Galatians 1:17
nor did I go up to Jerusalem to the apostles who came before me, but I went into Arabia and later returned to Damascus.
nor did I go up to Jerusalem
The phrase highlights Paul's intentional decision to not seek immediate validation or instruction from the established apostles in Jerusalem. In the Greek, "ἀνῆλθον" (anēlthon) implies a deliberate action of not ascending or going up, which is significant given Jerusalem's status as the spiritual and geographical center of early Christianity. This decision underscores Paul's independence and the divine origin of his apostolic calling, emphasizing that his gospel message was not derived from human sources but through revelation from Jesus Christ.

to the apostles who were before me
This phrase acknowledges the existence and authority of the apostles who were already established before Paul's conversion. The Greek word "ἀπόστολοι" (apostoloi) refers to those who were sent out, specifically the original disciples of Jesus who were commissioned to spread the gospel. By stating "before me," Paul recognizes their precedence in the faith, yet he asserts his equal standing as an apostle called directly by Christ. This highlights the unity and diversity within the early church, where different leaders had distinct roles but shared the same mission.

but I went into Arabia
The mention of Arabia is intriguing and somewhat mysterious, as the exact location and purpose of Paul's journey are not detailed in the text. The Greek "Ἀραβία" (Arabia) could refer to the Nabatean Kingdom, which was a region southeast of Judea. This journey signifies a period of reflection, preparation, and possibly direct revelation from God, away from the immediate influence of the early Christian community. It suggests a time of solitude and spiritual formation, where Paul could deepen his understanding of the gospel and his mission.

and later returned to Damascus
Returning to Damascus, where Paul initially encountered Christ, signifies a full circle in his early Christian journey. The Greek "Δαμασκός" (Damaskos) was a significant city in the Roman province of Syria, known for its diverse population and strategic location. This return indicates Paul's readiness to begin his ministry, equipped with the revelations and insights gained during his time in Arabia. It also reflects the continuity of his mission, as he re-engages with the community where his transformation began, ready to preach the gospel with newfound conviction and authority.

Persons / Places / Events
1. Paul (Apostle)
Formerly known as Saul, Paul was a zealous Pharisee who persecuted Christians before his dramatic conversion on the road to Damascus. He became a leading figure in the early Christian church and authored many New Testament letters.

2. Arabia
A region that Paul visited after his conversion. The exact location and activities during his time there are not detailed in the Bible, but it is believed to be a time of reflection and revelation.

3. Damascus
A city in Syria where Paul was headed when he encountered Christ. After his conversion, he spent time in Damascus preaching about Jesus.
Teaching Points
Divine Preparation
Paul's retreat to Arabia signifies a period of preparation and revelation. Like Paul, believers may need times of solitude to grow spiritually and receive God's guidance.

Independence in Ministry
Paul emphasizes that he did not immediately consult with the apostles in Jerusalem. This underscores the importance of seeking God's direction personally and not relying solely on human authority.

Transformation and Testimony
Paul's life exemplifies the transformative power of Christ. Believers are encouraged to share their testimonies of change and growth in faith.

Obedience to God's Call
Despite his past, Paul obeyed God's call to preach the Gospel. This teaches that no past is too great for God to redeem and use for His purposes.

The Role of Solitude in Spiritual Growth
Paul's time in Arabia suggests that solitude can be crucial for spiritual growth and understanding God's will. Believers should seek quiet times for prayer and reflection.
Bible Study Questions
1. What can we learn from Paul's decision to go to Arabia instead of immediately consulting with the apostles in Jerusalem?

2. How does Paul's transformation from persecutor to preacher encourage us in our own spiritual journeys?

3. In what ways can solitude and time away from daily distractions enhance our relationship with God?

4. How does Paul's experience in Arabia and Damascus illustrate the importance of preparation before entering into ministry or service?

5. Reflect on a time when you felt called to step out in faith. How did you seek God's guidance, and what was the outcome?
Connections to Other Scriptures
Acts 9:1-25
This passage provides the account of Paul's conversion on the road to Damascus and his initial preaching in the city, offering context to his statement in Galatians 1:17.

