 years of his life story. During the same time Paul goes to prison.
AD 62 - Both embark on a voyage, both are shipwrecked and both end up in Rome at the same time.
So what does that mean? It means that from the time of the first epistle we can place Paul in the shoes of Josephus. The life of Josephus was used as a template to construct Paul. This is why Paul's writings appear contemporary to this time.
A selection of other similarities between these two characters:
Jews raised in Jerusalem with Roman citizenship. Educated as a Pharisee. Acted against revolutionaries, persecuting and imprisoning. Had a vision of a man telling him the error of his ways then turned to the side of the Jesus/Romans. After the vision a disciple/high priest called Ananias/Ananus was eventually persuaded “he” was their ally. Accused of/wrote of an Egyptian False Prophet. Stoned/Attacked by opponents. Jews wished him dead but he was saved by Romans. Felix/Florus accused of asking for a bride from him. Saul talked with Agrippa and Berenice securing favourable treatment – Josephus gave account of petitions that Berenice, made to Florus, begging to spare the jews. Both of them wrote many letters to communities around Europe promoting and recommending books/texts and vouching their authenticity/truthfulness. They where both "published" by someone named Epaphroditus.
I could go on with quotes from each men and show that their writings are riddled with the same kind of parallels, but that's old ground, this isn't. This, for me, removes Paul of Tarsus from reality and places him in the realm of fiction.
I am sure you can pick holes here and there, but it's clear to me that they got their ideas for Paul from Josephus. This understanding obliterates the traditional dating of the Pauline Epistles. They are a fictional theological work that only seem contemporary to those dates because of the man they are based on... Josephus.