http://www.ancient.eu/Minoan_Civilization/
Cretans had some spectacular natural disasters just before the dark period and also traded with some sea-going peoples.
I suspect hot-shot Roman Paul tried some proselytizing among the descendents of the Minoan and Mycenaean Greeks and had the same success he had with the (then) modern Athenian Greeks, and concluded they were all hopelessly stupid.
Crete by then was a backwater. Keeping religion aside - it n ever recovered its place in the Greek world even though it was the largest island with lots of resources.