1 Kings 19:15
Elijah's journey to the wilderness of Damascus parallels Paul's retreat to Arabia, suggesting a time of preparation and divine instruction.

2 Corinthians 11:32-33
Paul recounts his escape from Damascus, highlighting the challenges he faced early in his ministry.
Aspects of the New LifeJ. H. Newman, D. D.Galatians 1:17
Quiet PlacesF. W. Farrar.Galatians 1:17
Residence in ArabiaA. Barnes.Galatians 1:17
St Paul's SeclusionCanon Liddon.Galatians 1:17
St. Paul's Sojourn in ArabiaBishop Lightfoot.Galatians 1:17
St. Paul's SolitudeEmilius Bayley, B. D.Galatians 1:17
The Inner Life of St. PaulCanon Miller.Galatians 1:17
The Significance of This Episode for UsS. Pearson, M. A.Galatians 1:17
Value of SeclusionCanon Liddon., J. Lyth.Galatians 1:17
Paul's Personal Grasp of the GospelR.M. Edgar Galatians 1:11-24
PositionR. Finlayson Galatians 1:11-24
People
Cephas, Galatians, James, Paul, Peter
Places
Cilicia, Damascus, Galatia, Jerusalem, Judea, Syria
Topics
Afterwards, Apostles, Apostleship, Arabia, Damascus, Immediately, Jerusalem, Later, Returned, Seniors
Dictionary of Bible Themes
Galatians 1:17

     4971   seasons, of life

Galatians 1:13-17

     8820   self-confidence

Galatians 1:15-17

     6708   predestination

Galatians 1:15-18

     5108   Paul, life of

Galatians 1:15-19

     7241   Jerusalem, significance

Library
Our Manifesto
TO ME it is a pitiful sight to see Paul defending himself as an apostle; and doing this, not against the gainsaying world, but against cold-hearted members of the church. They said that he was not truly an apostle, for he had not seen the Lord; and they uttered a great many other things derogatory to him. To maintain his claim to the apostleship, he was driven to commence his epistles with "Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ," though his work was a self-evident proof of his call. If, after God has
Charles Haddon Spurgeon—Spurgeon's Sermons Volume 37: 1891

Answer to Mr. W's Fifth Objection.
5. The consideration that none of these raised persons did or could, after the return to their bodies, tell any tales of their separate existence; otherwise the Evangelists had not been silent in this main point, &c. p. 32. None of these persons, Mr. W. says, told any tales of their separate existence. So I suppose with him. As for the two first: How should they? being only, as Mr. W. says, an insignificant boy and girl, of twelve years of age, or thereabouts. Or if they did, the Evangelists were
Nathaniel Lardner—A Vindication of Three of Our Blessed Saviour's Miracles

The Epistles of St. Paul
WHEN we pass from primitive Christian preaching to the epistles of St. Paul, we are embarrassed not by the scantiness but by the abundance of our materials. It is not possible to argue that the death of Christ has less than a central, or rather than the central and fundamental place, in the apostle's gospel. But before proceeding to investigate more closely the significance he assigns to it, there are some preliminary considerations to which it is necessary to attend. Attempts have often been made,
James Denney—The Death of Christ

Institutions of Jesus.
That Jesus was never entirely absorbed in his apocalyptic ideas is proved, moreover, by the fact that at the very time he was most preoccupied with them, he laid with rare forethought the foundation of a church destined to endure. It is scarcely possible to doubt that he himself chose from among his disciples those who were pre-eminently called the "apostles," or the "twelve," since on the day after his death we find them forming a distinct body, and filling up by election the vacancies that had
Ernest Renan—The Life of Jesus

Fourth Conversation
The manner of going to God. * Hearty renunciation. * Prayer and praise prevent discouragement. * Sanctification in common business. * Prayer and the presence of God. * The whole substance of religion. * Self-estimation * Further personal experience. He discoursed with me very frequently, and with great openness of heart, concerning his manner of going to GOD, whereof some part is related already. He told me, that all consists in one hearty renunciation of everything which we are sensible does not
Brother Lawrence—The Practice of the Presence of God

