I am trying to resolve the seeming disagreement between Paul's conversion story in Acts and what he writes to in Galatians 1. We know the Damascus road story has him immediately going to Damascus (and meeting Ananias) and only later to Jerusalem. But in his letter to the Galatians he says he went to Arabia before he consulted any man. What do you think?--Stewart Oliver (Athens, Georgia)
Consulting any man refers to where he got his gospel from. But Paul got his message from Jesus. (Not Ananias... He only had the honors of healing and then baptizing Paul.) You have to ask the question: What is the context of his remark? Of course he isn't saying he never met another Christian. He is defending his apostleship and the divine origin of his message. No contradiction!
