I also realize that Paul wanted to be 'all things to all people, that to the Jews he behaved in Jewish ways, following their rituals and traditions, and to the gentiles he acted as a gentile, but does this mean he also acted pagan to appease the pagans and is this why paganism was allowed into christianity?
A the left is a sculpture by Gian Lorenzo Bernini decorating the tomb of Pope Alexander VII. At the four corners surrounding the enthroned Pope, are the four virtues, Charity, Prudence, Justice and Truth. Charity is on the front left side and "La Verita", which means "The Truth" is on the right front side. On the right is a close up of "La Verita". Notice that the woman is embracing a 'sun-burst'. Clicking on the large image will take you to an art gallery where you can click on the image and zoom for a closer look.
Pagan Babylon worshipped the sun as a deity, and pagan Rome also worshipped the sun. The Roman Catholic Church, with the assistance of Constantine, changed the day of worship from the Sabbath (Saturday) to the Sun Day and commonly used images and symbols of the sun.
Constantine placed no Christian appellation upon the worship on the first day of the week, referring it to it as the "venerable day of the sun."
Let all judges and all city people and all tradesmen rest upon the venerable day of the sun. But let those dwelling in the country freely and with full liberty attend to the culture of their field; since it frequently happens that no other day is so fit for the sowing of grain or the planting of vines; hence, the favorable time should not be allowed to pass, lest the provisions of heaven be lost. Quoted in Blakely, p. 269
Or if you prefer the Codex Justinianus:
On the venerable Day of the Sun let the magistrates and people residing in cities rest, and let all workshops be closed. In the country, however, persons engaged in agriculture may freely and lawfully continue their pursuits; because it often happens that another day is not so suitable for grain-sowing or for vine-planting; lest by neglecting the proper moment for such operations the bounty of heaven should be lost. (Given the 7th day of March, Crispus and Constantine being consuls each of them for the second time [A.D. 321].) Source: Codex Justinianus, lib. 3, tit. 12, 3; trans. in Philip Schaff, History of the Christian Church, Vol. 3 (5th ed.; New York: Scribner, 1902), p. 380, note 1.
Below on the left is a Neo-Assyrian standing stone (stele/stela) dating from about 824-811 B.C., which depicts King Shamshi-Adad V. Note the necklace the King is wearing. On it is what today is called a Maltese cross. Twenty-eight hundred years ago that shape was symbolic of pagan sun worship.
Clicking on the above stele will take you to the British Museum. Today the Pope wears a similar symbol around his neck, on the Pallium, which the Pope also confers on selected bishops as an ornamental token of his favor, and it is also worn by archbishops and patriarchs as a symbol of their authority as a metropolitan, derived from unity with the Pope. The Pope also has a ring and staff of authority, remarkably similar to the depiction of the sun god Shamash on the Babylonian tablet shown below.
At the left is a tablet from the early 9th century B.C. which depicts the Babylonian sun-god Shamash seated on the right, holding emblems of his authority, a staff and ring, and the king with two attendants on the left. In the center, on an altar, is a large 4-point sun image, with additional small wavy rays between the points. Clicking on the image will take you to the British Museum, where you can see and read about this tablet depicting the sun god, Shamash.
Note the lower hand of King Ashur-nasir-pal II in the above stele. On the wrist is the sunburst symbol. On the right, the pagan sunburst is on the glove of Pope John XXIII. Clicking on the image of the stele will take you to the British Museum.
The depictions of the pagan kings on the ancient standing stones (stela) above, show a strip of cloth (lappet) hanging from the rear of the headgear. These lappets are also present on the papal mitre and tiara, shown at left, and partially visible in the photos of popes above and to the left.
Deu 17:2 If there be found among you, within any of thy gates which the LORD thy God giveth thee, man or woman, that hath wrought wickedness in the sight of the LORD thy God, in transgressing his covenant,
Deu 17:3 And hath gone and served other gods, and worshipped them, either the sun, or moon, or any of the host of heaven, which I have not commanded;
Deu 17:4 And it be told thee, and thou hast heard of it, and inquired diligently, and, behold, it be true, and the thing certain, that such abomination is wrought in Israel:
Deu 17:5 Then shalt thou bring forth that man or that woman, which have committed that wicked thing, unto thy gates, even that man or that woman, and shalt stone them with stones, till they die.
Here is Pope John Paul II holding what is called a Monstrance or Ostensorium. It is used to display a round wafer of bread, called the host, which is used in what is called the Mass, Lord's Supper, Communion or Eucharistic meal. The Catholic believes this wafer of bread turns into the actual body of Christ when consecrated during the Mass.
The Roman Catholic Church even admits the Monstrance to be a sunburst:
"During the baroque period, it took on a rayed form of a sun-monstrance with a circular window surrounded by a silver or gold frame with rays."Source: The Dictionary of the Liturgy by Rev. Jovian P. Lang, OFM., published and copyrighted © 1989 by Catholic Book Publishing Co., New York, ISBN 0-89942-273-X, page 436.
The ostensorium (ostensory, monstrance) is a glass-framed shrine in which the Blessed Sacrament is publicly exposed. It may be of gold, silver, brass, or copper gilt (Cong. Sac. Rit., 31 August, 1867). The most appropriate form is that of the sun emitting its rays to all sides (Instructio Clement., 5).
I think you can see how pagan 'language' is only a part of it, and how pagan symbolism was brought into, and resides in co-existence with christianity.