Exposition of St. Paul's Words, Gal. I. 8.
Exposition of St. Paul's Words, Gal. i. 8. [21.] When therefore certain of this sort wandering about provinces and cities, and carrying with them their venal errors, had found their way to Galatia, and when the Galatians, on hearing them, nauseating the truth, and vomiting up the manna of Apostolic and Catholic doctrine, were delighted with the garbage of heretical novelty, the apostle putting in exercise the authority of his office, delivered his sentence with the utmost severity, "Though we," he
Vincent of Lérins—The COMMONITORY OF Vincent of Lérins

A Reasonable Service
TEXT: "I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service."--Romans 12:1. There is perhaps no chapter in the New Testament, certainly none in this epistle, with which we are more familiar than this one which is introduced by the text; and yet, however familiar we may be with the statements, if we read them carefully and study them honestly they must always come to us not only in the
J. Wilbur Chapman—And Judas Iscariot

The Praise of Men.
"They loved the praise of men more than the praise of God."--John xii. 43. This is spoken of the chief rulers of the Jews, who, though they believed in Christ's Divine mission, were afraid to confess Him, lest they should incur temporal loss and shame from the Pharisees. The censure passed by St. John on these persons is too often applicable to Christians at the present day; perhaps, indeed, there is no one among us who has not at some time or other fallen under it. We love the good opinion
John Henry Newman—Parochial and Plain Sermons, Vol. VII

Sudden Conversions.
"By the grace of God I am what I am: and His grace which was bestowed upon me was not in vain."--1 Cor. xv. 10. We can hardly conceive that grace, such as that given to the great Apostle who speaks in the text, would have been given in vain; that is, we should not expect that it would have been given, had it been foreseen and designed by the Almighty Giver that it would have been in vain. By which I do not mean, of course, to deny that God's gifts are oftentimes abused and wasted by man, which
John Henry Newman—Parochial and Plain Sermons, Vol. VIII

So Great Blindness, Moreover, Hath Occupied Men's Minds...
43. So great blindness, moreover, hath occupied men's minds, that to them it is too little if we pronounce some lies not to be sins; but they must needs pronounce it to be sin in some things if we refuse to lie: and to such a pass have they been brought by defending lying, that even that first kind which is of all the most abominably wicked they pronounce to have been used by the Apostle Paul. For in the Epistle to the Galatians, written as it was, like the rest, for doctrine of religion and piety,
St. Augustine—On Lying

Travelling in Palestine --Roads, Inns, Hospitality, Custom-House Officers, Taxation, Publicans
It was the very busiest road in Palestine, on which the publican Levi Matthew sat at the receipt of "custom," when our Lord called him to the fellowship of the Gospel, and he then made that great feast to which he invited his fellow-publicans, that they also might see and hear Him in Whom he had found life and peace (Luke 5:29). For, it was the only truly international road of all those which passed through Palestine; indeed, it formed one of the great highways of the world's commerce. At the time
Alfred Edersheim—Sketches of Jewish Social Life

The Early History of Particular Churches.
A.D. 67-A.D. 500 Section 1. The Church of England. [Sidenote: St. Paul's visit to England.] The CHURCH OF ENGLAND is believed, with good reason, to owe its foundation to the Apostle St. Paul, who probably came to this country after his first imprisonment at Rome. The writings of Tertullian, and others in the second and third centuries speak of Christianity as having spread as far as the islands of Britain, and a British king named Lucius is known to have embraced the Faith about the middle of
John Henry Blunt—A Key to the Knowledge of Church History

It is Also Written, "But I Say unto You...
28. It is also written, "But I say unto you, Swear not at all." But the Apostle himself has used oaths in his Epistles. [2342] And so he shows how that is to be taken which is said, "I say unto you, Swear not at all:" that is, lest by swearing one come to a facility in swearing, from facility to a custom, and so from a custom there be a downfall into perjury. And therefore he is not found to have sworn except in writing, where there is more wary forethought, and no precipitate tongue withal. And
St. Augustine—On Lying

