Galatians 1:11-24 - Paul's Defense Of His Apostleship
11 For I tell you, brothers, the good news which was preached by me is not a human message, 12 for I did not get it from any man; I was not taught it, but I got it through a revelation given by Jesus Christ.
13 You have heard, indeed, of my former conduct as an adherent of the Jewish religion, how I kept on furiously persecuting the church of God, and tried to destroy it, 14 and how I outstripped many of my own age among my people in my devotion to the Jewish religion, because I surpassed all others in my zeal for the traditions handed down by my forefathers. 15 But when God, who had already set me apart from my birth, and had called me by His unmerited favor, 16 chose to unveil His Son in me, so that I might preach the good news about Him among the heathen, at once, before I conferred with any human creatures, 17 and before I went up to Jerusalem to see those who had been apostles before me, I retired to Arabia, and afterwards returned to Damascus.
18 Then three years later I went up to Jerusalem to get acquainted with Cephas, but I spent only two weeks with him; 19 and not another single one of the apostles did I see, except James, the Lord's brother. 20 In writing you this, I swear before God, I am telling you the solemn truth.
21 After that I went into the districts of Syria and Cilicia. 22 But I was personally unknown to the Christian churches in Judea; 23 only they kept hearing people say, "Our former persecutor is now preaching as good news the faith which once he tried to destroy," 24 and they kept on praising God for me.