thinkfact, you are technically correct, paul kept the mitzvos, though the deifying is put into question by many historians. it seems that in all likelihood, all he did was claim jesus to be the messiah, which is more like meshichistos today.
it was peter that later on went and moved christianity away from judaism for good, bringing the religion to the surrounding paganistic cultures of the time. he was the one to get rid schitah, bris, etc. but even at that time, they still kept shabbos on saturday. there is a story that has been around that peter was sent in to the religion to move it away due to its danger to judaism by the tanaim, and that peter was actually a tana himself, and on his deathbed he wrote nishmas, to show that all he did was for the sanctification of hakodosh baruch hu, and so that the dangers of chrisitanity being so close to judaism would no longer be an issue.