Easter Monday
Text: Acts 10, 34-43. 34 And Peter opened his mouth, and said: Of a truth I perceive that God is no respecter of persons: 35 but in every nation he that feareth him, and worketh righteousness, is acceptable to him. 36 The word which he sent unto the children of Israel, preaching good tidings of peace by Jesus Christ (he is Lord of all)--37 that saying ye yourselves know, which was published throughout all Judaea, beginning from Galilee, after the baptism which John preached; 38 even Jesus of Nazareth,
Martin Luther—Epistle Sermons, Vol. II

Fifth Sunday after Epiphany
Text: Colossians 3, 12-17. 12 Put on therefore, as God's elect, holy and beloved, a heart of compassion, kindness, lowliness, meekness, longsuffering; 13 forbearing one another, and forgiving each other, if any man have a complaint against any; even as the Lord forgave you, so also do ye: 14 and above all these things put on love, which is the bond of perfectness. 15 And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to the which also ye were called in one body; and be ye thankful. 16 Let the Word
Martin Luther—Epistle Sermons, Vol. II

Extracts No. vii.
[In this number the objector gives the whole ground of his objections, and the reasons for his doubts: which he states as follows, viz. "1. Mankind, in all ages of the world, have been, and still are prone to superstition. "2. It cannot be denied, but that a part of mankind at least, have believed, and still are believing in miracles and revelation, which are spurious. "3. The facts on which religion is predicated are unlike every thing of which we have any positive knowledge." Under the first
Hosea Ballou—A Series of Letters In Defence of Divine Revelation

Chrysostom Evades Election to a Bishopric, and Writes his Work on the Priesthood.
About this time several bishoprics were vacant in Syria, and frequent depositions took place with the changing fortunes of orthodoxy and Arianism, and the interference of the court. The attention of the clergy and the people turned to Chrysostom and his friend Basil as suitable candidates for the episcopal office, although they had not the canonical age of thirty. Chrysostom shrunk from the responsibilities and avoided an election by a pious fraud. He apparently assented to an agreement with Basil
St. Chrysostom—On the Priesthood

The Apostle's Position and Circumstances
PHILIPPIANS i. 12-20 Disloyal "brethren"--Interest of the paragraph--The victory of patience--The Praetorian sentinel--Separatism, and how it was met--St Paul's secret--His "earnest expectation"--"Christ magnified"--"In my body" St Paul has spoken his affectionate greeting to the Philippians, and has opened to them the warm depths of his friendship with them in the Lord. What he feels towards them "in the heart of Christ Jesus," what he prays for them in regard of the growth and fruit of their
Handley C. G. Moule—Philippian Studies

Epistle Xlv. To Theoctista, Patrician .
To Theoctista, Patrician [153] . Gregory to Theoctista, &c. We ought to give great thanks to Almighty God, that our most pious and most benignant Emperors have near them kinsfolk of their race, whose life and conversation is such as to give us all great joy. Hence too we should continually pray for these our lords, that their life, with that of all who belong to them, may by the protection of heavenly grace be preserved through long and tranquil times. I have to inform you, however, that I have
Saint Gregory the Great—the Epistles of Saint Gregory the Great

Jesus' First Residence at Capernaum.
^D John II. 12. ^d 12 After this he went down to Capernaum [The site of Capernaum is generally conceded to be marked by the ruins now called Tel-Hum. Jesus is said to have gone "down" because Cana is among the hills, and Capernaum was by the Lake of Galilee, about six hundred feet below sea level], he, and his mother, and his brethren, and his disciples [There is much dispute as to what the New Testament writers mean by the phrase the "brethren of the Lord." This phrase, found in any other than a
J. W. McGarvey—The Four-Fold Gospel

Indeed in all Spiritual Delights, which Unmarried Women Enjoy...
27. Indeed in all spiritual delights, which unmarried women enjoy, their holy conversation ought also to be with caution; lest haply, though their life be not evil through haughtiness, their report be evil through negligence. Nor are they to be listened to, whether they be holy men or women, when (upon occasion of their neglect in some matter being blamed, through which it comes to pass that they fall into evil suspicion, from which they know that their life is far removed) they say that it is enough
St. Augustine—On the Good of Widowhood.

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